Part 2:

Kuno was late to school the next day. He was already moody from the previous day's fight, and the fact that he was starting to suspect he had a slight cold from being drenched to the bone while chasing a certain duck halfway across Nerima screaming at the top of his lungs. Add to this the fact that he had been locked out at the gates and forced to endure nearly an hour of standing out in the hall, buckets in hand, and it was easy to see why he came very near killing the first person who displayed a photo to him.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT!?!?!" Kuno hadn't hit that note since his voice had changed at thirteen. He snatched the photo from the stunned student and stared down at it, midnight blue eyes wide. It was a picture of himself and Mousse, with the latter clinging to the kendoist's chest with a silly grin on his face.

He wanted to sink into the floor, or turn invisible. Instead he had to settle for tearing the photo to tiny shreds and smacking the picture's ex-owner upside the head with his bokken.

It was too little, too late, as he found out shortly. There was little that traveled faster than gossip, especially in a high school. Between people talking and the hastily printed issue of the school paper (which was really more like the school Enquirer), everyone who was in at least partial command of their senses knew of the incident by the time lunch rolled around.

"Hey, Kuno! Is it true you've given up chasing Akane and taken up with that Chinese guy?"

"ARGGG!!!" Tatewaki Kuno, age 17, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High cut his way through the crowd of jeering students, occasionally smacking them aside with his weapon if they didn't clear a path quickly enough.

Who could possibly be behind such a slander!? Aside from that fool Amazon boy (and Kuno fully intended to take care of him soon enough!), he could think of only one person who had both the means and a possible motive. So it was that he set out to find one Nabiki Tendo, to seek what information she might have to offer.

* * *

"You're late, Kuno-baby." Nabiki never once glanced up from the sheet of figures she was adding. It was her take on the photographs she had managed to capture the other night… "I thought you were better than that? What took you so long?"

Kuno clenched his fist around his blade so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and he was having a bit of trouble remaining as civil as he would have liked, given the circumstances. It was never good to lose one's temper around Nabiki, because she had an annoying tendancy to use that to her own advantage. He'd learned that through his many dealings with the middle Tendo sister. Even if she was bound to get the upper hand, it was best not to give away too much ground. Even one advantage was three too many.

"I have not come to exchange idle conversation, Nabiki Tendo. I would like to know if thou art the one behind this… this travesty!"

"Travesty? Whatever do you mean, Kuno-baby?" Was it just his imagination, or was Nabiki's smile even more smug than before?

"Do not try to talk circles around ME, Nabiki Tendo!" Kuno reached out and struck the ledger from her hand, his actions surprising even himself. "I'm in no mood for games!"

Nabiki picked up the ledger, calmly brushing the dirt from it. "I wouldn't be too worried about the gossip here at school, Kuno-baby. I'd be more worried about Shampoo and that Great-Grandmother of hers." Especially since they've been looking for just an opportunity to get rid of Mousse. She didn't need to say the words for Kuno to know what she meant. Dense he might have been, but he wasn't STUPID.

"How much?"

"A mere 40,000¥, Kuno-baby." Actually, she didn't have any intention of telling Cologne about the incident. It might lead to her losing her best customer, and that wouldn't do. Besides, the ancient amazon would probably find out about it without any help from her, so she might as well cash in on it while she still could.

As Kuno counted the money into her palm, she couldn't help but feel a – very tiny – twinge of something like guilt, but it was easy to ignore. "Good doing business with you Kuno-baby."

That left only the rumor mill to take care of…

Gripping his bokken tightly in one hand, Kuno headed back towards the sprawling crowd of students, his expression one of grim determination. He was going to silence this awful rumor if it meant taking on every student in the school!

* * *

Mousse was busy smacking himself upside the head for being so stupid as to mistake that loudmouthed fool back at the park for Shampoo. For one thing, Shampoo's hair was longer, not to mention a different color! And what about the size thing? You'd think being pressed against some guy's bare chest would have given him a hint! But NO!

Now he was stuck with it, since he had been foolish enough to invoke Amazon law. But there had to be SOMETHING he could do to get out of it! Well… he was pretty sure that kendo-boy, blue um… lightning or whatever it was wouldn't be talking about it so all he had to do was keep his mouth shut and maybe no one would…

"Nihao Mousse! Is true you get engaged to stick-boy? Shampoo happy for you! Now you no more fight Ranma, yes?"

"Shampoo!?" Mousse backed up, almost falling over a table. "Wha… Where did you hear that!?"

"It all over school what Ranma go to. Shampoo see picture in school paper. You make lovely couple." She held out a crumpled copy of the paper to Mousse, who promptly started rubbing at his temples trying to get rid of the migrane that was forming.

~This can't be happening… this can't be happening…~

"So, when wedding?"

Shampoo heard a thud and turned to see Mousse sprawled across the floor, unconcious. "Aiyaa… what Shampoo say?"

* * *

"NO! NO! NO!!!" Kuno was ranting again. "I, the noble Tatewaki Kuno, am NOT in love with that amazon, nor do I intend to marry anyone save my beloved Akane Tendo and my pigtailed goddess! I would sooner marry that mercenary wench, Nabiki Tendo than a man named after a haircare product!!!"

"So does this mean you're in love with Nabiki too?" This asked by an inquisitive student just before he felt Kuno's wooden blade crash into his skull.

"Why, Kuno-baby, I didn't know you cared." A shiver of apprehension ran up Kuno's spine as he heard that familiar cool voice and half turned. His worst suspicions were confirmed when he saw the tiny audio recorder in her hand. The last thing he needed was another campus-wide rumor about his love life!

"Nabiki…Tendo…" He managed to speak her name through gritted teeth. ~Is she doing this deliberately to torment me!?~

"Now, now, Kuno-baby. 100,000¥ for this." She waved the audio recorder, mentally tallying the amount she would be able to cash in for. Life had never been this good… she was laughing to herself as he put the money in her hand.

"There. You have your blood money now, Nabiki Tendo, so desist your attempts to make my life a living hell."

"Aww…" Nabiki managed to get a slightly hurt tone in her voice. "What kind of girl do you take me for? And here I thought I had come up with a perfect solution to your problem, Kuno-baby… of course, if you don't want to hear it…" Her voice trailed off as she turned to walk away.

He knew he was being set up…just knew it and yet… The middle Tendo sister was clever, of that there was no doubt. Therefore it was probable that she did indeed have a solution to his current dilemma, if only he would pay her price. "What solution might that be?" He dragged the words out as long as he could.

The look in her eyes as she turned back to him was enough to make him feel faint. Never had he seen such a predatory look in someone's eyes before. "Tell you what, Kuno-baby… Take me to lunch and I MIGHT tell you."

Kuno groaned, the tip of his bokken dropping until it touched the ground. ~I shall regret this…~

*to be continued…*