Dual Destinies



<>: Thoughts

<" "> Chinese language



                                  Chapter 13

                               A Time to Reflect



     A week had passed since the creation of the Ranma twins and their 

subsequent departure from the lives of the Tendo family. Needless to 

say, things have not been the same since. As expected, Soun Tendo and 

his friend Genma Saotome were not getting along as well as they used 

to. They were still the best of friends, but due to Genma's misdeeds and 

the invalidation of the oath between the families by his wife, the two 

martial artists had an uneasy relationship between them. Soun would

alternate between three moods. He would go into his demon-head at the 

mention of Genma's past crimes and give his friend a scare, bawl his 

head off for hours over the fact that the schools may never be united, or 

go into a false sense of hope that Happosai would bring those two boys 

back. In any case, living at the dojo taxed the patience of the Saotome 

patriarch. At times, he had considered going back to his wife. However, 

the memory of how angry she was during the time she invalidated the 

oath made him shudder.

     Today was different however. Instead of playing their usual game of 

shogi after breakfast, Soun and Genma were sitting out in the porch, 

staring out into the backyard. They were having a quiet conversation 

about the turn of events that had taken place over the last several days.

     "I can't believe this has happened Saotome! We had two excellent 

chances to unite the schools and we just let it slip away!"

     "I know Tendo! Ranma has changed a lot ever since he became twins! 

He's not as cocky as before and he seems to take responsibility for his 

actions."

     "Not like SOME OTHER PEOPLE!" Soun growled as he cast a 

withering glance at his long-time friend.

     Genma sweated a little as he tensed up and gave Soun a nervous 

smile. Soun's demon-head was the last thing that he wanted at the 

moment. "Heh! Heh! Heh! Let's not go into that right now, okay? 

What's important is that we have to figure out a way to bring those two 

back here and get them engaged to your daughters!"

     Soun cooled down a little as he nodded and turned his head back 

toward the backyard. "Yes. If we don't get those two back, the Anything 

Goes Schools of Martial Arts is doomed! Furthermore, Akane has not 

been the same since!"

     "She's really taking it hard isn't she?"

     "Yes. Even though she tries to deny it, she does miss Ranma."

     "You know Tendo, by the way those two went at it, a person might 

think they didn't want to get married."

     Soun was about to object to that statement, but then decided to think 

about it. It was true that Ranma and Akane had been fighting a lot more 

than usual lately before he had become twins. He began to remember 

that Ranma had been going out of his way not to antagonize her. For 

over a week, he had not even called her uncute. Of course, this did not 

make much of a difference to Akane. She had still thought of him as an 

insensitive, arrogant and perverted jerk and took it out on him. Now that 

he thought about it, Akane did tend to react badly to anything that 

disrupted her world.

     Soun sighed as he realized that perhaps he had been pushing it a little 

too much when he had engaged her to Ranma that first day. Akane had 

become very emotional since the death of her mother Kimiko. She had 

thrown herself into her martial arts training in order to deal with the 

pain. When the boys at school started challenging her, she became even 

more short-tempered. Kasumi had tried to teach her in the ways of 

proper manners and better social skills, but Akane was a very slow and 

poor learner in those aspects. She tended to let anger get the better of 

her and had little patience when things did not go her way. Whenever 

that happened, she would let loose with her anger at full force. For the 

most part, Ranma was always the target. When the Ranma twins had 

announced that they were going to marry Ukyo and Shampoo, his 

daughter had made the disastrous mistake of attacking them in front of 

their mother! Soun had to admit. That was not a good impression to 

make to a future mother-in-law.

     Soun sighed again as he shook his head. He realized that if his 

daughter ever wanted to marry one of the twins, then she would have to 

learn to BE the disciplined martial artist that she always claimed to be. 

If she could not improve her patience, understanding and respect for 

others, especially toward either Ranma, then she would be doomed to 

spend her life alone.



     In her room, Akane had been sitting in silence on her bed for several 

hours. Her eyes and cheeks were red and puffy from her latest bout of 

crying. In her mind, she had been fuming at how the Ranma twins had so 

callously thrown her away in favor of her two biggest rivals. <Those 

jerks! How could they do this to me? Then again why should I care? 

They did nothing but insult me! They called me uncute! They called my 

cooking toxic! They...>

     Akane stopped in her mental ramblings as she realized that it was 

that kind of behavior, which drove them away from her in the first 

place. Additionally, her bad reaction toward them in front of their 

mother was also what doomed her engagement to them. Akane became 

very despondent as she recalled her past relationship with the heir to 

the Saotome School of Anything Goes. They certainly got off on the 

wrong foot that first day. Ranma was then an only child and cursed to 

changing into a girl with a splash of cold water. At the time, Akane was 

glad to help out the lonely red-haired girl. She was also relieved that a 

girl had defeated her and not a boy. That was her first mistake. Her 

second mistake was when she had walked in on Ranma when he was 

taking a bath. She had instinctively reacted as she did with all members 

of the opposite gender. She freaked. 

     Akane let out a tired sigh as she replayed the events that followed 

that encounter.



Several months ago

     "Why would I want to get engaged to a pervert like that?!" Akane 

roared at the Ranma-chan.

     "Hold on! Who are you calling a pervert?!" Ranma-chan shot back, 

her temper rising as well.

     "You saw me in the nude you lech!"

     "Hold on, you walked in on ME!"

     "Oh yeah? Well it's different when a boy sees a girl! Pig! Lecher! 

Dummy!"

     "Hah hah hah! You see girls? They're already the perfect couple!" 

Soun stated with amusement.

     "WE ARE NOT A COUPLE! WE'RE FIGHTING!" Akane shouted 

toward her father before turning back to Ranma-chan. "There's no way 

I'd ever marry someone like that!"

     "Oh yeah? The same thing goes for me!" Ranma-chan shouted.



Present time

     Yes, Akane had to admit that they certainly had a rocky beginning. As 

she considered it, she realized that he was right. SHE was the one who 

walked in on HIM. Kasumi had often chided her on her lack of basic 

courtesy, especially toward Ranma. She could have simply knocked on 

the door. Why didn't she? 

     Akane then began to recall all the other times that they had been 

fighting or when she got mad at him.



After the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition

     "Wait! You didn't lose! It was an accident!" Ranma backed away from 

Shampoo.

     "Be a man! And take your Kiss of Death!" Ryoga shoves him into 

Shampoo's embrace.

     Shampoo hugs him with a dreamy look in her eyes, then says, "Wo ai 

ni!"

     "Wo ai ni? It's you I love?" Kasumi said as the Panda held up a sign.

     "Love?" Akane said.

     That was when Shampoo puckers up and lands a direct hit on 

Ranma's lips.

     "What the?!" Akane gasped as she sees Ranma in a passionate session 

of osculation with the Amazon. After watching Shampoo enjoy her lip 

session with Ranma for a full minute, Akane picked up one of her 

broken bonbori and introduced it to Ranma head, temporarily rendering 

him unconscious.

     "Airen!" Shampoo cried as her future mate fell to the floor. She then 

glared at Akane, who glared back at her before leaving in a huff.

     "What's going on here? What's all the fuss about?" Soun asked as he 

entered the room.

     "Oh father " Kasumi said as she tried to explain. "I don't Know all 

the details but this girlfriend of Ranma's came from China to finish him 

off or to finish something off. I think. Something like that."

     "Girlfriend?!" Soun glared at Ranma. "Well?!"

     "Now wait a minute! That's not what happened!" Ranma tried to explain.

     "But it's mostly what happened. Right Ranma?" Ryoga said with 

suspicion.

     "She has never seen me as a guy before, okay?"

     "So you say."

     "Still, you two seem awfully close!" Soun said with a stern voice.

     "Oh what? Do you see me like that too Mr. Tendo ?" Ranma shot back.

     "I can't see you any other way!"

     After a few moments of watching Shampoo pour affection on 

Ranma, Akane burst into the room and said, "Ranma as far as I'm 

concerned, OUR ENGAGEMENT NEVER HAPPENED!"



After Shampoo had left

     "Geez Akane! If I'd known you were going to be like this, I'd never 

have gotten your memory back!"

     "I wish you didn't! I wish I'd never heard of you!"

     "You are just so uncute!"

     CLANG!

     "Stay away from me Ranma!"

     Akane exited the room, leaving Ranma-chan with a thermos stuck to 

her face.

     "She's so uncute!"



Cookie time

     "Akane Tendo! Allow me to make you happy!" Kuno cried as he 

rushed toward her with knife and fork in hand. He is stopped in his 

tracks by Ranma, who lands on his head.

     "I'd think about this Kuno, considering her cooking has killed before." 

Ranma is promptly squashed by a fire extinguisher, courtesy of Akane.

     "Ranma, before you give any of your stupid remarks, at least try some!"

     Ranma began looking at the cookies with a dubious eye as Akane 

proudly said, "Cute huh? They're animal crackers!"

     "These are animals?" Ranma picked one up and said, "An octopus?"

     "Stupid! It's a penguin!"

     "A hermit crab!"

     "It's a lion!"

     "A water flea!"

     "A rabbit!"

     "Loch Ness monster!"

     "It's a swan!"

     "A Power Ranger!"

     "A raccoon!"

     "A salamander!"

     "Alligator!"

     "I know! It's a platypus!"

     "A KOALA!!!" Akane became fuming with rage before she said in a 

dangerous voice, "You better eat one now BEFORE I GET MAD!"



The Magic Mushrooms

     "Did you see how that guy held her? Oooh, I could just die!!!" Yuka 

said in reference to the movie.

     Akane began having flashbacks to how Ranma had held Shampoo. In 

her mind, the words repeated over and over. <How he held her. Held 

her. Held her.> That was when she got mad.

     "He's the one who's going to die!"

     Her friends looked at their companion fearfully as her temper began 

to boil.

     "He couldn't help but grab her! If he thinks he can get away with it, 

he's got another thing coming!" Akane ran off blindly.

     "Akane! Watch out!"

     Splash!

     Akane emerged from an open manhole and screamed, "When.. I 

find him HE'S A DEAD MAN!!!"



Here Comes Ranma's Mom (anime)

     "Is that what you want me to do Akane? Leave?"

     "It's just that you mother hasn't seen you in a long time. And it's 

only natural that she'd want you to go live with her."

     "Fine then! I hear you loud and clear! Should have known that an 

uncute girl like you wouldn't understand!"

     "Oh here we go again! Whenever something wrong happens to you, I 

get called UNCUTE!"



Present time

     Akane became even more depressed as she recalled all the fights, 

arguments, insults and of course, bodily harm they had done to each 

other. Well, the bodily harm that was inflicted on Ranma. She 

remembered that he would never strike a girl. This also infuriated her 

whenever they sparred. He did nothing but dodge. This made her 

especially mad during that Super Soba incident.



Flashback

     Akane is busy throwing wild punches as Ranma is casually evading 

each of her attacks while reading a comic book.

     "Ranma! You said you'd help me train! How do you expect me to get 

any better if YOU WON'T EVEN TAKE ME SERIOUSLY?!"

     Ranma dodged her last punch and sits on her back, driving her to the 

floor. "Oh I'm sorry Akane. Were you saying something?"



Present time

     Akane sighed again, this time more heavily. Despite his lack of 

social skills, Ranma had demonstrated that he could be tender and 

caring toward her.



Several months ago 

     "You know Akane. You should smile more often. You can be real 

cute when you smile!"



Martial Arts Skating Competition

     "Listen up! Akane is my fiance! You touch her AND I'LL KILL 

YOU!"



The cookies

     "So I guess you won't mind if I help myself to these?"



The Super Soba incident

     "Ranma I guess I got carried away and I thought you were jealous 

of"

     "I'm surprised at you Akane. I thought you'd know me by now."



Present time

     In the final analysis, Akane could only think of one reason why she 

was so distressed at Ranma's departure. It wasn't because of the future 

of the two schools. It wasn't because she actually liked having 

arguments with the Saotome heir. It was not because he had done so 

much on her behalf. Saving her from kidnappers, giving up on several 

opportunities to be cured or letting her pound on him, whether it was 

his fault or not. The reason was straightforward and simple. It wasn't 

something that she wouldn't admit to anyone, but

     She was in love with him. The thought was very unnerving to her, but 

she couldn't deny it. Somehow, during the months that he stayed at the 

dojo, his quirks and carefree nature had won a place in her heart. He 

could be insensitive and sometimes even cruel, but deep down, Ranma 

was a caring individual. He never backed down from a challenge and was 

always ready to defend her, even if she did not want it. He was always 

there for her. Whenever another girl showed interest in him, Akane 

would become jealous, even though she would always deny it. She just 

couldn't stand the thought of him being with another. 

     With this revelation, came more sadness. Akane had been constantly 

pestered by her father to admit her feelings toward her supposed 

fiance. Her friends had always tried to get to know how she felt about 

the pigtailed boy. Akane had steadfastly denied having any tender 

feelings toward Ranma, despite the fact that she did. It wasn't that she 

did not want any of those feelings. It was just that she did not know how 

to express those feelings. She had little experience in the ways of 

intimacy. Her natural dislike of boys in the beginning did not help. With 

his constant insults, Ranma had become the perfect target for her anger 

and frustration. However, when it came to showing tenderness toward 

him, Akane was very lacking in that department.

     Shampoo had no problem in showing affection toward Ranma. Ukyo 

also made no secret that she loved him. Recently, they had changed 

dramatically. Before Ranma had become twins, Shampoo had become 

more mature. She was no longer trying to drug Ranma and did not 

glomp onto him at every opportunity. She did not become hostile 

towards her or Ukyo. After the twins had appeared, she had begun 

showing a newer kind of love toward Ranma Red. It wasn't the usual 

overabundance of affection. Instead it was an unconditional love which 

was based on understanding, trust and respect. Akane had seen it in their 

eyes when Ranma Red had challenged Mousse that day.

     Ukyo had also changed. In the beginning, she had been after Ranma 

because of that promise that was made to her ten years ago. Although 

she did love her Ran-chan, she would always constantly remind him of 

their engagement. She would seem overly possessive and would 

contradict anyone who would question her claim. Now, she was 

different. She was now wearing a dress to school and was proud of her 

femininity. Her love for her fiance was very apparent to all those who 

saw them together and no one doubted it. She and Ranma Blue shared a 

bond, which made them appear almost as one. The same thing was 

happening to Shampoo and the other twin.

     Akane began to feel tears well up in her eyes again. It was just so 

unfair to her. She had loved Ranma but was too afraid to admit it. There 

had been so many close encounters and missed opportunities to 

develop that love. Shampoo and Ukyo had one advantage over her during 

that time. They were not afraid to admit their feelings. Akane realized 

that it was simply a matter of being too late. Her constant denials and 

poor treatment of Ranma had cost her. Not caring that this was the 

umpteenth time, Akane cried uncontrollably.



The Nekohanten

     Mousse was still in some pain as he began packing his bags to leave. 

The old matriarch had given him a week to clear out and leave Japan, 

now that he was able to walk. If he was not long gone by then, she 

promised him a beating that would make what Ranma Red did to him 

seem like a day at the beach. And if there was one thing that Mousse 

knew about Cologne, it was that she never bluffed.

     As he carelessly packed some of his clothes into his travel bag, he 

began having dark thoughts about his rival, who now had the undisputed 

right to marry his love. <Damn you Saotome! How dare you steal my 

Shampoo! It wasn't a fair fight!> It was then that he replayed the events 

of that day.

     Mousse was more than shocked to have been challenged to an Honor 

Duel by Ranma. It was even more surprising to have received the 

challenge letter in perfect Chinese. He recognized Ranma's 

handwriting. He had come to the school as he saw this as the perfect 

opportunity to permanently end Ranma's influence over Shampoo and 

perhaps show Cologne that he was worthy of her great-granddaughter.

     Mousse's dreams had soon been dashed when he accepted Ranma's 

challenge. Not that he had any choice. Amazon laws were very strict 

when it came to Honor Duels, especially with the males. Men of the 

Amazons were expected to uphold the appearance of strength and 

honor, despite the fact that they were still considered as inferior by 

most of the women of the tribe. To refuse an Honor Duel, especially 

from an outsider would be considered as an act of cowardice. The 

penalty was usually extreme.

     As soon as he tried to achieve a fast victory against Ranma Red, 

Mousse found himself in way over his head. In the past, Mousse had 

been unable to decisively defeat Saotome. He may be the Master of 

Hidden Weapons, but his greatest strengths were on distance and 

surprise. Ranma however, was his superior in speed, skill and raw 

power, especially when it came to close-quarters combat. He also had 

the ability to effectively adapt to any weapon that Mousse could use 

against him. Added to the fact that Cologne had trained him in several 

Amazon techniques. Techniques that he had apparently improved on.

     The myopic magician frowned as he remembered being pummeled 

by more than one thousand rapid-fire punches. His blades had been 

reduced to scrap in less than a nanosecond and his body had followed 

suit soon afterwards. In all his years, he had never been so soundly 

thrashed in so little time. He was still wondering how Ranma had gotten 

so strong and fast in the short time that they last fought.

     The Moko Takabisha was a technique that he was familiar with, but 

never personally experienced until recently. The blast hurt like the 

dickens. Ranma's other chi technique; the Power Blaster hurt even 

more. The myopic martial artist shook his head in despair. It so unfair!

     The biggest surprises for Mousse were Ranma's other techniques. 

Somehow, Saotome was now able to disappear and reappear at will. The 

Soul Arrow and the Spirit Fist had caught Mousse unawares, but the 

biggest shock of all was when he pulled out that Dragon Spirit 

technique. It had defeated his strongest attack and left him as a mere 

shell of his former self. Although he had been reputed to know black 

magic, his hidden weapon techniques were not really magic-based. His 

opponent however, truly knew magic and had used it to humiliate him. 

Mousse began to have even more dark thoughts about him. 

     <He cheated! I know he did! But those damn Amazon laws don't care 

about it! Because of them, I can't marry my darling Shampoo!> As soon 

as Mousse thought about the purple-haired Amazon, his face became 

sorrowful. He stopped in his packing and began to recall all of his 

memories of his lifelong, yet unrequited love for Cologne's great-

granddaughter.

     He remembered way back to a simpler time when he was three. 

There was no girl in the Joketsuzoku who captivated him more than 

Shampoo. He could still remember her cute little face more than 

thirteen years ago.



Thirteen years ago

     A little boy of three faced a cow with an adoring look in his eyes. As 

he gazed into the bovine's eyes, he was more or less oblivious to the 

angry little girl who was right behind him.

     <"Oh Shampoo! There would be nothing I would like better than to 

be your husband!">

     Immediately, Mousse was smashed forward as a three-year old 

Shampoo kicked him in the head. <"What are you talking about?! That's 

a cow! Shampoo is over here!">

     Mousse picked himself off the ground and turned around. He squinted 

a bit as he tried to focus on the girl who had just kicked him. Finally 

recognizing her by her hair color, he tried to catch her in an embrace. 

<"Oh my darling"> He was promptly stopped by a fist to the face.

     <"Hmpf! I don't want to marry an idiot who can't tell the difference 

between me and a cow! You are a stupid boy!"> Shampoo stomped off, 

leaving Mousse sprawled on the ground with a bleeding nose.

     The future Master of Hidden Weapons lay on the ground with a 

dreamy look on his face. <"She touched me! I love her! What a woman!">



The present

     <Okay> Mousse thought. <So maybe that wasn't the best way to 

make a first impression! But that didn't stop me then!>



Mousse at age six

     Mousse is kneeling and holding the hand of what he thought was his 

beloved Shampoo. In actuality, he's holding the hoof of a pig. <"Please 

marry me Shampoo!">

     Shampoo is in the background, carrying a bucket of water. She shook 

her head in disgust as she watched her would-be suitor propose to a pig. 

<Bad enough that he's obsessed with me! Now he can't tell the 

difference between me and a pig! Stupid as ever! He would be better off 

marrying that pig!> Shampoo left the scene in a huff.



Mousse at age eight

     <I did it!> Mousse was strutting along with a grin as he walked away 

from three older boys who were sprawled on the ground. For several 

months now, the other boys of the village had been beating him up and 

teasing him, because of his near-sightedness and lack of fighting skills. 

It was only a few weeks ago that he had began training in his family's 

fighting style. It was a style known as the Hidden Weapons, in which 

one could hide a great assortment of weapons in very little space. Many 

of the villagers considered the methods as a form of black magic.

     <Now Shampoo will see just how much of a great warrior I am!> 

Mousse went off in search of his love and found her practicing with a 

two batons.

     <"Shampoo!"> Mousse rushed over toward her, intending to give her 

his usual embrace. Of course, he wasn't wearing his glasses again and 

ran into a tree, knocking himself out. 

     Shampoo looked down at Mousse and once again had a look of 

disgust. <"You're as stupid as ever Mousse!"> She then went back to 

practicing her movements, leaving Mousse senseless on the ground.



Mousse at age ten

     Mousse was feeling pain as he got up from the ground. Although he 

was eager to show Shampoo how much he had improved, he had 

neglected to consider that she too had gotten better when he asked to 

spar with her. He had intended to battle her and see if he could discover 

any weaknesses in her fighting style. Weaknesses that he could later 

exploit if he had to challenge her to a Marriage Duel. He was still 

fervently hoping that he could get her consent before she turned sixteen, 

the age in which an Amazon becomes eligible for marriage by combat.

     Mousse winced in pain as he received a blow to his temple. Even at 

the tender age of ten, Shampoo had gotten strong enough to wield the 

bonbori with moderate skill. None of his hidden weapon techniques 

were having any effect at the moment. Mostly because he was too 

afraid to use some of the more dangerous weapons on her as he didn't 

want to hurt her. He had been restraining himself to stun weapons such 

as padded clubs and paralysis powder hidden inside bird eggs. None of 

these things mattered to Shampoo.

     In the end, Mousse just couldn't keep up with the ferocious pace that 

Shampoo was fighting at. The arsenal inside his robes were weighing him 

down and his sparring partner wasn't letting up for any reason. The 

myopic magician was knocked to the ground a final time. Before he 

could get up, Shampoo pinned him down with a foot and raised one of 

her clubs. She looked down at him with contempt and said, <"You are not 

even a challenge Mousse! I would never marry a weakling like you!"> 

With that she delivered a hard blow to Mousse's head, knocking him out.



Mousse at age thirteen

     It was the time of the Annual Martial Arts Tournament. Shampoo was 

very excited to go and see who would compete. Mousse was also 

interested in going, as it was an opportunity to get close to Shampoo. 

He soon spotted her beside her great-grandmother in the crowds. 

Everyone present were watching the combatants battle it out on a log 

that was suspended in the center of the village.

     Instead of his usual rush to embrace her, Mousse decided to 

approach the purple-haired Amazon calmly. This way, he would not 

mistake someone or something else for her. As he slowly made his way 

toward her, he heard her clap her hands and said gleefully to her great-

grandmother, <"Someday, I will be the village champion!">

     Cologne looked at her relative with a smile. <"Perhaps child. 

However, you still have three more years to go before you are eligible 

to compete!">

     <"I will be ready!"> Shampoo declared.

     <"That would be something to see Shampoo. However, I must warn 

you. The tournament is very demanding! Many Amazons in the past have 

found their skills taxed to the very limit when they compete! Indeed, 

even the winner is all but exhausted!">

     <"I can handle it!">

     Just as Mousse heard this, he became very excited. <That's it! That's 

how I can win Shampoo! All I have to do is wait until she becomes 

sixteen and competes in the tournament! If she wins, she'll be too tired 

to fight! That's when I'll challenge her to a Marriage Duel! By Amazon 

law, she'll have to accept it! Even if she doesn't win, she'll still be 

exhausted! I could beat her easy enough without having to hurt her! It's 

perfect! I'll admit, three years is a long time, but she's worth it! All I 

have to do is keep those other boys away from her until then!>

     Mousse grinned as he watched the contest continue. A few meters 

away, Shampoo noticed him and wondered why he wasn't throwing 

himself at her as usual. She also saw that he was smiling like a cat that 

had just pounced on an unwary bird. Something was up.



Mousse at age sixteen, fifteen minutes before the tournament

     Mousse was giddy with excitement as he prepared for the day. Today 

was the day that he would finally gain Shampoo as his wife. It had been a 

hard and long three years. It wasn't as difficult as he thought it would 

be, keeping the other village males away from his beloved. As a Master 

of Hidden Weapons, he was by far the best male fighter of his 

generation in the tribe. No, the hard part was dealing with Shampoo's 

shoddy treatment of him. As he had become confident that he would 

win Shampoo this day, he had been getting more affectionate with her. 

Of course, Shampoo would have none of it, declaring that he was 

nothing but a pathetic, lovesick fool. She had also gotten irritated when 

he drove off all the other prospective suitors. As a result, she had been 

pounding on him frequently, saying that it was his fault that the other 

males were avoiding her. 

     Not that any of this mattered to him now. Today, he was going to be 

rewarded the fruits of his labors. He could hardly wait.

     In her house, Shampoo was preparing for the coming contest. As she 

started her warm up exercises, her thoughts had drifted back to the last 

three years. She frowned as she remembered all the difficulties that 

Mousse had caused her. For the last thirty-six months, Mousse's 

obsession with her had intensified. He had been steadily driving off any 

male who had shown an interest in her. He would openly declare to 

anyone that he would be her future husband. His pathetic overtures 

toward her had made him an object of ridicule and he would have lost 

all respect, were it not for his status as a Master of Hidden Weapons. 

Shampoo found it all revolting. It would seem that Mousse would never 

give up on her. 

     Sighing to herself, she cleared her mind of these thoughts and 

steeled herself for the tournament.



     Mousse had just left his home and was heading toward where the 

tournament was being held, when Fate had decided to intervene. Just as 

he rounded a corner, he had bumped into a villager who was carrying a 

large basket of food, intended to be part of the prize of the tournament. 

The collision had caused the two of them to stumble to the ground, 

causing the food to scatter. It was at this time that Mousse lost his only 

means of finding his way around places, his glasses.

     The villager had begun yelling at the nearsighted martial artist for 

not watching where he was going. Mousse paid him no heed as he 

frantically searched for his eyewear. It was then that he heard a sound 

that made him pale.

     Crunch!!!

     <"NOOOO!!!!"> Mousse cried out as he zeroed in on the sound and 

reached out with a trembling hand. There he encountered the foot of the 

villager. Grabbing his foot, Mousse upended the already maddened 

person and reached down. With tears flowing in his eyes, he picked up 

the remnants of his glasses. Panicking, he began searching the inner 

recesses of his robes, hoping to find the spare pair that he usually kept 

with him. He had literally unloaded everything that he had in his clothes 

and had a considerable pile of weapons beside him.

     <"Where are they? WHERE ARE THEY?"> Mousse muttered to 

himself, ignoring the foul language of the villager. 

     After twenty minutes, Mousse's robes were all but empty. He then 

smacked his head as he remembered that he had left his spare pair of 

glasses on the table in his bedroom. Getting up, he ran off in the general 

direction of his house. He knew he had to hurry for the tournament was 

about to start. The villager was still shouting at him as he ran away.

     Mousse could only see faint blurs and colors as he blindly dashed 

toward his house. It was fortunate that he knew the general area 

surrounding his house, but in his haste, he made a slight miscalculation 

as to where the front door was. At full speed, he ran headlong into the 

doorframe and was promptly rendered unconscious. (This seems to be a 

recurring theme).



     Mousse regained his senses three hours later. Remembering that 

Shampoo must be exhausted by now, he quickly retrieved his spare set 

of glasses, reloaded his robes with new weapons and headed to where 

the tournament was being held. When he came to the spot, he saw that it 

was deserted and Shampoo was nowhere in sight.

     <"If you are looking for Shampoo, you won't find her here!"> 

     Mousse whirled around and saw Cologne hopping toward him. 

<"Where is she? I need to see her!">

     Cologne shook her head as she replied, <"Shampoo is long gone 

now. She must fulfill a Kiss of Death!">

     <"Kiss of Death?">

     The aged matriarch nodded. <"Yes. When she had just won the 

tournament, an outsider girl and her pet panda had come to the village 

and had eaten some of the first prize. This of course angered Shampoo. 

The little upstart challenged my great-granddaughter and beat her. 

Shampoo was too tired from the contest to give her a good fight. 

Afterwards, she gave that girl the Kiss of Death and has since left to 

fulfill it!">

     Mousse was in a state of shock. The long preparations that he had 

made for the last three years had been wasted. Shampoo could be 

anywhere now. Forgetting whom he talking to, Mousse shouted, <"Tell 

me where she went, you old mummy!"> 

     Smack!!!

     Mousse was once again unconscious on the ground as Cologne 

looked at him with a stern gaze, <"You should address your elders with 

more respect!">



The present

     The Master of Hidden Weapons scowled at that memory. It had been 

a golden opportunity for him to win Shampoo as his wife. It had been 

ruined when Ranma Saotome had entered into the picture. Mousse had 

spent many months searching China for any sign of his beloved 

Shampoo. Eventually, he discovered that she had been living in Japan 

with Cologne and had gone to claim her. It was then that his whole 

world had been turned inside out.

     Shampoo was still as unresponsive to him as ever. That did not surprise 

him as he was still confident that he would someday have her as his bride. 

What made him angry was the fact that some outsider male had defeated 

her in combat. During his first encounter with Ranma Saotome, Mousse 

had thought of him as a pushover. Furthermore, Saotome seemed 

unwilling to fulfill the marriage contract and already had a fiance to boot, 

so Mousse assumed that he wouldn't be a problem. All of plans for his 

future with Shampoo still seemed possible at that moment.

     It didn't take long for Mousse to reconsider his opinion about his 

rival. For one thing, Ranma Saotome was far from the weakling he 

thought he was. Their first battle was proof of that. After taking a 

pounding from the pigtailed martial artist, Mousse had decided to train 

himself again for a rematch. Unfortunately for the Chinese boy, he 

couldn't have chosen a worse place to train than Jusenkyo.



Several months ago

     "Here sir, we come to famous Training Ground of Cursed Springs, 

Jusenkyo!" Said the guide proudly as he gestured to the many pools.

     "I'll train here and put an end to the evil Ranma!" Mousse walked 

toward the springs with his glasses on his forehead.

     "No sir! What you doing?! Practice on POLES, not in cursed spring!" 

The guide frantically waved his arms, just as Mousse turned his head 

and took a step forward.

     "Huh?!"

     Splash!!!

     "Uh oh! He fall into Yahzniichuan, the Spring of Drowned Duck!"

     Mousse struggled for a few moments before sinking beneath the 

surface. The Guide continued his explanations.

     "There very tragic story of duck that drown there 3000 years ago! 

Now whoever fall in spring take body of unfortunate duck! It is very 

cursed spring! I no want swim in there!"

     Soon a white duck comes to the surface, wearing Mousse's glasses. 

The duck quacked in despair as the Guide addressed him.

     "Oh sir! In many years I work as guide, no one EVER fall in spring on 

purpose! What you do that for?"



Present time

     <If ever there was a place that a duck could drown, it's Jusenkyo!> 

Mousse's mood darkened even more. <It's all Ranma's fault! If he 

hadn't stolen away my darling Shampoo, this wouldn't have happened!>

     Since that encounter, Mousse had been repeatedly trying to make 

life miserable for the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes 

Martial Arts. His plan to change him into a duck had been a dismal 

failure. Akane's plan to have Ranma throw a fight had also met with 

disaster. Even his team-up with Ryoga had soured, with Mousse getting 

blown up by his own time bomb.

     When Ranma had lost his strength, Mousse had thought he had the 

perfect opportunity to finish off his greatest obstacle to Shampoo's 

heart. He was thwarted by Ryoga the first time, then he found himself 

on the receiving end of the Hiryu Shoten Ha afterwards. Since then, it 

had been nothing but one humiliating defeat after another. It was so 

unfair! It seemed as if Fate had been against him ever since he was three.

     As he stuffed some of his belongings into his robes, Mousse began 

to think back to the times that Shampoo had actually shown him some 

moments of kindness. After his battle with Ranma, in which Ranma was 

supposed to lose on purpose, Shampoo had actually carried his battered 

duck form home and given him a place to stay at the Nekohanten. Of 

course, she still treated him badly, but it was the first time she had 

actually shown some concern for his well being.

     There were other moments in which she would not be as cold toward 

him. Every time she played with him when he was a duck, she seemed 

like the playful three-year old again. Seeing her smile was a welcome 

sight to his eyes. Nothing seemed more beautiful to him than seeing 

her happy.

     When the Ghost Cat had kidnapped Shampoo, Mousse saw that as the 

best opportunity to win her affection. He figured that if he could save 

her before Ranma did, then she would shower him with her gratitude. 

However, Ranma had proven to be just as determined as he was and in 

the end, Ranma had saved her. After that incident, Shampoo had undergone 

a dramatic personality change, much to Mousse's displeasure.

     Mousse shook his head sadly as he finished packing the last of his 

things. It was too late for any more regrets as to how his life had turned 

out. In the end, Ranma had won. He was now enthusiastically returning 

Shampoo's affection. Mousse found this strange that he would be doing 

this now, considering how many times he had steadfastly refused her 

overtures before. He had been so sure that Ranma would eventually 

pick Akane. He had been shocked beyond words when his rival had 

chosen his beloved over the Tendo girl. 

     His mood darkened again as thought of all those times that he tried 

to win Shampoo's heart. He had failed miserably, while her attempts to 

attain Ranma's affection had succeeded. He knew something was up 

when he learned that Shampoo had decided not to resort to potions and 

such to gain Ranma as her husband. Mousse had become fearful as he 

realized that if she had failed, it would mean her death! Since that time, 

he had come to the conclusion that the only way to free her from that 

Kiss of Marriage law was to permanently eliminate Ranma.

     He had attacked Ranma on several occasions during that period, but 

as usual, Saotome had proven to be too tough a nut to crack. Mousse 

had also become jealous of Shampoo's new attitude toward Ranma. She 

was now treating him like a person, instead of a trophy husband. She had 

been totally ignoring the near-blind Chinese boy. Granted, her previous 

behavior toward Mousse was less than what he wanted, but at least he 

could take solace in the fact that she was acknowledging his existence. 

With her new outlook toward her intended future husband, Mousse had 

become something that didn't require her to take any notice 

whatsoever. As he watched Shampoo become ever more distant from 

him and more closer to Ranma, Mousse had gone into a rage.

     <It should have been me that she should have treated better!> Mousse 

would have paid to have Shampoo treat him as a person. If she could 

acknowledge him as a human being, then Mousse could have hope that he 

would one day that he would wear down Shampoo's reluctance to accept 

him as a mate. However, it was not to be. As he began to head out the 

door, his thoughts went back to his last conversation with Shampoo.

     Shampoo had been very angry at him when she last spoke to him. She 

was very annoyed that he still believed that she loved him. She had 

become almost mad enough to kill him on the spot, if it were not for 

his injuries. She had informed him that she did not like to be treated 

like some sort of prize to be fought over, just as Ranma was. 

    < Did I treat her like a prize?> Mousse thought. He thought back to 

the last three years. He had been driven to beating up all the other boys 

in the village in order to ensure that Shampoo would not have any suitors. 

He had continually declared that he would be her future husband to 

anyone who would listen. He would state that she was his and his alone. 

Despite Shampoo's declarations that she would never marry him, he had 

ignored her words on the pretense that she would eventually come 

around and become his wife. He had never considered anything that she 

said in the past about her not accepting him as a husband. He had 

continually thrown himself at her, and each time, she would refuse his 

affectionate gestures. Any chance that might win him the Amazon, he 

would take, no questions asked and with no regard for the consequences. 

It was then that he realized something that shook him to the core.

     Shampoo had been acting exactly the same way toward Ranma! She 

never listened to him whenever he said that he wasn't marrying her. She 

had repeatedly thrown herself at him, which usually had him trying to 

pry her off. She continually fought with Ukyo and Akane over Ranma in 

any kind of competition, whether it was fighting, cooking or anything 

else. So long as Ranma was the prize, she would go all out. She had 

resorted to blackmail, potions and even enlisted the aid of her great-

grandmother to win Ranma. In a way, she acted toward Ranma in the 

exact same manner as Mousse did toward her! It was just after she had 

changed her attitude toward Saotome that she had gotten better results. 

Ranma no longer pried her off whenever she hugged him, nor was he 

suspicious of her cooking. By treating Ranma as a person, instead of a 

piece of property, Shampoo had gained his trust, understanding and 

eventually, his love.

     Mousse was close to tears as he realized how much time was wasted 

in his pursuit of Cologne's great-granddaughter. He started to realize 

that perhaps he may have gone about it the wrong way. If he had treated 

Shampoo as a person and considered her feelings, perhaps she wouldn't 

have been so unresponsive toward him. He let out a tired sigh as his 

body ached slightly from his healing injuries. <I've spent so much time 

and I have so little to show for it! Life is just so unfair!> 

     Mousse turned around for one final look at the Nekohanten before 

he went out the door and into an uncertain future.



Somewhere in Hokkaido

     Ryoga Hibiki was emanating a huge aura of depression as he 

wandered the streets. As usual, he had no idea where he was or where he 

was heading. In this case however, he didn't really care. He had been 

doing a lot of thinking ever since his last battle with Ranma Blue.

     At first, he had become angered that Ranma had beat him yet again 

and that he was now free of his curse. Furthermore, because of the 

terms of their final duel, Ryoga could no longer challenge his biggest 

opponent. Ryoga's greatest dream was to be free of becoming P-chan 

and telling Akane how he really felt about her. If he had won that fight, 

he would have been able to fulfill that dream. However, he had lost 

miserably against a seemingly unbeatable Ranma. As of now, he was 

still wondering how Saotome had gotten so powerful. As Ryoga thought 

back to his last encounter with his lifelong rival, he wondered what had 

caused him to change so much. Ranma was not the same anymore.

     In the past, Ranma could act like a totally insensitive jerk and had an 

ego the size of Mount Fuji. He was cocky and pompous. He wasn't very 

responsible and he didn't treat Akane very well. Ryoga often wondered 

what she ever saw in that dope! Ranma would tease him in front of 

Akane and even go as far as call him P-chan in front of her face! 

     It was after Ranma Blue had defeated him that Ryoga realized that he 

had changed. He had lost just about his entire egotistical attitude and 

had become more serious. He did not go into his standard taunting after 

he had beaten the lost boy. In fact, he had tended to his wounds and had 

wished him the best of luck. It was all so confusing.

     The eternal lost boy's thoughts went back to the first time he met 

Ranma Saotome.



An all-boys junior high school

     The cafeteria was jammed packed with shouting and starving 

adolescent boys as they pushed and shoved each other near the front 

counter. Behind the counter, a heavyset woman wearing an apron is 

holding up a food item with a set of tongs.

     "All right you boys! This is it! The last curry bread of the day!" 

     The lunch lady drew back her arm and tossed the curry bread into the 

mob of hungry students. Ryoga shoved his way towards the flying food 

item and makes a leap.

     "I got it! I got it!"

     Just as he's about to grab the bread, someone bounced off his head 

and catches the curry bread in his mouth. Ryoga is left stunned as his 

lunch is claimed by another boy wearing a pigtail. His anger soon flared 

as he glared at the offender as he landed on the opposite side of the mob.

     "How dare you?! Who are you?"

     The youth takes the bread out of his mouth and replied casually, 

"Ranma Saotome."

     "SAOTOME! I"LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! YOU STOLE MY 

BREAD! YOU LOUSY THIEF!!!"



The present

     <Stupid jerk! That bread was mine!> Ryoga's mood went deeper into 

depression. <And it didn't stop there!>



The next day in the cafeteria

     "Smell it and weep boys! The last chow mien bread of the day!" 

Announced the lunch lady.

     Ryoga is introduced to Ranma's foot as the bread is caught in the 

pigtailed boy's mouth.



And

     "The last croquet bread!"

     Ryoga is crescent-kicked away as Ranma scores yet another victory.



And

     "The last melon bread!"

     Ryoga meets the back of Ranma's head.



     "Cutlet sandwich!"

     "Meat bread!"



The present

     <Egg bread! Seaweed bread! Everything that I tried to get, he'd get it 

first! That pig!> Ryoga winced as he heard that word in his mind. 

<Okay that was a bad choice of words! Still, he was nothing but a 

stupid jerk! Bad enough that I always went hungry, but then he had to run 

out on that duel!>



The day of the Big Fight

     "SAOTOME! TODAY IS THE DAY THAT I WILL BREAK YOU!!!"

     A younger Ryoga rushes out of his house and heads straight down 

the street. Unfortunately, he does not make the left turn, which would 

have led him to the empty lot where Ranma was waiting for him.



Hiroshima

     "No, this is Hiroshima"



Osaka

     "No, you idiot! This is Osaka! Can't you read a map?!"



Hokkaido

     "What are you nuts?"



Yokohama

     "You've got to be kidding! This is Yokohama!"



Four days later

     "I I f-finally finally made it!" Young Ryoga staggered into the 

empty lot and finds Ranma gone. "Damn you Ranma! You coward!" 

With these words, Ryoga collapsed from exhaustion.



The present

     <That jerk's got no honor! So I took just a little too long in getting 

there! He should have been at that lot!> Ryoga stopped in his train of 

thought as he remembered that Ranma had been at that lot for three 

days. <So he waited three days! So what? He should have waited a little 

longer! He knew how bad I was with directions! Hell! He had to lead me 

to school and back home every day!> It was at that thought that caught 

his attention. <Wait a second. Why did he help me get to school and 

back every day? Weren't we enemies back then? I mean, I always said 

that I didn't need his help, yet he would always help me find my way.>

     Ryoga cocked his head as he tried to figure out this confusing point. 

He shook his head as he began to recall his other grudges against 

Ranma. <What am I thinking? It's his fault that I turn into a pig! I almost 

ended up as Sweet and Sour Pork!> 



A few months ago in Jusenkyo

     Ryoga is standing on a rocky cliff that is overlooking several of the 

pools. Suddenly, he hears the sounds of heavy footsteps as something 

large crashed through the bamboo plants behind him. Ryoga turns to see 

a huge panda rushing toward him. 

     "Yaaaahhh!" Ryoga screamed as he leapt high to avoid colliding with 

it. It was at that moment that he heard a girl's shouting in his direction.

     "Wait up you old fool!" Ranma-chan screamed as she charged in 

from above, intending to pound Genma into next month.

     Ryoga was knocked downward after his head collided with Ranma-

chan's outstretched knee. As he plummeted down toward one of the 

pools, the red-haired girl continued to chase her cursed father. "Come 

back here! Come back here!"

     Splash!!!

     Ryoga found himself disoriented and shocked beyond words as he 

found himself trapped inside a much smaller form. It was at that time 

that the Panda came across him.

     Picking up the little piglet by the bandanna, Genma considered all 

the possibilities one could do with such an animal. (Of course, we all 

know that Genma is a slave to his stomach. So what else would he do 

with a tender-looking piglet ?)

     Ryoga soon found himself in the hut of the Jusenkyo guide. It wasn't 

long before the Guide was thinking along the same lines as Genma was.

     "Oh sir! You find too, too delicious-looking piglet! Looks very 

juicy!" The Guide stood up andwhipped out some sharp utensils. "I make 

our famous Cantonese-style Sweet and Sour Pork for you!"

     <NOOOOOOO!!!> Ryoga wriggled and struggled as he was hung by 

one leg above a wok of boiling water. He tried to voice out his protests, 

but in this form he could only grunt and squeal.

     The Guide busily sharpened up a nasty-looking cleaver while Genma 

stoked the fire. As they prepared to cook Ryoga, the Guide began 

telling Genma about a certain cursed pool.

     "In here in Jusenkyo, there very famous, very cursed spring called 

Heitoniichuan! There very tragic legend that of black piglet what drown 

there one thousand two hundred year ago! Oh, very terrible! Now, 

whoever fall in spring take of body of black piglet!" The Guide held up 

Ryoga and smiled. "I think maybe this one from Spring of Drowned 

Black Piglet, no?" 

     Ryoga frantically nodded.

     With that the Guide dropped Ryoga into the wok and said with glee, 

"Oh sir! I make very funny joke! No?"

     "YEEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWWW! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT!" 

Ryoga came up in his human form and naked. His body was red all over 

as he fumed at the two.

     "AIYA! You human, not pig! No can eat this one!" Said the Guide.



The present

     <It's not fair! I used to like eating pork! Now I can't even go near the 

restaurant district without fearing that someone would try to make me 

into the lunch special! Damn you Ranma! After all that you've done to 

me, you could have at least told me how you got cured!> 

     Ryoga was really in a foul mood as he found himself in the midst of 

a forest. <Huh? How the the heck did I end up here? Damn! I should 

have watched where I was going! I was so busy being mad at Ranma 

that arrrgh!>

     "WHERE THE HECK AM I NOW?!!!"



Five hours later, near the outskirts of Nerima

     Ryoga had finally found a road, which led him to one of the main 

highways. By luck, he had managed to follow it to Tokyo. As he 

wandered the streets, his thoughts inevitably went back to his 

relationship with Ranma.

     As he thought about his former rival, he could not help but rember 

all the times, in which they actually came close to getting along like 

friends.

     The first of his memories was when Happosai had removed his 

strength. Ryoga had come across the weakened Ranma just as he was 

about to be totally destroyed by Kuno, the Principal and Mousse.

     <Why did I save him that time? After all that he's done to me, I 

should have let him get beaten up!> After thinking about it for a while, 

he realized that he did it because he couldn't help but feel sorry for 

Saotome for being in such a pathetic state. He knew what it was like to 

be helpless. It happened to him all the time, whenever he became P-

chan. Furthermore, defeating Ranma when he so weak would not have 

set well with him. There would be no challenge. Ranma had proven 

himself many times over to be his biggest rival. Whenever Ryoga would 

become a little better than Ranma, Ranma would train and become 

better than he. That would force Ryoga to also train. Now, with the feud 

over, Ryoga was left without an adequate opponent. Not that it really 

mattered. From what Ryoga had seen, Ranma had achieved a skill level 

far beyond anything that he could ever hope to attain. The thought made 

him even more miserable.

     Another memory that came to him was the time that he received the 

Mark of God. Granted, it gave him the power to consistantly defeat 

Ranma, even as P-chan, but the silly-looking thing made him too 

embarrassed to be seen in public. Also, Akane had thought it stupid-

looking, which put him into a deeper funk. Ranma had figured out a way 

to get rid of it, albeit using an underhanded tactic. Ryoga knew that 

Ranma had done it for his own benefit, but he couldn't help but wonder 

what would happened if Ranma had not agreed to help him get rid of it.

     Other memories of their relationship came forth. The numerous 

times that Ranma had kept Akane from learning that P-chan and Ryoga 

were the same person. The time that he rescued him from that 

swordsman from the Cult of the Muscle Sword. Thoughout all the 

fights, arguments, grudges and misunderstandings, one thing was 

constant. Ranma was always there.

     Ryoga sighed heavily. With Ranma gone, the lost boy found his life 

strangely empty. There were no more fights, no more rivalry. It seems 

as if his entire life had been built on the constant conflict. Ranma may 

have been an egotistical and insensitive jerk, but Ryoga had to admit, he 

was also honorable enough. He never backed down from a challenge. He 

was always there for him, even when Ryoga refused his help. For Ryoga, 

Ranma Saotome had become an integral part of his life. His reason for 

going on. Without Ranma to fight, Ryoga's life had become dull and 

listless. With a shocked expression, Ryoga realized that Ranma was 

about the closest thing he had to a friend. Life was pretty lonely when 

you get lost all the time. Looking forward to beating up Ranma had 

always given him a boost in the morale depatment. It was an all-

consuming obsession of his. It was what drove him to train. Now

     Ryoga sighed as he headed toward the Tendo dojo. (Not intentially 

of course) As he walked steadily toward Akane's home, he began 

wondering what path his life would take now that Ranma was no longer 

a part of it.



     At the home of Nodoka Saotome, the twins were just coming around 

five minutes after they fainted. 



To be continued.



AUTHOR'S NOTES

     The reason that I wrote this chapter was that I felt that some of the 

other characters were being neglected. I also wanted to explore the 

inner thoughts of Akane, Ryoga and Mousse and their connections 

toward Ranma Saotome. Akane has now realized that Ranma was not 

totally to blame for their unstable relationship and their eventual break 

up. Ryoga has come to realize that with Ranma no longer a rival, his life 

has now become empty. After waiting so long for the conflict to be 

ended, Ryoga has now discovered the downside of his wish. And 

Mousse? Well, I have some big plans concerning him in the near future. 

Just remember, both he and Ryoga still do not know about the Ranma 

twins. Stay tuned for Chapter 14! 



