A/n: Yay, started a new chapter right after the previous one.
Chapter 4:
Later that night, Brush was sitting in her room as her mother prepared the girl's hair with a couple of her heirloom hairpieces. Shampoo wore a red long, short sleeve Chinese dress with two slits while Brush wore a nice, baby blue halter-top Chinese gown with a turquoise armband on her right arm. They both looked gorgeous, but Brush kept glaring into the mirror.
"Mother, why do I look like I'm about to be married off? I never wore a dress like this in my life! Warriors don't wear dresses like this!" stated Brush looking up to her humming mother.
"Oh, Brush, aren't you the least excited and nervous for this reunion? I bet there are going to be a lot of cute, strong men here," stated Shampoo with a pleasing smile.
"I've seen them all at school, so I do not care."
"Well, I guess I see your point since you have a fiancé. By the way, you and Katsuro are on good terms now?"
"Well, I suppose…Though I know I'm not going to marry him….We talked and I understand everything, though I don't particularly like his father still…….but I shall tolerate him until I know he is reasonable."
"Well, at least that is a start. Comb, come in here, let me get a look at you!"
In a hurry, Comb walked in wearing a long sleeve black righting outfit with linings of red satin lines and a red dragon appearing on the front of his shirt. Shampoo walked over, adjusted his clothes and looked lovingly at her handsome son. Though it pained to look at him, she loved how Comb carried his father's looks.
"Mother, I prepared the sushi and the green tea whenever the guests get here," announced Comb.
"Good, I'll go make sure the other food is in perfection. I know Akane told me that we would have about 17 people coming today," replied Shampoo waling out the door.
"17 people! That means we will be cleaning all night," groaned Brush as she picked herself up from her chair.
"Brush, do you know that you are wearing a dress- no, a GOWN!"
"Yes, brother, mother gave it to me."
"Oh! Well, it's so weird to see you like that though."
"……Can you ever say anything nice about me?"
"But you are wearing a gown."
"And you about to wear my fist in your face if you don't shut it!"
Comb closed his mouth as the glaring girl walked out of the room. Before she walked down the stairs, she could hear her mother greeting and talking to a good amount of people. At first, Brush didn't want to take another step because she felt so embarrassed in the gown; she didn't want to be seen. She felt overdressed and thought it was quite foolish of her mother to even think that she would do this for men.
"Oh, Ranma, don't you look handsome in your tux. I'm surprised you even keep one," she heard from her mother's mouth.
"Heh, I know, but Akane rented it for me. I didn't know this would be so formal!"
"Well, Ranma, it's quite a celebration, so we must be looking the part for it!" stated Akane.
Brush peeked from the corner upstairs to look and observe the welcoming guests. Ranma and Katsuro stood in matching black tuxedos though Ranma had a red tie and Katsuro had a blue one. Akane stood wearing a nice navy blue short sleeve dress that reached to her knees with white pearl earrings and necklace while Riko stood arms folded with a nice yellow floral sundress with white gloves and yellow heels. The family looked nice and neat though Katsuro looked as if he was going to yank his tie off, which made Brush feel a little better.
"Hey, what are you doing, sis?" whispered Comb from behind.
"Comb! Don't do that!" jumped Brush as she delivered a punch to his right arm.
"Brush, Comb! We have guests!" shouted Shampoo happily.
"Coming, mother!" unison the twins.
Comb was first to walk down to her mother leaving Brush hiding still. Her nervousness peered in once more as everyone looked up at the stairs waiting for her.
"Brush, come down, you look fine," stated Shampoo as she tapped her foot.
Though her mother wasn't yelling, she could tell she was commanding her firmly. Brush took a small breath and walked down the stairs. She looked over to her mother who was
smiling happily as Katsuro's eye popped out almost of his head and his mouth hanging open. She rolled her eyes and walked over to her mother's side.
"Shampoo, she is just beautiful. We at least know where she got her looks from," stated Akane.
"Thank you, Mrs. Saotome," commented Brush with a hint of blush.
"I always knew Shampoo's children would turn out cute since she was always the cutest girl in China," complimented Ranma with a small smirk.
"Ayaii, Ranma, you always know how to say the right thing at the right time…sometimes," told the older amazon as she looked at her daughter staring at Ranma from his comment.
"Uh……thank you, too, Mr. Saotome," replied Brush unsure if she really meant it.
"No problem, but you should call me Uncle Saotome since you are marrying my son," joked Ranma as Katsuro just stood blushing.
"Can it, old man! We're not getting married," said Katsuro.
"That is right! Why would I want to marry such a lazy, class clown," added Brush as she simply stood with a smug look on her face.
"Lazy? Well, at least I'm not stubborn and mean!" Katsuro stuck out her tongue while Brush just snorted in reply.
"See, aren't they just a loving couple," replied Riko as she walked over to a seat.
"Yes, yes, please go take a seat," instructed Shampoo as she went in the kitchen.
Everyone took his or her seat as Brush decided to take a seat right across from Katsuro who just simply blushed at her gaze. She kept a seat opened to her mother between her and Ranma as he brother decided to take a seat next to Riko.
"You guys did a wonderful job getting this place to look nice," complimented Akane looking at all of the furniture.
"Yes, it took forever. Mother wasn't impressed until everything looked perfect," sighed Brush.
"How long did it take you?" asked Katsuro slightly making eye contact with the amazon.
"Probably from sunset to sunrise," casually told Comb.
"Heh, that's a bit dedication you have there," stated Riko looking toward Comb.
Suddenly the door opened, making everyone turn his or her head. First to come walking in was Reizo wearing a nice black blazer opened, white long sleeve shirt with a navy blue tie and matching slacks. Following him in with a disgruntle face was Kano wearing a blue tux with a nice red tie. But the cutest thing was Hitomi holding hands to their father, the older Ryoga. Ryoga looked the same like Ranma but with a better built and longer hair kept in a small ponytail. He wore a nice black tux with a yellow tie and his original bandana around his head while Hitomi wore a nice thin strap pink with purple flower dress that stopped above her knees.
"See, father, you're getting better with your direction! You only needed my hand for only the last of the trip!" stated Hitomi happily.
"Hitomi, it was only because he was following Reizo the whole time," whispered Kano with a chuckle.
"Shut it! Don't you remember that you as well have bad directions," whispered Hitomi back with a stern look.
Shampoo came out of the back with two trays of tea and platters of sushi when she saw Ryoga and his children. She warmly smiled at him as she placed the food down and walked over to welcome them.
"Nihao, lost …..err, I mean Ryoga. It seems that some things are hard to change. You seem to have a handful here," greeted Shampoo with a hug.
"Uh….thanks, Shampoo. I never thought you would even greet me like this since we weren't friends," stated Ryoga with a hint of blush.
"I know, but people can change, am I right? Though I still can act like my former self," replied the older amazon with a wink.
"My, you must be Brush's sister, not mother," said Reizo taking her hand.
He slightly kissed it, which made everyone give a perplexed expression. Katsuro sat back in his chair and snorted thinking only bad thoughts about his rival.
"My name is Reizo and I must say that I can see where Brush gets her exquisite looks from," flirted Reizo.
"Reizo, cut it out! We are guests here, not picking up someone for a date," stated Kano as Reizo replied with a elbow into his gut.
"Um, please take a seat by Brush," directed Shampoo.
Without another blink, Reizo ran over and took his seat by Brush. He looked over to her with a handsome, attractive smile making Brush smirk for a moment. Katsuro could only glare dangerously at the boy as everyone could feel his anger aura rise.
"Oh, dear! I'm so far away from you, Katsuro-sama! Does anybody want to trade my seat? I bet you do Riko since you could sit with Kano," stated Hitomi looking over the table.
"Yeah, Riko-san, I would really like to sit with you," slightly pleaded Kano.
"Nobody is switching seats with anyone," stated Ranma looking smug ad the Hibiki children just glared at him.
"How are you doing, Ryoga," said Akane as he only blushed in response.
"I-I'm fine, Akane, thank you for your concern," thanked the lost man as he took a sip from his cup.
"So, Brush, how are you doing today?" asked an eager Reizo.
"I'm fine, I guess," simply said Brush as she just narrowed her eyes at him.
"Why you look so stunning in that dress though you look great in anything you wear."
"R-really?"
"Oh, please, Brush, don't listen to that womanizer," barked Katsuro.
"What? So, you are saying that she isn't, Saotome?" Asked Reizo, which made Brush look for Katsuro's answer.
"Well, I-I di-didn't say that! I think she looks ummm," replied Katsuro blushing from the chin up.
"Really, now? Humph, it seems that you can barely say it. It's as if you're lying."
"Boys, that's enough!" unison Ranma and Ryoga.
"Ugh, I think it is going to be a battle royale than a reunion," commented Riko as she massaged her temple.
"Do you need any medicine then?" asked Comb.
"Uh, we'll take a moment on that until I really need it," replied the younger Saotome sibling.
"Uh, hello, we're here!"
At the door, six people walked in. The older Kasumi walked hand in hand with Tofu as Junko walked side by side with Hideaki as the older Nabiki stood on the phone with Kuno. Kasumi, with her hair up in a braided bun, wore a light blue dress while Tofu wore a black tux with no tie. Junko wore a purple, mid sleeve dress with a blue necklace to her calves as Hideaki wore the same blue kendo style gi like Kuno. Nabiki wore a black, business suit that went to her mid thigh. Akane smiled brightly as her sisters gave her their acknowledgment.
"Welcome, Kasumi and Nabiki, it is good to see you," stated Shampoo as she motioned for them to sit.
"Why, Shampoo, it as if you haven't even aged!" stated Kasumi giving her a dear hug.
"Yeah, and your Japanese has gotten a lot better," replied Nabiki getting off the phone.
"Thank you. It took years of practice!"
"So how's my old worker doing?" asked Tofu with a pleasant smile.
"Good, and excited that you all came. Thank you so much!" stated an excited Shampoo.
"My lovely lady, please forgive if I never returned you love," interrupted Kuno as he took her hands.
"Gosh, here we go again, mother," whispered Hideaki as he rolled his eyes.
"I'm just glad you took after me," replied Nabiki massaging her temple.
"Uh, what are you talking about?" asked Shampoo as she just gaped at Kuno.
"I know how much you and Akane fought over me…..It is okay, I understand. Please forgive me for being so non-observant!" he began to hug Shampoo while everyone just gape at the two.
"Nabiki, what is he talking about?" asked Shampoo to the middle Tendo woman.
"Forget it, I told him you loved him. It was the only way he would have gotten out of the dojo," replied Nabiki folding her arms.
"Hey, get your hands off my mother! Men should never touch amazons unless permitted!" shouted Brush as she jumped onto her chair.
"Your sister really does live by the amazon laws," spoke Riko.
"Yes, sometimes too much," replied Comb.
"Brush, take a seat! And you Kuno, you, as well, how about this chair…far away from me," spoke Shampoo as she pulled him to the destination.
"I wonder when Yoshi will be arriving. I will sure keep a seat for him," gleefully said Junko.
"Make sure you don't fall asleep in your food," whispered Hitomi as Kano just nudge her with his elbow.
"Looks like your boy toy is coming to take a seat with you," stated Kano as Hideaki clumsily fell into his chair beside Hitomi.
"Hello, Hitomi-chan, I-I hope you d-don't mind me taking a seat beside you," nervously whispered Hideaki as he placed his elbow on the table.
"The only way is if you don't spill anything on my dress…….Knowing you, you will soon enough," muttered Hitomi as she crossed her arms and looking away from him.
"Mom, I think we're here."
As the door opened, Yoshi held the door open as the older Konastu helped the pregnant older Ukyo into the restaurant. Yoshi wore dark blue tuxedo with a black tie as his mother wore a green kimono and his father wore a black ninja outfit. As soon Ukyo looked up, her chestnut eyes locked into a gaze with Shampoo. For a moment, everyone just looked at the two almost observing.
"Welcome, Ukyo….." greeted Shampoo walking over to Ukyo.
"Thank you, Shampoo. Gosh, look at you!" replied Ukyo fidgeting with her hands.
"Me? Look at you…you haven't changed at all…except this," she sweetly said as she gently placed her hand on Ukyo's stomach.
"Yeah, didn't think she would want another child," finally spoke Konastu as he looked to Ukyo.
"Oh, like hell I did, but I would never want to let this one go. It's going to be a girl," replied Ukyo as she rubbed her belly.
"Oh, please sit, you must be tired," commanded Shampoo as she directed them to the table.
"Yoohoo, Yoshi, sit by me!" proclaimed Junko as she tapped the seat between her and Comb.
He looked over to see Riko drinking her tea and swiftly made his way to the closest seat to her, which was beside Junko. Konastu placed Ukyo in her chair beside Tofu and took a seat beside her. Now everyone was here.
"Now that you are all here, Comb, Brush, help me bring out the food," ordered the older amazon as she walked into the kitchen.
The two amazons nodded and followed their mother. Soon after, the twins came out balancing bowls and plates on their head, hands, and arms. Everyone kept their cool, but they mentally feared the food would drop onto their clothes or just them period. They brought out chow mien, sushi, chicken, pork, steamed rice, eel, fish, and pork buns.
"Just like the old days," spoke Ranma, as he smelled the air.
"Wow, this looks so good!" stated Katsuro looking at each section.
"Well, if you must know, Brush cooked most of this," announced Shampoo with a smile to her blushing daughter.
"Really, Brush?" asked Reizo looking over to the violet hair girl.
"Yep, she wanted mother to enjoy this day, so Brush cooked most the food. She's pretty good, but she's better a fighter than a cook," replied Comb eating his food.
With that, Brush picked up a spoon and threw it at Comb's head leaving a mark. He whimpered as Brush just folded her arms and continued to glare at her sibling.
"Wow, Brush, this food is great! I could eat this all day," stated Katsuro as he rapidly stuffed eel and rice into his mouth.
"……. You really like it?" asked Brush blinking her eyes a couple of times.
"Yeah, it really is delicious, Brush……Why don't you think so?" asked Junko as she nibbled on a sushi.
"Well, I never really cooked before….." whispered Brush as she blushed.
"Wow! That's amazing! Akane has been cooking forever and her food taste like pesticide!" proclaimed Ranma munching on his chicken and rice until Akane slapped him behind the head.
"Oh, no a fight is about to begin," stated Ukyo while grabbing bowls of food while everyone watched the glaring Saotome couple.
After awhile, everyone began to dig into his or her food and talk about the good time. They all told the story of how Ranma came to Nerima, their special curses, the engagement, and the aftermath. Shampoo observed her children's expression, especially Brush, when they ever talked about Shampoo and her crazy drugging antics.
"So, mother, you tried to drug Mr. Saotome and trick him into dates……Isn't that so below the look of an amazon?" asked Brush looking quite surprised.
"I was in love and desperate…your great great grandmother came up with most of the ideas. I just did my make up and tried to look cute for Ranma, hoping he pick me," explained Shampoo stacking some of the dishes.
"Hey, it wasn't her fault. She couldn't resist my charms," replied Ranma leaning back in his chair.
"Your charms? HA!" unison Ukyo, Akane, Ryoga, and Nabiki.
"You were a stubborn jackass," stated Ukyo.
"Don't forget a stupid jock!" announced Nabiki with a smirk.
"And he was selfish womanizer!" replied a nodding Ryoga.
"Oh, and a perverted Macho pig!" screamed Akane.
"Hey, fine! Okay, I get the idea! I wasn't that great, but neither were we all. We were such a group of kids," added Ranma rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, but you were the worst, Ranma. You were such a two….no, three timer! If you just picked Akane from the beginning, we wouldn't have had so much problems," spoke Ryoga glancing toward the pigtail boy.
"Hey, you were just as bad! You had Akane and Akar..…..Oh, I'm sorry," stated Ranma.
Everyone looked at the lost boy, though Shampoo, Brush and Comb looked puzzled to the silence. Shampoo glanced over to Ryoga and saw the man look down to his empty plate with his kids trying to look away.
"What is wrong?" asked Comb looking over at everyone's face.
"My wife, Akari, she left me about five years ago…" explained the lost boy as he bend a fork.
"Oh! Mr. Hibiki! I didn't know…..I'm sorry," sheepishly stated Comb as he bent his head.
"No, it's okay, I'm doing a lot better. I can hear her name and not cry now," joked Ryoga with a sigh.
"…Well, Ryoga, at least you are not alone with that. Mousse did the same to me with another amazon a month ago….." Everyone's eyes grew bigger as they all looked at Shampoo for answer. They never knew that Mousse would do such a thing. He was so devoted to Shampoo. They would most likely see Shampoo being the cheater than the dedicated Mousse. They all observed the smiling Shampoo and understood why Akane threaten them all for the reunion.
"That jackass! He better not show up in Nerima ever!" shouted Ukyo as Konastu held her down slightly.
"It's fine, Ukyo, I have my children and my friends. I think I'll survive," replied the older amazon with an appreciative smile.
"How can a guy deny such a beautiful woman?" asked Reizo.
"The same way our mother has….. They're both crazy," proclaimed a bitter Hitomi.
"Well, I think it is time for us to leave," announced Ryoga as he stood from his chair.
"Yes, we must be getting going as well. Ukyo needs her rest," stated Konastu.
"Hey, I don't need a baby sitter!" whined Ukyo as she slowly brought herself up.
"Uh, yeah you do, mom," replied walking to the door.
"Thank you all for coming. I appreciate the company. If you ever need a free meal, my restaurant is always opened," thanked Shampoo as she bowed.
"Really?" unison Katsuro and Ranma.
"Come on, you two!" Unison Riko and Akane as they took the boys by the ear.
One by one, everyone said their goodbyes leaving the three Chinese amazons looking at the empty bowls and plates. Brush silently grumbled picking up all the pots and pans until she observed Shampoo looking out the door. Her mother was truly happy and THAT made the younger amazonhappy. She quickly picked up the silverwares and took it to the back to finish the cleaning up.Tonight, she wouldn't mind doing the dishes.
A/n: In my opinion, I didn't really like this one, but then after this each chapter is like a episode. Read and review.