Breaking Free - Shampoo's
<br> Story
Breaking Free--Shampoo's Story
A Side Story to Breaking Free
By June "KaraOhki" Geraci
July 29, 2001
Ranma 1/2 and its characters were created by Rumiko Takahashi, and belong to her. I'm borrowing them. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.
This story is part of the "Breaking Free" universe, and picks up right after Shampoo learns of Ranma and Akane's elopement. She attacks Akane, who successfully defends herself.
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"Then you die."
The words came easily to Shampoo. She'd given Akane the kiss of death long ago, and never followed through with it. Now Akane had stolen her husband. When Akane succeeded in not only defending herself but also breaking Shampoo's arm, the only conclusion she could come to was that Ranma had been training her. That meant that killing her was going to be a little more difficult, but it was still a necessity.
Then she saw Ranma's face. He led Akane away, and the look in his eyes sent Shampoo a message she couldn't ignore. "Try it again, and I'll kill you." Shampoo sank to her knees as she watched Ranma walk away. The combination of pain and a broken heart overwhelmed her, and she fought to remain conscious.
"�get you to a doctor�" "Shampoo?"
The voices were familiar, but they seemed so far away, and she was so cold. Then a pair of arms lifted her up and Shampoo could see Ranma's face. He looked very worried. He began running, and the pain from every step went through Shampoo's entire body. She passed out before they could get to Dr. Tofu's office.
Shampoo didn't understand much of what happened once Ranma carried her into Dr. Tofu's office. There was a lot of shouting, and the words seemed to be coming from her. After all, no one else there would know the Chinese curses that filled the air. Then there was a snapping sound, and the pain in her arm lessened. She was able to focus, and saw the face of Dr. Tofu over her.
"I've set the arm. Let me splint it."
Two pairs of hands on either side of her were holding her down, and when she looked one pair of hands belonged to Ranma, and the other to his wife.
"NO TOUCH ME!" The glare that followed her words evidently worked, because the pair backed out of the room very quickly. Shampoo sat quietly as Tofu finished splinting her arm, wondering how long it would take her to heal so that she could finish her job. Then she found her resolve wavering.
If she killed Akane, Ranma would kill her. What would that accomplish? Nothing.
If she didn't kill Akane and went home without Ranma, her sisters would scorn her. Did she deserve that? Perhaps.
In the midst of her thoughts, Cologne and Mousse rushed in. Shampoo refused to speak to them, and Dr. Tofu was too busy working to do any more than assure them that Shampoo would recover. Cologne left the room to speak to Ranma and came back looking older, and very tired.
"We have lost, child. There is nothing more to be gained here in Japan. It is time to go home."
*****
"Please eat your breakfast, Shampoo."
"I don't want it."
Mousse looked at Shampoo with concern and sympathy, but Shampoo refused to acknowledge it. She was in pain, she was seasick, and she was heartbroken. Why bother with food? She turned over and stared at the wall until the sound of footsteps told her that Mousse had left the cabin.
A few minutes later a different set of footsteps announced Cologne's entrance. Shampoo continued to stare at the wall.
"Shampoo, please eat something. You're getting too thin!"
Shampoo turned over and glared at Cologne. "Why? So you can bring me home to be disgraced? Go away!"
Cologne sighed and sat down on the edge of the bunk. "That's not why I'm going home, dear. I'm tired, you see. I want to see the faces of my family and my friends. It's been too long."
"Then why did you bring me with you! I could have stayed in Nerima!"
"And done what? Watch the man you love with another woman? Haven't you tortured yourself enough?" Cologne picked up the tray and placed it in Shampoo's lap. "Eat. I've had enough of this nonsense. Are you a warrior or a whiner?"
She smiled when Shampoo scowled at her and began to eat. Shampoo noticed the smile, but didn�t respond in kind. When she picked up her teacup and sipped she tasted more than tea. Her great-grandmother had added herbs that would ease her pain, and help her to sleep. She drank all of it and put the cup back on the tray. "That's all I can handle right now, Great-Grandmother. Thank you."
*****
The streets of the village were crowded when Shampoo, Cologne and Mousse returned, but no one greeted them. Instead, many curious eyes stared at them at as they walked to Cologne's home and opened the door. Cologne entered first, followed by Shampoo. When Mousse tried to follow she started to close the door in his face, but stopped halfway.
"Mousse, please go to your own home."
"But Shampoo--"
"No. I will not permit you to do this any longer. Go home to your family." As she finished speaking Shampoo closed the door. Then she went to bed.
Within an hour there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Shampoo," Cologne said, "the Elders are here to see you".
"I'll be right out."
Shampoo attempted to make herself presentable for the Elders, but in her eyes the efforts she made were futile. Her dress was wrinkled, her hair wasn't neat enough, and there were circles under her eyes. Shampoo summoned her pride, held her head high and left the bedroom.
"Welcome home, Shampoo. Where is your husband?"
"I have no husband."
The older women looked at one another. "Is he dead?"
"No, he lives." Shampoo decided telling the truth immediately was easier than undergoing this question-by-question torture. "He lives, and he is married to the woman he was promised to."
"And why is it that you did not kill this woman, or him, or both?"
"What good would that do? You know who he is, and what he can do, and what he HAS done! You would cut short the life of a great warrior? Why? For our tradition? Such waste should be condemned, not encouraged!" Shampoo turned around and went back into the bedroom.
*****
From that day on Shampoo was shunned. No one in the village would speak to her. She stayed in the house at first, but soon grew tired of it and went out into the yard behind the house. It was overgrown with weeds, and she resolved to clean it up even if she had to do it with one hand. Shampoo went back inside, got a bag for the weeds and a tool for digging, and started to work. She was halfway around the edge of the garden wall when she came across something that had been long forgotten, and the memories it brought back to her caused her to flee into her bedroom, weeping.
"Oh mother�if only you were here now�"
But hiding in her bedroom was not what Shampoo wanted, and she dried her tears and tried again. Instead of avoiding what had upset her so much, she faced it.
The kiln was almost completely obscured by weeds, and evidently hadn't been touched since Shampoo's mother died. She caressed it with her good hand and began to clear the area around it. Then she began to clean the kiln itself. By the time Shampoo was finished she was too tired to continue with the yard, and resolved to finish the next day. She failed to notice Cologne watching her through the window.
*****
"It's done," Shampoo murmured, rubbing her broken arm. The work she needed to do involved two hands, and although the splint hampered her, the yard was now in order and her mother's kiln stood proudly in one corner, clean and ready to be used again. She'd checked the shed where her mother kept her glazes and colors, and most of them were dried up and worthless. She did discover a couple of jars that had never been opened, and amazingly the contents were still usable. All that was needed was the raw material, and Shampoo knew where to get it. She lined a basket with a piece of linen, picked up a finely woven silk sack, and headed off to the edge of town.
The birds were singing, the air was fresh, and the river flowed between its banks. Everything was exactly the same as the last time Shampoo had been there, with one exception. The last time she had been there her mother had been with her, and they had gathered the clay together. She filled the sack with sand from the riverbank, and pulled out a trowel to dig up the clay. Shampoo found it a struggle to do it with one hand, and although she succeeded in her mission, she got terribly dirty. The only thing that would remedy that would be a bath, and Shampoo picked up her basket and headed back the way she had come. Her steps led her past a house at the edge of Joketsuzoku.
"Shampoo! Hello!"
The sound of a friendly voice caused Shampoo to spin around in wonder. Then she saw a familiar smile on a familiar face. "Cheng Lao! Is that you?"
The man�s smile got wider. "Of course it's me! How are you?" Then he looked concerned, because Shampoo began to cry. The next thing she knew she was seated at his kitchen table and he was making her tea.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I keep to myself a lot, but even I heard the stories. Are you going to be okay?"
Shampoo wiped her eyes. "I don't know. None of my friends will talk to me." Then she looked down at herself. "I'm going to get your kitchen all dirty."
"Who cares about dirt? I'll clean it up later. And what about me? Aren't I your friend?"
That got a smile from her. "Yes. Yes, you are."
Cheng Lao smiled back. "And we sure got dirty a lot when we were kids, didn't we?" He gestured at Shampoo's basket. "What are you going to make?"
"I'm not sure. Whatever I can manage with one hand, I guess. I don't even know if I remember how."
"You'll remember."
Cheng Lao's optimistic attitude was catching, and Shampoo found herself agreeing with him.
�Why are you talking to me? No one else will.�
A familiar grin accompanied the answer. �When did I ever care what those old women thought? After all these years, they�ve given up trying to get me to conform.�
Shampoo couldn�t help but smile as she remembered all the lumps Cheng Lao had taken when he was a boy. Rebellion seemed to be something that came naturally to him.
They finished their tea and continued chatting for a long time. Then Shampoo excused herself.
"I must go home. Great-Grandmother is probably looking for me, and I need to get cleaned up."
"I'll walk you." Over Shampoo's protests, Cheng Lao picked up her basket and sack and led the way. Neither of them noticed Mousse shadowing them.
*****
When Shampoo entered the house Cologne took one look at her and began to laugh. Shampoo found herself getting rather irritated.
�I know I�m dirty, Great-Grandmother, but is it that funny?�
�Look in the mirror and tell me.�
Shampoo glanced at herself in the hall mirror and turned bright red. She had a streak of mud across her nose. It must have been there the entire time she was at Cheng Lao�s house, and he�d never mentioned it. She didn�t know whether to be furious at him or to start laughing herself.
�I suppose I need a bath.�
�You certainly do.� Cologne took the clay and sand from Shampoo. �Do you want these out in the shed?�
�Please.�
*****
The next day Shampoo unlocked the shed and began to experiment with the clay. Her mother had taught her how to mix it with water and sand when she was a little girl, but she wasn�t sure if she had the proportions right.
�What are you doing?�
Shampoo jumped. She had been concentrating so hard that she hadn�t heard Mousse approach.
�What does it look like? I�m making a bowl!�
�Why?�
"Because I want to. Mother taught me a long time ago, and I'm out of practice. She always said I had the potential to make beautiful things, and I don't know if I can be as good as she was, but I want to try."
Mousse looked like he was trying to figure out what to say when a voice from outside made both of them turn to the open door of the shed.
"Mousse, what are you doing here? I gave you errands to run, and I don't expect to find you wasting time talking to Shampoo. You wasted enough time when you followed her to Japan!"
"Yes, Grandmother."
"And don't 'yes' me, either! Get moving!"
Shampoo couldn't help but give Mousse a sympathetic look as he edged through the door sideways, trying to avoid being smacked by his grandmother. He wasn't successful. The old woman looked into the shed and glared at Shampoo.
"Don't you be encouraging him to be lazy! I won't have it!"
Shampoo merely nodded. Trying to reason with Mousse's grandmother was a waste of time.
The sound of Cologne clearing her throat made everyone turn around. "Mousse worked very hard for us during the time he was in Japan."
His grandmother snorted. "Perhaps, but he had no business being there when he was needed here!" She pointed at Shampoo. "I don't want him anywhere near that girl!"
"Then control him better. You've been allowing him to annoy her since he learned to walk."
The only response Cologne got was a dirty look as Mousse's grandmother began to lead him away. Then Cologne called out to her.
"Wait a moment!"
The other woman stopped and gave her grandson a push. "Go home. I'll be there shortly."
Shampoo watched curiously as the two older women stood talking softly. She tried not to be obvious as she crept nearer to the doorway of the potting shed to try to catch what they were saying, but their voices were much too low. She became even more curious when Mousse's grandmother smiled, and was astonished when she chuckled. Then she raised her voice as if to allow Shampoo to hear.
"I'd better go home, Cologne. Don't worry. I won't be too hard on him."
*****
Shampoo wasn�t at all surprised when Mousse visited again the next day. What did surprise her was that he seemed quite cheerful.
�Aren�t you going to get in trouble with your grandmother?�
Mousse shrugged. Then he laughed. �She�s got you fooled, doesn�t she? She pretends to be a mean old woman, but she�s not. Don�t think the way she acts in public is the way she acts all the time. Grandmother understands me better than you think.�
That revelation made Shampoo�s eyes open wide. �Is that why you were able to come to Japan twice?�
�Yes. She said I had to learn for myself.� Mousse paused, and looked at his feet. �Maybe I�m a slow learner, Shampoo. I still love you.�
Shampoo�s eyes began to fill with tears, and she forced them back. �I�m not going to change my mind, Mousse. Please understand.�
She didn�t get a reply. Mousse simply turned and walked away. Shampoo watched him for a few moments and then forced herself to go back to work.
*****
"It's not quite the ugliest thing I've ever seen, but it comes close."
"Very close, Great-Grandmother."
Cologne glanced at Shampoo in surprise. She hadn't expected to see a smile on the girl's face. "And this pleases you?"
"The bowl doesn't, no, but I got the mix right. I couldn't remember how Mother mixed the sand, water and clay, so I experimented."
"How do you think she learned? Your mother experimented for years before she was satisfied. You at least have the benefit of being taught by her. It seems you remembered your lessons better than you thought."
"Then I'll just have to wait for my arm to heal before I can work on making better pieces."
*****
While waiting, Shampoo got into the habit of dropping in to see Cheng Lao nearly every day. As he worked in his shop, they reminisced about their childhood, especially how they would play together constantly, and Shampoo's mother would allow them to experiment with ceramics. That had lasted until Cheng Lao was about ten years old, and Shampoo eight. Then things changed. Shampoo began to spend most of her time training, and Cheng Lao's father began to teach him his trade. Shampoo became a warrior, Cheng Lao became a carpenter, and they saw almost nothing of each other.
Picking up a friendship after so many years was a healing experience for Shampoo, and her spirit healed as her arm did. At first, Cheng Lao offered friendship without any strings attached, and Shampoo appreciated that. Then she began to notice a difference in the way he looked at her. He would be working on a piece of furniture with great concentration, and suddenly stop and look at her. Then he would go back to what he was doing, and seem to concentrate even harder.
Shampoo found those looks unsettling, especially since something was happening to her that she never anticipated. As the days went on, she was thinking less and less of Ranma, and more and more of Cheng Lao. She was confused, and a little frightened. Shampoo's immediate reaction was to avoid Cheng Lao, but he would have none of that. After she stayed away for three days he came looking for her, and found her experimenting with homemade glazes.
"What's that smell?"
Shampoo looked up from the fire she was stirring outside the shed to find Cheng Lao standing there. "I'm burning bones."
Cheng Lao squatted down to get a closer look. "What for?"
"I'm trying to make my own glazes. This is one of the components."
"I certainly hope it looks better than it smells."
"We'll just have to wait and see." With that, Shampoo closed her mouth and continued watching the progress of her work.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
Shampoo answered without looking up. "What makes you think that I am?"
"You haven't come to see me, and when you go down to the river you look the other way when you pass my home."
"Nonsense. I've been very busy working on my glazes."
"Have you?"
"Yes."
Cheng Lao got back to his feet. The look of hurt in his eyes was impossible to misinterpret. �I�m sorry I bothered you.�
He walked away without looking back.
Shampoo tried to tell herself that her eyes stung from the stench of the burning bones, but the pain she felt watching Cheng Lao walk way proved otherwise.
*****
Cologne examined Shampoo's arm carefully, and gave her great-granddaughter a smile.
"Your arm has healed nicely, Shampoo. You should start exercising it until you've regained your strength. Kneading clay is a good way to start."
Shampoo thanked Cologne and went directly to the shed. She began to work, but found concentrating very difficult. Cheng Lao's words had been bothering her for days. He had spoken the truth--she was avoiding him--but she had not allowed herself to admit why.
It was impossible for her to be developing any affection for the man. Her heart would belong to Ranma forever.
Was that true? Shampoo wondered. The more she thought about Cheng Lao, the more she doubted her resolve. She kept remembering the way he was when he was a boy. He never did learn proper respect for Amazon ways. In that respect, he and Mousse were very much alike. Shampoo gasped as another flash of insight came to her. Ranma was cut from the same cloth. If she had succeeded in dragging him back home with her he never would have adapted to life in her village. He was too independent. What was it with her and independent-minded men?
Shampoo needed to clear her mind. She washed her hands, left the shed, and went to the center of the yard. She closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and began to practice her other art. Her footsteps danced across the yard in an exercise both deadly and beautiful.
*****
A week later Cheng Lao was concentrating on his work when he heard a footstep behind him.
"Cheng Lao."
He turned around swiftly, and then regained his composure. "Hello."
Shampoo bit her lip in embarrassment and held out both hands. She was holding something wrapped in tissue paper. "I made this for you. It's a peace offering, if you'll accept it."
"Thank you." Cheng Lao smiled as he spoke, and he took the gift from Shampoo's hands. He unwrapped the package, and held up a bowl. "You made this?"
"Yes."
He examined the bowl carefully. It was glazed in pale blue, with a swirling pattern of deep blue that had been painted on and re-fired. He walked outside and held it up to the sunlight. "Beautiful. Is this the glaze you were making?"
"The dark blue is." The pride in Shampoo's voice was not lost on Cheng Lao.
"You could make quite a lot selling these, you know. I have contacts outside the village, and if you want I'll tell them about you."
"You do?"
Cheng Lao laughed, and gestured inside his workshop, which was stacked with finished goods. "Do you really think I only made furniture for the Joketsuzoku?"
"I hadn't really thought about it."
"Come have some tea. I'll tell you how far from here my work goes."
*****
After that, the estrangement between Shampoo and her friend dissolved. She began visiting him regularly again, and he also came to see her. She spent countless hours making beautifully decorated pieces, and gave a few samples to Cheng Lao to send to his buyer. The response he received was enthusiastic.
In addition to kneading clay, Shampoo began to work the muscles of her arm by lifting weights. Soon, she was unable to tell that it had ever been broken.
Then she began to practice with an intensity that made her great-grandmother stand by the window, staring. Having Akane Saotome break her arm was quite an eye opener for her, and she realized that perhaps the reason she lost was not that Akane had gotten better, but that she had gotten soft.
*****
"Help me move this chest, would you?"
Shampoo raised an eyebrow. Cheng Lao had never asked for help before. "Where do you want it?"
Cheng Lao pointed. "Over there, against the wall."
Shampoo took one end of the chest and together they moved it.
"Your arm seems to be completely healed, Shampoo."
"I believe it is."
"Then I challenge you."
Shampoo stared. "What?"
"I said I challenge you!"
Shampoo became aware that there was a crowd standing just outside the shop.
�I don�t understand. Why are you doing this?�
�Do not accept or not?� was the only reply she got.
One glance at the watchers was enough to let Shampoo know that she had only once choice. Several elders, including her great-grandmother, stood there. An Amazon did not refuse a challenge in their presence.
"I accept," said Shampoo. Cheng Lao moved out into the yard, gesturing for Shampoo to follow. As she did, she analyzed her friend's demeanor. He was a tall man, broad without being heavy, and certainly not clumsy. He did not, however, have the grace that a martial artist would display. At that point Shampoo realized two things. With all the watchful eyes on them, she had to fight for real. Also, she had no desire to humiliate her friend. That meant she would have to find a way to defeat him without hurting his feelings.
As those thoughts rushed through Shampoo's mind, Cheng Lao charged her. He tripped as he did, and she struck his arm as he hurtled past. She circled him, trying to judge his abilities, and he charged once more. This time she danced out of his way, and watched as he came to a stop and stared at her, rubbing his arm. That blow must have hurt him.
Shampoo winced. She didn't want to hurt Cheng Lao, but he had given her no choice. At least this was going to be easy. Her friend seemed to have no knowledge at all of what to do. He simply came right at her. She would make this as fast and painless as possible, and find out later what he was thinking when he challenged her.
Cheng Lao charged again, and Shampoo was ready. She was going to sidestep him and take him out from behind. Then he tripped again. Something in the back of Shampoo's mind was telling her that Cheng Lao was not clumsy enough to trip twice in the same fight, just as he seemed to miraculously gain his balance and sweep her legs out from under her.
"�you hear me? Shampoo?"
Shampoo opened her eyes, and for a second all she could see was little colored dots. Then her vision cleared and she was gazing up at Cheng Lao. She was back inside the house, in Cheng Lao's lap, and he was holding a cool cloth to her head. She felt the spot, and discovered a rather large lump.
"I didn't mean to hit you that hard."
"You have to if you mean to win."
Cheng Lao nodded solemnly, and helped Shampoo to her feet. "I have defeated you in front of witnesses. Therefore, you must marry me."
Shampoo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was THAT the reason for the challenge? "Don't be ridiculous! That rule is for outsiders, not men of the village!"
To her amazement, Cheng Lao laughed. "You don't know?" Then he put his hand to his mouth. "Of course you don't know! I'm older than you!" He took Shampoo's hand in his, and patted it. "My parents moved here when I was four years old. I was born fifty miles away."
"But--but you never cared about the rules of our village before. Why NOW?"
"Rules can be very convenient if they get you what you want. Besides that, this will get you back in the good graces of the elders."
"You want to marry me because--" Shampoo was unable to finish speaking. It was impossible to talk when Cheng Lao was kissing her.
"To hell with their rules," he said once he'd come up for air. "If you don't feel this way about me I--" This time Cheng Lao got interrupted mid-sentence.
*****
A few minutes later the pair left the house and faced the gathering outside. One of the elders stepped forward, Cologne right behind her. "Young woman, are you going to marry this man, or do we have to expel you from the village for disobeying our laws twice?" She paused, and the look on her face frightened Shampoo a little.
Shampoo looked away from her, and into Cheng Lao's eyes. She saw something there that was never in Ranma Saotome's eyes. Something that she'd always wanted. Love. For her. Something that she fully returned.
"I honor our laws," she said.