Here's some more of "A Change of Scene"
Stories don't end with "I do"




"A Change of Scene"
August, 1998, June "KaraOhki" Geraci

karaohki@snet.net

earlier chapters can be found at
http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/rothko/228

The characters from Ranma 1/2 in this fiction are the
creations of Rumiko Takahashi, and borrowed without
her permission.
This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.


                            Chapter 47

Ranma moved his head and winced.  He opened his eyes to discover the
source of his discomfort.  Akane was holding onto his pigtail.

Ranma chuckled, remembering Akane's fear of him disappearing while she
was asleep. Was this her way of making sure he stayed put?  He gently
disengaged her fingers, and padded into the bathroom.  When Ranma
returned, Akane was curled up on her side of the bed, sleeping
peacefully.  Ranma lay down close to her, and went back to sleep.

The first thing Ranma saw when he opened his eyes was a pair of brown
eyes looking back at him.  He smiled, and reached out to caress her
cheek.

"Good morning, Akane.  How long have you been up?"

"About a half hour."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"I didn't want to, Ranma, I was too busy looking at you."

"Looking at me?"

"You're still here."

Ranma put his arms around Akane, and held her close to him.

"I told you last night, Akane.  I'm not going anywhere.  Do you believe
that?"

Akane's kiss was all the answer Ranma needed.  His senses were filled
with the feel of her bare skin against his, and he knew that he had to
speak now, before he couldn't.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Akane, and I should
have told you that a long time ago."

"Ranma. . ."

Ranma put a finger to Akane's lips.

"Shhhh.  Let me finish, Akane.  You know I'm not good at this kind of
stuff!  I just wanted to tell you how much I love you, and that I'm not
going to let anyone or anything get between us, not ever again."

Ranma concluded his little speech with a passionate kiss, one that left
the both of them breathless.  He opened his eyes to see tears on his
wife's cheeks.

"Akane?"

Akane's laugh was a little shaky as she wiped her eyes.

"I'm okay, Ranma."

"Is this that thing about girls crying when they're happy?"

Akane sniffled, and  nodded.

"I am happy, Ranma.  And I love you too, more than I can say."

An eager look sprang into Ranma's eyes, and he stopped talking.

*****

The sound of the door woke Akane for the second time.  She sat up, to
see Ranma putting a tray on the table.

"Breakfast is here, Akane."

Akane looked down at the floor, saw the puddle of midnight blue, and
retrieved her nightgown.  She was very aware of Ranma's intent gaze as
she got out of bed, and put it on.

"I think I like this", Akane thought, as she joined Ranma on the floor.

*****

 It was mid-morning in Nerima when Soun finally made his way to the
breakfast table.  He accepted some aspirin from Kasumi, and she poured
him some tea.

"Did you bring breakfast up to Akane and Ranma, or are they coming down
later?"

"They're not here, Father."

"What do you mean, not here?"

Kasumi poured herself some tea before responding.

"They left last night, Father.  Ranma said he was taking Akane up to the
mountains."

Soun looked rather disappointed, but then his expression cleared.

"I guess I can't blame them, Kasumi.  After what went on here yesterday,
I wouldn't have wanted to stay, either."

*****

Shampoo put on her coat and boots, and left the Nekohanten.  The snow
had finally stopped, and the sun was shining.

Shampoo wiped the tears from her cheeks.  The glare of the sun on the
snow was making her eyes water.

"No!", she thought.  "I will not lie to myself."  Shampoos eyes were not
tearing, she was still weeping for Ranma.  She'd hardly slept the
previous night, one which had been very confusing for her.  Shampoo had
wanted to wallow in her misery, to immerse herself in grief, but
something kept getting in the way.  That "something" was the memory of
Shiro's kiss.

That memory, and the knowledge that someone cared for her, had prevented
Shampoo from being totally desolate.  Maybe it was time to try to forget
Ranma, and move on.

Cologne was waiting when she returned.

"Where have you been, Shampoo?  You've been wandering off too often."

"Just for a walk, Great-Grandmother."

"Sit down, we have to talk."

Shampoo sat down, and poured herself a cup of tea from the pot Cologne
had waiting for her.  Cologne looked rather solemn.

"It's time to decide what our next move is, Shampoo.  Do you intend to
reclaim your husband from Akane Tendo?"

Shampoo flinched.  Cologne's words were too close to what she had been
thinking about during the night.

"No, Great-Grandmother.  She is Akane Saotome now.  I . . . I will not
interfere."

"You said last night that you helped them to marry.  What were you
thinking of?  You gave Akane the Kiss of Death a long time ago, and you
should have followed through on it."

"No!  I will let Akane live."

Shampoo's eyes teared up, but she still looked defiant.

"If I hurt Akane, I'll hurt Ranma.  I can't do that!"

Cologne rose from her chair, and started toward the kitchen.  After
three steps, she turned around.

"All right, Shampoo.  If that's what you want, that's how it will be.
Remember, though, that you will be the one who bears the responsibility
for the consequences."

Shampoo picked up her apron and got to work, wondering what those
consequences would be.

*****

Akane stood to one side of the pond, watching Ranma.  He had gathered
all of the children that were playing there, and was dragging them in a
long line behind him.

After being snowed in for two days (and the two not minding it in the
least), the weather had finally cleared.  The newlyweds had decided to
go for a walk, and had discovered a group of children sliding around on
a frozen pond.  Ranma had immediately pulled Akane onto the pond with
him, and joined the children.

At first, the children were rather surprised when they were joined by
people they considered to be "grown-ups", but they soon found that Ranma
and Akane were just two big kids, intent on having fun.

After watching Ranma for a few minutes, Akane removed her camera from
her pocket and began taking pictures of him and the children.  He soon
stopped pulling them around, and took the camera from her.  Ranma took
several pictures of Akane, and then entrusted the camera to one of the
older children so that they could have pictures of the two of them
together.

The children soon tired of racing, and decided to try out another game.
Ranma had his back to them when something hit him.  He turned in time to
duck a second snowball aimed right at his face.

Akane grabbed Ranma's hand, and pulled him off the pond.  She didn't
want to have to explain to the innkeeper why she was returning with a
woman.

"Thanks for playing with us, kids.  See you later."

Akane shivered as she spoke, and Ranma put his arm around her.

"Are you cold, Akane?"

"A little."

Ranma changed direction, and started back toward the inn.

"Let's go back, and get warm."

Akane caught Ranma's grin, returned it with one of her own, and walked a
little faster.

*****

Three days later, Ranma and Akane packed their bags.  When Akane was
done, she walked to the window to take in one last view of the mountains
they'd been exploring and Ranma joined her, putting his arm around her
waist.

"I can't believe how fast the days went, Ranma.  I hate to leave."

"We still have a few hours before we have to get to the train, Akane.
There's one more place I want to take you."

They left their bags with the inn's owner, who handed Ranma a small
knapsack, which he put on before taking Akane out of the inn, and up a
trail they hadn't been on before.

*****

Akane looked back down the trail.  They'd been climbing for a while, and
she was beginning to worry that they wouldn't be able to get back in
time to catch the train.

"Ranma, where are we going?  Haven't we climbed far enough?"

"We're nearly there, Akane.  Just up to that stand of trees."

Akane wondered what was so special about that particular group of trees,
but chose to wait and see.  Ranma reached them, and took off the
knapsack, resting it on a large boulder.

"Come look, Akane."

Akane joined Ranma by an old tree, and looked where he was pointing.
There were carvings in the bark, and as she examined them more closely
she understood why they had come.

"Your parents, Ranma?"

Ranma kissed Akane's cheek, and removed a knife from his pocket.

"Yes.  They spent their honeymoon in these mountains, too.  I want our
names up here, next to theirs."

When Ranma had finished with the carving, he and Akane opened the
knapsack, and removed the lunch he'd arranged for with the inn's owner.
The pair sat together on the boulder, quietly eating.  Akane looked very
thoughtful as she re-packed the knapsack, and turned around to look at
the tree.

"What is it, Akane?"

"Maybe some day our son will come here with his wife to add to the
carvings in the tree."

"I hope so."




                            Chapter 48

"Shiro?"

"Shiro!"

Shiro jumped, and looked up.  His mother was standing beside his
worktable, arms folded, trying to look stern.  She couldn't hold the
expression long, however, and smiled fondly at her son.

"Sorry, Mom.  You were calling me?"

"Several times.  Mai should be here soon.  Come get cleaned up."

Shiro reluctantly left his orchids behind, and followed his mother back
to the house.  He'd barely finished washing off the dirt and changing
his clothes before his sister arrived, with her husband and baby.

Mai watched Shiro as he sat on the floor, playing with his nephew.
Shiro hadn't said much to her or her husband, but had instead opted to
crawl around with Nojiri.  She let him get away with it for a while, and
then picked her son up and handed him to her husband.  When Shiro
refused to meet her eyes, she grabbed his arm and dragged him
out to one of the greenhouses.

"Okay, Shiro, tell me about her."

"Sis?"

"I've seen that look on your face too many times not to recognize it.
Did you meet her at school?"

"Not exactly, Mai.  Shampoo lives in Nerima."

"Shampoo?  What kind of name is that?"

"Chinese."

Mai listened carefully as her brother described Shampoo, and explained
how they had met.  He deliberately withheld the fact that she was
cursed, not knowing how his sister would handle the information.  When
he'd finished talking, Mai grinned at him the way she always did when he
told her he was in love.

"And how long is this obsession going to last, little brother?"

"Forever, I hope."

Mai's grin faded, and she felt her brother's forehead.

"Well, you're not running a fever, so I guess I should take you
seriously.  Can you have Shampoo come up to visit?"

"I wish I could, Sis, but her great-grandmother doesn't want me to see
her.  We've been corresponding in secret, and meeting when we can.  We
went to my roommate's wedding together."

Mai sat down on the nearest bench, and began laughing.

"Shiro, you are well and truly hooked!  She must be very special."

"Yes, she is."

Shiro sat up late that night, writing to Shampoo.   She'd surprised him
at Ranma's wedding, first when she got in Kuno's way, and then by her
quiet acceptance of the marriage.  Shiro hoped this indicated she was
transferring her affection to him, but was afraid to hope too much.
Because he'd never taken any past romances seriously, he didn't know how
to handle this one.  Was he going too fast?  Was he pushing too hard?
Sometimes Shampoo was hard to read.

                              *****

Shampoo had both hands full.  She was busy carrying a stack of freshly
ironed tablecloths into the dining room when Mousse entered the
Nekohanten.  Cologne was out, and Shampoo had been expecting problems.
In the days that had passed since Ranma's wedding, Mousse had been
taking advantage of every moment they were alone to try to win her over.
This time thinking that Shampoo's full hands would put her at a
disadvantage, Mousse tried to embrace her.  Shampoo didn't let that
handicap her, however, and used a foot to trip Mousse, sending his
crashing to the floor.  She then quickly put her burden down and took a
defensive stance.

"Mousse, I have work to do.  Go away."

"Shampoo, don't be so shy.  You should know by now how much I love you."

Shampoo didn't bother replying, stomped into the kitchen, and checked on
her cooking.

Refusing to be discouraged, Mousse trailed after her.

"Ranma is married, Shampoo.  How long do you intend to mourn?"

Shampoo lifted her eyes from the stove and withered Mousse with her
glare.

"I don't want him, Mousse.  He's happy with Akane.  But I don't want you
either!  Go away!"

Mousse smiled at Shampoo, but it was not a loving smile, or even a kind
one.  Meaning to repay her for her coldness, he deliberately made his
words cruel.

"Who else would want you, Shampoo?  At least I understand and accept
your curse."

Shampoo flinched.  Then she thought of Shiro.

"Maybe you'd be surprised."

Mousse became enraged, and stepped toward Shampoo, who backed up to the
sink.  She quickly turned on the cold water and aimed the sprayer at
him, but did not press the trigger.

"Mousse, I won't say this again.  GO AWAY!!!"

Mousse went away, but Shampoo knew that he would return.  She sighed
with frustration, and complained to Cologne when she returned from the
market.  The response she got was not what she expected.

"We wasted too many years chasing Ranma around, Shampoo.  Perhaps we
should think again.  Mousse is an Amazon, and knows where he stands in
our society.  He loves you, dear.  Perhaps it's time you considered
marrying him."

Shampoo's eyes opened wide.

"Great-Grandmother!  No!"

"I won't rush you Shampoo, but your choices aren't very great any more."

*****

Shampoo sat at her window for a long time that night, deep in thought.
She'd loved Ranma for a long, long time, and had been forced to accept
that he loved someone else.

Shiro was another story.  They hadn't known one another all that long,
yet she felt as if they'd been friends forever.  At this point in her
life, Shampoo had few friends, and needed them badly.

Mousse?  Shampoo couldn't understand Cologne's attitude toward him at
all.  It was evident to Shampoo that Mousse, although aware of what his
position should be in Amazon society, felt no obligation to remain in
that position.  His treatment of her was evidence of that.

Then she thought again.  Mousse's current behavior was only occurring
when Cologne was absent.  In her great-grandmother's presence, he was
acting in a very meek and subservient manner.  She wondered how long he
could maintain this act, and how to deal with it.

Shampoo rubbed her temples.  Her problems were giving her a headache.

*****

The next morning Shampoo made an excuse to get out, and walked toward
the marketplace.  She had the feeling that someone was following her,
and glanced into the shop window beside her, to see Mousse's reflection
some distance behind her.

Mousse was far enough behind Shampoo to think that she wouldn't notice
his presence.  When she crossed the street ahead of him, a car
momentarily blocked his view of her.  When it passed, she was gone.

Shampoo ran through the shop, and out the side door.  She'd lost Mousse,
at least for now.  Shampoo quickly left the shopping area, and ran
toward the Tendo home.  Kasumi was coming around the corner, and Shampoo
nearly ran her down.  Kasumi gasped, and caught Shampoo by the arms.

"Look out!"

Shampoo gasped for breath.

"Sorry, Kasumi.  Shampoo did not see you.  Was coming to your house."

"I was coming to see you, Shampoo.  You have a letter from Shiro."

Shampoo nearly snatched the letter from Kasumi's fingers.  She smiled at
it, and tenderly tucked it into her pocket.  Then, a sudden impulse made
her hug Kasumi.

"Thank you."

Kasumi's motherly instincts were awakened by the look in Shampoo's eyes.
She'd seen that expression often enough on Akane's face.

"Come home with me, Shampoo.  I'll make tea."




                            Chapter 49


Kasumi sipped her tea, while Shampoo continued to talk.  At first, her
words had come slowly, and it was obvious that Shampoo was having a hard
time confiding in her, but soon she was speaking freely.

Shampoo told Kasumi of her struggle to let go of Ranma, and her
determination to put him behind her, and get on with her life.  Since
Kasumi was already aware of Shampoo's budding relationship with Shiro,
she wasn't surprised when Shampoo told her that Shiro's attentions to
her were becoming warmer.  Shampoo stopped to sip her tea, and Kasumi
could see that Shampoo was very concerned about something.  Instead of
pressing her, Kasumi waited for Shampoo to continue, which she soon did.

"Kasumi, Great-Grandmother think Shampoo should marry Mousse."

Kasumi nodded her understanding, and thought for a moment before
responding.

"Shampoo, did Cologne say that you had to marry Mousse, or did she
suggest it?"

"Was not an order, Kasumi, but Shampoo expected to be obedient to
elder."

Kasumi let her gaze wander to the window.  Why were Amazons so rigid?
Weren't feelings allowed to matter at all?

"You don't want Mousse, do you?"

Shampoo's answer was anything but hesitant.

"NO!"

"And what about Shiro?"

Kasumi saw that Shampoo found this question harder to answer.  She put
down her cup, rested her chin on her hands, and looked out into space.
After a while, Shampoo focused on Kasumi.

"Shiro very very nice.  But it too soon for Shampoo to answer that
question.  Shiro Shampoo's friend."

"And so am I, Shampoo.  Don't let anyone - Cologne, Mousse, or Shiro -
rush you into making any decisions about the future before you're ready.
You need time.  And Shampoo, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

Shampoo turned very red.  She'd never, ever expected anyone in the Tendo
household to be a friend to her.

"Thank you, Kasumi.  Must go back now.  Great-Grandmother must be
looking for Shampoo."

*****

Mousse was scrubbing the kitchen floor when Shampoo returned to the
Nekohanten, so was too busy to ask where she had been.  Cologne was
setting the tables, which was usually Shampoo's responsibility, and
frowned at her when she entered.

"You're late, Shampoo.  Where have you been?"

"Walking, Grandmother.  Sorry."

"Go change your clothes.  It's almost time to open."

Shampoo ran upstairs to change, locked her door, and quickly read
Shiro's letter.  In it, he expressed a desire to see her again, and
asked where they could meet.  She tucked the letter away with the others
she'd received and ran downstairs, wondering what to
suggest.

The restaurant was rather busy that entire day, giving Mousse no
opportunity to talk to Shampoo privately.  He waited impatiently, and
finally got her alone when they were cleaning up.

"Shampoo, where were you this morning?"

"It's not your business, Mousse."

"Shampoo, Cologne approves of me as a husband for you.  I have a right
to ask."

"I don't agree with that, Mousse."

Shampoo hesitated, and remembered her conversation with Kasumi.

"I need time, Mousse."

This statement took Mousse completely by surprise.  It was the first
time that Shampoo had not completely rejected him.  He smiled, and
nodded his agreement.

"All right, Shampoo.  If you need time, you can have it."

Shampoo continued cleaning up, deep in thought.  She'd bought herself
some time to make her own decisions.

That night in bed, Shampoo tried to figure out her options.  The only
one that was never going to change was that she could never, ever marry
Mousse.  It was too soon for her to know where her relationship with
Shiro was leading, and she wasn't about to rush it.

Eventually, Shampoo would have to tell Cologne of her refusal to marry
Mousse.  What would happen then?

Shampoo turned over, and tried to sleep.

*****

Ranma unlocked the porch door and carried the suitcases in.

"Wait here, Akane.  I'll be right back."

Akane waited in the hallway, listening to Ranma's footsteps going up the
stairs, and wondering why he'd asked her to wait.  She soon found out
when he ran back down and carried her all the way back up and into the
apartment.  When he put her down, she gently scolded him.

"Ranma, two flights of stairs?"

"It's a Western tradition, Akane, and why not?  You're not heavy."

Ranma carried the bags into the bedroom, and found Akane looking in the
refrigerator when he returned.

"What should I make for dinner?"

"Can't I take you out?"

Akane turned around, and put her hands on her hips.

"Don't start, Ranma!  If you keep taking me out to eat I'll never get
used to cooking for you.  Besides, we can't afford to go out all the
time."

Ranma took Akane by the shoulders, and looked into her eyes.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Akane.  It's been a long day, and I was
afraid you'd be too tired to cook."

Akane blushed a little.  Her temper had gotten the better of her again.
She removed Ranma's hands from her shoulders, and turned back to the
refrigerator.

"I'm not too tired to cook.  I want to make something special."

Ranma was glad that Akane's back was toward him.  He was having a hard
time keeping a straight face.  As long as Akane followed her checklists
and relaxed, she did all right.  What did "something special" mean?

Ranma unpacked for both himself and his wife while she cooked dinner.
In a shorter time than he expected, she was calling him to the table.
He sat down, looking suspiciously at the serving dish.

"What's that?"

"It's a recipe your mother gave me.  She said it was one of your
favorites when you were little."

"Are you sure, Akane?  It looks too weird."

Akane served them, and sat down.

"I know it does, Ranma, but it tastes good.  I already tried it."

Ranma looked skeptical, but had to admit that the dish tasted better
than it looked.

"I don't know, Akane.  This looked bad, but tasted good.  Does that mean
if you make something that looks good, it will taste bad?"

Akane chose to ignore the question.




                            Chapter 50

Ranma heard the sound of water running, and opened his eyes.  Akane was
not beside him, and he left the futon to find her in the kitchen.  There
was a pot of miso soup simmering on the stove, the washer was running,
and Akane was sitting at the table, fully dressed, reading.  She looked
up when he entered, closed her book, and got up.

"Good morning, Ranma."

Ranma kissed Akane, and continued to hold her.

"Good morning, sweetheart.  How long have you been up?"

"About an hour."

Ranma frowned.  This was becoming a pattern.  Every day, Akane would
wake before him, and wait for him to wake up.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

Akane laughed, and withdrew from Ranma's embrace.

"Classes haven't started up yet, Ranma.  Why not sleep in?"

"We're supposed to go practice."

Akane's hand went to her mouth.

"I forgot.  I wonder if they lock up the gym during holidays?"

Ranma shrugged, and went to the stove to inspect the soup.  He sniffed
it, and tasted a spoonful.

"I think this is ready, Akane.  It's pretty good."

"Even without the Water of Life?"

"Even without it."

Akane tasted the soup, and smiled lovingly at her husband.

"Liar."

*****

Miss Murata checked the bottles on the shelf against her inventory list,
looking perplexed.  She checked all of the other shelves, hoping to
discover that the missing medications had been stored in the wrong
place, but was unable to locate them.  She made a note, locked the
cabinet, and went to see her supervisor.

"There's another shortage, Mr. Nagata.  Take a look at these numbers."

Mr. Nagata looked over the list, and picked up earlier reports.  He made
a few notes, and showed them to Miss Murata.

"See the pattern?  I think I know who may be responsible."

*****

Ranma walked his wife to campus, holding her hand.  It was nearly
deserted, since most of the students and staff had gone home for the
holidays.  The doors of the gym were locked when Ranma tried them, and
he settled for a long walk with Akane instead of practicing.  When he
turned back toward their apartment, however, she pulled him in another
direction.

"We need to go to the market, Ranma.  There are some things we'll need
for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"New Year's Eve, silly!  I want to get some noodles, to start."

"How about a bottle of champagne, Akane?"

In the empty apartment, the phone rang for a long time.  Eventually, it
stopped.

*****

Mrs. Takai was watching for the Saotomes' return, and opened her
apartment door when they arrived.

"Welcome home.  There were some packages delivered for you."

Ranma thanked Mrs. Takai, and carried the boxes upstairs.  When they saw
that the boxes were from Kasumi, they quickly hung up their coats and
sat down to open them.

The first box contained a letter from Kasumi, explaining that she had
forwarded their wedding presents, which had been forgotten during the
madness of their wedding day.

Akane was reading the letter aloud to Ranma, and put it aside to look
into both boxes.

There were many envelopes with gifts of money, and packages containing
practical things they needed for their home, but hadn't been able to
afford.  After looking at everything, Akane returned to her sister's
letter.

Kasumi had written of her talk with Shampoo, and Akane kept glancing up
at Ranma's expression as he listened.  When she was finished, Akane put
the letter down and waited for him to speak.

"It sounds to me like Shampoo is having a bad time, Akane.  I'm glad
Kasumi decided to be her friend, though I have to admit that it
surprises me."

"It shouldn't Ranma.  You know how softhearted my sister is.  What
surprises me is that Cologne is pushing a marriage between Shampoo and
Mousse.  It's been pretty obvious all this time that Cologne doesn't
think too much of him.

"It must be some kind of Amazon thing, Akane.  Maybe it's traditional to
marry someone from your village, unless something weird happens, like a
stranger defeating you."

"Maybe."


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

to be continued

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