Disclaimer; Ranma ½ is owned by Rumiko Takashi.
" " -talking
' ' -thoughts
Bold - emphasis
The Cat Café had some minor customers, so there really was not much work to worry about. Cologne was cooking the last set of plates for two hungry customers, they were the only ones who hadn't ate since every other customer already were eating or just finished eating.
"Shampoo take this to table number four." Cologne said handing a tray with two plates to her great-granddaughter.
"Yes great-grandmother." Shampoo said obediently doing what Cologne said.
"Here you go!" Said Shampoo cheerfully to the two clients.
"Thanks miss." Said one of them.
"Yeah I was hungry, thanks." Said the other. "Mmmm this is delicious, that's why I never get tired of coming here."
"Thank you. Here at the Cat Café we try best to please customers. Enjoy!" Said Shampoo with a smile in her face.
"We are enjoying it already." Said the customer.
"Why do you have to be such a jerk!" A girl said with anger in her tone of voice.
"Me? It wasn't my fault! That old man did it!" Another teenage girl responded, with a hint of annoyment in her voice.
"Hmm, think I know that voice..." Shampoo said to herself in a low tone of voice. She was still besides the table were the two customers are eating.
"Yeah right! You think I'm believing you that!" The first girl said again. "I don't think so! Just admit it, you went into my room!"
"What the hell are ya talkin' about! I went to get that old pervert! He wanted me to put on the panties he stole!" The second girl said again getting more annoyed. "Also why would I want to go to your room anyways?"
"You baka! What is wrong with my room! "
"What?"
"What's wrong with my room?! Why do you ay as if you don't want to get there!" The first girl said with more anger in her tone of voice.
"Wait, but ya just said you were angry at me for goin' into your room; and now you ask me why I don't wanna go?" The second girl asked confused and at the same time annoyed. "I really can't understand ya..."
"Oh so you did went to my room! See you just said it!"
"No, it was the old pervert's fault! He made me go there, I just wanted to stop him!"
"Don't try to blame others Ranma! Why did you entered my room right when I was going to dress up!?" The girl said.
'I knew it!' Shampoo thought with delight.
"Great grandmother I'm going out!" Shampoo said looking through the window towards were her fiancee was. She noticed he was in his girl form.
"Ok, I'll take care of business." Cologne said while ordering Mousee to clean the dishes.
Shampoo went to get a bucket with hot water. Then Shampoo went out of the Cat Café cheerfully to greet her fiancee.
"I told you already that it was not my fault! The old bastard went to your room, I followed him to stop him and beat him up!" Ranma-chan said annoyed by her companion.
"So you and Hapossai went huh? Well now that explains it..."
"Finally you get it." Ranma said tired of arguing, thinking Akane finally understood what she was trying to say.
"...you are his apprentice aren't you?" Akane asked while raising an eyebrow.
Ranma fell on her back for what Akane said but recovered soon.
"What the heck are ya talkin' about?" Ranma-chan asked in a high tone.
"What other perverted tricks has he thought you?!" Akane asked not listening to much of what Ranma said.
"That's not what I said. Don't ya ever listen to me?" Ranma-chan asked in a high tone of voice to make Akane hear her better.
"So you two teamed up didn't you?! Yo-you pervert pigs! I can only get disgusted at the thought of both of you stealing panties in the middle of the night!" Akane continued with her theory, disgusted and angry for what she thought Ranma did.
"I think the answer is no..ya never listen." Ranma said not bothering to say it aloud.
"I can't believe you use your martial arts powers to make something evil and steal women panties, well actually I can believe after all the perverted things that I've seen you do." Akane said briefly remembering some moments and shuddering at two in special. "But still using your abilities for that is sick."
"Akane really it wasn't my fault to go inside you room, and I'm not Hapossai's apprentice, I don't steal panties with him, and I don't ever remember doin' anythin' perverted that I actually wanted to do." Ranma-chan said not knowing what Akane was talking about when she said he did perverted things on his own.
Shampoo saw that Ranma was not alone, but with Akane in front of him. They seemed to be arguing and Akane seemed to be the one talking the most.
'That Akane, why doesn't she just goes away and leaves Ranma alone. I'm going to have to teach her a lesson.' Shampoo thought while making her way to where her beloved and her rival were.
"Yeah of course you don't remember. It's not of your convenience to remember." Akane said while noticing Shampoo was coming to were they were.
'Agh I didn't noticed we were close to the cat cafe. Besides dealing with this pervert now I have to deal with two perverts that have body transforming curses.' Akane thought, annoyed by the Amazon and by the pervert fiance she had.
"It just can't get worse, now she has to come too." Akane said looking at Shampoo bitterly. Shampoo also looked at her rival that way.
"Who are ya talkin' about?" Ranma asked when she was poured warm water over her head, turning her instantly into her real form. Already a boy he turned around knowing who it was already.
"Nihao Ranma!" Shampoo said while leaving the bucket to the side, then she glomped Ranma like she always did.
"Hi Shampoo. Um will ya get offa me?" Ranma asked, knowing Akane wouldn't stay quiet about that display of affection. He tried to get her of him lightly since he didn't wanted to hurt her, but that didn't work since she hugged him tighter and as close as possible. That caused them to fall to the ground, with Ranma being the one affected by the light impact, Shampoo still didn't let go of him.
"Oh so besides getting inside my room trying to see me undressed, teaming up with Hapossai to steal panties, even be his apprentice to learn new ways of stealing, and now letting any bimbo hug you right in front of everyone!" Akane said her temper raised to the maximum level, her eyes twitched and her fingers did too as if preparing her strength.
"And you still dare to say that you are not a pervert!" Akane shouted.
"Akane I didn't do anything of that! You invented that all!" Ranma said still laying on the ground with Shampoo on top of him.
"Oh yeah I did. And I also invented that you use your girl side to your convenience didn't I?" Akane asked sarcastically.
"Well but it's not for anythin' like that, I just do it for food, to get it free." Ranma said now getting up. Shampoo let go of him and turned to look at Akane, she didn't liked a thing Akane was saying.
"Uh-huh whatever Ranma. What about the time you used magic to attract Ryoga, you even flirted with him! You stayed with him all night! Now don't tell me you didn't do that!" Akane said remembering those memories, she was really disturbed by that.
"What?! It's not like that! He used some magic trick on me! It was his fault not mine!" Ranma said not wanting to remeber what happened, he really wanted to throw up just about that thought.
"Yeah right! Come on Ranma remember you were all over him! You were almost always in your girl form and you were trying to get his attention! Now don't tell me that is not perverted!" Akane said.
Shampoo couldn't believe what Akane said. Ranma getting in love with Ryoga? That was nonsense, Ranma was a male, he was pruod of that and he was not gay. At least that's what she thought.
'This Akane must be making up things to make Ranma angry. I mean Ranma wouldn't really fall for a guy he wasn't that way. He liked girls, he always showed that. Him liking guys wasn't normal, he should like girls, he had to. But did he?..No I will not doubt in my airen he does like girls, he is not gay! Danm this Akane is making me think bad of Ranma too.' Shampoo thought.
"No Akane you have it all wrong! I-I didn't fell for him! I just..it was all just this magic trick he put on me! I told ya already!" Ranma said.
He didn't wanted to tell Akane that Ryoga actually had a magic fishing rod to make her fall for him, but he was making things worse if he made Akane believe Ryoga was that way. So he didn't knew what to do.
"Maigc huh? When did Ryoga learned magic?! Don't try to fool me Ranma!" Akane said getting ready to hit him.
"Or wait maybe you mean a metaphor...this magic you talk about is your love for him isn't it?!" Akane said now assuming the worst her rage was almost to the top.
"What?! No,no, no, no! I mean a real fishing rod! A magical trick to make anyone who you catch in it to fall in love!" Ranma said thinking he would have to say the truth. Before he could speak Akane interrupted him.
"So you mean Ryoga used that to catch you and make you fall for him?!" Akane said disbelieving how dishonest Ranma could be to get rid of the blame.
"So you want me to think poor Ryoga was the one who caused it? Why would he want you?! He is not gay, and he has no interest in you nor your girl side! What are you taking him for? Kuno."
"No he didn't wanted to catch me! He wanted-..." Ranma still couldn't tell Akane who Ryoga wanted to catch. He didn't wanted to betray him but he had no choice.
'Besides what has that dude done for me? If she finds out of his love for her that's not my fault.' Ranma thougth.
"So? Who did he wanted?" Akane asked impatiently.
'Ryoga is gay? I was sure he loved Akane. Who could've guessed.' Shampoo thought.
"You." Ranma said.
"Me?..." Akane asked. "Yeah right how could Ryoga want me? We are friends, that's all."
"No really he wanted you to fell for him."
'I knew it! He did love Akane. Maybe she will stop bothering Ranma now and go with him.' Shampoo thought.
Akane was quiet for a time, then her anger rose and she said. "You liar! He wouldn't use cheap tricks like this bimbo here does! He isn't like that!" Akane said.
"Hey who you say is bimbo!" Shampoo said.
"Who else? Do you see other bimbo here?" Akane asked bitterly.
"Oh you will pay for insulting Amazon!" Shampoo said getting her bonbori out of nowhere but before she could attack Akane Ranma had stopped her.
"Wait Shampoo, don't do it." Ranma said holding her from behind.
"Let go I have to teach Akane a lesson!" Shampoo said struggling to get rid of Ranma's hold and attack her rival.
"Come here bimbo! If you want a fight I'm won't deny it!" Akane said overconfidence in her voice.
Shampoo just stared at Akane with anger in her eyes. She tried once again to liberate herself from Ranma but it was all in vain, his strength was superior. He held her hard though not enough to hurt her either.
Akane saw that her enemy couldn´t do anything so she started mocking the Amazon again much more than she ever did, she just couldn´t let go of such an opportunity, much less when she thought about all the times the Amazon had insulted her skills; now it was payback time for Akane to make justice, at least that's how she thought.
"Shampoo calm down. Don't let her insult you, just ignore her." Ranma said still holding the Amazon's arms and body, preventing her from doing any attack.
Shampoo couldn't take what Akane was saying, she was very angry at her this time. Of all the things she said the worse thing was telling her 'weak'. Shampoo knew she wasn't weak at all, she knew that Akane was actually the weak one, but she couldn't show it to her rival since Ranma wasn't going to let her attack Akane.
"Akane stop it. You know Shampoo can take you down easily." Ranma said.
"What? She can? Well then I want to see that, come on bring it own you weak bimbo!" Akane said taunting Shampoo.
"Shampoo show you right now! No weakling can say I weak!" Shampoo said with burning anger flaring in her eyes.
"No, wait Shampoo! Calm down!" Ranma said having a hard time stopping Shampoo from attacking Akane. "And Akane stop saying that!"
Akane ignored completely what Ranma said. She was having a payback after all the times the Amazon had insulted her. After all the times Ranma compared her to the other girls, and
"Hey I'm here you know. I'm waiting for you." Akane said. "Or are you afraid?"
Shampoo had it, she wouldn't take it any longer. She couldn't get rid of Ranma's hold so she thought about another way to take revenge on her rival. Instead she calmed herself down.
"Ok, Ranma." Shampoo said steadily looking at Akane.
"Huh? You will?" Ranma asked still holding the Amazon just to make sure.
"Yes." Shampoo responded.
"Really? Ya won't attack?" Ranma asked loosening his hold slightly.
"Yes, I not attack Akane. So will Ranma let me go?" Shampoo asked her fianc.
"Umm well I guess, if ya won't attack." Ranma said fully letting go of Shampoo. Akane just stared at her rival, she didn't believed any of the words that came out from the Amazon's mouth.
'She is planning something.' Akane thought looking at Shampoo suspiciously.
As fast as Ranma freed Shampoo, she turned around completely to face him and then without previous advice she glomped him. Ranma looked bewildered while Shampoo looked with sweetness into his blue eyes, she approached his lips with hers slowly.
As soon as Akane saw what Shampoo was doing she threw her mallet brutaly to Ranma's head, this caused Ranma to fall unconciously but Shampoo caught him before he hit the concrete.
"What you think you doing pervert-girl?" Shampoo asked obviously mad at what her rival had just done, though she already had seen that coming from her. She did it exactly for that, to take a revenge on Akane for what she said earlier.
"Me pervert?! You are the perverted one!" Akane said with her anger raising.
"Whatever." Shampoo said getting hold of Ranma with her two arms, to her surprise he wasn't as heavy as she thought he would be. "See you later!" Shampoo said leaping to the Cat Cafe's roof taking Ranma with her.
"Where'd you think you are going?!" Akane shouted.
"To place where you can't disturb Ranma and me!" Shampoo said in a ihgh tone of voice to make sure her rival heard her. With that said she took off with Ranma.
"That bimbo!" Akane shouted. She didn't waste any time in following the Amazon, she ran as fast as she could in the ground to keep up with her rival, still there were way more obstacles in the ground than the way Shampoo was taking.
Ranma was waking up, he started opening his eyes just to see that everything around him was moving, it almost seemed like he was flying. He shaked his head and opened widly his eyes to look where he was at, he thought it may be a dream. He looked up and saw that Shampoo was carrying him and hoping from roof to roof, Ranma felt a blush in his cheeks, he wasn't used to that.
Ranma asked the first question that came to his mind forgetting about his shyness and his slight blush.
"Shampoo? What are you doing?"
Shampoo was surprised by the voice speaking, she thought he might have been unconsious for a longer time after the impact he received without warning, but she remembered how Ranma was always getting hit on the head bu his fanc and many others so, it shouldn't surprise her that he would recover fast.
"Ranma you awake too quick." Shampoo said not stopping her roof hoping. "I taking you somewhere we won't be disturbed
"Yeah, yeah I am already used to that. But why are ya carrying me?" Ranma said not liking one bit that his fianc was carrying him. "I can walk by myself ya know. Now let me go." Ranma said.
"Ok Ranma, but wait until stop." Shampoo answered looking back at where Akane was, she was still following them and Shampoo wasn't far enough to loose her,. Shampoo took another direction and went to the left instead, that way it would be harder for Akane to follow it would take her more time.
Ranma looked at Shampoo, then he looked to where she was looking though he couldn't see anything since his view from where he was wasn't a good one.
"Shampoo what are we running away from?" Ranma asked suspicious about Shampoo's intentions. "By the way where is Akane? And how did I ended up in your arms?" Ranma asked not liking what was happening..
"No one, just from the annoyance ." Shampoo said slowing down now that Akane wasn't anywhere in sight. She looked down at Ranma. "Akane isn't here, she got angry and tried hurting us, that why I take you to peaceful place. You were unconcious so I had take you." Shampoo said smiling she finally stop and let Ranma go.
Ranma had still a slight blush in his cheeks, he tried to hide it away from the Amazon in front of him.
"So where are we?" He asked not sure how to feel about the situation.
"We still not there." Shampoo said. "I just stopped so Ranma could walk by himself.."
"So...where are we goin'?" Ranma asked looking at Shampoo closely, he didn't wanted to be into another of her schemes.
"I say already, a peaceful place." Shampoo answered walking over to Ranma she spoke again. "Follow me."
"Okay." Ranma said unsure of what she had in mind.
Shampoo turned her back to Ranma and started roof hoping away to the right.
'Hope this isn't another of her plans.' He thought following the Amazon close by.
After a few minutes of roof hoping Shampoo finally jumped below to the floor and waited for Ranma. He came seconds after. While at their journey they hadn't talked at all, but Ranma broke the silence now.
"Ok Shampoo what's up? Are we there yet?" He asked with his guard up. It's not that he didn't trusted at all the Amazon, but he remembered a lot of things that happened when he had his guard down, and not only with her.
"Almost." She said looking at Ranma. Then she started running to the north.
Without thinking it Ranma followed her, he was curious to where they were going.
Few moments later Shampoo stopped, Ranma stopped too right beside the Amazon.
"Here we are." Shampoo said looking towards the front, her look seemed to be one of admiration.
Ranma looked at her wondering what was she looking at. To see where she had took him he looked to his surroundings. Now he knew why Shampoo had that look in her eyes. The landscape around them was beautiful, only compared to the ones people dreamed of, it was definately a place to be portrayed in an art painting.
Still looking with amaze at the environment Ranma asked.
"Where are we?"
"I don't know. I saw place a while ago in dreams, I not know it was real." Shampoo said still looking with admiration at the environment.
"Wow." That's all Ranma could say. He wasn't the typr of person that would stop and admire it's surroundings, he wasn't that sentimental, he didn't needed too after all he was supposed to be a man among men and doing that would not be considered manly.
But this time it was different., he just couldn't avoid it, it was like he couldn't control his eyes and he enjoyed the feeling the paradise like landscape provoked in him.
Ranma was consumed by it he didn't had anything in his mind besides the admiration to where they were; he even forgot about his situation. He interrupted his thoughts, he shouldn't be acting like that and much less in front of another martial-artist.
"Shampoo how did you knew this place was here?" He asked trying to ignore the beauty around.
"I not know. I follow instincts, Shampoo just felt guided here." She said.
"Oh, well but why are we here?" Ranma asked confused about the answer the Chinese girl gave him.
Shampoo finally stopped looking at her surroundings and looked at Ranma.
"I just wanted to be alone with airen." She said.
"Ok, so umm...what are we doin' now?" Ranma asked, he still his guard up even though now it seemed that Shampoo wouldn't do anything bad to him, he couldn't risk himself.
"Let's go see more." Shampoo simply said walking deeper into her dream place. Ranma walked right beside her following her lead.
Shampoo and Ranma found themselves admiring the place even more.
The one inch tall grass was green with small sparkling diamonds on, they even danced with the cool breeze. The tall trees had strong brown trunks, the leaves were of emerald they even seemed to shine with the slight light that fell upon them. The cool breeze that danced with the leaves and grass, also seemed to be humming with gracefulness.
Ranma and Shampoo were more amazed by this but they didn't stopped their way and continued walking on.
In their way they found a waterfall far in front of them, sapphires seemed to be falling from it instead of water. The sapphires that felt to the powerful lake emits two sounds, one of tranquility that you could feel inside and another one of power that you could feel flowing through your veins. To say the least one would describe this waterfall as majestic.
Ranma felt a lot of preocupation dissappearing, his worries and even his problems seemed to be dissappearing. Now he felt much better, he somehow felt lighter, being able to breathe better to use all his senses better, also he felt a peace inside of him that he had ever experienced. It seemed that all the negative feelings and thoughts disolved.
Ranma shook his head to shake off his amazeness and emotions, he thought that that wasn't manly at all, not what everyone would expect of him. He couldn't let that kind of feelings take over him, he wouldn't.
He took a look at his companion beside him, she seemed to be stunned by the beauty in front of them. He was surprised Shampoo was like that, openly amazed by everything they have seen lately.
Unlike him she could freely express what she felt like, she didn't seemed to feel ashamed one bit about it either, even being the serious martial-artist she was. It was obvious she enjoyed the view. On the contrary Ranma couldn't admit that he was too, not even to himself, but he knew deep inside he indeed was amazed, astonished
He felt the need to break the silence there was, he didn't wanted to think about it again, if he did he would be hypnotized about the paradise-like land they were in again
Before he could speak Shampoo spoke.
"Isn't it beautiful?" She asked not looking at Ranma.
"Yes, it is..." He trailed off his thoughts being consumed by the gorgeous setting, but again resumed talking not wanting to lost himself again. "..but it's just a place that's all. I mean I don't see anything special about it, it's just kinda pretty but not a big deal." He answered as honest as he could fake. He didn't wanted to express what he really felt nor what he thought, he kept his true thoughts to himself. He couldn´t make any of his emotions show that would make him appear weak.
Shampoo turned to look at Ranma.
"Wish I could control emotions like Ranma do. If great-grandmother ever knew about Shampoo feeling like this showing such weakness, as she call it, she be ashamed. She would say I Amazon warrior no should show this kind of feelings toward anything, she say it make Shampoo appear inferior." She said facing down, remembering exactly what Cologne had told her before.
"Great-grandmother taught Shampoo to be best warrior, also taught me to no show weakness to anyone." She said this while looking up to Ranma, with a sad tone of voice she continued. "So I no should be like this in front of you, no even when I alone. Please Ranma don't tell great-grandmother about this, she would punish Shampoo again"
Ranma stared at his fianc surprised for what she just said. He never thought Shampoo would act like that, he never knew she felt like that or what she thought. He really didn't knew much about her now that he thought about it.
'In a way she is in the same situation as I am. She doesn't want to show her emotions in front of the people that expect something different from her. We both have high expectations from some parental figure, we both have to be great martial-artists, we both are commited to pride bound to honor in different ways.' Ranma thought.
He had never really felt as philosophic as he felt now, thinking more throughly about the situation they were both in. He never really paid attention to things like that, he never noticed. He thought thinking about that sort of things was a waste of time and of no use.
Although now it was different maybe he felt like this because of the calmness he felt at the time, with no one challenging him or threatenig him, or maybe it was the mistical power the place they were at the time had. Who knows, that only thing he knew was that he was thinking clearly and deeply, analyzing things with no one bothering him.
"Shampoo, I never knew ya felt like that. I thought you would do exactly what the old-ghoul says." Ranma said still not saying what he really had in his mind.
"Ranma I no obey everything great-grandmother say. I showed that before, remember when I helped you fight against great-grandmother and also when I gave kiss of death to own sisters for you. It's not first time I go against what I suppose to do." Shampoo said recalling the memories.
Ranma stared at Shampoo speechless. It was true she had been rebeling against her own culture for him. Not only those two times, he could remember others too.
'Ranma, where are you?' Akane thought worried about him though she wouldn't admit it to herself. She was walking and asking people to know if anyone had seen him, but no one could help, she didn't wanted stop her search even when it was getting late the sun was setting.
'Maybe he'll be at home. Yeah maybe he ran away from that crazy bimbo and went for dinner. Yeah I'll look for him over there, besides I'm getting hungry.' She thought while walking her way home.
'I do really hope that jerk is there.' Akane thought.
Please review everyone! =)
Also check out my homepage! I hope you liked it.
Also I don't even know what the second chapter will be about, I just know some part of it so I hope you can give me advices and your opinions on what you want to see, read. Help me out in this one ;)