Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Forgotten Memories ❯ Bloodlines Of A Family ( Chapter 5 )

**** All characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. This is just one of my ideas! So don't judge me just because of my imagination! ^_^ (\/) Cyancat ****

Forgotten Memories

Chapter Five - Bloodlines of a Family

It had now been two days after the boat had come to port at the harbor in Hong Kong, China. They had bought supplies and started out on their trek into the forests of China. Tonic lead the way with Ranma right behind him. The only reason he even let him have the lead was because only Tonic knew where to go. He just didn't want this kid getting the upper hand on him, Thats all. Akane and Mousse followed behind with Genma bringing up the rear.

Now, the moon was full and high, the day slowly fading into a night sky. They had been walking since that morning and the tension between Tonic and Ranma was overflowing, causing everyone to feel the brunt of it. Finally Mousse decided she had enough of it.

Plopping down on a nearby tree stump, she crossed her arms and spoke up. "So are we gonna stop and camp for the night? I'm really exhausted. We've been walking for so long, I don't know if I could take another step."

Ranma stopped and looked back at the group behind him. "I guess it is getting late. Tonic!" he called over his shoulder to the boy ahead of him. "We're stopping for the night. I suggest you start setting up your tent."

Ranma then took off his own pack and started to pull items out of it.

A bush rustled behind him and Tonic stepped out next to the group. "Fine. We're stopping for the night. You know, if we keep going on like this and stopping, it's gonna take us three days and nights just to get there from here! Now if we kept going, we could make much better time."

"Thats just you Tonic." Ranma said, not even bothering to look at the boy. "You can't expect everyone else here to keep at your pace."

Akane dropped her pack and clapped her hands together, wanting to get rid of the tension between the two. "Okay then boys, lets set up camp! We need to get a fire going. So Tonic, why don't you go and get us some fire wood?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Tonic said dropping his things and turning back toward the forest.

"Hey, wait up. I'll go with you!" Mousse called out.

Tonic stopped and turned around, waiting for her to catch up to him and then the two disappeared into the woods. Akane smiled at the place where they had disappeared and then turned back to making camp along with Ranma and Genma.

Ranma was busy setting stakes into the ground and Genma was occupying himself with the tent tarps and unfolding them. As she sat down and began to pull a cooking pot out of her bag, she watched Ranma and Genma bicker at each other, fighting at how the tents were supposed to be put up. She laughed at the two, nothing had really changed between them since she had first met them. They were still the same men she had grown to care for. It was then that Akane realized something.

"Ranma?" Akane questioned.

"Yeah, what is it Akane?" Ranma answered, yet was still glaring at his father.

"Do you think . . . Mousse knows about Mousse?"

Ranma blinked a few times trying to figure out the question. He turned to her with a perplexed expression. "What do you mean, does Mousse know about Mousse?"

"I mean, Mousse had been gone for a while even before Shampoo left. Actually if you really think about it, it's about a nine-month difference."

"Yeah, so . . . ?"

"I don't think that Mousse even knew that Shampoo had a child. I mean since Shampoo kept it from us during all that time and then we find out only a week and a half ago that she even had a child, maybe Mousse never found out."

"Yeah, I get that feeling too now that you really think about it. Then I have to question, why hasn't he come back? I mean if he really loved Shampoo as much as he did, why never go back to her after what happened between them? I just don't understand that."

"Maybe he couldn't face the girl after what happened between them. Maybe he believed that what he got wasn't the real feeling that he wanted from her." Genma said frankly as he stretched out a tarp.

Ranma shook his head at his father. "Pops, you really have to straighten out your priorities. Mousse would never think that about Shampoo. He really loved her too much to believe that she would do something like that to him." He then began to pound another stake into the ground and Genma just shrugged his shoulders.

Tonic just about had a full pile of firewood stacked up in his arms and he waited while Mousse came back toward him with more pieces to pile up. Placing them on top, she paused and looked at the stoic face that Tonic had. He appeared to be off in another place as he didn't really seem to see Mousse in front of him.

"Tonic? Is everything alright?"

"Hmm? What'd you say?" Tonic said, not really even bothering clearing his eyes.

"Are you okay? I mean, is there something bothering you? You've changed a lot since we met on the boat. You've been more distant and impassive to me . . . I mean us."

Tonic blinked a few times at Mousse and then looked away. "No nothings wrong, really. I've just been thinking a lot about home. We're getting closer to my village and I'm just wondering what they're gonna do when I return."

"But I thought that was why you've got Ranma to say you're his apprentice. Isn't that a good enough reason for them?"

"I really don't know. I've never been in a position like this before, but I know that I don't want to spend the rest of my days at the village. I want to be in the outside world, learning and training as much as I can." Tonic sighed. Mousse then saw the look that Tonic had that first day she met him, a face full of worry and eyes that were troubled. "But the decision is up to the village elder council and to defy them would be to denounce my life as an Amazon."

Mousse looked away, embarrassed that she said anything at all to him. "I never knew a person's life could be like that. I'm sorry that I brought it up." She figured that she was just bringing up more worries for him to deal with.

"Hey," Mousse looked up at the sound of Tonics voice and once again met his eyes, "Don't worry about it. I'm sure that everything will be alright in the end. So how about we get this firewood back to camp? I'm sure Akane is waiting for us." Tonic said turning around and waiting for Mousse to join him.

Mousse sighed, as she knew that Tonic still carried troubles around him yet he was trying hard to hide them from her. She walked up beside him and then the two headed back to the camp.

Around the same time, but at a completely different place, stood Ryoga and Ukyo. Their travels had gone all over it seemed, but Ukyo didn't let that trouble her. Eventually they would find what they were looking for. They had traveled all over Japan at first, heading through Kyoto and Hiroshima. Then they boarded a plane and headed for what Ukyo thought was Beijing, China, but as they arrived at their destination, realized that they had landed in Sydney, Australia. Apparently, Ryoga had gotten the wrong plane tickets. After that, they went all over, even Ukyo couldn't keep track of all the places they'd visited.

But now, Ukyo knew where they were and that they might have a chance of finding Mousse. Ryoga took out his cell phone and called up Ranma.

"Yeah?" said a very tired voice on the other side of the line.

"Ranma, I think we found him."

"Found who?"

"Mousse! For crying out loud, what have you been doing?"

"Sleeping! I didn't really expect you to call us in the middle of the night, Ryoga!"

"Well it isn't night here."

"Whatever, so you think you found Mousse?"

"Yeah, I'm positive about it."

"As positive as you were those other three times you called saying you found Mousse, only to call back later and tell me it was a false alarm?" Ranma said sarcastically.

"Come on, give a guy a break." Ryoga said, but was interrupted as Ukyo took the phone away from him.

"Don't worry about it sugar! Even I think we found him this time. Those last three times were just because he acted without me knowing about it. Ryoga knows not to do that again."

"So you're really sure that you found him then!"

"Yeah, to a point. We think that he's joined up with the circus again. We found a poster boasting about a martial artist that could hide any weapon in his robe sleeves. Know anybody else that can do that?"

"Not really. So where are you exactly?"

"Us? We're currently going to be on our way to China via plane. We're in the United States and it seems that the circus Mouse is with travels all over the globe. They must be really popular if they can do that. Anyway, the next place they set up is outside Shanghai and we're going over to check it out."

"Good to hear. We're close to getting to the village and hopefully finding Shampoo. Although if she isn't there, I have no idea where to begin in looking for her. Mousse is really looking forward to meeting her."

"Good luck sugar, because you'll need it. I'll call back if we do find Mousse. But do you want us to just stay with him or confront him?"

"If it is him, and I can't possibly believe that it isn't, get him back to our house. I don't care how you do it, knock him out if you have to, but it's a neutral ground where we all can figure out everything. We'll be doing the same with Shampoo, but I don't know how she'll react toward us confronting her about Mousse."

"I guess Thats life. Okay then we'll call you later. I think we'd better let you guys get back to sleep now."

"Thanks, . . . but hey Ukyo!"

"Yeah, what is it Ranma?"

"Don't mention anything to Mousse about Shampoo or having a child or anything like that to him. We don't know how he'll react to it and I think we need both mother and daughter there for him to see the truth about whats been going on here. Got it?"

"Right! Not one word to Mousse about Shampoo or Mousse. Understand Ryoga-dear?" Ukyo paused as she waited for an answer from Ryoga. There was a yelp of pain on the phone and then a meek, "Yeah, I'll remember! You don't have to hit so hard ya know."

Ranma laughed inwardly at the pair, even over the phone he knew how Ukyo reacted toward Ryoga when he didn't listen to her. "Good work then Ukyo. Just remember to make sure you call us when you do find him."

"Allrighty then, sugar. Will do!"

The phone cut out with a beep and Ranma put the phone back in its place in his pack. With a tired sigh, he laid back down next to Akane, who hadn't even stirred during the whole conversation. They were getting closer to the end of their journey, hopefully.

Outside the tent, Mousse had stirred from the phone's ring. Stepping out of her tent, she walked around the grounds, mostly just wondering about what was to happen soon enough.

"What're you doing up, Mousse?"

Mousse stopped dead in her tracks and slowly looked around her, a frightening chill running up her spine. The thing was, she couldn't figure out who or what had spoken out to her.

"Who..who said that?"

"Me."

"Who's me?"

"Who else, Tonic!"

"Tonic? Where are you?"

"Up here in the tree!"

Mousse looked up above her to see Tonic's figure silhouetted in the dark in the moon's light. There was a smile on his lips as she guessed Tonic found it funny that she was scared and all it had been was him.

"What're you doing up there and at this time of night?"

Tonic jumped down off the tree limb he'd been resting on and landed in front of Mousse. "I don't usually sleep that much when I'm traveling and I'm keeping watch."

"Keeping watch for what? Demons?" Mousse said playfully.

"More like tigers, snakes, and leopards." Tonic said nonchalantly. "There are a lot of animals around that don't like new intruders into their territory."

"Oh, umm.. they wouldn't come by here, would they?" She anxiously questioned, starting to nervously walk back and forth in a small area.

"Not actually, it's just a bad habit of mine to keep watch at night." Tonic said as he watched her start to pace.

"Good, I don't think I'd have slept anymore if I knew there were animals around like that." Mousse said, but didn't stop her tempo.

"How about you sit down? Your pacing is gonna make me dizzy." Tonic said, tapping a space on a fallen log that he had sat down on.

"Sorry, I tend to do that when I'm nervous." Mousse sat down and after a moment looked up at the sky. "You know, the stars look just the same as they do at home-I mean the orphanage. Seems that they never change even when our life goes in a whole different direction. It's like they're all we have to rely on for guidance."

Tonic looked up at the sky as well, intrigued by Mousse's words, "Never really thought about it like that."

Mousse hugged her knees and rested her head on top of them. "So is it really gonna take us three more days just to get to the village?"

"Nope, we'll probably be there by tomorrow night, actually."

"Ranma really isn't going to like to learn that you lied to him."

Tonic pulled up a weed beside him and began to chew on an end. "Ah, he needs it. He's been on my case the whole time since we met on the boat. It's like he doesn't trust me or something. Always fighting my directions and telling me what to do like a child! I am not some kid! I've traveled all over and I know how to get around."

"Well, my old master used to say 'To find a student's strength, you must first challenge his weakness.' I never really understood him and his sayings but I think that fits."

"Yeah right!" Tonic scoffed and stood up, kicking at the dirt. "I have weakness's?"

"Everyone has something of a weak point. Ranma's probably been trying to get you out of the funk you've been in since we landed. Although I know now why you're acting like that, he doesn't. So I think that he's trying to help you forget whatever it is by fighting. Take your mind away from the problem and put your troubles on him instead."

Tonic looked down at Mousse whom was still staring up at the sky and smiled lightly. How was it that she always knew what to say to him whenever he felt down? Mousse then noticed Tonic staring down at her and looked away in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I babble a lot. I can't seem to keep my mouth shut."

Tonic sat back down and leaned back against the log. "You shouldn't worry about it. A lot of people are like that, you even sound a lot like a person I know. Oddly enough, you both have that same violet sparkle in your eye. Thats always an oddity that sticks out to me."

"Oh I do? So who is she? A relative?"

"Oh no, no." Tonic shook his head. "I'm not related to her. She's a grand-daughter to an elder, so in responsibility to the village in the future hopes of becoming an elder, she has to help out with a lot of the teachings and activities. She's become the top teacher in martial arts. She's even taught me a lot in fighting and she's become our best warrior."

"Maybe I could meet her. She sounds like a great teacher."

"We'll see when we get to the village. She likes it better to spend time alone, although I've never understood that. Shampoo always seems to be in some kind of pain, I just don't know what from."

Mousse suddenly turned on Tonic and grabbed his shoulders in a vice-like grip.. "Shampoo? Her name is Shampoo? Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I've known her since I can remember. Why?" Tonic answered back, staring down at Mousse's hands that were clamped around his arms.

"And you say that I remind you of her, right?" Mousse said, shaking him as she talked.

"Yeah, in a lot of ways, but what has this got to do with her name? And could you let me go, I think I'm starting to loose feeling in my arms."

Mousse released him as she realized what she was doing. She began to pace again in a circle, her face furrowed in thought.

"Mousse, just what is wrong here? So what if her name is Shampoo! What's it got to do with you?" Tonic said, very confused at the moment.

"Tonic, my mother's name is Shampoo! The whole reason we're going to your village is to find my mother!" she said, turning on Tonic.

"What? They couldn't be the same person...could they?" he said, an eyebrow raised in concern.

She rolled her eyes and stepped up close to Tonic who had stayed where he was on the ground. "Well, you were just comparing her to me, telling me how much I sound and look like her, how much closer can you get than that? Tonic, there's no other explanation."

"But Shampoos never been married and no one has ever said that she's had a child! She's been at the village as far as I can remember and she's..."

"She's what?" Mousse said defiantly, crossing her arms and staring angrily down at the boy, waiting for another explanation from Tonic.

Tonic stared at her for a moment, studying her face. He then shook his head in disbelief, while standing up and laughing to himself. "She really is your mother, isn't she? When you look at me like that, I see her face. Like the many times from before in my life that she's stared down at me from training."

"So you believe me then?" Mousse's face softened.

"Yeah, I guess I do, but..." Tonic trailed off in thought.

"But what?"

"Then why hasn't she ever spoken about you? Why leave you behind in Japan?" he questioned.

Mousse looked down to the ground, feeling tears start to well up inside. "I don't know... Thats why we're going there, to find her and get an answer."

"Oh, I see." Tonic paused, searching for words to say. "Well, you guys can stay at my home while we're in the village and I'll help you all that I can."

Mousse looked up, stunned at Tonic's words. "You'd do that?"

"I'm taking you guys to the village aren't I? I wouldn't do that for just anyone, anyway I feel that it's a duty of mine to help you out. I mean, we're both Amazons, aren't we?"

Mousse looked at Tonic for a moment before a smile spread wide across her face. Rushing with her emotions, she threw her arms around Tonic's neck, hugging him tight. Tonic stumbled to say something to Mousse as he didn't know what to do with her hugging him like this. He could feel his face getting red and he was glad that it was night, so that Mousse couldn't notice it. But before he could say anything, he felt Mousse tighten her hug around him. She then whispered a quiet 'Thank you' in his ear before kissing him on the cheek and running back to her tent without a backwards glance. Tonic stood there, stunned into silence and raised a hand to the place were Mousse had kissed him before turning and heading towards his own tent.

A woman practiced her skills inside a large room inside a prominent building. She gracefully moved about the room with her eyes closed and skillfully took out her targets without opening an eyelid. She stood still for a moment before she felt a presence in the room and they were feeling very uncomfortable. She sighed and straightened up from her pose.

"Yes, Po Mai, what is it?"

The girl shifted her stance, knowing that she was a disturbance to her teacher's time alone. "Well, there is someone here to see you Xian Pu. They've been very persistent in wanting to see you now. I really didn't want to interrupt your practice, but she wouldn't let me go unless I agreed to get you. I really didn't want to interrupt you, as I know how angry you get when you're disrupted..."

"Don't worry about it Po Mai, just send her in."

"But...but she's an outsider." Po Mai tried her best to explain the situation. "Would it really be wise for her to enter the training hall?"

"Now why would an outsider want to see me?"

"I...I don't know, but this woman is quite unusual. She speaks defiantly and she has bright red hair with a ponytail. Quite unlike I've ever seen."

As soon as Po Mai's words left her lips, something clicked inside Shampoo's head, telling her something she had long forgotten. Shampoo's eyes opened wide with shock at the description. "Where is she now?"

"I told her to stay in the observatory room, I thought it would be better for her not to enter your training hall."

"Good job Po Mai, you may go back to your duties now. Do not worry about me or the stranger, I will take care of it."

"But Teacher-"

Shampoo interrupted, not wanting to deal anymore with the overanxious child. "Go Po Mai, leave me!"

"Al right then. I'll be around if you need me." She said meekly, fearing that she had upset her instructor.

Shampoo waited until she heard Po Mai's steps fade as she walked away from her door. She headed towards a closet by the wall and opened it to reveal a cast array of weapons. She took out a pair of bon bori's and headed out into the hallway and down towards the room that Po Mai had told her the woman was in. She kept repeating Po Mai's description in her head. Bright red hair, ponytail. Bright red hair, ponytail. Bright red hair, ponytail.

There was only one person that she could think of that resembled that description and she...he had been left behind long ago. There was no possible way that he could be here now. So that left only one reason open to her, someone was trying to play a joke on her. Many people had known of her past grievances with a red haired woman. So now, even after all these years, she was ready for it, and who ever was there was going to get the beating of their lifetime.

Arriving at the specified room, Shampoo shoved the door open but froze as she saw who was there inside. He stood with his back to her, staring at a piece of art on the wall while rocking back and forth on his heals.

"Ranma?" she said faintly, questioning what was before her.

He turned towards her at the sound of her voice and smiled warmly. "Hey Shampoo. How's it going?"

Shampoo dropped the bon bori's in her hands and stared gapingly at the man before her. Her mind raced to figure out why he was there. Why? Why was he here?!

Well, there's another chapter to my reading public.

I hope to have another chapter or two up for both fics by the end of August. So please hold on! Even though its not that big of a deal to some, I am happy to see that people read my fics and LIKE them.

Next chapter:

Ranma surprises Shampoo with a visit and then its up to everyone else to convince her whats right to do for Mousse. Also how Mousse reacts to seeing Ryoga and Ukyo at the circus.

Thanks for reading though and hopefully I will finish both of my fics soon.

^_^ (\/) cyancat