Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Forgotten Memories ❯ Guilt Can Overcome ( Chapter 7 )

**** 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 Seven - Guilt Can Overcome

Tonic and Mousse were ushered into a semi-dark room where many older women sat around tables and a fire hearth. When they noticed that Tonic and Mousse had entered, they all sat down at a rounded table that was at the head of the room.

"It is good to see that you've arrived home early Tonic. Did you learn all that you wanted while on your trip?" An older woman questioned with a ragged voice as she sat down on a chair.

Tonic bowed before them and eyed the group of women. "Yes, High Elders, I have returned home with a great deal to tell you."

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Mousse during this time was feeling very nervous and out of place. Everyone here was speaking a language that she couldn't understand and every once and a while one of the women kept staring at her oddly. She really didn't like being here and was starting to regret going along with Tonic with every second that passed by. Then one of the women that had been talking to Tonic pointed at her and said a few words that did not sound very good. She quickly stood as straight as best she could and noticed Tonic look back at her with an expression that she couldn't read.

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"And just who is this girl with you here?" an elder said while pointing at Mousse. "She is not from this village!"

Tonic looked at Mousse before turning back to the elders. "I came back to the village accompanied by this girl and three other people. The reason I am here is that I wanted to ask if you could wait on any decision you might have made for me. There is a matter that needs to be presented to you before any conclusions are made."

"You are asking us to wait with the decision for your arranged marriage?" the older woman said as she seemed to be stunned that he would even think that it was possible to do.

"Yes, High Elder. I know that is what I promised to you before I left on my travels and I intend to keep my honor of a promise, but there is something now that changes a lot for me. I just ask that you would give me a formal meeting tomorrow and all will be revealed to you."

"You with hold information from us willingly?" another elder commented, pausing for a moment, "You really have changed Tonic."

The group of women then began to whisper among themselves. Tonic stepped back beside the nervous Mousse and smiled at her.

"Don't worry, they didn't mind you being here."

"Really? They really seemed mad to see me here. That one in the corner was practically screaming at you. Then she pointed at me and started yelling some more! I thought I was gonna faint, I've never been so nervous in all my life!"

"They have that impact, I'm just sorry that you had to encounter them now instead of on better terms than this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...-" Tonic started to speak but was cut off by the sound of an old woman intentionally coughing to call attention to her. He was quickly silent and stared at the woman who stood up from the table.

"Young Tonic, we will grant you your request of an audience with us, but you are to give us now a full report of your travels. You and your company shall meet with us at the next sunset. Whatever you have to say tomorrow, you can keep to yourself, but we have been waiting a long time to see just how much you have learned. All we want is to know of your travels abroad. You still have that book we gave you for authenticate signatures?" The woman smiled as Tonic shook his head yes, "Good, then we shall no longer waste time. But first, ask the girl to leave the room, we don't need her here in the room."

"But High Elder-" Tonic spoke up, but silenced himself when he saw the look in the elder's eyes.

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Mousse stared angrily at the door before her as it closed shut, leaving her outside the building that housed the elders. She couldn't understand these people anymore than anyone else. She figured that since she was one of them, she could at least understand them a little bit, but that was just about as good as understanding the language. She didn't get it, if they were just gonna have Tonic talk to them, why did she have to leave? It's not like she was gonna interpret what they were saying.

Mousse sat down on a bench near the doors and started to try and wait, as Tonic had asked her to do, "Just wait outside for me Mousse, you don't know the way home and you'll probably get lost if you try. Just wait for me, okay?" Mousse sighed and hung her head. He was right, she would more likely get lost trying to find her way back, but why did he have to be so blunt about it? It was then that she heard someone shout loudly her way and snapped her head up to what it was for. There running before her was a young boy, a grin on his face as if he thought he could get away from the older woman chasing from behind. He carried in his hands about five small melons and was having a hard enough time juggling them in his hands while running. She smiled at the sight, laughing to herself at the young boy and decided that she was gonna help stop him. Just as the boy ran past her, she stuck out her foot, tripping him and sending him towards the ground. The boy cried out in shock as he felt himself trip. He forgot about the melons in his hands and brought them up to cover his face waiting for the blow to the ground. Seconds passed and nothing happened. He opened his eyes and lowered his arms to realize that a girl was holding him up by the scruff of his shirt. He saw his melons scattered below him and lurched to grab them, but was held tight by Mousse's grip. He turned to glare angrily at her and was just about to try a kick to her leg, but he then heard a shrill and angry voice from behind which made him shirk at the sound.

Mousse smiled the whole time. This was just as fun as it was back at the orphanage. Many a time she was the one to deal with the young ones who thought that everything belonged to them. It was a practiced move she had done so many times before on the other children. It was just a trip of the feet and then a quick grab to the neckline, grabbing the shirt and holding them up from the ground. This usually left them stunned and amazed at the same time. Mousse saw that the woman was getting closer to them so she pulled up the boy and turned him around to face the advancing woman, yet still not letting go of his shirt, lest he try to run again.

The woman smiled appreciatively at Mousse as she walked up the last few steps towards them then turned angrily at the young boy. She yelled at him and pointed at the melons on the ground. He stooped to pick them up and delicately gave them to her. She shook her head at the boy before turning back to Mousse. She started to, as Mousse thought, explain what had happened with the boy, as it was kind of fun guessing what she was saying. Mousse just kept nodding in an agreeing mood and would frown at the boy at times when the woman seemed to be indicating him and his snitching of the melons. When the woman paused and looked to her expectantly, Mousse realized that she was waiting for an answer back. Thinking quickly, she touched her throat and shook her head, trying to indicate that she couldn't talk. It was better than trying to say that she didn't understand her language.

It seemed as if the woman understood, as she held out a melon to Mousse. Hesitantly taking the melon, Mousse was surprised at her casualness. The woman bowed to her before turning and grabbed the boy by the ear, pulling him down the path. Mousse watched them leave, amazed at what had happened between them. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be a part of this village after all. She realized then that the market place she had walked through with Tonic was ahead of her and decided to explore a bit more of the village while she had the chance.

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There was a soft knock to the door of the room in which Shampoo had kept herself in for several hours. It snapped Shampoo out of the haze she had been drowning in.

"Teacher? Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine Po Mai. Just fetch me the list of goods we need and the large reed basket. I'll be going to the marketplace soon."

"Okay. I'll do that." was the timid reply and the girl softly padded away.

Hearing her leave, Shampoo sighed heavily, she had lost track of how long she'd even been sitting there. After her so called talk with Ranma, she couldn't help but let the rest of her memories come flooding back to her eyes. She had seen them all as clear as if they had happened right at that moment. She remembered her first days in Japan, chasing down Ranma, her exploits to marry him, and the Cat Café they had worked so hard for. Then there were those visions of Mousse, always next to her, even though he was pointed towards the mailbox or pole or bush next to her. Though still, he had always been right there, fighting for her. She had known since they were children that he was special, even if she couldn't figure out that special thing until that night. Yes, that night, the only time that she had actually given into her emotions and forgot about everything else. She had loved him for so long, that it had been hard for her to say it. To tell him that she loved him, for some reason it was too hard to tell him. She had hoped to find him next to her that next morning and tell him as he woke. But that had been tossed away as soon as she found that note, that piece of paper that was the only thing that she had left to remind herself of that boy.

Shampoo felt tears start to well up again behind her eyes and she shook her head, trying to shake away those feelings. There was no longer any time for that, she couldn't cry about it anymore. She was an adult, not a seventeen year old girl. She couldn't be acting like a child just because of some old memories. Shampoo stood up and rubbed her eyes, knowing that they were probably red with her emotions. Opening the door, she nearly crashed into Po Mai who had just turned towards the door. Po Mai stumbled back a few paces, but caught herself and looked up at Shampoo holding out a basket and piece of paper.

"Here are the things you requested, Teacher."

Shampoo smiled down at the girl for a moment before accepting the items she held out. "Thank you Po Mai. You may go home now. There is nothing else for you to do today."

Po Mai could only shake her head in agreement as she had been anxious to ask her teacher a question about the visitor, but as she saw her masters face just now, she knew it wasn't right to ask about it. She simply turned around and walked down the hallway with Shampoo watching from behind.

"Odd...," Shampoo thought to herself as she walked out of the training house, "She usually complains whenever I send her home. I can hardly ever get rid of her willingly. I wonder why?"

Walking into the market place, she idly stared at the stalls of wares and would glace at her list every so often. Walking along the rows, she had begun thinking again on Ranma's words. He had come because of Mousse, the baby girl she had left behind so long ago. It was a shock to learn that they had even learned about her, but then she wondered, didn't she really want it to happen? Hadn't she secretly wished that her daughter would find her one day? She walked to the end of the lane and leaned up against a tree. Sliding down to the ground, she closed her eyes, wondering what Mousse would look like now and tried to picture her in her mind.

Everything that she came up with didn't seem to fit the image of her daughter. Sighing she opened her eyes and looked around at the crowd milling around. She smiled laughingly as she saw Ta Li pulling her son, Ta Ku, down the street by his ear and yelling punishments at him every so often. He had been up to his old tricks again, probably snitching a treat from the fruit vendor. He was a good student and she knew that if he could get out of this stealing stage, he could be a better warrior.

It was then that she saw a young girl walking down towards the market. She had waist length black hair and she wore a dark green-teal short dress. The girl looked mystified with her surroundings as if she had never been there before. Shampoo thought that it was odd that she had never even seen this girl before. Then her eyes widened in realization. Could this be...could this be her own daughter? Ranma was here about Mousse and what would stop him from bringing her along? Nothing, if he thought that it was the right thing to do. Shampoo stared at the girl as she came closer along the path, trying to see if what she thought was true.

As she walked past Shampoo amid the crowd, Shampoo gasped as she saw that it was true, it was her daughter Mousse! That face, it was nearly a exact copy of her fathers and it went along with the assumptions that a daughter always looked more like their fathers and sons like their mothers. Shampoo recalled the first and last time she had seen her daughter way back in Japan. Even with the expanse of over fifteen years, Shampoo could still see the child that she had held in her arms. Her warrior mind told her to run, get away from here before Mousse saw her, but Shampoo couldn't tear her eyes away from her. She was more than she'd imagined and was becoming a very pretty young girl, just as she had been when she herself was so young.

Mousse strolled around the market, still looking fascinated by her surroundings. Shampoo couldn't help but smile at her daughter's enchantment of the village.

"Mousse!" yelled a voice from the crowd. Mousse stopped dead in her tracks and turned towards the voice, a wide smile apparent on her lips. Shampoo turned to see a boy running towards her. He reached where Mousse had stopped and looked down at her. "Mousse, I told you not to leave."

Shampoo studied the boy as he and Mousse talked. She had seen him before, yet his name wouldn't come to her. He was only half a foot taller than Mousse and his hair was a disheveled as a travelers would be. He smiled down at Mousse as she talked to him and Shampoo instantly knew who it was. Tonic, that young boy who had left over a year ago for a training trip. No wonder she hadn't noticed who he was. He had grown and changed a lot since she had seen him last. The one thing that hadn't changed was that smile of his.

It had been a feature that everyone would notice when he was younger, as he always smiled as he fought, whether in training or tourneys. His smile signaled him out as a different kind of warrior and she had seen that in him even as a seven year old boy. But the thing that now confused her was, how could they know each other?

The two turned around and started to walk out of the crowd towards the village homes. Shampoo felt that she had to follow them and figure out what was going on. Even though she completely denied Mousse's existence to Ranma, she could at least learn enough about this girl to sate her heart...for a while at least. Maybe she could even let herself give in to show herself to Mousse, but Shampoo wondered if she would be able to take it if she learned that her own daughter hated her.

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Hey People,

Sorry about the REALLY long chapter interval for this one. I just seemed to slack at the story as I got into drawing pictures of both of the Mousse's, Shampoo and Tonic. As I had just recently got a few Ranma manga's, I was eager to try and draw them in the way that I saw them. I have a few done and I will put them up on 'media miner dot org' along with the story there too, so all can read and see it. Thanks again for hanging on and reading!!

^_^ (\/) cyancat