Disclaimer: I wish to address the upcoming chapter. This chapter is to put it nicely: boring. But this chapter is essential in setting up the next part of the series. To understand some of the things that happen in Part Three this chapter is needed to be read. Please no flames saying how boring this chapter is, I know, I wrote it. I apologize in advance for the chapter. Thank you.
The day for ordering the tuxedos and gowns came a week from Saturday and both groups of teenagers were anxious to get it out of the way. Akane met up with her friends in front of Uchan's and they waited for Ukyo to close up before heading over to a shopping center nearby.
"Where are we going, Akane?" asked Sayuri as the girls enter the building.
"Ranma's mother told me about a place in here that makes dresses for a reasonable price. She said she buys her kimonos from there," answered their friend, walking over to a directory board. Akane scans down the list of stores until she finds the one she is looking for.
Pointing at the map, she says, "There: 'Madam Fumiko's Kimono and Dress Shop'. It's on the other side of the mall, come on," and all four girls begin walking towards their desired location.
Going past store after store, the girls passed the time by chatting to each other about things they heard in school.
"Did you hear what Masako did when Kenzo pinched her butt?" asked Yuka.
"I heard she broke his nose," replied Sayuri.
Laughing, Yuka responded, "I heard she broke her hand on his nose."
Akane added, "I heard she broke her hand and his nose!" and she laughed along with the others.
Ukyo though wasn't joining in with them, instead she was absorbing the conversation as it continued, looking back and forth between the three other girls.
"I heard Takada got dumped by Kemuri when she found out he was seeing her friend Midori behind her back," said Sayuri.
"Yeah and she was seeing his friend Hayato behind his," included Yuka.
"Weren't Takada and Kemuri together since the beginning of the year?" asked Akane.
"Yeah they were," answered Yuka, "But not anymore."
Before long the group of girls reach the store they were looking for. Above the entrance was a red light-up sign that read: 'Madam Fumiko's Kimono and Dress Shop' and in the store's front window was a display of two beautiful kimonos; one red with a dragon design and the other was pink with a floral design around it; and two dresses, one was white and the other one was blue.
They walk in and are greeted by a middle-aged woman with chin-length black hair, wearing an orange kimono with a setting sun design on the back.
"How may I help you?" she asked.
"My three friends need to be fitted for some bridesmaids dresses," answered Akane.
"Three bridesmaid gowns? Alright, follow me please," said the lady.
She led the girls to a corner of the store near the back, where there were giant rolls of different colors of fabric lining the wall. Standing in front of the rolls was a younger woman; about mid-twenties; with shoulder-length black hair, dressed in a short, black skirt and a white, silk shirt. The girl also had a yellow measuring tape hung around her neck.
"Three bridesmaid gowns," said the older woman.
"Yes, Madam Fumiko," replied her assistant, writing the order down.
Turning to her customers, the store owner asked, "What color did you want?"
"I was thinking pink would be nice," responded Akane.
The assistant repeated the girl's choice while jotting it down. She then walked over to the pink roll of fabric and moved it out on the metal arm and spindle it was set on against the wall and swung it over next to an x marked on the floor.
"Who'll be first?" asked Madam Fumiko.
Yuka stepped up first. The woman had the girl stand on the x while her assistant handed her the tape. With each measurement the store owner received, she relayed them to the younger woman, who then in turn wrote them down on an order slip. Next Madam Fumiko had her assistant unroll some of the pink fabric and she wrapped it around her customer. Then using some needles, the older woman marked off how much fabric was needed and had her assistant use a pair of scissors to cut the amount of fabric needed off the roll.
She then had another one of the girls stand on the x and repeated the method she used on the first one with the other two. It wasn't long before all three girls had their measurements taken and a pile of pink fabric was laid out on one of the shelves awaiting to be worked on.
After Ukyo was done, the lady turned to Akane and asked, "What about you, miss?"
"I don't need a bridesmaid dress, I'm the bride," said the girl, nonchalantly.
"But you're so young. Why get married so early in life?" wondered the older woman.
"We love each other," replied Akane, smiling.
"Ah, well love is a good thing to have in a marriage," responded the store owner, walking with her customers to the front of the store.
Standing behind the register, Madam Fumiko rung up Akane's order.
"Three custom-made bridesmaid gowns. That comes to ninety-seven thousand, five hundred yen," said the lady, punching in the numbers.
"Here it is," replied the girl, opening her purse and handing over a one-hundred thousand yen bill.
"Thank you, your order will be ready in three weeks, one week per dress," the lady told her customers, giving Akane her change.
They thanked her and walked out the store. Akane looked over at Ukyo and saw she had a discouraged look on her face.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Sayuri and Yuka notice the look too.
"I think I'm going to look silly in a dress," admitted the okonomiyaki chef.
"Nonsense," said Yuka, "I think you'll look great in a dress."
"Me too," agreed Sayuri, encouraging her new friend.
"I don't know," replied Ukyo, reluctant to agree.
"Maybe this dress will help Ryoga to come out of his shell and allow him to tell you how he feels," Akane points out as the four girls reach the center of the mall.
The girl's former rival smiled faintly, thinking about what her friend's had told her.
"Hey, while we're here let's pick up some of the other things we need, like some shoes," suggested Sayuri, changing the subject.
The other three girls agree and they head off for the nearest shoe outlet store.
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Meanwhile, Ranma and his two friends; Daisuke and Hiroshi; only had to wait an extra hour before Ryoga showed up to meet them in front of the Tendo home. Of course, even though he found his way, sort of, he still looked like he was lost.
"About time," said Hiroshi, sounding fed up.
"Sorry," apologized the lost boy, bowing his head.
"Forget it, lets go," replied Ranma and all four boys head for the same shopping center Akane and her friends went to.
They enter the building and walk over to the directory board. They look up and down the list of stores and Ranma finds one that looks promising.
"Here's one: 'All Things for Men' store. That sounds like a good place to start," said the teen.
The other boys agree and they stroll over to the department store. They pass in front of a shoe store, when they notice Akane and her friends leaving the store, each with a paper bag in their hands.
"Hey, Akane," called the boy.
"Hi, Ranma," she greeted him.
"Hi, Ryoga," she said to the lost boy.
"H-hello," he replied.
Ukyo however wouldn't look at him, instead her head was down and her eyes were staring at the floor. Outside of her element; her restaurant; she was just as afraid and timid as Ryoga was.
Ranma leaned in and said to his former rival, "Why not say hello to Ukyo?"
"I don't want to," he told him in a loud whisper.
Daisuke and Hiroshi heard the two boys' exchange of words and they sneak up on the lost boy and push him forward. He glanced back at them and they wave their hands as if to say, "Go on."
Akane motions to Ukyo to say something.
The okonomiyaki chef stepped forward and while staring at the ground she said, "Hi, Ryoga."
Looking at her, his face began to turn red as he spoke, "H-h-hi, U-u-u-ukyo, h-h-how a-a-are y-you?"
"I'm fine, and you?" she answered, her face flush, still not looking at him.
"I-I-I c-c-c-can't c-co-complain," he responded, scratching the back of his head, also gazing at the ground.
There was an eerie silence between them for about seven seconds before Akane intervened, "I guess we should get going. I'll see you later, Ranma."
"Alright, see you later," replied the boy.
"Bye, Ryoga," said Ukyo, smiling at him before turning to leave, her face as red as his.
"B-b-bye U-u-ukyo," answered the lost boy as Ranma hooks his arm under his friend's and pulls him along.
With the girls out of sight Ryoga returns to normal, turns to his friends and asks, "Why did you two do that?"
"We figured we'd help you along," said Daisuke.
"I don't need help," insisted the lost boy.
"Looked like you did from our point of view," argued Hiroshi.
"Why not come out and tell Ukyo how you feel?" wondered Ranma.
"Because I'm afraid of how she'll react," replied Ryoga, saying it as if they should know this.
"I think you'll be surprised," responded the boy as they reached their destination.
"Here it is, the 'All Things for Men' clothing store," said Ranma, reading the sign above the entrance.
Looking in thru the store front window the group of guys see racks full of short and long sleeve shirts, pants, jackets, sweaters, blazers and trousers. There were stacks of neatly folded dress shirts and pants and the one thing they were looking for: suits and tuxedos. The four of them walk in and begin to browse around the merchandise. It wasn't long before a sales clerk came over to them. He looked to be in his thirties. He was dressed in a dress shirt and black, dress pants.
"Is there anything I can help you gentlemen with?" he asked.
"Yes, we wanted to take a look at some tuxedos for my friends," answered Ranma.
"Very well, they're right over here," said the salesman, showing the boys to a rack of tuxedos lined up against the wall of the store.
"Is there a reason you gentlemen are looking for tuxedos?" wondered the man.
"Yeah, it's his wedding and we're helping out," said Daisuke pointing at Ranma.
"A wedding? Well, congratulations, sir," replied the sales clerk, taking a tux down off the rack.
Each of the three boys tried on a different top coat and trouser. The store clerk used needles to mark where altercations needed to be made for each of the teens.
With the black top coat on, Ryoga said, "I'll look ridiculous in this getup."
"No way," argued Hiroshi, "You'll look stupid like the rest of us."
All four boys started laughing.
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At the same time, someone was watching them thru the glass of the store front window. The person had been walking by, when she glanced into the store and saw the group of boys inside. She was dressed in a black, v-neck dress that stopped at her knees, with a red sash around her waist. Her long black hair done up in a ponytail. Kodachi's eyes were focused on Ranma as she watched him laugh with his friends.
'My darling,' she says to herself, putting a hand on the glass, 'That wretched little girl has stolen you from me and there isn't a single thing I can do to get you back.'
Every plan she has concocted in the past few weeks she has discredited, remembering how the last plan she enacted failed so miserably.
'I don't deserve to love you, but I can't seem to help myself but to love you,' she thought, 'If I an to ever receive your love, I must dispose of the girl before it's too late. My window of opportunity grows smaller by the day. These are desperate times and desperate times call for drastic measures.'
Then Kodachi's eyes lit up as she thought of something.
'I've got it, but to bring forth this idea I will need some help,' she told herself, smiling mischievously.
Quickly she turned and walked away at a fast pace, leaving the shopping center with her purchases.
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Ranma glances out the store front window, thinking he saw something. Not seeing anything, the boy returns his attention to his friends. In addition to the tuxedos, the three boys also bought a pair of black dress shoes each and pack of black socks to go along with the shoes.
The clerk rings up the sale. "Your total comes to one hundred, fifteen thousand, two hundred yen," said the man.
Ranma pulls out his wallet to pay, but a hand lands on his shoulder. Looking behind him, he sees it was Ryoga.
"We've got this, Ranma," insisted the lost boy.
He, Daisuke and Hiroshi pooled their money together and were able to pay the salesman what was owed.
"Thank you, gentlemen. The alterations will be finished by the end of next week, so come back then to pick them up," the clerk told the boys before they left the store.
Walking out, Ranma says, "You guys didn't have to do that, you know?"
"Yeah, we know," replied Ryoga.
Hiroshi added, "But what is the point of you paying when we're the ones who are going to be wearing them?"
Laughing, the boy agrees, "I guess you're right about that."
Walking to the center of the mall, the four guys stop and look around.
"So, now what?" asked Ryoga
"We could check out the new action flick at the movie theater," suggested Hiroshi.
"We could go to the food court and hit on girls," said Daisuke, smiling.
"Is that all you think about?" asked Ranma.
"Sorry, but it's not like all of us have a fiancee like you do," answered his friend.
"Or two," added Hiroshi.
"Or three," chuckled Daisuke.
"Alright, I get it, I get it," the boy told them, tired of their run-on joke.
"So, what are we doing?" repeated Ryoga.
"Why don't we see that movie?" said Ranma.
"Okay," agreed the other boys, starting off again.
Making their way to the theater, Daisuke says, "Remember, Ranma, you're buying."
"Yeah, we spent all our money on the penguin suits," included Hiroshi.
"Sure thing, guys," replied the teen, laughing with the rest of them.
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Later that day as the sun began to set, the Nekohanten was preparing for the dinner rush. The old amazon, Cologne was busy in the back while Shampoo and Mousse were cleaning off and setting up the empty tables for the customers. The phone on the wall starts to ring.
"Shampoo, be a dear and get that, I'm a little busy at the moment," said the old woman.
"Yes, great-grandmother," replied the girl.
Picking up the receiver, she says in a happy tone, "Nihao, Nekohanten, may I take your order?"
There was no answer on the other line.
"Hello?" asked Shampoo.
"Hello," said a voice.
The girl repeats, "May I take your order?"
The person on the phone doesn't say anything.
"You no order, Shampoo hang up," said the young amazon, her happiness gone.
"Have you recently lost the one you love to a bitter rival?" asked the person.
"Who this?" wondered Shampoo, sounding confused.
Mousse looks up at her noticing a change in the girl's tone of voice.
"Do you wish to exact revenge on this rival and bring your loved one back into your grasp?" continued the person.
"Why ask?" asked the amazon, interested.
"Because I am like you, I too have lost the one I love to my hated rival and I want to get back at that person. We may be able to help each other. If you wish to do so, come to this address so we can meet to discuss plans for revenge," explained the person on the line.
Shampoo writes down the address that is given to her.
She asks again, "Who this?" but the line went dead.
Hanging up the phone, the girl looks at the notepad.
"What was that about, Shampoo?" wondered Mousse.
"No Mousse's business!" she snapped, giving him an angry look.
"Shampoo, what did they order?" asked Cologne, sticking her head out from the back.
Thinking for a few moments, the girl removes her apron, tears the note off the pad and hurries out the door.
"Shampoo go somewhere. Be back later," she said, closing the door behind her.
"What is that girl up to now?" wondered the old woman, shaking her head.
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Arriving at the address given to her, Shampoo walks thru the entrance gate and heads for the front door. She receives no answer when she knocks. Turning to leave, she is startled by the door slowly opening on it's own accord.
Sticking her head into the dark foyer, she says, "Nihao? Person ask Shampoo to come, now here."
"Enter," said a disembodied voice.
Shampoo closed the door behind her and the lights flash on. Temporarily blinded, the amazon raised her hand over her eyes to get a look at the person who called.
"I didn't think you'd accept my help," said the person, "I thought you might want to handle the situation on your own."
The purple-haired girl suddenly remembered whose voice it was.
"Oh, it you. Why should help each other?" she asked, her vision returning to normal as she lowered her hand.
"I believe we should discuss that later, after we separate the love birds," replied the person.
"Ok, so what plan?" wondered the amazon.
"I'm glad you asked," answered the person, smiling, "This way, please," leading the purple-haired girl farther into the house.
And the two of them talked for a time long into the night.
----------End of 2nd part of continuing storyline-----------
Thank you for reading Part Two of Path of Destiny.
I would like to know your opinion of the story so far. Any review will be greatly appreciated. And I try to respond to as many as I can.
Again, thank you for reading my story and I hope you'll stick around for the next installment coming in the near future.