Is your boss reading your email? ....Probably
Keep your messages private by using Lycos Mail.
Sign up today at http://mail.lycos.com

-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: Shampoo2.txt

Shampoo's Chance:  Spirit of the Law
Disclaimer:  See prologue

Chapter 2


      Nodoka frowned as she took the first outfit from the dryer.  Had she 
shrunk the load?  It was to small for Akane to wear... except strangely 
enough the chest was to big.  But it couldn't be Kasumi's or Nabiki's, 
they were far to tall for it.  And none of the other clothes gave any 
indication of having been shrunk.  But this was definitely a girl's outfit.  
So who did it belong to?  Shampoo could hear the gears slowly grinding 
away even through the wall.   
 
      "Nihao!"  greeted Shampoo as she slid open the door to the laundry 
room.

      "Ah!  This must be yours!" said Nodoka with relief as she thrust the 
outfit at a confused Amazon.  The chest was about the right size, 
thought the dress still seemed a little short.  But on further examination 
of Shampoo's current attire, Nodoka concluded that the Amazon would 
have no compunctions about wearing a _very_ short skirt.  "You came 
here to pick up your clothes, didn't you?  Is there anything else of yours 
in here?"  

      "What you talk about?  No Shampoo laundry here."

      "Wash laundry with shampoo?  Don't worry, I used normal 
detergent, so your cloths should be fine.  Do they really use shampoo on 
clothes where you come from?"

      "No!  Shampoo Shampoo!"  

      "Uh..."

      Shampoo sweatdropped as she realized agitation was causing her to 
forget her pronouns; it took a conscious effort to use them, they just 
didn't seem to come naturally.  Once again she tried; "Shampoo me!"

      "Um, you want me to wash your hair?"  Perhaps the Amazons got to 
know strangers by exchanging a hair wash.  Mrs. Saotome had heard 
that their customs were pretty strange, but for some reason no one ever 
wanted to elaborate on them.  No one had seemed to want to elaborate 
on the Amazon's relationship to this household either, though Mrs. 
Saotome got the sense that there was some sort of connection between 
her son and this girl.  It would be a good chance to find out just what 
was going on, and also get an outside view of Ranma.  Plus, her hair did 
look like it would be fun to do up.  It was so long and beautiful.  "Well, 
I suppose we could do that, the bathroom's just over there," said Mrs. 
Saotome as she headed to the nearby door. 

      "...."  Shampoo helplessly followed Mrs. Saotome into the 
bathroom.  So far she was _not_ making the first impression she'd 
hoped for.  

      "The last time we met you were so busy leveling my house that we 
didn't really get to talk," said Nodoka as she unfastened her obi.  

      Now Shampoo remembered; she'd already made a much worse 
impression.  "eh... heh," laughed Shampoo nervously as she began to 
disrobe, "yeah, I guess Shampoo, _crazy flower girl_, and _Ukyo_ got 
little bit carried away, sorry bout that," apologized Shampoo, 
emphasizing that there _had_ been other girls there too, though 
admittingly her tendency to go through walls as if they weren't there 
probably was what had caused the house to collapse.  "When we's fight 
over Ranma it get out of hand."

      "Oh.  That's what it was all about... so are you all Ranma's 
girlfriend or something?  *sigh*  I guess my sons so manly that woman 
can't help but fight over him," beamed Nodoka with pride as she filled 
up a wash bucket.

      "Uh, could you hot water use.  Me no like cold water.  And we's all 
Ranma fianc�, excepting crazy flower girl," explained Shampoo as she 
removed her purple lingerie and tossed them atop her pile of clothes.

      Nodoka conveniently dropped the wash bucket full of cold water in 
shock.  "D-did you say fianc�'s?"  The wash bucket took advantage of 
this distraction and started scooting toward Shampoo's clothes.  "T-
that's impossible.  Ranma's already got..."

      "Akane?  But also got Ukyo and me.  Ranma too to many fianc�'s 
have.  Is quiet the problem," said Shampoo as Nodoka emptied a wash 
bucket of hot water over her.  The other wash bucket stopped it's 
scooting to momentarily admire the rivulets of water as they coursed 
down Shampoo's beautiful and buxom body.

      "Wait, Ukyo's a guy's name, right?!  Even if he's sometimes got a 
girl's body, Ranma can't possibly consider some other guy a fianc�, can 
he?  asked a trembling Nodoka.  Shampoo started when she noticed that 
a sheathed katana had somehow made it's way into Mrs. Saotome's 
hands.     

      "Yeah, Ukyo very much bad match, sure Ranma is no interested," 
assured Shampoo as she warily eyed the trembling katana.  The wash 
bucket eyed the katana nervously too as it continued stealthily scooting 
across the bathroom floor.

      "Of course not," agreed Nodoka with a sigh of relief.  "So that just 
leaves you and Akane.  Who are you again?" asked Nodoka as 
Shampoo unbound her hair and let it cascade onto the tile floor.  
Nodoka couldn't help but her run her hand through the fine purple mass 
in admiration.  

      "Shampoo!"  explained Shampoo for the third time.

      "Oh, right!" said an embarrassed Nodoka as she realized her 
admiration of this girl's hair had caused her to momentarily zone out 
and hold things up.  These Amazons certainly were impatient, or 
perhaps she was just agitated by the presence of the katana, which 
Nodoka just now realized she was holding.  Blushing, Nodoka quickly 
reached behind her, and when her hand reappeared it held a bottle of 
lavender shampoo instead, which she immediately worked up into a 
generous lather and began vigorously applying to Shampoo's scalp, 
causing her to sigh with pleasure.  Seeing as the girl seemed receptive 
now, Nodoka began as gently as she could, "I'm afraid Akane's claim 
surely predates yours; our two houses were pledged to unite before 
Ranma was even born."    

      "True, but age alone no mean best necessarily.  I is young, but best 
of amazon warriors* and their Champion.  And Akane no by law bound 
for marry Ranma like I is.  If Akane no is marry Ranma nothing to her 
happen, but me is to be punished when fail Ranma win."   
*the warriors are a separate cast from the elders

      "Law?  Punishment?"  asked a concerned Nodoka.  This was 
looking like it wouldn't be so easy to resolve.  

      "Is Amazon way marry strong... manly man,"  Shampoo was 
pleased to note that her careful choice of words had the desired affect of 
pleasing Nodoka.  "If outsider man defeat we's to marry.  Keeps tribe 
strong."           

      "Very eugenic, but effective.  What happens to those who break the 
law, I'm sure some of your poor maidens get engaged to brutes they 
find repulsing."

      "Hehheh.  You's speakings from own experience?  OW!  Is joking!  
Shampoo joking!"  Yelped Shampoo as Mrs. Saotome stumbled across 
a snarl in the amazon's hair.  "Some grooms is very repulsive.  Great 
Grandma say husband most repulsive little creep imaginable, she get rid 
of as soon as pregnant."  Fortunately for the washing bucket, no one 
was looking it's way when it's surface erupted in engorged veins.  

      "Poor thing.  Wasn't she punished by the tribe for that?" asked 
Nodoka as she took down the detachable shower head and began to 
rinse out Shampoo's hair.

      "Actually, tribe help get rid of little troll, so no could give more 
than slap on wrist to Grandma.  Rare is law breaking, so case by case 
punishment can council make," said Shampoo proudly as she tilted her 
head from side to side, savoring that feeling of cleanliness left in the 
shampoo's wake.   "But punishment for no marry must be severe for 
keep Amazons from disregard."

      "How severe?" asked Nodoka, not sure she really wanted to know.  

      "Saw one woman of womanhood stripped."

      "...By stripped of womanhood you surely don't mean...?" asked 
Nodoka, fairly certain now that she did _not_ want to know, and yet 
morbidly curious.  
   
      "Hysterectomy and... and r-removal of.." 

      "HOW BARBARIC!"  Interrupted Nodoka hastily before Shampoo 
could finish.  Mrs. Saotome couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic 
for this girl.  She was tough, but hadn't quite managed to keep fear over 
her possible fate from creeping into her tone, and Nodoka could hardly 
blame her.  "It'd be a shame if such a bright and beautiful girl as you 
didn't get to have any children."

      Shampoo smirked at the success of her feigned fear.  While the 
thought of what the council would do to her if she were put on trial 
today was not a pleasant one, she seriously doubted they'd carry it so 
far.  While she wasn't very popular in the tribe, as the other unfortunate 
amazon had been, she had honestly attempted to win Ranma over, while 
the other amazon had preferred murdering to marrying her groom, but 
there was no need to bother Mrs. Saotome with all the little details.  
"Yes, too to tragic if happen.  *sniff*  Great shame to Amazon for be 
childless," sniffed Shampoo as she placed her smiling face in her hands 
for added effect.  The stage was being set more perfectly than she'd 
dared to hope for.                     


End of Chapter 2
Please send C&C to caleb_david@angelfire.com      


             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'