Aw heck, why not throw this fic in, see what you guys think.
Disclaimer: This is a crazy idea...
Unchained Memory
Prologue
"So, he doesn't remember a thing?"
"The Xi Fa Xiang Gao has been defeated before. But that was only if
the person was strong enough to break it themselves."
"So we should be fine then, right?"
"We should be."
* * *
"Miss Shampoo." called a voice from the door.
"What is it Mousse?" asked Shampoo.
"I was wondering, if you weren't busy that is, if you would help
train me? Like you did back in Japan?" he asked timidly.
<Training?> thought Shampoo. "I guess rejections were changed into
'training sessions'." she muttered.
"What was that Shampoo? I didn't hear you."
Shampoo shook her head. "No, it's nothing. I'll be right out."
* * *
Shampoo got into a ready stance while Mousse seemed to be reluctant
to fight. "Uh, Elder told me that I should practice barehanded
techniques. Could you please go easier on me?"
She sighed and said, "Okay. I'm ready."
* * *
"Matriarch! Matriarch! You've got to come quick." shouted Mousse,
tripping over everything in the way.
"What is it child?" Cologne said exasperated.
"We, uh, we- me and Shampoo were sparring and I uh, that is I-. I
hit her too hard and she's unconscious." said the worried boy.
<Oh no.> Cologne thought, sprinting to the site.
* * *
Slowly, Shampoo awoke to see the worried faces of Mousse and
Cologne.
"Shampoo, I'm really sorry about this. I didn't know what I did. I
just-" Mousse rambled.
"Mousse, please leave us for now. I need to talk with her."
commanded Cologne.
"Y-yes. I understand. I'm sorry Shampoo." he said, leaving.
"I'm sorry Great-grandmother." said Shampoo. "I never expected him
to fight so well. I didn't even see it coming."
"Oh dear." sighed Cologne. She took out her pipe and started
smoking it. "We go through all the trouble of making him forget his love
for you and you go and lose to him in a fight."
"Maybe you could command him not to tell anyone what happened?"
asked Shampoo. "Then we could go on business as usual."
"Yes. That would be just fine. No one need to know of what happened
here." said Cologne.
* * *
Mousse leaned back against the wall, await Cologne's entrance.
<How could I have been so stupid.> he cursed himself. <Now I'll
probably be sent back home.>
The very quiet sound of the door opening snapped him out of his
thoughts. He bowed down and said, "Honored Matriarch, please forgive me.
I should have been more careful. Please don't send me back home. I still
want to see more of this world."
Cologne calculated the risk and asked, "You have beaten my
granddaughter. Do you wish to take her hand in marriage?"
"What?" Mousse had expected a punishment for his actions, not a
blessing. He caught himself and said, "I mean no dishonor, but marrying
Shampoo would be, like marrying my sister. She deserves a full man, not
one cursed with my vision and animal form."
Cologne smiled, "So there is no problem then. Besides, she has
already given the Kiss of Marriage to Ranma."
"Ranma?" Mousse asked. "The man who has captured Shampoo's heart. I
wish to meet him soon."
"You will probably meet him this week, he comes by often." said
Cologne.
"I look forward to it." said Mousse.
* * *
Deep inside her private study, Cologne was hunched over parchments
several decades, if not hundreds of years old. The boy was acting
strangely. She pulled of the Xi Fa Xiang Gao perfectly, and used the
exact amount of Formula 959. Now, instead of merely forgetting of his
love for Shampoo, he'd forgotten various other things yet retained
others.
Finding nothing, she sighed and put the parchments back to their
shelves. She took out the bottle for Formula 959. It still had enough
for at least two more memory wipes. If the outcome of this memory
erasure didn't suit her needs, she could still reapply the technique to
him and start all over again.
Part 1
Taking a deep breath, Ranma opened the door that could easily his
doom.
"Nihao Ranma!" shouted Shampoo after she'd served a customer. In a
single bound, she was at Ranma's side, his arm in her vice-like grip.
"Ranma come marry Shampoo?"
"Actually, the regular ramen would be just fine." said Ranma
dejectedly.
"Okay Airen." said Shampoo, fetching his food.
Inside the kitchen, Cologne tapped her granddaughter and said,
"Shampoo. Notice how sad Son-in-law looks? Go and comfort him. Remember
to be gentle. Try to listen to him."
Shampoo nodded and sat across from Ranma. Placing his bowl in front
of him, she asked, "Something wrong Airen?"
Ranma paused and looked at who was talking to him. Shampoo just
talking for him once? And not glomping onto him? "Well, Akane's cooking
tonight and I just wanna get some real food before I have to eat that
stuff." He then started at his food with a gusto.
From the kitchen, Mousse emerged with food filled trays and
delivered them to the waiting customers. Spying Shampoo looking lovingly
at a man he didn't recognize, he approached the table, all the while
sizing up the man. His posture and movements spoke of his martial arts
training. Didn't Cologne say his name was, "Ranma?"
At his name, Ranma stood up and took a ready stance. A visit to the
Nekohanten wouldn't be complete with a challenge from Mousse.
Mousse surveyed the man's stance and could find no holes in his
defense. "So you are the man who defeated Shampoo. It's obvious from
your posture that you are far too skilled for me to beat you."
Ranma's usual poker face revealed his surprise, but his face turned
grim when Mousse's hand moved towards him.
"Take good care of her." Mousse said, clapping his hand on Ranma's
shoulder.
Ranma watched as Mousse left for the kitchen on another errand.
"What the hell was that?" he asked Shampoo.
"Mousse finally see light and decide not to fight for Shampoo." she
answered.
"Uh sure Shampoo." said Ranma, having second thoughts about having
wolfed down his food.
"RANMA!" called out a voice from outside. Seconds later, Akane
entered, cooking mitts on and carrying a bowl of what looked like soup.
"I slave over a hot stove for god knows how long and you come here for
dinner?!"
Most of the patrons already knew about their 'relationship' but the
situation demanded a punishment. They all held onto Ranma while Akane
scooped up a generous helping of goop.
Ranma thought fast. "Shampoo dropped her top!" he shouted. The guys
looked and the girls hit their boyfriends. The distraction gave Ranma
the seconds he needed to escape the restaurant.
Akane shrugged her shoulders and sat at a vacated table. She
ignored the sounds of melee combat and the ushering of the Chinese trio.
She tried a spoonful of her latest recipe. She was still quite a
distance away from Kasumi's perfection but she was improving. If only
Ranma bothered to eat her cooking more often, he'd notice her
improvements.
"Is something wrong miss?" asked a blur.
Akane wondered when she'd started crying. "It's fine. I should have
gotten used to it by now." she said. Wiping away the tears, she watched
as Mousse took a seat opposite from her.
"Gotten used to what?" he asked.
Surely everybody in Nerima knew of her cooking. Didn't they?
"Everybody says my cooking is horrible. Ranma would rather go to either
Ukyo's or here to get his meals." she said sadly.
Mousse fished out a spoon from his robes. Akane nodded at his
unanswered question. It was almost as if he didn't know what he was
getting himself into: he took a full spoonful. Putting it to his mouth,
Akane tensed at his reaction. There was a slight quirk of his eyebrows
but there were no signs of fainting.
"Egg drop soup and-" Mousse paused, analyzing what he'd tasted.
"-wontons?"
Akane nodded vigorously. "Yes! Yes it is."
"Well, one thing's for sure, it's not horrible. I wouldn't mind
eating this." he mused.
<But I cooked it for Ranma...> Akane thought to herself.
Mousse read her features and said, "If you want, I could help you
track down Ranma so he could taste it."
"No. It's alright. It would probably be cold by then." Akane
admitted. "Go ahead and eat it if you want."
"Thank you." Mousse said, taking in another spoonful. "Just in time
for my break."
Akane mentally replaced Mousse with Ranma. How she wished to see
Ranma eating her food as vigorously as Mousse did.
"By the way, why are you after Ranma?" Mousse asked. "Does he mean
something to you?"
<He may not have known about my cooking but there's no way he
couldn't know that.> Akane stomped towards the female Amazons and gave
them a withering glare. "What have you done to Mousse?"
"Nothing." said Cologne.
"You used that memory erasing shampoo on him didn't you." said
Akane, pointing an accusing finger. "Bring him back to normal."
"Shampoo do nothing to Mousse." said Shampoo. "Mousse see light and
stop chasing Shampoo around."
Akane whirled on her heels and asked the male, "Is that true?"
"Yes-" Mousse started.
Time stopped for Akane. If someone as loyal as Mousse could give up
the woman he loved, Ranma would be breaking the engagement any day now.
"Good night" Akane blurted out before speeding home.
"- Shampoo's a grown woman now, she no longer needs me as her
bodyguard." Mousse adjusted his glasses. "Where'd she go?"
"Home probably." Cologne answered him. "Boy, are you feeling
alright? I've heard stories about that girl's cooking. Will you be
needing medicinal herbs?"
A water bottle was flicked out of his robes and set beside the bowl
of soup Akane had left behind. "In all honest, it is overly salty, but
all you need is something bland or maybe even sweet to balance out the
taste." He drank several gulps of water then said, "She never answered
me but, why was she cooking for Ranma?"
"Their parents decided to join their schools by engaging their
children." answered Cologne.
"So, it's not their choice?"
"No, it's not." Cologne stopped. "Why?"
Mousse smiled slightly, "There's just something about that girl."