Akane was walking down the hallway the next morning with a robe over her shoulders since it was cold that morning and all she wore then were her yellow pajamas.
Meanwhile, in another room in the Tendo house, two people and a tiger-cow were resting comfortably warm, although one of the two was unaware the other was even in the same building let alone the same room.
Ch. 13 Bie Liao
"Hey Ranma, time to... get... up?" Akane said as she opened the door to his and Genma's room. She immediately saw her fiancee sleeping peacefully with Shampoo resting next to him, snuggling up close and comfortably with his chest serving as a pillow, looking quite content. Akane's face quickly looked like she was trying to glare predatory and comprehend this site at the same time.
'What the hell? Did he just...? Wait a minute, Ranma said this girl has spent the last few months trying to kill him. So why would he invite her into his bed like this? I bet she invited herself after he was already asleep.' Akane thought, surprising herself since she was so close to assuming Ranma had been a pervert with another girl. Had she been anything less than a friend of his she probably would have done just that. 'So, she didn't take a hint yesterday huh? After we told her to leave before she'd be arrested for trespassing and threatening to kill? Guess we're going to need something a bit more drastic this time.'
"Koiishi." Shampoo said, much to Akane's irritation.
Akane then went to the furo and filled one of the buckets with water. She took it back to Ranma's room and doused the sleeping pair with the water. Shampoo and Ranma jolted awake from the shock, but Shampoo was more surprised to see Oni-Ranma rather than the young man she thought she crawled in bed next to.
"Ranma! I kill!"
Ranma, without realizing it, zapped the Amazon with a good amount of electricity, who didn't have enough time to prepare and dodge the attack. She collapsed in a smoking heap, but she looked like she's survive.
"What the...? How did...? When did she...?" Ranma asked herself.
"That's what I was wondering myself." Akane added.
Ranma then noticed the short-haired girl there with a bucket in her hands. "I didn't do anything! I swear-tcha!"
"I believe you Ranma. I'm upset at her, not you."
"Then why did ya wake me up like that?" Ranma asked.
"Would you rather she see you as a man first and maybe try to rape you? I figured this way at least you could shock her." Akane answered.
Ranma got up. "Thanks, even though I gotta dry out the futon today-tcha." She then looked down at her fold-up mattress and the twitching Amazon. "Let's go downstairs. I need some hot water before she recovers-tcha."
Akane gave him a suspicious look as they headed downstairs. "Why? You don't want her clinging to you boy side again do you?"
Ranma shook her head. "Of course not. But if I stay like this, she's just going to get more violent and I'm going to have to fly away or electrocute her again-tcha. If we fight the house could get badly damaged and so could she. And even though she tried to kill me, I'd rather not return that favor." They got to the bottom of the stairs and Ranma shivered. "And I don't want to go flying now-tcha."
"Why not?" Akane asked. "It's fun."
Ranma gave her a deadpan look. "You know how cold the air gets the higher you get? Add that into the fact it's winter and I'm wearing this." She then pointed out her tiger bikini.
Akane got started on warming some water when they both got into the kitchen. "I didn't think of that. How do you stay warm in that anyway?"
"Sometimes I have to use my electricity if it's not warm enough around me. Makes me wonder just what the oni who drowned was thinking wearing this-tcha." Ranma said as she used a small amount of voltage to warm her body a bit.
Akane then handed her some water. "I hope this is warm enough."
Ranma took it and poured it over the top of her head. Immediately she returned to a he. "That's better."
Akane blushed and pointed at him. "You umm... might want to go put on some real clothes now."
Ranma looked down and saw he was wearing a black tank top and red boxers now, just like when he went to sleep. And apparently like most men in the morning, he had a case of morning wood right then. "I'm sorry Akane. I'll go see if i can without Shampoo noticing me." He then walked away.
Akane just stood there watching him leave, blush still practically painted on her face. 'Was that... it's full size? Damn that looks... wait, what the heck am I thinking that way for? Think about something else.' Nothing came to mind. 'ANYTHING else dammit!'
Despite her anti-pervert beliefs, Akane Tendo was still a teenager.
Breakfast came and everyone in the Tendo household was eating. Ranma had another spar with Genma after getting dressed and Shampoo was still relatively unconscious. Ranma and Aakne were seated next to each other and were trying their hardest to forget the earlier embarrassing moment. Akane more so than Ranma since it was harder for her to forget the image.
'Yeah, hard, like-NO NO!' The tomboy yelled in her head.
Nabiki got up. "Thanks for breakfast Kasumi. I'm heading for school now."
"Okay, have a good day." The eldest Tendo daughter told the middle one.
"We should probably get going too soon." Akane said.
"You sure Akane? You're awfully red. Do you have a fever?" Kasumi asked.
Akane broke her chopsticks. "N-n-n-no, I'm f-fine. Just fine."
"You sure?" Kasumi asked again.
"Yes." Akane squeaked.
Kasumi and Soun decided to just shrug it off and leave it at that. Genma ignored the whole ordeal and kept eating, and Ranma knew better than to call attention to it. He did make sure to keep his transformed father from stealing his own breakfast as always.
The school day went normally for Ranma and Akane and both paid extra attention to their lessons to take their mind off of that morning. It soon worked, and later lunchtime came. The two silently agreed to eat apart this time to avoid further embarrassment. Once Ranma got outside he saw he had a visitor.
"Nihao Airen." Shampoo called out. This time she was wearing a purple silk dress with hundreds of small black dots covering it. This also showed off her legs so much if any more were visible her panties would be too.
"Shampoo?" Ranma asked. "How did you...? Never mind, just go."
"Who's that?" Sayuri asked Akane, as both girls watched from nearby.
"Some Chinese girl who's trying to butt into Ranma's life." Akane said irritably.
Sayuri looked surprised t that bit of info, and even more so at Akane's annoyance evident in her voice. "Are you jealous?"
"I'd say I'm more peeved than jealous. Trust me, this girl isn't the type Ranma would go for."
"I don't know Akane. I mean, she does have a good figure and she's not trying to hide it with those silk clothes." Sayuri pointed out. Akane just ignored it with a low growl and kept watching.
"Wife made lunch." Shampoo cheerfully said as she offered him a tray of tonkatsu. "Want go on date and eat in private place?"
"I can't. I'm at school." Ranma answered.
"So after school Airen take Shampoo out?"
Ranma was at a lost for words even though he knew what he wanted to say. "I... uhh... I can't. I've already got a date." He then got next to Akane. "Sorry, but I'm taken."
Shampoo just glared at Akane and, rather than say anything, just kissed Akane on the cheek. This made everyone watching have dish-sized eyes, and a few hopeful dirty thoughts went thru the minds of the boys.
Akane recognized the Kiss of Death threat thanks to yesterday's lessons. "Fine. You wanna fight, you got it." She rolled up her uniform's sleeves and showed off her fists.
"Akane..." Ranma started. He wanted to say 'Don't do this', but he could tell she wouldn't listen and he knew from experience that Shampoo would not stop now. When she looked at him, he changed his dialogue. "Be careful."
"Thanks Ranma, but I'll do fine. I'm a martial artist too after all."
Akane and Shampoo stood firmly before each other for a moment more before Shampoo jumped over her and landed on the wall around the school grounds, the part that separated the field from the parking lot. She then gave the Tendo girl a challenging smirk then disappeared over it. Akane followed after her to the other side of the wall.
The others outside stayed back to avoid getting involved. Ranma stayed back only for a moment to avoid offending Akane, but after a minute he couldn't resist anymore and went to go check on the fight. The fact that he had heard absolutely nothing so far made him more concerned about what was going on. Akane wasn't exactly a quiet fighter.
When he got there, he saw Shampoo was gone and Akane was lying down on the pavement face down. "Akane?" He asked fearfully, fearing the worst. He turned her over and saw she was breathing and unhurt. Oddly her hair had some extra gloss to it, but he barely paid attention to that detail. "Akane?"
She slowly opened her eyes, and then shrieked and slapped him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She yelled as she got out of his grasp and away from him.
"Akane? What's come over you?" Ranma asked as he tried to get closer to her.
Akane pulled out a mallet. "Get away from me!" She tried to crush him but she missed.
"Now the other Furinkan students decided to see what was happening. "Akane, did anything happen?" Sayuri asked.
"No, that Shampoo girl just left." Akane told her friend. "But for some reason I feel... strangely refreshed."
"That's it?" Ranma asked.
"Just who are you and why are you acting this way?" Akane demanded. "You're just another pervert aren't you?"
'She's forgotten all about me?' Ranma asked himself. 'Just what did Shampoo do to her?'
"If she comes back I'll be ready for her." Akane said. Before she could say more, Ranma wrapped his right arm around her waist and jumped onto the roof of a neighboring building. "HEY! LET GO OF ME!" She screamed in terror.
Ranma ignored her and quickly reached Tofu's clinic. He put her down much to her relief. "Listen Akane, you need to see the doc. Now."
Tofu came outside when he heard a girl yelling. "Oh wow, Ranma, Akane. What brings you here now. Shouldn't you be in school?"
"Doc, you better have a look at Akane." Ranma told him.
Tofu turned towards the youngest Tendo. "Are you hurt Akane?"
"No, no thanks to this strange guy. What kind of maniac jumps from roof to roof like that?" Akane responded.
Tofu looked curious and held his left hand to his chin. "Tell me what recently happened to you Akane."
"I went to school, this girl showed up and challenged me to a fight, and when we did she just disappeared. And then this pervert shows up." Akane described and ended with a sharp point with her thumb at Ranma.
"Hey, I'm not a pervert."
Tofu thought it over. "Ranma, did you see any of this?"
"Sorry Doc, I didn't get there in time. It was over in just a few seconds anyway."
'I saw it.' Genma's sign said as he, in tiger-cow form, entered the building carrying a basket of supplies for the clinic.
"You did?" Ranma asked.
Genma flipped his sign around. 'The whole shebang.' He then grabbed a new sign and a pen. 'Even now as I-'
"Just change back already." Ranma said impatiently with a kick to the tiger-cow.
Tofu gave his assistant a kettle, letting him become human again. Genma cleared his throat before speaking. "Even now as I recall the site, I can only gasp in disbelief." He sat down and crossed his arms. "I was passing by Ranma's and Akane's school to return here from my errand, but I saw Akane about to fight a girl so naturally I watched to ensure litle harm came to her. Imagine my surprise when her opponent washed her hair rather than actually fight her."
Ranma blinked, unable to comprehend what he had just been told. "Did you say... wash her hair?"
Genma nodded. "Yes. Moving with speed befitting any good martial artist, Akane's challenger shampooed, scrubbed, washed with a handy bucket, and blow-dried Akane's hair in a matter of fifty-six seconds."
"No wonder I felt so refreshed." Akane said in awe.
"And that somehow made her forget me?" Ranma asked.
Tofu thought it over. "I think I've heard of such a technique. It's an old Chinese shiatsu tactic called Xi Fa Xiang Gao. The technique combines the use of a scented Chinese herbal shampoo and the pressure points on the skull in combination to manipulate memory. The only cure for it is another type of shampoo meant to counter the original one. I'll have to check my notes on Chinese methods to be certain though."
"I think I'll go check the source directly." Ranma said as he went to the sink and used some water to change into his oni form.
Akane watched this and gasped. "R-Ranma, why were you... a boy just then?"
Everyone looked at her, surprised. "Now you remember me?" Ranma asked.
"Of course. You've been staying at my place for a while now. Why wouldn't I remember you?" Akane replied.
"I get it." Genma said, slamming his fist into his palm. "That girl doesn't know boy-Ranma and girl-Ranma are the same person. So she'd have no reason to erase girl-Ranma from Akane's memory."
Akane looked between the two Saotomes for a bit. "You turn into a boy Ranma? Since when?"
"That's it. I'm getting that shampoo right now." Ranma said before darting outside and into the air.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Akane shouted as she went outside to follow.
The back door to the clinic opened and Shampoo entered. "I home."
Genma sweated and accidentally spilled his own drink on himself, turning back into a tiger-cow. Tofu turned to him. "Ah, Mr. Saotome, meet my new apprentice nurse. She's going to be staying here a while."
'Small world, isn't it?' Genma's sign said.
Ranma searched for the rest of the afternoon, but saw no sign of Shampoo. She ended up giving Akane another flight to make things more convenient for them both, much to her pleasure. After the sun set and things got too cold for the barely dressed oni girl, they decided to call it quits for now.
Nabiki greeted them rather than Kasumi. "Hi sis. Why did you and Ranma ditch school so early."
"She lost her memory of my male side thanks to that Amazon from yesterday." Ranma explained.
"Her? Well FYI your father brought her here not too long ago. They're in the dining room now waiting for you." Nabiki added.
Akane headed into the aforementioned room and saw Shampoo resting comfortably at the table and sipping on some tea. Her outfit was similar in style to the one she wore at lunchtime but now was a red color with teal blue splash-like patterns on it in places. Ranma however went into the kitchen to become male, partly to warm up and partly because Shampoo was more likely to listen to male-Ranma.
Ranma came into view and stood sternly with his fists at his sides. "Alright Shampoo, give Akane her memory back."
"Airen!" The Amazon said happily as she got up to glomp him. She succeeded, but once she did Akane came up behind her and hit her with a mallet, knocking her off and onto the floor.
Akane was quite surprised at her actions. 'How weird. What came over me? I saw that girl hug this strange boy... and I was furious.'
Shampoo got up and looked over Akane, thinking in her native Mandarin as she did so. 'I must not have erased all the memory she has of him if she reacted that way. She's tougher than I thought.' She then pulled out a shampoo bottle and a comb. "Again Xi Fa Xiang Gao."
Ranma grabbed her wrist before she could do anything and took the bottle away. "Aha! Got it." He then grabbed Akane's wrist and let Shampoo go before dragging the Tendo girl away to the nearest sink. He forced her head into the sink and under the faucet, attempting to mimic the technique.
"That hurt!" Akane said as she got away and slammed him into the floor.
Tofu appeared before the two teens. "That's not the shampoo you need Ranma. Look at the number on the label." Ranma saw it had the number 411 on it. "To bring back her memory, you need Number 911."
"Where do I get it?" Ranma asked.
Tofu pulled out a book with Chinese Medical Tonics. "Don't worry, I have the list on how to make a batch."
"Oh Dr. Tofu. You mean you can cure Akane?" Kasumi happily asked.
Tofu, who had failed to notice the oldest Tendo daughter up until now, began to get nervous. "K-K-K-Kasumi? What brings you here?"
"Well, this is my house." Kasumi said as Tofu nervously crumpled up and ripped up the book without realizing it.
"Doc! The book!" Ranma shouted, but it was too late. 'Great, now I'll have to go to China to get some.' Fortunately for Ranma, Shampoo stepped up and held for all to see a bottle of 911 shampoo. "Hey! Gimme that!" He tried to take it, but the purple-haired girl kept it out of his reach.
He tried again and this time got closer. So Shampoo unbuttoned her dress a bit and put the bottle between her breasts before re-buttoning it. "Come and get it." She even thrust her chest out as if to dare him.
What she didn't count on was Akane attacking her from behind with her mallet. When Shampoo was dazed Akane got the bottle out so Ranma wouldn't have to and handed it to Tofu. The doctor quickly went to work counteracting Shampoo's memory manipulation with the shampoo, after Kasumi left the room.
Shampoo quickly recovered and saw Akane stand above her. "Too bad. I got my memory back now."
Shampoo frowned and got up to her feet. "Too bad. If you no remember, you no have to die." She then rushed forward with her index and middle fingers out of her right hand, ready for another shiatsu attack.
"Shampoo stop!" Ranma said as he got between the two girls.
"Why Airen protect obstacle?" Shampoo asked.
'Just how do I get rid of her.' The pigtailed young man asked himself, then saw a bucket for the mop. He sighed. "I guess there's no other way." He grabbed it and dumped it on himself.
Shampoo was stunned by the change. "Female Ranma?"
"What will you do Shampoo?" Ranma asked. "You can't kill me and marry me at the same time-tcha."
The Chinese girl looked like she didn't know what to do, and looked down as her body shook. When she looked back up, Ranma saw she was crying and looked utterly heartbroken. She then turned around and walked off.
"Bie liao."
No one knew what she meant until Nabiki grabbed a Chinese-Japanese translation book. "According to this, it means 'We'll never met again.'"
The next day, Shampoo wasn't seen anywhere in Nerima.