Here's an idea that has been circling my head lately...


"Curse of the New Year's Bell --variation"

	In vol. 20 of the manga, the Bakeneko (a giant ghost cat) places a
curse on Shampoo. Unless she kisses the one she loves most before the
New Year's Bell rings 108 times, she becomes a cat for the rest of her
life. After a brief skirmish inside a Cat Temple (where the Bakeneko was
staying) Ranma knocks himself into the bell and falls down, and Shampoo,
who was already a cat, reaches him and kisses him just before the 108th
ring of the bell, turning back to human instantly.	
	Here's the basic idea...

	Shampoo hurried towards Ranma's prone form. She just *had* to reach him
in time, but the clothes she wore as a human were a lead weight for her
smaller body. 
	With a desperate leap she punced towards him. Ranma froze instantly
when a cat landed on his stomach, but with all the self-control he could
muster he kept himself from pushing her away. The fear he felt was
almost like the terror of seeing the Bakeneko.
	But all of a sudden, just as Shampoo bent her feline head towards him,
she stopped.  She pushed her head down, but there was something jerking
her neck. She turned around quickly to see what it was.
	Her clothes were stuck on a sharp pebble that jutted out from the
shrine's floor.
	She was trapped. The Bakeneko was abuout to clang the bell one last
time. Shampoo panicked. She dug her claws into Ranma's clothes. She
pulled herself for all she was worth, for all her love was worth. She
had always been strong as a cat, but this time she couldn't even tear
free of her clothes. She wouldn't become a cat! She didn't want to be
stuck permanently as a cat, the only thing her Ranma feared! And even
more, she would NOT become the Bakeneko's bride!!
	She lunged forward with her snout, but only her whiskers brushed
Ranma's face. Come on... just a little more... a little more...
	CLANG!!
	And she kissed Ranma.
	It took her a few seconds to reorganize herself. She didn't open her
eyes yet, but the sigh of relief she let out was more than enough to set
her body at ease. Well, at least Ranma had stopped squirming. Trying to
use her state as an excuse, she set down on his chest.
	Mousse's voice, "Sh-Shampoo... masa...ka..."
	Then Akane's own reaction surprised her, as her mortal rival whispered
a faint "No..."
	Shampoo opened her eyes and looked up. Ranma was unmoving because he
was simply in a state of shock, his eyes were blankly locked upwards.
She looked around, and stared silently when she realized everything was
larger than normal...
	The Amazon contemplated her surroundings, and herself, with the
detachment of a moribund person. She felt deathly calm, as though she
didn't... *couldn*t understand how this had happened. She was a human,
not a cat.
	A cat...
	She was human...
	She felt her insides shrink into a cold void that crushed her spirit.
Tears in her eyes, the small pink cat sat up on Ranma's chest and cried
out in sorrow.
	The Bakeneko sneered in satisfaction, proud that his curse had worked
perfectly. At last, he would have his bride. It took him seven manga
volumes to make her his, butfinally, nothing, *NOTHING* would stand in
his way. Confident, he looked over at Mousse and Akane. The short-haired
girl was crying, while the tall warrior seemed to be just a mannequin,
numb and expressionless.
	While his beloved meowed in despair, Mousse hung his head. His eyes
were hidden under the long black strands. But all of a sudden he looked
up, and he scowled at the Bakeneko in a way that could have frightened
Cologne. His aura rose to a level he never had felt, along with his
hatred towards that... monstrosity that had turned his dear Shampoo into
a cat.
	"YEAAAAAAGH!"
	With that Mousse leapt straight at the ghost cat, revealing every
weapon of his arsenal. Had anyone been watching, they would have been
impressed --his speed and ferocity were far greater than what Ranma or
Ryouga would ever show. The Bakeneko stared in terror and the next thing
he knew there was a sharp wakizashi stabbed through his front paw.
	He stared at Mousse for half a second. He was blind, not because he
lacked glasses, but because of sheer rage. He was attacking like a
frenzied chainsaw. Fearing for his afterlife, the Bakeneko curled up
into a spirit ball and vanished into his large bell, then rapidly flew
off into the distance. He could always claim his bride later.
	Even with the enemy gone, Mousse continued to smash a giant spiked ball
into the shrine's floor over and over. He didn't know what to do. His
life might very well be over if Shampoo were to be a cat forever. Tears
mixed with the gravel below him, and he did not care if anyone saw him.
	Hesitant, Akane slowly approached the wailing cat. She bit her lip,
tasting some of her own tears, and gingerly stretched out a hand to
her.But even in her desperation, Shampoo swiftly swung at her, leaving a
large scratch on Akane's backhand. She didn't want her enemy to try and
console her now. Understanding, Akane hurriedly stepped back and tried
to slap some consciousness into Ranma.
	Ranma... She would never be his bride now. Shampoo didn't know how
strong the magic of Bakeneko was, but what if it could overpower
Jusenkyo's? Then she would be a cat forever... And... And...
	Blocking out every thought from her mind, Shampoo wriggled out of the
clothes and ran. Away from the temple, away from Ranma, from everyone.
	She was not a cat... she was human...



--So that's what I thought to be the beginning of the story. I had the
idea by thinking that it's always Ranma who ends up locked permanently
(except in SKJAM!'s "Worst Case Scenario") but I haven't heard of anyone
locking the others as well. Mousse and Ryouga would be pretty feasible
too, since their participation in the Herb story arc got them splashed
with the Chiisuiton. But how about Shampoo? How would she act if she
were turned permanently into a cat?

If you want more details on the story arc this was derived from, read
volume 20, after the Shishihokodan battle. It's only a two-part episode,
and very amusing, IMNSHO.

The Zephyr
al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx