Power
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic by Intrasonic
> brackets denote Chinese speech
"What is THIS!?!" Akane demanded angrily.
The other two present glanced briefly at each
other.
"How she find?" Shampoo muttered.
"Musta followed me," Ranma muttered back.
"Shampoo not plan on fight yet."
He shrugged. "Then we'll just team up against
her."
"That not have honour," she objected.
"What's wrong with it? Two-on-two. The two
of us, against her and whatever's giving her all that power. That's fair
to me."
Simple logic, but fairly intact, Shampoo agreed.
It was time to see if her training had done anything. And it would be alongside
Ranma... "Is good."
"You think you can pull off that technique
on her?" Ranma hissed.
A challenge, even if Ranma hadn't quite intended
it that way. "Shampoo do technique," she agreed.
"We'll try to distract Akane. I'll get her
in a hold. Then you move in and try the technique. Got it?"
If she thought that Ranma was deliberately
trying to take the more dangerous of the two tasks, she set aside any retorts
for the time being. Neither half was going to be easy... "Is good."
The two slipped into their respective combat
stances.
In that instant, everything came crashing down
for Akane. Not only were Ranma and Shampoo together, they weren't fighting
each other. The hard-edged look in both pairs of eyes was unmistakable.
They were both preparing to fight her at the same time.
Those nights Ranma had come home completely
exhausted, only to leave again the next day for still more training. The
sudden change of heart that he'd displayed towards her. That business with
him fighting the training dummies. Even the outing they'd just gone on
together...
... All ruined. All for nothing. And all because
of one person...
"You!!!" she growled, glaring furiously towards
Shampoo. "This is all your fault!!!"
The amazon scowled. "Violent-girl beat Shampoo,
Violent-girl beat Ranma. So we practice together to beat Violent-girl."
"You're just a pair of sore losers!" she snapped.
"And you're just a liar!" Ranma shot
back. "You're a pathetic excuse for a martial artist, and your 'power'
is just a big joke. And we're gonna prove it!!!
"Just try it!!!"
Both sides attacked.
"Don't let her hit you!" Ranma warned, realizing
Akane's intended target.
Shampoo slipped sideways around Akane's first
punch, already ducking under the follow-up. Akane was slower, she decided.
Either that, or too angry to even fight rationally. She'd decide for herself
at a safer time.
The third punch came faster, hitting her in
the shoulder hard enough to knock her off-balance, skipping back a few
steps to regain room to manoeuver.
Ranma's double-kick came before any follow-up
could occur, his first leg knocking Akane's legs out from under her, the
second striking squarely in her ribs.
Akane grunted from the impacts, but she was
already grabbing Ranma's extended leg and swinging him over her head. He
hit the ground a distance away, rolling several times before managing to
right himself.
Shampoo took the opportunity to plant a haymaker
under Akane's chin, lifting the target right off her feet for a moment.
Flipping backwards, the Amazon let her right leg lash out in a wide arc,
aiming directly for Akane's stomach.
The kick would have easily shattered a block
of concrete, but Akane simply caught the foot and pulled. Shampoo wound
up being thrown to the ground, twisting in time to absorb the impact with
her shoulder instead of her head.
Akane drew back to deliver a full-body kick
to the recovering Amazon, when Ranma slammed into her from behind, yanked
her arms behind her into a hold, while locking his legs with hers and forcing
her to collapse to the ground.
"GO FOR IT!!!" he urged, although Shampoo
was already lunging at Akane.
Akane strained against the hold, but the leverage
was working severely against her. An attempted thrashing only served to
roll the two of them over and give Shampoo a better target to work with.
"Get away from me!" Akane yelled, still trying
to twist out of the hold.
Shampoo's pressed her left forearm against
Akane, keeping her from moving too much, while her right hand flattened
itself against the girl's chest. This was the moment of truth, she realized.
Either the technique would work, or...
Time seemed to slow as she began to concentrate
and focus the battle-induced adrenaline rush into a single task. Her battle
aura was already flaring up, the blue fire racing down the length of her
arm towards Akane. Ranma's face was going red from exertion, a testament
to the strength required simply to restrain Akane at the moment.
"What... are you DOING?!?" Akane demanded,
redoubling her effort upon seeing Shampoo's aura creeping towards her.
Shampoo locked eyes with Akane, eerie flickers
of aura dancing behind them. "Shampoo learn TRUTH about Violent-girl..."
Somehow, the statement scared Akane more than
any mere physical threat could have. The aura was emerging from between
the Amazon's fingers, pausing only slightly as she began to muster the
strength to bridge the gap between the two persons.
"Nev..." Akane threw all her strength into
a last-ditch effort, applying brute-strength to escape the hold where technique
had failed. "NEVER!!!"
Ranma cursed as he felt her strength begin
to overpower him, despite his advantage in leverage. She was simply too
strong to restrain. "Get back, Sham-"
Akane's left fist connected with Shampoo like
a transport truck, her right arm grabbing Ranma's arm and hurling him away
like discus. Both of them were spent tumbling across the clearing before
finally colliding with a tree.
"Ow," Ranma groaned, staggering to his feet
and rubbing his head. He felt like he'd just played punching bag for Tarou
in his cursed form."Geez, she's strong."
"We not fast enough," Shampoo noted, nursing
what was going to be a massive bruise to her side in a few hours. Even
her Great-grandmother was never this harsh during training.
"Then we'll try it again. She can't get lucky
forever."
Akane was on her feet, a thin sheen of sweat
on her face as she sucked in a few quick breaths of air. "You'll never
beat me!"
"You not last forever!" Shampoo shot back.
"I can hold out longer than you two!" she
growled, in a fighting stance once again.
"Then me and Shampoo'll just keep training!"
Ranma returned. "For as long as it takes! We'll figure out what's makin'
you so strong, and we'll stop it. And then you'll be nothing!"
Something about his statement seemed register
with Akane, as her eyes briefly went vacant, as though suddenly realizing
something. "You... this is all her fault! This is all that old woman's
fault! She'll pay for this!!!"
"What're you talkin' about?"
Akane pointed a finger at the two of them.
"I'll deal with you two another time! This isn't over! Not by a long shot!!!"
With that, she broke into a sprint, the other
two simply watching her run off, somewhat bewildered at the sudden change
in events.
"What was she yellin' about?" Ranma wanted
to know. "And where's she going?"
"She run towards Nekohanten," Shampoo realized.
"She fight with... Great-grandmother!"
"No way. She ain't that strong, is
she?"
"Not know..."
Both broke into a sprint towards the restaurant.
With a crash, the door to the Nekohanten was
thrown up with enough force to actually crack one of the hinges. The assailant
stormed in only moments later, looking about the room angrily.
"YOU!!!" Akane yelled angrily.
Cologne blinked from where she was seated,
then lifted another mouthful of noodles from her bowl to her mouth. "Good
evening, Tendou-girl. I'm afraid we're closed right now."
"Don't play innocent with me! This is all
your fault!"
The matriarch sighed. "Really, I'm quite sorry
about being closed, but you'll simply have to come back next week. But
I'm flattered that you're so distraught over not being able to sample our
food."
Akane smashed her fist down on the table,
cracking it in two. "Don't play games with me!"
Cologne skipped back, still holding her bowl
of noodles. "Would you care to elaborate on why you just destroyed a piece
of furniture?"
"It's your fault Ranma hates me!"
The Amazon raised an eyebrow. "My, I was wondering
how long it would take for that to happen. You're looking rather dirty
right now, by the way. You haven't been fighting recently, have you?"
"This Jewel of Power was nothing but a trick
to make Ranma hate me!"
"I think not. It made you stronger, did it
not? And you have my word of honour that the item has absolutely no other
side effects."
"Liar! This is what's making Ranma hate me!"
"I very much doubt that Ranma hates you."
"Says you! Then why was he teaming up with
Shampoo to fight me?!?"
Cologne gave a knowing smile. "Tendou-girl,
you beat him in combat and fed him some story about being stronger than
him. And you expected him to take that lying down? Son-in-Law thrives
on challenges, and when you defeated him, you just turned yourself into
his latest challenge. And defeating Shampoo in combat? You literally beat
her within an inch of her life, your control over your new power was so
poor. That was absolute idiocy, considering the Amazon laws regarding such
matters."
Akane's face was red by this time. "You...
you..."
"Tendou-girl, you've been a fool. While you
were strutting around enjoying your newfound power, he and my Great-granddaughter
were training together like true warriors. Now which do you think would
impress Son-in-Law more? A girl who thinks wearing a necklace is all that
is required to be a martial artist, and isn't even willing to put in the
effort required to improve herself? Or a girl who lives and breathes The
Art, and is both willing and happy to take every bruise and blow required
to become a more capable warrior? I merely clarified those choices for
him. Or rather, you've clarified those choices for him."
Akane drew back her fist. "I'm not going to
let you get away with this!"
"Accept it and let it go," Cologne suggested.
"You've nothing to gain from pursuing this business any further. I think
your sister would advise the same thing."
Akane lunged.
With a crash, the door to the Nekohanten was
thrown open with enough force to crack the remaining hinge, the door falling
to the ground with noisy clatter.
Cologne glanced up at the new arrivals, chewing
a mouthful of noodles. "Were you two planning on fighting me as well?"
Ranma blinked. "...as well?"
"Violent-girl here?" Shampoo demanded, already
preparing for another fight.
Cologne gestured towards the floor behind
her with her chopsticks. "She seemed rather upset with me over something
before."
Both visibly relaxed upon seeing Akane's unconscious
form. "Great-grandmother beat Violent-girl?" Shampoo inquired, unable to
keep a hint of awe from her voice.
"I merely touched a pressure point. The girl
seemed to think that I'd be foolish enough to give her so much power without
being able to stop her if the need arose."
The two blinked in unison.
"You mean..." Ranma began. "... YOU were the
one who made her so strong?!?"
Cologne chuckled. "Why yes. I gave her a Jewel
of Power. It's an old Amazon treasure that can increase one's strength.
What I neglected to tell her was that the jewel doesn't create power out
of thin air. It transfers power from another person wearing a similar jewel,
which I happen to be wearing. Unfortunately for her, it's quite easy for
me to block the flow of power. Needless to say, I didn't have much trouble
defeating her."
"You mean..." Ranma interpreted. "...all this
time, she's been so strong because she was using your power?"
"In a nutshell, yes."
Both alternated between staring at Cologne
and each other.
"You mean... we got pummelled because you
felt like playin' a joke on us?" Ranma finally demanded.
"Is bad taste," Shampoo agreed, somewhat miffed
herself.
"Oh? You think I did it for fun?"
Neither risked replying to that.
"I would like to talk with you, Son-in-Law.
Shampoo, if you would be so kind as to carry Miss Tendou back to her home?"
Ranma swallowed, seeing a somewhat dangerous
look cross Shampoo's face. "Uh..."
"I do not want her harmed, Great-granddaughter,"
Cologne instructed firmly. "She has already been defeated. An Amazon warrior
does not attack those under herself."
Shampoo sucked in a breath, finally nodding
her assent to the instructions. Picking up the sleeping form of Akane,
she glanced back at the other two. "Shampoo take Violent-girl back to home.
Then come back to restaurant."
"Most appreciated, Great-granddaughter."
The Amazon merely scowled as she exited the
building.
Ranma swallowed. "Hey... are you sure-"
"She won't do anything to Akane," Cologne
assured him. "As much as she might like to right now. So... I presume that
the two of you fought with Akane?"
Ranma rubbed his arm gingerly. "Yeah, we fought.
I guess it makes sense why she was so hard to beat."
"Indeed. So... I suppose you're rather upset
with me right now?"
"What kinda question is that?"
"I've been waiting these past few days while
you and my Great-granddaughter trained together. I watched her come home
each night, full of bruises, but with a smile on her face. And she has
told me that you admitted to enjoying it yourself. And I know that her
skills have improved, even in this short time. Would you deny such a thing?"
"I guess we did better against Akane this
time," Ranma agreed neutrally.
Cologne chuckled. "You mean to say that you
actually hated it the whole time?"
"I didn't say that! So what's your point?"
"I merely did this to clarify something for
you, Son-in-Law. This isn't about marriage or such business, exactly. I
simply sought to point out a crucial difference between the two girls.
Put simply, one is a martial artist, while the other is merely a person
who does martial artist. You know the difference, do you not?"
Ranma face took on a sombre look. "Yeah...
I get you."
"You cannot afford to ignore that difference,
Son-in-Law. You have devoted your life to the betterment of yourself in
The Art. Would you just throw it all away?"
Nabiki's ears perked up upon hearing someone
enter the house. They hadn't knocked, but they weren't trying to keep their
arrival a secret either. Ranma or Akane, no doubt. Back from their mutually-friendly-outing-that-was-not-a-date,
of course. Hopefully, they were smart enough to arrive home separately.
Setting down her book, she left her house
and waited at the top of the steps for the arrival to start upstairs. Depending
on who it was, she looked forward to either teasing or questioning them.
It was safe to say therefore, that seeing
Shampoo carrying in an unconscious Akane was a surprise to her. But she
hid it well.
"I suppose you were planning on knocking at
some point?" Nabiki inquired with a frown. "Although I don't believe that's
ever been your strong point, has it?"
Shampoo met the glare. "Where room?"
Questions could wait a few moments. "This
way."
Once Shampoo had set down her younger sister
on the bed, Nabiki resumed the questioning. "Would you care to give me
an explanation for this? I don't take kindly to having my younger sister
beaten unconscious, you know."
"Mercenary-girl see bruise on Violent-girl?"
Shampoo demanded, lifting the side of her shirt. "This bruise."
"So why are you the one carrying her?"
"Violent-girl attack Great-grandmother. Very
stupid."
Nabiki groaned inwardly. Somehow, she was
beginning to have a hunch that the outing had not gone smoothly.
"And where is Ranma?"
"He talk with Great-grandmother. Shampoo go
back to Nekohanten now."
"Just like that? No Kiss of Death? No memory
shampoos? No other Amazon laws?"
Shampoo reached towards Akane, lifting a necklace
from around her neck. "Violent-girl not defeat Shampoo. Jewel make strong,
jewel defeat Shampoo. Not work anymore."
"A jewel that made her super-strong," Nabiki
agreed, eyeing the piece of jewellery with a frown. Amazon origin, if she
was any judge. "Of course. Care to tell me how she came into possession
of this jewel in the first place?"
The Amazon scowled as she headed towards the
door. "Not know. Ask Great-grandmother if want to know."
Nabiki's face finally clouded over as she
was left alone in the room with Akane. "Yes... I think I will ask
her."
Akane was stirring now, her muscles tensing
and relaxing as life slowly came back to them. As Shampoo had pointed out
before, aside from a few scuff and dirt marks, she looked unharmed. Defeating
an opponent without actually harming them was a strong trademark of Cologne's
fighting tactics, she knew.
Akane's eyes were finally opening, blinking
as they struggled to accommodate the incoming light while focussing on
the ceiling. Nabiki waited patiently until they had fixed themselves upon
her before speaking.
"Hello, little sister. Care to fill me on
the details?"
"So what was the point of all that?" Ranma
was demanding. "You even taught us that technique to use!"
"Of course, the technique," Cologne agreed,
still smiling.
"Well?"
"What Great-grandmother teach?" Shampoo demanded,
walking into the door-less doorway. "Shampoo want know too."
"Simple. You and Shampoo have been training
in the "Mind's Eye" technique. It's a highly effective technique used for
marital counselling. It lets two warriors look into each other's mind,
coming to a greater and deeper understanding of each other in the process."
"Is LIE!!!"
"You taught us a THERAPY technique!?!"
"I had you waiting tables and balancing soup
as a girl, Son-in-Law. I had Lost Boy bashing himself into boulders for
a week. Exactly what do you find so unbelievable about this situation?"
"Great-grandmother terrible."
Ranma sighed, acknowledging the point. "Yeah,
yeah. This ain't some kind of trap, is it? There ain't some Amazon law
that I'm breaking now, is there?"
"Nothing at all. The technique requires both
people to be willing participants, making it useless for actual combat,
but it worked well enough between the two of you."
"So why Great-grandmother teach?" Shampoo
insisted.
"Akane ain't strong anymore, is she?"
"The jewel will not work any longer. She will
be back to normal now. This little 'scheme' of mine is finished."
Ranma let the statement sink in. "So what
was the point?" he repeated.
"The point, Son-in-Law," Cologne stated, "was
to put this question to you - In light of everything you've and her have
experienced, I ask you - do you really hate Shampoo that much? That you
would refuse to even considering the idea of marrying her? That you hate
the idea of spending time with someone who has loved you as a warrior from
the day she met you, and is now learning to love you as a person as well?
That you would be adverse to the thought of growing old together, training
and bettering yourselves in The Art? Is Shampoo really that repulsive
to you?"
Ranma scowled in reply, forcing himself not
to meet Shampoo's face. "Don't go puttin' words in my mouth!"
"Of course not," Cologne agreed with a smile.
"It's getting late, Son-in-Law. You should get home yourself. And I wasn't
really expecting an answer from you this very moment. But perhaps you should
consider what I have said. Your future is at stake, after all."
A tap against the doorframe made all three
individuals turn to face the source.
"The most incredible thing just happened,"
Nabiki deadpanned, leaning comfortably against the wood. "My little sister
just arrived home, knocked unconscious, and being carried by Shampoo. Can
you believe it?"
"I never would have imagined," Cologne replied,
just as flatly. "And so you came by to take Son-in-Law home?"
"Ranma's a big boy, he can take care of himself.
But your Great-granddaughter said that if I want to know what's going on,
I'd better ask you. So consider yourself asked."
"I see. What if I suggested that this is none
of your business?"
"What if I suggested that a few government
branches do a more in-depth examination of your visitor's status in Japan?
To say nothing of what our two younger Amazons have been up to on occasion?
And is my request really that unreasonable?"
Cologne chuckled. "Well put. Great-granddaughter,
Son-in-Law, consider yourselves dismissed. The two of us will further discuss
this matter alone."
"Right," Ranma agreed. "Gettin' late anyway."
"You dismiss Shampoo from own house?" Shampoo
muttered incredulously.
"Oh, don't be that way. Go outside and get
some fresh air."
Neither Cologne nor Nabiki spoke until the
room was devoid of anyone save themselves.
"So as I was saying..." Nabiki began. "I just
finished hearing out my little sister. Apparently you gave her a trinket
necklace that was intended to make Ranma love Shampoo and hate her to the
point where the two were ganging up to attack her."
"Heaven forbid."
"So I thought that I'd come down to figure
out what really happened. First, I'll tell you how I see the story
so far. Then you can feel free to correct me and fill in the details. Does
that sound fair?"
"Quite. I'm all ears."
It was two silent people who finally halted
a short distance away from the Nekohanten, both consciously avoiding meeting
the other's gaze. Unfortunately, the street was devoid of any other life
at this hour, offering no convenient distractions for either of them at
the moment.
It was Shampoo who finally broke the silence.
"Shampoo sorry."
Ranma blinked. "You're sorry? How come?"
"Sorry for Great-grandmother plan. Great-grandmother
say she help Shampoo. Say that plan help Shampoo make Ranma like her more..."
Ranma didn't say anything in reply to that.
"...Shampoo not know what plan was. If Shampoo
know what technique Great-grandmother really teach, she not agree to it."
"Ah... don't worry about it. I guess the Ol'
Ghoul had us both fooled this time. I guess it coulda been worse. And it's
not like... I mean, we trust each other, right? I ain't gonna go telling
anybody nothing."
Shampoo nodded. "Is secret."
"And once my little sister had all but beaten
the life out of your Great-granddaughter, you simply came by and casually
let Ranma know about it. And since both of them are the type who don't
take being beaten lying down, it was fairly likely that the two would start
working together. And because it was 'only' fighting, Ranma didn't get
scared off from spending time with a prospective fiancee. And I imagine
that Shampoo was absolutely thrilled to spend time training with her prospective
husband."
Cologne laughed as Nabiki paused to take a
sip of water. "I am quite impressed, Tendou-girl. Your observation skills
and intelligence do you credit. You would make an excellent Amazon elder,
if I do say so myself."
"I think that I'll take that as a compliment."
"So if you do not mind me asking, I am rather
unsure how your sister and my Great-granddaughter came into contact tonight."
Nabiki shrugged. "Owing to the recent events,
Ranma and Akane actually stopped fighting recently, so I figured I might
as well take advantage of it to bring about some mutual understanding between
them. Not unlike what you were doing, I suppose."
"Indeed."
"So I set them up on a friendly-outing-that-was-not-a-date
tonight to a martial arts movie. I even trained Akane not to get angry
whenever Ranma put his foot in his mouth. And somehow, things messed anyway."
"Not on your account. Perhaps this idea of
mine was more in jeopardy than I suspected. I confess that I hadn't planned
on your interfering with this business so quickly."
"I believe that I'll take that as a compliment
as well."
"As you should. But now that everything has
occurred... what will you do now? Try to get me deported back to China?"
Nabiki shook her head, offering a thin smile.
"Unfortunately, the only person who's not completely legal in this country
is Mousse. You've arranged things quite well for you and your Great-granddaughter.
But Shampoo's been up to enough things that she could be considered a public
menace. So I suppose that option's open to me. But I have other concerns.
Namely, I want to know if you're going to finish what you started."
"Please, clarify."
"There is a pact that states that a Saotome
must marry a Tendou. It doesn't actually specify who, but there's only
one male Saotome, and three female Tendou's. And you just all but completely
ruined the chances of Ranma marrying Akane."
"There's always your older sister."
"Kasumi's made enough sacrifices as it is.
Besides, she's no more interested than I am. And I'm not interested
in the slightest."
"Are you absolutely certain?"
Nabiki smirked. "Oh, he's a good looking boy
right now. And I bet he grows up to be one hell of a handsome man. But
what does he have beyond that? He may be the best martial artist around
- present company excepted - but that's all he's got. He's got the
worst case of foot-in-mouth syndrome I've ever seen in my life. He stirs
up more trouble than he's worth. So why would I want to marry him?"
"Your logic is rare, Tendou-girl. And what
of your family honour?"
Nabiki shrugged. "I suppose that our family
honour is still important."
"Of course you still care about your family's
honour. I understand completely. So tell me, how honourable is a sense
of honour that cares nothing about the honour of others?"
"I'm sure that your Amazon honour is as concerned
about our family honour as ours is over yours. But the only two fiancees
that Ranma is actually pledged to marry are Ukyou and someone from my family.
Your Amazon claim is only one-way, if you follow me."
"Quite true. So if you will not marry Son-in-Law,
and you will not force your older sister marry him... what will you do?"
Nabiki shrugged. "Get him to marry someone
else. To be honest, I'm rather indifferent as to who that person is. My
younger sister, Ukyou, Shampoo... he can marry Kodachi for all I care.
But at this rate, he'll never agree to marry Akane. And my father will
probably decide to stick me with fiancee duties. And I already toyed
with that once. I do not feel like dealing with it again."
Cologne nodded slowly. "I did not do this
purely to spite your younger sister, Tendou-girl. Do you remember the talk
we had earlier this evening?"
"I do."
"So what do you think? You have worked hard
for what you have, and have made many sacrifices along the way. Could you
see yourself marrying a person who did not understand this? Even if they
know what type of person you are, does they mean that they understand
you? That they accept you? Were I to hazard a guess... I would say that
you have yet to find such a person."
"Not yet, but I'm still young."
The matriarch continued. "To put it bluntly,
your younger sister is a person of numerous interests. While Son-in-Law
is a person of very few. I think you know firsthand the effort involved
in simply getting them to spent an evening together in peace. And they
are to be married? Will you be there every moment of their lives to assist
them? Is there any merit to making such an effort to put two people together
who cannot coexist on their own?"
"It's... not a profitable approach."
"It most certainly is not. In fact, might
I suggest that you would actually be doing your younger sister a favour
by ensuring that she does not marry Son-in-Law?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. The point is moot if Ranma
decides to marry someone else."
"Quite right."
"So..." Nabiki persisted, "are you going to
finish what you started? You just finished making Ranma like Shampoo a
lot more than he likes Akane. What's the next step of your plan?"
"There isn't one, I'm afraid."
"That's not what I want to hear."
"And why should there be, Tendou-girl? Once
you've started a rock rolling down a mountain, pushing it along further
changes little. Far better to let it roll at its own pace, while you deal
with any obstacles further down the hill."
Nabiki stood up. "If that's how you stand
on this matter..."
"It is."
"Then give me a call if I can help."
"You okay?"
"Shampoo fine."
"I mean, I ain't sayin' your weak or nothin'.
But we both got a little knocked around by Akane before..."
She smiled faintly at his attempt at diplomacy.
"Shampoo know Ranma not say she weak. And Shampoo sorry she get mad before.
Shampoo little hurt, but okay tomorrow."
"That's good," Ranma agreed, leaning back
against the fence. "Y'know, I think I figured something out. Why Akane
was always angry at me."
Shampoo raised an eyebrow inquiringly, but
said nothing.
Ranma leaned back against the stone wall,
staring idly at the night sky. "It was always about beating people up.
That's all The Art ever was to her. I dunno why, but that's all she cared
about. Once she could beat up everyone in the school, she stopped getting
better. Then I showed up. She was always angry with me, 'cause she knew
she couldn't really beat me. She probably coulda been as good as you or
me. But she didn't want to sacrifice."
"Need be warrior first, person second," Shampoo
agreed quietly.
"How 'bout you?" Ranma asked. "I mean, you're
an Amazon warrior, right? Don't you hate me 'cause I'm... well, better
than you?"
She shrugged in reply. "Shampoo wish she as
strong as Ranma. But Great-grandmother say get strong from sacrifice. So
if Ranma stronger than Shampoo, he sacrifice more."
"All those dumb training ideas of pop..."
Ranma mused, unable to keep from laughing a little. "Maybe he wasn't so
stupid after all. Even if he kept screwin' up, he knew what The Art was
all about. Hafta thank him. In about fifty years, maybe."
"Better practice with other person than with
cats," Shampoo agreed, smiling herself.
"Well... I guess I'd better be gettin' back
to the dojo."
"Is late. Akane not strong anymore, so Great-grandmother
maybe want open restaurant again tomorrow."
Ranma appeared to fidget somewhat as he turned
to leave. After a moment, he looked back at Shampoo. "Uh, Shampoo?"
"Ranma have question?"
"Um, yeah. I was wondering... I mean, we did
all that training an' stuff... even if it turns out it was just the ol'
ghoul messing around with us..."
"What Ranma want?"
"Well... I... was wondering if... only if
you really want to, of course... but..."
Shampoo frowned. "Ranma take all night to
ask question?"
He sucked in a breath. "D'you want to... maybe...
practice tomorrow?"
She blinked, staring at him in disbelief.
Ranma swallowed, looking away uncomfortably.
"I know we ain't tryin' to beat Akane anymore or nothin'. But... we're
both getting better from it... the practising, I mean... so I thought maybe
if you wanted to..."
Shampoo leaned closer to him, forcing him
to meet her eyes. All at once, the surroundings faded into nothing, every
minute detail of the individual opposite them coming into perfect focus.
For a precious instant in time, understanding was mirrored in both their
eyes, intent as clear as crystal. "Ranma..."
"Shampoo..."
"Shampoo kick Ranma butt tomorrow."
"Huh. You are so gonna eat dirt tomorrow."
Akane felt the footsteps approaching her door,
the door swinging open several seconds later. Even as she forced herself
to sit up on the edge of her bed, she could feel her heart speeding up,
her knuckles whitening as she instinctively grabbed at her sheets. It was
with some small relief that the person entering was her sister, and not
someone else.
"How are you feeling?" Nabiki inquired.
Akane's reply was non-committal as she tried
to read her sister's facial expression. The attempt was abandoned after
a few futile moments. "Fine."
"Cologne said that the pressure point should
be fully worn off by now, and it has no lasting side effects."
"You talked with her?"
"I did."
It was hard to miss the glimmer of hope springing
into Akane's eyes. "And..."
Nabiki's maintained an expressionless face.
"I'm not doing anything to stop her."
Akane's eyes opened wide. "But... you said
that..."
"I said that I'd talk with Cologne. And I
did. We discussed everything, and we both agreed that it would be in everyone's
best interests if things remained the way they are."
"But... you're lying!"
Nabiki crossed the room until she was standing
before Akane. "I wouldn't lie about this, little sister. I'm not going
to fight against what's happened."
"She's forcing you to agree!"
"Nobody forces me to do anything that
I don't want to."
"Then why!?!"
"Because Cologne and I talked things over,
that's why. And after a little exchange of stories, we came to the conclusion
that Ranma would get along with Shampoo much better than with you."
Akane was on her feet now, fists clenched.
"You're against me too!!!"
"Excuse me?"
"You and that old woman and Ranma and Shampoo...
you're all against me!"
Nabiki met Akane's eyes. "So what if we are
against you? Does that mean you're going to hit me too? Isn't that what
started this whole mess in the first place?!"
Akane's anger deflated all at once, the girl
falling back to sit on the edge of her bed.
Nabiki quietly sat down next to her, gently
wrapping an arm around her sister's shoulder. "Akane..."
The arm was shoved away. "Go away! You're
all against me!"
Nabiki carefully replaced the arm. "I wouldn't
have helped if I was against you, little sister. I honestly thought you
and Ranma had a chance to make things work. And I know that you wanted
everything to work out."
Akane swallowed audibly. "But... I thought..."
Nabiki pulled Akane a little closer. "I know
how you felt about him, little sister. Believe me, I know."
A few small tears were beginning to trickle
down the sides of Akane's face. "Why... didn't it... work?" she whispered.
"It... should have worked..."
A thousand possible answers passed through
Nabiki's mind. Because Ranma lied to you. Because you lost your temper
again. Because you were just another opponent to him. Because you never
understood something important about him. Because the two of you never
had a chance together.
The issue Cologne had posed earlier echoed
within Nabiki's mind. She herself had made sacrifices over the years, but
she had made them willingly, and would do so again if given the choice
now. But there were always the small regrets that inevitably came with
them. She could sympathize with Akane, she could offer a shoulder to cry
upon... and she would do so willingly. But she could never hope to empathize
with her. Not in a meaningful sense. "I'm sorry, little sister... I really
am."
"I wanted... it... to..." The rest of the
sentence was finished with a choked sob.
Nabiki hugged Akane tighter, silently wishing
someone else there in her stead. "I know you did, little sister. I did
too. But... I think you need to understand... that the Ranma you had those
feelings for... wasn't the real Ranma. I don't think he ever was."