Chapter 4: Last Minute Arrangements (i.e. Tux, Dress, Restaurant, Hotel,
Etc.)

	"Shampoo so happy husband go with Shampoo to mall!" she gushed as she
wrapped her arms around Ranma.
	"Well, if I need a tux, I'd better go get it today," he said as he began
unwrapping himself.  He had gotten home and Shampoo had apparently been
waiting for him the whole time.
	"What we wait for?  Shampoo have much to buy, and Ranma pay for it all!" she
chirped as she began speeding away while dragging Ranma by the arm.
	"What?  I don't have that much yen," complained Ranma.

	"I need to pick some things up, and you need to get a tux anyway Ryoga,"
Akane told him.  "Nabiki and Kasumi will be helping me out since they've both
gone to the junior prom before."
	"Don't mention that," vented Nabiki.  Memories of her date, Kuno of all
people, being dragged off by the police for injuring every man he thought was
looking at Nabiki rushed through her mind.  Still, he had been a pretty good
dancer.
	"Oh my, my little sister is going to her first dance!  This is so exciting.
 Little one's grow up so very fast," Kasumi said in her always sweet as sugar
voice.
	"Um, I'm not exactly really good at this sort of stuff.  How will I know
which tux to get?" asked Ryoga.
	"I'd be more worried if there were any tuxes left the day before the prom,"
replied Akane.
	The quartet then began walking to the bus stop.

	"I don't care how little Cologne pays you!  You're renting a tux now and
that's final," shouted Ukyou as she slapped Mousse.
	"Why do I have to wear a stupid tux for anyway?" yelled back Mousse.  "It's
not like I care how I look with you!"
	Mousse began regretting what he just said as soon as he saw Ukyou turning a
bright red.  "I'm sorry!  I'm sorry!  Just don't hit me again," blurted
Mousse as he fell the the ground covering his head with his arms.
	Ukyou grabbed his ear and pulled him up.  "Listen, I'm going to be spending
big money on my dress.  Why?  Certainly not for you.  But guess what?  Ranma
is going to be there and I sure as hell ain't going to be upstaged by any
other girl, especially by Shampoo!" she screamed into his ear.  "And I know
Shampoo will be doing the best she can to seduce Ranma, and I'll be damned if
I'm made to look like a fool because of you!"
	"That's right.  What will Shampoo say," thought Mousse.  "That damned Ranma
will be putting all the moves on my dear Shampoo!  This is my chance to show
her how groovy I can be!" remarked Mousse.  "Alright Ukyou, let's go to the
mall!"
	"Groovy?" questioned Ukyou before Mousse had grabbed her and dashed off
towards the mall.

	"Okay Ryoga, my sisters are going with me to the Jessica McClintock to look
for a dress and pick up some other stuff.  We'll be back here to pick you up
before too long, alright?  Besides, it'll take probably take a while for you
to choose your tux and get your measurements taken," Akane told Ryoga as they
arrived in front of Selix Tuxedo rentals.
	"Sure, three girls looking for a dress, we'll be back before too long,"
Nabiki noted sarcastically.  
	"Remember Ryoga, DON'T GET LOST!" commanded Akane.  "Just stay here, and
we'll be back before you know it, alright?"
	"Sure.  Um, so I just go in there and ask for a tux?"
	"Yeah, don't worry, they have people there to help you.  Come on sis' let's
go," giggled Akane as the three girls ran to another store, giggling like
little school girls.
	Ryoga opened the door and walked in.  He let out a sigh of relief when he
saw the store was only one room.  If it was bigger, he might have gotten into
trouble.
	"Um, I need a tux," Ryoga asked as he walked up to a counter.
	"That will be no problem sir.  We just need you to select a tux and take
your measurements, but first, when do you need the tux by?" the pimple faced
salesperson asked with a cracking voice..
	"By tomorrow."
	"Tomorrow?  Oh, I'm sorry but we're out of tuxes for tomorrow.  The Furinkan
High Junior Prom, right?  Yeah, but we don't have any tuxes left."
	"WHAT!?" yelled Ryoga as he grabbed the man by his shirt and pulled him off
the ground.  "WHAT!  All I was supposed to do was come in here and ask for a
tux!  You we're supposed to give me a tux and take care of everything!  Are
you trying to tell me Akane lied to me!" screamed Ryoga.
	The salesman was sweating buckets by now.  Management had warned him how bad
last minute tuxedo renters could get, but he never expected this.  "I'm sorry
sir, but maybe I can ask my manager about this (paying homage to Matt
Groenig's Simpsons pimple faced geek).
	"You go and do that!" shouted Ryoga as he dropped the kid to the ground.
	A tall man wearing a tux walked up to Ryoga as the kid ran away crying.
 "Excuse me sir, I am the manager of this store.  I'm sorry, but the boy was
right, we are out of tuxedo's, at least, all but one," the man informed
Ryoga.
	"Why didn't you just say so," exclaimed Ryoga.  "Just give it to me."
	"It's right there," the man said as he pointed to a wall behind Ryoga.
 Hanging on a hanger, was the ugliest aqua blue tuxedo, with ruffles to boot.
	Ryoga didn't have much fashion sense.  In fact, he wasn't even sure what a
tuxedo looked like exactly.  But he did know that what he was looking at was
the ugliest thing in the world and there was no way Akane would like that.
	"Are you kidding!  There's no way in hell I'm going to wear that!" shouted
Ryoga.  "You've got to have something else!"
	"I'm sorry sir, but that man right there took the last tux we had," the man
said as he directed Ryoga to a person who had just walked out of a dressing
room, wearing some black slacks and a white collarless shirt.
	"Ranma!  You took the last tux!  I should have known it'd be you trying to
prevent me and Akane from having a good time tomorrow!  Give me that tux or
I'll kill you!" roared Ryoga as he leaped at Ranma.
	"You snooze, you lose," Ranma calmly replied as he jumped over Ryoga who
ended up crashing through the door into the dressing room.
	"Ranma, I'm not kidding around!  You couldn't care less about Shampoo, but I
can't let Akane think I'm a fool by wearing that blue thing!" he shouted as
he dived at Ranma.  "Baksie Tenkitz!" he cried as he shattered the ground
underneath Ranma.
	"Hey!  Be careful what you're doing.  If you damage this tux, then we'll
both be screwed," warned Ranma as he vaulted away.  "Look, I don't care about
you and Akane, but I'm not going to be wearing that 50's flashback."
	"Um, excuse me sirs, but there are other tuxedo stores...," the manager
interrupted.
	"SHUT UP!" Ryoga shot back.
	"I'm not asking anymore Ranma, give me the tux!" he bellowed as he tried to
wrap his hands around Ranma's throat.  Ranma easily grabbed his hand, and
swung him into a mirror.
	"Can you at least give me a minute to take this off!" shouted Ranma.
	"You won't need to.  I'll just cleanly blow off your head!  Shi Chi
Hokodan!" chanted Ryoga as he threw a ball of chi at Ranma.
	"Mouko Takibishya!" chanted back Ranma as he threw his chi ball to intercept
Ryoga's blast.  As the two connected, the blast ripped through the whole
store.
	Ryoga and Ranma were both still standing, without a scratch on either one of
them from the blast.  The store on the other hand, had been completely
devastated.  The dressing room doors were all knocked off, the glass and
mirrors surrounding the store had been shattered, even the carpet had been
scorched black.
	"Ryoga, you're beginning to make me mad," Ranma remarked.
	"Oh, I'm just getting started," rebutted Ryoga.
	"STOP!" the now dust covered store manager cried.  His tux was in shreds,
and his hair was all burnt.  "Look, just stop, and I'm sure we can work
something out."  He turned to Ranma.  "You get to keep the tux, I'll finish
you're measurements in a minute."  He then turned to Ryoga.  "You, I'll take
your measurements right after him.  I'll give you one of my tuxes, okay.  Is
everyone happy?" he exasperated.
	"Does your tux look nice?" asked Ryoga.
	"YES!  YES, IT LOOKS JUST FINE!"
	"Does it look better than Ranma's," asked Ryoga as he pointed at Ranma.
	"Hey, it'd better not look better than mine!" yelled back Ranma.
	"You know what?  They both look the same.  They're both the same.  So, if
you would please just calm down and we'll take care of your tuxes so you can
pick them up tomorrow, alright!"
	"Yeah, I guess," Ryoga and Ranma said as they nodded their heads.
	The bell hanging on the main door rang as someone swung the door open.
	"Excuse me, I'm looking for a tux for tomorrow night," asked Mousse.
	"You!  You bring your tux in tomorrow, understand!" the manager demanded of
the pimple faced kid.
	"I'll have to ask my mom," the kid's voice cracked.

	"Hey Akane, need a dress at the last minute too!" waved Ukyou when she
walked into McClintock.
	"You're going to the dance too, Ukyou?  How wonderful!" greeted Akane.  "So,
who's the lucky guy?"
	"Um, well, I'm going to the dance, with um..., with Mousse," she quietly
said at the end.
	"Mousse?" questioned Akane.  "You're going with Mousse?"
	"Yes I'm going with Mousse!  With Ranma going with Shampoo, we both had to
find other dates, right?  Not like Ryoga's such a great catch himself,"
replied Ukyou.
	"I'd rather go with Ryoga than Ranma any day," shot back Akane as she
returned her attention to a white poofy dress.  "What do you think?" asked
Akane.
	"Akane, unless you plan to be a brides maid any time soon, don't buy that,"
instructed Nabiki.
	"This one?" Akane asked as she picked up a baggy red dress.
	"Akane, unless you want Ranma honey thinking you were pregnant, I don't
think so," Ukyou criticized.
	"Fine, how about this one," growled Akane.  She was beginning to lose her
patience.  She picked up a lime dress.
	"Oh, thank you Akane, you just reminded me I need to buy celery for dinner
tonight," recalled Kasumi.
	"AHHH!  I give up!  What dress should I buy!"
	"Well, there is this one," Nabiki said as she picked up a simple black
dress, with spaghetti straps and a long (but not too long) slit.  "You like?"
Nabiki said with a smile.
	"It's perfect Nabiki," thanked Akane as she picked the dress up in her
hands.  She felt the soft fabric.  "It's satin, how beautiful."
	All the other girls gave their compliments to her choice.
	"Hey, are you all going to be helping me choose one?" asked Ukyou.

	"You're going with Ukyou!" shouted both Ryoga and Ranma.
	All three of them were standing with their arms spread.  People were
measuring the shoulder length for all three of them.
	"When I told her to go with someone else, I had no idea...," gasped Ranma.
	"Ranma, this is all your fault.  Look how low you made Ukyou go!" scolded
Ryoga.
	"For once, I think I agree with you Ryoga," replied Ranma.
	"What is that supposed to mean!" shouted back Mousse.
	All three sat down when the assistants went to size their feet.
	"So, how did you and Ukyou get hooked up?  Did you ask her?" inquired Ryoga.
	Mousse wrinkled his brow.  He wasn't sure if he should tell the fiend Ranma
about why he was going.  In fact, he'd rather just plow Ranma's face in right
now.  But Ukyou had made him promise not to cause any trouble.
	"Well, both me and Ukyou needed dates, so we just got hooked up.  And she
asked me, because I can't ask her to a dance at a school I don't even go to."
	"Well, I'm assuming me and Ryoga will have to be in the same group to the
dance.  Now that I know Ukyou's going, I'll ask her to be in our group too.
 I guess by default, that means you're in our group too," Ranma said.
	"What makes you think we're going in the same group!" shouted Ryoga.
	"Then what group are you going to be in!" yelled back Ranma.
	"Oh, I see," Ryoga quietly said.
	"This is perfect," thought Mousse.  Now I'll be able to keep an eye on Ranma
and Shampoo the whole night!"
	"Wait a minute," interjected Ryoga.  "I know Akane has other friends at
school.  Maybe we'll be in their group."
	"I know that, but it's too last minute for them to add her.  Which reminds
me, what restaurant are we going to eat at?  Almost all of them are booked by
now, just like the tuxes were."
	"We could go to either the Nekohauten or Ukchan's," responed Mousse.
	Both Ranma and Ryoga smacked Mousse in the head.  "Idiot!  Do you expect
Ukyou or Shampoo or even you to cook and serve tomorrow night!" they both
shouted.
	"Gee, you don't have to yell," answered Mousse.
	They stood up again as their wastes were measured.
	"You know, I think we've got an even bigger problem than that," Ranma
commented.
	"And what's that?" asked Ryoga.
	"Well, none of us drive.  How are we supposed to get from place to place?"
	Ryoga and Mousse dropped to the floor with a blue drop on their heads.

	"What you all do here?" Shampoo snapped.
	"Same reason you're probably here, to get a strapless bra," shot back Ukyou.
	Akane, Ukyou, Kasumi, and Nabiki had just walked into Victoria's Secrets.
	"No matter, all you girls too flat to steal Shampoo size anyway."
	Akane and Ukyou began burning with energy.
	"Now, now girls, if we damage anything, we might be expected to pay for it,"
said Nabiki as she held up a bra to show them all the price tag.
	"Ai ya!  5,000 yen for simple bra!" exclaimed Shampoo.
	"Wow, this place is expensive," uttered Akane.
	Ukyou was at the counter haggling with a clerk.  "What'd you mean I can't
return it?  I've only used half the darn bottle!  Take back your stupid
raspberry lotion, I don't want it anymore!" she yelled as she tried to shove
the bottle in the clerks face.
	"Mmmmm, Shampoo like this one," she proudly proclaimed as she held up a
cream see through one with cute lace patterns.
	"Slut," Akane said under her breath.
	"What you say," Shampoo snapped.
	"Oh nothing, I just said 'but that looks good on you,'" lied Akane.
	"You know gals, I think we should probably discuss some things while we're
here," Ukyou said as she returned to the crowd.
	"Like what?" asked Akane.
	"Well, I'm assuming you and Shampoo will end up stuck in the same group.
 And if you didn't mind, I'd like to be in your group too," implored Ukyou.
	"Of course!  Me and Ranma wouldn't have it any other way.  But me and Ranma
haven't even discussed this yet ourselves, but I'm assuming we are since my
friends have already set their plans, and Ranma's friends aren't going."
	"Shampoo rather have Ranma all to herself," sneered Shampoo.  "We no need
you two tag along."
	"Oh really?  And do you expect to pay for the limo all by yourselves," shot
back Akane.  "Because you do realize, that's the only way we'll be getting
around."
	"Ai ya, Shampoo no think of that."
	"Well, that's one thing out of the way, but do any of you guys have an idea
of where you want to eat?" asked Ukyou.
	"Maybe we should ask our dates first before we decide," suggested Akane.
	All five girls then began laughing out loud hysterically.
	"Yeah right, the guys will do WHATEVER we tell them to do," laughed Ukyou.
	"That's the truth.  We should make them take us to the most expensive place
in Tokyo!  That'll be a place where it's not booked solid by now," Akane
proposed.
	"Why do you think I asked Kuno last year?  I actually convinced him to take
me to dinner in Paris!" cackled Nabiki.
	"Maybe we do that too?" snickered Shampoo.
	The girls all got a good laugh out of their system before returning their
search for the right bra.
	"Look everybody, isn't this cute," beamed Kasumi as she held up a see
through teddy, made of extremely light material.
	The other girls jaws all dropped.  "Kasumi?" questioned Akane.
	"What is it everybody?  Do you think it's too much," responded Kasumi.

*Authors Note: Come on girls, admit it.  That's what you're all like behind
our backs, waiting to suck us men dry on prom night!  This has been an
editorial by the writer, we now return to the regularly scheduled fanfic.

	"Thank you for shopping at Dimes Buy You Nothing Mall today," a voice boomed
throughout the mall.  "There is only five minutes before closing, so please
make you're purchases now."
	Ranma, Ryoga, and Mousse were all slumped on benches outside Selix.  They
were all asleep and snoring loudly.  They had been waiting for two hours for
the girls, who still hadn't shown up yet.
	Mousse was the first to wake as Ukyou pulled him up by his hair.  "Wake up
duck boy!" she screamed.
	"Ranma want see Shampoo new bra!" gushed Shampoo as she dropped herself onto
Ranma's lap.
	"No..., iz okay, show me tomorrow..., go back to sleep now," Ranma said
through his stupor as he tried to go back to sleep.  His sleep would be
hampered when Akane smashed his face in with her fist.
	"Don't be rude Ranma!  Why wait until tomorrow!" roared Akane.
	"What'd you do that for!  Geez, I'm awake now, alright.  What'd you just say
Shampoo...," but he abruptly stopped when he found a skimpy black laced bra
hanging in front of his face.
	"Ranma like?" chirped Shampoo.
	Ranma stared at it in shock.  "Uh, umm, yeah...," stuttered Ranma.
	Akane was all too happy to bring him back to his senses.  "I think you've
had a good enough look Ranma!' she shouted as she booted him against a wall.
	As Ranma began to peel himself off it, he was slammed back against it.
	"What we're you staring at Ranma!" screamed Ukyou.
	"Nuthin," Ranma weazed before he collapsed onto the floor.
	"Why Akane not mind her own date," seethed Shampoo.
	"You're right!  Come on Ryoga, want to see my dress...," she trailed off as
she saw Ryoga lying on the floor with a bloody nose.  He apparently hadn't
seen women's underwear like that all too much.  Akane surely didn't have
anything like that.
	"Shampoo, I don't care anymore, you have to go with me to the junior prom!"
shouted Mousse as he dashed at Shampoo with open arms.  He slammed into a
phone booth instead.
	"This for Ranma!  Mousse never see that on Shampoo!"
	"Okay, that's enough fun, we have alot to discuss everybody," Ukyou said.
	"Spatula girl right, we talk while we go home," added Shampoo.
	"Okay then," Akane said as she helped Ryoga off the ground.  "Here, hold
this," she ordered him as she threw a plethora of bags into his arms.
	The other girls do the same to their dates.  Nabiki threw her bags onto
Ranma's load as well.
	"Why, that is so sweet of you Ranma," Kasumi praised right before she threw
her bags into Ranma's arms as well.

	"Saotome, you realize we have to somehow get Akane and Ranma away from their
dates and together at the prom, don't you?" asked Soun.
	"Of course I do Tendo.  Which means one of us will need to be there to keep
an eye on them.  And since Nodaka's not here and I simply couldn't go with
someone else...," Genma smirked.
	"Saotome, why are you smiling like that?  It's not like I have anyone to go
with either.  Unless..., no you couldn't possibly suggest...,"
	In a flurry of swinging legs and arms, a young girl in a yellow dress burst
into the house and into Soun's arms.
	"Mr. Saotome told me the good news!  I'd love to chaperone the junior prom
with you Mr. Tendo!" Ms. Hinako happily prated.
	"Saotome!" Soun gritted.
	"Mrrrmmr," grumbled Genma as he hid behind his panda mask.

*Author's Notes: Yet again, e-mail all comments or critics to schi@uci.edu or
Chihokodan@aol.com.  First thing, the answer is no, I do not like Sasuke at
all.  I bitterly made fun of his appearance in Ranma/SM, and do him five
times worse in ch. 3.  If there are any Sasuke fans out there, please explain
to me... why?  Thank god I finally got some action out of my system, but it
just didn't seem as dramatic as the fighting in Ranma/SM.  I'm afraid I'm
developing J.D. Salinger syndrome, the feeling my first work is going to
eclipse everything else I do.  Nonetheless, I'm enjoying the direction the
stories going, and the next chapter will slow things down (even more?) before
the caca hits the fan as the prom finally arrives.