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Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Minor Disturbances

Chapter 5





Kenji rolled out of his futon and sighed. Yesterday was NOT a
good day. Because Nabiki sent animal control after him, he spent the
better part of the day running. Not only did he miss a school test, he
now had Ukyo upset at him. How?

When he finally returned to the restaurant, he had to sneak in
the bathroom window in the back so as to avoid the animal control people
looking for him. He returned to his naked human form, just in time to
witness Ukyo about to step into the furo.

Yuri wasn't much better. She did ask him for the truth and he
tried to explain, but still she still had a difficult time believing
him. He sighed and wondered if he could talk to anybody about this.

He shook his head and proceeded to get dressed while planning
his revenge. There must be SOME way to top what she had done, he just
had to find it.

Information, that's what he needed. Nabiki was the information
queen and presumably knew all about him, now he needed to know about
her.

He shrugged, as it sounded good, and went downstairs to get
some breakfast.







"Here's the order for table five," Mousse said, handing the
bowls of ramen to RanRan. She accepted them and went to deliver them.

He looked for the next order, but there was none as the lunch
rush was ending. Sighing, he began to do some cleaning and inventory.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shampoo watching him. Once upon a
time he would've taken great joy out of her attention on him and
immediately showered her with his love and gifts. Now, he was resigned
to go about his duties while she watched.

Shampoo was confused. Mousse had been acting different ever
since Akane beat her and they went back to China. He hadn't spouted his
love for her at all and while she was grateful for that, she still
wondered what was going through his mind. He was acting like a friend
and a humble Amazon male. Part of her missed the old Mousse, and
absently thought that maybe Cologne's death had an affect on him as
well.

She sighed quietly. He wasn't really that bad looking, and he
had been a good friend lately. Now that Ranma was lost to her, where
would she find a husband? Mousse was a strong fighter, despite his
reluctance to hit her, and he already knew how to be a proper amazon
male, something she suspected Ranma would never be.

She shook her head.
Anger welled up and she took it out on the object of her thoughts.

"" she called in their native mandarin while walking
into the kitchen. ""

He turned, looked at her blankly, and answered. "" He left to get the necessary cleaning supplies.

Shampoo left the kitchen for her room, strangely disturbed.
Mistreating Mousse normally gave her some satisfaction, but now, for
some reason, it didn't. And he called her `honored warrior' instead of
her real name, following the traditional and respectful address an
Amazon male would use to address a female.

She closed the door to her room and dug out one of her great-
grandmother's ancient books, hoping to get her mind off this latest
subject. So much knowledge was contained in her great-grandmother's
small library. In fact, it was in one of her books that she learned how
to do the Megami Ha, or goddess blast, that she used against Akane.

It was ki technique based on pride, but it didn't help much
against the youngest Tendo. Apparently, Akane had learned Ranma's ki
blast as well as another technique that made her glow gold and increase
her speed and strength to Ranma's level. It also worked as sort of a
protective barrier. Unfortunately, none of her great-grandmother's books
had any information on it.

She sighed. She was the best warrior of her generation, but
Cologne wouldn't teach her any of the higher level techniques. True, the
members of the tribe don't start learning them until their 25th year,
but she taught Ranma two of them and even that pig-boy one of them. Not
only were they males, but they were younger than the age requirement!
She finally found out why when she went over her great-grandmother's
journal.

Apparently, her elder thought Ranma was extremely gifted and
the two techniques she showed him were well within his capabilities. She
taught Ryoga the mostly useless breaking point to give Ranma a suitable
sparring partner in much the same way a knife is sharpened by a
whetstone.

What caused her the most distress, was Cologne's evaluations of
her. Shampoo was `too ruled by passion,' `not enough discipline,' and
`lacked foresight' according to the elder matriarch. That `husband
hunting after Ranma was more to teach her of the outside world instead
of just getting a man for her.'

It was bitter medicine, but she swallowed it.

Only now was she fully coming to grips with her attitudes and
actions. She still had much thinking and learning to do, so that's why
she took she decided to return to Nerima. Amazon warriors who had won
the annual village tournament were allowed to leave the village and
experience the outside world, and she had once again compteted and won
right before the Phoenix Mountain events. So she left, mainly to escape
the other girls.

She may have been the best in the village, but she wasn't that
popular. Many of the other girls thought she was stuck-up and spoiled
just because her great-grandmother was a matriarch, and had trained her
well.

When Ranma had first come to the village and beaten her, her
pride was demolished and she could hear the snickers in the background.
So, she foolishly used the kiss of death to leave the village and kill
Ranma. She failed and returned in disgrace. Her great-grandmother once
again covered for her and was able to sway the council into a Jusenkyo
curse as punishment.

She laughed bitterly. It figures she would get turned into one
of the few things Ranma couldn't stand. It was if Jusenkyo knew what she
wanted and conspired against her.

Now, here she was. After returning the other Amazons and Zhao
Len back home, and participating in Zhao Len's trial, she decided to
return to Nerima to learn more about herself and what her path in life
was. Only now, she was more confused than ever.

Her mind returned to the present and she closed the book in
front of her. It was just a book on different plants and herbs and she
was in no mood to study that at the moment. Standing up, she though she
heard a faint jingle, like a bell, but she couldn't tell where it was
coming from. Then, the room went pitch black and she heard the bell ring
again, louder this time.

"Mousse?" she called out. No answer. "If this is joke, it no is
very funny." She cursed and wished she had that amulet on her that
helped her speak Japenese. She just wasn't very good at this multiple
language thing like Mousse was. "" she called in her
native Mandarin.

Again, no answer.

Then, "Beeee myaaai briiiide!" was all she heard before she
passed out.





Down stairs, Mousse was finishing the floors when Shampoo came
running down the stairs. "I'm going out for awhile, Mousse. Don't wait
up for me!" Then she was gone.

The myopic Amazon shook his head.






"So, you're sure this is the place?"

"Hai, sensei," Denoki answered his traveling companion and
master. "According to reports, this Nerima has a large percentage of
strong martial artists."

"Good!" Denoki's sensei grinned viscously. "I've been looking
for a good challenge for awhile now, to test my supreme skills."

Denoke fidgeted nervously. "Sensei, are you sure this is such a
good idea? I mean, you just developed this fighting style. Shouldn't you
test it out before going against the strongest martial artists?"

He glanced at Sukebe, his sensei. His master was of average
height and build, wearing a black shirt and pants. His short, black hair
was slicked back with copious amounts of gel.

"Nonsense!" Sukebe laughed. "I've already tested it and it's
unbeatable! I need merely perfect it and assure myself as the premier
martial artist of my generation."

"Yeah," Denoki mumbled. "Against little kids..."

Sukebe turned to the little man who served as his student and
servant. "Did you say something?"

"Nothing, sensei!"

"Very well! Let us go find some worthy opponents!" His gaze
wandered around the street they were currently strolling down. "There!
How about those two?"

The two boys in question were walking down the other side of
the street towards them. They were wearing school uniforms of some sort
and were playfully punching and kicking each other in a mock fight.

"Denoki, bring those two to the alley over there. There is where
I will have my first fight in Nerima!"

The short man sighed. "As you wish, sensei."






"Man, Daisuke, did you see Ranma level that thing yesterday?"
Hiroshi made a mock attempt at a chestnut punch at his friend.

Daisuke suffered through the `attack.' "I don't know, it was
that cute chef who finished off." He pretended to swing a large spatula.
"Ukyo-chan sure is cute."

"Knock it off, man!" Hiroshi whapped his friend on the head.
"You've already got a girlfriend!"

"Yeah, Sayuri is pretty cute," Daisuke said dreamily. "But a guy
can still admire other pretty flowers!"

Hiroshi groaned. "Whatever, man."

"So, what's happening with you and Yuka?"

Hiroshi quieted down. "Not much, She-"

"Excuse me, but might I speak to you gentlemen for a moment?"

The two boys turned to the short man who had interupted them
and blinked simultaneously.

"Sauske-san?" Daisuke asked. "Don't you work for Kuno-sempai?"

The little man looked positively horrified. "No! I'm Denoki!
I'm not related to... him!"

They blinked again, and Hiroshi said, "Sorry. It's just uncanny
how you look like him. So, what do want with us?"

Denoke cleared his throat. "My master would like to meet with
you, right over here." He indicated an alley across the street.

Hiroshi look at Daisuke who shrugged. "Sure, I suppose we got
some time. Lead the way."

Denoki bowed and led the two boys to his master. Across the
street, Sukebe grinned evilly.






"Hey Saotome, can I speak to you for awhile? Alone?"

Ranma and Akane turned from where they were walking out of
school. "Ah, sure Kenji, I suppose." He turned back to his scowling
fiancee. "Uh, see ya at home, later?"

Akane glanced between Ranma and Kenji. "Alright," she said,
then her face brightened a bit. "But you better be home soon! I'm
cooking tonight! Don't keep him too long Kenji-kun." She walked off and
waved. "Bye!"

Kenji could hear Ranma audibly gulp as he waved to his fiancee.
When she disappeared, the ninja boy clapped his friend on the back. "I
feel for ya, man." Indeed, he HAD sampled Akane's cooking one time, and
that one time was enough for him.

They started walking. "Well, it's not that bad anymore.
Occasionally, she messes up the recipes, but most of the time it's
actually edible." He shook his head. "So, what'd ya wanna talk to me
about?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, well, I just wondering if you noticed anything
different about Kuno-sempai recently?"

"Not really." Ranma snorted. "Other than he hasn't glomped or
attacked me for awhile. I think he's finally started to get the
picture."

Kenji grinned. "What? You mean the pig-tailed
goddess doesn't miss her handsome Kuno-sempai?"

Ranma made gagging motions. "Oh please, I'm glad that's over
with." He smiled. "'Course, there were several times it was fun to mess
with his head."

Kenji laughed. "Didn't I hear about some competition you had
for him with another girl one time?"

"Yeah," Ranma replied after a minute. "A martial arts
cheerleader named, uh, Mariko? I think. Yeah, Konjo Mariko. Real nut
case. Loved Kuno for awhile." Ranma shifted uncomfortably. "Look I kinda
don't wanna talk about that, if ya mind."

"Oh, no problem." "So,
should I save you a spot at Ucchan's later, then?"

Ranma laughed and the two talked for a awhile before splitting
up to head to their respective residences. At least, that's where Kenji
was headed at first. After a block, he switched directions.

He had a few things to pick up and a few people to talk to
first.







"Dang it!"

"What's the matter, Ucchan?" Yuri asked.

"The grill is broken again!" Ukyo kicked it. "And I just had it
fixed last week!"

Yuri abandoned her task, which was washing the tables, and
walked over to where Ukyo was standing behind the grill. "Well, it's a
good thing we just closed."

Ukyo ducked under the grill again, fiddling with the insides.
"Well, I guess I'm just gonna have to get it fixed before tomorrow."

"You'll do it. I haven't seen a grill that you couldn't fix."
The ninja girl went back to her task. After a few minutes, she heard
Ukyo swear. "What is it now?"

"It's been sabotaged!"

"What?"

Ukyo reappeared above the grill with a slightly blackened face
and a couple of parts in her hands. She held one of them up. "The wiring
on this... looks like it's been... chewed through!"

Yuri took a look at it and the obvious chewing marks, then
looked back at Ukyo. "But what could bite through the protective steel
casing?"




Somewhere out there, a gremlin sneezed... then belched.





The scientist glanced around the room. he wondered. He
blinked.

"Takayoshi!"

The young boy cam bounding down the stairs. "Yes, papa?"

"Where's the Mark 12?" the boy's father demanded, pointing to
the empty space.

Takayoshi gulped. "Uh, it went out far a walk?" His father
merely narrowed his gaze and tapped his foot. "And it kinda got... blown
up?"

Mr. Fuchida sighed. "What have I told you about messing with my
experiments!?"

The boy twiddled his fingers. "Uh, I'm sorry, papa?"

The man sighed again. "You bet you are. You're also grounded
for a month!"

"Yes, papa." Takayoshi turned around and left for his room.

Mr. Fuchida shook his head, then returned to his work. With the
mark 12 gone, he decided to work on the quantum accelerator instead. He
had picked up the plans for it a few years ago at lab where the previous
scientist who had been working on it, disappeared.

He saw where the scientist had gone wrong, so all he needed to
do was modify the design slightly...





"LinLin, do you know if Shampoo came home last night?" Mousse
asked while preparing the next ramen order. "I haven't seen her all
day."

She shook her head. "Not know. She not say anything to me."

Mousse looked thoughtful. "Come to think of it, the way she
left yesterday was rather strange."

LinLin sat down to take a break, since the dinner rush had
ended. "Yes, I notice sister Shampoo leave." She looked across the
restaurant. "Sister! Come here for a moment!" RanRan looked up where she
was sweeping and flipped her way over to where the other two amazons
were standing. LinLin shook her head. "Show off."

RanRan playfully stuck her tongue out. "What you want, sister?"

"We're talking about Shampoo," Mousse repeated.

"What about? She sleeping in bed now."

Mousse and LinLin blinked.

"You mean she did come home last night?" Mousse asked
incredulously.

"Of course." RanRan grinned. "Mousse worried about sister
Shampoo?"

The myopic Amazon sighed and mumbled under his breath, "For all
the good it does me..."

"LinLin not understand. Thought you loved Shampoo?"

He sighed again. "I still do. But I've been doing a lot of
thinking. I thought that once she was free of Ranma she'd be more
willing to show me some understanding, but it's almost the same old
thing." He removed his glasses and pulled out a tissue to clean them.
"She still mistreats and takes advantage of me. She'll never return the
love I have for her." He replaced his glasses and pounded the counter
with his fist. "Why!? I just don't understand."

The twin girls each picked a shoulder and patted it
sympathetically. "Poor Mousse," they said in unison.

"Plenty other girls out there," LinLin offered.

"Mousse will find one for him," RanRan added.

Mousse shook his head. "Whatever. We should finish cleaning the
restaurant for tomorrow." He went back to the kitchen to continue
cleaning.

The two young Amazon girls knew that the matter was closed for
now, so they too headed back to their cleaning.







As LinLin continued to clean the tables, she failed to notice
the newspaper a patron had left behind, and one particular article
specifically. Instead, it had gone straight into the trash. If she had
bothered to look at it, she might have seen the article on the first
page.

In it, a witness reported seeing an attack taking place and he
went to help the young woman in distress. Of the attacker, he could only
say it seemed like a vicious creature that walked on two legs, but
couldn't really identify it because of the darkness. All he could say
was that it moved fast and struck like lightning.

And as it ran away, he could almost swear it growled like some
jungle cat.



-------------------------------------------

Author's notes:
Kudos to anybody who recognizes the name of Takayoshi Fuchida. I don't
think it will be real easy to tell where I got the name, even if you're
somewhat familiar with the universe where I got it. I'll give ya a hint,
though. His name is rarely mentioned without another guy, because they
invented something together.