[Ranma][Fanfic] Destiny's Wish, Part Twenty-Five

[Mike Koos]

Not even being able to get out of school for summer break was
enough to make Ayumi feel any better. She had far more important
concerns troubling her mind, so that what would normally be cause for
celebration suddenly wasn't as much of a relief as it usually was.
Hopefully, by the time everyone had to return to class, life would be
restored to normal for Tendo Ayumi - whatever in the world that was.
That, unfortunately, didn't give Ayumi much time to gain the
speed of the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken in order to take the
fushichougan medicine she needed from Cologne... Cologne, who had
been the direct cause of his problems from the very beginning. She
had insisted that Ayumi was bound by the laws of her village in China
to marry her granddaughter, Shampoo... then, she had forced a
temporary Jhusenkyou curse upon her new 'son-in-law' with the aid of
a packet of Instant Nyan-Ni-Chuan and a pressure-point technique that
rendered Ayumi unable to touch hot water, making it next to
impossible for Ayumi to reverse his transformations.
It had been nearly a month since Ayumi had been trapped in the
body of a girl. She had endured the scorn of a ridiculously
near-sighted fighter from China who wanted Shampoo to be his no
matter what the cost, never-ending leers from the guys at school -
the school was pressuring Soun to try to force *her* to wear a girls'
uniform, too, until her condition was reversed - Cologne's occasional
belittling of her, and an unnerving amount of civility from Ranma, of
all people.
Word had it that Naka had told Kunou straight out about Ayumi's
misfortune, but Kunou had insisted Ayumi was instead hiding, and made
it a personal crusade of his to find out where the 'coward' was
hiding. Oh, well, at least she didn't have to worry about Kunou
bothering her for a while. One guy down, a few hundred more left to
leer at her... no, wait - she knew Gosunkugi wasn't interested in her
at all. Hikaru spent all his time fantasizing about Ranma, as did
Kunou.
She'd sat with Ranma, Yuka and Sayuri one lunch period and asked
them if they had any idea why most of the guys seemed so interested
in her, even though they were aware she was supposed to be a boy.
The trio liked to believe that this was how *all* the boys behaved,
including Ayumi.
Ayumi *did* find out, however, that quite a few boys fantasized
about a relationship with Ranma... but they were afraid to do
anything about it since Kunou certainly would not let anyone near her
in that sense, and Ayumi, Ranma's iinazuke by way of a pre-arranged
marriage, was more of a fighter to be wary of.
She didn't doubt that there were people out wishing to win
Ranma's love; two of them were Ayumi's friends, Daisuke and Hiroshi,
although the pair was only now beginning to accept that Ranma and
Ayumi were engaged.
Cologne and Shampoo refused to see matters that way. In their
twisted view of the world - well, in Ayumi's opinion, anyway - Ayumi
was *already* married to Shampoo. It was only a matter of time
before a formal ceremony could set this truth in stone.
But above all, Ayumi didn't particularly feel like marrying
anyone, not even Ranma.
Or did he? Ayumi had attempted to defend her from several other
people, such as Kunou, Ryomi and the playboy Sanzenin Mikado... even
if Ranma refused to appreciate all the trouble he had gone through
since their first meeting just for the tomboy's sake.
This time, though, acquiring the speed of the Kachuu Tenshin
Amaguriken was *entirely* for Ayumi's benefit. When Ryomi had first
come to seek out Ranma, Ranma had pointed out that fighting Ryomi
with brute strength alone wasn't enough. One needed to have the
speed to keep a distance from Ryomi. Ranma had always been faster
than Ayumi; now, perhaps there was a chance Ayumi could become faster
than her. That was part of the reason why Ayumi had stubbornly been
practicing the speed technique Cologne had shown her for most of the
week. More than anything, she simply wanted to go back to being who
she was truly supposed to be.

Destiny's Wish
Part Twenty-Five: I'll Never Give Up
written by Mike Koos
--------------------

The rest of the family refused to let Ayumi's so-called
misfortune cause them depression as well. Ever since Ranma had
forced Ayumi to accompany her and her friends to the local pool,
everyone had been looking for ways to lift the temporary girl's
spirits. Most recently, Naka had conned his father into giving him
some money to take Ayumi and Ranma out to the shopping district, plus
the game center and a quick stop-off at a restaurant of their choice
for all the basics of a fast-food lunch.
Ranma had kept her mouth shut the entire time; it wasn't that
often Naka spent money for anyone other than himself, and there had
to be a catch somewhere, right?
The day had ended on an unusual note at the restaurant when
Kunou made an unexpected appearance, first mistaking Ayumi for Naka's
date. When they finally convinced the Kendo swordsman that Ayumi
wasn't Naka's date, he had begun to flatter both Ranma and the female
Ayumi at the same time. It hadn't taken long for both of the girls
to get sick of the act and lock Kunou in the restaurant's freezer.
Ranma again found herself wishing that there really was another
girl in the Tendo household for her to talk to. To relate to. How
would her life have turned out if Kasuga or Naka had been born as
girls instead of as boys? It had been arguably difficult to grow up
without becoming something of a tomboy, given her role models.
Saotome Genma had been the worst one to have as a role model,
overall. The man wanted a highly-skilled fighter to carry on the
family techniques and pride far more than he wanted a daughter.
She'd spent some time wondering... what if her mother *wasn't*
deceased, as her father insisted? What if her father had simply left
her mother because she would have had an influence different than the
one Genma wanted to have affect Ranma's life and training?
No. Dad couldn't have been *that* insensitive, could he? Ranma
made up her mind to keep a closer eye on the old man from then on.
There was a neighborhood carnival scheduled for the weekend, and
most of the extended family, including Ranma, were excited about the
prospect of going. Everyone, naturally, except for Ayumi.
Genma, ever the panda, followed Soun into the family room where
Naka, Kasuga and Ranma were watching television. "It's almost time
to go," Soun reminded them. "Are all of you ready?"
"I am, Uncle!" Ranma said brightly, in a tone that made her
father send her a suspicious glance. She was dressed in one of her
favorite pairs of pants - denim jeans that had seen one too many
trips through the washing machine - and a nondescript three-tone
blouse. Naka and Kasuga likewise wore simple arrangements of a
T-shirt and jeans.
Kasuga blinked. "Where's Ayumi?"
"Last time I saw him, he was lighting another fire out by the
garden," shrugged Naka. Despite all his wisecracks to the contrary,
he found it difficult to refer to Ayumi as a *she* rather than a he.
Apparently Ranma found it easier.
Ranma reclined in her chair at the table. "Still?" she sighed,
somewhat wearily. "She's been trying to improve her speed for almost
four days now, and all she's doing is getting herself burned."
Naka peered around the edge of the open door leading out into
the garden and picked out the flickering light of Ayumi's small fire.
"He does look kinda pathetic, doesn't he? Ayumi *is* starting to
look a little singed around the edges."
"Yeah, but does she have to get singed in *my* clothes?"
frowned Ranma.
"Aren't those the overalls Yuka-chan gave you? I thought you
said they were too small for you?"
She stared at him for a few seconds. "It's the principle."
Yuka had given her the overalls - a pink pair of overalls with the
word 'China' painted on them in bright yellow - as a cute Christmas
gift, but she had misjudged Ranma's size. Ayumi came closer to
fitting the overalls, so Ranma had loaned them to Ayumi... who was
wearing them over a boys' T-shirt and worse, boys' underwear. Ranma
couldn't fault Ayumi for that, but at the same time, the thought made
her cringe.
Out in the yard, meanwhile, Ayumi was recovering from another
failed attempt at reaching into the fire. It was rapidly becoming a
routine... no matter how fast she pushed her hands into the fire, the
heat became too much for her, and she came dangerously close to
severely burning herself at every turn. The chestnuts she used to
practice were well on their way to becoming blackened beyond
recognition.
She couldn't quit now, though. That was unthinkable! Quitting
meant she would either have to spend the rest of her life as a
girl... unless she agreed to marry Shampoo. Marrying her was also
not an option. Why should she throw away her life trying to save it,
trading one problem for another?
Besides, she knew nothing about being a girl, even after a
month. Ranma certainly wasn't much help; not that Ayumi wanted her
sympathy to begin with. Or Yuka and Sayuri's sympathy. That left
her to keep trying to take the fushichougan from Cologne.
The Chinese elder hopped over the wall marking the borders of
the Tendo yard as Ayumi took a breather from burning her hands.
"Well, son-in-law," Cologne gave the girl her accustomed greeting,
"how are you progressing with the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken?"
"Old witch," Ayumi spat, obviously not in the mood to put up
with her.
Cologne dangled the locket in which she kept the fushichougan
before Ayumi's face. "Would you look at that? Someone left this
fushichougan out here in the open. What a shame..." she taunted
Ayumi.
Ayumi opted to fall for the ruse. She made a grab for the
fushichougan, which Cologne easily dodged by swiveling to her left.
For an encore, she blocked each of the rest of Ayumi's attempts -
using a rubber stamp to mark the word 'failure' several times on the
girl's arms. "How pitiful," Cologne chided her. "You are still as
slow as ever. At this rate, you will be a girl all the way to your
grave."
She took up a position next to the fire as Ranma and the rest of
the family walked out into the garden to see what the disturbance
was. "Not that it's wrong to be a girl," she said with a knowing nod
to Ranma.
Ranma frowned. That sounded like something her father would
strongly disagree with. She glanced at him, but the panda's
attention remained fixed on Cologne.
"So *that* is what Ayumi is attempting to do," she heard Soun
say in a wary voice. When she turned around, Cologne was finishing
another demonstration of the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken.
"Wow," Naka was impressed. There were times when he was tempted
to take up the martial arts... like now, for instance. He had been
the only one out of the three Tendo brothers not to take any of the
lessons their father or others offered. Sure, there were some low
points to keep in mind, such as what Dad had done to Ayumi with the
Nekoken training, but for the most part, Ranma, Ayumi and the
fighters they faced were capable of a few interesting tricks.
He had to laugh to himself at that thought. Dad would admonish
him for thinking like that. Martial-arts techniques were *not*
tricks. They were serious maneuvers designed to gain one an
advantage in one way or another.
Naka had to disagree with that point; he had seen a fair amount
of pointless fighting techniques and strategies throughout the years,
most of which were Ayumi's. Though, Kasuga had had to try some
unusual tactics to get the better of their father.
Another silent laugh. Kasuga was considered to be the 'nice'
brother.
Cologne placed one of the burnt chestnuts in her mouth and
chewed on it. "Not bad. A bit overdone, wouldn't you say,
son-in-law?"
"I told you," Soun narrowed his eyes, "Ayumi is going to marry
Ranma!"
Everyone ignored him. "Can I try?" Ranma asked Cologne.
"Yeah, like you'd do any better," snorted Ayumi.
Cologne smiled. "Now, now, son-in-law. It won't hurt to let
her try." She turned back to the fire. What better way to gauge
what kind of threat Ranma was than to see a slight example of her in
action? "First, however, let me replace these burnt chestnuts with
new ones." She did, instructing Ranma to prepare herself for the
effort.
"Now."
And then Ranma's hands blurred.
Ayumi felt his jaw drop. Ranma was actually executing the
Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken. *Ranma*! Not quite as fast as Cologne
had done it - Ayumi could have sworn he caught a glimpse of Ranma
reflexively drawing her hand back in reaction to the heat - but fast
enough that Cologne was visibly surprised.
Ranma held out her hands, showing everyone the chestnuts resting
in her hands. "Ii?" she asked Cologne without a hint of bragging to
her voice.
It took a brief second for Cologne to find her voice. "How did
you...?"
Only now did Ranma allow a tight smile to break through. "I've
been practicing," she offered the chestnuts to Cologne. Now where
had the old woman hidden that fushichougan?
[My daughter has always shown a natural ability to pick up new
fighting techniques quickly.] The sign which Genma raised
practically radiated pride; Ranma's talent for fighting was one of
the few things about her he could be proud of.
Cologne showed Ranma a wider smile. "Perhaps you are not as
weak a martial artist as I had been led to believe, child. I will
have to keep an eye on you."
Ranma pursed her lips. <Great. You've just blown your cover,
baka,> she thought bemusedly.
"But this does not change anything, son-in-law. You are still
the one who must master the speed of the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken to
take the fushichougan from me. No one else," Cologne cackled softly.
"By all means," she thought to add, "do come to the carnival
tonight. We are running the Spirit World attraction. If you can
somehow manage to improve yourself before the night has ended, feel
free to seek me out." Waving her staff at everyone in an odd
salute-like gesture, Cologne bounced out of the yard as quickly as
she had arrived.
Ayumi clenched her fists at her sides in aggravation. "Damn
it!" she cursed at the Chinese elder's retreating back. All her
'arguments' with Cologne essentially ended this way, with her more
frustrated than anything else. What was worse, she knew Cologne knew
it, too. Shampoo's great-great grandmother was probably having
truckloads of fun at Ayumi's expense, right?
The more she thought about it the more she added to her mounting
frustration.
"Hmm..." Soun murmured, thoughtfully. "Are you sure you can
trust her to simply return you to normal? We all know she wants you
to marry that Shampoo girl. She will obviously go to any length to
make that happen."
"I've got to try. I don't wanna be stuck like this forever!"
Without thinking about it, Ayumi pointed a lone finger at her chest.
Ranma noted the gesture. She crouched next to Ayumi, certain
she had a good idea how the girl felt. She didn't want to be a
*boy*, herself! But at least there was something Ayumi could do
about his condition. He would be a boy again, eventually, one way or
another.
"Why do you insist on using a fire? You know Tofu-sensei said
you won't really be able to touch anything hot in your condition."
Ranma was correct. What the Neko-jita actually did was render
Ayumi super-sensitive to heat from any source. What good was
practicing the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken if Ayumi couldn't come
anywhere near the fire?
Nonetheless, Ayumi raised the palms of her hands as close as she
could tolerate to the flames, determined to try. "Ow! *Hot*! If I
can get enough speed, I won't have to worry about the heat!"
No matter how hard or fast she tried, however, she ended up
yanking her hands out of the fire even faster. Once the feeling
returned to her hands she fell to the ground, pounding fists against
it in a gesture of futility. "I can't do it! I'll never be able to
do it!" she grated.
Soun rested a cautious hand on Ayumi's shoulder. "You mustn't
give up hope, son."
She looked up into her father's face, unsure of what to say.
"Dad..."
"At least, come with us to the carnival. It'll be good to take
your mind off your problem for a while."
Ayumi's eyebrows furrowed deeply. "We've already tried that.
Several times, and it doesn't work!" Not as much as repeating those
words over and over, anyway. "I need to learn how to do this, Dad!
I mean, even *Ranma* figured out how to do it! It can't be *that*
hard!"
Off to her side, Ranma stood, the makings of a scowl forming on
her face. "Gee, thanks," she rebuked Ayumi. The baka never changed!
What was so wrong with admitting Ranma might be a better martial
artist than her? Ordinarily, Ranma would have pounded Ayumi into the
ground by now... so why *hadn't* she done it, she wondered? Was
Ayumi honestly deserving of her sympathy just because he had a
temporary Jhusenkyou curse? Her father and Shampoo had permanent
curses, as she did, yet that didn't mean she had to be nice to
*them*. If the pervert didn't shape up immediately, he was going to
be in for it.
"Uh, I didn't mean it that way!" Ayumi covered. Too little,
too late...
Soun knew he had to say something now or else he'd never get a
word in edgewise in this, the latest of Ranma and Ayumi's building
arguments. "I must insist that you come with us, son."
"Why? I'll never be able to forget about *this*, Dad!" the
cursed boy insisted. "My body's a constant reminder of my problem!"
She noticed Ranma wincing at the declaration. <That's it, moron.
Stick your foot in your mouth a little farther...> No doubt there
was a mallet soon to be imbedded in her head or face, courtesy of
Ranma.
"It doesn't matter. You are coming with us, Ayumi. Naka,
Kasuga? Would you mind helping us with your younger... um, sister?"
Ayumi shifted her attention back to the fire. "I *said*, I'm
not going. I have to practice."
"You leave me no choice, then. *Ranma*?"
Ranma made a show of cracking her knuckles, all for Ayumi's
benefit. "Oh, *Ayumi-kun*..." she emphasized, sweetly.
A feeling of dread descended over Ayumi. "Okay, okay! I'll
go!" Ranma was the one person whom Ayumi knew would never let her
have her way, not if Ranma believed differently. She would never
convince Ranma to leave her here to train. Not only that, Ranma's
speed clearly outmatched hers, now. She wouldn't stand a chance
either verbally or in a true fight.
Unless... would sparring with Ranma help her learn how to
acquire the speed of the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken? Perhaps. But it
would have to be a serious, one-on-one fight, and neither of them had
ever brought themselves to hit one another in such a fight.
<Here we go again.>

** ** **

It hadn't taken long at all for Ranma to load Ayumi's arms down
with cotton candy, caramel-covered apples, a couple of helium-filled
balloons and a pair of unevenly-matched stuffed animals. By
contrast, Ranma herself only held a thin pinwheel and a half-eaten
caramel apple. She'd already complained about that point to Ranma,
though Ranma only seemed interested in getting her to loosen up and
have some fun, whether she wanted to or not.
"Sheesh!" she grumbled, gulping down a mouthful of cotton candy
that Ranma had insisted she take.
Ranma adopted a feline smile. "You're supposed to be enjoying
yourself. So do it, already!"
Ayumi bit back the insult that came to her mind. "Hmph." Next,
Ranma steered her toward a sharpshooting game. "You're all nuts if
you think any of this is gonna make me feel any better."
Ranma lowered her voice slightly. "I'm gonna let you in on a
little secret. This little trip isn't for you."
"It isn't?"
"Of course not. It's for me."
"You!?"
"Yeah. Me, and the rest of the family. Do you know you've been
driving all of us up the wall with this problem of yours? Do you
know how much effort it's taken for us to stay nice to you? I don't
really *care* if you have fun tonight; *I* came here to relax! And
I'm gonna work off all my stress even if that means I have to throw
the main cause of it in the dunking tank! *Get it*!?"
Ayumi nodded. She swallowed hard without realizing it. Now
*this* was closer to the Ranma he knew. What was even more
significant was what Ranma was implying - he *had* been thinking more
or less only of himself ever since Cologne dumped the Instant
Nyan-Ni-Chuan over his head, hadn't he? He couldn't have been easy
to live with, particularly for Ranma, who likely had behaved the same
way when *she* was cursed. But, regardless of how much she denied
it, Ranma had come to accept her curse. Most of her anger was
presently directed at her father - Saotome Genma, the man who
happened to *like* being a panda part of the time! - or him.
And he probably deserved everyone else's anger for his current
behavior. Did he *have* to act this way? ...No. Then why do it?
Would it be so wrong to lighten up for *one* evening, forget about
his gender problem and enjoy the carnival?
Again, no.
She grabbed Ranma by the wrist.
Ranma started. "Wh-what are you doing?"
Ayumi gave her a casual smirk. "You win. You want me to have
some fun? Fine; we'll have some fun."
"Ba-baka!" stammered Ranma, backing away a step. She was
blushing profusely by this time. Her eyes were growing as wide as
the pinwheel she carried in one hand. "...Atashi...... you... we...
you can't! You..."
Ayumi rolled her eyes. Was that a full moon in the sky? "No,
idiot! Nothing like that!" she snorted, which caused Ranma to relax
somewhat. "I meant the games!"
"Oh."
After about half an hour Naka caught sight of the odd pair of
girls as he waited at a booth with Kasuga for their takoyaki dishes.
They watched while Ayumi - for once happy and not sulking about being
forced to be a girl - dragging a reluctant Ranma to one carnival game
after another.
"I thought Ayumi said he wasn't going to have any fun?" Kasuga
asked, allowing his eyes to track Ranma and Ayumi wherever they went.
Naka snorted a laugh. "Right. You know how Ayumi is. He lies
more than I do."
Kasuga glanced at him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you say something,
Naka?"
"No, not really."
Two games later Ayumi and Ranma found themselves at the goldfish
tank. "Try your luck!" the vendor, a suspicious-looking man who
happened to have a faint scar running from his forehead down through
his left eyelid to his cheek - though both Ranma and Ayumi knew him
as Mr. Yobuko; the scar had been given to him by one of his cats -
gave them his pitch. "Bring home a goldfish for only 100 yen!"
Ranma's face lit up. She had never had the chance to care for a
pet until recently, due to her father's strict position on the
matter, and though she now had P-chan, she figured having a goldfish
around wouldn't hurt, either. At least with a goldfish she wouldn't
have to worry about disappearing for a week or more at a time or
needing a bath. P-chan had a strange aversion to baths, anyway...
She handed Mr. Yobuko the 100 yen and picked up one of the paper
nets. "Now, don't feel you have to get them all!" the man joked.
Ranma crouched in front of the tank. "Okay! Here goes!"
While Ayumi watched Ranma's attempt at fishing with interest,
Ranma brought her net out of the water. Two small goldfish flailed
about within. "Congratulations!" Mr. Yobuko told her. "I don't
think I've seen anyone do that as well as you this evening, young
lady."
"Thank you," blushed Ranma.
Ayumi hmphed. <Oh, please. All she did was scoop some fish out
of a tank of water! That's nothing! And now she's probably getting
a swelled head...> She dug through her pockets for the remainder of
her change. "Let me try!"
Mr. Yobuko gave her a new net. "Here. Good luck."
The cursed boy knelt before the tank in much the same manner as
Ranma had. She dipped her net into the water...
...but with a little more force than was necessary, and her net
broke against the surface of the water as a result.
Mr. Yobuko gave her another net. "Here - try this one."
"It shouldn't have broken like that," Ayumi remarked,
suspiciously. Thank goodness the guy wasn't charging him for a
second try.
The second net broke... then a third, fourth, and fifth.
Ayumi's temper was quickly rising. "Are you SURE these things
aren't defective merchandise?" she spat.
Mr. Yobuko prodded one of the unbroken nets with his index
finger. "They look fine to me. Your friend was able to use them
with no problems."
"Hmph," Ayumi snatched the new net away from him, preparing to
use it. Of *course* Ranma had no problems. She had no problem
learning the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken, either. <She just thinks
she's SO special...>
The Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken. Wait a minute... that was it!
This would be a great opportunity to test her speed! "I think I've
got it this time!" declared Ayumi.
Ranma, as expected, smirked. "You sure?"
"Just you watch and see." Oh, he'd show her... the cocky
tomboy, thinking that only *she* could execute a speed technique
properly. Breathe in, out. Raise the net into the air in
preparation for the attack. And...
<Go.>
She urged her arms to move faster. All Mr. Yobuko saw were
several bowls suddenly and abruptly filled, each with four or five
goldfish. His 'stock' was rapidly depleting - and the girl continued
to scoop out more fish faster than he could see. Had she tricked him
into believing she was much better at this carnival game than she had
originally let on?
Ayumi's speed hadn't quite reached the level of Cologne's, or
even Ranma's, yet, but the fact that she was finally showing a marked
level of improvement in the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken came as a bit
of a relief.
A crowd had already begun to gather to see the young woman
transfer many goldfish from the tank to the bowls. "Amazing!"
murmured one woman, who peered over Ayumi's shoulder at the girl's
barely-visible motions.
Ranma was likewise excited, though for different reasons. "Now,
don't feel you have to get them all!" she mimicked the vendor's tone.
Ayumi sniggered. "This is nothing!" A small corner of her mind
berated her for letting her pride speak for her, as it often did.
<No! I can't let her do this!> Mr. Yobuko inhaled.
He knew what to do; had prepared for some emergency situations
which might arise, yet not exactly for a situation where a
smart-aleck girl was removing all the fish faster than anyone could
see. There was a like tank of *piranha* hidden in the back of his
booth.
Only one thing left to do. Before the last goldfish disappeared
from the tank, he removed the goldfish tank and replaced it with the
piranha tank. "How about a bet?" he asked Ayumi. "If you can't get
all of these piranhas, you'll have to return *all* of the goldfish!"
"Hey! That's cheating! No fair!" Ranma blurted. Never mind
that Ayumi had scooped out far more fish than expected.
Ayumi cracked the knuckles on her right hand. "Fine. I accept
your bet."
Ranma turned to her with suspicion. "You sure you want to do
that?"
Her 'friend' nodded. <Ranma was right! I *don't* have to use a
fire! This challenge'll work just as good!> "All right!" she
exclaimed. "Let's go!"

Shampoo sighed.
Her great-great grandmother had charged her with the task of
standing outside their 'Spirit World' exhibition, wearing an
elaborate kimono, to act as a kamban musume, or someone to draw
people to their exhibition.
Shampoo didn't care particularly much for it. She was a fighter
first and foremost. While wearing such clothing did tend to make her
appear more attractive, hopefully to Ayumi, it reduced her ability to
move around freely. Merely standing around outside a building was
boring. There were far more interesting things she could be doing...
such as spending the evening with her Ayumi. And oh, did that ever
make Ranma jealous!
But there would be none of that tonight. "Everyone who makes it
through this haunted building gets a coupon, half-off two bowls of
ramen at the Nekohanten!" Or rather, a buy-one-get-one-free offer.
Shampoo still couldn't understand why her great-great
grandmother wanted *her* to be the one to attract people to their
exhibit. Using beautiful young girls to get people to enter a
haunted house made little sense to her.
It was a pity Cologne had driven Ayumi to quit in order to
devote more time to improving his speed - otherwise, she would have
had Ayumi stand by Shampoo's side, drawing in paying customers.
Shampoo let that image linger in her imagination for a moment.
"Shampoo!" she heard his voice call her name.
"Shampoo!"
Wait... that was female Ayumi's voice, not the voice belonging
to male Ayumi. So that meant...
She spotted Ayumi rushing toward her. "Niihao, Ayumi!" she
waved. Maybe this night wouldn't be so boring, after all.
There were half a dozen marks left from tiny sets of teeth
evident on Ayumi's wrists. "Aiyaa...," she said, noticing the blood.
"What happened to your arms?"
Ayumi dismissed the idea that there might be anything physically
wrong with her. "Nothing a skilled martial artist like me couldn't
handle. I'm here for the fushichougan. Where's the old witch?"
She felt the unnerving sensation of the point of an
all-too-familiar staff tracing up the small of her back and dove
forward to get away from it. "Here, I believe," Cologne's weathered
voice greeted her. The Chinese elder broke into a dead run for the
front door of the Spirit World. "I'll be waiting for you inside!"
Ayumi followed her. "As if that'd make a difference!"
The greeting committee waiting for Ayumi within the first room
she entered were part of the crew hired by Cologne to man the
attraction, dressed in special costumes. A 'monkey' wielded a staff,
a 'pig' raised a rake above its head and with her luck, she figured
the 'dragon' really *did* breathe fire. Still others waited within
reach to gang up on her; Cologne had instructed them not to take
Ayumi lightly.
The monkey, dragon and pig advanced. Ayumi spun around on the
ball of one foot, shouting "Get out of my way, losers!" and
extending her arms and free leg outward to hit whatever they could in
a move derived from the one Sanzenin Mikado called the 'Death
Whirlwind,' though not as show-offish. A thought turned one of the
corners of her mouth up in self-amusement - if Mikado saw her now,
he'd no doubt hit on her, like he did almost every girl he
encountered.
All three of his opponents were sent flying. Before Ayumi could
hurdle the remainder of the greeters, however, the dragon fell to her
side and breathed a stream of flame at her. Floundering, she
scrambled out of the path of the flames. "Whoa!"
As luck would have it she landed next to the man in the monkey
suit she'd already knocked out of the fight. Ayumi grabbed the man's
staff, spinning it before her like an extended baton to ward off the
flames. When she was within range of the dragon's head, she planted
one end of the pole into the thing's snout and pole-vaulted past the
entire surprised group, into the next room...
Where a giant pool of hot water awaited her. "What the...?"
<THIS is her idea of a haunted house!?> She rolled her eyes.
Cologne sat patiently inside a halved, hollowed cask in the
middle of the pool. She dangled the fushichougan locket at arm's
length, the same move she knew which aggravated Ayumi to no end. "If
you want this, you'll have to come all the way across this hot bath
to get to me. You're not afraid of a little hot water, are you,
son-in-law?" she called to Ayumi.
Ayumi grimaced. "You aren't gonna scare me off that easily, old
witch!" She leap high into the air over the pool with the intent of
landing on or in Cologne's makeshift boat. "So you'd better prepare
to lose!"
Cologne used her staff to push her cask slightly out of Ayumi's
range as the girl descended. Ayumi pushed the staff she carried into
the water as well, hoping to use it as a stilt to walk across the
water in the same manner Cologne used *her* staff to get around much
faster than she could on her feet alone. She took a swipe at Cologne
that went wide. "Too easy," Cologne taunted her.
As she steered her cask farther away from Ayumi, the girl's
staff leaned forward, bringing her dangerously close to the hot water
her body wouldn't tolerate. She already felt the painful effect of
the water's heat against her cheeks. The next thing to do was thrash
her legs back and forth in an attempt to right herself...
"Don't forget, son-in-law, that's hot water!" Cologne allowed
herself a laugh at Ayumi's misfortune.
But then Ayumi shifted her staff back the other way. All at
once she sat atop the end of the staff, perfectly upright and
vertical. She showed Cologne a broad grin. "Ha! Fooled you!"
"Oh?"
That wasn't all, either. She held out her free hand - letting
the fushichougan locket fall from it to the end of the locket's
chain. "And what would you say to *this*?"
Cologne gasped, nervously. "The fushichougan! It's not
possible!"
"Believe it, old witch! All I have to do is take this medicine,
and..." she popped the small green sphere she found within the locket
into her mouth while leaping off her pole into the hot water.
"Tastes kinda like candy..."
Ayumi hit the water. Her eyes opened wider than she thought
they would ever go as every last inch of her body recoiled in
absolute pain from the hot water.
She thought it would go away, but it refused to leave her. It
wouldn't go away!
The last thing she heard before screaming and blacking out was
Cologne's voice. "That's exactly what it is."

Ranma and Shampoo had been arguing outside the door to the
Spirit World building when they heard Ayumi's screams.
Shampoo had refused to let Ranma follow Ayumi in without a
fight, and Ranma had lugged Mr. Yobuko's tank of piranha along with
her cursed rival in mind. Tossing a tankload of piranha-infested
water at Shampoo was the easy way out, but hey, it was a great
stress-reliever. Chances were Shampoo would dodge the water and
Ranma would wind up having to prove her point with her fists anyway.
Ayumi's screams of pain had interrupted Ranma before she could
throw the water at Shampoo. "Ayumi!" both Ranma and Shampoo cried
at the same time, running into the building.
They found Cologne setting a barely conscious Ayumi down close
to the edge of the pool of hot water. The girl twitched
spasmodically, most likely from having taken a dip in the hot water,
Ranma assumed on sight.
She knew from experience that one way to help Ayumi recover from
a full-body plunge into hot water was to dump cold water on her.
Shortly after her fight with Mousse, Ayumi had been frustrated enough
to take a running leap into a bath full of hot water, hoping that the
water would change her back even if she couldn't physically bring
herself to touch it.
And there was only one immediate source of cold water... the
water in the tank Ranma had brought. Piranhas or no piranhas, Ayumi
needed help. "I'd better cool you off," Ranma sighed.
Ayumi's spasms subsided as the cold water soaked her. "You
disappoint me, son-in-law. Not only have you failed to attain the
necessary speed, but you assume that your speed is all that is
necessary to win in a fight against me." The boy had strength, and
now some speed to increase his power, though when it came to thinking
his way through a fight, he was terribly lacking. Ayumi tended to
lead with his pride and stubbornness, not his mind. That would
always lead to his destruction in the long run.
Shampoo watched, unsure of what to make of the piranha making
desperate attempts to nibble on Ayumi rather than flounder about for
air, now that their water had drained away. "Maybe it's too much for
him to learn?"
"Give him some time," Ranma set the empty tank aside. "He'll
learn it."
Ayumi collapsed into unconsciousness.

** ** **

In the week that followed, Ayumi forced herself into a level of
seclusion in order to practice. The old witch loved proving she had
a large bag of tricks; she had to learn to keep her cool and learn
to see a way around these tricks.
But it was too difficult to keep her cool in a house where
practically anyone could interrupt her at any time. Her family,
Ranma and her father, not to mention the occasional visitor...
anyone could pop up to annoy her. And with an alarming consistency,
at that.
She all but ignored Ranma's requests to help her practice, which
usually led to Ranma clobbering her on the grounds of insensitivity.
Ranma was long since tired of Ayumi's self-centeredness in the
matter, though Ayumi believed it was crucial to focus only on
herself. She had to remove all other concerns from her mind to help
her concentrate.
What to concentrate upon? Raising her level of speed for the
Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken, for one. How could the tomboy figure out
how to do it faster, sooner than him? It didn't make a lot of sense.
Sure, she was fast, yet not *that* fast. Ranma couldn't have picked
up that much speed overnight.
However, Ranma insisted on helping, so she occasionally went
down to the Nekohanten to see if she could win the fushichougan
medicine from Cologne... only to wind up spending a lot of time
fighting Shampoo. Cologne seemed to have a sixth sense that warned
her when Ranma would visit the restaurant for an attempt.
Then, at the end of the week, Ranma told Ayumi a startling bit
of news - the Nekohanten was temporarily closed. Cologne and Shampoo
had apparently taken their business to the nearest beach during the
height of the summer season. There would be a lot of people on the
beach and in the water, all potential customers of the Nekohanten.
Not to mention the fact that the beach was the perfect
battleground for the latest round of Ayumi's battle for the
fushichougan.
Most of the family had reacted with joy when Ayumi told them she
wanted to spend some time at the beach. She had purposely ignored
them all the way to the beach and disappeared the moment they arrived.
"Now... where are you, old witch?" mused Ayumi, half an hour
later. Spying on the Nekohanten revealed that Shampoo and their
hired help were the only ones manning their restaurant-on-the-beach;
Cologne had to be out somewhere making deliveries. That was good -
better to fight on open ground than within the confines of Cologne's
home ground, the Nekohanten.
Now, where to find her? There was a tremendous amount of ground
to cover, for Cologne to hide in. The best place Ayumi could think
of to survey the entire beach was the very top of the lifeguard's
tower.
She sat cross-legged on the canopy covering the top of the
tower, using a hand to filter the sunlight out of her eyes. <Where
have you run to this time?> Ayumi shifted within her one-and-only
swimsuit, uncomfortably aware of its presence, and therefore, her
condition. A month of his life had been wasted in the wrong gender.
She had to find a cure as soon as possible! Any more time spent like
this and she was bound to lose her mind. Naka would undoubtedly make
some lame comment like "What little of a mind she had to lose..." She
didn't want to think about what might cross Ranma's mind.
There was only one person who could end this nightmare now...
Cologne. Ayumi vowed she would find the cure no matter what the
cost. Even if she had to give Cologne a nightmare of her own...
Ayumi still considered herself to be a gentleman, though Cologne had
long since worn out her welcome - and Ayumi's patience.
<I'm gonna find you if it's the last thing I do...!>
Cologne chose that precise instant to sail through the air past
the lifeguard's tower.
Ayumi hopped down from the top of the tower. "THERE you are,
old witch!" she yelled at the top of her voice, making sure to
include a sufficient amount of venom.
"Ah, son-in-law," Cologne nonchalantly acknowledged Ayumi's
presence. That Ayumi was here was no surprise; she had expected the
boy to show up, eventually. She led Ayumi on a chase around several
of the people lying on the sand.
"You know why I'm here! Where's the medicine?"
"It's just ahead."
Ayumi saw that they were nearing the site of the beach contest
of the day. "Who will participate in the great Watermelon Endurance
Race?" they heard the announcer ask.
"The Watermelon Endurance Race?" came a voice from the
gathering crowd. "What's that supposed to be?"
"The object is quite simple. Each racer tries to keep his or
her watermelon safe while destroying everyone else's watermelon. The
first person who makes it through the goal with their watermelon
intact--"
Most of the boys decided it was time to leave to find more
interesting things to occupy their attention. "Sounds like a stupid
waste of time."
"--wins a date with the lovely Miss Shampoo!"
Standing atop a raised platform just shy of where the announcer
was making his pitch, Shampoo put forth her best 'cute' face.
At the mention of the word 'date,' the entire single male half of
the crowd did an about-face. A date, with a young woman as beautiful
as this 'Shampoo?' Odd name, but what was in a name? She was
probably using the name as some sort of professional or commercial
gimmick, anyway. So what difference did a name make?
Only one person chose to pay attention to what Shampoo lazily
held in her right hand... the chain, to a familiar faux-gold locket.
"T-the fushichougan!" Ayumi gasped.
*Shampoo* had the medicine? Ha! It would be far easier to con
Shampoo out of the medicine than to trade blows with Cologne. <All
I've gotta do is turn on the charm and she'll hand it over to me!
You've made your last mistake, old witch!>
"I know what you are thinking, son-in-law," Cologne assured her.
"But, you will have to enter and win the race if you want the
fushichougan. There is no other way."
<Is that all?> Ayumi scoffed. "Oh, really?" she smirked,
half-aware she was cracking her knuckles. "Guess you're slipping in
your old age. This'll be a piece of cake!"

There was no way she could avoid it for much longer.
Oh, sure, she could have elected to stay home in the first
place. It would have been so easy... The Tendo residence had no
answering machines; she could have offered to be left behind in case
someone important called. To keep an eye on the dojo. Pick up all
the mail and newspapers, make sure anyone who thought this was a
great time to break into the home would regret it for a few months at
the very least...
But no, Saotome Ranma knew, she liked to fool herself. Either
that, or she was daring the world and the whole of Nature to send the
tides to get her. Why else would she bother to dress in a swimsuit,
wear swimmer's goggles, and rent a float if she was never going to
bother coming within several yards of the water? It was a shame this
wasn't the Winter break - at least *then* she could bundle up and not
worry about getting wet for a while.
No, scratch that. Last snowfall, Ayumi had pitched a snowball
at her face, and the snow had turned to water inside her muffler,
changing her while she was busy pelting the boy with a few dozen
snowballs of her own.
The day had yet to be a total loss... she'd left her father the
panda at the rental booth after all the children in the area began
mobbing him, hoping he could play with them... Ranma snickered; guess
the old man had finally found a disadvantage to staying in panda form
most of the time. He deserved all of it.
Her eyes found the spot Kasuga and Naka had claimed for the
family... but Ayumi wasn't there. Or in the water, or anywhere else,
as far as she could see. "*Now* where did Ayumi go?" she muttered
under her breath. Everyone knew full well the real reason why they
were here - Ayumi would follow Cologne practically anywhere to get
the medicine he needed to restore his body to normal.
Maybe she should have searched for Cologne, instead.
"C'mon!" Ranma overheard a trio of boys talking. "I'm gonna
enter the Watermelon Endurance Race!"
"Me, too!"
"They said the winner gets a date with a really cute girl!"
Ranma closed her eyes and sighed. Some guys would do *anything*
for a 'really cute girl.'
On the other hand, she reconsidered, it might not be a bad idea
to watch those guys drool over their 'cute girl,' for a laugh or two.
Ayumi - that baka - really didn't need her around to watch his every
move, did he? Would it be so wrong if she risked letting him make a
horrendous mistake or three while she tried to have *some* semblance
of a normal life?
Honestly, how much trouble could one lone baka in the body of a
girl get himself into?
As Ranma neared the makeshift stage she discovered who the
'really cute girl' chosen to serve as a prize for the male winners of
the Endurance Race happened to be.
The prize, meanwhile, was busying herself with fawning over
Ayumi, who Shampoo had dragged onto the stage. "I'm *so* glad you've
come to fight for me, Ayumi!" she gushed, her eyes glistening
brightly.
Ranma saw her latch onto Ayumi with a rallying cry of "You've
made me so happy!," and Ayumi's subsequent muffled cries... "It's not
true, it's not true, it's not true!"
She closed her eyes and exhaled, her breath forming a soft growl
as it left her throat. It figured Shampoo would find some way to get
Ayumi in her embrace...
But then Ranma thought about the situation at hand. If Ayumi
had entered the race to 'fight for Shampoo,' either Shampoo or
Cologne had offered the fushichougan to Ayumi if Ayumi won.
Otherwise, Ayumi wouldn't bother with the race. Therefore, the
logical solution to this mess would be to enter the race, if just to
keep things from getting too weird. Shampoo would need to be kept in
check.
The issue of jealousy never dared to cross her mind.

Ranma discovered before the race began that any *girl* who won
the race wouldn't be obliged to 'date' Shampoo - that fact alone came
as a great relief to Ranma - but would instead receive a voucher for
a free jet-ski rental or something of similar or less value, which
Shampoo presumably kept tucked within the locket alongside the
fushichougan.
If she won, would Shampoo be required to give *her* the
fushichougan?
As they stood at the starting line Ayumi shot Ranma a glare
which she interpreted as, <What are YOU doing here!? I'll deal with
you later.>
<Sure. Go right ahead and try.>
"On your marks... get set... GO!" A starter's pistol marked the
beginning of the race.
Ayumi shot forth with a vengeance, making short work of a dozen
of her competitors' watermelons within a mere few seconds. Ranma,
however, wasn't one of them. No, Ranma would be a much more
challenging target than most of the other people running the race.
Why did the tomboy always have to interfere, anyway? Didn't she have
anything *better* to do? Couldn't she torture, say, Naka for once?
Something triggered her sixth sense - the one that warned her of
a rapidly approaching danger. She glanced immediately around
herself.
A shadow was descending on her.
Ayumi traded her watermelon for the simple wooden sword she
carried in her right hand in time to parry Cologne's attempt to
puncture a hole in the watermelon with the staff Cologne was never
without. "I *knew* you'd show up, old witch!" seethed Ayumi.
Cologne blocked Ayumi's sword strikes by spinning her staff at
high speed to create a shield. "I just happened to be passing by,"
she replied, ever the innocent. "Why, I was merely here to recall
the days I spent on the beach as a little girl..."
Wooden sword clashed against wooden staff. "I thought they
didn't have beaches back then?"
Again, Ayumi's danger sense warned her of approaching trouble.
She hopped to the left on instinct - just as her father and Genma the
panda brought their swords down on the spot where she had been
standing. <*They're* out to get me, too?>
"We can't let you win this race, Ayumi! You are engaged to
Ranma, not Shampoo!" The tear ducts in Soun's eyes were working
overtime, as usual. Soun took Ayumi by the upper arms and held her
fast. "Unless you really *do* want to marry Shampoo..." his voice
turned menacing. His intent was clear... girl or not, Ayumi would be
in for a great deal of trouble and physical pain if she professed
love for anyone other than Ranma.
Ranma risked a glance back at them as she passed. "Forget it,
Uncle! If Ayumi wants to fool around with Shampoo, I don't care!"
she announced. She proceeded to slash her way through four boys'
watermelons, if just to prove her sincerity.
Naka and Kasuga watched the show from the sidelines.
"Determined and strong, isn't she?" Naka remarked off-handedly,
while picking remnants of his corn-on-the-cob out of his teeth.
"Go, Ranma!" cheered Kasuga. Naka stared at him for a second.
The announcer felt compelled to comment on Ayumi's predicament.
"What a strange scene this is, folks! A girl is trying to fend off
the unusual team of an older man and a panda! Not to mention a very
shriveled old crone!"
Cologne broke away, moving to strike a glancing blow against his
head with her staff. "Who do you think you're calling a 'shriveled
old crone?'" She *was* sponsoring this race, after all, wasn't she?
"Meanwhile, a rather determined girl has taken a shortcut around
the crowds and is well ahead of the pack! Will *she* be the winner?"
Ranma laughed to herself. <Hah! Who's gonna stop me?>
Shampoo dropped to the ground some five yards ahead of her. "I
won't let you pass until you surrender your claims to Ayumi!" she
leveled her sword at Ranma.
"This is indeed a surprise! Our 'prize' has entered the race!"
"Never!" countered Ranma. She charged, sword at the ready.
Just as their swords clashed, Ayumi leapt high over them both,
destroying their watermelons as they watched in stunned silence.
Her eyes flashed. "Will you two QUIT fighting over me?" Why
was he always the center of attention? Or Ranma? There was always
someone out to get one half of the betrothed pair for one reason or
another. Shampoo, Ryomi, Kunou, his not-all-there younger sister
Kodachi - or guest lunatics like Sanzenin Mikado and Shiratori Azusa.
Even undecided lunatics like that weirdo with the camera and a
fixation on Ranma... what was his name again? Gosunkugi... Hikaru.
Yeah, that was it.
For someone so adamant in claiming that there was no engagement
between her and Ayumi, why was she always fighting in favor of their
relationship?
Genma struck Ayumi from behind with a new sign. [You're not
getting away THAT easily!]
Then came Soun's turn. He imposed himself in his temporary
daughter's face. Every time he did so, he couldn't help wondering
what would have happened if he had been blessed with one or more
daughters? "It's time you resolved this issue once and for all!"
Genma pushed Shampoo and Ranma close to Ayumi, keeping a hold on
both girls within his large panda arms. Soun drew a breath and
continued, loud enough for the spectators to hear. "You are going to
choose. Ranma, or Shampoo, and give the one you truly love a kiss."
"What an unusual turn of events!" The roving announcer was
doing his best to keep up with what was going on - a daunting task,
what with all of the wild cards in this race. "One girl has been
challenged to pick between two other girls, one of whom is our
'prize,' Miss Shampoo, and kiss the girl of her choice!"
The crowd was equally as stunned.
Ranma blinked.
The expression on Shampoo's face grew serious, eventually
developing into a tight smile. <I know he'll choose me... it's the
only way! Then we'll give him the medicine and we'll all live
happily ever after! So... which of us will it be, Ayumi?>
Ayumi turned and strode angrily toward Ranma.
Her heart skipped a beat. <What!?> What the heck was Ayumi
doing? Ranma lamely brought up her hands and waved them to ward off
Ayumi. There was a blush spreading across the top of her cheeks,
though she couldn't do anything about that now. "N-now wait just a
minute, Ayumi! You can't..." she stammered, backing away, and
nearly stumbling several times in the process as a result. "You
can't do this, baka!" she insisted in a lower, more urgent voice.
"We're both girls!"
Ayumi lunged past her and carved up the watermelon her father
still held. "I'm *NOT* that kind of girl, thank you very much!"
"It was merely a joke..." Soun covered. Shampoo folded her
arms. *Again* Ayumi refused to make up his mind. Obviously, he
didn't want to hurt Ranma's feelings by telling her how he truly felt
about Shampoo. That was sweet. Misguided, yes, but sweet. Ranma
was strong; she would be able to handle rejection well.
Ayumi heard a low growl come from behind her. It rose in volume
and strength. Uh-oh...
An irate Ranma place-kicked her into the sky. "Go to *hell*!"
Actually, now that she thought about it, Ranma's kick hadn't
inflicted that much pain. Maybe she was losing her edge? "Oh,
really?" Ayumi mused.
As soon as she began her descent, she broke into a cannonball
roll. Ranma's kick might not have hurt her all that much, but
falling from great heights would if she failed to control her landing.
Somehow, Ranma had sent her flying directly toward the goal.
<Huh? All right! It's the goal!>
"You haven't won yet, son-in-law!"
<No... not *her*!>
Cologne sprang up from ground level, sweeping her staff through
Ayumi's path to cut her off. The cursed boy contorted her body so
that the attack would miss. She breathed a small sigh of relief; her
true form would have been a little too slow to avoid it.
She landed a distance from the goal. Cologne landed directly in
front of the goal, as Ayumi figured she would. Both of them still
had their intact watermelons. The Chinese elder perched on hers.
"You obviously want to marry Shampoo. But you're still going to have
to fight me to win, this time."
Ayumi narrowed her eyes. "No problem. I can win any fight
against you, no matter when, how or where!"

<...to be continued...>

Credits:
--------

Written by: Mike Koos
Pre-readers: Richard Beaubien, Tom Williams, David Wills

With apologies to Tahahashi Rumiko...

Trivial note: As of February 20, 1998, this series is now officially
one year old! Not that it makes that much of a difference, mind you.
^_^ I first began to write the series out on that date in 1997,
after discussing it in email with a few people.
And now look at the resulting mess. :) Thanks to all the readers of
Destiny's Wish for your support. :)

All parts of this series are available at the RAAC archives at
ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works
or from my WWW pages at
http://www.anime.usacomputers.net/~makoto/index.htm
Comments and questions welcome.

*****************************
* Mike ('Kino Makoto') Koos * "I can do nothing to stop you.
*---------------------------* Your background music is too
* email: mak...@mother.com * strong for me."
***************************** - Whose Line is it Anyway?
www: http://www.anime.usacomputers.net/~makoto/index.htm