[Fanfic] Ryoga : The Shampoo Variation part 6
MLA...@willow.msvu.ca
Ryoga : The Shampoo Variation by Mark Latus
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic in 6 parts
Part 6
With a speed she hadn't thought she was capable of Akane dashed between
Ryoga and the unconscious Ranma. Ryoga froze momentarily then relaxed from
his attack stance.
"Get out of my way Akane".
"No! You won, the fight's over. Now get off our property".
"It isn't over yet. This is a fight to the finish. Ranma's not finished
yet".
"I'm not just going to stand by and let you kill him. The only way you
get to Ranma is through me!"
Behind her Ranma drifted into a half awake state. He could hear voices
but nothing they said seemed to matter. Not that he could have moved anyway.
Ryoga noticed Ranma twitch. Time to end this. "Move before you get hurt,
Akane." Puzzled by the delay Shampoo moved to Ryoga's side.
Akane stood firm, "No way".
Shampoo frowned, "Girl is interfering in duel. Would husband like Shampoo
to remove her?" She lifted her mace to striking position.
Ryoga coughed nervously, "Uh, wait a minute, let's see if Akane will
listen to reason. For old time's sake".
Akane snarled. Ryoga paused briefly then continued, "Akane, you're not a
good enough fighter to stop me or Shampoo getting past you. Either of us can
defeat you easily. You'll just get hurt and you won't save Ranma. I don't
want to hurt you ... not any more than I already have. I didn't mean to hurt
you at all, it was just that circumstances .... If you were anyone else I'd
have smashed my way past by now ..."
He was babbling, it was time to conclude the fight. Looking closely he
realized Akane was both resolute and scared. "She already knows she can't stop
us", he thought, "she knows she'll get hurt needlessly. But she still isn't
going to budge until we make her".
"Akane you hate Ranma. Why are you so determined to protect him? I'm
about to get him out of your life forever".
Akane blushed, "That's my business not yours. I won't let you have him".
All the bits and pieces he'd observed finally clicked for Ryoga. The
realization struck like a thunderbolt.
"You don't hate Ranma at all do you. You've just been saying that because
you were ashamed to admit feeling any affection for him. I believed you when
you kept insulting him because I needed to believe that. If you hated Ranma
then I had a chance with you. But all this time you've been in love with him.
That's why you're willing to die fighting to protect him".
Akane looked incredibly embarrassed, "Look just shut and fight me, Ok?"
Ryoga sighed, "That won't be necessary. I renounce my vendetta against
Ranma. The fight is over".
Akane stared at him in confusion, "Are you serious?"
He nodded.
"But why?"
Ryoga felt emptier than ever inside as he answered. "Maybe I'm finally
growing up. I said I didn't want to hurt you anymore and I meant that. If I
killed the man you loved while you watched, helpless to stop me, that would
destroy you. You may never believe this but I loved you, I was just too blind
to see you'd already given your heart to Ranma".
Both of them fell silent. Shampoo decide it was past time she got a few
words in.
"Girl has messed up husband's mind somehow. However Shampoo still has
vengeance to claim".
Akane braced herself for an attack as Ryoga asked Shampoo, "What are you
talking about?"
"Boy is girl Shampoo swore to kill".
"But when we arrived for the duel you swore not to harm the male Ranma".
"Ah! ethical dilemma". Shampoo thought for a moment then announced,
"Easy answer. Shampoo transform boy then kill girl form".
"Uh wait a second Shampoo", Ryoga tried to think. If Shampoo killed Ranma
it would be as bad for Akane as him doing it. Inspiration struck, everyone
gets lucky sooner or later.
"Shampoo you want me to come to China with you right, with no delays".
"Of course, Shampoo have impression Ryoga already promise that".
"Well if you'll leave Ranma alone I'll be happy to accompany you". Before
she could protest he continued, "I read your lawbook carefully. According to
it you are released from the obligation to track and kill your opponent if she
vanishes permanently due to magical intervention".
Shampoo consulted the book, "Yes, is subclause to Section 3, Paragraph 4".
"Ok in that case, Akane do you pledge to keep Ranma from contact with cold
water?"
"Please somebody let Akane figure it out", he prayed silently.
Akane thoughAt for a moment then nodded, "I pledge that Ranma will never
transform again".
Ryoga turned back to Shampoo, "So the girl who defeated you no longer
exists, therefore your honor is satisfied".
Shampoo stood still and thought deeply. Then she announced, "This seems
like using loophole in law, but if Ryoga returns to China for marriage with
Shampoo she will accept this".
Ryoga looked up, "It's going to start raining now", he thought, "that's
just the way things happen around here"
No one can be unlucky all the time. The sky remained cloudless.
Aloud he said, "Ok Shampoo, we have no reason to remain here, we'd better
be going". He picked up his backpack, "Goodbye Akane, take care of Ranma. I
hope he recovers".
She looked up briefly from her examination of Ranma's injuries and nodded.
Ranma began drifting back to unconsciousness. Akane had risked her life to
save him. He really hoped he'd remember that when he woke up.
Ryoga turned back to Shampoo. There was nothing more to say to Akane.
She was never his, never would have been, if he had any future it was with
Shampoo.
"You'd better lead the way, my sense of direction isn't the best".
Shampoo nodded and they walked back through the gate. He had the pack
all his supplies, no reason to delay. He'd have to write his parents from
China explaining matters. A thought occurred to him.
"Is my being Japanese going to cause any problem in your village?"
Shampoo shook her head, "You good fighter, everyone will respect you for
that". Something occurred to her, "Almost everyone, did Shampoo mention the
Mousse problem?"
"You have moose in China?"
"She's referring to her would-be fiance", Ryoga thought. Except how
did he know that and why was he seeing Shampoo and himself walk away?
The two figures diminished as if he was rising away from them. The
landscape shrank below him as he soared upward. Then he was back in the forest
watching the pool in front of him boil away.
"Welcome back", said the monk.
Ryoga stared around the forest clearing trying to understand.
"Merging with an alternate self is quite an experience", said the monk.
"Of course we who walk between have no alternative selves. Still I'm told that
it's really something".
Ryoga struggled to comprehend, "But it didn't happen that way".
The monk shrugged, "Here Shampoo wants Ranma, there she wanted and got
you. But the world you saw is as real as this one, history is just a bit
different. Do you understand".
Ryoga sat down and thought long and hard. After a time he announced, "Yes
, I understand".
"Excellent". The monk reconsidered, "Just what do you understand?"
"When you showed me the vision you said you would prove Akane was not the
only girl I could ever love. You were right, I could have been happy with
Shampoo".
"Well, yes but ..."
"But in this world that bastard Ranma has stolen both of them from me!"
"I don't think you quite grasp the variation aspects of alternate worlds".
Ryoga continued angrily, "Ranma has ruined my only two chances for
romance in this world. I must have revenge!"
"Uh ... wait a minute ..."
"RANMA, I'LL KILL YOU!", Ryoga thundered away smashing any trees in his
path.
"Tokyo's north of here, you're going south".
The monk sighed as he watched the dust cloud move away and spoke to the
empty clearing.
"I was born at the dawn of time, I measure my lifespan in billions of
years, and (to the best of my knowledge) I am immortal. Yet I can't help
feeling I was wasting my time".
"DON'T WHINE TO ME, I JUST HAD TO MANIFEST AS ELVIS IN A WAL-MART ON
WORLDLINE 87621".
"I thought I felt you near here ... 87621? Isn't that the one where they
show appreciation by spitting?"
"YES, A BAD PLACE TO APPEAR AS A CELEBRITY"
"All part of the rich diversity of the multiverse".
"OH SHUT UP".
"This was a fiasco."
"WHY? YOU SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED THE STANDARD OBSCURE WARNING DIDN'T
YOU. NOW HE HAS THE CLUES TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON WHEN THE CROSSOVER
HAPPENS".
"Yes, but I thought I could help him with his emotional problems. He was
such a mess I felt I had to try."
"YOU THOUGHT HE WOULD SAY, 'I understand now, there are many girls in the
world. I should not be obsessed by one who doesn't love me'. SOMETHING LIKE
THAT?"
"Well, yes".
"REMEMBER THIS RACE CALLS THEMSELVES 'HUMAN BEINGS' NOT 'RATIONAL BEINGS'"
..
"Semantics".
"NOT IN MY OPINION. ANYWAY IF YOU DEAL WITH HUMANS YOU HAVE TO EXPECT
THEM TO ACT LIKE HUMANS. PERSONALLY I PREFER THE EARTH'S WHERE THE DINOSAURS
DIDN'T DIE OUT. IF THEY LOVE SOMEONE ELSE'S MATE THEY GO BITE HIS HEAD OFF
OR DIE IN THE ATTEMPT. EITHER WAY IT'S OVER WITH QUICKLY"
"Very romantic".
"IT HAS A CERTAIN BRUTAL POETRY".
"I'm a fourth dimensional superbeing, I should have succeeded."
"OUR NATURE IS LESS HELP THAN YOU'D THINK IN DEALING WITH MORTALS".
"Anyway why do we issue these obscure warnings. Why not just tell him
that very soon he will have visitors who will look very familiar? And that
because of time constraints we can only warn one of him".
"WOULD HE HAVE UNDERSTOOD?"
"No".
"ANY MORE QUESTIONS?"
"Yes. Why bother?"
"ELABORATE"
"We keep the multiverse from collapsing in on itself by removing stresses
in the timelines. In our spare time we warn sentients facing inter-universal
crossovers of what will happen. Why bother? Does it make any difference from
cosmic viewpoint if they go into these situations forewarned?"
"NO, IT'S JUST A SMALL KINDNESS ON OUR PART. BUT FROM THE COSMIC
VIEWPOINT NOTHING ANY SENTIENT BEING DOES MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE. THAT INCLUDES
US, ORDER INEVITABLY COLLAPSES INTO CHAOS. THAT'S WHY I TEND TO AVOID THE
COSMIC POINT OF VIEW".
"Then what's the point of anything?"
"WHERE THERE'S LIFE THERE'S HOPE".
"The most powerful beings in all existence and the best philosophy we
can manage is a human cliche?"
"SO IT SEEMS. ANYWAY THERE'S WORK TO BE DONE, SO UNLESS YOU REALLY LIKE
THAT FOREST GET BACK TO THE NEXUS".
"I'm done here, hope he figures it out".
From a three dimensional perspective the monk vanished. From a fourth
dimensional one the entity behind the facade folded it's disguise away then
stepped back into higher space. Walking between universes it headed home.
Leaving a clearing with no human traces except Ryoga's footprints.
Which pretty much concludes this story. However if you want a few last
words let's go to Okinawa a few day's later.
"Where is Ranma Saotome?"
The End.
On second thought
Epilogue
The figure appeared in a flash of light. No witnesses, excellent. First
priority was to confirm this was the target worldline. Confirmed. Arrival
time 72 hours prior to enemy intrusion +/- 2 hours.
Time to set the wheels in motion. He checked his disguise was in place.
It wouldn't do to be recognized as Ryoga Hibiki this early in the game.
Everything was firmly fixed.
With his infallible sense of direction he plotted the optimum route to
Tokyo and set off. Once there it would just be a matter of finding a spot
overlooking the Tendo home and setting up the equipment. Then he'd just have
to kill time, until it was time to kill.
To be continued in Ryoga : Crossover, whenever I get around to it.
Well that concludes my first fanfic. If you want to contact me about it email
me at mla...@willow.msvu.ca.
As to spelling I took the characters names from the Viz translations, so I
spell Ryoga without a "u".
All characters (except Dave & Wally, the 4D guys) copyright belong to
Rumiko Takahashi. I'd like to thank Ken Thornhill, wherever in BC he's got
to for getting me into anime in the first place. As well as Steve Browne
and Bill Beckerson over at NSAMO for getting me into Ranma. Although I'm
still not as fanatical as them about it.
Speaking of which, If you're in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the G-7 summit or
just hanging around why not check out NSAMO. The Nova Scotia Anime and Manga
Organization. New members always welcome, especially if they bring new anime.
email me for details. This has been a public service message.