Chapter Seven

"Oh man." Ranma moaned as he dropped his book bag and took a seat by the dining room table. He saw a bag of potato chips Kasumi left behind and tore into them for a moment, eating mostly in frustration. Until he started choking that is. Luckily he gagged the obstruction away before he required the Heimlich Maneuver. After catching his breath, Ranma guzzled some tea too, and threw the bag away as if he was throwing away the source of his ire.

At this point, Akane walked in from behind. "Rough day wasn't it?"

"You were there. You saw what that clown did."

"Hello Akane, hello Ranma." Kasumi greeted as she came by. Then she noticed their ill looks. "Did something unpleasant happen?"

"You could say that." Akane replied. "That guy Kuno went on a huge rant in school about how Ranma was some sort of demon summoner who made a horse demon try to kill him yesterday." Ranma groaned remembering that. "Of course no one believed him, but the guy just refused to let it drop."

"He tried attacking me between every break and even before and after school. He might even show up here too any moment. It's like he's desperate to prove himself right." Ranma commented.

Akane knelt down and hugged him from behind, making the boy tense for a moment but quickly relax. "It'll be fine. If he does I'll help you Ranma."

Kasumi smiled at the scene. 'Maybe they are good together. Akane clearly knew what she was doing.'

"RANMA SAOTOME!" An uninvited voice boomed out, hearable even from the back of the house.

Akane and Ranma groaned in annoyance. "Speak of the devil."

"Can we pretend we're not here?" Ranma asked.

"I would if I could, but I swear he must be able to smell me when I'm nearby." Akane answered.

"Want me to ask him to leave?" Kasumi politely asked.

'No one can tell her no.' Akane thought, but then shook her head. "Thanks sis, but we should handle this ourselves first."

With reluctance, the young couple got up and went to the front yard, where Kuno was waiting for them bokken out as expected.

"Ranma Saotome, I demand you leave Akane Tendo alone and never return to Nerima." He declared.

Ranma just crossed his arms. "Or you'll what?"

"Or I will have no choice but to slay you and any demon you can summon." The kendoist answered.

Akane got mad and stepped forward. "Kuno, by 'slay' do you mean you intend to kill Ranma?"

"Removing his kind from the world is a service to mankind." The upperclassman replied.

Ranma looked surprised and a bit insulted, but Akane looked appalled. 'How horrible. Is he speaking out of anger or does he really mean that?' Akane straightened herself. "Kuno, you strike my fiancee and I swear you will be the one removed from this world."

"I'm doing this for you Akane. He is a practitioner of the dark arts and has a demon under his beck and call."

"And what gives you that idea?" The young Tendo questioned.

"A horse demon came to me warning me of his intentions. What more proof do I need?" Kuno answered.

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Ranma asked, playing ignorant.

"I have no intention of listening to the likes of you. How else would you have been able to turn Akane's heart from me?"

"For the love of Kami-sama, I NEVER LOVED YOU! I HATE YOU!" Akane screamed. "WHAT GAVE YOU THE DAMN IDEA I EVER DID LOVE YOU?"

"Do you not remember my fierce tigress the day you attempted to join the kendo club?" Kuno asked.

Akane briefly struggled to recall that event. "Yeah, I asked but you said it was for men only because girls like me would only get hurt."

"And you challenged me to prove me wrong, and prove me wrong you indeed did." Kuno continued. "Since then you have fascinated me since you are the only one who has beaten me and with you being a woman that must be proof you are the one destined to be mine."

"All that proves is you can be beaten by someone you don't take seriously." Akane retorted, then gasped. "Wait, is THAT why you started the whole morning assault thing? You wanted to see who could beat me?"

"How else was I supposed to learn how strong you are and how strong I needed to become to prove myself worthy of such a woman again?"

Akane glared and Ranma frowned, neither liking what he was basically admitting to them. "Kuno," Ranma started. "All I'm hearing is the reason you like her, not the reason you think she likes you. Tell us right now why you think a girl that just screamed she hates you actually loves you."

"Silence demon caller. You have no business here."

"Maybe I should summon a demon if that's what it'll take to get rid of you." The pigtailed young man said sarcastically.

Proving Fate has a sense of humor, something actually did appear that moment.

"Nihao Airen, Dream girl." Shampoo greeted as she suddenly appeared by jumping over the wall around the Tendo estate. When she arrived she was in fox-girl form.

Kuno saw the new girl and looked petrified. "A... a kitsune youkai? Aha! Saotome must be a demon master! Now do you believe me Akane?"

Shampoo looked confused and turned to her only Japanese friends. "What he talk about?"

"He's insane." The young Tendo told the Amazon, then got a good idea. "Shampoo," She whispered. "Play along with what I'm going to say please. It'll help Ranma." The fox girl looked confused but nodded.

"You must come with me Akane. I will save you from the clutches of this heathen." Kuno declared.

Akane smrked and crossed her arms. "Oh, you're sorely mistaken Kuno. You see, this kitsune youkai just so happens to be loyal to me too, not just Ranma. If I asked her to scar up your pretty little face to the point your mother wouldn't recognize you, she'd do it no questions asked. Ranma summons his demons for me, not against me."

Both Ranma and Shampoo were a bit surprised to hear this from her, but Kuno was too surprised himself to notice. "Su... Surely you can't be serious."

"Oh no? You want proof? Shampoo, attack."

The fox girl remembered the request and nodded, then darted forward like a blur and kicked Kuno right in the underside of his jaw. Kuno had anticipated the attack early enough to position himself so the attack merely stunned him rather than greatly hurt him. After that he straightened himself and swung his sword hoping to cleave what he thought was a kitsune youkai.

Close enough to dodge, Shampoo ducked under the wooden sword then grabbed it and swung herself over it to kick the top of his head. Now dazed, Kuno tried to strike her directly, but she batted the weapon aside then headbutted Kuno in the chest.

While this was going on, Akane leaned to Ranma. "Ranma, Amazon law won't affect Shampoo if she for some reason loses here right?"

"Right. The whole 'beaten by foreign male' only applies to one male, so until any bond between me and her is dissolved, no other male can have claim to her. Why, you think she can lose here?"

Akane shook her head. "No not at all, just double-checking."

Back in the fight, Kuno was getting mad he wasn't able to hit the Chinese girl. "You will not defeat me demon!" He used an elbow thrust to make her back off, then followed with a bokken strike that got her right side.

Ranma saw blood at that. "Shampoo!" He shouted and before Akane could intervene he rushed forward.

Kuno saw this and looked no more relieved then he had been before. "If I eliminate the summoner then the demon can't be in this world any longer." He then striked multiple times with his bokken, often missing but causing some blunt trauma to the points he did hit on Ranma, along with the air pressure adding some more.

The result was Ranma flying backwards and landing on his back with his head between Akane's feet.

Ignoring the sense of deja vu, Akane looked down. "Ranma, Kuno might be delusional, but his skills are genuine. He's captain of the kendo club for a reason after all. You should know when he doesn't underestimate his opponent he can cause some serious damage."

Ranma blinked but blushed. "Uhh... thanks. And you should know that polka dot panties don't really suit you."

Now recognizing the deja vu, and blushing up a storm, Akane avoided kicking Ranma away and instead covered herself with her hands over her dress and stepped back. "All the rest are in the wash. Now go get Kuno."

Ranma got back on his feet and charged, trying to get that image out of his mind. Shampoo was on her knees clutching her wound but overall fine as far as he could see. What he didn't see was the purple-haired girl give Akane a brief glance as if asking her something silently, but of course he had something more urgent on his mind.

Kuno tried to perform his own version of the amaguriken again, but this time Ranma was prepared. Like Shampoo he grabbed the bokken and jumped up to deliver a kick, this time to Kuno's sternum making him stumble back. Ranma landed and noticed something fall out of Kuno's pockets.

Akane saw that and was surprised, and a bit surprised that she was surprised. 'He brought those with him? This guy is one bad advance away from requiring a restraining order.'

Unable to see the dropped square piece, Ranma had to block another attempted attack from his new rival. Again it was a barrage of bokken strikes coming at him with incredible speed. Ranma dodged by going backwards rather than to the sides. 'He can't keep this speed up forever, so he's going to have to be defenseless once this stops.' Once the attack did cease Kuno had to bring his sword up for a different approach, but Ranma did a quick handstand and attacked with his left leg in what appeared to be a mere grazing arc kick. But Akane and Shampoo both saw what it really was, many kicks hitting him all over his frontside in an upward direction.

When it ended Kuno froze and Ranma backflipped to get back on his feet. He didn't attack more, but he kept up his guard in case Kuno was more resiliant than he looked. Akane watched with baited breath, hoping this went as she expected it to.

She was glad to see it did, for Kuno fell over on his face. She smiled and came up beside Ranma and hugged him. "Good job Ranma. Never a doubt in my mind."

Meanwhile Shampoo turned Kuno on his back to inspect the damage out of curiosity. He was covered in footprints. "Aiyah, all hit vital points. Airen marvelous." She also picked up the dropped photograph. "What this?"

Akane came and snatched it. 'Nabiki better not have given him pictures of Ranma's female form.' Instead of Ranma, they were pictures of Akane working out in her yellow gi.

"Why he have these?" Shampoo asked.

"He's a loon that's why." Akane replied, then noticed the blood on Shampoo's right side. "Oh my gosh, you're bleeding pretty badly."

"Is okay, just bandage and it heal." Shampoo objected, but her expression showed she was masking a lot of pain and her hand was pressed pretty hard onto the wound.

"Not okay. You should see a doctor." Akane argued. "Ranma, help me get her to see someone."

Ranma nodded. "Shampoo, follow us, and human form." The Amazon nodded then lost her fox traits.

"You hurt at all Ranma?" Akane asked.

"Nah, it was nuthin." The pigtailed young man said, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Oh really?" Akane asked before poking one of his ribs. Ranma winced and spasmed but repressed any cry of pain. "I knew it, he got you at least once. Please don't lie to me about this again Ranma."

"I've handled worse." He insisted.

"Fine, but you two please follow me." The youngest Tendo said before heading out, her two companions following.

"What about foolish boy?" Shampoo asked.

"Someone will make him leave when he wakes up." Akane suggested.

After a short walk they reached a point halfway between the Tendo estate and Furinkan High. It was a quaint building with nothing special about it, but like the Tendo dojo had a wall surrounding it. There was a sign that read 'Acupuncture and Moxibustion', and another that read 'Acupressure', but no name was on the wall.

Akane looked back at the two with her. Ranma was fine but Shampoo was much more worn out from moving with her injury, and she was leaning onto Ranma for support which he kindly offered. Part of her was jealous, Akane knew that, but she avoided doing anything about it for the sake of getting Shampoo some needed treatment. So she knocked on the door and in a matter of moments Tofu greeted her.

"Why hello there Akane. You haven't been by recently." The chiropractic said politely.

Akane nodded then stepped aside. "Dr. Tofu, this girl needs your help." Ranma brought her forward to give the doctor a better look.

"Oh my, that looks like a nasty wound. Come in and lay down." He moved to let the three teenagers enter.

Once inside Shampoo was placed on a patients bed and Tofu got started wrapping her injury with gauze while cleaning the wound and disinfecting it. The whole time Akane and Ranma sat in visitor chairs watching, Ranma looking concerned while Akane just kept her eyes closed.

While part of the reason Akane hadn't been by the clinic was because of her lack of need for it, the main reason was her fear of what she'd do when it happened. Thanks to her vision, she had pretty much fallen in love with Ranma overnight, but she feared her young schoolgirl affection for Tofu hadn't been eliminated because of it.

"So who is this guy?" Ranma whispered.

Akane opened her eyes and made herself look at the good doctor. Her heartbeat wasn't increasing and she didn't find herself feeling shy now, so for now she had nothing to worry about. "He's Tofu Ono, my family's medical provider for as long as I can remember. He always treated my injuries when Kasumi or Dad wasn't able to. He's probably the only man besides my dad I've always trusted."

"Ah." Ranma simply responded with.

"Uh oh." Tofu said, drawing their attentions for a moment. "She's got a few splinters in the wound. This might take me a moment longer to treat properly." He then proceeded to remove the wooden obstructions, his back still to Akane and Ranma.

Sensing his sudden discomfort at her last remark, she placed her hand on top his. "Ranma, I trust you. The only difference between you and Tofu is I've known him longer, dream included. Even so, you're the one I want as my fiancee, not him. Even if... you prefer Shampoo over me."

"Why you say that?" Ranma asked, still whispering.

"I'm... a bit jealous of Shampoo. After all, she's got a better body with an exotic appeal I could never compete with, she's a great cook and I'd probably make cold cereal taste like crap, and she's a better martial artist than me. I'm worried that even if you do settle down with all three of us, you'll favor her over me."

"I don't intend on playing favorites with any of you." He told her. "I'm not even sure I intend to take three wives."

Akane looked at him. "Why not? Isn't that the kind of things guys dream of?"

Ranma shook his head. "When guys do dream of having multiple girls, it's never them as wives Akane. A guy would make them sex slaves, cooks, maids, but never wives. The rest a guy could simply use, but a wife requires being taken care of and cooperating with. The way I see it, a guy who wants many girls would see them as possessions, not people, and I don't wanna become that type of person."

Akane did not know how to respond, but she felt her respect for Ranma increase. "Then... why did you let Shampoo follow you here? Why not refuse Cologne's insistence you take three brides?"

"I have refused, but she keeps saying her gods demand it and won't listen. And Shampoo followed me the whole way. And to be honest, now I'm kinda glad she did. Her and the old ghoul showed me Pops was wrong, women can be strong martial artists if they want to be, most just don't wanna be that. Makes me feel better about having this curse, and with Shampoo I didn't feel so alone."

Akane surprised him by leaning against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I admit I don't like this situation either. I never planned on sharing you with the girls who tried to take you away from me. If it were up to me I'd try marrying you tomorrow and tell the others to get lost."

"We aren't ready for that." Ranma reminded.

"I know but compared to the alternative it's the better choice." Akane replied. "But in any case Ranma, I did have that vision for a reason. I know it's hard to believe or accept, but... maybe Cologne is right. Maybe you should be allowed to have three girls care about you instead of being forced to choose just one."

Before more could be said, Tofu walked up to them. "I've taken care of the wound and alleviated most of her pain. She should be fine but no strenuous activity until two days after the wound is closed."

"Thank you Dr. Tofu." Akane said. "Oh, this is Ranma Saotome, he's staying with my family for a while."

"Nice to meet you Ranma. You a martial artist too?"

"Yep, and one of the best there is."

The doctor simply smiled. "Well if you ever get hurt come here and I'll see what I can do. My advice though is don't overestimate yourself. You're never so good that you're invincible."

"Airen good, best Shampoo ever see." Shampoo noted as she walked up to her fiancee and leaned on him for support.

Akane ignored this by bowing to Tofu. "We should get going. I'll have Nabiki drop by with the payment."

"Thanks, and be careful you three." He said as they left. 'Sounds like something complicated is going on between them all. I hope things work out for them.'

Walking back to the dojo Shampoo turned into her fox form for convenience and rode atop Ranma's head. About a block away from Tofu's clinic, Akane stopped. "Ranma, would it be alright with you if I had some girl talk with Shampoo in private for a bit?"

The boy was surprised but thought it over. Before he could say anything, Shampoo landed on the sidewalk, winced from the landing, and returned to her human form. "What Dream Girl want say?"

"I take it that means yes, so I'll go. See ya later Akane, Shampoo." Ranma said before continuing on.

Akane waited until he was outside earshot to speak. "Shampoo, I'm going to be frank, I want to be with Ranma. This has nothing to do with the family agreement or any prophecy, I want to be his wife someday. If that happens, no, when that happens, can you accept that?"

Shampoo's human form was in no way affected by the behavioral aspects of her curse, so this was as honest an answer as she could give. "Shampoo want Ranma too. He good man, good spar partner, and he save Shampoo from woman's worst fear. He best man I ever see and Shampoo no give him up without fight. Like you, Shampoo prefer no share, but not my choice. Goddess decried it. Airen take three brides, and if they good to him I swallow pride and accept."

"I'm kind of the same way. So before we start a pissing contest, we should decide some kind of cooperation system between us." Akane said.

The Tendo heir still didn't like this, but for Ranma's sake she had to make an effort. In her vision virtually all problems were created because of everyone's refusal to compromise or negotiate. It was all 'My way or the highway' with everyone, with Ranma being the one expected to put in the effort to give everyone what they wanted. Such a thing is naturally impossible, like the old saying goes 'Try to please everyone and you end up pleasing no one', but no one cared, not even her. Like the rest, Akane in the dream developed a 'Ignore the others and give me what I want' mentality towards Ranma, and she now wasn't proud of it.

"What you have in mind?" Shampoo asked.

"For one, neither of us should act like we're the only one with a claim to him. I'll let you spend time with him as long as you let me spend time with him too, no hogging him only for ourselves." Akane stated.

"Sound fair."

"We also shouldn't compete with each other. If Ranma's going to end up with both of us we shouldn't try to make him favor one over the other."

Shampoo nodded in acceptance. "Who get him first in bed?"

Akane could not answer that one. "I don't know. Let's not worry about that until we're ready to do that."

"What if Shampoo ready now?"

"Are you?" Akane asked, testing if it was a bluff or not.

The Amazon shrugged. "Wouldn't say no if asked."

'Me too.' Akane quickly thought, then caught herself. 'Wait, no I would. Or maybe I wouldn't. Well... I guess I wouldn't say no, but I wouldn't say yes this soon either. I'd ask Ranma to wait a bit longer for me.'

"Dream Girl?" Shampoo asked, noticing the conflicting emotions storm the Japanese girl's face.

"Please call me Akane, not Dream Girl. I should probably help you learn Japanese better if you're going to be here for a while."

"That good."

"And maybe you could help me learn how to cook. I need a lot of help there." Akane added. 'It's a long shot but it's worth trying.'

"No problem. Anything else?"

Akane thought about it then shook her head. "No, nothing I can think about now. Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?" 'If she's going to be a permanent part of my future life then I might as well try to be her friend.'

Shampoo smiled. "Shampoo like that."

The two headed to the Tendo residence, calming chatting about random things but mostly Ranma. When they got there they saw him standing outside. Akane smirked. "Why Ranma, were you waiting for us?"

"Umm... uh..." He bashfully replied, scratching the back of his head.

Both girls giggled and surprised both him and each other by simultaneously kissing his cheeks. "Thank you." Akane quietly added.

Shampoo stepped back and surprised them even further by lifting up the front of her cheongsam dress to reveal her underwear, which was the same shade red as Ranma's shirt.

"Sha-Shampoo?" The aforementioned boy said, getting very flustered.

Shampoo giggled and covered herself again. "Better than polka dot, no?"

Akane blushed deeper. "You heard that?"

Shampoo turned into her fox-girl form then pointed to her ears. "No just for show."

Akane shook her head to reorient herself. "Enough of that. Why don't we go up to my room for a group chat?" Shampoo nodded but Ranma still looked flustered, like he didn't want to be in this situation. 'Hopefully Ranma you'll learn to feel comfortable around girls.'