It didn’t take very long for the telepaths to decide on their next move: they had to get the support of their closest friends and family members, or they’d never be able to weather the controversy. Thus, the group split off into three: Ranma and Akane went off to deal with their parents, Kodachi was going to try to handle her brother, which left Ukyo to head back to her restaurant with a somewhat surprising ally in tow.
“You didn’t need to come with me,” Ukyo told Shampoo as they walked towards Ucchan’s. “I’m sure I can handle Konatsu myself.”
“Shampoo know this,” the Amazon tried to explain, “but think good idea for Amazon nearby when explaining Amazon practice, yes?”
“I guess…” the chef replied reluctantly. She still wasn’t all that certain that the Amazon could provide anything more than a potential target for Konatsu’s frustrations. However, by that point, the subject was more or less moot. “Well, here we are.”
The pair opened the door to see the kunoichi—who, Shampoo now realized, was not merely androgynous but flat-out feminine—preparing the restaurant for its first round of customers. “Ukyo-sama!” he said with a smile. “You’ve returned! Did everything go well?”
“As well as could be expected,” Ukyo replied somewhat nervously. “Um, you’ve met Shampoo before, right?”
“Of course—she was there when we all tried to sabotage Ranma’s wedding. I am glad, however, to have the opportunity to meet you under more agreeable circumstances, Shampoo-dono.” Konatsu bowed respectfully.
So polite… though I fear he will not find this occasion quite so auspicious when he learns more of its details. “Thank you. Is pleasure to meet you, too.”
“So, Ukyo-sama, what brings Shampoo here today? We aren’t… we aren’t planning a follow-up to our previous activities, are we?” The kunoichi looked distinctly uncomfortable by that possibility.
Ukyo was quick to derail that train of thought: “No, no. We won’t be doing anything like that anytime soon. Um, Konatsu…” Ukyo trailed off, trying to figure out the best way to approach the subject. “You… do you really love me?”
Konatsu, however, was a bit more perceptive than Ukyo had given him credit for. “What happened, Ukyo-sama?”
“Konatsu, please answer my question.”
“You saved me from my stepfamily, Ukyo. You’ve given me a place to live. I will always be devoted to you—even if you join the Amazon tribe.”
Shampoo’s eyes went wide at this“How you figure that out?”
“An educated guess. If Ukyo-sama is talking about love, that means Ranma has something to do with it, and if you’re here, it means the Amazons are involved. I’m guessing there’s some part of Amazon law that will allow her to get Ranma without you interfering if she becomes an Amazon.“
“Well… you mostly right…”
“Shampoo, let me tell him, please?”
“Okay…”
Ukyo took a deep breath and started to explain her marriage to Ranma and all his suitors in all of its sordid details. “I joined the tribe to marry Ranma, which I’ve done. But to do that, I also had to marry Shampoo, and Akane, and Kodachi.”
The kunoichi looked stunned—though not nearly as much as Ukyo had originally expected, to be honest. “What?”
“It’s not as perverted as it sounds, really—it’s an Amazon thing, you see,” Ukyo tried to explain.
“Amazon?” Konatsu’s eyes immediately steeled in way that Ukyo had seen only once before, when his stepfamily had kidnapped her and attempted to use her as a bargaining chip to press him back into their service. He looked at Shampoo, not quite glaring, but still showing a rapidly growing hostility. “Is that so?”
This, however, caused Shampoo to feel a sense of relief. Thank the Goddess; he’s willing to hear an explanation. “Yes. Shampoo never want things to turn out this way, but things happen two day ago—”
“The genie?”
“You knew about that?” Ukyo asked, clearly surprised.
“I am a kunoichi, Ukyo-sama. Hiding inconspicuously is what I do best.”
“Then you know about links?” Shampoo asked.
“Somewhat. I haven’t really asked Ukyo-sama about it. I figured that if I really needed to know, she’d tell me.”
“Then about the group marriage…”
“Naturally, I have concerns about it—this could tarnish your image and hurt your business if handled improperly.”
“But… but you’re not mad that I’m out of your grasp?”
“Ukyo-sama, I never really thought I could have you as a spouse, or a lover, or anything like that. I’m truly content to assist you as your servant for as long as you’ll have me. I want you to be happy, and I want you to be safe. And if you truly believe that this arrangement will give you that, then I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
Shampoo took this opportunity to try and bolster this point of view: “Ukyo will be safe. And Shampoo do what she can to make happy. Give word as Amazon.”
Konatsu smiled a little at this. “As I understand it, that’s the whole point of marriage vows to begin with.” He sighed. “Does this mean you’re releasing me from your service?“
Ukyo looked stunned. “What? No! I mean… I don’t see why you have to….” She looked over at Shampoo. “Does he?”
“Shampoo no think so, though might be difficult if Ninja Girl come back to Joketsuzoku. We no have fixed rules on servants.”
“Well, I don’t want to leave him at the mercy of his family,” Ukyo replied. There was a long pause that was nearly painful in its awkwardness. “Hey… what if Konatsu became an Amazon? He’d be safe from them that way, right?”
“Shampoo no understand, what Ukyo-airen mean?”
“I’m not sure myself. Look, could you just ask Cologne about inducting Konatsu when you go back home?”
“Okay…” the lavender-haired girl replied uncertainly. “Um… Ukyo-Airen need more help?”
The chef slowly shook her head. “Not really, Shampoo. At least, I can’t think of anything that you’ll need to stick around for.” Ukyo-airen? Where did this come from?
“Then Shampoo help Ranma-airen and Akane-airen.”
“Wait up, Shampoo.”
“Yes?”
“What’s with all the ‘Airens’? I mean, don’t you usually reserve that for Ranma?”
“No… is for all persons Shampoo love more than any other. We all equal in marriage, so it not fair to only call Ranma ‘Airen’ anymore. You no like it?”
To be honest, the chef wasn’t entirely sure she did, but Shampoo was starting to give her the infamous Sad Puppy Face™, so she decided to let it slide for now. “No, it’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting anything like that.”
“So there no problem, then?”
“No… and you’d better get going—Ranchan and Akane are probably going to need all the help they can get.”
“Okay. Bai bai!” came the Amazon’s cheerful farewell.
The chef turned back to her assistant. “You’re certain you don’t have a problem with this, Konatsu?”
“I want you to be happy, Ukyo-sama, and if this marriage can do that for you, I won’t try to stop it.”
“Thanks, Konatsu.”
“Will you be keeping regular business hours today, or will you be closing for your honeymoon?”
Ukyo went beet red from Konatsu’s earnest nonchalance. “What—? I… uh… well, you see—”
“I take it that means we will be open today.”
“Ah, yes.” Ukyo couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as her devoted kunoichi went off to continue getting Ucchan’s ready for the day ahead. Whew… I’m sure glad that’s over with. At least, I think it’s over with, anyway. I mean, Konatsu isn’t the type to go behind my back and do who knows what in my “best interests” or something like that. That’s just not the way his no-good family raised him. My family, on the other hand… I just don’t know how to break this to Dad at all. I’m not even sure that he knows what he wants to do as far as marriage goes, though I’m pretty sure what I’m doing now isn’t it. What to do…
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(Posted Fri, 14 Sep 2007 05:06)
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