COS70-72
“A Change of Scene” Chapters 70-72
April/May 1999, by June “KaraOhki” Geraci
The characters from Ranma 1/2 in this fiction are the creations of Rumiko Takahashi and borrowed without her permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.
Special thanks to David, Gary and Vince for prereading!
Chapter 70
“Ranma, what are you doing up there?”
“I don’t know. Habit, I guess.”
“Please come down and hold my hand. I need you.”
Such an admission from Akane was rare, and caused Ranma to quickly jump off the fence to take her hand. It was cold, and shaking. Ranma began to walk again, and was jerked to a stop when Akane didn’t move. Then she let go of his hand and threw her arms around him.
“Don’t, Ranma. Please don’t!”
“Don’t what?”
“Please, don’t listen to your mother. Please!”
By this time Akane was in tears, so Ranma picked her up and hurried back to the house. He vaulted the wall and up to their bedroom window, hoping that the rest of the family would be unaware of their return.
Ranma waited patiently as Akane wiped her eyes, took off her coat and shoes, and sat on the futon. She still hadn’t spoken, but just looked at him sadly. Ranma joined her on the futon, and held both of her hands.
“Akane, what makes you think I would listen to Mom? I already said no.”
“You always listen to her! If your Mom asks you to do something, you melt! You stand up to everybody else in the world but her. Now she’s asking you to make Ukyo your mistress. What am I supposed to think?”
Ranma opened his mouth to retort, and quickly closed it again before he could say what he was thinking. Instead, he tried to work his way around it.
“You don’t think I’d make Shampoo my mistress, do you? Or Kodachi?”
Akane stared at her husband as if he’d gone insane.
“Of course not!”
“Then why Ukyo?”
“Your mother said--”
“No, Akane. I don’t want to hear about my mother. I want to hear about you. What about Ukyo worries you so much?”
Akane didn’t reply immediately, and her grip on Ranma’s hands tightened.
“Promise you won’t laugh at me.”
“I promise.”
“I’m jealous,” Akane whispered.
Ranma simply nodded, and waited for her to continue.
“I know you don’t like Kodachi. She doesn’t bother me at all. Shampoo used to make me really jealous, but after what happened in China I know you don’t want her. I know you still want to be her friend, and I’d like to be her friend too. But Ukyo’s different. When she first came to Nerima, you were so glad to see your old friend. That was okay with me when we thought she was a guy, but when we found out she was a girl, AND your fiancee, I got really worried. I mean, she knew you before you knew me, and you liked her.”
Akane’s face became very pink, and her eyes darted about the room, avoiding her husband’s.
“Ukyo is so pretty, and she can cook, and you were already friends. I just felt like I couldn’t compete with the perfect fiancee. I know you love me, Ranma. I don’t have any doubts about that, but . . .”
“But what?”
Ranma had to strain his ears to hear Akane’s whispered reply.
“I can’t help thinking that you love her too.”
Ranma let go of Akane’s hands, and put his arms around her. She in turn held him so tightly that he was afraid his ribs would crack.
“Akane, loosen up a little. That hurts.”
“But--”
“Shh! Just listen, okay?”
“Okay.”
As he spoke, Ranma gently rubbed Akane’s back. He felt her relax, loosen her grip, and nestle against him.
“When we were kids, we were good friends, but that was a long time ago. The way Ukyo treated me when she came to Nerima hurt, a lot. Then she did this complete turnaround, and decided she wanted me, when all I wanted was to be her friend.”
“Just her friend, Ranma?”
“By the time Ukyo came to Nerima, I was already in love with you. She never had a chance.”
“I wish you’d told me. I wasted so much time being jealous of her.”
“She never made it easy on either of us, did she? If I said the least little thing wrong, she’d whack me with that spatula of hers. Besides that, she kept trying to break us up! I was so jealous when she tried to fix you up with Ryoga, especially when it looked like it was working.”
That was enough to make Akane sit back and stare at Ranma.
“You were?”
“Yeah. I guess I should have been honest with you, and I should have been honest with Ukyo. I was afraid to tell her the truth, because I didn’t want to hurt her. I sort of figured she’d just accept it once we got married.”
Akane laughed bitterly.
“Accept it? No, she showed up with bombs.”
Ranma gently touched his fingertips to Akane’s black eye.
“And she did this. I’m afraid that whatever friendship we had might be gone.”
“We’ll have to wait and see. Maybe things will be different once she gets better.”
“Maybe, but right now all I’m worried about is you. Do you trust me, Akane? Do you believe what I’m saying?”
Akane didn’t answer, and Ranma sighed.
“What did I promise you, Akane? We were sitting right here on this bed two months ago and I promised to be faithful to you, and to take care of you forever. Do you believe me, or don’t you?”
Akane looked into Ranma’s eyes. She’d always had a terrible time trusting him, but those days were gone.
“I believe you. You always keep your promises.”
*****
Soun and Genma were intent on their game when the couple made their way downstairs, and they didn’t seem to notice when they passed them, put their coats away, and went off to the dojo to practice. Shortly afterward, Nodoka came out of the kitchen and dragged her protesting husband away from the game.
“We have to talk, Dearest. We have to make plans to go to Ube and help poor Ukyo. Ranma must be made to see his obligations to her.”
“But Dear, Ranma doesn’t seem to be interested--”
One look from Nodoka made Genma shut his mouth.
“We will do what is necessary to convince him. As far as that worthless daughter-in-law of mine is concerned, I’m sorry she married him!”
“Nodoka?”
“She spoke to me most disrespectfully this morning, and Ranma did nothing to correct her. How dare she question what is right, and how dare she refuse to give my son a child?”
Genma tried to answer, but his wife kept talking.
“It’s time that girl had some guidance, and I’m going to see that she gets it.”
*****
Soun was bored. He’d found himself that way a great deal in the past year. His friend had gone back to his wife, two of his daughters were no longer living at home, and his son-in-law, who usually brought the place excitement, was also gone. Having Ranma and Akane home was a pleasant change, and Soun wandered into the dojo to see what they were up to.
Ranma was sitting against one of the dojo walls, holding a notebook. Akane was in the center of the floor, performing some sort of kata. As she moved, Ranma scribbled in the notebook
“What are you doing, Son?”
“Working on a new kata for our students, Mr. Tendo. Would you like to see what we have so far?”
Ranma put the book down and joined Akane, while Soun moved to a corner. He watched them perform the kata together, noting the way they moved as one. When they were done, he rose and joined them.
“Would you mind doing that one more time? I’d like to try it with you.”
The three went through the movements of the kata together. Akane was not as fluid as she had been earlier, since she kept trying to watch her father. He hadn’t taken an interest in working like this in a long time, and seeing the concentration on his face was new to her. After they finished, Soun sat down, looking thoughtful.
“The two of you created this together?”
They nodded.
“Sometimes you’re better off sticking with the classics, but I’m not going to tell you not to improvise. I did enough of it in the past. The kata is good, but I can see room for improvement. Your students are progressing, and you want to give them more of a challenge. May I make some suggestions?”
****
Chop. Stir. Simmer. Scrub.
Chop. Stir. Simmer. Scrub.
Morning routine had always been soothing to Shampoo. Getting everything ready for the day had been a time for her to think. In the past, the thinking had been mostly about Ranma. Now, it was entirely about Shiro. Despite the distance between them, her quiet morning time thinking about him made it feel as if they were not quite so far apart.
Today, morning routine was drudgery. Shampoo wanted to run upstairs, take the bag she’d stashed in the closet, and leave, but Akane had asked her to come to the dojo that afternoon, and she’d foolishly agreed. That meant more time here, in Mousse’s presence, which was making her more and more uncomfortable.
As she worked, Shampoo tried to think of a plausible excuse to leave the restaurant during the afternoon. Saturdays were always very busy, and unless she had a delivery there would be no good reason to leave.
“Shampoo? Shampoo!”
Shampoo jumped when Cologne touched her arm.
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
Mousse turned from the stove, where he was measuring vegetables into the soup pot. Cologne stared him down, and he went back to what he was doing.
“You don’t look well, Shampoo. I believe you need a day off.”
“What?”
Before the sound of her voice had died, Shampoo found herself propelled out of the kitchen and into the main room. Cologne gave Shampoo her coat, and gestured to the door.
“Hush, child. With Mousse here I’ll have plenty of help. Now go, and I don’t expect you back until tonight! I’m sure Kasumi would like to see you.”
Shampoo hugged her great-grandmother, took off her apron, and flew out the door. Cologne smiled, and returned to the kitchen.
“What are you up to, old woman?”
“How dare you question me!”
Seconds later Mousse sat on the floor, rubbing his head.
“Shampoo deserves some rest. She worked very hard while you were gone. Now get up, and get back to work!”
*****
Soun sat against the wall, breathing a little heavily, and watching his daughter. They’d gone through the revised kata a couple of times, fine-tuning it until they were all satisfied. Akane finished toweling herself off and walked over to her father, dropping a kiss on top of his head.
“Thank you, Daddy. Our students are going to love this.”
Ranma laughed.
“Akane, we have to master it completely it before we can teach them. That’s going to take weeks.”
Akane stared at Ranma. For him to admit that something would take time was unusual. She turned back to her father when he cleared his throat.
“I think I’ll try it out on my own students eventually.”
Ranma’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
“What did you say?”
Soun chuckled.
“I’ve been teaching two classes a day for the past three months. It’s been dull here, and I needed something to do. But if you’ll let me borrow your wife for a little while, I’d like to teach her something.”
Soun got up and led his daughter to the center of the floor. Moving slowly, and without words, he began to lead her through a complex kata. As Akane began to pick up the moves, he increased their speed. Ranma watched in awe and slowly sank down to the floor, his eyes never leaving them as he concentrated, trying to memorize each move. They went through the entire sequence twice, and then Soun stepped away from Akane.
“I think you should try to do it on your own. Don’t worry if you can’t get it all.”
Akane simply smiled at him. She’d forgotten what a good teacher her father could be. Then she looked over at Ranma, and her smile became warmer. She would do this kata for him, and banish any memory of the “clumsy, uncute tomboy”.
Ranma watched Akane so closely that he barely blinked. What he was watching was martial arts and ballet, both violent and gentle, and incredibly beautiful. Where had this come from? As she moved across the floor, Akane performed a complex series of turns and kicks, some dizzying in their speed, but every time a turn brought her around to face Ranma he could feel her smile aimed straight at him. Akane was not perfect--it would take time for her to master the entire kata--but she moved with strength, grace, and joy, and was evidently not afraid to falter, which she did several times. She performed the entire kata, ending it facing her father. She bowed formally, then laughed and embraced him.
“Thank you, Daddy! That was so wonderful!”
Her next hug was for Ranma, accompanied by a kiss and a whispered message.
“I need a bath. Join me? Then I want to help Kasumi with lunch.”
Akane disappeared out the door, and Soun wiped a few tears from his eyes. He’d evidently forgotten Ranma’s presence, because he jumped when he spoke.
“You made up that kata?”
“Many years ago, Son. For my wife. This is the first time I’ve seen it since I lost her. It may take Akane a long time to master it, but I’m sure she’ll be as graceful as her mother was.”
Soun looked very serious. Not his usual weepy-serious, but serious. Whatever was coming next, Ranma guessed it was important.
“You love my daughter, don’t you Ranma?”
Ranma turned red.
“Do you really need to ask? Of course I do.”
Ranma’s hands balled into fists, and he looked at the floor.
“She’s my whole world.”
Soun nodded.
“I understand. Then you must do two things: take good care of her, and have children.”
“I always take good care of her! We’ll have children later, when we get out of school.”
“I only hope that’s the right decision. I had my girls to remember my wife by; what if--”
Soun was cut off as a furious Ranma was suddenly right in his face.
“Nothing’s going to happen to her. Do you hear me? I won’t LET it!”
Then he stopped short, and looked at the floor.
“Sorry.”
Ranma left the dojo, leaving his father-in-law behind. Soun had a strange, almost dreamy expression on his face. He looked around the empty room, his gaze resting finally on the family altar.
“He’ll take good care of her. You saw? She looked so much like you just now. Just like you.”
Chapter 71
Akane reclined in the tub, eyes half closed. Except for that unpleasantness at breakfast, this visit was turning out well. She and Ranma had been able to have a long talk concerning some things they’d never discussed before (at least not rationally,) and her father had taught her that kata. She looked forward to perfecting it, no matter how long it took. Life was never simple, it seemed. Whenever she and Ranma put one thing behind them, another came up in front of them. Akane supposed that the next one would be the challenge of turning Shampoo from a rival to a friend.
The sound of the door opening made Akane open her eyes.
“It’s just me.”
Ranma walked in, wearing nothing and carrying a towel. He sat down and began washing.
“That was some workout, Akane.”
“It was the first time I’ve worked with Daddy in years. I’m glad he’s teaching again.”
Ranma dumped the rinse water over himself. Akane watched, fascinated as she always was, as he changed.
“At least he’s doing more than my old man is.”
Ranma got up and stepped into the tub. Once more, Akane watched the transformation. This time, Ranma noticed.
“You really like watching that, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Why? You’ve seen it enough times.”
“I just do.”
“And you call me a pervert.”
Akane stuck her tongue out at her husband, and started to get up.
“I have to help Kasumi.”
Ranma grabbed Akane’s hand, and made her sit down again.
“Stay a few minutes. We never get to do this at home.”
That was too true, Akane thought, as Ranma pulled her back against him and wrapped his arms around her. All they had at home was a shower. Then she realized that Ranma had used the same word for Ube she had when she woke up in the morning: Home.
Akane finally understood why she thought of Ube as home. To her, home was where Ranma was. Right now he was here with her, and she lay back against him and closed her eyes, content.
“Akane?”
“Mmmm?”
“That kata.”
“What about it?”
“It was your mother’s.”
There was a long silence.
“I know that. Daddy doesn’t think I remember, but I do. I remember watching Mom doing that kata for him, and thinking how beautiful it was, and how beautiful she was. Everything Mom did was beautiful. I know you might not believe me, Ranma, but it’s true.”
“It must be true, Akane. She gave you to me, and you’re beautiful.”
*****
For once, the contented humming in the kitchen was not coming from Kasumi. The lady in question was too busy watching her sister.
Akane was humming happily as she prepared a cold noodle salad. Kasumi, busy with the rest of the meal, had been keeping an eye on Akane as she worked, ready to stop her if disaster seemed imminent, but had found no reason to do so. As far as she could see, the salad’s ingredients had been assembled correctly, and the dressing Akane was working on would be the perfect accompaniment. A knock on the door frame made both of them turn, to see Ranma standing in the doorway.
“Just checking on you two.”
Akane waved him away.
“Let me concentrate on the recipe, Ranma. You want to be able to eat this, don’t you?”
Ranma hurriedly backed away, and walked into the living room. Soun was sitting by himself, reading.
“Where’s Pop?”
“He and your mother left. Your mother said something about important family business.”
Ranma shivered. Whatever that meant, it didn’t sound good, but he’d deal with it. Noting that his father-in-law looked a little lost, he sat beside him.
“Want to play?”
*****
“After what Mousse did, I was ready to run to Ube even if Shiro didn’t have a place for me to stay. I was thinking about asking to stay with you, but I don’t want to bother you. Then Akane brought me Shiro’s letter. . .”
Shampoo trailed off, looking almost shyly at Ranma, Akane and Kasumi. She had arrived at the dojo mid-afternoon, holding several packages. They had immediately taken her into the dojo to talk.
“We’re heading back to Ube early tomorrow morning, Shampoo. I think it would be better for you to come later in the day, so that we can have time to get ready.”
“Get ready?”
Ranma whispered in Akane’s ear, and she nodded.
“If Shiro can’t get you to his mother tomorrow, we’d like you to spend the night with us. I think it would be safer all around if Shiro stayed also. I don’t know if Mousse will figure out where you went, but if he does we should be prepared.”
Shampoo agreed, and they went off to phone Shiro and make plans.
*****
The restaurant was still open when Shampoo returned. Mousse was too busy waiting tables to acknowledge her return, and she went into the kitchen to find Cologne.
“Did you have a nice time?”
Shampoo smiled.
“Very.”
She looked behind her, and whispered to her great-grandmother.
“I go tomorrow.”
“I will miss you, child, but I’ll see you soon. You will forgive me for not being at your wedding?”
“If I must. Why?”
“I was thinking of going home. Then I could welcome you back when you arrive. It would give me time to prepare the family for your arrival, and time to explain the switch from Ranma to Shiro. They’ve been expecting you to bring Ranma home for a long time.”
“Whatever you think is best.”
*****
Akane stared out the train window, her mind miles away. When she’d kissed her father good-bye that morning, he had shed a few tears, but nowhere near the gallons he would usually cry. Although he had a long way to go, teaching again was helping him to be more in control. It was good to see an improvement in her father.
Kasumi, though, was another story. As usual, she’d dealt with the behavior of everyone else in her normal serene way. She was still spending her days caring for the house and their father, and her nights alone. There were better things for Kasumi to do than to keep cleaning an already perfectly kept house. If only Dr. Tofu hadn’t closed the clinic and disappeared, to who knew where.
Akane unconsciously sighed, and felt her hand squeezed a moment later.
“Something wrong, sweetheart?”
“No, no I’m just fine.”
“There’s something on your mind, Akane, so you might as well tell me about it.”
“Later.”
“Is it about us? What did I do this time?”
“No, it’s not you.”
Ranma looked relieved, and put his arm around Akane. She rested her head on him, and closed her eyes. He knew she would tell him what was troubling her sooner or later, but that didn’t prevent him from wondering what it was.
He looked up at the packages on the rack above them. Shampoo had given them to him, and asked him to deliver them to Shiro. “For my new home,” she’d said. He hoped that Shampoo would be able to enjoy her new home without interference from Mousse. If not, he would see that Mousse didn’t bother her any more.
*****
“Where is Shampoo?”
“Out for a walk, probably. She’s been taking morning walks for a while now. I’m sure she’ll be back soon.”
Mousse looked at Cologne skeptically, then finished his breakfast. Shampoo still hadn’t returned, and he went upstairs right after washing the breakfast dishes.
Shampoo’s room was too neat. It had never been sloppy, but there were always hair ribbons and earrings on the dressing table. Now there was nothing there, not even her hairbrush. Mousse had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach when he yanked Shampoo’s closet door open. It was nearly empty. He flew downstairs, and all but dragged Cologne up. He paid for that with a whack that would surely cause a new bruise.
“What on earth are you raving about, Mousse? Shampoo went for a walk, that’s all!”
“She’s gone, I tell you--look at this!”
Cologne went pale, not from surprise, but because Mousse had discovered Shampoo’s disappearance earlier than she’d wanted him to. She’d assured Shampoo that she could act “surprised”, and now was the time.
“It seems for once you’re right, Mousse.”
“But where--”
Mousse was cut off by Cologne’s glare.
“Shampoo is my responsibility, not yours! I have my ways of finding out where she’s gone.”
Cologne began opening drawers, and looking in the closet, as if looking for clues.
“Go downstairs and get the cooking started.”
“No, I’m going to find Shampoo.”
“Where?”
Mousse shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to look.”
“Idiot.”
The train to Ube pulled out of Nerima as Mousse walked the streets, looking for Shampoo.
Chapter 72
Cologne waited until Mousse was out of sight to pick up the phone.
“I’ve decided to accept your offer. How soon can we close?”
After hanging up, Cologne took a quick walk through the building. Leaving suddenly meant that a lot would be left behind, but it would give her the advantage of keeping Mousse in the dark. Cologne knew that sooner or later he would find out where Shampoo was, but the longer it took, the better prepared they would be when he did.
*****
“Oh no.”
“What?”
Akane dropped her bag, and picked up the book lying on the bureau.
“I forgot to return this. It’s due today. Want to come with me?”
Ranma shook his head.
“I can’t. I have to study for an exam tomorrow, and somebody should be here in case Shiro shows up.”
“Oh, okay. I think I’ll go to the market, too. If Shampoo and Shiro stay overnight I want to make sure we have enough food in the house.”
Within a few minutes Akane was on her way to campus. She walked into the library as Mishi was walking out, and the girls ended up in the cafeteria, catching up with the latest over cups of tea.
“I got your wedding kimono back, Akane. When do you want me to bring it over?”
“Any time you want. How did you do in the competition?”
Mishi’s grin was enough to tell her.
“First place.”
“I told you, didn’t I?”
“I guess you did. The best part is, the sponsors of the competition asked me to come work for them during the summer! Sugata is not an easy company to get into!”
“That’s wonderful!”
Akane wanted to talk longer, but a glance at her watch made her get up.
“I have to get to the market. We’re expecting guests tonight and I want to make dinner for them.”
*****
Shiro ran to the phone when he was told there was a girl calling for him.
“Hello, Shiro. I’m at the station.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes.”
Shampoo was sitting on a bench when a slightly out-of-breath Shiro arrived. She immediately threw herself into his arms, delivering one of her world-class Amazon glomps.
“I missed you!”
“You won’t have to any more, Shampoo. Ranma’s expecting us--let’s go.”
They left the station, and Shampoo looked around.
“Where’s your car?”
“In the shop. It needed new brakes.”
They hadn’t walked far when it clouded over, and the rain came pouring down. Shiro looked down at Shampoo-cat, tangled up in her clothing, and grinned. She looked adorable that way. He untangled her, then put her into his jacket, picked up her things, and kept walking. Shampoo curled up into a ball, enjoying the warmth. She felt safe and relaxed for the first time in days, and the darkness and warmth put her to sleep.
Ranma was so engrossed in his textbook that he didn’t hear the rain start, but he did hear the doorbell. He ran downstairs and found a dripping wet Shiro standing there, holding a small bag.
“Forget your umbrella? Come on up.”
Shiro accepted the towel Ranma got for him and sat down, drying his hair. At that point Shampoo woke, and began to move around.
“What’s that in your jacket?”
It wasn’t until Ranma asked the question that Shiro remembered Ranma’s fear of cats. He slowly unbuttoned his jacket and Shampoo jumped out, landing directly in front of Ranma.
“CAT!!!!”
Ranma’s chair went over backwards as he jumped up and backed against the wall. Although he knew the cat was Shampoo, he could not control his reaction.
Shampoo was extremely embarrassed, and jumped into Shiro’s arms.
“I’m sorry, Ranma. We got caught in the rain, and I forgot!”
“Take it away take it away take it away take it away take it away!”
Shiro watched in amazement as Ranma’s legs gave out from under him and he slid down to the floor, shaking uncontrollably. Instead of removing Shampoo from the scene, he just stood there, and Ranma moved on to the next stage.
“Meow!”
“Uh oh.”
Shiro picked up Shampoo’s bag and retreated to the bathroom. He turned on the shower, set her down, and returned to the kitchen. Ranma was still sitting on the floor, but he got up onto his haunches when he saw Shiro and hissed at him. Shiro backed away. Akane hadn’t said anything about Ranma behaving like a cat, just that he was afraid of them.
“Ranma! It’s me--Shiro!”
The hissing continued and Shiro found himself backed against the door, wondering if it would be a good idea to just leave. Ranma was stalking towards him, growling, and Shiro was beginning to panic. The knob turned as he put his hand on it and Akane came in, carrying her groceries and umbrella. Everything hit the floor when Ranma leaped across the kitchen and knocked her down. He crawled into her lap and began purring loudly.
“Shiro, what happened?”
“I’m sorry, Akane. Shampoo and I got caught in the rain, and I forgot Ranma was afraid of cats!”
Evidently Ranma was not willing to allow Akane to pay attention to anyone but him, because he meowed loudly and rubbed his face against her bosom. She laughed, blushed a little, and began to pet him.
“Nice kitty!”
“Meow!”
Ranma’s purring got even louder. Then he lifted his head and kissed Akane--not the quick peck he’d given her the first time he’d kissed her in cat form. This was the deep, passionate kiss Akane was accustomed to getting in private--certainly not with her husband’s best friend looking on. Then it got worse. Ranma began to paw the buttons on her coat. If she didn’t stop him he’d shred it, and probably her clothing as well.
“Shiro, please splash Ranma with cold water for me!”
The water landed on both of them, and Ranma came to himself (or herself) still sitting in Akane’s lap.
“Akane?”
“Sorry, Ranma. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Shampoo stood in the doorway, looking a little damp, and very embarrassed.
“It’s my fault, Shampoo. I shouldn’t have brought you here when you were a cat.”
“Okay, okay already. Enough with the apologies. At least I didn’t wreck the place.”
Ranma got out of Akane’s lap, and pulled her to her feet.
“Looks like both of us need a shower. Excuse us.”
Despite the temptation to linger, they made the shower a brief one, and dressed as quickly as possible. Akane was still combing her hair when Ranma left the bathroom. He backed in again, and pulled at Akane’s arm.
“Keep quiet, and come with me.”
“What?”
“Just come.”
Ranma and Akane crept to the kitchen door, and peeked in. Shampoo was sitting in Shiro’s lap, and they were so involved in one another that they didn’t notice they were being observed. Akane pulled Ranma away from the door, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Looks like we should wait a while before we interrupt them. But that looks like fun. Want to try it?”
*****
Kasumi was not surprised to see Mousse at the door when she answered the bell. Seeing Cologne with him was not something she’d anticipated, but she took it in stride.
“Hello. Won’t you come in?”
The pleasantness of Kasumi’s greeting disarmed Mousse. He had been looking for Shampoo all day, stopping only when Cologne insisted that he help her in the restaurant. It wasn’t until late afternoon that he’d thought to ask Kasumi where she was. After all, Cologne said Shampoo had made friends with Akane’s older sister. Cologne, knowing that she should appear to be worried, readily agreed when Mousse asked her to accompany him to the Tendo home.
“Thank you, but we can’t stay long. Have you seen Shampoo, Kasumi? She appears to have left home.”
Kasumi nodded. Shampoo had warned her that this might happen.
“I saw her yesterday, but not today. She mentioned that you were talking about going back to China, and that she didn’t want to go. Do you think that’s why she left home?”
Mousse whirled to face Cologne.
“You want to go back to China? You haven’t mentioned that to me!”
“You weren’t here to tell. Shampoo said she wanted to stay here, but I didn’t dream she’d run away.”
Cologne turned back to Kasumi.
“I’m sorry we disturbed you, Kasumi. If you hear from Shampoo, please let us know.”
She pulled Mousse toward the door, but he resisted.
“I’ll meet you back at the Nekohanten.”
The look Mousse got from Cologne was a suspicious one, but she didn’t say anything. If Shampoo had caught the train she’d planned to take, she was beyond Mousse’s reach, at least for now. Mousse waited until the door closed behind her before turning back to Kasumi.
“You’re sure you don’t know where Shampoo is?”
Kasumi hated to lie, but this time she would make an exception.
“I don’t know where she is, Mousse.”
Mousse came very close to Kasumi, and she experienced a sudden feeling of discomfort, almost fear. He lowered his voice, so that Soun, who was hovering several feet away, would not hear.
“I wouldn’t want to think you’re lying to me.”
Kasumi forced herself to smile and pat Mousse’s arm.
“Now, now, I’m sure Shampoo will be back. She’s just asserting her independence, that’s all.”
Mousse snorted, and left the house without saying goodbye. Kasumi shivered, and locked the door. Shampoo had good reason to dislike Mousse. He was not a very pleasant person.
*****
“They’re talking in there now. Think we should go in?”
Akane pouted, and held onto Ranma.
“Do we have to?”
Ranma grinned, whispered “later”, and loosened Akane’s hold on him. They peeked around the corner, and were spotted by Shiro, who still had Shampoo in his lap.
“Okay if we come in?”
Shiro nodded. Shampoo left his lap, and took a nearby chair so that she could hold his hand.
“Are you two going to stay overnight?”
“We were thinking about it, Ranma. Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“If I minded I wouldn’t offer.”
The phone rang, and Akane picked it up.
“Hello! Yes, she’s here. Hold on a second. Shampoo, it’s Kasumi.”
Everyone watched as Shampoo took the phone and listened for quite a long time.
“Yes, I understand. Thank you. You watch out for yourself!”
Shampoo closed her eyes for a moment after she hung up the phone, and then looked at Ranma and Akane.
“Mousse came to the house looking for me. Kasumi said he nearly threatened her, but she says she is not afraid of him. You have to tell her that she should be afraid, and that she should be careful.”
“My sister is too trusting, Shampoo. We’ll talk to her.”
Shiro got up, and reached for his coat.
“That decides it. We’re leaving for my mother’s tonight.”
They were gone within minutes, promising to contact Ranma the next day. After their departure, Ranma and Akane made dinner together, talking very little, each wrapped in their own thoughts. They were washing the dishes when Akane began to chuckle.
“What’s so funny?”
“I never imagined that I’d find Shampoo and Shiro kissing in the middle of our kitchen.”
Ranma turned Akane around so that he could look at her.
“I suppose that’s reserved for us?”
Akane shook her head, and wrapped her arms around her husband.
“They can keep the kitchen. The bedroom is ours.”
Ranma took the hint and carried his wife into the bedroom.