A number of people have asked me to continue this until Shampoo marries
Ranma.  Well this is the best I can do.  Hope you like this.

Disclaimer:  The characters portrayed in this story are the property of
Rumiko Takahashi and co.

Ranma and Shampoo

by

Donny Cheng

Part 7

	The elders of Jusenkyo huddled around the camp fire arguing with
each other.  The Speaker rubbed his temples as he felt a headache forming.
<Enough!  All of you sit down and be quiet.  Arguing won't get us 
anywhere.  Yes, it's true that rules of Jusenkyo has been violated once 
again.  The recent victims of the springs are still abusing their 
respective curses.  However, Cologne has gone too far.  Cologne has 
enhanced her great-granddaughter by using the curse to her advantage.  A 
curse ceases to be a curse if the enchanted person benefits from his or
her other form.  But, what can we do?  We cannot take the time to deal
with her as we still have to deal with the damage the flood has done to
the springs.  Also, Cologne is an elder of Joketsuzoku, the village of the
amazons.  I cannot think of what will happen if she retaliates.  There is
nothing we can do.>  The others murmured in agreement.  A gust of wind
suddenly comes out of nowhere to blow out the camp fire, surrounding the
elders with darkness.  They shiver with fear as they heard a cackling
laugh.

	A voice croaked out, <I beg to differ.  There is something that
can be done.  I can guarantee that the Joketsuzoku will not interfere if
you battle with Cologne.  In fact the village will provide you help in
punishing the cursed people that reside in Japan.  I have knowledge that
you have two people with powerful cursed forms in captivity.  I ask that
they be released so that they may help us.  They both have had contact
with the ones you want punished.  They will be of great help to me.>

	The Speaker thought about the proposal.  It was tempting.  By
releasing two people, five people will receive retribution.  He looked
into the darkness and shouted, <It is agreed.  What are the names of these
to people that you want freed?>

	<Their names are Pantyhose Taro and Rouge.>

			* * * * *

	A small figure stood cackling in the darkness.  With Cologne out
of the way, she would be able to gain control of Joketsuzoku.  For Cologne
to stoop to training a boy to be her martial arts successor was an utter
mockery of amazon traditions.  She and her student shall be made an
example of.  Cologne was not the only one who knew the ancient amazon
arts.  Shampoo will not be the only one with the abilities of the cursed
forms.

			* * * * *

	Mousse sighed as he saw his purple-haired goddess leave for
school.  Why wouldn't she return his love?  It's all the fault of that
fool Saotome, his mind told him.  His mind slowly turned to rage as he
thought of Ranma glomping onto Shampoo right this moment.  He snapped.
"Saotome, today you die."  Mousse ran right out of the restaurant towards
Furinken.

	Nodoka bigsweated.  She could never get used to the fact that
Mousse would sometimes fly into a blind rage at any moment of time.  She
really wished that he and her son wouldn't fight so much.  It just caused
more work for her whenever Mousse left the Neko-haten like that.  Mousse
always came back beaten and not able to work for the rest of the day.

	However, Mousse didn't return until a few weeks later.

			* * * * *

	Ryoga wandered around the school yard with a splitting headache.
What had happened to him?  He tried to remember.  A few weeks ago, he had
been walking through a forest when he suddenly blacked out.  He had woken
up to find himself in pig form in a pig pen.  After living there a few
weeks, he finally found his way to the door of the pen and escaped.  As he
walked out, he was again hit over the head and blacked out.  He had woken
to find himself at Furinken High and in Human form.  Somehow, this was all
Ranma's fault.  He absently snorted and pawed the ground with his foot as
he waited for school to end.

			* * * * *

	Ranma, with Shampoo glomped onto his arm, tried to dodge as Akane
and Ukyo came after him.  It had all started as a typical day.  They had
all gone to school with the girls holding onto some part of Ranma.  When
they reached there, his suitors were surrounded by the other school girls
as usual.  Word got around that he had gone out on a date with Shampoo
over the weekend.  Akane and Ukyo had been angry at him the whole day.
They got agrier as Shampoo said nothing and just smiled sweetly at them.
Ranma knew he was doomed as he looked at the dark aura surrounding them.
It would be no use explaining to them that he had just spent the day
sparring with Shampoo.  Shampoo was the only one, his age group, that
could beat him when he didn't use the nekoken.  The only way he could
improve was to fight someone better than him.  He felt that it wouldn't be
long before he could defeat Shampoo it he continued to challenge her.
Also, Shampoo was fun to be with sometimes.  Ranma sighed as he waited for
Akane and Ukyo to finish him off.  As he flew out of the school via hammer
and spatula, Ranma could immediately feel a very strong battle aura.
Ryoga's aura.  He flipped in the air to avoid the bandanas headed his way.

	"So Ranma, you're still running away."  Ryoga looked at Ranma with
disdain.

	"What do you mean?  You think that I want to be sliced to bits by
those bandanas of yours?  Well, where have you been these past few weeks?
I've missed beating you up."

	Ryoga was irritated.  Ranma always mocked him with that idiotic
grin of his.  "Because of you Ranma, I've see hell. No, worse than hell,
I've seen the inside of a pig pen.  Prepare to meet you fate."  Ryoga
lauched at Ranma.

	Ranma smiled as he saw Ryoga begin his tirade.  Ryoga was so easy
to beat if he was angry.  He telegraphed all his moves when he was in this
state.  Ranma was in for the surprise of his life as Ryoga connected with
his punch.  What the heck?  How in the world did Ryoga get to be so fast.
He staggered as Ryogo continued to pound on him.  A drop of blood came
from his cheek as it was cut from a glancing blow.  No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Ranma recovered and charged at Ryoga.  Ryoga was matching him speed for
speed.

	Ryoga stared at his hands incredulously.  He was actually as fast
as Ranma.  He knew his training on the road would pay off some day.  He
just didn't think it would be this soon.  He smirked as he saw Ranma
pushed back.  He had always been stronger than Ranma.  With this new found
speed, he would win this battle.

	Ranma grimaced as he saw Ryoga smirk at him.  Ryoga was winning.
There was only one way for Ranma to win now.  He knew from experience
that no matter how much better Ryoga got, he could always win.  This was
simply because he could exploit Ryoga's weeknesses better than anyone.
Ryoga was now happy at almost beating him, so that meant he couldn't use
the shishi hokodan at the moment.  Ranma allowed Ryoga's next punch to hit
him and then powered up an fired moko takabisha point blank.  Ryoga tried
to counter, but the chi blast fizzled in is hands and he was hurled away.
Ryoga was starting to get depressed.  Ranma smirked.  Yes, Ryoga was as
predictable as always.  "Hey, Ryoga.  Did you know that I've been on four
dates with Akane already?  Why, we've even kissed."

	Ryoga turned his head to see Akane blush.  Ukyo and Shampoo glared
at Ranma.  "What?! How dare you take advantage of Akane while I was away?  
Ranma you're dead."  Ryoga ran right at Ranma and was again hurled into 
the air.  This time by the hiryu shoten ha technique.

	Ranma collapsed onto the ground. His last thought before he 
drifted into unconscienceness, was on the fact that Ryoga was grunting and
running on all fours before his final attack.  Shampoo and the others
immediately rushed to his side.  There are nail marks all over Ranma's
face and body.

			* * * * *

	Shampoo looked at Ranma worriedly as she brought him to the
Neko-haten.  Ranma had been very close to losing.  Usually he was fast
enough to dodge Ryoga until he was ready to unleash the hiryu shoten ha.
This time, however, Ryoga had managed to hit Ranma a few hundred times
before the setup for the move had been completed.  Another weird thing was
that Ryoga had been acting like a pig, literally, the whole fight.  She
caught herself licking her had as she was thinking again.  She sometimes
just couldn't control her cat persona.  It was then she figured it out.
Ryoga was using the pig-fist.  That would explain the speed Ryoga now
possessed and the way he is acting.  They reached the doors to the
Neko-haten when egg-shaped bombs suddenly came at Ranma from above.  It
was Mousse on the roof.  Ranma dodged all the the bombs from Mousse's
chicken-fist attack barely.

	Mousse looked down at them.  "Saotome, I challenge you to a duel."

	Shampoo glared at Mousse.  "Stupid Mousse.  Ranma just had big
fight with Ryoga. If Mousse want fight, come back tomorrow."

	"What?  Saotome are you so scared that you hide behind a woman?"
Mousse looked on gleefully as Ranma immediately jumped at him.  He took
the bait.  Mousse then slammed his potty training toilet into Ranma's
midsection.  He laughed as he thought about the first time he used his 
moves on Ranma.  At the time he had not been using his various bird-fists
to their full potential.  Thanks to some mysterious benefactor.  He had
spent the last few weeks getting in touch with his bird form.  All of his
bird attacks were now stronger than ever.  He felt that he would win this 
battle.

	Ranma clutched his chest as Mousse's swan-fist hit him.  He could
tell that Mousse's attacks was much more fluid and natural than the first
time he used these attacks on him.  He quickly put two and two together
and, amazingly enough, got four.  Ryoga and Mousse must have gone under
the same training Shampoo had.  They've gained the characteristics of
their cursed forms.  As with Ryoga, Ranma knew he could always beat Mousse
as he knew his weaknesses.  Luckily for him, Mousse's cursed form did not
have the keen sight of regular birds.  He still needed glasses in his duck
form.  As always, that would be his undoing. "Hey, Shampoo put some 
clothes on.  You can't run around in the streets naked."  As if on cue,
Mousse looked down at Shampoo.  Ranma took the opportunity to swipe his
glasses and crush them.  Mousse did himself in as he he fell off the roof.
Ranma then went down to join Shampoo.  He had guestions he wanted
answered.

			* * * * *

to be continued...

C&C welcomed.  Flames not.