A Change of Scene, Chapters 82-84
by June "KaraOhki" Geraci (karaohki@snet.net)
December 28, 1999
Previous chapters are in the RAAC archives, and can also be found at
www.karaohki.com
Ranma 1/2 and its characters were borrowed from Rumiko Takahashi.
This story was written for noncommercial purposes only.
Chapter 82
Professor Negita looked up from his notes and surveyed his students.
They had spent the day digging up medicinal herbs and peeling bark
from trees, but their enthusiasm had carried them through. All of
them were tired, dirty, and hungry.
"I'm very proud of you all. You did a wonderful job. From this point
on you're no longer students, but tourists."
Everyone broke into smiles, except Shampoo. Since she wasn't one of
the students, she had simply observed while everyone else worked.
Professor Negita had looked her way now and then as she kept her
husband company, noting that Hayasuka had a very pretty wife. Now she
was coming toward him with a serious look on her face.
"Excuse me, sir. There is a plant you did not show the students."
"There is? Please show me."
Shampoo turned around, gesturing for the professor to follow her. She
led him down to a stream, and pointed between the rocks on the edge of
the water.
"This is a very important plant."
Shiro and several students had followed the pair. He picked one of
the plants and looked at it doubtfully.
"It's got to be one of the ugliest things I've ever seen."
Professor Negita chuckled when Shampoo glared at her husband. His
smile grew even wider when her Japanese slipped because of her
annoyance.
"Husband should not laugh! This very important plant! Can cure burns
and rashes. Can stop bleeding. If you bleeding to death, you hope
this plant nearby."
"Sorry."
Professor Negita interrupted the pair. "Let me see that plant,
Hayasuka." Shiro handed it to him, and he broke off one of the plump
leaves. A thick, bright yellow gel oozed out of it.
"Very interesting. What is it called?"
"I don't know. Great-grandmother never mentioned a name. It always
grows near water. We have a lot of it by the spring that flows
through our village."
"Where is that?"
"Joketsuzoku."
The professor looked at Shampoo with new respect. "That is your home?
I received much of my training there many years ago. It was extremely
hard to get permission to stay in the village, but I had heard a great
deal about the medicinal herbs of the area and I was determined to
learn."
He stopped, and chuckled. "Good thing they didn't consider me husband
material, or I may never have been able to go home."
Shampoo shrugged. "Sometimes my people are more interested in a man's
strength than whether or not he is intelligent. Perhaps they made a
mistake when they let you leave."
"Perhaps. My wife would have been upset if I hadn't returned home. I
am still very grateful to the woman who taught me. Perhaps you know
of her, although I doubt if she is still living. Her name was
Cologne."
"Cologne is my great-grandmother, and she still lives. She is waiting
for me at home."
Shampoo glanced at her husband, who looked back somewhat nervously.
"I must introduce my new husband to my family."
Professor Negita understood Shiro's nervousness. A village full of
Amazon women could be very intimidating.
"Please give her my regards when you get home."
*****
"Saotome, wait a moment!"
Ranma stopped with his jacket half-buttoned. One of the pharmacists
was running down the hallway toward him.
"Yes?"
"Can you give me a hand with these boxes? It'll just take a minute."
"Sure."
The "minute" turned into fifteen, and then twenty.
*****
"Akane, would you mind locking up tonight? I'm meeting my husband for
dinner."
"Not at all. Mine should be here soon. Have a lovely time."
Akane was putting the last of the toys away when she realized that it
was getting late, and Ranma hadn't yet arrived. She was beginning to
worry when the phone rang.
"Honey, I'm sorry. Something came up and I got stuck here. I'm on my
way now."
"That's okay. At least you remembered to call me this time!"
Ranma recognized the reason for the reproach. Akane had been very
worried about him on New Year's Eve when he'd come home so late.
"Uh, yeah. See you in a few minutes."
"I'll call Mishi and tell her we'll be late."
Akane disconnected Ranma and phoned the library. The line rang and
rang, but no one picked up.
*****
The library was locked up for the night, but Mishi was still there,
standing in the glassed-in area between the entrance doors and the
doors leading into the library itself. She never heard the phone
ring.
A few minutes later she shrugged, and muttered to herself.
"I don't need to be walked home!"
She started across campus, passing several people she knew. Then she
rounded the corner by the gymnasium, and two pairs of hands grabbed
her. Her cry of alarm was quickly smothered by one of her attackers.
*****
Akane let the phone ring for a long time. Mishi always waited for
her. Where was she?
"I'll bet she started home without us," Akane remarked aloud as she
grabbed her coat.
Akane passed the library, which was dark, and kept moving. She used
the route that she and Ranma normally took when they walked Mishi
home, and passed a couple of her friends.
"Have you seen Mishi?"
They pointed past them. "Just a second ago, going that way."
"Thanks!"
Akane took off at a run. She was nearly to the gymnasium when she
heard a faint cry, which seemed to be cut off. She flew towards the
sound and found herself behind the gym, where she skidded to a stop
when she saw what was happening.
There was a man holding Mishi down while another used a knife to cut
off her clothing. Akane gasped, and both men turned around and saw
her standing there. Their looks of surprise changed very quickly when
they realized who she was.
"Look who's here!" one of them said in a tone of voice that made Akane
feel dirty. "Little Sailor Mercury came to join Mars."
His grip on Mishi loosened, and she sat up.
"Run, Akane! RUN!!"
Akane's response was to plant her feet, summon up all of her
confidence, and hold up both hands, palms out.
"Get down, Mishi!"
Then her confidence fizzled, because both men started to laugh. In
fact, the one with the knife was laughing so hard he nearly dropped
it.
"Look at that! Is Sailor Mercury going to bubble blast us or
something?"
Akane got hold of herself. She needed to be in complete control for a
moko takabisha to work. Unexpectedly, Mishi's attackers made it easy
for her. They stood up, still laughing, and pretended to be afraid.
"Oh dear! Don't hurt us!"
The two had no idea what they had done. Akane's expression went from
nervous to furious in an instant. No one was going to mock her
skills. She concentrated, and drew her hands into fists. A glowing
ball began to form between them. The laughter suddenly stopped as
Akane screamed, and threw the biggest chi ball she'd produced since
Ranma had taught her the technique. As it reached the rapists, the
one with the knife dodged behind his companion. Then they both
collapsed.
*****
The head of campus security sat in the cafeteria with the chief of the
Ube Police Department. The two men had a map of the campus spread out
between them.
"These are the areas that worry me. There isn't enough lighting, and
we don't have enough manpower to cover every corner of campus."
His friend nodded. "I think I see what you're talking about. Take me
around and I'll make some recommendations."
The two men left the cafeteria and started walking across campus,
taking note of areas that needed more lighting. Then the night sky
lit up, followed by a huge explosion.
"What the hell was that?"
*****
The door to the day care center was locked, and all of the lights were
out.
"Damn, she left without me!"
Ranma took off for the library, found it closed, and kept running.
He was almost to the gymnasium when the sky turned red and he heard an
explosion. Ranma's heart was pounding in his chest as he ran toward
the source of the blast. Akane wouldn't be using chi attacks unless
there was real trouble.
He rounded the corner and found Akane on her knees supporting a
nearly naked Mishi. A few yards away an unconscious man lay on the
ground, his clothing smoldering. What horrified Ranma was that Akane
was too busy trying to soothe her hysterical friend to notice the
peril she was in. A second man armed with a knife was coming up
behind her.
Ranma tried to run faster, yet felt that he was moving in slow motion.
He screamed out a warning as he threw himself at his wife's attacker.
"Akane! Look out!"
Akane whirled, automatically putting out a hand in defense. The knife
which was aimed at her back cut her arm instead. That was the only
chance her attacker had to harm her. He was pulling his arm back to
strike again when Ranma grabbed him, and squeezed his wrist. There
was a cracking sound and a loud cry as the knife hit the ground.
Ranma growled, and each word he spoke was punctuated with a blow.
"You. Hurt. My. Wife!"
By the time the fourth blow was struck Akane's attacker was
unconscious. Ranma didn't even notice, and would have continued
hitting him had not Akane grabbed him. He froze, one hand still
holding up the unconscious man. Akane was holding onto his other arm
with both hands, one of which was covered with blood.
"Ranma! Stop!"
"What?"
"You're going to kill him! STOP!"
Ranma looked from his wife's terrified face to the limp man he was
holding, and dropped him. Then his gaze fixed on Akane's bloody hand.
"He hurt you!"
Ranma removed Akane's hands from his arm. Her jacket was cut and he
could see blood soaking through the sleeve and dripping onto her hand.
"How bad is it?"
"I don't know."
He began to help her take the jacket off when a voice made them both
look up.
"Step away from the young lady!"
When Ranma and Akane lifted their heads, the first thing they saw was
a gun. It was in the hands of a policeman, and he was aiming it
directly at Ranma's chest. A member of campus security stood behind
him.
"But-but!"
"Get up, step away from the young lady, and put your hands on your
head!"
Ranma did as he was told. He let go of Akane, rose, and quietly put
his hands on top of his head. Akane jumped up and got in between
Ranma and the policeman.
"Miss! What do you think you're doing?"
"Don't hurt my husband! If you want to point that thing somewhere,
point it at them!"
Both of Mishi's attackers were beginning to come to their senses,
although neither of them were in any shape to sit up, let alone
attempt to escape. Even if they had been able to move, the noise had
attracted so many people, many of whom were campus security, that they
would have had no opportunity to get away.
"All of you are going to come with us. We'll get it sorted out
later."
The sorting out was done at the hospital. Both of Mishi's attackers
were carted off in an ambulance. Akane's arm was wrapped up at the
scene. Then she, Ranma and Mishi rode to the hospital in the back of
a police car.
*****
Shampoo touched her husband's arm. "Stop here."
"Why?"
"We'll walk the rest of the way."
Shiro shrugged, and pulled the car off the road. He and Shampoo got
out their packs and began to walk. The sun was setting when they
walked into Joketsuzoku, and the only people in sight were some
children chasing each other around. One small girl stopped to see who
was coming, broke into a huge smile, and threw herself on top of
Shampoo, hugging her fiercely.
"Cousin!"
Shampoo lifted the child and spun her around.
"Henna! You're so BIG!" She hugged the little girl, set her back on
her feet, and gestured to Shiro.
"I want you to meet my husband. Shiro, this is my cousin Henna."
Shiro got down to Henna's level and smiled at her. "Hello, Henna.
Nice to meet you."
Henna giggled. "He talks funny, Cousin Shampoo!"
Shampoo laughed. "Shiro is just learning to speak our language. In
Japan, everyone thinks I talk funny."
She hugged Henna again, and patted her cheek.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
A few minutes later Shampoo and Shiro walked up to a small house.
They were nearly to the door when it opened and Cologne appeared in
the entry.
"Welcome home, child."
*****
Ranma paced back and forth outside the treatment room. Once the
doctor had stitched Akane's arm she had gone straight to Mishi, and he
hadn't seen her since. A policewoman had gone in to see them and take
their statements, and Ranma rushed over to her when she emerged from
the room.
"Are they coming out soon?"
"As soon as they find something for Miss Akamoto to wear."
The policewoman excused herself, and Ranma kept pacing. A minute
later he was joined by the police chief.
"Can you spare a minute, Saotome?"
Ranma looked surprised. He'd already given his statement. The two of
them sat down on a bench in the hallway.
"Your statement said when you got to the scene, you saw one man on the
ground and the other going after your wife. Who knocked out the first
man?"
"Akane did." It was impossible to miss the note of pride in Ranma's
voice. "She used a chi-blast on him."
The chief looked skeptical. "Yeah, sure she..."
He trailed off when he saw the glow between Ranma's palms.
"It's really quite simple once you learn."
The chief wisely ignored Ranma's comment and went on.
"Between the two of you, it looks like they're going to be in the
hospital for a while. Then I hope to put them away for a long time."
He paused, and Ranma wondered what was on the man's mind.
"I know you were defending your wife, but how many times did you hit
the guy after he was out?"
Ranma just stared at him, and didn't respond. He was certain he was
about to get arrested.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to charge you. Not this time."
"I don't know. Akane stopped me."
"Did she? Good girl. I don't want either of you getting into trouble
by taking the law into your own hands. Leave the rest of this to us."
Ranma nodded.
"Okay, but Akane and I didn't really have a choice at the time."
The chief nodded grimly. "No, you didn't." He stood up. "I've got
to get going. As I said before, I hope to put those two away for a
long time."
Ranma looked skeptical. "On rape charges? I don't know much about
this stuff but Akane says rapists get off easy most of the time. She
showed me an article about one guy who got sentenced to clean streets
once a month."
"The system is too easy on sexual offenders, Saotome. But attempted
murder? That's another story." He looked at his watch. "I'm late.
We'll contact you if we need anything."
He walked away, leaving Ranma staring. Attempted murder. If the
Nerima police had arrested everyone who had gone after him or Akane
the jail would have been stuffed, and he would have been there too for
his part in the mayhem. The authorities, however, had always seemed
blind and deaf to their activities. Ranma chuckled when he thought
about the way some of them turned pale when they saw him coming.
Then Ranma's amusement disappeared. Akane had nearly gotten herself
killed because she'd turned her back on an enemy. How could she have
been so careless? The more he thought about it, the angrier he got at
her.
*****
"You're sure you want to go home?"
"Yes! I don't want to stay."
"I don't think it's a good idea--"
"I want to go HOME!"
Akane's frustrated gaze went from her friend to the counselor, who had
been trying to get Mishi to stay overnight. "I guess we'll take her
home, then."
The counselor reached into her pocket and produced a card, which she
handed to Akane. "Hold onto this for her. Just in case she needs
me."
Akane helped Mishi into what was left of her coat and led her out to
the hallway. Ranma was pacing back and forth. He rushed over to them
immediately.
"I thought they'd never let you out!"
Mishi just looked at the floor. Akane put a protective arm around her
friend.
"It's okay, Mishi. Ranma's just worried about you." She looked at
her husband. "I promised Mishi we'd take her home. Can we get a
taxi? Mishi's coat isn't going to keep her very warm."
The ride to Mishi's apartment was a quiet one. Mishi seemed too
shaken to want to talk, and Akane was totally absorbed in looking
after her. Ranma was still quietly smoldering.
When they arrived Ranma exited the cab first and helped Akane out. He
went around to the other side of the cab, opened the door, and reached
for Mishi. She jumped, cried out, and moved further into the cab.
"Mishi?"
Akane pushed her husband out of the way and got back into the cab.
Mishi was curled up into a ball, sniffling. Akane put her arms around
her and hugged her.
"It's okay, Mishi. Nobody's going to hurt you."
It took a little bit of persuasion to get Mishi out of the cab, after
which Akane took her purse and located the key to the apartment. She
and Mishi disappeared into the bedroom while Ranma waited in the
kitchen. A couple of minutes later Akane opened the bedroom door and
came out.
"I want to make sure she eats something before we go."
She looked in the refrigerator and cupboards and fixed a simple meal
for the three of them. Akane left Ranma in the kitchen with his
dinner and brought hers into the bedroom with Mishi's. She was gone
for a very long time, and Ranma was beginning to wonder what was going
on when she finally returned.
"I'm sorry it took so long. I wanted to wait until Mishi went to
sleep before I left her. She's still awfully shaky."
"Can we go home now?"
Akane looked at Ranma in surprise. He seemed rather impatient.
"I'd like to wash the dishes first."
Ranma got up to help Akane, but she soon made him sit down again. He
was in such a hurry she was afraid he'd break everything. A few
minutes later they shut the lights and left.
*****
The moment they got outdoors Ranma snatched Akane off her feet and
took to the rooftops. He traveled at such a rate of speed that all
Akane could do was hold on and try to breathe. Minutes later they
landed on their roof. Ranma opened the kitchen window and practically
tossed Akane inside, then followed. Before she could even unbutton
her coat he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her against the
wall.
Akane looked at the fury in Ranma's eyes and experienced a split
second of fear. Then it left her. No matter how angry Ranma was, he
would never hurt her.
"How could you do something so STUPID, Akane!"
"What--what? What did I do?"
Ranma face went from furious to incredulous, then back to furious.
"YOU DON'T KNOW? You turned your back on an enemy! You let that guy
sneak up behind you!"
"I--I thought he was out cold! I was trying to take care of Mishi!"
Ranma dropped his hands from Akane's shoulders and spun away from her.
He paced around the room, trying unsuccessfully to calm down.
"That has got to be the dumbest thing you've EVER done! Never assume
an enemy is out, even if he's down! NEVER!"
Normally, the use of the word "dumb" would have enraged Akane. Not
this time. She was uncomfortably aware that Ranma was right.
Knowing it and admitting it were two different things. Akane just
stood there. Ranma waited for her to say something, feeling more and
more frustrated when she remained silent.
"Damn it, couldn't you even sense that the guy was there?"
Akane shook her head. Ranma threw his hands up in the air and started
pacing again. His father-in-law had really neglected Akane's
training. He forced himself to calm down and think before he said
anything more.
Akane watched apprehensively as Ranma continued to pace. She hadn't
seen him this angry in a long, long time, and the fact that he was
angry at her made it worse. When he finally stopped pacing and looked
at her she was very relieved to see that he appeared to be calmer.
"Take off your coat, Akane. Come sit down."
Once they were seated, Ranma sat quietly for a minute, looking down at
the table. Then he took a deep breath and began.
"What happened tonight made me think. There's lots of stuff I learned
that you ought to know. I can't figure out why--maybe your Dad didn't
teach you because he doesn't know it, or because he just stopped
teaching for so long. So I'll teach you."
"Ranma, I don't need--"
Ranma's shout stopped her mid-sentence. He was furious again, and she
could tell that he was fighting hard to maintain control of himself.
"Don't argue with me! That's one of your problems, Akane. You argue
and get mad when you need to be cool! If you get mad you lose your
concentration. You NEED to learn, and I'm going to teach you. Got
it?"
The intensity of Ranma's tone and the look in his eyes had Akane
convinced, even if she had to smother the desire to hit him.
"Got it."
Then Ranma deflated. He was yelling at his beautiful wife, the one he
loved more than anything in the world. And he was yelling at her
because she'd scared him to death. She was looking at him, eyes wide
in a pale face. The entire scene behind the gymnasium played out in
his mind again. If he'd been a second later he might not have a wife
to yell at. The concept overwhelmed him, and he began to cry. He
tried desperately to stop, but was unable to. Ranma tried to suppress
the crying by getting his anger back, but he was only able to bring it
up to a very low level. He pushed back his chair, got up, and pulled
his startled wife into his arms, practically crushing her against his
chest.
"Damn it, Akane, don't DO that to me again! I thought--it was just
like--Saffron..."
Ranma trailed off, unable to express what he was thinking, but what
he'd said was enough to make Akane understand what he was trying to
say. Ranma had thought her dead in Jusendo. She'd come close to
being killed tonight. And he was crying.
That was when the fear Akane hadn't felt at the time of the attack hit
her. At the time she had felt concern for Mishi, and fury at the men
hurting her. Now that it was all over and she was safe at home with
Ranma all the fear she should have felt when she was in danger washed
over her like a tidal wave. Akane began to shake. Then she burst
into tears, clutching Ranma as hard as he was holding her.
It wasn't long after she began to cry that the absurdity of the
situation struck her. Why was she crying now, especially when she was
in the safest place in her universe--Ranma's arms? Akane relaxed her
grip and her crying slowed down.
By that time Ranma had regained control, and his hold on Akane went
from a death grip to a gentle embrace. He picked Akane up and settled
her in his lap, wrapping his arms around her. Akane leaned against
him and closed her eyes. They remained that way for a long time
before Ranma stood up, Akane in his arms, and carried her off to bed.
Chapter 83
Shiro woke early to the sound of singing. Shampoo slept on while he
quietly got out of bed and went to the window. There was a group of
women walking by the house. They were singing a song he couldn't
quite understand, but that didn't matter to him. What entranced him
was the beauty of their voices. He watched them until they were out
of sight, and their voices faded. Then the song began again, but from
inside the bedroom.
Shampoo smiled at her husband when he turned around to look at her,
and she continued to sing. He sat on the bed, entranced, and listened
intently until she was finished.
"I've never heard you sing before. That was beautiful. I didn't get
all the words. Was that a morning song?"
"Yes. That was the first song my mother taught me when I was very
small."
"I love it. You'll have to teach our children to sing it."
"Oh yes, I will."
*****
Downstairs, Cologne listened to Shampoo singing as she prepared
breakfast. She hadn't heard her great-granddaughter sound so happy in
a long time.
[I only hope that Shiro will make a good impression here. He is a
nice young man, but they were expecting Ranma. What will they think
of Shiro? He's not the warrior they were looking for.]
"You look worried, Grandmother."
Cologne jumped. She'd been so busy thinking that her Shampoo's father
had been able to enter the kitchen without her noticing.
"I am, Li. I want Shiro to be accepted, but I'm afraid he isn't the
kind of husband the village expected Shampoo to bring home."
Li nodded. "Don't worry about it. Shiro and I had a talk last night,
and I gave him some advice. I like him better than Ranma, although I
never did get to know Ranma very well before I came home." Li paused,
and smiled. "Shiro and I have something in mind that should make him
very welcome here."
Cologne looked curious. "What would that be?"
"Oh no. Telling would spoil it. Just sit and watch."
*****
Shiro looked in the mirror, and combed his hair again. When Shampoo's
family had come to the house to meet him the previous night he had
been nervous, but their warm welcome had made him feel very much at
home. This was different. He was on his way to meet the Elders, and
Shampoo's description of them made him extremely uncomfortable. In
his mind, he saw several duplicates of Cologne, only these women were
unfriendly, unreasonable, and dangerous. The only ammunition he had
was the information he'd been supplied by his father-in-law.
"Do I look all right?"
"You already asked that. You look very handsome, Husband, but that is
not important. Our Elders will want to know what you can contribute
to our village."
"I know that."
When Shampoo began to look worried, Shiro enclosed her in a hug.
"Don't worry about it. Your father and I have it all figured out."
As Shiro left the house with Shampoo he tried hard to be as confident
as he had sounded.
*****
The Elders were waiting for him. They were seated behind a long
table, which held a teapot and several cups. There were other women
present, including Cologn, who were seated around the edges of the
room. One of the women poured Shiro and Shampoo tea, and welcomed
them.
"Welcome home, Shampoo. Please introduce us to your husband."
"Elders, this is my husband, Shiro Hayasuka."
Shiro inclined his head. "Pleased to meet you."
The oldest-looking woman gave a brief nod. "That remains to be seen.
I am Lili, this is Hyacinth, and this is Mai."
Shiro smiled. "I have a sister named Mai."
"That is unimportant right now. We want to know about you, not your
sister. What is it that you do in Japan?"
"Right now I am a student. I am in my first year at Sanna College."
"A student?"
"Yes."
Lili frowned. "And what can you as a student contribute to our
people? The man Shampoo went to Japan to marry was a warrior. He
would have added strong children to our village."
Shiro nodded nervously. "That would depend on what you would need
from me. I am studying botany."
There was silence, and Shiro began to worry. According to his
father-in-law, that statement should have triggered some sort of
reaction. He was beginning to sweat when one of the women in the room
cleared her throat.
"May I speak, Lili?"
"Yes, Lilac."
"We are experiencing difficulties with one of our crops. I would like
this young man to come with me to the fields. Perhaps he might
recognize the problem."
Lili gestured from Shiro to Lilac. "Go with her. We would like to
see what you know."
Lilac rose and left the room with Shiro and Shampoo following her.
She led them out of the village to a field. It was too early in the
year for anything to be growing, but the stubble of the previous
year's crop was still there. Shiro knelt down and began digging in
the earth to dislodge the roots of the dead plants.
"I've seen this before."
He gathered several samples, examining the roots and the dried stems.
"I didn't know the blight had reached China. It appeared here and
there in Japan, but there is a way to deal with it."
Lilac's serious expression turned to one of relief. "We lost most of
the crop last year. I didn't know what to do."
"The first thing I need to do is call my mother. She can get the
powder air freighted to us within a day or two. I'll show you how it
should be applied. How many fields do we need to treat?"
The two of them walked the fields, examining them. Shiro made some
notes, and they headed back to the village.
"Should I go back to the Elders?"
"No, make your phone call first."
Shiro phoned his mother, and then Lilac brought him back to the
Elders. They didn't seem to have moved at all since his departure.
"Lilac, has the young man given a satisfactory answer?"
"Yes, Lili. He identified the problem, and knows what needs to be
done."
"And that is?"
"There is a treatment that needs to be sprayed on the fields. We will
have it within a few days."
Lili raised an eyebrow.
"And how much is this going to cost us, young man?"
Shiro allowed himself to get indignant, keeping in mind what his
father-in-law had said: "Show some spirit, but don't be
disrespectful."
"Nothing! As Shampoo's husband that makes me part of her family. I
wouldn't charge my family for any help I gave them."
Shampoo nodded, and made her own contribution. "My husband is quite
wealthy, Lili. He can afford to do this."
Lili finally relaxed.
"Welcome, Shiro Hayasuka. You are not what we expected, but you have
proved yourself respectful and useful. Shampoo, have you chosen a
place to build your home?"
"We are not staying. I came to introduce my husband to you, and to
visit my family. We will be returning to Japan."
Lili looked at Shiro. "And why is this?"
"Elder Lili, I must return home. My mother needs me."
"Tell me about your mother."
"She is a widow, and lives in the house Father built for her, which is
next to our family business."
"Family business?"
"Yes. Hayasuka Florists grows flowers and exotic plants, and sells
them throughout Japan."
"And who owns and operates this business?"
"Mother does." Shiro carefully refrained from telling Lili that his
mother had never taken interest in running the business until after
his father's death.
Mai spoke for the first time: "A respectful boy, showing proper honor
to his mother. I like him."
Hyacinth nodded. "As do I."
Lili looked at her fellow elders, then turned back to Shiro and
Shampoo.
"Then you must return home. I do ask, however, that you visit as
often as you can. I would like you to share what you are learning
with Lilac and her assistants."
"With pleasure, Ma'am."
Lilac nodded enthusiastically and grabbed Shiro by the arm. "I want
to take you around the entire farm, and show you the greenhouses."
She dragged him out the door before he could say yes or no. All Shiro
had time to do was look back at his wife and shrug his shoulders.
Shampoo began to follow but Lili called her back.
"Shampoo, wait a moment."
Shampoo turned around, trying to suppress her nervousness.
"Yes?"
"I like your husband. Why did you marry him in place of the Saotome
boy?"
"Ranma was honor-bound to marry someone else. Besides that, he loves
her."
Then Shampoo laughed. "I don't think he would have made a very good
husband. He is too proud, stubborn and independent to be happy living
here. But that doesn't matter one way or the other. I didn't marry
him." Then she grew serious. "Shiro is a good husband, and I think
you will appreciate him more when you get to know him better."
Lili frowned. Shampoo's response was very close to being
disrespectful. Then the truth of her statement sank in. The last
thing they needed was a young man among them who wouldn't listen to
authority.
"We will see. You may go now."
*****
Li looked up from the book he was reading when Shampoo came in.
"Where is your husband?"
"Touring the farm with Lilac. She'll probably keep him busy for
hours."
"Good. I wanted to talk to you alone."
Shampoo immediately became very concerned. She sat next to her father
and held onto his hands so hard that he winced.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing! Nothing at all! In fact, I wrote to you a few days ago but
you were already gone. I have very good news for you."
He reached down, picked up a small bag sitting on the floor, and
handed it to his daughter. When she looked inside she found a change
of clothes and a towel. Her expression turned from expectant to
completely confused.
"I don't understand."
"Plum was here a few days ago. She wanted you to know that the
springs came back."
"WHAT?"
"She and her father thought they'd made a terrible mistake when they
drained the lake and nothing happened. Then a little bit of water
started to appear in a couple of the springs, but they weren't the
ones we'd be interested in. Not unless you wanted to become a mouse
or a snake. It took months for the rest of the water to return. Now
all of the springs have been restored."
"So that means...that means..." As the impact of what Li had told his
daughter hit her, Shampoo reeled. [I'm NEVER going to be a cat
again!]
Then she jumped to her feet, hugging the bag against her. "Tell Shiro
I'll be back soon. Don't tell him where I've gone--I want to surprise
him!"
Seconds later Henna looked up from her play and tried to stop Shampoo
as she ran by. Shampoo nearly ran her down and then turned around.
"I'm sorry! Are you all right?"
Henna looked a little shaken but she still smiled at her big cousin.
I'm okay. Will you play with me?"
"I can't right now. I have to go away for a while."
"But you've been away for ages! Play now!"
"I can't. I promise I'll play with you later."
Shampoo sped off leaving Henna with a very frustrated look on her
face, one which quickly turned to rebellion as she ran off after her
cousin.
*****
The springs were just the way Shampoo remembered them before the
flood, except for one thing. Someone had put up signs next to many of
them, so that she could see what they were.
"Duck, Panda, Monkey, Man. Man! I have to get some jugs!"
Shampoo kept walking and reading. There was no sign for Spring of
Drowned Girl. Then she heard a voice calling her.
"Shampoo! I didn't know you were home!"
Plum was running up, a huge smile on her face.
"I came to visit with my husband."
"Husband?" Plum opened her mouth to ask, then hesitated. It wasn't
likely that Shampoo would have married Ranma. Or was it?
"Why didn't you bring him with you?"
"Shiro is busy helping Lilac. I can't find the Spring of Drowned
Girl. Do you know which one it is?"
"Oh yes, I'm helping Father map the springs."
Plum walked around the edge of the springs, and pointed to one. "This
is it."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
That was enough for Shampoo. She took off her shoes and jumped in.
>From behind a bush not far away, Henna watched. Why was Cousin
Shampoo taking a bath in a spring? With her clothes on? She observed
as Shampoo got out, pulled off her wet clothes, and toweled off. Her
curiosity finally got the better of her, and she decided to see for
herself what was so special about this place. She was getting close
to one of the springs when there was a scream from behind her.
"HENNA! NO!!!"
Henna stopped short. Obedience to one's elders was something drilled
into the children of her village, and this time it averted disaster.
A half-clothed Shampoo dashed over to Henna, picked her up, and
carried her well away from the springs.
"This is a very dangerous place! Why did you follow me?"
The little girl began to sniffle. "I missed you. I wanted to be with
you."
Shampoo's expression changed from fright to affection, and she gave
Henna a hug.
"I understand that, but this is not a place you should be. These
springs are cursed." She turned to Plum. "Which one is that?" she
asked, pointing to the spring Henna had been approaching.
"That is the Spring of Drowned Fox."
"Do you know what would have happened if you would have gone into that
spring?"
"No," was Henna's whispered reply.
"You would have turned into a fox, and you would have been cursed to
be a fox any time you were hit with cold water."
"Then why did you go into a spring? I don't understand!"
"Can you keep a secret?"
Henna nodded enthusiastically. "Yes!!"
"I had a curse. I just cured it."
"Honest? What would you become?"
"A cat. But I will NEVER be a cat again."
Little Henna just grinned. Shampoo patted her head, and finished
dressing. Then she got three jugs, filled them with water from the
Spring of Drowned Man, and started the walk back to Joketsuzoku.
Henna walked with her, carrying one of the jugs.
*****
Akane was seated in her usual place when Ranma arrived in the
cafeteria for lunch. He knew something was wrong when she didn't
greet him with a smile.
"Something wrong, Akane?"
"Yes. I haven't seen Mishi all morning. I don't think she came to
campus. I think I'm going to skip culinary arts and go check on her."
"Want me to come along?"
A hint of a smile came to Akane's face.
"Please."
Akane had to ring the doorbell a couple of times before she heard the
footsteps coming. Mishi opened the door a crack. She still had the
security chain on, and Akane could see through the crack that Mishi
was in her bathrobe, her hair uncombed. When Mishi saw that it was
Akane standing there she undid the chain and opened the door wider.
Then she spotted Ranma, and her expression changed. The Saotomes
watched in shock when Mishi turned pale and backed away from the door.
Akane pushed Ranma further back into the hallway and entered the
apartment by herself.
"Mishi, it's just Ranma. You've known him as long as you've known me.
He won't hurt you."
Mishi just stood there. She was shaking so hard Akane was afraid she
was going to fall down, so she took her friend by the hand and led her
to the living room where she seated her on the couch. Akane sat
beside Mishi and pulled her friend into her arms, gently patting her
back. Then Mishi began to cry.
"Don't cry. It's all right. Nobody's going to hurt you."
"I know, I know."
"They're going to jail, Mishi. Do you believe that?"
Mishi nodded, and continued to sob.
Ranma listened to the sobbing from the hallway and decided it was time
for him to come in. He entered the apartment, locked the door behind
him and walked into the living room. Mishi jumped when she saw him
but forced herself to acknowledge Ranma with a nod and half a smile.
Ranma was encouraged to see that and knelt down next to her.
"Mishi, it's me. I came to help last night, remember?"
He didn't get a reply, but was glad to see Mishi look a little calmer.
"Why are you scared of me?"
Akane answered for her.
"Is it because he's a guy?"
Mishi looked at the floor. When she picked her head up she looked
very embarrassed.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Well, I can fix that." Ranma walked into the kitchen, where the
girls could hear him at the sink. When he returned he was female.
"Is that better?"
The reaction he got wasn't what he expected. Mishi stared at him, and
then began to laugh. It wasn't a hysterical laugh, but a genuinely
amused one. Then she reached out and hugged him.
"Oh Ranma, you're SO funny! I know it's still you!" She laughed a
while longer, and then wiped her eyes. "But that was so nice of you!"
"Hey, you're my friend. I don't like becoming a girl, but if it'll
make you feel better I will."
Mishi's response was to go into the kitchen and put on the teakettle.
"You did. Thank you."
"But what about other guys? You can't stay in here forever--OOF!"
Akane's elbow in the ribs cut Ranma off. "Dummy!" she whispered.
"How could you say something like that!"
"But you asked her if she was scared at me 'cause I'm a guy!"
"Just let me talk to her, okay?"
Akane entered the kitchen and opened her purse. She took out the card
the counselor had given her at the hospital, and put it down on the
kitchen counter. "I really think you should make an appointment to
see her, Mishi. You need to talk this out."
"Okay." Mishi handed the teakettle to Ranma, picked up the card, and
called the hospital. When she got off the phone both Ranma and Akane
gave her smiles of approval.
"Do you feel up to coming to campus this afternoon?"
Mishi shook her head. "I'll come tomorrow."
"Do you want us to come walk you there?"
They watched as Mishi considered the offer. Then her head came up,
and the pride and independence Mishi had always shown was there--at
least a little of it.
"No. I have to do this myself. If I need you I'll call."
"You can count on us."
*****
The walk from Jusenkyo to Joketsuzoku was a long one, and Henna was
tired by the time she got there. Shampoo would have carried her had
she not been carrying two jugs of water.
"I hope your mother isn't looking for you, or we're both in trouble."
Henna shook her head.
"Mother is busy today. She's teaching."
Shampoo looked relieved. Her aunt was one of the martial arts
teachers, and hopefully had been too busy with her students to notice
her daughter's absence. The sky was darkening with the threat of rain
when they returned, and Shampoo was very thankful to discover that
Henna hadn't been missed. Henna's arms were beginning to hurt from
the weight of the jug, so Shampoo took it from her.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Henna. Then we can play."
"Thank you! Bye!"
Henna ran off, and Shampoo hurried to her father's house. The door
flew open as she approached, and Shiro ran out. He took two of the
jugs, and led her inside.
"Where have you been? Your father wouldn't tell me."
Shampoo set her jug down on a shelf, and gestured to Shiro to put his
beside it.
"Come, husband."
She led him back to the door and opened it. It had begun to pour, and
Shiro thought his wife had gone mad when she dragged him out into the
rain, grabbed him, and kissed him thoroughly. When Shampoo finally
let go of her soaked husband and began to laugh he was completely
confused.
"What's going on?"
Shampoo pointed up at the sky, and at herself. "Look at me! I'm NOT
a cat!"
"You're not a..." Shiro left the rest of the thought unfinished,
grabbed his wife, and picked up where they'd left off.
*****
"I wish you could stay longer. Are you sure you can't?"
Cologne looked rather sad as she asked the question.
"I'm sorry, Great-Grandmother. Shiro needs to get back to school.
Won't you come home with us?"
"Not yet. I want to spend some more time with my family."
"I think we can stay one more day." Shiro paused, and looked at
Cologne a little nervously. "I've been doing a little thinking.
You've introduced me to a lot of people in the family. Are most of
them in on the equal partnership between spouses thing?"
Cologne looked at Shiro curiously. Why was he bringing this up?
"Yes, most of them. Why?"
"How much of the population of the town do they make up?"
Shampoo took a sharp breath. She was beginning to see what her
husband was getting at, and watched Cologne intently as she replied.
"About 45 percent...oh my...are you thinking?"
"Yes. If it was just one or two families, I'd say to keep it a
secret, but there are a lot of you. I wonder how it would affect your
people if you went public."
"That is a very good question, and one I can't answer immediately.
This is something we'll have to meet on."
Cologne gave Shiro one of her rare smiles.
"I like you better every day."
Chapter 84
Akane was having an early morning cup of tea in the cafeteria when
Mishi walked in. It was the first time she'd ventured onto campus
since the attack. She looked around nervously, spotted Akane, and ran
over to sit with her. Mishi sat down, opened her mouth to speak, and
turned pale. Akane had a purple bruise on her cheekbone.
"What happened? I don't remember you getting hit the other night?"
Her friend grinned sheepishly. "Actually, that's Ranma's fault. Does
it look that bad?"
She hadn't counted on the violence of Mishi's reaction. "What do you
mean it's Ranma's fault! He HIT you?"
Mishi was on the point of rising from her chair, intent on finding
Ranma and giving him a piece of her mind, when Akane patted her hand.
"Don't misunderstand, Mishi. We were practicing, and he got a good
hit in."
"Wait a minute! You said Ranma never hits you when you practice."
"That was before. We started a whole new training program yesterday."
Akane took a sip of tea and giggled. "You should have seen his face
the first time he hit me. I thought he was going to be sick. As it
is, I can tell he pulled the punch."
"He's pulling his punches and you're that bruised?"
"Ha! You think that bruise is bad? You should see the ones on my
arms and legs. Trust me, Mishi, if Ranma ever used his full strength,
there wouldn't be enough left of me to sweep up."
"Eep," was all Mishi had to say when Akane finished her statement with
a laugh and a shrug.
"The bruises don't bother me. What bothered me was when Ranma
wouldn't fight me. Now that he's made up his mind that he's going to
be my sensei, he has to treat me like he'd treat any other student,
whether I'm a girl or not."
"What does that have to do with it?"
"Ranma has this thing against hitting girls. Especially me."
Akane looked at her watch and pushed her chair back. "I'm going to be
late!" She would have run off, but Mishi grabbed her arm.
"Please walk me to my class."
*****
"I hope Mishi's appointment with the counselor went well this
afternoon. When I walked her to her first class she jumped ten feet
any time a guy came hear us." Akane got up from the table and started
to put the leftovers away. "She's so nervous. Do you think a little
martial arts training would make her more confident?"
"That's not a bad idea," responded Ranma. Why don't you suggest it to
her--but be sure to say you'll teach her. Right now I don't think
she'll want a guy to do it."
"Right."
Akane stacked the dinner dishes and walked them over to the sink.
Ranma followed, doing his best to distract her.
"Cut that out! I want to get this done so we can go to bed!"
"Why don't we just skip the cleaning up and go now?"
Ranma stopped Akane halfway back to the table and pulled her close for
a kiss. She started to melt, but then pushed him away.
"I hate waking up in the morning to greasy dishes in the sink." Then
she looked up at him and batted her eyelashes. "If you help I'll get
done faster."
Akane washed, Ranma dried, and they were done quickly. Then the phone
rang. Ranma tossed the dish towel onto the counter and picked it up.
Akane listened curiously to Ranma's half of the conversation.
"Hello. Shiro? Where are you calling from? Oh! Yes, I'll be home
tomorrow afternoon, why? Okay, see you then. Right."
Ranma hung up, and laughed. "I can't believe he called from China.
For some reason, he wanted to be sure I'd be home tomorrow afternoon."
"I wonder why. Too bad I have to work--I'd love to see Shiro and
Shampoo."
"I kinda get the idea Shiro won't have Shampoo with him when he comes
tomorrow."
"Oh really? What makes--" The rest of Akane's sentence was cut off
as Ranma scooped her up and carried her off to the bedroom.
*****
Akane woke and smiled at her sleeping husband. [Another night that we
didn't study...he's going to fail that English class.] She kissed his
cheek, and he immediately responded by wrapping his arms around her.
"No time for that! I've got to make breakfast."
Ranma grudgingly let go of Akane, and headed for the shower. When he
got out Akane had breakfast ready.
"I was thinking, Akane. That chi-blast you threw was red, wasn't it?"
"Yes."
"Why was it a different color?"
Akane took a few sips of her miso soup while she thought. "I think
because I didn't power it with confidence." She chuckled, and
continued. "Those guys laughed at me, and made fun of me. I got so
mad! When I threw that blast, my hands were fists."
"Wow. Then you need to have a name for it. Moko takabisha won't
fit."
"You're right." Akane thought for a minute. "Nothing. Do you have
any ideas?"
"How about ikari kobushi?"
"Yes! 'Rage fist' describes it perfectly."
*****
When they got to campus, Akane sought out Mishi and made the offer to
give her some self-defense training. Mishi seemed rather surprised,
but accepted the offer.
"I can't start right away, Akane. I'm going to be seeing the
counselor for a while, and that's going to eat up some of my spare
time."
Akane nodded. "When you're ready, let me know." Then the friends
separated and went to their classes.
*****
That afternoon, Ranma walked Akane to the day care center and headed
for the apartment. He hadn't been home for more than a few minutes
before the doorbell rang, and he ran downstairs to let Shiro in.
Shiro was carrying a large carton, and Ranma carefully refrained from
asking what was in it.
"You look great, Shiro. I guess that means the Elders didn't tear you
to pieces."
"Actually, I think they like me! They wanted me to stay."
"How did you manage to get away?"
Shiro laughed. "I told them my mother needed me. They thought I was
a nice respectful boy who takes good care of his mother."
"You mean you aren't?" Ranma had tried to ask the question with a
straight face, but he couldn't help laughing.
"Most of the time...but that's not why I'm here." Shiro pushed the
box into Ranma's hands. "Open it."
Ranma found himself holding a large plastic jug, which appeared to be
full of water. He could think of only one reason Shiro would bother
bringing him water all the way from China.
"Jusenkyo?"
"Yes. Shampoo's cured, and now it's your turn. I've got two more
jugs at home--one for your father, and one for Ryoga." Shiro looked
at Ranma, who was just sitting there staring at the jug, and began to
get a little impatient with his friend. "Hey, are you going to USE
that stuff or not?"
He nearly got knocked over when Ranma stood up and dashed into the
bathroom. Shiro ran after him. Ranma started to tear off his
clothes, hesitated when he realized Shiro was standing next to him,
and left his underwear on. [If this doesn't work, I'm not gonna let
Shiro see my girl side with nothing on!] Then he got into the shower
stall with the jug.
"Why don't you let me help?" Shiro took the jug and carefully poured
the water over Ranma, trying to make sure he didn't miss a spot. Then
they both held their breath as Ranma turned on the cold water.
Ranma closed his eyes as the water hit him, waiting for the familiar
feeling of change.
Nothing.
He waited as he grew colder and colder.
Still nothing.
Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at himself. His teeth were
chattering, but he was still male. He turned on the hot water for a
minute to warm himself up, and then took the towel Shiro was holding
out for him.
"Thank you. It's not enough--but I don't know HOW to thank you."
Shiro shook his head.
"Nope, the way I look at it I owed you."
"Huh?"
"I wouldn't have met Shampoo if not for you."
"Where is she, anyway?"
"Grocery shopping. I suppose she'll be home soon."
Ranma grabbed his friend by the shoulders and pushed him toward the
door. "Go home to your wife. If I know Shampoo, she's making you
something special."
Shiro lit up. "I'm going to get fat, I just know it. But what a way
to go! I'll bring the water for your father tomorrow. Do you want me
to give Ryoga his water?"
"Yeah. I don't want Akane asking me why I have TWO jugs."
"Aren't you ever going to tell her?"
"Not if I can help it!"
*****
Ranma sat down and tried to study. He was having a great deal of
trouble with his English course, and had planned to use this quiet
time alone to catch up. Now he was too excited to concentrate.
He put the books way and looked in the refrigerator. [Maybe I should
cook dinner. That will keep me busy.]
*****
[Something smells good. Did Ranma cook?]
Akane hurried up the last flight of stairs, and opened the apartment
door. The table was set, something was bubbling on the stove, and
Ranma was seated at the table sipping a glass of ice water.
"You cooked dinner! Thanks!"
"I felt like it. No big deal."
"Did Shiro come over?"
"Yup."
"Well, what did he want to see you about that was so important?"
"Nothing much," said Ranma, trying but not succeeding to keep the
excitement out of his manner. "Just this." With that, he picked up
his glass and dumped it over his head. He got rather wet, and the ice
cubes went skidding across the mats, but nothing else happened.
For a second, it looked like Akane didn't understand what was
happening. Then her eyes widened, her knees buckled, and she sank to
the floor. Ranma jumped out of his chair and knelt beside her.
"You okay?"
"You--you--you're not a girl!" were the only words Akane was able to
get out before she threw herself into his arms. She had begun to
sniffle and Ranma patted her back while he talked.
"Shiro brought me a jug of water from Jusenkyo. Shampoo is cured too,
and Shiro has water for Pop."
"I can't believe it! Oh, Ranma--you must be so happy!"
Ranma's kisses were enough to convince Akane that she was right. He
picked her up, turned off the stove, and sat down with her in his lap.
They continued to kiss and caress each other, almost deliriously
happy. Ranma was unbuttoning Akane's blouse when she began to giggle.
"What's so funny?"
"I just thought of something. I've always wanted to walk in the rain
with you. Now we can."
Ranma looked out the window. There was no sign of rain.
"Later."
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