GUYS! I´M BACK WITH MY CRAZYNESS! WOOOHOOOOOOO! AND SHAMPOO HAS A LINK TO THE PAST! Well, that´s the title for today´s chapter. Sparks fly high and anger is commanding. Maybe someone knows from where i took the name from...well, from the one on top of the fence. so, enjoy! It think...Or maybe, suffer? )

Chapter 10: A Link to the Past

Shampoo looked at the source of the voice and froze. She never expected to see her in Japan but she should had thought better that she was going to sit down and wait.

"What…what Bambou doing here?" Shampoo asked. On top of the fence was a girl, a girl of the same as Shampoo. But there were some obvious differences. Her hair was blue and long until her shoulders. She was dressed completely without letting any skin to see except her face and hands. Her dressing was tight anyhow and she had a sword and a lance on her back, prepared to use in a second. An Amazon of the best. Only a handful of Amazons could beat her and Shampoo was in that hand.

"You ask what Bambou doing here? Shampoo is the one that should have the answer but instead Shampoo ask why." She replied with her brows furrowed but didn't wait to let Shampoo think "I here to finish our vendetta."

"But it over when Shampoo left village!" Shampoo replied angry

"No, it not over. ARGH! That's better. Now, it wasn't over when you left. You just postponed the finale. " She changed languages in frustration

" You're wrong! We ended that battle! I couldn't finish it the way the elders wanted. I didn't want to do it because I liked being your friend! " Shampoo was exasperated

" We agreed when we entered that tournament that we would follow the rules no matter what they said, and you broke them! " Bambou replied withdrawing her sword and pointing it to her opponent and long friend.

Flashback(It's really needed now, i have a problem with this editing program and for that, the speaking during this is in chinese, so it´s like normal talking.)

The two friends were walking and chatting calmly around the Amazon village. Both had nothing to worry them, not being the best from the village. Not officially but everyone knew that in their age and around, no one could beat them. And if the two joined, they could beat an elder.

Just in that moment they crossed a poster. It was announcing the year tournament. But neither of the two worried about that because they knew about that a week before they said. Those were the benefits of having elders as family. Bambou's Grandmother was an elder and Shampoo's Great-Grandmother was the matriarch.

" So, Shampoo. What do you think we'll face in the tournament? " Her friend just furrowed her brows in thinking

" Don't know. I just don't want to face you in the finals. They said that the final battle is going to have special rules. Aside from that, I don't care who they throw at me, I'm going to beat them! " Shampoo replied with fire in her eyes

" That's the spirit! " Bambou claimed and clenched her fists with the same battle flame in her eyes as Shampoo's. " We better practice then " She added and Shampoo nodded in agreement.

" Spar until falling unconscious? " Shampoo half-asked, half-proposed

" Sure! No better way to improve than to get to the limit. " Bambou entered her stance when they were in a safe place to begin.

" And the winner is…Bambou! " The elder said and raised Bambou's hand in victory. The crowd exploded in cheers. The tournament had started four hours ago and Bambou had reached the finals. Just one thing was needed to reach the final battle, the other participant.

Bambou jumped down the arena and went to the other one where the other semi-final was taking place. Shampoo was battling a red-haired with an impressive skill and fury. Even so, the battle didn't last too much. Just two more strikes from Shampoo and the red-haired fell unconscious. An elder approached the victor

" And the winner is…Shampoo! " She exclaimed and raised Shampoo's hand. Shampoo smiled and walked to her friend after descending the arena.

" So, how did it go? " Shampoo asked already knowing the result. She didn't have a good face because of the next battle.

" We're finals. " Bambou explained and both lowered their heads. Five minutes later, they were facing each other in a different arena. But the battle didn't start for another five minutes.

" Welcome all to the final battle of this tournament. " An elder started " As this is the final, there are special rules in this fight. This battle is to death! " Both contestants gasped and looked to their familiar elders. The elders had their heads low.

" No way! I won't accept this! " Shampoo exclaimed facing the elders

" This was decided in the rules. Every two hundred years, there is a tournament and the final battle is to death. We have our hands tied. " Cologne explained raising her head while she spoke.

" I never heard that rule. " Bambou growled " Shampoo. We agreed to follow the rules whatever they were and we have to this. No matter who wins at the end, I won't have any regrets against you. " Shampoo faced her and nodded slowly in agreement

" That was the deal. Now we have to do it. " Shampoo said and both entered their stances. Sword in hand each. A gong was heard and both opponents and best friends marched in a race to each other in search of being top champion of the Amazons…

Shampoo was on her feet. Bambou was on the floor in pain from the cuts both had on their bodies. Shampoo looked at her best friend and companion into the eyes. Those green eyes looked expectantly to end all this. There was a silent conversation between them. Finally, Shampoo sighed in disgust and raised the sword.

Bambou looked as the blade went up and flashed the sun on her eyes. It had small trails of blood on it. Soon, the blade was fully up and waiting with a revolting anxiety to be used and administer the final strike on its opponent.

" Shampoo…finish this. " Bambou whispered " If you don't, I'll hold this against you for a long time. " She finished and waited. The blade still reflecting the sun on her face.

Shampoo's face went unreadable. So much feelings fighting to be over the rest. The loyalty of following the rules against the loyalty of a friend. The sorrow of losing her as a friend or losing her completely. Finally, she decided and the sword whistled in happiness of being used while it descended…

SHACKT! The sword impacted the wood of the arena. The public went silent in that moment. The elders just kept staring at the result of Shampoo's decision. Only two of them were proud of that.

Bambou looked at her side to see her reflection on her own sword that Shampoo acquired in the meanwhile of the fight. She looked at Shampoo with her face as a question.

" I don't care if you hold this against me. I would never strike you down, after all, you're my best friend. " Shampoo explained and left in that moment. Bambou just kept thinking about this but one feeling arose. Anger of Shampoo's lack of devotion to the Amazon laws. How she could call herself an Amazon and not follow their rules!

" ARGH! " She shouted and after wasting seconds in getting up, she left to her home to heal.

In those four days that Bambou used in healing her body, a red-haired girl and a panda appeared after someone from the tribe challenged Shampoo to a fight after her failure in the tournament.

Shampoo beat the challenger and won the prize. Prize that was in the red-haired girl´s and panda's stomach. Shampoo challenged the newcomer to a fight, and if she won, there wouldn't be a punishment for stealing the prize. But if she lost, her life was in stake.

Crack Shampoo cracked her knuckles in preparation before jumping on the branch.

The girl jumped on top of the tree showing a complete lack of fighting skill as she almost lost equilibrium when she landed on top of it. She used a beginner's stance to start the fight. Shampoo ran to her.

CRACK The fight was over. Somehow, the red-haired girl managed to kick Shampoo out of the tree but not knocking her out. But as the fight was the first to fall, the girl won.

After Shampoo gave the girl the Kiss of Death, she ran for her life after grabbing her backpack and following the panda. Shampoo grabbed some equipment and clean clothes before getting Cologne's permission to follow the coward. She managed to catch them up in some moments but they escaped every time until they finally camped down in Nerima…

In the meaning time, Bambou recovered completely and continued training to beat the unworthy of being called "Amazon". She studied all the ways Shampoo did and she couldn't do it because she didn't have full access to the knowledge of the Amazons (A.k.a.: Cologne). Even so, she finally could learn her moves and some more that would be useful in the final battle against Shampoo.

End Flashback (Maybe it was a bit too informative for the need but I wanted to add the first fight of Ranma and Shampoo grin)

This time, it was the end. This time it meant business. Bambou jumped in front of Shampoo and pointed her sword to her. Shampoo went and grabbed her sword that was posed against the wall. And walked back to her opponent.

(chinese)"Shampoo, this is the day in which we end our fight. The fight that broke our friendship for your lack of devotion! I swore that I would end it some day! Now, prepare to meet your end and fight as a true Amazon! " With that battle cry, she ran to Shampoo and the fight between friends began.

Shampoo parried and rolled to her right to strike the back of Bambou. Somehow, she knew this and used that to make a shallow cut on Shampoo's left arm. She gasped in pain but used the close encounter to cut Bambou in her leg.

Both jumped backwards to recover a bit. Then they continued with the full Amazon style. The dance of blades in which the two of them choreographed, the dance of death. A style in which Ranma still needed practice to master. This was a dance where the strength didn't rule, the speed did. And Bambou was completely crushing Shampoo for that reason.

Bambou used a powerful blow to break the dance and Shampoo blocked. But the intent of the attack wasn't to cut or even make damage, the purpose was fulfilled when Shampoo's sword flew a good five meters and slumped into the wooden fence. Bambou then kicked Shampoo and she landed on the floor. She walked next to her and looked at her.

" Doesn't this remind you of something? " She asked before raising her sword " Now things are going to be the way they should be. She finished and the blade commenced to drop…

CLIFFY! Shampoo dies? Bets anyone? What would happen if she died? What would Ranma do to Bambou? Or even Cologne do? Guess what happens and i´ll give you a cookie! Not a real one of course, just a ciber-cookie, or maybe just a drawing of a cookie...who knows? grin