Well, this chapter is a little longer than usual. I hope you enjoy it. As always, reviews are appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I make a profit from the characters in this fiction. All copyrights are sole property of their respective creators.

Bold denotes Chinese.

Cologne was just fishing putting away the dishes when the front door the restaurant opened. As it was locked for the night, she guessed that Shampoo was finally home. Her great-granddaughter had left rather abruptly after her lunch break, leaving Cologne and Mousse to pick up the slack. As the latter was still trying to get back into Shampoo's good graces, it was easy enough. Still, the matriarch wondered where the girl had went.

Shampoo was just letting down her hair as Cologne hopped out of the kitchen. She and Ukyo had parted ways at the train station, both wanted to get home and have a good night's sleep before tomorrow hit. Good evening, Great-grandmother.

"You were out rather late tonight, Shan Pu. I had to put up with Mu Tsu far more today than usual." The annoyed look went away, replaced by a wry smile. "I trust my sacrifice was of some use?"

"I went to see Ranma's mother, Nodoka." Shampoo wouldn't lie to the old woman because Cologne had a way of finding out things.

"And how was that visit, daughter?"

The new voice surprised even Cologne. Shampoo's father was standing in the doorway that led to the living area of the restaurant, having been silently listening to the conversation.

Shampoo seemingly ignored he man after getting over the surprise of his voice. "It was a good trip, Great-grandmother. I am certain it will have my desired effect. Thank you for your sacrifice." With that, she took off her disguise glasses and headed towards the bath, only giving her father a slight nod as she passed.

The man let out a sigh and went to sit beside Cologne. He took off his trademark sunglasses and leaned down tiredly on his arms, staring at his reflection in the lenses of the eye wear his daughter had left on the table.

Cologne also took a proper seat on the table and softly patted the poor man on his shoulder. "It seems like Shan Pu is starting to warm up to you, doesn't it? She acknowledges your presence now at least."

"I don't know. That almost makes it worse. At least when she was ignoring me it was easier to spend time with her. Now she asks me what I want, taking away an excuse."

Unbeknownst to the two elders in the main room, Shampoo hadn't headed to the bath just yet. She had heard most of her father's words, and lightly walked off with a face that gave nothing away, going past her room and towards the backdoor of the restaurant.

In another part of Nerima, something else was changing. At Tokyo International Airport, the control tower was the scene of a great commotion. The radar operators were huddled around a terminal which showed the con signs of the arrivals and departures, but one unidentified blip was causing a fuss.

"So, what is it?" the night shift controller asked. "It's the size of a small biplane but it doesn't answer the radio or transmit a flight number." He turned to his colleagues. "When did you say it first appeared and where did it come from?"

"The East China Sea, sir. That's where we first spotted it leaving PRC airspace." It was moving too slow to be a missile or military craft, so the JSDF hadn't been called. If whatever it was continued toward Tokyo, however, the air force couldn't be left out of the loop. The technician pushed in the trigger of his microphone again. "Unidentified aircraft, you are in a commercial flying lane. Transmit your identification number and respond, over." Only dead silence responded.

The supervisor ran a hand through what remaining hair he had. "Call the air force. Now that it's over Japanese soil, we have to tell them."

As one of the technicians dialed, the supervisor grabbed a pair of binoculars. Given how close it was to the airport, he could probably see the anti-collision beacons.

There was a full moon out tonight, which would help with locating the plane. "What direction is it approaching from," the man asked as he scanned the sky. "Wait, I think I see it...what the hell is that thing?!"

At the declaration, everyone rushed from their seats and crowded the windows of the tower. Most of them couldn't see, but when the supervisor pointed at the moon, it became clear what he was alarmed about.

"My god..."

There was a giant flying bull descending upon Nerima.

Dawn was more than an hour away when Ukyo's bedside alarm went off. With a yawn, she pushed the covers off and crawled out of her futon. A shower would probably wake her up. She trudged into the bathroom, squinting at the light she turned on.

After the brisk soak in the steaming water, the chef felt a lot more aware of things. She slipped a towel around herself and stepped out, grabbing her toothbrush in her free hand.

"You up early."

Ukyo spun around and nearly choked on her toothbrush when she spotted Shampoo sitting in a chair by the bedroom window. As it was, the poor girl had to cough up some toothpaste and get her breathing under control. "S-Shampoo! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Shampoo see light on and decided to visit. No could sleep," she shrugged. The Amazon was somewhat surprised that Ukyo could sleep, but she didn't hold that against her partner. "Why you up so early?"

"I wanted to make sure I got to the dojo before Nodoka," Ukyo replied. She grabbed some clothes and stared at Shampoo for a few seconds. When the girl didn't take a hint, Ukyo made a shooing motion with her hand. "I've got to get dressed."

Shampoo blinked. "So? What you want, help?"

It was a test of patience not to snap at the Amazon. "No! I want you to leave or turn around. Don't' just sit there and stare."

With a smirk, Shampoo turned her chair around. "Ukyo such prude. Shampoo no look. Not like you have anything Shampoo no have better of." The purple-haired beauty was rewarded with hearing Ukyo snarl. Sometimes it was just too much fun to screw with her rival.

While Ukyo was changing, Shampoo looked around for something to catch her attention. There really was nothing of interest around; no pictures, no trinkets, no decorations. It was just the bare-bones of living. How anyone could stand living here was amazing. It would be far too boring.

Well, there was that little hand mirror on the nightstand. Shampoo lazily picked it up and checked her own appearance. There were slight bags under her eyes thanks to not getting any sleep and her eyes were bloodshot. Shampoo hoped she didn't run into Ranma looking like this.

"So, why didn't you get any sleep?" Ukyo asked as she started to slide on her pants. "What have you been doing all night?"

The question made Shampoo unconsciously tilt the mirror so that she could see Ukyo and the Amazon's eyes widened slightly. Seemingly to make sure she didn't turn around, the chef was directly in the refection of the mirror in all her glory. "Nothing much," Shampoo replied, completely distracted. If that was what Ukyo had been hiding under that frumpy vest...thing then the buxom Amazon suddenly had some competition. "Shampoo have lot to think about. Very...anxious about today." How in the world did the chef fit into those tight pants?

"Yeah, I understand that, sugar. If things don't go well then we'll have to run interference for Ranma and he won't be happy."

Shampoo nodded as she watched Ukyo start binding her chest. How could those thin strips of cloth make a top-heavy girl like Ukyo look like a boy? More amazingly, how had Ranma nearly mistaken the woman for anything else the first time he laid eyes on her?

However, the more she watched the more depressed Shampoo got. If Ukyo ever used that body offensively, then Shampoo found herself losing the sole advantage she had over the other girls. After all, she didn't have the previous friendship with Ranma or the arranged marriage; all she had were her looks. If Ukyo ever discovered just how beautiful she was, then Shampoo could kiss that advantage goodbye.

"Shampoo? Shampoo! Are you even listening to me? I said you can turn around now," Ukyo fumed as the Amazon almost jumped in her chair, fumbling with something in her hands before sheepishly setting her chair around right. It was a quick recovery from whatever was bothering the girl. "I said, I'm ready to go. Where do you want to wait at?"

The Amazon thought it over for a moment. They could risk hiding inside, but with Happosai around it would be pretty difficult. No, it wouldn't work at all like that.

"We have to hide across street," Shampoo finally answered.

"On top of one of the houses or something? We'll be spotted for sure."

"Then we go farther away. Ukyo have binoculars, yes?" Something about that triggered a memory from Shampoo's childhood and she grinned. "It be like stakeout! Shampoo no do one of those since last village hunt!"

The excitement was infectious and Ukyo found herself looking forward to it. "I think I have a pair my dad gave me for my birthday one year. Lemme check." It took the girl a few moments, but eventually she dragged out a case and tossed it onto the end table. The top popped open and both teens crowded over it.

"Okay, we've got binoculars and a tripod. What else do we need?"

"Food! Good stakeout need snacks and drinks." Shampoo nodded sagely, pleased that she had more experience than her partner. "Should we wear trench coats like American crime drama people?"

Somehow Ukyo didn't think that heavy trench coats and the Nerima summer would mesh well. "Let's just stick with what we've got. The more stuff we have, the bigger the chance we'll be spotted, right?"

Shampoo nodded, a bit let-down. Still, she soon perked back up when Ukyo said she had plenty of food that could taken along. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the preparation was lightening the mood. For a few hours at least, the girls could pretend they were just going on a regular outing at the park or beach, something they hadn't been able to enjoy in months.

"Are you sure Mousse isn't going to follow you?" Ukyo asked as she headed down the stairs to the kitchen. "He could royally mess all this up."

"He no problem. Shampoo put fear of god in him after cursed jewel. Where your ice?" Shampoo had grabbed a cooler out of storage and was now grabbing soft drinks to put inside.

Ukyo, who was quickly packing a small basket with food, balanced on one foot while she flicked open the freezer with the other. "Top rack. There should be a bag."

In all, it only took a few moments for the two women to pack enough food and drinks to last all day if need-be. Shampoo, the designated pack mule, grabbed the cooler and binocular case while Ukyo led the way with the basket of food. They were out the door while dawn was just breaking and the streets were relatively deserted.

Shampoo was the first to jump up onto the rooftops. It was her preferred method of travel, barring her bike, because she didn't have to deal with all those annoying pedestrian traffic laws that the Japanese insisted on having. Ukyo, with slightly more difficulty, managed to get up to Shampoo's level by hopping up onto a stack of boxes that were sitting by a house.

"Ukyo take long enough," Shampoo smugly chided. "If no careful, get out of shape and no can keep up with Shampoo at all."

Once on the roofs themselves, the chef was having little trouble jumping the small gaps between houses, so she was running beside her rival. "You're just a freak! No one should be able to jump that high from the ground without some extra boost." The critique wasn't honest, though. Ukyo had long resented the fact that she couldn't get the altitude Ranma, Shampoo, or even Kodachi could. It was some comfort that Akane was even worse, though.

Of course, Shampoo laughed at Ukyo's declaration and, to rub some salt into the wound, she started to do intricate flips with every leap, graceful as her curse would indicate. "Shampoo specialty is fighting in air. Only person better than Shampoo is Ranma." It wasn't exactly bragging, but Shampoo wanted to point it out to her companion. Then again, seeing Ukyo's slightly-angry face, the girl amended, "It not too hard to understand. Shampoo think Ukyo do it with a bit more confidence."

As soon as the words came out of the Amazon's mouth, Ukyo's face broke out into a smile. "Thanks, Shampoo."

Actually getting thanked for something, and by her rival no less, was a surreal thing for Shampoo. Oddly, it also made her feel a little bit better than the earlier smarminess did. Chalking it up to her just being too tired for a proper argument, Shampoo didn't think any more about it and simply enjoyed the feeling, even going so far as to give Ukyo a few tips as they hopped roof-to-roof. After all, if things went well today then she could afford to be nice.

The spot eventually agreed upon for the stakeout was a flat-topped office building a few blocks from the Tendo Dojo. It served well enough; the ledge was low, the breeze was nice, and there was ample room. Ukyo had set up the binoculars and trained them on the dojo's front door while Shampoo fashioned a breakfast for two out of the edible odds and ends they had grabbed.

"So," Ukyo began as she took a bite out of her simple ham sandwich, "when do you think Nodoka will get here?"

Shampoo shrugged. She had finished off her tiny lunchbox quickly and was now lounging around on her back, happy to finally get some rest. "Shampoo no know, going to rest a bit."

"A cat nap, huh?" Ukyo asked, happy to see Shampoo chuckle just a bit before letting her eyes slide closed.

Now, alone, the chef could finally relax. The Amazon had been far too odd today for Ukyo to truly let her guard down; showing up in her room, getting around a locked window and front door, was only the start. No, other actions had set off warnings to Ukyo. To start with, Shampoo was never supportive or helpful, not even when they had worked together in the past. Giving someone tips on how to get better? Letting slip she was a fan of crime dramas? Only shooting one or two snide comments in as many hours? That was not Shampoo.

Ukyo frowned at Shampoo's sleeping form; that was another thing. Why would Shampoo let her guard down so quickly? Either she was very, very tired or, heaven forbid, she was becoming comfortable around her rival. That was something Ukyo wouldn't ever have through possible. Hell, it would be easy to just pick up a brick or something and bash the girl's head in. Not that the teen would do it, though. Ukyo was a lot of things, but cruel wasn't one of them. Not that she had any qualms about fighting Shampoo after this was all over; even if it came down to one of them dying...well, that was always a risk, wasn't it? It was just that attacking someone in their sleep was dirty.

"Maybe I'm getting soft myself," Ukyo sighed. A year ago she probably would have tried something just like that. Certainly she would have done it to Ranma or Genma in their sleep. Dirty indeed. Ha.

She went back to the binoculars and checked the Tendo's one more time. Nodoka still hadn't shown up and things were still quiet. Ranma and Genma weren't even working out yet. Ukyo walked back over to Shampoo and sat down on the blanket the purple-haired teen had laid out.

'You know, Shampoo's not so bad when she's asleep,' Ukyo thought. In fact, the girl didn't make any noise at all; Ukyo would have liked to believe that she snored at least. Just some kind of kink in Shampoo's armor, but no, fate wasn't that kind.

Really, how could Ranma not like the Chinese girl? Ukyo stared sadly at the sleeping form of her partner and how achingly beautiful Shampoo was, even when she wasn't trying. A cute face, gorgeous hair, a bust that would make most grown women jealous, legs that just didn't end, and a lean, muscular figure. Ukyo, having pretended to be a boy for years, could certainly appreciate what boys would see in a girl like Shampoo; even Ranma, as prudish as he was, was probably affected.

"Not like me, huh?" the chef mused aloud. No, her own figure wasn't anything to write home about. "My hair isn't as exotic as yours, my legs aren't as long, and I don't even know how to act like a girl."

It just wasn't fair. Ukyo clenched and unclenched her fists as she tried to calm down, but it wasn't working. It was always like this; Ukyo would take one step forward, finding out Ranma liked her despite everything, but then take two steps back; Ranma liked Shampoo as much or more. How could the chef possibly compete? Worse, it was like the Amazon knew it. What else could all the sympathy be for? Consolation.

Ukyo threw herself down on the blanket in disgust, not caring if she woke up the Amazon with the action. She was just so upset with herself. When her head hit the rooftop, she almost regretted the action, but the pain made her calm down at least.

Sympathy was the one thing Ukyo hated. Her father had been sympathetic, Ranma had been sympathetic, Akane had been sympathetic. Even Genma, before he got the beat down of his life, had said he understood what Ukyo must have been feeling. To get it from Shampoo, though, the one person Ukyo counted as an almost-equal, was too much.

But the worst thing? The absolute most galling part of all of this? Ukyo was actually catching herself reciprocating. She was being nicer to Shampoo, almost being concerned when she didn't act like herself. The mission with Nodoka was over so why were they still working together? Ukyo didn't know and Shampoo hadn't commented on it. They were both happy to find any excuse to keep the peace. It was almost like...

"...Damn you, Shampoo," Ukyo whispered. She was actually starting to like the Amazon and enjoy her company. They had went two days without trying to kill each other and the thought of going back to "normal" made Ukyo feel uncomfortable, despite telling herself otherwise.

The Amazon, now quite asleep, rolled over onto her side, facing Ukyo. The chef glanced over at the teen's sleeping face, wondering how someone could look so innocent and yet be so ruthless. What was lurking under that peaceful exterior sometimes really frightened Ukyo. What if Shampoo decided to remove all the "obstacles" from her life despite how Ranma would feel about the matter? Ukyo was sure she would hold her own for a little while, but as their brief fight the night before last punctuated there were several gaps in skill and attitude between them. The only real consolation Ukyo had on the matter was that Shampoo hadn't killed Akane when she had the chance. If she wouldn't kill a threat like that the raven-haired teen doubted Shampoo would go after her first.

'Then again, once Akane is out of the picture...' Ukyo let the thought trail off. When it was down to just her and Shampoo, mano a mano, the thought of what Shampoo was capable of was suddenly at the forefront of Ukyo's mind.

And it scared her.

"You might just be the death of me, sugar," Ukyo whispered to her sleeping rival. She lightly brushed the hair out of Shampoo's face, entranced with how close she was to the Amazon. "But I won't a pushover. I still have some surprises that even Ranma doesn't know about." The sleeping teen nuzzled into the contact like a cat, seemingly feeling the tense atmosphere even in her sleep.

"First it was guys who turned into ducks and pigs, now it's lesbians. This place is messed up."

Ukyo yanked her hand away from Shampoo like it was on fire, just managing to get it out of the way when the Amazon sat upright, seemingly awake. The voice that had disturbed them belonged to a young man standing on the far edge of the roof. From the look of him, he was Chinese with scale armor and bracers. How he had gotten up there, though, was a mystery. They were so far up that no one could simply jump up here and the "camp" was blocking the roof access door.

The boy caught the bonbari that was sent towards his head. Even Ukyo was surprised at the sudden attack, but she wasn't about to question Shampoo.

"Who are you?" the chef demanded, praying that he didn't see very much. If Shampoo found out about it, she might take it the wrong way. "Tell me how you got up here!"

"Slow down, dyke. You don't want to be ordering me around." He looked at the mace in his hand before tossing it over his shoulder with a sneer. "And you better keep your bitch on a leash."

At least he was staying where he was, Ukyo thought, though why Shampoo wasn't taking offense to the taunt was beyond her. The girl simply sitting there, her face forward. Whatever expression she was making, Ukyo couldn't see it from where she was standing, was having an effect on the boy as he made no move to advance on them.

In fact, he looked a bit unnerved. "You, dyke," he called out, not looking from Shampoo, "tell me where Saotome Ranma is."

"Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you," Ukyo snarled. She had her spatula out now and was pointing it at the boy. "Why don't you just take a long walk off of a tall building, pantyhose freak," Ukyo suggested, noticing the pantyhose tied around his waist.

Immediately the Chinese boy's countenance turned for the worse. His smug attitude had changed into a feral one and he took out a canteen of water. "Big mistake, dyke. You should have just answered me like a good little girl." Then he did something unexpected.

He jumped off the roof.

Ukyo blinked, lowering her spatula. She hadn't actually wanted him to hop off the building. She walked over to Shampoo to ask her what she thought, and try to explain away the various incriminating insults the boy had used, when something caught her attention. The Amazon was swaying slightly, almost threatening to fall over. Just as Ukyo reached her, the girl did just that, reveling the truth.

Shampoo let out a hitching snore before quieting back down into her normal breathing patters. The girl had been asleep the entire time! Ukyo felt like kicking herself for not noticing it earlier. "How about that," she wondered aloud. That was some damn good aim earlier for someone who's eyes weren't even open. Ukyo was now left wondering what to do about what was sure to be a very ugly mess on the sidewalk below. Should she call the police, the fire department, or the street cleaners? With a sigh, the chef started back over to the door so she could get to a phone.

Or, at least, Ukyo would have went for the door if she didn't find herself slammed into the rooftop. The attack had come out of nowhere, knocking the girl over and slamming her down. There was something painfully pressing down into her back. It was big, hairy, and very, very muscular. As she tried to let out a cry of help, fingers wrapped around her and the hand that had been holding her down was now lifting her up into the air, holding her up so she could see her attacker.

It was a cow. A giant, hairy, flying cow. The way the monster was looking at her, though, was familiar as was the cold hatred reflected in its eyes.

"A c-curse," Ukyo grunted and the creature let out a deep grunt-like sound which probably passed for a chuckle. "You won't get...Ranma." The fist squeezed tighter and Ukyo felt herself start to blackout. Unconsciously, her eyes flicked over to the binoculars, hoping that this monster wouldn't find her fiancée'.

Unfortunately, the bull monster followed her gaze and spotted the surveillance equipment. He tossed Ukyo away and floated down to the rooftop, his hooves tapping with every step forward he took. Bending down, he could the house that was being surveyed and wondered why it was so interesting. His question was answered when a black-haired boy and middle-aged man bounded outside, launching into an early-morning training session. Pleased, Taro stepped away from the side, intent on simply going down there now. However, there was still the sleeping girl to deal with. Her girlfriend had gotten some payback, but she hadn't. Well, that could be remedied.

Ukyo, who had just managed to get back onto her feet, started to hobble over to the boy-turned-monster. She was in bad shape; there was a large cut over her eye that was steadily leaking blood from when she was slammed into the roof and her back was really starting to hurt. The chef prayed she hadn't fractured anything back there, but being able to walk was a good sign. Seeing him standing over Shampoo, though, blocked out the pain. She couldn't let her partner go down like that. Using the last of her strength, Ukyo lifted her spatula and turned it on its side rather than using the flat head. It easily sliced through the air, embedding itself right between the monster's wings.

Taro let out a wail that only a wounded animal could, straining to rip the offending weapon out of his back. When he did, he crumpled it up like rice paper and loomed over Ukyo, his eyes promising pain.

"Sorry, but only I'm allowed to beat her. You're not getting Ranchan either." It was all bravado, though. Ukyo had nothing left and simply accepted the blow the monster sent at her.

Ukyo felt the bit dislocate her arm. She was sent flying and this time there was no wall to stop her flight. The monster had knocked her in the opposite direction where there was nothing to stop the chef's flight.

Bye, Ranchan,' was the teen's last thought as consciousness fled, not even feeling her foot being caught at the last moment before she went over the edge...