Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½. The only things that belong to me is the story and my own characters.
Chapter 8: The Developments of a Plan: Part 2
The dimly lit street seemed like an endless dark trail that would lead her further and further away from everything. She had no idea what time it was or began to walk down the streets of Nerima. All she had around her was the cool night sky above her, the sparkling stars scattered throughout the night, and the luminescent full moon that followed her every step.
Her hand pressed onto the tingly spot on her arm that was slowly starting to ebb away the pain that lingered. Despite, her body being injured, her mind was restless. So many thoughts were running through her mind. She could hear her mother's voice ringing in her head, telling her countless lies of the married life she would have one day.
The emotional pain was bearing its weight, unable to cope with such heavy emotion she let herself rest. Leaning against a wall, her mind drifted back to a certain memory during her childhood. It was a memory that she'd almost completely forgotten about, only because it seemed unimportant at the time.
It felt so long ago now.
She couldn't even remember the last time her mother took her to a festival.
"Here you are, little girl!"
A tiny hand reached out for the sparking firework stick that the middle aged man was holding out with such a kind smile. Right as her fingertips brushed the rough skin of the man's hand, her hand was roughly slapped away. Startled, Lotion gazed up at her mother, who shot a nasty glare to the man, before snatching her daughter's hand.
Her mother pulled her closer towards her, her eyes narrowed to slits as she scanned through the mob of people around them. She spoke to her Chinese. "What did I say about sneaking away from me, Lotion?" her mother hissed down at her. "You keep close to me at all times. Now is not the time to be fooling around! We're only here for business not fun!"
Lotion peeked behind her mother. She was still holding onto the supplies and had neatly placed everything onto their wagon, which displayed the name of the restaurant all over it. The ramen stand had run out of everything, they had called the Cat Café for an urgent refill of supplies, and her mother was quick to gather things and leave.
How could her mother expect her not to be distracted? The festival was something she never thought she'd ever be allowed to experience. It was always business with her mother. All the other kids around her were having fun. Why was there an exception made only for her? Wasn't she a child as well?
"Mama," she lightly tugged at the silk sleeve of her mother's dress. "Can I go over there? To look at the fishes?" when her mother spared a glance at her, Lotion quickly pointed a finger to the stand where a group of kids crowded in front of a tank to catch fishes.
"What did I just say?"
Lotion's hopeful smile fell to a pout. "… We're only here for business."
"If you know that, why did you ask me such a stupid question?"
"I'm sorry, Mama," she murmured. "I won't upset you again."
Her mother shook her head but said nothing else. She only continued to drag her daughter along with her throughout the festival ground. Lotion tried her best to keep her eyes from wondering, but everything was so tempting to look at. Suddenly, her mother pulled her over to a stand.
"Wait here," her mother told her firmly. "It'll only be a few minutes. If you behave yourself, I might allow you to buy something here."
Obediently, Lotion nodded her head. Her mother forbade her to have any money. The only time she was given money, she had spent it on sweets instead of purchasing the items it was intended for. It was a big deal for her mother to allow such a thing. The sudden sound of children laughing caught Lotion's attention. Curious, Lotion turned to look at the stand next to her, to her surprise; she found that her mother had left her at the stand she had mentioned earlier.
"Had mama done this on purpose?" Lotion thought to herself.
It wasn't long for Lotion to figure out the stand was a scam. The paper nets were rigged so that no one could win any of the fish. Lotion kept silent while she watched another kid lose their money. Having lost interest with the stand, Lotion decided to look for something for her eyes to catch. Something sparkled at a distance.
Lotion debated leaving the stand. If she left then mother wouldn't be pleased.
"I'll be quick," she told herself with a little nod, before scurrying off to where she had seen the sparkles.
It was jewelry.
Immediately, her eyes were caught by the alluring jewels which sparkled, in such a way that the light danced against anywhere the rays managed to land. She looked over the selection the vendor had to offer. Her hand reached out to pick up one of the necklaces. She brought the piece of jewelry up to her face to inspect the jewel. The vender gave her a smile—which she more than kindly returned—and then told her the price.
Feeling slightly foolish, she shook her head. "No money." her smiled turned apologetic, as she set the necklace back down with the countless others. "I can come back," she promised "When I get some money."
She quickly headed back to the stand her mother had set as her waiting spot, and patiently waited for her mother to return. But as minutes passed by there was no sign of her mother. She left to find the ramen stand. The vendors at the stand were busy fussing with the numerous customers crowding around them. Lotion slipped to the back where the tiny kitchen was and with a trembling voice asked them if they had seen her mother.
"You mean the woman that brought us the supplies?" one of them asked her. Lotion nodded. "She left a long time ago."
Lotion struggled to fight against the panic that was startling to build up inside her. Frantically, she began to look left and right for any sign of her. Her mother was a beautiful woman. It was easy to spot her since she stood out from a simple crowd like this. But no matter how hard she looked her mother was nowhere in sight. Not knowing what else to do, Lotion ran back to the jewel vendor, who was desperately trying to gain customers attention.
"You tricked me!" Lotion wanted to scream at the vendor. "It's your fault I'm not with my mama!" Her mother taught her it was pointless to blame other people for problems that you've made yourself. So, she kept her mouth shut.
Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder from behind, hoped swelled in her heart. "… Mama?" she asked.
When she turned around, she was already picturing her mother kneeling down before her with a hand stretched out for her to take. She begged to see her mother's catlike smile that she always tried to mimic.
But instead of her mother, it was a boy, who had tapped her shoulder and stood at least a head taller than her.
The boy had the reddest hair which contrasted to his blue eyes. A slight smile was on his lips, but Lotion knew it wasn't meant for her. In his hands he was fiddling with a plain blue cap, as he stared past her.
"Excuse me," Lotion stepped aside, and could only watch as he bent down like she had done before. He picked up the same necklace she had picked up. The boy looked over it in thought, weighed it in his hands, and even brought it up to his eyes for closer inspection. Finally, with a satisfied grin, he asked "How much?"
He reached into his back pocket for his wallet, fished the money out, and cheerfully dropped it onto the vendor's palm. Pleased with himself, the boy placed his cap on his head and left. Lotion wasn't sure why she did it, but she followed after the boy, who was singing an unfamiliar song, and was easily slipping through the crowds of people.
Despite not knowing where he was even heading, Lotion followed him anyway. The feeling of comfort that she felt from him was a much better feeling that the fear she was experiencing before. It wasn't long before they were far away from the festival grounds. Far away from the colorful booths, cheerful laughter, ecstatic smiles, and flashing lights—far from everything.
The boy was walking down a dirt path that led them to a dark secluded area. There were trees of all shapes and sizes on the sides. From the distance, there was a small lake that reflected the waning moon off the shimmering water. The boy came to a sudden stop.
"Why are you following me?"
"… I…" her mind drew a complete bank. She didn't know why she was following him.
He faced her, a scowl on his lips. "Look, I don't know you and you don't know me. Didn't your mommy ever teach you not to follow strangers?"
Lotion stared at him, before she let out a soft chuckle. "You can't be a stranger," she giggled. "You're my age aren't you?"
"Who cares?" he scoffed. "I don't need some girl following after me. Especially, some girl I don't even know."
"You don't have to worry. I'm an Amazon warrior," she announced proudly "I can protect you from all those strangers you're so scared of."
His scowl deepened. "I don't care what you are! I don't need a girl to take care of me. 'Sides, I'm a martial artist. That sounds way better than some… warrior princess."
"You're pretty cocky. Have you even fought an Amazon warrior before?" she asked him slyly, flipping her long purple hair over her shoulder. "I bet you haven't."
"What does it matter?" the boy asked, annoyed. "I don't fight girls."
"That can be easily fixed!" Lotion announced. She snatched the cap off his head and rearranged her hair so that it fit perfectly under the hat. "See? Now, I'm a jerk-face boy just like you!"
The boy stared at her like she was an idiot. "… That doesn't count. You're still a girl."
"How about we change clothes then?" Lotion suggested. "That way you can be the girl and I can be the boy!"
Without warning, she grabbed the front of his shirt and attempted to remove it. A shout of protest startled her, and the boy smacked her hands away from him.
"Quit it!" he snapped. "It doesn't work like that ok?"
"You've offended my honor." Lotion huffed. "We're fighting whether you want to or not!" and with that she swung her leg, aiming for the boy's head.
The boy ducked and abruptly scrambled away from her. "Wait stupid! Let me put my stuff down! I don't want to wreck anything!"
"Oh?" Lotion smirked. "So, you want to fight now?"
"It's different," he said indigently, as he set his belongings down next to a tree trunk. "You started it. I can't back down from a fight someone else started. My masculinity would be at stake."
"… And we can't have that."
The boy rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his lips that he wasn't bothering to hide.
The faint sound of thunder rumbling in the distance disrupted Lotion's reminiscing. She dropped her head back to look up at the sky. The moon and the stars were becoming blanketed from the forming dark clouds. Suddenly, a raindrop dropped on her forehead.
"Do you even remember that day?" she asked to no one in particular and closed her eyes once the shower started.
Three days had already passed since her mother had shunned her away from home. It wasn't difficult for her to find another place to call home. Unbeknownst to her mother, she had secretly gained a second home with the Saotome dojo. Unfortunately, she had to be in her cursed form in order to maintain residence.
Aside from that one small detail there were many perks from spending the night in the Saotome home. She was fed surprisingly well. Though she was given cat food mostly, but she'd gotten used to the taste a long time ago. There were times, though, where Ryuku would feed her scraps. Her needs were met every day and she able to see a side of Ryuku that she savored being exposed to. Just because she wasn't affectionate towards the red head, the way that her mother would like, she enjoyed receiving kindness from him.
Suddenly, an abrupt shift on the bed woke Lotion from her catnap. Groggily, she lifted her head up, her eyes half-lidded, and saw Ryuku shuffling over to his dresser. Puzzled, Lotion checked the time on the clock.
It was 6:50 in the morning.
That was odd. Why would he wake up so early? Today was a school day and Lotion was positive that school didn't start until 8:50. A confused meow came from Lotion, which earned her Ryuku's attention. He shed his pajamas and pulled on a pair of black shorts and a white tank top. While he changed, Lotion had made sure to avert her gaze to give him his privacy.
"Go back to sleep," he told her, his voice barely above a whisper.
She went against his word and hopped off his bed, quickly dashing past the door before it shut. Ryuku didn't notice her slip out into the hallway, and went for the staircase while Lotion silently crept after him. He stepped into the dojo and began to set things up into place. It became clear what he had risen early in the morning for. He was training. Which was odd because she knew that Ryuku had quit keeping the 'Anything Goes Martial Arts' alive, as far as she knew.
Lotion stayed near the doorway, her tail curiously swayed from side to side, as she watched him practice. Ryuku's movements were not fluid but rather choppy and amateurish. His strikes upon the punching bag were oddly placed; however, Lotion could see the determination radiating off him. His punches came to a stop due to exhaustion. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm and stiffened in surprise when he heard a soft mewl.
"Sayo?" he turned around to see Lotion scampering up to him. She stared up at him cutely and smiled showing all her sharp teeth. "What a sneaky kitten." He chuckled.
At work Lotion acted as if nothing was wrong between her and her mother. She feigned cheerful grins that she'd give customers; she feigned the upbeat hums while she cooked, and like always she faked the affections she showered upon Ryuku.
It was only during break that she finally let her mask slip. Lotion fetched herself a warm cup of milk, not in the particular mood for tea after the incident, and went to take a seat at the table. It wasn't long before her co-worker, Ryuku, sauntered into the kitchen. She was completely was oblivious to the intense atmosphere between Lotion and her mother.
Despite there being no dishes to wash, Ryuku stayed near the large steel sink anyway. Her eyes stared at the droplets of water that dripped from the sink nozzle. Uneasy, Lotion bit at her thumbnail. She raked her eyes over the other girl and unable to look away from her she noticed Ryuku's bandaged hands.
"Do you want me to make you something?"
Ryuku shook her head "No, thanks."
"Why don't you sit down?" Lotion suggested. "Don't your feet need to rest from all that standing these past few hours?"
To Lotion's surprise, Ryuku silently walked over to take the seat across from her.
Lotion couldn't help but notice the girl's uneasiness.
"Lotion," Ryuku paused "… I just wanted to thank you for the other day. You really helped me out."
"It was no problem," Lotion replied with a small smile. "I'm just glad everything turned out alright in the end."
Ryuku nodded "Yeah."
A brief awkward silence loomed in the air. Lotion took a tentative sip from her cup of milk. The warmth spread through her whole body, making her feel rather tired. She yawned pretending to show genuine new interest in her co-worker's damaged hands.
"Oh!" Lotion clasped her hand over her mouth. "May I ask why your hands are bandaged?"
Ryuku followed Lotion's gaze to her hands. She struggled to think of a reasonable response; however, her mind drew a complete blank. "How about we don't talk about it?"
"If you don't want to talk about it, then that's fine with me."
Ryuku's face fell. Usually, the Amazon was rather noisy with her business. "Is that so?"
"It sure is!"
Neither of them continued to further the conversation after that. Lotion lifted her cup back to her lips, she looked over the cup as she took another sip, and saw Ryuku start to fix her bandages.
She set the cup down on the table with a soft thud. "If you like, I could help you start up the arts again," she offered. "Of course, Amazons tend to fight differently, but that doesn't mean we can't compromise a little."
Ryuku kept her gaze on her hand. "I don't need any help."
"It wouldn't be forever, Ryuku," Lotion assured her. "You stopped training years ago. I just want to help you out."
"I think I'm going to end my break a few minutes early." Ryuku announced. She excused herself from the table, and abruptly left the kitchen.
Lotion drank the rest of her milk in solitude. Unaware, her mother had entered the room and approached her. Shampoo clasped the top of the chair Ryuku had vacated and waited for her daughter to take notice. Lotion had expected her mother to come by with the intent of bringing up more husband business. She knew that these husband talks would never stop, despite everything that happened several days prior.
The silence in the room was broken when Shampoo asked in her mother language. "Is there a reason why your husband left his break so early?"
Lotion shrugged. "He just felt like working all of a sudden. Shouldn't that be a good thing?"
Not amused with Lotion's sarcastic remark, Shampoo retorted. "That is good. At least he's actually useful. I wish I could say for my daughter."
"Was there something you needed mother?" Lotion asked, doing her best to keep the snootiness from her tone.
"Yes," was her mother's simple answer. Shampoo pulled the chair back and took a seat. She clasped her hands in front of her, placing her chin atop her interlocked fingers, and a serene smile played across her lips. "Would you like to return home, Lotion?"
Unsure of what her mother was plotting with such an out of place inquiry, Lotion was hesitant with her answer. After much cautious thought, she replied. "… I would like to come back home, mother."
"That's good to hear," Shampoo said, looking very pleased. "All you have to do is tell me about your earlier conversation with Ryuku."
"Why do you need to know about a thing like that?"
"You can't blame your mother for being curious," Shampoo informed, in a playful teasing tone. Her behavior made Lotion uneasy. "My daughter all alone in a room with a boy… just about anything can happen."
Her mother cared to address something like this now? Why was she even asking about this when it was her idea to spend their breaks together?
"Nothing happened," Lotion stated firmly. "How could anything happen during a fifteen minute break?"
"Do you want to come home or not, Lotion?" her mother spat, her smile turning into a nasty frown. "All I asked you to do was answer a simple question. Is that too much to ask? Do you enjoy being apart from your family?"
"Ryuku," Lotion gritted out reluctantly. "He's started training again." She glanced up at her mother, expecting to see her satisfied with her answer, but instead was puzzled by the surprise on her mother's face.
"You mean that boy's still bothering to try martial arts?" her mother questioned, sounding baffled.
"I don't understand," Lotion frowned. "What's wrong with that?"
Shampoo's was quick to recover from her shock. "You never learned why he went to the hospital?" she asked. "How could you not know this? Don't you know your husband better than that?"
Lotion glanced over to the side to avoid the displeased stare her mother was giving her. "… He didn't tell me a single thing."
"He was beaten up by that Hibiki boy," Shampoo saw the disbelief in her daughter's eyes. She raised an eyebrow, curious to see what was on Lotion's mind. "What is on your mind?"
"I don't believe you," Lotion said. "Ryou would never do such a thing to his own friend."
Shampoo laughed at the thought of Ryou having any talent was humorous. "No. Not that one, the younger one."
Lotion sighed in relief. "I can't believe Ryuku kept something like that to himself."
"It's too late for you to show sadness," Shampoo scoffed. "He's better now is he not?"
"Mother, how can you say such a heartless thing?"
"We're done talking about the past," Shampoo said. "I'd rather we speak of more important matters."
"What sort of important matters?"
Shampoo clucked her tongue at her daughter's stupidity. "I know, you're perfectly aware of the Amazon laws, especially the ones involving marriage," she paused, unclasping her hands to reach out to take hold of Lotion's hand. "If what you have said about Ryuku is true, don't you think it's time you asked for a little… sparring match?"
Lotion jerked her hand away from her mother's. "My break just ended," she informed her, hiding her disgust. "I better get back to work."
There were several things that Lotion had kept from her mother. But the one thing she'd never tell her was that she had already fought Ryuku before.
It was a short fight.
Both parties weren't as strong as they believed they were and at their young age they only had so much experience to show. Gracelessly, Lotion fell on her butt startled from the light hit to the gut she received from the boy's foot. Lotion glared up at him, not in anger or in resentment, but from losing from such a simple move.
"You got lucky." She pouted.
"Girls always were sore losers," he teased, extending his hand out in front of her.
Lotion gazed down at his offered hand. She smiled despite herself and accepted it. The boy pulled her up onto her feet and let go of her hand to fetch his things.
"Why'd you buy that necklace anyway?"
"… Oh," the boy said a blush on his cheeks. "It's for… someone."
She raised her eyebrow at that. How suspicious. "Someone?" she repeated. "Would that someone be a girl?"
"Could you get out of here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be crawling back to your mother in shame that you lost to a boy?"
"I can do that later," Lotion said. "I'm going to come with you. I want to see the poor girl that's going to get that necklace."
With a plastered cheerful smile that Lotion reserved for work, she handed the final customer their change. "Hope you enjoyed your meal! Have a happy evening!"
She escorted the customer to the door giving them a warm smile. The chimes rang pleasantly to her ears as she closed the door. She flipped the sign as she locked the door. Lotion went to grab a broom from the supply closet to fetch a broom and abruptly began to start cleaning.
As she swept, Ryuku walked out to the main area now in male form. He was adorned in casual wear, with his schoolbag on his back and his hand holding onto the strap of his duffle bag.
Lotion greeted the red head with a smile. "Oh, Ryuku, you're still here?"
"I was just finishing up the last set of dishes."
"Well, I already locked up," Lotion said. "You can leave through the back."
Ryuku nodded and told her goodnight. However, as thoughts lingered in her mind, Lotion called after the red head.
"What is it?" Ryuku asked.
"I wanted to ask you something."
"I'm not walking you home if that's what your question is."
Lotion laughed. "No, that's not what I wanted to ask."
"What do you want? I don't have all night."
There were questions swarming in her mind in no particular order. She knew she had to choose wisely, she only had one shot. Lotion opened her mouth, thinking she finally figured out the perfect thing to say, and began to speak.
"Do you remember…" she choked on her words, fearing the answer. Lotion decided that she didn't want to hear the answer after all. She felt that she was the only one who cared about their childhood experience together, and knew it would hurt her if he didn't care.
Ryuku raised an eyebrow at her. "Do I remember what?"
"Do you remember when the festival is this year?"
Ryuku's facial expression contorted to one of confusion. "Why would I know that?"
"I was thinking about going this year," she lied, successfully branching her original thought. "Would you like to go with me? It could be like a date!"
"I'd rather not," Ryuku snorted. "I have a feeling I'd be busy working here that day anyway."
"You're right! What was I thinking?" Lotion faked a giggle. "I should let you go. Get home safely for me, ok?"
Ryuku nodded, leaving Lotion with the sound of the back door slamming. Loneliness crept throughout the atmosphere, touching everything in its domain, Lotion included.
Lock picking wasn't a skill that Lotion was particularly proud of but it did have it quirks. Crouched in front of her parent's apartment door, Lotion quickly went to work. Like a pianist, whose notes flowed likes a calm creek, the door swung open.
She wasted no time soundlessly rushing to her bedroom. Her room was dark and felt more spacious than she was used to. She concluded that her mother had begun to clear her belongings out. Blindly looking for her dresser, she finally stumbled upon it.
She reached for her mini flashlight, clicking it on and placed it between her lips. In a hurried pace, Lotion rummaged through her belongings.
It was in the bottom drawer, shoved into a corner between her shorts and blouses. Lotion pulled out an antique wooden jewelry box. It was simple but very beautiful at the same time, the same thing she felt her great-great grandmother could've been like at her age. With a quick flick of her fingers, she unlocked the latch, and opened the box.
She didn't own much jewelry, but its contents were far more precious to her than any jewels; it contained her happiest of memories. Aside from photographs, ancient calligraphy from her great-great grandmother, her father's old pair of chipped glasses, but what she was looking for was absent among the belongings.
Seeing that it wasn't there, she poured the contents onto the floor, and decided to double check. But the attempt was met with the same result. Dismayed, she decided to check the other rooms, before jumping to conclusions.
The apartment had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The largest room belonged to her mother, the second largest room to her father, and the smallest room to her. Lotion crept past her father's room, as usual the door was shut and due to the late hour, he was probably asleep.
Lotion took a deep breath holding it for a few moments before slowly exhaling to calm herself, knowing if she were caught the consequences would be unbearable.
Noticing the door was locked, she disengaged it with little to no effort. She crept inside her mother's bedroom, aware of the bed's positioning, it was impossible to tell where she was unless you were inside the room. Her mother lain on her side with her back towards the door. She had no choice but to assume that her mother was asleep, since she was as quiet as kitten while she slept.
Silently, Lotion headed for the china cabinet. She hesitantly opened the cabinet, knowing that even slightest sound would wake up her mother. In the center was a jade jewelry box accented by the surrounding expensive china and silverware, which failed to match the radiance of the box.
The jewelry box was almost identical to the one given to her by her great-great grandmother, the only difference was the jade and it's much larger size. Cautious, Lotion stole a quick glance towards her mother. She doubted she could have it. Why would she? It was a ridiculous thought, but one that was fully valid. She opened the box and began her search.
They continued to follow the dirt path for what seemed like forever. Neither of them had the ability to track time, but Lotion didn't mind the detour. As much as she wished she was with her mother, it wasn't very often that she'd be allowed to leave the apartment.
It was the same schedule every day. Her mother would wake her up at approximately five o'clock in the morning, and spend at least fifteen minutes brushing her hair and setting it all in place. After that it was time to train. Training would last for a little over an hour, sometimes less if Lotion didn't make too many mistakes or if she kept her hair in pristine condition.
Right after practice, Lotion was required to clean herself up, before her teacher arrived at the apartment. Her mother was adamant at not letting her daughter be taught at a public school. Instead, Lotion was taught by a Chinese teacher, who helped her brush up Chinese as well as Amazon culture. Teaching was what lasted the most throughout the day. At home, it'd just be her and her teacher. Her mother would be off at the restaurant, while her father was off doing who knows what.
Lotion was so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed the boy had stopped walking. Due to that she bumped into him. "Why'd you stop moving?" she asked quizzically.
The boy was gazing at a spot, an unreadable look in his eyes. "Forget it."
"Forget what?" she pushed past him, and looked up ahead to see what she assumed to be a young couple. The two were sitting next to each other on the grass. The boyfriend had his arm around his girlfriend, while she rested her head on his shoulder. "Is that the girl that you like?"
He forced her to turn towards him to thrust the necklace in front of her face. "Here. Just take it."
"But—"
"Don't worry about it," he told her firmly. "Come on. Let's go back to the festival."
She followed after him, all the while staring down at the necklace in her hands. "Are you sure I can keep this?"
"I wouldn't have given it to you if I didn't want you to take it."
"But what about that girl you wanted to give this to?"
Suddenly, the boy stopped and whipped around to face Lotion. There was a grin on his face. "Hey, I have an idea." He broke into a sprint, ignoring the shout of protest from the girl behind him, and ran to the festival grounds nearby.
When Lotion finally caught up to the boy, she found him kneeling in front of the fish tank at the booth she was at earlier. She knelt down next to him, staring at all the small colorful fish that swam around in the tank.
The boy turned to Lotion, grin still set on his lip. "I bet I can get one of those fishes." He boasted.
Lotion scoffed. "No, you can't. It's rigged so no one can win anything."
He seemed to ignore her comment, as he still appeared to be as confident as ever. "Pick whatever fish you want," he told her. "I'll get it for you."
Lotion skimmed the selection of fish before her. Her eyes searched and eventually found the biggest fish. She pointed at it with a cocky smile. "He wouldn't be able to catch it," she thought to herself.
"If you can't get me that fish," Lotion prompted. "I'm telling everyone, you know, that you lost to a girl."
His grin turned into a confident one. "You're on!"
"Are you looking for something?"
The sound of her mother's voice disrupted her daydream. Behind her, Lotion heard the lamp being switched on. Slowly, she turned around to face her mother. The small amount of light the lamp provided only shone on her mother, who was now sitting up on her bed. Her hand was holding onto the pendant of the necklace she wore around her neck. With her empty hand, Shampoo beckoned her daughter to join her.
Hesitantly, Lotion went to take a seat on the edge of the mattress. Her mother was good at hiding her anger, which was why Lotion was not completely at ease. Lotion's eyes locked onto her mother's closed hand, wondering of its contents.
With an amused chuckle, Shampoo paraded her daughter's beloved necklace. "Is this what you were looking for?"
Shampoo reached a hand behind her neck to unhook the chain, teasingly dangled the jewelry in front of her daughter. Lotion grabbed for it, however, her mother yanked it out of her reach at the last second.
"Why is this so important?" her mother asked, as she looked over the necklace with unimpressed eyes. "It's so… old and worthless. The jewels aren't even genuine. I could probably crush this only using my hand." She wrapped the pendant up with her hand and gestured to do as she said.
Lotion fidgeted angrily. "Did you take that from my room?"
Shampoo gave her a cold sneer. "Why should I answer you? You were the one who broke in. I should've called the police."
"That doesn't belong to you, mother," Lotion hissed, ignoring her mother's threats. "I want it back."
"You want it so badly, my dear daughter?" Shampoo asked. "This makes me want to crush it even more, like you crushed my trust in you!"
"M-mother you wouldn't!"
"Aside, from your manners, I believe I raised you well."
Lotion held in a retort.
"I'll return this trash that seems so important to you," Shampoo promised. "But first you must do something for me."
"What?" Lotion asked. "What is it?"
"I want you to engage your husband."
"It wouldn't be a fair fight, mother, he's still so—"
Shampoo cut her off with an amused laugh. "Fair? All I want you to do is lose."
"I-I can't do that!" Lotion exclaimed.
"Do you want this necklace or not?" Shampoo didn't wait for an answer and finished. "Then do as your mother tells you."
Lotion watched the fish try to swim around in the confinements of the plastic bag. Using her thumb and index finger, she held onto the pendant of the necklace she around her neck. "You know," she said. "You never told me your name."
For the first time in the entire night she had met him, they were walking side by side. They had left the festival awhile ago and were now walking through a neighborhood. Next to her, the boy was fiddling around with a cheap slingshot he had won at one of the booths. As ammo, he used candy wrappers along with the candy he didn't like.
"You never told me yours," he returned. He aimed the slingshot at a streetlight and shot at it. The candy bounced off the metal with a loud clang as it collided. "So, I guess we're even."
Lotion scoffed. "Fine, if you wanna play like that," she waited for him to find another target. He carefully aimed the slingshot. The moment as he released the projectile, Lotion ran off to catch the candy before it met its target. She had hopped on top of the fence lining the sidewalk, with a smug grin glanced down at the boy, who gawked at her with amazement. "My name's Lotion."
She tossed the candy back at the boy, who caught it with ease. The astonishment didn't last very long, because it wasn't long before a bark of laughter escaped the boy.
"Lotion?" he echoed, amused. "Never met anyone with a name like that."
"I'm an Amazon," she informed him matter-of-factly. "We usually try to be unique with everything we do."
As they continued walking, Lotion remained on top of the fence, while balancing the plastic bag on top of her head. She flashed a grin at the boy, who was walking near the fence. When she looked away, something hit the plastic bag off of her head. Lotion squealed, luckily catching the bag before it met demise to the canal filled with water below.
"What was that for!" Lotion exclaimed.
Next, he took a shot at the fence, making it rattle slightly. Lotion barked at him in Chinese.
"Wow!" he whistled. "I'm impressed you haven't fallen off yet!"
Lotion scowled. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Ryuku."
She stared at him, confused. "What kind of compliment is that?"
"No, stupid," he rolled his eyes. "That's my name. Ryuku Saotome."
For some reason, the name sounded familiar.
"Look at this, Ryuku! Look what I got!" Misaki held a small fish bowl in front of her cousin.
Ryuku bent over to look at the angel fish swimming about in its container. "You should probably get a bigger tank. It looks cramped in there. I feel bad for the little guy."
Misaki stuck out her tongue. "I know that, Ryuku! Dad left awhile ago to get a bigger tank. He's planning on putting on an aquarium to liven up the office! Tomorrow he's taking me with him to get even more fish!"
The red head smiled at Misaki's enthusiasm. It seemed like his cousin was finally crawling out of her shell. "That sounds great, Misaki!"
"Mommy's making us some snacks, I'll be right back. Can you watch Ryoko for me?"
Ryuku made a face. "Is that supposed to be funny?"
Misaki simply smiled and held the fish bowl out, waiting for her cousin to take it from her. Ryuku watched the angel fish swim around. For some reason, it felt familiar. He couldn't place a finger on it. Ryuku spent at least a half an hour at the clinic, before it was time for him to leave for work.
On his way to the Cat Café, he heard the chiming of a bicycle bell. It wasn't long before Lotion wheeled up next to him on her bike. She greeted him with a cheerful message, which he was reluctant to return.
"Since we're both going the same way," Lotion said. "Why don't we head back to the restaurant together?"
As they approached closer to the Cat Café, Lotion suddenly stopped and stepped in front of Ryuku.
He stared down at her face with an eyebrow raised. "What?"
An uneasy smile fell on her lips. "Do you, um, remember this?" she reached insider her blouse and took out a necklace.
Mildly uninterested, Ryuku looked over the jewelry. "Yeah, I do," he answered. "What about it?"
"I want you to have it," she told him. "It was yours to begin with. You should take it back."
"After all this time you've decided now to give it back to me?"
"It's the thought that counts?"
"I'm surprised you still have that thing. It got really ugly looking, huh?" but regardless of his comment, he stared at the necklace with a fond smile.
"Here. Take it."
He shook his head. "No, it's yours. I gave it to you for a reason."
"You still like her, don't you?" Lotion asked. "You can still give this to her."
"… Keep it." was all he said.
There was this nagging feeling that someone was following him. Ryuku had left the Cat Café not too long ago, and was on his way home, but ever since he turned a corner it felt as if something was trailing after him. Finally fed up after several minutes, he stopped, and scoped his surroundings. No one was there. He frowned, but continued on his way home nonetheless.
This nagging feeling went on for blocks. Once again, Ryuku came to a stop, only this time when he heard the faint sound of footsteps.
He narrowed his eyes as he skimmed through the darkness around him. "Who's there?"
"You forgot this back at the restaurant," Lotion announced, walking out into the streetlights with the blouse to his uniform in her hand. The young Amazon usually wore the uniform to the Cat Café for most of the day, but she stood in front of Ryuku wearing a loose long sleeved shirt and baggy pants.
Ryuku blinked. If Lotion had been the one to follow him why hadn't she made herself known earlier? He ignored the suspicion. But there was another thing that bugged him. He could've sworn he tucked the blouse away along with the rest of his stuff.
"… Thanks?"
Without warning, Ryuku was enveloped into a tight hug. Lotion rested her chin against his chest, gazing up at him sadly.
Ryuku stiffened into her hold. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, Ryuku."
"Wha—"
He was caught off guard by the punch to the gut that sent him sailing back a few feet. With a pained grunt, he held onto his stomach in both surprise and pain. He didn't bother to hide his wince as he touched the throbbing spot.
"Lotion!" he hissed out through clenched teeth. "Is there a good reason why you just punched me?"
The girl in question remained silent. She charged forward ready to land another punch on the red head.
"Shit! What's gotten into you?" he exclaimed, as he jumped away from her before another hit could land on him.
"Shouldn't it be obvious, Ryu?" she asked. "This is a fight. What else do you think this could be?"
Ryuku stared at her. "I don't…" he still couldn't wrap his head around what just happened. Lotion never acted this way. "I already told you I didn't need any help from you."
"I'm not helping you with anything," she assured the red head. She ran forward and swung her arm forward. "This is just a fight."
"Even if I did want to fight, which I don't," Ryuku managed to say as he barely dodged another attack. "I don't hit girls!"
Lotion dropped her fist. "That's alright," she said, nodding her head a little. "I knew you'd say that, just like you said before when we were kids, which is why I came prepared this time."
Out of nowhere, she produced a small thermostat. Ryuku gaped at her. How was a thing like that even possible? In a flash, Lotion appeared in front of him, the thermostat in her hand with its top open. Fortunately, Ryuku missed the splash of cold water in the nick of time.
Lotion dropped the empty container onto the ground. "It's ok," she said. "I won't miss the next time."
Once again, Lotion brought out a bag. It appeared she had done this in thin air. Lotion slung the bag over her shoulder, reached both of her hands inside, and took out four water bottles. She squeezed enough for the bottle caps to pop off and swung them towards Ryuku.
Ryuku dodged the oncoming water with minimal difficulty. The bag Lotion had seemed to be filled with endless amount of water bottles. Ryuku was just wasting his energy trying to move out of the water's path. If it kept going on like this, Ryuku wasn't sure what Lotion would do after she accomplished on getting him into his girl form. Ryuku glanced in the direction where Lotion last was, only to find that the girl had vanished.
He felt the sensation of cold water splash onto his back. It didn't surprise him or the he-turned-to-she. Seeing no way to talk sense into the Amazon, Ryuku tossed her things to the side. She turned to face her, only to realize that he could not anticipate her very next move. Suddenly, Ryuku became aware of the hard kick onto her back. She stumbled forward and fell onto the concrete. Quickly, Ryuku jumped onto her feet, and with a bit of hesitation on her part swung a punch towards Lotion.
Lotion took a deep breath. She purposefully went into the direction Ryuku swung to let the hit collide into her side. From the surprised look on Ryuku's face, it was clear that she hadn't expected her punch to actually land. Lotion held onto her side, it just did enough that pain began to emerge slowly, but it wasn't hard enough to cause any bruising.
"I'm sorry," Ryuku said in a rush. She went to Lotion's side but Lotion roughly shoved her away.
"I can handle a measly little punch," Lotion spat. "Stop acting like a girl!"
Ryuku was taken aback by Lotion's outburst. She frowned, but didn't say anything. Lotion did a number a punches and kicks, most of them hitting Ryuku, who seemed to be reluctant to participate in their impromptu duel.
"Why are we doing this, Lotion?" Ryuku asked, seemingly shrugging off the barrage of attacks.
"If you're able to run your mouth," Lotion growled. "Then you should be able to pack a punch!"
"I don't care if I'm a girl right now," Ryuku snapped back. "I'm not going to fight you, Lotion."
Lotion turned away from her, she clasped at the front of her shirt as she tried to hold back her tears. "So, you're willing to make an exception for someone else but not me?"
"Lotion—"
"… You're being stubborn just because I'm not a male?" Lotion asked, feigning frustration. "W-what…" she paused to clear her throat. "What if I was Ryou's younger brother? Would you make an exception for me then?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Ryou's sibling fought you," Lotion slowly explained, her back still facing Ryuku. "How is fighting a girl any different from fighting a child?"
"That's stupid!" Ryuku shouted, angrily. "Don't compare this situation to that one, because it'll never be the same!"
"Are you… scared of losing again?"
"Why the hell—"
"Isn't that why you were at the hospital?" Lotion felt tears running down her cheeks. "… because you were beaten by a child? If you can't beat a child, what makes you think you can beat a woman? Wont your masculinity be at stake?"
Quickly, Lotion wiped her face clean, before she turned to face Ryuku. She had her head lowered, while her shoulders shook, and her hands were clenched into tight fists.
Ryuku's jaw clenched. "I never expected to hear this kind of shit from you, Lotion. Sure, you get on my nerves, but…" she glared at her through her bangs. "That was way too far."
"It only hurts, because I'm telling you the truth."
"Yeah, the truth," Ryuku yelled, her hands clenched into shaking fists. "Well, no one likes hearing the truth!"
Lotion tackled Ryuku onto the ground, holding back her tears. Ryuku let out a pained grunt from Lotion landing on top of her. Lotion lifted herself up, placed her hands at the sides of Ryuku's head, and stared down at her. Ryuku prepared to get her away from her, but stopped when he felt something drip onto her cheek. It was a teardrop.
"… Lotion?" Ryuku asked in confusion.
Tears streamed down Lotion's cheeks as she stared down at Ryuku. "I-I can't do this anymore," she choked out. "I'm so s-sorry, Ryuku. You shouldn't have to deal with this. No one should."
"Lotion, I don't understand," she started, trying to gain a calm sense of mind. "You can't just say all that stuff without explaining what the hell's going on!"
"I'm sorry," she chanted over and over again. She hugged the girl underneath her, letting out a loud hiccup, before she pulled herself off of her. "I-I need to go. Please. I. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it, I just, I…"
"Wait, Lotion, slow down," Ryuku said. "What just happened?"
She shook her head, pushing Ryuku's hands away from her, and ran off.
The last place she had expected to see her mother was the boy's house. Her mother was currently engaged in a rather heated conversation with a woman, who looked very frustrated. The boy, or Ryuku, was peering over the side of the wooden gate. He shared a look with Lotion, before glancing back over to the two adults.
"Why is my mom talking to your mom?" he asked curiously.
"I don't know."
"Should we let them know we're here?" Ryuku suggested.
Lotion nodded her head. "You go first. My mama's probably mad at me."
"Wimp," Ryuku grumbled, as he took a step forward.
With a pout, she playfully hit him on the back, using more force than necessary, and made him stumble a few steps forward.
"Sorry!" Lotion whispered.
He threw a glare over his shoulder. "Girls," he mumbled. "Well, don't just stare at me. Come on. Don't you wanna say 'hi' to your mama?"
The two glanced back over to the adults. Suddenly, the boy's mother swung her fist at her mother. Lotion didn't even flinch, as the fist neared her mother's smirking face. Her mother easily caught the fist; she said a few words to the other woman, before she carelessly tossed her aside.
The boy gasped. Lotion grabbed at him as he began to dash towards his mother, however, suddenly she was falling forward and the plastic bag was no longer in her hands. As Lotion landed on the ground with a grunt, she watched as the plastic bag followed after Ryuku. The plastic bag met the back of Ryuku's head, knocking off his cap onto the dirt. Before Lotion's eyes Ryuku's hair changed from a fiery red to a dark black in a matter of seconds, and his body shrunk as the clothes as his small frame became baggier.
Furiously, Ryuku snatched the fish out of his hair and threw it on the ground. He glared at Lotion, who noticed that his eye color seemed to change as well.
"Clumsy!" he shouted, his voice sounding higher in pitch. He stomped his way over to her and yanked her up onto her feet. Lotion leaned in close to him to take in every little detail on his face. "What are you doing?"
"… You look different," she murmured. She touched his cheek. "You're—"
"Ryuku!" a voice cried.
Suddenly, he was yanked out of Lotion's vision. Lotion saw his mother kneeling in front of him while she fussed over him. "Where have you been? Megumi came to my house in tears! I told you to never leave her side!"
Interrupting the two, her mother sauntered behind the woman. "Violent girl," she stopped to briefly look over Ryuku. "You will learn. Shampoo always right."
"Get out of here!" Ryuku's mother hissed. "I don't ever want to see you set foot at this dojo again! If you do I'll—"
"What can you do?" she snickered. "You never beat Shampoo in fight. Never will. Come Lotion we leave now."
As Lotion's led away from the dojo, Lotion stared after Ryuku. She wondered if she'd ever see him again.
Her mother held onto her hand with a loose grip. Lotion tugged at her sleeve, and waited a beat before she worriedly asked. "Are you mad at me, mama?"
"Why would I be mad at you?" her mother asked in return. "Did you do something wrong?"
"I didn't listen to you," Lotion said. "A-at the festival, I didn't stay where I was supposed to."
"Lotion," her mother glanced down at her. "Tell your mother about your future husband."
Lotion didn't mind the subject change. This was the same conversation they talked about every day, ever since the first day they moved to Nerima. Lotion made sure to memorize every little thing her mother told her. That way the next time they had this talk she'd be prepared.
"We were fated to be married ever since we were both born," Lotion cited, she continued when she received a satisfied nod from her mother. "We're the perfect match, and the arts we know will help create strong children for us. He'll love me, and only me, and I'll love him and no one else."
"That's very good, Lotion," Shampoo beamed. "But what else are you forgetting? What's the most important part?"
"That our love will be so strong," Lotion said. "That not even Akane Tendo can tear us apart."
"Do you want to know something, Lotion, something that will make you very happy?"
"What is it, mama?"
"You've met your husband."
"… I have?"
"Yes, Lotion," her mother grinned. "That boy you were with. He's the one you've been waiting for."
"… Him?"
"Yes, Lotion."
"… He's like me," she murmured. "He changes."
"You two were made for each other."
Shampoo shut the door behind her as she stood in her daughter's room. It was dark, save for the moonlight shining through the window. Her daughter was laying on her bed, with her arms crossed over her pillow, and her head resting on top of them. The sounds of her whimpers and sniffles filled the room. Shampoo slipped on a concerned mask, as she took a seat next to her daughter.
She placed a hand on the small of her back. "Are you alright, Lotion?"
"Do you even really care?" Lotion bit out through. "I know why you're here, mother."
"Then tell me what happened."
"… I didn't win," she didn't have to see her mother's face to know that she was now wearing a smile. "But I didn't lose either."
"What?"
"I ran away," Lotion said, lifting her head up to give her mother a smirk. "Tell me, mother, is there an Amazon rule for forfeiting a fight?"
Shampoo slapped her. "You ran away?" she snarled. "Like a coward! Amazons don't run away!"
"Well, I did," she said. "Are you going to kick me out again?"
"… No."
Lotion's face fell. "Y-You're not?"
Her mother shook her head. "No, I'm not. You can stay here, Lotion," she moved her hand up to the middle of Lotion's back. "It's late. You should sleep."
"… Alright."
Lotion tensed when her mother began to message her back. "I'm only loosening your muscles. Just relax, ok?"
She tried to reject the offer, but the way her mother worked out the knots on her back made her felt less tense. With a sigh, she closed her eyes, and abruptly fell asleep. Shampoo narrowed her eyes, mumbling something under her breath in Chinese.
No matter how many times she changed, she still couldn't get used to how big everything was when she was a kitten. Lotion had just completed her first delivery, her mother had finally trusted her with such a task, and she ruined her mother's expectations already. She hadn't seen the woman splashing water on the sidewalk, as she zoomed by on her little purple bike. The change triggered so fast, that she almost crashed along with her bike into the steel pole.
Lotion was fortunate that she had this accident happen in the middle of a secluded area. If this had happened in the market place, she surely would've been trampled a long time ago. She was having difficulty on finding the way back to the restaurant. Her delivery was made about fifteen minutes ago, and at this rate, her mother was probably becoming furious by her tardiness.
She turned left at the street corner, which would lead her to a bridge, and found much to her surprise a boy. It was that same boy that she had met at the festival. In his arms he was holding onto a paper bag. On top of his head was the cap he had worn that same night. The hat was pulled low, so low that Lotion doubted he'd notice her. In this form she was such a tiny little thing.
However, to her surprise, his blue eyes were staring right at her. He stopped and continued to stare at her for several seconds, before he placed the paper bag down onto the concrete and knelt down on one knee. There was a smile on his lips. It was the nicest smile.
He reached a hand out towards her. "Hey, there." he greeted her.
He took his hand back, a look of realization on his face, and then dug around in the bag. A box of snacks was in his hand. He tore the box top open, along with the bag inside, and poured a handful of the food onto his palm.
"You hungry?" he asked. "These are pretty good. My cat Seichi likes 'em."
Lotion stayed where she was.
Shouldn't she be running back to the restaurant, instead of playing around with this boy? But if he was her husband, would this still be considered as playing around? Lotion couldn't confirm this with her mother. She looked up into his eyes. They were so kind, so warm.
Her body reacted faster than her mind, and she walked over to him to pick one of the snacks into her mouth. When she glanced back up, he had the biggest grin on.
"Good, huh?" he said, cheerfully. As Lotion picked up another and another, she was startled when she felt a hand start to pet her fur. She purred, in both surprise and pleasure, and suddenly the boy paused with his petting. "Oh?" he said, petting around her neck. "You're a stray."
"Ryuku!"
They both turned to see his mother walking up to them. She was carrying several paper bags, while dragging a large bag of rice behind her. When she was behind her son, she shot him a displeased frown.
"When I said you could go ahead of me, that didn't mean it was okay for you to ditch me!"
He turned away from her and resumed petting Lotion. "I wasn't going that fast."
"You ran off!" she cried. "I called after you and you kept running anyway! Ryuku, can you please look at me when I talk to you?"
He shrugged. "Can you please walk faster next time?"
His mother sighed. "Well, I caught up," she said. "Let's get going." When he wouldn't budge, she peered over her son's head to see what he was so fascinated with. "… Is it a stray?"
"She doesn't have a collar."
"Ryuku, you already have a cat waiting for you at home."
"She's just a kitten. She's totally helpless," he scooped Lotion up in his arms, and faced his mother. "Look at her, mom."
His mother looked down at her. A tired frown was on her lips. "… Alright," she said. "But she's your responsibility."
He just nodded his head, and went to pick up the paper bag. As the two walked on their way home, he kept his attention solely on her. He stared into her eyes. It felt he was looking right through her curse, as if he was looking at her, and only her.
"What should I name you?" he wondered. A thoughtful expression formed on his face. His eyes glanced up from her, and he stared up at the darkening sky.
A few seconds later: "… How about Megumi?" he tested out. Next, he let out an amused snort and then said. "Megumi would love that."
Lotion frowned. She couldn't help but wonder if he could tell that she wasn't happy. She gently pawed at his arm, hoping that was enough for him to get a hint.
"No?" he asked. "… How about Kirara?" he laughed when she shook her head. "Not an InuYasha fan?"
It took awhile for Lotion to finally settle with a name she liked. In the end, they settled with the name Sayo.