Ranma-Papa, Shampoo-Mama

Chapter One

"Yo doc, I need help here!" Ranma yelled, sliding the door to Tofu's clinic open with a foot. He quickly stepped in and was relieved to find no waiting patients.

"Ranma? What's wrong?" The longhaired, older man stepped out of the office he did paperwork in, and paused when he saw Ranma's burden. "I see, come on."

Quickly Ranma was led into one of the doctor's examination rooms where he set the injured girl on an exam table. Tofu had meanwhile been preparing a tray with both topical and injectible antibiotics. "Who is this girl, Ranma?"

"I don't know, she pounced on me from a tree limb outta no where!" Ranma paused, looking at the Doctor. "She was caught in the Neko-Ken, doc."

"Are you all right?" Tofu asked. While Ranma wasn't showing the classic signs one of his own victims would be displaying, he knew the pigtailed boy often tried to hide injuries.

"Just hurt my pride, getting pounced by a ten-year-old. She curled up in my lap and went to sleep like I keep doing to Akane, Ukyo, and Ka...that one other person."

"I wonder why?" Tofu shrugged. "Any sign of a parent?"

"Nope, and I ain't real surprised. Pop was out for a day when I first learned it!" Ranma gestured. "And whoever did this to her was WAY worse then toe old man ever was! They might be dead."

Tofu paused, vaguely horrified that Ranma considered what happened to this girl so much worse then his own experience. The good-hearted doctor had honestly considered filing a complaint with the Child Welfare Office when he first heard Ranma's own Neko-ken story. He only held back because of Ranma's age and his healthy, in Tofu's opinion, disrespect for his father.

"Well, for the record I consider her injuries potentially life threatening so I'm treating her without permission."

"Works for me. If anyone complains tell them I threatened ya."

Tofu, with Ranma's slightly embarrassed help, removed the girls tattered and blood soaked gi and proceeded to clean out the huge number of scratches and gashes. Tofu was both relived and concerned when the girl didn't awaken, knowing full well several of the injuries, as well of the shot, had to hurt when he worked on them.

While working he also mentally catalogued the various bruises, his Ki attuned senses telling him about the two cracked ribs and several dozen old, healed broken bones throughout her young and malnourished body. His mind, rebelling at the small horror of the girl's pain, touched on the only bit of humor he could fashion as a defense mechanism. "Your SURE she's not another fiancee?"

"Geesh, bite your tongue, Doc."

Tofu chuckled, in spite of him self, and was soon finished. "Well, for now let her rest. By the way, I'm thinking she's thirteen, not ten. She's just underdeveloped due to malnourishment."

"Right Doc. I'll call the Tendo's and see..."

"DOCTOR TOFU! WHERE ARE YOU!" Ryoga's bellow from just outside the window drew both men's attention.

"Ryoga?" Both men called back, rushing to the window. "Over here man!" Ranma called to the fanged boy.

Ryoga looked towards Ranma's voice and hopped through the window without a moment's hesitation carrying Shampoo and the kitten in his arms. Ranma, on spotting them, yelped and jumped up into a corner on the counter.

"What happened to her!" Tofu exclaimed, taking both cats in his hands, looking over Shampoo first. Both felines showed multiple injuries but the pink Amazon was by far the worst off.

"I don't know! I found her carrying that kitten in some woods outside town. She was guiding me here but passed out a couple of minutes ago."

Tofu walked across the hall and set the Amazon on a table. Turning he found both boys had followed her, distantly in Ranma's case. "Step outside boys. I've got hot water, and would rather treat her as a human."

"Uh, sure Doc." Ranma said, grabbing Ryoga's arm. "Let's let him work."

Ryoga, concerned about one of his few kind-of-friends, didn't resist as he was pulled into the waiting room.

"Ryoga, I got a weird question for you." Ranma said after settling into one of the clinics comfortable couches.

"Okay..."

"When you found Shampoo, was there a big hole in the ground? Maybe covered by a piece of wood or metal?"

"Actually yeah. It smelled like someone was cleaning out a septic system. Why?"

Ranma sighed. "It all started when this girl pounced on me from a tree limb."

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Groaning, Hiokai Makashi laid back and waited for the nurse to return. The hospital had accepted the story he had given about a work shed falling on him. The multiple gashes from Ki claws were well outside the range of any local animals.

Little did they know it was his bitch of a daughter that did this to him! "I should have used steel plates to cover that damn hole!"

He hadn't really believed what he'd been told when he bought the Manual. After all, who could burst through three-inch thick particleboard like it wasn't there?

Obviously a Neko-Ken fighter could. The technique was all he had hoped for, and the psychological damage irrelevant, assuming he could find the girl!

But first, he had to heal.

_______________________________________________________________________________

"Yeah Kasumi, I'll be by in a few minutes to pick them up. Your sure pop isn't around though?"

"Yes Ranma. He and Father went out to run some errands for me."

"Well darn. I'll have to get the manual from him later." Ranma looked up when Doctor Tofu entered the room. "Gotta go and find out how everyone's doing. See you soon."

Hanging up the phone, Ranma turned expectant eyes onto the Chiropractor. "They are okay, or going to be anyway. Shampoo is awake, but running a high temp and I've ordered several series worth of Rabies vaccines because of what she's told me. If you two want to talk to her, go ahead."

"Um. What about the kitten? Shampoo acted like it was real important." Ryoga questioned.

Tofu sighed sadly. "It's likely contracted rabies and will have to be destroyed. She isn't really pleased with that, or me, right now."

The two boys nodded, though Ranma's face lacked some sympathy. "We'll talk to her. What about the other girl?"

"Still sleeping, but all her vitals are steady. She'll need the shots too I'm afraid..."

"She was one of the cats, wasn't she?"

Tofu nodded, not surprised the boy's had figured it out. "Yes. She say's she tried to keep the cats away from her, but she was fighting a hundred to one odds and ended up barely protecting the girl's face."
Ranma nodded. "Wondered why her face wasn't more scratched up. Can we see Shampoo now?"

"Go ahead."

The two young Martial Artists slipped past the doctor and into Shampoo's room. Inside they found the lavender haired girl lying on the bed petting the kitten whom meowed piteously. The cat was so beat up looking that even Ranma wasn't intimidated by it.

Well, not much, since he did choose a chair a fair distance away on Shampoos other side. "How ya doin, Shampoo?"

"Shampoo hurts, but is okay. Ranma, will you do favor for Shampoo?" She turned, eyes filled with desperation, tightened by the pain she was feeling.

Ranma knew she had to hurt a lot, because her Japanese had been improving since the fight with Saffron. "Yeah, sure. Wha'cha need?"

"I want you to steal a vial from Great Grandma's room. Is pink hand blown glass in a wooden chest. Chest has Shampoos name carved on it."

"Sure, but won't the old ghoul get ticked off?"

"yes."

"Okay. No problem then. What's in it?"

Shampoo looked down at the kitten. "Something to help Shi."

Ranma briefly considered not helping, but relented. He hated the things sure, but that didn't mean he'd just let a cat die. "Okay. Now?"

"Yes please."

Now both boys were sure she was sick. She rarely, if ever, said please. "Be back in a few." Ranma rose and turned to the door, pausing only to glance at Ryoga. "Hey, Ryoga, do me a favor and watch out for anyone dumb enough to teach the Neko-ken. Whoever did that to the girl might show up looking for her."

Ryoga grinned in a very unpleasant way. "No problem. Anyone shows up, I'll make them pay!" Ryoga looked at the pig-tailed boy, the smile deepening. "Even worse then you!"

"I don't know why, but that scares me, man."

__________________________________________________________________________________

In a hospital down town, a man shuddered as though someone had just stepped over his grave.

AN: So you know, I'm of the school of thought that a lot of Ranma and Ryoga's issues are really just excuses at most points in the series. They are the only two main characters who regularly challenge each other's abilities and Ryoga is the only one who can beat Ranma on a Semi-regular basis (Though Ranma DOES always come back, and it's a RARE semi-regular basis.). Also, the Lost boy got Akari later in the Manga and by the time they hit college age, the rivalry is likely more Habit, and frankly fun for them, then anything.

Ryoga is also, bluntly, only steps behind Ranma, having on several occasions forced him to develop new techniques to defeat his own. By the time they hit their current age, I figure Ryoga can take Saffron as easy as Ranma...which means there's something bigger then Saffron running around. That's all the teaser you get.

Lastly, YES Ranma, in my mind, will rest in other people's laps. While I agree he loves Akane (Though I'm not convinced it's "that" kind of love.) he cares for many people deeply. Kasumi (Who I wager could calm a lion with a smile) Ukyo (An old dear friend) and Ranma's mother are likely in this category. Shampoos tendency to glomp and kidnap people is really probably the biggest limiter for her.