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"...And yet it not be under the oath? For the heavens were dawned abound a fresh birth. It was the child called Earth that has stroke upon us..."
Akane yawned, covering her mouth. Ranma, who wasn't too far from her on the pew, didn't seem very interested either.
"I find this so boring," Ranma commented quietly, so that no others on the balcony could hear them. Akane chuckled lightly.
"I haven't been to one of these in years. I forgot how boring these really are."
Tsubasa, on the other side of Princess Akane, was dressed fancily in a white dress with golden swirls for lining. Her hair was carefully combed back under her corwn. The dress, of course, belonged to Princess Akane.
King Tendo was sitting on the edge of his seat, absorbing every word the old pastor said. Queen Kasumi was sitting properly, her back straight and hands folded in her lap. Princess Nabiki was more laid-back, her eyes obviously drifting into some other world that was possibly more interesting than this.
"It's a shame so many people are so snobbish here," Ranma whispered more to himself.
When they had first entered the church, Ranma, Shampoo, and Mousse were behind from the royal group. Because of Shampoo's gypsy-image, she wasn't allowed in. Mousse refused to go in without Shampoo. "Of course, by now they'd be havin' much more fun than this."Out and around the market area, not too far from the church, Shampoo and Mousse stopped in a bar. Shampoo had told him that she wanted to buy a comb, but needed the money for it. Thus, leading to a dance.
Shampoo was aware of her well-curved body. She knew how to move the way veiwers liked it, the way to make them pay. Shampoo stepped in, dressed in a dark green skirt that brushed her ankles, with a slit on both sides to her thigh. Her top was strapless and un-cut, but very revealing and of the same color. With her luscious hair down, Shampoo stepped up to the bartender with confidence in herself, Mousse close by.
"You want to dance? Here?" the bartender, chubby as he was, set down his glass. "How would I benefit from this any?"
"Make good business stronger!" Shampoo made her point. "Shampoo share tip with bartender, is okay?"
"All right. I usually don't let little girlies dance here, but you're pretty damn cute. Come on in tonight, around dusk. That's when there's plenty of commotion."
"Aiya!" Shampoo jumped and clapped her hands. Mousse followed her outside.
"Shampoo no dance in such long while!" she wiped her forehead as her eyes wandered up to the sky.
"I'm glad you're happy," Mousse joined her cheerfullness. He was relieved that the fighting was over. His mind snapped. "H-Hey Shampoo! Do you want to see my store?"
"Mousse have store?"
"Yes! It's a weaponry shop. It's been awhile since I've worked there, since I left town with Princess Akane."
"Sure!"Ranma had his eyes closed, beginning to mumble himself to sleep. The pastor suddenly boomed in his verse, waking Ranma up.
"Come on, Shampoo!" Mousse clutched her hand as they dashed through the people in the market. His heart filled with an excitement he missed as he headed for his store. Shampoo ran along with him easy, but had trouble slamming into people on the way.
They both stopped short.
"There it is!" Mousse pointed at the store.
"That no weapon shop," Shampoo swiped her hand free. "That meat store."
An old man shoved a wild chicken into a bamboo cage, latching it. Some pigs squealed from their corner, not realizing they were next to dry.
"Weapon shop there," Shampoo walked two stores down further. Mousse's smile quickly faded.
The door was cracked open. The small window was broken in, shards of it scattered in the building's shadow.
Shampoo stepped in first, Mousse behind to observe the haunting scene. The shelves
were broken down the center, which was where most of the leftovers lay. The painting on the wall of the King Soun's castle was half-way burnt, curled upon the floor. The suit of armor on display was stolen, and so were many of the charms, jewelry, and expensive trinkets. There was no light, no point. Mousse's life in that store was destroyed.
In fact, the only thing that looked no different was the sign labled "Muu-Tzu's Weaponry."
Something caught Shampoo's attention at the corner of her eye. On the front counter, A hammer, splintered and bent at the handle, lay beside a note. She approached it carefully, Mousse not even noticing.
The note was nailed into the counter at the top. Shampoo gave the paper a tug to free it from it's grip. She carefully observed both sides, a cloud of confusion sweeping across her face.
"Is that...a note?" Mousse looked over his shoulder.
Shampoo handed it over to him with a shrug.
Mousse's face darkened.You can give thanks to the king. Long live Arrald!
Ranma helped Lady Tsubasa into the carriage on the way to the castle. Mousse and Shampoo hadn't yet returned, but they could find their way to the castle.
Ukkyou sighed as she stepped into the lake. It felt so cool against her bare skin. Many times she dove under, allowing the water to blow through her long hair. Konatsu had joined her, but he was a little further off, to each allow their own space.
P-Chan lay on Ukkyou's clothes on the shore.
"Why do you insist on bringing that pig?" Konatsu asked her on their way to the lake.
"I don't want him to run away!" Ukkyou kissed P-Chan on the forehead. "Besides, pigs get lonely too."
P-Chan frowned at Konatsu as he washed himself out.
"You would almost think he was a girl," Ryoga thought to himself. "He's no man for Ukkyou!"
To Ryoga's relief, neither Ukkyou or Konatsu "tried anything" that could be tempting.
That night, Ukkyou ran away with P-Chan, leaving behind only her trail of tears.(Please play this midi) Mousse and Shampoo spent most of their evening at the bar, which Shampoo later found out was called "The Slick Cat Cafe."
Shampoo was not afraid to step up on that stage. She was introduced by one of the musicians who obviously have heard of her from the bartender.
Mousse on the other hand, sat uncomfortable in the back of the bar by the door. Places like these always gave him the creeps, and the fact that his store was wrecked seemed too real for him at the moment.
"I should have had someone watch it for me," Mousse found himself on the floor, sitting against the counter. "I knew better. I knew better!"
"Is done now," Shampoo seated herself next to him. "Nothing can change past, Mousse."
Mousse was surprised to find Shampoo's hand on his shoulders. Sure, she was barely touching him, or at least, he could barely feel it, but it meant the world to Mousse. His heart began to pound faster, the shop dissolving before his eyes.
"Sh-Shampoo," Mousse's hand slowly slid on top of hers. His touch on her was shy and light, but she was so warm. Mousse's green eyes slowly turned up to meet hers, until he found himself three inches from her face, his eyes halfway closed. Shampoo was willing to accept the kiss at first, but quickly backed off.
"We go now."
Mousse heaved a sigh. Three inches . . . three inches!!! After that, Shampoo and Mousse explored the market with an empty heart, sharing a melon, and sitting beside the street quietly, waiting for the time to pass by. Eventually, they both fell asleep without anyone bothering them.
Shampoo's hips danced almost as much as her hands. She flickered them, her arms in a constant short wave. Her feet hardly ever touched the ground, jumping and pouncing, her hair shaking wildly around her. Mousse looked up just in time to see her gaze at him as she twirled, but it seem to go in slow motion. Her eyes carried a seductive look, her mouth puckered.
Mousse's heart skipped a beat.
"W-Was that for me?"
Mousse's concentration elsewhere stabbed him in the back as a group of men encircled around him. They were all dirty and smelled of mold. Three were carved with well-blessed muscles, and two pretty stringy. Mousse lifted his chin from his fist.
"Hey there, little girl," one of them popped his knuckle. "Yer awfully pretty to be hidin' in the back. Why don't you dance for us?"
"'Pretty?'" Mousse gulped. They thought he was a girl?
"Surely you've got some nice tits under there," one of the stringy men's hand patted Mousse's chest.
Mousse cleared his throat. "I am a male, just as you are."
"No way. We saws you comin in with the gypsy girl."
Shampoo's eyes were away from her dancing, and more set on the men around Mousse.
"I am not a woman. I am male."
"I'll believe that," the first man glanced at Mousse's pubic area, "when I see it."
"That's not very flattering. I told you that I am a guy, you dolt."
"Then if yer a guy, give us a fight!" one of the other muscular men flipped Mousse's table.
"You shouldn't have broken that. The bartender will make you fix it." Mousse remained in his seat, his legs crossed.
"Ye bastard!"
Mousse's chair was lifted from the floor, with Mousse on it. He (and the chair), were heaved at another table. Mousse slammed his shoulder against the table, knocking it to the floor. Shampoo stumbled in her dance.
"You cross-dresser!" One of the men pointed. "No real women are allowed in here! Only gypsies who dance!"
"Ne?" an old man looked up. "A girl?"
"No way. It's obvious that he's a man," another said.
Mousse came to his feet, spitting his extra saliva aside.
"Here!" muscle man lifted the table above his head, then pushed it to Mousse. Mousse pounced and landed on the table in mid-air, using it to jump off of. His head about half a foot from the ceiling, Mousse's face darkened.
"You cretin! Hawk's talon!" Mousse came down at them, feet first with three prongs set from each foot. On his way down, he grasped the side of two men, shoving their heads together while scraping their cheeks. He came to his landing, his talons back in place.
The two victims came to their feet, their hands on their bleeding faces.
"Stupid wench!" Mousse found himself on the floor by a mighty punch.
"Aiya!" Shampoo kicked them overhead, knocking one of the men to the floor. She sent a twisted set of kicks and punches, spinning as she went. Mousse jumped to his feet and released his chains.
In a free-for-all battle, Shampoo threw the last unbroken table nearby to finish her battle, Mousse ending it by stomping a mase on top the last man standing's head.
Shampoo clapped her hands, as if she was wiping the dust off."I have to admit, I don't believe this still," Lt. Kumon mentioned to the soldiers, "that one elf-girl could have come back to life. And to be honest with you, I don't really know if it's worth our time."
"Sir, she shouldn't be able to escape, sir," a soldier spoke. "And sir, her corpse was never found among the pile, sir."
"That took you some brains, eh soldier? Don't strain yourself. I have been told to post signs of her missing with a reward, but I have a better idea. I suggest we set out to find her ourselves." It was careless that the boss didn't consider elven re-birth in the first place.
The soldiers kept their silence although agony knocked them dead in the head.Ukkyou huffed as she wiped her bangs away.
"The sun is setting," Ukkyou thought to herself. She held P-Chan tight in her arm.
"We should find some sort of shelter, huh P-Chan?" she giggled. Her stomach growled in response. "Some grub, too."
P-Chan agreed in his way, his ernk, ernk!
Ukkyou was aware where they were partially. Where the grass met desert, and hills began to roll. Ukkyou had met the luscious hills a few miles back. She had survived on food that she had found in the forest, and found herself out here when she left the un-
friendly twist of the trees. She had nursed P-Chan as if he was her baby.
And yet, P-Chan seemed so human. He seemed to respond to whatever Ukkyou would say, and even help direct her.
"I really don't think we're near Orange Canary," she told him. "Serves me right for taking directions from a pig." P-Chan gave her a bwee in a sorrowful whine. Ukkyou couldn't help but grin. "It's OK, P-Chan! I was only kidding."Mousse and Shampoo stumbled into the castle later that night. Due to the fight, Shampoo hadn't recieved many tips for ruining the dance in the first hour. She had been offered a job to dance at the bar to her delight, almost every night unless noted. She had been used to so much more luxury, dancing from castle to castle, but found herself to hate being veiwed by rich snits who wasted their money on their snob appeal. She found the bar to be much more down-to-earth.
In the meantime, Mousse had been tortured to listen to the bartender's lecture about the wrecked furniture. He had told him, that since he won the fight, he gets to pay for the damage. Mousse was short on funds, so has been offered a job to clean at the bar to make up the difference until it was all paid off.
Akane was out on the balcony, enjoying the feeling of the guest room. The breeze was a little too chilly against her bare body, but it hadn't bugged her too much. She loved the way her hair felt as it shifted by the winds.
Ranma was wide awake in his bedroom like he had been all day except for when he snuck to the privy to take a piss. He stretched himself on the floor, thinking about absolutely nothing in particular. He thought about things like the battle that led to three deaths to small details such as how the water tasted in both Arrald and Carnela.
Lady Tsubasa searched the castle endlessly, not able to go anywhere too special with so many guards. She frowned and muttered something about how there was no trust in the castle, and stomped to the room that was assigned to her.
Mousse told Shampoo good-night as they parted to their separate rooms.
King Soun asleep, Princess Nabiki up in bed, reading a letter in the candlelight.
Princess Kasumi and Tofu stood together out on her balcony, shyly spaced from each other, but chatting comfortably.(Please play this midi for effect) Ukkyou's heart pounded hard in her chest. Out in the open, in the dark, alone, unarmed. Her sore feet pounding beneath her bony shape, Ukkyou paced herself to a light,
the same one she had been chasing for the past mile or so.
She shyly knocked on the door at first with no response, but soon pounded on it a few times. A minute later, a girl in a long white cotton dress answered the door, her brown hair tucked into a night cap, a half-burnt light blue candle firmly in her hand.
"M-May I help you?"
"Yes, please . . . uh . . . I have been traveling on-foot for a day now without any rest, and I was wondering if you would be so kind to . . ."
"Oooh! Is that a piglet you have?!" she nearly dropped her candle in excitement.
"Y-Yes. Do you think that I could possibly...."
"What's his name? Can I hold him?!" Ukkyou handed P-Chan over.
"His name's P-Chan."
"I have a farm of pigs here," she informed Ukkyou. "My name is Akari by the way. But anyway, I love piggies, and I raise them too! Do come in miss . . ."
"Ukkyou."
". . . .Miss Ukkyou. Please, you look exhausted. Would you like some tea?" Akari led Ukkyou to a soft chair by a fire. Ukkyou sat down, soon covered by a warm quilt, pigs dancing all over the broidery. Akari gently place P-Chan on Ukkyou's lap and set to her kitchen-ette to fix some tea for her guest.
"Here you go," Akari handed Ukkyou two peices of bread and a glass of tea. "One peice is for P-Chan. I'm sorry I don't have much now. I have some more food every week and the delivery boy hasn't been yet."
"It's all right. Thank you." Akari dipped a wooden bowl into her bucket and placed it on the floor beside Ukkyou without spilling a drop.
"Come here, P-Chan! You must be thirsty!" P-Chan leaped out of Ukkyou's lap, accepting the water quite definitely. "Like I said, I'll have eggs and milk tomorrow, and more water when it rains sometime. I guess being next to the desert doesn't do any good."
Ukkyou munched quietly, allowing Akari to continue her talking.
"I'm usually here all by myself. The only people I see is the delivery boy. But my piggies keep me plenty company!"
"Until you sell them?"
"Excuse me?"
"Until you sell your pigs . . . You do have them butchered, don't you?" Akari rose out of her seat.
"By all gods, no! Every pig has the right to live as much as we do! Even more than we do because we're merely women!"
"I'm sorry."
"It's OK. No offense, but you do carry a stench a little. I have some water out in the tub that's still pretty warm, if you'd like to use it. I bathed in it not too long ago, but it's still very clean."
"Is that all right with you?"
"Oh, yes. In fact, I'll boil up some water for you right now to make it warmer for you two."
"Could you . . . watch P-Chan while I take my bath?"
"Don't you think he should go in, too?" Akari seemed confused at Ukkyou's inconsideration for the piglet. "I'm sure he would like a bath, too."
P-Chan nearly fainted in Ukkyou's arms.
"Ah, that's hot," Ukkyou told P-Chan as she stepped into the wooden tub in the front of Akari's house. She kept a tight grip on P-Chan, his face away from her bosom. She sat down in the tub, allowing the steam to relieve her. "Can't say I've taken a bath with a pig before, P-Chan." She placed P-Chan slowly in the water . . .
P-Chan's form changed almost instantly, catching Ukkyou and Ryoga himself, off-guard. Ryoga arose into the tub, his skin the same color it was at Kodachi's place, his bandana still wrapped around his head, his fangs still poked out from that mouth.
Both Ukkyou and Ryoga were speechless.
"Ryoga?!" Ukkyou's arms flailed around his neck. "I thought you were dead!"
"I thought you were too, until I ran into you." Ryoga's face burnt red as he felt Ukkyou's chest press against his. Ukyyou caught herself and sat back, covering herself with her arms.
"How did-I mean-what happened to you??"
"I was changed into a pig by a witch in the forest, and uh," Ryoga wiped some of the blood streaming down his nose. "I had never stopped searching for you, Ukkyou."
"I knew you were alive. I had been around in the forest for awhile." Ukkyou clutched Ryoga firmly by his shoulders. "I think they know, Ryoga. I think the people at the camp know that we're still alive. At least, they know for sure about me."
"H-How? Becuase you're an elf?" Ukkyou nodded.
"Uh huh. They may be hunting for me."
"Oh." Ukkyou's arms returned to her front.
"Tell me, were you paying attention to what happened between me and Konatsu?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Don't worry. I did leave him for you. I-I was . . . determined to find you . . .so . . ."
Ryoga held Ukkyou's chin lightly, his thumb pressed under her lip. Ukkyou found her heart to be racing his, a spark lit in both of their eyes, not knowing what they were willing to do.
"Ukkyou . . ." Ryoga kept his eyes locked onto hers.
Ukkyou's mind went wild in a storm of thoughts: "Does he like me? Did Konatsu make him jealous? If I place my hand on his, would he hate me and stop or something? What if I . . . what if I slapped him? Akari . . . what if she comes out here and sees us like this? That look in his eyes . . . I-Is he . . . going to kiss me?"
Not really knowing who kissed whom, both of their lips met. Shy and light at first, but gradually some movement and some rythem. Ukkyou had trouble understanding Ryoga's rythem. He was obviously nervous, as was she. Ryoga was pleased, not believing the moment, just living it. Ukkyou was a smooth kisser, but he had difficulty catching onto his own.
Ryoga's hand began to caress Ukkyou's hair beside her cut ears, his other just resting upon her opposite shoulder. Ukkyou's arms slipped around his neck, pulling him closer as they enjoyed their first kiss together, their first kiss period.The stars were plentiful, the moons were still, the water was peaceful . . . And so the ones of the tale, came to an end, as they met their destiny inside their own heads.
