HEARTS AND MINDS PRELUDE FIVE
		       TENDO AKANE: SOMETHING OLD

		       Ranma 1/2 manga fanfiction
			     by Gary Kleppe


	The characters of Ranma 1/2 are the creation of and rightful
property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are used here without permission.
This story may be freely redistributed, but it should not be altered
substantially or used for profit in any way.

	SERIES NOTES: This is a prequel to "Hearts and Minds", a series
taking place five years after the end of the Ranma 1/2 manga. There will
be ten of these, each centering on a particular character or two. They
lead into the main series that will be written eventually, but are
intended to stand alone as "continuation" stories.

	For more info on the series, read the Info post I sent to FFML
(archive # 40384), or see the section for this fic on my web page,
http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics#ham. The previous part can be found
here as well.

	This will probably be my longest and most ambitious series ever.
All C&C and feedback will be welcomed, seriously considered, and
responded to. Public response is preferred, but private is fine.

                                 ______


	"I shall be at your abode in half an hour. I look forward to
meeting with you and Saotome Ranma again after these many years."

	"I'll be happy to see you too, Kuno-sempai." Akane was surprised
to hear herself say that; but it was the truth. In the old days, she had
had little or no use for Kuno. Now he seemed like a different person.

	"What of the Pig-Tailed Girl? Will she be in attendance? Ah, to
gaze upon her beauty once more."

	Oh well, some things never changed. "Ah... I think you can count
on her being there at some point. Goodbye, see you soon."

	Akane hung up the phone, and began to check through the house to
see if anything needed to be cleaned before the guests arrived. With
both of her sisters having moved away, she was the woman of the house.
Though she was far from the perfect housekeeper that Kasumi had been,
she did her best to keep the place reasonably tidy.

	The life Kasumi had chosen had surprised everyone. Akane had
expected her to be married with a family of six by now. Nabiki, on the
other hand, was doing what everyone had thought she would be: making
money, working for a company in the United States.

	Satisfied that everything was presentable, Akane sat in the
living room to relax. She was alone in the house at the moment. Ranma
was taking the children over to Mrs. Komori's place for babysitting so
that they wouldn't get in the way.

	Soun was at the grocery store. Akane's food didn't usually
inspire the immediate bad reactions it once had, but it still left a lot
to be desired in terms of taste. She worked on it when she could, but
improvement was slow and difficult. So Soun did most of the cooking, and
he had become pretty good at it.

	Soon Akane would join a group of old friends and acquaintances
to help defend Shampoo's village. Shampoo was the one who had wiped her
memory, had fed her a hypnotic mushroom that made her hug Ryoga and
Kuno, and done lots of other things in hopes of becoming Ranma's wife.
If the Amazon had asked Akane for help at that time, she would have been
told to go to hell.

	But things changed. The last few months that Shampoo was in
Japan, she had stopped chasing after Ranma. While not quite a friend at
that point, at least Akane could consider her someone who could be
counted on not to make things worse.

	Besides, the Amazons were in real trouble. Akane couldn't just
ignore that.

	She thought back to those days when Shampoo was last around. It
was right before her marriage to Ranma...

                                 ______


	Akane had always expected that there would be some big romantic
moment in which she and Ranma would admit their love for each other. She
often pictured in her mind how this would happen. Sometimes the
imaginary scene would end with him telling her it was all a joke and
that he could never love an uncute tomboy like her; but sometimes it
wouldn't.

	When the two of them actually did finally decide that they would
become husband and wife, it wasn't like that. Getting married simply
seemed like the thing to do at the time.

	It was late in the evening. Ranma and Akane had just been to the
Cupid Cafe, where something yet unknown had caused Ranma's female side
to be in love with Upperclassman Kuno.

	Now they sat in Akane's room.

	"Man, that was scary," Ranma said. "It was like I was a whole
different person. I just can't believe I... with Kuno... what I was
thinking of..."

	"It's okay, Ranma. Whatever Kuno did to your girl side, it's
bound to be a temporary thing." She hoped she was right.

	"Maybe. This time, anyway. I been in love before, y'know. With
Cologne. Ryoga, too. Maybe there's more I forgot. Who's it gonna be
next? Kodachi, maybe? Gosunkugi? Tsubasa? I just can't wait."

	"What are we going to do? About the marriage, I mean. We need to
decide what to do before our dads force us into something we don't
want."

	"If you don't wanna marry me, that's okay. You don't gotta."

	"That's not what I meant! I'm just saying that the decision
ought to be ours! Not anybody else's!"

	"Yeah, well, I guess if I have to get married, it wouldn't be so
bad. With you, I mean."

	Akane didn't know how to take that last remark. It could have
been one of the nicest things Ranma had said to her so far. Or not.
"Nobody *has* to get married, Ranma." She couldn't resist adding.
"You're not pregnant, are you?"

	"Very funny." A little hurt showed through in Ranma's voice. "I
could marry someone else if I wanted, y'know."

	Images of Ranma with Ukyo and Shampoo flooded Akane's mind. "You
think I care? Marry KUNO if you want!"

	Ranma turned away, looking down on the floor. That had been the
wrong thing to say.

	"I'm... sorry... I didn't mean... I just meant that... if *you*
don't mind... then I don't."

	"Really?" Ranma turned hesitantly back toward Akane.

	Big romantic moment?

	Close enough.

	Akane and Ranma decided then that they would get married, but
that they would wait until after they both graduated from high school.
They also stipulated that they were going to be the ones to make all of
the arrangements this time. If it was going to happen, it would be done
their way. Their fathers accepted these conditions with only a little
grumbling.

	As the wedding date approached, they realized they would need a
place to hold the ceremony. For obvious reasons, they didn't want to get
married in the Tendo house or any of the other old familiar places. They
needed somewhere new.

	Now, on a Sunday afternoon in May, they were convinced that
they'd found what they wanted.

	Ranma and Akane stood in the foyer of Romance Villa, an old
vine-covered stone chapel; an impressive structure, though several
cracks showed in the walls.

	"So, what do you think?" The owner was a pretty young woman of
about thirty who said her name was Yukari. Her grandfather, she said,
had founded Romance Villa when he was young, nearly a hundred years ago.

	"I like it," Akane said. "The price is very reasonable compared
to the other places we've checked."

	"As I said, that one price is for everything." Betto, Yukari's
number one assistant, was an attractive if sour-faced man, about the
same age as his boss. "It includes clothes rental, and the reception
after the ceremony."

	"The best thing is, it's all the way across Tokyo from where we
live," Ranma said. "None of the crazies we usually deal with will show
up. We'll take it."

	"Great!" Yukari opened a book and started writing down
information into it. "There's no problem with availability on the date
you mentioned. There's only one other wedding scheduled for that date;
the Ondori wedding, in the morning."

	"Ondori? That wouldn't be Ondori Koichi, would it?" Akane hoped
it wouldn't.

	"Who?" Ranma asked.

	Yukari looked at the listing in the book. "Why, yes, that is the
man's name. A friend of yours?"

	"Just someone I knew a long time ago. Not important."

	Ranma's face suggested that he didn't completely believe Akane's
denial, but he didn't say any more.

	Akane and Ranma spent more time finishing arrangements with
Yukari and Betto. They then departed, walking toward the bus stop.

	"Man, I *hope* nobody's gonna bomb this wedding or anything,"
Ranma said. "Though most of the people who would've aren't gonna now, I
guess. Even the Kunos have both left town."

	"True, but it can't hurt to be careful. I want this to be
finally over and done with. Let's try to make sure nothing can go
wrong." If that was possible. Akane remembered hearing somewhere a
saying that no plan could be foolproof if there were ingenious enough
fools around.

                                 ______


	Hikaru Gosunkugi watched as Ranma and Akane boarded the bus.

	He had listened to their conversation from a ways back, using an
amplified directional microphone. Evidently Ranma didn't consider him to
be on the list of people who could disrupt his wedding. He had probably
forgotten that Gosunkugi even existed. He wouldn't be the first to have
done that.

	Gosunkugi wanted Akane to be happy. He would have gladly stepped
aside and let Saotome marry her, if only he could be sure that she would
be treated right. But he knew that Ranma was the type who would be
unfaithful to her at the first opportunity. If she was going to get
hurt, then she had to be stopped from marrying him.

	But how? Maybe Ranma had been right. There wasn't much Gosunkugi
could do to interfere with his wedding. The best he could do would be to
try to find someone who could.

                                 ______


	Weeks passed without major incident. Preparations for the
wedding were finalized.

	Kaede, the shinto priestess who had helped Ryoga and Akari,
visited the Tendo household frequently. Why she wanted to hang around
there wasn't clear, but Genma and Ranma were happy to have her there
after hearing her say that with a lot of research she *might* someday be
able to do something about their Jusenkyo curses.

	Nabiki returned home, on summer vacation from business school in
America. She brought a Monopoly game set, to give to her father so that
he and Genma could have a change from their usual shogi. Unfortunately
for them, Monopoly required more than two players. After being beaten
several times in a row by Nabiki, the two fathers persuaded Kasumi to be
their new third. She defeated them every game just as her sister had,
albeit by pure luck and not by the shrewd trading that Nabiki had used
to win.

	Ranma and Akane occupied much of their time with martial arts
training sessions. The Thursday afternoon before the wedding saw one
such sparring match between the two come to an end.

	"That's enough training for now," Ranma said.

	Akane sat on the floor, her back resting against the wall. She
wiped the sweat from her head with her sleeve. "How..." She paused to
catch her breath. "How did I do?"

	"Not bad at all. You managed to block my last wave of attacks.
Your counter-strikes need a little work, though. You're not gonna be in
a class with Shampoo for a while, but all in all you're improving a
lot."

	Akane looked visibly frustrated at that last comment.

	"Uh, I didn't mean.... Look, you can't expect to be as good as
someone like her without a lot of work. She's been training pretty much
her whole life. You didn't start until you were older, right?"

	"Actually, I did. But I stopped for a long time."

	"Really? How come?"

	"I just did, that's all."

	Akane could barely remember the first time she tried martial
arts. It was when she was five, or maybe six. She would watch her
father, then later when no one was watching she would try to imitate
everything he had done. Someday, she thought, she'd be the strongest
martial artist that there was.

	She kept her interest in martial arts a secret, until one day
when her mother walked into her room at the wrong time. Akane thought
that her parents would be mad at her for keeping a secret from them.

	"Soun, come look! Little Akane is a martial artist like her
father!"

	"Can it be true?" Soun came running up the stairs. He was
crying. "Daddy's little girl? I'm so happy! The school has an heir! Oh,
what joy!"

	From then on, Akane studied under her father. Every day he gave
her a lesson that would last an hour, sometimes twice that long. Her
mother would watch, smiling and cheering for her when she did something
right.

	On the fourth day of Akane's training, her mother gave her a
sheet of paper. "This is to show your progress, Akane-chan. Every day
that you complete the lesson your father assigns, I'll put a star on
your paper. When you fill up the whole thing, you get a special treat!"

	Day after day, Akane did what was required of her. Day after
day, a star would be added to the piece of paper, and her parents would
tell her how wonderfully she was doing. She loved the attention she got.

	Until one day. No more praise. No more stars.

	No more mother.

	Akane didn't do much after that. Her reason for training had
been yanked out from under her. Sometimes she would start again, trying
to get her father's attention. "Daddy, look at me! LOOK AT ME!"

	"Oh, I'm so happy!" Soun would always exclaim. "Think of how
proud your mother would... your mother..." This would be followed by a
typhoon of tears.

	It was many years later that Akane rediscovered the reason she
had been doing martial arts in the first place. Not for approval or
attention. Because *she* wanted to do it. Because she *liked* doing it.
Though she missed her mother terribly, the truth was that training with
Ranma was so much better. He didn't try to push her into it, to control
her with carrots and sticks. He let her decide to train of her own free
will.

	"What is it, some big family secret or something?" Ranma asked.
"C'mon, you can tell me."

	"No, nothing like that. Don't worry about it, okay?"

	"Stupid tomboy," Ranma snapped. "*I don't care whether you train
or not!*"

	Akane kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Ranma. I appreciate
that." She walked out, leaving behind a very confused fiance.

                                 ______


	Kasumi's voice carried through the Tendo home. "Akane!
Telephone!"

	Akane, freshly dressed after a shower, quickly came down to
answer the call. "Hello?" she said into the phone. "Oh, Koichi. H-Hello.
Yes, I saw your name at Romance Villa too."

	"Goodness," exclaimed Kasumi. "Is that Koichi?"

	Ranma listened from the top of the stairs. Who was this Koichi?
What was it between him and Akane? He moved down to where Kasumi stood.
"You know this guy?"

	"Er... thank you, the same to you and your fiancee," Akane said.

	Kasumi motioned for Ranma to follow her into the kitchen, as the
phone conversation continued. "Koichi was Akane's friend in junior high
school," she said after they were out of Akane's earshot. "You know, as
in boyfriend. He seemed like such a nice boy!"

	"No kiddin'? I thought Akane hated boys."

	"That was later. They broke up. I'm not sure what happened."

	"Thanks, Kasumi." Ranma went out from the kitchen to see Akane
concluding her phone conversation.

	"Lunch tomorrow? I suppose that would be okay. Anywhere except
Otaku Bell. Yes, that would be fine. See you then." Akane hung up the
phone.

	"You're gettin' together with this guy?"

	"Just for lunch. He's just an old friend from junior high."
Akane sounded a little defensive. "He probably just wants to talk over
old times."

	"Hey, no problem." Ranma didn't want to sound jealous. "Maybe I
could come along, y'know, to meet the guy?"

	"You're supposed to go to Ryoga and Akari's place tomorrow,
remember? You need to bring them to the wedding rehearsal."

	"Oh yeah." Ranma caught a whiff of his own odor. "Uh, listen, I
gotta go shower and change clothes before dinner."

	He went up the stairs to his room, gathering a change of
clothes. Then he went into the bathroom and disrobed, heading for the
tub.

	He didn't know what to make of this Koichi business. Akane's
ex-boyfriend? Who ever knew that she had one? It was one heck of a
coincidence, him showing up now. Then again, stranger things had
happened.

	Maybe, Ranma thought, he ought to visit Mr. Ondori Koichi in his
girl form. He might learn something important about this guy that way.
Or he could talk to Nabiki. She could probably find out everything there
was to know about Koichi, for a price. Or...

	Or he could just do nothing. Trust Akane to handle whatever was
going on.

	Now there was a plan. Cunning in its simplicity. It was the
clever plan to end all clever plans.

	Ranma stepped out of the tub. He toweled himself off and started
to dress.

                                 ______


	Akane sat in the living room, the day's newspaper in front of
her. She saw the words in the paper but paid no attention to them. All
she could think about was the phone conversation she had just had. Why?
Why had she acted the way she did?

	So many times she had blown up at Ranma. Now here was someone
else, someone who she had been angry at for years, and with good reason.
Why didn't she tell Koichi off like he deserved?

	She had trusted him. Akane the naive little schoolgirl. He told
her things that made her feel special. She confided in him things that
she had never told anyone. He promised he'd be hers forever. She
believed him.

	He had been dating another girl all along. When Akane found out
and confronted him about it, all he did was shrug and tell her that she
couldn't understand, it was a guy thing.

	Akane felt betrayed, but she somehow couldn't being herself to
get angry at Koichi. He had been the friend that she needed. They had
spent too many good times together, shared too many secrets. She felt...
vulnerable. Yes, that was it! He knew things about her, had seen sides
of her that no one else knew. That was a weapon that he could use
against her, to hurt her terribly if he tried.

	Now he was back. She would just have to handle it as best she
could.

                                ______


	"So tell me about yourself," Koichi said. "You're graduating
from high school now, right? What do you plan to be doing afterwards?"

	"Well, I'll be going to college." It was the first chance Akane
had had to talk about herself. Koichi had spent all of the time up until
then talking, mostly about his bride-to-be. Akane didn't know what she
would tell him about the man she was marrying; fortunately or not, he
hadn't asked. "Then Ranma and I will carry on the Anything Goes School
of Martial Arts."

	"Running your father's dojo? Couldn't you make more money doing
something else?"

	"I suppose so... but someone has to carry on the art. It's not
the kind of knowledge that can be written down and saved in a library,
you know? As soon as no one is practicing it, it's dead."

	Koichi's expression indicated that Akane's words were Greek to
him. "Anyway, let me get to the reason I asked you here."

	Akane's stomach muscles tightened involuntarily.

	"You know as well as anyone how unsafe a dojo like yours can be.
There are all sorts of criminals, maniacs, and crazy people out there.
Even a martial artist like yourself isn't equipped to protect herself
from all of them."

	Confusion ran amok in Akane's mind. He was offering... what? For
her to move in with him?

	Koichi handed Akane a business card. "I work for the Tsumaranai
Security Company. For one low price, our company could install our
deluxe model security system in your home. It can give you that early
warning that could save your..."

	Akane suddenly laughed, as the tension she had been feeling
drained away. THIS is why he had called her?

	Koichi seemed puzzled at her reaction.

	"I'm sorry..." She forced herself back to a serious expression.
"I'm sorry, but you're talking to the wrong person. My sister handles
things like this. Just call my number and ask for Nabiki. She's in town
now, lucky for you."

	Akane said her goodbyes, making the obligatory suggestion that
they ought to get together soon, and departed the restaurant leaving
Koichi with the bill for the food. She had wedding preparations to
attend to.

                                 ______


	Soun and Genma strolled proudly into Romance Villa, each toting
one end of a keg. "A wedding just isn't complete without the sake, eh,
Saotome?" Soun said.

	"You said it, Tendo!"

	Mousse followed behind the two fathers. "At last, the day is
finally here! Ranma will marry Akane, thus ending the hold he has over
my beloved Shampoo!"

	"Just remember what your job is, son. You wait out here. If
anyone shows up to interrupt the wedding, you make sure they don't get
in."

	"You can count on me to keep an eye on the entrance, Mr.
Saotome."

	"I'm Tendo. Please, please keep your glasses on. We can't afford
any mistakes here."

	Mousse slid his glasses down over his eyes. He saw Akane nearby,
with her friends Sayuri and Yuka. Nearby, Kasumi and Nabiki chatted with
Nodoka and Kaede, the aged priestess. Ranma stood across the room with
his friends Hiroshi and Daisuke, and with Ryoga and Akari.

	Genma gave his old friend a pat on the back. "Don't worry,
Tendo. This place is all the way across town. Who's going to find us
here?"

	The cask that the two men had been carrying abruptly sprouted
arms. These were followed by legs, then a head, which they recognized as
Happosai's. "A wedding!" He rushed toward Akane. "I'll kiss the bride!
I'll kiss the groom too, after a splash of water! I'll kiss all the
women! I love weddings!"

	"You old freak!" Ranma swung at Happosai, but the old man easily
dodged.

	Suddenly, Kaede got a good look at the diminutive sensei.
"Happy?"

	"Huh?" Happosai turned, then gaped in shock. "YOU?!"

	"Happy!" Anger crept onto Kaede's face. "How dare you chase
after these women? You promised to marry ME!"

	"I did not!" Happosai ran around the room, headed for the door.
"Keep her away from me! She's crazy!"

	"Happy, wait!" Kaede headed out the door, then stopped as
Happosai was already long gone.

	Ranma was the first to react. "Hey, you got rid of him! Way to
go! Uh... you *were* just pretending, right? You don't actually... LIKE
that..."

	Kaede smiled wistfully. "He's not a bad person, deep down."

	"Love is blind," Akane said quietly to Ranma. "And deaf,
and...."

	"Excuse me," Yukari interrupted, "but it's time we started
getting ready. Akane, please come with me to the bridal changing room."

                                 ______


	Akane stood as Yukari zipped up the back of the dress. Its
creamy white fabric shimmered in the light, flowing delicately and
gracefully from her shoulders down to the ground. Ranma couldn't call
her a tomboy now. She felt as soft and feminine as anyone could ever be.

	She thought about the boy from her past whom she had seen
yesterday. Up until then, she hadn't realized how angry she had been at
him deep inside.

	She thought about the man she was marrying. He often insulted
and provoked her; but he didn't deserve the way she sometimes treated
him. Did she unconsciously try to hurt Ranma, to get back at Koichi?

	Whether that was true or not, one thing was finally clear. Ranma
wasn't Koichi. True, he could be insensitive, but she could trust him
when she needed to. Maybe, just maybe, she would find the courage to
show him those sides of her, the ones that had lain dead for far too
long.

                                 ______


	A man walked into the foyer area of Romance Villa. "Hello. I'd
like to get married, please."

	"I'm sorry," Mousse said proudly, "but I cannot marry you, for
my heart is given to darling Shampoo."

	"I'll be with you in a moment, sir." Betto turned toward Mousse
with an annoyed glare. "He wasn't talking to you! Couldn't you sit
somewhere out of the way?" He returned to his customer.

	Mousse took a seat in the far corner of the room. By now the
wedding would be well in progress. There was nothing to do but wait. No
one was likely to try to disrupt the wedding.

	The door opened again. "Can I help you, ma'am?" Betto said to
someone Mousse couldn't see.

	An all-too-familiar voice spoke. "Voodoo-spike boy say Ranma
here. I need talk with him. It emergency."

	"I'm sorry, his wedding ceremony is going on now. You can't..."
Betto was interrupted by Shampoo's pressure point strike. He slumped to
the floor, unconscious.

	Mousse momentarily froze in hesitation. He considered what he
could do and what the result would be. His actions in the next few
moments might decide whether or not he would end up with Shampoo; the
most important pivotal point in his life. It all came down to this....

	Suddenly, Mousse jumped in front of Shampoo. "I'm sorry, but I
can't let you do this."

	Shampoo tried to push past. "Get out of way, Mousse."

	With amazing swiftness, Mousse grabbed Shampoo by the wrist. "In
your heart, you know that to stop Ranma's wedding would be wrong. I know
that deep inside you know that, Shampoo. For it is I who truly loves
you."

	Shampoo ceased to struggle, looking straight into Mousse's eyes.
"Love... me?" She threw herself into his embrace. "Oh, Mousse!" They
kissed...

	By the time Mousse's fantasy ended and his attention was
returned to reality, Shampoo had already gone past the foyer into the
wedding chapel without even noticing him.

                                 ______


	"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..." The priest was a
small pudgy balding man. Akane was fairly certain that she had seen him
trimming the hedges the first day she was here. Nevertheless, she had
checked and found that he was in fact licensed to perform the marriage
ceremony.

	Romance Villa's low prices obviously meant they had to cut a few
corners. The organist was terrible. Akane recognized her as also being
the cleaning woman. But it didn't matter, not really. Things between her
and Ranma would finally be resolved; that was what mattered.

	Akane smiled quietly as she looked at the man who would soon be
her father-in-law. While all of the other elders had on formal Japanese
kimonos, Genma wore an old-style western suit complete with top hat. If
he had had a mustache instead of his glasses, he would have looked
exactly like the man on the Monopoly board.

	"If anyone can show just cause why these two should not be
married," the priest continued, "let him speak now, or forever hold his
peace."

	The doors burst open. Shampoo burst in, running toward the
wedding party. "Ranma! You need come quick!"

	Soun glared at the Amazon. "What are you doing here?"

	Shampoo ignored him. "Ranma! Please, come with me right away.
You wait, will be too late!"

	Kasumi smiled. "Hello, Shampoo! How nice you could come!"

	"Give it up, Shampoo," Akane said. "It's over. Ranma is marrying
me."

	"This not about that!"

	"Young lady." Nodoka's voice was calm and commanding. "This is a
gathering of the Saotome and Tendo families, and invited guests. You
were not invited by us. You have no business being here."

	Shampoo didn't answer. She just looked toward Ranma, looking for
any sign of sympathy.

	Akane also said nothing, not in words; but her expression said
that it was time for Ranma to make a decision. Was he going to play
Shampoo's game -- whatever it was this time -- once more? Or would there
finally be an end to it?

	"Shampoo," he said, "whatever it is, it can wait. I'm marrying
Akane now."

	"I... I...." Shampoo looked all around the room. She seemed to
be searching for a friendly face. Except for Kasumi, who was still
smiling, the Saotomes and Tendos stared at her coldly. There was Kaede,
who looked non-comittal; the priest, who seemed completely confused; and
Hiroshi and Daisuke, who were admiring the Amazon's legs. "I sorry,
Ranma. I sit quietly, let you get married."

	"You will sit outside, young lady," Nodoka said.

	For Akane it was nothing short of unbelieveable. Shampoo, the
most stubborn person she had ever known, had backed down. Given up. She
only hoped that her rival hadn't come to warn them of some real disaster
that was imminent. Would the headlines tomorrow read *Nerima invaded by
killer demons while martial artists busy at wedding*?

	Without warning, Mousse ran into the room, carrying a small
bucket of water. "Shampoo! I'm sorry, but I can't let you break up the
wedding!" He flung the water.

	"Mousse? What you doing here? Ai YA!" Shampoo jumped up in a
frantic attempt to dodge as the water splashed.

	This was even more unheard of, Akane thought. Mousse standing up
to Shampoo? Who'd have thought it could ever happen?

	Mousse knelt down with his head between his knees. "Oh, darling
Shampoo, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

	Akane groaned. Ah well... as someone once said, when a donkey
flies, you don't blame him for not staying up very long. "Mousse." She
prodded the whimpering boy. "You missed."

	"Huh?" Mousse looked up.

	Shampoo was still in her human form. "Stupid Mousse!"

	Mousse stood up as his gaze panned over, to Ranma, who was
glaring at him with extreme hostiity, wet, and very definitely female.
"Um... oops."

	"Oh my. I'll get some hot water," Kasumi said.

	"No!" Ranma, visibly agitated, turned to the priest. "We're
going to finish the ceremony, do you hear? Now! Before something else
happens!"

	"Uh, very well... do you, Tendo Akane, take this... this..."

	"MAN!"

	"... this man..."

	She did.

	He did, too.

                                 ______


	Once, Akane would have told Shampoo to go to hell.

	Now, as she waited in her home for everyone to arrive, she was
prepared to go with her, to hell and back for the sake of the Amazon
people.

	Akane wasn't sure when she first began to trust Shampoo. Maybe
it had happened when she came out of the chapel, after she and Ranma
were finally pronounced woman and wife...

                                 ______


	Shampoo was sitting in the foyer, ignoring the groveling Mousse.
She looked anxiously at the emerging wedding party. "Ceremony finished
now?"

	"Yes." Akane had to admit, Shampoo had done what she had
promised. "Thank you for... for waiting." *Thank you for not trying to
destroy my wedding the way you did last time,* she said to herself.

	"Ranma, you come, please!" Shampoo looked at the others. "Akane
too. All you come quickly!"

	"What about the reception?" Genma asked.

	"What is it, Shampoo?" Ranma asked. "What the heck is going on?"

	"It Great-Grandmother. She dying!"



TO BE CONTINUED...


	NOTE: "Romance Villa" and associated characters were taken from
a one-shot story, by Takahashi-sama of course. The Viz translation is
tiled "The Merchant of Romance" and is in the Rumic Theater "Graphic
Novel". Thanx once again to those who pre-read this.


	NEXT: Shan Pu's chapter, expected to be ready in 1.5 to 2 weeks.

Gary Kleppe
kleppe@execpc.com, Home page http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe
My fanfics and the FFML map are on my comics/manga page,
       http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics