The bell rang for recess to start, and by the count of five, screaming
students were spouting out the front doors like a broken water main as they
hurried to whatever daily activity they had assigned themselves to.  "Oof!
Hey!"  Nabiki panted as she was bumped around trying to bound out of the
door herself--exiting the school was becoming a real hazzard.
When she reached the steps, she giggled as she bounced down half-way, then
long-jumped to the grass with practiced grace--a stunt that any other
student would break a leg trying.
She weaved along the bushes so as not to loose momentum while at the same
time staying out of everyone's way, when a hand suddenly reached out of the
bushes and yanked her by the collar into its leafy domain.  "Ack!"  The few
students that saw the abduction kept right on moving despite their
apprehension.
Ken threw Nabiki up against the wall and held her about a half-foot off
the ground.  He seethed, "What did you tell your sister about me?  And you
better stay quiet!"
Nabiki blinked her eyes a few times, and when she saw him, she naturally
gasped in terror.  Closing her eyes and trying not to scream, she sputtered
in a hushed tone, "You better not hurt me!  My sister won't like it!"
He pushed his face close and hissed into her ear, "Well, she isn't here
right now."
When Nabiki opened her eyes, Ken was surprised when she smiled brightly
and rang, "Sure she is, silly, she's right behind you."

	

"You shouldn't pick on people!"  All the kids on in the immediate area
backed into a circle as the school bully came flying out of the bushes.  He
rolled on the ground as Kasumi helped Nabiki out of the bushes.
Kasumi looked at Nabiki with worry--her sister was coughing and massaging
her collar.  "Oh my, Nabiki, are you okay?"
Nabiki tried to laugh, "Sure thing, Sis!  That was pretty funny! *cough
cough*"
Kasumi shook her head, then started leading her toward the gate.  "C'mon,
Nabiki, let's go."
Nabiki looked confused as she was herded forward.  "Aren't you going to
kick his butt, Sis?  Just like in the movies?"
Kasumi answered dryly, "I guess I'm too grown-up for that."  Nabiki
glanced back at him with an unsatisfied look on her face, then stuck her
tongue out.
Ken just stayed crouched on hands and knees as he watched them through
feral eyes.  He ground his teeth, but seemed to be reluctant to get up or
say anything.  All the students around him started murmering to each
other--which only seemed to make him angrier.
"Look out!" yelled Nabiki and a few others in the crowd.
Kasumi pulled her sister close and fell into a roll, swinging out with her
foot, as Ken lunged for the bubbly snitch.  Ken and Kasumi tumbled away
from each other, Kasumi landing safely with her sister by her side and Ken
sprawling on the ground with a bloody nose.
Nabiki looked over her sister and shouted, "Sore loser!"
Kasumi put a restraining hand on Nabiki's chest.  "Please, Sis, you're not
helping matters."
Ken rolled to his feet and held a hand across his face.
Kasumi noticed the roll and deducted that he had martial arts training of
some sort--that was a dangerous skill for a bully to know.  She jumped to
her feet in case he should attack, then she helped Nabiki to her feet and
told her, "Go find a teacher."
Nabiki looked worried.  "Are ya gonna fight him?"
Kasumi kept her eyes forward.  "I'm just going to hold him off while you
run inside.  Now go."  She gave her sister a light shove, then ran
alongside her until she was between Ken and the stairs.
Her opponent immediately tried to race around her to get to Nabiki, but
she grabbed him as he passed, spun around, and tossed him the other way.
This time, he fell into a controlled roll and jumped into an attacking
stance several meters away.
She heard a familiar male voice in the crowd shout, "Way to go,
Ninja-girl!"  Kasumi felt a bit embarrassed--she would turn red and lose
concentration if everyone started chanting "Ninja-girl.  Luckily, everyone
else was watching quietly or muttering with a friend or running to find a
teacher.
Ken rushed forward and threw a punch at her face, but she leaned back and
caught his forearm as it went by.  Almost at the same time, he tried to
kick her in the shin, but Kasumi lifted her foot in time and placed it
above his ankle so he couldn't kick any higher.  She then simulaneously
pulled his arm around and sent him to the ground while she backflipped to
the stairs.
When Kasumi landed, she clutched her chest as it heaved like a
bellows--she'd never been in an actual fight outside the dojo.  She stared
sightlessly at the ground until she heard hurried footsteps on the grass.
"Kya!" she shrieked as she barely ducked through Ken's grasp, making him
stumble into the stairs.  She started running away from the stairs in a
panic, then fell forward, narrowly stopping herself with her hands before
falling flat on her face.
She looked back and realized her opponent was hanging onto the top of her
right sock.  She rolled over and kicked at his fingers with her free foot.
When he yelled and let go, she scrambled to her feet and turned around for
another attack.
Ken wasted no time in launching himself at her.  Kasumi again grabbed his
arm as he passed and tried to throw him again, but he locked her foot and
tried to throw her instead.  They circled each other until Kasumi panicked
and thrust her knee into his stomach.
Ken collapsed to the ground and Kasumi stepped back with her hands to her
mouth.  She cried as she thought about how painful that must have been, "Oh
my, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to do that."
Just then, a group of teachers (finally) came out to restrain Ken and
Kasumi--although almost all of them chose to tackle Ken while a couple just
laid their hands on Kasumi's shoulders.  When Ken was helped to his feet, a
deep voice called from above, "Ken!  Tendou!  I'd like to see you in my
office, now!"
Everyone looked up to see the principal sticking his head out of a window
on the second floor--how long had he been watching?  Kasumi raised her
eyebrows when she realized that he had called her by her last name and Ken
by his first.

	

Kasumi and Ken sat beside each other as they stared at the hefty,
hard-edged man who sat on the other side of the principal's desk.  Kasumi
was surprised when he told all the teachers to clear the room, but Ken made
no motion to attack her, keeping his gaze low.
Mr. Sakamoto rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands under
his chin as he thought about what he would say to the two.  Taking a deep
breath, he began in a deep, resonant voice, "I should be disappointed in
both of you for holding a personal duel on my campus, but in this instance,
I will make an eception.  I can excuse Miss Tendou because she was only
defending herself and her sister, and even if I could not excuse her, she
is no longer a student at this school."
Kasumi looked yet again surprised as he continued, "You may dismiss
yourself from this office right now if you'd like.  I will not restrict
your visitation rights to this campus and you may pick your sisters up
anytime.  You will get in enough trouble from your own school without me
adding fuel to the fire.  I merely want to apologize for any injuries my
son may have inflicted."  Ken glared at her in his hawk-like way, dried
blood clotted under his nose.
Kasumi's eyes lit up.  She had begun to suspect as much, but hearing it
out of the principal's mouth was still startling.  She quickly stood up and
bowed curtly, unable to think of what words to say.  Mr. Sakamoto nodded
once toward the door and concluded, "I will relay the same apology to your
parents when I am done here.  You can assure your friends that Ken will no
longer be attending this school.  Now go get some medical attention."
Kasumi bowed again, then rushed out of the room.
Mr. Sakamoto waited until she closed the door behind her, then he turned
to his son, who was looking down at the floor.  In a harsher tone, he
stated, "You shame me, boy!  I had brought you to this school to learn to
socialize with students your age, not terrorize little children.  I was
hoping...."
"Hoping what, Father?"  Ken smiled mischieviously.  "What did you expect?
That I'd learn to be something other than what I was tought at that camp?"
The principal glanced at the door to make sure there were no shadows in
the hall, then he spoke more forcefully, yet in a quieter voice, "It was
hard enough to be able to bring you here, boy!  Was all my trouble for
nothing?"
Ken casually leaned back in his seat and folded his hands behind his head.
 He chuckled, "Not at all.  I see this move as a continuation of my
training.  One of the first rules of the clan: Find out what will make
people talk, and what will keep them silent."
"Don't be so smug, boy!"  Mr. Sakamoto picked up a pencil and hurled it at
his son; Ken snapped his right hand forward and caught it before it could
graze his skull.  Settling back, the big man half-smiled.  "I see that your
reflexes are still sharp.  Miss Tendou must be more skilled than I imagined
if she could whip you so easily."  Ken scowled, then flicked the pencil away.
His father stood up and walked toward the window with his hands clasped
behind his back.  After another moderate pause of thought, he declared, "I
am the principal of Yozakura Elementary School now.  Its students are my
children, and I will look after them as such."  He glared coldly at his
son.  "I am sending you back to the clan.  If I allowed you to stay, I
would have no choice but to expell you and send you off to another
school--and I find that particular recourse unexceptable given these
circumstances."
Ken folded his arms and grunted, "I guess I'm to be the child you have no
time for."

	

"Yeah, and Kasumi really cleaned his clock."  Nabiki was overflowing with
pride for her sister, smiling brightly and kicking her heels against the
side of the examination table as Ono Tofu checked her head for bumps.
"You don't say."  The young doctor's apprentice still couldn't believe
that sweet Kasumi could fight so well--much less at all.
Hands clutching the sides of the stool she was sitting on, Kasumi tried to
look small as her cheeks kept flushing a deeper shade of red.  "Stop it,
Nabiki, you're embarrassing me."
"Ow!"  Nabiki glanced back at Tofu.  He'd found a bump alright--and pushed
on it a bit too hard for her liking (interestingly enough at the same time
Kasumi spoke).  Kasumi glanced back at him.
"Ah..."  He scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously, "Sorry,
but I guess I'm still alittle clumbsy at this sorta thing... haha.  I donno
why Sato puts so much faith in me."
Nabiki turned back around and sighed, "It's alright, Dr. Tofu.  At least
you found it."
"Yes," Kasumi agreed with a smile and a nod, "Making mistakes is part of
the learning process."
Nabiki added in a slightly miffed tone, "Just don't make too many
mistakes, okay?"
A big sweat drop appeared on the back of Ono's head, and his face started
turning red.
They heard the front door slide open, and a few seconds later, a
yellow-haired boy wearing a dirty school uniform sauntered in with his arms
folded.  Nabiki and Kasumi's eyes widened in worry.
Ono looked up at him and looked a bit worried, seeing the dried blood
collected under his nose.  "Oh my, is there anything I can help you with?"
Ken shook his head and glanced at Kasumi.  "No. *cough* I'm fine.  I just
came to check on the girls."  He nodded toward them in turn.
Ono smiled.  "How thoughtful."
Nabiki leaned toward the young doctor and whispered, "That's the guy that
Kasumi trashed."  Ono's face lit up.
Kasumi glared at Ken and growled, "You can't hurt anyone anymore."
Ono's face became more serious.  "We don't want any trouble here.  Sensei
won't tolerate fighting in his clinic."
Ken waved a hand in dismissal.  "I just came to talk."  He stared straight
into Kasumi's eyes and hissed, "You ebarrassed me in front of my father and
the whole school.  I won't take this lightly."
Ono didn't like the tone of his voice.  "I'm afraid I'm going to have to
ask you to leave."
"Yeah, get outa here, meany," Nabiki taunted, then put a finger under her
eye and stuck out her tongue.
"Nabiki!"  Kasumi whipped her head in her sister's direction as Ken
launched himself at her.
"I won't allow... oof!"  Ono tried to put himself between Nabiki and Ken,
but the boy thrust a well-placed kick into Tofu's gut, forcing him to fall
to his knees.
"Kyaa!" Nabiki screamed and jumped further onto the table as Ken shuttled
after her.  Kasumi sprang up to help.  Her sister slipped across the table
and jumped down on the other side, but Ken had already run around the table
at that time.  Nabiki screamed again as he aimed his fist at her skull.
"I will not allow this!"  Ono grabbed Ken's wrist in mid-flight, then
grabbed his shoulder and threw him against the wall.
Kasumi gasped, "Dr. Tofu!" as he held two fingers of his left hand aimed
at the boy's chest.  She knew that with his knowledge of pressure points,
his blows could be lethal.
"What's going on here?"  Dr. Naorukawa stepped out of the back, wearing
his usual Shaolin uniform.

	

"Hey!  Put me down old man!"  Ken squirmed as best he could as Sato
strolled through the waiting room carrying him with his elbows pinned to
his sides.  All his patients looked up and stared in awe at their
chiropractor's strength.
"You are a very stong boy," he commented before sliding the door open and
tossing him out onto the street.  Ken spun around in the air and landed
safely on the concrete in a crouch.
"Stupid old man!  You're gonna regret this!"  Ken raised his middle finger
at the man.
"You are a very rude boy," Sato commented casually.  "You are not welcome
at this clinic anymore."  He slid the door shut.

	

Kasumi sat slumped on her bed as she waited for her father--not the best
way to greet him on his first day back.  Even though she was restricted to
her room, she was wearing her favorite yellow gi, the only thing she truly
felt comfortable and unrestricted in.  She gazed down with a sad expression
as she made a cat's cradle between her fingers with yarn.
The door opened and she barely glanced up as her father stepped into the
room.  He had his arms folded as he walked to the bed.  "I heard you got
into a fight at your old school today."
Kasumi just nodded, pushing the yarn off her fingers.
Soun sat down on the bed beside her.  "What did Mr. Sakamoto have to say."
Kasumi kept her eyes down for the moment, but sounded a bit hopeful.  "He
was very nice about it, actually.  He just made his son apologize for
starting the fight, then he let me go."
Soun closed his eyes thoughtfully.  "And do I have to call your school?"
Kasumi looked up, her features drawn out like she was holding back tears.
"No, Father.  I went there myself and told my principal what happened.  I'm
on suspension."
"Hm."  Soun thought about his next words carefully.  "I also hear from
Nabiki that you saved her from getting beat up, and for that I am grateful.
 But you should have gotten help long before so an event like this wouldn't
happen.  Haven't I told you that fighting should only be used as a last
resort?"
"Then why did you teach me to fight, Father?"  Kasumi gazed intently at
her father's face, her eyes now shimmering with tears.  "Why do you teach
me to fight if there's always another way, and how can I know that way when
you're not here to tell me!  I do everything you teach me to do... I try to
think like a grown-up, but I'm still just a child!"  Unable to control
herself any longer, she threw herself up against Soun's chest and cried.
Stricken, Soun rested his arms across his daughter's back.  He assured
her, "I don't expect you to be any more that you are."
Settling down, Kasumi sniffled, "But wouldn't you have been happier if I
were a boy?"
Soun closed his eyes as if in pain, then rocked his daughter back and
forth.  "Shh.  Don't talk like that.  I'm proud of you no matter what."
"Father, can I be a girl?"
"You can be whatever you want."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Fade to black.