Dual Destinies
 
The Ranma 1/2 cast came from the fertile mind of Rumiko Takahashi. 
Dual Destinies is done purely for entertainment.
 
<>: Thoughts
{" "} Telepathic communication 
 
  Chapter 6
 An Amazon's Wish Comes True
 
 It was near one o'clock that night as two forms slipped into the 
Tendo dojo via the back door and crept up the stairs toward the 
guestroom. Ranma Blue and Ranma Red stopped near the door of where 
their father was sleeping. As usual, they could hear Genma snoring like 
a buzz saw. Ranma Blue quietly opened the sliding door and peeked 
inside. He spied the Panda flat on his back and snoring hard enough to 
assure the pigtailed twin that Genma wasn't about to awaken to any 
noise that he and his brother would make. Nevertheless, Ranma Blue 
gestured to his sibling to be quiet as they tiptoed toward the closet. 
After gently removing their mutual backpack from the small storage 
space, the two began to carefully stow away all their belongings.
 Ranma Blue began removing all their clothes from the dresser 
drawers. As each item was neatly folded up, Ranma Red stuffed them 
into the pack. Every other piece of property was also stowed away as 
both were relived that they never amassed much in way of possessions 
during the course of their stay at the dojo. Photographs, a few necessities, 
their camping gear, small keepsakes and a few books were all that the 
siblings had decided to carry. Life on the road had taught them both the 
value of traveling light.
 When all of their property was bundled up, Ranma Red gave a 
telepathic message to his twin brother. {"I'm going downstairs to the 
kitchen! We may need some stuff while we're staying at the school!"}
 {"Don't take too long! We need to be outta here fast!"}
 {"Just give me about ten minutes!"} Ranma Red stealthily headed out 
of the room and down the stairs.
 Ranma Blue put aside the pack and looked around the room as he 
tried to determine what else they would need to take with them. 
Remembering that they still had a small stash of money hidden in a spot 
where the futons were usually stored, he walked up and opened the 
storage compartment. 
 As he extracted the meager savings, he frowned as he counted the 
money. It was less than he remembered the last time he checked. He then 
shot a glare at the sleeping Panda. Genma had a habit of 'borrowing 
money' from his son without asking. His father thought that Ranma was 
unaware of this, but both Ranmas knew better. Genma was not inclined to 
work for anything, especially when he could use his son to get something 
for free. The incidents with the Daikoku and Kuonji clans were proof 
enough. It was these acts, which had caused his son to steadily lose 
respect for the Saotome patriarch. As of now, both boys could barely 
tolerate Genma's presence in their lives. Giving his father a final look of 
disgust, Ranma Blue hefted the pack and headed to the kitchen.
 
 Ranma Red had just finished packing up a few provisions when he 
sensed his brother come down the stairs. He had already packed some 
rice, dried meat, trail mix and a few other foodstuffs into some plastic 
bags. Nodding to his brother, they began their final preparations to 
leave the only home that they ever knew. It was then that they sensed 
someone else.
 They began to panic as they felt the presence of a certain 'uncute 
tomboy.' Apparently, Akane had decided to sneak a late night snack. 
Realizing that they only had perhaps three seconds to hide themselves, 
the twins frantically looked around. About one and a half seconds 
before Akane entered the kitchen, both Ranmas shot up to the ceiling 
and used their hands and feet to cling to the rafters. 
 <Please don't look up!> Both Ranmas thought as they tried to press 
as close as they can to the ceiling. 
 Fortunately for the boys, Akane was still half-asleep when she came 
toward the refrigerator; otherwise she would have noticed the pack and 
plastic bags on the floor. Opening the door, she looked inside and took 
out an apple. Taking a bite out of it, she then went out of the kitchen and 
headed back up the stairs. Both Saotome brothers let out a quiet sigh of 
relief as the sounds of her footsteps receded away. A minute later, they 
heard a small thunk as Akane tossed the apple core into the wastebasket 
and lay back into her bed.
 Ranma Blue and his other half dropped noiselessly to the floor.
 {"That was too close!"} Ranma Red said to his brother.
 {"Yeah. I'd hate to face her right now! I don't she'd be happy to see 
us, especially now that we're twins!"}
 {"Anyway, let's get moving!"} Ranma Red picked up the bags while 
his brother hefted the pack. The two then scurried quietly out of the 
dojo, never once looking back.
 
 Ukyo Kuonji woke up with a feeling of euphoria the next morning. 
She could hardly believe what had occurred the night before. As she 
woke up and headed to the bathroom, she replayed the happy event with 
a silly, but loving smile.
 
Last evening…
 Ranma Blue was sitting on a chair in Ukyo's guestroom as the 
okonomiyaki chef sat down on the opposite side of the table.
 "Where have you been Ran-chan? It's been more than a day since I 
saw you. Akane and her family have been worried since you didn't show 
up for school today. Why haven't you called?"
 Ranma Blue hedged a bit as he tried to figure out the best way to 
explain what had happened. Finally, he began by saying, "Before I tell 
you anything, I need you to promise that what I say tonight, you'll keep 
it to yourself. At least until the time is right. Can you do that?"
 Ukyo looked at her longtime friend with a curious eye. After a 
moment's contemplation, she nodded.
 Ranma Blue smiled. "First of all Ucchan, I have begun a new training 
mission. While I can't tell you right now what that training is, or what 
it's for, I assure you that it is very important. Also, because of this 
training, I have to keep my distance from the Tendos, especially Akane. 
At least for now."
 Ukyo became confused at these words, but nodded for Ranma Blue 
to continue.
 "Ukyo, I have gone through a lot of changes in the past day. I have to 
show you something. Could you get me a glass of ice water?"
 Ukyo shrugged as she left the room. She came back a minute later 
with a glass and placed it on the table. Ranma picked it up and held it 
before him.
 "Some really amazing things have happened to me recently. This is 
one of them." Ranma Blue promptly dumped the contents of the glass 
over his head.
 Ukyo eyes widened as she saw him get wet. Ranma did not change 
into a girl! Sitting in front of her was a wet, but still male Ranma! She 
put out a trembling hand and touched his chest. She let her hand roam 
over the hard muscle beneath his shirt. She could feel no breasts. 
 "B-but... h-how?" Ukyo stammered.
  Ranma Blue smiled as he grasped the hand that was on his chest. "I 
got a cure for the Jusenkyo curse. I am now one hundred percent guy."
 "What was the cure? Did you get a hold of some Nannichuan?"
 Ranma Blue shook his head. "No, the cure that I got was something 
entirely different. Not only was I made normal, but also I learned 
certain aspects of my past that I never knew before. The cure also had 
an unexpected bonus."
 "Bonus?"
 "I'm sorry Ucchan, but I can't tell you just yet. This is all so new to me."
 "It's new to me too Ran-chan. You finally got what you wanted. But 
don't you think that you should tell Akane and her family? After all... 
she is your fiancée." Ukyo became a little saddened as she said these 
words.
 Ranma Blue instantly noticed her expression, which made him grasp 
her hand even more firmly. "Ucchan, they will be told, but not yet. 
There is so much more that I have to do, but right now, I needed to see 
you. I have something very important to tell you. Please listen to me."
 Ukyo met Ranma Blue's eyes as she held her breath.
 Ranma Blue placed both hands on her shoulders and looked deeply 
into her eyes. "Ukyo Kuonji... I love you. Will you marry me?"
 All at once, Ukyo became shocked beyond words. She couldn't find 
anything in her mind to respond to Ranma Blue's proposal. Her heart 
had accelerated its beat until she felt it pound away at her chest like a 
jackhammer. <He said it! He loves me! HE LOVES ME!>
 Before Ranma Blue had time to react, Ukyo leapt forward and 
shouted out, "YES!!!" She threw her arms around he fiancée's neck and 
kissed him fully on the lips. The force of Ukyo's embrace knocked 
Ranma Blue backward and the two of them tumbled to the floor. They 
were still kissing with Ranma flat on his back and Ukyo sprawled on 
top. After a full minute, they finally parted lips and Ukyo shouted out 
her feelings, not caring who was in earshot, "I LOVE YOU RAN-CHAN!!!"
 Ranma Blue smiled as he began kissing his fiancée again. Ukyo gladly 
complied. After a few more minutes, the two finally picked themselves 
off the floor and sat down again.
 "Ucchan, I love you dearly. I'm sorry it took so long for me to 
realize it."
 "It doesn't matter to me Ran-chan. I love you. You love me. That's all 
that matters."
 Ranma Blue's face became a little more serious as he continued, 
"Look Ucchan, I have to make you understand, that even though I want 
to marry you, there are going to be some complications."
 "I know that Ran-chan." Ukyo responded as she took control of 
herself. "I guess you'd have to tell Akane that the engagement is off. 
Then there's Shampoo." Ukyo became a little miffed as she said her 
name.
 Ranma Blue noticed her slight irritation and his expression hardened 
a bit. <I hope the two of you will get along Ucchan. After all, she's 
going to become your sister-in-law.> "Ucchan, I assure you, Shampoo 
will go along with this. It's Akane and her family that I'm worried about."
 Ukyo looked at her love with a confused look. "How do you know 
that she'll accept the fact that I'm marrying you? She wants you as much 
as I do!"
 "Remember when I told you about my cure having a little bonus?"
 Ukyo nodded.
 "Well, it's because of that bonus that she'll be just as happy as you 
will be."
 "Are you saying that you're going to get Shampoo hitched up with 
Mousse?"
 Ranma Blue shook his head. "No, it's not like that. What I'm saying is 
that Shampoo will be happy and I think it would be best that you treat 
her with more respect. At least try to tolerate her. For me?"
 Ukyo looked at her future husband for a long time before nodding. 
"All right Ran-chan. It won't be easy but I trust you."
 "Good. Now I still have to hold you to your promise that none of 
what we have said tonight will be repeated."
 Ukyo sighed as she replied, "It's going to be hard to keep something 
like this a secret. Already I feel the urge to run outside and tell 
everyone about our engagement. You're my REAL fiancée now! I can 
hardly believe it!"
 Ranma Blue nodded as he said in a quiet voice, "I know that it will be 
hard, but please be patient. I've already started a plan that should give us 
some leverage if Mr. Tendo and Pop get stubborn."
 "All right Ran-chan, I won't tell anyone that you were here or that 
you're mine now. " Ranma Blue smiled. Ukyo then posed a question. 
"By the way Ran-chan, what's this bonus that you keep talking about?"
 Ranma gave her a sheepish grin, and then answered, "You'll be able to 
see it in two days."
 
The morning after…
 Ukyo came back from her reverie as she brushed her hair. Her 
attitude was one of joy as she repeatedly recalled the words that her 
Ran-chan had said to her. After swearing to him an oath of secrecy, her 
Ran-chan had informed her that he wasn't living at the dojo anymore and 
needed a place to stay for a while. She had offered him the spare 
guestroom. Ranma had accepted her offer, but still maintained that his 
whereabouts must be kept secret for a while. He had left that night, 
intending to sneak his things out of the dojo. He told her that there 
were a few more loose ends to tie up and that he would arrive at her 
place in two days, with his 'bonus.' As Ukyo dressed for school, she 
kept on wondering what that certain bonus was.
 
In an old storage room in Furinkan High's basement…
 Ranma Red and Ranma Blue were both finishing up the remaining 
okonomiyaki that Ukyo had made for them the night before. As they 
ate, they decided to use their new thought-projecting abilities so no one 
would here them.
 {"It's kind of funny Red."} Blue remarked. {"Ever since we got 
separated, I'm not quite as hungry as I was before."}
 {"Yeah, I noticed it too.} Red thought. {"In the past, I usually ate 
twice as much food and still be hungry. Now this small breakfast is 
enough to fill me up."}
 {"Hey! You don't suppose that when we were sharing the same body, 
we ate for two, do you?"}
 {"Now there's a thought. Sounds silly though."}
 {"Maybe not. It could be that when our two souls were joined, our 
desire to eat was doubled."}
 Ranma Red pondered the notion for a while before popping the last 
piece of food into his mouth. {"Come to think of it, the idea doesn't 
sound as crazy as I thought it was."}
 {"I've also been thinking about some other stuff too."}
 {"Like what?"}
 {"Well, we've never gotten up this early. At least not without Akane 
screaming in our ears!"}
 {"Hey! You're right! Why is that?"}
 Ranma Blue thought for a moment before saying, {"How about this? 
With two souls in the same body, we needed more rest and was harder 
to wake up."}
 {"Could be."} Ranma Red said. {"Come to think of it, we're more 
careful and we're actually thinking with our heads instead of just 
rushing into things."}
 {"Taron and Soren were right. We have changed a lot since we were 
separated."}
 {"The changes are for the better!"}
 The twin Ranmas were a bit startled when they heard Taron's voice, 
but they relaxed a second later.
 {"Hey Taron! How's it going?"} Ranma Red greeted.
 {"Where's Soren?"} Ranma Blue asked.
 {"I'm right here."} Soren replied. {"It's good to see that you two are 
using the new telepathy skills that we taught you yesterday."}
 {"Yeah, it's a snap!"} Ranma Blue declared.
 {"You were right when you told us that we could perceive the 
presence of others."} Ranma Red commented. {"Already we've sensed 
Nabiki and Akane pass through the gates five minutes ago. Wait a 
second, I sense someone else."}
 Both brothers closed their eyes in concentration as they let their 
new power probe the outside. Their faces contorted into looks of 
disgust as they both said in their minds, {"Kuno!"}
 {"Correct!"} Taron praised.
 {"You two learn quick!"} Soren commented. {"In any case, there's 
been a little change in plans. We want you to meet us at the vacant lot 
right now. The Dark World has been building up their forces quicker 
than we thought and we must move you forward in your training."}
 
At the lot…
 Ranma Blue and Ranma Red were fighting hard as each tried to get 
through the other's defense. On one side, Taron and Soren were 
watching their pupils spar with intense looks as they analyzed every 
move they made. As the two Ranmas punched, kicked, dodged and 
swerved, Taron and Soren discussed their plans.
 "Hmm, which Ranma do you think would be suited to learn magic?" 
Taron asked.
 "Offhand, I would say that Ranma Red has the potential. Since he was 
the one that we had altered from the cursed female half, he still retains 
trace amounts of Jusenkyo magic. Those traces should aid him in his 
training with the mystic arts," Soren watched as Ranma Red dodged 
another of his brother's kicks.
 "Yes, I agree. Ranma Blue will be trained to use elemental power 
against the Dark World. I must admit, our champions are very skilled. I 
have little doubt that they will master the techniques in record time."
 "It is time that we told them." Soren called out to the two battling 
Ranmas. "That's enough warming up you two. Come over here."
 The twins stopped their attacks and turned to face their mentors. 
 "Ranma Red. Ranma Blue." Taron began. "We have decided on which 
paths each of you will take in your training. Ranma Red, you will be 
training separately with Soren. Ranma Blue, you will be taking your 
instructions from me. For today, we will be helping you increase you 
speed, strength and reflexes. By tomorrow, each of us will be taking 
one of you separately for special training. "
 "But I thought you were both training us." Ranma Red said confused.
 "We still are." Taron assured. "However, you do recall that we 
needed our champions to use both magic and elemental power. To that 
end, we must train one of you in the mystical arts, while the other is 
taught the secrets of nature."
 "Couldn't you train us in both?" Ranma Blue asked.
 "I'm afraid not." Soren replied. "The techniques that we must teach 
you are unbelievably powerful. Their power is far too great for any 
single mortal to hold. To have both mystical energy and elemental 
power contained in one vessel would be inviting disaster. It would be 
even worse if two individuals had that kind of ability. That is the reason 
why we have trained our past champions in this manner. Each half of the 
pair will complement the other. Thus a balance is maintained."
 "This is the reason why we taught you two those thought-projection 
techniques." Taron added. "The techniques have already strengthened the 
bond between the two of you. Together, you now have the capability to 
accomplish your goals. Through this bond, you will be able to draw on 
each other's strength and will. That is the foundation in which has kept 
the world intact for ten thousand years."
 "That's right." Soren agreed. "Do you guys remember the time you 
both beat up Ryoga?"
 "Sure do!" Ranma Red said.
 "That was the one time I really enjoyed myself." Ranma Blue added. 
"Although I'm kind of ashamed that we had to gang up on him like that."
 "Now Ranma Blue," Soren addressed. "Even though you didn't want 
your brother to interfere, were you truly sorry that he helped you when 
he did?"
 "Well… no, not really. I mean we had to keep him from finding out 
about us. Besides…" Ranma Blue gave him a sheepish smile. "I was 
hungry at the time."
 "That's right." Taron said, while turning to Ranma Red. "And you 
Ranma Red. Why did you help your brother?"
 "Well… I didn't want Ryoga to find out about us, and I was pretty 
hungry too." Ranma Red admitted.
 "And after Ryoga was rendered unconscious, what did the two of you 
feel?" Soren asked. "Did you feel angry when both of you fought him?"
 "Actually…" Ranma Red began. "I kind of understood Blue's feelings 
about the fight, but I'm not sorry for what I did. It just felt right."
 "Funny… " Ranma Blue added. "I felt the same way. I knew that you 
were looking out for the both of us and after pounding Ryoga, I felt 
satisfied that you did come out to help me."
 "Exactly." Taron agreed. "That is what we wanted of you two. Trust, 
empathy, cooperation and most of all, understanding each other. That is 
how a good team works."
 "Yes." Soren said. "When you go up against the Dark World, you'll 
have those qualities working in your favor. You need each other."
 "Now that we have explained to you why it's so important for the two 
of you to function together, are you ready to learn?" Taron asked.
 "Yeah!!!" Both Ranmas replied.
 
Much, much later…
 It was nearly nine o'clock when both Ranmas bid goodbye to their 
mentors for the day. Within the space of a few hours, the two had 
already increased their speed and strength under the guidance of the 
immortal twins. The immortals had begun their instruction in ki 
manipulation within one's own body. The Saotome twins were now able 
to focus their ki to double their speed and triple their overall strength 
with minimal effort. Soren and Taron were delighted over the fact that
their students had an amazing ability to quickly grasp techniques, a 
leftover trait from the original Ranma. As of now, the two pigtailed 
martial artists could match Ryoga's brute power and Cologne and 
Happosai's speed. 
 As they headed back to the storage room at the high school, they 
decided to go forward with their plans concerning Shampoo and Ukyo. 
They stopped by a payphone and called the Nekohanten. Taking care to 
disguise his voice with a handkerchief, Ranma Red ordered a takeout 
meal for two to be delivered to the front of Furinkan High. After 
specifically requesting for Shampoo to deliver the food, the two headed 
toward the now deserted school.
 
 Shampoo arrived at the front gate of Furinkan High. She looked 
around, but saw no one waiting to pick up the order. She dismounted 
from her bike and walked toward the front of the school building. 
Stopping halfway down the schoolyard, she suddenly got the impression 
that she was being watched. Placing the takeout box down, she hefted 
her bonbori and took a ready stance. It was then that something dropped 
down from the branches of a nearby tree.
 The figure was dressed in black, full body suit. He wore black Kung 
fu shoes and had on a black mask, which only revealed the lower half of 
his face. There didn't seem to be any eyeholes in the mask. His hair was 
also hidden as it was tucked up under the mask. The unknown person 
took a stance and beckoned Shampoo to attack.
 "Who you?" Shampoo demanded.
 The stranger simply shook his head and then reached behind his 
back. Shampoo tensed as she waited for him to make the first move. 
The unknown man removed a slip of paper and tossed it deftly towards 
Shampoo's feet. Shampoo immediately took several steps back. When 
the paper fluttered to the ground, she cautiously moved forward and 
peered at what was written on it. Her eyes widened as she saw what it 
said. It was a formal letter of challenge.
 Shampoo looked back up at the stranger in anger. The takeout order 
was a set up. She had walked right into a trap! Snarling with rage, she 
raised her bonbori high and said in a defiant tone, "You think you can 
challenge Amazon?! Now you die!!!" Shampoo let out a battle cry as she 
charged her opponent, swinging her bonbori at the offender's head.
 To her surprise however, the stranger easily dodged each of her 
strikes. Shampoo then tried a combination of kicks and thrusts, only to 
have those dodged as well. She couldn't believe it. She was using some 
of her best moves and this person was casually evading her attacks, as if 
they were nothing.
 <Aiya! He's so fast! Not even Ranma that good! Shampoo cannot 
lose to this one! Must win!> Shampoo increased the intensity of her 
attacks, but to no avail. This man seemed to anticipate her every move. 
Shampoo increased the intensity of her attacks, but her opponent simply 
adjusted his speed and evasion tactics to compensate. As the battle wore 
on, she began to feel her body tire from the constant exertion. Her moves 
soon became sluggish an ill-timed. She had started to breathe hard while 
her opponent seemed to be as calm as ever. It was infuriating. Her 
opponent had yet to make a counterattack against her, but he was winning! 
He had not even spoke a single word since the fight started.
 After thirty minutes of intense combat, the stranger finally began to 
fight back. Before Shampoo could react, she found one of her bonbori 
knocked out of her hand by a sidekick. Her other weapon followed suit 
when her opponent used a pressure point to temporarily paralyze a 
nerve on her wrist. Shampoo tried to use a roundhouse kick to his 
midsection but he simply caught her foot and used it to swing her 
around. The purple-haired Amazon landed roughly on the lawn.
 Rolling with the fall, Shampoo tried to get back on her feet. The 
black-garbed fighter had other ideas. Using a low sweep, he knocked 
the Amazon's feet out from under her before she was halfway up. The 
girl found herself flat on her back and before she could recover, her foe 
grabbed one arm, rolled her body to have her face down, then twisted 
the arm around her back. With his other hand, he pinned her free arm 
down to the ground and applied a knee to her back, pressing her down. 
 Shampoo found herself in a difficult position as her opponent 
applied pressure to her back and the arm that was around it. She found 
that she had no leverage to free herself and that the stranger was far 
stronger than she was. She was also too exhausted from the fight. She 
couldn't believe that she had been defeated so easily, but she couldn't 
deny it. She was beaten.
 Tears began to well up in her eyes. She had been saving herself for 
Ranma, but now this newcomer had defeated her. The Amazon then 
considered another thing. Since his victory was a clear challenge and 
Ranma's victory was more of an accident, she was now honor bound to 
marry this man, whoever he was. That thought made her heart wrench in 
pain. It was so unfair! She was sure that her new attitude toward Ranma 
had started to win him over, but now she was being denied the chance to 
find out if she would have succeeded. She had dreamed of a bright and 
wonderful future with him. That dream had been dashed with her defeat 
at the hands of her unknown assailant.
 However, she was an Amazon and as such, her duty was clear. Biting 
back her tears, she simply said, "Shampoo accept defeat… Airen." 
 "Don't you think you should wait until after our wedding before you 
call me that?"
 Shampoo's eyes widened as she recognized the voice. The stranger 
released his hold on Shampoo and sat back. Shampoo quickly sat up and 
looked at her opponent in confusion. The black-garbed one smiled as he 
removed his mask. Shampoo's mouth opened as she let out a gasp of 
surprise.
 Ranma Red shook his pigtail free as he gazed at the beautiful 
Amazon. Using one hand he lifted her chin, and brought her face close 
to his. Just as her open mouth was an inch away from his own lips, he 
quietly said, "Wo ai ni." He then kissed her full on the lips. 
 Shampoo's heart almost jumped out of her chest when she heard 
those words. Her eyes widened even further as Ranma Red kissed her. 
She couldn't believe it! Ranma was actually kissing HER! He just said 
he LOVED her! As Ranma deepened the kiss, Shampoo finally grasped 
the concept that what was happening to her was real! She quickly 
returned the kiss and all was silent in the schoolyard. When they finally 
ended the kiss, Shampoo looked at he beloved with questioning eyes.
 "Why Ranma fight Shampoo? He already beat her."
 Ranma Red smiled and shrugged. "I don't really count those first two 
times. I wanted to make it official. Now, no one can dispute that I 
defeated you in fair combat. You didn't know who I was, so you fought 
me at full strength. I beat you. By Amazon law, we have to get married 
now."
 "Aiya!" Shampoo glomped onto Ranma Red. "Is true! Ranma finally 
love Shampoo! I so happy!" She buried her head against her chest and 
started to weep for joy.
 Ranma Red gasped as Shampoo tightened her grip. Despite his 
augmented strength, he could still feel his ribs creaking under the 
pressure. He felt like a marshmallow in a nutcracker. He gently patted 
her back and said in a strained voice, "Shampoo, could you… let up 
please? I do need to breathe you know."
 "Oh! Shampoo sorry!" Shampoo relaxed her grip. She then looked up 
at Ranma Red's eyes. they were still gazing at her tenderly, but they also 
had a serious look to them.
 "Shampoo, there are a lot of things we have to talk about."
  "Shampoo know. Have to tell violent Akane and Spatula Girl that 
Ranma marry Shampoo!"
 "Well… Akane and her family have to be told. She'll probably 
explode but I'm sure Ukyo will accept it. By the way, I want you to stop 
with the name calling. They are my friends and I don't want to hurt them 
any more than I have to."
 "What Ranma talking about? Why Spatula Girl… uh, Ukyo accept it? 
Ranma marry Shampoo! They have to know!" Shampoo became 
confused again.
 "Shampoo… I have to ask you to not tell anyone about this. At least 
not yet."
 "Why? Ranma already say that he love Shampoo. Ranma want to 
marry Shampoo. What difference it make who know?"
 Ranma Red let out a quiet sigh as he continued, "Listen Shampoo, it's 
hard to explain. You see… I've been through a lot in the past two days. 
I've… changed."
 "What you saying?"
 Ranma Red quietly disengaged himself from her embrace and 
walked over to the front door of the school. He then picked up a bucket 
of water that he previously had prepared and walked back to where 
Shampoo was now kneeling.
 "Watch carefully Shampoo." Ranma Red poured some of contents of 
the bucket over his head.
 Shampoo's eyes widened in shock as she saw that Ranma Red had not 
transformed into a girl. She stood up and approached him. She put a 
hand on his chest and felt for breasts. When she couldn't feel any, she 
grabbed a handful of shirt and yanked it up. She saw nothing but lean, 
hard, MALE muscle. She looked up at Ranma Red, who was wearing a 
sheepish grin.
 "Ranma no girl anymore? Ranma is cured?"
 He nodded as he turned around and then walked back to the spot 
where he got the bucket. He picked up a thermos that he had also 
prepared and walked back to Shampoo. 
 "Forgive me Shampoo." Using the remaining portion of the water in 
the bucket, he splashed the Amazon. Instantly, she became a pink and 
purple cat. Shampoo flinched when she realized what she had become. 
Ranma would go into the dreaded Cat Fist! She closed her eyes and 
braced herself for the inevitable chaos that would result.
 Instead, Shampoo found herself, gently picked up and cradled in 
Ranma Red's arms. He began stroking her behind the ears and soon, 
Shampoo was purring wildly. After a minute, the pigtailed martial artist 
set her down, and draped her discarded clothing on her. Opening the 
thermos, he poured some hot water on the feline and turned his back.
 Shampoo was transformed back into her human form. Putting her 
clothes back on she asked, "Ranma is no scared of cat?"
 Ranma Red nodded as he turned to face her. 
 Shampoo walked up to him until she was a foot away. She looked 
into Ranma Red's eyes, trying to find a clue as to how he accomplished 
these miracles. "How Ranma do it?"
 "As I said before Shampoo, I have changed." Ranma Red replied. "I 
did not use the Nannichuan, but I did find a cure for my Jusenkyo curse 
and the Cat Fist. I am normal now."
 Shampoo embraced him again, but this time she did so gently. 
"Shampoo happy for future husband, but why you no want to tell anyone 
about you love Shampoo?"
 Ranma Red put his arms around her. "The cure I used for the 
Jusenkyo curse did something else to me. It was a good thing , but very 
unexpected. I cannot tell you right now, but I will show you tomorrow. 
Please Shampoo, for me, can you keep this a secret? I promise you, I 
will tell you everything tomorrow."
 Shampoo saw the pleading in his eyes and her confusion gave way. 
"Okay. Shampoo still no understand, but won't tell anyone. Ranma still 
love Shampoo? Will marry her?"
 Ranma Red nodded as he kissed her briefly, "I promise my darling. I 
love you. I will marry you. You are my life. Never doubt it. Just be 
patient. PLEASE? "
 Shampoo smiled as she knew that Ranma Red meant every word he 
said. What was one more day? Giving him a quick hug, she ran off to get 
her bicycle, picking up the letter of challenge on the way. Waving 
goodbye, she pedaled off to the Nekohanten.
 Ranma Red gave a long, lovesick sigh. As he stood there on the 
schoolyard, Ranma Blue, who had been observing from a second story 
window, dropped down beside his brother.
 "Way to go Red! Couldn't have handled that better myself."
 "Uh huh. Well… now that it's done, all we have to do is… tell them."
 "You think they'll accept it?"
 "I think they will. God I hope they will. I can't imagine my life 
without Shampoo."
 "Same thing goes for me and Ukyo." Ranma Blue patted his sibling's 
shoulder. "Come on, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a 
big day."
 
To be continued…
 
AUTHOR'S NOTES
 Six chapters and I'm still going strong. As you have seen, this is a 
pro-Ukyo and pro-Shampoo chapter. After reading the fan fiction 
Shampoo 1/2, I had decided to give our favorite Amazon a shot at 
happiness. What does this mean for Akane now that BOTH of her 
fiancées have forsaken her? Wait and see!
 What is the difference between ki and chi? The next chapter will go 
into that.
 I done some tweaking with this chapter and I think I've weeded out 
most of the typos. This rewrite is also relatively minor as I am currently 
writing out the draft for Chapter 19.