This didn't seem to make it to the list.  Sorry if you receive this twice.

Disclaimer: All characters portrayed are the property of Rumiko
Takahashi and co.  Please don't sue me.

Ranma and Shampoo

by

Donny Cheng

Part 6

	Shampoo eyes danced as she looked excitedly at the book before
her.  She had just found the spell that would help her get Ranma.  It was
a spell version of the reversal jewel that lasted for a few hours.  If she
were to use this on Ranma, he would hate Akane and Ukyo and try to hurt 
them.  After the affects wore off, she would appear and be the only suitor
left.  In effect, Ranma would be hers.  She smiled gleefully as she
prepared the ingredients.

			* * * * *

	A cry of utter anguish could be heard within the Neko-haten.
Cologne could only watch as her great-granddaughter beat herself over the 
day's past events.  Shampoo's fist were raw with blood as she continued to
pound on the unyielding floor.  Cologne could not stand to see Shampoo in
pain much longer.  With her staff, she hit a nerve point on Shampoo,
knocking her out.  Cologne sighed as pieced together what had happened
today from what she had learned from the children.

			* * * * *

**flashback**

	Shampoo's plan had started out perfectly.  Ranma and the girls had
met as usual for school.  She had then given Ranma the ramen laced with
reversal potion and quickly leapt out of the way.  Ranma had then started
to look at Akane and Ukyo with a glare.  But instead of attacking them 
like Shampoo had predicted, Ranma just ignored them.  It had then dawned
on Shampoo an aspect of Ranma's personality.  Even if Ranma did hate a 
person, he wouldn't attack him/her outright, if he was not in danger
himself.  Also, no matter what state he was in, he just wouldn't hurt a
girl.  When Akane and Ukyo tried to get near him, he would just jump out
of the way.  The girls had then noticed that Shampoo had left after
feeding Ranma.  They quickly understood the connection between Ranma's
behavior and Shampoo's disappearance and teamed up to find her.

	Meanwhile, after school, Ranma had met up with Kuno, Ryoga, and
Mousse.  Ranma had grinned at them and was not at all serious when they
attacked him.  Ranma just dodged all of their attacks until the three
tired of attacking nothing but air.  He smiled at them again and thanked
them for the sparring practice.  When he reached the Neko-haten on his
way home, his face contorted to one of intense hatred.  He had seen his
mother.  Shampoo had forgotten about the one person Ranma cared about the
most in the whole world.  When auntie Saotome saw him and tried to hug
him, Ranma thought she was about to hit him.  Shampoo, who saw all of this
from her hiding place, quickly stepped in the way of the attack.
Fortunately, the effects wore off just before Ranma's hand reached her
throat.  Ranma remembered everything that happened when he was under the
influence of the spell.  He looked at his hands in shock.  He had almost
attacked his own mother.  Barely containing his seething anger, he told
Shampoo to leave before he lost control.  Shampoo ran crying and stumbling
home.  Shampoo's last words to Ranma were "Bie liao."  They would never
meet again.

**end flashback**
			
			* * * * *

	Cologne prayed Ranma would forgive Shampoo.  She feared what her
great-granddaughter would do if she lost the person she loved.  With
determination she went to get Nodoka and Ranma to speak with Shampoo.

			* * * * *

	Nodoka's heart cried out to the sleeping girl before her.
Shampoo's eyes were all puffy from hours of crying.  Her hands, though
bandaged, were red with blood.  In all, she looked like she went to hell
and back.  Carefully she cradled Shampoo's head in her arms and gently
woke her.  "Shampoo!  No, don't start crying again.  I know you didn't
mean for that incident to happen.  We just came to say we forgive you.
Isn't that right Ranma?"

	Ranma was never one to hold a grudge for long.  And seeing a girl
in such a state because of him made him just want to find the nearest hole
and hide.  "Yeah, that's right.  I know you didn't want me to hurt my
mother.  Besides, you tried to block her body with yours."  Seeing
Shampoo's eyes well up with tears again, Ranma excused himself and left
the hurting girl.  He just couldn't stand to see a girl cry.

	Shampoo watched Ranma leave in sadness.  "Shampoo so sorry, auntie
Saotome. Now, Ranma hate Shampoo.  Shampoo no life now."  She cried into
Nodoka's arms.

	"No, Ranma doesn't hate you.  He's just a little miffed at you,
but that's all.  I've heard from the others that you usually pull these
stunts to try and get Ranma for yourself.  You've got to stop.  Don't you
want Ranma to be with you because he wants to, not because of some magical
spell or artifact?"

	"Shampoo know Ranma like Shampoo least out of girls.  Shampoo try
to kill girl-type Ranma and try to trick Ranma all the time.  Ranma not
want to be with Shampoo, so forced to use more tricks."

	"How do you know?  Have you tried to ask him nicely without
glomping onto him and tricking him all the time?  You might be surprised.
Now, I want you to think about what I said tonight.  Will you do that for
me?"

	Shampoo nodded as she looked at Nodoka with doubt in her eyes.

			* * * * *

	The next day, Ranma went to meet up with the girls as usual.
Ukyo, as usual, glomped onto one arm.  His other arm, usually reserved for
Shampoo, was again shyly held by Akane.  Shampoo didn't even look at him.
Anytime he tried to look at her, she cringed.  He mentally kicked himself.
What had he done?  His outburst had caused the usually lively amazon to
become meek as a kitten.  He shuddered.  Bad choice of words.

	Later that day, he walked home with Shampoo after school.  She
walked with her head down in front of him.  Ranma had had enough. He was
not going to let a perfectly good amazon waste away because of him.  He
remembered something Mousse had once told him.  Amazon's were extremely 
petty.  If a wife (Ranma tried not to think of that term) was mad at her
husband, she would do many annoying things to him for years to get
revenge.  He bet if he annoyed Shampoo enough, that pettiness would 
surface and bring her out of this funk.  Having Shampoo angry at him
would be much better than having her scared of him.

			* * * * *

	Shampoo's slowly lost her fear of Ranma, as she watched Ranma
*accidently* break another bowl of ramen.  Since he had reached the
Neko-haten, he had supposedly cracked glasses, broken chairs and snapped
chopsticks all accidently.  She was getting downright annoyed.  She got
out the broom again for the fifteenth time.  Shampoo almost tripped as
Ranma's leg suddenly jutted out from under the table.  Something within
Shampoo snapped.  Shampoo pulled Ranma by the pigtail towards her and
punted him into LEO.  "Ranma jerk!"  Seeing him fly away, Shampoo's mood
again dampened.  "See, auntie Saotome, Ranma hate Shampoo.  Why else would
Ranma do all these things?"

	Nodoka and Cologne looked at each other.  They both couldn't hold
it any longer and laughed at Shampoo.  Shampoo sometimes just didn't have 
a clue to how Ranma felt.  Nodoka looked at Shampoo with affection.  
"Ranma doesn't hate you.  Unfortunately, my son is extremely naive and
very predictable.  One of the rules Ranma lives by is to never hurt a
girl when he can help it.  Seeing you like this, must have forced him to
use drastic measures.  If anything, this proves he cares for you at least
a little bit.  You may not be as far off from Akane or Ukyo in his heart
as you think."

	Cologne nodded in agreement.  "I never thought I would ever see
the day where one of Ranma's plans actually work."  She again cackled at
the thought.

	The last of Shampoo's doubt was removed at hearing this.  She
watched Ranma, who is now a mere twinkle in the sky, with hope in her eyes
once more.

			* * * * *

	The following school day saw the return of Shampoo's enthusiasm.
She grabbed Ranma's arm before Akane did and stuck out her tongue at
glaring girl.  The rest of day started and ended like it always did.
Chaos everywhere.  Everything was back to normal.

	Ranma walked home with Shampoo hanging onto him as usual.  He
looked down to see her blissful face.  Cute.  Ranma's mind froze as
Shampoo looked at him in adoration.  Why did she have to do that?  He 
hated when someone went all mushy on him.  He usually tried to think of an
insult to say in situations like these with Akane.  But with Shampoo, it
was different.  He usually just tried to pry himself loose and ignore her,
which he seemed to have a hard time doing now.

	Shampoo felt nervous.  She let go of his arm and looked at him.  
She had nothing to give to him or blackmail him by.  This was the first
time she did not know what Ranma's answer would be.  "Ranma, like to go
and see movie with Shampoo on Saturday?"

	"Uh..ah sure."  Ranma's mind froze again as he thought what he
just said.  Shampoo looked at him in shock and amazement.  She looked at
him lovingly and launched herself at his lips.  Slowly, Ranma responded to
the kiss with a kiss of his own.  After a while she let go and bounced
happily inside.  Ranma just stood there and stared at Shampoo's retreating
body.  Akane and Ukyo were going to kill him.  Of that fact he had no
doubt.  He briefly touched his lips.  He couldn't help but think that the
beating he was going to receive was well worth it.  He walked home with a
smile on his face.

	Shampoo watched Ranma leave.  She touched her lips.  If just a
little bit, Ranma had returned her kiss.  This was the first time he had
responded to her affections.  The first of many times to come, she hoped.
Her heart soared as her future seemed to brighten.

The end...(for now, maybe)

I still don't know how far I'm going to take this.

C&C welcomed.  Flames not.