Stoner 3:17 Presents
Double or Nothing
A "Ranma 1/2" Fanfiction Series
Written by Jeremy Mullin (stoner317@hotmail.com)
"Ranma 1/2" characters and situations created by Rumiko
Takahashi. All rights reserved, used without permission. Please don't
sue, I have no money.
PART 6: Washing the Shampoo Out of Our Hair
Ranko was already late for work at the Ucchan, having gotten into
yet another argument with her mother over how she was dressed, when
she was glomped by a familiar purple blur.
"Nihao, Ranma!" Shampoo cried as she and the red-head crashed to
the ground by the force of the Amazon's charging hug. "Happy to see
Shampoo, yes?!"
"Sh-Sh-Shamp-p-poo!" Ranko stuttered in a way she hadn't used
since the Amazon's first arrival in Japan. "Wh-what are you doing
here?"
Shampoo happily, totally oblivious to the fear in her 'airen's' face
and voice. "Just get back yesterday. Great-grandma say we have to, or
lose business. Oh, Ranma..." Shampoo squeezed Ranko harder,
pressing their bodies tighter together. "Shampoo so worried we no find
you, but you right here! Shampoo so happy!"
Ranko didn't say anything in reply. She couldn't, as she was trying
to free herself from the embrace, both to get away from Shampoo and
so that she could breathe.
"Here, Ranma," Shampoo continued, oblivious to the Ranko's
struggles as she reached behind her and pulled out a kettle. A hot,
steaming kettle. "You change back so you can take Shampoo to date.
We have to pick up where leave off..."
It wasn't the suggestion, or the obvious innuendo behind it, but the
very sight of the kettle that gave Ranko the strength to finally free
herself from the embrace. "I'dlovetohangoutwithyouShampoobutIgotta
gobye!" she blurted out before taking off in a cloud of dust. She
figured that she must have broke speed records before finally reaching
the Ucchan and entering inside.
"Where have you been?!" a rather impatient Ukyo asked from
behind the grill. As much as Ranko was her friend, she was still the
boss and had a business to run. She then noticed the other girl's state
and calmed down somewhat. "Hey, you okay?"
Ranko could only nod at first, as she was trying to catch her breath.
"I... I'm okay..." she eventually managed to gasp out. "Had a... had a..."
"Ranma!" Shampoo suddenly cried from behind her. She was
*very* angry, not yet glowing with blue battle aura, but getting there.
Ranko cried out in terror as she leapt away from the door and
towards Ukyo, who had leapt over the grill with her combat spatula in
hand. "What do you want, you hussy?!" the okonomiyaki chef shouted,
now having an idea why Ranko was late. Her anger was further fueled
by the now empty restaurant, the patrons fleeing to get out of the way
of the brewing fight.
Ignoring Ukyo, Shampoo instead focused her attention on Ranko,
who had put herself behind the okonomiyaki chef. "Ranma better have
good explanation for being with stupid Spatula Girl instead of with
Shampoo where belong."
"Ran-chan does not belong to you!" Ukyo shouted. "And for your
information, she happens to work here! Now beat it before I bash your
skull in!"
The Amazon let out a slight 'tsk' of regret. "Poor Ranma. Shampoo
be happy to let you have old job back at Nekohanten. Better food, for
one thing, and get to be with pretty Shampoo instead of ugly Spatula
Girl. You come now." She reached to take Ranko's hand, but was
halted by Ukyo's spatula blocking the way.
"I'm warning you..."
Now Shampoo glared at her rival. "Spatula Girl must be eager to be
beat up," she said, falling into a attack stance. With a smirk, she added,
"Shampoo more than happy to help."
The two girls were about ready to leap at other for one of their cat-
fights when...
"Hey, sis! Mom wanted me to tell you..."
The three girls turned to the door at the sound of the voice to see
Ranma, with Akane beside him, standing in the entranceway of
Ucchan's. Ukyo's and Ranko's faces both took on looks of relief and
worry, while Shampoo went completely into shock, her eyes bugged
out and her gaze shifting back and forth between and Ranma and
Ranko.
Ranma and Akane, meanwhile, looked on with surprise and interest.
"Oh, boy," Akane sighed. "Here we go."
A grin suddenly spread across Ranma's face. "Gee, are we
interrupting something here?"
Ranko glared at him, Ukyo matching it. "Funny, bro. Real funny,"
she growled.
"Huh?! Wha--?!" Shampoo gasped, her gaze still going back and
forth to Ranma and Ranko. "What going on?! Why there two
Ranmas?!" After a moment's pause to ponder on a sudden thought, she
added, "And which one Shampoo get?"
After everyone frowned at her, Akane replied, "Sit down, Shampoo.
This could take a while..."
"...and that's pretty much what happened, Shampoo."
Half an hour later, the group finished telling Shampoo what had
happened to Ranma the night of their date. Or part of it, anyway.
"Let see if Shampoo have this right," Shampoo said after taking all
the information in. "Ranma cured by Instant Nanniichuan and
lightning strike, but have no memory of what happen?"
"That's right, Shampoo," Akane replied as she took a bite of the
okonomiyaki Ukyo had whipped up as the story was told. "That's what
we think, anyway."
"And this Ranma sister?" Shampoo added, taking a close look at
Ranko, who tried her best not to shirk away nervously. That didn't stop
her from letting a nervous grin spread across her face, a nervous
chuckle escape her lips.
"Y-yeah, that's me," she stammered in reply. "I'm Ranko."
The Amazon's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You look awful lot like
girl-type Ranma."
Ranko's nervousness left as she felt anger rise up within her. "Well,
of course I do! I'm his sister! We're twins! Why shouldn't we look
alike?!"
"She has a good point, granddaughter," a familiar voice said from
Ranko's right. Everyone except for Shampoo turned in surprise to see
Cologne, staff and all, standing in the spot in-between Ranma and
Ranko.
"The old ghoul!" Ranko cried out in shock. She got a whap on the
head from Akane in response and would have glared back at her, but
sheepishly said nothing when she remembered her cover.
Ranma, however, had no such reservations. "YAAH!!! It's a dried-
up old mummy!!!"
He got a cane-shot to the head in response. "Who are you calling a
mummy?!"
"Nihao, Great-Grandma! When you get here?" Shampoo asked.
"Just a moment ago, child," the ancient Amazon replied. "Just in
time to hear the tail-end of your story." She turned to Ranma, who was
rubbing his head as he glared at her. "So, Son-in-law, you've finally
been cured of your curse, eh? And lost your memory of the past year in
the process?"
"Yeah, that's right," Ranma replied sorely. "So what?"
"So now Ranma can marry Shampoo!" the purple-haired Amazon
replied as she grabbed Ranma in a fierce hug.
"WHAT?!" Akane and Ranma yelled at the same time.
"No way!" Ranma quickly added.
"Aw, c'mon, bro," Ranko said in a sort of soothingness. She
gestured towards Shampoo. "Who wouldn't want to marry a girl like
that?"
"Whose side are you on?!" Akane asked testily, glaring at the red-
head. Ranko shirked away nervously in response.
"And just what makes you think I'm going to marry her, anyway?!"
Ranma asked, trying to keep Shampoo away from him.
The young Amazon suddenly took on her evil grin. "Because it
Shampoo who help cure Ranma. Ranma get Instant Nanniichuan from
Shampoo, so Ranma owe Shampoo." She smiled smugly as she
ignored the glares from the others, who knew she had a point. It was
one of the things they were afraid of.
"And besides, for all you know, Son-in-law, Shampoo is your true
fiancee and these three are simply stringing you along," Cologne added,
gesturing towards Akane, Ranko, and Ukyo. The three girls in question
glared at her in response.
Ranma simply smirked in response. "Yeah, right. I've read my
journal and know all about you two. And your little tricks to get me to
marry Shampoo. Nice try."
Shampoo let go of Ranma and frowned at him. "You going to regret
saying that, Ranma," she said. And before anyone could stop her, she
pulled out a glass of water and poured it over her head. Almost
instantaneously, the beautiful young Amazon disappeared and was
replaced by a small, pink-furred cat with purple highlights that began to
hiss and yowl at Ranma.
"YAAAAHHHH!!!" came a familiar cry, but not from Ranma.
Everyone turned to see Ranko cringing on her seat, trying to get away
from the feline.
"What are you worried about? You never went through that stupid
training," Ukyo whispered annoyingly, trying not to attract attention
from Cologne.
Ranko continued to squirm for a few more moments before
whispering back, "Sorry, old habit. Besides, there's still something
there, just not so bad."
Ukyo just sighed and shook her head. This whole split was getting
more and more confusing by the minute.
"Hey," Akane said suddenly. "Isn't it a little too quiet in here?"
The other two girls looked at her in confusion before realizing that
she was right. Under normal circumstances, Ranma should have been
running around screaming his head off with Shampoo right behind him.
However, it was amazingly silent. Noticing Cologne staring at
Ranma's seat in shock, they turned in that direction and were shocked
to see him still sitting there, just staring at Shampoo without moving or
saying anything.
"Ranma?" a concerned Akane asked. She waved her hand in front
of Ranma's face. "Ranma, are you okay?"
For a moment, there was no response. Then Ranma did something
that shocked them all. Moving like a hypnosis victim, he leaned
forward, reached out with his hand, and began to pet the little cat on the
head. "Nice kitty..." he said in a slow, almost droning voice. As
various eyes bugged out at him in shock, he turned and looked at
Cologne, a grin on his face.
"Nice try..." he said in that same droning voice. "But that doesn't
work anymore..."
A collective face-fault, even from Cologne on her staff, rang
throughout the restaurant. Akane was the first to recover with a cry of
"You mean you're cured of *that* too?!"
Ranma simply nodded in response, still petting Shampoo, who was
starting to enjoy the attention. He finally stopped when Akane grabbed
his hand away, allowing Cologne to pour a kettle of hot water on her
great-granddaughter to change her back. Ranma still continued to stare
off into space, even as a now-naked Shampoo stood before him. It
wasn't until Akane smacked on the back of his head that he finally
snapped out of it. By then, Shampoo was already behind a nearby
planter, putting her clothes back on.
"Um, sorry," he said sheepishly as he came to.
"Well, that was unexpected," Cologne said, almost a bit
disappointingly. There went one way to control Ranma... On the other
hand, at least she no longer had to worry about facing the Nekoken ever
again.
"Ranma, how did you..." Akane began, but was interrupted by
Ranma.
"While I was training with the monk, he found out about my fear
of... cats. After I explained about the Nekoken training, he decided to
help me overcome my fear. A little meditation therapy and hypnotism
later, what you saw was the best he could come up with."
"So I guess that means you can't use the Cat-fist anymore either,
huh?" Ranko asked. Ranma simply shook his head in reply, not at all
one bit regretful about it.
"I'm almost happy for you, Son-in-law," Cologne said. "But that
changes nothing. You still must marry Shampoo in accordance with
our Amazon law."
Ranma snorted. "Lady, your stupid law ain't even legal here in
Japan. And I don't even remember beating Shampoo, so how're you
going to force me to marry her? Not that I'd ever marry her in the first
place."
Everyone in the room gasped in shock at Ranma, for different
reasons. Akane, Ukyo, and Ranko were surprised that he had the guts
to actually stand up to the two Amazons, and so casually at that.
Shampoo and Cologne were also surprised at that, but also angry as
well. No male ever dared to defy the Amazons like that. And such
defiance was always... taken care of.
However, neither of them had the chance to do anything themselves,
as Ranma had to suddenly move out of the way of a hail of daggers that
imbedded themselves into the stool he had been sitting on. Everyone
turned to see a familiar robed figure standing in the doorway, the light
reflecting off of his glasses.
"Ranma Saotome..." Mousse growled under his breath. "It was bad
enough you tried to take my Shampoo away from me, and even lead
her on for a year. But to now just toss her aside like a pair of old
shoes...?! DIE!!!"
He launched forward in attack, this time on target as he charged at
Ranma without problem. He continued to attack, launching weapon
after weapon as Ranma dodged and wheeved out of the way.
"Hey, I thought you'd be happy!"
"Just shut up and die!" Mousse cried as he pressed on with his
attack, forcing Ranma back through the main dining area and into the
back. A crash was heard as they went through the back door and
outside.
Ukyo let out a long sigh. "There goes the peace and quiet." She
reached for the phone to call the repairmen as Ranko gave her a
sympathetic pat on the back.
"Honestly," Akane snorted in disgust. "Can't he go for one minute
without--" She never got a chance to finish as she suddenly had to
duck from a bonbori strike that would have taken her head off had it
connected.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" she cried as she glared at the
offending Amazon, who merely smirked in response.
"Tomboy pervert girl still obstacle in way of Shampoo's marriage to
Ranma. Time to get rid of once and for all."
Akane seethed with anger for a moment. She'd had enough. "All
right. You want a fight? You got it! But let's make things more
interesting! Loser has to give up Ranma for good!"
Shampoo didn't even think twice before nodding. "Fine by
Shampoo. Is no fault silly girl have death wish."
Akane glared at the Amazon before adding, "Oh, and no Kiss of
Death if I win. You give up Ranma and that's it."
"Still fine with Shampoo," the Amazon said with a shrug. "Akane
no win, anyway." Akane just let out another growl in reply.
"Wait a second, Akane," Ranko said cautiously. "You sure you
want to do this? I mean, I don't think you're ready to take on someone
like Shampoo."
Rather than glare at the red-head and rant about her martial arts
abilities, Akane instead replied, "I've had it with her, Ranko. I'm going
to take care of her once and for all." To herself, she grudgingly added,
"I'm going to try, anyway."
"Take it outside, you two," Ukyo quickly said, pointing to the door
while still on the phone.
"Shampoo, I'd be careful," Cologne whispered to her great-
granddaughter as they went outside. "I suspect that the Tendo girl has
been doing some training over the summer months. Her aura seems
stronger than before. And I haven't exactly seen you do any serious
training lately."
"No worry, great-grandmama," Shampoo replied confidently with a
wave of her hand. "Stupid pervert girl still no match for Shampoo."
With that, she fell into a ready position as Akane did the same, both
girls facing each other on the front walk outside of Ucchan's. A few
people walking by took a quick notice before shrugging and moving
on. Just another normal day in Nerima, they figured.
Shampoo and Akane continued to stare each other down for another
moment, until, finally, Akane made the first move and charged
forward. Shampoo did the same, but not as quickly or enthusiastically.
Still smirking, she lashed out a kick at Akane's head. The smirk fell
when Akane ducked the kick and threw a punch at Shampoo's mid-
section, followed by a kick of her own that sent the Amazon flying into
a nearby lamppost.
Shampoo sat there for a moment in surprise, until finally looking up
at Akane, who was now the one smirking. "Surprised, Shampoo? I've
been busy over the summer."
The Amazon continued to stare for a long moment before looking
over to her great-grandmother who had an "I-told-you-so" look on her
face. She then turned back to Akane and growled viciously. "Lucky
shot," she spat. "And stupid girl only get one."
With that, she charged forward again, and the battle continued.
* * *
Ranma did several backflips to avoid the daggers that Mousse
launched at him, one after another, just barely doing so as they
embedded themselves into the rooftop where he had just previously
been. After finally running out of rooftop, he then had to leap into the
air to the next one, and then continue leaping and dodging to avoid the
various chain-attached spears, swords, daggers, yo-yos, and other items
being thrown at him.
"Will you knock it off, already?!" he shouted as he moved his head
to avoid a shuriken thrown at his face. "I already told you I ain't got no
interest in Shampoo! Settle down and let's talk about this!"
Mousse simply snorted in response. "Don't think that I'll be tricked
by you, Saotome! I'll make you pay for all you've done to me! And to
my precious Shampoo!"
With that, he launched a whole bunch of weapons from his sleeves
at Ranma. Frowning, Ranma charged forward, dodging weapons all
the way, until he finally reached the Hidden-Weapons Master and
punched him in the gut. He followed with a high roundhouse kick that
sent Mousse flying and crashing into a nearby chimney.
"There," Ranma said with satisfaction. Taking a moment to notice
that, in the fight, he got a tear in his tunic, he began to walk towards his
fallen opponent, who was starting to get back up. "Now, maybe we can
talk this out."
Mousse, however, began to laugh. "No chance, Saotome. Talk is
cheap in these matters. Even if you don't want Shampoo, the only thing
that'll clear the path to her heart is your demise." He then got to his feet
fully and raised his head to face Ranma, pushing his glasses up on his
face. "Besides, you haven't seen my new finishing move, yet."
At those words, Ranma immediately fell back into a defensive
position, readying himself for whatever Mousse could throw at him.
And with someone like Mousse, that literally meant anything.
With a grin on his face, Mousse stood straight and tall, his arms
raised up into the air. "My newest, strongest technique in the art of
Hidden-Weapons fighting, one that I made especially for you!" He
leapt into the air. "Prepare for the dreaded... RAIN OF SWORDS!!!"
He swung his arms in front of him, and immediately launched a
large succession of swords down at Ranma. The attack lived up to its
name, as the blades came down like raindrops, one after the other,
striking the rooftop and not giving Ranma much room to dodge and
avoid. He found himself having to strike out at numerous blades to
keep them from hitting him, even though several did, but just grazing
along his arms, legs, and back. If he wasn't careful, though, he'd wind
up with worse.
Mousse grinned maliciously as he watched Ranma try to avoid his
attack, but knew it was futile. He'd come up with attack especially with
Ranma in mind. An attack that came at all sides, impossible to defend
or even counter against. It was only a matter of time before Saotome
was finished, and Shampoo was his.
His eyes widened and his heart soared as he saw several blades
finally hit home, striking Ranma in several places in his torso. With a
triumphant cry of "Yes!", he ceased his attack and came back down to
the ground. He ran over to inspect the body, the idea of taking it back
as proof of his victory running through his head...
Only to find a tunic laying on the ground with several swords pining
it to the roof. And no Ranma in it. He didn't have time to react as he
suddenly felt a kick impact into his back.
"Okay, trying to kill me is one thing," Ranma growled, "but that was
my favorite shirt!" He watched as Mousse fell face first to the roof and
skidded across several feet. "This means war!"
"Why you--!" Mousse growled, but wound up getting a mouth of
gravel as Ranma suddenly landed on his back, holding his head down
with one hand and grabbing his hands with the other. Try as he might,
Mousse couldn't get free.
"There," Ranma said with a grin. "Maybe now we can talk."
Mousse simply growled in response as he tried to wiggle his way
out of Ranma's firm grip.
"Now look... There ain't nothing between me and Shampoo. I don't
want nothing to do with her, and as far as I can tell, I never have.
Anything she may tell you is most likely bull. And I'm sure you know
that."
Mousse finally stopped struggling. He was too shocked to continue
after hearing Ranma's words. He was so... different. "Are... are you
serious?"
Ranma nodded, letting go of Mousse. "Dead serious. She's all
yours." Under his breath he added, "Though I don't know why..."
Unfortunately, he apparently wasn't quiet enough. "I heard that!"
Mousse cried as he began to launch another attack at Ranma, who
dodged and had to subdue the Chinese boy again.
"Didn't we just get over this?" he asked exasperatedly. "Look, if I
let go, will you just listen and not attack me?"
Mousse seemed to fume for a moment before he replied, "Alright.
But say one wrong thing about my Shampoo..."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Ranma let go of Mousse, and the two
boys faced each other, exchanging glares. After an intense silence,
Ranma finally spoke.
"Look, I don't mean to be harsh, but just what is it you see in her,
anyway? She treats you like dirt, plays with your emotions, and tries to
make time with some other guy, namely me. And she does all these
dirty tricks to get me to marry her. So just what is it about her that you
just find so appealing?"
Mousse continued to glare at Ranma, keeping down the urge to lash
out him for his words against Shampoo, before he finally responded. "I
don't expect you to understand, Saotome. I agree Shampoo is all that,
and maybe then some, but she does have some good points. She's loyal
to those she loves, as I'm sure you know..."
"Don't remind me," Ranma said with a scowl.
"And she's also one of the finest warriors in our village. Or, at least
she was until you showed up that day." Mousse quickly continued
under Ranma's now-deeper scowl. "Many may despise her, but many
more also admire her."
"And then there's you," Ranma pointed out.
Mousse nodded with a sigh. "I've been in love with her for as long
as I can remember, but she thinks that I'm too weak to make a worthy
husband for her. And nothing I do seems to please her."
"Call me a kook, but I doubt anything will." Ranma took a breath as
he leaned against a chimney, his arms folded across his chest. "Look,
Mousse, I'm not telling you to give up, but maybe you ought to think
this over a bit. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be
married to a woman like that."
For the first time since their meeting, Mousse actually smiled, more
like smirked, at Ranma. "What about Akane?"
"She's different," Ranma quickly replied with a snort and a glare.
"She may have her downpoints, but at least she doesn't use people to
get what she wants."
Mousse nodded sagely, recalling what he knew about the Tendo girl.
But before he could say anything in reply, something that sounded like
a body crashing to the ground caused them to turn their heads back
towards the way they had come. Their eyes widened when they saw a
cloud of dust rise up into the air.
"Isn't that the Nekohanten back there?" Ranma asked in concern.
Mousse nodded again, and watched as Ranma immediately took off
back in that direction. Mousse started to follow, but stopped after a
couple of steps. Ranma's words echoed in his head for a long moment,
and he pondered them.
Could Saotome be right? Was Shampoo really worth all that trouble
he had put himself through?
Unable to find an answer, he followed after Ranma back to the
Nekohanten, but still thinking about his conversation with Ranma.
* * *
Akane ducked under another bon-bori thrust aimed at her head.
Going down further, she swept Shampoo's legs, which almost worked
until the Amazon caught her bearings and did a backflip away from
Akane. Once back on her feet, she threw an amazed glare at the
smirking Tendo girl.
"Aiyah! When Akane get so good all of sudden?"
Akane's smirk spread further. "Well, while you were going off
chasing Ranma, I spent my summer training. And thanks to Ranma's
sister moving in, I had a regular sparring partner." Taking a moment to
think, she decided to add insult to injury. "Heck, I'll bet I did more
training over the summer than you did all year."
As Shampoo fumed at her opponent, Cologne shook her head in
dismay. "It's true, I'm afraid. Shampoo's spent more of her spare time
when not working at the cafe chasing after Son-in-law than on her own
training. Not exactly a good example of an Amazon, let me tell you."
Shampoo let out an angry growl as she continued to glare at her
rival. "Akane can train all she want. You still no beat Shampoo!"
With that, the Amazon lunged forward to resume attacking, rapidly
throwing out bon-bori strikes at Akane, who was no longer smiling in
any sort of way and was trying desperately to defend herself against
Shampoo's attacks. Part of her knew that Shampoo was right; she may
have done some training over the summer, but Shampoo had been
training almost all her life. While not close to Ranma's league, the
Amazon girl was still better, and it probably wouldn't be long before
she got the upper hand. And, even worse, maybe the victory.
But Akane pressed on, determined to win. She had to win. For
herself. And... for Ranma...
As if summoned by Akane's thoughts, the pony-tailed boy appeared,
with Mousse not too far behind. Leaping off the rooftops, he landed
down on the sidewalk next to Ranko, Ukyo, and Cologne. His eyes
widened as he saw the battle taking place.
"Akane!" he cried, then began to rush forward towards the two girls.
He didn't get far, however, as he suddenly fell flat on his face. He
turned and glared at the one who had tripped him, which turned out to
be Cologne, using her staff.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!"
"Sorry, Son-in-law," Cologne replied, almost apologetically as she
raised her staff back to it's upright position. "But this is a personal
battle between my granddaughter and the Tendo girl. I don't think they
would like it if you interfered." With a smirk, she added, "Besides, it's
against Amazon law for anyone to interfere in a battle of this personal
magnitude, especially the one who is the prize."
Ranma continued to glare at the old woman, and was about to say
something in reply when Ranko placed a hand on his shoulder. "I hate
to say it, bro, but she's right. And I know Akane wouldn't want you
butting in." It was then that Ranma noticed the bruise on his sister's
cheek. He quickly got an idea of what she was talking about.
Beside them, Ukyo nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Like it or not, we
got to let them finish it themselves." Mousse mirrored Ukyo's nod,
remaining silent as he watched the fight.
So the four teens and the old Amazon then turned back to watch the
fight, each with a concerned, and hopeful, look on their faces.
Akane and Shampoo, meanwhile, continued to trade blows with
each, neither girl willing to back down and submit to her opponent.
Shampoo tried another swipe with her bon-bori aimed at Akane's mid-
section that the Tendo girl just barely eased away from in time. In
response, she ducked down and did a sweep of the Amazon's legs that
sent her off her feet for a moment before she corrected herself and
flipped back upright. She let out a snort of frustration as she glared at
the smirking Tendo girl before lunging forward to attack again. This
gave Akane even more of an advantage, as Shampoo's anger now made
her sloppy and her attacks easy to counter and defend against.
Shampoo threw her bon-bori forward in an attempt to strike Akane
in the chest, but she evaded it and grabbed Shampoo's arm. With a spin
on her heel, Akane pulled the Amazon off her feet and threw her
through the air to crash into a group of garbage cans that stood on the
curb.
"Got you now, Shampoo!" Akane cried with high confidence as she
charged forward so that she could finish it. Slightly dazed, Shampoo
barely heard the battle-cry, and only just shook the cobwebs out in time
to see her opponent right on her.
Unfortunately for Akane, that was more than enough time for
Shampoo to grab some sludge from the garbage and throw it into her
face, right in the eyes. Akane was forced back away as she clenched
her eyes shut to try and block out the burning sensation in them.
"Hey! That's cheating!" Ranma cried from the sidelines. Ukyo and
Ranko growled in agreement, their bodies tensing as though they were
preparing to gang up on the Amazon.
"This from someone who practices a fighting style called 'Anything-
Goes Martial Arts'?" Cologne asked mockingly, a smirk spread across
her face. "Besides, all's fair in love and war, Son-in-law. Hope you've
brushed up on your Chinese."
Ranma could only growl in response, knowing that he could do
nothing without the old woman interfering in some way. All he could
do was stand-by and watch as Akane now appeared to lose.
Back on the battle field, Akane let out several grunts of pain with
each punch and kick that Shampoo threw at her. A strike to the chin
sent her flying back and into a lamp pole, where she slid to the ground
unceremoniously on her rear. Through her daze, she could hear
Shampoo's mocking words and the Amazon now slowly approached
her, confident in her stride to make the final blow.
Tears began to well up in Akane's eyes, and not from the sludge that
Shampoo had thrown at her. She was upset and angry with herself.
Being on the winning edge against Shampoo made her confident and
sure of herself, and she had let that go to her head and gotten sloppy
because of it. She forgot that Shampoo had more experience and
training than her, and that was used to full advantage against her.
And now, she would lose.
*NO!* she thought bitterly. *I can't lose! Not now! I've worked so
hard, come too far to lose now! I can't lose! I can't! Not in front of...
in front of...*
*Ranma...*
An image of his face came to her mind, a smile spread across his
face that seemed all smug and cocky, but at the same time, warm and
gentle as well. She remembered all the times they'd had, all their
adventures, all the times they had come to each other's aid. With each
memory came a warm feeling that was quite familiar, but now stronger
than before.
She could feel her confidence building again. She could do it. She
could win. As she felt her energy rise, one particular memory came to
mind. One where Ranma had explained to her how his old ki-blast
technique worked.
'You take a certain emotion, one you're really familiar with. You
focus on nothing but that, letting it build and build until it hits this peak
where you just have to force it out at your opponent through your
hands.'
Could she do it? She shook all doubt away and focused on the task.
She would do it. She would defeat Shampoo.
She would do it... For Ranma...
Shampoo, meanwhile, had now halted a few feet away from the
still-sitting Akane, smirking down at her. "Silly Akane think she can
take on Shampoo after only few months of training? Ha! You need
whole lifetime do that. And no have that, either." She raised one of her
bon-bori and pulled it back behind her in a position to strike.
"Shampoo wait long time for this. Akane is obstacle. And obstacle... is
for killing!"
With that, Shampoo leapt forward, her bon-bori lashing out to strike.
"NO!" Ranma and Ranko cried as one, and both ran out to save
Akane. They just barely evaded Cologne's attempt to paralyze them
with pressure points as they dashed forward.
Shampoo was just inches away from Akane, ready to make the final
blow that would forever clear the path to her beloved Ranma, when she
finally noticed Akane glowing with ki-energy. Her surprise went
straight to shock when she saw a ball of similar energy forming
between the Tendo girl's cupped hands. Like she was forming a--
"What the--?!"
"FUSHICHO KAGAYAKI HA!" Akane cried as she thrust her
hands forward at Shampoo. A bright burst of energy shot out, striking
the Amazon and sending her flying backward. She landed rather a bit
unceremoniously onto the ground, bouncing a few times before finally
coming to a stop.
The spectators on the side, after lowering their arms that they had
used to block out the brightness of the flash, gawked in surprise at what
they had just seen. "What the--?! Akane used a ki-blast?!" Ukyo cried.
"Guess I trained her better than I thought," Ranko muttered to
herself with pride. She didn't notice the frowning look that Cologne
was giving her.
"I wouldn't call it a blast," Ranma noted. "It was more like a small
burst of energy, all brightness and just a little force. Like a firecracker
or something." He took a look at the downed Shampoo, who was
struggling to get back up. "Still pretty affective, though."
Shampoo, meanwhile, was now back on her feet, a little worse for
wear. Worst of all, she had trouble seeing; that blast had been *bright*.
Akane would pay for sure, now. "Shampoo... not... finished... yet..."
she gasped out.
"Oh, yes you ARE!" Akane cried as she used her remaining strength
to dash forward and deliver a punch across Shampoo's jaw. The
Amazon swaggered a bit before falling to the ground, completely out
cold.
A long moment of silence passed while everyone took in what they
had seen. After a couple of eye-blinks, Akane was the first to break the
silence by whispering, "I... I did it..." A smile of pride swept across her
face and she jumped into the air. "I DID IT!!!"
Similar cries of joy rang out as Ranma, Ranko, and Ukyo ran out to
Akane, while Mousse and Cologne ran to Shampoo. Hugs and words
of joyful congratulations were the order as the teens celebrated.
"Way to go, Akane!" Ukyo cheered. "Never thought I'd ever see
you do that!"
"Me, neither!" Ranko agreed. "I figured it would take you years
before you even got close to doing that." She shirked sheepishly under
the glares from the others.
"Good work, Akane," Ranma said as he helped the girl stay steady
on her feet. She gladly accepted the help.
"Thanks!" Akane replied happily. "I couldn't have done it without
you." Not noticing the confused glances, she grabbed both Ranma and
Ranko into tight hugs and continued, "I was just so determined to win
the fight, and I just kept thinking about all we've been through... And
how you were always there for me..."
A blush was now spreading across her cheeks, as was Ranma's.
Ranko's face was also red, either also from embarrassment or from a bit
of anger she felt as she glared at her brother. Ukyo simply smirked at
the scene, trying to keep down a giggle.
"Shampoo! Please, wake up, Shampoo!" Everyone turned to the
group of Chinese to see Mousse with Shampoo in his arms, trying to
get her to wake up. Feeling the eyes of the others on him, he returned
to the gaze, and began to glare at Akane. "I swear, Akane Tendo, if
you've hurt my Shampoo..."
"Oh, calm down, idiot," Cologne said as she whacked him on the
head with her staff. "Shampoo is an Amazon. She's taken much
worse than this."
Shampoo then suddenly groaned, then slowly came to. Seeing that
she was in Mousse's arms, she quickly shoved him away as best she
could and struggled to get to her feet. It was her turn to glare at Akane
as she staggered over to the other group.
"Shampoo... no finished... yet..." she growled. "Fight... on..."
Ranma and Ranko immediately jumped in front of the tired Akane,
forming a shield between her and Shampoo. Fortunately for them, the
young Amazon suddenly slumped over unconscious into the arms of
her great-grandmother, the victim of a shiatsu technique.
"Sorry, granddaughter," Cologne sighed. "But you've been beaten
this time, and are in no condition to continue, I'm afraid. Time to go
lick our wounds and fight another day."
Shampoo gave no reply other than a few breaths of exhausted sleep.
"We'll be going now, too," Ranma said. He gave a careful look to
Cologne. "I can trust we can expect no more trouble from you?"
"Now where would the fun be in that?" Cologne replied. At the
scowls she received from the young ones, she added, "Well, no more
than usual, anyway. See you around, Ranma. Especially you, young
Ranko."
With that, the three Chinese began the trip back to their restaurant,
Shampoo refusing help from Mousse, and leaving a confused foursome
behind to stare after them.
"What was that all about?" Ranko asked.
"Who knows, who cares? They're finally out of our hair, so let's
just be happy with that," Ranma replied. He turned to Akane and
smiled. "C'mon, let's see if we can get Dr. Tofu to fix you up."
Akane nodded, returning the smile and accepting Ranma's offer of
support as they made their way towards the clinic.
"C'mon, Ran-chan. We got a restaurant to run," Ukyo said as she
started to walk back towards the Ucchan. As she reached the door, she
noticed that Ranko wasn't behind her. She turned to see the red-head
still standing in the street, watching Ranma and Akane walk off with a
scowl on her face.
"Hey! You coming or what?!" Ukyo called irritably.
Ranko's head turned to look at her boss with a start, then back to the
departees. "Yeah, sure," she grumbled, then walked back to join Ukyo
to begin the business day.
* * *
"Shampoo still no can believe she lose to Akane!" Shampoo
grumbled again as Cologne tended to her wounds. "Now Shampoo
never marry Ranma and return to China!"
"Cease your whining! You're an Amazon, so stop behaving like a
spoiled child!" Cologne snapped. "Besides, this solves nothing. We'll
find another way to win you your rightful husband. And there is also
another way to redeem your honor."
Shampoo turned to her great-grandmother in surprise. "What you
mean?"
"I'll explain later. Right now you need to recuperate. And after
that, you need to start training again. If you had not been so lax in it,
you would not have been defeated. And you may need it for the task
ahead. Now off to bed with you." Cologne watched as her great-
granddaughter slowly and carefully made her way upstairs to their
living quarters, then turned to the young man standing in the corner.
"Mousse! While Shampoo recuperates and trains, you will have to
pull double duty here in the restaurant. So get your good-for-nothing
butt to work!"
To her surprise, instead of griping and moaning like he usually did,
Mousse simply nodded and replied, "Yes, ma'am." With that, he
began his duties.
Cologne blinked in surprise. Mousse usually put up more of a fuss
than this. He didn't even gripe about how he should have to take care
of Shampoo. "Are you feeling alright, boy?" she asked with a
suspicious frown.
"I'm fine," was all Mousse replied. In his head, he added, *Not that
you care...* After the old ghoul shrugged and hopped away, he began
to think again on Ranma's words. And whether or not Shampoo really
worth it all.
End of Part 6...
This has definitely been my shortest chapter yet in the whole series.
Wonder if that's a good thing or a bad one? It also may the last one
you'll see for awhile. I'm now attending University this fall, and my
studies will have to come first. I'll still write and work on this series, as
well as maybe some other projects I've had in mind, just not as often as
I used to. So please be patient with. And wish me luck!
This chapter was needed, since of course, a confrontation with
Shampoo is a necessary evil in continuation fics. Fortunately, it all
seemed to turn out okay in the end. Or has it? Have to wait and see,
won't we?
Some may think Ranma's got too much of a backbone here. Keep
in mind, though, that this is the pre-Jusenkyo Ranma, plus he knows
from his journal what Shampoo is like. So he knows what to expect.
The talk with Mousse is a bit of a stretch, I know, but remember his
training with the monk and he could very well now have some common
sense.
Also, I can't really explain why I had Ranma get over his fear of
cats, other than it seemed to work and take away an edge Shampoo had
over him. The way he reacts, aside from suggestions from my pre-
readers, was inspired by Dave Eddy's "Nekophobia", where Shampoo
transfers her curse to Akane in order to win Ranma over (go read it!).
The way Ranma handled himself around the feline-Akane was so good
that I recalled it and borrowed it for my story. My hopes to Mr. Eddy
in that he doesn't mind.
Now to answer a question before it's asked: why give Akane a ki-
blast? Aside from the fact that it works in the surprise factor (yes, I did
plan it in advance), it shows how far she's progressed in her training.
She can already generate ki, so it was already a matter of time before
she learned how to project it. At least I made it just a burst of energy
and not a full-out blast, showing that she still has some steps to reach. I
also didn't make it based off her anger, like most fics do. The way it
came out is based off an issue of a "Street Fighter II" manga that came
out awhile back, in a scene where Chun-Li figures out how to throw a
fireball and uses it to defeat Vega. As for how it looks? Picture Chun-
Li's super-fireball move in "Street Fighter Alpha" (only a bit toned
down and more on the blast concept) and you'll get the idea.
No glossary this time. Couldn't find something that needed to be
explained. Maybe next time.
Thanks to all my pre-readers, Darren, Alain, Archive, Andy, and
newcomer Godsend777 for all your help. Even if you didn't get back to
me with a reply, your continued help is appreciated. Keep up the good
work, guys!
Keep an eye out for part 7. Ryoga finally makes his debut, but what
will happen when he runs into Ranma and Ranko? Be patient and I'll
try to get it out when I can. Until then...
(
geocities.com/rakna01)