Purple Haired Destiny

by The Altered Destinies

Shampoo has a rather large upset in the way her life is headed, and Ranma gains and los es a friend.

2. Chapter 2

Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
Purple-haired Destiny
By Ryan Anderson
Part 2: Family and Friends

Standard Takahashi Disclaimer: I don't own any of these
characters, I'm just a poor otaku/college student! Please
don't sue me! I don't have any money!

What has gone before:
Shampoo got kicked out of the Amazons, after Mousse beat
her. She tried to commit suicide, but Ranma stopped her,
and brought her home with him. Shampoo started going to
school, and learned to speak Japanese a lot better, she's
officially given up her claim on Ranma, but she still
loves him...

Then Ukyo decided to separate Ranma from Akane, and her
plan actually worked... a little too well. Now Akane hates
Ranma, and Ranma isn't too fond of Ukyo for doing that,
and he and Shampoo and Genma have been kicked out of the
Tendos, while Ryouga has come to live with them.

-

"Ha! Pop, you're getting slow!" yelled Ranma, looking like
he was enjoying himself for the first time since leaving
the Tendos two days ago.

"Foolish boy!" Genma yelled back, picking himself off the
forest floor and launching himself at Ranma.

Shampoo, standing on a tree branch not far away, decided
that she wasn't going to get left out of this battle, and
leapt in. Soon, the "morning practice" of the three had
left a clear swath of destruction through the quiet
section of forest where they were camped. Without having
to worry about property damage, and having a third
participant, these morning fights had reached new heights
of intensity, and even though Shampoo knew that both Genma
and Ranma were holding back against her, it was still a
lot of fun. Besides, she rather enjoyed knocking them both
on their butts when they didn't go hard enough on her.

As Shampoo flew past Ranma, she gave him an impatient nod.
While sparring was fun, she and Ranma had planned out
something more for this morning.

As the three warily circled each other, Ranma finally
broached the subject he and Shampoo had talked about. "Hey
pop, you have any idea where we're going to go now?"

Genma, still circling, replied. "We'll have to go on the
road again, train... you've become lax in your training
anyway!"

Ranma grimaced, but still circled. "Do we have to? Shampoo
and I want to stay here, finish school... We thought maybe
we could go to mom..."

"Are you _INSANE_ boy? Do you *want* to commit seppuku?
Have you forgotten the katana she still carries?" Genma
looked ready to blow a synapse or two at the thought of
his wife.

Shampoo decided it was time for her to enter the
conversation. "You really think mother would kill her own
child? I no believe that."

Genma spared her a glance. "You don't know my wife! If she
learns of our curses its over for us! I'm not going back
until we find a cure!"

Ranma launched himself at his father, the two springing
high into the air in an intense flurry of fists and feet.
"That's just like you, Oyaji, always running away! Well
I'm tired of running!"

Genma suddenly did a seemingly impossible flip in mid air,
and sent Ranma flying into the ground. "Foolish boy! I'll
teach you to show your father some respect!"

However, as he ranted at Ranma, he never saw Shampoo
coming. With a boot to the head, she sent him to land next
to his son. Then she landed neatly on a nearby branch.
"Coward!" she scolded him. "If you hadn't led such a
dishonorable life, you would be able to go back your wife
now! Don't drag Ranma into your cowardice!"

Genma leapt to his feet, glaring at Shampoo. "A coward am
I? You don't know what you ask! The most basic tenet of
the Anything-goes school of martial arts is staying alive
no matter what! Well, I ... growlph..."

Ranma set down the buck he'd just up-ended over his
father. "What was that Oyaji? You're an honorless coward
who can't face his own wife? Che, your pathetic pop."

sign"Fine, go then, but I won't have your blood on my
hands if you're so eager to die!"

"We don't need him, Ranma. If he doesn't want to face your
mother, there's no reason we should drag him along. Let
him go off and train by himself if that's what he wants."

Ranma looked at his father, considering Shampoo's words.
While it was certainly true that his father had probably
never done anything besides ruin his life, he had always
been there with Ranma, always pushing him to do his best.

But then again, Genma _had_ caused an awful lot of the
problems in his life, maybe it was time to go off on his
own. At this point in his life, there wasn't really
anything more his father could teach him anyway, besides
maybe how to drink himself into a stupor.

Genma, guessing what Ranma was thinking, threw himself in
front of his son, making pleading gestures at him.

"Oh yeah, and why shouldn't I?" Ranma asked the prostrated
bear.

Genma whipped out a sign, "I still have a lot left to
teach you!"

"Yeah right pop. Don't make me laugh, I don't even break a
sweat fighting with you anymore."

Genma quite begging at that, and sat down with his back to
Ranma, waving a sign over his shoulder. "After all I've
done for you..." he flipped the sign "...this is how you
repay me?"

Shampoo just couldn't believe Genma would actually say
(write) that. Of all the things he could have said to try
to get Ranma to stay, Shampoo seriously doubted there was
anything that would help his cause less. Glancing over at
Ranma, she could see he was thinking along the same lines
as she, only it was making him more and more angry.

Ranma's fists were tightly clenched as he glared at the
panda. "Yeah pop, lets talk about 'all the things you've
done for me'. Like selling me for food! Engaging me to
half a dozen people, and then just to add injury to
insult, giving me this curse!" he took a step forward, as
Genma flinched under the verbal assault. "Yes, what a
_fine_ father you've been, you worthless coward! Always
hiding behind your curse, running from your problems! Well
I'm through runnin! I'm going home!"

Genma-panda seemed to shrink into himself, withering more
from the anger and hatred in his son's voice than the
actual accusations.

Shampoo decided she'd better do something before Genma
made Ranma anymore mad. Quietly stepping up behind Ranma,
she said, "Let's go Ranma. Leave him alone."

Ranma looked up at her, the pain apparent in his eyes.
Shampoo's heart skipped a beat, feeling his pain acutely,
and wishing there was something she could do to stop it.
Taking him by the arm, she began leading him away.

***

Nodoka looked over this month's stack of bills again.
There weren't many, because without her husband and son
here she'd been able to cut back on everything but the
barest essentials, not using much electricity, and by
growing some of her own food in her garden, she'd been
able to make do with her small income she received from
her work. Still, she could see that this month was going
to be pretty tight again.

She considered maybe applying for more hours at the
antique store where she worked a few hours every week. It
was an easy job, and one she enjoyed, where she polished
all the old furniture, preserving it and making it look
beautiful again. Still, it wouldn't be proper for her to
spend too much time working, that just wasn't right.

Nodoka gave a little sigh. If only Ranma and Genma would
return, then Genma could get a real job, or even just
teach if they saved up enough money to buy a dojo. Not a
day past that she didn't wish for their return. Maybe, she
thought, she should go pay a visit to the Tendos again. At
least there she wasn't alone, and there was that adorable
Ranko... There was something about that girl, Nodoka
couldn't seem place it, but she was always so happy to see
her. Still, Ranko wasn't a very proper young lady, maybe
she should try to spend some more time with her and see if
she could get Ranko to behave more properly.

There wasn't enough honor in the world today, Nodoka
decided, that was the whole problem. No one seemed to care
about the traditional ways anymore. This new generation of
teenagers seemed to have left concepts like honor and duty
behind. Still, at least she was assured that her son would
respect the old ways, how else could he be a man amongst
men? Yes, Ranma must be the very epidemy of honor and duty
by now, Nodoka thought to herself. He'll marry Akane,
doing his duty to his family, and pass on the old ways.
Never would *her* clan lose the honor that everyone else
seemed to have forsaken in this age. Honor and duty had
kept her going for 10 long years without her husband or
son, and they would see her son wed as well.

Nodoka spared a pleasant sigh at that thought, day
dreaming about her dashingly handsome son marrying Akane,
in a perfect traditional ceremony. Finally, when that
moment came, she knew that everything she'd gone through,
everything she'd suffered without her son here would be
worth it then, to see the fruits of her dedication to
honor and tradition redeemed.

Nodoka didn't like to waste away her time in silly
daydreams, after all, there was work to be done. However,
she couldn't help fantasizing to herself one last time
about how there would be a knock on her door, and she'd go
and answer it, and there on the steps would be Ranma and
Genma, coming home to her...

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Nodoka's eyes
flew open, her breath quickening a bit. Could it be?

Slowly she walked over to the door, almost afraid to open
it for fear of the disappointment that would follow when
it wasn't them. Finally she shook herself, telling herself
not to be so silly, and opened the door.

***

It had taken the better part of a day for Ranma and
Shampoo to walk back to Nerima, and they had tried to keep
a low profile once they got there to keep from being
spotted by friends and enemies alike. Ranma's anger at his
father had quickly dissipated as they got closer and
closer to Ranma's mother's house, as he was too busy
being nervous to be angry at the same time.

Shampoo felt no small amount of anxiety over this meeting
as well. She'd been considering what Ranma had told her
that night they had discussed coming back to his mother's
house, about how set his mother had been on Ranma marrying
Akane... What if Nodoka insisted? Shampoo hoped she
wouldn't, but she couldn't help the sick feeling growing
in her stomach at the thought of Ranma forced to go back
to the Tendos before he was ready... And, she realized,
she really didn't want him to ever go back.

Silently she cursed herself for being so selfish. Hadn't
she given up her claim to Ranma? Still, the last couple of
days had been so pleasant, not having to worry about the
other fiancee's, just having Ranma all to herself...
They'd had so much fun just sparring and talking, and
generally enjoying each other's company... At least,
she had. Ranma had seemed to, but had he really? She knew
he was still depressed over getting kicked out of the
Tendos, but she had tried to be there for him and cheer
him up. Shampoo just didn't know what to do anymore. She
hoped she was doing the right thing by suggesting they go
back to his mother, surely she couldn't turn away her own
son, could she?

No, said a voice deep in her (which sounded kinda like her
great-grandmother), she won't turn away her own flesh and
blood... but what about you? And that was the heart of the
problem, no matter what, Shampoo needed to stay with
Ranma, and there was a fair chance that his mother would
send her packing. Ranma had helped her regain her
confidence in herself, and her will to live, but it had
all been because of him that she had wanted to go on
living! She kept telling herself all during training with
him that all she wanted was to be his friend, help him
whenever she could so that she could repay all what he had
done for her, but now there was the possibility that to do
the right thing for Ranma might cause her to have to
leave... And suddenly it didn't seem like the right thing
to do anymore.

Shampoo thought back to Ranma's teachings on honor, how he
had said that in order to do the right thing, you had to
sometimes forget your own feelings and ask what was right
for everyone else. Shampoo tried, but it was just so hard!
Why should she give up her one chance for happiness? How
could she let Ranma slip away from her just when they'd
started to get really close?

Shampoo looked over at Ranma, walking beside her, also
lost in thought. It would be so easy, she thought, come up
with some excuse to not go to his mother's house right
now, then dissuade him from ever going back later...
Together they could travel, laugh, have fun, and
eventually she knew he would fall in love with her...

No, that just wasn't right, she realized. As much as she
wanted to do it, Ranma wasn't ready to love her yet. He
still had so much to work out here in Nermia, and his
mother was the best place to start. As much as it hurt her
to think it, she knew that he did still love Akane. No,
she would do what she could to help him, it was only
the right thing to do.

Her mind told her so, and for once, she listened to the
logic over the feelings in her heart... but she the
emptiness welling from within her still hurt more than she
had thought possible.

***

Shampoo struggled to suppress her emotions as they
approached the house. She needed to be strong for Ranma.

Ranma, for his part, was shaking like a leaf. Shampoo had
never seen him so nervous before, not even when trying to
confess his feelings to one of the girls. However, as they
reached the door, his stance firmed, and his muscles
tensed. Shampoo recognized his stance: he looked ready for
combat. Walking with a confidence that didn't reach his
eyes, he reached the door and knocked.

Shampoo was still standing at the bottom step when the
door opened, with the perfect vantage point to see
Nodoka's face transform from looking tired and weary to a
look of pure joy as she spotted Ranma. Ranma himself lost
all his composer on seeing his mother, whispering "Mom..."
and rushing into her embrace. The two just held each other
for a moment, and Shampoo looked away, feeling like she
was invading their privacy by being there, and feeling
even more anxious.

Slowly, reluctantly, the matriarch of the Saotome clan
released her son, and they both took a step back, sizing
each other up. Ranma, for once, had a look of pure bliss
on his face, as if in that moment he had completely
forgotten all the pain and anxiety of the past few days.
Nodoka's eyes shown with pride at the man she say before
her, everything she had ever hoped for. Then, slowly, her
gaze left her son and looked over the rest of the porch,
apparently searching for her wayward husband, when her
eyes found her.

Cocking her head slightly and blinking at Shampoo, Nodoka
asked, "Ranma, who is this girl?"

Ranma, who'd been busy just staring at his mother,
reveling in actually being able to be with her in his male
form, suddenly snapped back to reality, remembering that
he still had a lot of explaining to do. "Uh, Mom, this is
my uh..." Ranma paused for a moment, obviously fighting a
brief internal battle with himself over just exactly
*what* Shampoo was to him. Shampoo could sympathize, their
relationship had been anything but simple, and while she
silently wished he would say "Fiancee" or even just
"girlfriend", she knew he stick to a safer course.

Indeed, he did. ".. my friend. Her name is Shampoo, and
she's the one who finally talked enough sense into me that
I came home."

Nodoka looked at him funny for a moment, then asked
another question. "But Ranma, where is your father?"

Ranma was starting to look *really* uncomfortable now.
"Uh, mom, that's kinda a long story... Can't we go inside
to discuss it?" He said, looking warily at the dark clouds
starting to drift overhead.

Nodoka blinked for a moment, then seemed to realize that
they were still outside. "Oh! Excuse me! I'm not being a
very good host. Please, come in."

The inside of the house was sparsely furnished, but kept
in very neat order. The cottage was rather small, but then
Shampoo figured that if Nodoka had lived alone for the
last ten years, she wouldn't have needed anything fancy.
As she followed Ranma in, she noticed that Nodoka was
still looking at her curiously. Shampoo could guess why,
she must be in a fair amount of shock at having her long-
lost son suddenly returned to her, along with a strange
girl who wasn't the fiancee she knew he had, and without
his father. Still, Shampoo hoped that Nodoka was as strong
as the tales she'd heard of her made her out to be,
because she still had a lot of shocks coming.

The three of them sat down around the table set in the
middle of the living room. It was a pleasant enough
environment, though the house had a sense of coldness to
it, like it hadn't really been lived in, although it was
obvious that everything was well used. Shampoo spotted
several patches on the various pieces of furniture, and
the rug was well worn. Still, the house seemed to lack the
vibrance of life.

Looking around, Shampoo spotted the large garden just in
back of the house. There, at least, life seemed to thrive,
as a riot of fruits and vegetables fought for the small
space allotted to them, all carefully pruned and taken
care of. Nodoka brought some tea in, and as they all took
their respective cups, an awkward silence filled the room,
no one sure where to begin.

Finally Ranma, always the impatient one, spoke first.
"Well, ah.. it sure is good to see you again mom, I've
ah... really missed you."

"Yes, I came by the Tendos a couple of times to see if you
were there, but every time you were gone on another
training trip." Nodoka let out a soft sigh. "I'm so glad
you've finally returned to me, every bit the man your
father promised!" she said, beaming at him once more.

However, Ranma looked even more uncomfortable at the
mention of the Tendos. Unconsciously, Shampoo scooted a
tiny bit closer to him, wishing there was something she
could do to ease his anxiety. Still, she had been
introduced as his "friend", so she would only
play that part.

Quietly, a tiny voice in the back of her mind asked her if
maybe that's all she really was to him, but she quickly
squashed it.

"I uh... I know you came to visit the Tendos mom... I was
uh... kinda... there." Ranma finally finished in a small
voice.

Nodoka's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What? How could
you have been there the whole time? I certainly never saw
you there."

Ranma opened his mouth to speak, and Shampoo was pretty
sure she had a good idea what he was about to say, and she
figured she'd better save him before he let his mouth get
him in any more trouble.

"Ah, excuse me, Saotome-sama?" Both the Saotomes looked at
her in surprise as she spoke for the first time. Shampoo
felt her mouth go a little dry as Nodoka gazed at her,
realizing that any mistake she made now could permanently
separate her and Ranma. "But really think Ranma start tell
at beginning." Silently Shampoo cursed herself as her
ability to speak Japanese fluently deserted her right when
she needed it most.

Nodoka looked back at Ranma. "Yes, dear, maybe you should
start at the beginning."

Ranma looked fearfully at Shampoo, wondering if she really
meant he should tell *everything*. Shampoo gave him a
slight nod, as if reading his thoughts, and he sighed, Mom
was definitely not going to like this story.

"Well, you remember that we went to a place called
Jusenkyo..." Ranma began.

Half an hour later, his mother was looking at him in
stunned horror, Shampoo looked like she was trying to make
herself very small over at her side of the table, and
Ranma was just finishing. "So you see, Pop refused to let
me come home, cause he was scared of you, and Shampoo
convinced me that we didn't need him anymore, 'cause he
hasn't really taught me anything for along time now. And
well... here we are."

Silence descended on the room

Nodoka gave a little gasp, then finally regained her
voice. "You, you mean to tell me that *you* are Ranko?"

Ranma nodded slowly, picking up his now-cold tea and
pouring it over himself. The transformed girl straightened
her clothes a bit, then looked up at her mother half
fearfully. "Uh, h-hi mom..."

It was too much for Nodoka. Staring at her only child,
watching his manly features blurring and resetting as
feminine while his body shrunk... her mind gave out. Eyes
rolling back into her head, she passed out.

Ranma managed to catch her, and together she and Shampoo
moved her into her bedroom, making her comfortable.

"Well Ranma, that could have gone a lot worse..." Started
Shampoo, trying to put on brave face.

"Yeah, and it could have gone a lot better too." Ranma sat
down on a chair next to her mother. "I don't know
Shampoo... maybe this wasn't such a good idea... what if
she forces me to commit seppuku?"

Shampoo made a dismissive gesture. "Che... She won't. You
saw how happy she was to see you. She might not be exactly
happy about your curse, but I seriously doubt she'd force
you to kill yourself!" Shampoo looked away for a second.
When she continued, her voice was much less confident.
"Ranma... did you really mean what you said about me? When
you tell story? You make it sound like great-grandmother
and I some kind of monster..."

Ranma looked up, concerned. While telling the story, he
had sort of forgotten that Shampoo was still there. "Uh...
oh...um... well, you see..." finally Ranma gave up trying
to find the diplomatic approach, she felt like she'd just
fought a long, difficult battle, baring her soul to her
mother like that, and she didn't feel up to blunting her
words for Shampoo. "Shampoo... you're not a monster,
but you *did* do a lot of awfully mean things to me. I'm
sorry if I hurt you telling it like I did, but it was the
truth. If its any consolation, I do like you a lot more
now."

Shampoo gave a small sniff, trying to fight back her
tears. She had known that a lot of the things that she and
her great-grandmother had done had hurt Ranma, but not
that bad... the way he had told it, it didn't sound like
they had ever had any good encounters... Could Ranma
really have hated her that much? She been so sure that
he'd secretly enjoyed some of their time together, when
she'd hugged him or kissed him.

Getting a hold of her emotions, Shampoo gave a small sigh,
before turning back to Ranma. Well, that just meant that
she'd have to work that much harder to be worthy of her
love.

Ranma watched her struggle with her emotions before
finally putting on a strong face and facing her again. She
felt sorry for Shampoo, she wanted to tell her that it
wasn't that bad, but she just couldn't. Anything she said
would only make her think that she was in love with her,
and she wasn't... was she? It felt awfully bad to see
her hurt like that...

She was saved from following that line of thought,
however, as her mother began to stir. Turing back to her,
Ranma-chan looked at her in concern as she slowly opened
her eyes. As they came to focus on her, Nodoka had a
puzzled look on her face. "Ranko? What are you doing here?
I just had the strangest dream..."

Ranma flinched at being called "Ranko", cursing her
stupidity in not turning back to male. "No mom, it wasn't
a dream, it's me, Ranma."

"Ranma? Ranma!" Nodoka sat up straight in the bed, pulling
back from him/her a bit. Slowly, her calm returned as she
came to grips with the situation. Clearing her throat, she
started again in a gentler voice. "Ranma, this curse makes
things... complicated. The actual curse changes little,
but how I've seen you act while in your... current form is
less than manly. " Ranma blanched at that, fear growing in
her eyes. Nodoka, however, continued. "Most notably the
fact that you lied to me repeatedly, hiding behind your
curse. That's very unmanly." Ranma began to look
desperate, afraid her worse fears were about to come true.
"However, as your father is obviously responsible for
your... inadequate upbringing, I'm not going to force you
to commit seppuku." Ranma breathed a great sigh of relief,
as did Shampoo, though she hadn't realized she'd been
holding her breath.

"Mother..." Ranma started.

"Still, despite the story you told me about how Ukyo
tricked Akane into kicking you out of the Tendo's house,
your engagement to her is a matter of family honor and
must be upheld. You and I will go back there tonight and
explain it to them, and we will make arrangements for you
to be married to Akane as soon as possible. This fiancee
fiasco has gone on far too long."

Ranma looked at his mother in shock, ready to protest.
Shampoo, however, looked at her in horror, though Nodoka
didn't see it. This was exactly what she had dreaded, and
she felt icy fingers grip her heart, begging her to snatch
Ranma and run far away, or challenge Nodoka for Ranma's
hand, ANYTHING to stop what was happening in front of her.

She couldn't do it though. As much as she wanted to, she
knew this was the best thing for Ranma, this was why she
had brought him back to his mother, now she had to trust
in his mother's wisdom, no matter what her own feelings.
Still, it hurt. It hurt more than she thought she could
bare. She felt Ranma's eyes search her, and she quickly
buried her feelings, putting on a brave smile. She would
be there for her, she had to be. It was going to take all
Ranma's strength to apologize and patch things up with
Akane.

Seeing her son's gaze, Nodoka turned and regarded Shampoo.
"Shampoo, Thank you for bringing my son home to me.
However, I'm afraid I can't let you stay, there is no room
for you here and I can't afford a houseguest anyway. I am
sorry. Be sure to let us know where you settle so that we
can send you a wedding invitation." Nodoka's gaze was not
exactly hostile toward her, but it was definitely less
than friendly, which Shampoo could understand after
Ranma's version of their history together.

Reluctantly, Shampoo nodded. Standing and giving a bow to
Nodoka. She started to leave, then her eyes fell on Ranma.
The red head was looking at her with an expression she
couldn't fathom. I have to be strong for him, she thought.
Quickly, Before she could think about what she was doing,
she walked over and embraced Ranma-chan tightly, feeling
the smaller girl initially tense up as she always did, but
gradually accepting the hug. She held her tightly for a
few moments, wanting that embrace, possibly the last she
would share with Ranma, to convey so much... As she drew
back, a tear in her eye, Ranma had a shocked look on her
beautiful face, apparently trying to understand her own
feelings. Then, forcing a smile, Shampoo bowed to them
both again and left.

Shampoo stood on the porch for a few minutes after closing
the door behind her, struggling to keep the despair she
felt from overwhelming her. She had known this was
coming... after all, she had given up her claim to Ranma,
so she had known that one day he would go his own way and
she'd have to go hers, right? That annoying voice in the
back of her mind screamed "NO" at her, but she ignored it.
She could have her own life now, a life without Ranma...
maybe she could meet someone else, someone who'd love
her like she loved Ranma...

Shampoo clenched her fist. She would go and make a life
for herself... just not yet. With that, she sprang on to
the roof, waiting to see Ramna one last time.

***

Ranma didn't know what to think about going back to the
Tendos... one part of her wanted to leap for joy, hoping
that her mother would set everything straight, but another
part of her felt that it was very wrong... it just wasn't
time. She looked over to Shampoo, to see what her take was
on this was... but she wasn't prepared for what she read
in Shampoo eyes. It was as if Shampoo was standing at the
cliff again, that same look of terror and pain. It hurt
Ranma just to see it, even though she knew this time it
wasn't her fault. The look was gone in an instant though,
replaced by a neutral, calm, and serious face, but Ranma
could still see Shampoo struggling to control her emotions
beneath the mask she had just erected. Nodoka, following
Ranma's gaze, turned to face Shampoo.

"Shampoo, Thank you for bringing my son home to me.
However, I'm afraid I can't let you stay, there is no room
for you here and I can't afford a houseguest anyway. I am
sorry. Be sure to let us know where you settle so that we
can send you a wedding invitation."

Shampoo sullenly nodded, obviously not wanting to leave.
Ranma almost said something, wanting to ask her to stay...
but Ranma's mother had just asked her to leave, and Ranma
just didn't feel right about going against her mother's
wishes at that moment. This was all too new, and she
didn't want to lose the fragile bond she'd only just begun
to build with Nodoka.

Shampoo got up, gave a bow to his mother, then walked over
to him. Ranma didn't know what to expect... a slap for not
asking her to stay? A kiss? The simple hug came as a
surprise to her though, it was just so unlike Shampoo to
give anything in moderation. The hug was more that just a
simple embrace though, it seemed like she was holding on
to him for dear life, then slowly letting go. Ranma
had no idea how to react to that thought, and as she
pulled back she had tears in her eyes.

Ranma had wanted to say something then too, but she was
gone before Ranma could form a coherent thought. She had
gotten so used to Shampoo being at her side for the last
couple of weeks, that having her suddenly gone, with such
a sense of finality, that it was like she was missing a
limb. Numbly, Ranma looked over at her mother.

Nodoka was watching him intently, or rather her. "Ranma,
trust me, this is for the best. That girl would only
distract you from doing your duty to your family by
marrying Akane. Now come along, lets get you changed back
into a more manly form."

Ranma felt a little bit better after hearing her mother's
words, but something still felt decidedly wrong about this
whole situation. She didn't know how she had thought it
would be, but somehow having Shampoo suddenly ripped out
of her life hadn't been part of her future vision.
Something about that thought nagged at her, wanting
her to examine it closer, but she didn't have time. Her
mother was leading her to the kitchen and asking her more
questions about her travels, and Ranma didn't have time to
consider it.

***

Ukyo sat on the roof of the house across from the Tendo
dojo, watching dinner progress inside. Her ever-so-
wonderful plan had apparently worked almost exactly as she
had planed, as Ranma was no longer eating at the Tendo's
table. Ukyo cursed herself for being so stupid, for not
seeing the signs earlier. Ranma didn't love her, and he
never had. A darkness seemed to well up within her at that
thought, like some tangible demon waving images of those
last few horrible moments in her face, showing her over
and over again the look of betrayal on Ranma's face as he
left her...

Putting her head in her hands, Ukyo let out a deep sob.
After a few minutes she managed to control her tears once
more and looked back to the Tendo's dinner table. This
wasn't the first time since Ranma had left she'd watched
them eat dinner, but this time she had a different purpose
than just verifying that her strategy had worked... She
had to set things right. It didn't matter that Ranma
would never forgive her now... never love her...

No, she thought, I will not think like that anymore, I
can't help Ranma if I'm too busy grieving.

Standing up, she watched Akane head up to her room to do
homework. With a leap and a bound, she soon sat just
outside Akane's window, trying to muster enough courage to
go in. Finally she got to her feet, knocking gently on the
window. Inside, Akane glanced up from her homework,
focusing on Ukyo. Anger begin to swell in Akane's eyes as
they locked with Ukyo's. Ukyo desperately wished she could
at least take a step back to get out from under that
penetrating gaze, but there was nowhere to go up
on the thin ledge where she stood.

With two long strides, Akane threw open the window, but
she placed herself in such away that Ukyo couldn't enter.

"Uh, Akane, I wanted to..."

Ukyo never got a chance to finish. Akane gave a small
guttural yell of rage. "Ukyo you bitch! How _dare_ you
come back here! Isn't Ranma enough for you? I never want
to see either of you again!"

This was going a lot worse that Ukyo had expected. She'd
hoped to at least be given a chance to say a few words.
"No! Akane! Wait!"

But it was too late. Akane balled up her fist, preparing
to throw a tremendous punch. "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!"
and with that she let loose. Normally Ukyo would have no
problem dodge one of Akane's wild punches, but this time
she didn't even try. Perhaps she deserved it, she thought,
Maybe if she let Akane hit her, the violent girl wouldn't
go so hard on Ranma... While Ukyo was considering why she
should or shouldn't block the incoming punch, the punch
connected solidly with Ukyo's jaw and sent her flying.
With a small "Hmph" of triumph, Akane slammed shut the
window and went back to her homework.

Ukyo landed about a block away, smashing hard into a wall.
Dazed, she lay slumped against the wall, trying to gather
her wits. She couldn't believe the amount of anger Akane
seemed to hold within her, it just didn't seem possible
for anyone to be so hate-filled, and she hadn't done
anything to alleviate it. Through the haze of pain though,
one thought kept echoing in her mind: What have I done...
what have I done...

***

Nodoka kept her posture straight and severe as she and her
son walked toward the Tendo dojo. Ranma was following a
little bit behind her, trying not to look worried.

Nodoka's calm demeanor was only a projection, however.
Inside she was outraged that her dreams had been dashed
so. Her son had obviously not been taught proper honor,
and all her sacrifice had been for nothing. One thought
kept her going, however. If she could just get him to
uphold family honor and marry Akane, then part of her
dream would be salvaged. Then she could begin rectifying
his lax view of tradition. She would make sure he learned
his duty, she simply could not accept him as her son if he
did not. If he couldn't uphold the family honor, then
there was only one way for him to redeem it... seppuku.
After all, that was the honorable thing.

"Ano... Mom?" Ranma said, stopping behind her.

Nodoka stopped, then slowly turned to face him. It wasn't
that she was displeased with how he had turned out, but
she had given up ten years of her life for the *perfect*
son, and now to see that he clearly wasn't... It made all
she had gone through seem like a waste. Well, she wouldn't
let it be. If Ranma couldn't become the man she'd always
envisioned, she'd just have to take steps to ensure that
honor was maintained. Honor was everything.

"What is it, Ranma dear?"

"Uh, I'm not so sure this is such a good idea, going to
visit the Tendos unexpected... shouldn't we have called
first or something?" Ranma replied, not meeting her gaze.

No, thought Nodoka, you are not going to destroy my
dreams, not after all you've taken from me. Inwardly she
seethed that her son would ever question his mother. *She*
had certainly never questioned her parents, that just
wasn't proper. Parents had to be respected and listened to
at all time. However, the only sign of her displeasure
that reached her face was a slight creasing of her brow.

"Now Ranma, we discussed this. Manly men don't skulk and
hide from confrontations, and you are a manly man, aren't
you?" Ranma nodded. "Good, then let us continue."

Nodoka faced forward again and begin proceeding at a
stately pace, just fast enough that you couldn't walk
casually and still keep up. After all, it wouldn't do to
doodle. Ranma stared at his feet for a moment more, then
quickly caught up.

Nodoka felt like something just wasn't right here.
Silently she wondered if this really even was her son,
after all, her son should be the pinnacle of honor, and
should have never left his father, as this boy had. And to
top it off, this "Ranma" even showed himself to be able to
change his form... What if this was just an impostor,
using her?

No, Nodoka thought, he couldn't have faked the emotion she
felt between them when they'd first hugged. Still, she'd
have to keep an eye on him...

***

Shampoo grew more concerned with each passing moment as
she watched the confrontation between Ranma and his mother
on the street. Things were definitely not going as she'd
thought. The comment Nodoka made about Ranma's manliness
especially disturbed the ex-amazon... Could it be that she
was still taking that seppuku pact seriously? Shampoo
didn't think even Cologne would be so cold as to force a
family member, one of her own flesh and blood to kill
themselves... though Shampoo hadn't thought she was
capable of kicking her own flesh and blood out of the
tribe either.

Ranma had told her once that he had learned most of what
he knew about honor from his mother, and Shampoo knew how
much honor meant to him. Was it possible that his mother
was even more strict about honor than he was? If so, Ranma
could be in serious trouble. Feeling even more like
something was wrong with this whole situation, and cursing
herself for even suggesting that Ranma come back to his
mother, she silently followed the retreating pair.

***

One other set of eyes followed the progress of mother and
son down the street. From the roof of a nearby building
Ukyo sat regarding the pair, wondering what the heck was
going on. Ranchan had once told her why he could never go
near his mother, and now to see them together, Ukyo didn't
know what to think.

Had she driven him to this? Forced him to risk death by
going to his mother after being kicked out of the Dojo?
What if his mother found out about his curse and forced
him to commit seppuku? It would all be her fault! Ukyo
felt her stomach twisting into a knot. She had had no idea
what a Pandora's box she'd opened when she'd started her
plan, now it could cost Ranchan his life!

Feeling sick to her stomach, the familiar refrain of "What
have I done, what have I done..." echoed through her mind
once more. Determined to do something to help Ranma, she
decided to silently follow them.

***

Ryouga sat at the dinner table long after everyone else
had left. Over the last week of being here at the Tendos,
he'd learned that there was one very important thing he
had to do in order to stay here- not move.

So Ryouga sat at the table, his eyes closed, just thinking
about the past couple of days. Eventually someone would
lead him to his room, but until then he had plenty of time
to think.

The last couple of days had been pure bliss for Ryouga.
While the rest of the family was rather indifferent
towards him, Akane had come to him multiple times for
comfort. Ryouga gave a small smile, remembering how it
felt to hold her in his arms... For the first time he
could remember, life seemed pretty good.

It was true that he still hadn't really confessed his
feelings for her, but he just felt the time wasn't right
yet, Akane still wasn't completely over Ranma. Ryouga
hoped she would quit thinking about that jerk soon, there
was so much he wanted to tell her. For a moment he
envisioned how it would go... He would go into her room,
and she'd look up from her homework, at first slightly
angry that she was interrupted, but then her expression
would soften as she saw that it was him. He'd walk over to
her, kneeling down by her side, and taking her hand in
his. Then as they looked into each other's eyes, he'd say,
"Akane, I love you, please, will you go out on date with
me?" and joy would fill Akane's eyes, and she'd leap into
his arms, saying "Oh Ryouga! I've always felt the same
way, I was just never sure if you returned it! Lets skip
dating and just get married!"

Ryouga's smile threatened to engulf his face as he thought
about it. It was perfect. With Ranma gone, nothing could
stop him... Still, it was weird that Akane wasn't spending
more time with him. She only seemed to seek him out when
she was thinking about Ranma... Oh well, she probably was
just unsure of her true feelings, he thought. Ryouga was
patient, he knew that in time Akane would realize that she
really loved him.

The pleasant fantasy was interrupted however, as he heard
a knock at the door. Opening his eyes, he saw Kasumi exit
the kitchen carrying a cup of tea, calling out "I'll get
it!" in her pleasant voice. Ryouga smiled at the thought
of one day having her as an in-law, she was always so
nice.

Suddenly there was a crash, followed by a loud exclamation
of "Oh my!" Ryouga was on his feet in a second, heading
toward the door. As he rounded the corner, he saw Kasumi
standing in front of the door hand to her mouth, the cup
of tea she'd been carrying shattered on the floor. Then,
as Ryouga looked past her, his gaze alighted on what had
caused the disturbance, though he had already guessed as
soon as he had heard Kasumi's exclamation. Only one person
could be so horrible as to cause Kasumi fright - Ranma.

With a cry of rage, he sprung past Kasumi, going into a
leap kick intent on destroying Ranma once and for all,
ridding the world of his evil presence that had caused
Akane so much pain. Never again, he vowed to himself,
never again would he let Ranma hurt Akane.

Ranma just looked up as Ryouga's foot came flying toward
his head. He didn't even bother to put up a token defense.
Ryouga's kick probably would have knocked him into next
week if it had landed. However, he was stopped just short,
as the second person in the doorway, whom he hadn't seen
in his rage to kill Ranma, leveled a katana at his throat.

"Good to see you too, Ryouga." Ranma said dryly.

By this time the rest of the family had come running, and
though Akane was glaring with undisguised hatred at Ranma,
everyone else was focused on Nodoka.

Withdrawing her katana from Ryouga's neck, she bowed to
the Tendos. "I am sorry for coming so late at night, but
there is a matter between our two families which must be
dealt with. Now."

Soun, slightly taken aback by the forcefulness in Nodoka's
eyes, quickly buckled under her gaze. "Uh, yes, of course.
Please, come this way, we'll discuss this in the dinning
room.

Everyone followed Soun in, while shooting Ranma dark
looks. Ranma, for his part, kept his eyes fixed on the
ground, trying not to flinch under the combined hostility.

As they walked in, Ryouga positioned himself just behind
Akane, sitting next to her as they sat around the table.
Whatever dark plot Ranma had cooked up to get back in
Akane's good graces, Ryouga was not going to let him hurt
her again, and he had a feeling Akane was going to need
him again very soon.

Everyone stared expectantly at the Saotome's, and finally
Nodoka elbowed Ranma in the side, prodding him into
action. Eyes still focused on the ground, Ranma gave them
all a deep bow, practically groveling before them. "I'm a
very sorry for the pain I have caused this household.
Please forgive me. I will do whatever I can to set things
right." he said.

Everyone just stared at him in shock, not believing that
Ranma had just apologized... and what's more, had done it
correctly, politely, and even sounded sincere.

Nabiki, however, was not impressed. with a snort, she
turned away from them. "And why should we forgive you? All
you've done is steal our food, use our resources, and take
advantage of our hospitality. Give me one good reason why
we should forgive you." she said.

The rest of the Tendos, all of which who had looked ready
to forgive him (save Akane), quickly swiveled to face
Nabiki, their faces hardening once more.

Ranma looked desperately for a friendly face, trying to
think of some way to allay their fears. Soun just looked
confused by the proceedings, Akane still looked pissed,
but then he facing him she rarely looked any other way.
Nabiki looked indifferent as always, though she had
already made it clear just how she felt about his
return. Ryouga's expression varied between one of rage
when looking at Ranma, and concern when looking at Akane.
Of them all, only Kasumi looked sympathetic, but she also
looked concerned at the same time, he would find no allies
here.

His mother, however, came to his rescue. "My son is sorry
for what he has done, and as he has explained it to me,
this is all one big misunderstanding to begin with. I
suggest you at least hear his side of the story, I believe
it, and I think you will as well."

Nodoka's tone allowed for no argument, and once again
everyone looked expectantly at Ranma. Slowly Ranma told
his tale of how Ukyo tricked him, and how he was actually
unconscious when she had kissed him. When he finished,
Soun looked relieved, Kasumi was smiling in her blissful
way again, while Nabiki still looked like she didn't
believe a word of it. And Akane... Akane looked even
madder than before.

"You expect us to actually _believe_ that Ranma?! I was
*there*! I saw it! You kissed her!" Akane said, barely
controlling her urge to leap up and hit him with the
nearest heavy object.

Nodoka fixed her cold stare on Akane. "Akane, that's no
way to treat your fiancee. As he explained, you couldn't
see that he was unconscious from where you were, so don't
be so quick to jump to conclusions."

Soun broke into a wide smile. "Oh happy day!" he shouted.
"This means that Ranma can still marry Akane!"

Nodoka also seemed to relax a little, though Akane still
looked like the first chance she got she would clobber
Ranma. Ryouga, sitting at her side, just couldn't believe
what was going on around him. Was Akane's father just
going to believe that load of crap? He thought, I've got
to do something to stop this! but what?

While Ryouga tried to decide what to do, Nodoka spoke
again. "Yes Tendo-san. That is the other matter we need to
discuss. This engagement business has gone on long enough.
Now that my son has return to me, I insist that they be
married immediately."

Ranma looked up sharply, his mouth opening to protest when
he was fixed with a glare by Nodoka, and quickly thought
better of it. He quickly resumed his staring at the floor.

Akane, however, showed no such restraint. She quickly
leaped to her feet, outraged. "No! I'm not marrying him!"

Soun looked at his daughter, alarmed. "But, Akane..."

"No! I'm not going to marry that two-timing hentai
freeloader!"

Soun burst into tears, "Akane, how could you do this to
your poor father..."

"Yes Akane, that is not the way for a proper woman to
act." added Nodoka.

Akane was working herself into a rage, however. "I don't
care whether its proper! I don't love him! and I won't
marry him!"

Nodoka looked concerned at Akane's lack of manners.
"Akane, please calm down. This really isn't a choice, its
a matter of honor. You two have been pledged to wed, would
you break your family's honor by refusing to uphold the
marriage?"

Akane was a bit taken aback by that. With Nodoka bringing
family honor into it, it was no longer a simple matter to
get rid of the engagement.

Ryouga sat sullenly, feeling like an infinite number of
arrows had just been shot through his heart. Akane forced
to marry Ranma? he couldn't let this travesty go on! He
_HAD_ to do something!

Not knowing what he could do, but knowing that he couldn't
just sit there, Ryouga leapt to his feet, and said the
first thing that came to mind. "No! Akane can't marry
Ranma, she's already agreed to marry me!"

The room went deathly quiet, as everyone stared at Ryouga.
Suddenly he realized what he'd just said... and the world
seem to come crashing down around his ears as the blood
rushed from his head. Somehow though, he forced himself to
remain focused. This was it! This was his chance at last
to save Akane, and get her for himself!

Nodoka seemed to be the only one unfazed as everyone
stared at Ryouga. "It matters not. Ranma's engagement was
decided upon before either of them were born, and
therefore takes precedence. It is matter of family honor
that Akane marry Ranma."

Ryouga felt like he was fighting a losing battle. Why was
it that he only lost to Saotomes? Struggling to find some
way to refute that claim, he just couldn't come up with
anyway to get Akane out of this. In desperation, he just
let his mouth go, hoping that whatever came out would be
the right thing. "But... but... Akane and I have already
slept together! And... and... and... Akane is carrying my
child!"

Now the silence that had prevailed since his last
announcement of his was shattered by cries of
"eeeeeEEEEHHHH?" as everyone's eyes boggled. Ranma's
fists were gripped so tight that his knuckles were white,
and he looked ready to kill. Kasumi just smiled and said
"congratulations!" in her cheerful manner. Akane had
turned a bright red, her jaw hanging practically to the
floor. Soun was unconscious, and Nabiki just looked at
Ryouga incredulously, saying "gee sis, I never knew you
had it in you..." though no one paid any attention to her.

Nodoka was the first to recover. "I see... well then, we
will withdraw and leave you in peace." No one moved a
muscle as she and Ranma got up and left.

All the blood seemed to leave Ryouga's face, and his knees
went weak as what he'd just said echoed in his mind.
Finally he turned to face Akane, trying to explain.

As Ryouga turned to face her, however, Akane seemed to
recover somewhat (though her face was still beet red) and
without a word walked over and grabbed Ryouga by his
collar and dragged him up the stairs to her room. Slamming
the door shut, she whirled on him. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU
THINKING!" she yelled.

Ryouga staggered back against the door, trying to retreat
from the heat of her anger. "I... I just... wait...
Akane, I can explain!" he said, throwing his arms up in a
defensive posture.

For once, Akane held her killer punch in check, waiting to
see what lame excuse Ryouga was going to come up with. How
dare he tell those lies about her! He was just as bad as
Ranma!

Ryouga finally opened one eye to see why he hadn't been
hit yet. Seeing Akane still in a rage, but holding off
hitting him for the moment, he lowered his arms a bit.
Then he began struggling for an explanation himself.

It was no use, he dropped his arms to his side in defeat.
He couldn't think of a single excuse for what he had
done... so instead he decided that it couldn't get any
worse. After what he'd just said, nothing could stop him
from getting kicked out. The certainty that he would never
see Akane after this granted him a confidence like
he'd never known, the same confidence and strength that
keeps a man on his feet as he walks to the gallows, or so
Ryouga imagined.

"Akane. I... I love you." he said.

"WHAT!?"

This time Akane's yell was one of shock, this was
obviously not been the answer that Akane had been
expecting. Well, there was no turning back now. "Akane,
I've always loved you, and... and I just couldn't bear to
see you forced to marry that jerk Ranma."

The anger seemed to drain out of Akane at his words.
"Ryouga..." she said in a soft voice.

"I'm sorry Akane... I'll leave your family in peace..."
Ryouga started to turn to go, but Akane reached out and
grabbed his shoulder, spinning him back to face her.

"Ryouga... Thank you." Ryouga couldn't believe he'd just
heard that. Could it be that Akane actually did care for
him? He felt his heart start to hope a little. Akane
continued, "Thanks Ryouga for saving me from that...
fate."

"Oh Akane..." he whispered, holding her close to him. His
heart began to soar, at last, at last, he thought... Akane
loves me!

As he held her close though, he wasn't able to see the
silent tears she was shedding into his chest.

***

Akane watched Ryouga turn to leave, sorrow and love etched
in his face. His words came back to her, "Akane, I love
you." and suddenly a million small things about him seemed
to fall in place. She couldn't believe she'd never noticed
it before, how he always got all nervous around her, even
back when she hadn't known he was P-chan.

Then it hit her... That was why he had done what he had,
and revealed that he was P-chan to her. Happosai had
kidnapped her and held her hostage in a bath house, trying
to force Ranma to model a bra for him. While the two had
fought, Ranma had summoned up a Hiru Shoten Ha, and it had
headed straight for Akane. Ranma, still busy with
Happosai, hadn't been able to get to her in time, but
Ryouga had leapt in and saved her, but as he carried her
off, he had absently stepped in a puddle of cold water...
and she had watched as he transformed into her P-chan.

Ranma had finished with Happosai by that time (not that
he'd beat him, but the old leach had gotten distracted and
Ranma had booted him into the stratosphere.) and had come
running. Akane, still being tied up, had never been so
pissed in her life as she struggled to kill P-chan even
through her bonds. Ranma, seeing what had happened, had
picked both of them up and carried them home, then
at the same time he changed Ryouga back, he untied
Akane...

Akane still felt a little ashamed of how she had treated
him after that, Ryouga had spent a few days in the
hospital because of her reaction, but she had to admit
that he had saved her. At the time she had thought it was
just stupid of him, that he had rushed in to save her just
because he hadn't wanted to lose his sleeping partner, but
now she saw that he had really loved her...

As Ryouga got out of the hospital, Ranma had explained to
Akane (in a rare moment of kindness) that Ryouga had never
had anyone care for him before, and that when Akane had
held him, the lost boy had just wanted to keep that
affection, and that was why Ryouga hadn't told her. She
had grudgingly forgiven Ryouga after that, and Ranma also
explained (after getting a few lumps himself) why he
hadn't told her himself. Ryouga had avoided her for
sometime after that incident, but when she saw him again
she had made it clear that, though she wasn't happy about
what he had done, she would forgive him. Ryouga had gone
ecstatic over that, in ways that only now made sense to
her, and he and Ranma had gotten into a fight again, and
basically everything had gone back to normal.

Still, she had always just thought of him as one more of
Ranma's eccentric friends, but now, to hear this... Ryouga
_had_ always been such a dependable person, always helping
out, always there for her to talk to when Ranma made her
especially upset... She couldn't just let him walk out of
her life now.

Suddenly Akane realized she'd had missed what Ryouga was
say, and that he was turning away from her, preparing to
leave. No! Don't you leave me too! She thought. Quickly
she reached out and grabbed him, spinning him back to face
her. "Ryouga..." What could she say? All she knew was that
she needed him to stay. With Ranma gone, he was the only
one there to provide her with any comfort. Finally, she
decided that she had to at least thank him for keeping her
family from forcing her into marriage. "Thank you."

Ryouga's eyes seemed to light up at that. "Thank you for
saving me from that... fate." She finished.

Ryouga, emotion choking his voice, whispered "Oh Akane..."
and drew her to him, holding her close. This just didn't
feel right to Akane though, this wasn't how it was suppose
to be. Ranma had never held her like this... Ranma had
never told her he loved her. Baka, she cursed herself,
hadn't she already proved that a million times over?
Still, it still hurt so much to think that she had...
had loved him and he'd never returned the feeling.

Slowly she dried her tears on Ryouga's shirt. Maybe she
could love Ryouga, Ryouga was twice the man Ranma was
anyway, always willing to be there for her, never fighting
with her, and *he* had told her he loved her. Yes, she
didn't need Ranma anymore. Still, they needed to go clear
this mess up with her family, it wouldn't do for them to
think she'd been seeing Ryouga on the side.

***

Ranma followed his mother out the front gate of the
Tendos. Everything was wrong, he just couldn't figure out
how things had gotten so completely out of hand. He
clenched his fists in impotent rage, thinking of Ryouga
and Akane... together... It sent a shiver down his spine.
It couldn't be true, could it? Akane and Ryouga had
certainly slept together when Akane thought Ryouga was
just a pig. but after she had found out? The idea seemed
incomprehensible to Ranma, and yet... Akane _had_ forgiven
Ryouga awfully fast... Ranma shook his head. It was truly
over now, Akane was pregnant and he would never get her
back.

Ranma felt bitter tears well in his eyes at that thought.
He had always held some hope that some how, he'd be able
to get back with Akane, but now that was impossible. It
hurt more than he'd ever thought possible, especially to
think that, in the end, Ryouga had beat him after all.

No, that's not it, he realized. It didn't matter that
Ryouga had won Akane's heart, it was that Akane didn't
love him. He felt sorrow begin to enter his heart as he
thought about how much Akane had come to mean to him, yet
he'd never been able to tell her how he felt... Of course,
he'd never really known how he felt till now. And now it
was too late. Akane loved Ryouga, not him.

Trying to swallow that bitter pill of truth while keeping
back tears proved to be a difficult feat, and as Ranma
struggled to come to grips with this new reality, Nodoka
led them back toward the house.

***

Nodoka felt cold all over, like some winter chill was
blowing through her heart. Damn these horrible children
and their lack of respect! she thought to herself. How
*dare* they mock the values that had kept the Saotome line
strong from centuries, the same virtues and traditions
that had allowed her to struggle through so many difficult
times. Now it seemed that all that she had believed in was
being thrown in her face, her son hadn't even been manly
enough to keep his fiancee, and she would not let this
travesty continue. She had been forced to live alone for
ten long years, and there was no way she was going to let
a failure ruin the long and illustrious line.

There was just no way this could be her son. Yet why would
someone want to impersonate her manly son? Nodoka tried to
fathom some motivation... She remembered that one time
when she had visited the Tendos, they had told her how, in
his many travels, Ranma had picked up a few enemies,
people who were jealous of his abilities. Perhaps it was
one of these, Nodoka thought, someone trying to ruin her
families good name! Yes, that must be it! She thought.

Suddenly, she whirled on Ranma, stopping the boy in his
tracks as he backed up a step, startled at her sudden
change in demeanor.

"Ranma, you disappointed me greatly today." she said,
watching as terror began welling in her son's eyes. "You
and your father swore that when you left me, you would
return as a true man amongst men. Well, why then are you
not manly enough to even keep your own fiancee?"

Ranma took another step back, looking around as if seeking
escape. He began gibbering, trying to find something that
would make his mother satisfied that he was manly. "uh..
I-I... that is... "

Pathetic, Nodoka thought. There was just no way this
could be her son. No, *her* son was a man amongst men,
this was just some impostor, she was sure of it. Well, she
would see just how far this impostor would take his act.
And if it really was her son, than he would be honorable
enough to redeem the family's lost honor.

"You have dishonored the Saotome family, you lied to me,
you failed to honor the marriage arranged for you, and you
cannot even face your own mother without gibbering.
Obviously you are not the man amongst men I was promised
would return to me, therefore, in order to regain the
honor of the Saotome family, you must commit seppuku,
tomorrow at dawn."

All the color drained from Ranma's face. Nodoka truly did
feel sorry for him, it can't be easy taking one's life
now, when he was just reaching his prime years, but honor
must prevail over all, or all is for nothing, she thought.

"I will await you in the garden at sunrise, and there you
can redeem the honor of our family once and for all, your
spirit free from dishonor as you travel to the next life."
With that, the matriarch of the Saotome clan turned and
walked home, leaving her son behind.

***

Ranma just watched his mother's back retreating from him,
unable to come to grips with the sudden, final, turn
things had taken. Slowly he felt tears begin to roll down
his cheeks, tears he had fought his whole life, held in
check by his fight to be a "man amongst men". But he could
hold them back no longer. All the pain, all the suffering
he had endured was nothing, he had failed his mother, and
now reality was crashing down around his ears.

Slowly he slumped to his knees, feeling the first drops of
rain triggering his changes. But she didn't care, the
tears just kept coming, pouring down her face as she saw
over and over again the look of disappointment in her
mother's face as she told him that she was not a manly...
and that she had dishonored her family.

As that image faded, the pain only increased. Clutching
her stomach, Ranma-chan fell on her side, balling into her
arm, thinking of all the things that she'd never be able
to do, never be able to tell, never make up with Akane,
never discover how she felt about Shampoo, never talk with
Ukyo...

Crying in anguish, Ranma slowly picked herself off the
ground and ran. She had no idea where she was going, but
she had to keep going, exhaust herself totally so that she
wouldn't be able to feel the pain anymore...

***

Shampoo felt horror nearly overwhelming her as she
listened to Nodoka's speech, not believing this was
happening. As Nodoka walked away, and Ranma fell to his
knees, Shampoo felt like she would throw up. Everything
she'd thought was wrong, horribly wrong.

Why? Why? she wanted to scream. Why can I never do
anything for Ranma that turns out right? she screamed to
herself. She tried to think of some way for Ranma to get
out of this, but it was like her mind had locked up in
terror of the events going wrong around her. This wasn't
how it was suppose to be! This wasn't supposed to
happen... she slumped down behind the bushes she was
hiding behind miserably.

No, she thought. I must be strong for Ranma, he'll set
things right, he, always does. However, just as she was
about to go to him, the rain began. Looking down at her
cat form, Shampoo cursed every god she knew. This was the
worst possible moment for her to be a cat, in this form
she couldn't even approach Ranma, much less try to comfort
her.

Watching Ranma-chan run off into the distance, Shampoo
screamed her frustration as best she could with her small
lungs.

***

Ukyo hugged her knees to her chest, rocking back and
forth, tears streaming from her eyes. "All my fault, all
my fault, all my fault!" the mantra pounded through her
mind, making her want to curl up in a small ball and just
close her eyes forever. It would be so easy, she thought,
just close her eyes, pretend she hadn't heard what she'd
heard, and dream of her and Ranma together forever, forget
this horrible place where her Ranchan was going to die...

She gave a small wail at that thought. No, no surely he
would figure some way to get out of this! Ranchan always
won, he *couldn't* lose now! she just had to have faith in
him. Forcing herself to get to her feet, she looked back
over the roof, hoping that she could go and comfort Ranma,
but it was too late, he was already disappearing into the
distance.

***

Ranma-chan ran and ran, but no matter where she went, the
pain was still there. Every one of her muscles felt like
it was on fire, but still she ran on. Nothing made sense
anymore, surely this couldn't be happening, mothers didn't
just do this kind of thing to their sons.

Finally Ranma could run no more, and when she finally came
to a stop, breathing hard, she stood in front of her
mother's home. How she had come here, she had no idea, but
seemingly fate would not allow her to just run away from
this. She *had* to redeem her honor. Honor meant
everything to her, just as it did to her mother.
Without her honor, everything she did was a lie. How could
she face another monster if she couldn't face this? If she
didn't do this, her family would be forever disgraced.
Breaking with her father had been nothing, everyone knew
that he knew no honor, but her mother... her mother's
morals had always been a guiding light to Ranma, if she
betrayed those rules now, not only was every one of
her beliefs in jeopardy, but it meant that she was
thumbing her nose at everything that had kept the family
together, that had made her what she was.

Trying not to think about what obeying her mother and
redeeming the family honor meant would happen to her,
Ranma-chan went inside.

***

Shampoo watched as Ranma-chan slowly climbed the steps of
the house. Damn her, and damn her honor too, thought
Shampoo. She had known that Ranma would come back, though
secretly she had hoped that Ranma would just keep running
and never return. If she did that, it meant that Shampoo
could go and find her, that she was alive. But Shampoo
also knew how much honor meant to Ranma. If Ranma-chan had
not come back to face her fate, it would be like she was
giving up everything she had lived for up until that
point.

Shampoo understood her reasoning, but she certainly didn't
agree with it. She *HAD* to find a way out of this mess.
She had gotten Ranma into it by sending him home, now she
had to get him out of it. Ranma always did the right
thing, but this time Shampoo knew that what he considered
the right thing was to keep his family's honor, and
Shampoo just could not allow that course of action.

Screw honor, she thought. While honor was a nice luxury,
and it had helped her make friends, be a better person, it
was not worth the price of one's life! Shampoo didn't care
if it made her a bad person, she *would not* let Ranma
die. His honor and hers be damned, it just wasn't worth
his life.

But how? she wondered. Ranma would fight her if she tried
to stop him outright, and she had no illusion about her
ability to beat him. She might be able to hold him off
during sparring, but in a real battle there was no
question who would win. Could she convince Nodoka? No, the
matriarch had already shown that she would not be budged,
and Shampoo couldn't just attack her, she was only going
to be Ranma's second, and Ranma would probably go through
with it even if his mother wasn't there.

Damn this honor thing, she thought again. Honor was trying
to take away the person she loved more than life itself,
the one who had given her life meaning... Wasn't honor
suppose to uphold life? To protect those weaker than
yourself, that had been Ranma's first lesson. Ranma had
never, in his entire life, hit someone who didn't
deserve it, he had never attacked anyone without
provocation, all because of his honor, and it was that
same honor that Shampoo wanted him to discard. Shampoo
knew he would sooner die himself than kill an innocent,
how could she ask him to do the equivalent of that by not
killing himself?

Would sooner die than kill an innocent... that thought
stuck in Shampoo's mind. Slowly a plan began to form, one
which she knew would save Ranma's life... but at what
cost? If she went through with it, Ranma would almost
certainly hate her. It didn't matter, she realized.
Nothing else mattered. Ranma would live, that was all
there was to it.

***

Ranma, having changed back to his male form, lay in the
darkness of his room, staring up at the ceiling. His
mother had locked herself in her room, and he knew she
would not emerge until sunrise...

Ranma shied away from thinking about what would occur at
sunrise. It didn't matter, he thought. All that mattered
was honor, as his mother had taught him. He would go down
and do what he had to do in order to preserve the family
honor.

Still, despite his brave thoughts, he was trembling
beneath the sheets. Ranma did not want to die, especially
not now, when he had so much left to do, so much
unresolved... But this was the way it had to be. Things
would probably be better off without him anyway, he
thought. This way Akane would be able to marry whomever
she wanted, Ryouga would finally have his wish, though
Kuno would probably be saddened to hear that his pig-
tailed girl was never coming back, but then Ranma could
care less what Kuno thought. And Shampoo, Shampoo
could...

Ranma stopped that line of thought, images of the
beautiful exotic Chinese girl filling his mind, seeing her
smile as he came to pick her up for a date during the
instant nanniichuan incident, being hugged by her at the
beach, even though they were both girls, the way the
sunlight glinted off her hair as she walked away
victorious after dumping him in the pond that time
sparring...

Ranma felt his resolve slipping, as tears began to cascade
down his cheeks. He'd never get to see her again, never
get to talk with her, and never get to find out where
their relationship could have gone. That last part was
what hurt the worst, the feeling that he would never get
to know what would happen if he had stayed with her, never
get to discover how he really felt about her, and never
get to find out if they really could have a real
relationship.

That was what he had wanted all along, why he had pushed
Akane away at first, why he never let himself be forced
into an engagement. He had never had a girlfriend, never
gotten a chance to discover what love felt like. If he had
let his parents make those decisions for him, or anyone
else for that matter, he would never know. And now, it
looked like he never would anyway.

It felt like the tanto blade was already working its way
around in his innards, twisting and scraping his stomach
around in knots. Curling into a fetal ball, Ranma clutched
his hands over his stomach and tried to make the hurting
stop, but nothing seemed to help. Only one thing would end
his pain, he realized, when that tanto really did silence
his pain forever.

Lost in his thoughts, he never heard the door open, never
sensed the presence that crept up behind him. All he knew
was that suddenly he was wrenched from the floor and
thrown over someone's shoulder, and that incredibly fast
they were launch out the window and into the night.

As Ranma struggled to figure out what was going on, he
realized that he knew his assailant... It was Shampoo, he
could tell by the purple hair bouncing on his face and the
rather shapely... um, nevermind.

Now that he was sure who it was, anger began to grow in
him. Had Shampoo just reverted back to her amazon ways of
kidnapping to get what she wanted? Had all her progress
just been an act? Ranma tensed his muscles to leap out of
her grasp, when suddenly he realized that they weren't
moving anymore. Slowly, Shampoo stood him up, looking him
in the eye.

Shampoo seemed to be searching for something in his face,
and apparently she found it, as her countenance began to
fall. Ranma was pretty sure he knew what it had been...
She had been trying to tell if he had actually intended to
go through with it. Ranma had been aware that Shampoo had
been following them, indeed, he had known she would as
soon as his mother kicked her out of the house. It was
exactly what he would have done.

Silence reigned as the two stared at each other, a street
light flickering in the background. Shampoo had brought
him to the park, which was absolutely deserted at this
time of night.

"Shampoo, you know that I have to do this, don't try
to..." Ranma started, but Shampoo cut him off.

"Ranma, Shampoo know what you have to do. Shampoo come for
one last lesson in honor."

Ranma was a bit taken aback by that. A lesson in honor?
What was she talking about? However, all he managed to
choke out was "W... What?"

"You hear Shampoo. Shampoo want to know, which more
important, life or honor?" Shampoo's eyes boared into him,
as if trying to strip away his skin and see the answer
written underneath. Absently, he wondered why she'd
reverted to her old speech mannerisms, but he realized
that she was barely able to contain her emotions, and
wasn't bothering to concentrate on her speech.

Ranma felt the small amount of anger he had felt at being
kidnapped leave him. His shoulders slumping, and he sat
down on the bench just behind him. "Shampoo... that is not
an easy question. It would be easy to say that life was
more important than honor, but if one isn't willing to
give one's life for honor, than one's commitment to
maintain honor no matter what is moot. I was willing to
die to protect those I fought for, those weaker than
myself. That was a matter of honor, and so is this. I
don't like it, goddess, I don't like it Shampoo, but what
else can I do? I have faced death a million times before
for my honor, and now its time to pay the price. I've
always known that one day doing the right thing might get
me killed, now I've just got to face it." Ranma felt
tears... tears he hated and had tried his whole life never
to shed, falling down his face. His voice was shaky, but
what he said held a deep conviction, and he knew he was
strong enough to do this.

Shampoo looked down at the ground, but she refused to give
up. Looking back up and meeting his gaze again, her eyes
held such a passionate fire that seemed to scream defiance
of the world around her, as if by sheer will she could
change what was about to happen. Ranma's heart went out to
her, knowing that his own face had held that same look a
million times as he went into a battles he couldn't
hope to win... but somehow always did.

Shampoo slowly reached down to her waist, where tied into
her belt was a dagger Ranma hadn't noticed before. Slowly,
she drew the grim blade, moonlight reflecting off its
razor sharp edge. Holding it before her, pointed at him,
Ranma for some reason felt very wary.

"Ranma..." Her voice was cold, though her eyes still shone
with inner fire. "I have another question for you."

Ranma was getting tired of this. Shampoo could ask him all
the questions about honor she wanted, it was not going to
change the fact that he had to commit seppuku tomorrow.

Shampoo turned the tanto so that the blade was facing her.
"Ranma, if you die tomorrow, I will too." Ranma's eyes
widened in shock. "Now, is it honorable to kill me as
well?"

"No, you won't do it!" Ranma leaped to his feet, desperate
now, this just couldn't be happening.

"What, you no remember that it *you* who save Shampoo from
killing self before? Shampoo ready to do it again if Ranma
give up on his life." Shampoo's shoulders finally slumped,
emotion pouring out of her. "Ranma mean everything to me.
I... I got you into this, and if my actions cause you
death, then they will cause mine as well. Is that not the
`honorable' way?"

Ranma tried to find something, anything to say, but his
mind was completely locked up at the horror of what was
unfolding. Some small, detached part of his mind admired
the trap Shampoo had lain for him, forcing him to choose
the death of an innocent or the death of his honor, and
everything he held dear.

He was saved from having to answer though as a new voice
spoke up.

"I too, pledge that if you die tomorrow, I will follow
you, Ranchan." said a very disheveled Ukyo, as she stepped
from her hiding place among the bushes. Both Ranma and
Shampoo just stared at her in shock, not knowing how to
react.

Ukyo, whose face was red and puffy from crying, collapsed
to her knees in front of Ranma. "Please Ranma..." she was
crying again, "Please, I was so wrong, I'm so sorry for
what I did... please let me make it up to you! If you
don't live to let me make it up to you through life, then
I'll have no choice but to make it up to you by committing
seppuku as well! Please Ranchan... I can't live knowing
that I let you die after I betraying you! Please Ranchan,
please..." her voice was high and nearly hysterical, but
the look in her eyes was one of utter desperation.

Shampoo seemed to have regained a little of her composure
at the entrance of her long time rival. Looking back at
the distraught Ranma, she walked over and helped Ukyo back
to her feet. "Ranma, you don't have to make your decision
now. We will wait for you at the canal, If you're not
there by two hours after sunrise, we'll know what your
decision was." And with that she turned her back on Ranma,
dragging Ukyo behind her off into the park.

Ranma just sat on the bench, his mind an absolute mess. He
just couldn't think, this couldn't be happening... All the
events of the last few days seemed so surreal, like a
weird dream or nightmare. Picking himself up, he slowly
walked back home.

***

Ukyo tried to get a hold of her emotions as she felt
herself dragged off away from the park, away from her
Ranchan. Snarling at the girl trying to separate her and
her love, she wrenched her arm out of Shampoo's grasp and
leapt back, battle spatula at ready.

How dare this girl try to take Ranchan away from her
again, Ukyo thought, We never did get a chance to finish
our fight...

Shampoo, seeing the desire for battle light in Ukyo's
eyes, hissed at her. "Not here. Follow me!" and with that
she sprung into the air, leaping away at a phenomenal
rate. Ukyo had no choice but to pursue. As the girls raced
through the night, Ukyo felt her anger fading, realizing
that Shampoo had something besides fighting on her mind.

Shampoo finally came to a stop and Ukyo stood across from
her, Ukyo's battle spatula held at ready, the moon
silhouetting the two girls where they stood next to the
canal.

"Did you mean it, Ukyo? Would you die for Ranma?" asked
Shampoo.

Ukyo slowly nodded. "I... I know that he doesn't love me,
but... but I just can't help it. I love him Shampoo, and I
can't leave him. I tried, I really did, to move on, pick
up my life and try again. I was all set to move back to my
family in Kyoto, but I just couldn't stand that thought
that bad blood still existed between Ranma and me. Its
true that I wasn't planing on making that vow, I thought
that if I could just find Ranchan and talk to him, get him
to forgive me... I thought maybe then I'd be able to talk
him out of this seppuku thing. Before I could get to him
though, I saw you sprint off into the night with him. Once
I caught up to you two, and heard what you said... It just
seemed to make sense. Ranma would never be persuaded not
to go through with it..." Ukyo looked down, lowering her
spatula. "I never knew just how important honor was to
him."

"So, when you heard the final part of my plan, you just
decided it was the only way to save him?" Ukyo nodded, and
Shampoo sighed. "I hope you know what you are getting
yourself into... will you go through with it... if he
does?"

Ukyo looked up sharply, thinking maybe she had misjudged
Shampoo again if she still thought there was any danger of
Ranma going through with it when the their lives were at
stake as well... However, Shampoo kept her face an
unreadable mask, and Ukyo finally had to look deep into
herself to find the answer... Would she really give up her
life for Ranma? Did she love him that much?

For the first time she thought about actually doing it,
taking a tanto and cutting deep into herself, feeling the
blade slicing around in her insides... Ukyo couldn't
suppress a shudder. Shampoo saw it too.

"Ukyo... it doesn't matter. Ranma won't do it... and I am
grateful for your support in this. He might have been able
to rationalize my death, since it was I who sent him back
to his mother, or he might just think I might not go
through with it... but since we both swore, I don't think
he'll even dare take that chance."

Ukyo slowly nodded, still trying to come to grips with the
fact that she couldn't actually conceive of going through
with it. Looking at Shampoo though, she could see that the
ex-amazon had meant every word of what she'd said to
Ranma. If he died, so would she.

Shampoo gave her a small smile. "Ukyo... We've never
gotten along. But... after this, Ranma no going to be
happy with us. Me especially. We forced him to give up his
honor, put him in a position he could do nothing about. If
there is one thing Ranma hate, it being forced into
anything..."

Ukyo hadn't realized that, but she could see Shampoo was
right. Even though they were saving his life, he was not
going to be happy about it.

"Ranma is going to need all the friends he has... and we
no can stay here any longer... Would... Would you come
with us, Ukyo?"

Ukyo's jaw dropped, and Shampoo just gave her a small
smile. The ex-amazon probably had planned this out from
the beginning, she thought. Ukyo just couldn't believe,
though, that Shampoo was not only willing to travel with
her, but was willing to share what would have been time
with just her and Ranma!

Such generosity Ukyo had just never seen from the Chinese
girl before. As she looked over Shampoo in the darkness,
she could see that the girl was much changed. No longer
were there hard lines of pride etched into her face, but
now those lines had been replaced with lines of worry, and
sorrow. Shampoo was still gorgeous, but now she seemed to
have a more mature beauty, as though the innocence of
younger life had left her. Ukyo found the changes in
her both fascinating and scary, for Shampoo to have aged
so fast, it just didn't seem possible. Throughout her time
in Nerima, Shampoo had been the great constant, always
chasing after Ranma, never admitting defeat, always bubbly
and full of enough energy and good looks to make every
other girl envious. Now, not only did she still have her
good looks, but the intelligence and wisdom that
only seemed to come from intense pain.

Finally closing her mouth, she nodded. It didn't matter if
Ranma didn't love her, and never had. It didn't matter
that now she'd have to share Ranma with Shampoo, all that
mattered was that she would be there for Ranchan, and
would be a part of his life. She felt like something in
her was dying though... maybe it was her own innocence,
gone with the knowledge that her carefree days of fighting
in the streets of Nerima were at an end, and that they had
ended not in the joy and happiness she had always
envisioned, but with such pain and sorrow that it made the
seppuku Ranma even now contemplated not look so bad.

At last she raised her gaze to meet Shampoo's again,
marveling at the Chinese girl's spirit, and realized that
while her carefree days were over, nothing had been
decided yet. She would still be with Ranchan, even if not
in the way she had always expected, and that there were
new adventures waiting just around the corner.

Life was going to be anything but boring.

***

As the sky began to lighten in the east, Ranma slowly got
to his feet. He hadn't slept at all that night, but then
no one could blame him for that. He had tried to think all
night about what he was going to do, and his choice seemed
obvious, but could he do it? Could he really just throw
away his honor? But then, if he didn't, Shampoo and Ukyo
would die, and he couldn't allow that, no matter what...
But then, what if they were just bluffing, what if they
had never intended to go through with it? He knew they
were both just trying to save his life, but if his life
was already over, would they actually go through with
ending their own even though they'd already lost?

Ranma just didn't know. He continued to mull it over as he
stepped into the bath. Somehow, he didn't think Ukyo
would, she just didn't seem the type. She would be deeply
hurt by his death, but surely she was level headed enough
not to kill herself over it. But Shampoo... she had been
ready to do it before, and he had seen the look of intense
determination on her face, she probably would.

Standing up again and beginning to dress in the
traditional garb, he wondered if it really mattered. He
was just upholding his honor, if Shampoo felt the need to
redeem her own, what concern of his was that? Maybe the
gods would be lenient and he'd be able to meet her
on the other side...

Slowly, stately, he stepped out into the backyard, making
his way over to the place in the rear of the garden where
his mother waited for him. Nodoka also looked like she
hadn't slept at all last night, her eyes were very sad as
she saw him walk toward her, but also proud that he would
not let his family be dishonored. On the ground in front
of her lay the tanto, the first rays of sun hitting it
and making it shine with a wicked brilliance.

Slowly, as if savoring every second of life, Ranma knelt
in front of his mother, a single tear cascading down his
cheek. Slowly he picked up the blade, pressing it against
his abdomen.

There was nothing to say, no pleading for forgiveness. If
he had, it only would have disgraced him more. As he held
the blade against his stomach, his mother just behind him
raising the honor blade of the Saotome clan above her head
for the killing strike, the world seemed to come to a
stop. No birds chirped, no wind ruffled the air, it was as
if the world was holding its breath, waiting for Ranma to
go through with it, with just a simple push he knew that
the ultra-sharp blade would bite deep into him...

Yet as the world held its breath, Ranma felt something
stopping him, though every part of his being seemed to
scream at him to do it, to get it over with, something
nagged at him, something he'd always ignored, something of
infinite value to him... his heart. Suddenly it was like
something burst inside him, and he began trembling all
over, realizing how close he was to death, and how
much he wanted to live, how nothing, not honor, not the
mother he had never known, nothing could change the fact
that no matter how much pain it would bring, Ranma wanted
to live.

With a cry, he threw the blade from him, feeling both
exaltation that he was going to live and horror that he
had betrayed his family warring within him, threatening to
rip him apart. However, a sound invaded his inner turmoil,
a sound that seemed to capture all his attention and focus
it to a sharp, painful point that made all other thoughts
of honor and betrayal flee his mind. It was the gentle
swish of a sword descending.

Gathering every ounce of speed that years and years of the
most rigorous martial arts training had given him, Ranma
threw himself to the side, feeling burning pain rip
through his shoulder as the blade struck home, missing
severing his head by inches.

Screaming in agony, Ranma rolled to the side, clutching
his left arm as blood rolled down his side. Shakily
getting to his feet, he faced his mother, her sword
covered with his blood, as she prepared to strike again,
her face twisted into one of rage.

Leaping back out of her range, Ranma tried to hold onto
consciousness and calm down his mother at the same time.
"Mom, please..."

Nodoka would hear none of it. "Never! You are not my son!
My son would never have dishonored his family! My son is a
man amongst men! He holds honor above everything!" and
with that she charged him yet again, and he barely managed
to dodge her lightning fast strike.

Landing on the roof of the house, he looked back at her
sadly. "I'm sorry mom... I love you." and then he was
gone.

Nodoka collapsed amid her garden, the blood from her sword
slowly dripping on the dry earth. Tears cascaded down her
face and dropped to mix with the small red pool.

***

Ukyo stared at the sun as it slowly ascended higher in the
sky, feeling panic welling within her. Shampoo sat cross-
legged next to her, the tanto resting on the ground before
her.

Anxiously Ukyo began pacing. Almost two hours had passed
since sunrise, and still no sign of Ranchan... "Ergh!" she
growled, barely able to contain her frustration. "I should
have been there!" she said, talking more to herself than
to Shampoo. "I mean, what if something's gone wrong? If
I'd been there, I could have saved him at the last
moment..."

Shampoo continued to look straight ahead at the rising
sun. "There would have been nothing you could have done,
had you been there. Ranma must make own decision."

"But... but where could he be? He knows where we are! He
should have been her by now!" Ukyo was starting to get
really scared... could Ranchan really have killed himself?
Were they wrong about him?

Shampoo finally gave a deep sigh. "It's time Ukyo, He...
he not coming."

Ukyo felt the implications of Shampoo's words sink in.
"No! Nooooo... this can't be happening!"

Shampoo gave Ukyo a scathing glance. "Get grip, Ukyo. I...
You no have to... but, would you... be Shampoo second?"

Ukyo looked back at Shampoo, shocked that she was even
considering actually going through with this. "What! No!
Shampoo, not you too!" tears began to well in Ukyo's eyes.
"Please... please don't leave me all alone!"

"I... I no want to die... " Shampoo said, tears in her own
eyes. "But Ranma..."

Ukyo sank down on her knees in front of Shampoo, grabbing
her by the shoulders and shaking the Chinese girl back and
forth. "No Shampoo! I need you! Your the only one who
hasn't turned away from me! Please... please, stay with
me!"

Shampoo was gripped with indecision, hearing the
okonomiaki chef's heart-felt plea. She and Ukyo had never
been anything resembling close, but there always had been
a sense of camaraderie between them, as they were always
the put-out fiancees. She had been willing to follow Ranma
in to the great unknown, but now... She had wanted Ranma
to stay and be with her, would she now make his mistake
and leave Ukyo alone?

Shampoo realized she'd already answered her own question.
Her heart had never felt lower, knowing that Ranma had
been stupid enough not to accept the out she had given
him, and now she was going to make the same mistake...
suicide just wouldn't fix anything.

"Shampoo! Wait... don't..."

Both girls looked up, startled, to see Ranma slumped
against the canal's fence, his face pale and blood soaking
one of his shoulders. Both girl turned to him
simultaneously, feeling joy fill their hearts. Both leapt
to their feet in unison and ran to the injured Ranma.

Ranma was in bad shape, both the girls saw as the rushed
up to him, he had lost a lot of blood. "Come on Shampoo,
we've got to get him to a hospital!" Shampoo nodded, and
without giving Ranma a chance to say a word, they had him
scooped up and were racing along the roof tops.

***

Shampoo and Ukyo sat uneasily in the waiting room, waiting
to hear news of Ranma. Shampoo was a pretty good nurse and
had judged the injury not too severe, though he had lost a
lot of blood and would be spending a couple of days
recovering. Ukyo was fidgeting nervously, occasionally
shooting glances Shampoo's way.

Shampoo didn't know what to make of Ukyo at the moment. If
it hadn't been for her, she wouldn't have waited long
enough for Ranma to get there... She shuddered at the
thought that she might have killed herself, only to have
Ranma stumble up to her a few minutes later, and then
being too weak to get himself to the hospital. More than
ever, she was glad that she'd decided to bring Ukyo along,
Initially she'd invited the cook just so that Ranma
would have an extra shoulder to lean on, but now she had a
feeling she might be needing that extra shoulder as well.

Still, Shampoo had a feeling she was missing something
about Ukyo, the way she had been acting... Shampoo just
couldn't pin it down. Ranma was alive, that was all that
mattered. Shampoo felt relief flood her at that thought.
She had gambled and won, Ranma would live... still she
couldn't help but think that there would be serious
repercussions from what she had done. She had forced him
into a position where he didn't have a decision, and he
always hated that. Not only that, but she had forced him
to give up his honor, the very essence of who he defined
himself as. Still, as much as she was dreading his
reaction to her meddling, she couldn't help but feel a
giddy joy at the knowledge that Ranma was alive... the
world just seemed a bit more beautiful today because of
it. Even if he shunned her after this, he would be
alive...

The nurse finally came out to the waiting room, announcing
to the two anxious girls that they could go in and see
Ranma now. As they entered, the doctor explained to them
that Ranma had taken a fairly serious cut, but was okay
after a few stitches, though he warned that Ranma's left
arm would be a bit sore for the next couple of days. Also,
Ranma had lost a lot of blood, so he'd have to stay in
the hospital overnight.

Finally the doctor left them alone with Ranma, who was
sitting up in the hospital bed. Ukyo immediately ran over
and threw her arms around him, crying in relief that Ranma
would be okay. Ranma smiled sheepishly, patting her
shoulder and generally trying to console her. Shampoo,
however, hung back. She would get her chance with Ranma,
she knew, but for now she was more than content to put off
that confrontation for a few more minutes.

Ukyo finally looked up at Ranma, tears of joy in her eyes.
"Ranchan... I'm so glad you're okay! Oh Ranchan, please
forgive me, this is all my fault... If I hadn't tricked
Akane like that, none of this would have happened!"

Ranma's brow furrowed a bit at the reminder of what Ukyo
had done to Akane, but he couldn't stay angry with her.
"Its all right Ucchan... You were only doing what you
thought was right."

Shampoo was relieved that he seemed to be in a forgive and
forget mood. Stepping forward cheerfully she started to
call out to him. "Ranma..." but as soon as she said his
name his whole demeanor changed as he shot her a dark
look, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. "Ranma..."
this time a note of pleading entered her voice, as
she saw that her fears had been correct, Ranma was just
not going to let what she did blow over.

Ranma heard Shampoo call out to him cheerfully, and he
looked up at her coldly. He couldn't believe how neatly
she'd trapped him, manipulated him... It left him feeling
cold. How could she? he thought... Deep down he knew that
she had only been trying to save his life, but he wasn't
sure he should be grateful for that. She had taken away
his family and left a deep scar on his honor he was not
sure he could ever live down. However as he heard her call
out to him a second time, this time pain and fear of his
rejection plain in her voice, relief flooded into him.
Seeing her again brought back thoughts he thought he would
never get a chance to expound upon. Now he had a future to
look forward to, and as deep as the scar in his honor was,
he had life to look forward to. Still, he was not ready to
forgive her just yet. Putting more steal in his voice than
he felt, he said "Shampoo... I know why you did what you
did, but that doesn't excuse it. You manipulated me and
forced me into a situation that forced me to scar my honor
and hurt my mother... how can I forgive that?"

Shampoo turned her eyes to the floor, trying to hold back
tears. Even Ranma's relatively gentle rebuke hurt far
worse than she'd expected. Still, she knew it was nothing
less than she deserved.

Ranma watched her turn inward, as if trying to hide from
his rebuke in plain sight. Finally though, he gave in, not
wanting to cause her undo pain. "Yet, you did save my
life... and I'm... grateful." he said with a smile.

Shampoo glanced up sharply, hoping she'd heard correctly.

"So what do I do with you, Shampoo? You saved my life, yet
you hurt me too... I suppose I have no choice but just to
call us even."

Shampoo's smile at that could have lit up the room, in a
flash she leapt over on to the bed, giving Ranma a fierce
hug of her own, which Ranma resisted... but not too much.

Finally letting go, she looked into his eyes, "Ranma, you
really mean it? You... you forgive Shampoo?"

Ranma nodded. Shampoo seemed about to express her feelings
about that in a more intimate way, but Ranma gently pushed
her back. "I'm still not happy with you though. And... and
I don't know what I'm going to do. Where are we going to
go now?"

Ukyo had released Ranma and stood off to one side as she
watched the interaction between the two, but instead of
feeling hostility toward Shampoo when she leaped onto
Ranma, Ukyo only had a pensive look on her face...
However, as Ranma began asking about what came next, she
rejoined the conversation. "Well Ranchan, Shampoo and I
thought that if you didn't... you know... we could all
maybe... travel together? Maybe start a restaurant
somewhere or something."

Ranma thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "I
suppose. You two really agreed to travel together?" both
of them gave him sheepish grins.

"Actually, it was Shampoo's idea..." said Ukyo.

Ranma actually breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I am glad
to hear that you two are getting along... I had hoped...
ah well, nevermind."

Ranma looked out the window, his smile fading. "We have to
leave this place though... there are too many memories
here."

Both Shampoo and Ukyo nodded in agreement, all of them
thinking over the events of the past couple weeks, and how
drastically their lives had changed. Ranma looked back at
the two girls, his fiancee's, his friends... They'd all
gone through so much, could they really just move on with
their lives?

Ranma hoped so, for all their sakes. For the first time,
he began to hope that maybe the future might be better
than now, and he was looking forward to it. It still hurt
that his mother had turned on him, and had renounced him,
the pain of that memory would be felt in his shoulder for
a long time to come, and he'd always carry the scar, but
in a way, being renounced by his mother was remarkably
liberating. For the first time in his life, Ranma didn't
feel like there was anything holding him down, no
commitments he had to follow, no path decided on by
someone else. At last, he could make his own place in the
world.

-

Epilogue:

Mousse washed the tables of the Nekohanten, on last time.
The old hag had finally sold the place, and tomorrow they
two of them were heading back to China. Mousse cursed
under his breath, in a truly foul mood. Not only would he
be returning without his Shampoo but he'd be ridiculed
even more for losing to Ranma and getting cursed.

He hated it when they all laughed at him. It wasn't his
fault he couldn't see, and there was nothing he could do
about it. He'd studied martial arts, hoping that they
would all be forced to quite their snickering when they
realized he was the best in the tribe, but Shampoo had
always beat him, so his quest had become to beat
Shampoo, and with the added benefit of being able to marry
her afterward. Then no one would be able to laugh at him
anymore.

But no, just when he'd finally won, when he'd finally
proven he was better than Shampoo, that he was the best of
all the amazons his generation, that damn Saotome had come
in and not only stolen his bride from him, but turned her
against the amazon laws of her birth!

Anger swelled within Mousse, somehow, some way, he'd find
away to get back at Ranma... Ranma would never live to
laugh at him again.

***

Nabiki thanked her informant at the hospital, even going
so far as to give her a 10% increase on her normal price
for this valuable piece of info.

As she hung the phone up, however, she leaned back against
the wall, trying to figure out just what the information
she'd gained about Ranma and his two fiancees meant.
Nabiki had the distinct feeling that she was missing some
big pieces of this puzzle, and she hated that.

Somehow, she was going to find out the truth...

***

Kodachi listened to the report made by her ninja spy,
hearing how close her Ranma-sama had come to losing his
life. That had cinched it, Ranma needed her to step in and
take control of his life, after all, he didn't seem to be
able to take care of himself...

But how? Kodachi knew that Ranma was much better than her
at straight out fighting... but there had to be a weakness
in him somewhere. Dismissing her servant, she bounded off
to her greenhouse. This would call for something truly
special...

-

fin

Author's note:

Okay, so ends the second installment of "Purple Haired
Destiny", and I'd just like to say thanks to all the
people who replied to the first part and made me feel like
people actually liked my writing. Now, a few notes on this
chapter:

Well, as promised, Ukyo is mostly redeemed in this chapter
for her actions in Chapter 1. I was actually pleasantly
surprised that I didn't get flamed off my ass for that in
the last chapter, but I hope all you Ukyo fans will agree
that, while maybe she wasn't the driving force behind this
one, she got some pretty good scenes... and she'll
definitely be playing a big role in the next one.

Let see... About Shampoo's speech. In the last chapter it
was established that Shampoo went to school for a month
and her Japanese improved dramatically from it, but she
still has a tendency to slip back to her old speech
patterns when stressed. After all, she did only go back to
school for a month.

And about Nodoka... I'm sure many people are going to jump
on me for how harshly I portrayed her, and I'm sorry for
that. I've read an awful lot of fics where Nodoka is
treated very kindly, and I wanted to show her in a bit
more harsh of light. The way I see it, any woman who is so
stuck on tradition that she would exact such a vow and
then allow her husband to leave for ten years with her son
is probably too entrenched in tradition to begin with.
Besides, I've never read a fic where she actually did
force Ranma to commit seppuku. Oh, and in case you missed
it, even though this is basically manga continuity, I left
out a couple parts, like the fact that there is no Akari
in this continuity, and Nodoka doesn't know yet.

The next chapter in the series is going to be called
"Three hearts on the road" so you can guess what its going
to be about, and in it I'm going to try to wrap up the
majority of the relationships I haven't dealt directly
with yet (and maybe a few that I have.) there's a
possibility that it'll be the last chapter, but somehow I
doubt it ;)

Thanks for reading it! C&C is always welcome, I hope you
enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!

Special thanks to Wade Tritschler for his suggestions and
thoughts on Shampoo. If any of you are looking for some
really good arguments for why Shampoo is his and my
favorite character, check Wade's Shampoo page at :
. /~ and
for reasons why Shampoo and Mousse are just WRONG for each
other, check his Anti-Shampoo+Mousse Page:

Thanks for reading!

Ryan Anderson
andersor .edu
.edu/~