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"'Could never...?'" Shampoo lifted herself from Ranma. "Never what, airen?"
"I don't know what 'airen' means, but will you quit callin' me that!"
"Answer Shampoo!"
"I could never love you, dammit!" Ranma huffed in some air from his steamy face.
"You no love Shampoo ...?" Beads of tears shifted into Shampoo's eyes. "Then Shampoo no . . ." Shampoo lunged at Ranma with her unready fists, her muscles too weak to carry much into Ranma. Ranma blocked the attack with his hands, squeezing them to his chest, Shampoo helpless against her tears.
"Why're you doin this, Shampoo?"
"Shampoo only love Ranma!"
"I don't care! Get offa me!" Ranma gripped Shampoo in her chesty soft spot, urging to push her off.
"Aiya! What you doing?!"
"Ranma!" Mousse kicked the door open. "How dare you use Shampoo
as a toy!" Akane stood still next to Mousse, her face dark.
"Don't make assumptions! She's the one who-" Mousse's chains interrupted Ranma's words. "I could hear it. I heard it all."
"Ranma . . ." Akane's eyes grew shiny and wet. She rushed away, down into the dark dark hallways, still not as gloomy as her heart. Ranma finally tossed Shampoo in frustration and chased after Akane.
"Akane!" Ranma followed, his voice echoing down the halls. "Please Akane, stop!"
"Why should I?!" Akane refused to let down.
"Will you at least hear me out?"
To Ranma's surprise, Akane actually stopped. She refused to turn around, in fear that he'd see her cry.
"Go ahead you dolt. Tell me."
"Akane it was Shampoo. She came into my room and-"
"I don't care! I never wanted to be married in the first place, Ranma! I don't care what you and Shampoo . . ." Akane broke into several short sobs, constantly brushing away her hot tears. Ranma placed his soft hand on her small shoulder.
"Akane, I'm s-"
"Get your hands off me!" Akane whirred around to give Ranma a good blow on the face. Ranma rubbed his cheek as Akane stomped away.
"Who needs you anyways? You're so uncute!"
"So I'm uncute now . . . Who really cares!"The next day, Ranma, Mousse, and Akane ate breakfast. Shampoo in the meantime, refused to eat anything. She hid in her room all day, warm in her bed, cold in her tears.
Mousse, like Akane, was very solemn about the whole situation. Ranma was angry, but covered it the best he could to avoid any argument.
Shampoo was startled by the knocks at her door.
"It's Ranma. Can I come in?"
Shampoo curled herself even tighter in a ball in her bed. She didn't want to answer the door to see anyone, especially Ranma.
"Shampoo, I want to talk."
"Ranma mad at Shampoo."
"I'm not mad. It's okay, really."
Shampoo hugged herself in her bed. So fragile, she thought. So fragile to make such a cruel mistake.
"Come on Shampoo. It's just me."
Shampoo finally agreed that she would have rather seen Ranma than not at all and answered th door.
Ranma almost jumped at the sight of her. Her clothes were wrinkled, the same as the day before, and her hair matted and knotted. Her eyes were underlined with black bags and wrinkles, and pink from the exhaustion of crying.
"You're pale," Ranma told her. "Are you okay? Aren't you hungry?"
"Shampoo okay," she looked off to the side. "Is Ranma?"
"Yeah I'm all right. Akane is a little upset though. But Shampoo, why'd you do that?"
"Shampoo thought made too-too clear to Ranma."
"Well yeah, but . . ."
Shampoo backed up, feeling more uncomfortable about the conver-
sation every second. She hesitated to close the door but Ranma stopped her.
"Shampoo," Ranma gazed into her eyes. "For what it's worth, I don't hate you. You're actually very cute."
"Shampoo no cute," Shampoo attempted to shut the door again, but Ranma slid inside.
"I . . ." Ranma grabbed both of her shoulders more gripped than he realized. "Shampoo, I don't hate you. I like you very much, actually. I just don't understand about what happened last night, and I am engaged to Princess Akane Tendo."
"That Akane-girl," Shampoo glared. "She's the problem."
"Hey," Ranma waved his hand in front of Shampoo's angry eyes. "Don't get any ideas about Akane."
"Ranma, please leave Shampoo."
"Are you upset at me?"
"No."
"Listen, there's a festival tonight that we're s'pposed to be stayin' for. If you want, we can leave everyone else here and go visit the town."
"Really? Ranma take Shampoo?"
"Sure."
"Ranma, Shampoo so happy!"Mousse was engulfed by the shadows of trees in the gardens. He played a tune on his flute that Akane did not recognize.
"Are you . . . okay?" Mousse stopped his music.
"What do you mean?"
"Your song sounds depressing."
"Maybe it's because I am depressed."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, Princess Akane." Akane hugged her knees with a frown.
"It's because of that stupid Ranma that all this mess is going on anyways! What makes him thinks he has the right."
"I'm glad this all happened, really." Akane gave him a puzzled look.
"Why?" Mousse stopped his playing with a grin that made his eyes crinkle.
"I like the company." Akane set her eyes on the ground shyly.
Surely he doesn't mean me."I'm-I'm sooo hungry," Ukkyou clutched her stomach. Ukkyou stumbled out of the forests breathlessly. "Never thought I'd make it . . ." Her muscles were sore from her travels, and weak from her empty stomach. She decided to rest, but drifted into a sleep that could have led her to her death, but lead to something much worse.
"There's a body just ahead!"
"It looks like a woman."
Three men about their horses scooped Ukkyou to her feet.
"Is that rat alive?" Ukkyou was shooken until she finally opened her eyes to the blurry men from the camp. A weak moan escaped her throat.
"Ah!" Ukkyou pushed away. She reared back on her rump, but quickly jumped to her feet.
"We've been looking for you," one of them glared hard at her. His hair was red and frizzled, and his arms scarred from slashes.
"It's time to take you back," a blond joined in, he too, scarred.
"How-How did they know? I was dead!"
"Please, I don't know what you are talking about," Ukkyou lied. "I've lived here all my life. I'm an elf, can't you see?"
Two men hopped from their horses, gravel cluttering under their feet.
"Oh no," Ukkyou's heart thumped hard. "Th-They're going to check for my scar!" Every member in the camp had one. Behind the prisoners' left ear there was a heavy scar of two slashes. Soldiers or those who controlled the camp carried one scar behind the right ear.
Ukkyou checked both sides before she turned and ran for the forest.
"Hey!" the men jumped back onto their horses. "After her!"
Ukkyou's bare feet pounded against shrubs and branches, ant trails and marshy mud, and a few prickly plants.
"Please Ryoga! I need you!"
"Miss! Up here!" Ukkyou snapped in response to the right to find a boy in the branches, gnawing a blade of grass. Ukkyou stood at the trunk and reached up for help.
"Please hurry!" she pleaded. The boy reached down for her and heaved her up.
"Come on," he pulled her inside a hole in the trunk of the tree.
Inside there was some light, so Ukkyou realized how limited their space was. The boy came in after Ukkyou was situated.
He rested inside against the wall, placing himself tightly to offer Ukkyou more comfort.
"They're coming from that direction," Ukkyou pointed where the hole was open.
"Who's chasing you?"
"Some soldiers from a concentration camp! I ran away, sort of."
"You're not going back," he spoke coldly. Ukkyou felt a rush of warm safeness as she shyly leaned her head against his shoulder as she heard their shouts from far-off.
"That's them," she whispered.
"Shhh, let's be quiet."
Ukkyou felt a strong hand rest upon her opposite shoulder from him, which drew her closer. She rested her head against his shoulder in order to feel more secure as the soldiers came closer.
"Please, just pass," Ukkyou prayed. "Just go away."
The horses stopped, so did Ukkyou's heart. She fell limp against the boy's shoulder. He didn't realize what had happened and held in his breath.
"She couldn't have ran away that far," one soldier said.
"She's around. Let's split up!" Sending their own directions, the tree-boy was relieved when they were gone.
"All right," he whispered in her ear. "They're gone. Do you want to wait here a minute?"
Ukkyou didn't respond.
"Girl? Are you all right?" When he realized she wasn't breathing, he wondered if she fell asleep, but knew she didn't. "Oh no. Don't tell me you-"
He flopped Ukkyou on her back stretching her out the best he could, hovering over her. "W-Wake up! This isn't funny. Please, wake up! Oh my god . . ." The tree-boy slipped his leather strand out of his pouch, hastily placing it between his lips. He yanked the pouch open desperatly. Inside was a jar of lotion that he had found at an abandoned tent in the woods once. He held Ukkyou in a more sitting position with one hand, opening the lotion and spreading it on his hands with the other.
His breath was short and rapid, sweat dripping from his brow. "Don't you dare die, girl." He closed his eyes halfway to give Ukkyou her privacy as he untucked her shirt to place his hands up her shirt against her cool back. He rubbed his hands around her shoulder blades, spreading the lotion around. A glow shimmered from his hands, but too weak of a light to see from under the shirt. "Come back. Come back!"
Ukkyou's eye twitched.
"That's right," he encouraged her. "Keep working."
"Uhn," Ukkyou moaned weakly. This only encouraged him to work harder with the lotion. Ukkyou's hand twitched on her chest.
She inhaled some of the sweet air.
"Oh thank god!" the tree-boy was pleased with himself. Ukkyou blushed furiously when she found his hand up her back. Their eyes caught each other in a gaze that was locked for what seemed like forever.
"Th-Thanks," Ukkyou clutched his arms. "I'm OK now." He slowly removed his hands, his fingertips tickling her as they left.
"Thank you." Ukkyou folded her hands."Th-They left me," Gosunkugi fimbled his thumbs. "They really left me behind."
"Who left who?" Kodachi approached him from behind.
"Some people," Gosunkugi anwsered her flatly.
"Who?"
"Pr-Princess Akane, and uh, Mousse."
"They left you behind? How terrible..."
"Y-Yes they did. A red monster with a blue belly ate them, but it wasn't real. Just for transport, I think."
Kodachi placed her hands on her hips.
"Come with me for awhile. You look hungry and tired. You must be, I wouldn't be surprised."
"Well, yeah."
Kodachi led her guest to her home.Ranma had kept his promise when he and Shampoo went to the festival with all the others. It wasn't really anything impressive. Shampoo had seen all sorts of festivals and parties that she had danced at, and Ranma had been to some, but it really wasn't his kind of thing. (Please play this midi, but also repeat it once as soon as it ends)
Shampoo had suggested carefully that they left the place to walk elsewhere.
"Is too-too crowded!" Shampoo told him, with whatever other excuse he could come up with. Ranma gave his group a quick glance to see if they noticed them running off.
"Ranma okay?" Shampoo asked him. "Not mad at Shampoo?"
"No. Not mad." Ranma grinned down at her.
For the next few minutes, they walked in silence through some tree to the side of the castle. The parties were drowned out."Observe!" Mousse lifted his sleeves as a crowd cluttered around him. "Name anything, I'll pull it out of my sleeves!"
"Flowers?" a mother asked. Mousse grinned as he threw out a boquet towards the voice.
"Bunny! Can you do a bunny!" a child grew excited. Mousse followed the words to release a white and gray bunny (not like he knew the color, he's blind).
"So, big deal? How about something more impressive like dinner?"
"I can handle that," a man jumped beside Mousse.
Oh, he was charming! His golden hair was combed back nicely, and his eyes seemed to sparkle in delight. He unveiled his black cloak to reveal a dinner table, set, without a single dish mis-placed.
"Now that's amazing!"
Mousse released a blast of confetti and ribbons from each hand.
The other lifted a silver dish to show the crowd his glorious turkey.
A flock of pigeons flew from his sleeves.
Piccolet poured his wine and gave a toast to the crowd.
Mousse grew frustrated and finally uplifted his fireworks with the crowd's cheers.
Piccolet stared at Mousse hard before telling him, "Well. You are quite good!"
"That I am!" Mousse bowed blindly, knocking his forehead onto the table before him. The crowd laughed at his clumsiness.Shampoo gazed up at Ranma lovingly. Ranma caught her gaze and stepped back for some breathing space.
To tell the truth, Ranma was furious at what Shampoo had done to him, but not as much as Akane was. He didn't want to hurt Shampoo though. His suspisions led that he thought Shampoo might hurt Akane to win Ranma's affections. Is that how love was nowadays?
"Ranma, Shampoo have very special secret."
Oh no, Ranma thought. This was a bad idea.
"Shampoo have veeery special secret!" Shampoo's eyes cocked back into a glowing white, her hair lifted from her back. Ranma gulped hard. Shampoo's skin was a fiery glow of chi, but so powerful, it couldn't have possibly been hers, could it? Shampoo's mouth opened with a cackle. "Shampoo love Ranma!"
"What the-Shampoo!" Ranma froze. "Shampoo, what are you doing!"Akane and Mousse dropped what they were doing. It was as if Ranma's voice peirced through their minds. Akane led Mousse to the forest in a hurry.
"Shampoo love Ranma. Does Ranma love Shampoo?"
"N-No! No I don't Shampoo. In fact, you get on my nerves!"
That wasn't the right thing to say at the moment. Shampoo flashed a light of gray, screaming past Ranma's ear as it missed.
"Oh my god!" Akane stopped short.
"Ranma no love...?" Shampoo's arms fell to her sides, her eyes closed. "Shampoo only want love."
"Shampoo! I love you!" The three of them turned to Mousse, his hand on his heart. "I have loved since I first saw you three years ago!"
"Mousse...?" Akane was confused. She had no idea.
"Yes, Shampoo," Mousse sat on his knees, reaching out his arms for Shampoo. "Let's forget about Ranma, and love each other."
"Move aside!" a raspy voice pounced in. A short elderly lady in a small white robe as white as her long hair, balanced herself on a staff. "Tis an evil spirit. Evil spirit begone!" she poked Shampoo in the head with the point of the staff, a ward between them.
Shampoo yelped in pain, melting into a scream. She came to her knees on the ground, her pounding the dirt with her fists.
"No!" Mousse lanced forward. "You're hurting her!"
"Stay back, boy. If you know what's best for you."
Shampoo curled to her side, hugging her knees then stretching completely out.
She finally rested, her chi gone, the ward vanished.
"She was possessed." Cologne turned to the others. "Thank you for your welcome."
"She was.... possessed?" Akane gasped. "You mean, she had no control over her body?"
"She did. Just very little." Cologne's face darkened. "I've been possessed before myself. You have to fight to take control."
"Shampoo," Mousse rested by her, placing her head on his lap. "Will she be all right?"
"Yes, she'll come around eventually."
Mousse's eyes were set upon the stars, half-eaten away by the trees. Tears filled up his dry eyes.
"I can see," he sighed. "I can see again."
It wasn't just the sight that made him joyful though, Shampoo was the first thing he saw when it came back, asleep on his lap.Ryoga was tied as he gnawed through his gag. There she was, all in black, stirring some sort of potion in the other corner of the small hut.
"It will not hurt," she assured him. "I'm just tired of being interrupted by you noisy humans so much lately."
Ryoga struggled, trying to break free. He could have escaped easily, if it wasn't for the cursed spell that was set on that rope.
"You humans get stronger every time I see you, yes? So I have learned to adapt so that you will not escape." The witch grinned down at her watery potion with an evil grin. "What shall I turn you into...?" She broke out into an evil laughter. "Would you like to be a cute little black pig?"
"N-No! You old hag!" Ryoga wiggled the rope.
"Well, am I old now? At least I age well." She carefully filled her large wooden spoon and walked over to Ryoga, sure not to spill any.
"Don't you dare! I will get you for this!!"
"You're not much fun." Ryoga was drenched. The ropes were largely wrapped around him. He squirmed free and ran out of that hut on all fours. Kodachi's evil laughter was left behind as dashed out of the brink of the forest.
"What did she do to me?!" Ryoga cried.
"Ooo! Lookit this cute lil piggie!" Ukkyou lifted Ryoga. "You're so cu-ute!"
Ryoga dropped unconscious in her arms.
"Hey, hey! Snap out of it, piggie!"(Please take a minute to play this midi) The four of the them headed back to the castle on two horses. (Akane's two horses were lost in the forest when fighting the blue-bellied monster).
Shampoo drove the first horse, silver as a clean coin, with Mousse behind her since his vision was still very poor. Akane let Ranma control their red horse, her hands lightly on his sides.
About an hour into their ride, the ground cracked at the foot of the red horse. No one payed any attention.
The cracks grew into a web-like structure, neatly carved, with a small circle placed in the center, and the two horses right on it.
"What the-" Ranma, like the others, observed. Mousse placed his glasses on his head, trying to focus his eyes on the ground.
"Is evil omen," Shampoo spoke, bringing her horse to a stop.
"That's strange," Akane's knuckle came to her chin.
In the center, the circle broke open. The small shards of dirt broke off dully to the sides. A man came from the center, his figure thin and wiery.
"G-Gosunkugi," Akane spoke aloud. "Where've you been?"
"Princess Akane."
His voice was distant, even though he was nearly only twenty feet away. His eyes came up to greet hers. In his hand was a doll of straw of very simple structures. His eyes were crazed, like that of a killer before the most psycho attack.
He held the doll high above his head. Akane gasped when she found tears streaked down his face. He was crying.
In his other hand, a blade was hidden behind his sleeve, which he revealed. It glittered in the silence of the sun. The doll came to chest-heighth and he plunged the knife right into the chest. Akane choked and fell aside off of the horse.
"Akane!" Ranma dropped to her side.
"I've always loved the dear Princess Akane," Gosunkugi spoke in the strange voice. "But she has never loved me back. I'm tired of being alone and unwanted. I want to be cherished like any other."
"What? What did you do?" Mousse grew furious.
"How could he have-" Ranma asked more to himself.
"Is voodoo doll," Shampoo kept her eyes focused on Gosunkugi. "Very special doll made to hurt or kill any who's hair is inside."
"How did he get the hair?"
"What . . . .
"Why Akane?"
"Someone please answer meeeeeee."
Ranma felt lost in his thoughts.(Please take a minute to play this midi) Mousse heaved himself from the horse, racing to Gosunkugi, his claws wide open.
He swung with a miss, falling onto his face.
"I-I stepped through?" Mousse thought as he came to his feet.
"You can not hurt me," spoke a woman's voice, but from Gosunkugi's mouth! Ranma recognized that voice.
"Kodachi!" Ranma accused. "That's her voice!"
"Ha ha ha." Gosunkugi was idle as he talked. "Tis Ranma Darling. I told for none of you to return to my dwelling again. I am tired of having to deal with humans in my forest."
"What did we ever do to you!" Ranma pointed at Gosunkugi. "You kidnapped us!"
"Cease your balderdash. Your fiancee . . ."
Ranma inhaled the sweet scent of Akane's hair, keeping his eyes on her stomach for any signs of breathing. There was no movement from her at all.
"What do you think came over your gypsy-friend?" Kodachi giggled. "So close to winning you over."
"How could you do this, to Akane...." Ranma squeezed Akane close to him, his voice in a shaky half-whisper. "She never . . . did anything to you!"
"She was with you, as you two are engaged. She has done plenty."
"How...How dare you!" Ranma waved his fist to the heavens, his power overwhelming to a tough heartbeat. A wind blasted up from him like a twister, it's point to be pointless, a meaningless reason. His fury was drained into that power, but not completely. "I'll show you to kill Akane!"
Mousse ran aside from Gosunkugi to avoid any uncontrolled power that Ranma might throw that direction.
Ranma kept ahold of Akane with one arm, his other still high above his head.
"Heaven Blast!" Ranma screamed, although it was lost in the wind.
"Aiya! Is three people in there!" Shampoo informed Mousse, allowing him to get back aboard the horse.
She was right. Gosunkugi stood before a tornado with three people at the base.
The twister died down, all of the chunks of earth falling where they were.
"Ranma! Behind you-!" Mousse cupped his mouth. Ranma turned to find a woman, floating above him, in a white glowing dress with red loose hair.
"I am not Princess Akane's soul," she told Ranma. "I am a gift. I have been lost among this world for one thousand, five hundred years. Please allow me to take Akane's body, to merely borrow it, until her soul is recovered."
"Ranma . . ." Kodachi spoke again through her puppet.
Kodachi appeared, not see-through, next to Gosunkugi, who too, was physical. "I am through with you. You have done your part."
Gosunkugi didn't wipe his tears. "I can-I can go?"
"No." Kodachi's fingers curled towards his stomach. She gave him a grin as her nails suddenly grew into knife-like weapons right through his abdomen. Gosunkugi hunched over the nails, coughing up some of his blood. "You too, are only in the way!"
"A-Akane." No one heard his last word except for Mousse. His last word was of her.
Ranma's eyes darted back and forth from the fiery-haired woman to Gosunkugi's slaughter.
To save Akane's body for her soul, or fight Kodachi to save everyone? Ranma gulped down nervously, his skin sweaty.Trust the girl to help Akane!
Flowers Aren't Frozen Part II(Note: Please continue to play the last midi I asked for you to download as you continue reading the next chapter.)
