Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Heartaches ❯ Chapter 4: Cologne’s plan ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4: Cologne's plan

Shampoo sat in the Neko Hanten thinking. Since it wasn't quite the lunch hour yet, she had some time to work things out. Ok, so Ranma loved Akane and obviously vice versa. There was nothing she could do about it, or was there? Just when she was going to call for Cologne…

"Shampoo, where are you? I love you Shampoo!"

"Stupid Mousse, Shampoo no love you! Shampoo love arien! Shampoo go get grandmother to help her. You stupid Mousse, you stay here."

Mousse, once again dashed to the floor by his one and only love, decided he wasn't going to take it anymore. He stood up, brushing himself off, and went to barricade the door.

"Shampoo, he doesn't love you. When will you get it through your head?"

Even though Mousse didn't particularly like Ranma, he decided that he needed to do the right thing, even if it killed him. He wouldn't let Shampoo out of the Neko Hanten even if it meant hurting her. It was time to let Ranma and Akane live "happily" ever after and for Shampoo to move on.

"Mousse, you let Shampoo out. Must find Great Grandmother, she help Shampoo marry arien."

Shampoo tried to shove Mousse aside, but the tall, blind Amazon didn't budge.

"Shampoo say move!" she angrily huffed, as she stamped her foot and tried again in vain to move him.

"Shampoo I'm not moving, not until you turn around and start walking in the other direction."

Shampoo, seeming to realize that (at least for the moment) she couldn't leave, spun her heel. With purple hair flying, she stormed towards the kitchen.

Mousse was satisfied and started after her. Suddenly Shampoo saw her opportunity and dashed back towards the door. Mousse, however, had anticipated this and grabbed her arm as she flew past him.

"What Mousse doing?" Shampoo demanded. "Shampoo no love Mousse, let Shampoo go!"

She tried to tear herself away but discovered that Mousse had a grip of iron and showed no signs of letting up anytime soon.

Mousse knew what he had to do. In a desperate move to keep her away from Ranma, Mousse tightened his grasp on Shampoo's arm and flung her around. She hit the wall with a crack and slowly slipped to the floor.

Oh no, Shampoo, what did I do? Mousse panicked.

Shampoo opened her eyes and looked up at the man who had bested her.

"Mousse beat Shampoo. Now Mousse Shampoo arien," she whispered.

Then she fainted and Mousse, her new husband, lifted her head on his lap and gazed at her. Tears began to form behind thick glasses as he realized what he'd done…

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"What's going on down here?" Cologne asked as she flew down the stairs of the Neko Hanten. "Mousse, clean up this mess!"

Then she saw it. Mousse crying while holding the still, pale body of Shampoo. The crack that ran up the entire length of the restaurant's wall, the open door, and the path of destruction was made when Mousse fought with Shampoo.

Cologne took all of this into account and came to the conclusion that somehow, something had gone terrible wrong and Mousse (by some reserve force) had beaten Shampoo or at least had stopped her from leaving the Neko Hanten conscious.

"MOUSSE! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS! CLEAN UP THIS MESS! WHAT HAPPENED TO SHAMPOO??" Cologne shrieked as she hopped over on her staff.

This thing comes in handy sometimes, she smirked.

Cologne took her staff and with a very well aimed blow, knocked an extremely confused Mousse on the head. She then rushed into the kitchen to get some cold water, stopping on the way back only to kick aside a chair and to put up the sign to close the restaurant.

Cologne returned to Shampoo's side and poured the cold water over her body. Instantly Shampoo was replaced by a soaking wet, still knocked out, purple cat.

Cologne gently lifted the cat and glared at Mousse.

"You will pay for this, Mousse. Shampoo will never marry you! I'll see to that!" Cologne said and picked up her staff.

Then Cologne took her kitty great granddaughter up to her room above the Neko Hanten.

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Once in Shampoo's bedroom, Cologne lay the unconscious cat on her bed and trickled some hot water over the cat's body.

Shampoo awoke and raised her head. Feeling the lump on the back of her head, Shampoo slumped back down onto the bed.

"What happened, granddaughter?"

"Mousse beat Shampoo. Now Mousse Shampoo's husband."

Cologne thought about this for a moment and then asked,

"Shampoo, do you really want to marry him?"

"Shampoo still love Ranma, but she marry Mousse."

Cologne got very angry. She didn't want Shampoo to marry Mousse. Why that blind, stupid, blundering boy could ruin the family line. Mousse was not worthy to be the husband of an Amazon warrior, much less one who was to be the future high Matriarch of the tribe. Yet as Cologne looked at Shampoo, she could tell she really, could she be…?

"Stupid Mousse," Shampoo said as she smiled and drifted back off to sleep.

Cologne knew she must keep the two of them apart and must do whatever she could to bring Ranma and Shampoo together. Cologne stared at Shampoo, trying to think of a plan. If Ranma and Shampoo were to be together, Akane and Mousse must be out of the way. Cologne smiled and exited the room.

First to get Mousse out of the picture, she gave an evil laugh and went back downstairs to where Mousse lay unconscious.

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This will be easy, the boy lays unmoving on the floor. Unfortunately for him a bucket of water turns him into a duck, all I have to do is…

Cologne poured water over Mousse and he immediately transformed into a white duck, glasses perched precariously on his bill. Cologne snatched up the now wide awake Mousse and carried him to the back room. She uncovered the cage that she had prepared and threw the puttering duck inside.

Slamming the top, Cologne pushed the box back into place and glared at it.

"I'm sorry Mousse, but for this to work you must be out of sight. After the wedding I will ship you back to China. You will want to see the marriage of Shampoo and son-in-law, of course!"

Cologne gave an evil smile and a low laugh. This was easier than she had thought, now to rid herself of the Tendo girl who had won son-in-law's heart.

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CRACK!!

Akane busted through the stack of eight cinder blocks with a single ax kick.

That felt good, she thought.

Akane smiled and began to clear away the rubble from her break. When the last brick was cleared away, she went over to the closet to get more bricks. To her surprise, the first thing she saw when she opened the door was,

"Cologne!"

Cologne, staff in hand, hopped out of the closet and into the dojo.

"Uh Cologne, what are you doing here, and in the closet?" asked a bewildered Akane.

"I'm here to destroy you, child," Cologne replied, deciding to be honest for once in her life. No use misleading her, after all…

"No, Cologne, really. If you really wanted me gone, you wouldn't be in the closet," Akane laughed, although there was a slight look of worry in her eye.

When Cologne just stood there, Akane decided to blow off the threat and continue training.

Cologne took note of this and watched carefully as Akane set up nine bricks, the most that she had ever done.

If something were to go wrong…

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Akane finished setting up her break and stood back. Deciding that she was thirsty, she glanced at Cologne and then left the dojo.

Cologne took this opportunity to sabotage the break. She moved each of the dividers in just a little, so now the focus (or breaking point) was off and when Akane broke it she would be seriously hurt.

Akane re-entered the room and looked suspiciously at Cologne. Feeling fairly confident that she wasn't going to run into any bombs or flying projectiles while crossing the room, she went into the preparation for her break.

Cologne leaned back against the wall and grinned.

Let the fun begin…

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"Ohhhh…" Akane groaned as she rolled around on the floor.

She was sure that she set her break up correctly, but when she went to break it something wasn't right.

She had properly executed the palm strike, but since Cologne moved the separators, the breaking point was off. Since the breaking point was off the bricks didn't break.

Her hand and wrist, on the other hand, weren't so lucky. Akane's wrist was twisted at an odd sort of angle and she could feel immense pain shooting up her arm.

As Akane lay on the floor, the tottering bricks decided to join her. Akane had just enough time to block her head before the tower of cement fell, covering her body.

"Heh heh, now my work is complete. All that is left is to give son-in-law the potion and he will belong to Shampoo!"

Cologne hopped onto her staff and left the dojo, not looking back. To her, Akane was as good as dead and that's all that mattered.