[Ranma] "Scarlet Spring" (5/?)

By Henry J. Cobb

$Id: scarlet_spring5.txt,v 1.2 1997/01/04 18:47:00 hcobb Exp $



The Ranma 1/2 characters and situations are the creation of Rumiko

Takahashi.  No infringement of her copyrights is intended.



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So far:



Things are going swimmingly for Akane Tendo.



Sure, the trip to China, when she was ten, was a bit of a bummer, and

she lost her mom at that time, but since then things have been looking

up.



Genma Saotome, an old friend of her father Soun, has brought his son

Ranma to be her fiancee, after their trip to China.



Ranma is kinda cute and has agreed to go along with Akane's cover story

that they are happily engaged, in order to protect her father and

advance her status at school.



Ranma is cursed to turn into some girl, but at least he's sensible

enough to keep the other form hidden, even from Akane.



Akane has photographic proof that she and her pet pig P-chan won the

match with Kodachi that she had to concede due to her sprained ankle.



Ranma and Akane beat the "Golden Pair" in both the dance and combat

parts of their skating match, but Ranma did seem to get a little carried

away on the protective boyfriend bit.



And now Akane's old friend from China, Xian-ko has arrived.

(Unfortunately, she wants to kill Akane)



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Public Service Announcement:



If you find yourself in a abusive relationship, please seek professional

help immediately, for both your sakes.



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Akane and Ranma evaded Shampoo twice more then managed to lose her and

get home safely.



The house was dark and silent.



Akane turned to Ranma.  "Do you think Shampoo got the others?  Or maybe

she's waiting inside?"



"I don't know."  Ranma took her hand and lead the way into the house.



"Surprise!"  The living room lights flashed on.  Their families popped

out from behind furniture.  There was a hastily written sign with

"Congratulations Ranma and Akane!" on the wall, and party favors spread

on the table.



"My little girl, you make me so happy!"  Soun glomped Akane.



"Congratulations!"  Kasumi offered party sandwiches.



"Why the delay you two?"  Nabiki elbowed Akane gently.  "Did you run off

to someplace romantic?"



"Thanks gang.  Now if you'll excuse me."  Akane went up to her room and

closed the door behind her.



P-chan was there as promised, with a note from Ryouga that he had some

other business to attend to.



Sunday afternoon, Ranma crept up the stairs, silent as the wind, then

waited for a few minutes.



Just before he was about to knock, Akane called out.  "Go away Ranma."



It was insulting, the way he made just a little bit more noise than he

needed to, so that "even she" could hear him.



"Kasumi said that either you eat this stuff or she'll come up and feed

you by hand."



"That doesn't sound like her."



"Well, not in so many words."



"If those are my alternatives then come in."



Akane was sitting on her bed, with P-chan and a photo album.  "Just

leave the tray and go."



"Sorry, I have to give Kasumi a full report."



Akane and P-chan quickly devoured the meal.



"You can tell Kasumi that it was absolutely delicious, as always, right

P-chan?"



The pig nodded.



"Do you want to talk about it?"



"Yeah, I guess so."



Akane, Ranma and P-chan gathered around Akane's photo album on her bed.



"Shampoo said ``Akane kill.'', I think I know what she meant."  Akane

flipped to the photos of her China visit.  "Here's the Jusenkyou

training grounds in China.  I fell into a cursed spring there and got a

very nasty fever.  Daddy took me here, to the Joketsuzoku village, where

Shampoo's folks took me in.  Shampoo looked after me, day and night.  I

never had a better friend.  When the fever broke, we only had time for a

few photos before catching the train back.  Here's Shampoo and her

great-grandmother at the train station to see us off.  It seems fairly

obvious what Shampoo wants revenge for."



"What?"



"I killed, by bringing that fever to the village.  They probably had no

natural defense for whatever it was.  Shampoo's great-grandmother must

have been one of the victims.  She loved that old woman so.  She must

have been in training for the past six years.  And now she's here to

claim her vengeance."



"I won't let her hurt you Akane."



"Don't get cocky Ranma.  The Joketsuzoku amazons are very good

warriors, and your prejudice against fighting girls will cost you dearly

in this match.  Leave me to my fate.  Don't worry, I'm sure that daddy

will offer you one of his surviving daughters."



P-chan looked up at Akane, horrified.



"If she gets you, it'll be after she's finished with me."  Ranma took

the tray and opened the door.



P-chan ran out.



"Ranma, get him!"



But Ranma was burdened with the tray and unable to grab the pig.



Why didn't Ranma understand?  This game they were playing wasn't worth

his life.  Akane turned back to her photos of Shampoo.  "Xian-ko, I'm so

sorry."



Monday at school, the other students heaped praise on Ranma and Akane,

but she hardly noticed.  Ranma never left her side.



When they returned home, they found Shampoo waiting in front of the

house, with her bombori.  "Shampoo follow Akane's panda home!"



That was very clever of her.  There are very few pandas in Nerima, but

how did she connect me with Ranma's dad?



"Shampoo..."  Akane began.  "If my life will soothe the spirits of your

ancestors, you may have it.  I'm sorry."  Akane knelt and bowed her

head, eyes closed.



I hope she gets it over with quickly and without too much pain.



Akane heard Shampoo's footsteps, then a Thump!  She looked up and saw

Shampoo sprawled on the yard.  "That was stupid Ranma, being defeated by

an outsider is an insult worse than death."



"I know."  Ranma stood in a defensive posture between Akane and Shampoo.



As Shampoo recovered and got to her feet, Ranma shouted at her.  "Look

Shampoo, I'm Ranma Saotome and I defeated you!  You're after me now,

right?"



Shampoo nodded, dropped her bombori and ran to Ranma.



He kicked her down again.



Shampoo seemed stunned, she sat on the stairs.  "Shampoo no fight Ranma

anymore.  Husband defeat Shampoo fair."  She brought out a small black

book.



Akane sat down next to Shampoo and looked at the section in the book she

pointed to.  "I'm sorry Shampoo, but I don't read Chinese very well."



Shampoo pointed to another column, in Japanese, which Akane read aloud.

"If one of the amazon warriors should be defeated by an outsider who is

a woman, she must give her the kiss of death and kill her, but if she is

defeated by an outsider who is a man, she must marry him."



"Congratulations Ranma."  Nabiki said from the doorway.



"What a bunch of crock!"  Ranma stormed past her into the house.



"Husband hate Shampoo!"  Shampoo cried into Akane's embrace for a few

minutes, then ran away.



Akane looked after her.  "Xian-ko!"



"It looks like you've got a rival.  A real cutie too."



"Shut up Nabiki!"  Akane went to her room to change into her gi.



As Akane hammered at the training dummy her thoughts were in turmoil.

Shampoo had suffered from a terrible tragedy.  She seemed willing to

give up her vengeance for Ranma, but he treated her with such contempt.

Giving up Ranma would cost Akane her new-found status and would drive a

stake into Soun's heart, but it was a small price for Xian-ko's

happiness.



"Ranma you jerk!"  With a mighty kick Akane broke off the post the dummy

was attached to.



The next morning Akane woke up with somebody else in her bed.



"Xian-ko."



Shampoo stirred next to Akane.



"You came here last night to kill me, right?"



Shampoo nodded.



"You couldn't do it?"



Shampoo nodded again.



"Let's talk about it during my morning jog.  First I'll have to see what

sort of outfit I've got for you here."



Shampoo pulled on the suit offered.  "It's perfect, thanks Ak-ko."



"It's a little tight in the chest and a little loose in the waist, but

it'll do for now."



Akane relaxed into the rhythm of the run then started.  "Xian-ko, I'm

glad you've given up this vendetta.  You've always been my best friend."



"But amazon law says."



"Forget it, what matters is how you live your own life.  Now, as to

Ranma.  I'm sure that he'll like you a lot better once he gets to know

you better.  I'm sure that we can show him that you'll make the perfect

wife."



After the jog, they bathed together then went to breakfast.



Genma seemed stunned to see Shampoo, but Soun recognised her at once.

"Shampoo, you've come to visit Akane?  Stay as long as you like, my

house is yours."



Shampoo attempted to sit between Akane and Ranma, but he glared at her,

so she sat on Akane's other side.



As Akane and Ranma walked to school, Akane attempted to start a

conversation.  "Ranma, you really don't know Shampoo very well."



"I know her well enough.  It's obvious that she's a violent maniac with

homicidal tendencies."



"But she really is a very sweet girl, once you get to know her."



"Just forget it."



Akane was in much better spirits at school, things were going to work

out, it was all just a matter of time.



At lunch a series of mysterious explosions headed towards the cafeteria,

then suddenly the wall caved in to reveal Shampoo with a covered

plater.  "Wife make lunch!"  She placed the platter in front of Ranma to

reveal a dish of steamed vegetables with a small black pig in the

middle.



"P-chan!"  Akane grabbed the pig to her, then looked up at the sound of a

thunderous slap.



Shampoo was sitting on the floor, with one hand to her cheek as Ranma

glowered over her.  "How dare you cook my fiancee's pet pig!"



"Ranma, Akane's fiancee?  Is true?"



"Yes."  Akane came to stand by Ranma.  It seemed best to keep up the

pretence, until Ranma was talked around.



"Shampoo see."  She got to her feet and left, with tears in her eyes.



"I'd best go after her, before she plans some new deviltry."  Ranma left

also.



"Wait Ranma, P-chan's coming around."  Akane started out after them,

but was unable to find either.



Hours later, she had given up her search and was returning home, when

she saw a girl in a gi unconscious in a park.  She went up to the girl

and shook her.  "Are you alright?"



The girl woke up and stared at Akane.  This girl was a perfect match for

Akane, figure, face and hair, and seemed to be wearing Akane's own gi.

"Who are you?"  She demanded.



"I'm Akane Tendo and you are?"



"I'm the real Akane Tendo!"  The other Akane replied and took up a

martial arts stance.  "You're the imposter."



	Henry J. Cobb	hcobb@slip.net          http://www.io.com/~hcobb

    With scenes like that, it's fairly clear why this story had to be

    told from first person (REAL) Akane, right?