Chapter 12

Ranma was stretching and throwing punches as he stood across from Shampoo. The purple haired girl was doing the same thing. Ranma could see by her movement that she was pretty good. He felt a lot better that he trained for this fight. He knew that Shampoo would be a strong opponent. After their warm-ups, they stood close to each other and faced each other.

"Hǎo de Xǐ Fàshuǐ, nǐ shìfǒu míngbái zhè chǎng bǐsài de guīzé?" (Okay Shampoo, do you understand the rules of this match?) Ranma asked.

"Shì de, wǒ míngbái. Huò shèngzhě shì yīgè sàngshī huò wúfǎ jìxù. Wǒ gǎnxiè nǐ wèi zhège jīhuì duóhuí wǒ de róngxìng Luàn Mǎ." (Yes, I do understand. The winner is the one who forfeit or is unable to continue. I thank you for this chance to regain my honor Ranma.) Shampoo said.

"Méiyǒu wèntí." (No problem) Ranma said. He turned toward Dr. Tofu. He didn't trust his father or Mr. Tendo to judge fairly. "You can start the match." Tofu nodded and stood in-between the two.

"Saotome Ranma, are you ready?" Tofu asked.

"Yes." Ranma said and got into his fighting stance.

"Xǐ Fàshuǐ de Nǚjié zú, Nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎole?" (Shampoo of the Joketsuzoku, are you ready?) Tofu asked. Shampoo nodded and got into her fighting stance. "Very well, you may begin." At the drop of his hand, the two charge each other. They threw a barrage of kicks and punches at each other. The blows were so quick that the Tendo sisters couldn't keep up. They broke apart and landed away from each other. Shampoo charged at Ranma who was ready for her.

Shampoo attacked fiercely which put Ranma on the defensive. He broke her rhythm with a sweep and caught her arm. Using his akido, he placed her on the ground in a painful wrist lock. Shampoo fought through the pain and got to her knees. She then did a flip using her head, alleviating the pain of the hold. She caught Ranma in the chest, forcing him to release her. Shampoo attempted to attack from the air but Ranma met her in the air and knocked her out of it.

Shampoo hit the ground but rolled to her feet. She skid to a stop and got into her stance. Ranma got into his stance as well. They stared at each other and observed each other.

'Damn, she kicks like a bull! She's pretty good for a girl. Those Amazons are trained really well. I wouldn't mind if she hanged around and she can show me a thing or two.' Ranma thought.

'Good, I'm getting the feeling back in my arm. He's good for a male. It is a shame that will not be able to give him the Kiss of Marriage. Still, I would not mind sparring with him again.' Shampoo thought. Their thoughts over, they continued their fight.

XXX

Everyone watched as Ranma and Shampoo attacked each. Kasumi and Nabiki looked on in awe at the fight.

"Wow, that chick is good. She's actually giving Ranma some trouble." Nabiki said.

"What is that boy doing? He's embarrassing me!" Genma growled.

"Because he's having trouble with a girl right? Man, you're pathetic." Nabiki said.

"Nabiki, that was uncalled for." Soun berated.

"Ranma is having fun. Look at his face." Kasumi said. They did and they did see a small grin on his face. "I guess he hasn't had a descent challenge since coming here."

"You hear that, she's a better sparring than you." Nabiki said to Genma. Soun exclaimed again while Genma gave her a dirty look. Akane stayed silent but on the inside she was seething. She was angry at how serious he was fighting Shampoo. With her, he would just dodge and insult her. It infuriated her that he would treat Shampoo like a martial artist and not her. She just kept watching, hoping that Shampoo would defeat him.

XXX

Shampoo ducked Ranma's punch and countered with a kick. The kick was blocked and Ranma swept Shampoo's other leg. Shampoo grabbed Ranma and flipped to her feet. Still holding on to him, Shampoo blasted Ranma with a knee. See that he was dazed; she unleashed a technique that she recently learned.

"Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken!" (Imperial Roasting Chestnuts in the Fire Fist) Shampoo roared. Ranma was suddenly bombarded by punches. Ranma couldn't believe the speed behind the attack. Shampoo sent Ranma flying. Ranma hit the ground hard. Shampoo didn't let up and was about to finish him when Ranma suddenly disappeared. She was suddenly struck in the gut by Ranma's knee. Ranma vanished again and hit her again. This continued for a few seconds before he slammed her into the ground.

Shampoo struggled to stand but she was too injured by Ranma's barrage. She looked up at Ranma and saw that his eyes were that of a cat's. It was the last thing she saw before she passed out.

XXX

Shampoo awoke to find herself on a couch. She turned to see the elder sister of the household. Kasumi turned to face her and gave her a smile.

"Ah, you're awake. I'll go and get Ranma." Kasumi said. She left and returned a few minutes later with Ranma in tow. She saw that some of the buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned. It showed his bandaged chest.

"Nǐ gǎnjué rúhé Xǐ Fàshuǐ?" (How are you feeling Shampoo?) asked Ranma.

"Wǒ huì quányù. Wǒ xiǎng zhè yìwèizhe wǒ yǐjīng shīqùle nǐ ma?" (I will heal. I guess that means that I have lost to you?) asked Shampoo.

"Wǒ xīwàng, wǒ shì bùshì tài yìng, wǒ de zuìhòu yīcì jìngōng. Suǒyǐ, xiànzài nǐ huì zuò shénme?" (I hope that I was not too hard with my last attack. So, what will you do now?) asked Ranma.

"Wǒ huì huí jiā hé bàogào zhèlǐ fāshēngle shénme shì. Wǒ xīwàng wǒ bù huì bèi yánlì de chǔfá, wǒ huì. Wǒ zàicì gǎnxiè nǐ de jīhuì duóhuí wǒ de róngxìng. Nín shì fēicháng guāngróng de yī míng nán." (I will return home and report what happened here. Hopefully, I will not be punished as harshly as I would have. Again, I thank you for the opportunity to regain my honor. You are quite honorable for a male.) Shampoo said with amusement.

"Xièxiè. Wǒ zhù nǐ yīlù píng'ān huí jiā." (Thank you. I wish you a safe trip back home.) Ranma said. Shampoo nodded and rested. Ranma made his way back to his room to rest as well.

XXX

Ranma was taking notes as Kodachi lead the team into their exercises. It was very helpful watched and seeing what they were doing. Kodachi may have had a few screws loose but she could teach very well. After they finished their warm up, she led them into the exercises. Ranma stopped taking notes after that and turned to another section of his book. There wasn't much on the page as only one page was filled out. He stared at another and got into a thinking pose. He felt that he had gotten all he could out of akido and looked to add another style. He already eliminated karate or judo as akido fulfilled those requirements. So, what other styles were there that he could add to his new version of the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū?

XXX

Kodachi said good-bye to her teammates and began walking with Ranma. She was very happy about that as she could be next to her interest. He was the only person who she hasn't had to chase. He willingly came with her and the two were learning more about each other. She was about to ask for another date from Ranma when she could see that he had something on his mind.

"Is there something wrong Ranma-sama?" Kodachi asked.

"Huh? No, nothing is wrong. I'm just having a little problem with where I should go from here." Ranma said.

"I don't understand. Are you leaving Nermia? Is that harlot, Akane, bothering you again?" Kodachi asked with an edge.

"The only thing that Akane has been bothering me about is that I fight her like I fought Shampoo." Ranma said with annoyance. It was something that was really getting on his nerves. After he was all healed up, Akane challenged him to a spar. He agreed and began to dance around her like always. This served to annoy the youngest Tendo and she demanded that he took her seriously. Ranma humored her and fought back. He defeated her in less than a minute. Akane didn't accept the lost and said that he cheated. He could believe how much of a sore loser she was. He just walked out of the dojo after he put her on her rear for the fifth time.

"So, what is bothering you?" Kodachi asked.

"You remember that I told you that I'm creating my own branch of the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū right?" Kodachi nodded. "Well, I took akido and it has worked wonders but I feel that it is time to move on. The problem that I'm coming up with is that I don't know what to do next. I really do like the stiffness of karate and judo would be a waste of my time. I'm stumped on what I should learn next." Ranma explained. Kodachi understood what he was talking about and wondered what she could do to help him. That's when she remembered that one of her classmates was a good fighter using a style that was a big sport in the states.

"Ranma-sama, what do you know about Boxing?" Kodachi asked him.

"Boxing, isn't that an American sport?" Ranma asked.

"Yes it is. A classmate of mines was being accosted by these boys a while back. She decided to fight back and went to a boxing studio in Arakawa. The studio is owned by a former champion. The next time that those boys attempted to accost her, she knocked them out cold. Perhaps you should consider it." Kodachi explained.

"You know, that might not be a bad idea. How about you and I go to the studio and talk to the guy that runs it. After that, I'll treat you for the rest of the day." Ranma said.

"I would greatly like that. Does Saturday work for you, say around noon?" Kodachi asked.

"That works for me." Ranma said. The two switch topics as Ranma took her home.

XXX

Ranma was meditating as always. As he sat in silence, two cats were lying next to him. One happened to be the cat of one of Kasumi's neighbors. He opened his eyes showing signs of the Nekoken (Cat Fist). He petted the two cats and he was really calm around them. He couldn't thank that old priestess in China enough for teaching him this exercise. He could only image what would have happened if he went out of control.

"Hey Ranma, I'm here to warn you that Akane is on the warpath. Kuno-baby mentioned through a bull-horn that you're taking Kodachi out again. She wasn't happy about it." Nabiki said.

"Kodachi helped me with a mental block and this is my way of thanking her. It isn't a date, more of an outing. I don't see why she would be angry. She vehemently denied that we're close. You don't think that she has a crush on me?" Ranma asked.

"Well, you are quite a catch Ranma-baby. Lucky for you I'm looked for someone with a bit more." Nabiki said.

"My wallet thanks you." Ranma joked. Nabiki noticed the cats and was a bit curious.

"I thought that you had a fear of cats because of what your father put you through?" Nabiki asked. Ranma raised an eyebrow at that. "I read the freeloader's journal too. So what's the deal?"

"Well, I meet this holy woman in China when I was looking for my cure. She recognized that I was put through the Nekoken training and apologized for it. She told me that I will forever have a fear of cats before of my stupid father. She then taught me a meditation that will help curb the fear. I had to do it three times a week for at least an hour. She said that the meditation would even help me control the Nekoken as well. I'm not there yet but I can use the Nekoken in small bursts." Ranma explained.

"Are you planning to teach it when you create your own branch?" Nabiki asked.

"Not a chance in hell. When I master it, I'll be the first and only one. I wouldn't put anyone through that training." Ranma said.

"Well, at least you can control the fear." Nabiki said.

"Yeah, around these two cats. If I was ever surrounded by them, then I would just flip out. If you ever see that happen, you get out the area." He warned.

"Come on, it can't be that bad." Nabiki asked with a grin.

"Ask my dad, he'll tell what I did when I snapped. It took a kind old lady to calm me down." Ranma explained. Unknown to either one of them, someone had heard most of what Ranma had just said. That person's name was Gosunkugi Hikaru. Gos, as people called him, was making his way to the Kuno estate. He had found that weakness that Kuno was asked for. Who knew that the great Saotome Ranma had a fear of cats? Gosunkugi crackled a little as it was going to be payback against Ranma. He did not like how he treated Akane as much as Kuno didn't and he was going to make him pay for it. After he reported to Kuno, he was going to get him a bunch of cats.

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Authors' Notes: Well, here's a new chapter. I always believed that Shampoo was the stronest of the females that chased after Ranma. Yeah, she acted like a bimbo but I never believed any of the others could really beat her. She is Cologne's heir right? Shouldn't she know a couple of those techniques that she teaches Ranma? So, my version of Shampoo will be different. She'll still be a little like how she is in the manga but toned down. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.