I wrote this story in July during our one-hour story challenge in FFIRC.
It needed a LOT of work, and I thank everyone I pestered to read all the
various revisions, especially my partner David Lindquist (Fido), Gary
Kleppe, D.F. Roeder, and Andrew Norris (MageOhki)


Breaking Free--Shampoo's Story
A Side Story to Breaking Free
By June "KaraOhki" Geraci (karaohki@snet.net)
July 29, 2001

Ranma 1/2 and its characters were created by Rumiko
Takahashi, and belong to her.  I'm borrowing them.
This story was written for non-commercial purposes
only.

This story is part of the "Breaking Free" universe,
and picks up right after Shampoo learns of Ranma
and Akane's elopement.  She attacks Akane, who
successfully defends herself.

The original tale is in the RAAC archives, and at
http://karaohki.anifics.com


---------------

"Then you die."

The words came easily to Shampoo.  She'd given
Akane the kiss of death long ago, and never
followed through with it.  Now Akane had stolen her
husband.  When Akane succeeded in not only
defending herself but also breaking Shampoo's arm,
the only conclusion she could come to was that
Ranma had been training her.  That meant that
killing her was going to be a little more
difficult, but it was still a necessity.

Then she saw Ranma's face.  He led Akane away, and
the look in his eyes sent Shampoo a message she
couldn't ignore.  "Try it again, and I'll kill
you."  Shampoo sank to her knees as she watched
Ranma walk away.  The combination of pain and a
broken heart overwhelmed her, and she fought to
remain conscious.

"...get you to a doctor..."  "Shampoo?"

The voices were familiar, but they seemed so far
away, and she was so cold.  Then a pair of arms
lifted her up and Shampoo could see Ranma's face.
He looked very worried.  He began running, and the
pain from every step went through Shampoo's entire
body.  She passed out before they could get to Dr.
Tofu's office.

Shampoo didn't understand much of what happened
once Ranma carried her into Dr. Tofu's office.
There was a lot of shouting, and the words seemed
to be coming from her.  After all, no one else
there would know the Chinese curses that filled the
air.  Then there was a snapping sound, and the pain
in her arm lessened.  She was able to focus, and
saw the face of Dr. Tofu over her.

"I've set the arm.  Let me splint it."

Two pairs of hands on either side of her were
holding her down, and when she looked one pair of
hands belonged to Ranma, and the other to his wife.

"NO TOUCH ME!"  The glare that followed her words
evidently worked, because the pair backed out of
the room very quickly.  Shampoo sat quietly as Tofu
finished splinting her arm, wondering how long it
would take her to heal so that she could finish her
job.  Then she found her resolve wavering.

If she killed Akane, Ranma would kill her.  What
would that accomplish?  Nothing.

If she didn't kill Akane and went home without
Ranma, her sisters would scorn her.  Did she
deserve that?  Perhaps.

In the midst of her thoughts, Cologne and Mousse
rushed in.  Shampoo refused to speak to them, and
Dr. Tofu was too busy working to do any more than
assure them that Shampoo would recover.  Cologne
left the room to speak to Ranma and came back
looking older, and very tired.

"We have lost, child.  There is nothing more to be
gained here in Japan.  It is time to go home."

*****

"Please eat your breakfast, Shampoo."

"I don't want it."

Mousse looked at Shampoo with concern and sympathy,
but Shampoo refused to acknowledge it.  She was in
pain, she was seasick, and she was heartbroken.
Why bother with food?  She turned over and stared
at the wall until the sound of footsteps told her
that Mousse had left the cabin.

A few minutes later a different set of footsteps
announced Cologne's entrance.  Shampoo continued to
stare at the wall.

"Shampoo, please eat something.  You're getting too
thin!"

Shampoo turned over and glared at Cologne.  "Why?
So you can bring me home to be disgraced?  Go
away!"

Cologne sighed and sat down on the edge of the
bunk.  "That's not why I'm going home, dear.  I'm
tired, you see.  I want to see the faces of my
family and my friends.  It's been too long."

"Then why did you bring me with you!  I could have
stayed in Nerima!"

"And done what?  Watch the man you love with
another woman?  Haven't you tortured yourself
enough?"  Cologne picked up the tray and placed it
in Shampoo's lap.  "Eat.  I've had enough of this
nonsense.  Are you a warrior or a whiner?"

She smiled when Shampoo scowled at her and began to
eat.  Shampoo noticed the smile, but didn't respond
in kind.  When she picked up her teacup and sipped
she tasted more than tea.  Her great-grandmother
had added herbs that would ease her pain, and help
her to sleep.  She drank all of it and put the cup
back on the tray.  "That's all I can handle right
now, Great-Grandmother.  Thank you."

*****

The streets of the village were crowded when
Shampoo, Cologne and Mousse returned, but no one
greeted them.  Instead, many curious eyes stared at
them at as they walked to Cologne's home and opened
the door.  Cologne entered first, followed by
Shampoo.  When Mousse tried to follow she started
to close the door in his face, but stopped halfway.

"Mousse, please go to your own home."

"But Shampoo--"

"No.  I will not permit you to do this any longer.
Go home to your family."  As she finished speaking
Shampoo closed the door.  Then she went to bed.

Within an hour there was a knock on her bedroom
door.  "Shampoo," Cologne said, "the Elders are
here to see you".

"I'll be right out."

Shampoo attempted to make herself presentable for
the Elders, but in her eyes the efforts she made
were futile.  Her dress was wrinkled, her hair
wasn't neat enough, and there were circles under
her eyes. Shampoo summoned her pride, held her head
high and left the bedroom.

"Welcome home, Shampoo.  Where is your husband?"

"I have no husband."

The older women looked at one another.  "Is he
dead?"

"No, he lives."  Shampoo decided telling the truth
immediately was easier than undergoing this
question-by-question torture.  "He lives, and he is
married to the woman he was promised to."

"And why is it that you did not kill this woman, or
him, or both?"

"What good would that do?  You know who he is, and
what he can do, and what he HAS done!  You would
cut short the life of a great warrior?  Why?  For
our tradition?  Such waste should be condemned, not
encouraged!"  Shampoo turned around and went back
into the bedroom.

*****

>From that day on Shampoo was shunned.  No one in
the village would speak to her.  She stayed in the
house at first, but soon grew tired of it and went
out into the yard behind the house.  It was
overgrown with weeds, and she resolved to clean it
up even if she had to do it with one hand.  Shampoo
went back inside, got a bag for the weeds and a
tool for digging, and started to work.  She was
halfway around the edge of the garden wall when she
came across something that had been long forgotten,
and the memories it brought back to her caused her
to flee into her bedroom, weeping.

"Oh mother...if only you were here now."

But hiding in her bedroom was not what Shampoo
wanted, and she dried her tears and tried again.
Instead of avoiding what had upset her so much, she
faced it.

The kiln was almost completely obscured by weeds,
and evidently hadn't been touched since Shampoo's
mother died.  She caressed it with her good hand
and began to clear the area around it.  Then she
began to clean the kiln itself.  By the time
Shampoo was finished she was too tired to continue
with the yard, and resolved to finish the next day.
She failed to notice Cologne watching her through
the window.

*****

"It's done," Shampoo murmured, rubbing her broken
arm.  The work she needed to do involved two hands,
and although the splint hampered her, the yard was
now in order and her mother's kiln stood proudly in
one corner, clean and ready to be used again.
She'd checked the shed where her mother kept her
glazes and colors, and most of them were dried up
and worthless.  She did discover a couple of jars
that had never been opened, and amazingly the
contents were still usable.  All that was needed
was the raw material, and Shampoo knew where to get
it.  She lined a basket with a piece of linen,
picked up a finely woven silk sack, and headed off
to the edge of town.

The birds were singing, the air was fresh, and the
river flowed between its banks.  Everything was
exactly the same as the last time Shampoo had been
there, with one exception.  The last time she had
been there her mother had been with her, and they
had gathered the clay together.  She filled the
sack with sand from the riverbank, and pulled out a
trowel to dig up the clay.  Shampoo found it a
struggle to do it with one hand, and although she
succeeded in her mission, she got terribly dirty.
The only thing that would remedy that would be a
bath, and Shampoo picked up her basket and headed
back the way she had come.  Her steps led her past
a house at the edge of Joketsuzoku.

"Shampoo!  Hello!"

The sound of a friendly voice caused Shampoo to
spin around in wonder.  Then she saw a familiar
smile on a familiar face.  "Cheng Lao!  Is that
you?"

The man's smile got wider.  "Of course it's me!
How are you?"  Then he looked concerned, because
Shampoo began to cry.  The next thing she knew she
was seated at his kitchen table and he was making
her tea.

"I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have asked.  I keep to
myself a lot, but even I heard the stories.  Are
you going to be okay?"

Shampoo wiped her eyes.  "I don't know.  None of my
friends will talk to me."  Then she looked down at
herself.  "I'm going to get your kitchen all
dirty."

"Who cares about dirt?  I'll clean it up later.
And what about me?  Aren't I your friend?"

That got a smile from her.  "Yes.  Yes, you are."

Cheng Lao smiled back.  "And we sure got dirty a
lot when we were kids, didn't we?"  He gestured at
Shampoo's basket.  "What are you going to make?"

"I'm not sure.  Whatever I can manage with one
hand, I guess.  I don't even know if I remember
how."

"You'll remember."

Cheng Lao's optimistic attitude was catching, and
Shampoo found herself agreeing with him.

"Why are you talking to me?  No one else will."

A familiar grin accompanied the answer.  "When did
I ever care what those old women thought?  After
all these years, they've given up trying to get me
to conform."

Shampoo couldn't help but smile as she remembered
all the lumps Cheng Lao had taken when he was a
boy.  Rebellion seemed to be something that came
naturally to him.

They finished their tea and continued chatting for
a long time.  Then Shampoo excused herself.

"I must go home.  Great-Grandmother is probably
looking for me, and I need to get cleaned up."

"I'll walk you."  Over Shampoo's protests, Cheng
Lao picked up her basket and sack and led the way.
Neither of them noticed Mousse shadowing them.

*****

When Shampoo entered the house Cologne took one
look at her and began to laugh.  Shampoo found
herself getting rather irritated.

"I know I'm dirty, Great-Grandmother, but is it
that funny?"

"Look in the mirror and tell me."

Shampoo glanced at herself in the hall mirror and
turned bright red.  She had a streak of mud across
her nose.  It must have been there the entire time
she was at Cheng Lao's house, and he'd never
mentioned it.  She didn't know whether to be
furious at him or to start laughing herself.

"I suppose I need a bath."

"You certainly do."  Cologne took the clay and sand
from Shampoo.  "Do you want these out in the shed?"

"Please."

*****

The next day Shampoo unlocked the shed and began to
experiment with the clay.  Her mother had taught
her how to mix it with water and sand when she was
a little girl, but she wasn't sure if she had the
proportions right.

"What are you doing?"

Shampoo jumped.  She had been concentrating so hard
that she hadn't heard Mousse approach.

"What does it look like?  I'm making a bowl!"

"Why?"

"Because I want to.  Mother taught me a long time
ago, and I'm out of practice.  She always said I
had the potential to make beautiful things, and I
don't know if I can be as good as she was, but I
want to try."

Mousse looked like he was trying to figure out what
to say when a voice from outside made both of them
turn to the open door of the shed.

"Mousse, what are you doing here?  I gave you
errands to run, and I don't expect to find you
wasting time talking to Shampoo.  You wasted enough
time when you followed her to Japan!"

"Yes, Grandmother."

"And don't 'yes' me, either!  Get moving!"

Shampoo couldn't help but give Mousse a sympathetic
look as he edged through the door sideways, trying
to avoid being smacked by his grandmother.  He
wasn't successful.  The old woman looked into the
shed and glared at Shampoo.

"Don't you be encouraging him to be lazy!  I won't
have it!"

Shampoo merely nodded.  Trying to reason with
Mousse's grandmother was a waste of time.

The sound of Cologne clearing her throat made
everyone turn around.  "Mousse worked very hard for
us during the time he was in Japan."

His grandmother snorted.  "Perhaps, but he had no
business being there when he was needed here!"  She
pointed at Shampoo.  "I don't want him anywhere
near that girl!"

"Then control him better.  You've been allowing him
to annoy her since he learned to walk."

The only response Cologne got was a dirty look as
Mousse's grandmother began to lead him away.  Then
Cologne called out to her.

"Wait a moment!"

The other woman stopped and gave her grandson a
push.  "Go home.  I'll be there shortly."

Shampoo watched curiously as the two older women
stood talking softly.  She tried not to be obvious
as she crept nearer to the doorway of the potting
shed to try to catch what they were saying, but
their voices were much too low.  She became even
more curious when Mousse's grandmother smiled, and
was astonished when she chuckled.  Then she raised
her voice as if to allow Shampoo to hear.

"I'd better go home, Cologne.  Don't worry.  I
won't be too hard on him."

*****

Shampoo wasn't at all surprised when Mousse visited
again the next day.  What did surprise her was that
he seemed quite cheerful.

"Aren't you going to get in trouble with your
grandmother?"

Mousse shrugged.  Then he laughed.  "She's got you
fooled, doesn't she?  She pretends to be a mean old
woman, but she's not.  Don't think the way she acts
in public is the way she acts all the time.
Grandmother understands me better than you think."

That revelation made Shampoo's eyes open wide.  "Is
that why you were able to come to Japan twice?"

"Yes.  She said I had to learn for myself."  Mousse
paused, and looked at his feet.  "Maybe I'm a slow
learner, Shampoo.  I still love you."

Shampoo's eyes began to fill with tears, and she
forced them back.  "I'm not going to change my
mind, Mousse.  Please understand."

She didn't get a reply.  Mousse simply turned and
walked away.  Shampoo watched him for a few moments
and then forced herself to go back to work.

*****

"It's not quite the ugliest thing I've ever seen,
but it comes close."

"Very close, Great-Grandmother."

Cologne glanced at Shampoo in surprise.  She hadn't
expected to see a smile on the girl's face.  "And
this pleases you?"

"The bowl doesn't, no, but I got the mix right.  I
couldn't remember how Mother mixed the sand, water
and clay, so I experimented."

"How do you think she learned?  Your mother
experimented for years before she was satisfied.
You at least have the benefit of being taught by
her.  It seems you remembered your lessons better
than you thought."

"Then I'll just have to wait for my arm to heal
before I can work on making better pieces."

*****

While waiting, Shampoo got into the habit of
dropping in to see Cheng Lao nearly every day.  As
he worked in his shop, they reminisced about their
childhood, especially how they would play together
constantly, and Shampoo's mother would allow them
to experiment with ceramics.  That had lasted until
Cheng Lao was about ten years old, and Shampoo
eight.  Then things changed.  Shampoo began to
spend most of her time training, and Cheng Lao's
father began to teach him his trade.  Shampoo
became a warrior, Cheng Lao became a carpenter, and
they saw almost nothing of each other.

Picking up a friendship after so many years was a
healing experience for Shampoo, and her spirit
healed as her arm did.  At first, Cheng Lao offered
friendship without any strings attached, and
Shampoo appreciated that.  Then she began to notice
a difference in the way he looked at her.  He would
be working on a piece of furniture with great
concentration, and suddenly stop and look at her.
Then he would go back to what he was doing, and
seem to concentrate even harder.

Shampoo found those looks unsettling, especially
since something was happening to her that she never
anticipated.  As the days went on, she was thinking
less and less of Ranma, and more and more of Cheng
Lao.  She was confused, and a little frightened.
Shampoo's immediate reaction was to avoid Cheng
Lao, but he would have none of that.  After she
stayed away for three days he came looking for her,
and found her experimenting with homemade glazes.

"What's that smell?"

Shampoo looked up from the fire she was stirring
outside the shed to find Cheng Lao standing there.
"I'm burning bones."

Cheng Lao squatted down to get a closer look.
"What for?"

"I'm trying to make my own glazes.  This is one of
the components."

"I certainly hope it looks better than it smells."

"We'll just have to wait and see."  With that,
Shampoo closed her mouth and continued watching the
progress of her work.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Shampoo answered without looking up.  "What makes
you think that I am?"

"You haven't come to see me, and when you go down
to the river you look the other way when you pass
my home."

"Nonsense.  I've been very busy working on my
glazes."

"Have you?"

"Yes."

Cheng Lao got back to his feet.  The look of hurt
in his eyes was impossible to misinterpret.  "I'm
sorry I bothered you."

He walked away without looking back.

Shampoo tried to tell herself that her eyes stung
from the stench of the burning bones, but the pain
she felt watching Cheng Lao walk way proved
otherwise.

*****

Cologne examined Shampoo's arm carefully, and gave
her great-granddaughter a smile.

"Your arm has healed nicely, Shampoo.  You should
start exercising it until you've regained your
strength.  Kneading clay is a good way to start."

Shampoo thanked Cologne and went directly to the
shed.  She began to work, but found concentrating
very difficult.  Cheng Lao's words had been
bothering her for days.  He had spoken the truth--
she was avoiding him--but she had not allowed
herself to admit why.

It was impossible for her to be developing any
affection for the man.  Her heart would belong to
Ranma forever.

Was that true?  Shampoo wondered.  The more she
thought about Cheng Lao, the more she doubted her
resolve.  She kept remembering the way he was when
he was a boy.  He never did learn proper respect
for Amazon ways.  In that respect, he and Mousse
were very much alike.  Shampoo gasped as another
flash of insight came to her.  Ranma was cut from
the same cloth.  If she had succeeded in dragging
him back home with her he never would have adapted
to life in her village.  He was too independent.
What was it with her and independent-minded men?

Shampoo needed to clear her mind.  She washed her
hands, left the shed, and went to the center of the
yard.  She closed her eyes, took several deep
breaths, and began to practice her other art.  Her
footsteps danced across the yard in an exercise
both deadly and beautiful.

*****

A week later Cheng Lao was concentrating on his
work when he heard a footstep behind him.

"Cheng Lao."

He turned around swiftly, and then regained his
composure.  "Hello."

Shampoo bit her lip in embarrassment and held out
both hands.  She was holding something wrapped in
cloth.  "I made this for you.  It's a peace
offering, if you'll accept it."

"Thank you."  Cheng Lao smiled as he spoke, and he
took the gift from Shampoo's hands.  "Why did you
wrap it in cloth?"

"That's something I learned in Japan.  In a way,
you get two gifts, because you also get the fabric
it was wrapped in."

"Clever idea."  Cheng Lao was unwrapped the package
as he spoke, and held up a bowl.  "You made this?"

"Yes."

He examined the bowl carefully.  It was glazed in
pale blue, with a swirling pattern of deep blue
that had been painted on and re-fired.  He walked
outside and held it up to the sunlight.
"Beautiful.  Is this the glaze you were making?"

"The dark blue is."  The pride in Shampoo's voice
was not lost on Cheng Lao.

"You could make quite a lot selling these, you
know.  I have contacts outside the village, and if
you want I'll tell them about you."

"You do?"

Cheng Lao laughed, and gestured inside his
workshop, which was stacked with finished goods.
"Do you really think I only made furniture for the
Joketsuzoku?"

"I hadn't really thought about it."

"Come have some tea.  I'll tell you how far from
here my work goes."

*****

After that, the estrangement between Shampoo and
her friend dissolved.  She began visiting him
regularly again, and he also came to see her.  She
spent countless hours making beautifully decorated
pieces, and gave a few samples to Cheng Lao to send
to his buyer.  The response he received was
enthusiastic.

In addition to kneading clay, Shampoo began to work
the muscles of her arm by lifting weights.  Soon,
she was unable to tell that it had ever been
broken.

Then she began to practice with an intensity that
made her great-grandmother stand by the window,
staring.  Having Akane Saotome break her arm was
quite an eye opener for her, and she realized that
perhaps the reason she lost was not that Akane had
gotten better, but that she had gotten soft.

*****

"Help me move this chest, would you?"

Shampoo raised an eyebrow.  Cheng Lao had never
asked for help before.  "Where do you want it?"

Cheng Lao pointed.  "Over there, against the wall."

Shampoo took one end of the chest and together they
moved it.

"Your arm seems to be completely healed, Shampoo."

"I believe it is."

"Then I challenge you."

Shampoo stared.  "What?"

"I said I challenge you!"

Shampoo became aware that there was a crowd
standing just outside the shop.

"I don't understand.  Why are you doing this?"

"Do not accept or not?" was the only reply she got.

One glance at the watchers was enough to let
Shampoo know that she had only once choice.
Several elders, including her great-grandmother,
stood there.  An Amazon did not refuse a challenge
in their presence.

"I accept," said Shampoo.  Cheng Lao moved out into
the yard, gesturing for Shampoo to follow.  As she
did, she analyzed her friend's demeanor.  He was a
tall man, broad without being heavy, and certainly
not clumsy.  He did not, however, have the grace
that a martial artist would display.  At that point
Shampoo realized two things.  With all the watchful
eyes on them, she had to fight for real.  Also, she
had no desire to humiliate her friend.  That meant
she would have to find a way to defeat him without
hurting his feelings.

As those thoughts rushed through Shampoo's mind,
Cheng Lao charged her.  He tripped as he did, and
she struck his arm as he hurtled past.  She circled
him, trying to judge his abilities, and he charged
once more.  This time she danced out of his way,
and watched as he came to a stop and stared at her,
rubbing his arm.  That blow must have hurt him.

Shampoo winced.  She didn't want to hurt Cheng Lao,
but he had given her no choice.  At least this was
going to be easy.  Her friend seemed to have no
knowledge at all of what to do.  He simply came
right at her.  She would make this as fast and
painless as possible, and find out later what he
was thinking when he challenged her.

Cheng Lao charged again, and Shampoo was ready.
She was going to sidestep him and take him out from
behind.  Then he tripped again.  Something in the
back of Shampoo's mind was telling her that Cheng
Lao was not clumsy enough to trip twice in the same
fight, just as he seemed to miraculously gain his
balance and sweep her legs out from under her.

"...you hear me?  Shampoo?"

Shampoo opened her eyes, and for a second all she
could see was little colored dots.  Then her vision
cleared and she was gazing up at Cheng Lao.  She
was back inside the house, in Cheng Lao's lap, and
he was holding a cool cloth to her head.  She felt
the spot, and discovered a rather large lump.

"I didn't mean to hit you that hard."

"You have to if you mean to win."

Cheng Lao nodded solemnly, and helped Shampoo to
her feet.  "I have defeated you in front of
witnesses.  Therefore, you must marry me."

Shampoo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  Was
THAT the reason for the challenge?  "Don't be
ridiculous!  That rule is for outsiders, not men of
the village!"

To her amazement, Cheng Lao laughed.  "You don't
know?"  Then he put his hand to his mouth.  "Of
course you don't know!  I'm older than you!"  He
took Shampoo's hand in his, and patted it.  "My
parents moved here when I was four years old.  I
was born fifty miles away."

"But--but you never cared about the rules of our
village before.  Why NOW?"

"Rules can be very convenient if they get you what
you want.  Besides that, this will get you back in
the good graces of the elders."

"You want to marry me because--"  Shampoo was
unable to finish speaking.  It was impossible to
talk when Cheng Lao was kissing her.

"To hell with their rules," he said once he'd come
up for air.  "If you don't feel this way about me
I--"  This time Cheng Lao got interrupted mid-
sentence.

*****

A few minutes later the pair left the house and
faced the gathering outside.  One of the elders
stepped forward, Cologne right behind her.  "Young
woman, are you going to marry this man, or do we
have to expel you from the village for disobeying
our laws twice?"  She paused, and the look on her
face frightened Shampoo a little.  "That is, if we
allow you to live."

Shampoo looked away from her, and into Cheng Lao's
eyes.  She saw something there that was never in
Ranma Saotome's eyes.  Something that she'd always
wanted.  Love.  For her.  Something that she fully
returned.

"I honor our laws," she said.

------------------

I would appreciate your comments - send them to FFML, or to me -
karaohki@snet.net


--------------------------------------------------
http://karaohki.anifics.com
--------------------------------------------------
     You could turn this way,
I'm also lonely
     this autumn evening

Basho

	     .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'