Ranma the Amorous, Oversexed Nympho
Chapter 45
'Three Year Little Death, Pt 3
Ranma looked below him from the top of the building with a grim expression. His eyes observed the two girls below him, one of which was his prime target. He had an objective, one that he was determined to see through, lest it mean his death.
His eyes narrowed, as he watched the young women chat with each other animatedly, while walking along the wall of a nearby construction sight. They were oblivious to him, good. Ranma sensed his time to strike, and pulled the water-proof cloak tighter around him, lest the wind resistance hinder his momentum. With a precarious leap, unheading of his own safety, the pigtailed martial artist dove towards the girls, and lightly bounded off the brick wall next to them, and landed with a kneel before the two. "Akane..." Ranma acknowledged with a firm voice, keeping his head bowed within the hood of his cloak, before lifting his head to greet his current target. "Shampoo," Ranma's voice held a certain gratitude at her presence.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!" Akane and Shampoo screamed in unison, before simultaniously throwing their arms up in shock, and then bringing them down, slamming the pigtailed boy into the concrete sidewalk with a mace an mallet respectively.
Both Akane and Shampoo blinked, before handing each other back their respective weapons. "So, you keep it hidden there, too?" Akane enquired with a surprised lilt.
Shampoo nodded, "Maybe Shampoo and Akane no switch underwear after hot sex, yes?"
"HEY!!!" Ranma shouted, ignoring the two large lumps forming under his hood, "Is that any way to greet your, um..." Ranma blushed a bit under his cowl, "...husband...?"
"Why you is trying to scare us, Ranma?" Shampoo asked, stuffing her weapon back into a secure (and possibly a bit uncomfortable) place.
"Ranma? Why are you wearing that?" Akane asked doing the same with her own weapon.
Ranma turned to Akane, "I need it to keep from getting wet, alright?"
"Why are you trying to keep from getting wet?" Akane asked, "Why won't you change into your girl form?"
"Because I *CAN'T*, alright?" Ranma retorted, feeling a bit of his exasperation from just after the Herb incident, and giving his reply a bit more heat than he actually wanted. Akane visibly shrank from the outburst, not that it went noticed by Ranma, because he didn't notice it.
The pigtailed boy regained his composure, before continuing, "Ah... Akane?"
The girl in question straightened back up, "Yes, Ranma-sam... Ranma?"
"Could you, maybe, give me and Shampoo a few moments of privacy?"
Apparently only Shampoo and Akane heard the loud, thundering crash of Akane's heart turning to stone, and slamming into the pavement they stood on with terminal velocity. With only a nod, and a barely audible sniffle, Akane continued down the sidewalk to leave Shampoo and Ranma alone.
"Ahem," Ranma cleared his throat, before turning his full attention to Shampoo, "Shampoo... er... chan... there are some things I think we, um, need to... hello?"
Shampoo was staring past Ranma almost longingly, before she snapped her attention back to the pigtailed boy, "What Ranma say? It wait till later, Shampoo catch up with Akane!" With that, the young Amazon shoved Ranma to the side, before rushing after her Amazon wife with a concerned expression.
"Waitaminute!" Ranma exclaimed, turning to pursue, before Shampoo's second mace slammed into the crown of his head. The pigtailed boy staggered in a daze, before resting his arm against the nearby brick wall. Was unfortunate that the wall wasn't firm, and collapsed under his weight. As Ranma fell into the pile of bricks, the bricks from the side tipped over onto him and into the yard. One brick incidentally hit the leber for the cement mixer nearby, causing it to dump it's mixing load onto a nearby troth, and spilling it onto Ranma.
Shampoo rushed back, and retrieved her second bonbori from the ground away from the pile, "That where Shampoo lose it... no keep it in same place as other bonbori.." Shampoo muttered something in Mandarin, before blushing furiously, and walked away, wiping the sticky and somewhat crusty handle of her weapon with a tissue from her pocket. Under the pile of bricks and quick-drying cement, a faint groan was heard.
"Akane?"
The youngest Tendou daughter stopped, and turned to Shampoo with a misty eyed, but valiant attempt for a smile, "Yeah, I'm okay. What did Ranma want to talk to you about?"
Shampoo shrugged, "He no say. Akane sure is okay?"
"You can make it better," Akane whispered slightly, while blushing.
"You is insatable," Shampoo said with exasperation, before smiling back at Akane, "Is about time! Shampoo get tired of Akane only wanting to cuddle!"
___________________
The middle-aged, divorced man ran, refusing to allow his tired legs to stop. Whenever he felt the urge to give into his exertion, he recalled the atrocity that had been committed just only a few minutes prior.
"HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" he cried out in frantic English, the native language of the country he live in. Well the frantic part notwithstanding, anyways. Unfortunately for him, most Americans were a bit hesitant to help a nude man streaking down the street.
Even over his shouts, even over the pounding of his heart, deafening to his ears, he knew his pursuer was still upon him. With absolute fear, he pushed himself harder, faster, past his very limits, well beyond-
::BADUMP-BUMP!!!::
Unfortunately, as fast as he pushed himself, and as aerodynamically... inclined he was without proper attire, he wasn't going to outrun a hummer barreling down on him.
Hmm, these snippits are obviously leading somewhere, huh?
___________________
Ranma was far from defeated, as he thought over the mistakes he had made in his last confrontation. Shampoo blew him off totally, more concerned with being around Akane than hearing what he had to say. With that thought in mind, he figured that the fault lay in giving her the option of escaping.
"This time, Shampoo, you *will* hear me out!" Ranma challenged, gripping his fist tightly in determination.
Cologne looked from where she was working in the kitchen, and shook her head. She picked up a pair of chopsticks, and pelted Ranma in the back of his head, "Son-in-Law, how about you prove yourself helpful, and take these orders to table number two?"
Ranma remained standing with his fist clutched, and his back turned to Cologne, still in his posture of assured victory. Unfortunately, his eyebrow twitching erradically from having his dramatic scene ruined, contradicted said pose.
___________________
"Hello, Shampoo," Ranma said sinisterly, surprising the girl and her companion, as they were sharing each other's icecream cones. Before she had time to react, she found the icecream cone removed from her hand, and bound tightly in rope.
Akane blinked, holding Shampoo's icecream after Ranma quickly handed it to her, while watching both her loves disappear around the corner.
"What was that all about?" Akane asked.
"AIYAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! RAPE!!!! YOU NO STICK YOUR STRAW IN SHAMPOO BOTTLE OF YAHOO!!!"
Akane stood in place, listening to the sound of strong rope ripping, and flesh being throttled into submission.
Ranma crawled from around the corner, whimpering, before Shampoo followed, and walked on him to get to Akane. "Shampoo take are of pervert who prey upon helpless womens," the lavender haired girl stated, dusting her hands off, "Shampoo thank airen for saving icecream."
"But that was Ranma..." Akane pointed to the battered shell of a martial artist laying at their feet. Shampoo blinked, and looked down.
"Oh, hi Ranma." She then took her icecream from Akane, "Akane give Shampoo hand, Shampoo lick dippy, sticky mess from fingers, yes?"
Ranma groaned in defiance.
___________________
"Okay, so tying Shampoo up, and hanging her from a light post wasn't the best of ideas," Ranma mused from his seat at the Cat-Cafe.
Cologne groaned, from where she was wiping tables, and decided it may be past time to speak up, "Son-in-law, perhaps you may be missing the problem..."
"Maybe I should use chains... no, she's gonna be expecting something like that," Ranma pondered, knitting his brow in contemplation.
"I would strongly suggest against any further attempts to bind my Great-granddaughter..."
"Hmm, all women like to be... I GOT IT!!!"
"Maybe you should talk to Akane... and..." Cologne trailed off, as Ranma rushed out the door, "...have... her talk... to... ah well." With that, she went back to cleaning up the restaurant during the afternoon's lull.
___________________
"Shampoo!!!"
Akane and Shampoo turned to Ranma's voice, before the former's expression turned somewhat sorrowful, while the latter groaned in irritation.
"Shampoo! I LOVE YOU!!!"
Both girls froze, and then looked at each other in confusion.
"What you say?"
Ranma caught up with the two puzzled girls, and clasped Shampoo's hands together in his. The young amazon was surprised to find her hand now grasping a bouquet.
"Shampoo," Ranma started, staring into her eyes, "I'm sorry I've been neglecting ya. Could you ever forgive me?"
::CRASH!!::
Shampoo turned to the tell-tale sound of a heart that had just barely been mended, shattering upon the ground like cheap china. Akane stood ackwardly, eyes brimming with tears. Unable to bear the seeming indifference Ranma had been showing her, Akane turned, and ran.
Shampoo turned back to Ranma, who seemed only determinately concentrated on her, and felt a sudden calmness, even satisfaction over what Ranma had said to her, wash through her being.
"Shampoo appreciate Ranma words," the lavender haired girl replied, casually, "You keep these safe for Shampoo, is okay?" With that, she handed the bouquet of flowers back to Ranma.
"Ah, su-OW!" Ranma quickly pulled his thumb to his mouth, sucking at the prick a rosethorn gave him.
"Shampoo go after Akane." The Amazon turned, and ran to catch up with Akane, but Ranma himself was far from satisfied with the confrontation; he wanted to be ensured he was safe from furtherly bodily harm from the terrible Three Year Death.
"Shampoo! Wait up!"
"Ranma go help Great-Grandmother close Cat Cafe, yes?" Shampoo called back behind her, as she leapt onto a nearby fence, and onto a nearby rooftop that Akane had jumped onto to get away.
"Shampoo! I told ya I love you!" Ranma reminded, as he gave chase, "Is this any way to act about it?"
"Ranma go home!" Shampoo cried out, beginning to find Ranma's sudden attitude eerily familiar to a certain myopic childhood friend and half-brother. With a shudder, she pushed herself harder to catch up with the headstart Akane had on her.
"But-" Ranma argued, landing on the same spot on the roof Shampoo had, and finding the shingle ome loose under him. With a yelp, Ranma slipped backwards, and landed headfirst off the roof, right into a yard with trained vicious attack dogs.
"Akane!" Shampoo cried out, finally spotting her wife just in the distance. With great determinaton, the Amazon pushed forward, filled with the urge to comfort the obviously upset girl.
"Shampoo!" Ranma cried out, a bit hindered by the large dog that refused to let go of his leg. Finally, after a few shakes, and kicking it against a brick chimney several times, he forced it to dislodge, and picked up the pace to catch the Amazon.
Shampoo groaned in fustration; couldn't Ranma see that she needed to deal with Akane first and foremost? "Ranma leave Shampoo alone!"
"But Shampoo! I love you!" Ranma cried out almost desperately, believing that she didn't truly realize the signifigance of his words.
Shampoo ignored him, and grabbed a lighting rod to stop her forward momentum, as the next roof was a bit too far away to hop to. She leap to the side on another roof, and to the next to continue after Akane.
Ranma noted the same problem, and grasped onto the lighting rod, unfortunately not noticing the gray skies.
Akane continued to run, ignoring the thunder, and allowing her instincts to take pilot, while her mind focused on the fact that Ranma cared more about Shampoo than she did. "It's not fair..."
"AKANE! YOU NO RUN AWAY!" Shampoo shouted out desperately, while barely gaining on her second suiter.
Akane had heard her, but realized Shampoo was the last person she really wanted to deal with, other than Ranma. "just... leave me alone," Akane sobbed, as she dropped to street level. Shampoo swore in Mandarin, before dropping down herself.
Ranma patted the small fires on his clothing down, while growling at almost losing sight of Shampoo. Clutching the now mangled and charred flowers in his hands, Ranma followed the two girls down to street level.
Shampoo stomped her feet in aggrivation, finding that Akane choose her decent location well. The market place was still somewhat teeming with pedestrians, but Shampoo knew she wasn't also one of the best hunters in her tribe by accident.
She checked in each possible direction to find possible reactions of people to a distraught girl, and noted the path where everyone was staring curiously down the way.
Ranma landed in the middle of the marketplace, and whipped his head around in his frantic search. "Shampoo! My love!" He cried out, not noticing how much of an idiot he currently sounded like.
The pigtailed martial artist leapt onto a nearby stand, ignoring the owner's angry remarks. "She's gotta be around here, somewhere..." Ranma mused, before a spot of lavender caught his vision, "There!"
Shampoo turned around, and rolled her eyes at Ranma's tenacity. It was obvious that Ranma's presence wasn't going to be wanted by Akane, so she decided that it would be best to lose him, first.
"Ranma no follow Shampoo anymore!" She rounded a corner abruptly, hoping to shake Ranma. The pigtailed boy would have none of that, as he rounded the corner, and flipped head over heals, when his head collided with a low hanging sign.
The pigtailed martial artist rubbed his face, before kicking back to his feet, and once again giving chase.
Shampoo noticed several concerned mumbles from people, glancing down an alleyway, and decided to investigate. Ranma kept her dead in his sights, and barrelled down the same corridor. Several seconds later, Ranma was frantically running away.
"CAAAAATTTTTTT!!!!!!!"
"Yes, it is unfortunate that people allow their animals to be without homes," one concerned mumble commented.
"It is a trajedy," another concerned mumble voiced, "they don't deserve to be out on the streets, like that."
"What do you suppose was that young man's problem?" a third concerned voice enquired, as all three speakers turned to the rapidly panicking Ranma; wailing and waving his arms around, attempting to shake loose the couple of cats that frantically clung to him.
Shampoo came to a stop, after finally finding Ranma had given up chase. Unfortunately, she had also lost all sign of Akane. With a derisive snort, Shampoo decided to head back to the market area, and attept to pick up the trail again.
Nearby, Ranma himself finally came to a stop, after having lost the cats that attempted to tear at his sanity. "Aw man..." he groaned, looking at the state of the flowers in his hand. Before he tossed them away, he heard soft sobbing coming from one of the alleys nearby.
Concern warring with his fears, Ranma decided that he was brave enough to help whoever was in need. Upon exploration, he blinked, seeing Akane pressed with her back against the alley wall, with one hand wiping the tears from her face.
"Hey, Akane, are you okay?" Ranma approached the raven-haired girl, eliciting a surprised response.
"Ranma!" Akane stepped from the wall, and away from Ranma with trepidation.
"Something the matter?" Ranma asked again, allowing the full scope of his concern to show in his eyes.
Akane sniffled, and then turned away, "Aren't you supposed to be chasing Shampoo?"
Ranma sighed, knowing that attempting to find Shampoo would be futile now, "Na, she can wait. There's something I think I gotta take care of here, first."
Akane wiped her eyes once more, and looked curiously at the pigtailed boy, "Ranma?"
The young man gave her a caring smirk, "Now that's the cute Akane I like being around. You know I hate to see ya cry'n."
The youngest Tendou daughter gave Ranma a light smile, feeling a bit better, "Thanks, Ranma."
"Ah..." for a few moments, Ranma allowed an ackward pause to pass, "Your welcome, I guess." Taking a deep breath, Ranma walked over to Akane, and put his arm around her shoulder to lead her out of the alleyway, "Let's get home, in case Shampoo misses us there..."
Ranma felt Akane's demeaner began to diminish a bit at the mention of Shampoo's name, but wasn't sure of the reason. It was then he noticed the destroyed bouquet in his free hand, "Um... here..."
Akane looked at Ranma, and then the mangled flowers, before allowing a grateful smile to cross her face. Also at that moment, the sky began it's downpour.
"You're in the penalty box, now..." A certain redhead thought triumphantly.
___________________
Shampoo scouted around, growing more and more irritated, before she felt an imposing feeling she hadn't really noticed before, a feeling of unconcious ritious fury and urge for vindication, lifted from her being. With a shrug, cataloging the mystery for another time, she continued her search for Akane... and backtracking to locate Ranma at the same time.
___________________
"...submissive wife refuses to take her rightful vengence, the more aggressive wife or wives may unconciously inherit the technique, becoming the submissive's avatars of justice... as it were..."
Cologne puffed at her pipe, sitting at one of the tables at the Cat Cafe after a long day of work. She continued to read through the tome of Amazon techniques.
"Interesting, a subconcious empathic projection technique... my, it's becoming difficult to keep up with all these techniques and variations. I'll tell Ranma about it in the morning..."
Cologne looked around, suddenly irritated about having to clean the Cat-Cafe by herself after closing, "Then again... I don't think I need to be that much of a hurry, he's got three years, after all..."
Chapter 45
'Three Year Little Death, Pt 3
Ranma looked below him from the top of the building with a grim expression. His eyes observed the two girls below him, one of which was his prime target. He had an objective, one that he was determined to see through, lest it mean his death.
His eyes narrowed, as he watched the young women chat with each other animatedly, while walking along the wall of a nearby construction sight. They were oblivious to him, good. Ranma sensed his time to strike, and pulled the water-proof cloak tighter around him, lest the wind resistance hinder his momentum. With a precarious leap, unheading of his own safety, the pigtailed martial artist dove towards the girls, and lightly bounded off the brick wall next to them, and landed with a kneel before the two. "Akane..." Ranma acknowledged with a firm voice, keeping his head bowed within the hood of his cloak, before lifting his head to greet his current target. "Shampoo," Ranma's voice held a certain gratitude at her presence.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!" Akane and Shampoo screamed in unison, before simultaniously throwing their arms up in shock, and then bringing them down, slamming the pigtailed boy into the concrete sidewalk with a mace an mallet respectively.
Both Akane and Shampoo blinked, before handing each other back their respective weapons. "So, you keep it hidden there, too?" Akane enquired with a surprised lilt.
Shampoo nodded, "Maybe Shampoo and Akane no switch underwear after hot sex, yes?"
"HEY!!!" Ranma shouted, ignoring the two large lumps forming under his hood, "Is that any way to greet your, um..." Ranma blushed a bit under his cowl, "...husband...?"
"Why you is trying to scare us, Ranma?" Shampoo asked, stuffing her weapon back into a secure (and possibly a bit uncomfortable) place.
"Ranma? Why are you wearing that?" Akane asked doing the same with her own weapon.
Ranma turned to Akane, "I need it to keep from getting wet, alright?"
"Why are you trying to keep from getting wet?" Akane asked, "Why won't you change into your girl form?"
"Because I *CAN'T*, alright?" Ranma retorted, feeling a bit of his exasperation from just after the Herb incident, and giving his reply a bit more heat than he actually wanted. Akane visibly shrank from the outburst, not that it went noticed by Ranma, because he didn't notice it.
The pigtailed boy regained his composure, before continuing, "Ah... Akane?"
The girl in question straightened back up, "Yes, Ranma-sam... Ranma?"
"Could you, maybe, give me and Shampoo a few moments of privacy?"
Apparently only Shampoo and Akane heard the loud, thundering crash of Akane's heart turning to stone, and slamming into the pavement they stood on with terminal velocity. With only a nod, and a barely audible sniffle, Akane continued down the sidewalk to leave Shampoo and Ranma alone.
"Ahem," Ranma cleared his throat, before turning his full attention to Shampoo, "Shampoo... er... chan... there are some things I think we, um, need to... hello?"
Shampoo was staring past Ranma almost longingly, before she snapped her attention back to the pigtailed boy, "What Ranma say? It wait till later, Shampoo catch up with Akane!" With that, the young Amazon shoved Ranma to the side, before rushing after her Amazon wife with a concerned expression.
"Waitaminute!" Ranma exclaimed, turning to pursue, before Shampoo's second mace slammed into the crown of his head. The pigtailed boy staggered in a daze, before resting his arm against the nearby brick wall. Was unfortunate that the wall wasn't firm, and collapsed under his weight. As Ranma fell into the pile of bricks, the bricks from the side tipped over onto him and into the yard. One brick incidentally hit the leber for the cement mixer nearby, causing it to dump it's mixing load onto a nearby troth, and spilling it onto Ranma.
Shampoo rushed back, and retrieved her second bonbori from the ground away from the pile, "That where Shampoo lose it... no keep it in same place as other bonbori.." Shampoo muttered something in Mandarin, before blushing furiously, and walked away, wiping the sticky and somewhat crusty handle of her weapon with a tissue from her pocket. Under the pile of bricks and quick-drying cement, a faint groan was heard.
"Akane?"
The youngest Tendou daughter stopped, and turned to Shampoo with a misty eyed, but valiant attempt for a smile, "Yeah, I'm okay. What did Ranma want to talk to you about?"
Shampoo shrugged, "He no say. Akane sure is okay?"
"You can make it better," Akane whispered slightly, while blushing.
"You is insatable," Shampoo said with exasperation, before smiling back at Akane, "Is about time! Shampoo get tired of Akane only wanting to cuddle!"
___________________
The middle-aged, divorced man ran, refusing to allow his tired legs to stop. Whenever he felt the urge to give into his exertion, he recalled the atrocity that had been committed just only a few minutes prior.
"HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" he cried out in frantic English, the native language of the country he live in. Well the frantic part notwithstanding, anyways. Unfortunately for him, most Americans were a bit hesitant to help a nude man streaking down the street.
Even over his shouts, even over the pounding of his heart, deafening to his ears, he knew his pursuer was still upon him. With absolute fear, he pushed himself harder, faster, past his very limits, well beyond-
::BADUMP-BUMP!!!::
Unfortunately, as fast as he pushed himself, and as aerodynamically... inclined he was without proper attire, he wasn't going to outrun a hummer barreling down on him.
Hmm, these snippits are obviously leading somewhere, huh?
___________________
Ranma was far from defeated, as he thought over the mistakes he had made in his last confrontation. Shampoo blew him off totally, more concerned with being around Akane than hearing what he had to say. With that thought in mind, he figured that the fault lay in giving her the option of escaping.
"This time, Shampoo, you *will* hear me out!" Ranma challenged, gripping his fist tightly in determination.
Cologne looked from where she was working in the kitchen, and shook her head. She picked up a pair of chopsticks, and pelted Ranma in the back of his head, "Son-in-Law, how about you prove yourself helpful, and take these orders to table number two?"
Ranma remained standing with his fist clutched, and his back turned to Cologne, still in his posture of assured victory. Unfortunately, his eyebrow twitching erradically from having his dramatic scene ruined, contradicted said pose.
___________________
"Hello, Shampoo," Ranma said sinisterly, surprising the girl and her companion, as they were sharing each other's icecream cones. Before she had time to react, she found the icecream cone removed from her hand, and bound tightly in rope.
Akane blinked, holding Shampoo's icecream after Ranma quickly handed it to her, while watching both her loves disappear around the corner.
"What was that all about?" Akane asked.
"AIYAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! RAPE!!!! YOU NO STICK YOUR STRAW IN SHAMPOO BOTTLE OF YAHOO!!!"
Akane stood in place, listening to the sound of strong rope ripping, and flesh being throttled into submission.
Ranma crawled from around the corner, whimpering, before Shampoo followed, and walked on him to get to Akane. "Shampoo take are of pervert who prey upon helpless womens," the lavender haired girl stated, dusting her hands off, "Shampoo thank airen for saving icecream."
"But that was Ranma..." Akane pointed to the battered shell of a martial artist laying at their feet. Shampoo blinked, and looked down.
"Oh, hi Ranma." She then took her icecream from Akane, "Akane give Shampoo hand, Shampoo lick dippy, sticky mess from fingers, yes?"
Ranma groaned in defiance.
___________________
"Okay, so tying Shampoo up, and hanging her from a light post wasn't the best of ideas," Ranma mused from his seat at the Cat-Cafe.
Cologne groaned, from where she was wiping tables, and decided it may be past time to speak up, "Son-in-law, perhaps you may be missing the problem..."
"Maybe I should use chains... no, she's gonna be expecting something like that," Ranma pondered, knitting his brow in contemplation.
"I would strongly suggest against any further attempts to bind my Great-granddaughter..."
"Hmm, all women like to be... I GOT IT!!!"
"Maybe you should talk to Akane... and..." Cologne trailed off, as Ranma rushed out the door, "...have... her talk... to... ah well." With that, she went back to cleaning up the restaurant during the afternoon's lull.
___________________
"Shampoo!!!"
Akane and Shampoo turned to Ranma's voice, before the former's expression turned somewhat sorrowful, while the latter groaned in irritation.
"Shampoo! I LOVE YOU!!!"
Both girls froze, and then looked at each other in confusion.
"What you say?"
Ranma caught up with the two puzzled girls, and clasped Shampoo's hands together in his. The young amazon was surprised to find her hand now grasping a bouquet.
"Shampoo," Ranma started, staring into her eyes, "I'm sorry I've been neglecting ya. Could you ever forgive me?"
::CRASH!!::
Shampoo turned to the tell-tale sound of a heart that had just barely been mended, shattering upon the ground like cheap china. Akane stood ackwardly, eyes brimming with tears. Unable to bear the seeming indifference Ranma had been showing her, Akane turned, and ran.
Shampoo turned back to Ranma, who seemed only determinately concentrated on her, and felt a sudden calmness, even satisfaction over what Ranma had said to her, wash through her being.
"Shampoo appreciate Ranma words," the lavender haired girl replied, casually, "You keep these safe for Shampoo, is okay?" With that, she handed the bouquet of flowers back to Ranma.
"Ah, su-OW!" Ranma quickly pulled his thumb to his mouth, sucking at the prick a rosethorn gave him.
"Shampoo go after Akane." The Amazon turned, and ran to catch up with Akane, but Ranma himself was far from satisfied with the confrontation; he wanted to be ensured he was safe from furtherly bodily harm from the terrible Three Year Death.
"Shampoo! Wait up!"
"Ranma go help Great-Grandmother close Cat Cafe, yes?" Shampoo called back behind her, as she leapt onto a nearby fence, and onto a nearby rooftop that Akane had jumped onto to get away.
"Shampoo! I told ya I love you!" Ranma reminded, as he gave chase, "Is this any way to act about it?"
"Ranma go home!" Shampoo cried out, beginning to find Ranma's sudden attitude eerily familiar to a certain myopic childhood friend and half-brother. With a shudder, she pushed herself harder to catch up with the headstart Akane had on her.
"But-" Ranma argued, landing on the same spot on the roof Shampoo had, and finding the shingle ome loose under him. With a yelp, Ranma slipped backwards, and landed headfirst off the roof, right into a yard with trained vicious attack dogs.
"Akane!" Shampoo cried out, finally spotting her wife just in the distance. With great determinaton, the Amazon pushed forward, filled with the urge to comfort the obviously upset girl.
"Shampoo!" Ranma cried out, a bit hindered by the large dog that refused to let go of his leg. Finally, after a few shakes, and kicking it against a brick chimney several times, he forced it to dislodge, and picked up the pace to catch the Amazon.
Shampoo groaned in fustration; couldn't Ranma see that she needed to deal with Akane first and foremost? "Ranma leave Shampoo alone!"
"But Shampoo! I love you!" Ranma cried out almost desperately, believing that she didn't truly realize the signifigance of his words.
Shampoo ignored him, and grabbed a lighting rod to stop her forward momentum, as the next roof was a bit too far away to hop to. She leap to the side on another roof, and to the next to continue after Akane.
Ranma noted the same problem, and grasped onto the lighting rod, unfortunately not noticing the gray skies.
Akane continued to run, ignoring the thunder, and allowing her instincts to take pilot, while her mind focused on the fact that Ranma cared more about Shampoo than she did. "It's not fair..."
"AKANE! YOU NO RUN AWAY!" Shampoo shouted out desperately, while barely gaining on her second suiter.
Akane had heard her, but realized Shampoo was the last person she really wanted to deal with, other than Ranma. "just... leave me alone," Akane sobbed, as she dropped to street level. Shampoo swore in Mandarin, before dropping down herself.
Ranma patted the small fires on his clothing down, while growling at almost losing sight of Shampoo. Clutching the now mangled and charred flowers in his hands, Ranma followed the two girls down to street level.
Shampoo stomped her feet in aggrivation, finding that Akane choose her decent location well. The market place was still somewhat teeming with pedestrians, but Shampoo knew she wasn't also one of the best hunters in her tribe by accident.
She checked in each possible direction to find possible reactions of people to a distraught girl, and noted the path where everyone was staring curiously down the way.
Ranma landed in the middle of the marketplace, and whipped his head around in his frantic search. "Shampoo! My love!" He cried out, not noticing how much of an idiot he currently sounded like.
The pigtailed martial artist leapt onto a nearby stand, ignoring the owner's angry remarks. "She's gotta be around here, somewhere..." Ranma mused, before a spot of lavender caught his vision, "There!"
Shampoo turned around, and rolled her eyes at Ranma's tenacity. It was obvious that Ranma's presence wasn't going to be wanted by Akane, so she decided that it would be best to lose him, first.
"Ranma no follow Shampoo anymore!" She rounded a corner abruptly, hoping to shake Ranma. The pigtailed boy would have none of that, as he rounded the corner, and flipped head over heals, when his head collided with a low hanging sign.
The pigtailed martial artist rubbed his face, before kicking back to his feet, and once again giving chase.
Shampoo noticed several concerned mumbles from people, glancing down an alleyway, and decided to investigate. Ranma kept her dead in his sights, and barrelled down the same corridor. Several seconds later, Ranma was frantically running away.
"CAAAAATTTTTTT!!!!!!!"
"Yes, it is unfortunate that people allow their animals to be without homes," one concerned mumble commented.
"It is a trajedy," another concerned mumble voiced, "they don't deserve to be out on the streets, like that."
"What do you suppose was that young man's problem?" a third concerned voice enquired, as all three speakers turned to the rapidly panicking Ranma; wailing and waving his arms around, attempting to shake loose the couple of cats that frantically clung to him.
Shampoo came to a stop, after finally finding Ranma had given up chase. Unfortunately, she had also lost all sign of Akane. With a derisive snort, Shampoo decided to head back to the market area, and attept to pick up the trail again.
Nearby, Ranma himself finally came to a stop, after having lost the cats that attempted to tear at his sanity. "Aw man..." he groaned, looking at the state of the flowers in his hand. Before he tossed them away, he heard soft sobbing coming from one of the alleys nearby.
Concern warring with his fears, Ranma decided that he was brave enough to help whoever was in need. Upon exploration, he blinked, seeing Akane pressed with her back against the alley wall, with one hand wiping the tears from her face.
"Hey, Akane, are you okay?" Ranma approached the raven-haired girl, eliciting a surprised response.
"Ranma!" Akane stepped from the wall, and away from Ranma with trepidation.
"Something the matter?" Ranma asked again, allowing the full scope of his concern to show in his eyes.
Akane sniffled, and then turned away, "Aren't you supposed to be chasing Shampoo?"
Ranma sighed, knowing that attempting to find Shampoo would be futile now, "Na, she can wait. There's something I think I gotta take care of here, first."
Akane wiped her eyes once more, and looked curiously at the pigtailed boy, "Ranma?"
The young man gave her a caring smirk, "Now that's the cute Akane I like being around. You know I hate to see ya cry'n."
The youngest Tendou daughter gave Ranma a light smile, feeling a bit better, "Thanks, Ranma."
"Ah..." for a few moments, Ranma allowed an ackward pause to pass, "Your welcome, I guess." Taking a deep breath, Ranma walked over to Akane, and put his arm around her shoulder to lead her out of the alleyway, "Let's get home, in case Shampoo misses us there..."
Ranma felt Akane's demeaner began to diminish a bit at the mention of Shampoo's name, but wasn't sure of the reason. It was then he noticed the destroyed bouquet in his free hand, "Um... here..."
Akane looked at Ranma, and then the mangled flowers, before allowing a grateful smile to cross her face. Also at that moment, the sky began it's downpour.
"You're in the penalty box, now..." A certain redhead thought triumphantly.
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Shampoo scouted around, growing more and more irritated, before she felt an imposing feeling she hadn't really noticed before, a feeling of unconcious ritious fury and urge for vindication, lifted from her being. With a shrug, cataloging the mystery for another time, she continued her search for Akane... and backtracking to locate Ranma at the same time.
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"...submissive wife refuses to take her rightful vengence, the more aggressive wife or wives may unconciously inherit the technique, becoming the submissive's avatars of justice... as it were..."
Cologne puffed at her pipe, sitting at one of the tables at the Cat Cafe after a long day of work. She continued to read through the tome of Amazon techniques.
"Interesting, a subconcious empathic projection technique... my, it's becoming difficult to keep up with all these techniques and variations. I'll tell Ranma about it in the morning..."
Cologne looked around, suddenly irritated about having to clean the Cat-Cafe by herself after closing, "Then again... I don't think I need to be that much of a hurry, he's got three years, after all..."