'Over the Clouds'
Akane growled best she could, with what little breath she was able to maintain. She had thought she saw Shampoo leap from the rooftop to the alley she had turned into, but as she round the corner, her quarry was not in sight.
Bracing herself against a wall with her right hand, Akane took deep gulps to recover her air. Just great, She wasn't even sure where she was, or how long she had been running, since she had been concentrating on tracking the Amazon. It wouldn't be difficult finding her way back, but it was simply the principle of it all.
"Darn it, Shampoo. I'm sick of playing games with you!" Akane exclaimed in a ragged voice, not really caring if the other girl in question heard her.
Just then, Akane heard the sound of something landing at her feet, displacing the dirt and dust that had settled, and looked down to find her satchel before her. "Akane out of shape, no run for long before get too, too tired," Shampoo stated from above her.
Akane looked up, and saw the Amazon sitting on a narrow window ledge, looking down her with smug amusement. The frankly condesending look she was recieving grated Akane in ways she could not tolerate. "Why don't you come down here, and I'll show you how out of shape I am!" Akane demanded, hiding her exertion best she could.
Shampoo tilted her head, as if musing over command, "Shampoo Japanese no so good, Shampoo think Akane make too, too funny joke, and pretend challenge Shampoo."
"That's right, I challenge you!" Akane reiterated, "You think you can just come in, take over our home, and harass us, it's time you learned that we won't settle for it!"
Shampoo looked up, as if admiring the sky canvas that swirled with darkening pinks, oranges, yellows, and bluish grays. She then looked down at the girl below her, "Is okay, Shampoo accept."
Akane's eyes went wide, as she jumped back, just barely evading the other girl's descent. The youngest Tendou daughter pursed her lips; Shampoo was intentionally trying to land on her! "Watch where you're landing, you bimbo!"
"Bimbo... Shampoo hear that before, you explain meaning after Shampoo win, yes?" Shampoo enquired, calmly striding up to the other girl with no fear for her safety.
"What? What do you mean, after you win?" Akane demanded, backing up a few steps in surprise, before finally taking a stance.
"You challenge Shampoo, Shampoo accept." The Amazon folded her arms under her chest, and smiled disarmingly, "Shampoo no do too, too much harm. Airen and nice-girl Kasumi no be happy."
Akane's eye twitched, before she grinned ferally; too bad she didn't have the same obligations. True, her father and Kasumi would be mad at her, but in the long run, they would understand.
Shampoo stood flippantly, as Akane shouted a battle cry, charging at the purple haired girl. Shampoo quickly leapt back from Akane's punch, and then ducked her follow up crescent kick. An almost effortless parry towards Akane's ankle, when she brought the other foot up for a side thrust kick, before Shampoo easily swayed out of the way of Akane's reverse punch.
Tracking her opponent, Akane turned to meet Shampoo, stepping forward and bringing a lunging knee towards the Amazon's stomach. Shampoo was a little faster, spinning out of the way.
Akane was already angry at the taunting the other girl had berated her with, and now at the way she was casually avoiding her strikes. What finally did it in for her, was when she noticed that Shampoo kept her arms behind her back, unmindful of Akane, not taking her seriously in the least.
Shampoo actually had started taking Akane seriously, as the crescent kick nearly came close to taking her head off, and she hadn't expected Akane to suddenly step in close, and attempt a knee that was well hid by the rest of her body language. The other girl had the form that the Japanese martial artists always prided themselves at maintaining, but fortunately lacked the realistic experience that Shampoo had, while Shampoo was also a tad faster.
Nonetheless, Shampoo also knew all Akane needed was a good clean hit, something even the most untrained in their own strength were capable of, when one was not careful. Still keeping her flippant contenance, Shampoo upped her concentration.
Akane felt her previous run and her fustration begin to take their toll, as her attacks began to be sluggish and sloppy. "Damn it! Why won't you fight back?"
Shampoo laughed, "Is no need, Shampoo winning."
Akane abruptly stopped attacking, and settled for glaring at the other girl, "Forget it, you're just wasting my time."
"You finally see it stupid to challenge Shampoo. You is hundred years too soon to challenge Amazon warrior."
Akane turned on her heel, and walked over to her satchel. She picked it up, and with as much dignity as she could retain, marched out of the alley. She stifled a growl, when she realized Shampoo casually pulled up beside her, "You tell Shampoo what 'bimbo' mean, yes?"
"Go away," Akane mumbled, feeling lethergic after the heavy exertion, anger, and adrenaline rush were over.
Shampoo remained unphased, "Shampoo ask later, much more important question. Why you hate Ranma too, too much? Is stupid, yes?"
"No, it is not stupid," Akane barked, turning towards the Amazon with an angry expression.
Shampoo calmly grabbed the back of Akane's jumper, and pulled her back onto the sidewalk, just in time for a small car to pass through where she had almost stepped into. "We wait for walking man, yes?" Shampoo enquired, pointing to the streetlight across the way.
Akane was seething by this point, "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"
"Kasumi say you really nice girl, too," Shampoo countered, ignoring the other girl's rage, "Shampoo no think Kasumi lie. Is true, yes?"
Akane gave Shampoo a withering glare, before the street light signaled they could cross. Shampoo fell in step, and kept pace as Akane attempted to speed up. Feigning obliviousness towards Akane's tired huffing, Shampoo continued her deluge of questions, "Shampoo want believe Kasumi, but no see it. Akane no nice. Just angry girl who no like Ranma for no reason. Make angry girl stupid, too. Akane stupid girl."
"WILL YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!?" Akane finally shouted, drawing the attention of those around them.
Shampoo blinked, and looked around with a menacing glare that force the surrounding pedestrians to mind their own business. Once her warning got through, she quickly moved to catch up with Akane. "Where is you going?"
"Anywhere away from you," Akane retorted, not looking back.
"So no go home? Because angry girl live that way."
Akane stopped, and turned to look at the direction Shampoo was pointing. With an unintelligable grumble, Akane turned towards where the Amazon was pointing. Once again, Shampoo strode next to Akane, as if they were good friends, "Why no go on roofs? Is faster, yes?"
Akane kept quiet. She could make it onto the rooftops, but she couldn't guarentee her own safety upon them. When her father had taught her how to enhance her jumping ability, she had nearly broken her arm. "Because we'll get in trouble, thats why!"
"Oh, Shampoo understand," the Amazon responded, interpreting it as Akane just wasn't able to. "So no like Ranma because he better fighter, yes?" Shampoo stopped and stared into space, snapping her fingers at the revelation, "Is too, too easy!"
"It's NOT beause the jerk's better than me!" Akane nearly yelled, realizing the lavender haired girl was not going to leave her alone until she was confronted.
"So angry girl no like Ranma for no reason?" Shampoo asked, innocently.
"What? Of course I have a reason!" Akane retorted, not willing to stand down.
Shampoo remained unphased, "So, what reason?"
"He... I just..."
Shampoo finally frowned, "'Angry girl just' is no good reason."
Akane finally relented, sighing, "It's just that I know something bad's going to happen because of him! Alright? He's going to be nothing but trouble, so if you would be so kind as to take your 'husband' and 'baby', and leave us out of whatever issues you're bringing with you!"
"So, Angry girl also a... aiyah... a... she see too, too far?" Shampoo attempted to explain, pointing to her eyes, and then waving her hand out in the distance.
Akane puzzled over what she was trying to say, before she caught on, "See into the future? Of course not."
"Then how you know bad thing happen?"
"I just do, alright?"
"Shampoo no understand," the Amazon finally said, crossing her arms and leaning against a nearby wall.
"Well, maybe it's because you don't belong in this country! Any Japanese would understand!" Akane began to smile triumphantly, before she noticed the flare in Shampoo's eyes.
The Amazon glared dangerously at Akane, pushing herself off the wall, "So, Shampoo no understand because she no Japanese?" Akane was frozen, as Shampoo stalked towards her, "Because Shampoo no born in stupid country, no speak Japanese good, or understand word 'bimbo', Shampoo no understand? You is wrong, Shampoo know all about stupid hate. Shampoo know how people treat her because she different than stupid Japanese. Shampoo know they no like what they no understand, Ran... Shampoo treat like stupid because not able to speak Japanese too, too good."
Shampoo turned away, "Shampoo do know what 'bimbo' mean. Stupid Japanese call her bimbo when speaking. Shampoo know Japanese is no best, 'bimbo' mean 'stupid'."
The contemptuous glare the Amazon threw Akane over her shoulder was enough to freeze steel to easy brittleness. "So, Shampoo call you 'bimbo' because you no speak Chinese? Shampoo at least try learn Japanese."
"Why would I need to learn Chinese? I'm not going there!" Akane retorted, finding the argument ludicrous.
"{Then why do we not use a more universal language, such as English?}" Shampoo suddenly asked, speaking accented English. "{I do know Japanese students must learn English at some time during their studies, am I correct? Then again, you probably do not understand what I am saying.}"
Akane recognized a few words, but overall decided that Shampoo's English was probably no better than her Japanese. "Whatever, I told you what you wanted, now get lost."
"You tell Shampoo nothing. Shampoo understand you is just stupid. Stupid and angry girl." With that, Shampoo walked ahead, making her way back to the Tendou household. Akane stood there, shaking herself out of her stupor, and huffed indignantly. Where did that hussy get off, calling her 'bimbo'? She didn't even know what it really meant.
Akane turned in the opposite direction, deciding she didn't want to head straight home just yet. In her mind, she couldn't quite shake the small slip Shampoo made.
Akane growled best she could, with what little breath she was able to maintain. She had thought she saw Shampoo leap from the rooftop to the alley she had turned into, but as she round the corner, her quarry was not in sight.
Bracing herself against a wall with her right hand, Akane took deep gulps to recover her air. Just great, She wasn't even sure where she was, or how long she had been running, since she had been concentrating on tracking the Amazon. It wouldn't be difficult finding her way back, but it was simply the principle of it all.
"Darn it, Shampoo. I'm sick of playing games with you!" Akane exclaimed in a ragged voice, not really caring if the other girl in question heard her.
Just then, Akane heard the sound of something landing at her feet, displacing the dirt and dust that had settled, and looked down to find her satchel before her. "Akane out of shape, no run for long before get too, too tired," Shampoo stated from above her.
Akane looked up, and saw the Amazon sitting on a narrow window ledge, looking down her with smug amusement. The frankly condesending look she was recieving grated Akane in ways she could not tolerate. "Why don't you come down here, and I'll show you how out of shape I am!" Akane demanded, hiding her exertion best she could.
Shampoo tilted her head, as if musing over command, "Shampoo Japanese no so good, Shampoo think Akane make too, too funny joke, and pretend challenge Shampoo."
"That's right, I challenge you!" Akane reiterated, "You think you can just come in, take over our home, and harass us, it's time you learned that we won't settle for it!"
Shampoo looked up, as if admiring the sky canvas that swirled with darkening pinks, oranges, yellows, and bluish grays. She then looked down at the girl below her, "Is okay, Shampoo accept."
Akane's eyes went wide, as she jumped back, just barely evading the other girl's descent. The youngest Tendou daughter pursed her lips; Shampoo was intentionally trying to land on her! "Watch where you're landing, you bimbo!"
"Bimbo... Shampoo hear that before, you explain meaning after Shampoo win, yes?" Shampoo enquired, calmly striding up to the other girl with no fear for her safety.
"What? What do you mean, after you win?" Akane demanded, backing up a few steps in surprise, before finally taking a stance.
"You challenge Shampoo, Shampoo accept." The Amazon folded her arms under her chest, and smiled disarmingly, "Shampoo no do too, too much harm. Airen and nice-girl Kasumi no be happy."
Akane's eye twitched, before she grinned ferally; too bad she didn't have the same obligations. True, her father and Kasumi would be mad at her, but in the long run, they would understand.
Shampoo stood flippantly, as Akane shouted a battle cry, charging at the purple haired girl. Shampoo quickly leapt back from Akane's punch, and then ducked her follow up crescent kick. An almost effortless parry towards Akane's ankle, when she brought the other foot up for a side thrust kick, before Shampoo easily swayed out of the way of Akane's reverse punch.
Tracking her opponent, Akane turned to meet Shampoo, stepping forward and bringing a lunging knee towards the Amazon's stomach. Shampoo was a little faster, spinning out of the way.
Akane was already angry at the taunting the other girl had berated her with, and now at the way she was casually avoiding her strikes. What finally did it in for her, was when she noticed that Shampoo kept her arms behind her back, unmindful of Akane, not taking her seriously in the least.
Shampoo actually had started taking Akane seriously, as the crescent kick nearly came close to taking her head off, and she hadn't expected Akane to suddenly step in close, and attempt a knee that was well hid by the rest of her body language. The other girl had the form that the Japanese martial artists always prided themselves at maintaining, but fortunately lacked the realistic experience that Shampoo had, while Shampoo was also a tad faster.
Nonetheless, Shampoo also knew all Akane needed was a good clean hit, something even the most untrained in their own strength were capable of, when one was not careful. Still keeping her flippant contenance, Shampoo upped her concentration.
Akane felt her previous run and her fustration begin to take their toll, as her attacks began to be sluggish and sloppy. "Damn it! Why won't you fight back?"
Shampoo laughed, "Is no need, Shampoo winning."
Akane abruptly stopped attacking, and settled for glaring at the other girl, "Forget it, you're just wasting my time."
"You finally see it stupid to challenge Shampoo. You is hundred years too soon to challenge Amazon warrior."
Akane turned on her heel, and walked over to her satchel. She picked it up, and with as much dignity as she could retain, marched out of the alley. She stifled a growl, when she realized Shampoo casually pulled up beside her, "You tell Shampoo what 'bimbo' mean, yes?"
"Go away," Akane mumbled, feeling lethergic after the heavy exertion, anger, and adrenaline rush were over.
Shampoo remained unphased, "Shampoo ask later, much more important question. Why you hate Ranma too, too much? Is stupid, yes?"
"No, it is not stupid," Akane barked, turning towards the Amazon with an angry expression.
Shampoo calmly grabbed the back of Akane's jumper, and pulled her back onto the sidewalk, just in time for a small car to pass through where she had almost stepped into. "We wait for walking man, yes?" Shampoo enquired, pointing to the streetlight across the way.
Akane was seething by this point, "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"
"Kasumi say you really nice girl, too," Shampoo countered, ignoring the other girl's rage, "Shampoo no think Kasumi lie. Is true, yes?"
Akane gave Shampoo a withering glare, before the street light signaled they could cross. Shampoo fell in step, and kept pace as Akane attempted to speed up. Feigning obliviousness towards Akane's tired huffing, Shampoo continued her deluge of questions, "Shampoo want believe Kasumi, but no see it. Akane no nice. Just angry girl who no like Ranma for no reason. Make angry girl stupid, too. Akane stupid girl."
"WILL YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!?" Akane finally shouted, drawing the attention of those around them.
Shampoo blinked, and looked around with a menacing glare that force the surrounding pedestrians to mind their own business. Once her warning got through, she quickly moved to catch up with Akane. "Where is you going?"
"Anywhere away from you," Akane retorted, not looking back.
"So no go home? Because angry girl live that way."
Akane stopped, and turned to look at the direction Shampoo was pointing. With an unintelligable grumble, Akane turned towards where the Amazon was pointing. Once again, Shampoo strode next to Akane, as if they were good friends, "Why no go on roofs? Is faster, yes?"
Akane kept quiet. She could make it onto the rooftops, but she couldn't guarentee her own safety upon them. When her father had taught her how to enhance her jumping ability, she had nearly broken her arm. "Because we'll get in trouble, thats why!"
"Oh, Shampoo understand," the Amazon responded, interpreting it as Akane just wasn't able to. "So no like Ranma because he better fighter, yes?" Shampoo stopped and stared into space, snapping her fingers at the revelation, "Is too, too easy!"
"It's NOT beause the jerk's better than me!" Akane nearly yelled, realizing the lavender haired girl was not going to leave her alone until she was confronted.
"So angry girl no like Ranma for no reason?" Shampoo asked, innocently.
"What? Of course I have a reason!" Akane retorted, not willing to stand down.
Shampoo remained unphased, "So, what reason?"
"He... I just..."
Shampoo finally frowned, "'Angry girl just' is no good reason."
Akane finally relented, sighing, "It's just that I know something bad's going to happen because of him! Alright? He's going to be nothing but trouble, so if you would be so kind as to take your 'husband' and 'baby', and leave us out of whatever issues you're bringing with you!"
"So, Angry girl also a... aiyah... a... she see too, too far?" Shampoo attempted to explain, pointing to her eyes, and then waving her hand out in the distance.
Akane puzzled over what she was trying to say, before she caught on, "See into the future? Of course not."
"Then how you know bad thing happen?"
"I just do, alright?"
"Shampoo no understand," the Amazon finally said, crossing her arms and leaning against a nearby wall.
"Well, maybe it's because you don't belong in this country! Any Japanese would understand!" Akane began to smile triumphantly, before she noticed the flare in Shampoo's eyes.
The Amazon glared dangerously at Akane, pushing herself off the wall, "So, Shampoo no understand because she no Japanese?" Akane was frozen, as Shampoo stalked towards her, "Because Shampoo no born in stupid country, no speak Japanese good, or understand word 'bimbo', Shampoo no understand? You is wrong, Shampoo know all about stupid hate. Shampoo know how people treat her because she different than stupid Japanese. Shampoo know they no like what they no understand, Ran... Shampoo treat like stupid because not able to speak Japanese too, too good."
Shampoo turned away, "Shampoo do know what 'bimbo' mean. Stupid Japanese call her bimbo when speaking. Shampoo know Japanese is no best, 'bimbo' mean 'stupid'."
The contemptuous glare the Amazon threw Akane over her shoulder was enough to freeze steel to easy brittleness. "So, Shampoo call you 'bimbo' because you no speak Chinese? Shampoo at least try learn Japanese."
"Why would I need to learn Chinese? I'm not going there!" Akane retorted, finding the argument ludicrous.
"{Then why do we not use a more universal language, such as English?}" Shampoo suddenly asked, speaking accented English. "{I do know Japanese students must learn English at some time during their studies, am I correct? Then again, you probably do not understand what I am saying.}"
Akane recognized a few words, but overall decided that Shampoo's English was probably no better than her Japanese. "Whatever, I told you what you wanted, now get lost."
"You tell Shampoo nothing. Shampoo understand you is just stupid. Stupid and angry girl." With that, Shampoo walked ahead, making her way back to the Tendou household. Akane stood there, shaking herself out of her stupor, and huffed indignantly. Where did that hussy get off, calling her 'bimbo'? She didn't even know what it really meant.
Akane turned in the opposite direction, deciding she didn't want to head straight home just yet. In her mind, she couldn't quite shake the small slip Shampoo made.