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Neji sniffed with plain contempt, looking down at the younger teenager he walked beside. "Then let me be plain. You made a remark about the Hyuuga clan head the other day."

"Sir Sticks-up-his-ass? What about him?" Ranma snorted with amusement at his own humor. The Hyuuga surprised him yet again by not just failing to rise to the bait, but completely failing to rise to the bait. In fact, he was now looking down those spare inches of height with a surprised look.

"Hiashi Hyuuga." Neji confirmed, still almost in awe of the complete an utter amount of disrespect the purported special team lead was displaying toward not only a clan head, but one of the most important clan heads in all of Konoha. "Why?"

Ranma stopped as he began to grow tired of the questioning. Neji stopped as well. "Why what?"

"Why do you not afford him the respect due his station?" Bewilderment was plainly evident in the branch heir's tone, and Ranma was all but forced to take the question at face value.

"'Cuz he's a stuck-up, overbred rooster." Ranma decided to give it to the kid straight. "Most people in his position aren't any better than the people they lord themselves over on, and I sure ain't gonna give him respect he hasn't earned."

"You associate his character with my own." It wasn't a question, but Ranma could see that the genin was seeking confirmation one way or the other. He didn't keep Neji waiting.

"You're kidding, right?" Ranma produced a dry laugh. "You look so far down your nose at people that you could probably stab 'em with it."

"What?" Neji blinked as the distinct sound of an insult perceived crept into his voice.

"Ya heard me." Ranma continued the verbal assault. "Hell, you and Hiashi could probably make it an S-class technique out of it. Nose-glare no jutsu or something."

"I'm not Hiashi Hyuuga." Neji managed, as if stunned and insulted the comparison was even being made.

"Thought you were his kid until 'Nada set me straight." Ranma shrugged and backed off just a bit with the verbal salvos as he slowly started to get a handle on the odd conversation he was having with the branch heir. "Ya act a lot like him."

Ranma's final observation had an effect, and Neji Hyuuga stiffened. He stared frostily at Ranma for a full fifteen seconds before finally replying bitterly. "I would thank you not to compare me with Hyuuga-san ever again."

Ranma arched an eyebrow at the sudden formality, but held his solid iris stare evenly. "I won't if you won't."

His milky white gaze narrowed as if bordering between cold indifference and anger before the teen turned on a heel and walked away, as if the conversation had never taken place.

Tales of the FoxCat, Chapter 10