Chapter 15
Ranma looked at the teenager who had just thrown those daggers at him. He was a tall guy with long black hair. He wore long white robes and black kung-fu pants and shoes. He faced the guy and prepared for whatever he was going to throw at him. Suddenly, the boy turned his attention to a random girl that was in the area. He grabbed her hand and looked her in the eyes.
"My darling Shampoo, I have come to claim your love." He said. He was rewarded with a slap and a punch to the back of the head.
"Stupid Mousse, put on your glasses." Shampoo spat. Mousse pulled out some coke-bottle glasses and put them on his face. He looked to see and angry Shampoo, some angry teenage girls and a crying girl. Ranma was confused by what was going on. Mousse turned his attention to Shampoo.
"Shampoo…" Mousse began.
"I heard you the first time. Why are you here?" Shampoo asked.
"I've come to take you back home. You don't need to do this. The council has already punished you and you still got to keep your honor. Why are you following that old troll?" Mousse asked.
"That's my great grandmother and she is the leader. Besides, you are only here because you are jealous and annoying. I have told you dozens of times that I do not like you in that way. We were friends once but you are this close to losing that as well." Shampoo said.
"But I love you Shampoo. I can make you more happy than that male." Mousse said while pointing at Ranma.
"You are starting to make me angry." Shampoo growled.
"But Shampoo…" Mousse said.
"Hey, I think that she told you that she doesn't like you. If you were a true friend, you would respect her wishes." Ranma said. Mousse was surprised that Ranma suddenly appeared before them. Shampoo was as well. Mousse suddenly sneered at the pig-tailed martial arts.
"This does not concern you foreigner." Mousse snarled.
"I think it does since you are talking about me. I don't know what your issues are but I don't like your attitude toward her. She is a great sparing partner and warrior. She has made her feelings clear and the way that you're acting is a disrespect to her." Ranma said. Mousse growled at Ranma. He didn't like the way Ranma spoke to him.
"I challenge you to a duel! The winner of the duel will be with Shampoo!" Mousse shouted.
"You are really starting to piss me off. She is not a prize moron and I refuse your request. However, I'll fight you just to stomp you out." Ranma growled.
"Fine! I will show everyone that you aren't as strong as you project yourself to be! I'll show you who a real man is!" Mousse said and leap off. Once gone, Ranma faced Shampoo.
"I'm sorry if I stepped on your toes. I know you can defend yourself." Ranma said.
"No, it's okay. I appreciated it. So, can you show me around the school? I'm very new here." Shampoo said with a cute smile. Ranma just chuckled and led her inside the school. Watching them, Akane fumed. She didn't know why but Shampoo bothered her a lot. She bothered her more than Kodachi did. She would never admit that it was because of Ranma. No way was she ever going to admit that.
Nabiki watched her sister and smirked. It was funny how Akane acted like she didn't like Ranma but she would get real jealous if he paid attention to anyone else. She looked at the back of the Amazon and couldn't help but wonder the odds. Would Shampoo gain Ranma's heart? Would it be Kodachi? Would it be Kasumi? Whoever the winner could be, Nabiki decided to stay out of it. Ranma was a smart guy. He could figure it out on his own.
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Ranma sighed tiredly after another day of learning. He sparred in boxing class today and it was a great experience for him. He saw what a really good boxer could do with enough skills and training. He won his spar but just barely. Getting hit from all angles was very hard to defend against. Also, he had to stop himself from using his Akido skills. Still, his trainers were impressed with his progress and so was he.
Now he was about to take a nice soak in the tub to relax his muscles. He dumped himself with cold water which made him shiver and change. After scrubbing herself with soap, she step into the furo of hot water. In an instant she jumped out screaming. Wrapping a towel around herself… wait, that was wrong. He should have been male when he touched the hot water. He again touch the water and winced at how hot it was. By that time, everyone in the household arrived to see what was going on.
"What wrong Ranma?" Kasumi asked.
"I really don't know. I was about to take a soak when I was boiling. I didn't make the water that hot but my skin was on fire. Even touching it with my hand burns like hell. Also, I haven't changed back. I don't understand it." Ranma explained.
"Perhaps I can shed some light on your situation." A voice said. They all turned to see Cologne standing on the hot water. She had a wicked grin on her face. Ranma glared at the woman.
"What have you done to me?" Ranma demanded.
"I hit a certain point on your body. It makes your skin as sensitive as a Cat's Tongue. Now, even lukewarm water will scold you. You will never be able to change back to your original form because of it. I do have a cure for it but I was hoping that we can work out a little deal that includes my great-granddaughter." Cologne said, crackling about what she did. Everyone wasn't too happy about that. That's when a very cold feeling washed over everyone. Even Cologne was affected by this feeling. It was coming from Ranma. Her aura was very visible and Cologne could tell that she was angry. Ranma gave one of the harshest glares she had ever received. She also saw that her eyes were slitted. Cologne gulped at the murder in his eyes.
"You old crone… I'll make you pay for this." Ranma snarled. Cologne then saw him flex his muscles. She quickly moved out of the way as Ranma launched an air wave at her. It blew out the wall and window. Cologne landed on the ground and looked back at the destruction Ranma had caused.
'My God, I've heard only stories of the power someone could do with the Nekoken.' Cologne then saw Ranma standing there, glaring down at her. 'It seems that I have made a miscalculation in dealing with this male. I must retreat for now.' Cologne took a step back but Ranma wasn't about to let her get away. Cologne was so surprised when Ranma was in her face, her hand raised. She brought it down, creating a huge boom. When the dust settled, Ranma was the only one there. She growled in anger before let out an inhumane roar.
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Shampoo was setting up the last of the tables for the restaurant that they were going to open soon. It was how she and Cologne would be able to stay in the country while pursuing Ranma. She went a little further and got her a student visa so that she could learn a bit more about the Japanese culture. Her first day was pretty interesting. Ranma showed her around, she met a few people and she was even offered a couple of dates from the male student body. With the exception of Mousse's arrival, it was a pretty good day.
The door opened and Shampoo turned to see who it was. It was her great grandmother and she could see that she looked troubled. She went into the kitchen to get some tea that she had made earlier. She returned back with a pot and a cup. She placed them in front of Cologne who was sitting down. Cologne took the pot but had to steadied herself first. Shampoo had never seen her like this.
"Great grandmother, what is wrong?" Shampoo asked.
"It seems that I have made an error in dealing with this male." Cologne said. She drank the tea and it seem to calm her down some. "I witnessed just how powerful that boy can become should he ever master the Nekoken. I barely escaped my encounter with him."
"He attacked you! That does not really sound like the Ranma I know." Shampoo said.
"It was my fault after all. He knows of what I did to him and he was not happy. In his anger, he tapped into the Nekoken. I am just lucky that he isn't in control or I probably would have had to use some of our stronger techniques to defeat him." Cologne said.
"What are we going to do elder?" Shampoo asked.
"For now, we will lay low. I don't wish to poke the bear. I will also get started on the Phoenix Pill. It is the only thing that can release Ranma from the pressure point." Cologne.
"I hate to say this elder but I warned you that this would not work." Shampoo said.
"Don't get cute Shampoo. I did what was best for the tribe and for you." Cologne said.
"I understand that but he isn't like any normal male. He is quite determined and proud. He values his honor and wishes to be one of the best martial artists in the world. He does all this for someone who he considers important." She explained.
"How do you know all this?" Cologne asked with curiousity.
"We spoke like I wanted to do. Our tactics of old will not work with this one. We must adapt and use a different method in order to win." Shampoo said. Cologne looked at the young woman in front of her. She noticed this change in Shampoo when she returned from her hunt of Ranma's curse. She had grown a little in mind, body and skill. She smiled at her great granddaughter.
"You will make a great leader someday Shampoo. I will retire for tonight." She said. Shampoo bowed to her and cleaned the table. Cologne made her way to her room with much on her mind.
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The next day, Ranma was standing on a stage. She was stretching and making herself ready for this fight. Many in the crowd was wondering who this girl was while Kuno was cheering on his water-sprite red-haired goddess. Mousse stood across from him, a confident smirk on his face.
"I can not believe that Shampoo wants you. You aren't even a full man." Mousse mocked.
"Keep talking moron, I've bottled up some rage from last night because of you village leader. Since I can't deal with her, you'll have to do." Ranma said. Mousse scoffed at her and prepared himself for battle. The two squared off and readied themselves. Mousse started things off but launch several daggers at Ranma. Ranma quickly weaved around them and was within Mousse's guard. Mousse whipped out a sword but Ranma blocked his wrist. He them grabbed and twisted it, making him release the weapon. Mousse attempted to use another weapon but Ranma disarmed him as well. She them hit him with three quick punches and swept him off his feet, driving him down to the ground hard. Ranma hopped away to get some distance.
Mousse was quickly to his feet and unleashed some chains. He used them as whips in order to get Ranma. Ranma easily dodged and weaved out of the way of the whip attack, showing amazing flexability and grace. She moved in again and blasted mousse with a kick to the chin. She popped to her feet and began to use a series of throws while holding Mousse in a painful wrist lock. After ten repeated throws, Ranma twisted Mousse's wrist some more, getting a cry from the teen. Mousse threw his foot back to kick Ranma. Ranma rolled out of the way and saw that the heel of his shoe had a blade on it. Mousse attempted to get the feeling back in his wrist while he pulled out another weapon from his robes.
"Geez, how many weapon do you got on you?" Ranma asked.
"I am a paractioner of the Hidden Weapons Style. I am also one of the best from my village." Mousse said.
"While interesting, it wouldn't fit well with the style that I'm creating." Ranma said. "Besides, so far you haven't showed me anything impressive. It makes believe that you're nothing without all those weapons you keep on your person."
"You dare to mock me! Fine, if you want a straight up fight, then you'll get it!" Mousse shouted. He disrobed himself and discarded his weapons. He slipped into a standard Wu Shu stance that Ranma saw during his travels. Ranma prepared himself as things were about to get serious.
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Authors' Notes: Sorry that this took me so long to finish. i had some issue to take care of and a bad case of writer's block. Anyway, I good now and I've good the new chapter out. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.