Hi!
Well, here's part four of an exciting life. Hope you like it.
It's still kinda rough, and there's some parts I'm probably gonna change
(Shampoo comes on just a _little_ strong, I think), but right now I've
got another project to finish off.
As always, C&C greatly desired. If possible, though, please have
responses swing by my mailbox (s669330@aix2.uottawa.ca)... I'm currently
having a little trouble with the ML (apparently from my end), and I tend
to miss about 99% of what passes by (including the new stories, sigh!)
That's it. Thanks! And I should have Normal Life, Part Four up
soon, too.
-Mike
***
A Fanfic by
Michael Noakes.
(Aug.20th, 1996)
Right, the story continues. Don't forget, the flip side of
this little series is 'A Normal Life' and tells the story of the
Ranma from Takahashi's universe.
Enjoy!
***
LEGAL BABBLE:
Ranma and co. owned by Rumiko Takahashi.
Story mine.
Anything else is someone else's stuff.
***
An Exciting Life
Chapter Four
Late Night Visit
(The Tendo Bathroom. Wisps of steam curl and twist, rising
from the bathtub. A small open window allows the humidity to
escape, and a refreshing evening breeze wafts through.)
(The door slides open, and an exhausted-looking Ranma-chan
staggers through, naked. Her skin looks a little raw from a recent
scrubbing. She slides into the hot water and sinks up to her neck
with a satisfied sigh, eyes closing with pleasure.)
Ranma :Oh yeah... that feels _much_ better. (His eyes open.)
Hey, that's right, I'm a guy again! (He looks down at himself.)
Yeah... _that_ feels better too.
(Once the initial euphoria wears off, his multiple bruises,
cuts, and scrapes react to the hot water, reminding him of their
presence. He winces a little.)
Ranma :(thinking) Man, what's with that guy? What`d I ever do
to piss him off like that? And where's he learn to fight? (He
smiles a little.) Still, I guess I showed him! Man, Cologne
would've been proud - if only she could've seen me in action! (He
raises his hands out of the water, looking at them, turning them a
little.) I almost did it... I almost mastered the Chestnut Speed
technique. And everything else came together perfectly: my
techniques, my attacks, my defences... I don't think I've ever
fought that well. I... I could almost feel myself getting better
as we went along. (Pauses for a moment, remembering.) I guess
Cologne was right... all I needed was a little motivation.
(He sits back and enjoys the soak a little longer.
Eventually, the water begins to cool.)
Ranma :(sitting up) Well, guess I better get out. I'm
starting to wrinkle up. (Glances out the window.) And it's
getting late.
(He pulls on his boxers, hangs the towel around his neck, and
leaves the room. He wanders downstairs, but everyone seems to have
already retired for the night. He heads into the kitchen, and
walks out a few minutes later with a hefty sandwich and a large
glass of water. He slowly heads back upstairs, munching on his
sandwich.)
Ranma :(thinking) Nice of that Kasumi girl to leave this
sandwich for me. Still... what's with the rest of the people here?
They're all so... weird. And... and they seemed... annoyed?
surprised? ...at how long it took me to win... almost as if me
losing hadn't even occurred to them! (He passes by Akane's room.
There's still light visible through the crack beneath the door. He
pauses for a moment.) And what's with her? One moment, she's
trying to kill me with her cooking... the next she fussing over me
after the fight. Strange fiancee... (He shrugs, then grins.)
Cute, though... almost as cute as...
(He shakes his head, then heads for his room. He steps in -
notices that his father isn't around - crosses over to his futon
and sits, setting his half-eaten sandwich and drink down. He
crosses his legs and appears deep in thought.)
Ranma :(thinking) I really need to figure out what's going on
here. (He suddenly lets out a massive yawn.) Maybe tomorrow...
it's been a _very_ long day.
(He throws the towel to one corner of the room andlies back,
his head hitting the pillow. He suddenly sits up, rubbing the
back of his skull. He reaches under the pillow and pulls out the
diary.)
Ranma :Hey! I forgot about this! (Suddenly stops.) Wait a
minute... didn't I leave this outside? Didn't it rain? (He looks
it over, but it appears in fine condition.) I wonder how it got
here? Weird. (He shrugs) Oh well... maybe now I can figure out
why that Ryoga guy hates me so much... and get to the bottom of
this 'fiance' stuff!
(He sits up and opens the book. It's at the last entry. He
reads: )
Diary :What have I done? I returned to the Tendo Dojo by
instinct... bumped into Ryoga... I... I almost killed him! He
wasn't moving much... I hope he's alright... Akane was crying over
him when I ran away...
(He looks up in shock.)
Ranma :What? This stupid book is still getting everything
wrong! That didn't happen... I fought Ryoga, but I didn't come
_close_ to killing him! And... and Akane was holding on to _me_,
not Ryoga. Well, more like I was holding on to her. (He glances
down at the book.) Unless... the diary is still recording the life
of the guy I'm replacing. Is that possible? I'm gonna have to
track down that Damax guy. (He pauses, then yawns again.) Oh
hell, I'm too tired for this. I'll read more tomorrow.
(He tosses the book aside and lies down again. He closes his
eyes. Sleep comes quickly and blissfully... and lasts for all of
five minutes.)
(For a few moments, he can't quite figure out what woke him
up. It comes to him pretty quickly. Someone seems to be lying
next to him... female... close... lightly tracing the contours of
his bare chest with one finger. He freezes.)
Ranma :(nervously) Ah... ah... ah... (thinking) What? What's
going on? (A sudden realisation hits him.) Oh shit! That's
right, I'm engaged! Who knows what Akane likes to... to do...
with... with _me_! What am I gonna to do?
(He glances over at the woman next to him, who slowly sits up.
He can't make out her features, but sees her outlined by the light
coming through the window. Something doesn't seem right.)
Ranma :(thinking) That doesn't _look_ like Akane... unless
she's wearing a wig or something. It looks more like... (Speaking
hesitantly, with an odd sense of deja-vue.) Sh... Shampoo?
(A cat-like grin gleams in the moonlight.)
Woman :(happily) Yes, Airen, is Shampoo!
(Ranma sits up quickly, making a `shushing` gesture.)
Ranma :Not so loud! (He lowers his own voice.) <What the hell
are you doing here?>
Shampoo :(She sidles up closer to Ranma.) <So you _do_ know
Chinese...> (Noticing that Ranma doesn't make any effort to move
away from her, she creeps into his lap, one arm encircling his
neck. Again, he does nothing to stop her. Her free hand continues
to draw little whirls on his chest.) <You never told me you knew
Chinese, Ranma...> (She moves her face closer to his, eyes half-
lidded. He can feel her breath on his cheek.) <It's good for you
to know your future wife's tongue... >
Ranma :(Eyes wide.) Wife? Ah.. ahaha... uh... (thinking)
Ah... ahaha... uh...
(Sensing no resistance, she gently pushes Ranma down to the
futon with her hand on his chest, still keeping the other around
his necks. She follows him down, supporting herself over him. Her
smile continues to gleam cat-like in the moonlight. Ranma
shivers.)
(She holds herself over him, the nail of one finger slowly
tracing its way down from his pectorals.)
Shampoo :<I've been wanting to talk to you all day, Ranma... >
(Ranma continues to stare up at her in shock, as her finger crosses
his abdomen and dips into his belly-button.) <But I suppose it can
wait, for now...>
(Her hand drifts a little lower, gliding beneath the waistband
of his boxers... and then stops as he suddenly grabs her wrist in
a firm grip.)
Ranma :(taking a shuddering breath) Shampoo...
Shampoo :(staring into his eyes) <Do you want me to stop, Airen?>
Ranma :(thinking) Oh, man, no, I don't... I... (in a hoarse
voice.) Shampoo... what would... Mousse think?
Shampoo :(eyes widening a little in surprise) <Mousse? Who
cares what Mousse think?> (She then glances down at his boxers,
and smiles.) <You don't _look_ like you want me to stop...> (She
smoothly pulls her hand from his, while hugging him closer with the
arm around his neck.) <Now do you?>
Ranma :Sha... Shampoo... (thinking) I... I gotta do
something... but... (He suddenly reaches over with one hand, grabs
his glass of water, and splashes his face with it.)
(Shampoo suddenly finds herself embracing a somewhat shorter,
very curvaceous, female Ranma. She hesitates for a moment, then
shrugs.)
Shampoo :<If husband prefers it this way...> (She notices Ranma
sudden look of shock and slight disgust. She sighs and sits back,
releasing Ranma and pulling her hand from the red-head's boxers.
Ranma shivers at her touch. Shampoo flashes a small grin.) <I
came here to talk, anyway... I'm surprised you were so...
responsive, Ranma.>
(Ranma sits up as well, face flushed, and scoots away. She
looks rather uncomfortable.)
Ranma :(squirming slightly, thinking) That water just made
things worse... I'm _still_ all excited... only now it feel...
_weird_. (She shudders slightly.) At least she backed off...
what's with her? And what's with all this 'Airen' stuff? (She
shakes her head to clear it, then speaks to Shampoo.) Shampoo...
what are you _doing_ here?
Shampoo :(Sitting back comfortably.) <I came to talk.> (She
pauses, then smiles happily.) <It's nice to be able to speak to
you in Chinese... I always feel so stupid using that choppy
Japanese.>
Ranma :(Smiles back.) <You shouldn't... only an idiot would
make the mistake of thinking that you're stupid.>
Shampoo :(She seems surprised for a moment by the unexpected
compliment, but pleased.) <Thank you, Ranma! I came because of
earlier today. After that stupid tomboy hit you... (She frowns a
little.) ... I didn't get the chance to ask you about your Chinese.
Even Great-Grandmother was interested after I told her!
Ranma :(getting a little excited) Cologne is here? (Lowers
his voice.) Great! (He pauses for a moment.) Yeah, I wanted to
talk to you too.
Shampoo :(smiling happily) <Really?> (She seems to be
unconsciously inching closer to Ranma again.)
Ranma :Yeah! And Mousse too!
Shampoo :(looking confused for a moment) <Mousse? Why would you
want to talk to _Mousse_? He's an idiot!>
Ranma :(looking a little upset) Hey! He happens to be a good
friend of... (Suddenly stops, and thinks.) Waitasec... could it
be that, here, I don't get along with Mousse? But why the hell
not? And Shampoo seems the same... maybe a little more intense,
but still the same...
Aargh! I've gotta read that stupid diary! (She looks at
Shampoo.) Shampoo... could you wait just one 'sec?
Shampoo :<Sure, Airen.>
(Ranma winces at the 'airen' word, but moves away, looking for
the diary. She quickly finds it leaning against a wall, opens it,
and begins flipping, reading by the dim moonlight.)
Diary :Today was made stranger than usual by another of
Shampoo's twisted attempts to force me into a date... or marriage.
That Dim Sum stuff of hers had me hugging anybody that sneezed!
Akane wasn't happy with that!
Ranma :Marriage? Oh oh... (looks up, than glances over at
Shampoo.) Shampoo, why do you think Mousse is an idiot?
Shampoo :<Because he is weak. Because he can not, or will not,
fight will all his skill to defeat me. But mostly, because he
interferes with our marriage plans.>
(Ranma knees suddenly go limp. She slumps to the ground, and
leans back against the wall, holding her head in her hands.)
Ranma :(weakly) I... defeated you in combat, didn't I?
Shampoo :(raising one eyebrow questioningly) <Are you ok,
Ranma?> (She takes a few steps towards her.) <First you beat me
as a girl, when you and your father were passing through our
village. That was the first time we met.> (She smiles.) <Then
you defeated me as a man... and we were engaged! And some day
soon...> (She trails off when she notices the incredulous
expression on Ranma's face. Shampoo kneels next to her. <Are you
alr...>
Ranma :(Ranma suddenly stands up, bowling Shampoo over.)
AAAAGH! HOW COULD I BE SO STUPID? WHY'D I DO IT? WHY? (She
starts pacing back and forth across the room, while Shampoo looks
up at her in shock and surprise.) HOW COULD I DO THAT TO SHAMPOO?
TO MYSELF! I. AM. AN. _IDIOT!_
Voice :No, you're a JERK!
(Ranma spins. Akane is standing at the doorway, clad in her
yellow pyjamas, framed by the light streaming in from the hallway.)
Akane :What the heck are you doing, yelling... (She suddenly
notices Shampoo on the ground - and then Ranma, with her shirt off,
flushed with excitement, now standing over the purple-haired
amazon.) Ranma... what... (Her expression switched from anger, to
shock, betrayal, and then fluctuates between rage and hurt.)
You... Shampoo... as a girl?... how could you... I...
(Ranma glances down at Shampoo, then at herself, then back to
Akane. She takes a few steps towards .)
Ranma :No! Wait! Nothing happened!
Akane :You JERK! You PERVERT!
Ranma :HEY! I'M NOT A PERVERT!
Akane :(Almost screaming) I HATE YOU!
(That causes Ranma to hesitate for a second. For some reason,
hearing her say that hurts. She can't quite figure out why... why
should _she_ care if this fiancee of his likes her or not? She's
known this Akane for less than 24 hours!)
(She takes a deep breath, and crosses the distance to Akane.)
Ranma :(In a soothing voice.) Listen. All we did was talk,
alright? Shampoo was worried that I'd been hurt earlier today.
That's it, that's all. (She lays a comforting hand on Akane's
shoulder.) Ok?
(For a second, Akane seems to hesitate. Something flickers in
her eyes - hope? thankfulness? When it passes, her murderous rage
and hurt seem to have passed. Well, not entirely - Ranma suddenly
realised that everything in the room seems to be cast into sharp
relief by a strong blue light... radiating from Akane.)
Akane :Ok? OK? NO! (She glances down at Ranma's hand on her
shoulder.) Ranma no BAKA!
(Her right cross catchs him across the face, sending him
flying. He smashes into the wall, then tumbles to the ground in a
heap. Akane moves forward to finish the job, but suddenly finds
her way barred by Shampoo.)
Shampoo :Violent Tomboy no hurt future husband!
Akane :GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!
(The two girls square off. Before either can make a move,
though, Ranma voice interrupts.)
Ranma :<Shampoo. Leave her alone. Go home.>
Shampoo :(Glancing back at the bruised Ranma, then returning her
attention to Akane) <No, I won't.> (She steps into an aggressive
fighting stance.) Shampoo kill violent-girl once and for all!
Ranma :NO! (She struggles to her feet.) <Leave, Shampoo!
That's an order. You're engaged to me? You know the rules? Then
do as I say. Leave. This is _my_ fight.>
(Shampoo steps back a moment, looking confused. She looks at
Akane - who glares back - then at Ranma, frowning. Finally, she
backs off.)
Shampoo :Shampoo do as husband say... but will return later to
finish off tomboy!
(With those words, she jumps out the window. Ranma watches
her go with a sigh, then turns back to Akane, who still looks
_very_ upset.)
Ranma :(thinking) Right. Now for _this_ fight. Sheesh, she
sure looks pissed! How am I gonna convince her nothin' happened?
Especially since... something almost _did_ happen? (Lifting his
hand appeasingly.) Listen, Akane, I...
Akane :SAVE IT! I _DON'T_ WANT TO HEAR IT! (She glares at
Ranma. For a moment, it seems like tears are shimmering in the
corner of her eyes, but then she turns on her heels and storms out
of the room. A second later her voice rings out again.) And what
are _you_ guys doing? (There's the sound of multiple people
scattering, and a second later, a door slamming.)
(Ranma tiredly walks over to the door and shuts it, then
returns to her bed. She slumps down on the futon, rubbing her jaw.
She looks thoroughly bruised, tired, and confused.)
Ranma :(thinking) I can't handle this, I just can't. I've got
a psychopathic fiancee who likes to relieve her stress by pounding
on me... or by cooking lethal substances. Even worse, I think I'm
starting to like her! Except I _know_ I like Shampoo... and I
happen to be engaged to _her_, too. (She slaps herself on the
forehead.) What the _hell_ was I thinking, defeating her in
combat? I mean _I_ can do that... I'm no longer an outsider to the
tribe... but this other me must be a complete idiot!
(She sighs again, then glances down at herself. She
grimaces.) Ah hell, I'm a girl again... (She flops down on the
futon.) And somehow, I really don't care right now... And I think
that scares me even more. (She yawns.)
All I want is some sleep...
(She pauses.)
... at least things can't get any worse!
(And, comforted by that final thought, she finally drifts off
to sleep.
*** To be continued... ***
AUTHOR'S BABBLE
Right. Hope you liked it! As always, please send C&C!
- Mike Noakes
- s669330@aix2.uottawa.ca