[Ranma] "Scarlet Spring" (10/11)
Chapter Ten or "Akane times three"
By Henry J. Cobb
$Id: scarlet_spring10.txt,v 1.5 1997/07/01 04:38:56 hcobb Exp $

The Ranma 1/2 characters and situations are the creation of Rumiko
Takahashi.  No infringement of her copyrights is intended.

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I am Akane Tendo, youngest of the three daughters of Soun Tendo.

My father has always been very sensitive, ever since my mother died
while we were off on a training mission to China ten years ago.

I've always felt that it was my fault that we did not return in time to
see my mother before her death, because while she was ailing, I was
unable to travel, due to a fever I had picked up in a spring in China.

Not everything on that trip was a disaster.  I was saved from the spring
by the girl who became my best friend and more, the amazon Shampoo.

Needless to say, I wasn't very impressed when Genma Saotome arrived
recently with his son, Ranma from their training trip to China.  In
fact, I didn't even bother to ask them if they'd met Shampoo there.
China is such a big place with so many people, after all.

I agreed to an engagement to Ranma to keep daddy happy.  It seems that
Soun and Genma had arraigned the engagement before Ranma and I were even
born, in a scheme to pass on the Dojo to their combined fighting
schools.  Wouldn't it have served those two men right, if Ranma and I
had both been born girls?

Well, Ranma is a girl, at least part of the time.  I wonder what she
looks like?  During their trip to China, Genma and Ranma had picked up
curses that change their forms.  Genma becomes a Panda when splashed
with cold water and Ranma turns into a girl.  I've seen the panda close
up several times, but Ranma keeps the girl side hidden, even from me.  I
guess he's ashamed of being a girl.

Ranma is a bit of a jerk, but thanks to our engagement I've managed to
become the number one girl at Furinkan High.  All of the other girls at
our school think that Ranma is a real dreamboat.  I wonder how they'd
react if they knew he was a girl too?

Shampoo also thinks very highly of Ranma.  She arrived in Nerima
recently, seeking revenge against me, but Ranma defeated her and this
activated a marriage law.  Shampoo hasn't told me why she needed to kill
me.  She seems to be ashamed about it somehow, ever since giving up her
vengeance for the sake of our old friendship.

Shampoo picked up this curse in China recently, that turns her into an
exact physical copy of me, all over her body, but first she fought this
other Akane, back when Ranma didn't remember me.

This other Akane also got me into some trouble with Dr Tofu, who I've
had a crush on, but she did win the match against Kodachi, with the help
of P-chan, my pet pig.

I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I haven't missed P-chan that much, now
that Shampoo has moved in.  Her own great-grandmother, who had given
Shampoo the Akane-curse in the first place, poked Shampoo's "cat tongue"
point and now she can't change back to herself or go back to her home at
the restaurant, until she gets Ranma to agree to marry her.  Since then
Shampoo has been staying at our place, as my cousin "Ami".

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"Akane sure this is?"  My friend, now my newfound twin sister pulled on
my hand.  In these past two weeks, while she has been living with us,
I have never ceased to be amazed by how much Shampoo now looks like me.
It isn't like looking in the mirror, the image isn't reversed.  In the
mornings, when we comb out each other's ponytails, we assume symmetric
positions, as she copies my mannerisms.  It's like having an understudy
for life and at moments like these, both of us in identical schoolgirl
outfits, nobody could tell us apart, until she opens her mouth.  She's
very bright, but somehow she's lagging behind in picking up proper
Japanese.

" ``Akane, are you sure this is necessary?''  Yes it is.  The school
requires a medical record on every student.  Don't worry Ami, our family
doctor is very gentle."

"Good afternoon..."  Dr Tofu looked up and stopped, startled, as Shampoo
and I entered his office, "You've told her?"

"Told her what?  Oh Dr Tofu, this isn't that other girl who looks like
me.  This is my cousin, Ami.  Dr Tofu, can you keep a secret?"

"I'll always keep anything you confide in me confidential Akane."

"Good, this is really my old friend Shampoo from China."

"Pleased to meet you miss.  The resemblance is striking."

"Good morning, Doctor-san."

"Actually she doesn't really look anything like me.  She's got a curse,
like Genma's."

"There certainly is a lot of that going around, eh?  Just a moment and
I'll get some hot water for you."

"NO!"  Shampoo looked towards the exit.

"Dr Tofu, Shampoo is stuck in my form.  Her ``cat tongue'' spot has been
hit and she can't stand hot water."

"That's very nasty.  I can see why you came up with the cover story.
So, what can I do for you two today?"

"Ami here needs a complete physical for her school records."

"I can't falsify records."  The Doctor seemed shocked at the suggestion.

"I'm not asking you to.  Who is she?"

"You said she was Shampoo, from China."

"You can't take my word for that.  On what physical evidence would you
prove that?"

"Hmmm...  If we expose her to enough hot water to force the change,
given how the cat tongue has hardened her against the change, the shock
would probably kill her."

"So you can't prove that she's not me, or better yet very closely
related to me?"

"No."  Doctor Tofu agreed.

"Then she really is my cousin, right?"

"That's a strange way of putting it."  Tofu held his chin in his hand.

"Just do the examination and she'll write in her identity later, OK?"

"Very well.  I just hope you've thought this out."  Tofu gestured for
Shampoo to sit on the examination table.

"Her own family did this to her."  Well, that doesn't matter anymore
does it?  I thought, she's got a new family now.

Dr Tofu put Shampoo through every required test and checked her results
against mine, or examined me again as needed.

"Hmmm...."  Dr Tofu kept one hand on Shampoo's wrist and reached the
other one to hold mine.  He counted for a bit then looked up.  "This is
very strange.  Your pulses are synchronised."

"What!"  I didn't expect that.

"Uh, ``Ami'', would you mind doing thirty jumping jacks, like this?"
Dr Tofu did a few himself.

Dr Tofu compared our pulses afterwards.  "Yes, Ami here got her
heart rate up, but now it's trending back to follow yours Akane."

"That's very weird.  Have you ever heard of anything like this Ami?"  I
asked her.

"No.  People with same curse, have same form, but lead lives apart."

Dr Tofu filled in the forms, then looked the other way as Shampoo put in
her fake identity.  At least our address was true.

"So how is life for you now Doctor Tofu?"  I asked, while she wrote.

"Oh, it's great."  He got that faraway look in his eyes.

That's right, he's in love with my other twin.  I'll have to fix that
somehow, the next time I catch her.

On the way back to the house, we ran into Ranma, carrying some
groceries.  He has been avoiding me, since I've been hanging out with
Shampoo.   Shampoo would be the perfect match for him, they even have
the same hairstyle, except that his hair is jet black, without the blue
highlights of mine.

"Ranma, Ami is more like me than we knew, our heartbeats are
coordinated.  So, if you want my heart, she has it too."

"Ami, can't you hear it, when you listen carefully?"  Ranma made a
tapping motion with his finger.

"Yes, how Ranma know?"  Shampoo looked up at him on the fence.

"Oh, Ranma has a curse of his own."  I explained.

"What spring Ranma fall in?"  She asked.

"Do you pledge never to tell anybody Shampoo, on your word of honour?"
Ranma gave her that look.

"Shampoo promise, never tell anybody."  She held up her hand in a
gesture I vaguely remembered seeing at the amazon village.

"OK, now Akane, when was the last time you were in China?"  Ranma asked me.

"About six years ago."  I hadn't been back there since my first visit.

"BUT!, but, but."  Shampoo looked at me with eyes expanded from shock
then looked back at Ranma, "Then Ranma..."  Her knees gave way and she
leaned against me for support.

"Remember your promise."  Ranma glared at Shampoo.

"Shampoo understand.  Shampoo no tell."

"Interesting, isn't it?  Be seeing you."  Ranma hurried back towards the
house.

"What was that about?"  I asked Shampoo.

"Shampoo no can tell.  If Akane wants to know she must ask Ranma."

On the way to school I confronted Ranma.  "What is it about your curse
that you can tell Ami, but not me?"

"I didn't tell her, she worked it out for herself.  Shampoo's pretty
smart..."

"Ranma so kind."  Shampoo's eyes lit up at the compliment.

"...for a bimbo."  He concluded.

"Ranma so cruel."  Shampoo pretended it didn't hurt.

The next Saturday we had a picnic, just the family, the Saotomes,
Shampoo and Doctor Tofu.

"S-Soun..."  Doctor Tofu began.

Everybody was quiet for a moment.

"Yes?"  Daddy replied.

Tofu wants to ask a question.  I wonder what it's about.  Why is he so
nervous?  That's it, he must be in love with that twin of mine that he's
hiding and he thinks she's really is me so he's going to ask father for
permission to marry her/me.

"No, you mustn't!"  I interrupted.  "Think of the consequences!"

"O-O-Oh, I see.  Please excuse me."  Tofu ran off sobbing.

Kasumi looked at me shocked.  "Please excuse me also."  She got up and
walked after him.

Kasumi returned to the house that evening.  I was waiting in the living
room, alone.

"I'm sorry Kasumi.  It's all my fault.  We'll get this mess straightened
out somehow."

"Thank you, but it's so difficult for him to ask and it's so important
to act now, so the child will have a proper father."

"Yes, well you see... Child?  You're pregnant?"  I guess my eyes must
have been wide as saucers.

"Yes, please don't tell anybody."  Kasumi blushed.

"How?"  I had always seen my big sister as all so careful.  I supposed
that was why she was a better cook than me.

"That night you sent me to Tofu.  He was so broken up.  We did something
foolish, and now he needs to ask father's permission for us to marry as
quickly as possible.  He's coming by next Saturday for dinner."

"Don't worry sis.  I won't interfere."  That was a great relief.  So Dr
Tofu hadn't been hiding the third Akane.  Then where was she?

Monday afternoon, Ranma was on the room cleaning shift so Shampoo and I
walked home together.

A wedding in the family.  So many details to work out.  I imagined
Shampoo and myself dressed as matching bridesmaids.

The old ghoul popped out around a corner and said something in Chinese.

Shampoo nodded.

"No wait, don't let Cologne sweet-talk you back now.  She threw you out,
remember?"  I looked at Shampoo, she seemed so sad.

Cologne pogoed over towards me, I turned towards her, felt a poke from
behind me and blacked out.

I awoke sometime later, bound and gagged on my back in a small boat.

"Shampoo so sorry."  She was standing watch over me.  "Shampoo always
know if they mistreat you.  Akane will be safe.  Great-grandmother has
agreed, you can be Ranma's mistress, help raise strong daughters for the
village."

"Uhmp!"

Cologne hopped into the boat.  "The preparations are complete.  In a few
hours you'll be outside Japan's territorial waters and headed back to
China, Akane.  Are you sure that you can fool him Shampoo?"

"Why Ranma, it is pleasant weather today, isn't it?  You know, I've been
thinking it over and yes, I will marry you."  Shampoo should have known
that I would never bat my eyelashes like that.

"Good."  Cologne nodded.

"Akane!"  Ranma leaped over the boat, in his red Chinese outfit.

Cologne prodded him over the side with her staff and he landed in the
water with a splash.

"How did that fool find out where we were?  Shampoo cast off now!"
Cologne ordered.

"OK, Shampoo, now that Ranma is here, we can take her."  Shampoo leaned
over and started to untie my ropes.

"What!, you traded places with her?  Observe the penalty for those that
disobey the laws of the village!"  Cologne swung her staff with a mighty
crack against the back of Shampoo's neck.

Shampoo fell against me, yanked away my gag with a convulsive shudder
then lay still.

"Xian-ko!"  I cried.

"What?"  Cologne was shocked, for the first time that I'd known her.

"You just killed the wrong Akane you old bat!"  A dripping wet Akane, in
Ranma's red Chinese outfit stood on the edge of the boat.

"Ranma?"  I asked.

"Very well, if you are not to be my son-in-law, you will not live to
tell anybody about this!"  Cologne held her staff ready as she closed in
on him.

"Mousse, here they are!"  Ranma jumped out of the way of her swing.

"I will not be fooled by that trick."  Cologne attacked again.

"Where?"  Mousse's call sounded from the distance.

Cologne took off and Ranma undid the rest of my bonds, while I held
Shampoo's lifeless form.

Mousse stepped to the side of the boat.  He stopped and put on his
glasses.  "Which Akane is dead?"

"Shampoo."  Ranma noted.

"Ranma!"  Mousse accused him.

"The old bat did it."  Ranma replied.

"Yes, she thought Shampoo was me.  I'm sorry Mousse."  I know you loved
her so.

"Where did she go?"  Mousse held himself up proudly, holding back the tears.

"That'away."  Ranma gestured.

Mousse ran off in the offered direction.

"So Shampoo did tell you where they were taking me?"  I asked Ranma,
standing there in my skin.

"No, she knew she didn't have to."  He, I guess she really, replied.

"What, why not?"  Could Shampoo have really betrayed me?

"Why don't we turn into the girl who fell into the Akane spring?"  Ranma
asked.

"But you do turn into me!"  There he was, as much my twin as the corpse
in my lap.

"And you're not her, are you?"  Ranma continued his silly questions.

"Then what am I?"

"That's a very good question."  Ranma picked up the corpse and lead the
way to the Nekohanten.  We were a strange group, three Akanes, one of
them dead, but nobody stopped us to ask any questions.  I was glad.  I
was all out of answers.

	Henry J. Cobb	hcobb@slip.net          http://www.io.com/~hcobb