Ranma 1/2: Enter Perfume
Chapter 3: The secret is out...
Shampoo rode her bike, heading back to Neko-hanten. She was angry.
"Stupid, STUPID, spatula girl!" she muttered. She and Ukyo had gotten into
yet another fight. She wished Ranma would just admit his feelings for her.
She knew he loved her more than either of the other two.
As she rounded the corner, her mood picked up. She saw Ranma. In
his female form, but still it was Ranma. "Aiya! Ranma!" she cried,
leaping
from her bike towards the naked..._Naked?_ she thought..."Ranma-chan".
Shampoo tackled "Ranma-chan", knocking them both into an alley and into a
puddle of water.
Shampoo, now Neko-chan, sputtered and shook the wetness from her
fur.
"Ranma-chan" could only stare. She just sat there, staring wide eyed at
Neko-chan. Neko-chan meowed her concern.
_Odd, why Ranma not run when Shampoo like this now?_ she wondered.
"Ranma-chan" mewed at Neko-chan. She stood up, not taking her eyes
from the cat and picked up the Chinese-style dress. She eyed it oddly,
shook them out and put the dress on. She then bent down and picked up
Neko-chan. She purred against her chest. "Ranma-chan" blushed and mewed
back at her. Neko-chan just looked up at "Ranma-chan" and blinked.
"Ranma-chan" walked off, still carrying Neko-chan, and walked her home.
* * *
Akane sat back down at her desk. She sighed as the classroom
started to fill back in. Her jaw dropped as she watched Ranma and Ukyo
walk
in. She jumped up and ran over to Ranma.
"R-Ranma! You're okay!" she said.
"Of course I am, what're you talking about?" he replied, with Akane
just staring at Ranma. _That's right, he doesn't remember anything after
the cat-fist._ she thought.
"You were in cat-fist mode, a few minutes ago!" she whispered to
him,
pulling him closer to her, so that he would be the only one to hear it.
"Huh? What're you talking about? I was in the cafeteria during
the
entire lunch break. Ask Ukyo," he said.
"But Kuno said...and then I saw you..."
"Akane..." Ranma interrupted, sounding sincere. "Did you eat your
own cooking again?" Akane stopped and stared at Ranma. A sudden and quite
fierce-looking blue glow appeared around her.
"DIE RANMA!!!" she screamed, pummeling him on the spot. She
stormed
back to her seat and plunked herself into it. Ranma lay brutally twisted
on the ground. Ukyo whipped out her spatula, picked Ranma up and plopped
him into his seat.
"There ya go again, Ran-chan," she started.
Akane couldn't help but keep looking back at Ranma for the rest of
the school day. _I saw you with my own eyes. And I don't think there are
too many others with the cat-fist. Plus, Kuno even said it was you,_ she
thought.
"Miss Tendo..." Miss Hinako started. "Are you with us?" Akane
snapped around, almost throwing her neck out as she did.
"Yes, Miss Hinako," she stammered.
"Good, then answer question ten on page twelve."
"Ermmm...." Akane wound up standing in the hallway.
* * *
"Ranma-chan" stood outside of Neko-hanten. She entered the
restaurant
and set Neko-chan on the floor. Cologne came out from kitchen and served
a customer. She looked at who had just entered.
"Son-in-law," she said, somewhat stunned. Neko-chan purred at
Cologne and padded into the kitchen. A short time later, Shampoo emerged
from the kitchen, wearing a similar dress to the one that "Ranma-chan" had
taken. In her hand she was carrying two bowls of ramen.
"Shampoo make Ranma special ramen," Shampoo said, setting one of
the bowls in front of her. "Ranma-chan" sniffed at Shampoo and smiled.
She then looked down at the bowl in front of her and sniffed it.
"Fish?" she said.
"Hai, there is fish sausage in it," Shampoo replied, looking at
"Ranma-chan" oddly. "Ranma-chan" stared at the food. Shampoo blinked
at her.
"Shampoo, why don't you get Ranma some hot water?" Cologne
suggested.
"Okay, Great-grandmother," Shampoo piped and dashed off into the
kitchen. Cologne looked at "Ranma-chan". "Ranma-chan" leaned forward and
slowly began to lap up the ramen from the bowl. This shocked Cologne.
"What are you doing, son-in-law?" she asked. "Ranma-chan" looked
up from the bowl, a little bit of broth on her chin.
"Is good," she replied, smiling.
"You're not Ranma, are you?" "Ranma-chan" blinked.
"Who this...Ranma?" she asked, looking quizzically at the old
woman.
Cologne stood back a moment.
"Come," she said, walking to the kitchen. "Ranma-chan" stood up
and
followed her. Shampoo stood by the kitchen door, holding the kettle of hot
water in her hand. "Shampoo, close the door and hand me that."
Shampoo did as she was asked. Cologne stood on the counter,
looking
at "Ranma-chan". She only blinked, unsure of what was going on. Cologne
poured the hot water onto "Ranma-chan". When the steam cleared,
"Ranma-chan"
was no more. Instead, on the floor, was the cat that Mousse had saved
earlier that day. Shampoo's eyes went wide.
"AIYA!!!" she screamed, jumping back. "Shampoo saw that cat this
morning on delivery!"
Cologne nodded. "Mousse saved her this morning, thinking it was
you." Shampoo blushed, but could easily see why Mousse had thought so.
Aside from the lack of the decorative balls in her fur, she looked exactly
like Shampoo did in her cat-form. Cologne poured some cold water on the
cat and "Neko-chan" resumed her "Ranma-chan" form. Aside from her hair not
being in a pony-tail and being a shoulder-length, she looked identical to
Ranma.
"What we have here, is a cat that fell into the Spring of Drowned
Girl," Cologne said. "Oddly enough, she can speak. What is your name,
dear?"
"Ranma-chan" looked at Cologne as Shampoo put the Chinese-style
dress back on her. "Purrrr..." she replied. With a sour look, she thought
something and shook her head. She pointed to herself and replied properly,
"Perfume."
Cologne looked at her great-granddaughter, then to Perfume.
_Hmmm..._ she thought. _That may just work._ She smiled to herself.
"Shampoo, put her hair up. In a ponytail," she instructed.
Shampoo did as she was told. Cologne smiled. "Look at her." Shampoo
blinked.
"Aiya! She look like Ranma now!"
"Exactly."
"Nani?" Shampoo replied, looking at Cologne oddly. Perfume looked
at the two. She had no idea what they were talking about, but yet she
understood a little.
"Shampoo. I have a plan. Perfume will be an essential part to it.
It must be followed in detail, by you and by her. I will explain it once
to you and then to Perfume, until she understands it."
"And what is this plan, great-grandmother?"
"The plan is to get the groom's other two fiancee's so angry at
him,
that they will forsake him. Now listen carefully, this is how..."
End Chapter 3...
--
Craig Vincent a.k.a. Greg Thompson
<AkoMagami@usa.pipeline.com>
Member, Red-Head Anime Girls Fan Club
Co-Founder and High Priest of The Holy Order of A-ko
-----Folder of the Holy Fuku-----
Co-author of Project A-ko: The College Years