I'm Back! I'll go directly to the reviews. Then the story right away.

Ss4-link: Just that? Come on! You can do something better than that!
Okinami-no-Shinobi: Actually that is a real good thing to do. He killed two birds with one stone.
Dumbledork: Sorry, but I'm not into that pairing.
L33t Ninja B0ris: WRITE NORMALLY! I can't understand a thing you say!
Kinai: Sorry, but no idea who the guy is.
Blitzl1775: Mhh, at last someone with lots of ideas. Let's see. Number 1: Never saw the Anime, I read the Manga, thank you very much. Number 2: Not bad, definitely, not bad. Number 3: This could work out, but no way. I have another idea concerning that point.
Hiryo: So, you're finally back. I already 'rated myself' and as a bonus, I beat your high score at Warning Forever! Took me 6 full hours but I did it after a good while. Anyway, give some ideas, and your done :D
Drakus: Don't you mean 'shweet'? If it isn't, sorry. Just something I picked up at Video Game Director's Cuts. And Kodachi…well, I never did thought much about her. Always a nut-case for me.

So, on with the story now!

Chapter 23: Just Chatting

"Don't you think this is strange?" Bambou asked from the slightly opened door of Shampoo's and Ranma's bedroom. Cologne was on top of her staff looking over her head as the younger Amazon crouched.

"Strange, indeed. Just when did Ranma accept to sleep in the same bed with Shampoo?" Cologne frowned. "This is confusing. Let's let them sleep and they'll explain everything when they wake up." She half-ordered, half-proposed. The blue-haired girl nodded and closed the door silently.

Ranma's cheek twitched. He shrugged to fix it and turned to keep sleeping when she found himself with a heat source in direct touch with his face. He fluttered his eyes open lazily just to encounter Shampoo's face. And the fact that they were kissing. He reflexively moved back in a rush but fell off the bed.

OW! That hurt! He thought rubbing his head where he smashed on the floor. I better grow used to the thing of having her face in front of mine every single morning… He sat on the floor. I can feel the old ghoul planning the wedding when we tell her… He stood up now and sat down next to Shampoo. A smile climbed to his lips as the flow of purple hair produced an aura around his sleeping love. Ok, enough sleeping. We have to get down and explain yesterday to Bambou and the stick-mummy. He gently caressed her cheek trying to wake her up subtly.

She twitched but did not wake up. She smiled in her dreams and turned around, facing the wall next to the bed. He moved her shoulder but still no response. His lips curled to a side and he rolled his eyes. "Talk about deep sleep…" He sighed and shook his head.

This time, he grabbed her shoulder and made her lay down on her back. He leaned closer and kissed her immediately after. She muffled from the contact for less than half a second before she returned the kiss. Her arms crossed behind Ranma's head for only one purpose, deepen the action they shared. Half a minute later, Ranma pulled back and she let go.

"Good. Now that you are up, we have to explain what happened to us yesterday." Ranma informed and she didn't reply, just kept staring lovingly. He raised a brow.

As a response, she sat up. A devilish smile grew on her face, it was the only warning of what she was going to do. With light-speed, she grabbed Ranma's head and pulled so she could kiss him. She also pulled back until she was laying back on the bed still maintaining the kiss.

This time, a full minute passed before she let go of him. "I love you…" She whispered smiling. Her hand still grabbing his navel.

He mirrored her smile. "I love you, too." He said softly. She squealed in delight and pulled him in another kiss. When she let go of him, he was perplexed. "Um, why was the squeal?" He asked beaming but with a brow up.

"I'm not used to the idea of you saying that." She laughed of herself. "I've been longing a good while for you to say that, and now that you do, I can't believe it…" Again she laughed. Ranma rolled his eyes but his smile didn't wipe out.

"Come on, we have to go downstairs. Those two should be eager to hear what happened yesterday." He said looking at the door. "But before that, I'll take a bath…I stink." She laughed again.

"Care for me to join you?" She proposed tilting her head to a side with a mischievous smile. He blushed tomato-crimson.

"Er…" He doubted. Many images, mostly from past moments, of Shampoo naked passed by his head. He blushed several shades further. She leaned closer, her eyes glowing in a lustful look. "Maybe…later…" He cautiously advised. Shampoo's brow lifted.

"You don't want me?" Her serious voice made him panic.

"No! No! It's not that!" He said moving his hands in front of him in a clear intent of drifting her mind out of that idea.

"Then? What is it?" She pressed on. He drop-sweated as his level of panic went sky-high.

"It's that I don't want to bother you when you take your bath…" That's lame…Too lame… He thought the millisecond that phrase got out of his mouth. She crossed her arms on her chest and looked angry.

"Ranma…" She said in a clear message of 'Tell me a good reason, or else…'

"I-I mean…Oh, what's the use? Join me if you like." He gave up fighting. It was completely useless. She relented too her mad face and glomped on his chest smiling in pure glee. "Ow. Hey, could you let me go? I'm trying to get to the bath, you know." He pleaded. She just changed her smile into a devilish one.

"All right…But for only a while…I will not let you wander off." She said firmly. It obviously had two meanings. One clear, that she would wait a few seconds before entering the bath; and the other one, much subtler, That she would NOT let him leave her in the long run.

He nodded. "Ok." He said and removed his shirt before wandering inside the bathroom. Shampoo waited 0,12 milliseconds before removing her dress and shoes and entered the bathroom.

"Hey!" He said suddenly. He was also out of clothes now and was waiting for the water to warm up. "Don't you dare push me in the water now unless you want to see a naked red-haired girl running all over Nerima!" He warned. Shampoo lifted a brow, but agreed and waited until it was warm.

He placed his hand under the water and nodded to himself. Too bad Shampoo saw it and pushed him playfully under the water curtain. "Er, Shampoo…Take it easy…" He said starting to panic "It's only a bath…right?"

"Yes, Ranma. Only a bath…" She whispered as she leaned closer and closer with nothing more than her purple hair on…

Only hour and a half later he was let go and could wander inside their bedroom to finally put on some clothes. A stupid smile was covering most of his face. Never thought Shampoo had gifts that good. He finished with his shoes and stood up.

She got out of the bathroom drying her hair but nothing on. "So, what do you think?" She asked when she turned around to look for some clothes in the closet.

"The best bath I ever had." He replied lying down on the bed.

"Then wait until we make love…" She whispered in such a low volume that it could be considered to herself. If you think just a little sponge war is the peak of fun with me, you'd better be prepared for the best, then, little Ranma… Her smile turned wicked. Again.

Three minutes later, she was dressed up and her hair was dry. A simple white dress with a pair of white shoes consisted her wearing. Both went downstairs just to find the other two occupants of the Nekohanten sipping tea.

"Where were you yesterday?" Bambou blurted and earned a whack from Cologne's staff. She rubbed the place where her elder had hit.

"Where are your manners?" Cologne growled and turned to the newcomers who sat in front of them. "So, how was yesterday?" She asked smiling. A deep blush covered the two of them.

"Er…Normal in the Nerima status." Ranma saved them.

"Oh? How so?" Bambou wondered lifting a brow.

"We were kidnapped. But it's just the beginning…" Shampoo said. Matriarch and Amazon crossed looks of shock and impression.

"We found my mother." Ranma resumed in a very short version. Cologne just stared. "We started talking and catching up after ten long years of not seeing her. But then she saw Shampoo and started talking to her." He motioned to her "I kept at the back to let them talk without bothering them. As usual, I got my curse triggered and had to sprint back here to change." He started

"And why Ranma need to come back?" Bambou asked with a brow up.

"Oh, that. Well, you see. I had found my mother before. But she made a vow with my father that he was going to turn me into a 'man among men' as he placed it. The problem is my curse. If mom saw me with my cursed form, she had seen me before and I was named 'Ranko Saotome'. If she saw me, she'd ask where I was, the male me. And that would rise too much suspicion and all the stuff." He explained motioning with his hands.

"Bambou understand." She replied and waited.

"But why did you took a whole day to come back?" Cologne asked.

"Shampoo take that." Shampoo said nodding. "We were at Ranma's mother house talking and trying to get our curses non-visual." Ranma eyed her weirdly. She had omitted some points in the story. "She had invited us to go eat dinner with her. So we went and we talked and talked until it was late. When we left, we were splashed by a passing car." Ranma was sure now, she was really ignoring the facts that included their almost-kiss and the car, and when he kissed her quickly for his promise.

"Say no more." Cologne smirked. "Ranma started running with you on her…" She chuckled and Ranma scowled.

"You could have said it more…"

"Truly?" Bambou wondered smirking.

"No, I meant to say 'with more consideration'." He replied frowning at Bambou. She just threw her hands to the front.

"Whatever." She growled.

"Shampoo, could you go on?" Cologne asked leaving the other two to fight and growl at each other.

"Yes. As I was saying, or at least, as you said, we were running at top speed all over Nerima. I think it was from exhaustion that we fainted, right, Ranma?" She turned to him but quickly frowned as she saw him almost jump on Bambou. "Ranma!" He turned immediately.

"What?" He asked blinking.

"Remember when we fainted?" He nodded. "It was from exhaustion?" Again he nodded. "Ok." He turned again to growl at Bambou. Shampoo simply rolled her eyes. "Anyway, when we woke up, we were in a room. No idea where was the room. So, Ranma screams when he saw me as a cat and this strange guy enters. After some chat, we find out that we are in the base of the Kokuryukai. Don't know what it means." Shampoo finished.

"It means 'clan of the black dragon'." Ranma explained as his arm was around Bambou's neck in a head-lock. "I talked to the boss there and he seems a good guy. After some quick chit-chat, I found out that he was looking for a girl with a distinct feature to marry. He said that it should be a proof of the dragons. So, in exchange of him getting us back to Nerima, I gave him a direction to call…" His smile turned devilishly evil.

"Ranma! Leave Bambou alone!" Shampoo growled imperatively.

"Why? She wouldn't apologize!" He replied and Bambou grumbled rolling her eyes.

"Why not Ranma and Bambou end this in fight?" She proposed and Ranma looked at her.

"You serious?" Obviously she didn't remember the last fight they were in.

"Of course Bambou is serious!" She shouted at his face. He let go of her with a serious face.

"As you wish. But I won't be good even if its you…" He replied before going to the bedroom he shared with Shampoo to fetch his katana. A minute later he was outside at the backyard. His sword to a side. A minute later Bambou came out with her sword.

"Dance of Death?" Ranma proposed smirking.

"No way. A normal fight, thank you." She said before entering stance. Ranma mirrored her action. Both were ready to fight, and Bambou was ready to get some payback from her first fight.

Sheesh! I finally finished this chapter! I was almost out of ideas to write this. But, as always, I did it! Anyway, there aren't much comments to do about this chapter. It's mostly filling but necessary for the story to go on.

Shampoo may be a bit OOC according the beginning of the story at the first part of the chapter, but then she goes back. There's a good reason to that, she simply conquered her most supreme wish.

Then, the fight that WILL begin between Ranma and Bambou was just a thing to finish the chapter fast. But I think it will get interesting because of that…

Anyway, Review, people! Just comment, give ideas, or even FLAME:P