Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Destiny of the Magi ❯ Kikori and Ranma: Friends, Families, Bonds... ( Chapter 14 )

"I can't believe Zandia-Sensei would just up and leave saying that she is taking `kiko-chan on a training trip!" Ranma exclaimed as he walked around in the `Mystical Dimension', "I thought she promised us to keep the store open!"

Kikori giggled from the counter, "Well you don't really expect Zandia to really do that did you?"

"Not really." Ranma groaned, "Man, I can't believe I need to spent three hours dustin' the place! And I don't get why you won't let me use my spells!"

"Don't be so lazy." Kikori chided Ranma, "Your spell will mess up the enchantments on the items."

"Hmph." Ranma scowled, "My arm still hurts from all the dusting."

"I just realized something." Kikori said from the counter, "Where DID the Long Sen Dao went to?"

Ranma blinked, "Well I think it got blasted out of the tower when Sakado and my spell crashed together. It's probably in the bottom of the ocean."

"Oh..."

Silence takes over the shop. Shampoo went out to the market to buy some food for the three mages living in Nerima. After the mission, Hikari and Daishi went back to the Kyoto Tower to report back to the council. Mousse caught the last flight back to China and managed to hug Ranma in his cursed form think he was Shampoo. Needless to say, he was booted to the customs so he didn't get lost trying to read the signs. As for the Corrupted mage, he was sent to the Mage tower and is held there for opposing and disrupting the order of the world...

"Ranma..."

"Yeah?"

Kikori blushed and played with her hair, which has grown nearly to her waist, "Can you..."

Ranma smiled, "Sure, it's about time."

The priestess smiled brightly, "Thanks."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~

Act 1: Chapter 14

Kikori and Ranma: Friends, Families, Bonds...

Shampoo hummed happily.

< So glad Great grand mother decided to let me stay in Japan. Ranma and Kikori both are so nice to me. Although I think an Amazon warrior shouldn't rely on people so much, I can't help but feel... content. >

The Amazon pushed open the door to the shop holding bags of groceries and some snacks that she is slowly getting addicted to, "I'm back!"

"Oh hey Shamps." Ranma grinned, "Whatcha got for us?"

Shampoo gave the spirit mage a growl, "My name is Xian Pu! Not Shamps!"

"Aww, don't be like Kikori." Ranma said, still grinning, "Anyway, can you take over for me for a few minutes, I need to buy something."

Shampoo huffed, "If you call me Shamps, I won't do anything for you."

Ranma sighed, "PLEASE, oh all mighty and powerful Xian Pu, I REALLY need you to take over for me! Just this once." Ranma clapped his hands together, closed his eyes, and dipped his head slightly in front of Shampoo.

Shampoo giggled, "Well, if you put it THAT way."

"You're the best Shampoo." Ranma said walking swiftly out the door, "Be back in a flash."

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

"I am SO glad I brought the shock sticks from the magic store." Akane exclaimed cheerfully as she walked along the streets of Nerima with her friends, "Kuno finally stopped those stupid challenges after a few shocks from those sticks."

Akane's friend giggled, "Yeah, I still have the picture of his face when you shocked him."

Akane gave her friend a look.

"Oh, I brought that picture from your sister. After all, who wouldn't want to look at Kuno's face when he is in that big of a shock."

Akane laughed, "But I wonder, where had he been after that. I haven't seen him since that day at school, or anywhere else for that matter."

"I'm not complaining." Akane's friend said happily, "Well, here's my stop, see you on Saturday!"

"Bai bai." Akane waved and headed back to her own home.

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

"I'm HOME!" Akane said loudly as she entered the Tendo home.

"Welcome back." Kasumi said with a smile, "We're in the living room."

Akane tilted her head in thought, < Huh? Do we have guests? >

"I'm really sorry Mister Tendo."

< Isn't that Ranma's voice? >

"Think nothing of it young man, you tried your best."

Akane walked into the living room cautiously, "Hi."

Ranma and the eldest Tendo looked up, "Welcome back Akane."

"Good afternoon." Ranma said politely, "Anyway, the mage tower have instructed me to ask for your forgiveness and also if we can do anything to make up for the lost of the Long Sen Dao."

"Hmm." Soun frowned in deep thought, "It is all right, the blade isn't really ours by right anyway if you think about it."

"Huh?"

Akane blinked, "I thought that blade was our family heirloom?"

Soun nodded wisely, "Yes, that is only because our ancestors have `won' it from another person." Soun shook his head, "The blade is said to have belonged to one of the five ancient tribes of an extinct race."

Ranma blinked, "You mean that blade is from the race that died few millennia ago from the `War of lines'?"

"Yes," Soun nodded and then sighed, "When we obtained the blade, we were asked to keep it save and not let it be destroyed or used for anything that might disrupt the balance in the world. I guess getting it lost in the middle of the ocean is one way to keep it save."

Ranma nodded and smiled cheerfully, "Well, if ya want a favor from the mage tower, just ask and we'll help ya as best as we can!"

Soun stood up and bowed, "Thank you for coming, would you like to stay for dinner?"

The pigtailed mage shook his head, "Naw, Kikori is cookin' tonight. Dun want her to blow her top." Ranma grinned, "Oh yeah, can you tell me where the nearest hair salon is?"

The Tendos who are present blinked, "Sure..."

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

Kikori walks out of the storage room holding a note pad and a pen, "Ranma?"

"Ranma is out to buy something."

The priestess tilted her head, "Oh hello Shampoo. Did you get everything?"

Shampoo nodded, "I hope you don't mind if I didn't get any red peppers. I know we still have some in the kitchen and the once in the market doesn't look too good."

"Oh that's fine." Kikori smiled, "At least you're not like Ranma and picks up whatever he wants and not want we need."

Shampoo laughed, "Males, can't rely on them unless it's working or fighting." Shampoo smirked, "And you can only rely on them in fighting if their `machoness' is on the line."

Kikori laughed, "Well then you can rely on Ranma all the time, his `machoness' is ALWAYS on the line."

The two girls smiled, "It's kind of quiet today, I wonder why." Shampoo remarked, "It's like we have competition."

Kikori shook her head, "It doesn't matter, they probably don't know that we are open again or they still haven't used up their charges yet."

"Oh," Shampoo nodded, "So you always have these quiet times?"

"Yep." Kikori walked back to the counter, "I wonder when Ranma would be back."

Shampoo raised an eyebrow and stared at Kikori intently.

Kikori gasped, "No, not like that! I just need to talk to him about something!"

The Amazon raised her other eyebrow and nodded understandingly before replying in a sing-song voice, "If you say so..."

Kikori fumed, "You are as infuriating as Ranma you know."

"Naw, I'm better at annoyin' ya."

Shampoo laughed, "So what did you get Ranma?"

Ranma held up a plastic bag, "This. It's nothing really."

"So what is it?" Shampoo asked.

"It's nothing for you to worry about," Ranma shrugged, "I'll put it in your room ok Kikori?"

"Ok, put it on top of my dresser please." Kikori answered, "Do I need to..."

"Naw, this one's on me." Ranma smirked, "Just cook me somethin' nice for dinner. Oh that Chinese recipe ya got from that Hong Kong restaurant is SO good! Cook that one!"

Kikori rolled her eyes, "Get going, you still haven't finished your shift yet!"

"Oh come on, it's not like anyone is coming right?" Ranma gestured to the door.

Shampoo blinked, < Hmm, I might want to look into this. I wonder what Ranma got for Kikori... >

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

Ranma sighed. It is another one of those days in a mage's life where he or she would rather die than do whatever they are doing. For Ranma, it is dying from being bored.

< GOD I wish some fight would break out or somethin'. >

Kikori shook her head as she watched Ranma shuffle in his seat behind the counter, "Oh get a grip on yourself Ranma. I can't believe you, you can stand quietly in a tree to wait for someone on a mission but you can't stand sitting here for ten minutes."

"It's a guy thing." Ranma replied automatically, "You won't understand."

"Just like I would NEVER understand why you are such a jerk right?" Kikori smiled brightly, "Of course, even YOU don't know why you act like such a jerk."

Ranma glared at his partner, "I am NOT a jerk." The pigtailed boy huffed, "Ya just too prissy. Hikari never complained about how I act."

"Bet she did." The priestess challenged.

"Oh yeah?"

Kikori stood there acting superior, "Of course."

Ranma glared at his partner for a few more seconds before sighing in defeat, "Damn."

Kikori smiled, "You know I'm always right."

Ranma grumbled, "Yeah yeah, whatever ya say."

"So," Kikori starts to play with her hair again, "When can you..."

"Well, no one is coming into the shop now," Ranma said lazily, "I guess I can do that now. I mean it's not like someone is going to be upset if the shop isn't open for an hour or so."

"What about Shampoo?"

Ranma blinked, "Dun worry `bout her."

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

Shampoo wiped off her sweat as she entered the empty shop. After practicing with her weapon of choice for half an hour in the park, the Amazon finally decides to come back to the store to see if she can help out.

< Where are those two? I thought they need to keep the shop open... >

The Amazon frowned and slowly and quietly climbed up the stairs.

< Did something happen to the two? > Shampoo snorted to herself, < Oh like anything less than the gods can stop those two. >

"Ranma... not so hard! It's not like I have the hard-"

"HEY! why don't YOU stop squirming!"

"It's not like I can't squirm with you doing that!"

Shampoo froze as she heard Kikori yelped, "What are they doing..."

"RANMA!"

"Jeez... all right already."

Shampoo pressed her ears against the bathroom door from which the `conversation' between Ranma and Kikori came from.

"By now you'd think you be good at this. NOT SO HARD! Your suppose to do this softly..."

"HA! Ya saying THIS is soft?"

"HEY! Don't make me paralyze you!"

"I thought Priestesses ain't suppose ta use their magic ta harm people." Shampoo can literally hear the smirk from Ranma.

"OW! Watch where you put that thing!"

The Amazon blushed, "THAT, sounded bad..."

"It's NOT a thing!"

"Hmph, I don't even KNOW why I ask you to do this."

"I didn't hear YOU complaining last month!"

Shampoo opened the bathroom door, wanting to know what the two are REALLY doing, "What are you two doing?"

Ranma had his left hand on Kikori's head, which is covered with shampoo (The hair care product, not the amazon), and his free hand holding a comb. Kikori is lying on an inclined chair with her head above the sink.

"I'm washin' Kikori's hair..."

"Getting my hair washed."

Shampoo blinked and blushed, "I can see that... but why?"

Ranma chuckled, "Well why don't we tell ya after I finish what we are doing."

Kikori frowned, "HEY! Get back to work!"

Ranma snorted, "Just relax, I need ta wash your hair before I can dye it again ya know. Plus, I thought ya think I suck at this"

The Priestess gave a cat like hiss, "Just go back to work!"

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

Shampoo watched in fascination as Ranma combed the hair dye into Kikori's hair with gentle precision, "Wow your good! Almost as good as the Xi Fa Xiang Gao Technique."

"The Xi Fa WHAT gao?" Kikori said shaking her head.

"Quit ya movin'." Ranma complained before explaining, "The Xi Fa Xiang Gao is a move that manipulates points on your head to alter a person's memory, something about a shampoo too."

Shampoo nodded, "Maybe I can teach you THAT technique if Great Grand mother allows me to."

Ranma chuckled, "Naw, I don't like messin' with people's memories. Not my style."

Kikori giggled, "Your style is shoot first and ask questions later."

"If ya keep moving, it won't be my fault that you end up eatin' shampoo for dinner."

"Why you want to feed me to Kikori?" The Amazon said cautiously as she pulled out her bon boris.

"NOT you Shampoo. I'm talking about shampoo, the hair care product!"

"I AM NOT A HAIR CARE PRODUCT!"

"ARGH!"

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

"Now just need ta wait till it's dry and we're all set!" Ranma said admiring his handy work, "Not too shabby if I must say."

Shampoo nodded, "How DO you get that shade of green anyways? I don't think that shade is on sell."

Ranma shrugged, "I dunno, it's on sell, you just need to find it." Ranma blinked, "Dun tell me ya want to dye your hair green too!"

Shampoo shook her head, "I like my hair purple thank you very much."

Kikori stared at the Amazon's hair, "Is it NATRUALLY like that?"

"Yes, it's Amazon trait. Sign of a true warrior." Shampoo answered proudly, "My Great Grand Mother used to have purple hair too."

"Wow, THAT musta been a LONG time ago." Ranma commented

The two girls giggled, "Don't be so disrespectful Ranma."

Shampoo grinned, "No worry. Grand Mother is not here."

"So is stiff and dry hair like Kikori's a sign of a prissy priestess?"

Kikori pulled at Ranma's pigtail and gave him a whack on the head.

Shampoo laughed, "Now that you two are finished, would you tell me why you get Ranma to dye your hair?"

The two Japanese mages nodded, "Well it I guess I we started doin' this when we were eleven."

Kikori nodded, "It started out as a bet. Ranma and me weren't exactly friends back then, more like acquaintances. Friendly acquaintance, maybe, but not friends."

Ranma grinned, "It's mostly `cause Kikori here is too up tight and won't talk to people `cause they might distract her from her all important studies."

"RANMA!" Kikori huffed, "Anyway, Ranma was one of the only people that I actually talk to back then. Ranma, being Ranma wanted to get me to loosen up or something to that effect."

"So I dared her to dye her hair green." Ranma finished with a grin, "Kinda ironic too come ta think of it."

Shampoo frowned, "What was the bet?"

"I betted that I can get a higher score than she could in the next magic theory test, if I won, then she'll dye her hair green; if SHE won, then I'll be her slave for a month." Ranma said proudly, "And I beat her soundly too if I might add."

Kikori ALMOST gave a pout, "I still say you cheated on that test."

Ranma laughed, "Sore loser!" Ranma ducked away from Kikori before she attempts to hit him in the head again, "So after the bet, Kikori likes her hair green like that so she kept on dyeing it."

Kikori nodded, "That's the whole story. Of course, my teachers were so freaked out when I dyed my hair they actually got some priest to send some wards over to the classroom." Kikori giggled at the memory, "That with the fact that Ranma got the top score on a test really scared them."

Ranma frowned, "I'm not THAT bad!"

"I'd think you are." Shampoo said thoughtfully, "After all, the saying two heads are better than one doesn't apply to males."

"HEY!"

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

"OH man, this is too good!" Ranma burped happily and sank into his chair, "If I can live with food like this for the rest of my life, I'd be the happiest man alive."

Shampoo smirked, "You probably grow fat and lazy if that happens."

"I wouldn't say that," Kikori replied for Ranma, "After all, he doesn't ONLY eat and sleep. There's magic and martial arts also."

"No fair, two against one!" Ranma protested, "I need some help!"

Kikori shrugged, "Hey, it's about time I got some help. It's always you and Ryoga against me. Now I have Shampoo on my side."

Shampoo snickered, "So WHO was the one playing unfair?"

"Ryoga took your side sometimes!" The pig tailed mage countered.

"Only when you start saying something insanely stupid."

"What about that time when we were arguing about who gets the last portion of that rabbit meat I cooked!" Ranma said with a smirk, "That wasn't insanely stupid and he still took your side."

Kikori gave Ranma a `you are SO dead' look, "After you ate almost EVERYTHING! We were lucky Ryoga showed up then!"

"It wasn't my fault someone cast a eating compulsion spell on me." Ranma complained, "Plus, I only ate three quarters of our supply!"

The two female mages stared at Ranma, "ONLY?"

Ranma grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

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

Shampoo frowned as she exited from the bathroom, after taking her bath, to find the house empty, "Kikori? Ranma?"

The Amazon walked out to the porch of the house and sees a ladder that leads to the roof. Being an Amazon, Shampoo jumped up to the roof instead of using the ladder.

"Whoa!"

"EEK!"

Shampoo blinked, "Oh hi."

Ranma let out a laugh, "Hey Shamps, what brings you to this part of our house?"

"It's XIAN PU!"

"Oh come on, lighten up, it's just a name." Ranma waved Shampoo's protest off.

"Most people in the mage tower doesn't even have a name," Kikori said to Shampoo, "We don't judge a person a their name in the mage tower. So most people that grew up there doesn't think that names are all that important."

Shampoo nodded, "Oh... Sorry for over reacting then."

Ranma shook his head, "Naw, dun worry `bout it."

"So what ARE you two doing up on the roof at night?" Shampoo said slyly.

Both Ranma and Kikori blushed and turned their faces towards the night sky, "Star gazin'."

"We talk about other things when we're up here too." Kikori added.

Shampoo lay down on the other side of Ranma and joined the two in looking at the stars, "I wonder what Great Grand mother is doing."

"You miss her?" Kikori asked without turning her head.

Shampoo sighed, "I miss everyone from the village. I wonder why I took this quest in the first place. Did I take it for the challenge? Or maybe because I wanted to explore the outside world."

Ranma chuckled, "I think ya just got taunted into doing this."

The Amazon blinked and thought for a second, "Hmm, maybe you're right..."

The three mages burst into laughter that echoed though the town of Nerimia and faded into the night sky...

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

Why are you sitting here?

`Cause I want to sit here.

Don't you get lonely?

...

I don't like being lonely.

...

Can you be my friend?

... Sure...

Really!

I guess so...

I'm Kikori! Nice to meet you!

I'm Ranma...

Why are you so sad?

Because... Maybe because I was born this way...

Huh? What do you mean?

I dunno, wanna go and play?

Sure!

"Childhood dreams..." Ranma whispered softly as he slowly awaken from his sleep, "Did I really say that when I first met Kikori? I don't remember saying that..."

"You awake Ranma?"

Ranma looked up to see his partner walk into the room, "Yeah."

"I..."

"Still can't sleep right after a mission huh?" Ranma chuckled making the priestess blush in embarrassment, "I just woke up from a dream."

"About what?"

"Kikori, have I ever said to you that I was born sad?" Ranma asked.

The priestess frowned, "I don't think so..."

"Oh..." Ranma shuffled across his bed, "Well, you might as well get in, it's cold tonight. Don't want ya to catch a cold now."

Kikori smiled softly and joined Ranma on his bed, "Thanks Rammie."

"Goodnight Ki-chan."

"Nmm." Kikori nodded her head and sighed.

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

"Aiya, this `Omelet' tastes so good!" Shampoo said blissfully and then taking another large bit of her meal.

Ranma smirked, "I still like Kikori's pancakes better!"

The Priestess blushed, "It's nothing really."

Ranma paused in his eating, "Ya know, I'm getting a feeling that me and Kikori are forgetting somethin'."

"I'm getting that feeling too." Kikori said.

Shampoo shrugged.

"Oh yeah," Ranma said, suddenly remembering, "Welcome to the family Shampoo."

Kikori chided herself, "How can I have forgotten this, Welcome to the family."

Shampoo blinked in confusion.

Ranma laughed, "We say that to every new member that has joined us `semi-permanently'. The tower told us to try to keep the new members they gave us so we try to treat them like family."

Shampoo smiled brightly, "Glad to be part of the family."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~

Sorry for not updating for the past two months... I got a new computer and was busy playing War Craft 3 cuz some of my friends got me hooked on it... Anyway, here is another chapter. It's rather short I think so I'll try to get another chapter up as fast as I could now that I'm writing again. Hopefully my writing skills haven't gone down from the two months of not writing =p Comments, Flames, Hate mails, they are all welcomed ^^ Just make sure if you are sending hate mails, your sending them to the write e-mail address =p

Anywho, no real plot in this chapter, just tons of plot hole filling and stuff like that. The next chapter should be more interesting though...

Omake Forgetfulness! Omake

"Aiya, this `Omelet' tastes so good!" Shampoo said blissfully and then taking another large bit of her meal.

Ranma smirked, "I still like Kikori's pancakes better!"

The Priestess blushed, "It's nothing really."

Ranma paused in his eating, "Ya know, I'm getting a feeling that me and Kikori are forgetting somethin'."

"I'm getting that feeling too." Kikori said.

"Oh yeah!" Ranma punched his palm, "What's the next line?"

"CUT!"

"RANMA!" Kikori yelled, "This is the TWENTITH TIME YOU FORGOT!"

"Ya know, I think I'm REALLY forgetting something other than my line." Ranma said.

Kikori blinked, "Me too."

"Oh what is it now! WE HAVE A DEADLINE PEOPLE!"

"BROTHER! JUST GET ON WITH IT! I'M HUNGRY!" Saiko shouted from behind the camera man, "I still have a date to go to you know!"

"OH yeah! Kikori, you left your skirt in my apartment this morn...ing..." Ranma's voice trailed off, "oops..."

Kikori blushed, "RANMA!"

"Ohh, look at the love birds!" Shampoo grinned, "When are you sending the invitations to your wedding?"

"SHUDDAP!"

"OHH, Mom is SOO going to be happy." Saiko grinned, "I can hear her now saying how manly her son is."

"SAIKO! I'm WARNING YOU!" Ranma growled.

Kikori covered her head with her arms over the table, "This isn't happening..."

"Guys... can we PLEASE get with the filming!"

And this is why this chapter came out so late, I blame it on the cast...

Omake! End Omake!

Just a silly little thingy... That really happened! I swear! =p