A/N – I don't own Ranma. To clear up a bit of confusion, Kodachi won fourth place. I was going with the idea that Kodachi's cooking was so bad that all the poison she usually put in helped it in the past.

-Chapter 5-

Two and a half weeks after the first competition:

Life quickly went back to normal for Akane after the first competition. It became an endless cycle of waking up, going to class, eating, chatting with friends, homework, and sleeping. What little free time Akane actually had was dedicated to training with Ranma in what she considered a futile attempt to improve her skills.

Ranma disagreed. 

A particularly gruesome round of exams had finally finished when Akane came home early one Monday afternoon. Pausing just long enough to grab the mail, she was casually flipping through it when a letter addressed to her caught her attention. Immediately recognizing Mousse's penmanship, she raced upstairs and haphazardly tossed her bag in the corner before throwing herself on the bed.

Relatively stable hands cautiously opened the envelope before slipping out the paper covered in red ink. 

Reading it once, she flipped it over to look for any additional writing before reading through it once more. Standing, she walked to her desk and placed the letter on it gently before moving the few steps to her door. With a frown she turned, reread it and proceeded to head downstairs with her book bag in hand for what she knew would be a useless go at her homework.

--

"Akane?"

Soun Tendo stepped into his youngest daughter's room in the hopes of locating her. With no Akane in sight, he prepared to leave when a flash of white caught his attention. Moving closer he noted it was a piece of paper caught in the wind from the open window. Reaching out to grab it, he was about to put it back on the desk when he noticed it was about the competition.

Casting a furtive glance around, he decided it was safe to ease his curiosity. After all, he was an old man and that kind of suspense could just about kill him!! Nodding to himself and approving of his handy excuse, he set about to his mission.

Battle for the Ultimate Fiancée

Challenge 2:

Hello Akane,

Good job on your victory in the first competition. Third place is an admirable win and I am very proud of you. As you may know, that was only the first of many competitions and the next one is quickly approaching. The judges have decided to have a one on one with each competitor, and your first appointment will be on Saturday at 12:30pm and go until 1:30. You will be meeting your first interviewer at the playground in the park on the bench marked with a star. Your next interviewer will be expecting you at 1:45, leaving you 15 minutes to make it to Dr Tofu's office. You MUST make it to Dr Tofu's at the appointed time or you will forfeit this contest. After your meeting, you will be given further directions.

Good luck!!

Mousse

With a raised brow, Soun set the letter down and walked out wondering what the hell the duck boy had in mind for his little girl.

--

Saturday morning saw Akane setting out for the park dressed in a soft white sundress that just reached her knees. Accompanied by sandals and a nice baby blue cardigan, she was dressed to impress.

It was 12:15 when she reached the park and it would take even less time to find the designated meeting spot. Walking past the familiar old fountain, she caught a faint glimpse of purple hair making a mad dash in the direction of the clinic. The phrase "like a bat outta hell" quickly came to mind.

At 12:20, she spotted the bench and took a seat. Some of the children smiled up at her and she gave a small wave back.

12:30 came and went with no signs of the designated interviewer. One of the children, an adorable girl with what looked like a pink wig on her head, was watching her and whispering to her friends. Akane merely winked and gave soft smile.

At 12:45, Akane became worried and wondered if perhaps she read the letter wrong. Maybe it was tomorrow they were supposed to meet or maybe even next Saturday! She was so entrenched in these thoughts that she barely noticed the small hand tugging on the hem of her skirt. Looking up at her with a dirt-smudged face was the little pink haired girl, covered head to toe in sand and grass. Giving another smile, she absently noted the girl reminded her of Nabiki when they were little.

"Will you play with us?" Akane blinked. She could almost hear the pout in the girl's voice. With another quick glance at her watch she shrugged. When the judge showed up she could make her way over there. Smiling at the little girl, she nodded.

"Of course, but I can only play for a little while. I have to meet someone soon." The girl nodded and gestured for the older woman to follow.

Upon reaching the sandbox, Akane smiled and waved at the other children. There were three of them, two little girls and a little boy. One of the girls smiled up at her with long brown hair in pigtails and even darker eyes. Her cute pink dress was covered in dirt. Sitting beside her and the little boy, Akane watched as they built tiny mounds for a few moments before speaking up.

"So what're your names?" The pink-wigged girl gave her an appraising look before sticking a pudgy hand out. "Yumi. Nice ta meet ya!"

Stifling a giggle, Akane took her hand and gave it a gentle shake. "I'm Akane and I'm very pleased to meet you." The girl in the pink dress poked her in the arm and gave her a wide smile.

"I'm Keiko and I think you're very pretty." Akane blushed before returning the compliment and moving her attention the other brunette besides Keiko. Her hair was tied back in a braid and she was wearing the cutest pair of overalls. The small girl beamed at Akane before introducing herself as Michi. Shaking her hand as well, it wasn't long before she looked to the little boy sitting grumpily beside her. His arms were crossed and his eyes were covered by a little black baseball cap. Clad in muddy jeans and what looked like a soccer jersey, he was absolutely adorable, even if he was ignoring her.

She bit her lip for a moment. "What's your name?"

He mumbled something in response and she turning questioning eyes to the now-giggling girls before her. Yumi spoke up, a mischievous grin dancing on her lips. "That's Mamoru. He doesn't like his name very much." Mamoru lifted his head just long enough to glare before turning his stare to the pile of sand in front of him.

Softly thanking Yumi, Akane bent her head so she was in Mamoru's line of vision. He looked startled as she gave him a charming smile and he started blushing. She let out a small giggle.

"I think you have a beautiful name. My favorite manga character has your name, you know. I always thought I'd like my prince charming to be named Mamoru!" It was the truth, or it had been once upon a time. But this little boy didn't have to know her real prince charming wasn't so charming and acted more like the wild horse he was named after than anything else.

He blushed deeper but he managed to give her a shy smile and it was good enough for now. Even if Yumi and Keiko were cackling in the background.

It was around 1:10 when Yumi started acting up. She yelled and screamed and started a fight with poor little Michi. It took Akane about five minutes to calm the children down, convincing them that digging the moat was more fun that pulling each other's hair. As they started to dig, small hands greedily grabbing fistfuls of sand, Akane spared a glance to the bench.

Empty.

With a shrug she set about doing her part to make "the best castle ever" (as Keiko had enthusiastically put it).

1:30 came quickly, and Akane nearly missed the small beep of her watch. With a sigh she informed the children she had to go. Almost immediately they latched on, begging her not to. With a smile she knelt down to give each of them a hug and promised to see them again. She stood to leave when Keiko cried out to her.

"Your dress!! It's all dirty and it's all our fault!!!" Michi nodded emphatically as they mourned the destruction of her dress and Akane looked down, surprised but smiling. She shrugged, "So it is. At least I'll be making a fashion statement!" She posed rather dramatically and earned a giggle from the girls and a snort from Mamoru.

A round of hugs later and a few promises she hoped she'd be able to keep and Akane was running down the street to Dr Tofu's. It was 1:44 as she burst in through the front door and threw herself on the sofa in the waiting room. Tofu stood there at the desk, a greeting dying on his lips as he stared at her with wide eyes and jaw looking like it wanted to hit the floor.

She didn't blame him; she supposed she looked a terrible mess. She took a moment to catch her breath before standing up. "Akane, what on earth happened to you?"

"Oh, I was playing with a couple of children in the park. May I use the restroom?" He nodded and waited for her to fix herself up (and oh, what a mess she was!! Covered in sweat and dirt, she did her best to remove it before giving into her fate of looking like hell warmed over) before leading her into the main exam room.

Ukyo and Shampoo sat on opposite exam beds, glaring at each other for all they were worth. Mousse sat on a small stool as he casually read a book, well out of reaching distance of both girls. Glancing up, he gave a startled look at her appearance before shaking his head, motioning her over. She walked the few feet to her rivals and the Chinese man and sat down beside Ukyo who barely acknowledged her.

The silence was suffocating and she desperately tried to make small talk with Mousse. It wasn't long before Dr Tofu joined and slowly but surely they coaxed Shampoo and Ukyo to loosen up a bit. Time passed surprisingly quickly as the small group discussed everything to recipes to martial arts techniques, startled when the maniacal cackle and flurry of black petals assaulted their senses.

Akane stood quickly and collided with Ukyo, both girls tumbling to the floor in a tangle of limbs and hair. A moment passed and the whirlwind settled found a bemused Kodachi staring down at the two girls and a giggle coming from the Shampoo. Looking down, she noted that Ukyo looked as confused as she felt before glancing at her hand.

Her hand that just so happened to be resting on Ukyo's breast.

A shriek from both girls and a rather comedic display of backpedaling and stammering of excuses had the room roaring in laughter (with only a minor incident of a nosebleed from Mousse). Ukyo was the first to regain her composure, standing and dusting off her pants with the faintest hint of red across her cheeks.

"Well, if that wasn't a Ran-chan moment then I don't know what is." Laughter started up again as Ukyo helped the still red-faced Akane up, both of which were trying desperately to keep a straight face.

Once everything had settled and Dr Tofu managed to clean up all of Kodachi's blasted petals, the crazy gymnast finally noticed the state of Akane's attire. With a smug grin, she opened her mouth to make some sort of disparaging comment when a commotion from the entrance distracted her. With weary glances to each other and the doorway, they stood and dropped into defensive stances in case of an attack.

A moment passed, then two when a voice, one that sounded eerily familiar to Akane, called out to Dr Tofu. The friendly doctor smiled and excused himself before disappearing through the door. Everyone relaxed and let out a collective breath, taking up their abandoned seats once again. It wasn't long before Dr Tofu returned, a group of four children in tow.

A group of four VERY familiar children, one of which was wearing a pink wig.

Akane was so surprised she barely heard the angry curses of Shampoo and Kodachi, nor did she hear Ukyo's confused, "What the hell?". She was about to run over the kids and say hi when Mousse walked forward and stood in their way, arms spread to prevent anyone from passing. Confusion took over and she was about to ask what was going on when Kodachi shot forward, making an angry beeline to the kids, ribbons twirling furiously in the air.

He moved too quickly to see but the next thing Akane knew, Kodachi was tied to a chair by her own ribbon, a gag firmly in place. He ignored her angry glare and turned to Shampoo, almost daring her to try the same. There was a moment when it looked like the two Amazons were going to come to blows when Shampoo just crossed her arms and turned away. Ukyo shrugged before turning to Mousse, but he was now talking to the children in a quiet murmur as Dr Tofu made his way to the far side of the exam room.

Ukyo sidled up to Akane, confusion evident on her features. "What the hell is going on here?" Akane shrugged and opened her mouth to respond when Mousse straightened and turned to them once more.

"I'm sure you all recognize the faces behind me and I suppose I have some explaining to d-"

"WHAT DEMON CHILDREN DOING HERE, DUCKBOY!!!" Mousse's speech was cut short by Shampoo's angry explosion, startling a tiny shriek out of Akane. She glanced around furtively to see if anyone had noticed but gleeful snickers from Yumi and Mamoru proved they had.

It looked like a brawl was about to occur when Dr Tofu's calm voice wafted over from the supply closet before he made his back over to the group. "These aren't children, they were your interviewers, Shampoo."

Akane opened her mouth to ask for an explanation when he showed the group what was in his hands. Inside a small bowl were four mushrooms, each somewhere between twenty and forty-some odd centimeters. With a gasp, she whirled around to stare back at the children just as Yumi was pulling off her wig. Very distinct brown hair and sly, cunning eyes looked out at the group as "Yumi" made her way to the good doctor and took the second smallest mushroom. With a wink and salute, she downed it.

The reaction was instantaneous and cute little Yumi shot up a few feet and gained curves that were Nabiki through and through. A muffled gasp came from Kodachi and it was all Akane could do not to faint as Nabiki winked again, looking entirely too comfortable in the now miniscule clothing. Looking behind her sister, she saw Keiko's transformation into Kasumi as Michi ate the longest mushroom and reverted back to Nodoka, both of which dashed off to the bathroom. All eyes were on Mamoru, trying to figure out who he would turn out to be. The cocky grin he threw at them as he sauntered over to Dr. Tofu gave her the answer moments before even ate the remaining mushroom.

It felt as if time stood still as Ranma casually tossed off the tiny hat and pulled off the tiny clothes, leaving him in only his boxers before Mousse handed him a pair of black pants and a red silk shirt.

Nodoka and Kasumi emerged from the bathroom in proper clothes just as Ranma was buttoning up his shirt, much to the dismay of the girls before him.

Nodoka moved to stand in front of the fiancées and gave each a soft smile. "Today's competition was to see how well each of you were with children. While it may not e fair that you didn't receive fair warning, please keep in mind that your own children will not give you that curteousy either. Today gave myself and the other judges a good bit of insight as to how comfortable you are around other people's children, and just a hint of how you will be as a parent." At the sound of Shampoo's inevitable protest, she merely held up a hand that immediately quieted the girl.

"Yes, I know you all are still young and children are a long way off but it was still a competition. We judged you on your ability to handle a child acting up," Nabiki gave a rather dramatic bow, "and how well you interacted with them. Now, we have deliberated and our decision is in. In fourth place is Kodachi, mostly because of your attempt to tie us up and leave us hanging from a tree branch, dear. It's nothing personal." Nodoka sent her a weak smile, receiving nothing but a harsh glare in return.

Glancing at the three remaining girls, Nodoka let her gaze settle on Shampoo before speaking again.

"Shampoo, you come in at third place the verbal abuse and hitting Nabiki, rather Yumi, on the head multiple times and Mamoru for defending her. Second place goes to Ukyo, because while you were nice to the children you did lose your temper rather easily and just barely restrained yourself from hurting Yumi during her temper tantrum. And that leaves you, Akane."

All eyes shot to the youngest Tendo, three sets of eyes looking at her in shock. "Akane, you were patient and calmed the children easily and with the skill of a natural. Not once did you raise your voice or your fists. You were magnificent and will be a wonderful mother one day." Blushing under the unexpected praise, Akane barely heard Nabiki's announcement of having recorded the competition in case anyone wanted to dispute the results.

She was in her own little world until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she registered the owner as Kasumi. Offering a quiet congratulations, Akane watched her oldest sister walk over to Dr. Tofu as everyone began filling out of the office, Nabiki being hounded the others for a copy of the video.

Akane moved to leave when she felt a presence behind her and warm breathe on the back of her neck. She smiled and tilted her head back, brown eyes meeting blue.

"Walk me home, Mamoru?" He snorted but offered his arm, a small smile gracing his face. She giggled as she took it, her victory over the other girls leaving her in a giddy.

"You're such a gentleman, Mamo-chan!!"

Another snort and an eye roll. "Whatever, tomboy."

--

They were halfway back to the dojo when Ranma stopped and looked over at her with what could only be described as mischevious look. Akane eyed him wearily as he took a step closer, a smirk firmly in place.

"So I guess this makes me your Prince Charming, right?" A whap on the head and her laughter was his only response.