Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, I do not claim any rights to any of the characters or concepts created or owned by Viz Video or Rumiko Takahashi. This is just the work of one fan to the others. The only characters or concepts that I claim are the ones I created or introduced. That said, I bring you:
Ranma ½: When you are lost in a sea of grief, look for a light to guide you home.
Chapter 4: Trying to swim.
Xian Pu blinked as she looked around, then down at her empty lap. She turned at a soft noise in the kitchen, and saw the taller, dark haired form of Ranma as he stood in front of the stove. She stood up and stretched as she rose onto her toes and twisted her back a bit. She was a bit conscious of her running shorts and tank sports bra, but shrugged as she walked to lean against the counter behind him. It wasn't like he hadn't seen her in far less before.
"I'm not sure how healthy it is to only be able to cry and grieve in your female form, Ranma." Xian Pu said as she reached over and pulled two waters from the fridge, and offered Ranma one.
Ranma stiffened for a moment, then shrugged. "Real men don't cry." He said without looking at her, then took the bottle of water from her hand.
"You do know that you are still the same person, regardless of what form you are in, right?" Xian Pu asked as she took a drink.
Ranma tensed for a moment, then sighed and just seemed to deflate. "It's different with me, okay?"
Xian Pu cocked her head to the side and regarded him intently. "How so? I know that a form carries the knowledge and reflexes to make it work, otherwise it would be hard even walking much less flying like Mu Tsu. So, how is it different for you?"
Ranma shifted a little as he served up two plates of omelette rice "it's more 'bout what's acceptable for men, that ain't for girls, and vice versa. Guys don't cry or do any of that feelin' stuff. So… if I'm a girl, it's okay to cry an' such."
Xian Pu regarded the stiff back of her guest critically for a moment, then smiled. "I honestly can't believe you just use your curse for conning people out of food, mostly sweets, and dealing with your repressed emotions."
"Since when have you been into usin' big words'? I mean, hearin' ya talk properly is weird 'nough." Ranma stated as he carried the plates over.
Xian Pu smiled as she took her plate, and thought about it for a moment before she answered. "That would be because I was an idiot, not stupid. Did you really think that the person who was supposed to be the heir to Khu Lon would be stupid?" Xian Pu shook her head with a self-deprecating smile on her fae. "No, I'm not stupid, but I was an ididot. I came here to hunt you down on your own territory without knowing more than the very basics. I never bothered to properly learn the language or customs, and I paid the price for that time and time again. And, if anything, I learned an important life lesson from you, Ranma."
Ranma looked at her as he started to tuck into his food, and talked between bites. "Whatcha learn from me, Shampoo? How to always fight and win…. At least til it actually mattered…" Ranma trailed off as he looked down at his food, then jerked when Xian Pu laid her hand on his and met his eyes as he looked up.
"I learned to adapt, to take the best of what I see around me and make it work for me. I learned to persevere, and never give up. I learned how to live here, and anywhere else I might go." Xian Pu said as she smiled at Ranma.
Ranma looked away and blushed a little before he carefully moved his hand. "Shampoo, I… I don't know if I am all that good at it, honestly."
"Then, how about you see if you can still learn and adapt? Find out what I already know." Xian Pu said with confidence.
Ranma gave her a skeptical look and sighed. "And how do you propose I do that?"
"Well, I have the day off, you don't have much of a wardrobe3, and I want an excuse to go shopping. So, let's see if we can find you a new look, one that fits a new you better." Xian Pu said as she watched him.
Ranma shifted nervously as he looked at her. "I don't know about that, Shampoo. I mean, I haven't ever really changed my look, ever."
Xian Pu nodded and smiled. "I changed my look when I came here. I realized how I looked, and that it was a blinding link to my past. I wanted to fit in, yes, but even more than that, I wanted to see who I could be. Someone besides an arrogant yokel from a backwater village in the middle of China."
Ranma laughed that awkward laugh of his as he looked away and rubbed the back of his head. "You weren't that bad, Shampoo…"
Xian Pu shook her head as she interrupted him. "I was, and don't try to sugarcoat it, Ranma. I had no interest in fitting in or learning anything about Japan. I was that bad, or worse. Now, how about we go see about getting you some new clothes? I will even treat you to lunch."
Ranma looked away, then sighed as he turned back and bowed. "Thank you, Shampoo."
"You're welcome,Ranma. And don't feel like you have to do anything I suggest just because you are here." Xian Pu said as she gathered her hand bag.
Ranma shifted around a little, then sighed as he followed behind Xian Pu, with an uncertain look in his eyes. He just knew that somehow, in some way, this would all go horribly wrong. Maybe it would be a sudden downpour, or Ryouga would show up and decide that he wanted to kill Ranma (again). Or maybe it would be any number of potential challengers, both new and old. Heck, Mousse could show up, and when he finished attacking light poles or trash cans, he could decide to kill him for being close to Shampoo. That thought made him decide to ask Shampoo something that could be a relevant point at some time. He cleared his throat and looked at Shampoo as he asked her. "So, where did Duck-Boy end up, anyhow?"
Xian Pu stopped for a moment, then looked over her shoulder at him. "Musu was banished from the village as well. Why, are you expecting him to show up and try to kill you? If so, you are just going to have to be disappointed."
"An' why is that? I figured he would be chasin' you even more now? And since when did you start callin' him that? It was always Mu-Tsu or something like that." Ranma observed.
Whatever response Rnama had expected, Shampoo breaking into light laughter was not it. She wiped her eyes, and turned to regard him fully as she walked backwards.
"Musu and I settled our little… Differences a while ago. He actually lives in China again. Once he was banished from the tribe, he was treated as an outsider male, but one that would never be welcomed into the village proper, or the lands it directly controlled. I imagine he has his hands full, though. Since he is on the receiving end now." Xian Pu said with more than a trace of humor in her voice.
"The receiving end? Whatcha mean by that, Shampoo?" Ranma asked as they walked.
"Of Amazonian obsession and fixation. Once they banished him, he kind of became fair game. And since he could give you a fair fight at times… That made him tempting, in a way." Xian Pu said as she laughed.
"Oh… I see an' who is chasing the blind wonder?" Ranma asked, his trepidation about going shopping with Xian Pu forgotten for the moment.
"Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung. They are sixteen now, but as far as I know they are still sort of… Feeling each other out. Speaking of the terrible two, they are the ones that are providing the soap. After everything that happened, it was decided that someone needed to be trained to produce the items, lest it be lost." Xian Pu said as they neared the mall she had chosen for their first stop. She regarded Ranma with a critical eye for a moment, then smirked.
"Hey now, whatcha planning, Shampoo?" Ranma asked as he backed off just a bit.
"Just a bit of an exchange. You don't like it when people do things for reasons you don't know, so how about this? When we get you back in shape, you start practicing and sparring with me. I don't have anyone I can really go full out with, and I don't want to get too rusty." Xian Pu said as she led him into a store.
"Alright, okay. I ain't going to go easy on you, though." Ranma said as he looked around.
Xian Pu grinned. "Good, because neither am I. Now, let's see if we can't find you something a bit different, hrm?"
Ranma hesitated for a moment, then looked at Xian Pu. "An' if I don't like it, you won't just stick me with it anyhow?"
"No, Ranma. I won't, I promise." Xian Pu said. She thought about it for a moment, then grinned. "How about this? We each pick out three outfits, and then together we pick the best three from those, okay?"
"Won't we each just pick the ones that we picked out?" Ranma asked as he gave her a curious look. "That's how things always seem to go."
Xian Pu shook her head. "We pair them up, you try each one, then we choose between the two. Honest opinions, and I won't gripe about anything that isn't chosen of mine."
Ranma hesitated for a moment longer, then gave a hesitant nod. "'kay Shampoo."
Xian Pu grinned and nodded as she made a beeline towards a rack of pants, many of them jeans. Ranma sighed and shook her head as he made his way towards the shirts. He would go over and pick out his pants after Shampoo was done choosing impractical things.
Ranma chose one top and undershirt just like he always wore, but the cut was a little different so he was sure that it would not draw any disapproval. Next, he picked out a fitted shirt that looked like it would breathe and wear well. It had longer sleeves, but he figured that it would be okay later in the year. Finally, he picked out a tank top like he usually wore, but the dragon motif on the back spoke to him on some level.
He looked over at Shampoo looking through the pants for a moment, and wondered how she knew what size he wore. After a moment, he decided he didn't really want to know. Probably something that she had memorized from all the times she had snuck up on him in various states of undress and wakefulness. He did grin when he thought of Mousse being on the receiving end of Amazanian affection.
As Xian Pu made her way over to the shirts, he walked over to look at the pants. He hadn't ever really thought about what worked together, since he had always worn the same basic things. He laughed a little as he realized that he had probably owned a wider wardrobe for his cursed form than the body he was born into.
He shook his head as he picked out three pairs of pants, two of them in his usual style, and the last one for the long sleeved shirt that was a bit nicer, more of a pair of slacks. It could almost pass for a nice outfit, like you would wear to interview for a job, or a date.
Not that he ever planned on going on a date again.
Ranma glanced over out of the corner of his eye as Shampoo looked over the shirts in his size with a critical eye, and started to match tops to the pants she had. She even picked out a sleeveless vest for one of them
He was not sure about anything he saw her picking out, but he would at least try them on. It was the polite thing to do, after all.
When they were ready, they walked to the changing rooms and Xian Pu handed him her three outfits. "Try them on in pairs, and show me as well. We will pick our favorites out of each set, okay?" She said as she shooed him into the changing room.
"And you promise you will not just saddle me with whatever you decide I would look best in?" Ranma asked before he shut the door.
"I promise. Now, try them on! I want to be able to take you to lunch, and then I might have something to suggest as well." Xian Pu said with a gleam in her eye that made Ranma nervous for some reason.
He sighed as he looked at the three pairs of outfits, and quickly sorted them. The two nicer outfits he put together, along with the semi-casual ones and the ones that seemed closest to what he usually wore. After a moment's consideration, he slipped on the black pants and long sleeved shirt he had chosen. After he admired the look for a moment, he stepped out to let Shampoo see it as well.
Xian Pu looked up from what she had been checking on her phone and smiled brightly at Ranma as she looked him over. "That looks really nice on you, Ranma. What do you think of it?"
He hesitated for a moment, then looked away as he rubbed the back of his head. "I like it, I guess…" He said as he glanced at Shampoo, who just laughed and shook her head. "Well, I like it too. We can go with that one, if you would like." She said as she tilted her head to the side a bit and continued to look at him.
Ranma blushed and looked away for a moment. "But I didn't even try on the one you picked out…"
Xian Pu laughed and turned him around and pushed him back into the changing room. "I think we have both decided on that one already. Get out of those clothes and into the next ones!"
Ranma chuckled and nodded as he did as she had told him too, and wondered just who this new Shampoo really was. She didn't act like the violent, bossy airhead he had dealt with before. She seemed to have grown up somewhere along the way, and mellowed out. He could still see the old Shampoo in her, in how she carried herself and how direct she was, but at the same time… She was hard to place as the violent fanatic that had chased him from China.
He decided to try on the second of Shampoo's outfits first this time. He was fairly certain he would like the outfit he had chosen more, since it was almost exactly like the one he walked into the shop with. But, maybe that would be the problem with it, as well. He was supposed to be starting over, and trying new things. And he just picked the closest to what he normally wore without really thinking about it. He shook his head as he laid out the outfit that Shampoo had chosen. The button-up shirt was in a hunter green, and the vest that went with it was a rich brown. It was not what he would have usually worn, at all. He eyed the jeans that were with it, worried about how they would restrict his movements, then slipped into them. They seemed to stretch and give far more than he would have expected, and he turned and regarded himself in the mirror for a moment before he remembered that he was supposed to be showing Shampoo as well. He chuckled a bit as he opened the door and stepped out. He expected her to say something, but instead she had just stopped and stared at him. After a few moments, he cleared his throat and she blushed as she looked away quickly.
"That… Really looks good on you, Ranma. How do you like the fit? I know those pants are not what you normally would wear, but I made sure that I picked out a pair of athletic jeans that would stretch and move with you as much as possible…." She said in a rush, as she glanced at him, then looked away again quickly.
Ranma laughed, never having expected to see Xian Pu flushed or thrown off balance. "I like it, actually. I… Might just skip the outfit I had chosen…." He said as he looked away, a tint of red on his cheeks.
"Why is that? I figured you would want to try on all the outfits you chose?" Xian Pu asked as she leaned back against the wall.
"Well….. It's not really that different from what I have… And I am 'supposed to be trying new things…" Ranma hedged, then fled back into the changing room to try the last outfits on.
Xian Pu blinked at where he had been, then laughed as she recognized a new use for the Saotome Secret Technique. She was pulled from her reverie as a saleswoman stopped by to check on them.
"Your boyfriend is a real cutie, I'm kind of jealous. Are you two finding everything okay?" The young woman said, then grinned as Xian Pu blushed even redder.
"H...He isn't my boyfriend…. He.. Just is a friend… Who happens to be a boy…" Xian Pu said as she found the wall very interesting.
The saleswoman grinned and nodded. "Well, I hope you both find what you are looking for." She said and winked in a conspiratorial manner at XIan Pu before she walked off to help another customer.
Ranma gave a very red Shampoo a strange look when he walked out in the last outfit he had chosen. He turned around to show her the dragon in golden threads that graced the back of the shirt, and Shampoo did her best to not stare at the rather tight butt that the pants showed off quite well.
Xian Pu blushed as Ranma turned around, and they looked at each other before Xian Pu laughed and smiled. "I like that one on you, try on the last of mine and then we will decide what ones we are picking up for you before lunch."
After Ranma tried on the last outfit, the pair of them discussed which ones they were taking home with them. It was rather quickly decided that the first and last outfits of Ranma's that he tried on were the right choice, but Xian Pu was more than a bit surprised when Ranma agreed with her about the middle outfit, the one that Xian Pu had picked out for him.
As Ranma got dressed, Xian Pu took the six outfits up to the register, three of them to purchase and the other three to have reshelved. After a minute and a shared look with the saleswoman from earlier, Xian Pu moved the one outfit of Ranma's that they had not chosen into the purchase pile.
When Ranma came over to her, he noticed the mischievous grin on Shampoo's face and groaned. "Now what?"
"You will see! Now, how about we go get lunch and I will share my idea with you, okay?" Xian Pu said, then Ranma nodded and followed along behind her.
He couldn't help but feel that she was plotting something.
