CRYSTAL TEARS
Chapter 5
*****
"Great-Grandmother, we are running out of time."
"Yes, I know chid. He is fighting the effects of the powder urgently
now. If we do not act soon, our plan will most likely be lost."
Shampoo and Cologne were inside Cologne's house. A cottage like any
other, but out-fitted with special luxuries that were given only
to elders and their heirs.
"What I don't understand is what triggered his sudden memory recuperation.
I mean, I have mentioned nothing regarding his past, just as you instructed."
Cologne sighed. "The boy is more powerful than I gave him credit for. His
spiritual energy is slowly canceling out our magic. If we do not find a
way to subdue him soon, he will regain all his past knowledge, and that
would not be good for us."
"You- you mean..." Shampoo began with a slight twinge of fear in her voice.
Cologne slowly nodded. "The Elder's Council is starting to suspect our means
of getting Ranma here. I have been able to divert their attention, but I
cannot make that last much longer.
"Shampoo, you must make haste." She pulled out a small bag from her clothes.
"Take this child. This is a more powerful kind of powder than the one we used
before. With it, Ranma will not lose any more memories, but he will regress
into a very impressionable state."
Shampoo took the small bag. "Are you saying that..."
"Yes child. You will be able to make him believe anything. Unfortunately,
it's effect's last only for five minutes. It is within this time that you
MUST convince Ranma that you two are in love. If he is led to believe
this, then I believe it will buy us some more time."
The powder inside was Crimson Red and emmited a rather sweet smell.
"I have one question though. Great-Grandmother, what if I can't convince him
in time?"
"Then all will be lost to us. As I said, this powder will give you the chance to
make an imppresion on his mind, but if you fail, it will cancel out all previous
effects of our magic."
"No..."
"Yes. This is our one window of opportunity. Should you fail, he will remember
all and quite possibly try to escape. If this happens, the council will
without a doubt find out that we have violated the laws and we will be punished."
Shampoo gulped.
"We cannot allow this to happen. If you convince him, then we can get you two
married before we are suspected of treason to our laws, and the council will
leave us alone."
"I, I will try..."
"Do not try. You must do this at any expense."
"Very well." She turned around to exit the house, when Cologne spoke again.
"The powder will only be effective if ingested. Remember that."
"I will," she said as she left the house, closing the door behind her.
Cologne sighed, went into her room and sat on the bed. Once comfortable, she
produced a small piece of paper from her clothes.
*Good,* she thought. *All is going according to plan. Soon, Ranma will be Shampoo's
groom, and I will have nothing to fear. They will give unimaginable power to the
tribe. Soon, the world will remember that the Joketsuzoku Amazons are a figure to
be feared. And nothing will be able to come between them!*
Cologne laughed as she re-read the letter once more.
*****
Shampoo spent some time making a bowl of Ramen for Ranma. While it was cooling
down, she carefully sprinkled the powder among the surface, then she stirred the
food to make sure he would not notice the powder.
*Mmmm... Smells' good. Ranma won't be able to resist.*
She smiled as she set up the table in her own home. As the heir to Cologne's
seat as an elder, she too had a place all to herself, which at the time, she
shared with Ranma.
Once the table was all nice-nice, she smiled and decided to go look for Ranma.
He had gone out in the morning, on 'an errand', as he put it. But, she had the
unique ability to find him now that they were in China.
*Why are you doing this?*
Shampoo looked around the living room to find the voice.
*You are controlled.*
"Who are you!? Show yourself!" she said as she scanned in detail any and all hiding
places available in the house.
*What you are doing is wrong.*
"Hmph! I have to go find Ranma. Leave, or suffer the consequences."
*You know this is not what you want. To ensnare a man against his wishes to your
home.*
"Ha! You can't fool me! Ranma is happy here..." she said, losing her voice as she
realized the voice was inside her head.
*Is this what you want? A man to love you through sorcery? Deny him the happiness he
was meant to have?*
"Shut up! Whoever you are, you can't fool me!"
*All this, because an old woman said it was the law? Is the law really worth ruining
two lives?*
"I ruin nothing! Now, all is as it should be!" With that, she concentrated and the
voice no longer spoke. She disregarded it with a shrug and left the house to look for
Ranma.
-----
Ranma watched his reflection in the lake. The water was rippled by a small pebble he
threw, distorting his image.
He had to laugh.
That was exactly how he felt.
For three days now, he had been subject to end-less and meaningless responses. Everyone
told him the same story.
He was born an amazon. No surname. Arranged to marry Shampoo since birth.
That was it.
Other than he was in a few tournaments and that he was the best male fighter, he knew
nothing. No one told him anything. Everyone avoided that, or they simply stated that
they were busy when he came near that subject.
Why?
He could swear that the people became somewhat...afraid? It was the same with everybody.
What were they afraid of? Why were they so scared?
Ranma sighed as he sat near the edge of the lake. He wore a green silk tunic, and
some black silk pants. He admitted to himself that he did not like these clothes at all.
He prefered the silk shirt he was wearing when he woke up; they had told him it was
not appropriate to dress like that and had been persuaded to wear these things.
*Shampoo...*
He closed his eyes as he retraced the short memory lapse he had just last night.
He had seen a house and people. He couldn't remeber them very well. He knew
whatever that place was, it was important to him.
That girl...
Every time he thought back to her, his heart ached. It was truly remarkable that
he remembered something so vividly. He knew it wasn't Shampoo. She, she was...
Someone... who had meaning to him.
He didn't know how to interpret it. And that wasn't the end of that episode. Everytime
he tried to retrace her, he found himself catching glimpses of other things. Other
people that also meant something to him. The memories brought some kind of...fun.
And also, they brought grief as well.
He couldn't put his finger on it. Every time he tried to think of the girl, he
also felt remorse, hurt and anger, all at the same time. It was as if he was blamming
himself for something.
He didn't know what though.
He had decided not to tell anyone about it. Most people avoided him, and the few he
had talked to were probably going to back away.
And there was one more thing the memory of that girl brought.
It felt as he was filled with concern and a need to protect. He also felt...
Something...
The proper term always left him. It was as if he was somehow... filled? Was that right?
He didn't know.
"Ranma..." a voice from behind him said.
"Hey Shampoo," he said without turning around.
Shampoo sat next to him. She looked at him,but he didn't look back. He kept his gaze
centered at the lake.
"Is this where you been all day?"
"Yeah. I- I just needed to be alone for a while. Needed some time to think."
Shampoo sighed to herself and nodded. She rested her head on his shoulder, but
he didn't return anything.
"Ranma, Shampoo sorry that you no remember. Wish I could do something."
"It's okay. There's probably nothing anyone can do. It's just that I..."
"What?"
"It's just so frustrating. I mean, I remember one thing, but it's gone in a flash.
I feel as if it was trying to keep me from rememering."
Shampoo's heart felt as if it was in her throat as he said that.
"I can't explain it exactly. It's as if... this isn't my place, you know? Like I'm
supposed to be somewhere else and with other people."
She could barely keep from crying. His words had struck nerve.
"Shampoo is so sorry Ranma."
"Don't be, but thanks. I- I just...(sigh) I don'y know."
Shampoo held back the wish to cry and tell him all. Her heart told her it was wrong,
but, ohhh, how she wanted him.
"Ranma, Shampoo make lunch," she said as she took Ranma's hand and stood. "Come quick
before it get too cold."
Ranma smiled an empty smile. "Thanks. I am kinda hungry."
They both make their way quickly back to the village. Once Ranma was seated and ready
to chow down on a still steamy bowl of Ramen, Shampoo took a seat next to him and
prayed it would work.
"Looks good. Say, where's yours?"
"Oh, Shampoo is not hungry. Eat before it spoil."
Ranma nodded and digged in. One thing that the powder didn't change was the way he
practically gulped down his food. Shampoo wondered how any human could eat that
quickly.
Within a few minutes, Ranma was slurping down the last of the soup. Once the bowl
was clean, he set it down. "Thanks. That was really good. You really are a great
cook."
Shampoo blushed, smiled and nodded. She stood up and retrieved the empty bowl.
But she didn't take it back to the kitchen. Instead, she loomed over him, staring
at him intently.
"Shampoo, what's the matter. Why are you looking at me lik...."
Ranma grabbed his chest as he suddenly couldn't breathe. He tried to heavily take
in air, but that didn't help. His chest was on fire and it was quickly spreading
to his head.
"Shampoo... what..."
His eyes closed and his body jerked. With a big breath, he collapsed on the table.
Shampoo watched in a manner much like morbid terror as the powder worked it's
effects on him. When Ranma collapsed on the table, Shampoo's eyes involuntarily
closed and tears made their way down her cheeks. She dropped the bowl, which shattered
in a thousand pieces once it hit the floor. All she wanted to do was craddle Ranma
in her arms and cry. But then, she remembered Cologne's words. She didn't have much time.
"Ranma..." she began as she soothed his back. She wondered why she couldn't say the
words she had rehearsed so many times in her head while she was preparing the meal and
looking for him. "Remember some time back... We we're children and friends.
"Best friend of Shampoo was Ranma. We always play and train. We have much fun."
Her heart hurt much more with every word. "You always keep Shampoo out of
trouble. You always look out for me. Remember..."
Shampoo took her hand away from his back, cupped her face and cried. The tears would
just not wait. Regaining her composure for a moment, she began again. "Many month ago,
you make promise to me. You, you promise..."
She suddenly had the urge to run off a cliff, but she went on. "You promise you
always take care of Shampoo. Forever. Then you say: 'I...
"I..."
"I love you, Shampoo." Tears were coming with no end now. "Then you kiss me. We
were so happy..."
Shampoo's voice broke as she said the words. It felt so very wrong. "I love you, Ranma.
Wo da airen... I love you, Ranma."
No longer able to control herself, she took Ranma from the chair and sat on the floor.
She hugged his body close to hers as her sobs increased in loudness. She rocked
his body with her own in an endless motion.
*I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!*
"Shampoo..."
His weak voice made her sobs stop for a moment. He was speaking with his eyes
closed.
"I love you, Shampoo..." Then, he remained silent again.
She knew she should be happy. It had worked. It had really worked. Ranma was her's now.
But...
It didn't feel good.
She had never felt so miserable in her entire life.
-----
Cologne was not surprised to see Shampoo entering her home. It was almost night, and
her face was puffy. Obviously, she had been crying.
"Did it work?"
Shampoo sobbed. "Yes, it did. Ranma told me he loves me. He's been asleep since he
said it."
"Well, that is all then. We have won. The wedding has been prepared and shall be held
tomorrow at Eight in the morning." She looked at Shampoo. "Why were you crying child?"
"Because I hated it!" she yelled. "Ranma told me he loves me, but it isn't true!
He's just been drugged! It's not real!"
"What did you expect? This is what we wanted!"
"NO! This is what you wanted! I wanted his love to be real! Instead, I have to make
him believe in a lie! A lie! All you wanted was to bring him back as a prize! I don't
want that!"
Cologne knew how to handle this. "Then what is it that you want, exactly?"
"I want him to love me!"
"You have that already. His love is now spurn of truth. It may have been a lie, but
now he believe's it is true."
Shampoo wanted to answer back, but her words seemed to escape her lips.
"This is not proper behavior for an amazon, child. You know what you wanted, and now
you have it. The wedding is tomorrow. Ranma will not be able to say no. Now, go
back to him."
Defeated, Shampoo glared at the old woman and left, slowly shuffeling her way back
to her home.
*****
Four people could be seen walking in the dense forest. They had been walking most
of the afternoon. It was three women and a man.
Mousse was at the lead, guiding the small group. Akane and Ukyo followed immediately
behind, Nabiki brought up the rear. They had thought she was tired, but she was
actually going over the plan in her notebook. They had even offered to carry her
bag, assuming she wouldn't be able to, but she had declined and carried it all
the time they had been walking since their ride stopped at the trail was only on foot.
They didn't have a clue she was that strong.
Akane's breathing was becoming very rugged. It wasn't because she was tired, oh no,
she could go on much longer without getting fatigued, it was...
Something else...
She had been like that since after lunch, and it only got worse.
Suddenly, Mousse stopped. The rest waited as she looked around the dense vegetation.
"We are about fifteen miles from the village now. We'll camp here, and resume
at dawn. That way, we shall reach the village at noon."
"No."
Everyone looked at Akane.
"We have to keep going. We can get there today."
"Akane, you need to rest," said Ukyo.
"I'm not tired."
"Could've fooled me," said Nabiki.
"Akane, we will resume in the morning."
"No! We have to get there today! I'm..."
Akane sank to her knees, her hand on her chest. "I don't know what's wrong with me.
I feel as if something bad just happened. I'm afraid something happened to Ranma."
"Akane," Ukyo said as she sat next to Akane. "I'm sure that nothing's wrong. You're
just a little anxious, that's all."
"I agree with her sis," said Nabiki, taking off her pack. "This is Ranma here; I'm sure
he's all right. Besides, I'm tired and I'd like to rest if you don't mind."
Akane looked at the three people, sighed and nodded. She too took off her pack and dug
inside for her tent.
Within two hours, four small tents were up, four people were seated near a fire with
a pot hanging above it.
Ukyo stirred the stew she and Mousse had prepared. "About five more minutes."
Nabiki and Mousse were still looking at her notebook, tirelessly going over their plan
yet again. Akane was hugging a blanket to her, trying to warm herself more. She was
quiet and withdrawn.
Nabiki noticed Akane's state, told Mousse to correct a few things and headed to her sister.
"Akane," she said as she placed her arm around Akane's shoulders. "Don't worry. We WILL
get him back. Our plan is foolproof. I can assure, we will rescue him."
"I know. It's just that I'm so scared. What if it's already too late?"
"It's not. Just stop thinking about it and eat something." Ukyo was handing Mousse a small
bowl. "Get some sleep too. You'll need your energy if you're going to take Ranma back
home from those people."
Akane smiled at her sister and nodded, taking the bowl Ukyo was giving her.
Sattisfied, they all retired for the night to their tents.
Akane looked at the ceiling of her tent, the small lanp providing some illumination.
*Ranma...*
She just couldn't shake the feeling she had all afternoon. She tried to focus over it,
but to no avail. It just wasn't right. Something was really wrong.
Some time later, Akane awoke, not knowing when she had fallen asleep. She looked at her
watch, which read: 2 A.M. She had gotten about four hours of sleep, yet she felt
refreshed.
The feeling was still with her though. And now it had gotten worse. She had to do
something about it.
She got out of her tent. The fire was extinguished, so she took out the little lamp
as well. Her pack was near, so she dug inside, finding a flashlight, some snacks
and a small tantoo blade still in it's pouch. As quietly as she could, she put
everything into a small bag, put her lamp back inside the tent, and slowly left the
camp in the direction Mousse had told them it was safe to approach the village.
She turned on the flashlight to see better, one she was a good distance from the
camp site.
"Hogging all the fun, huh?"
Akane almost screamed as she turned to discover Ukyo behind her. She was also carrying
a small bag and her spatula.
"I-I was just gonna..."
"Save it. It was my plan too. Sneak off at this time so I could be there earlier."
"I guess we're both pretty worried, huh."
"Well, at least now I won't have to go alone. Come on!"
Both of them started a slow run, making sure they weren't making too much noise.
Both thinking the exact same thing.
*I'm coming Ranma. Don't worry.*
End of Chapter 5
Author's Notes
Please don't hate me, R/A fans! I know you all wanted Akane and the group to
rescue Ranma before anything happened, but that's just not the way the story goes.
Please don't discard the story just yet. I'm pretty certain you'll be surprised
with what happens next.
BlackDragon