To all those who were eagerly awaiting the next chapter of Mixed
Signals, here it is.  This is somewhere around the halfway point of the
story, so I should start wrapping things up soon.  Any and all comments
or suggestions are welcome (send to rodney.hyam@sk.sympatico.ca). 
Credit goes to my prereaders for catching most of the mistakes my spell
checker couldn't.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2 or any of the ideas associated with
it.  Rumiko Takahashi and Shogakukan, Inc do.  Rights in North  America
belong to Viz Communications

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

Chapter 6: A Walk in the Park

     Ryoga nervously paused outside of Ucchan's.  She didn't really feel
like dealing with Ukyo right now, and she especially didn't feel like
hearing Ukyo's opinion of this date.  Keeping that in mind, she decided
to simply wait for Tsubasa in front of the restaurant.  Sighing, she
leaned against a convenient left turn sign to wait.

     "Ukyo, darling!  I was beginning to think you wouldn't come."

     With poorly concealed surprise, Ryoga jumped away from the sign.
"Don't do that!"  Ryoga supposed that the unusual traffic patterns in
front of Ucchan's should have been a hint about Tsubasa's disguise.
"So, what do you have planned for today?"

     Tsubasa smiled sweetly, causing a queasy feeling to grow in Ryoga's
stomach.  "I thought we could just walk through the park for a while. 
Is that all right with you?"

     "I suppose so," Ryoga grumbled.

     To Ryoga's dismay, Tsubasa grabbed hold of her hand and started to
lead the way.  Moments later, the door to Ucchan's cracked open and a
figure dressed in Chinese clothing slipped out.  Neither Tsubasa nor
Ryoga noticed, as they were both distracted, although for very different
reasons.  Trailing behind, Ranma wondered why Ukyo had joined the
procession.  He didn't know, but suspected the jaunty tune that Ukyo was
whistling wasn't a good sign.

==================

     "Auntie Saotome, I was wondering if you could help me with
something."  Akane's voice trailed off slightly towards the end of the
sentence.

     The older woman turned, her slight smile increasing her resemblance
to Kasumi.  "I'd be glad too.  What would you like help with?"

     "Ranma's out right now and I was hoping to cook him something to
surprise him when he gets back."

     Nodoka considered her admittedly limited experience with Akane's
culinary skills.  This might not be a good thing.  Still, she was trying
and surely if Nodoka watched closely nothing would go wrong.  "Fine.
Maybe we should start with something simple.  I have an excellent recipe
for chocolate chip cookies."

=================

     "It was really nice of you to buy me ice cream."  Tsubasa giggled
contentedly as he licked his cone.  Tsubasa considered himself
fortunate.  After a romantic stroll through the park Ukyo was sure to
fall for him.

     Ryoga's mumbled reply could have been interpreted as acceptance of
the gratitude, if the listener was in a generous mood.  The truth was
that Ryoga was finding some vaguely frightening similarities between
Tsubasa's behavior and that of Ranma, at least where ice cream was
concerned.  She was also becoming aware of the growing urge to hit
someone, just on general principles. It was really annoying the way that
Kuno only showed up when you didn't want him to.

     "Isn't today wonderful."  Tsubasa began to lean into Ryoga slightly
as they walked, seemingly oblivious to his date's mood.

     Crouched in some bushes behind the happy couple, Ukyo decided that
it was time to make his move.  Drawing himself up to his full height, he
stepped forward.  "Ukyo, I was wondering if you'd like to go to the
movies with me."

     "What?" For a moment Ryoga thought that Ranma had just asked her on
a date.  Realizing that it was really Ukyo didn't clarify the situation
much.

     Before Ryoga could respond, Tsubasa confronted Ukyo.  "Ukyo is
dating me now!  I think you should leave now, Ranma."  Tsubasa's words
might have been more impressive if he'd worn something other than a
slightly frilly pink dress.  Still, the thought was there.

     "Ukyo's my fiancee.  Besides do you really think that any girl
would choose you over me?  Ukyo and I love one another."

     "Ukyo is that true?"  Tears glimmered in Tsubasa's eyes as he
turned to face Ryoga.

     "Well...  That is...  I mean I..."  After several false starts,
Ryoga trailed off and watched Tsubasa storm off.

     Ukyo smirked.  "That went better that I thought it would.  I'm
surprised he gave up so easily though."

      "What are you doing?" Ryoga hissed.

      "Getting Tsubasa out of my hair and yours.  You didn't really want
to go on this date, did you?"

      "Of course not.  But you could have told me you had something
planned."  Ryoga's complaints lacked any real force.

      "Well you deserved to be surprised."  Ukyo abruptly stopped
speaking to stare open mouthed over Ryoga's shoulder.

       "Charge!"  Ryoga was knocked sprawling as a vending machine
brushed past her.  With more warning, Ukyo simply leapt out of the way
and watched Tsubasa crash into the bushes behind him.

      "I should've known it wouldn't be that easy," Ukyo muttered.
Tsubasa clambered out of his disguise and attempted a clumsy punch, that
Ukyo easily dodged.  "Look, Tsubasa, you know you're no match for me and
I don't want to hurt you.  Why don't you just give up?"  Ukyo's
attention would have been better reserved for more serious threats.

      "Ranma, prepare to die!"  Kiyomi's barbed spear flashed through
the space Ukyo had occupied, barely missing as Ryoga shoved him out of
the way.

      Ryoga blinked as Ukyo went flying back into the bushes.  Maybe she
shouldn't have pushed Ukyo so hard.  She quickly put that out of her
mind.  There were more urgent concerns.

==================

     Shampoo sighed wearily.  It was as if Happosai had vanished into
thin air.  While he could actually do that, it didn't fit his style. 
There
was no doubt that he was up to something and Shampoo was the only one
that had a chance to stop him.  That was if she could find him.  She'd
spent all day patrolling the rooftops of Nerima and hadn't found a
single sign.

     "Stop!  Pervert!"  The sound of female indignation drew Shampoo's
attention as nothing else would have.

     Or maybe she had.  Shampoo sprinted towards the shout, leaping from
rooftop to rooftop.  Arriving moments later, Shampoo saw a green haired
girl fly off, holding a weakly struggling boy.  Another false start.
That was the problem with Nerima, too many perverts.  Kuno, that Mikado
person and now this.  She'd have to figure out what set Happosai apart
from the others and set a trap.  It would just be a matter of the right
bait.

=================

  "Why do you want to kill Ranma, anyway?"  As Ryoga spoke, she gauged
Kiyomi's attitude.  At the moment it seemed fairly hostile.

      "Because he's a jerk."  Kiyomi gestured towards Tsubasa with her
spear.  "Just look at the way he was picking on this poor girl."

     "I'm not a..."

     Tsubasa was cut off by a wet Ukyo stalking out of the bushes.  "You
jerk.  You didn't have to push me into that pond."

      "You're just as bad as Ranma.  I'm going to have to teach you a
lesson."  Kiyomi swept her spear out in a vicious slash that forced
Ryoga to jump backwards.

     "You leave Ukyo alone!"  Tsubasa charged forward, only to have
Kiyomi smash the butt of her spear into his midsection.

     "Now who's picking on girls?" Ryoga said, completely ignoring
reality.

     "That's different.  I'm  a girl too."

     Ukyo watched Kiyomi and Ryoga from the corner of her eye, as she
hurried over to check on Tsubasa.  He was annoying, but she didn't
really want him hurt.  Tsubasa stirred slightly as Ukyo bent over him.
"Ranma," he croaked, "I've been thinking.  If you're in love with Ukyo,
that means that Akane is free, right?"

     "What?"  Shocked, Ukyo tried to recover her equilibrium.  "You
can't!  I mean I don't think that you're Akane's type."

     "Don't worry about me.  I wish you and Ukyo happiness together."
As Ukyo watched, Tsubasa gathered himself  and slowly rose from the
ground.

     Ukyo felt torn.  On one hand she thought she should stop Tsubasa.
On the other, hostilities between Kiyomi and Ryoga had started
escalating and she didn't want her body killed.  There was really only
one decision she could make and so Tsubasa departed without
interference.

     Ryoga was in trouble.  There was no doubt in her mind that she
could win the fight, but she still couldn't bring herself to hit a
girl.  Her only other choice was to try to talk her way out of it.  Yes,
Ryoga was certainly in trouble.

     "Can't we talk things over?  There's no reason for us to fight."
As she spoke, Ryoga retreated back into the bushes, hoping that they'd
hamper Kiyomi.  Ryoga had to admit that the buzz saw trick she used to
shred the greenery was impressive and dangerous.

     "You think you can shove that girl into a pond and help Ranma get
away, then say we don't have to fight?"  Kiyomi  emphasized her words
with a series of thrusts that Ryoga barely avoided.

     "I only pushed her to stop you from spearing her."  Ryoga ducked
under the last thrust and tried a half-hearted leg sweep that the
shorter girl easily avoided.

     "Liar!  I attacked Ranma and you pushed the coward out of the
way."  If Kiyomi noticed any inconsistencies in her version of events,
she chose to ignore them.

     There was no choice, Ryoga realized, she would have to fight.
Talking hadn't worked and Ukyo was just standing there watching.  Maybe
if she pretended that she was fighting Ranma?  That would work, Ryoga
decided.  She wasn't fighting a real girl, it was Ranma using his curse
to embarrass her.  Just like all the other times.

     Ukyo ground her teeth in frustration.  There wasn't much she could
do without weapons and Ryoga wouldn't attack.  "Why doesn't that jackass
do something?"

     "This is all your fault, Ranma!"  Ukyo blinked.  She hadn't
expected that.  Kiyomi blinked as well.  In her case it was caused by
the ghostly blue radiance forming around her opponents hands.  "Shi Shi
Hokodan!"  Kiyomi tried to dodge, but surprise slowed her and the force
of the ki blast sent her flying backwards.

     "Nice one, Ryoga."  Inwardly, Ukyo decided to ask Ranma to teach
her a ki blast.  It looked useful.

     "I shouldn't have done that."  The fight over, Ryoga's momentary
delusion had lapsed and she realized that she'd hurt a girl.

     "Why not?  She started the fight."

     "It's not right for a guy to hurt a girl."  There were still a few
things that Ryoga wasn't admitting.  At least not to anyone else.

      "You are a girl right now.  Besides, she deserved it for trying to
hurt my body."

      "I'm not a girl!" Ryoga snapped.

      "Sure you're not.  Come on, let's get out of here before she wakes
up."

==================

      Tsubasa smiled politely at the woman who'd greeted him at the
Tendo's entrance.  She seemed to take considerable care regarding her
appearance, but currently looked like she'd been mugged in a flour
mill.  "Hello.  My name is Tsubasa Kurenai."

     "I'm Nodoka Saotome.  Are you  one of Akane's classmates?  I
haven't met many of the girls who go to school with her."   Actually the
one Nodoka had met had been Ukyo and she was hoping that Akane might
know some normal girls, who could provide a good example.

     "Oh no, I don't go to Furinkan and I'm a boy, not a girl."

     "You're not a friend of Ranma's are you?"  Nodoka asked weakly.

     "No!  He's the one that stole Ukyo from me."

     This information brought a faint smile to Nodoka's lips, one that
she diligently suppressed.  "Well, most girls probably prefer their
boyfriends to be a bit more masculine."

     "I am masculine," Tsubasa retorted indignantly.

     "Most people wouldn't consider your clothing very manly.  You know,
maybe I can help you with that, young man."

     "You can?"

     "Yes.  I'm sure Kasumi can manage to help Akane for a while."

=================

      "Are you all right?"  The date had gone about how Ranma had
expected, although no one had been badly hurt.  At least he hoped that
no one had been badly hurt.  The ki blast that Ryoga had used hadn't
seemed very powerful.

      Kiyomi's eye's fluttered open as she regained consciousness.
"Ryoga, what are you doing here?"

     "Um, I just happened to be in the area, I guess.  Are you hurt?"

     "No, I think I'm fine."  Kiyomi climbed to her feet easily enough,
but when she tried to put weight on her right leg, she winced and almost
fell.  "Or maybe not.  I think my knee's hurt.  I can manage though."

     "No, if you're hurt I should help you out.  Do you have a place to
stay?"

     "I'm staying with an uncle that lives nearby.  I suppose I could
use a little help getting there."

     "I'd be glad to help you."

     "Thanks, Ryoga.  You're a nice guy, not a jerk like Ranma or that
other boy."  Kiyomi reached over to hold Ranma's hand and lean on him as
they walked.

     "I thought you and Ranma got along fine.  Are you mad at him or
something?"  Seeing an opening, Ranma decided to satisfy his curiosity.

     "He stood me up.  Even after I told him how important it was he
just left for China without even telling me."  Ranma winced as Kiyomi's
grip on his arm tightened painfully.

     Concentrating, Ranma vaguely remembered Kiyomi asking him to come
meet some of her friends.  Ryoga had challenged him to a duel though,
and he'd had to wait for him instead.  "I'm sure Ranma didn't mean to
upset you.  He can just be a little insensitive sometimes."

     "It's sweet of you to stick up for Ranma, but it's not that simple.
That was the first party my parents let me go to.  I told everyone about
the cute date I had and then he didn't show up.  I was completely
humiliated."

     "I'm afraid that it was my fault.  I challenged Ranma to a duel and
then I was late arriving.  He was probably waiting for me."

      "It's still his fault.  He could have told me he couldn't come.  I
bet the jerk wasn't even there when you arrived for the duel," Kiyomi
said angrily.

     "I was late," Ranma protested.

     "He should have waited.  After all, he knows that you have a poor
sense of direction."  Ranma tried to speak, but Kiyomi cut him off.
"Your problem is that you forgive people too easily, Ryoga."

     "I never really thought that was my problem."  Ranma's tone was
ironic,
verging upon disbelief.

     "When I finally tracked him down, he pretended he didn't know why I
was mad.  Hah!  He always claimed to be such a great martial artist, but
he ran away.  I wasn't even really trying to hurt him "

     Ranma glanced over at the spear Kiyomi was still carrying.  "You're
sure you didn't want to hurt him?"

     "Well, just a little.  I was aiming to scratch him a bit, but he
managed to dodge.  He's really good at running away.  It's as if he just
vanishes."

     "Is that your house up ahead?"

     "Yes it is.  Do you want to come in?"

     "No I'd better leave.  I'm staying at the Tendo Dojo now and
they'll expect me back."

     "Don't be silly.  Just come in and call them.  You'll never manage
to get back on your own."

     "I suppose that's a good idea," Ranma said doubtfully, noticing for
the first time that Kiyomi was perhaps leaning slightly more against him
than was strictly necessary.

====================

     Akane, gazed with pride at a tray of slightly burnt, but overwise
normal chocolate chip cookies.  With the way that Ranma ate, she doubted
he'd notice that they were anything but perfect.  The fact that she'd
had help and that the kitchen looked like a war zone were unimportant
details. Now, if only he'd arrive.  Ryoga had been back for half an
hour, but there was no sign of Ranma.  The ringing of the telephone
provided a welcome distraction for her.

     "Hello, this is the Tendo residence."  There was a moment of
silence, as Akane listened to the caller.  "Ranma,  is that you?"

End Chapter 6