Upon seeing Ranma's lifeless body, Ryoga gloats justice having been served. "Ranma! You've finally gotten what was coming to you!" He smirked at the pool of blood from Ranma's head wound, beginning to dry up. "Ha! My only regret is that I wasn't the one to kill you." He brought his gaze down to his fist as he clenched it. "Now, with you out of the way, I can tell Ak-"
Ryoga was interrupted by a gnarled cane striking him in the back of the head, sending him flying out through the roof and carreening through the sky. "Foolish boy. No warrior deserves such a trivial death." Commented Cologne as she hopped back up on her staff. "Hurry, Shampoo." She said towards the door. "Remember what I told you to do."
"Hai, Great-grandmother." Shampoo ran in and knelt at Ranma's body. She fought down a wince at seeing it so unresponsive. "Shampoo so sorry, Airen. Shampoo fix now." She said, pulling out a small dagger. In one quick motion, Shampoo brought the blade across her right index finger and put away the weapon. Using the bloodied finger, she traced an outline around the pool of Ranma's blood.
Cologne observed all this with a nod. "Now, place your hands over his heart and concentrate." Shampoo did as she was asked. I just pray we aren't too late... Cologne said to herself. Shampoo's aura began to manifest itself as the young girl began to focus on her task. Hopping off her cane, Cologne took out a large tome and began to recite an incantation in Chinese.
Shampoo didn't even hear her Great-grandmother because she was so focused. Cologne told her what to do, but not when to do it. She said that she would know when the time was right. Shampoo concentrated her chi energy outward, towards the edges of her being. With closed eyes, she reached out with her other senses for Ranma, enveloping him with the energy. She couldn't see, but the light purplish glow of her aura wrapped itself around the both of them. She prepared the energy to flow into Ranma. Her Great-grandmother said that she would take care of the rest.
A slight wind began to pick up in the room. It cut a circular path around all three of the room's occupants. The wind kicked up as Cologne continued to chant.
Shampoo only felt the wind in the back of her mind. Worry was at the forefront at the moment. Her concentration was nearly broken by the lack of feeling she was getting from Ranma. With her energy wrapped around Ranma's body, she felt the hollow space in her aura where Ranma should have been. Amidst Cologne's chanting, Shampoo felt something. It was as if there was a hole in the hollow area where Ranma's life force should have been. There! Shampoo focused her energy towards the hole. At the slight resistance, she gave a mental push. Sweat collected at her brow with the effort.
As the Amazons' attentions were elsewhere, they didn't see the effects of the spell. Ranma's blood retreated from the pool, as if being chased by the blood Shampoo had traced along the outer edges. Upon reaching the body, the blood climbed up Ranma's head and back into the wound. The crimson tide that had once stained the floorboards left behind no trace of its existance. Neither Ranma's nor Shampoo's blood was anywhere to be seen once it had all receded. Once the blood had seeped back into Ranma's body, the wound began to glow in a slivery light that could be seen through the purple glow of Shampoo's aura. Slowly, the opening began to seal itself. Shampoo began to tremble with the strain. The sliver light faded as the last of the blood was absorbed into Ranma's body and the gash finished closing.
Ranma drew in a sharp breath. His back arched up and away from the floor. His eyes flew open, sightless, as if there were electricity flowing through his body. Above him, Shampoo's face contorted as if she were in pain. Her fingers curled slightly upon his chest. Ranma sighed out his breath as his body settled back down on the floor. Finally, the exertion became too much for Shampoo and she blacked out. Ranma blinked as his vision cleared and met with the view of the ceiling. A sight he was familiar with, after all the poundings he'd recieved. He groaned as he reached up to touch his head. It felt as if all his iinazuke had taken up the mallet and took a collective swing at him. That was when he felt a strange weight laying on top of him. He looked down to see a mass of lavender hair residing on his chest.
Cologne spoke up before Ranma could panic and flee the room. "She is just very tired, Mouko-dono. Pulling someone from Death's cold grip can do that even to the mightiest Amazon." She said, putting the ancient tome away. "My Great-granddaughter just needs rest to recoup her energy."
"Wh-what?" Ranma leveled a confused stare at Cologne. She hopped up to her usual spot perched on her cane. "What do you mean? Death?"
"From what Shampoo told me, it seemed that your fear of cats caused you to crack that hard head of yours against the wall." Cologne raised an eyebrow at Ranma's lack of reaction to the mention of cats. She brushed the thought aside and continued. "I thought we would be too late when I couldn't couldn't find the right book. Once it was located, we hurried here and cast the spell."
"Spell?" Ranma asked with suspicious eyes.
"Oh, nothing like that, Mouko-dono. It just let Shampoo rejuvenate your life force by giving you some of hers to let your body and soul start recovering on their own."
Ranma's eyes widened. "She gave part of her life energy to me?"
"Are you really so surprised?" Cologne replied. "I think you underestimate how much Great-granddaughter loves you."
Ranma's retort was cut-off by a murmur coming from the sleeping form lying on top of him. Ranma couldn't understand because Shampoo spoke in Mandarin, but he knew that he heard "Airen" somewhere in her words. He glanced over at Cologne.
"She said, 'I'll save you, Airen. I love you.'" The ancient matriarch filled in. Ranma looked down at Shampoo's still form. "I have to get back to the restaurant. That fool, Mousse, can't be left on his own for too long. Send Great-granddaughter over when she is able." She stick-hopped over to the window, sliding it open, and turned back to regard Ranma. "It's good to see you still with the living, Mouko-dono." She was gone before she could hear Ranma's slight hum of agreement.
Ranma grunted as he got up to place Shampoo on his futon. He flexed his arm a bit realizing how tired and stiff he felt. Sitting next to the futon, he went into the Lotus position to meditate and rebuild his chi. He focused and willed his battle aura into existence to see how much his stint into the afterlife had affected his energy reserves. Ranma's body let out a dim blue glow. Clearing his mind, he prepared to meditate. His aura winked out of sight. Ranma never noticed the whisps of purple that his aura had manifested.
Shampoo moaned as she returned to the waking world. She groggily lifted a hand to her face and leaned up. She sniffed the air curiously. It was strange, usually her Great-grandmother was already awake and downstairs preparing for the usual customers that came in for the mornings. The faint scent of the beginnings of breakfast was completely absent.
Her eyes shot open as her memories cut through the fog of her 'just woke up' state. She jumped up to standing as if shocked with a live wire. A quick sweep of the room with her eyes revealed that she was in the guest room of the Tendo household. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Ranma meditating next to the futon she had been laying in.
The Amazon settled down and lay back down. Her energy was expended and she still needed to recover from the spell.
She smiled a little smile. While the scent of breakfast wasn't there as it was when she usually woke up, the smell of Ranma permeated her senses. The futon she was laying in was his. She took a deep breath. It was something she could get used to.
With soft eyes, Shampoo looked up at Ranma. It was surprising to see him there. She had expected him to run out in a panic when he realized that she was there. But, she remembered that they were across the room when the spell was cast. That meant that, that was where she should have been when she passed out. If she was on Ranma's futon, that meant that he put her on it. If it had been her Great-grandmother that moved her, she would have been at the Nekohanten and the aroma of food would have been in the air as she expected rather than Ranma's, decidedly, more pleasant scent.
Of course, Ranma's continued presence after placing her in his futon also meant something. He was risking being caught by the violent pervert-girl. Given, yes, the Tendo girl wasn't home, at least when she came in, but her Airen's luck had never been that good. It seemed to be a curse different from the one from Jusenkyo. He'd be in a world of hurt if that kitchen-destroyer caught him alone in the same room as her while she was in bed.
Of course, she didn't really care; she knew that he would jump back from the injury that violent girl would cause. But, Shampoo really didn't understand it. He was faster and more skilled than that violent girl, but she was always able to tag him with that damned mallet of hers.
But then, she could always get him with her melon hammer. And the Okonomiyaki-girl could get him with her spatula. Shampoo shook her head, the smile never leaving her face. If her beloved had a weakness, it would be women. He cared not to offend any of the girls to get caught up in very many strange situations, and he was placating enough to let them hit him to right the percieved wrong.
That thought brought Shampoo to look at herself. She, herself, punished him whenever he got to close to any of the other girls, And she got him into many of those incriminating situations with all her attempts to sway him to her. Now, her latest attempt to get him to see her as his wife almost cost him his life. Only a lifetime of a warrior's training kept her from crying over the fact.
Gently she put her hand on his knee. He was concentrating on his meditations so deeply that he didn't notice it. Curling up, Shampoo put her head on her hand and closed her eyes, resting a bit partially in his lap.
Akane came walking in through the gates of the Tendo compound. Stepping into the house, she didn't bother to announce herself. The fathers were still on their training trip, Kasumi was out grocery shopping, Nabiki was out collecting on loans, she just got back from a nice walk. She put a finger to her lips thoughtfully, she'd seen Ryoga plowing through town for some reason or another. He didn't notice her as he knocked telephone poles out of his way. And Ranma...
She frowned. Not a sound was heard through the whole house. That lazy pervert must still have been asleep. Akane smiled to herself. It was time to wake up her unwanted iinazuke the usual way. With a big bucket of water. Water that's nice and cold.
After filling the bucket from the furo, she made her way over to the guest room. She put the bucket down on the ground next to the door. She slid open the door and grabbed the bucket. "Ack!" She exclaimed as she saw the scene before her. Ranma was appearently meditating with Shampoo laying her head in his lap, while the rest of her rested in his futon. Her vision went red.
A noise played at Shampoo's attention just as she was getting comfortable with the akward position she was in, arched partially around Ranma. She opened her eyes to see Akane staring at the two of thems. Her beloved remained in his trance, building his chi. "Aiyah..." she said ruefully as she spotted the bucket in her hands.
Akane angrily dumped the water over the both of them, triggering both curses. As Ranma sputtered, Akane brought out her mallet.
"What'd you do that for?!?" Onna-Ranma yelled in her falsetto voice. She blinked, seeing the mallet coming at her.
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(Posted Mon, 10 Jan 2005 18:34)
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