Akane sat at an overstuffed couch and looked out of the window.
"I hope you plan on eating." The capturer stood in the doorway.
"No." Akane replied.
"All right. Our wedding is scheduled for next week." Akane stood up quickly but she regretted it immediately. Her head spin and she nearly fell back in the sofa.
"Wedding?"
"Ah yes, our wedding. Fortunately your fate is much better than that brunette friend you have." He examined a painting on the wall. "She's going to die, her neck snapped in half, blood poured down the throat of an old corpse. I'm not as graphic as he is and I never had that much love for anyone. You are a prime pick, I've had an eye on your family for a long time."
"My family?"
"We all have been watching your families."
"We?"
"You ask many questions. I do not feel like answering. You will marry me next week or you will die. Your fiancée can not save you this time." Akane shuddered at how cold he sounded. "Tomorrow, a painter will come an paint a portrait of you, he's very skilled at painting and an old friend of mine. He will bring a friend of yours."
"Why can't I go home?" The man smiled at her but even his smile seemed cold.
"I've waited a few thousand years for you Akane, I'm not sending you back to your Japan. This is your home now, with me." Akane stepped back to the window.
"And what if I jump?"
"You don't have it in you to jump, you still have hope that your precious Ranma will save you. He won't. He's given up."
"No, he won't give up. He hates losing!"
"Akane, I have watched you all for a long time. Why would Ranma save a girl he can't even love?"
"He loves me!" Akane yelled.
"He never told you."
"Yes he did."
"He took it back. That doesn't sound like true love to me."
"Stop saying these things! So what if I hold on to hope and I have faith in someone?! What else do I have but that?!"
"You have me and I don't waste energy on hope and faith. In time, you will learn."
"I don't want to marry you."
"Fine, but your fate is set in stone no matter if you want to marry me or not. You will learn to love me, even if it takes forever." He snapped his fingers and two servants brought in a plate of food each. "I don't like my bride to be so weak, enjoy your food."
Shampoo stealthily walked through the long hallways of a dark, damp castle. She stopped to watch two servants in the hall.
"Food, this is my third request of it. I can't believe we are taking care of two mortal women." Shampoo's ears twitched at the word 'two', did that mean someone else was here? She moved further down the hall when she heard someone snap their fingers. The servants following a man left the room after a few moments. She slipped into the room while they shut the door. Shampoo found Akane sobbing in her hands. She trotted up to Akane and jumped in her lap. Akane, startled, threw off Shampoo.
"Shampoo?" She recognized the purple fur. The cat nodded at Akane. Akane stood up and quickly walked over to the tea, she dumped it on Shampoo.
"Hot!" Shampoo cried wiping off the tea from her body.
"Here are some clothes." Akane threw the formal dresses at Shampoo, the dresses she was supposed to wear to dinner. Shampoo slid the dress on her body.
"Thank you." Shampoo smiled at Akane. "How long you here?"
"A few days. You?"
"Same. See Ukyo?" Akane stared at Shampoo in wonder, she used actual names and spoke using pronouns.
"No, I haven't seen her. Listen, tomorrow, some guy is coming to paint a picture of me, I think he's bringing Ukyo."
"I escape from dungeon here."
"Do you think Ukyo is here?" Shampoo shook her head.
"You room is only room with life." Shampoo sat on a couch. "Nice room, my room is cold, wet, and smell bad. It has no chairs."
"Why are you so nice? Why aren't you attacking me?"
"I see no reason. We stuck here together, fight together." Shampoo gave Akane a smile.
"Thank you for being here Shampoo. I know you don't want to be here, neither do I but I'm glad to see you." Akane wrapped her arms around her old enemy.
"Your welcome." Shampoo replied. "We escape together with Ukyo."
"Yes, I wonder if she's ok. The man said her neck will be snapped in half. I feel so terrible that I never forgave you two for the wedding. I do forgive you Shampoo." Akane had tears in her eyes, Shampoo gave her a warm smile.
"No worries, Ukyo stronger than most Amazon. Ukyo fine."
Ranma found a duck lying on the ground with glasses on. He pulled out a canteen of hot water and poured it on Mousse. Mousse woke up, spluttering out the water.
"Shampoo!" He cried.
"Shh!" Ranma punched him on the arm.
"Where is Shampoo?!" Mousse demanded as Ranma threw him some slacks.
"We've got to find Ryoga and I'll explain it to you." Ranma looked around the forest for Ryoga.
"Ukyo! I'm sorry!" Ranma heard in the distance and saw dark green energy flare up a mile away.
"Over there! Hurry Mousse!" Ranma began to run to where Ryoga was. They walked up to a scorched camp where Ryoga lay on the ground, unconscious. Ranma figured Ryoga got real depressed for not being able to save Ukyo that he let go of that energy. Ranma took one of Ryoga's arm and Mousse took the other.
"Where are we going Saotome?"
"A castle five miles from here."
"A castle?"
"You'll see why."
"Is this about Shampoo?"
"It's about all the girls." Ranma replied.
"Do you think that Ryoga loves Ukyo?" Mousse asked looking forward.
"Why do you say that?"
"I noticed that they have been spending some time together and he went after her when she was kidnapped."
"I told him to go after her."
"I think he would have anyway."
"Maybe." Ranma looked around the forest. "I'll ask him later after we save them." There was a silence but it was broken by a sniffle from Mousse.
"I hope Shampoo is ok. I never told anyone but her mother asked me to watch over Shampoo while she was dying. If anything happened to her..." Mousse didn't finish his thought but shifted under Ryoga's arm.
"I'm sure she is fine, she's a great fighter, they all are."
"I hope you plan on eating." The capturer stood in the doorway.
"No." Akane replied.
"All right. Our wedding is scheduled for next week." Akane stood up quickly but she regretted it immediately. Her head spin and she nearly fell back in the sofa.
"Wedding?"
"Ah yes, our wedding. Fortunately your fate is much better than that brunette friend you have." He examined a painting on the wall. "She's going to die, her neck snapped in half, blood poured down the throat of an old corpse. I'm not as graphic as he is and I never had that much love for anyone. You are a prime pick, I've had an eye on your family for a long time."
"My family?"
"We all have been watching your families."
"We?"
"You ask many questions. I do not feel like answering. You will marry me next week or you will die. Your fiancée can not save you this time." Akane shuddered at how cold he sounded. "Tomorrow, a painter will come an paint a portrait of you, he's very skilled at painting and an old friend of mine. He will bring a friend of yours."
"Why can't I go home?" The man smiled at her but even his smile seemed cold.
"I've waited a few thousand years for you Akane, I'm not sending you back to your Japan. This is your home now, with me." Akane stepped back to the window.
"And what if I jump?"
"You don't have it in you to jump, you still have hope that your precious Ranma will save you. He won't. He's given up."
"No, he won't give up. He hates losing!"
"Akane, I have watched you all for a long time. Why would Ranma save a girl he can't even love?"
"He loves me!" Akane yelled.
"He never told you."
"Yes he did."
"He took it back. That doesn't sound like true love to me."
"Stop saying these things! So what if I hold on to hope and I have faith in someone?! What else do I have but that?!"
"You have me and I don't waste energy on hope and faith. In time, you will learn."
"I don't want to marry you."
"Fine, but your fate is set in stone no matter if you want to marry me or not. You will learn to love me, even if it takes forever." He snapped his fingers and two servants brought in a plate of food each. "I don't like my bride to be so weak, enjoy your food."
Shampoo stealthily walked through the long hallways of a dark, damp castle. She stopped to watch two servants in the hall.
"Food, this is my third request of it. I can't believe we are taking care of two mortal women." Shampoo's ears twitched at the word 'two', did that mean someone else was here? She moved further down the hall when she heard someone snap their fingers. The servants following a man left the room after a few moments. She slipped into the room while they shut the door. Shampoo found Akane sobbing in her hands. She trotted up to Akane and jumped in her lap. Akane, startled, threw off Shampoo.
"Shampoo?" She recognized the purple fur. The cat nodded at Akane. Akane stood up and quickly walked over to the tea, she dumped it on Shampoo.
"Hot!" Shampoo cried wiping off the tea from her body.
"Here are some clothes." Akane threw the formal dresses at Shampoo, the dresses she was supposed to wear to dinner. Shampoo slid the dress on her body.
"Thank you." Shampoo smiled at Akane. "How long you here?"
"A few days. You?"
"Same. See Ukyo?" Akane stared at Shampoo in wonder, she used actual names and spoke using pronouns.
"No, I haven't seen her. Listen, tomorrow, some guy is coming to paint a picture of me, I think he's bringing Ukyo."
"I escape from dungeon here."
"Do you think Ukyo is here?" Shampoo shook her head.
"You room is only room with life." Shampoo sat on a couch. "Nice room, my room is cold, wet, and smell bad. It has no chairs."
"Why are you so nice? Why aren't you attacking me?"
"I see no reason. We stuck here together, fight together." Shampoo gave Akane a smile.
"Thank you for being here Shampoo. I know you don't want to be here, neither do I but I'm glad to see you." Akane wrapped her arms around her old enemy.
"Your welcome." Shampoo replied. "We escape together with Ukyo."
"Yes, I wonder if she's ok. The man said her neck will be snapped in half. I feel so terrible that I never forgave you two for the wedding. I do forgive you Shampoo." Akane had tears in her eyes, Shampoo gave her a warm smile.
"No worries, Ukyo stronger than most Amazon. Ukyo fine."
Ranma found a duck lying on the ground with glasses on. He pulled out a canteen of hot water and poured it on Mousse. Mousse woke up, spluttering out the water.
"Shampoo!" He cried.
"Shh!" Ranma punched him on the arm.
"Where is Shampoo?!" Mousse demanded as Ranma threw him some slacks.
"We've got to find Ryoga and I'll explain it to you." Ranma looked around the forest for Ryoga.
"Ukyo! I'm sorry!" Ranma heard in the distance and saw dark green energy flare up a mile away.
"Over there! Hurry Mousse!" Ranma began to run to where Ryoga was. They walked up to a scorched camp where Ryoga lay on the ground, unconscious. Ranma figured Ryoga got real depressed for not being able to save Ukyo that he let go of that energy. Ranma took one of Ryoga's arm and Mousse took the other.
"Where are we going Saotome?"
"A castle five miles from here."
"A castle?"
"You'll see why."
"Is this about Shampoo?"
"It's about all the girls." Ranma replied.
"Do you think that Ryoga loves Ukyo?" Mousse asked looking forward.
"Why do you say that?"
"I noticed that they have been spending some time together and he went after her when she was kidnapped."
"I told him to go after her."
"I think he would have anyway."
"Maybe." Ranma looked around the forest. "I'll ask him later after we save them." There was a silence but it was broken by a sniffle from Mousse.
"I hope Shampoo is ok. I never told anyone but her mother asked me to watch over Shampoo while she was dying. If anything happened to her..." Mousse didn't finish his thought but shifted under Ryoga's arm.
"I'm sure she is fine, she's a great fighter, they all are."
