[Ranma][Fanfic] Destiny's Wish, Part Nineteen

[Mike Koos]

As usual, Hibiki Ryomi was lost. In familiar territory, no less.
"I've got to find her! I've got to find Shampoo, and beat her,
for everyone's sake!"
For Ranma, because Shampoo had tried an unusual - cowardly? -
tactic instead of directly facing Ranma in a fair fight; she had
blocked Ranma's memories of both Ayumi and Shampoo.
For Ayumi, because now that Ranma did not remember him or
Shampoo, the only thing preventing Shampoo from claiming Ayumi as
hers was Ryomi.
And while Ranma was still Ryomi's chief obstacle for Ayumi's
love, she was the ideal person to confront Shampoo, having defeated
the girl from China once before. Assuming Ranma could be made to
remember Shampoo long enough to fight her...
Ryomi understood that somehow, she had come to be lost in
Hokkaido, again. How or why did this happen? No matter where or
when she became lost, it seemed that eventually she would come to
pass through Hokkaido. The only way she could guarantee she
*wouldn't* end up in Hokkaido was to set it as her destination.
She wanted to be at the Tendo Dojo, not *here*, and she would
arrive there sooner or later. Wherever Ayumi was... Shampoo was
bound to be in the area. That would prove to be the girl's final
mistake.

Destiny's Wish
Part Nineteen: A Farewell By Any Other Name
written by Mike Koos
------------------------------

It was early evening by the time Ranma returned home. Ayumi had
attempted to drag her all over town in a useless search for Shampoo,
to claim the shampoo the girl from China had used to erase Ranma's
memory of them. He had made the mistake, however, of allowing
Ranma's feet to come in contact with the ground. She was safely able
to wrench herself free of his hold on her then, without the fear of
breaking into a tumble and coming up with more than a few pavement
scrapes.
Why someone Ranma didn't know had... *kidnapped* her to look for
someone else she didn't know was beyond her. She proceeded to lose
Ayumi and make her way home.
Exhausted, she walked into the foyer of the Tendo home, taking
care to pry the dress shoes from her feet. All this nonsense
concerning her memory had kept her out most of the day. Nonsense,
indeed... she couldn't remember not being able to remember anything.
The only thing left to do tonight was take a bath, finish her
homework and go to bed. Maybe tomorrow morning would be more
hospitable to her than this weird day.
Oops; she had almost forgotten to tell everyone she was home.
"Tadaima!" she called, though not as brightly as she had hoped.
The two eldest Tendo brothers hastened to the foyer. "Ranma..."
Kasuga said, falling silent.
Naka studied her for a moment. "Tofu-sensei called. She said
you don't remember who Ayumi is. Is that true?"
The name 'Ayumi' failed to register in the girl's memories.
"Ayumi?" she asked, clearly confused. "Ayumi who?"
Kasuga was unsure how to deal with this situation.
"Ayumi, as in the guy standing behind you," Naka told her.
Ranma very nearly leapt straight upward with a start. How in
the *world* had a boy managed to sneak up on her without her knowing
it? And in her own home, as well! He blushed slightly - trying to
look modest and innocent, Ranma figured. Well, it wasn't going to
work! "Just who do you think you are, barging into my home like
this?" she demanded of the boy.
"*Your* home!?" echoed Ayumi. "I live here. You're just a
*guest*."
While Ranma questioned Ayumi's state of mind Kasuga and Naka
traded curious glances. "It's true, then. She really doesn't
remember him. Poor girl," Kasuga said quietly.
Naka shrugged. "Yeah."
Making his usual grandiose entrance, Soun shouldered his way
between the two brothers to come to stand near Ranma, laughing.
"It's okay. They just need to be reintroduced!" He placed a hand on
Ranma's shoulder and looked down into her eyes. She wasn't exactly
happy with the gesture, but he ignored the fact that she was becoming
upset. "Ranma, you do remember me, right? I guess you could say I'm
your father-in-law..."
This seemed to confuse Ranma. "Why would you say that? I
haven't married anyone, and Dad hasn't... has he?"
"No, of course not. However, you are engaged to be married to
my son, Tendo Ayumi, over there."
"Who?" Ranma's eyes flashed with returning anger. "And who
said you could decide if I should get married to anyone? I don't
even know this... this... *guy*! You sound like my Dad!"
Ayumi let out a barely audible sigh. <This is all Shampoo's
fault. Oh, man... where did she go?>
All of a sudden he felt a pair of arms latch around him. He
glanced down with surprise... into Shampoo's face. She beamed up at
him, smiling coyly. "Niihao, airen!"
Well, it made sense. Since he couldn't find her by running all
over town, why not stand still and let her come to him? "Shampoo,
knock it off, willya?"
Whether or not Shampoo fully understood what he asked Ayumi
didn't know, but instead of following his order she raised her arms
to his neck and embraced him lovingly. All she wanted was to hold
the man she loved... "Uo da airen..."
A mere fraction of a second after that Ranma drove Ayumi out of
Shampoo's grasp and to the floor by planting one of her elbows into
his face.
She froze, unaware of what she had just done. Her elbow
remained imbedded in Ayumi's face.
Shampoo lowered herself to Ranma's eye level. "Why you do
for!?" she demanded angrily. How dare female Ranma interfere in
what was destined to happen!
Ranma blinked. Who was this girl and what was she talking
about? "Eh?" Then she realized what her elbow was doing and
withdrew it. Why was she grinding some strange boy's head into the
floor with her elbow?
Questions. Many, many questions! All of which weren't being
answered.
Best to start with the boy, then. "I'm sorry - did I hurt
you...... whoever you are?" she asked, looking sheepishly down at
him.
Despite new pain rising in his facial features, Ayumi scowled.
"Hmph."
<Why did I do that?> wondered Ranma. <All I did was see those
two hugging each other... That's no reason for me to react the way I
did!>
Naka pounded a fist into the open palm of his other hand. "Was
that a reflex action? She's always doing that to him, so maybe..."
Kasuga appeared hopeful. "Maybe she hasn't completely lost her
memory of Ayumi! There's still hope!"
Shampoo's eyes narrowed as she watched Ranma try once again to
establish who Ayumi was. <The technique didn't completely work!
She's more dangerous than I thought!> She had to admit the only
fighting she had truly seen female Ranma do was in her fights with
Ayumi - and that had mostly been arguing. Shampoo hadn't given Ranma
much of an opportunity to show her true strength in their fight...
the girl's strange little pet pig had inadvertently given Shampoo an
opportunity she couldn't pass up.
Once Ranma's memory of Ayumi was gone there would be nothing
left to come between Shampoo and her beloved.
Unless, of course, Ranma's memory was not completely erased.
Well, there was one way to fix that...
Shampoo leapt, placing herself behind Ranma once more. Shouting
a few words in Chinese no one else in the room understood - except
perhaps Naka - she drew her arms wide open to begin the process.
Ayumi immediately recognized what was about to happen. There was no
time to lose! If he let Shampoo execute her trick again on Ranma,
the baka's memory might be lost forever!
So, he made a grasp for one of Shampoo's wrists. It was a
gamble; if he picked the wrong wrist - the one *not* connected to the
hand that held Shampoo's shampoo, there was a good chance she would
still be able to execute the technique with one hand. If he was
lucky, he'd be able to shove Ranma out of the way before that
happened. Ranma certainly didn't deserve to live out her life with a
fair portion of that life missing...
He caught the hand that held the shampoo and a comb. His heart
was racing; must be all that adrenaline or whatever else it was
called. Now, then, all he had to do was grab both the shampoo and
Ranma... and run.
"*Airen*!" Shampoo shouted at his retreating back. Why did her
beloved insist on *helping* this annoyance, this... girl who insisted
in meddling with their relationship? Now that she and Ayumi were
wife and husband, this Ranma's questionable engagement to Ayumi in
mere *words* was annulled. There was *no* need for Ayumi to concern
himself with such an annoyance, particularly when she never cared for
him to begin with and did her best to hurt him every chance she got.
Ranma, meanwhile, wasn't all that sure why a boy she couldn't
remember was dragging her through the halls of her home by her wrist.
As soon as she figured out what was going on here, someone was going
to get pounded!
Ayumi took a second to glance at the thin bottle of shampoo in
his left hand. <I've got everything I need...>
He rushed Ranma into the downstairs bathroom and pushed her head
down into the sink basin with one hand while turning the water on
with the other. Next came the shampoo, which he poured over her
head. All he had to do was saturate her head with the shampoo, let
it soak in and wash her hair like normal, right? This shampoo
probably had more to its directions than 'lather, rinse, repeat.'
Since she was conscious it was best not to let the process take
too long, or she would clobber him. He began to scrub her hair...
quite forcefully and rapidly.
Ranma screamed. "Owowowowowowowow*oww*!!" Well - whoever this
*moron* was that was hurting her had foolishly forgotten to secure
her arms before he did so. That was a very bad mistake for him to
make, indeed! In one quick, practiced maneuver she threw her arms
straight up and grabbed Ayumi's head.
"Let's see how YOU like it!!" she yelled, slamming him
face-first into the basin.
The sink shattered. Blast! She hoped Mr. Tendo - or worse yet,
Naka - wouldn't make her pay to replace it. Knowing Naka he'd hold
the payments for this broken sink over her head to blackmail her into
practically anything. Just because Naka took care of the family
budget, he thought it gave him power over everyone in the house. But
if he wanted to have her pose for any more pictures to sell to
brain-dead Kunou... she'd beat up the blackmailer and be done with it.
Lather from her hair dripped onto the floor to mix with the
porcelain dust settling there. Ranma stared at it for a few seconds
and then at Ayumi. What had she done?
Ayumi stirred. She pulled him out of the sink and let him sit
nearby. "You okay?"
"Of course not! Ow... what went wrong?"
"For one thing, I'm afraid you tried to use the wrong shampoo,
Ayumi!" Dr. Tofu spoke up.
"Tofu-sensei?" Ranma said with a start. The good doctor was
one of the few people who Ranma knew that could sneak past her
without her sensing it, and Tofu-sensei had done it again. Ranma had
seen an indication of how skilled the doctor was after meeting her
for the first time. She had asked Dr. Tofu to teach her how to move
as stealthily, but Tofu had told her that all she needed to do was
practice, practice and practice more.
Hold it - if Tofu-sensei was here, did that mean there was
something dangerously wrong with her that demanded a house call?
"Ayumi," the older woman spoke evenly. "What brand number is on
that bottle?"
Ayumi read the bottle. "One-ten."
One hundred and ten. That meant there were at least one hundred
and nine other shampoo brands to worry about if this shampoo wasn't
the correct one, as Tofu-sensei had stated. "We must have brand
number 119 if we want to reverse the effect!"
"As if it's that easy to find these shampoos!" grumbled Ayumi,
slumping against the wall. He was too preoccupied to notice Shampoo
entering the room, a suspicious expression to her face. Shampoo, the
one person who could help Ranma most of all...
Tofu drew a small book from a pouch she carried. "Not to fear.
I've found directions for producing a version of brand number 119 in
this very book!"
"Is that so, sensei?" asked Kasuga. Shampoo stepped aside so
that the older boy could pass. "Then, you can cure Ranma's amnesia!"
Ranma shook her head. Not only was having everyone show up in
their bathroom a bit... well, *strange*, whenever Tofu-sensei
happened to notice she was in the same room as Kasuga, virtually
*anything* could happen.
Now if she could only determine who some of these people were...
surely they knew the danger of being present right about now?
The doctor's glasses fogged over. Her hands, looking for
something to do, began tearing the book they held into tiny shreds of
paper. "Kasuga-san! What a surprise to see you here..."
"Hm?" As usual, Kasuga had failed to recognize the reasons for
Tofu-sensei's odd behavior. <Must run in the family,> Ranma thought,
then wondered why. Had Mr. Tendo or Naka attempted a relationship
that she couldn't remember at the moment?
"Why would you say that? I do live here, after all."
Ayumi dove to catch the remainders of the shredded book as they
fell to the floor. "Waah! Please *stop* tearing the book up!
Please! Sensei?"
But Tofu-sensei wouldn't listen. <Serves him right,> Ranma
smirked.

Ayumi stuffed one final pair of underwear into his backpack.
After Dr. Tofu had ripped apart what might have been an
important part of a cure for Ranma, Naka wasted no time in dragging
Kasuga out of the room. Without Kasuga present to cause her brain to
turn to mush Dr. Tofu apologized for what she had done to the book
and, gathering up the pieces, promised to continue working as long as
possible in her clinic - which doubled as her home, after hours -
to find a replacement cure.
He hadn't seen Ranma since the memory-challenged girl went to
her room to change clothes. Ayumi had gone to his room to think of a
new plan of action.
An hour and a half later he had his plan.
"Hey, little brother, what's with the backpack?" Naka's voice
came from the doorway. Naka always seemed to have a measure of
calculated smugness to his voice. Something there naturally made
people afraid he was going to lunge for something vital.
Ayumi was by now far too used to it to notice. "I've got no
choice. Shampoo's not gonna give me the shampoo we need to fix
Ranma, so I'm gonna go to China t'find it there!"
Naka strode into the room and gave Ayumi two raps on the back of
his head. "Hello? Are you in there?" He snorted. "Idiot. You
don't know anything about going off on your own to China! The girls,
maybe. A few short training trips with Dad and you think you're a
world traveler!"
"This is a dangerous and foolish idea, Ayumi," Kasuga added.
Ayumi shouldered the backpack, heading for the stairs. "I don't
care! I'm doing this for Ranma! *Someone* has to! It isn't like
she can cure herself..."
Naka's next comment caught him completely by surprise. "This is
great! He's going to great lengths for the girl he loves! Say...
since you're going to China anyway, could you get me a few
souvenirs?"
"Some special tea blends would be nice," said Kasuga.
The rest of the family - including Ranma - suddenly appeared at
the foot of the stairs. [Could you get me a bottle of shampoo brand
101 while you're there?] the decidedly embarrassed panda held up a
sign. Mr. Saotome must have learned what the different brands of
shampoo did from Tofu-sensei... the man wouldn't have much to do with
changing someone's memory, so maybe... brand 101 had something to do
with... hair? Was the old man looking for a cure for baldness?
"I need tobacco, son," Soun spoke into his thoughts. "Don't
forget."
Ayumi turned to glance directly at Ranma. She wore a pair of
well-worn denim overalls, covering a yellow print shirt, and the same
look of bewilderment which indicated she didn't know who he was or
why everyone was making such a big fuss over him. "Don't tell me YOU
want something, too?"
She absently shook her head no. Although Ranma had no memory of
this boy, she could recognize a feeble attempt at communicating when
she saw it.
<That guy...> paused Ranma. <Why're they asking him to do all
those things? And why is he doing this?>
The boy without a name called her. "Ranma...... don't worry.
I'll have your memory returned to you soon."
She wasn't sure how to respond.
Genma slapped him on the back. [I'm so proud of you,
son-in-law!]
Soun followed suit. "And me as well, son! Good luck!"
Ranma watched the boy leave before anyone could ask him to buy
them anything else. <They said I'm supposed to know him... but I
can't remember. What have I forgotten?>

** ** **

Ayumi ran through the streets of Nerima on the first step of his
considerable journey to China. Only now was he considering the
details and possible results of the plan he'd chosen.
<I don't have that much money. Should've asked Dad or Naka for
more... If I pay for a boat ride, I won't have enough left to buy the
shampoo, OR all that other junk they want me to buy! So I'll either
have to stowaway on a boat... or swim.>
He dreaded the thought of having to swim the distance between
Japan and China. <It's a lot longer than a lap in the local pool -
but I can do it. I am a martial artist.>
The latter was his justification. Nothing could truly be
impossible for a martial artist to achieve!
<I have to do it. I must get a bottle of brand number 119 for
Ranma-->
He saw the numbers take shape in front of his eyes. '119,' dark
numbers on an off-white background.
The same colors as the bottle of shampoo he had held in his
hands earlier.
He hopped back a few feet. Ahead of him, he noticed a sight he
hadn't expected to see: Shampoo, hanging upside-down from an old,
gnarled tree branch which had grown past the limits of the yard the
tree was rooted in during its lifetime. Shampoo held the bottle of
shampoo right-side up so that he could get a good look at it.
A bottle of shampoo. Bearing the brand number one-nineteen...
She knowingly smiled. Yes, this bottle was what Ayumi wanted...
Ayumi read the numbers aloud to make sure there was no mistake.
"One... one... nine..."
He reached out for the bottle - but Shampoo was faster, easily
taking the bottle out of his reach. She swung back up and over the
branch; sticking her tongue out at him and pulling down a lower
eyelid to taunt him. Shampoo bounded away along the road with Ayumi
in pursuit.
<Rats! She's playing games with me...> "Come back here,
Shampoo!"
This was not good! Shampoo knew he was searching for the only
cure for Ranma's amnesia. If he was an accurate enough judge of
character, Shampoo *wouldn't* want Ranma to be cured. It had been
her idea to remove... no, *block* Ranma's memories of them so that
Ranma would no longer stand in the way of her and Ayumi, the boy she
now had to marry by the laws of her village in China.
But what could he do, short of heading to China and *hoping* he
could find a bottle of brand 119? Now that he thought about it, what
guarantee did he have that he wouldn't spend the rest of his
miserable little life searching every last inch of China for the cure?
He was beginning to feel a dull pain in his thighs from having
covered most of the distance between here and his home by running.
Still, quitting wasn't an option. If he stopped now, Shampoo would
disappear with the shampoo and he'd have to go to China after all.
There had to be a better way of going about this; right now, his mind
was far too pressed to come up with a workable alternate plan.
So, on with the chase. He willed all thoughts of pain to leave
him and continued on. Breathing exercises. Precise muscle control.
If he controlled his body well enough he could shift the pain around,
make if go away. At least, that was what he hoped.
Shampoo was running wild - Ayumi reminded himself that she
wasn't as familiar with the streets of Tokyo as he was. He snorted a
laugh. Thank goodness it was *him* chasing Shampoo and not Ryomi...
As they turned onto a new street a familiar voice rang out.
"SHAMPOO!!"
Shampoo stepped back as a whirling yellow-and-black bandanna
sliced through the air, followed by another, the projectiles
imbedding in the pavement where her feet had been and cutting her
flight short.
Hibiki Ryomi had indeed arrived.
<Just great. All I did was THINK about her and she shows up!
*Now* what!?>
The Lost Girl descended to the street in front of Shampoo,
leveling her umbrella at the girl from China. "Give him the shampoo."
Shampoo frowned. "No."
"I'll have to insist."
"Why strange girl help loudmouth girl?" Shampoo wished she had
brought her bonbori along to deal with this unexpected challenge.
She then admonished herself. <You're the champion of your village!
You don't need a weapon to defeat an enemy!>
Ayumi stretched his leg muscles and applied pressure to them to
keep them from seizing up, or hurting as much as they presently were.
"That's what I'd like to know." Ryomi seemed to want to help
Ranma... why? Every time she did want to help, Ryomi had a hidden
motive. Poor, innocent Ranma had yet to learn that her little pet
'P-chan' was Ryomi in a different form.
"All you need to know, Shampoo," Ryomi refused to relax her
stance, "is that you had better give us the shampoo and go home."
Shampoo took up an offensive stance of her own. "I not go home
without husband!"
"Forget it! You're not going to marry anyone!"
Ayumi groaned. Why did everyone always insist on treating him
like he wasn't always there? "Umm..."
They ignored him. "Shampoo marry who Shampoo want!" Shampoo
yelled, charging Ryomi. But Ryomi was ready for her, and the two
launched into a fight that appeared to Ayumi to be fairly matched.
Ryomi insisted on depending solely on the use of her umbrella
and other weapons - perhaps giving Shampoo the impression Ryomi
couldn't fight without them, Ayumi observed. He wondered if all the
training he'd subjected himself to since Ryomi's arrival had helped
him to understand her better.
Her opponent kept the bottle of shampoo grasped tightly in hand,
not wanting to lose it to an accident. This was clearly a
disadvantage; Ryomi had little trouble deflecting several punches and
kicks with the use of her umbrella.
<This girl is a strong fighter!> Shampoo thought. <Very well,
if she wants to be serious, then I'll be serious, too!> She adopted
the pose of a jungle cat about to strike - the same fierce look of
determination, standing on its hind legs as it towered over the prey
it was about to mutilate using its terrifyingly fearsome claws...
Unimpressed by the sight, Ryomi reached in with her umbrella and
swatted the bottle of shampoo out of Shampoo's hands.
Shampoo gasped, eyes going wide. Ryomi dived for the bottle and
caught it. She tossed it to Ayumi. "Take that to Ranma. Hurry!"
"But..."
"Don't worry about us. Go!" Ryomi told him.
She watched Ayumi leave. A presence at her side cautioned her
that Shampoo remained a threat. Ryomi warily turned to check on her
opponent.
Shampoo gave Ryomi the Kiss of Death.
Ryomi wiped her cheek. "Good. I'm definitely not through with
you yet."
The other girl smiled. "Soon you be through."
"With *you*, yes!"

** ** **

Acting solely on instinct, Ayumi retrieved his backpack and
rushed the shampoo to Dr. Tofu's clinic. No sense in taking any
chances this time; Tofu-sensei was more familiar with these shampoos
and their use. Ranma's 'symptoms' had shown no sign of worsening, so
a delay of an hour wouldn't hurt matters much.
He sat in the clinic sipping from a hot cup of herbal tea while
the doctor closely examined the shampoo nearby. She had been
examining it for the better part of twenty minutes, but Ayumi
withheld his anxiety.
Wait. Why was he so anxious to fix Ranma's problems? When had
he come to care so much for the sex-changing tomboy freak? Ranma was
strong-willed, opinionated, and enough of a martial artist to make
him pale somewhat in comparison - not that it took much, she would
undoubtedly say.
There was something to be said for having Ranma not remember who
he was or even know that he existed. She wasn't calling him names or
developing new ways to humiliate him.
She also didn't need him to care for her or stand up for her.
However, he had come to do just that regardless of the way she
felt. He'd threatened the playboy Sanzenin Mikado's life if Mikado
refused to leave Ranma alone.
Ayumi had convinced himself that it was only a matter of honor
and duty. It was his responsibility to worry about the well being of
his iinazuke, no matter what. And despite his best attempts to avoid
it, he had come to care for her after all.
<I am SO pathetic.>
He realized Dr. Tofu was calling his name. "Ayumi-kun?"
Ayumi raised his head. "Yes, sensei?"
"I hate to have to give you bad news, but... This isn't the
right shampoo."
Ayumi stood. "What?" he asked. Not again...
"If we had used this on Ranma, there's a good chance she could
have lost *all* her memory!"
Leave it to Shampoo to try such a devious tactic. "You know all
this from testing the shampoo?"
She placed the bottle where Ayumi could see it and peeled the
label off to reveal the number 107. "That, and someone placed this
sticker over the brand number to make it *look* like brand 119."
<You *idiot*! Why didn't you check the label?> He paused.
"But then, we're back where we started! Have you made any progress
with the book?"
"One page," the doctor said, embarrassed.
"One page?" Ayumi took a look at the page. Unfortunately, the
writing was all in Chinese, which he had yet to learn how to
understand. Concept-reading the Kanji earned him a number - one.
"Let me guess - shampoo brand zero-zero-one?"
Tofu nodded. "Yes."
"What does it do?"
"It cleans your hair," she admitted. "Shampoo brand 001 is a
normal shampoo. It's the only one that doesn't offer special results
in the same sense as all the other brands."
Exasperated, Ayumi plopped back into his chair.
"Do me a favor, Ayumi-kun?"
"Yes?"
Tofu leaned against the edge of the examination table. Maybe it
was an acquired skill, Ayumi thought; the table was always
uncomfortably cold for everyone else thanks to the air conditioning
in the room. "Go home."
"But..."
"There's nothing we can do for tonight. Get some sleep. I've
placed a few calls... if anything comes up, I'll let you and your
family know."

** ** **

"What do you MEAN, you didn't bring back anything?"
Ayumi swallowed hard. He hadn't expected his father to be this
upset toward him. Sure, he had come home *much* sooner than hoped
and without Ranma's cure *or* any of the things his family had asked
him to get, but...
Ah, who was he kidding? Why would Dad have reason to act any
other way?
"I-I did!" stammered Ayumi. "But Shampoo gave us the wrong
shampoo--"
"So you decided to come home empty-handed?" Soun demanded.
"Tofu-sensei told me to!" Ayumi protested. The bright overhead
lighting of the dojo made him feel like he was trapped in an
interrogation room; the enormous dojo had always been the worst room
in the house to defend oneself in.
It also wasn't the best room to be in when two martial
arts-inclined fathers were angry with him.
Soun and Genma - in panda form, as Genma often was - began to
beat him up. [That's no excuse!] the sign which Genma pounded Ayumi
with read.
"You should be more concerned with the well-being of your
iinazuke!"
After a couple of minutes of this Ranma ran into the dojo to
investigate what the source of the commotion was. Her father and Mr.
Tendo were beating a stranger? Why would they be doing such a thing?
"Dad, Mr. Tendo... Stop it!"
Soun raised the face of the boy into Ranma's line of sight. She
withdrew; the boy's battered and out-of-place features unnerved her.
"Here, Ranma! Don't you remember the face of my inconsiderate son?"
She made a face. "It looks like a monster!"
Ayumi pulled himself free of his father's hold to glare at her.
"Who's a monster?"
"You are, whoever you are..."
Soun sighed, and flipped Ayumi onto his face, hoping that
concern for Ayumi might bring back Ranma's memories of the youngest
Tendo boy.
It didn't. "Hey!" she shouted. "You shouldn't be picking on
someone who can't fight back! Fight me, instead!"
Ayumi was becoming incensed. "What d'you mean, 'can't fight
back?'"
"What did I say?" Ranma, too, was starting to become annoyed.
Privately, she wondered why. "You don't look like you could hurt a
fly!"
"I can fight better than you any day. So why don't you just
*shut up*!? You are so incredibly *not cute*!"
The words gave Ranma pause. "...... Not...... cute......?"
Something shifted in her thoughts. She brought a hand up against her
cheek, barely aware of its presence.
Soun noted the sudden appearance of confusion and recognition
fighting for control of the girl's expression. "C-could it be...?"
He placed a hand on Ayumi's shoulder. "Ayumi - one more time!"
Ayumi glanced between his father and Ranma and understood. "You
are so incredibly NOT CUTE!!" he repeated in a louder voice.
The words jolted through Ranma's mind like an electric shock.
She seemed to react more; she took on a pained look, her hands
instinctively clutching at her temples.
"Keep insulting her! And don't let up!" Soun ordered, as
though he were conducting an experiment.
An unusual request, coming from his father. "You're kidding,
right? Okay..." He imposed himself in front of Ranma, drawing
himself up to full height. "You're not cute! You have no
femininity! You're a savage, clumsy, fat moron!" He took a breath
and started anew.
He saw Ranma's fingers grasp the hair that happened to be near
her fingers as tight as humanly possible. Her eyes shut equally as
tight, causing tears to form there. She shook her head unevenly back
and forth, having to contend all at once with a vivid collage of
thoughts fast-forwarding through her mind...
...Ayumi's insults continuing to echo everywhere...
"Unnh..." Ranma abruptly straightened. "How DARE you! *Ayumi
no BAKA*!!" And, not bothering to think about it, she promptly
decked Ayumi. He collided face-first with the floor once more.
She drew her hand back and looked at it, startled. Ayumi?
"Ah..." She had punched... Ayumi!
A crying Soun approached her. "Ranma! Your memory's back?"
"I... I guess so..." Ranma said in all uncertainty.
Soun perched on Ayumi's back and gripped her arms. "Oh, it's
the miracle of love!"
"Get off my back!" grumbled Ayumi.
A familiar low rumbling shook the walls. Ayumi recognized it
instantly. <Guess I shouldn't be surprised.>
Ranma recognized it as well - and so did Genma the panda,
seconds later, when Shampoo crashed through the wall making her
accustomed entrance.
Shampoo raised a hand to the air in a lazy version of a salute
by way of a wave. "Niihao!" she greeted them cheerfully.
Ayumi thought about asking the newcomer what had happened to
Ryomi. Had Shampoo killed the Lost Girl? No... he should wait to
ask any questions of that nature.
"*Shampoo*!" Ranma spat. Anger clouded her features. She now
recalled everything Shampoo had done to her.
The girl from China ignored her. Instead, Shampoo caught sight
of Ayumi, sprawled on the floor. He looked as if he had been in a
fight. "Airen!" she blanched.
Ranma yanked Ayumi out of her reach by the back of his shirt
collar. "Airen--" Shampoo pleaded, then stopped. She met Ranma's
gaze. <She remembers us?>
"You memory of Ayumi-husband come back? Loudmouth girl never
learn!"
Ranma scowled. "Don't talk to me about never learning!"
"Much pity. If have memory..." Shampoo advanced toward Ranma.
An evil gleam shone in her eyes. "...girl must die!"
Before Shampoo or Ranma could begin to clash Ayumi intervened.
"Don't do it, Shampoo!" He grabbed her hands to keep her from doing
anything to Ranma.
Shampoo again managed to maneuver Ayumi into an embrace. "Uo ai
nii..."
He pushed her away. "Give it a rest for now, okay?" Sighing,
he continued. "Anyway, I want you to leave Ranma alone."
"She try stop love!" snorted Shampoo. "Cannot allow. She must
go."
Ayumi pursed his lips. "I didn't want to have to do this,
but..." He walked over to the sidelines and, finding the spray
bottle of water they kept there for various purposes, turned the
spray full-blast on Ranma. The cursed girl transformed before
Shampoo's eyes.
This Shampoo had not expected. "Ranma-husband...? How?"
Ranma blinked. "Yeah. It's me. I'm the male Ranma." <I will
get you for this *later*, Ayumi!>
"But... but you girl Ranma, too?"
"Yes."
Shampoo felt her knees go weak. "Shampoo... no understand."
"You don't have to. Don't you see how much trouble your village
laws are causing?" <Hope I'm saying the right things. The last
thing I need is ANOTHER person coming around here in the middle of
the night trying to kill us!>
Ayumi put his arm around Ranma, who was now the same height as
him. "Shampoo, Ranma's my iinazuke. She and I are engaged to be
married. Maybe... if we'd met somewhere else, some other time..."
They watched Shampoo intently for any signs of anger about to
explode. Surely she wouldn't back down *now*, after investing so
much effort in trying to wed either of them. Hadn't Ayumi tried to
tell Shampoo Ranma was his bride-to-be earlier?
Ranma had to laugh mentally at her choice of words. Ayumi's
pronouncement lacked the same conviction as the threat he'd given
Mikado, even if Ayumi had no intention of fighting Shampoo. He was
gambling that Shampoo might actually *listen* to his words this time.
Ultimately, after a moment or two of deliberation, Shampoo moved
to Ayumi's side and gave him one final kiss on the cheek. When she
backed away, Ayumi saw new tears emerging from Shampoo's eyes.
"Good-bye," she whispered. Shampoo turned and walked out of the
dojo through the new door she had created.
<Shampoo.........>

** ** **

Ranma found Ayumi lying on the roof above his bedroom, staring
idly up into the stars. She sat beside him. Shampoo had departed
nearly two hours ago, and hadn't returned. Was she gone for good?
Ranma wondered. But more important was the question of what Ayumi
was thinking...
"C'mon, Ayumi. It's time for bed," she said gently.
He didn't move. "Leave me alone."
Ranma waited several seconds before asking her next question.
"Miss her?"
"Huh? Oh... no. I just feel sorry for her. With those laws of
hers... what's going to happen to her?"
She was surprised to find this level of concern in him. "I
don't know. I hope she'll be all right."
Ayumi sat up and looked at her. "Even after she tried to kill
you, messed with your memory and tried to marry either of us?"
"She wouldn't have had to if it wasn't for those rules."
Ayumi shrugged. "I guess so."

At that particular instant, Ryomi was wandering through Kyoto.
"Just like her to chicken out!" she groused. "C'mon, Shampoo, where
are you? You're supposed to be trying to kill me! Hey! You hear
me? Come out, I said! WHERE ARE YOU!?"
Half a second later several windows opened and Ryomi was buried
under an avalanche of shoes and other items.

------------
Credits:

Written by: Mike Koos
Prereaders: Richard Beaubien, Tom Williams, David Wills

With apologies to Rumiko Takahashi...

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.mother.com/~makoto/stories.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.mother.com/~makoto/stories.htm