Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war
How to divide the conquest of thy sight;
Mine eye my heart thy picture's sight would bar,
My heart mine eye the freedom of that right.
My heart doth plead that thou in him dost lie--
A closet never pierced with crystal eyes--
But the defendant doth that plea deny
And says in him thy fair appearance lies.
To 'cide this title is impaneled
A quest of thoughts, all tenants to the heart,
And by their verdict is determined
The clear eye's moiety and the dear heart's part:
As thus; mine eye's due is thy outward part,
And my heart's right thy inward love of heart.
William Shakespeare
Sonnet XLVI
Thy Inward Love
by Richard Lawson
Comments and Criticism welcome!
sterman@sprynet.com
Part VI: The Price of Glory
"Mother?"
Akane looked for her mother. She was so hoping to see her soon; it
had been so long. Surely she would be the first of her ancestors to
greet her.
The blackness cleared, to be replaced by a field of white. She didn't
think that was right. She had heard about white light, something that
guided you to the next world. Akane had been hoping for her mother
instead. Still, if Mother was nothing more than white light now,
Akane wouldn't mind. Just so that she was near.
But the white wasn't light; if anything, it looked like cloth. This
wasn't anything she had ever heard about. And why was it moving
so much? It jiggled up and down, and folded this way and that. It
was so hard to understand. Mother would explain it. Akane tried to
call out for her, but somehow, all that escaped from her was a
whimper.
"Do not worry, Tendo Akane-san, you are safe. I just need to get us
a safe distance away."
That wasn't Mother; it was some man whose Japanese was tinged
with a Chinese accent. Akane tried to remember if she had any
Chinese ancestors. She didn't think so.
Suddenly she realized that it wasn't the cloth that was jiggling up and
down; she was. Like a long-forgotten memory being recalled,
feeling was slowly coming back to her. With it, came the realization
that she was being carried, that she was slung over someone's
shoulder.
Did that mean she was alive? She wasn't sure. It was a little
disappointing. She had been so looking forward to seeing Mother.
She had gotten enough feeling back to be really uncomfortable. She
tried lifting her head, but all she succeeded in doing was to bang her
head against her rescuer's back.
Her rescuer. She had been nearly killed. The sword, flashing as it
sped towards her. Her mind must have shut down at that moment;
who wanted to witness their own death? Still, it would have been
useful to know what had happened next.
Finally, the man carrying her slowed to a stop. She was placed gently
onto a seat, a park bench by the look of things. A tree was across
from her; it looked beautiful.
She turned her head to gaze at her rescuer; she had long ago surmised
who it had to be. "Thank you, Mousse."
He nodded once, then sat down beside her. She noticed, almost idly,
that he was bleeding. He looked to have a nasty cut on his forearm.
She thought that maybe she should reach over and try to bandage it,
but somehow it didn't seem worth the effort. She let her gaze
wander back over to the tree, wondering if Mother was in there.
"Are you well, Tendo Akane-san?" Mousse sounded worried. Akane
supposed that was fine. He could be worried if he wanted to be. She
was just going to wait for her mother.
***
Mousse examined Akane closely. She had a slight discoloration on
her jaw, one of her arms hung limp, and blood trickled down her leg.
All these things, though, paled in comparison to her vacant expression
and the way her eyes wandered aimlessly around, not focusing on
anything for more than a few seconds. Still, she had been aware
enough to recognize and thank him, and that was a good sign.
Mousse sighed and winced. He tore a strip of cloth off of his tunic
and used it to bind his arm tightly. It wasn't a very good bandage,
but it would do for a little while. Right now, he needed to assess
his options. He had made for himself the most dangerous enemy he
possibly could.
***
Mousse followed Shampoo from a distance. He didn't need to be
very close; he knew where she was going. The sound of voices from
the restaurant late at night had waken him, and he had slipped
downstairs to see what was going on. He had found Shampoo and
Cologne discussing horrible things.
Mousse slipped behind a group of students when he saw Shampoo
stop and scan the horizon. He knew she wasn't looking for him, but
for someone else. He went around the back of a restaurant, let fly a
chain that wrapped around a chimney stack, and hauled himself to the
rooftop. He made his way along several rooftops, until the buildings
ran out. He watched from the last one as Shampoo hid herself in the
shadows of a wall along one side of a small park.
He needed to get closer. He went back the way he came, dropped to
the ground, and found his way to the other end of the park. He tried
to move as quietly as he could, considering the small armament he
was carrying. Shampoo seemed intent on staring down the road, and
didn't look his way. He concealed himself in plain sight close to her;
a magician's trick of misdirection.
Soon, too soon, Tendo Akane had appeared. Mousse's heart had
sunk; Ranma wasn't with her. Mousse had hoped that Ranma would
be able to defeat Shampoo and Cologne; Akane had no chance.
She'd surprised him, though, more than holding her own against
Shampoo. It had taken Cologne's knowledge of pressure points to
subdue her. Then Cologne had used that same knowledge to give
Shampoo her breath back, and there had followed a rapid exchange
between the two.
"Shampoo, get up, that was not worthy of you. We'll need better
from you if we are going to convince Son-in-law to marry you."
"She surprised me. I had no idea she was that strong. Ranma's been
training her, I can tell. Next time, she won't beat me so easily."
"Next time, Shampoo? What next time? Come, let us finish what we
started. Take your sword and finish her off."
Shampoo seemed to flinch ever so slightly. "Must we, great-
grandmother? Surely we can just convince her to leave Ranma
alone."
Cologne's voice sharpened. "What's this? Is this the Shampoo I
heard vowing death on Akane?"
Shampoo sounded petulant. "I swore death on Ranma, too."
"A misunderstanding. Do you want to disappoint our tribe by coming
back, defeated, unavenged, and unmarried?" Cologne's voice
lightened slightly. "Do you love Ranma?"
Shampoo's voice took on a wistful edge. "More than anything in the
world, Great-grandmother."
"Then I tell you that, as long as this one lives, Ranma will never be
yours. Trust your elders; this is a thing that must be done. For the
glory of the Amazons, eliminate the obstacle that keeps Ranma from
you."
Shampoo nodded and took the sword from Cologne. Mousse
simmered; Cologne knew exactly what buttons to push in Shampoo.
By reducing Akane to nothing more than an obstacle in the way of
Shampoo's love, he had made it easier for her to kill Akane.
Mousse saw the hate twist Shampoo's face. He loved her so much,
but to see her like this twisted his heart. He could not let Cologne
turn her into a murderer.
Shampoo contemptuously pushed Akane onto her back and prepared
her for a killing blow. Mousse stood still, hoping beyond hope that
Shampoo would return to herself, that she would stop before she took
the last step into damnation. Instead, he saw her raise her arms and
prepare to strike.
Suddenly he realized he'd waited too long. He had little chance of
grabbing Akane before Shampoo struck. His only option was
unthinkable. It was also unthinkable to let Akane die. He needed to
choose now.
With a cry, he let fly a curved blade attached to a chain. It flew
through the air just as Shampoo brought the sword down. Mousse's
blade cut her arm, causing her to scream. Her attack went wildly off
the mark, her sword burying itself in the pavement well above
Akane's head.
Cologne turned to him, quick as lightening. "Mousse!"
He had to escape before she had time to perform any of her tricks.
He used two chains to reach out, grab Akane, and bring her too him.
He slung her unceremoniously over his shoulder, turned, and ran.
A sword came flashing at him. Holding Akane, he could do little to
stop it. He lifted his arms slightly, and it deflected off his
forearm, leaving a nasty cut.
"Mousse!" He heard Cologne screaming behind him. "The Amazons
will hear of this!"
He withered at the thought but kept running.
***
Mousse sat in a daze little better than the one Akane was in. He had
defied Cologne in the past, each time paying dearly for it. However,
this time Cologne had made it a tribal issue. When a matriarch of the
Amazons spoke, you listened and complied.
Cologne was one of the last of the old guard, a throwback to the
times when the Amazons were self-reliant and kept all outsiders from
interfering with their business. To the Amazons, the rest of the world
had been at their beck and call, even if the rest of the world wasn't
aware of it.
The events of nearly fifty years ago had changed that. The Amazons had
been forced to accept the new world, and live in it. For the most
part, they had adapted well, and got along. There were just a few of
the older matriarchs who still dreamed of the days of glory, as they
saw it.
Among them, Cologne was the most powerful and influential. When
Shampoo had returned from Japan with tales of a man who had
beaten her in combat, won her heart but refused her love, Cologne
had decided that this was indicative of the outside world's attempt to
oppress the Amazons. She had returned with Shampoo to Japan,
determined to bring Ranma back, not so much as a husband to
Shampoo but as a trophy of dominance over the outside world.
Mousse had gone to Japan, too. His love for Shampoo knew no
bounds, and he would do anything for her. He had seen her over the
months, rejecting him, pining over Ranma. He had seen Cologne
using that to her advantage, slowly warping the Shampoo he had
loved into a hateful, twisted woman bent on using whatever methods
necessary to get what she wanted.
Mousse had done what he could. He had always been a moderating
force on Shampoo while she was growing up. When she had been about
to go on one of her rampages, he had tried to soothe the fires that
burned within her. He had succeeded sometimes; he had paid dearly
others.
Now he could only watch as Shampoo became like Cologne. Mousse was
doing everything he could to stop it. He just wasn't sure if he had
done enough, or waited too long. Shampoo had come within a hair's
breadth of becoming a murderer.
Mousse grimaced; was he any different? He'd been trying to kill
Ranma from the moment he met him. It was the old Amazon credo: Kill
that which gets in your way.
Still, they had had to soften that position in the past fifty years.
Mousse had been raised in a new era of Amazon relations, that of
tolerance. He threatened and blustered a lot, but deep down, he
really wasn't able to kill someone. Even Ranma. Just scare him,
that's all he was trying to do. Wasn't it?
Mousse looked over at Akane again. She was now just staring at a
tree; he hoped this was another sign she was recovering.
Mousse shook his head; he'd spent all his time reminiscing, and none
of it thinking of what he should do. He couldn't go back to the
Nekohanten, that was certain. The Tendo home seemed the obvious
place, but it would be obvious to Cologne, as well. As would Ukyo's
restaurant, the Kuno residence, the Saotome home, and even Tofu-sensei's.
Mousse needed to go somewhere unknown to Cologne.
How about hiding in plain sight? Mousse smiled. That would do.
He rose to his feet. "Tendo Akane-san, we must leave. Cologne is
looking for you; we cannot leave you in public like this. Come with
me."
Akane slowly lifted her eyes to him, her face still expressionless. She
looked back at the tree.
Mousse sighed heavily. He reached down, took her hand, and gently pulled
her to her feet. She resisted slightly, then allowed him to pull her
along the path. She continued to look back at the tree. As they left
the park and the tree went out of sight, she balked. "No," she said
without much heat, trying to walk back into the park. Mousse pulled her
down the road. Akane made a token resistance, then faced forward and
stared ahead of herself as she walked.
***
Ranma entered the dojo, his heart hammering. He had done some very scary
things this afternoon, an experience he would as soon forget.
He sat cross-legged in the middle of the dojo, attempting to meditate. This
was not his strong suit; his father had had little use for such "mysticism",
as he called it, so they had not done it much. The closest they came was
the Saotome Secret Attack. Ranma figured that using it before the battle
began was probably a good idea now.
He had to prepare for Shampoo. Preparing for Shampoo meant, of course,
preparing for Cologne, quite possibly the most dangerous opponent Ranma had
ever faced. Happosai was a strong fighter, but he was unbalanced and easily
distracted. Cologne brought all her force to bear in any fight she entered.
The problem, Ranma knew, was that you couldn't let her touch you. One touch,
with finger or staff, in the right place would paralyze you in a second.
This made fighting her very difficult; any attack you made left you
vulnerable to her devestating counter-attacks. You had to be absolutely on
your guard every second.
Could he bargain with Shampoo? Ranma shook his head; they'd tried that with
Ukyo. Even Ukyo had not given up without a fight. If the sweetest and most
even-tempered of the women chasing him was capable of vicious attacks, then
certainly he could expect far worse from Shampoo. Shampoo would simply not
give up, ever. He still had no idea how they were going to convince her to
go back to China.
While he was still trying to approximate something that resembled a clear mind,
he heard the dojo door slide open. This was enough to break whatever feeble
state of consciousness he had attained. Slightly annoyed, he opened his eyes
to discover Kasumi smiling brightly at him.
His annoyance vanished. One could never be mad at Kasumi. Well, hardly
ever.
"Ranma-kun, do you know where Akane is?"
Ranma raised his eyebrows. "She didn't come home?"
"No, I thought you and she were out somewhere, along with Nabiki. Nabiki
came home a few minutes ago, but I didn't see Akane with her, either."
Kasumi began to look worried.
Ranma grew alarmed himself. What was Akane doing? Sulking was something
she did well, but she usually did it in her room. She'd been kidnapped
a fair number of times, but he could think of no one who would want to
do so now.
Or almost no one.
Ranma sprung up, ran over to the door. "Kasumi, tell my father I've gone
to look for Akane. She may be at the Nekohanten. I'll try and call later
and let you know where I am and what I've found out."
With that, he leaped over the wall and ran toward Furinkan. Maybe he could
see if she'd been ambushed somewhere along the way.
It wasn't hard to spot. He stopped on the canal fence, examining the signs
on the ground. He was no Sherlock Holmes, but he could see the signs of a
fight. There were also a couple of marks in the pavement. Something very
sharp had made those marks recently.
Someone had tried to kill Akane.
Frantically he examined the ground for traces of blood, and was relieved when
he found none. Whatever had happened, it had not ended with anyone's death.
Time to get the real answers.
He was about to leap off the fence when a thought occured to him. If he was
going to take on Cologne right now, he needed to be fast. And as fast as
he was, he could be faster.
He turned and jumped into the canal. Emerging, Ranma leaped over the fence
and ran towards the Nekohanten.
***
Cologne paced around the Nekohanten, quite irritated. Things had not gone
according to plan at all. Mousse had taken Akane somewhere. After Cologne
had taken care of her wounds, Shampoo had gone out to try to discover where
Akane was. Cologne knew Mousse well, though. He was clever for a man; he
would not be easy to find.
He had defied her. Defied *her*, an elder matriarch of the Amazons, during
tribe business. The ancient laws proscribed only one punishment for such
an offense. Mousse would pay.
Meanwhile, she had to do something about Son-in-law. He was certain to
discover something was amiss soon. Either Mousse would contact him, or
eventually he would wonder why Akane had not come back from school. Either
way, Son-in-law would soon be here.
She considered the package she had tucked away in her wraparound. It had
been another one of her concoctions, one that was meant to drive Ranma
insane with lust at the smell of lilacs, very similar to Passion Spice.
Shampoo had been ready with a some lilac spray to apply liberally once
Akane had been disposed of and Ranma under the influence of Cologne's
potion. With nothing to hold him in Japan, he would have willingly followed
the smell of lilacs all the way back to China.
It was useless right now. Akane was still alive. Akane was deep in Ranma's
subconscious; even if his conscious mind had trouble admitting it, he would
never be able to leave her.
She considered other potions she could brew. Nothing seemed appropriate
to this situation. If only Mousse hadn't turned on her; he would have been
easy to manipulate into attacking Ranma for her.
A flash of red came through the front door and directly towards her. She
jumped over it, using her staff to try and propel it headlong into the
wall. Like quicksilver, a hand came from the flash and tried to grab the
staff. Cologne was able to keep it out of the hand's reach, but she also
couldn't touch the flash.
The flash resovled itself into Ranma. She looked as angry as Cologne had
ever seen her, but she had something else, a murderous glint in her eyes
that told Cologne no holds would be barred in this fight. "What have you
done with her, old hag?" Ranma's voice was low, guttural, full of menace.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Son-in-law." She didn't expect
Ranma to believe that. Her wits were failing her; she couldn't think of
any way to satisfy Ranma. She'd just have to paralyze her until Shampoo
found Akane, and Mousse had been dealt with. It was an inelegant soultion,
but it was the best she could come up with under the circumstances.
A whisper was her only warning; she used her staff to block Ranma's kick,
then vaulted backwards to avoid Ranma's fast-moving right jab. Ranma
was moving perfectly, quickly, and all of a sudden Cologne began to doubt
her ability to defeat Ranma. This was not a boy incautiously attacking,
leaving all sorts of openings in his haste to acquire something from her.
No, this was a martial artist in the prime of her powers, totally focused,
and with deadly intentions.
Ranma smiled a cold smile; somehow she had sensed Cologne's trepidation.
"Last time, old hag. I ain't gonna go easy on you. Where is Akane?"
Cologne reassessed the situation. It was quite untenable. She could either
fight Ranma and risk losing, or she could do something she'd never done
before.
Cologne decided on the latter, much as it galled her. She took a small
ball from her wraparound and threw it on the ground. As the smoke billowed,
she turned and ran.
***
Akane looked around, wondering where Mother was. She was sure she had
heard her voice a moment ago. Or maybe it had been Mousse again. It had
been someone familiar.
She looked around, trying to recall where she was. She seemed to be on a
rooftop, sitting against a chimney. Mousse had told her to wait there, then
he had gone. That had vaguely troubled her, but it had also allowed her to
look for Mother without any distractions.
Akane thought she heard the familiar voice again; she strained her ears,
trying to fix on its location. She stood up, and winced; her knee hurt
badly. Holding it with her hand, she leaned against the chimney and looked
around.
The neighborhood looked familiar; she was still in Nerima somewhere. She
should be able to tell where she was. If she could only concentrate a
little.
Suddenly smoke billowed from the building she was standing on. She looked
around in alarm; if the building was on fire, this was not the place to be.
Trying to get off the roof by herself with a busted knee was not good, either.
Oh, well, the tired side of her mind said, this is just another way I can go
see Mother.
Something shot out of the smoke filled building. Akane tried to follow it with
her eyes, but it was soon lost among the other buildings. She heard someone
coughing below, just outside the building. The coughing slowed, and a voice
shouted, "You old hag, just you wait! This ain't over yet!"
The voice was like a broom that swept the cobwebs from her mind. Joy filled
her, driving out the lassitude and replacing it with excitement and
eagerness. Eagerness to be reunited with the voice's owner.
"RANMA!" She shouted as loud as she could, the excitement too big to be
contained any other way.
She looked around, and very quickly Ranma appeared. "Akane!" Ranma ran over,
scooped her up, and jumped off the building with her. She carried her a
short distance away, the set her gingerly on the ground.
"Akane." Ranma spoke in a gentle, worried voice. "Are you okay?" Ranma
was examining her face, looking down to see the dried blood on Akane's leg.
Akane was, for the first time, noticing the pain of her wounds. Her jaw
ached, she had bruises in a few places on her body, and her knee was on fire.
None of it mattered, however. She was alive, and Ranma was here. She smiled
adoringly at her.
Ranma's worry deepened. "Akane, answer me."
Akane shook herself a little. "I...I think I need to see Tofu-sensei."
Ranma nodded. "All right." She bent over her, paused for a moment with
her face next to Akane's. "I'd give you a hug, but it doesn't seem right like
this."
Akane smiled at her. "I know, but I appreciate the thought."
Ranma smiled, too. Then she lifted Akane in her arms and started down the
street.
***
Shampoo stalked towards Ukyo's restaurant. She'd been several other
places, but she hadn't found Akane yet. She had to be around somewhere.
Shampoo had a task to complete.
Something spoke to her, asking her if she really wanted to do this. She
beat the thought down; she was an Amazon, the heir-apparent to a great
matriarch. She would not disappoint her; she would not disappoint herself.
She would have Ranma, and Great-grandmother had told her that the only way
she could have him was to kill Akane. She believed Great-grandmother.
And she hated Akane.
The voice inside her was insistent. Remember when the phoenix attacked?
Akane had fallen, and would have been hurt, if not killed. Yet you slid
under her and rescued her. You don't really hate her.
A moment of weakness, she assured herself. Great-grandmother would have
let Akane fall. Shampoo told herself that she must be strong like
Great-grandmother now.
The voice asked, is that strength, or cruelty?
Shampoo beat the voice back. No distractions, not now.
The restaurant looked busy. Shampoo paused, looking at the new banner:
"Ukyo's". She wondered at the name change. Irrelevant, she decided. She
looked through the window, to see Ukyo at the grill, happily cooking. Ukyo
did not look worried or distracted; if Akane was here, Ukyo wasn't aware
of it.
Shampoo slipped around to the back of the restaurant. She examined the rear
windows, trying to find a good place to enter. There seemed to be a second
floor window partially open; she could climb up to it easily.
"Akane's not in there, Shampoo," a voiced called to her in Chinese.
She whirled around and brought her sword to bear. Mousse was standing on
some crates, his hands in his sleeves, his glasses over his eyes for once.
He did have attractive eyes; she had once made the mistake of commenting
on this, and ever since, he had kept his glasses off as much as possible.
Not a good idea for someone with severe astigmatism and nearsightedness.
"What did you do with Akane, Mousse?" She tried to put the authority of an
Amazon matriarch into her voice. No man of the Amazons should be able to
resist that authority.
Mousse had already demonstrated his ability to disregard it,however.
"Shampoo, why do you do this? This isn't the way we do things now."
Shampoo grunted. "I've seen you attempt to do the same to Ranma. Don't
lecture me on moral superiority, Mousse."
Mousse flinched; she'd gotten in a good blow. "I...do not claim to be
your superior, Shampoo. You already proved that I'm not." He paused, and
they both remembered the beating she'd given him when they were both very
young. "But you will not throw away your life on this mad quest."
"I'm throwing away nothing. Ranma will be mine, and we'll go back to China
and live a long, happy life together as husband and wife."
"Shampoo, you're not thinking this through. Will Ranma ever forgive you for
killing Akane?"
Shampoo was brought short; she hand't considered that. "It doesn't
matter. We can make sure that he never thinks about her again."
"With more of Cologne's potions?" Mousse shook his head. "Is that what you
want, Shampoo? A man enslaved against his will by the chemicals you force
him to ingest? Where is the happiness you dream about in all that?"
The voice was back in her head, urging her to listen to Mousse. She shook
her head and gritted her teeth. "Shut up Mousse. You have no idea what
you're talking about. Ranma and I will be happy! For the glory of the
Amazons!" She leaped at Mousse, her sword flashing.
Mousse jumped and sent a chain flying at her. She knocked it aside with her
sword, landing on the crate Mousse had been standing on.
It was a trap. She realized that the moment she put weight on it. The crates
beneath her collapsed. She tried to leap away, but she could find no
purchase. She went down, losing her sword.
On her back among broken crates and loose refuse, she let out a small scream
of frustration. She'd hit her wounded arm as she'd fallen, and it blazed like
fire. She began knocking things aside, trying to get to her feet as she
attempted to find stable ground among the junk she was lying on. Still on one
knee, she looked around for Mousse; she needed to find him before he could
take advantage of her vulnerability.
He was merely standing in the center of the small yard, watching her
impassively. He did have her sword lying in two pieces at his feet. Keeping
an eye on him, Shampoo regained her feet and stood facing him.
"Always using tricks, aren't you Mousse? You could never beat me in a fair
fight."
"Can't I." Shampoo was surprised by the calm, confident voice he used. "Let
us duel one last time, Shampoo. It is not for the right to your hand; I
have already lost that battle. Rather, let it be for the right to Ranma's
hand. You win, I help you kill Akane and kidnap Ranma. I win, you give up
Ranma, help me defeat Cologne, and leave Japan with me."
He took off his voluminous robes, and various weapons dribbled out as he
tossed the robes aside. He was wearing nothing but close-fitting pants and
his sandals. One of his forearms had a crude bandage on it. His long, black
hair fell over his shoulders, his muscular body standing straight and proud.
Shampoo looked up to his face; if only she could see his eyes...
She suddenly came to herself and growled at him. "Mousse, you are a pathetic
man. You have made yourself an outcast of the Amazons, and you think you
have the right to challenge me to a duel of honor!"
He continued to speak calmly to her. "That is Cologne speaking with Shampoo's
voice. That is not the Shampoo I knew growing up. That is not the Shampoo
I fell in love with. What does that Shampoo think about what you are doing?"
Shampoo cried out and ran at him. She kicked at him high, then low, then
followed with quick jabs towards his face and chest, then used a spinning
attack that sent her elbow towards his jaw. He blocked her kicks and jabs, and
ducked under elbow. He came up under her, placed his hand on her chest, and
shoved her backwards.
She fell, amazed. When had he gotten this good? Ranma beat him up so easily.
Then again, Ranma beat everyone up pretty easily. It was hard to use Ranma
as a point of reference.
She brought herself to a crouch and sprung at Mousse. His long arms reached
out at her, spun her around, and threw her towards the wall. She screamed and
tried to break her fall, only partially succeeding as she hit the wall,
bounced off, and landed among some hoses and buckets.
She looked around her, slightly dazed. Hoses. She followed one, it ended at
a spigot.
She grabbed the end of the hose, sprung to her feet, flipped over to the
spigot, and quickly turned the handle.
Mousse realized too late what she was up to. He leaped at her, but the spray
from the hose caught him full in the face. He continued forward during the
change, and Shampoo's hand caught his neck in a vice-like grip.
Carefully, Shampoo set the hose on the ground, holding it down with her foot
as she turned off the faucet.
She brought his face close to hers. She smiled at him wickedly. "Mousse,
it is time you learned what it means to defy the matriarchs of the Amazons."
She brought her other hand up to grip his head. She began to turn it to
the side.
She expected him to thrash, to quack loudly, to protest in some way. Instead,
he hung there quietly, defiantly even, if she could read ducks correctly.
She'd had some practice at that over the past few months. She turned his
head a little more, to see if that would start him going. He didn't even
resist, instead turning his head with her, for all appearances cooperating
with her while she wrung his neck.
Shampoo stared at him, not understanding what was going on. Why didn't he
try to stop her? She looked around, half-expecting Ranma to come running,
or Ukyo to look out a back window, or even Konatsu to come flying from
the roof. The yard was empty.
Why was she hesitating? Mousse deserved this, Great-grandmother had told
her so. The ancient laws demanded it. To defy the matriarchs was to die.
No exception, no appeal, just death on the spot. These were the same laws
that were going to allow her and Ranma to marry.
The voice in her head spoke to her. You know why you're hesitating. You
know this is wrong; you've waiting for someone to stop you. All your life,
you've let others decide what is right and wrong for you. Why develop morals
if all you have to do is let those around you tell what is moral? So much
easier to follow the ancient teachings than to think for yourself, isn't it?
Shampoo argued back. Then why am I hesitating know? This is what the
teachings say is right.
She answered herself, discovering the truths she was keeping buried. It's
because there was someone who was always there, someone who didn't believe
in the old laws too much, who accepted the new world. He was there to keep
you from being too cruel, to try and stop you from doing something wrong. He
knows right from wrong, and he taught you some of that, too.
But he didn't teach me very well; I was prepared to kill Akane.
Were you? Tell me, how hard was it to ignore Mousse following you? Why
didn't you tell Great-grandmother that you saw him listening in on your
plans? Was it so that he would stop you if you tried to do something wrong?
She and the voice examined Mousse closely. If you kill him, who will be
there to protect you from yourself next time?
She made one last protest. What about Great-grandmother?
Is that the future you want? Respected, feared, hated? To manipulate those
around you, to use them with little regard for their feelings, your needs
all that matter? The old ways are dying, and she with them. Don't let her
use you to try to carry the old ways into the new world, or it will destroy
the Amazons. You know this.
She felt tears coming from her eyes. She had kept so much repressed, so much
buried. She remembered her childhood dreams, to be the strongest of the
Amazon warriors and to lead her people into a new millenium. Why had she
given up on those dreams to chase after a man? Because one old woman had
sought to use her, to avenge an imagined slight on the honor of the Amazons.
It was time to set that right, to put her life back on track.
The voice sighed, and she with it. She was the voice, she knew. She had
only been able to hear herself when all the other voices around her were
silent. No Ranma, Ukyo, Akane, Kodachi, or Ryoga. Especially no
Great-Grandmother. Only Mousse was here now, and he had kept quiet. She
looked down at him, and wondered how he had known about the voice.
She cradled him in one of her arms. He looked up at her, peering into her
face. She bent down, picked up a bucket, and went into Ukyo's to get some
warm water.
***
Ranma lowered the kettle and shook himself. Wringing himself off as best
he could, he hurried back into Tofu-sensei's clinic.
Akane was on an examining table. She had another bandage on her face, where
Shampoo had clipped her jaw. Tofu-sensei had done a remarkable job with her
bruises, push and prodding with his fingers until they seemed as if they had
occurred weeks ago. He was now working on her knee, gently bending and
straightening it.
He smiled at Akane. "Good news. No damage to the bones or cartilage. You'll
limp for a while, but you'll get full use of it back. While you're here,
let me remove the last of your stitches. We were going to do this tomorrow,
but they look like they're ready to come off now. Then we'll send you
home, where you will rest for a couple of days, and do no martial arts training
for a week." He said this with a smile, but the command was unmistakeable.
Ranma went up and gripped his shoulder. "Thank you, Tofu-sensei."
Tofu nodded. "Your fiancee is a strong, healthy young woman. She heals
fast and well, rather like you, Ranma. Now please, go to the other room and
wait for me to finish here."
Ranma looked down at Akane, reached out and took her hand. She smiled at
him and gave his hand a squeeze. They stared at each other a moment, then
she released her grip and Ranma went into the waiting room.
It was only when he got there that he allowed himself to collapse into a
chair. This was not how it was supposed to go. With every fiancee, Akane
had come closer and closer to being killed. It was his job to protect her
and he was failing. Miserably. Akane hadn't given him many details about
her fight; he got the feeling she didn't want him to know how bad it had
been. He had seen the marks on the pavement; he knew what would have
happened to her if the blows had landed.
He grabbed his head with his hands. Rationally, he knew that there had been
little he could do. And, in fact, they had removed two of the major threats
to her life. This last threat, though, could be the most deadly. And he
was a long way from neutralizing it.
"Saotome Ranma-san?" A voice from the doorway.
Ranma looked up. Mousse was there. Shampoo was, too.
Ranma didn't stop to think. He launched himself at her, his hands going for
her throat. She screamed and thrust Mousse in front of her. Mousse allowed
this, reaching for Ranma's hands.
Ranma would have none of it. He pulled his hands down and head-butted Mousse.
Mousse staggered, Shampoo the only thing that kept him from falling over
backwards. Ranma grabbed Mousse and threw him to the far side of the room.
Ranma didn't wait to see him crash, instead turning back to look at Shampoo.
She looked very frightened. She stood very still, her hands at her sides,
her eyes glistening. It was enough to cause Ranma to pause for a second,
trying to figure out what she was up to.
Shampoo spoke in a small, quiet voice. "If Ranma want to kill Shampoo,
she no stop him."
He sent his fist blurring towards her face, expecting her to block or dodge
it. Instead, she closed her eyes as it struck her jaw. She collapsed with
a shriek.
Ranma stood stunned. As he watched, Shampoo pushed herself up, sobbing, to
stand in front of him again with her hands at her sides and her lip bleeding.
Tofu-sensei came up behind Ranma. "What is going on, Ranma?" He looked
at Shampoo. "Oh my, Shampoo, you're bleeding! Come in and let me look at
it." He reached over to take her hand.
"No!" She violently slapped his hand away. She stood in front of Ranma,
still sobbing but standing straight, gazing at him, looking for all the
world like she wanted him to hit her again.
Ranma stood, wavering. This woman had tried to kill Akane, had nearly
succeeded. Yet there was no part of him that wanted to keep hitting her.
He could not forgive her, not yet, maybe not ever, but he couldn't go on
punishing her either.
He stepped back. "Go with Sensei, Shampoo. We...we'll talk about his later."
Shampoo only started sobbing harder. Mousse, who had recovered from
Ranma's throw, came up to her and put his arms around her. She clutched at
him, burying her face in his chest. Mousse looked up at Tofu-sensei, who
indicated a room. Nodding, Mousse guided Shampoo into it.
Tofu-sensei looked at Ranma, his eyes probing. Ranma couldn't meet his gaze,
instead stalking back to his chair and sitting down, staring at the far wall.
After a moment, Tofu-sensei went back to where Akane was.
She emerged shortly thereafter. She was limping badly, but other than that
and the two bandages on her face, she looked well. Ranma's heart broke again;
he had to make sure this never happened to her again.
He ran over to her and they fell into each other's arms. She spoke into his
chest. "Ranma, next time I'll be the one with all the fiancees. You can be
the one who they all want to kill, and I'll come and rescue you over and
over."
Ranma grimaced and hugged her tighter. "Oh Akane..."
"Of course," she continued in a mischievous voice, "there's a certain appeal
to being rescued a lot. It's fun to pay the grateful damsel." She snuggled
deeper into his grasp, sighing with contentment.
Ranma couldn't help but smile. She was certainly doing her best to put him
at ease. He appreciated the effort, but he still couldn't find peace. Not
until the last threat had been eliminated. Even if that was the real
Shampoo in there, full of contrition, there was still one more person out
there, still dangerous, still deadly. For Akane's sake, she had to be taken
down. Hard.
***
Cologne stood alone in the Nekohanten. The smoke had gone, as had Ranma.
Shampoo had not returned, nor had Mousse. The world was turning against
her, but she had weathered storms like this before. She remembered the tanks
rolling over the ridge, the army men pointing their guns into the village,
the elders surrendering without a fight. The glory of the Amazons had been
forgotten that day. It was Cologne's job to make sure the world remembered
it once more.
She went into the kitchen. She opened up a cupboard and tapped the back
panel with her staff in a certain manner. It opened, and a package fell
out. She took it, felt its pulsating warmth.
She smiled. The world would remember. Ranma would, too.
END PART VI