Shampoo's amusement was immediately gone, replaced by pure,
white hot pain that had been piling up ever since she settled
down in Nerima. . . a place where a frightfully large number of
locals treated her and many other Chinese immigrants like some
kind of unwanted disease that had invaded the body of their
nation.  There were case after case of primal fear and
unreasonable hatred that was directed against her kind.

     Against her.   

     Many a morning she would find hate-filled messages sprayed
onto the exterior wall of the restarant, telling her family to go
home in the rudiest way possible.  Once her great-grandmother had
even caught one of those racist pigs and delivered him to the
police station.

     The offender only got fined for a thousand yens. 

     In her everyday waitressing, boys had made advances towards
her, and girls had scorned her for making their boyfriends turn
their eyes.   They always kept their contempt under sunny, close
eyed smiles though, not that Shampoo couldn't see through them
with her feline instincts.  Had it not been for a skilled,
handsome, unique pigtailed boy that was entirely free of all
prejudice, Shampoo would have left this hostile place long ago.

     She could clearly heard those words once as she left the
Tendo dojo after paying a visit to her Airen. 

     "My boy will not marry that Amazonian hussy!'

     "Crazy girl. . . don't even know how to use the door without
breaking it."

     "Hmph!  Chinese bimbo. . ."

     "I'll bet every yen that I have that her "bimboness" has
something to do with her backward upbringing in mainland China .
. ."

     "Oh, my . . ."

     This cruel conversation went on and on as she stepped
further and further away, unable to do anything without upsetting
her airen, until -

     "Stop talking about Shampoo like that!"  The boylish voice
cut off the conversation in a frustrated tone.  "She's not a
bimbo!  She just . . . does things differently than us, that's
all."     

     Outside, Shampoo stopped.     

     "What?!"  
     
     "Ranma-kun . . ."  

     "My, how absolutely protective of your cute Airen . . ."  

     "You jerk!! I knew you had something going on with that
slutty airhead!"  

     The boylish voice protested.  "I was only saying . . ."

     "SHUT UP!!!!"  A shrewd shout cut him off.  CLING!!  CLANG!!
CRASH!!!  Various sounds ranging from bones being cracked to the
skull being smashed could be heard.

     "Oh, my!"    
     
     Tears sprang down Shampoo's face as she leapt up onto a roof
and ran into the night.  Whatever guilt that she might have felt
for trying to get Ranma for herself through Chinese love potions
vanished at that instant, replaced by the necessity to have him
as her own AT ALL COST.  Otherwise, not only that all her and her
grandmother's past sacrifices would have turned into ashes, but
also that the only one willing to defend her in this foreign land
would have to endure this hell for eternity.   

     Right now, she fiercely locked Kodachi's eyes with her own.

     "You insult mean nothing to Shampoo.  Shampoo proud be
Chinese and Amazon.  Shampoo stay for Airen no matter what, and
psycho girl or any other no can change that!!"
     
     Kodachi was slightly taken by how Shampoo could successfully
deflect her insult with her level of Japenese.  It was then that
she caught sight of the pillar of light shooting dramatically
toward the sky.  After seveal seconds, the light seemed to be
caught by gravity, and slammed down to the ground in a blast.

     "Aiya!  That Furinkan High direction!"  Shampoo said, her
anger forgotten at the moment.
               
     Kodachi gasped.  "The Shishi Houkoudan. . . it's that beast
Hibiki!  That incompetent fool!  He's probably trying to hurt
dear Ranma-sama again!  Why I ought to. . ."

     By then, the Chinese girl was already leaping towards
Furinkan High in full speed.  Not wanting Shampoo to take the
glory of saving HER love, Kodachi stopped her babbling and
followed.

*         *         *         *         *         *         *

     <How dare he?  HOW DARE HE?!?!?!?!>

     POW!!!
     
     <How dare he attack me like this. . .when. . . WHEN I WAS
ACTUALLY LOWERING MY PRIDE LIKE THAT?!>

     Ryoka's fist missed his head by inches. 
     
     <All those times that I've tolerated his crazy challenges. .
.>

     "BAKUSAI TENKETSU!!!!"  The pigboy attempted to blast him
with rocks.  Ryoga was going all out against him in his attempt
to drown out their past. 

     <. . . WASTED!!!!!!!>

     Ranma, in his blind rage, didn't even attempt to dodge the
falling rocks.  Instead, he simply let the rocks hit him as he
darted foward to close in on Ryoga.  

     "Kechuu Tenshin Amaguriken!!!!!!"  Hundreds of strikes
landed on Ryoga's face, making the bigger boy stagger backwards. 
Ryoga striked out blindly at him with his iron fist, which he
dodged.  Narrowing his eyes and cooling down his body, Ranma
began to lead the now hysterical Ryoga into a circular path of
hot fighting aura.  It doesn't matter that Ryoga will probably be
crippled for life after this, it will probably serve him right! 
In a circular path, he lead the chi-emitting manaic closer and
closer to a certain centre. . .

     "RANMA NO BAKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  A furious battled cry
reached Ranma's ear.  Out of a corner of his eyes, he saw Akane
racing toward him with promise of physical pain written all over
her aura-covered features.  His already cold body freezed even
more as a manaical laughter also reached his ears. 
"OHOHOHOHOH!!!!!  I'll save you from the tomboy, Ranma-sama!"
Yet another voice cried out to him in alarm.  "Ran-chan!  Don't
do it!   You'll kill him!!"  Finally, a loud cry of "Pig-boy no
hurt Airen!" could be heard through the chaos.  

     Normally, Ranma would have stopped his attempt at throwing
the mother of all Hiryu Shoten Ha(s) with all these new additions
to the danger zone.  But right now, his glacial rage is telling
him to crush Ryoga at all cost.  His cold body continued to drag
everybody closer and closer to the centre of the circular path.

     Everything was in a frenzy in the path of motion: with Akane
releasing a hail of vicious punches at Kodachi, with Kodachi
countering with twenty or more clubs, with Ukyou rushing forward
to stop Ranma, and finally, with Shampoo aiming a bonbori at
Ryoga.  Ranma, his mind beginning to detach from his body,
finally reached the centre point of the circular movement of hot
chi.  <I always knew. . . all this. . . would end. . . with a
bang instead of a whimper. . .>   Ranma thought distantly as his
fist shot up at the sky.  
       
     And the world went black around him. 
      

*         *         *         *         *         *         *  

     In the realm of twilight.
     
     Twisting like a wounded serpent, the boy began moaning in a
strangled voice.  The clawed hands digging into his face, the
manaical eyes boring into his soul, the evil voice tearing at his
ears with gross, debasing words like. . .   

     "Son-in-law!  Son-in-law!"  

     Huh?

     His eyes came into focus as he saw the aged face looming
over him.

     "Yaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!  Old Ghoul!!!!!!!"  Ranma yelped.

     PONG!!!!!

     "Thank heavens that he has come out of it!"  Cologne said
with relief . . . after flattening Ranma's face with her staff. 
The girls in the backroom of Nekohanten all gave a sigh of
relief.  Ryoga, being laid on a chair, was still unconcious.   A
bespectacled duck was lurking behind Shampoo.          

     Supporting his forehead with a hand, he slowly sat up. 
Looking around, everyone but the ancient Amazon and Mousse-duck
was more or less wounded.  "What happened?"

     "You almost killed us all with a super-charged Hiryu Shoten
Ha!"  Akane scowled at him.

     "If Hiba-chan no came and interfered at last minute to
cancel whirlwind's power, we all goners."  Shampoo said a little
sternly, then smiled and leapt toward Ranma.  "But no worry,
Shampoo forgive you!"

     She ended up slamming face first into a giant spatula.  "At
least have the common sense to wait until he has recovered before
you give him your bear hug!"  Ukyou scolded as Kodachi giggled at
the Chinese girl's minor "defeat".
               
     Ranma fell back down on the low cupboard supporting him, his
weary eyes staring past the four girls in his life.  None of them
had came to him by his choice.  All of them had been shoved into
his face either by his father, or by fate.  The worst was that
all of them held him responsible for their feelings toward him.   

     "Mind if I stay alone in here for a bit?"  He asked.  "I
think I would like a nap. . ."

     Cologne frowned.  Her son-in-law, admitted to feeling
vulnerable?  Definitely usual . . .

     "Aiya!  How about Shampoo stay with Airen here. . . alone. .
."  Shampoo purred temptingly, leaning close to Ranma.  Mind you,
she didn't consider herself as being cheap or anything.  After
all, with regards to romance, she believed that there's nothing
like the direct approach.  Besides, Ranma is the ONLY one that
she could seduce with such vigor.  

     And Ranma knew it.  Shampoo's wooing, despite how it looked,
was a sincere offer.   That's why he could never bring himself to
refuse her.  Growing up on the harsh roads, he could never quite
push away anyone who took the effort to please him, much least a
girl.  So he simply didn't react.

     Cologne's eyes widened.  Maybe Ranma actually liked Shampoo
more than he would let on, if he was really staying with that
lame excuse just to have some private time with her.  A smile
formed on her face.

     "The pervert said he wanted to be ALONE!"  Akane growled
shrewdly from behind the Chinese girl, angered by Ranma's
passiveness in these situations.  "Or is your Japanese so bad
that you didn't understand him?"

     Shampoo looked sideways over her shoulder at the Japanese
girl.  "Shampoo no see tomboy any good in Chinese either. 
Beside, is duty of wife care for hushand instead of babble
insult."

     Akane gritted her teeth.  Damn it!  Nekohanten was a place
in which each passing minute might allow either Shampoo or
Cologne or BOTH to somehow mind-control Ranma with potions or
pressure-point strikes or cursed jewelry or whatever Amazonian
techniques that they knew about.  And the baka was PURPOSELY
staying here!  Was he just stupid or did he really want to be
enchanted by that over-endowed bimbo?   

     "Hmph!  What do I care?  You two deserve each other anyhow!" 
With that, Akane stormed off, reminding herself to beat up Ranma
once he got back to the dojo.  But before that, she needed to go
pay a visit to Doctor Tofu to borrow some ancient scrolls
regarding the counter to EVERY Chinese bewitchment there was,
especially the Amazonian ones.  

     Kodachi narrowed her eyes dangerously at Shampoo.  How dare
that lowly waitress fawn over HER property like that?  Yet the
high and mighty gymnast knew that she couldn't possibily take the
direct approach with the better martial artist, especially with
the injuries she got from earlier.  

     "Guess the Black Rose should depart as well. . ."  Kodachi
looked sultrily at Ranma as she took out a black rose and tossed
it to the object of her desire . . . who backed away, fearing the
potential of paralysis powder in the flower.  Kodachi's sultry
smile immediately dimmed into a sad look as she bit down on her
lower lip.  In protecting herself from the heartless world, she
had grown so many layers of deadly thorns that even her love
wouldn't touch her anymore.   

     Ranma saw the sadness in her eyes and looked uneasy, for it
was in rare moments like this that he would once again saw the
vulnerable, love-sick girl that had so openly proclaimed her love
to him on the Tendo roof.  That was before the paralysis drugs,
before he knew of the ruthlessness that she possessed.  Gingerly,
he picked up the rose, and looked back at her.   

     Kodachi's smile returned, slightly bitter-sweet, as she saw
how Ranma had struggled to overcome his distrust with her.  "One
day, Ranma-sama, I shall save you from all these lowly peasants,
and you shall know where you heart lies."  Her smile turned icy
as she shot an arrogant look at Shampoo, and left with a toss of
her high ponytail.  

     Shampoo hmphed at the direction of the retreating Black
Rose, then turned to stare at the remaining girl as if expecting
her to make a challenge of somekind.  Ukyou was visibily tensed,
but then she forced herself to relax as she remembered the
wedding incident.  "In the past I would have fought over him with
you and made another mess, but not today.  I've learned my lesson
already. . ."  She thought back to her involment in the wedding
bombing that had almost trashed her reputation and angered
Ran-chan.  "I just hope you will eventually learn yours.  Beside,
Cologne HAD just saved all of us. . ."  With that she stroded
into the restaurant area.

     <Hmm. . . after all those times that I've saved those
children, finally ONE of them had the decency to be thankful.>
Cologne thought to herself.  Then she grabbed the now fumming
bespectacled duck by its neck and went out to leave her
great-granddaughter with her chosen husband.  "C'mon, boy.  You
have some serious cleaning to do around here!"     
     
     Shampoo turned back to Ranma, happy in her easy victory. 
"Now we two alone!"  She hugged her Airen tight with a look of
pure satisfaction on her face.

     Ranma sighed.  He really hate to do this, but he had to. 
"Shampoo, I . . . err . . . I really DO need to be alone."

     Shampoo pouted in the cutest way that she thought was
possible.  "You no want Shampoo?"

     "I REALLY need a nap right now, and you are distracting. .
."

     "Shampoo be good girl, stay quiet-"

     "Shampoo. . ."  Ranma repeated, more firmly this time.  And
Shampoo looked downcast.  How could he possibily resist her like
this?  It's just not rational!  "Shampoo wait outside."  She
dejectly went for the door.

     "Wait!"
     
     Shampoo turned back hopefully.  "Yes, Airen?"

     "It's nothing personal, really."  Ranma stressed every word
that he said with sincerity.

     "Shampoo know."  The Chinese girl smiled.  "She be patient."

     With that she left the room also.

     Ranma patiently waited until the door was closed.  Finally,
he was alone.  He turned to the unconcious Ryoga, who was
groaning on the chair.  Looking at his comatose form, a thousand
feelings were roaming in his mind.  Ranma was once so sure about
his hold on the lost boy that he could never even dreamed that
Ryoga would seriously turn against him.  He had even believed
that all their fights through the year were merely heated
sparrings.

     But today he proved him wrong, didn't he?

     After gathering his inner strength for a LONG time, Ranma
walked over to Ryoga, yanked him up by his collar, and stared at
his face with his dark eyes.   Feeling the tugging at his shirt,
Ryoga slowly opened his eyes, and found Ranma's directly in front
of his.

     He looked at the bits of light, fresh scars on Ranma's face:
all of which the result of his Bakusai Tenketsu attack.  He had
expected this face to be full of fury and anger.  Instead, it was
perfectly neutral.  They stared at each other like this in
complete silence for what seemed like an impossibly long time.  
     
     Ranma finally spoke up in an even voice. "Thanks, Ryoga, for
showing me how wrong I was about you. . . about us."  With that,
he losened his hold on Ryoga and strode out, back to the new life
that he had fought so hard to keep.  
          
     Ryoga stared at the door closing behind Ranma.  He had
finally managed to wipe out his past, along with their shaky
friendship.  Collapsing back onto the chair, he cried like he
would never dare to do in front of anyone.

*         *         *         *         *         *         *