An Ending To All Our Days

By

Joshua Trujillo

Part 8 : The Last Interlude

Shampoo didn’t have her mind on her work. She absentmindedly stirred the ramen with a stupid grin pasted on her face. She was thinking of the one thing that could make her heart flutter, her speech stammer and her aim miss, Ranma. Not the ecchi pervert that liked that tomboy Akane, but the real Ranma. The Ranma that loved Shampoo. The Ranma that wanted to take her back to China to live forever. She was getting excited just thinking about him. How he would soon come to her in the rain (uncursed, of course) with the rain glistening off his perfect chest.

He would take her in his arms and tell her he loves her. Then they would make love many, many, many, many (how many?) times. They would be married and he would make love to her constantly during the honeymoon (Like the honeymoon would make a difference in that, so long as it was Ranma). She would bear him strong children, strong like their mother, handsome like their father.

Her revelry was interrupted by a rather large crash from the ceiling and a splash into the wok. The dust cleared and Shampoo fished the gooey mass out of her ramen. Originally she had just thought that it was Mousse trying to hug her again, but he never stayed this small when splashed with hot water. She gurgled as her lunch almost came back to say hello. She recognized the disgusting mass in her noodles. She reached for the largest set of tongs she had and continued to pull it out. She held it at arms length and almost retched again.

“What’s all this commotion?” A voice said from the doorway.

It was Cologne. Shampoo swung the sticky mass up to cane level for her to inspect.

“When we serve ecchi ramen, Great-Grandmama?” Shampoo asked.

Cologne’s eyes went wide in recognition. They them narrowed and her brow wrinkled more than it already was.

“Good Lord,” She said, exasperated, “Bring him to the next room and continue with the food. I’ll tend to Happosai.”

Shampoo gingerly held the tongs in front of her and made her way to Mousse’s room. It was a little cubby hole broom closet near the back. Too many rats were getting in through here and they found Mousse plugged the hole nicely. Shampoo set him onto the bed and backed away. Cologne bounded into the room and began to look Happosai over carefully.

Relieved to be rid of that hentai menace, Shampoo went back to her work in the kitchen. She sighed once at having to start the same wok of ramen for the third time today...

Cologne poked Happosai in the chest to ease his breathing.

“Happy. Can you hear me-hmmm,” She asked.

She frowned once and poked him again. It seemed to work this time as he began to moan. He started to come around. Opening his eyes, he saw Cologne standing over him and promptly screamed.

“Calm yourself, you old fool. Who did this?” Cologne asked, setting herself onto the bed, “Ranma could never have made damage this extensive.”

“It was - the demon.”

“Try to think Happy. Tell me about this demon.”

Slowly, Happosai related the story. Some parts seriously confused Cologne, like why any demon would want to steal the panties of the Tendo women, but she chocked it up as just a quirk of Happosai. What was real was the damage this demon did to Happosai. She thought for a moment.

“This bears terribly on the very future of Nerima. Even my future son-in-law may not be able to defeat him, this demon of corruption,” She said to him, smiling an old, knowing smile, “You must rest. I will seek to gather our forces.”

Happosai nodded and fell back to sleep. Cologne picked up her staff and hopped into the kitchen area.

“Shampoo, do you know where Ranma is?”

Shampoo shook her head. Cologne thought more and decided.

“Get Mousse, he may be of some use in what is to come. Quickly now, we must be off,” She said to her Great-Granddaughter.

“Where are we going Great-Grandmama?” Shampoo asked, turning down the heat on the ramen.

“To the Tendo’s. We must take Happosai back there and see if we can find Ranma. Something tragic may happen if we are too late,” She said.

Shampoo nodded and leaped into the other room after Mousse.

If this demon can defeat Happosai, we must proceed quickly, but with caution, She thought.

She hopped into the bedroom and started to work on Happosai so they could take him back to the Tendos. She knew that she did not want him to stay here.