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 5: Breathe.

Ranma eyed the grinning young woman who sat across from him again. He knew that she had something plotted out for him, he had seen that same look many times over the years, just not with such an amused smirk before. It was almost unnerving in a different way than what he had grown used to. Honestly, it made him feel like he was being stalked. That, at least, was something he was used to.

Ranma finished off his second plate, and sighed. "So, what do you have planned this time, Shampoo? I need to know so I can decide if I'm running or not."

Shampoo arched an eyebrow and motioned to the waitress for two more plates. After that, she looked at Ranma and smiled. "Nothing malicious, I promise. Actually, I was thinking about doing some more shopping, for both of us."

Ranma groaned and looked at Shampoo. "Don't I have enough clothes for now?"

Xian Pu shrugged and smiled that smile at him. "For your male half… Yes. But you could use some outfits for your girl side as well. Now, don't you give me that look, Ranma. I've been in your old closet, remember. You had a wider variety of girls' clothes than men's. And don't even try to deny it." She said as she wagged her finger at him.

Ranma looked away and rubbed the back of his head in that awkward way of his, and the somewhat strained laugh. "I needed 'em."

"You needed them? The girl who had 'boy' stitched on her swimsuit? Who always said that he or she was a 'man amongst men' you NEEDED them? Oh, please explain." Xian Pu said with a smirk.

Ranma once again looked awkward. "They were handy for tricking Ryoga. Honestly, old pig boy never could figure out it was me."

Xian Pu nodded slowly. "So, you dressed up in girls clothes, very girly girls clothes nonetheless, to trick a boy."

Ranma looked at her and nodded. "Well, duh. It was easy and fun."

Xian Pu's smirk got broader. "So, let me get this straight. You dressed up in girl's clothes to trick a boy." When Ranma nodded, Xian Pu grinned even more. "One that you must have liked if you teased him so much. Honestly, Ranma… I didn't know you swung that way. No wonder I never could seduce you." Xian Pu said with a smirk that would have made Nabiki proud.

"Wait! I ain't like that! No way, no how! Never ever thought of it!" Ranma said as he shot out of his seat.

Xian Pu reached out and laid a hand on his gently. "I'm sorry, I took that too far. Please, sit down and finish your meal." Xian Pu got up and bowed deeply and formally to Ranma. "Please, forgive me for taking that joke too far."

Ranma hesitated, then sighed and sat down as he started to eat. "Now you really do owe me ice cream." He said sullenly.

Xian Pu smiled a warm, gentle smile. "Does that mean we can go shopping?"

"I will think about it. But the first time you try to get me into somethn' too girly, I'm done." Ranma said as he continued to sulk.

"Deal. Same deal as last time? And this time, I will even let you pick out outfits for me to try on." Xian Pu said as she tucked into her second plate and watched him as he ate.

Ranma glanced up and their eyes met for a second before they both looked back down at their meals and finished in relative silence. As they got up, and Xian Pu started to head over to settle their tab, Ranma spoke up.

"I guess it's only fair, right? Since you did that for me earlier, and all…" Ranma said without looking at her.

Xian Pu nodded as she walked back over to him and took his hand after a moment. "Let's get you changed, and then we can start shopping, okay?"

Ranma gave her a skeptical look and looked around. "Where? Shampoo, we can't exactly just splash me with water out here. This isn't some backwater village."

Shampoo gave him a long, hard look then shook her head. "I know the perfect place." She said as she grabbed his hand tighter and started to walk towards the restrooms with sure, quick strides after taking a look to make sure that no one was watching them. Ranma gave her a curious look as they rounded the corner, and expected her to lead him towards the guys restroom. When she didn't stop at that door, but continued on towards the other Ranma paled and dug his heels in.

"No way! No how am I goin' in the girls bathroom, Shampoo!" Ranma said admanty.

"I'm not taking you into the mens room, Ranma. One, I don't switch back and forth. Two, I have had to clean the men's rooms here. No thank you." Shampoo said as she looked at him. She sighed and let go of his hand. "Let me look inside, make sure no one is there, then you can just hurry in and splash yourself with water. No one will think anything of a girl coming out of the girls bathroom, but they will question a girl coming out of the mens bathroom. Go on, I will make sure it is safe, okay?" Shampoo said with a sigh, then leaned in to check. Once the coast was clear, she popped back out and put her hands on his back. "Go on, go change. I will make sure no one comes in, promise."

Ranma gave her a skeptical look, then sighed and did as she had asked him to. After a few moments, Ranma-chan came out with slightly damp hair. "There, better Shampoo?"

Shampoo grinned and nodded. "Much better. You are cute like this, you know. Honestly, I wish I looked more like you in that form."

Ranma gave her an odd look. "Why? You have all the guys staring at you all the time. Isn't that what you want?"

Shampoo sighed and grabbed the redhead's hand and started to lead her out. "It's nice to get attention, yes. But I'm too tall and look odd here. If you didn't have red hair, you would have even more boys falling all over you. Yes, some like the exotic look… But I get asked all the time why I dyed my hair lavender."

Ranma nodded as she studied her former rival, nuisance and self-styled fiancee. The enigma that Shampoo had become only continued to grow. She sighed and shook her head, then turned back to look off to the side. For a moment, she had thought she had seen bluish-black hair cut into a very familiar bob cut, but that couldn't be. She was just imagining things. Before Shampoo could have noticed her steps slow and falter, she hurried up to walk beside her again.

Xian Pu stopped in the middle of a different section of the mall and got a pensive look on her face as she looked at a store, then down at Ranma. "Ranma…" She started, then gathered her courage. "I want us to start in there. I…. Hope it's not too much for you to handle?" She asked, then pointed towards a shop that sold undergarments.

Ranma looked at the shop, then back at her and shrugged. "Why would it be? I've been here before, you know."

Xian Pu stopped still and gave Ranma-chan a befuddled and confused look. "Ranma do? When? XIan Pu no understand…." She said, so stunned she didn't even realize she had slipped back into her horrible pidjin from much earlier in her life.

Ranma chan laughed and shrugged. "Your yokel is showing, Shampoo. And to answer your question, I had to find the right weapons to fight Happosai with." She said like it explained everything.

Shampoo stared at Ranma-chan for a moment, then sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Of course you did. Why wouldn't you?" She sighed and then pulled the confused redhead into the store after her.

When they walked in, the lady behind the counter immediately beamed at them. "Ranma! It's so nice to see you again! And who is your friend here?" She asked as she walked over to greet them.

Ranma-chan smiled and bowed in return. "Kimiko, this is Shampoo. Shampoo, Kimiko. She helped me the last couple of times I came here."

Shampoo smiled a strained smile and bowed to Kimiko. "I'm Xian Pu, and thank you for your help. We are in your care."

Kimiko blinked and looked back and forth between them. "Shampoo? Xian Pu? Well… I guess I could see how they get confused…" She shook her head and gave Ranma a stern look. "I hope you are not here to buy something for some older guy again, Ranma-chan. It's not proper for a woman your age to be chasing around older men."

Xian Pu choked a bit as she looked at Ranma, and remembered clearly his ability to shove his foot in his mouth without even realizing it.

Ranma-chan shook her head. "Nope! I'm here for me this time… And Shampoo, that is. We are doing some shopping. She insisted."

Kimiko sighed and nodded, as she held her hand to her chest in relief. "Thank you, Xian Pu, for helping this little delinquent onto a better path."

Xian Pu laughed and bowed deeply. "I do what I can. She is a handful, though."

Kimiko laughed as she started to lead the two young women into the shop proper. "You are not kidding there, dear. But a good handful, most of the time."

Ranma-chan looked back and forth between them and pouted a little. "I get the feelin' I'm the butt of a joke here."

Kimiko just smiled a serene smile that would make Kasumi proud as she looked at Ranma-chan. "Of course not, dear. Now, what shall we start with? Something in particular today, or just filling out your selection?"

Xian Pu spoke up at this point. "We need a bit of everything. Ranma-chan here recently lost… Well, most of her wardrobe so I am helping her rebuild the essentials."

Kimiko nodded with an understanding look on her face. "I remember her measurements, but we will need to get yours, unless you have them? I would still prefer to do it myself, make sure we have everything right…" She said as she looked XIan Pu over with a critical eye.

Xian Pu nodded and smiled. "I'm in your care, then." She wondered for a moment at the almost maniacal look of glee on Ranma-chan's face, but her curiosity was soon very much answered. A bit later, a very red Xian Pu had finally stopped glaring at Ranma-chan in an accusatory manner.

"You could have warned me, Ranma. I… Wasn't expecting such a… Thorough… set of measurements…" Xian Pu said as Ranma-chan broke into an honest fit of giggles and guffaws.

"I imagine Kimiko-sensei made more than a few comments on the usefulness of your… Ummm… Assets?" Ranma-chan said in an innocent sounding voice.

Xian Pu glared again at her short, redheaded companion, then sighed. "How did you endure that? With your male pride intact, nonetheless? I mean, you have pretty much an ideal figure for...Ummm…" Xian Pu hesitated, then decided to press onward. "...Child bearing."

Ranma-chan shrugged. "Is it surprising? I mean… I was the best at everything I did… Why wouldn't my female form be perfect?" Ranma-chan said, then looked away until her chin was turned back to meet the soft gaze of her one-time enemy and rival.

"You are still the same person, maybe a bit more grounded in reality, and humble… But you are and always will be Ranma, the best fighter, and martial artist, I have ever known in all my life. But, let's not get into that since we are here to shop. And, I can't wait to see you in a few things myself." Xian Pu said as she smiled and looked into the blue eyes of her shorter companion.

"See me… In them?" Ranma-chan said as her ears pinked a bit.

Xian Pu nodded and looked at her seriously. "It's not like we both haven't seen each other in far less. And I thought that seeing girls undressed didn't phase you, since you have all the same bits half the time?"

Ranma looked away for a moment, then sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Shampoo. An' I guess it's only fair, since I get to pick out stuff for you."

"I actually had a thought… Not sure if it's a good one or not…" Shampoo ventured as she looked at Ranma-chan speculatively.

"Well, what's your thought?" Ranma-chan said as she poked and looked at various pieces.

"Well, we do have an expert on hand… How about we each pick out two outfits for ourselves, two for the other, and let Kimiko pick out two for each of us as well?" Xian Pu suggested as she looked at Ranma.

"I guess that would work… Okay, but there better be a lot of ice cream after this…" Ranma-chan said as she looked at Xian Pu seriously.

Xian Pu laughed nervously. "As much as you can eat, and you don't even have to scam some poor guy for it."

"I'm gonna hold you to that, Shampoo…" Ranma-chan said as she looked at various pieces, still a bit pink around the ears.

Shampoo smiled and nodded to herself. So far, it seemed to be going okay. She guessed the next bit would be the real trial, though. And she still hoped that someday, he might call her by her actual name, even just once.