Chapter 2
AN:Hello all. I know. I am a horrible person for not posting for so long. Life is hectic, my job is going through many many transitions and I m tired all the time. But I finally have a chapter for you, so enjoy.
Note: I do think that this is moving too fast, but Nabiki refused to renegotiate. Since I don't own her or any other characters, I had to do as she told me, or risk her taking me to court. Which none of us want.
It was almost two weeks later when Nabiki strolled into the Cat Cafe with Nodoka and two men in expensive suits in tow. Choosing an out of the way table, with room to spare, they sat themselves down and looked for a moment at the menu, waiting for any of the residents to notice their presence.
As was normal, Mousse came round their table to take their orders, and was surprised when Nabiki simply ordered tea for herself and Nodoka, and a plate of dumpling for the two gentlemen, rather than a full meal. Then as he brought the order for the table, the brunette looked him straight in the eye, pointed to the remaining seats at the table with one hand and simply said, "Get them here, now."
And everyone in Nerima knew that arguing with Tendo Nabiki could be costly.
The sometimes duck hurried into the kitchen, and, after a few words, got the Elder and Shampoo out from behind the cooker and into the seats that Nabiki assigned them. He stayed with them, just in case his presence was required. Thankfully, this being late morning on a school day, there were no other customers who were still ordering food, so Mousse had no reason to move away, instead preferring to pretend to be a show of force for his beloved – the Tendo woman was known as a scheming corrupter of all things good, and it made good sense to stay.
There was silence for a moment, as Nodoka finished her tea, and the others simply waited for her to finish. It took almost the whole cup before Shampoo could hold it in no longer.
"What does mother-in-law and mercenary girl want?"
The two women in question exchanged looks, before the older woman nodded. "Elder Kuh Lon, Xian Puu, please meet our family lawyers, Tokawa-san and Idemo-san."
The purple haired girl looked confused, while her much older grandmother squinted hard at them.
"If you think that you can get rid of the Kiss of Marriage so easily, you are wrong. Our laws are old and well respected, even here."
Nabiki smirked. "Actually, no. The Kisses can stay where they are – they have proven to be surprisingly useful. We are here to get back something of ours, based on these respected laws of yours." The disdain in her voice was quite clear. "Mousse, what happens in your culture, when an individual destroys the inheritance or property of another, with malicious intent."
The boy in the corner, who had been sure he had successfully escaped being noticed did a double take as all the eyes fixed on him, and he lost his usual command of Japanese. "Erm, well, i-if something like that happens, the owner of the damaged or destroyed things can extract punishment."
"And how is this punishment is determined?"
"W-well. That de-depends on the level of damage. If it is a single object, that does not have much worth, then they would need to procure another one or repay the original owner. And if it's home or an heirloom, one of magical or family importance, then the punishment can be enslavement, banishment or death. But they are typically decided by a legal representative of the tribe or person who suffered the damage."
Cologne's eyes widened, as she realised that they were aiming to do. "No! It does not apply to women, nor does it apply to your country! In any case, Akane and Shampoo are in competition, so any destruction as a result of that cannot be claimed within the laws. We will happily pay, but leave my granddaughter alone!"
She failed to see Nabiki's grin turn almost feral.
"Excellent. In that case, you will reimburse Akane for the damage to the dojo. Now, to more pressing matters. Xian Puu, heir to the Amazon tribe of China, I, as one of the heirs of the Tendo name address you. As the heir to the house that you had damaged so far as to make it unlivable, I demand that you restore your honour of destroying the property of two unmarried females, Kasumi and myself, by decapitation. Aunty, do you have anything to add?"
The redhaired woman nodded. "Yes, in fact I do. Shampoo, along with a number of other girls had come to my house for the purpose of stealing an heirloom of great value and importance, that has belonged to my family and my husband's branch of it for a long time, for herself, mistakenly believing that this would give her some sort of claim to my son. While she was unsuccessful in this, she did inflict the most damage to my house, to the point where I have been forced to rely on the kindness of others for a roof over my head. The house is in a prime location in Tokyo, and thus quite expensive to return to its original state and value. It is my belief, and that of my and Tendo-san's lawyers that by carrying this immoral activity, Xian Puu has tarnished her honour beyond repair, by both the laws of my and her people. As a result of this, and to spare her people the grief and despair of associating with a violent criminal, I believe that the only way to restore honour is for her to commit ritual suicide. The method may be chosen by the victim in this case."
Shampoo raised her eyes, and for the first time ever, Mousse saw real fear in them. Silently, she pointed to the Saotome blade. "My beloved's sword." She tried to say something more, but the air seemed to escape her lungs and she ducked her head.
Ranma's mother nodded and stood slowly, circling over to the purple haired teen, who suddenly began shaking. Nodoka looked at her sadly. "It pains me to do this child, but honour is honour, and you have tainted yours by disregarding not only Japanese laws, but your own as well. As a result, I must now end your life. I can promise you, however, that I will make it swift, child. There is no need to inflict needless agony and suffering on someone who recognises their mistake."
Shampoo didn't fight. She nodded, and looked at Mousse, communicating silently with him in a way they had not done since they had been children. "She wants us to go outside – it would dishonour all of us to allow her to be executed in a public place or on her family's property. Let us step into the back yard – it will be private and quiet, and she will not seek to escape."
The strange group filed out of the restaurant via the back door, Mousse only stopping for a moment to flip the sign to 'Closed'. If anyone noticed that he had tears in his eyes, they didn't mention it. He knew he could not fight this or defend the girl he loved, for it would cause too much pain to the rest of his family if he did something that caused the Elders to punish him as well.
Shampoo came to a rest in the middle of the courtyard that was at the back of their property. An overhand over the area would shield her shame from curious onlookers.
She stood tall and proud, unbound and eyes open, facing the woman who would end her life.
And then, Saotome Nodoka swung the family sword on its fatal trajectory.
AN: Dun dun DUN! So, who thinks that Shampoo deserves to get her head chopped off for her sins?
