Back again with a new chapter! I finally reached 100+ Reviews!
There is something that's troubling me…It's ok that I failed you guys, but at least could you review with at least "good chapter/story"? I'm not talking about the people that review all the time.
Whatever, this chapter is mostly filling, not much important happens, just an up-to-date of Ukyo. So, you know the drill, review please!
Chapter 18: Back to Ucchan's
Both woke up late. It was Sunday so there was no rush to even eat. As both sat up, they looked at each other and laughed at their symphony to wake up at the same moment.
"So, Ranma. Anything else you think we are connected?" Shampoo asked almost too innocently when both got up and stretched a bit. Ranma froze when he was stretching his leg.
"Urm…" He went beet-red immediately. "I…I don't know, Shampoo." He stuttered nervously. Why does she have to ask me these things? He whined to himself. "Why don't you look for yourself?" He proposed trying to get the topic off dangerous waters for Ranma.
"Not bad idea. Shampoo start today!" She replied cheerfully. Ranma smiled to her spirit but was drop-sweating like there was no tomorrow. This is not going to be good. I know it. Just as both went out of their room, Bambou was doing the same.
"Good morning!" She saluted with a small wave and a simple but felt smile. Both incomers greeted her and went down-stairs for a quick breakfast.
"Today is Shampoo's turn to make breakfast." Shampoo informed and went into the kitchen. The two that were still in the restaurant looked at her departing figure with an air of confusion.
"Since when she is acting like this?" Bambou demanded in a whisper and a scowl.
"Yesterday, night. It's strange. Yesterday she was fine and at night, she was different, like a vague closing to her old self." He shivered at the thought of Shampoo going back to her previous attitude. "I wish it isn't that. She's quite nice like she is now…well, like yesterday afternoon and alike." Bambou nodded understanding.
"Here. Stop talking and eat now." Shampoo appeared carrying a tray with almost everything in a normal breakfast. She sat down quietly and after grabbing a bowl of rice, she started eating. The other two followed suit almost immediately after. "Wef goigf tog Ugjiou's chugai?" She asked with her mouth full. Ranma gulped.
"What?" She swallowed her food and breathed once.
"Are we going to see Ukyo today?" She asked again more clearly. Ranma frowned to her concern.
"Why so worried? Last time I checked, you would tear her head out for me." Ranma replied and Shampoo downed. Her head dropped as the bowl and sticks to the table. Bad move, very bad move. "I'm sorry!" He exclaimed immediately rushing forward to hug her. She was still touched by the crudeness of his words. But when she came back to self, she pushed him aside. She stood up.
"It's ok." She replied before leaving. It was obvious that she was crying. It was a low hit that phrase. It was like he still didn't believe her about the monstrous morph she overcame in the last weeks.
"I'll go." Ranma said without wasting a second and marched to Shampoo. Five seconds later, he found her crying on the bed with her face into the pillow. He entered cautiously and sat next to her. Her sobbing didn't stop, if it did something, it was making it worse. Ranma placed a hand on her back and gently rubbed it. His lips curled to a side in concern in combination with a sad face.
No words were crossed nor needed. The conversation here was about feelings and the "war" was about beating Shampoo's sorrow. Ranma felt like tearing his hair out for being so idiot and for always blurting something that he doesn't have. "Forgive me, please." He said, finally giving up in the war but not removing the hand from her back. There was still hope.
Shampoo twisted slowly and looked at him. Red-rimmed eyes met darkened ones. Again there was an exchange of feelings and opinions without any words. Shampoo's look softened and she hugged him. "Of course Shampoo forgive Ranma. But must promise never doubt Shampoo for a while." She sighed.
"All right. I agree completely. I'm sorry I made you feel bad." He finalized and she just pulled him closer. "Next time, just hit instead of making me feel horrible." He added and she laughed
"You said it. Not Shampoo's problem if you result being smacked." She replied evilly.
"I think I would deserve it." Ranma pointed and after some silent minutes, both went downstairs again. Down there, Bambou was calmly and slowly finishing breakfast, hers and theirs. "You…YOU ATE ALL?" Ranma boomed. It tasted pretty good and now he had nothing.
"Urm…yes…burp." She putted her hand on her mouth to cover the burp and then she smiled.
"But…Shampoo made it special!" Shampoo pointed outraged. It was ok that food was for being eaten, but not by one person only!
"How special?" Bambou smirked knowingly. Shampoo gained an almost imperceptible shade of red.
"Whatever." She shot back and marched in direction of the kitchen. She stopped at the door. "Ranma, come with me. Shampoo make breakfast for both." She said and Ranma agreed immediately.
After ten minutes, both were eating in the kitchen in complete silence. Ranma helped her with the dishes and else before they went to go fetch Bambou so they could go to check on Ukyo.
"So, you ready? Must be after eating all our food." Ranma asked and pointed. Bambou smiled sheepishly.
"Yes. Bambou ready." She replied and not a minute later, they left. "So, Ukyo is other girl?" Bambou asked suddenly
"What do you mean?" Ranma replied intrigued. Shampoo looked murderous.
"Bambou mean that Ukyo is other girl after you, yes?" She asked very Shampoo-like.
"Kind of. It's alike my previous status with the Tendo girl I told you." Ranma replied and Bambou nodded.
"So you two don't get along?" Bambou wondered bending her head to a side.
"On the contrary. We are childhood friends. I don't know if she'll be ok with the fact that both of you hanging around me. Mostly Bambou for being the new one." He half-explained, half-commented. Both girls crossed looks. Bambou of confusion and Shampoo of agreement with Ranma's words. Silence ruled the rest of the trip.
Ukyo finally got out of her bed. Oh, after a week there I don't want to see a bed for some time… She thought as she went to the bathroom to take a long bath.
"Wonder what's Ran-chan doing…" She wondered in the middle of the shower. She dressed up slowly with a clean usual chef suit. "Time to re-open. I left the place closed for too much time." Ukyo pointed to self. She walked around her house and workplace opening windows and making quick cleaning. When she reached the restaurant. She sniffed the air.
"So much things. Past, present. All converge here." Ukyo philosophised looking around. She prepared the chairs around the tables and opened the windows around the restaurant.
She turned on the grill and set it to "low" for the incoming customers in the wave of lunch. As a last touch, she removed the "Closed for sickness" poster and placed another one that said "Open". Just when she turned around to open the door, the door was knocked.
"Ran-chan!" Ukyo exclaimed happily as she saw him behind the door. She opened immediately with a smile.
"Hey, Ucchan." He saluted. "What was wrong with you? I missed you this week." He asked concerned. Immediately after, Shampoo and Bambou entered the scene because they had slowed down so they could talk without bothering Ranma and his thinking. Ukyo just looked at the two newcomers.
"Who is she?" She asked, obviously talking about Bambou. The girl in question looked at her. Her look changed into dazed.
"She's Bambou. A childhood friend of Shampoo's. Alike our friendship…" He explained but couldn't resist noting the last.
"Alike? How?" Ukyo's brow lifted and she smirked.
"Fighting, fighting and fighting." He replied and both laughed.
"Yes. You have a point there, honey." Ukyo admitted and he nodded thanking. "So, what are you doing here, Ran-chan? I don't think you'd like a lunch…" She smiled knowingly and he lowered his head sheepishly.
"Actually, we came here to check on you." Ranma said. Shampoo shifted a bit so she could hear her explanation.
"Oh, that. It's just that I caught a bad cold and I was in bed for a week. Just today I was feeling quite well so I opened the place again." She said matter-of-factly.
"Oh, that's awful." Ranma replied and she nodded.
"So, Ukyo going back to school tomorrow?" Shampoo asked finally. She looked at her for a second before nodding. "Good, very boring without combatant." She finalized
"What do you mean?" Ukyo asked confused but there was no response. Shampoo just smirked knowingly. "You are not going to talk…" She desisted and the Amazon shook her head. "Whatever." She said
"Excuse me, is it open?" A man asked to Ukyo
"Of course. It opened a few minutes ago." She replied smiling. A look at the man's faced only revealed one thing. Pure bliss. He scrammed. "Strange…Hey, want to come in?"
"Sure." Shampoo answered before Ranma could even open his mouth.
"I have a strange feeling that it's going to be a tidal wave…" Ukyo commented as the three visitors sat in front of the grill. She started preparing everything for even making one okonomiyaki.
"Hey, Ucchan, want a hand?" Ranma offered. She just smiled and kept doing her stuff. "As you wish…" He gave up trying. A pair of minutes later, she was ready to whatever could come through those doors.
"Say, what's the story behind what's her name…Bambou, right?" Ukyo asked. Bambou nodded.
"It's…full of action, I could say." Ranma pointed and Shampoo nodded fervently. "Better let them tell you that." He motioned to them and they looked at him quite awfully. "What? It's your story after all!" He defended.
"Whatever." Bambou replied curtly. So they proceeded in updating Ukyo of what happened during the last days. Even the "failed" plan Bambou committed. At this point, Ukyo was completely outraged and furious red to the Amazon. Maybe because Ranma sensed that if the tale was going to be finished (They had just began to tell the plan) He intervened.
"So, do you think I did right in the battle?" He asked suddenly and changing the subject to another one more available and yet undiscussed. Ukyo turned to him and calmed down.
"Yes. It was a good thing. But maybe you should have more damage…Perhaps the Full Body with the sword…" She stared at the ceiling dreamily at the sight of Bambou being slashed in every part of her body.
"Bambou get idea…" She replied sourly. Even so, her eyes sparkled.
"Don't worry, that was my intention." Ukyo smirked with a brow up. Ranma looked from one girl to another. One, expulsing hatred and the other, something Ranma could not get what it was, but it wasn't hatred or alike.
"It's OPEN!" A voice shouted from the door. It was the man from before. He was facing outside and motioning with his arms like a windmill. Rush hour was an understatement. People started to pour in like there was no tomorrow. Maybe because they feared that Ucchan's could close definitely.
"Wow!" Ranma exclaimed surprised at the amount of struggling to be the first in the line. They didn't have to fight for the first place; it was the man that advised the unavoidable first. "Guess we'll have to get out of here." Ranma said and disappeared in the crowd, but not from self-choice, he was pushed outside.
"Ranma!" Shampoo exclaimed trying to "swim" to him. The exercise was hard and demanding because of the combined strength of all the people. Even an skilled martial artist like Shampoo couldn't rise victorious of it. She gave up trying.
Outside, Ranma was almost thrown outside. He stood up and patted his dusted clothes. He looked at the entrance and decided one thing. Go back to the Nekohanten. The girls could go back by themselves. Just as he was twenty meters away from Ucchan's, he heard Shampoo's voice: "Ranma! Wait up!" He didn't turn around but had to when another voice was added.
"Ranma? Ranma Saotome?"
This cliffie is important. It's linked with something important that will come in the next chapter (Tuesday or Wednesday as too late).
About the beginning of the chapter, I wanted to make Ranma scared that Shampoo could go back to her old self (Not going to do it in the rest of this fic). It's an almost extreme measure to the complete cluelessness both characters have towards each other. I'm the writer but I don't control them. I just "Describe" what happens. And I add and take stuff to twist the story my way. That's my writing style.
Anyway, just review with comments, opinions or even ideas!