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Akane kept on stealing glances at Ranma, he'd just bathed so his hair hung loose in damp waves, he wore only a bathrobe which was just open enough to expose a yummy glimpse of his well developed chest. Though Akane would never deign to admit it, she thought that Ranma was one of the handsomest men she'd ever met. She thought that he looked his best when he didn't realize that he was being observed because he didn't flex and act like a bit of a fool then.

His boyish features were starting to lose their baby fat and soon he would be heading towards manhood and Akane welcomed the changes in him. She felt a pang that she might not even know him then as there would be no reason for him to stick around now that they were no longer engaged. She tried to imagine life without him and couldn't. Outside of the strutting and pompous attitude, Ranma was a decent guy with a kind heart. Given time to mature, he would make a wonderfully loyal husband to whoever would be lucky to get him and eventually a wonderful father. Not for the first time Akane regretted her rejection of him, she wondered what their relationship would have been like if it had developed on its own without the interference of others.

"Mrs. Saotome" she whispered under her breath.

"Did you say something Akane?" Ranma inquired.

She blushed "No, no just talking to myself" she said quickly. Ranma just looked at her questioningly and then went back to brushing his hair, not noticing Akane's eyes devouring him. His brushing his hair caused the muscles in his chest to dance.

Mousse and Shampoo

Shampoo stirred the Ramen and snuck a glance at Mousse; she had to admit that she was rather enjoying their fake marriage. He was just talking to her like he used to when they were friends and not whining at her as he presently did. Even in a fake marriage he seemed more relaxed and comfortable around her.

He’d been working out on the roof wearing just a pair of jogging pants, so she had a rather nice view when he came in. He rubbed himself down with a towel and seemed to be favouring his left shoulder a bit. "Mousse hurt himself?" she asked.

"I think I pulled something, I’ll be fine" he replied.

He sucked in his breath when he felt her small, warm hand exploring the offending area.

"You have huge knot there, you sit down I massage out" she said pointing firmly at a chair.

"It’s okay Shampoo, It’ll loosen when I shower" he replied.

"Sit!" she said, he quickly did. He moaned when she massaged his sore aching muscles, it felt like they were turning to butter under her knowing hands. Her next words caused him to tense up though.

"You start fill out, shoulders wider, chest broader. You look more like your father every day. Shampoo too young to really remember him well, but my mother said she had crush on his when she young. He was handsomest man in village, all girls willing to take dive if he try defeat them but he only want your mother. They say he bewitch with rare green eyes, you have eyes too" she said as she kneaded his arms. "He wore hair long too"

Mousse felt confused by what she was saying "my mother could never bring herself to do more then trim my hair, I got into that habit as well. I guess it was her way of honouring him. Why are you telling me this Shampoo?"

"Shampoo thought Mousse should know" she replied. She brushed his hair back into place and said "I go pick up soya sauce, we talk later"

Mousse realized that she’d just told him that she thought he was handsome in a round about way. "Shampoo" he said to stop her. She turned around. "Thank you" he replied, she gave him a friendly smile and left.

Kuno and Ukyou

Tatewaki had agreed to pick up some food for Ukyou after school as she had had to go straight home as she had the entire restaurant booked for a private party. He stepping into the large grocery store and froze. He'd never been in one before and the sheer size of the store was a tad overwhelming. He looked dubiously at his list and wondered where to even begin looking for the items there. "Watch it pal!" a woman snarled as she almost rear ended him with her cart. He jumped out of the way, wondering where to get one of those contraptions.

"Move it buddy" snapped a man, whose path Tatewaki was blocking.

Again he moved, he turned his head when someone starting laughing in amusement. A twenty something woman with long dark hair stood in front of him "you must be a new husband" she observed.

"How can you tell?" he asked her.

"You have that deer caught in the headlights look to you" she explained. "My husband used to look the same way when we first started shopping for groceries together. Would you like some help? My name is Akira" she offered.

"Please" Tatewaki almost pleaded. "My name is Tatewaki"

"Here let me see your list" she said reaching out her hand. Gratefully, he handed it to her. "There are not too many things on here, you can just put them on this side of my cart" she offered.

"Thank you" he said in relief.

As they shopped they talked "how long have you been married for?" he asked Akira.

"We got married at eighteen, so ten years" she replied. "We have two children that my husband's watching while I'm here. How about you?" she asked.

Kuno thought about what to say "only a few days" he admitted.

"What do you wife and yourself do for a living?" she asked.” My husband's a contractor and I manage a candy shop"

"My wife owns and operates a restaurant that she's the chef of and I have family money that I control" he admitted.

"Your wife seriously owns a restaurant? How old is she?" Akira asked.

"Sixteen" he replied. "We also go to school fulltime"

Akira whistled "sounds like you're married to Wonder Woman if she can do all that and take care of you as well"

Kuno suddenly looked at Ukyou in a different way, he had just taken these parts of her for granted "yes, she’s impressive" he admitted. "Now what's the next item on the list?" he asked

"Tampons" Akira read out loud. Kuno groaned and mentally kicked Ukyou; he could hear her cackling as she wrote that on the list. "What type does she use?" she asked.

"I don't know" Kuno said and wondered if his face was glowing red.

"Well, does she have a light or heavy flow?" inquired Akira.

"I don't know. Does that matter?" he asked.

"Well that would give us an indication of what size to get" she explained.

"They come in different sizes?" said the baffled Kuno.

"Okay would you describe your wife as being a big woman?" Akira inquired.

Kuno was just glad that there was finally something he could answer "no she's slim and athletic"

Akira pulled a box out and dropped it into their shared cart "slim but designed for medium flow with a plastic applicator. I know that they're bad for the environment, but nothing beats plastic applicators" she explained. Kuno could only nod his head as if in understanding. "Now time to check out" she said and showed him where to pay for his purchases, the line ups baffled him.

"Paper or plastic?" the cashier asked. Kuno just looked at Akira.

"Plastic, the handles make it easier to carry" she explained.

"I have to carry this stuff!" he said in a startled voice.

"Yes, unless you can figure out some way to make it float along beside you" Akira replied in amusement.

Kuno thanked the kindly stranger then fumed as he carried to two large bags home. He dropped the bags off in the kitchen, as that seemed to be the logical place to put them and then went to find Ukyou to tear a strip off of her for humiliating him that way. He was surprised to find the normally high energy girl lying on the couch asleep. "Ukyou, I thought that you said you were preparing for the party?" he asked her.

"Just feeling a little dizzy" she said and struggled to sit up. Feeling slightly concerned, he touched her forehead to find that she was burning up.

"You have a fever, you should go to bed" he suggested.

"I can't, I've had this engagement party booked for weeks! I don't want to disappoint them and I can't afford to lose the income"

"Call your relief chef" Kuno suggested.

"I don't have one, I'm the chef" she said weakly.

"That's good sound planning" he said sourly.

"I can't trust just anyone to make okonomiyaki" she said in outrage.

"I have a suggestion, I just have to make a phone call" Kuno said, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the mansion. "Kodachi I have an emergency situation here at the restaurant. Can you spare Gaston for tonight?" he asked.

"What's wrong with my almost sister-in-law brother dear?" Kodachi asked facetiously.

"I think it’s the flu" Kuno replied.

"Not a problem, Ryoga's making beef stew for tonight" she assured him.

"Ryoga's cooking at our home!" Kuno said in surprise. "But what about Gaston, he hates people using his kitchen?"

"Gaston's bleeding Ryoga dry of recipes like a vampire, Ryoga's a bit of a travel food genius" she explained. "I'll send Gaston right over"

Ukyou stared at the white clad Frenchman, complete with chef hat and said "you've got to be kidding me!" Gaston was a handsomely thin man in his mid-forties, of middle height with dark eyes, dark hair cut short and graying at his temples.

"Mademoiselle Ukyou, sorry I may call you zat, non?" he inquired

"Oui, I mean yes" Ukyou said finding his half French and heavily accenting Japanese way of speaking addictive.

"When I leave France, I come to Japan and seek out cooking masters. I ask if they train moi and zey agree, one of zem was famous okonomiyaki chef and he nice man and teach all zat he know to Gaston. Gaston love to learn new ways of cooking and have tres bien memory" Gaston explained.

"You were trained by my father?" she said in surprise.

"Oui not ze first time we met, you were un bebe at the time. Un bebe c'est charment, votre father very proud of you. Perhaps tonight you let Gaston cook as votre pere taught?" he said persuasively.

Ukyou felt really ill, so she agreed. She was surprised when Kuno helped her to stand and led her into her bedroom "where do you keep your sleepwear?" he asked her after he sat her upon the bed. Weakly she pointed to her trunk; he bent down and selected a thin white cotton nightgown.

"Change into this, you need something that will allow your body to cool down, your pajamas will only make you sweat" he explained.” I’ll be outside until you change" he assured her. He went to check on the revelers downstairs and noted that they seemed well pleased with Gaston as substitute chef. Then he stopped by the kitchen to retrieve a bowl of cold water and a facecloth. He wasn't too surprised when Ukyou ran past him in a flutter of white headed for the washroom; he simply followed her in and held her hair back while she made unhappy puking sounds. Kuno didn't even think about her protesting when he scooped her up and cuddled her close while he carried her to bed, Ukyou was too glad of the feeling of strong arms around her so she cuddled back into him. He lay her down and arranged the covers over her "get some rest" he suggested. He was surprised when she grabbed his arm when he went to leave.

"Could you stay with me until I fall asleep?" asked the blushing girl.

"Of course" Kuno said sitting on the bed beside her and blushed himself when she pushed him back and snuggled into him like he was a large, awkwardly shaped pillow, until her head was cushioned on his breast. Glad he was fully dressed; he brought his arms up around her and stroked her hair until she went to sleep. He lay back listening to her light breathing and considered her. He'd never really noticed Ukyou except that she had a smart mouth and was always chasing Ranma around. He had to admit that he found her attractive and found her charming in a gruff sort of way. He liked fighting with her, her fiery temper was a thing of beauty and her sharp wit made her a wonderful adversary. He'd come to respect her for both her intelligence and her independence. Yet, he liked it when she showed her softer side as she rarely did to him. Right now that she was at her most vulnerable didn't diminish her in his eyes, he remembered taking care of Kodachi when she was young and how she loved being held by her big brother when she was ill. He imagined that to be true of most females and was happy to oblige Ukyou if she needed the comfort his larger body could provide for her. He vowed that he would leave so she wouldn't wake up confused to find him in her bed, then fell asleep too, finding her body warmth pleasing.

Ukyou woke up startled and still ill in the middle of the to realize that Kuno was in bed with her, she quickly took stock of the situation and relaxed when she realized that they were both clothed, the way that he held her wasn't suggestive and the nightgown she wore wasn't sexy in the least. She remembered asking him to hold her and relaxed, too comfortable to move. She hugged him tighter and went back to sleep.

Kodachi and Ryoga

Kodachi was surprised when she found her friends gazing out of a window in school and whispering. "What's going on?" she asked them.

"There's a guy down there that's a major babe" her friend explained with a blush. Eager to see this mystery man, Kodachi nudged her way towards the window.

"Ryoga?" she exclaimed with surprise.

"You know him, will you introduce me?" the girl nearest her asked.

"He's staying with me" Kodachi explained. Her mind was reeling at her friend’s reaction to him, of course she thought him attractive in a weird-dressing sort of way, but she hadn't acknowledged the extent of his good looks.

"He could stay with me as long as he wanted" the girl said "the boy's stacked!"

"You will cease to ogle my houseguest" ordered the suddenly territorial Kodachi and went downstairs to meet him.

"Ryoga what’re you doing here?" she asked him.

"I brought you your lunch, you forgot it" he explained.

"That's so sweet, how did you even find the place?" she asked.

"I borrowed Gaston's cell phone, it has GSP navigation on it and then I did this" he said holding up his hands to reveal the right and left written on them. "I took no chances as I wanted to be here in time for you to have your lunch" he explained.

Kodachi was deeply touched and still conscious of the female eyes devouring him. "I have a free period. Would you like to take a walk?" she asked him.

"Sure" he replied.

"So what’s your family like?" she asked him while they walked.

"Both of my parents are still alive, and I have a younger brother that I haven't seen for over a year" Ryoga replied.

"Why's that?" Kodachi asked him.

"I can't find my way home" Ryoga replied blushing with embarrassment.

"Would you like if I took you there?" she asked with a blush of her own.

"You'd do that for me!" he cried.

"Of course, I like you" she said still blushing.

"I like you too" Ryoga said, blushing even darker and refusing to look at her.

"So why do you always wear the same clothes?" she said to change the subject.

"I just need something to keep me warm when I camp and that's comfortable" Ryoga explained.

"That and you need to go home get some other clothes" she teased him.

"There's that too" he replied rubbing the back of his head self-consciously.

Kodachi noticed that they were passing a men’s clothing store and grabbed Ryoga's arm "let's go" she insisted and dragging him inside.

"Ms. Kuno, your friend’s ready" the sales manager said. Ryoga walked forward shyly, Kodachi's jaw dropped, he wore a dark blue collared shirt, blue jeans and a leather jacket. He looked amazing.

"We'll take it" she said before he could protest and put it on her credit card.

"Don't you think I look rather more exposed then usual?" Ryoga asked tactfully, glancing behind him at the place in question and then significantly down at his suddenly uberly muscular chest.

"You look gorgeous" she assured him, then blushed.

"You think so?" he said feeling shy.

"Yes" she replied, then noticed a movie poster "oh, I've been dying to see this movie" she said to distract him.

"I wouldn't mind seeing it either, like Friday night perhaps?" Ryoga suggested.

Kodachi realized that she was playing with her ponytail, something that she did when she got nervous and made herself stop "are you asking me out on a date?" she inquired

"No, no I just thought we could go together as friends" he assured her.

"True, I can't go with you because I have a fiancé, but if we go as friends then I can" she reasoned. "I'd love to" she replied.

"Great, I'll see you at home" Ryoga said when he dropped her off at school; he pecked her on the cheek, blushed and then darted away.

Kodachi touched the area where he pecked her with a slightly goofy grin on her face. Then remembered that his bandana was still in her purse, on a whim she removed the red ribbon from her hair and tied it there in its place.

Chattin’ Time

Kickinbutt: I got your pm Red, what wrong?

Red2221: I think I made a mistake in dumping him; I miss him really badly.

Ranma did a silently 'yes' and typed.

Kickinbutt: But I thought that he drove you insane?

Red2221: He did, he does, but I can't picture life without him. He's gotten under my skin.

Ranma wanting to take the bull by the horns, typed.

Kickinbutt: Do you love him?

Red2221: I don't know? I don't know what love feels like.

Ranma thought about how he felt about Akane.

Kickinbutt: You feel happy because they are, you miss them when they aren't around and sometimes you can't sleep thinking about them. Then there's the goofy grin that you get when you see them.

Red2221: That does kind of sound like the way I feel about him. Perhaps I do love him Ray. But there's another problem; I kind of have a crush on you.

Ranma got annoyed about the fact that Akane had a crush on another guy, even if it was just himself.

Kickinbutt: You don't even know what I look like

Red2221: I know that it's a little silly, but I feel like I already know you

Kickinbutt: I feel like I already know you too Red.

Red2221: I might love him, but you're the sort of guy that I've always dreamed about meeting, someone who's sweet, intelligent and insightful. You have no idea how much you've helped me lately. You're the one nice guy in a world full of perverts and that makes you so special to me.

Kickinbutt: Red, I'm just your average guy.

Red2221: I bet there is nothing average about you, I bet you're gorgeous.

Kickinbutt: I'm fairly cute I guess.

Red2221: I bet you're more then that

Kickinbutt: Guilty as charged.

Red2221: Are you willing to send me your email address?

Kickinbutt: Of course, but do you live in Nerima, Tokyo?

Red2221: I'm closer then you think