The trio was walking down an alley, about half way to the Neko Hanten; the place in which they might get some answers to their questions: What were the rings? How did they come in possession of them? And maybe even how did Usagi and Ranma-chan even end up together in the first place? "So how did you two end up together in the first place, Ranma?"
"I don't know, Akane" Ranma-chan replied, "All I know is that when we woke up we both had the rings on." Ranma-chan tried again with a bit of effort pull on the ring; maybe it had gotten loose, just maybe. Of course, there was no such luck again as the ring was still on his ring finger as it had been since the attempt in the room. "Dang, I wish this dumb ring would come off!"
"Maybe we can try hot water to remove them." Usagi said to Ranma-chan
Akane nodded, "Maybe maaaaybe." Akane looked at Ranma-chan with a rather know it all look, "Why didn't you try that, huh?"
Ranma-chan sighed at the idea; not so much Akane's smug know it all attitude but why didn't that idea pop up in her head. She could have said a lot of struggle and intimate behavior using the hot water method. "I didn't think of that, is that okay with you?"
"Sorry" Usagi said, shrugging her shoulders.
After a short while later, they made it into Neko Hanten. It was a nice little Ramen place that holds a lot of memories for Ranma and Akane. Like the time that Cologne had placed the 'full cat tongue' on Ranma making him unable to change back into a girl because the water was too hot for him. He recalled the abuse he put up with as the hired Waitress to get the phoenix pill to cure him. "Well let's go in and get ourselves some answers" Ranma-chan said with a tone of possible triumph.
Usagi and Akane looked at each other and then back at Ranma-chan and nodded in agreement.
Ranma-chan entered the resturant first. Parting the curtains that hung from the entrance and looked around. The smell of ramen filled the air. The Neko hanten was packed, it was lunch time and the it was usually filled with all sorts of people: salary men, business ladies and even the underachievers all gathered here for the wonderful ramen that the place served. There was very few places in town that enjoyed this much consistent business; one of the others was Ukyou's Okonomiyaki was another but wasn't nearly as packed as this place was.
Usagi and Akane followed soon after and caught up with Ranma-chan and stayed behind her.
Ranma-chan soon enough spotted whom she was looking for; Cologne, Shampoo's great-grandmother. In fact, there was no mistaking her at all: That long flowing white hair held back by a hair band; that cane that was who knows how old; and the that green shirt with a strange design that was probably some symbol of the Amazon tribe in China that she was a member of.
"Listen up old ghoul, I got a question for ya!" Ranma-chan said.
"Listen son-in-law, it's rather rude to just barge in here during business hours." Cologne said, "And to call me old ghoul like that. How dare you." Cologne grabbed her cane and quickly pointed the end of it at Ranma-chan's nose, "If you keep coming in like that and just expecting me to answer any old question that you have, then your mistaken." Cologne lowered her staff and continued, "I'll tell you what if you order something, I'll tell you after the lunch crowd leaves.
"Okay you got it" Ranma-chan said. She turned around and looked at both Akane and Usagi. "If we order something, the old ghoul will talk." Ranma-chan said, "You two hungry?"
"Yeah, I haven't had anything in hours." Akane said, "sure!" She looked at Usagi, "How about you Usagi?"
"Yummy, Ramen!" Usagi said with much excitment. She gave a victory sign that caused both Ranma-chan and Akane to heave a sigh.
Hours had passed and the last of the lunch crowd had payed there bill and left. Even though it wasn't closed, not too many people usually stopped by after the afternoon rush had concluded. "Now what's the matter, son-in-law?" asked Cologne.
Both Usagi and Ranma-chan held up both their left and hand and in unison pointed to the rings which occupied their ring finger. "We need to know what these rings are?" Ranma-chan asked, "These dumb things are stuck to our hands and they won't come off."
"They look like wedding rings to me." Cologne replied, "Let's take a closer look." She examined both of the rings; first ranma-chan's and then Usagi's.
As the examination continued Akane watched and waited; Usagi started to try to rub Ranma-chan's back with her free hand. "stop that." Ranma-chan whispered to Usagi.
"Sorry." Usagi whispered in reply.
"I can tell you what these rings are and what they aren't." Cologne said.
"So what aren't they?" Ranma-chan asked.
"They aren't ordinary wedding bands I can tell you that." Cologne said, "They are the rings known as "Love love band." She pointed to the bottom of the ring to some very small inscription on Ranma-chan's ring. "That's the binding spell to make the rings do what they do. If you look, your blond friend should also have the same thing on her's."
Ranma-chan looked at Usagi's 'love love band,' she seen the identical inscription, "How on earth did I miss that?"
"So can you take it off with hot water?" Usagi asked.
The old ghould laughed upon hearing Usagi's question. "Nope, hot water isn't going to do a thing." She shook her head and went over to Usagi, "I'm afraid that it isn't that simple. The 'love love bands' are a unique ring that binds itself to the wearer and attracts the wearer of the other ring."
"Attracts?!" Akane asked, "What do you mean, Attracts?"
"What do you think I mean?" Cologne said, "It means what it means, it attracts the wearer of the other ring." Cologne jumped on a nearby table to have all three of them in sight and continued, "No one knows who made the rings but it was a legend in the Amazon tribe. We all thought it was non-sense and never really paid any attention to it."
"How do the rings work?" Akane asked.
"Quite simple really, it attracts the wearer together emotionally and physically." Cologne said, "Not only that, any thoughts of another love are changed by the ring into love for the other person." The old ghoul shook her head and continued, "The more intense the love for someone else the more intense the love for the person with the other 'love love band'".
"So can you get it off?" Ranma-chan asked with a fearful tone in her voice.
"I don't know how you two got the rings in the first place but I know I can get them off." the old ghoul said, "but there is a price."
As Ranma-chan was about to ask what the deal was, Akane jumped in front of her, "What is it? We'll do anything!" Akane said.
"If I take those rings off of you, you'll promise to marry my Shampoo!" Cologne, "What do you say, Son-in-law? Is it a deal?"
Usagi looked at Akane and then turned her gaze at Ranma-chan; she didn't want to be 'married' to Ranma-chan anymore but she didn't want this to happen. The ring continued to change her some more as she began to not want the rings to come off; she continued to fight the rings influence.
"Ranma, don't do it!" Akane said with concern, "We'll find another way!"
"Is it a deal or not?" Cologne asked again, "I know for a fact that the attraction has been rather 'yuri' so to speak. Take my deal and you'll love as a man again, what do you say?"
Read the comments on this episode
(Posted Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:26)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.