Lost and Found
The Shan Pu residence was extravagant, to say the least.
Akane wasn't kidding when she said Shampoo was rich, Ukyo thought dryly, taking in the acres upon acres of scenic Japanese landscape and that- that citadel nestled within its catalogue-worthy folds. The home was traditional, with a thatched roof and sliding doors made of paper and wood, but was pristine in its condition, deliberate in its antiquity. She could just glimpse the garden lingering behind the mansion-like home, like something out of a dream, and she took note of the mingling Chinese and Japanese influences.
She had flitted across Japan and even overseas to mainland Asia in the year since her disappearance. Housing was often sparse or, on more than one occasion, consisting of the underside of a bridge as the rolling thunder sang her to sleep. Simply the thought of the likely monstrous furo, and other treasures, that lay inside was enough to leave Ukyo mentally drooling and clasping her hands, eyes sparkling. The hotel she'd spent the last few nights had had a Western bathroom and tub, much to her disappointment, and after the first few awkward attempts at lying down, she'd resorted to leaning upright against the tile wall as water cascaded over her.
Akane considered the manor before her, frowning.
Ranma's departure had left the Tendo residence in a stillness that the youngest Tendo simply couldn't bear. She would lay awake, hyper-aware of the houses' settling sounds, which she had once believed would never be audible over the constant din under (and sometimes plowing right through) their rooftop. The sheer wrongness had left her squirming under the covers, and she had moved to her new apartment within the month.
Apartments were typical of single women, she had thought bitterly. But oh, how Shampoo defied these standards. How she defied all expectations placed upon her, marriage and business alike, and simply followed her heart!
Seeing as how it, unlike other hearts she could mention, didn't seem too terribly eager to lead her over the edge of a cliff…
But, she wondered, glancing briefly at Shampoo's oddly dark countenance as she spilled out of the taxi behind them, maybe her dwelling was also a place of emptiness?
"We are here," Shampoo said unnecessarily, nodding to her chauffeur as he pulled away. "Come, I will find us something to eat."
She led them inside, where they all quickly removed their shoes before stepping up onto the main level, and she again waited patiently as they stood in awe of the absolute hugeness of each room and the ornately decorated fusuma that divided each one. There were several Western touches as well, like the entire kitchen which was far larger and showier than the austere Japanese style, while the occasional Amazonian or simply Chinese flair also abounded. Japanese trends, of course, still prevailed.
All in all, the scrupulous combination of each culture's strengths left a home that was optimal in almost every sense, and lacking in none.
"You are both hungry, yes?"
Akane and Ukyo watched as Shampoo strode purposefully to the refrigerator, cast open its great stainless steel doors and removed a plastic container. She practically glided to the microwave, where she slid the container inside its gaping mouth, pressed one of the multitudes of buttons along its side and waited.
When the beeping sounded, piercing the awkward silence of the room, Shampoo removed the container and brought it to the island counter in the center. She removed the lid with a flourish as Akane and Ukyo drew closer.
They blinked.
"Um…"
"What…?"
"Japan does good Japanese Mexican food," Shampoo explained seriously. "My help have been on vacation since before my business trip. They will not return for some time. In the meantime, I quickly grew tired of ramen."
Akane caught Ukyo's eye.
Soon, none of them could suppress their giggling.
It was easier after that, they found, to ease back into the sisterly love they'd found for each other after Akane and Ranma's marriage. The food rested easily in their stomachs, despite the oddity of a Shampoo that quickly grew tired of ramen. Ukyo found that especially amusing.
The topic of romance was carefully sidestepped time and time again, to the silent relief of all three women. They began with careers, with Akane detailing her attempts to pick up dancing despite her inherent klutziness. Her companions were skeptical at first, but after a quick performance of a provocative little number from her first appearance in an actual music video, Shampoo seemed quietly impressed and Ukyo was quite flustered.
Following that, Shampoo recounted the tale of her success, with her initial discovery to her sudden moment of maturity when she flatly refused to allow the new company logo and mascot, a somehow even sexier likeness of herself, to appear stark naked from the waist up in America. Her nipples were barely covered, for God's sake! She was willing to exploit herself for the man she thought she loved, or had been until three years ago, anyway, but for an entire country's male population?
"Fuck no," Shampoo snarled viciously.
Ukyo, who they had always assumed would become the cutthroat businesswoman among them, had nothing much to say. Although both Shampoo and Akane would have liked to press her for details on the devastation of her beloved restaurant, they wisely refrained.
"So what are you going to do now?" Akane inquired instead.
Ukyo shrugged. "Dunno. Sounds like you've got a pretty good gig, sugar, and we know Shampoo here's got it made. It's just… I can't do okonomiyaki anymore. I just can't. There has to be something else, you know?"
Akane nodded and Shampoo looked thoughtful.
"They still need stunt doubles in America, especially females. I could get into the acting business over there I guess."
Akane hummed at this. She herself had considered acting, for a while, but had figured, what with her taking over the dojo…
Don't, she scolded herself. You're having fun, letting go, remember? So just… don't-
She remained ensconced in her dark little thoughts even as Shampoo solemnly declared a tickle fight, and it wasn't until she felt the young Amazon's nimble fingers, like a swarm of spiders on her skin, that she truly did let go.
The rest of the night was spent curled up in Shampoo's master bedroom, watching little child demons upholding the grudges of the deceased.
In the meantime, the grudges of the living melted away.
"Shampoo? Are you still awake?"
"Ukyo? I do not sleep so soundly at night, I'm afraid. I apologize if I disturbed you."
"No, not at all, sugar. Look, it's about Akane. She out?"
"She is still asleep, yes. Why?"
"Good. Look, I know we've managed to sort of patch things up emotionally between all of us and that's great, but… how would it feel to… literally put some pieces back together?"
"Sham- I mean, I don't follow."
"We fix what we can now, putting Akane back together, and then we bring Ranma back and fix the rest. We then step out of the way, taking all of the rest of the idiots and the crazies with us, and they can finally have their happily ever after so the rest of us can get to work on ours without all this guilt."
"I am not guilty."
"No? So Nerima isn't holding you back at all, eh? Never wake up in the middle of the night reaching for arms that aren't there, hmm?"
"How did…?"
"How did I know? Because I live with it, too, hon. And I know that's what Akane lives with. I don't care what she says…"
"Ukyo, you are muttering, speak up. So far I am with you."
"Excellent, that's great. But… uh, yeah, there is one thing you should know, I guess."
"And that is?"
"Akane… kinda doesn't love Ranma anymore."
"… That is… a surprise. But I suppose it was always a possibility. I could not love him forever, either. But then, we are only doing this for ourselves, aren't we?"
"Well… I guess…"
"I know it is what you want. It is what I want, too. It would be the simplest, the cleanest thing. However. If putting Akane back together with Ranma does not bring her happiness, we have not removed our guilt.
"I know the quest for happiness. It is… it is our truth, what we Amazons must hold dear to our hearts even above our warrior's path. I understand now. I wished to take that path with Mu- with Mousse, but sometimes, sometimes we must adjust our path. The road to happiness is not always clean and easy."
"Oh, Shampoo… Alright, so what do we do?"
"The best we can do. We lead Akane onto her path, but let her pave the way."
"That sounds so much more complicated."
"It is as I said. The road to happiness is not always-"
"Clean and easy. Yeah, don't I know it."
"Good night, Ukyo. It is… it is good to be your friend again."
"Haha- likewise, sugar. Likewise."
AN: Soo, that was kind of a wait. I'm sorry, but at least this chapter is twice as long as the last! Also, the plot's finally kicking in! Hurray! I can't predict when the next update will be, since I've got a whole bunch of music-related stuff ahead of me in my schedule, which leaves approximately 0 hours for writing. Heh.
Anyway, review and stuff, thanks so much for reading & being patient! :)