A Saiyan Tail
Part 20
Ranma vs. Cologne
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Ranma stood with Akane outside the Cat Café and stared at the restaurant for a long time.
"Well, here it is, try and stay calm Akane," said Ranma as he glanced back at his fiancee.
"The building is still there isn't it?" replied the girl curtly.
"Um, right. I want to try and talk this out first," said the boy nervously.
"Fine," grumbled Akane.
The pair entered the restaurant and glanced around for a moment. Shampoo was moving between tables serving customers, while Mousse scrubbed at one of the empty places near the back of the room lazily. Cologne was sitting on the counter smoking her pipe peacefully.
"Aiya! Is boy Ranma and Crazy Turtle Shell Girl!" exclaimed Shampoo as she noticed the pair walking in.
"Oh? They finally decided to show up?" commented Cologne as she hopped over to the two teens cheerfully. "What can I do for you?"
"You know damn well what we want!" snapped Akane angrily.
"I was hoping you'd bring the daughter in law with you, oh well. So, you're worried about the Full Body Cat's Tongue?" cackled the old woman.
"Full Body Cat's Tongue?" asked Ranma in confusion.
"Yes, it's a pressure point that makes your whole body as sensitive as a cat's tongue," said the old woman ominously.
"Why did you do that to me?" snapped Akane angrily. "Girl Ranma is the one you want!"
"Well, I must admit I missed her. It doesn't happen very often, but I am not infallible. You were close enough, so I adjusted my aim a bit," admitted Cologne. "However, if you convince your friend that she must return to China with us, I'll tell you how to undo the Cat's Tongue."
"No way!" snapped Akane as she put her hand over Ranma's mouth before he could answer. "She won't be bullied into going with you! I'll just learn to live with it first!"
"My, such a brave girl. I won't tell you anything then. Good day," the old woman turned away with a small frown on her face. "Very brave indeed," she thought with a tiny glance back at the pair. "This could quickly become a very difficult situation... oh well."
"I'll make her tell me!" snarled Akane angrily as her aura flared around her.
Nearby, Shampoo dropped her serving tray on the ground. Fortunately, it was empty at the moment. It did not go unnoticed by Cologne though. The old woman glared at the young girl for a moment and sighed. "I suppose I must, we do not want to alienate her too much, and it might be fun to play with these two for a while. Shampoo could use the lesson that these two whelps are not to be feared by the likes of us."
The old woman turned around with a large necklace dangling from her grasp. "This is the Phoenix Pill, it will cure your condition."
Both teens paused and stared at her in confusion for a moment.
"I won't give it too you, but should I drop it during the course of the day..." She left the threat hanging and turned away again. "By the way, we are hiring waitresses at the moment. We just opened, and we could use a girl or two to help with the afternoon crowds. Pass that along to your friend as well."
"She's challenging us," commented Ranma coolly.
"You've got yourself a waitress!" snapped Akane with a small smirk.
Ranma looked at her and nodded his head as well. "Make that two. I'm sure she'll take that challenge."
"Very good. The both of them will start tomorrow," said Cologne cheerfully.
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Akane stood in the door of the restaurant the next day with Ranma beside her in her girl form. "Here we go."
"Right, remember the plan," said Ranma cheerfully.
"Got it," said the girl lazily. "Come on, we'd best get started."
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A week later...
Ranma and Akane both had their hands full with the customers throughout the day. The restaurant became immensely popular among students at Furinkan. Rumor had spread quickly throughout the school that the pair were working there.
Akane stopped as Cologne handed her several bowls of Ramen with a cheerful smile on her face,the pill was hanging around her neck. "Be careful, these are piping hot!" said the old woman as the soup seemed to levitate in the air in front of them for a moment.
Ranma passed by lazily with several bowls balancing precariously on her arms and head. "Keep trying," she commented. There were several marks running up and down the length of both girls' arms. Cologne had stamped 'Reject' on them whenever they made grabs for the pill.
"Still too slow," said the old woman cheerfully.
"Hey, Shampoo! We got more customers," said Ranma cheerfully as a few more people walked through the door.
"Yes Airen!" said the girl happily as she bounced towards them. "Is boy Ranma's father!"
Goku walked in with Soun behind him and waved at the two teens cheerfully. "Hi!"
"Mr. Saotome, Dad, What are you doing here?" said Akane as she turned to face the pair.
"Just came to see how things are going," commented Soun.
"Just fine," said Ranma as she walked over to the pair. "I'll get you a table!"
Goku nodded and watched as Akane attempted to grab the pill once again. He glanced at his son and saw a small smirk on the redhead's lips as she raised her finger to her lips.
He nodded and shrugged his shoulders before picking up the menu.
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A few hours later Cologne took both teens outside, into the back alley behind the restaurant. "Girls, I have something to show you."
There was a small fire built in front of her. She pulled a bag of chestnuts from her robes and tossed them into the fire.
"Hey! I love those!" said Ranma cheerfully. Akane growled and elbowed her slightly, not taking her attention away from the crone.
"Heh, just watch," commented the old woman playfully. Her hands blurred for a moment and took every nut from the flames in a split second.
"Not bad," commented Akane with her eyebrow raised slightly.
"Yes. This is the ancient technique, Katsu Tenshin Amaguriken. If one of you were to learn this, grabbing the Phoenix Pill will be child's play." The old woman looked directly at Ranma as she said this. It was apparent that she thought the redhead was the only one who could succeed in the technique. She had been the faster of the two so far.
"All right," said Ranma lazily. "Come on Akane, we've got some work to do."
"Right," said the girl as she turned away and walked towards the home.
Shampoo walked out into the alley with a smile on her face. "Aiya! Great Grandmother much better Shampoo thought!"
"Of course child. You didn't think they'd beat me so easily did you?" snapped the old woman in retort. "I want you to start training in this as well. You must learn to be much stronger than you are, so something like this doesn't happen again."
Shampoo hung her head and sighed. "Yes, Great Grandmother." It was an unusual move on the old woman's part. Usually, only married women learned the higher techniques. It gave the men a fair chance to prove themselves strong enough, and allowed younger girls to be defeated by them.
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Ranma sat in the dojo lazily while Akane performed a kata in front of him. "Hey, that's pretty good!"
"Right, but what now?"
"Well, now that we're finished..." said Ranma cheerfully. "I think you should do it."
"Right, we'll teach that old woman," snarled Akane with her fist clenched.
"Calm down Akane," muttered the pigtailed boy under his breath. "We don't want to kill her."
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"Have you mastered the technique I showed you yet?" said Cologne cheerfully as she jumped over the wall into the Tendo yard the next day.
Ranma and Akane were dressed in their yukata preparing to go to a festival and relax a bit.
"Everybody ready?" said Soun cheerfully as he walked up with Goku beside him. He paused when he noticed Cologne standing in the yard regarding the two teens.
"Just a minute, Dad," said Akane as she looked down at the ghoul for a moment. "What do you want?"
"I was just checking up on you. Don't worry, I can see that you're busy. I'll come back later," said the hag cheerfully as she bounded away. "We'll see each other soon!" she cackled.
++++++++
"They seem to be having fun," said Goku cheerfully as he watched Ranma and Akane walk through the booths. The man had an armload of food and a huge grin on his face, not unlike Ranma.
"Hey Ranma! Let's try this!" said Akane as she paused by a shooting booth.
"Okay, but why?" muttered the boy with his mouth full of meat bread.
"Because it's fun," said the girl happily as she paid for the two of them and handed him a popgun. "You knock those targets over with the gun. If you knock it over, you get to keep it."
"Okay," muttered Ranma as he leaned over the counter with him. He promptly missed every shot but one. Akane had gotten three and had several small prizes in her arms. "This is harder than it looks," commented the pigtailed boy as he handed back the gun.
"That's why it's fun. If you win to easily, there's no point," said Akane.
"Oh," muttered the boy as he shook his head. He didn't really see it, but if she was happy, so was he.
Something caught both teens' attention at one of the booths.
"Hey, lets try that one," said Ranma as he pointed to a goldfish catch.
"Okay," said Akane with a shrug.
The vendor smiled as he noticed the pair approaching. "Step right up! Catch one fish, one hundred yen! Catch 'em all, and take 'em home free!"
"Okay!" said Akane as she kneeled in front of the man. She put the catcher into the water, and it promptly broke. "Hey! These things are defective!"
The booth vendor picked one up and inspected it. "Seems fine to me."
"Hey Akane, there's a trick to it," said Ranma as he kneeled down next to her and smiled. "Watch."
The vendor smirked and prepared for the girl to fail miserably. Ranma, caught every fish easily. The man's face fell and his cigarette fell to the ground, a large crowd of spectators began to form around them. "He's gonna ruin me!"
Ranma finished and smirked. "That was great! They're all yours!" exclaimed Akane happily.
"What would I want with them?" said the boy as he poured every bowl back in the tank. "Try it again. I'm sure you'll get it."
The vendor's face grew into a wide grin. "You mean... you don't want them?"
"Naw, I want Akane to get 'em," said the boy cheerfully.
The girl looked at her fiancee for a moment and nodded. "All right. I know I can do it now."
The vendor smirked as he remembered her first attempt. "Be my guest."
Akane steeled herself and kneeled in front of the water. "Ready! Here I go!" Her arm became a blur, and every bowl filled with goldfish once again. "Hey! I did it!" said Akane as she stood up triumphantly and flexed her arm. The crowd gathered around began to clap.
"You did good Akane!" said Ranma happily as he pat her back.
"Right! Now I get them all right?"
Thinking quickly, the vendor put another fish tank on the table. "There's one more part. Bare handed piranha catching!"
"What? That's crazy!" snapped Akane.
"That's easy!" said Ranma coolly.
"The girl has to do it! You gave all the fish back!" snapped the man angrily.
"Fine," replied the boy with a shrug. "Go ahead Akane."
"I'll get eaten!" snapped the girl in retort.
"It's just like that trick the old woman showed us," said the boy with a small shrug.
Akane blinked and looked at the tank. "You're right! I can do this no problem!" She stood in front of the tank and cracked her knuckles. "I get to keep these fish too right?" she said as she eyed the vendor.
The man gulped, he had been expecting her to back off. "Yeah, if you can do it, sure."
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"Come please! Come! Ramen Vendors Association welcomes to Haunted House!" said Shampoo as she stood in front of a small building in the center of the festival. She was dressed in an expensive looking kimono, and had an ornate lantern in her hands. A few couples walked by her into the attraction.
"Hey! Shampoo!" said Ranma as he jogged up with Akane beside him.
"Aiya! Boy Ranma and Crazy Turtle Shell Girl!" exclaimed the Amazon cheerfully. She had actually grown to like Akane over the course of time the girl was working at the restaurant. They weren't exactly friends, but they were hardly enemies.
"Hey, Shampoo. Where's that old woman at?" said Akane as she waved at her.
"You mean lil' old me?" quipped Cologne from behind the pair as she tickled Akane in the back with her staff.
"That's right! I've come for the Phoenix Pill!" announced Akane as she whirled around to face her.
"Where is the daughter in law?" said Cologne as she glanced around.
"I don't need her help to get that stupid pill!" snapped Akane.
"Very well child. If you wish to try, I'll be glad to allow it. Follow me!" the hag bounded into the haunted house cackling madly.
"Boy Ranma not go after girlfriend?" said Shampoo in wonder.
"Naw, she can take care of herself. How ya been?" said the boy cheerfully as he stood next to her to wait.
"Shampoo only love girl Ranma! You no cheat on Crazy Turtle Shell Girl!" snapped the Amazon as she turned her nose up.
"Huh? What are you talkin about?" said the boy in confusion. "Oh well." He slumped his shoulders and waited patiently as the sounds of the fight started to emerge from the small building.
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Akane easily made her way past the costumed employees of the haunted house, knocking them out of her way as she ran after the old hag. She paused as she saw her floating in the middle of a large, steaming pool of water.
"Cross this boiling lake if you want the Phoenix Pill," cackled the hag merrily.
Akane shrugged her shoulders and floated over the water towards the hag.
"What?" snapped Cologne in shock, "She knows that technique?"
Akane performed a dive bomb and swiped at the old hag, narrowly missing her by a few inches.
"Hah! You're still too slow girl!" cackled Cologne.
"Hmm?" said Akane as she floated just in front of her. She seemed as if she wasn't even paying attention. "Did you say something?" The girl brushed her hair with her fingers, revealing the pill dangling from her palm.
"What? How?" snapped the hag in shock.
"I just take this, and the shiatsu goes away right?" said Akane as she took the pill out of the case. "Hey, it looks like a candy drop," she commented as she allowed herself to land in the water.
"It is a candy drop," commented Cologne as she watched the girl finally stop her decent, waist deep in the hot water.
"Oh? Is it?" said Akane with a small amount of anger in her voice.
"What? I'm sure I took that pill out!" snapped Cologne as the girl simply stood there and glared at her.
"Too bad, I don't really need it anymore," she commented and turned away.
"This is impossible! How did you do this?" snapped Cologne angrily. "There is no counter pressure point for this technique!"
"I trained myself, with Ranma's help. We just kept gradually increasing the temperature of the water, until it didn't hurt me anymore," said Akane as she glanced over her shoulder.
Cologne's jaw fell away as she watched the girl calmly climb out of the water.
"Oh, and by the way. I could have taken that pill from you whenever I wanted it. Ranma just thought this would be good training," she calmly walked out of the haunted house, leaving Cologne sitting in the water.
"This is... not possible!" said the hag.
Cologne hopped out of the building just behind Akane and narrowed her eyes. Ranma gave her a small smirk and chuckled to himself as he walked away after the girl.
"Great Grandmother? You no win?" asked Shampoo in surprise.
"I underestimated her, it will not happen again," snapped the old woman as she turned towards her. "I still have the Phoenix Pill, but it seems they are more clever than I had thought. She is an extraordinary warrior, that one."
"Shampoo tell you," commented the young girl.
"Yes you did child. Next time, I shall listen more carefully," agreed Cologne.
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Ranma stepped into the Tendo home with a wide grin on his face. Akane beamed proudly next to him.
"That was great! We sure showed her!" said the girl.
"You did good son!" agreed Goku.
"Oh Ranma! I'm so proud that you protected my Akane that way!" said Soun with tears in his eyes.
"Huh? I didn't protect nothin, she did it all on her own," said the boy in confusion.
Akane looked at him and smiled, he blinked and looked back at her, uncertain what he had just said to make her so happy with him.
"We'll have the wedding right now! I'll just make a few calls!" exclaimed Soun.
"What?" cried Goku in shock. "Now Tendo, there's no need to get all excited."
"Okay, whenever," replied Ranma with a shrug. He wasn't really concerned about when it happened. After all, it would eventually.
Akane promptly decked him and her father, sending them both to the ground. "Jerks!"
"Now what did I do?" grumbled Ranma from the ground.
Goku kneeled down beside his son and sighed. "Ranma, weddings are a big deal to girls. It isn't something you can just do."
"Oh, why is that?" said the boy in confusion.
"I'm not sure, but Nodoka hit me a lot when we were planing ours," replied Goku.
"Chi chi often disagreed with me as well," said Soun with a small nod. "Sometimes, I think my head still hurts from the day we had to pick out the cake."
"Oh, so weddings hurt?" said Ranma with a small amount of fear in his voice.
"Only a little," said Goku with a shrug. "You'll be all right son. Don't worry."
"Man, this just keeps getting worse," said the pigtailed boy with a heavy sigh.
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Akane sat on her bed with tears in her eyes, she felt so confused. Ranma appeared to be ready for marriage at the drop of a hat. It didn't seem to matter that much to him. It was a big deal though, this was the rest of their lives! She wasn't even sure if she loved him, and she sure didn't want to be. He was so thoughtless at times, in an almost literal sense.
"What am I going to do?" she whispered as she put her head into her pillow.
"Hey! Akane! Are you all right?" said a voice from outside.
The girl looked up from her tears and blinked. "Ranma?"
"I kinda came up to say sorry. I didn't know this was such a big deal," muttered the boy from outside her window. She jumped up and looked outside, ready to pound him for peeping on her. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. She blinked again and stuck her head outside, to find him sitting just above her room.
"Hi."
Not knowing what else to do, she simply jumped up beside him and sat. "Hi."
"Sorry," he muttered sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it," she replied with a heavy sigh. He could be son dense sometimes. They sat in silence for a long time, before Akane spoke again. "Ranma, do you know what being married means?"
"Huh? No, not really. Mom and Pop are married though," commented the boy cheerfully.
"It means we'll be together forever," she replied.
"Oh, that doesn't sound too bad! I think I'd like that, I really like you Akane," said the boy happily.
Akane paused and looked up at him again. She felt her heart grow light, but quickly forced the feeling away. "Ranma, it means we'll have a family, children of our own someday. We'll have to take care of them, and each other! I'm not ready for that."
"Oh, you mean after we get married, we gotta have kids right away?" said Ranma in confusion.
"No, not right away," said the girl with another heavy sigh. "I don't know what to think Ranma. I want my sisters to be there, both of them! I want to meet your mother first, there's so much we have to do before we even think about marriage. I don't want my father to rush me into things. I'm not even sure if I want it to be you!"
"Oh," said the boy with a small frown. "Well, when you think of all that stuff, let me know," he said cheerfully. "Being married, almost sounds, kind a nice."
Akane giggled at the way he looked when he said this. It was just something about him, something she couldn't quite place her finger on. She looked back and saw his tail wagging softly back and fourth. He seemed so handsome right then. A small blush crept onto her face. "Ranma, when I find the answers, you'll be the first to know, all right?"
"Great!" replied the boy cheerfully.
"The moon, it's so beautiful," commented Akane as she moved closer to him and stared up at the sky.
"Huh? Yeah, I guess..." said the pigtailed boy as he gave it a quick glance.
"Well, good night," she said to him as she stood up. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before turning away, towards her room. Her face had gone bright read, she was still unsure of why she had done that.
Ranma didn't notice. His eyes were locked on the bright circle in the sky above. He could feel the blood pumping through his veins suddenly, each heartbeat pounded in his ears. Slowly, he began to grow.
Akane paused by the window and looked up at her fiancee, he appeared to be sitting very still, staring at the moon. She paused as a sudden uneasiness passed over her. "Ranma?"
That was when he turned and looked at her. His eyes had gone red, and two elongated canines protruded from his upper jaw. His clothes began to rip away as his body grew and covered in hair.
"Ranma?" she muttered. Her voice wavered in fear as she watched the transformation before her in shock.
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Soun and Goku sat at the table downstairs and suddenly froze. They both looked at one another as a horrible power suddenly became apparent to them both.
"What the hell is that?" cried Goku as he looked up at the ceiling.
"It's huge, and with Akane! Upstairs! No! On the roof!" cried Soun as he rushed outside.
"Ranma?" said Goku as he followed.
"Yes. Ranma," said Soun as he suddenly became very pale. He looked at the massive beast that was standing over his home.
The moon was a bright circle in the sky just behind it, the thing roared as it slowly rose higher and higher over them, growing more with each passing second.
"The moon is full!" commented Goku as he looked up at the beast. "That monster! It must be the one that killed Grandpa!" he cried in shock. "Now it's come for my son!"
"Saotome! No!" cried Soun in alarm as his friend began to power up suddenly.
"Get out of my way Tendo!" snapped Goku angrily.
"That isn't the monster that killed your grandfather!" cried the man firmly. "That is your son!"
"What?" said Goku as his arms suddenly fell to his sides limply.
"My friend, none of us ever had the heart to tell you before," said Soun quietly.
Goku looked up at the beast, a familiar feeling seemed to well up inside him. It was indeed his son's power behind the thing. "No. It can't be... it was me, wasn't it?"
Soun merely nodded. "We have to stop him Saotome. We must hurry."
"Right," agreed Goku with a sudden firmness on his face. Whatever his past was, he had to save his son first.
That was when the thing turned towards them, it had been busy with something before then, but suddenly appeared to lose interest in whatever it was. It glared at them for a moment, and narrowed its eyes.
"Goku, we should run now," said Tendo as he started to float in the air away from the thing.
"You might be right Tendo," agreed his friend.
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Man, I'm really evil these days. TBC...
Next Time: Ozaru Ranma vs. Nerima.
Part 20
Ranma vs. Cologne
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Ranma stood with Akane outside the Cat Café and stared at the restaurant for a long time.
"Well, here it is, try and stay calm Akane," said Ranma as he glanced back at his fiancee.
"The building is still there isn't it?" replied the girl curtly.
"Um, right. I want to try and talk this out first," said the boy nervously.
"Fine," grumbled Akane.
The pair entered the restaurant and glanced around for a moment. Shampoo was moving between tables serving customers, while Mousse scrubbed at one of the empty places near the back of the room lazily. Cologne was sitting on the counter smoking her pipe peacefully.
"Aiya! Is boy Ranma and Crazy Turtle Shell Girl!" exclaimed Shampoo as she noticed the pair walking in.
"Oh? They finally decided to show up?" commented Cologne as she hopped over to the two teens cheerfully. "What can I do for you?"
"You know damn well what we want!" snapped Akane angrily.
"I was hoping you'd bring the daughter in law with you, oh well. So, you're worried about the Full Body Cat's Tongue?" cackled the old woman.
"Full Body Cat's Tongue?" asked Ranma in confusion.
"Yes, it's a pressure point that makes your whole body as sensitive as a cat's tongue," said the old woman ominously.
"Why did you do that to me?" snapped Akane angrily. "Girl Ranma is the one you want!"
"Well, I must admit I missed her. It doesn't happen very often, but I am not infallible. You were close enough, so I adjusted my aim a bit," admitted Cologne. "However, if you convince your friend that she must return to China with us, I'll tell you how to undo the Cat's Tongue."
"No way!" snapped Akane as she put her hand over Ranma's mouth before he could answer. "She won't be bullied into going with you! I'll just learn to live with it first!"
"My, such a brave girl. I won't tell you anything then. Good day," the old woman turned away with a small frown on her face. "Very brave indeed," she thought with a tiny glance back at the pair. "This could quickly become a very difficult situation... oh well."
"I'll make her tell me!" snarled Akane angrily as her aura flared around her.
Nearby, Shampoo dropped her serving tray on the ground. Fortunately, it was empty at the moment. It did not go unnoticed by Cologne though. The old woman glared at the young girl for a moment and sighed. "I suppose I must, we do not want to alienate her too much, and it might be fun to play with these two for a while. Shampoo could use the lesson that these two whelps are not to be feared by the likes of us."
The old woman turned around with a large necklace dangling from her grasp. "This is the Phoenix Pill, it will cure your condition."
Both teens paused and stared at her in confusion for a moment.
"I won't give it too you, but should I drop it during the course of the day..." She left the threat hanging and turned away again. "By the way, we are hiring waitresses at the moment. We just opened, and we could use a girl or two to help with the afternoon crowds. Pass that along to your friend as well."
"She's challenging us," commented Ranma coolly.
"You've got yourself a waitress!" snapped Akane with a small smirk.
Ranma looked at her and nodded his head as well. "Make that two. I'm sure she'll take that challenge."
"Very good. The both of them will start tomorrow," said Cologne cheerfully.
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Akane stood in the door of the restaurant the next day with Ranma beside her in her girl form. "Here we go."
"Right, remember the plan," said Ranma cheerfully.
"Got it," said the girl lazily. "Come on, we'd best get started."
++++++++
A week later...
Ranma and Akane both had their hands full with the customers throughout the day. The restaurant became immensely popular among students at Furinkan. Rumor had spread quickly throughout the school that the pair were working there.
Akane stopped as Cologne handed her several bowls of Ramen with a cheerful smile on her face,the pill was hanging around her neck. "Be careful, these are piping hot!" said the old woman as the soup seemed to levitate in the air in front of them for a moment.
Ranma passed by lazily with several bowls balancing precariously on her arms and head. "Keep trying," she commented. There were several marks running up and down the length of both girls' arms. Cologne had stamped 'Reject' on them whenever they made grabs for the pill.
"Still too slow," said the old woman cheerfully.
"Hey, Shampoo! We got more customers," said Ranma cheerfully as a few more people walked through the door.
"Yes Airen!" said the girl happily as she bounced towards them. "Is boy Ranma's father!"
Goku walked in with Soun behind him and waved at the two teens cheerfully. "Hi!"
"Mr. Saotome, Dad, What are you doing here?" said Akane as she turned to face the pair.
"Just came to see how things are going," commented Soun.
"Just fine," said Ranma as she walked over to the pair. "I'll get you a table!"
Goku nodded and watched as Akane attempted to grab the pill once again. He glanced at his son and saw a small smirk on the redhead's lips as she raised her finger to her lips.
He nodded and shrugged his shoulders before picking up the menu.
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A few hours later Cologne took both teens outside, into the back alley behind the restaurant. "Girls, I have something to show you."
There was a small fire built in front of her. She pulled a bag of chestnuts from her robes and tossed them into the fire.
"Hey! I love those!" said Ranma cheerfully. Akane growled and elbowed her slightly, not taking her attention away from the crone.
"Heh, just watch," commented the old woman playfully. Her hands blurred for a moment and took every nut from the flames in a split second.
"Not bad," commented Akane with her eyebrow raised slightly.
"Yes. This is the ancient technique, Katsu Tenshin Amaguriken. If one of you were to learn this, grabbing the Phoenix Pill will be child's play." The old woman looked directly at Ranma as she said this. It was apparent that she thought the redhead was the only one who could succeed in the technique. She had been the faster of the two so far.
"All right," said Ranma lazily. "Come on Akane, we've got some work to do."
"Right," said the girl as she turned away and walked towards the home.
Shampoo walked out into the alley with a smile on her face. "Aiya! Great Grandmother much better Shampoo thought!"
"Of course child. You didn't think they'd beat me so easily did you?" snapped the old woman in retort. "I want you to start training in this as well. You must learn to be much stronger than you are, so something like this doesn't happen again."
Shampoo hung her head and sighed. "Yes, Great Grandmother." It was an unusual move on the old woman's part. Usually, only married women learned the higher techniques. It gave the men a fair chance to prove themselves strong enough, and allowed younger girls to be defeated by them.
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Ranma sat in the dojo lazily while Akane performed a kata in front of him. "Hey, that's pretty good!"
"Right, but what now?"
"Well, now that we're finished..." said Ranma cheerfully. "I think you should do it."
"Right, we'll teach that old woman," snarled Akane with her fist clenched.
"Calm down Akane," muttered the pigtailed boy under his breath. "We don't want to kill her."
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"Have you mastered the technique I showed you yet?" said Cologne cheerfully as she jumped over the wall into the Tendo yard the next day.
Ranma and Akane were dressed in their yukata preparing to go to a festival and relax a bit.
"Everybody ready?" said Soun cheerfully as he walked up with Goku beside him. He paused when he noticed Cologne standing in the yard regarding the two teens.
"Just a minute, Dad," said Akane as she looked down at the ghoul for a moment. "What do you want?"
"I was just checking up on you. Don't worry, I can see that you're busy. I'll come back later," said the hag cheerfully as she bounded away. "We'll see each other soon!" she cackled.
++++++++
"They seem to be having fun," said Goku cheerfully as he watched Ranma and Akane walk through the booths. The man had an armload of food and a huge grin on his face, not unlike Ranma.
"Hey Ranma! Let's try this!" said Akane as she paused by a shooting booth.
"Okay, but why?" muttered the boy with his mouth full of meat bread.
"Because it's fun," said the girl happily as she paid for the two of them and handed him a popgun. "You knock those targets over with the gun. If you knock it over, you get to keep it."
"Okay," muttered Ranma as he leaned over the counter with him. He promptly missed every shot but one. Akane had gotten three and had several small prizes in her arms. "This is harder than it looks," commented the pigtailed boy as he handed back the gun.
"That's why it's fun. If you win to easily, there's no point," said Akane.
"Oh," muttered the boy as he shook his head. He didn't really see it, but if she was happy, so was he.
Something caught both teens' attention at one of the booths.
"Hey, lets try that one," said Ranma as he pointed to a goldfish catch.
"Okay," said Akane with a shrug.
The vendor smiled as he noticed the pair approaching. "Step right up! Catch one fish, one hundred yen! Catch 'em all, and take 'em home free!"
"Okay!" said Akane as she kneeled in front of the man. She put the catcher into the water, and it promptly broke. "Hey! These things are defective!"
The booth vendor picked one up and inspected it. "Seems fine to me."
"Hey Akane, there's a trick to it," said Ranma as he kneeled down next to her and smiled. "Watch."
The vendor smirked and prepared for the girl to fail miserably. Ranma, caught every fish easily. The man's face fell and his cigarette fell to the ground, a large crowd of spectators began to form around them. "He's gonna ruin me!"
Ranma finished and smirked. "That was great! They're all yours!" exclaimed Akane happily.
"What would I want with them?" said the boy as he poured every bowl back in the tank. "Try it again. I'm sure you'll get it."
The vendor's face grew into a wide grin. "You mean... you don't want them?"
"Naw, I want Akane to get 'em," said the boy cheerfully.
The girl looked at her fiancee for a moment and nodded. "All right. I know I can do it now."
The vendor smirked as he remembered her first attempt. "Be my guest."
Akane steeled herself and kneeled in front of the water. "Ready! Here I go!" Her arm became a blur, and every bowl filled with goldfish once again. "Hey! I did it!" said Akane as she stood up triumphantly and flexed her arm. The crowd gathered around began to clap.
"You did good Akane!" said Ranma happily as he pat her back.
"Right! Now I get them all right?"
Thinking quickly, the vendor put another fish tank on the table. "There's one more part. Bare handed piranha catching!"
"What? That's crazy!" snapped Akane.
"That's easy!" said Ranma coolly.
"The girl has to do it! You gave all the fish back!" snapped the man angrily.
"Fine," replied the boy with a shrug. "Go ahead Akane."
"I'll get eaten!" snapped the girl in retort.
"It's just like that trick the old woman showed us," said the boy with a small shrug.
Akane blinked and looked at the tank. "You're right! I can do this no problem!" She stood in front of the tank and cracked her knuckles. "I get to keep these fish too right?" she said as she eyed the vendor.
The man gulped, he had been expecting her to back off. "Yeah, if you can do it, sure."
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"Come please! Come! Ramen Vendors Association welcomes to Haunted House!" said Shampoo as she stood in front of a small building in the center of the festival. She was dressed in an expensive looking kimono, and had an ornate lantern in her hands. A few couples walked by her into the attraction.
"Hey! Shampoo!" said Ranma as he jogged up with Akane beside him.
"Aiya! Boy Ranma and Crazy Turtle Shell Girl!" exclaimed the Amazon cheerfully. She had actually grown to like Akane over the course of time the girl was working at the restaurant. They weren't exactly friends, but they were hardly enemies.
"Hey, Shampoo. Where's that old woman at?" said Akane as she waved at her.
"You mean lil' old me?" quipped Cologne from behind the pair as she tickled Akane in the back with her staff.
"That's right! I've come for the Phoenix Pill!" announced Akane as she whirled around to face her.
"Where is the daughter in law?" said Cologne as she glanced around.
"I don't need her help to get that stupid pill!" snapped Akane.
"Very well child. If you wish to try, I'll be glad to allow it. Follow me!" the hag bounded into the haunted house cackling madly.
"Boy Ranma not go after girlfriend?" said Shampoo in wonder.
"Naw, she can take care of herself. How ya been?" said the boy cheerfully as he stood next to her to wait.
"Shampoo only love girl Ranma! You no cheat on Crazy Turtle Shell Girl!" snapped the Amazon as she turned her nose up.
"Huh? What are you talkin about?" said the boy in confusion. "Oh well." He slumped his shoulders and waited patiently as the sounds of the fight started to emerge from the small building.
+++++++++++
Akane easily made her way past the costumed employees of the haunted house, knocking them out of her way as she ran after the old hag. She paused as she saw her floating in the middle of a large, steaming pool of water.
"Cross this boiling lake if you want the Phoenix Pill," cackled the hag merrily.
Akane shrugged her shoulders and floated over the water towards the hag.
"What?" snapped Cologne in shock, "She knows that technique?"
Akane performed a dive bomb and swiped at the old hag, narrowly missing her by a few inches.
"Hah! You're still too slow girl!" cackled Cologne.
"Hmm?" said Akane as she floated just in front of her. She seemed as if she wasn't even paying attention. "Did you say something?" The girl brushed her hair with her fingers, revealing the pill dangling from her palm.
"What? How?" snapped the hag in shock.
"I just take this, and the shiatsu goes away right?" said Akane as she took the pill out of the case. "Hey, it looks like a candy drop," she commented as she allowed herself to land in the water.
"It is a candy drop," commented Cologne as she watched the girl finally stop her decent, waist deep in the hot water.
"Oh? Is it?" said Akane with a small amount of anger in her voice.
"What? I'm sure I took that pill out!" snapped Cologne as the girl simply stood there and glared at her.
"Too bad, I don't really need it anymore," she commented and turned away.
"This is impossible! How did you do this?" snapped Cologne angrily. "There is no counter pressure point for this technique!"
"I trained myself, with Ranma's help. We just kept gradually increasing the temperature of the water, until it didn't hurt me anymore," said Akane as she glanced over her shoulder.
Cologne's jaw fell away as she watched the girl calmly climb out of the water.
"Oh, and by the way. I could have taken that pill from you whenever I wanted it. Ranma just thought this would be good training," she calmly walked out of the haunted house, leaving Cologne sitting in the water.
"This is... not possible!" said the hag.
Cologne hopped out of the building just behind Akane and narrowed her eyes. Ranma gave her a small smirk and chuckled to himself as he walked away after the girl.
"Great Grandmother? You no win?" asked Shampoo in surprise.
"I underestimated her, it will not happen again," snapped the old woman as she turned towards her. "I still have the Phoenix Pill, but it seems they are more clever than I had thought. She is an extraordinary warrior, that one."
"Shampoo tell you," commented the young girl.
"Yes you did child. Next time, I shall listen more carefully," agreed Cologne.
++++++++++
Ranma stepped into the Tendo home with a wide grin on his face. Akane beamed proudly next to him.
"That was great! We sure showed her!" said the girl.
"You did good son!" agreed Goku.
"Oh Ranma! I'm so proud that you protected my Akane that way!" said Soun with tears in his eyes.
"Huh? I didn't protect nothin, she did it all on her own," said the boy in confusion.
Akane looked at him and smiled, he blinked and looked back at her, uncertain what he had just said to make her so happy with him.
"We'll have the wedding right now! I'll just make a few calls!" exclaimed Soun.
"What?" cried Goku in shock. "Now Tendo, there's no need to get all excited."
"Okay, whenever," replied Ranma with a shrug. He wasn't really concerned about when it happened. After all, it would eventually.
Akane promptly decked him and her father, sending them both to the ground. "Jerks!"
"Now what did I do?" grumbled Ranma from the ground.
Goku kneeled down beside his son and sighed. "Ranma, weddings are a big deal to girls. It isn't something you can just do."
"Oh, why is that?" said the boy in confusion.
"I'm not sure, but Nodoka hit me a lot when we were planing ours," replied Goku.
"Chi chi often disagreed with me as well," said Soun with a small nod. "Sometimes, I think my head still hurts from the day we had to pick out the cake."
"Oh, so weddings hurt?" said Ranma with a small amount of fear in his voice.
"Only a little," said Goku with a shrug. "You'll be all right son. Don't worry."
"Man, this just keeps getting worse," said the pigtailed boy with a heavy sigh.
++++++++++
Akane sat on her bed with tears in her eyes, she felt so confused. Ranma appeared to be ready for marriage at the drop of a hat. It didn't seem to matter that much to him. It was a big deal though, this was the rest of their lives! She wasn't even sure if she loved him, and she sure didn't want to be. He was so thoughtless at times, in an almost literal sense.
"What am I going to do?" she whispered as she put her head into her pillow.
"Hey! Akane! Are you all right?" said a voice from outside.
The girl looked up from her tears and blinked. "Ranma?"
"I kinda came up to say sorry. I didn't know this was such a big deal," muttered the boy from outside her window. She jumped up and looked outside, ready to pound him for peeping on her. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. She blinked again and stuck her head outside, to find him sitting just above her room.
"Hi."
Not knowing what else to do, she simply jumped up beside him and sat. "Hi."
"Sorry," he muttered sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it," she replied with a heavy sigh. He could be son dense sometimes. They sat in silence for a long time, before Akane spoke again. "Ranma, do you know what being married means?"
"Huh? No, not really. Mom and Pop are married though," commented the boy cheerfully.
"It means we'll be together forever," she replied.
"Oh, that doesn't sound too bad! I think I'd like that, I really like you Akane," said the boy happily.
Akane paused and looked up at him again. She felt her heart grow light, but quickly forced the feeling away. "Ranma, it means we'll have a family, children of our own someday. We'll have to take care of them, and each other! I'm not ready for that."
"Oh, you mean after we get married, we gotta have kids right away?" said Ranma in confusion.
"No, not right away," said the girl with another heavy sigh. "I don't know what to think Ranma. I want my sisters to be there, both of them! I want to meet your mother first, there's so much we have to do before we even think about marriage. I don't want my father to rush me into things. I'm not even sure if I want it to be you!"
"Oh," said the boy with a small frown. "Well, when you think of all that stuff, let me know," he said cheerfully. "Being married, almost sounds, kind a nice."
Akane giggled at the way he looked when he said this. It was just something about him, something she couldn't quite place her finger on. She looked back and saw his tail wagging softly back and fourth. He seemed so handsome right then. A small blush crept onto her face. "Ranma, when I find the answers, you'll be the first to know, all right?"
"Great!" replied the boy cheerfully.
"The moon, it's so beautiful," commented Akane as she moved closer to him and stared up at the sky.
"Huh? Yeah, I guess..." said the pigtailed boy as he gave it a quick glance.
"Well, good night," she said to him as she stood up. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before turning away, towards her room. Her face had gone bright read, she was still unsure of why she had done that.
Ranma didn't notice. His eyes were locked on the bright circle in the sky above. He could feel the blood pumping through his veins suddenly, each heartbeat pounded in his ears. Slowly, he began to grow.
Akane paused by the window and looked up at her fiancee, he appeared to be sitting very still, staring at the moon. She paused as a sudden uneasiness passed over her. "Ranma?"
That was when he turned and looked at her. His eyes had gone red, and two elongated canines protruded from his upper jaw. His clothes began to rip away as his body grew and covered in hair.
"Ranma?" she muttered. Her voice wavered in fear as she watched the transformation before her in shock.
++++++++++++
Soun and Goku sat at the table downstairs and suddenly froze. They both looked at one another as a horrible power suddenly became apparent to them both.
"What the hell is that?" cried Goku as he looked up at the ceiling.
"It's huge, and with Akane! Upstairs! No! On the roof!" cried Soun as he rushed outside.
"Ranma?" said Goku as he followed.
"Yes. Ranma," said Soun as he suddenly became very pale. He looked at the massive beast that was standing over his home.
The moon was a bright circle in the sky just behind it, the thing roared as it slowly rose higher and higher over them, growing more with each passing second.
"The moon is full!" commented Goku as he looked up at the beast. "That monster! It must be the one that killed Grandpa!" he cried in shock. "Now it's come for my son!"
"Saotome! No!" cried Soun in alarm as his friend began to power up suddenly.
"Get out of my way Tendo!" snapped Goku angrily.
"That isn't the monster that killed your grandfather!" cried the man firmly. "That is your son!"
"What?" said Goku as his arms suddenly fell to his sides limply.
"My friend, none of us ever had the heart to tell you before," said Soun quietly.
Goku looked up at the beast, a familiar feeling seemed to well up inside him. It was indeed his son's power behind the thing. "No. It can't be... it was me, wasn't it?"
Soun merely nodded. "We have to stop him Saotome. We must hurry."
"Right," agreed Goku with a sudden firmness on his face. Whatever his past was, he had to save his son first.
That was when the thing turned towards them, it had been busy with something before then, but suddenly appeared to lose interest in whatever it was. It glared at them for a moment, and narrowed its eyes.
"Goku, we should run now," said Tendo as he started to float in the air away from the thing.
"You might be right Tendo," agreed his friend.
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Man, I'm really evil these days. TBC...
Next Time: Ozaru Ranma vs. Nerima.