Stoner 3:17 Presents Double or Nothing A "Ranma 1/2" Fanfiction Series Written by Jeremy Mullin (stoner317@hotmail.com) "Ranma 1/2" characters and situations created by Rumiko Takahashi. All rights reserved, used without permission. Please don't sue, I have no money. PART 6: Washing the Shampoo Out of Our Hair Ranko was already late for work at the Ucchan, having gotten into yet another argument with her mother over how she was dressed, when she was glomped by a familiar purple blur. "Nihao, Ranma!" Shampoo cried as she and the red-head crashed to the ground by the force of the Amazon's charging hug. "Happy to see Shampoo, yes?!" "Sh-Sh-Shamp-p-poo!" Ranko stuttered in a way she hadn't used since the Amazon's first arrival in Japan. "Wh-what are you doing here?" Shampoo happily, totally oblivious to the fear in her 'airen's' face and voice. "Just get back yesterday. Great-grandma say we have to, or lose business. Oh, Ranma..." Shampoo squeezed Ranko harder, pressing their bodies tighter together. "Shampoo so worried we no find you, but you right here! Shampoo so happy!" Ranko didn't say anything in reply. She couldn't, as she was trying to free herself from the embrace, both to get away from Shampoo and so that she could breathe. "Here, Ranma," Shampoo continued, oblivious to the Ranko's struggles as she reached behind her and pulled out a kettle. A hot, steaming kettle. "You change back so you can take Shampoo to date. We have to pick up where leave off..." It wasn't the suggestion, or the obvious innuendo behind it, but the very sight of the kettle that gave Ranko the strength to finally free herself from the embrace. "I'dlovetohangoutwithyouShampoobutIgotta gobye!" she blurted out before taking off in a cloud of dust. She figured that she must have broke speed records before finally reaching the Ucchan and entering inside. "Where have you been?!" a rather impatient Ukyo asked from behind the grill. As much as Ranko was her friend, she was still the boss and had a business to run. She then noticed the other girl's state and calmed down somewhat. "Hey, you okay?" Ranko could only nod at first, as she was trying to catch her breath. "I... I'm okay..." she eventually managed to gasp out. "Had a... had a..." "Ranma!" Shampoo suddenly cried from behind her. She was *very* angry, not yet glowing with blue battle aura, but getting there. Ranko cried out in terror as she leapt away from the door and towards Ukyo, who had leapt over the grill with her combat spatula in hand. "What do you want, you hussy?!" the okonomiyaki chef shouted, now having an idea why Ranko was late. Her anger was further fueled by the now empty restaurant, the patrons fleeing to get out of the way of the brewing fight. Ignoring Ukyo, Shampoo instead focused her attention on Ranko, who had put herself behind the okonomiyaki chef. "Ranma better have good explanation for being with stupid Spatula Girl instead of with Shampoo where belong." "Ran-chan does not belong to you!" Ukyo shouted. "And for your information, she happens to work here! Now beat it before I bash your skull in!" The Amazon let out a slight 'tsk' of regret. "Poor Ranma. Shampoo be happy to let you have old job back at Nekohanten. Better food, for one thing, and get to be with pretty Shampoo instead of ugly Spatula Girl. You come now." She reached to take Ranko's hand, but was halted by Ukyo's spatula blocking the way. "I'm warning you..." Now Shampoo glared at her rival. "Spatula Girl must be eager to be beat up," she said, falling into a attack stance. With a smirk, she added, "Shampoo more than happy to help." The two girls were about ready to leap at other for one of their cat- fights when... "Hey, sis! Mom wanted me to tell you..." The three girls turned to the door at the sound of the voice to see Ranma, with Akane beside him, standing in the entranceway of Ucchan's. Ukyo's and Ranko's faces both took on looks of relief and worry, while Shampoo went completely into shock, her eyes bugged out and her gaze shifting back and forth between and Ranma and Ranko. Ranma and Akane, meanwhile, looked on with surprise and interest. "Oh, boy," Akane sighed. "Here we go." A grin suddenly spread across Ranma's face. "Gee, are we interrupting something here?" Ranko glared at him, Ukyo matching it. "Funny, bro. Real funny," she growled. "Huh?! Wha--?!" Shampoo gasped, her gaze still going back and forth to Ranma and Ranko. "What going on?! Why there two Ranmas?!" After a moment's pause to ponder on a sudden thought, she added, "And which one Shampoo get?" After everyone frowned at her, Akane replied, "Sit down, Shampoo. This could take a while..." "...and that's pretty much what happened, Shampoo." Half an hour later, the group finished telling Shampoo what had happened to Ranma the night of their date. Or part of it, anyway. "Let see if Shampoo have this right," Shampoo said after taking all the information in. "Ranma cured by Instant Nanniichuan and lightning strike, but have no memory of what happen?" "That's right, Shampoo," Akane replied as she took a bite of the okonomiyaki Ukyo had whipped up as the story was told. "That's what we think, anyway." "And this Ranma sister?" Shampoo added, taking a close look at Ranko, who tried her best not to shirk away nervously. That didn't stop her from letting a nervous grin spread across her face, a nervous chuckle escape her lips. "Y-yeah, that's me," she stammered in reply. "I'm Ranko." The Amazon's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You look awful lot like girl-type Ranma." Ranko's nervousness left as she felt anger rise up within her. "Well, of course I do! I'm his sister! We're twins! Why shouldn't we look alike?!" "She has a good point, granddaughter," a familiar voice said from Ranko's right. Everyone except for Shampoo turned in surprise to see Cologne, staff and all, standing in the spot in-between Ranma and Ranko. "The old ghoul!" Ranko cried out in shock. She got a whap on the head from Akane in response and would have glared back at her, but sheepishly said nothing when she remembered her cover. Ranma, however, had no such reservations. "YAAH!!! It's a dried- up old mummy!!!" He got a cane-shot to the head in response. "Who are you calling a mummy?!" "Nihao, Great-Grandma! When you get here?" Shampoo asked. "Just a moment ago, child," the ancient Amazon replied. "Just in time to hear the tail-end of your story." She turned to Ranma, who was rubbing his head as he glared at her. "So, Son-in-law, you've finally been cured of your curse, eh? And lost your memory of the past year in the process?" "Yeah, that's right," Ranma replied sorely. "So what?" "So now Ranma can marry Shampoo!" the purple-haired Amazon replied as she grabbed Ranma in a fierce hug. "WHAT?!" Akane and Ranma yelled at the same time. "No way!" Ranma quickly added. "Aw, c'mon, bro," Ranko said in a sort of soothingness. She gestured towards Shampoo. "Who wouldn't want to marry a girl like that?" "Whose side are you on?!" Akane asked testily, glaring at the red- head. Ranko shirked away nervously in response. "And just what makes you think I'm going to marry her, anyway?!" Ranma asked, trying to keep Shampoo away from him. The young Amazon suddenly took on her evil grin. "Because it Shampoo who help cure Ranma. Ranma get Instant Nanniichuan from Shampoo, so Ranma owe Shampoo." She smiled smugly as she ignored the glares from the others, who knew she had a point. It was one of the things they were afraid of. "And besides, for all you know, Son-in-law, Shampoo is your true fiancee and these three are simply stringing you along," Cologne added, gesturing towards Akane, Ranko, and Ukyo. The three girls in question glared at her in response. Ranma simply smirked in response. "Yeah, right. I've read my journal and know all about you two. And your little tricks to get me to marry Shampoo. Nice try." Shampoo let go of Ranma and frowned at him. "You going to regret saying that, Ranma," she said. And before anyone could stop her, she pulled out a glass of water and poured it over her head. Almost instantaneously, the beautiful young Amazon disappeared and was replaced by a small, pink-furred cat with purple highlights that began to hiss and yowl at Ranma. "YAAAAHHHH!!!" came a familiar cry, but not from Ranma. Everyone turned to see Ranko cringing on her seat, trying to get away from the feline. "What are you worried about? You never went through that stupid training," Ukyo whispered annoyingly, trying not to attract attention from Cologne. Ranko continued to squirm for a few more moments before whispering back, "Sorry, old habit. Besides, there's still something there, just not so bad." Ukyo just sighed and shook her head. This whole split was getting more and more confusing by the minute. "Hey," Akane said suddenly. "Isn't it a little too quiet in here?" The other two girls looked at her in confusion before realizing that she was right. Under normal circumstances, Ranma should have been running around screaming his head off with Shampoo right behind him. However, it was amazingly silent. Noticing Cologne staring at Ranma's seat in shock, they turned in that direction and were shocked to see him still sitting there, just staring at Shampoo without moving or saying anything. "Ranma?" a concerned Akane asked. She waved her hand in front of Ranma's face. "Ranma, are you okay?" For a moment, there was no response. Then Ranma did something that shocked them all. Moving like a hypnosis victim, he leaned forward, reached out with his hand, and began to pet the little cat on the head. "Nice kitty..." he said in a slow, almost droning voice. As various eyes bugged out at him in shock, he turned and looked at Cologne, a grin on his face. "Nice try..." he said in that same droning voice. "But that doesn't work anymore..." A collective face-fault, even from Cologne on her staff, rang throughout the restaurant. Akane was the first to recover with a cry of "You mean you're cured of *that* too?!" Ranma simply nodded in response, still petting Shampoo, who was starting to enjoy the attention. He finally stopped when Akane grabbed his hand away, allowing Cologne to pour a kettle of hot water on her great-granddaughter to change her back. Ranma still continued to stare off into space, even as a now-naked Shampoo stood before him. It wasn't until Akane smacked on the back of his head that he finally snapped out of it. By then, Shampoo was already behind a nearby planter, putting her clothes back on. "Um, sorry," he said sheepishly as he came to. "Well, that was unexpected," Cologne said, almost a bit disappointingly. There went one way to control Ranma... On the other hand, at least she no longer had to worry about facing the Nekoken ever again. "Ranma, how did you..." Akane began, but was interrupted by Ranma. "While I was training with the monk, he found out about my fear of... cats. After I explained about the Nekoken training, he decided to help me overcome my fear. A little meditation therapy and hypnotism later, what you saw was the best he could come up with." "So I guess that means you can't use the Cat-fist anymore either, huh?" Ranko asked. Ranma simply shook his head in reply, not at all one bit regretful about it. "I'm almost happy for you, Son-in-law," Cologne said. "But that changes nothing. You still must marry Shampoo in accordance with our Amazon law." Ranma snorted. "Lady, your stupid law ain't even legal here in Japan. And I don't even remember beating Shampoo, so how're you going to force me to marry her? Not that I'd ever marry her in the first place." Everyone in the room gasped in shock at Ranma, for different reasons. Akane, Ukyo, and Ranko were surprised that he had the guts to actually stand up to the two Amazons, and so casually at that. Shampoo and Cologne were also surprised at that, but also angry as well. No male ever dared to defy the Amazons like that. And such defiance was always... taken care of. However, neither of them had the chance to do anything themselves, as Ranma had to suddenly move out of the way of a hail of daggers that imbedded themselves into the stool he had been sitting on. Everyone turned to see a familiar robed figure standing in the doorway, the light reflecting off of his glasses. "Ranma Saotome..." Mousse growled under his breath. "It was bad enough you tried to take my Shampoo away from me, and even lead her on for a year. But to now just toss her aside like a pair of old shoes...?! DIE!!!" He launched forward in attack, this time on target as he charged at Ranma without problem. He continued to attack, launching weapon after weapon as Ranma dodged and wheeved out of the way. "Hey, I thought you'd be happy!" "Just shut up and die!" Mousse cried as he pressed on with his attack, forcing Ranma back through the main dining area and into the back. A crash was heard as they went through the back door and outside. Ukyo let out a long sigh. "There goes the peace and quiet." She reached for the phone to call the repairmen as Ranko gave her a sympathetic pat on the back. "Honestly," Akane snorted in disgust. "Can't he go for one minute without--" She never got a chance to finish as she suddenly had to duck from a bonbori strike that would have taken her head off had it connected. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" she cried as she glared at the offending Amazon, who merely smirked in response. "Tomboy pervert girl still obstacle in way of Shampoo's marriage to Ranma. Time to get rid of once and for all." Akane seethed with anger for a moment. She'd had enough. "All right. You want a fight? You got it! But let's make things more interesting! Loser has to give up Ranma for good!" Shampoo didn't even think twice before nodding. "Fine by Shampoo. Is no fault silly girl have death wish." Akane glared at the Amazon before adding, "Oh, and no Kiss of Death if I win. You give up Ranma and that's it." "Still fine with Shampoo," the Amazon said with a shrug. "Akane no win, anyway." Akane just let out another growl in reply. "Wait a second, Akane," Ranko said cautiously. "You sure you want to do this? I mean, I don't think you're ready to take on someone like Shampoo." Rather than glare at the red-head and rant about her martial arts abilities, Akane instead replied, "I've had it with her, Ranko. I'm going to take care of her once and for all." To herself, she grudgingly added, "I'm going to try, anyway." "Take it outside, you two," Ukyo quickly said, pointing to the door while still on the phone. "Shampoo, I'd be careful," Cologne whispered to her great- granddaughter as they went outside. "I suspect that the Tendo girl has been doing some training over the summer months. Her aura seems stronger than before. And I haven't exactly seen you do any serious training lately." "No worry, great-grandmama," Shampoo replied confidently with a wave of her hand. "Stupid pervert girl still no match for Shampoo." With that, she fell into a ready position as Akane did the same, both girls facing each other on the front walk outside of Ucchan's. A few people walking by took a quick notice before shrugging and moving on. Just another normal day in Nerima, they figured. Shampoo and Akane continued to stare each other down for another moment, until, finally, Akane made the first move and charged forward. Shampoo did the same, but not as quickly or enthusiastically. Still smirking, she lashed out a kick at Akane's head. The smirk fell when Akane ducked the kick and threw a punch at Shampoo's mid- section, followed by a kick of her own that sent the Amazon flying into a nearby lamppost. Shampoo sat there for a moment in surprise, until finally looking up at Akane, who was now the one smirking. "Surprised, Shampoo? I've been busy over the summer." The Amazon continued to stare for a long moment before looking over to her great-grandmother who had an "I-told-you-so" look on her face. She then turned back to Akane and growled viciously. "Lucky shot," she spat. "And stupid girl only get one." With that, she charged forward again, and the battle continued. * * * Ranma did several backflips to avoid the daggers that Mousse launched at him, one after another, just barely doing so as they embedded themselves into the rooftop where he had just previously been. After finally running out of rooftop, he then had to leap into the air to the next one, and then continue leaping and dodging to avoid the various chain-attached spears, swords, daggers, yo-yos, and other items being thrown at him. "Will you knock it off, already?!" he shouted as he moved his head to avoid a shuriken thrown at his face. "I already told you I ain't got no interest in Shampoo! Settle down and let's talk about this!" Mousse simply snorted in response. "Don't think that I'll be tricked by you, Saotome! I'll make you pay for all you've done to me! And to my precious Shampoo!" With that, he launched a whole bunch of weapons from his sleeves at Ranma. Frowning, Ranma charged forward, dodging weapons all the way, until he finally reached the Hidden-Weapons Master and punched him in the gut. He followed with a high roundhouse kick that sent Mousse flying and crashing into a nearby chimney. "There," Ranma said with satisfaction. Taking a moment to notice that, in the fight, he got a tear in his tunic, he began to walk towards his fallen opponent, who was starting to get back up. "Now, maybe we can talk this out." Mousse, however, began to laugh. "No chance, Saotome. Talk is cheap in these matters. Even if you don't want Shampoo, the only thing that'll clear the path to her heart is your demise." He then got to his feet fully and raised his head to face Ranma, pushing his glasses up on his face. "Besides, you haven't seen my new finishing move, yet." At those words, Ranma immediately fell back into a defensive position, readying himself for whatever Mousse could throw at him. And with someone like Mousse, that literally meant anything. With a grin on his face, Mousse stood straight and tall, his arms raised up into the air. "My newest, strongest technique in the art of Hidden-Weapons fighting, one that I made especially for you!" He leapt into the air. "Prepare for the dreaded... RAIN OF SWORDS!!!" He swung his arms in front of him, and immediately launched a large succession of swords down at Ranma. The attack lived up to its name, as the blades came down like raindrops, one after the other, striking the rooftop and not giving Ranma much room to dodge and avoid. He found himself having to strike out at numerous blades to keep them from hitting him, even though several did, but just grazing along his arms, legs, and back. If he wasn't careful, though, he'd wind up with worse. Mousse grinned maliciously as he watched Ranma try to avoid his attack, but knew it was futile. He'd come up with attack especially with Ranma in mind. An attack that came at all sides, impossible to defend or even counter against. It was only a matter of time before Saotome was finished, and Shampoo was his. His eyes widened and his heart soared as he saw several blades finally hit home, striking Ranma in several places in his torso. With a triumphant cry of "Yes!", he ceased his attack and came back down to the ground. He ran over to inspect the body, the idea of taking it back as proof of his victory running through his head... Only to find a tunic laying on the ground with several swords pining it to the roof. And no Ranma in it. He didn't have time to react as he suddenly felt a kick impact into his back. "Okay, trying to kill me is one thing," Ranma growled, "but that was my favorite shirt!" He watched as Mousse fell face first to the roof and skidded across several feet. "This means war!" "Why you--!" Mousse growled, but wound up getting a mouth of gravel as Ranma suddenly landed on his back, holding his head down with one hand and grabbing his hands with the other. Try as he might, Mousse couldn't get free. "There," Ranma said with a grin. "Maybe now we can talk." Mousse simply growled in response as he tried to wiggle his way out of Ranma's firm grip. "Now look... There ain't nothing between me and Shampoo. I don't want nothing to do with her, and as far as I can tell, I never have. Anything she may tell you is most likely bull. And I'm sure you know that." Mousse finally stopped struggling. He was too shocked to continue after hearing Ranma's words. He was so... different. "Are... are you serious?" Ranma nodded, letting go of Mousse. "Dead serious. She's all yours." Under his breath he added, "Though I don't know why..." Unfortunately, he apparently wasn't quiet enough. "I heard that!" Mousse cried as he began to launch another attack at Ranma, who dodged and had to subdue the Chinese boy again. "Didn't we just get over this?" he asked exasperatedly. "Look, if I let go, will you just listen and not attack me?" Mousse seemed to fume for a moment before he replied, "Alright. But say one wrong thing about my Shampoo..." "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Ranma let go of Mousse, and the two boys faced each other, exchanging glares. After an intense silence, Ranma finally spoke. "Look, I don't mean to be harsh, but just what is it you see in her, anyway? She treats you like dirt, plays with your emotions, and tries to make time with some other guy, namely me. And she does all these dirty tricks to get me to marry her. So just what is it about her that you just find so appealing?" Mousse continued to glare at Ranma, keeping down the urge to lash out him for his words against Shampoo, before he finally responded. "I don't expect you to understand, Saotome. I agree Shampoo is all that, and maybe then some, but she does have some good points. She's loyal to those she loves, as I'm sure you know..." "Don't remind me," Ranma said with a scowl. "And she's also one of the finest warriors in our village. Or, at least she was until you showed up that day." Mousse quickly continued under Ranma's now-deeper scowl. "Many may despise her, but many more also admire her." "And then there's you," Ranma pointed out. Mousse nodded with a sigh. "I've been in love with her for as long as I can remember, but she thinks that I'm too weak to make a worthy husband for her. And nothing I do seems to please her." "Call me a kook, but I doubt anything will." Ranma took a breath as he leaned against a chimney, his arms folded across his chest. "Look, Mousse, I'm not telling you to give up, but maybe you ought to think this over a bit. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be married to a woman like that." For the first time since their meeting, Mousse actually smiled, more like smirked, at Ranma. "What about Akane?" "She's different," Ranma quickly replied with a snort and a glare. "She may have her downpoints, but at least she doesn't use people to get what she wants." Mousse nodded sagely, recalling what he knew about the Tendo girl. But before he could say anything in reply, something that sounded like a body crashing to the ground caused them to turn their heads back towards the way they had come. Their eyes widened when they saw a cloud of dust rise up into the air. "Isn't that the Nekohanten back there?" Ranma asked in concern. Mousse nodded again, and watched as Ranma immediately took off back in that direction. Mousse started to follow, but stopped after a couple of steps. Ranma's words echoed in his head for a long moment, and he pondered them. Could Saotome be right? Was Shampoo really worth all that trouble he had put himself through? Unable to find an answer, he followed after Ranma back to the Nekohanten, but still thinking about his conversation with Ranma. * * * Akane ducked under another bon-bori thrust aimed at her head. Going down further, she swept Shampoo's legs, which almost worked until the Amazon caught her bearings and did a backflip away from Akane. Once back on her feet, she threw an amazed glare at the smirking Tendo girl. "Aiyah! When Akane get so good all of sudden?" Akane's smirk spread further. "Well, while you were going off chasing Ranma, I spent my summer training. And thanks to Ranma's sister moving in, I had a regular sparring partner." Taking a moment to think, she decided to add insult to injury. "Heck, I'll bet I did more training over the summer than you did all year." As Shampoo fumed at her opponent, Cologne shook her head in dismay. "It's true, I'm afraid. Shampoo's spent more of her spare time when not working at the cafe chasing after Son-in-law than on her own training. Not exactly a good example of an Amazon, let me tell you." Shampoo let out an angry growl as she continued to glare at her rival. "Akane can train all she want. You still no beat Shampoo!" With that, the Amazon lunged forward to resume attacking, rapidly throwing out bon-bori strikes at Akane, who was no longer smiling in any sort of way and was trying desperately to defend herself against Shampoo's attacks. Part of her knew that Shampoo was right; she may have done some training over the summer, but Shampoo had been training almost all her life. While not close to Ranma's league, the Amazon girl was still better, and it probably wouldn't be long before she got the upper hand. And, even worse, maybe the victory. But Akane pressed on, determined to win. She had to win. For herself. And... for Ranma... As if summoned by Akane's thoughts, the pony-tailed boy appeared, with Mousse not too far behind. Leaping off the rooftops, he landed down on the sidewalk next to Ranko, Ukyo, and Cologne. His eyes widened as he saw the battle taking place. "Akane!" he cried, then began to rush forward towards the two girls. He didn't get far, however, as he suddenly fell flat on his face. He turned and glared at the one who had tripped him, which turned out to be Cologne, using her staff. "Hey, what's the big idea?!" "Sorry, Son-in-law," Cologne replied, almost apologetically as she raised her staff back to it's upright position. "But this is a personal battle between my granddaughter and the Tendo girl. I don't think they would like it if you interfered." With a smirk, she added, "Besides, it's against Amazon law for anyone to interfere in a battle of this personal magnitude, especially the one who is the prize." Ranma continued to glare at the old woman, and was about to say something in reply when Ranko placed a hand on his shoulder. "I hate to say it, bro, but she's right. And I know Akane wouldn't want you butting in." It was then that Ranma noticed the bruise on his sister's cheek. He quickly got an idea of what she was talking about. Beside them, Ukyo nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Like it or not, we got to let them finish it themselves." Mousse mirrored Ukyo's nod, remaining silent as he watched the fight. So the four teens and the old Amazon then turned back to watch the fight, each with a concerned, and hopeful, look on their faces. Akane and Shampoo, meanwhile, continued to trade blows with each, neither girl willing to back down and submit to her opponent. Shampoo tried another swipe with her bon-bori aimed at Akane's mid- section that the Tendo girl just barely eased away from in time. In response, she ducked down and did a sweep of the Amazon's legs that sent her off her feet for a moment before she corrected herself and flipped back upright. She let out a snort of frustration as she glared at the smirking Tendo girl before lunging forward to attack again. This gave Akane even more of an advantage, as Shampoo's anger now made her sloppy and her attacks easy to counter and defend against. Shampoo threw her bon-bori forward in an attempt to strike Akane in the chest, but she evaded it and grabbed Shampoo's arm. With a spin on her heel, Akane pulled the Amazon off her feet and threw her through the air to crash into a group of garbage cans that stood on the curb. "Got you now, Shampoo!" Akane cried with high confidence as she charged forward so that she could finish it. Slightly dazed, Shampoo barely heard the battle-cry, and only just shook the cobwebs out in time to see her opponent right on her. Unfortunately for Akane, that was more than enough time for Shampoo to grab some sludge from the garbage and throw it into her face, right in the eyes. Akane was forced back away as she clenched her eyes shut to try and block out the burning sensation in them. "Hey! That's cheating!" Ranma cried from the sidelines. Ukyo and Ranko growled in agreement, their bodies tensing as though they were preparing to gang up on the Amazon. "This from someone who practices a fighting style called 'Anything- Goes Martial Arts'?" Cologne asked mockingly, a smirk spread across her face. "Besides, all's fair in love and war, Son-in-law. Hope you've brushed up on your Chinese." Ranma could only growl in response, knowing that he could do nothing without the old woman interfering in some way. All he could do was stand-by and watch as Akane now appeared to lose. Back on the battle field, Akane let out several grunts of pain with each punch and kick that Shampoo threw at her. A strike to the chin sent her flying back and into a lamp pole, where she slid to the ground unceremoniously on her rear. Through her daze, she could hear Shampoo's mocking words and the Amazon now slowly approached her, confident in her stride to make the final blow. Tears began to well up in Akane's eyes, and not from the sludge that Shampoo had thrown at her. She was upset and angry with herself. Being on the winning edge against Shampoo made her confident and sure of herself, and she had let that go to her head and gotten sloppy because of it. She forgot that Shampoo had more experience and training than her, and that was used to full advantage against her. And now, she would lose. *NO!* she thought bitterly. *I can't lose! Not now! I've worked so hard, come too far to lose now! I can't lose! I can't! Not in front of... in front of...* *Ranma...* An image of his face came to her mind, a smile spread across his face that seemed all smug and cocky, but at the same time, warm and gentle as well. She remembered all the times they'd had, all their adventures, all the times they had come to each other's aid. With each memory came a warm feeling that was quite familiar, but now stronger than before. She could feel her confidence building again. She could do it. She could win. As she felt her energy rise, one particular memory came to mind. One where Ranma had explained to her how his old ki-blast technique worked. 'You take a certain emotion, one you're really familiar with. You focus on nothing but that, letting it build and build until it hits this peak where you just have to force it out at your opponent through your hands.' Could she do it? She shook all doubt away and focused on the task. She would do it. She would defeat Shampoo. She would do it... For Ranma... Shampoo, meanwhile, had now halted a few feet away from the still-sitting Akane, smirking down at her. "Silly Akane think she can take on Shampoo after only few months of training? Ha! You need whole lifetime do that. And no have that, either." She raised one of her bon-bori and pulled it back behind her in a position to strike. "Shampoo wait long time for this. Akane is obstacle. And obstacle... is for killing!" With that, Shampoo leapt forward, her bon-bori lashing out to strike. "NO!" Ranma and Ranko cried as one, and both ran out to save Akane. They just barely evaded Cologne's attempt to paralyze them with pressure points as they dashed forward. Shampoo was just inches away from Akane, ready to make the final blow that would forever clear the path to her beloved Ranma, when she finally noticed Akane glowing with ki-energy. Her surprise went straight to shock when she saw a ball of similar energy forming between the Tendo girl's cupped hands. Like she was forming a-- "What the--?!" "FUSHICHO KAGAYAKI HA!" Akane cried as she thrust her hands forward at Shampoo. A bright burst of energy shot out, striking the Amazon and sending her flying backward. She landed rather a bit unceremoniously onto the ground, bouncing a few times before finally coming to a stop. The spectators on the side, after lowering their arms that they had used to block out the brightness of the flash, gawked in surprise at what they had just seen. "What the--?! Akane used a ki-blast?!" Ukyo cried. "Guess I trained her better than I thought," Ranko muttered to herself with pride. She didn't notice the frowning look that Cologne was giving her. "I wouldn't call it a blast," Ranma noted. "It was more like a small burst of energy, all brightness and just a little force. Like a firecracker or something." He took a look at the downed Shampoo, who was struggling to get back up. "Still pretty affective, though." Shampoo, meanwhile, was now back on her feet, a little worse for wear. Worst of all, she had trouble seeing; that blast had been *bright*. Akane would pay for sure, now. "Shampoo... not... finished... yet..." she gasped out. "Oh, yes you ARE!" Akane cried as she used her remaining strength to dash forward and deliver a punch across Shampoo's jaw. The Amazon swaggered a bit before falling to the ground, completely out cold. A long moment of silence passed while everyone took in what they had seen. After a couple of eye-blinks, Akane was the first to break the silence by whispering, "I... I did it..." A smile of pride swept across her face and she jumped into the air. "I DID IT!!!" Similar cries of joy rang out as Ranma, Ranko, and Ukyo ran out to Akane, while Mousse and Cologne ran to Shampoo. Hugs and words of joyful congratulations were the order as the teens celebrated. "Way to go, Akane!" Ukyo cheered. "Never thought I'd ever see you do that!" "Me, neither!" Ranko agreed. "I figured it would take you years before you even got close to doing that." She shirked sheepishly under the glares from the others. "Good work, Akane," Ranma said as he helped the girl stay steady on her feet. She gladly accepted the help. "Thanks!" Akane replied happily. "I couldn't have done it without you." Not noticing the confused glances, she grabbed both Ranma and Ranko into tight hugs and continued, "I was just so determined to win the fight, and I just kept thinking about all we've been through... And how you were always there for me..." A blush was now spreading across her cheeks, as was Ranma's. Ranko's face was also red, either also from embarrassment or from a bit of anger she felt as she glared at her brother. Ukyo simply smirked at the scene, trying to keep down a giggle. "Shampoo! Please, wake up, Shampoo!" Everyone turned to the group of Chinese to see Mousse with Shampoo in his arms, trying to get her to wake up. Feeling the eyes of the others on him, he returned to the gaze, and began to glare at Akane. "I swear, Akane Tendo, if you've hurt my Shampoo..." "Oh, calm down, idiot," Cologne said as she whacked him on the head with her staff. "Shampoo is an Amazon. She's taken much worse than this." Shampoo then suddenly groaned, then slowly came to. Seeing that she was in Mousse's arms, she quickly shoved him away as best she could and struggled to get to her feet. It was her turn to glare at Akane as she staggered over to the other group. "Shampoo... no finished... yet..." she growled. "Fight... on..." Ranma and Ranko immediately jumped in front of the tired Akane, forming a shield between her and Shampoo. Fortunately for them, the young Amazon suddenly slumped over unconscious into the arms of her great-grandmother, the victim of a shiatsu technique. "Sorry, granddaughter," Cologne sighed. "But you've been beaten this time, and are in no condition to continue, I'm afraid. Time to go lick our wounds and fight another day." Shampoo gave no reply other than a few breaths of exhausted sleep. "We'll be going now, too," Ranma said. He gave a careful look to Cologne. "I can trust we can expect no more trouble from you?" "Now where would the fun be in that?" Cologne replied. At the scowls she received from the young ones, she added, "Well, no more than usual, anyway. See you around, Ranma. Especially you, young Ranko." With that, the three Chinese began the trip back to their restaurant, Shampoo refusing help from Mousse, and leaving a confused foursome behind to stare after them. "What was that all about?" Ranko asked. "Who knows, who cares? They're finally out of our hair, so let's just be happy with that," Ranma replied. He turned to Akane and smiled. "C'mon, let's see if we can get Dr. Tofu to fix you up." Akane nodded, returning the smile and accepting Ranma's offer of support as they made their way towards the clinic. "C'mon, Ran-chan. We got a restaurant to run," Ukyo said as she started to walk back towards the Ucchan. As she reached the door, she noticed that Ranko wasn't behind her. She turned to see the red-head still standing in the street, watching Ranma and Akane walk off with a scowl on her face. "Hey! You coming or what?!" Ukyo called irritably. Ranko's head turned to look at her boss with a start, then back to the departees. "Yeah, sure," she grumbled, then walked back to join Ukyo to begin the business day. * * * "Shampoo still no can believe she lose to Akane!" Shampoo grumbled again as Cologne tended to her wounds. "Now Shampoo never marry Ranma and return to China!" "Cease your whining! You're an Amazon, so stop behaving like a spoiled child!" Cologne snapped. "Besides, this solves nothing. We'll find another way to win you your rightful husband. And there is also another way to redeem your honor." Shampoo turned to her great-grandmother in surprise. "What you mean?" "I'll explain later. Right now you need to recuperate. And after that, you need to start training again. If you had not been so lax in it, you would not have been defeated. And you may need it for the task ahead. Now off to bed with you." Cologne watched as her great- granddaughter slowly and carefully made her way upstairs to their living quarters, then turned to the young man standing in the corner. "Mousse! While Shampoo recuperates and trains, you will have to pull double duty here in the restaurant. So get your good-for-nothing butt to work!" To her surprise, instead of griping and moaning like he usually did, Mousse simply nodded and replied, "Yes, ma'am." With that, he began his duties. Cologne blinked in surprise. Mousse usually put up more of a fuss than this. He didn't even gripe about how he should have to take care of Shampoo. "Are you feeling alright, boy?" she asked with a suspicious frown. "I'm fine," was all Mousse replied. In his head, he added, *Not that you care...* After the old ghoul shrugged and hopped away, he began to think again on Ranma's words. And whether or not Shampoo really worth it all. End of Part 6... This has definitely been my shortest chapter yet in the whole series. Wonder if that's a good thing or a bad one? It also may the last one you'll see for awhile. I'm now attending University this fall, and my studies will have to come first. I'll still write and work on this series, as well as maybe some other projects I've had in mind, just not as often as I used to. So please be patient with. And wish me luck! This chapter was needed, since of course, a confrontation with Shampoo is a necessary evil in continuation fics. Fortunately, it all seemed to turn out okay in the end. Or has it? Have to wait and see, won't we? Some may think Ranma's got too much of a backbone here. Keep in mind, though, that this is the pre-Jusenkyo Ranma, plus he knows from his journal what Shampoo is like. So he knows what to expect. The talk with Mousse is a bit of a stretch, I know, but remember his training with the monk and he could very well now have some common sense. Also, I can't really explain why I had Ranma get over his fear of cats, other than it seemed to work and take away an edge Shampoo had over him. The way he reacts, aside from suggestions from my pre- readers, was inspired by Dave Eddy's "Nekophobia", where Shampoo transfers her curse to Akane in order to win Ranma over (go read it!). The way Ranma handled himself around the feline-Akane was so good that I recalled it and borrowed it for my story. My hopes to Mr. Eddy in that he doesn't mind. Now to answer a question before it's asked: why give Akane a ki- blast? Aside from the fact that it works in the surprise factor (yes, I did plan it in advance), it shows how far she's progressed in her training. She can already generate ki, so it was already a matter of time before she learned how to project it. At least I made it just a burst of energy and not a full-out blast, showing that she still has some steps to reach. I also didn't make it based off her anger, like most fics do. The way it came out is based off an issue of a "Street Fighter II" manga that came out awhile back, in a scene where Chun-Li figures out how to throw a fireball and uses it to defeat Vega. As for how it looks? Picture Chun- Li's super-fireball move in "Street Fighter Alpha" (only a bit toned down and more on the blast concept) and you'll get the idea. No glossary this time. Couldn't find something that needed to be explained. Maybe next time. Thanks to all my pre-readers, Darren, Alain, Archive, Andy, and newcomer Godsend777 for all your help. Even if you didn't get back to me with a reply, your continued help is appreciated. Keep up the good work, guys! Keep an eye out for part 7. Ryoga finally makes his debut, but what will happen when he runs into Ranma and Ranko? Be patient and I'll try to get it out when I can. Until then...