Summertime Struggle, Part 2: Beach Days and Surprise Guests

[co-written by DarkPheonix 666]

Kenma sat reflectively on the sidelines, enjoying the warmth of the summer sun and the sound of the ocean in the distance, observing his twin Ranma and Ukyo glaring down at one another like rabid dogs. Circling each other like junkyard guards, sizing the other up and waiting for the perfect moment to attack, allowing them to perfect their battle strategy. Seeing who would be the first to cave and finally make a move. Ever since their reunion, neither had made any attempt to convey their feelings for the other. Ranma being too block-headed and stubborn, while Ukyo was awkward and stubborn. Neither made any attempt to pursue a relationship.

Kenma just watched with avid interest, curious about how the battle would play out; he'd always been more of a visual learner, watching the techniques of others and adding them into his style. Who would think that this is how things would play out? he said to himself. I thought summer vacation would be a break from all this crazy crap: watching my favorite anime, catching up on the latest issues of Weekly Shonen Jump, and going to beach barbecues, seafood shindigs, and...well, just working hard at having a good time. He'd thought their vacation would consist of getting into mischief, exploring, swimming, and eating way too much food until they burst. Making memories, taking photos, and laughing way too hard. But instead, Ranma and Ukyo were arguing all the time while their parents got drunk off their asses.

Still, he wouldn't let it distract him from reading his 'Dragon Ball' tankōbon; when he vented to Rakkasei about their arguing the day before, the boy lent him some of his tankōbon volumes to read to take his attention off their griping...and so far, it was working.

Ryoga watched his companions in their ridiculous frenzied dance of rivalry, licking an ice cream alongside Kenma enjoying the summer sun. Sometimes being able to escape the problems of their everyday life and just relax at the ocean was a fun escape. Ryoga watched his companions in their ridiculous frenzied dance of rivalry, licking an ice cream alongside Kenma enjoying the summer sun. Sometimes being able to escape the problems of their everyday life and just relax at the ocean was a fun escape. Though he enjoyed sparring with others, he wasn't in the mood to waste his summer fighting all the time, not when there were better things to be doing. He had no idea why Ranma constantly complained about problems in his life when he spent every second fighting someone. He could remember as a kid when he and Ranma would get into fights over food in the lunchroom, the last bread, the last cutlet sandwich. Always fighting for something, but he always came second to Ranma. Since mellowing out and maturing, he could never understand why constantly proving yourself meant anything, it had no merit.

"Jesus, Ranma hasn't changed a bit has he?" he sighed. So far he hadn't caught wind of Shampoo, meaning she was off exploring with Akane somewhere, keeping her distracted and giving him some much-needed space for a brief time.

Kenma nodded. "I didn't think those two would bring their fight to the beach!" he exclaimed, d, before glancing at Ryoga. He was slowly getting used to casual conversations with the bandana teen, but he was still angry that Ryoga had stated he was useless. Feeling inadequate in comparison to their skills. If he was supposed to be his friend, why was he always putting him down? "...I'm still mad at you, by the way," he explained. It would take a lot of ass-kissing for Ryoga to get back on his good side, so he better be prepared to grovel.

Ryoga rolled his eyes, he often found himself frustrated at the shared immaturity of the Saotome twins, neither able to take a joke. Did either of them understand criticism? "Geez, are you still mad about that? I didn't mean to upset you, but maybe if you focused more and used breathing techniques your aim could improve." He then diverted his gaze to Ukyo and Ranma once again. "They already act like an old married couple," he chuckled.

Much like his hair color, Kenma had a fiery mood that wasn't easily calmed, being rather sensitive to the point Ryoga was tempted to call him cactus boy. But he didn't want another argument or to be dragged into Kenma's drama, so he was just going to leave things be. He didn't know how he could train Kenma, and he didn't know how he would ever improve if he never learned to take criticism. But at least Ukyo and Ranma were getting along better, which was a start.

Kenma scoffed; sometimes he was envious and frustrated at how Ryoga had a babe of a woman like Shampoo throwing herself at him yet he avoided her like the plague.

"Could've started with that..." Kenma muttered.

"Maybe you could learn to be more thick-skinned? The world is full of jerks, Kenma; take your old man for example. You can't expect everyone to apologize. You have to learn to stop giving a shit!" Ryoga sighed, wondering if Kenma would continue to be a mischievous crybaby pervert for the rest of his life. For all he claimed to change, he was constantly blaming everyone for his problems. If he should blame anyone, it should be his old man!

Suddenly, Ryoga was caught off-guard, a flash of purple filling his vision before nearly being knocked off his feet. A pair of soft breasts pressing against his back making him blush profusely. Due to being an only child and living nomadically for several years, Ryoga wasn't used to the company of women. Though he looked at Akane and her sisters as the siblings he never had, Shampoo's aggressive flirtation was unusual to him. He wasn't used to women being so forward around him.

"Aiyah, husband! Shampoo miss you too, too much!" The soft Chinese accent of the familiar purple-haired amazon cooed in his ear; her arms wrapping around his neck as she snuggled against him, her breasts pressed against his arm. Why was he hiding away from her so much? Lurking in the shadows when he should be frolicking in the sun? This trip was for such a short time she wanted to have as much fun as possible. She hated it when Ryoga hid from her, it hurt her feelings, all she wanted to do was bond with him. Show him how much she cared about him. A great sadness filled her chest whenever he was away from her, making her feel like nothing she did mattered-as though they would always be distant.

"Maybe it's easy for you, but it's not for me," Kenma retorted, seemingly ignoring Ryoga's sudden shock at being glomped by the purple-haired Chinese amazon. "Besides, I KNOW my old man is a piece of crap, and I would NEVER expect him to apologize for anything he's done. But maybe I thought I could count on my oldest friend to apologize! Guess I'm an idiot for that, too!" he scoffed. He had enough stress on his shoulders, fighting for approval which always fell on deaf ears, and Genma constantly praising Ranma. Feeling as though he was merely a shadow of Ranma, he would never become the martial artist he was destined to be because he was already seen as a failure in the eyes of everyone. His gaze then roamed to the amazon. "...oh, hey, Shampoo," he added as he got up and walked off.

Ryoga blushed, opening his mouth to bite back something about Kenma being childish. But the softness of Shampoo's breasts against his body and her perfumed scent of sun oil, saltwater, and her natural pheromones made his head spin; God, why did she smell so nice? He fought his urge to allow his gaze to roam down to her ample bosom, peaking out of her bikini. The same one he had secretly packed for her.

"Come swim with Shampoo, husband!" Shampoo urged flirtatiously, batting her big reddish-violet eyes at him; it was no fun just sitting around doing nothing. There was so much of the island to explore, exotic fish they could admire, maybe catch some for dinner. They could play volleyball or something, as long as he was happy so was she. This was a chance for a romantic beach date, just like one out of a manga or a romantic novel, but the opportunity was being wasted. Had she done something wrong to make him angry at her?

Ryoga shivered. Water? Ocean?! God no, if he tried so much as being splashed he'd turn into a girl and sprout pig's ears. Then he'd be half-naked with shorts that didn't fit him sprouting animal ears. A shiver of fear ran down his spine. "N...No, I'm ok, Shampoo..." he mumbled. Shampoo pouted; they were at the beach to have fun, why not go for a romantic swim together? He knew he sounded like an antisocial jerk, he was being difficult and wouldn't give Shampoo a reason why. He just couldn't tell her, it was too embarrassing. His curse had to be the worst and most stupid of them all. At least when Ranma transformed, he became a hot redhead. He, on the other hand, just became a pig-eared girl. He would never be able to live that down, how Ranma would look at him...He'd become a mockery to everyone.

"Hey! You jerk, get away from my Shampoo!" A male voice yelled angrily; he'd been promised to marry Shampoo since they were children...so how dare this interloper lay claim to her. She belonged to him, she was to be his wife and he would allow no other man to take her. He could see him leering at her, while she clung to him and giggled with him. Did this pervert think he was good enough for her?

Ryoga turned around before he narrowly dodged a concealed blade from within a Japanese-style fan. Said fan was being clutched by a boy with shoulder-length black hair, thick glasses, and a long white robe with sleeves that seemed to swallow his hands. How could this stranger cope with walking around in such intense heat wearing such thick clothing? Moreso, he seemed creepy, and everyone on the beach was giving him weird looks. His gut instinct told him he was trouble and Ryoga knew better than to let dangerous enemies hurt innocent people. But this stranger had called Shampoo "his", but she had mentioned no lovers, no boyfriends or exes that he could recall. She didn't seem like the kind of girl who would cheat on others either...meaning this guy might be a stalker, like Kuno.

"Who the hell are you? And what do you want with Shampoo?" asked Ryoga, bewildered. He wasn't going to let this jerk lay his grubby hands on her.

The boy glowered furiously. "I am Shampoo's TRUE betrothed! I've heard ALL about you, Ryoga Hibiki..." he spat as if his foe's name were venom on his tongue. "You think you can just swoop in and steal Shampoo away from me? Then you're not just brave, you're also stupid!"

He'd been promised to Shampoo since adolescence, he had been loyal to her and only her for the entirety of his life. She was his ideal woman, perfect in every way. So there was no way in Hell he was going to let someone unworthy take her away from him! This fool believed that he would hand over Shampoo so willingly, to go down without a fight? He would prove he was no match for himself and then he would ride off into the sunset with the woman of his dreams.

An expression of confusion formed on Ryoga's face; true betrothed? What the hell was happening here? If Shampoo had a betrothed already, why was she glomping all over him? No, she wasn't a prize to be won! Sure, he was awkward about her affections but he knew her feelings were nothing but sincere. He knew Shampoo could handle herself, but he wasn't about to let some jerk belittle her.

Shampoo released Ryoga's arm slowly, standing in front of her husband protectively, her eyes steely and cold.

"Mousse, you pig-headed imbecile! I already told you I don't want you! I already have a husband; a sexy, strong, handsome fanged husband who I want to marry!" she snapped. Sure, she had at first seen Mousse's crush as harmless and cute when they were children, but he was always acting like a pushover, he lacked a spine and let anyone push him around, yet he got jealous of anyone who showed an interest in her even when they weren't dating. He lacked any sense of personal space and never seemed to understand that she didn't return his affection. Over time she got so sick of him she considered running away and going into hiding. But now, she had found a man who was not only strong in body and mind, but he respected her personal space and he was sensitive. He had a good heart, which was an admirable quality in a husband, and she couldn't have found a better match.

"H...Husband?" Mousse's voice trailed off into a tone of pure shock and hurt, she had chosen another? When he was so utterly devoted to her he wanted nobody else? How could she be so cruel knowing how he felt about her? Why was she so blind to how happy he could make her? He would give anything to make her happy. His blue eyes filling with bitter tears which blinded his poor vision further.

Shampoo folded her arms impatiently; this idiot was spouting lies and he refused to acknowledge the truth. Maybe being hit on the head so many times had made him stupid. But now that he could see she had found someone else, maybe he would leave her be. "That's right, shitty-glasses, now get the message through your thick head: I'm not interested in you! I never have been, and I never will be!" she snapped. Maybe she could chain him to a giant boulder and let him sink to the bottom of the sea to become fish food. Maybe then he would leave her alone and she would know peace without his intrusion. But she just hoped the fish wouldn't get infected with his stupidity...

Suddenly there was the sound of clunking; a wooden object being tapped across the ground as if someone was running a stick across bricks. A figure appeared in the distance, a wrinkled, crone-like elderly woman who appeared as if a gremlin. Long silvery hair flowing down her back, adorning green Chinese robes.

"Is that...is that a gremlin? Maybe a troll?" Ryoga mumbled. It looked so shriveled and small, like a creature from a fairytale. Was he seeing things? Had the summer heat finally melted his brain causing hallucinations? This day just kept getting weirder.

Shampoo turned her gaze in the direction of the figure, her eyes widening in surprise. She hadn't seen the woman in so long but she looked well.

"AIYAA!" she exclaimed in surprise. "No! That Great-Grandma Cologne! Her grandmother was the current matriarch of the village, which Shampoo would someday take over when she married. Due to both of Shampoo's parents passing away when she was small, she had been raised and trained from childhood by Cologne. She was her closest and dearest family.

"Cuh-cuh...Cologne?!" Mousse stammered, doing a double-take in shock, to think that the elder of Joketsuzoku would actually be coming here! She was unmatched in her proficiency in martial arts and wisdom; though she was ancient, she was still highly intelligent. To go against her was madness.

From a distance, Kenma couldn't help but look back at the scene. Great...what's he gotten himself into now? he thought.