"Wife come back with Shampoo!" "S-Shampoo!" Ranma's breath was taken away as she looked at the amazon bombshell that had plagued her throughout her trip back to Japan. It was only then that she recalled the Kiss of Death that she received from the girl, causing her and her pop to cut short their stay in China and head home. Somehow, 'wife' was not the word she had expected to come out of the girl's lips. Shampoo could feel the eyes of everyone upon her. This was an awkward moment. Had she mispronounced a word? Having been in Japan for only two weeks, she knew that her mastery over the language was not up to par quite yet. "Wife come back with Shampoo," she repeated. In truth, she had no right to demand this as Ranma, by amazon laws of combat, was to be the dominant partner. However, Ranma didn't need to know that yet. Shampoo frowned. There was something wrong with this scene in front of her. Her wife lay in a heap on the ground in the arms of another girl. That girl along with two others did not have what Shampoo would call friendly demeanors about them as they looked at her with dislike in their eyes. It was obvious that one or more of them had either hurt or taken advantage of her Ranma or even both. Her anger flared as the girl holding her wife held Ranma's weak body even tighter. "Who hurt Shampoo wife? Shampoo kill!" Ranma was worried as she felt Azusa tense up at Shampoo's declaration. Akane and Kodachi had taken up a battle stance behind them. Ranma, having watched Shampoo in battle, knew the amazon could easily take on each girl one on one. With three however, the chances did not favor Shampoo. *What did you mean by calling me wife, Shampoo? The look on your face is the same one you had when we left the village. What does it mean?* Shampoo looked critically over the three girls that barred her way. Two of them stood on metal blades, the better to move on this icy surface, she surmised. The other girl wore a black outfit that did not look restrictive. In fact, it resembled something that an amazon might wear to battle. Their numbers and equipment gave them a slight advantage. "Bwee!" Ryoga cried, jumping on Ranma's chest as he followed Shampoo's line of sight. Startled by P-Chan's agitation, Ranma looked towards what was bothering her pet. "Quick, get off the ice!" Ranma yelled out to Nabiki and Kasumi as her attention rested Shampoo's face. Shampoo's eyes were directed towards their skates and then to the ice surface. One of the basic concepts of battle was that if one had an advantage over you, you take it away to even the playing field. Kasumi was surprised as Ranma, somehow with all those injuries, managed to jump up, pick both her and Nabiki up by their waist, and carry them to the edge of the rink. She cringed as she heard sounds of bones cracking. Ranma had just impacted with the wall a few minutes ago and Kasumi was sure that getting up so suddenly was not the smart thing to do. Shampoo brought her bonbori down hard against the ice. It had the desired effect of segmenting the ice into large chunks, making travel with the blades that two of her opponents wore more difficult to perform. It also separated her three opponents making their greater numbers a less of a factor if they could not fighter her all at once. *Water!?* Akane paled as she desperately tried to maintain her balance on the chunk of ice that supported her and Kodachi. She recalled it being mentioned that the rink of Kolholz High was built overtop the swimming pool belatedly. *Why did it have to be water?* After making sure P-Chan was safe to one side with Ranma's other two friends, Azusa turned and gave the girl, called Shampoo, a cool glance. "If you're looking for revenge, Ranma got hurt by trying to help..." She never had a chance to finish as she soon found herself on the receiving end of Shampoo's bonbori. *The girl's fast and strong,* Azusa thought as her arms nearly buckled trying to block the weapon. Shampoo didn't even break a sweat. Shampoo soon found one of her bonbori yanked out of her hands. She dodged the resulting kick from the girl that had caused Ranma's injury and concentrated on the girl with the maniacal laughter who she perceived as being the best of the three. "Ohohoho!" Kodachi laughed out as she flipped the amazon's weapon into her arms. *The girl must have tree trunks for arms,* Kodachi thought as she could barely wield it one handed like the amazon. She was surprised as Shampoo switched targets and now headed for her, unarmed. Shampoo smirked as she looked at the response she received after dropping her remaining weapon. Most people did not realize a weapon wielder could be just as adept in barehanded combat until it was too late. A moment of hesitation would be all she needed. "Ahh!" Akane yelped as she lost her balance as the chunk of ice she stood on tilted with Shampoo's weight. She managed to catch hold of the edge as the ice suddenly righted itself. It was Ranma! "Shampoo! Stop!" Ranma yelled, strain evident in her voice. Standing up so quickly to help Kasumi and Nabiki had inadvertently popped all of her bones back into place. While it relieved her of her pain it had been a draining experience. To the surprise of the girls on the ice, the amazon stopped obediently. So shocked was she, Akane forgot she was hanging on to the edge of the block of ice. She soon found herself immersed in the icy cold water. "Akane!" Ranma ignored the groaning of her muscles and she dived in after her fiancée. * * * * * Akane opened her eyes to find herself looking into the scowling face of the amazon. "What...?" "My little girl!" Soun cried as Akane woke and ran to her side, squeezing the life out of her. Genma hovered inconspicuously in the background, eyeing Shampoo and wondering if the amazon still held a grudge with the panda that ate the prize back at the village in China. "I'll get the sake to celebrate," he said when he was sure the amazon did not know that he and the animal was one and the same. "There's some in the kitchen where I last night's leftovers," Kasumi said in defense of Akane as she appeared to faint again in their father's vise like embrace. *The teriyaki chicken?* Genma and Soun thought simultaneously. Akane gave Kasumi a smile of relief at the quick save as soon as the fathers were out of sight. "So, what happened?" "Girl fine. Go into shock only," Shampoo diagnosed to her wife and her scowl deepened as Ranma breathed as sigh of relief. The girl that just awoke was important to her wife in someway. "Shampoo helped save you, Akane," Ranma explained, smiling as the girl woke up, bewildered but looking otherwise okay. "I guess the crash to the wall took a lot more out of me than I thought. Luckily Shampoo jumped in to help." "Shampoo only help Wife. Wife hold on to drowning girl," Shampoo corrected crossly, not wanting anyone to get the wrong impression. Akane looked over at the other girls that crowded the Tendo living room. They had been taken her straight home after her near drowning. Her sisters, Kodachi, and Azusa all nodded at Ranma's words. "Ah, thank-you, I guess." "Hmph!" Shampoo dismissed this Akane's reluctant thanks and turned to her wife. "Wife now go home with Shampoo?" she asked in the sweetest sounding voice she could. "No, Shampoo, I've said it a dozen times already. And what are you calling me wife for? The guide said you gave me the Kiss of Death. I thought you're supposed to chase me to the ends of the earth until you kill me." Shampoo frowned. She knew there had to be a reason her wife would run away from and not towards an amazon as beautiful, brave, and strong as she was. First thing she did when she got back to China would be to give the guide the beating of his life. As she tried to think of a way to explain exactly what was going on, it occurred to her that she had a book containing the laws of the Joketsuzoku with her. Shampoo felt uncomfortably hot as her wife ogled her as she undid the top part of her dress to get at the book she kept inside her dress. She had only meant to search for the book that she kept inside her dress, but soon found Ranma's rapt attention upon her. It was an amazingly heady experience and she could not help but put on more of a show of fishing around the crevice her wife had been so interested in. Shampoo let her hands glide across the top of her chest, her fingers dipping into its dark recess, and then out again. Over and over her hands traveled the same route back and forth, each time another button came undone and more skin became shown, until another button was all that kept her nipples from being shown. Ranma's cheeks colored as Shampoo undid the top most buttons of her very short and form fitting Chinese dress. So focused was her attention she didn't even notice it when P-Chan fell off of her shoulder onto the ground with yet another nosebleed. "Uh, Shampoo, even if I am your wife, shouldn't this wait until later when we're alone in..." <Boink> Nabiki stopped Ranma's blabbing with a swipe to his head with a small hammer, ignoring Shampoo's glare and also trying hard to maintain her own cold stare. However, the creamy expanse of the girl's heaving bosom made it very hard to hold her concentration. Shampoo was just has healthy if not a healthier looking girl than Ranma was. "Just get whatever it is that you're getting already." Shampoo shot a look of pure anger at the girl that diverted Ranma's attention. The other girl, a non-combatant, Shampoo could tell, did not back down in the slightest. Her anger wavered as a similar heady feeling engulfed her. Nabiki, the girl's name Shampoo would later discover, had the same fire in her eyes Ranma had, only it looked so out of place on such an impassive face. It gave the amazon the distinct impression of her semi-nude body being stripped the rest of the way and examined thoroughly from head to toe. Shampoo had had admirers in the village before, but never had anyone looked at her with the same raw intensity Nabiki was doing. "Um, are those real?" Azusa whispered to her fellow onlookers. She didn't get any response to her question, not that she would have heard anyway though as her own attention was somewhat occupied. She had thought it impossible for another sixteen-year-old to have the body better than Ranma's. She was wrong. Nabiki's shot out her hand quickly so that no one could see the way her hand was violently shaking and grabbed the small book Shampoo took out of her dress and held in her hands. Nabiki nearly dropped the book as she discovered how warm the book was. The words 'hot bod' came to her as the warmth seeped onto her fingertips. She quickly sat down and placed the back of her hands on the living room table to steady them as she flipped through the book. "What!?" Everyone, save Shampoo, crowded around Nabiki at her cry of outrage. Kodachi reached her first and read the translation of the passage Nabiki was reading which was helpfully in the margin of the page. She skimmed over it quickly down to where Nabiki pointed. "Kiss of Death if beaten by foreign woman... Kiss of Marriage if it's a man. What are you pointing at Nabiki? I can't see it. Ah, the fine print. 'Note: If the amazon does not swing that way, the above rules can be applied in an opposite manner.' What!?" Kodachi called out with the same disbelief that Nabiki had. "See? Shampoo wife," Shampoo said and glomped on to Ranma to drive in her point. "No!" * * * * * "Akane is my fiancée! If you touch her I'll kill you!" Ranma yelled out at Mikado. "Ranma," Akane whispered as she watched her fiancée's deadly serious face. * * * * * All gazes turned to Akane as she got up from where she had been laying just as moment before. Akane looked back at them and repeated it for their benefit, "No! Ranma is my fiancée!" "Actually, before you get carried away there, little sister," Nabiki quickly budded in when she saw Ranma's face brighten at Akane's statement, "she's our fiancée. Our engagement was set before any of us were born. Ranma hasn't decided yet, have you, Ranma?" "Uh, yeah," Akane replied, her confident voice from before faltering as Ranma's wide eyed expression and quick denial to placate Nabiki. *That... that woman! After she said that at the arena too,* Akane thought irritatedly. Shampoo had known that her wife's beauty would draw many suitors. She did not however think that her competition would be from other women rather than incompetent men she was sure would make easy rivals. "It no matter. By amazon law, Shampoo is Ranma wife. If wimpy girls want to be wife also, have to get by Shampoo." "Not necessarily," Nabiki smirked, holding up the book of amazon laws. "Ranma is the dominant partner of your marriage. The dominant partner is allowed as many wives or husbands as she pleases." "Nabiki!" Kasumi said, shocked at what her sister was even suggesting. The fact that one of them was to marry Ranma, a girl herself, was scandalous enough but to have another woman be included in the package was just... *Shampoo-chan doesn't believe in wearing bras it seems.* ...not right. Kasumi blinked as she tried to sort out that last thought. "I'm not suggesting that Ranma marry a bunch of girls," Nabiki explained as Kasumi was not the only one to look at her incredulously. "I'm saying she should be able to marry as many _or_ as few people as she wants. If she wants to 'divorce' Shampoo and marry one of us, she can and vice versa." Shampoo tried hard to keep up with the speed of the conversation. She understood the gist of what was being said. "Ranma divorce Shampoo?" As the head of the coupling between them, Ranma did indeed have that right. It was generally a disgrace to be dropped in that fashion; the partner was unacceptable for some reason. "Uh, well, I can't divorce you if I haven't even, you know, married you yet," Ranma said nervously as Shampoo's face came into her view. Drops of water formed at the edges of the girl's eyes. Ranma found her will zapped by the hurt look and nearly dropped on her knees to propose. The sick feeling she got at the idea of hurting a girl had always been her one major weakness. "Two thousand year old amazon law say marry already!" Shampoo restated loudly. "Just no ceremony yet or cansu... consumm...." Shampoo tried explaining further but her limited vocabulary was hampering her efforts. "Just no sleep together yet," she said finally. The all looked at her if she had grown another head. These Japanese were so clueless. Maybe a physical demonstration of exactly what she meant was in order. She placed the back of her hand against the back of Ranma's. The only word that could adequately describe what she then did against Ranma's hand was 'rutted'. Extending two fingers to form the image of a person, Shampoo 'rutted' her hand against the other girl's hand, defining the words 'sleep together' in the process. Ranma slowly extended her own hands in the same manner Shampoo did, forgetting everyone in the room. She let out a small moan as one of Shampoo's 'legs' got in between her two fingers. Her own hand was starting to buck in rhythm with the amazon's hand. Ranma felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as Shampoo's hand continued to move against her own in a lewd and provocative manner. An unhealthy aura enveloped her friends, darkening the area. She placed her free hand behind the back of her head, her other hand still in contact with Shampoo, and laughed sheepishly. "Hehehe! Well, who am I to go against thousand of years of tradition?" A mass facefaulting ensued. Mixed emotions filled Kodachi as she watched the proceedings unfold. She could not explain the jealousy she felt as the Tendo girls and Shampoo fought over Ranma. Jealousy implied that Kodachi liked her friend in a way that was not proper befitting a lady of her station as her mother would have said. Could she just be jealous of her friend's time being taken up? This mess with Ranma's love life _was_ taking a large part of her time. That meant less time for Kodachi. That answer sounded safe and logical. That was the reason she was jealous. If felt so better to know that it wasn't the other reason. Now she could safely go on being Ranma's friend. Friends help friends out when they are making a terrible mistake. Shampoo pulled her hand back just in time to avoid the ribbon that nearly snapped her hand off. She turned and looked at the girl with the crazy laugh. "What Crazy Girl do that for? Fight for Ranma?" "Heavens no. I just wanted to tell my _friend_ here that it's about time I left for home. I wanted to get her attention is all," Kodachi said frostily and then turned to Ranma, her voice warming up in the girl's presence. "I'm feeling a little tired, so I'll see you tomorrow, Ranma. I hope you don't make a serious decision about your life without telling me, your _friend_," Kodachi said as she took Ranma's hand in her own and stared at her earnestly. "You're so good to me," Ranma said and gave the gymnast a hug. Kodachi was such a nice girl... Ranma blinked as she felt her butt cheeks being pinched not uncomfortably. *Kodachi must be tired. She can't even hold her hands up. Mmmm, Kodachi's got some nice strong hands.* "Um, I've got to go now, seriously. I have to be home," Kodachi nearly tripped over herself as she fled the room. She raised her hand to her face and mentally scolded it. What had come over her? Azusa suddenly felt the like the odd man out as Kodachi fled. She doubted that she would have a chance with Ranma with three wonderful sisters to choose from and the goddess that was Shampoo in the running. "I guess I better be going too." "Wait, Azusa. I think I'm going to have some trouble dealing with this mess with Shampoo tonight. I won't have any time to look after P-Chan. Did you want to look after him for the night...?" Ranma flew backwards as Azusa suddenly jumped her and their lips locked together for the third time. Just as quickly, the girl got off of her. Azusa passed the back of her hand over her eyes and the tears that were there immediately disappeared. Years of figure skating allowed her to assume her game face at an instant. "Oh, no need to look at me like that," she said to Ranma's group of suitors, "it's a common gesture of leave-taking. I lived a few years in France. Thank you, Ranma, for letting me take care of P-Chan. I won't let you down. He'll have the best care in the world." Ranma smiled as the figure skater picked up the still unconscious pig off the floor gently. She could not see how anyone would believe that Azusa was not speaking the truth. Azusa could be very caring when she wanted to be. Ranma waved goodbye to the girl before turning back to the now smaller group of girls. They were all looking at her with cross expressions on their faces, except for Kasumi, though she did not have the usual cheerful look about her. "It's normal to hug friends goodbye. I've seen you hug Kodachi before, Akane. And you heard Azusa. Kissing each other good bye is normal also," Ranma said defensively. "Kissy face with Wife every hour is amazon custom," Shampoo said out of the blue. "No, it isn't," Akane said, taking the book of amazon law out of Nabiki's hands, checking to make sure she was right. "Get away from her, you Chinese bimbo!" "Akane, your language," Kasumi reminded gently. "Shampoo did help save you, remember." Kasumi shook her head as her scolding went over the pair's heads. If Ranma really did not mind marriage to the amazon, which Kasumi could tell her fiancée did not, any future wife of hers would have to get along with Shampoo. *I don't think I would have too much of a problem with that,* Kasumi thought as she left the girls to themselves to make sure their parents left some food in the fridge for tonight. *Even before Ranma showed up, my idea of companionship had already differed from the norm of most girls. This other factor was a plus in many ways. It might even make marrying Ranma a less desirable notion with this Chinese baggage that she now had. It would be easier if either Akane or Nabiki gave up on their own accord.* Nabiki slapped her forehead as she watched the antics of her younger sister and their uninvited guest. If the scene with Shampoo, Kodachi, and Azusa was any indication, Ranma just could not control herself or say no to women. While annoying as that was, it did provide lots of opportunities. Nabiki figured that since P-Chan would be away for the night, her fiancée might feel a little lonely. Convincing Ranma of this was the hard part. Ever since Nabiki's turn to keep Ranma company for the night, the girl had suddenly turned shy and steadfastly denied all access to her bedroom no matter who it was, even her father, Uncle Saotome. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the problem was, however. Even Nabiki could feel the tense atmosphere of the household as she and her sisters became closer to Ranma. As forward as she may seem to her sisters, in truth, Nabiki held some reservations about the engagement. Akane, no matter how much she fluttered on the subject of the engagement, would be willing to marry Ranma if asked. Her loud shout about Ranma being her fiancée was proof enough of that. At first, Nabiki had been sure that Kasumi would be a non-issue, but she became less sure the more time that her older sister spent with their fiancée. The gasp that escaped from Kasumi's lips each time Ranma asked whether she needed a massage was highly suspicious since Nabiki had been on the receiving end of one of those massages before. Nabiki sighed and wondered again about herself. To most she looked to be the most accepting of the engagement. She teased and flirted mercilessly with Ranma every chance she got. However, if Nabiki was forced to marry Ranma at this second, she doubted that she would except it as easily as her less open-minded sisters might. All she was after was fun and excitement, which Ranma provided and more, not commitment. The longer this mess between her, her sisters, and Ranma dragged on, the more likely it became that one of them would make a move and it would all be over. Nabiki guessed this was the reason for Ranma's sudden shyness. Any action the girl took would be looked on as favoritism and that would hurt one of them, so she did nothing, frustrating the hell out of Nabiki. Sleeping together that one time was just not enough, especially since nothing happened. Nabiki watched as Akane finally lost her cool and stomped up to her room, but not before giving Ranma a frosty stare. It was no wonder, since their fiancée did not do anything to push Shampoo away. The amazon's presence was bound to make things worse, forcing one of them to 'go for it' as it were to have a chance against the bombshell. She needed to come up with something that would stall things as they were happening much too fast for her liking. *Argh! All this thinking isn't doing me any good. Hmm, Ranma thinks that by sharing her bed with one of us, the other two get hurt, which was true from all the cross looks that got passed around the dinner table each morning after one of us slept with her. Maybe, if I gave her something else to worry about,* Nabiki grinned as she came up with the perfect plan. She looked around for Ranma so that she could put her plan into motion but found herself alone in the living room. * * * * * Ranma forced her eyes away from Shampoo's face. Every time she tried to talk, those soulful looking eyes would cause her breath to be taken away. "Shampoo, you have to understand. I don't want to force you into anything you don't want. I was there at the tournament, remember. I know you wanted to give me the Kiss of Death. I just moved my face." "Wode airen," Shampoo whispered and brought her face another inch closer to her wife's own. How could she have ever thought of giving the girl the Kiss of Death? Ranma was more beautiful now then when she was in China. Her fiery red hair was longer now and hung in a ponytail over her shoulder. There was a healthy glow on her face that spoke volumes of the better life she now led. A far cry from the gaunt faced girl with smudged cheeks and dirty hair that Shampoo remembered. "Shampoo, I thought you were supposed to listen to me!" Ranma yelped as the amazon's arms once again snaked around her body. "We can't get married..." "Wo ai ni," Shampoo said and brought her hands up to Ranma's face. *Silly, Wife. Shampoo will obey when you talk reasonably. Your voice says no, but your body says otherwise. Even as we talk, you are bringing your face to mine. My hands are not pulling you in.* "...because we should get to know each other first," Ranma finished weakly. *Damn, Akane, Kasumi, and Nabiki are just inside. I can't let this continue,* Ranma thought, but her head kept on descending towards Shampoo, their lips about to touch again for the second time since their meeting in China. <Bonk> [Watch what you say, Boy!] Genma's sign warned as he batted his son-turned-daughter into orbit. *Not again!* Shampoo glared angrily at the panda that interrupted her time with her wife. "You! Panda eat Shampoo prize. Now stop Shampoo from eating Wife. Shampoo kill!" A group of three spying girls turned away from the mayhem now that the object of their affections was gone from the area. "Oh my, Ranma is certainly a weak girl," Kasumi noted. Her fiancée lacked any sort of backbone when it came to women. "Tell me about it," Akane growled. "Flirting with Azusa when we were at the ice rink and Shampoo at home. Doesn't she have any self- control?" "What did you expect from her? She likes girls so much that she believes herself to be one also. Ranma's interest in them isn't normal by any measure," Nabiki said dryly. "If you can't accept that, you can always drop out of the running. Kasumi and I don't mind." Nabiki smirked as her older sister flinched. *So, you do prefer girls, Kasumi. I thought it was weird to see you so accepting of the situation.* "Kasumi and you?" Akane asked. She kept forgetting her sisters were also her rivals. It was just hard to see them as _that_ way. Just thinking of her sisters and Ranma hugging gave her the willies. *Yeah, that would be just creepy,* Akane thought without much conviction as the thought continued to run in her mind, causing her heart to beat faster. "Akane, are you feeling well?" Kasumi asked and was surprised when her sister flinched at her touch. Akane's face was unnaturally red. "Not thinking perverted thoughts again are you, Akane? I hope you aren't thinking of peeping in my room again tonight," Nabiki teased. Akane did even dignify Nabiki's jibe with an answer. She stomped away from her giggling sister. *Good, that should keep Akane out of the way when I try to get into Ranma's bed tonight,* Nabiki thought triumphantly. * * * * * "<I'm going now, Dr. Tofu. I have something to do. I might not be back tonight so don't hesitate to close the doors on my account,>" Shampoo waved to the chiropractor as she left the clinic. It was incredibly lucky of her to find a person that understood Chinese. She would have to thank Kasumi later for recommending her as a nurse to the doctor. Even though, Shampoo had learned that her wife was honor bound to marry one of the Tendo girls, she found that she couldn't hold that against Kasumi. The older girl was just too nice for words. *Maybe, I won't put up much of a fight if Airen chooses Kasumi. But, I'll think about that later. Tonight, I make Ranma mine.* * * * * * "There's nothing to be afraid of Nabiki. Shampoo won't hurt you," Ranma said almost confidently, but the fear in the middle Tendo sister's eyes was giving her doubts. "You didn't see the way she was looking at me. I looked into the book. The Kiss of Death can also be given to anyone she considers to be an obstacle to any goal that she might have. Akane could protect herself long enough for you to help her with her martial arts. Kasumi is much too nice to be considered an obstacle. I stood up to her today and she might come back for me," Nabiki said, adding a slight tremble to her act. She grinned inwardly as Ranma finally broke down. "Okay, you can sleep in my room. I still think you're being silly, Nabiki." Ranma felt guilty as her reasons for letting Nabiki in were not just because she felt protective of the girl. She should have said 'no' as soon her thoughts turned wayward. The reason she had stopped sleeping with the girls in the first place was so that any perceived favoritism hurt none of the girls. She only hoped that neither of the other two sisters found out about it. Ranma will make it up for them later. It was just that she _needed_ this. Shampoo's actions this afternoon had made all her repressed desires surge out. * * * * * Shampoo quietly slid the window to her wife's room open. It was fortunately open halfway already so she did not have to worry about breaking in and waking everyone inside up. She slipped in and smiled when she heard the loud snoring of her wife. It was going to be even easier finding Ranma without waking her up in this darkness, than Shampoo had at first thought. * * * * * *Really, Ranma, you should know better than to fall asleep with me in the room,* Nabiki grinned. *I know from the last time that you sleep like a log.* She slowly crept out of sleeping mat which Ranma had infuriatingly placed all the way on the other side of the room. It was a strange move on Ranma's part in that she had looked so eager despite her misgivings. Who would have thought that she was so easily satisfied? Nabiki was positive that her fiancée had fallen asleep watching her. It was flattering in a way, but flattering was not what she was after. *I'm not nearly that easy to please. Sleeping in the same room just doesn't cut it for me. I need something _more_,* Nabiki thought. She stopped as she heard the blinds clatter against the window. She turned her head and nearly shouted when she thought she saw a shadowy figure enter. In an eye-blink it was gone though, making her doubt whether or not she actually saw it. *Just the wind,* Nabiki thought as she waited for her pounding heart to become calm again. *I thought that Akane might actually have snuck in to peep on Ranma like I had teased her earlier.* Nabiki continued towards her goal once she was sure nothing was amiss. Crawling on hands and knees, not trusting the old Tendo home's creaky floors to be quiet, she headed in the direction she thought Ranma to be. Her head ran smack into something very fleshy. * * * * * Shampoo gasped and pushed her bottom downwards. She was rewarded with Ranma's nose thrusting upwards even harder. She was such a tease. Shampoo wondered how long she could hold before her legs finally gave way. She had figured that her wife was the type to take the initiative once things got going. It was not her imagination that Ranma had rubbed against her hand just as hard as Shampoo had, if not harder a few hours earlier. Shampoo suddenly felt herself shy with embarrassment as she could hear her wife making sniffing sounds. *I knew I should have taken a shower at Dr. Tofu's place.* She blushed ever harder when Ranma let out a sound of approval. * * * * * *Only Ranma could smell so womanly,* Nabiki giggled. *When was the last time you took a bath, Ranma? I don't mind though. It's what makes you, you." Nabiki, now on her knees, took her hands and ran them up along Ranma's calves. *You naughty girl you. I thought for sure you went to bed wearing pajamas. When did you chuck them off?* * * * * * Shampoo couldn't stand it anymore and dropped to the ground with a giggle. She quickly rolled over onto her stomach, allowing her wife much better access. Her wife's hands were unrelenting as she continued to dance along her legs. She groaned disappointingly as Ranma's hands lifted the hem of her short dress and then just sat there beneath her buttocks. *Move them, damn it!* She finally figured that her wife intended on teasing her to death and decided to take matters into her own hand. She darted her hand behind her and smiled as she caught Ranma's wrist on the first try. Taking control of the hand within her own, she slowly and gently put it against her ass cheeks and held it there. *How does if feel to be teased, my wife?* Shampoo thought evilly. She could feel, Ranma's fingers squirm against her butt, not able to move or to tease. * * * * * *Damn, keep forgetting Ranma's a martial artist. She could rip me in two if she wanted to. Man, her ass is hot! So, you don't like being teased, Ranma? Well I don't either. I still have one hand remember.* Nabiki couldn't contain her laugh when she once again felt the fleshy behind of her fiancée start to tremble again. *I don't remember your tush being quite this full Ranma. Life away from the road is agreeing with you too much I think. Time for another visit to the lingerie store.* * * * * * Akane looked at the door and wondered what was keeping her from opening it. It just wasn't as simple as apologizing since Akane knew she was in the right. *Why couldn't you have just told Shampoo to leave? Everything would have been so much easier. I shouldn't have lost my temper, but how can I not when that bimbo is hanging all over you.* Akane once again took a step away from the door. She was beginning to see how Ranma's obsession with women could be a factor. While every boy in Furinkan had chased after her at one time or another, Akane's self-confidence in her looks was never blown out of proportion. The boys at school were far from geniuses so their opinion couldn't be trusted, especially since their egos had been inflamed by Kuno's challenge to date her. In fact, she found herself a plain sort when compared to Kasumi's serene beauty, Kodachi's aristocratic good looks, or even Shampoo exotic features. There was only a few times that Akane felt truly beautiful. Most of those didn't count as they were spoken from her mother, but Akane still found it hard to this day to rebuke her late mother's gentle yet firm praises as simple doting. The other time was when she walked up to Dr. Tofu's clinic with her long hair. She had deliberately abstained from her weekly visits to her childhood crush in the hopes of surprising him. She had been rewarded by seeing his glasses fog up at her appearance. Her wonderful dream had shattered when he stuttered out Kasumi's name. The most recent time was too silly to even think about, but think about it, Akane did. She wondered if Ranma still remembered it. * * * * * "Oh, Akane? Are you still using the furo? I didn't see the 'occupied' sign," Ranma said and started to put her robe back on. "Oh, I think I forgot to. Don't worry about it. It's not like we haven't seen anything we haven't seen before," Akane said, her voice having none of the sureness her words had. She was used to thinking of Ranma as a girl now, so it was not Ranma's male heritage that made her uneasy. *Why is it every time I see you, I can never think straight.* "Ooh, Akane, I just love your hair." Akane was awed at the speed and silence that Ranma displayed at getting to her side of the furo. It was so easy for Akane to forget this demure girl was a better martial artist than she was. "You do? I like yours much better, Ranma. It's very exotic and beautiful looking." "I guess so. But I don't feel like washing it like I would do to yours." "Y-You want to wash my hair?" Akane asked, wondering where that notion had come from. "Oh, did I say that out loud," Ranma blushed. "Well, yeah, I do. I can tell you take very good care of it. If you looked close enough to mine, you can see that it's really dry and has a lot of split ends." Akane could see the envy in Ranma's eyes. *Heh, listening to Ranma, I think I've even taken hair care for granted. No, it isn't that. It's just the whole process of growing up like a girl I think that Ranma is envious of.* "Okay, Ranma. You can do it." "Really? Thank-you!" Ranma exclaimed enthusiastically. She smiled when Akane smiled. "You're so beautiful when you smile... oh, did I say that out loud again?" "Uh..." "Just kidding. I meant to that time." * * * * * Akane took a step towards the door and opened it. The light from the hallway shone into the room giving Akane a very good view of everything that was going on. Everything. "Aiyah! What is Nabiki girl doing to Shampoo?" "Shampoo! What are you doing in Ranma's room?" "What the hell is going on in here," Akane yelled out. She stomped in and reached Ranma's sleeping mat where she still slept blissfully unaware of the sordid happenings around her. Akane reached under Ranma's blanket and pulled her fiancée out and away from the two lechers in the room. "What is it? Time for school, already?" Ranma asked, still groggy with sleep. "No!" Shampoo yelled, quickly running towards the window and jumping out. Nabiki's eyes widened as she watched Shampoo leave out the window. Shampoo seemed to be short one article of clothing. The events of what Nabiki had been in the process of doing a minute earlier came to her. "Uh, it was nice sleeping with you, uh, I mean keeping you company, uh, I mean... no that's what I meant. Er, since Akane is here. She can take over. See you in the morning tomorrow!" Akane was stunned as the room cleared in ten seconds flat. *Shampoo wasn't wear any... was she? Nabiki picked something off the floor before she left... it couldn't be. Right in Ranma's room?* "What, it's only twelve o'clock!" Ranma groaned and dragged herself back to her bed. Akane forgot about Shampoo and Nabiki as her thoughts turned to Ranma. "Wait, a minute here, missy! What were those two doing in your room for? I'll stay here all night if I have to, to get the answer out of you." "Er," Ranma gulped as a very angry Akane sat down and looked like she meant every word she said. * * * * * "Akane, I thought I made it perfectly clear it isn't right to be sneaking into Ranma's room at all hours. Even if she is a girl, she is our fiancee and it isn't proper for engaged couples to be alone in a bedroom together. Nabiki, you should know better." "Saotome! What do you have to explain yourself? Your son is two-timing with my daughters. Didn't Akane declare herself Ranma's fiancée yesterday?" Soun asked indignantly. Wasn't she good enough for him? [I'm just a panda] "Saotome!" "Daddy, temper, temper. Ranma has choice, remember. She has to choose one of us," Nabiki reminded, not looking at Akane who was also not looking at her. Soun was really beginning to get annoyed with how his daughters kept referring Ranma as a girl. Well, not that Soun could really blame them, as he found himself making that mistake at times also. "Very well. I guess if you don't have any problems with it, I don't. Actually reminds me of when we were young, hey, Genma?" [Heh, the ladies _were_ quite taken with us, if I do say so myself,] Genma wrote on his signs, not daring to change back into a human yet. Soun's emotions were highly mercurial ever since his wife died. "I'm finished. I heading off to school first," Akane said, slamming her bowl on the table. "I'm done to. I have some important things to take care of!" Nabiki said, her voice louder. Akane was not the only one that was angry about the previous night. *My perfect chance last night and it was ruined by that amazon beaut... bimbo!* Kasumi and Ranma looked at each other. Was it something they might have said? * * * * * Shampoo was at a loss with what to say. It was not exactly something you could say out loud. "Excuse me, but do you think I could have my panties back? You see, I only carried a small amount of clothing with me and it's not the type of thing I want to bother Dr. Tofu a pay raise for." *Gah! That sounds bad.* Shampoo sighed and decided to that she would have to wash her clothes everyday for another week until the doctor paid her. Shampoo smiled as Dr. Tofu waved her off for her lunch break. *Maybe showing Ranma my other wifely skills will work slightly better this time around.* * * * * * Akane frowned as Shampoo crashed through the wall of the class room. *Doesn't she even know how to use a door? If Nabiki hadn't been in Ranma's room, there's no telling how much that bimbo would have taken advantage of my fiancée.* "Ranma! Shampoo bring wife lunch!" "Food?" Ranma asked enthusiastically. Akane scowled. Ranma had a soft spot for fine cooking, one of the reasons Akane tried to hard to make something edible. She hated seeing the pain in Ranma's face. What was worse was that she was smiling all the time as she threw up in the bathroom and never hesitated to try the next disaster. Akane had taken to cooking in secret and trying her own concoctions on herself. She just could not bear seeing the girl grin and bear it just for her. "Open wide, Ranma!" "Hey, that's going too far! She has her own two hands. You don't have to feed her!" Shampoo had been containing her anger for her wife's sake until now. The business with the repeated failures to make her and Ranma's marriage official had already pushed the threshold of her anger to its limits. She decided that it was enough with the games and it was time to remove some of her obstacles. "Akane watch out, she's going to give you the Kiss of...," Ranma shouted out as soon as she saw Shampoo reach for Akane's cheek in the same way it had been done to her at the village. Akane was shocked as Shampoo came smiling up to her. The smile was not a friendly one. She felt her cheek being tilted to one side by the amazon and she turned it automatically at Ranma's calling of her name. *Argh! Again! Why does this always happen to me? It's really not that hard to kiss a girl on the stupid cheek, is it?* Shampoo wondered, fearing to take her lips off of Akane's before she figured something out. *What do I do now? Akane didn't defeat me, so the kiss is really just a kiss. Well I did save her that one time. Ancestors have incorporated that old Chinese custom if I remember correctly. 'If one saves another's life, that one is responsible for that person.' This kiss would formalize that. Well that bites!* Akane didn't know what came over her as she suddenly grabbed Shampoo by the shoulders and drew the amazon in deeper. *What am I doing? I-I... need this. I need this so badly. Oh, Ranma, I've wanted to do this with you for sooo looong! I can't wait any longer.* Shampoo lost her balance as the youngest Tendo sister's arms wrapped around her body. The closeness of their bodies was making it uncomfortably warm. Shampoo found she couldn't think straight as her lips were continually assaulted. While Shampoo was much stronger, Akane's arms prevented any leverage to be had. Ever so slowly she found herself responding. Akane was not that good a kisser, but the simple overpowering emotional outpouring compensated for any lack of skill. Shampoo could almost feel how much the girl needed this kiss as it reflected her own wants and desires for Ranma. Emotionally drained finally, Akane let her arms fall to her side and her lips detached from Shampoo's with a wet sounding pop. She glanced around her, barely registering the shocked looks on her classmates faces. Kuno had somehow caught wind of what was happening and from the stunned expression on his face, he had seen the whole thing. But Akane wasn't worried about the kendoist. Her eyes only searched for the one person that mattered. Ranma. Shampoo recovered from the kiss. Once she had gotten her bearings, the full impact of what she had done crossed her mind. *I've cheated on you, Ranma, and have taken another. And I did it willingly!* Akane's head turned as a purple blur ran screaming out of the classroom. She turned her head as she felt a hand at her shoulder. "Ranma...." "Akane, it's okay. I guess I'm my fault again, huh? I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble." Ranma's trained senses had caught Akane's whisper of her name as the girl kissed Shampoo. Akane didn't care who looked at her as she wrapped her arms around Ranma. "No, it's not. I've been the one pushing you away when what I really wanted was to pull you in. Go, Ranma. She needs you right now more than I do. Tell her I'm sorry for what I did. I mean it." * * * * * Ranma grumbled as he took off his shirt and wrung out the excess water. How many ramen delivery boys could he run into in a week? That was the third time already and the tenth since he had gotten to Nerima. He smiled as he finally found Shampoo a short distance away. It wasn't that hard to find the amazon as she had left a trail of destruction three blocks long. "Shampoo! There you are. We were worried all about you." Shampoo turned her head, her eyes still blurred with unshed tears. She could make out the sound of a male. Good. She needed someone to beat up on. "Shampoo, what are you doing? It's me, Ran...." Ranma dodged the punch that was sent his way. He then sidestepped a lunging Shampoo. The girl was too unfocussed to cause him any damage, but she could hurt herself. Shampoo gasped as her hands were suddenly held in place. The guy was strong. She struggled against his hands. Bringing up a knee, she tried to aim for the weakness that was inherent in all males. She was surprised as he dodged again and she found her feet suddenly swept from underneath her. He had her pinned and he had won. *A male outsider. No!* Ranma felt his heart break as he looked at the water running down from Shampoo's face. *Am I hurting her?* He let go of her arms gently, keeping an eye for any sudden movement. "Shampoo lose. Wode airen, wo ai... wo ai... no, Shampoo no can say. Shampoo sorry," she apologized to the boy and tried to get up again. He was not bad looking as far as men went and if she had found him a few days earlier, she may have fallen for him. However, her heart belonged to Ranma. Somehow, the girl had stolen it from the moment she entered Shampoo's life. Was it her first kiss? Or was it those nights she spent under the stars dreaming of reuniting with Ranma and living happily every after? Or maybe the thrill she had when they made contact as if they were meant to be together? Ranma finally figured it out. The amazon laws. She doesn't know about Jusenkyo. "Wait, Shampoo!" "What?" Shampoo asked bitterly. *Is this male going to push his luck? What do I do if he does? Do I go against everything I've been taught to be with Ranma?* "I'm Ranma." Shampoo blinked. She looked up and got a better look at him. He was wearing the same clothes Ranma was wearing. The long hair he sported was the wrong color but of the same length. The features of his face resembled that of her wife also. The eyes were both the main difference and the main similarities. They were a different shade of blue, but no other eyes had ever made her feel so complete when she stood beneath their gaze. "How possible?" Ranma decided the fastest way to prove it was the doggy dish filled with water off to one side. *Eww!* Shampoo blinked as the man before her suddenly changed into the girl that had occupied her dreams for so long. "Ranma!" Ranma did her best to cushion their fall was Shampoo tackled her. She stroked the girl's hair softly as the amazon let out the flood gates of tears that had been building up for some time now. "Shampoo."
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