Here's part 4.  I for got to mention that this story takes places right
after volumn 38 in the manga.  Ideas are drawn from both the anime and the
manga.

Disclaimer:  All characters portrayed are the property of Rumiko Takahashi
and co.  Please don't sue me.

Ranma and Shampoo

by

Donny Cheng

Part 4

	 Ranma slowly looked at his room for the last time.  He had lived
in this dojo for over a year now.  It had been the only place he had ever
stayed for this long since he left his mother at age five.  He couldn't
help but feel sad at leaving the only place he had ever called home.
Footsteps could be heard outside his door.  It was Akane.  It was amazing
someone so klumsy and loud could be so good at martial arts.  Without
turning towards her, he asked, "What is it Akane?"  He did not want her to
see his face barely holding back tears.

	  Akane shuffled her feet.  It had been a bad day.  Auntie Saotome
had told each of Ranma's fiancees that she was going to break all of their
engagements.  This did not sit well with the girls.  But Auntie Saotome
would not budge.  She said that as Ranma's mother she had the right, since
she had not been consulted on any of the engagements.  She did not want
Ranma to be forced into marriage.  If anyone wanted to marry him, they
would have to court him.   Akane and the girls just stared incredulously
at her.  A girl court a boy?!  She then announced every girl will get a
fair chance, as she and her family will move out of the Tendo dojo.  After
that statement, Akane just sank to her knees in despair as her father 
cried and went on and on about the union of Anything Goes.  Looking at
Ranma now, Akane felt she should say something, anything, to get him to
stay.

	"Whatcha want Akane," Ranma asked again.  He had cleared his eyes
and now looked at her.  Seeing her not responding, Ranma decided to take
to first step.  "Look, it's not like we won't be seeing each other again.
I'll see you everyday at school."

	"Yeah.  I guess I'll see you there."  There was another long
silence after that.

	"Well, I guess I'll be seeing ya."  With that, Ranma left Akane to
stand alone in the room.

	Idiot.  Idiotic jerk, she thought to herself.  She didn't know if
she was saying that to Ranma or to herself.

			* * * * *

	Ukyo sat alone in her restaurant thinking.  She looked out of her
window to see Ranma and his family going towards their new home.  She felt
her world crashing before her.  The only thing that held her here was her
engagement to Ranma.  With that gone, she felt her tie with Ranma break.
Now she had to start all over from the beginning with him.  Her brain 
wouldn't let her think what would happen if he rejected her.

			* * * * *

	Shampoo didn't know what to feel.  She knew nobody had ever payed
any thought to her engagement to Ranma.  They didn't think she had a
legitimate claim to him.  But now she didn't even have that to rely on.
However, with all the fiancees being disbanded, Shampoo felt she now had a
chance.  Everyone had to start over from the beginning.  Life was
essentially a clean slate now.

			* * * * *

	Ranma and his father woke up for their usual sparring session.
The backyard was much like the one at the Tendo dojo.  It even had a koi
pond, which Genma promptly found out as he was dumped into it.  He
grumbled at his son as Ranma dodged out of the way of the pail of water.
Inwardly, he was happy.  Ranma had improved so much since his fight with
Shampoo.  Even with his intimate knowledge of Ranma's fighting skills, he
found it hard to keep up with him.  Ranma was also a little bit more
humble now.  Usually by now, Ranma would tease him about his sloppy form.
Now, all he got was that inane grin of his.  He felt it wouldn't be long
before Ranma took on the mantle as the Anything Goes School master.  His
thoughts soured as he thought of the union between the two schools of
Anything Goes.  Though he was silently glad Nodoka had helped him clean up
his mess, he couldn't help but feel she had also doomed the union.
Sighing he got up and got ready to get his job back from Dr. Tofu.

			* * * * *

	Nodoka watched outside as Ranma met up the Tendo sisters for
school.  Shampoo and Ukyo had come at that moment and immediately began
vying for Ranma.  Akane then punted Ranma, which the other two girls took
exception to.  They all started to circle each other before Nabiki pulled
Akane away.  Nabiki, Akane, and Ukyo then walked towards school.  Nokoka
was surprised as she saw Shampoo look at them go with an expression of
longing.  That's right, Shampoo doesn't go to school, she thought to
herself.  The poor girl must be so lonely with noone to be with all day.
No wonder she's always so happy to see Ranma.  Outside of Mousse, he must
be the only one she can call friend in Nerima.  She was going to put a
stop to that.  She walked to Neko-haten to talk to Cologne.

			* * * * *

	"So, you see Cologne, I think Shampoo should go to school.  If you
want her to be your successor, don't you want an educated successor.  I
can help you at the restaurant while she is gone during the day, as I have
nothing better to do."

	Cologne thought of this new development.  This was one way of
getting Ranma and Shampoo closer together.  She hadn't enrolled Shampoo
before because she didn't think Shampoo was very much interested in
school.  But if Nodoka was right about Shampoo being lonely, Shampoo shall
go to school.  Though she was sometimes hard on Shampoo, she really did
care for her.  She wanted what was best for her great-granddaughter.  She
gave Nodoka a genuine smile, "Yes, I think that is a good idea.  Tomorrow,
Shampoo will start going to school."

			* * * * *

	Shampoo looked towards her possible future mother-in-law in
apprehension.  Nodoka had dragged Shampoo along to go shopping for school
clothes.  "Auntie Saotome, why can't I just go to school wearing what I
usually wear.  Ranma and Ukyo do."

	"Shampoo-chan, what you usually wear isn't decent to begin with.
While your amazon clothing might be good in a fight, they aren't very good
at concealing your assets.  I know Ranma is too dense to notice your body
sometimes, but the other boys at school aren't.  Girls don't make friends
very well if they think you're trying to steal their boyfriends."

	So Shampoo suffered under the hands of Nodoka as she was forced to
try on various clothes.  Dispite her glum dismeanor, Shampoo couldn't help
but feel happy with someone to fuss over her.

			* * * * *

	The next day was a surprise for Ranma.  His mother told him that
he would be taking a new student to school.  His jaw nearly became
dislocated as he stared open mouthed at the girl in a school uniform
hanging onto his arm.  "Shampoo, is that you?"  He almost couldn't
recognise her without her wearing skin tight clothing.  She now looked
decent, even cute, instead of her normal sexy look.

	Nodoka caughed.  "Shampoo, what did I say about the way a decent
girl acts."  She smiled as, Shampoo reluctantly let go of Ranma's arm.

	Ranma stared again.  What did his mother do to Shampoo?  How did
she turn Shampoo in to this demure creature.  As he and Shampoo rounded
the corner of the block, Shampoo immediately glomped on to him again.  So,
it was all an act to please mother, he thought to himself.  Ranma was
relieved, though a part of him was disappointed, he liked the cute Shampoo
image much better.  His mood dropped as he thought of how Akane and Ukyo
would react to this.

	Ranma got his answer as the Tendo sisters and Ukyo stared at
Shampoo and him.  They must really be surprised as they forgot to hit
him.  He thought too soon as his other two suiters recovered and punted
him in to LEO.

			* * * * *

	Akane couldn't help but be jealous as she looked at Shampoo.
Somehow the girl had gotten even cuter.  She sighed as she saw Ranma
disappearing in to the distance.  She wanted to be like Shampoo and Ukyo
and glomp on to Ranma, never letting go, whenever she saw him.  Her pride
wouldn't let her.  Looking at Shampoo again, Akane thought, to hell with
dignity.  If Shampoo, an amazon, can put aside her pride to chase after
Ranma, she can too, Akane thought to herself.  She smiled as she thought
of the surprise Ranma would have.

			* * * * *

	When they got to school, Miss Hinako had told her and Ukyo to show
Shampoo around, since they seemed to be her friends.  True to form, every
guy in the school began to hit on her.  But when she didn't show any
interest in them and was able to pound that fact in to them, they quickly
gave her space.  After that the other girls in class slowly approached her
and Shampoo started to make some friends.  Shampoo was happier than she
had ever been for a long time.

	The next class was gym class.  They were to play soccer today.
Shampoo, Akane, and Ukyo were all in the same team.  They had an unspoken
agreement to tone down a little bit on their skills as they were so much
better than the other girls.  Shampoo was exhilirated.  Never had she ever
had so much fun.  She smiled at Akane and Ukyo as she scored to a goal
from a their two-way pass to her.  They both smiled back.  The girls
quickly caught themselves and glared at each other, or at least tried to.
Shampoo lost her glare as she laughed.  The expressions on their faces
were just too funny.  Akane and Ukyo both joined in.

			* * * * *

	Ranma, as usual, sat with Daisuke and Hiroshi as they watched the
girls playing.  Every once and a while Ranma's two friends would whistle
at them.  They both stared in awe as Shampoo scored a goal.  "Boy that
Shampoo is such a babe," Daisuke said breathlessly.

	"So Ranma, have you <bleeped> with her yet," Hiroshi said as he
nudged Ranma.  "I mean you must have <bleeped> with Akane and Ukyo
already.  I heard Ukyo has been with you for awhile.  I bet you've
<bleeped> them all at once."

	"What with Shampoo?  Are you crazy?  She's just a friend.  I don't
even see her in that way..."  Ranma stopped as he saw his friends were
ignoring him.  They were staring at Shampoo who just jumped to headbutt 
the ball.  <insert gratuitous belly button shot>

	Unfortunately, Akane happened to see Ranma staring.  The soccer
ball was immmediately imbedded in to Ranma's face.

			* * * * *

	Since they lived so close to each other, Shampoo brought Ranma to 
see Dr. Tofu and then home. Ranma was trying hard not to notice how close
his arm was to a certain part of Shampoo's anatomy as he leaned on Shampoo
for support.  He forced his mind to think of other things.  He thought
about Shampoo in the class room surrounded by girls.  He blushed as he
remembered hearing his name mentioned a few times followed by giggles.
He can't remember a girlish giggle ever coming from Shampoo.  She looked
cute when she was smiling and not glomping on to him all the time.  He
quickly looked all around him, scared of his thoughts being heard and
Akane pounding him.  As Ranma's luck would have it Shampoo also turned her
head towards him at that moment.  Their lips met.


			* * * * *

to be continued...

C&C welcomed.  Flames not.