"Well then, you can just be a girl--"
	SPLASH
	"And find a *real* man to marry!"
	BOOT
	The observer's eyes narrowed.  She'd missed the first part of the 
quarrel, but it didn't really matter.  Cold water turned Ranma female.  
Still unnoticed, the observer softly stepped in the direction of the 
Dojo.  Ranma would go back there, eventually.
		*			*			*
	"I wonder...maybe she isn't so much mad I kissed her...as that I 
don't remember doing it?"
	The observer nodded.  Hot water restored Ranma to male.  
Everything was as it was supposed to be.  Her heart ached to join him, 
but no, the plan was all.  She reluctantly turned away.
		*			*			*
	Ranma ran down the street towards Furinkan High.  Akane had left 
early, probably still angry at him.  He tried to come up with some sort 
of explanation that wouldn't land him in more trouble.  
	If he only had a friend he could trust to advise him on dealing 
with girls...Pops and Mr. Tendou would just tell him to marry Akane.  
Nabiki would charge him for advice, and then just tell him things he 
already knew.  Kasumi...well, maybe, but it was hard to tell just how 
"with it" she was.  Hiroshi and Daisuke had even less experience with 
girls than he did, and Ryouga would prefer him dead.  Not a very good 
selection.
	He pulled into the gate, and noticed Kunou lying on the ground.  
That didn't make sense.  The only other person who could take the 
Upperclassman was Akane, and she should have been here a long time ago.  
Kunou would have recovered by now.
	Then Ranma noticed a girl in a school uniform waiting near 
Kunou's twitching form.  That long purple hair looked familiar... 
	"Nihao, Ranma!"
	"S-Shampoo!?"
	What was *she* doing here?
	"Shampoo student here now!  Learn modern things!"
	Okay, that answered that unspoken question...
	"Why here, Shampoo?"
	"To be near Ranma!"
	"Um...I'm not sure that's such a good idea..." He remembered the 
last time he'd seen her.  She'd been trying to kill him or marry him, 
depending which form he was in at the time.  She'd attacked Akane, and 
he'd finally had to reveal his curse to get rid of her.  Actually, he'd 
had to lie, too...
	"Shampoo...sorry...for before.  She not understand Japanese 
customs, Ranma not understand Amazon laws.  Can Shampoo 
be...friends...with Ranma?"  She smiled prettily.
	Shampoo could be so cute!
	"Well, I guess, if you promise you're not gonna attack Akane and 
me, and you understand I'm not marrying you."
	"Shampoo promise she not attack anyone she not have to."
	She raised her arms as if to give Ranma a hug, but shook her 
head, a little sadly.
	"Shampoo not force Ranma to marry anyone he no want to...."


				SOFT SELL
			by Scott K Jamison

Coming eventually...

SKJAM!