This is the last chapter that I've written so far... it's also the
longest chapter I've written to date. I hope you enjoy it as much as I
enjoyed writing it.
Ranma 1/2 -- The Contract
Chapter 7: Shampoo's Razor-Sharp Memory
Hikaru Gosunkugi whistled as he walked down the street. Things were
going well for a change! He'd finally restored his collection of Akane
photos to an admirable size (although it had cost him a fortune in film
and developing chemicals), and had at last constructed a new voodoo doll
of her using more traditional ingredients. It would be considerably less
effective than his last effort, but he had no desire to turn Akane into
a zombie again... He remembered her undying devotion to him and
shuddered. Somehow, the prospect had lost its appeal once he'd had a
taste of it.
This time, however, he had taken precautions. No potions, no
brainwashing, and a doll that exerted only limited control. Akane would
still be in control of her mind... but her body would follow his every
command. She would be forced to go anywhere he wanted her to, including
on a date with him...
Hikaru paused in his tracks. How was this any different from what he
had done before? Even if Akane was in full control of her mind, if her
body was at his beck and call, was she any less a slave? But that was
the point! She would never have anything to do with him on her -
A sharp pain in Hikaru's finger abruptly punctuated his thought. He
looked down to realize that while he had been lost in contemplation, his
feet had continued moving of their own accord, and the pin that was
meant to end up in the voodoo doll at the appropriate moment had instead
found a happy home in his fingertip. He wiped the dot of blood on his
shirt and continued on his way, watching the pin carefully to be sure
that it didn't try to stab him again. Unfortunately, this diverted his
attention from where he was going, causing him to bump into a figure who
very quickly became irate.
"Watch where you're going, you witless oaf!" shouted Kodachi.
"You've made me drop the contract!"
"Sorry," said Hikaru, bending to pick up the fallen piece of paper.
As he handed it back to Kodachi, a hand reached out of the air between
them to grab the contract and draw it into another space. "Hey! Where
did it go?" he asked.
"That was the contract that would forever secure my marriage to
Ranma!" shouted Kodachi. "It was supposed to be signed with the blood of
my beloved, not..." - she stared Hikaru up and down, searching for an
appropriate epithet - "an ill-bred string bean like you!"
Hikaru's head spun. "Contract? Blood? Marriage?"
Kodachi grabbed Hikaru's left hand and held it in front of his face.
"Understand this, you brainless idiot! When you touched the paper, your
blood left its imprint! Now we are engaged to be married!"
Hikaru's eyes managed to focus on the spot of blood adorning his
fingertip. "A contract... signed in blood?" He suddenly sprang at
Kodachi and shook her by the shoulders. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?!"
Kodachi grabbed Hikaru's hands and removed them from her person. "If
you ever touch me again, string bean, I will make you regret it. My body
is only for the hands of my darling Ranma!"
"Forget about Ranma!" shouted Hikaru. "If we don't get that contract
back and tear it up, we're going to have to marry each other!"
"Never!" protested Kodachi. "I will never marry the likes of you!
How dare you even suggest such a thing?"
"You don't have any say in the matter," said Hikaru. "Both of our
signatures were on the contract, and it's obviously a very powerful
document. I'm sure it has enough power to enforce itself."
Kodachi snorted. "How utterly ridiculous. I am a Kuno! No contract
can bind a Kuno against her will! I'll simply hire the best lawyers in
Nerima. That's all..."
Hikaru shook his head. "You really don't understand... the forces
controlling the contract are far above human law. I don't think there's
anything we can do to get out of it."
"That's not what I want to hear!" shouted Kodachi, slapping Hikaru
in the face. Her own head snapped backward from the impact.
"Are you okay?" asked Hikaru as she collapsed to the ground from the
force of her own blow.
"Ouch."
"I'll go get help!" said Hikaru. He turned and ran, but barely made
it ten steps before a wrenching feeling in his gut pulled him backwards.
Kodachi moaned in pain.
"Hurry!" she shouted. "This pain... I can't endure it!"
"I feel it too!" replied Hikaru. "It feels like it's pulling me
toward you!" He tentatively took a step toward Kodachi, and the pain
eased a bit. "I think that's it... somehow, the contract won't let us
separate."
"That can't be!" shouted Kodachi. "We're worlds apart! I can't be
seen with the likes of you!" She leapt to her feet and ran away from
Hikaru... only to fall to her knees, clutching her stomach. "Why? Why
did this happen?"
Hikaru walked over to Kodachi, noting that the pain faded with each
step until it disappeared completely when he was only a few feet away.
"Well, you signed the contract first..."
"Don't you dare touch me!" she snapped.
"Well, we're going to be married, like it or not," began Hikaru.
Kodachi elbowed him in the gut, only to receive a stomachache for her
troubles. "And I don't think it's a good idea for you to hit me," he
added. "You're only hurting yourself."
"Do you think I don't know that?" She grabbed his arm roughly to
pull herself up, wincing at the slight pain in her own arm. "Come on,
string bean."
"Where are we going?" asked Hikaru as she moved along, dragging him
in her wake.
"We're going to find that strange man and get him to revoke his
stupid contract!"
"We should probably start the search at my house," advised Hikaru.
"I have reference books that will help us figure out what -"
"Shut up. We're going this way, whether you like it or not!"
"But shouldn't we at least -"
"No."
"But..."
"Not another word!" She jerked his arm suddenly, causing him to drop
the doll and pin. "It's bad enough that I have to endure your presence
without hurting you. I do not care to be constantly reminded of it." She
started off again, pulling Hikaru with her. He watched the doll
forlornly until Kodachi rounded a corner, cutting the doll off from his
sight. Minutes later, the doll was scooped up happily.
"Bernadette! You're so cute!"
*************************************************
Shampoo felt a strange pulling in her stomach, drawing her toward
the kitchen of the Cat Cafe. She was tempted to get up and go to Razor,
but stopped and forced herself back into her seat. It was just the
contract, she told herself. The contract was manipulating her mind,
making her feel as though she were in love with Razor. It had to be! It
had the power to prevent her from kissing, and now touching, any man but
Razor... now it was twisting her heart as well. The sensation of longing
had certainly grown much stronger over the past few minutes, but it felt
somehow artificial now. The new force pulling her toward Razor was
definitely from the contract... but it was nothing like the feeling
she'd had before! That feeling had been so true... emotional rather than
physical.
Shampoo laid her head in her hands, resting her elbows on the table.
Those feelings couldn't have appeared out of nowhere! She tried to
remember what she could of Razor back then, when both of them were still
living in the Amazon village...
*************************************************
"Please, stop!" shouted the helpless six-year-old as his tribal
brothers and sisters flocked around him, chanting and poking him with
sticks. He grabbed at the sticks, but every time he managed to get hold
of one, he merely stabbed himself with it. Before long, the children
were letting him grab their sticks just to watch him helplessly spear
himself, unable to understand why his hands wouldn't follow his mental
instructions to throw the sticks away.
"Razor! Razor!" they chanted.
"Away going should you!" shouted Razor furiously. "Me leaving alone
should you!"
The children laughed. "Listen to him talk! Talk again, Razor!"
"To you nothing saying will I!" spat Razor. Contrary to his
intentions, the laughter only increased. It was at moments like these,
which had become more and more frequent ever since he'd eaten the magic
mushroom, that Razor began to wish that he was dead. Fortunately, the
only attempt he'd made on his life had turned out rather awkwardly and
failed, but that didn't stop him from contemplating another.
"Backwards Razor!" taunted the leader of the gang. Razor's mouth
curled slowly into a smile. "Hey, look! I think he likes it!"
A round object flew from a nearby tree, digging itself into the
ground in the middle of the group without hitting any of the children.
Everyone turned to look up into the branches, except for Razor, who
looked the other way. A lavender-haired girl leapt to the ground and
brandished her remaining bonbori. "That one was meant to miss."
"Shampoo!" shouted the leader. "We'd better get out of here!" They
quickly made tracks, leaving Razor behind.
"Don't be afraid, Razor," said Shampoo. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Razor cringed as Shampoo approached him. "Away staying must you!"
Shampoo paused. "That's right... you're the backwards boy." She
smiled politely. "Be afraid of me, Razor."
Razor relaxed. "Me hurting will not you?"
"Of course not," replied Shampoo, recovering her bonbori. "I just
didn't like to see those bullies picking on you. We Amazons must support
the weaker members of our tribe."
"Weak being not I!" shouted Razor. "If cursed being not did I, them
beating would I!"
"Great-grandmother says that I shouldn't be friends with you, but
you seem safe enough to me. Do you want to be my friend?"
Razor fervently shook his head no. "Sure!"
Shampoo laughed. Razor paled, embarrassed... until he realized that
Shampoo wasn't laughing maliciously. She was laughing... sweetly.
Somehow, unlike the laughter of the other children, Shampoo's melodious
chuckle lifted his heart. "Can you stand up?" she asked.
"Hard being it," replied Razor. He concentrated, then got to his
feet. "For standing up in order, lying down trying must I."
"It must be hard, having to do everything backwards," said Shampoo,
sympathetically.
Razor breathed in heavily. "Yes, to this condition accustomed being
not I."
"It seems like such a harsh penalty!"
Razor shook his head. "Much stricter being of the other tribe
penalties, even for as myself such young children."
Shampoo gave up trying to parse the sentence. "I can try to help you
if you want. It's not fair that the other kids can pick on you like
that."
Razor nodded. "No. Myself defending learning must I. Amazon being I!
Pride having must I!"
"Of course," agreed Shampoo. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt your
pride!"
"Shampoo, why aren't you training?" called a deep voice from the
training ground.
Shampoo nervously looked over her shoulder. "That's my
great-grandmother calling me! I have to go before she catches me talking
to you."
Razor shook his head. "Hurrying must you then."
"I promise I'll come back and talk to you later, okay?" Shampoo
extended her hand. Razor grabbed it and squeezed as hard as he could.
Shampoo bit her lip to keep from crying out and pulled her hand back,
massaging it. "Hey! What did you do that for?"
"Sorry! Your hand shaking trying did I!"
Shampoo sighed, trying unsuccessfully to hide her exasperation.
"That's right. You do EVERYTHING backwards."
Razor held his head up high, staring worriedly at Shampoo. When she
showed no signs of being angry at him, he tensed up visibly. Her eyes
forgave him instantly without her having to say a word.
Shampoo offered him her hand again. "Here. Squeeze as hard as you
can." Razor gratefully shook her hand as lightly as possible. "Now we're
true friends!"
"Shampoo! Come quickly, girl! You're wasting valuable training
time!"
Shampoo gasped and pulled her hand quickly away from Razor's. "I'd
better get going." She ran toward her great-grandmother's voice, pausing
only to call out, "Goodbye, Razor! I'll see you later!"
Razor's heart fluttered as he stared at the back of his hand in
wonder. In the days since he'd been cursed, he'd lost all hope of ever
having a friend again. But this girl seemed to want to be his friend
despite - or perhaps because of - that curse. "True friends," he
repeated to himself. Maybe he still had a reason to go on living after
all...
*************************************************
Ten-year-old Razor watched forlornly as Shampoo approached the spot
where he had agreed to avoid when she came to meet him. Something in her
walk told him that she was not happy to see him. He silently prayed that
what they had feared all these years had not come to pass.
Unfortunately, the gods seemed to be just as backwards as Razor that
day. Her jaw was set determinedly as if to stem off a flow of tears.
Razor smiled. This did not bode well for either of them.
Anxious to hear the news, Razor decided to back away in order to
forestall the dreaded moment as long as possible. His feet carried him
forward, closing the distance between himself and Shampoo. She did not
run to meet him as she usually did, further supporting his suspicion. It
wasn't until she was within arms' reach, however, that he could see the
truth in her eyes. The news was obviously as far from being good as it
was possible to get.
For longer than Razor could stand, Shampoo simply stood hunched over
in front of him with her head bowed, unable to look at his face. When
she finally spoke, Razor wished for the empty silence that had preceded
her declaration. "Great-grandmother found out that I was seeing you."
"Happening did what?" asked Razor, careful not to move lest he do
anything to further upset her. He hadn't yet quite gotten the hang of
purposefully trying to do everything backwards, but he had become much
more proficient at taking no action when he was liable to hurt somebody
by screwing it up.
Shampoo rubbed her shoulder. "She wasn't happy," she said, sparing
him the gory details. There was a reason she was hunched over, and it
wasn't shame. Cologne loved her great-granddaughter dearly - dearly
enough to punish any disobedience severely. "I won't be allowed to see
you ever again."
"Why?"
"Great-grandmother's afraid that we'll become involved if we spend
too much time together. Amazon law forbids any woman of our tribe to
marry a man with a debilitating curse."
Razor's eyes narrowed in shock. "But away many years being of
marriage any thoughts! Just friends being we!"
"Great-grandmother doesn't see it that way," said Shampoo. The tears
she'd been holding back began to leak out. She'd sworn to Cologne that
she wouldn't cry; that had been the condition on which she'd been
allowed to say goodbye to Razor. But somehow, Razor's complete naivete
made it impossible to keep her composure. She could see how much it was
hurting him, even if he didn't understand it himself yet. Shampoo threw
her arms around Razor and squeezed for all she was worth, not bothering
to hold back her tears anymore. The beating that she would surely
receive for the action didn't scare her in the slightest.
Razor spread his fingers wide. "Her killing will I, if you hurting
does she!"
"No, Razor!" shouted Shampoo. "Please don't try to defend me! You'll
only end up getting hurt yourself!"
"You hurting she letting -"
Shampoo released her hold on Razor and stepped back, staring him in
the eyes. "Promise me, Razor. Promise that you'll try to hurt
Great-grandmother."
Razor breathed in heavily. She'd even taken his backwards curse into
account. "Your great-grandmother hurting trying promising I."
From the way Razor held his head high, Shampoo could tell that the
promise had dealt a major blow to Razor's pride. She hugged him once
again and lightly kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."
"Welcome being you."
Shampoo awaited some further action from Razor, but he made no
movement. "Don't you want to kiss me goodbye?" Razor hauled back and
slapped Shampoo in the face hard, knocking her to the ground. She slowly
stood, massaging the cheek that still stung from the blow, although not
nearly as much as her heart. Shampoo leveled her gaze at Razor. "You
heartless - to think I ever cared about you!" She turned and stormed
off, ignoring Razor's entreaties to stop.
"Waiting must you!" he shouted. "Understanding not you!"
Shampoo whirled to face him. "I just wanted to say goodbye! It's not
my fault that I can't see you anymore! But now I never want to see you
again!" She resumed her furious retreat as the sobs began to emerge from
her chest, making further progress impossible. How dare he strike her
after all they'd meant to each other! How dare he...
Shampoo fell to her knees. How could she have been so stupid? When
Razor hurt her... he was trying to do the reverse! He had been driven by
enough emotion to override his reflex to do the opposite of what he
intended, and she simply hadn't realized it in the heat of her feeling
for him. She turned to shout out that she'd made a mistake, but the
words caught in her throat. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, because
the backwards boy was nowhere to be seen.
Shampoo curled into a ball, pulling her knees to her chest, hating
herself with all the hatred she could muster. The boy she cared about so
much had tried to show his feelings toward the only friend he'd had
since being cursed, and she'd told him... The mere thought of it froze
her mind cold, and drew out more tears than Shampoo had thought one girl
could cry, especially an Amazon. Dammit, she wasn't supposed to feel
this way! An Amazon had no emotions, no regrets, no distractions from
the all-important fight.
When the tears finally stopped, Shampoo made up her mind to find
Razor as soon as she could and apologize. Great-grandmother could beat
her all she wanted, but Shampoo knew what she had to do. She would have
to give Razor a day or two to get over the initial shock, of course, but
after that he would listen to her side of the story and understand. He
was her friend, after all. One careless sentence couldn't destroy a
friendship that quickly, could it?
The next day, Shampoo learned that Razor had left the village in
search of a cure for his curse. Shampoo's heart was broken when she
learned how dangerous the journey would be for him, and she tried
several times to escape from the village to follow him, but the elders
foiled every attempt, warning her that she would only weigh Razor down
if she did manage to find him. Shampoo sank into despair, worrying that
Razor would be killed, and that his last memory of her would be her
telling him that she never wanted to see him again...
*************************************************
The six months that passed before Razor's return seemed like
centuries to Shampoo. Without Razor to keep her company between training
sessions, her life was empty. Her training suffered, and she drew into a
silent shell of loneliness for the duration of Razor's journey. She
couldn't even refuse Mousse's romantic advances with her usual fervor,
raising his spirits to a dangerous high of enthusiasm.
When Razor finally returned to the village with the Jusenkyo Guide,
Shampoo was among the last to hear about it through the carefully
controlled Amazon information grapevine. As soon as the news reached her
ears, however, she raced to meet him, only to find the rest of the
village already there, listening to the tale of what had befallen Razor.
Apparently, he had found the knife, but it had only cured part of his
backwards curse - and on top of that, he had fallen into a Jusenkyo
spring and received another curse on top of the first one.
None of that mattered to Shampoo, however, who was just glad to see
Razor once again and finally have the chance to explain her side of
things - once the elders had finished with him, that is. They had to
learn all they could about his journey, much to Shampoo's chagrin. Every
question that they asked Razor stretched Shampoo's patience even further
past the breaking point, and every question he answered provoked ten new
ones. However, the elders' curiosity was at last sated, and Shampoo got
Razor all to herself once again.
Razor used the handles of two knives to hold Shampoo back as she
reached to embrace him. "For you seeing again glad being I, but you
warning first must I." He pointed to the jeweled knife in his hair.
"This knife touching must not you. You killing will it."
"Don't be so serious! I've missed you so much!" Shampoo hugged her
old friend... being careful to avoid touching the knife despite her
admonition.
Razor nodded. "This knowing I. You missing also did I."
Shampoo gave a start. "You still talk backwards... but you nodded
yes!"
Razor nodded again. "While in my hair being the knife, forwards
being of my head gestures."
"So it really works, then?"
Razor shook his head. "On knives curses breaking only this knife.
With knives training I advising did Cologne. With knives, fighting
forwards can I."
"That's great news! I'm so happy for you!" Razor's face darkened,
which Shampoo took to be a good sign until she remembered that his
facial expressions were forwards now. "What's wrong?"
"For training the village leaving must I."
Shampoo grabbed his shoulders as if he were planning to leave at
that moment and she were the only thing holding him there. "You can't!
Not after being away for so long! I've been aching to tell you how sorry
I was for what I said just before you left. I know you must hate me..."
"You hating never could I!" protested Razor. "A simple
misunderstanding being did it."
"Then why did you leave without even saying goodbye to me?" demanded
Shampoo.
"Me leaving forcing did Cologne," replied Razor. "Her pleasing did
not your actions. Too emotional being did you. And again the same now."
Shampoo immediately stepped back. "I just missed you! You can't
imagine how boring it is with only Great-grandmother and Mousse to keep
me company."
"Boring being may it, but fun desiring not an Amazon. On your
training concentrating must you. And on my training concentrating also
will I."
Shampoo sighed. "But after all this time apart... why can't we be
together?"
"To that question the answer knowing you."
"It's wrong! They can't stop us from being friends just because
they're afraid I'll want to marry you!"
"No choice having we. Of hidden weapons in art training must I. In
this village that training receiving cannot I."
"I'll go with you! We can train together!" The ferocity of Shampoo's
declaration surprised her. For the first time in her life, she began to
think that her great-grandmother had a point. She didn't think it was
possible to fall in love at such a young age, but she couldn't mistake
the longing in her heart - the desire to spend more time with Razor, no
matter what it cost her or the tribe.
"No," said Razor flatly. "Here staying will you. Training hard will
you. With your martial arts skill Cologne impressing will you. Then
perhaps together being we letting will she."
Shampoo gasped. "You're right! In five years I can participate in
the great Tournament! The winner gets a huge feast in her honor and a
boon from the elders!"
Razor nodded. "If the Tournament winning will you, together being
can we."
"I'll do it!" shouted Shampoo. "I'll train to be the best warrior in
the tribe and win the Tournament! I'll do it for you, Razor!" She
paused. "No, not for you. For us!"
"Good luck, Shampoo," said Razor. "In five years you seeing will I."
"Goodbye, Razor," said Shampoo, kissing him on the cheek once again.
This time, Razor made no movement at all, and it was a very satisfied
Shampoo who walked away that day. She knew that she wouldn't see Razor
again for five years, but this time it was necessary so that she could
concentrate on her training. When the Tournament took place five years
later, she would be ready to win Razor back for good.
*************************************************
As she dispatched her final opponent with a single swing of her
bonbori, Shampoo breathed a sigh of relief. Her incredible trepidation
as the Tournament drew close had been completely unfounded, as she
hadn't found any of her opponents even the least bit difficult. At last,
she would be able to spend time with the man she... well, what could you
call it? It wasn't love, certainly. They hadn't seen each other since
they were ten; they'd been just children then! Still, she felt a strong
attachment to him even after so long. She'd been the only friend he'd
had during the most difficult part of his life, and he'd been the only
boy in the village who didn't annoy Shampoo constantly.
Shampoo's eyes followed the path of her luckless opponent as she
traced a parabolic arc through the lower atmosphere that ended in the
side of a distant mountain. However, it was the object just below that
in Shampoo's field of vision that drew her attention. A red-haired girl
with a pigtail (it was exactly the same shade as Razor's hair, Shampoo
noted) and a large panda were eating the victor's feast. HER feast! The
food didn't matter to Shampoo, but the challenge to her honor required
an answer. Shampoo leapt down from the log and approached the girl.
"Why are you eating my prize?" she demanded. The girl stared at
Shampoo uncomprehendingly, but the Jusenkyo Guide, who happened to be
nearby, translated her words into Japanese. When the girl's confusion
failed to abate, Shampoo explained the circumstances of the Tournament.
After Shampoo finished her tirade, the girl said something in
Japanese. The Jusenkyo Guide translated the reply as, "If I beat you,
then I don't owe you anything!"
Shampoo's heart sank. This was a legitimate challenge, even if it
was issued by an outsider. Unfortunately, given the circumstances, the
girl was dead where she stood. If Shampoo won the coming challenge, the
girl would be put to death for her crime against the Amazon tribe. If
the girl somehow managed to beat Shampoo, Amazon Law was quite clear on
the terms for dealing with the situation. Shampoo looked imploringly
toward her great-grandmother, who nodded. She had no choice but to
accept the challenge and hope for the best.
As she mounted the challenge log, Shampoo's heart was in her throat.
If the outsider won this fight, Shampoo would no longer be the victor of
the Tournament, and the boon that she had worked so hard to earn would
be nullified. She had a lot staked on this fight, and from the way the
outsider moved, she obviously knew some martial arts. This would be the
greatest fight of Shampoo's life. The moment of glory she'd been
training for since she was born. The final proof to her
great-grandmother that she was a true Amazon warrior, worthy of someday
taking her place as an elder of the tribe - and choosing her own
friends.
It was over in less than a second.
The outsider's foot was faster than Shampoo could dodge, and the
heel between Shampoo's eyes knocked her off the log before she could
even bring her bonbori to bear. As she spiraled to the ground in slow
motion, one thought ran through her mind... she would never see Razor
again.
The red-haired girl leapt easily to the ground as Shampoo got to her
feet. The other girl still had that ridiculously cheery smile. Shampoo
wanted to smack it off of her face right then and there, but there were
conventions to uphold. Instead, she put her hands to the sides of the
outsider's face and kissed her on the cheek - the Kiss of Death.
The Jusenkyo Guide grabbed the girl's hand and ran, followed closely
by the panda. Shampoo clenched her fists. After the outsider had had her
mandatory head start, Shampoo would chase her, to the ends of the Earth
if necessary, and smash her body until there was nothing left. No fate
was too horrible for the one who had stolen her heart's desire.
*************************************************
The Tournament was approaching once again, but Shampoo could not
participate in it until her obligation of honor was resolved. The
red-haired girl, whose name was Ranma, had managed to escape the country
with her pet panda and return to Japan. Shampoo had decided that it
would be prudent to study Japanese from the experts in her tribe rather
than try to find her way around the country without being able to speak
the language at all. Her grasp of Japanese was still limited, but it
would be enough to get by. She sadly bid her great-grandmother and the
rest of the tribe farewell and set off for the ferry to Japan.
The village was not a mile behind her when she saw a familiar figure
sitting by the side of the road. "Razor!" she shouted excitedly.
Razor stood up. "After the tournament to the village returning did
I, but leaving already had you saying did they. You defeating did an
outsider female."
"Yes," admitted Shampoo, ashamed. "I can't return to the village
again until I kill her."
Razor lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. "That her killing
will you certain being I."
"Thank you, Razor," said Shampoo. "I know I can do it! And then I'll
return and win the next Tournament! We will be together again, I
promise!" She slowly wrapped her arms around his waist, drawing herself
closer to him. "I'm going to miss you, Razor." She grabbed the sides of
his head and pulled it down to her level, closing her eyes and pursing
her lips.
She felt a sudden pressure on her chest, and Razor went limp in her
arms. She let go of his head, and he collapsed face first to the ground.
Cologne stood behind him, brandishing her staff. "This has gone on long
enough, Shampoo. You know that you are not allowed to have any relations
with Razor. It's time to end this little liaison."
"What have you done to Razor?" demanded Shampoo.
"Nothing," replied Cologne. "And in a few seconds, you won't even
remember that he ever existed." She reached into her robe and removed a
bottle of formula 110 memory-erasing shampoo.
Shampoo's eyes opened wide in horror. "You can't!"
"You have a job to do, Shampoo," said Cologne, unscrewing the top of
the bottle. "This is for the good of the tribe." Shampoo raised her
bonbori in defense, but she was nowhere near her great-grandmother's
level of skill. She managed to dodge a few strikes, but it was all too
soon that she felt the telltale pressure on the back of her skull, and
the world went black.
*************************************************
Shampoo sat up suddenly. She remembered it all now. The love she'd
had for Razor... no sense anymore denying that that was what it was.
Cologne had erased her memory of Razor when she left to track Ranma down
in Japan... but apparently the erasure had been incomplete. The same
thing had happened when Shampoo had used the technique on Akane. She had
forgotten Ranma, but the anger that she felt when he insulted her had
remained, and that had been the key to restoring her memory. In
Shampoo's case, it was her pity for Razor that had survived the erasure,
but the result was the same. Her love had returned as strong as ever.
The wrenching feeling in her stomach was fading now. Razor sat down
beside her. "Strange being this feeling," he said. "When to you closer
coming I, fading does it."
"Mine too," said Shampoo. "Why your hurt not work backwards?"
"That knowing not I. Perhaps than my curse more powerful being of
the contract magic."
Shampoo sat up straight. "Razor... you remember when we was in
Amazon village, growing up together?"
"Sometimes... pieces and bits remembering I."
Shampoo leaned against Razor, enjoying the warmth of his body, and
wrapped her arm around him. "You remember when we was in love?"
"You loving did I?" he asked. "That remembering not I!"
"Great-grandmother erase our memory. But Shampoo remember everything
now. And feelings still there... only stronger."
Razor pulled Shampoo's arm tighter around himself, then thought
about it and pushed her arm away. "You loving cannot I, Shampoo. That
about me forgetting you better being it."
"No!" insisted Shampoo. "I not going to forget! Is love!" She
wrapped her arms tightly around Razor and squeezed him for all she was
worth. "Shampoo no care what Great-grandmother think! No care about
Amazon Law! Money girl say contract is most important. We no have to
break contract! We can get married right now!"
"No. My foot putting down must I. You marrying cannot I." Razor
stood up, knocking Shampoo to the floor. Shampoo's eyes were glazed
over, but her tears had long since run out. The day had been an
emotional rollercoaster for her, and it wasn't over yet.
"Razor! No leave Shampoo!"
Razor breathed in heavily. "You leaving cannot I. Too great becoming
the pain. But you loving never can I. The contract breaking must we, as
possible as soon."
"But Razor -"
"Nothing saying must you. Listening will not I." Razor turned away
from Shampoo, who shrank as far as she could from him without the pain
in her stomach threatening to tear her apart. Obviously, she would
simply have to find a way to win him over. After all the practice she'd
had with Ranma, Shampoo was sure that she could manage that. It was just
a matter of time and ingenuity...
*************************************************
"Look, Bernadette!" enthused Azusa. "Isn't this a wonderful tea
party?" She opened the miniature oven behind her and pulled out a small
tray of frosted pastries. "Our food is finished! Doesn't it just look
too good to eat?"
"Of course it does," said a low voice behind her. She turned to see
the cloaked man standing there, holding a contract. "You don't have to
eat it. I'll trade you this marriage contract for one of those
pastries."
"Marriage contract?" Azusa stared at the paper blankly. "What does
it do?"
"Whoever signs the contract will have to marry you. I'm sure that
you can find a cute man to become your husband. What about that nice
fellow who skates with you?"
"Miki? He's sort of cute, but not as cute as Azusa!"
"Well, perhaps there's someone else you'd like to marry. All you
have to do is get them to sign this contract and they'll have no
choice."
"Hmmm... Azusa needs to think about this." She absently bit into one
of the pastries.
"I'm a very busy man," said the merchant impatiently. "I don't have
all day!"
Azusa burst into tears. "Don't yell at little Azusa! You're so
mean!"
The man moved backwards. "Don't cry! You can take your time!"
"Oh goody!" Azusa ate another of the pastries.
"Stop eating them!" shouted the man. "If you eat them all, you'll
have nothing to trade for the contract!"
"Hm?" asked Azusa around a mouthful of pastry. She looked down at
the tray, on which only one pastry remained. She swallowed. "Oops. Looks
like Azusa was very hungry."
"Look, it's quite simple," explained the caped man. "Just give me
that last one, and I'll give you the contract. Deal?"
Azusa looked at the pastry, then at the contract, then back at the
pastry. "No!" she decided at last. "That contract isn't as cute as
Jacqueline!"
"Jacqueline?"
"That's right! You can't have my Jacqueline!" She clutched the
pastry protectively. "Go away, you bad man!"
The man sighed. "Very well. Just call me if you change your mind."
The man floated away, knowing full well that Azusa would not be changing
her mind. He clenched his fists angrily, fuming at the audacity of his
would-be client. His plans had not been destroyed - merely delayed - by
this misfortune, but he would certainly have to find a new target. The
fifth contract was the crucial one. Unless he could find another
suitable woman...
He would have to retreat for the time being to consider his next
course of action. Let the innocent people of Nerima have one more night
of peace. The eternal darkness would come soon enough.
-----------------------------------------------------------
I'll send on Chapter 8 as soon as it's done. (Soon, you'll get to see my
actual writing pace in action...) Next will be another ongoing Pokemon
story.
- Nidoking
Welcome to "Whose Line is it Anyway?" where we make things up as we go
along, whether they make sense or badger.
JOHNNY BRAVO: *sigh* The only woman I ever really loved... and she's
gone. I wonder if I'll ever get over - Hey! Nuggets!
JACKIE CHAN: Oh, sorry. I broke your spy camera! (pause) SPY CAMERA?!
My webpage: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~katinamp