Ikioi - Part Seven

Sitting silently on the floor in his room, Ryoga leaned his head back against the futon and closed his eyes. Reaching down, he gently stroked Shirokuro’s fur as the dog laid her head lovingly in his lap, and her puppies happily piled onto his legs.

Distantly, from downstairs, Ryoga could hear the homey sounds of Ikioi moving around in the kitchen as she made dinner, humming softly to music playing from the radio. He smiled slightly to himself as he picked out the individual noises of the things she did - lifting a lid from a pot . . . running water over fresh vegetables . . . setting the timer on the oven. It reminded him of the few times he and his mother had been home together, when he would sit at the island in the kitchen and watch what she did. He’d learned a lot about cooking through his observation, and whenever he had the means, Ryoga liked to make nice meals, or at least meals more substantial than the instant soups and noodles he existed on when he was on the road.

It felt nice to listen to Ikioi cook. It felt nice to know that she was down there, nearby because she loved him and wanted to stay with him. No one else had ever wanted to be close to him. No one aside from his mother had ever taken the time to cook for him, fuss over his appearance, make sure that he was satisfied and happy.

She loved him. -Him-! He still couldn’t believe it. She was so beautiful, sweet and caring, and he had so longed for a relationship like that . . . a relationship that didn’t involve him being someone’s pet . . . a relationship where his partner accepted him for what he was, even though he was far from perfect . . .

So . . . if it was all so flawless . . . if it was everything he had ever wanted . . . then why wasn’t he happy?

He wanted to be happy . . . he really truly did, but Ikioi’s love felt almost like Akari’s . . . it was a love that caused a pain deep within Ryoga, that made him want to run and hide. It was a love that took from him and didn’t give back. It was a love that only seemed to be further pointing out how truly undesirable he really was. Ikioi’s touch and caring almost appeared to be mocking his desires, but Ryoga knew . . . he knew that’s not how she meant it . . .

It wasn’t the same, was it? Akari only loved him for one reason, a very humiliating reason, and she didn’t realize how much her affection hurt him. But Ikioi wasn’t like that . . . was she? Ikioi took from him, but there was a reason for it. There was a reason. And she -did- hurt him, but that was because she needed something that only he could give . . . wasn’t it?

So, if it was different . . . why did it feel the same? Why did he feel ashamed . . . wounded . . . talked down to . . . trapped . . . insignificant . . . ?

(( She didn’t need to hurt me this last time . . . I know where I stand . . . she didn’t have to hurt me . . . maybe Ranma was right . . . maybe she doesn’t really love me? ))

The thought hurt, hurt badly and Ryoga didn’t like thinking it. He quickly replaced his doubt with anger towards Ranma, anger towards the pig tailed martial artist’s actions and words that afternoon. Ryoga clenched his hands into fists, once again resisting the urge to break something.

(( No, she -does- love me. Ranma’s wrong! He’s hurt me far more than Ikioi ever has and is just trying to do it again. Ikioi takes . . . but that’s because she has to, she needs me . . . needs my energy to exist. Ranma just hurts. He always hurts. And the things he said . . . about caring for me . . . he’s lying . . . he’s lying . . . he always hurts me, makes me feel bad . . . he doesn’t mean anything he says . . . he never does . . . he just wants to hurt me . . . ))

Shirokuro whined softly in response to her master’s emotional turmoil, lifting her head and nudging it beneath his hand. Ryoga blinked his eyes open and looked down at her, and a small fond smile whispered over his face as he scratched her behind the ears. Jealous of the attention their mother was receiving, the puppies clamored over to get their fair share. They mobbed him as best as five little beanbags could.

Ryoga laughed softly, enjoying the pile-on. Losing himself in their playfulness, he twisted onto his knees and hunched down to wrestle with them, rolling them around gently and making teasing growling noises in his throat. They were delighted and bounced all around, two of them climbing onto his head and back, and another tugging on the sleeve of his shirt with wee little pointed teeth, while he lovingly ruffled the remaining two against the floor. Opening her mouth in a doggy grin, Shirokuro watched, obviously pleased to see all her pups, including Ryoga, getting along so well.

Though the activity tired him out quickly, the diversion had been just what Ryoga needed. Flopping down onto his back on the floor, letting the puppies get the upper hand, the young man gazed up at the ceiling of his room and smiled. He could now put the unpleasantness of the afternoon confrontation with Ranma out of his head and just concentrate on being trying to be happy. Trying to . . . Really, his uncomfortable feelings didn’t matter. He had a beautiful iinazuke who loved him, he no longer got lost, and he no longer turned into a pig. Everything he had ever wished for. In fact, things had never been better.

That -was- worth the price. And the feelings of shame.

(( Ranma’s wrong . . . ))

Ikioi laughed lightly as she stepped into his room to find him laying on the floor, covered with puppies, with a faint smile on his face. Setting down the tray she was carrying in her small delicate hands, she knelt beside him, arranging her kimono primly around her. Shirokuro’s tail thumped against the carpet in greeting.

"I like seeing you smile, Ryoga-kun," Ikioi told him, sounding warm and pleased.

"I like having things to smile about," he replied quietly, looking up at her with a shimmer in his deep, though weary, brown eyes. (( I really do . . . I just wish . . . ))

"I brought you some tea and bean cakes to hold you until dinner is ready. I know you weren’t feeling well at school, and I want to make sure your strength is back up to safe levels before I have to . . . well . . . " she hesitated, glancing down at her tray and its contents, her thick bangs falling to cover her eyes. Absently, she shooed a puppy away from the cakes. "Before I . . . "

Ryoga sat up. He reached out and touched her chin, lifting her face again. "It’s all right, Eechan. You don’t have to be ashamed," he assured her softly. (( I’ll do that enough for the both of us . . . ))

"Ryoga," she sighed, her eyes glowing sadly. "You’re so sweet and understanding."

He wanted to melt right there, from her words and from the beauty of her ocean eyes. (( She needs me . . . )) To hear praise of that sort was still a foreign thing to him, and he wasn’t certain how he should react, especially now that they had technically gone beyond the awkward shyness stage of their relationship. He had no experience in the more advanced levels of interaction, so he settled for blushing lightly and shifted his attention to the food and tea she had brought.

"Hai, I was feeling kinda bad," he admitted, turning over the tea cups so that he could pour some for both of them. "But now that I’ve had a little time to rest, I think I’m doing better."

"That’s good," Ikioi nodded, but there was still concern in her expression. "I think that we need to talk about school, however . . . "

Ryoga glanced up, immediate fear trickling into him. (( What’s wrong? Did I do something to upset her? I . . . I was with Ranma . . . and I almost let him sway me . . . he was almost able to convince me that things weren’t right, but . . . but he was wrong. I know he was! )) "What? Ikioi, if it’s about Ranma - - "

"No, it’s not entirely about Ranma Saotome, though I can’t say that I much approve of the way he treats you," she said with a pert little frown.

"That’s . . . well, that’s how Ranma is. He’s abrupt. And I don’t believe he means most of what he says . . . he just doesn’t think before he opens his mouth." Ryoga leaned back against his futon again and concentrated on the liquid depths of his tea. (( He didn’t mean it . . . he said he cared about me, but he didn’t mean it . . . ))

"Don’t make excuses for him, my Heart. He means -everything- he says, and all he’s ever done is hurt you. I don’t like it when you hurt." Ikioi sighed heavily at the way Ryoga pulled his knees up and unconsciously curled around himself. She continued in a slightly lighter tone. "But that’s not what I want to discuss, Ryoga-kun. Ranma Saotome is an irritant, but he can be handled easily enough. It’s school itself that I’m concerned about, and the effect it’s having on you. I’m not sure going is such a good idea right now."

Ryoga looked up sharply. (( She . . . she doesn’t want me to go . . . )) "I -like- school."

A slight cease marred Ikioi’s perfect alabaster face as worry flickered through her eyes. "I know you do, my Heart. But you’re still not quite used to . . . to . . . " she seemed to fish for an appropriate phrase. "To sharing your energy with me. Your body needs some time to build up resistance and to learn how to store away extra for your own use. You saw how things went - by the end of the day you were exhausted. I just think that by going to school you’re taking on a little too much right now. Once you’re used to the transfer, then you can go back."

She frowned at the unhappy expression on his face. "Ryoga-kun, I’m sorry but . . . it’s just that I’m worried about you."

He blinked in surprise. "You are?"

"Of course I am, Ryoga. I love you."

Her words made him feel warm inside . . . warm and wanted and loved . . . she was worried about him . . . (( Ranma’s wrong . . . she loves me . . . she really does! And if that means I have to give her everything, then I will. I will. And I’ll do whatever she wants to keep her, to keep her love. She’s right, I probably should give myself time to get used to this. She’s just worried about me. Ranma’s wrong . . . ))

He nodded acceptance, fighting down the hurt and disappointment, gazing at her with understanding in his eyes. "All right," he agreed.

"Good. That makes me feel much better. My sweet beautiful Ryoga," she purred as she got to her feet. "You eat your bean cakes and dinner will be ready soon." Casting a final loving smile in his direction, Ikioi slipped out of his room, quietly sliding the door shut behind her. Ryoga watched after her for a moment, before he realized that the puppies were getting into his cakes. With a sigh, he leaned forward and removed them from the tray, giving them one of the cakes to share.

"Shirokuro," Ryoga addressed the dog worriedly as he sat back again "Am I doing the right thing?" (( She loves me . . . if I . . . if I just don’t do anything wrong then she’ll have no reason to hurt me again. I don’t mind sharing my energy with her . . . just as long as she doesn’t crush my chi again . . . ))

Ryoga didn’t realize that he was shedding tears until one fell from his cheek to splash against his hand resting in his lap. Swallowing, he lifted the hand and brushed at his eyes, which were hot with shame and bitterness. Looking as perturbed as a dog could, Shirokuro whined and moved close, pressing her large woolly body against Ryoga’s to offer comfort and shelter.

He wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face in her plush fur, trying to hold back the tears as best as he could. If Ikioi felt that he was upset or crying, she would come up to see what was wrong, and Ryoga didn’t want that. For once in his life . . . he -wanted- to be alone.

"Ranma’s wrong, Shiro . . . " Ryoga whispered, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. "He has to be . . . he has to be . . . because now . . . now I no longer have a choice . . . "

****************************************

More than anything, Ranma wanted to simply crash through the wall of the Hibiki residence and announce his arrival by shaking the life out of Ikioi Kaitou.

But he couldn’t do that. Sitting on the roof of a neighboring house and sighing heavily to himself, Ranma keenly watched Ryoga’s home for any signs of activity and wondered how he could best go about this. He needed to approach things carefully, at least more carefully than he usually did, because not only had Ikioi proven herself an opponent to be reckoned with, but she was holding Ryoga’s chi hostage and had already keenly illustrated that she was willing to use it any way she had to.

Even if that meant hurting Ryoga, whom she claimed to love.

Ranma knew that the very idea was preposterous, but when he pondered it, he could sort of understand why Ryoga would fall for it, why he would be willing to give himself up for a few tossed scraps of kindness and affection. He was lonely, and he thought very little of himself for the most part. He was a prime target for a crime of this nature. The thought made Ranma rather sick, as he himself was at least partially responsible for Ryoga’s state of mind, but now he was determined to do something about it. Not only because of the way he felt for the nomadic martial artist, but also for the simple fact that no one should hold another person’s chi prisoner.

Somehow, he had to make Ryoga understand that. This was really more important than Ranma’s ego, which was now bruised over the fact that Ikioi had not only matched him blow for blow in battle, but he’d also failed to get Ryoga away from her. Yes, that influenced some of his hatred toward her, but there was a bigger issue here. Whether he realized it or not, Ryoga was being held against his will, and Ranma knew he had to liberate him and put things straight.

And they could sort out all the emotional crap later.

So . . . how to go about this . . . the usual gung-ho Anything Goes tactics weren’t going to work here. He couldn’t just break in and hope to take Ikioi down by force; she was powerful and she was in possession of Ryoga. This called for more stealth. If he could get in and talk to the young man, make him understand what was going on, then he would have a far better chance of taking care of Ikioi. It was imperative that he convince Ryoga to want his chi back, because as long as the Lost Boy was willing to let Ikioi have it, this fight would pretty much be a lost cause. He knew that he had almost swayed Ryoga earlier, before the girl interrupted them . . . if only he’d had more time!

He had to make Ryoga see how wrong this all was. The feelings of unease and danger were constantly thrumming at the back of Ranma’s head, and he really could not ignore them any longer, especially not after what had happened at school.

(( This ain’t about love . . . it’s about possession and torture. Ryoga sided with her because she has his chi and she can hurt him . . . damn it, if she does that again, I swear I will kill her . . . I swear I will . . . I failed to get him away from her this afternoon, but I sure as hell ain’t gonna fail again . . . she won’t beat me again! ))

Moments later, Ranma found himself at the front door of the Hibiki residence, ringing the bell.

Knowing how long it was likely to take any member of the wayward family to get to the door, assuming anyone was even home, Ranma was prepared to wait for awhile. So he was surprised when the bell was answered almost right away, and was even more surprised that Ryoga’s mother was the one who answered it.

Ranma hadn’t seen her in years, not since he was in Junior High with Ryoga, but she looked just as he remembered - a small but sturdy woman with long mahogany black hair and laughing dark eyes. As always, she was dressed in rugged practical clothing, ready for the inevitable moment when she would walk out a door and find herself someplace else, but even as tough as she was, there was still a definite maternal quality to her. She’d liked to fuss over Ryoga when they were young, and had extended that mothering to Ranma as well, making him feel warm and cared for during a period in his life when he’d had very little beyond Ryoga’s friendship.

"Konnichi wa Hibiki-san," Ranma smiled, pleased to see her again, despite the situation. (( Does she know what kind of bitch her son is involved with? I can’t imagine her letting Ryoga get himself in this deep . . . )) He bowed properly.

She blinked at him for a moment, then broke into a smile of her own. "Ranma! Goodness boy, I didn’t know you still lived around here. I haven’t seen you in years!" She stepped forward and gave him a quick but loving hug, ruffling his hair fondly. "Look at you! You’ve become quite a handsome young man, Ranma-kun."

Ranma blushed lightly. He knew perfectly well that he was a good-looking guy, and compliments usually had the effect of stroking his already over-developed ego. But a compliment from Ryoga’s mother was something else entirely. She had a way of making everything seem special and sincere. "Thanks, Hibiki-san."

"What brings you by, sweetheart?" she asked, straightening his shirt since she’d rumpled it with her hug.

"Well, I was hoping to see Ryoga," Ranma explained. "We kinda had a fight today and I . . . " He hesitated for a heartbeat. Apologizing would be out of character for him, so that excuse was out of the question, as was wanting to make sure Ryoga was all right. Luckily the Hibiki matriarch knew how things were when two martial artists fought, and Ranma used that to his advantage. "I wanted to give him another chance to try and beat me." There. That sounded likely.

She chuckled in amusement. "I’m sure he’d appreciate that, Ranma. But unfortunately, he’s not here at the moment. He and Ikioi-chan went for a walk. They’ve been spending a lot of time together, getting to know each other, but they should be back soon. Dinner is almost ready. Would you like to wait and join us?"

"Uh . . . " It was tempting, but he knew that Ikioi wouldn’t be especially thrilled to find him waiting when they got back, and upsetting Ikioi would only further upset, alienate and endanger Ryoga. "No, thank you, Hibiki-san," Ranma smiled politely. "I should be getting home myself. I guess I’ll just wait to beat him up at school tomorrow."

"That’s not what school is for, young man," she lectured with mock severity. "I swear, with as much as you two used to fight, I’m surprised you haven’t killed each other by now. But I’m glad to see that you’re still around, Ranma-kun. Be sure to stop by again, sweetheart. We’ve missed you."

Hands shoved deep into his pockets, Ranma walked away from the house, mentally grumbling to himself. That hadn’t gone well. How was he suppose to get Ryoga away from that bitch if they were spending time together as his mom said? He couldn’t count on Ikioi giving him another opportunity like gym class. And obviously Ikioi somehow had the whole family snowed, as Ryoga’s mother hadn’t shown any signs at all of being troubled by her son’s iinazuke. Was he the only one who had even the remotest idea of what was going on?

A rustling and a small whining sound coming from bushes ringing a neighboring house pulled Ranma out of his thoughts and caused him to pause. Curious, he crouched down and looked for the source of the familiar noise, parting leaves.

He found one of Shirokuro’s puppies huddled under the shelter offered by the foliage, looking miserable and a great deal worse for wear. Frowning, Ranma reached in and cupped the puppy in his hands, drawing her out and holding her close to his chest. She whimpered, shivering, and seemed glad to accept his attention.

Ranma thought he recognized the puppy as being the one Ryoga often called Kuro-ko, because she looked a great deal like her mother, but was almost completely black, save for a few patches of white on her face and feet. She was one of the Lost Boy’s favorites, as she was affectionate, gentle and fond of curling up on his chest or in his lap whenever he was home. Now her fur was matted and scuffed, there were scratches across her nose as if she had tangled with a cat, and a piece was missing from one ear. Muttering softly to comfort the frightened baby, Ranma clutched her closer and shifted his gaze toward Ryoga’s house.

What was one of the puppies doing out, alone and hurt like this? Where was Shirokuro and the rest of the litter? Kuro-ko looked as if she had been out for a couple of days at least, surely Ryoga would have noticed her absence by now? Ryoga’s mom had said that he and Ikioi were out for a walk - maybe they were looking for the puppy? But it seemed likely that the Hibiki matriarch would have said something to that effect. Maybe Ryoga really didn’t realize that Kuro-ko was gone, after all, he had enough distraction to deal with at the moment. Straightening, Ranma turned with the intention of returning the puppy to the Hibiki residence, but stopped before he had taken two steps.

A shiver of premonition and dread snaked up Ranma’s spine. Ikioi . . . ? Was she somehow responsible for this? She obviously had at least some control over Ryoga’s thoughts and perceptions, had she ousted the dogs for some reason and clouded the Lost Boy’s mind to the fact? If that was the case, or even if it wasn’t . . . Ranma simply didn’t feel right about returning Kuro-ko, not so long as Ikioi lived in the house. Clutching the puppy protectively, Ranma changed his course and wandered around the neighborhood for quite some time, looking for any sign of the other dogs.

He found nothing. As the fall of evening made it more difficult to see into the shadows, Ranma hopped up onto a neighboring roof, settling down with Kuro-ko still safely tucked in his arms, to watch for Ryoga and Ikioi’s return from their walk.

******************************************

Several rooftops away, Ukyo stood with her arms crossed over her chest, watching Ranma carefully as the evening breeze tossed her long hair. Though he was little more than a dark shadow against the shingles of the building, she was still keenly aware of his every move . . . every sigh of frustration . . . and her blue eyes narrowed sharply.

(( What is wrong with you Ran-chan? Why don’t you go racing in there to put things right the way you always do? Is it because you’re still worried about your feelings, you jack-ass? Or is it something else? ))

She and Akane hadn’t arrived in time to see the entire fight between Ranma and Ikioi that afternoon, but it was plainly obvious from Ranma’s furious silence afterward that something was very wrong . . . something far worse than Ryoga simply being engaged to someone. Akane had tried to press the pig tailed marital artist for information, but he had steadfastly refused to respond. A little coaxing from Ukyo had backed the Tendo girl off, but the greater question still remained . . .

What was going on, and why wasn’t Ranma doing something about it?

"Why aren’t -we- doing something?" Crouching beside Ukyo on the roof, Akane seemed to answer the chef’s mental question. The dark-haired girl was also watching Ranma, clad in her gi and geta, which was always a sure indication that she was serious about the situation.

"Open your eyes, Akane-chan, we don’t even know what’s going on," Ukyo frowned, glancing down at her companion, whose steady form was a firm splash of shadow against the night. "Think about it. Ranma failed. He lost that fight this afternoon, and he’s far better than either of us. What chance do you think we’d have?" She paused. "And besides, if he’s not jumping into another fight to avenge his defeat, that means he knows something we don’t."

Akane’s eyes widened in surprise. "He’s actually choosing caution over retaliation?"

"Hai." (( Which means this is serious . . . ))

"Ryoga-kun is in trouble," Akane breathed softly, sounding as if the notion had only just occurred to her, even though she had felt the wrongness of Ikioi as plainly as Ukyo had. (( Ranma . . . )) she thought uneasily to herself. (( Is Ukyo right? Is there some reason why you wouldn’t talk to us after your fight? You baka . . . we’re your friends . . . and Ryoga’s friends . . . we just want to help . . . ))

Ukyo nodded. "Bad trouble."

Akane glanced up at Ukyo’s dark graceful form beside her, at the shadowed expression of determination on her face. "What should we do?"

The long haired girl sighed heavily, still gazing at Ranma. Not doing anything bothered her as much as she was certain it bothered him, but she would take her cues from his greater knowledge of the situation, and trust that her perceptions of his feelings were accurate. If he was not taking action, then that meant there was a danger to Ryoga. Their intervention at this point could be detrimental. (( Especially if Ikioi can read thoughts, like she read Akane’s name. If we get any closer to the situation now, she might pick up on our intentions . . . ))

"We wait," Ukyo finally answered, shivering a bit from a chill that had nothing to do with the evening breeze. "And when Ranma makes a move . . . then we back him."

*******************************************************

It was almost two hours later that Ranma came to a rather disturbing conclusion. There had been no sign of the Lost Boy or his iinazuke. Either Ryoga’s mother had lied to him, a hypothesis which was not very likely, or . . . somehow Ikioi was in control of the entire family . . .

The thought was barely out of his head when he was alerted by the unexpected sound of a bicycle bell and the fall of a dark shadow over the roof. Hurriedly clutching the puppy to his chest, Ranma yelped and rolled to one side, wincing as the front tire of Shampoo’s bicycle slammed against the shingles exactly where he had been just a second ago.

"Nihao Ranma!" Shampoo greeted merrily with a bright smile and a wave.

"Shampoo! Be careful!" Ranma sat up and checked Kuro-Ko, making sure the frightened puppy wasn’t hurt.

"Oh," Shampoo hopped off her bike and leaned down to look at the pup in Ranma’s arms. A caring twinkle in her amethyst eyes, the Amazon girl slipped a hand under Kuro-Ko’s little body and held the puppy up to rub against her cheek. "Sorry Ranma, Shampoo no see shapeless puppy."

"That’s okay," Ranma sighed wearily, then smiled slightly at how Kuro-Ko eagerly accepted Shampoo’s loving attention.

"Husband should be on date with Shampoo. What Ranma do on this side of town in evening?" Shampoo tipped her head curiously, the bells on the forelocks of her violet hair twinkling merrily. She sat down cross-legged beside him on the roof and looked speculatively in the same direction his gaze had gone. "Hmm . . . Hokou Onchi’s house."

Ranma blinked. "You know where Ryoga lives?"

"Shampoo know lot of things. Ranma be surprised."

He didn’t doubt that. With a sigh, he rested his chin in his hand, elbow against his knee, and continued to glare at the shadowed house in question. As evening drew in, lights had come on in the residence; one in the kitchen and one in Ryoga’s room upstairs. Proof enough that the young man was home despite what his mother had said. (( I can’t believe Hibiki-san would lie to me, there’d be no reason . . . Ikioi has to be behind it. )) Now what he suppose to do? Go charging in without a clear idea of what he was up against? Okay, that -was- his usual style, but most of the time someone’s chi wasn’t on the line. Someone he cared about . . . someone he . . .

(( Ryoga . . . how am I gonna get you away from that harpy? How am I gonna get your chi back? Moron . . . ))

He glanced at Shampoo who was gently ruffling the puppy, while carefully using the offered light of a nearby street lamp to examine the scratches on her nose. Ranma blinked as a new thought manifested suddenly in his mind.

"Hey Shamps," he began eagerly. "You know about spells and enchantments and stuff, right?"

Shampoo looked up, a bit of surprise in her eyes that quickly turned to suspicion. "Shampoo know what she know," she replied warily. "Why Ranma ask?"

"Ah . . . " Ranma hesitated, again faced with the problem of how to explain his interest in Ryoga’s private affairs. Sure, he could -say- Ikioi was evil all he wanted to, but so far he was the only one who had seen any actual evidence of that. Who would ever believe that polite pretty young woman was actually a chi-stealing bitch? Any way he looked at it, Ranma knew that everything would come back to the fact that he appeared to be meddling where he didn’t belong, and for no good reason.

(( I care about him . . . that’s a good reason . . . ))

Shampoo looked intuitively from Ranma to Ryoga’s house and back again. Her normally bright eyes seemed to darken a bit. "Hokou Onchi in trouble, Ranma?" she asked lowly.

Ranma nodded reluctantly. "Hai . . . I think so . . . " At her request, he carefully explained about Ikioi, gave Shampoo his opinion of the ill-feeling young woman, and related what had happened that afternoon during gym class. He did leave out the details of his discussion with Ryoga, however, not wanting to give the Amazon girl the wrong - or in this case - right impression

Shampoo listened intently, stroking the top of Kuro-Ko’s head with a fingertip as she did. When Ranma finished, she bit her lower lip thoughtfully and nodded. "Bad womans," she decided. "Chi thief very bad." Pausing for a moment, Shampoo glanced at him interrogatively. "Ranma care about Hokou Onchi?"

Startled, Ranma shifted his gaze away and crossed his arms over his chest. "I couldn’t care less about the baka!" he insisted in an overly defensive tone that even he recognized as insincere.

"Then why Ranma want to help?"

Ranma fidgeted nervously. "Uh . . . well . . . " He didn’t often find himself at a loss for words, and did not like the feeling, nor did he care for being trapped in such a way. His reflexive anger surfaced quickly in retaliation. "Because Ryoga’s a moron! He can’t find his way out of a box with holes in it! So, someone’s gotta look out for the jerk, right?" he snapped.

Shampoo contemplated this for a moment, then smiled knowingly, patting Ranma’s arm consolingly. "Shampoo thought so. Is good Ranma finally admit how he feel."

"What are you talking about?!" Ranma protested hotly. "I just said that I don’t care about the . . . " He trailed off as he realized that he really couldn’t keep up the denial . . . not now that Ryoga’s chi and life were at stake. Not after what he had said that afternoon. He sighed heavily and cast his eyes down, lowering his head, his face feeling hot and uncomfortable. "Damn it all . . . "

"Ranma no be ashamed!" Shampoo insisted. "Hokou Onchi strong honorable man. A good pick."

He frowned up at her, feeling as bruised as if he had just lost another battle. "How did you know? Am I that obvious?"

The pretty Amazon smiled slyly, eyes sparkling mischievously. "Shampoo know what she know. Shampoo also know what she see. And Shampoo see all the time Ranma look at Hokou Onchi like want, but tease and pick on him, make him mad. Just like Shampoo do Mousse."

"Mousse?" Ranma blinked rapidly as he tried to process that, bewildered. "You mean . . . Shampoo! You mean you actually -like- Mousse?"

"Of course," she agreed simply, in a tone that told Ranma he should have already known that. "Mousse Shampoo first pick, but no ever beat Shampoo. Shampoo wait for Mousse get stronger but Ranma come interrupt. Now Shampoo wait for Mousse to beat Ranma. Tease and make mad, give more incentive to fight. Once Mousse strong enough beat Ranma, then Mousse be man worthy of Shampoo."

"Uh . . huh . . . " Ranma was boggled for a moment. All this time . . . all the schemes, berating words and fights . . . she’d actually -wanted- Mousse? Ranma knew that he should be relieved now that he understood Shampoo’s real motivations, but he couldn’t help feeling yet another blow to his ego. All this time . . . she’d wanted Mousse and not him?

"Ranma," Shampoo reminded, thunking him firmly on the head.

"Oh . . . oh yeah. Well, that ain’t exactly why I tease Ryoga."

"Why then?"

Ranma lowered his head and his thoughts rambled away from Shampoo and the subject at hand, as he tried to come up with an answer to her question. Why? Why had he been so cruel and insensitive over the years?

He thought of the expression of fury and hurt on Ryoga’s face that afternoon. Somehow . . . somehow Ranma had been under the naive impression that admitting to Ryoga how he felt would magically make everything all right, that the threat would go away. But he had been dead wrong. For some reason, he hadn’t expected Ryoga to react with anger. His arrogant nature had managed to convince him that the Lost Boy would be as eager to accept his attentions as he was to accept Ikioi’s . . . (( But he didn’t . . . he was furious with me at first . . . hurt and upset and . . . ))

Ranma realized that he -should- have expected that, not only this afternoon, but for the past couple of years. It was inevitable that Ryoga turn to someone else, after all, how much abuse could one person take? But Ranma had refused to ever believe that Ryoga would seek what he needed elsewhere, because the pig tailed boy was so intent on keeping him for himself. (( I tore him down because I don’t want anyone else to have him. I wanted him to think he was worthless, so that he wouldn’t seek out love any place else. I could never admit how I really felt, because . . . because . . . Ryoga was right . . . because I’m a coward and I was afraid of my feelings . . . but even though I was scared, I had to keep his attention on me . . . and as long as he was angry at me, fighting with me . . . as long as his need for revenge against me was the most important thing in his life . . . then he was mine . . . ))

But that wasn’t the case anymore. Ryoga belonged to Ikioi now, and he had fallen into her trap so easily because of what Ranma had made him into . . .

"Shampoo . . . " Ranma quickly looked up at the Amazon girl. He needed, now more than ever, to put this right. His dark blue eyes were deep with pleading, and he knew he was revealing himself even further, but it didn’t seem to matter any longer. "You’ll help me help Ryoga? Please?"

"Of course, Shampoo always willing help Hokou Onchi," she replied matter-of-factly, getting to her feet and carefully placing Kuro-Ko into the basket of her bike. "Obaba train Shampoo. Obaba train Hokou Onchi. Make him Shampoo little brother. Amazon tribe always help own."

Ranma was surprised once again. Shampoo considered Ryoga a brother? Well, that was something to think about later. Right now, it was time to concentrate on the task at hand, on making everything right. The pig tailed boy got to his feet as well. "Thanks Shamps," he smiled. "You’re great."

"Shampoo know that," she beamed as she got onto her bike. "Come Ranma. You tell Obaba what going on. She know what to do."

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Author's note:  Hokou Onchi = "directionless boy"

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