Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2. I admit it. I am not Rumiko Takihashi. I'm not even Japanese. I am from Earth though, if that helps.
Ranma-Papa, Shampoo-Mama
Chapter Five
"And that's the whole story, Mom." Ranma said, looking at Nodoka Saotome, waiting for her reaction. Ranma, along with her father, Himeko and Ritsu Mirakai had walked to the Saotome Home to present this new situation to the Auburn Haired Matriarch of the Saotome clan. Ryoga had tried to come along but had gotten lost while Akane wasn't allowed by Nadoka's post wedding 'Not in my house' announcement, forbidding fiancee's from the house unless invited by Ranma.
As much as he wanted to invite Akane this time, she didn't want to open THAT can of worms lightly. She liked sleeping way too much.
"Of course she can stay then!" Nodoka had been fingering the family honor blade for most of the conversation. "Frankly I wouldn't let you take her Ms. Mirakai."
"I'm glad to hear it, and after Ono's explanation of Ranma's history..." Her glare was matched by Nodoka's own as they found the cowering Genma. "You and Ranma are well equipped for her special case. Just keep your husband in line."
"It's become my primary vocation this past year." Nodoka assured her.
"Well, assuming it's okay with Himeko?" The social worker smiled as the girl shyly nodded. "Good. I'll bring the paperwork by tomorrow." The woman stood, and with a bow she left the Saotome home.
"Let's get you tucked in then." Nodoka smiled at Himeko. "And it'll give my son a chance to change!"
Himeko stood after a nod from Ranma and took Nodoka's hand. She asked, shyly but curious "Why do you call Ranma-sama 'son' and 'boy'?"
"You didn't tell her?"
"Um. We didn't want to confuse her." Ranma replied, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.
"Go get the hot water then. She needs to know."
Ranma-chan nodded, and hopped up quickly to fetch a glass of hot and cold water. Soon returning he sighed and looked at Himeko. "Don't get scared or nothing Himeko, but I'm cursed. Ya see, I'm really a boy but if I get splashed by cold water I change into this rather cute little body." She grinned maliciously at Genma's wince. While Ranma never planned on liking the curse, two years had a way of forcing adaptation. "Hot water changes me back." The black haired boy replaced the red haired girl. "Oh, one more thing..." Suddenly Ranma splashed his shocked father, changing him into a Panda with the cold water.
Himeko looked back and forth between the two Saotome men before finding the words to express her thoughts. "That was COOL!"
The Saotome's all face faulted hard.
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Hiokai Makashi hid in a tree, across the street from the Saotome home. The tall cherry tree gave him a clear view of Nodoka gently putting Himeko to bed in a guestroom. He smiled darkly and settled in for a long wait. Finally all the lights in the house shut off, and he counted out half an hour more before dropping to the ground and stealthily crossing the road, and scaling the Saotome's walls. Soon he was under his daughter's window and prepared to jump.
A tapping interrupted him on his shoulder. He turned to meet a sadistic fanged grin. "Ranma's going to be so upset I found you first."
Hiokai threw a savage, Pre-emptive punch at Ryoga's face, followed by a combination of kicks and punches at extremely high speed. Every punch missed as Ryoga unintentionally imitated his rival, Ranma. "My turn. Now PREPARE TO DIE!" The fanged boy hissed, not wanting to wake up the little girl.
His first blow seemed to come out of no where, driving into the mans gut like a cannonball. It was followed by a knee and an elbow, the later of which drove into the cruel mans face.
Hiokai flew across the yard, gasping from both new and old injuries. 'I can't fight now! I'm to hurt!' he thought to himself, groaning. He grabbed out of his gi a handful of smoke-pepper bombs and threw them to Ryoga's feet. Using the distraction he hurdled the compound's wall and ran.
Ryoga finally managed to get clear of the smoke, by hitting, accidentally, the house's wall and sliding along it. Ryoga growled, and thought about chasing the coward but instead pulled off his pack. He was tired and was sure he'd get a second chance. Especially if he stayed near Himeko. For the first time in a long time, it wasn't Ranma Ryoga craved to beat.
And he planed to give Hiokai a beating that his ancestors would feel!
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The next morning a yawning Ranma walked down and into his family's dining room. "Morning mom, Old man, Himeko. Hey Ryoga." The pig-tailed boy paused blinking. "When the heck did you get here?"
"Last night. Good thing too!"
Nodoka nodded, gracing her son's occasionally violent friend with a smile and a plate of food. "I found him and his tent under Himeko's window, guarding her. You have very manly friends Ranma."
"P-chan here does have his moments."
"Don't call me P-chan!"
"As it turns out, he did show up at a good time. Himeko's father tried to steal her back last night." Genma shook his head in disapproval.
"What you so bothered about? Him failing insults your professional pride or something?" Ranma asked, accepting the rice his mother handed him with a smile.
"Yes, he was very... NO!" Genma caught himself a bit late. "I'll grant I'd have succeeded but that doesn't mean I want him to get her back boy!"
"Whoa pop, calm down." Ranma said, thought his grin was not really apologetic. "Don't want you to blow a gasket!"
"After breakfast we'll see who the real martial artist in this house is!" He growled at his son.
Himeko gasped, and clutched Ranma's arm looking up at him in fear and concern. Ranma looked down and gave her a wink and the smile known for bringing women out of the woodwork (Once literally). Then he looked across the table, peering across with a hand over his eyes looking at Ryoga, then Genma, then behind them. "Hey Ryoga? Were we going to fight today?"
"It's not like we really plan that Ranma."
"Then what Martial Artist do you think he's talking about?"
Ryoga looked at Genma, then back at Ranma. Calmly, with a serious, sober expression he replied "I don't know."
"GRR! That's it! I'll take both of you on!" Genma yelled, grabbing both boys and throwing them out the door into the yard, following them quickly.
Himeko looked at Nodoka, fear on her face. The older woman patted her head. "They're just playing. It's a man thing."
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Hiokai watched again, hidden in the cherry tree, in respectful horror as Ryoga and the two Saotome's sparred. Of the tree of them, he was sure he could beat Genma at his full abilities. Ryoga and Ranma, both half his age, moved with grace, speed, and power that the black clothed martial artist wouldn't have believed it possible if he hadn't seen it.
He watched as Nodoka holding his daughter's hand, stepped onto the porch to watch. He sneered at the sundress they had put her in. "how is she supposed to fight in that?" He muttered. He did approve of her wide-eyed examination of the three men. He could almost feel her desire to learn the only trait she had that he liked.
Nodding, he hopped down and away from the area. "I'll let them teach her a little before I take her back. They are sentimental fools and will train her I'm sure. I think I'll train for a while myself."
After all, it meant he didn't have to feed her for a while.
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"Xian Pu." Shampoo said, looking at Shi.
"Zan Mew." Shi tried.
"No. Xian Pu." Shampoo demonstrated again.
"Man You?" Shi mangled it nicely.
"Not at all! One more time. Xian Pu!"
"Shampoo?"
Shampoo groaned as Cologne, who'd been watching the whole affair, burst out laughing. "She is a Japanese cat, and it's not that bad a nickname. You use it yourself!"
"Own daughter should know my real name." Shampoo had told Cologne, in no uncertain terms, that she was adopting Shi as her daughter and an Amazon. The old woman had agreed, thrilled at Shampoo's show of dedication.
"Great Grandma! Is Shampoo!" The girl said cheerfully giggling. Cologne just nodded.
Tofu, who insisted on keeping Shampoo at the clinic over night asked "Shi's learning language very quickly. Do you know why?"
"Jusenkyo. All the curses seem to come with a basic understanding of how to survive in the cursed form like Mouse and flight as a duck. In the case of animals with human curses there is about a month where they seem to pick up spoken language at an almost frightening pace. While that will stop soon, I intend to introduce her to as many languages as possible until then."
"Will she become essentially human with an inverted curse?"
Cologne shrugged. "You'll have to ask her in a few years. Bu Fee and Scr'eech are two adopted tribe members who share Shi's problems. Both have different answers to that question."
"I will admit, Shi is not likely to develop a very intellectual bent. She'll always be a creature of passion and instinct, just human passion and instinct has been added to a cat."
Tofu nodded. "She won't try to pounce on people will she?"
"Only for a while, or when she's excited. Should cause son-in-law a few fits, eh?"
"Ono, are you here?" Ritsu Mirakai's voice called from the entryway.
"I'll be right back." Tofu said as he rose, walking out to meet the social worker. "Hey. Didn't expect you back today."
"I brought something by for Shampoo." She handed a file folder to Tofu. "It's all paperwork saying Shi is a human girl, and her adopted daughter."
"How? And why?"
"How, I'm not telling. Why is because she asked me last night about it. If Shi's stuck living a human life, she'll need a human identity."
"Well, I'm sure Shampoo will thank you."
"Tell her I'll let her buy me dinner later. Right now I've got to get over to the Saotome's for some signatures." Ritsu paused. "Did you know Ranma is listed as the Clan leader of the Saotome family?"
"No, but it wouldn't really surprise me. I know Nodoka was when she first came around."
"Okay. Well, I'll see you later."
Tofu waved, then looked down at the file in his hand. "You know, it has been quiet around here the past few months. I should have been expecting this."
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Nodoka sighed as she paged through an old photo album. The pictures, black and white as most of them were, brought both joy and sorrow to her heart. The pictures were not of Ranma or Genma, but of her own family, and her youth.
She smiled at a picture of her Father and her Uncle Stephen, standing like real tough guys for the camera at a fair. Uncle Stephen and her father had been business partners running an import/export business between the US and Japan.
Her mother, a happy woman who loved to take care of her family, more then anything, was in the next photo. It showed her and a young Nodoka and Miaka, her twin, cooking dinner.
"Oh! I'd forgotten about this! Nodoka exclaimed with a laugh. The action picture showed her with a boken in hand, pummeling a young Genma while yelling at him. She giggled like a younger woman thinking of the few traits HER men had in common, including a poor internal speech editor. Of course, she hadn't been real thrilled about an arranged marriage either.
She flipped the page and frowned, looking at the picture of her younger brother. She and her sister sat to either side of the glowering young man, five years younger then the teen girls. She flipped quickly hoping what she feared wasn't true.
Then she reached the last photo she owned of her brother, his features even harsher then when he was a boy. The picture was only half way through the big book, but she knew he didn't appear later on in it's page's, even the wedding photo's for her and Genma's marriage wouldn't have him appear.
Her father had disowned him shortly after for the dishonor he'd brought to the family, when it happened Nodoka hadn't understood, and had felt betrayed by her family. Now she feared, she understood.
"Oh Hiokai... What have you become?"
AN: Take THAT!