Not even being able to get out of school for summer break was enough to make Ayumi feel any better. She had far more important concerns troubling her mind, so that what would normally be cause for celebration suddenly wasn't as much of a relief as it usually was. Hopefully, by the time everyone had to return to class, life would be restored to normal for Tendo Ayumi - whatever in the world that was. That, unfortunately, didn't give Ayumi much time to gain the speed of the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken in order to take the fushichougan medicine she needed from Cologne... Cologne, who had been the direct cause of his problems from the very beginning. She had insisted that Ayumi was bound by the laws of her village in China to marry her granddaughter, Shampoo... then, she had forced a temporary Jhusenkyou curse upon her new 'son-in-law' with the aid of a packet of Instant Nyan-Ni-Chuan and a pressure-point technique that rendered Ayumi unable to touch hot water, making it next to impossible for Ayumi to reverse his transformations. It had been nearly a month since Ayumi had been trapped in the body of a girl. She had endured the scorn of a ridiculously near-sighted fighter from China who wanted Shampoo to be his no matter what the cost, never-ending leers from the guys at school - the school was pressuring Soun to try to force *her* to wear a girls' uniform, too, until her condition was reversed - Cologne's occasional belittling of her, and an unnerving amount of civility from Ranma, of all people. Word had it that Naka had told Kunou straight out about Ayumi's misfortune, but Kunou had insisted Ayumi was instead hiding, and made it a personal crusade of his to find out where the 'coward' was hiding. Oh, well, at least she didn't have to worry about Kunou bothering her for a while. One guy down, a few hundred more left to leer at her... no, wait - she knew Gosunkugi wasn't interested in her at all. Hikaru spent all his time fantasizing about Ranma, as did Kunou. She'd sat with Ranma, Yuka and Sayuri one lunch period and asked them if they had any idea why most of the guys seemed so interested in her, even though they were aware she was supposed to be a boy. The trio liked to believe that this was how *all* the boys behaved, including Ayumi. Ayumi *did* find out, however, that quite a few boys fantasized about a relationship with Ranma... but they were afraid to do anything about it since Kunou certainly would not let anyone near her in that sense, and Ayumi, Ranma's iinazuke by way of a pre-arranged marriage, was more of a fighter to be wary of. She didn't doubt that there were people out wishing to win Ranma's love; two of them were Ayumi's friends, Daisuke and Hiroshi, although the pair was only now beginning to accept that Ranma and Ayumi were engaged. Cologne and Shampoo refused to see matters that way. In their twisted view of the world - well, in Ayumi's opinion, anyway - Ayumi was *already* married to Shampoo. It was only a matter of time before a formal ceremony could set this truth in stone. But above all, Ayumi didn't particularly feel like marrying anyone, not even Ranma. Or did he? Ayumi had attempted to defend her from several other people, such as Kunou, Ryomi and the playboy Sanzenin Mikado... even if Ranma refused to appreciate all the trouble he had gone through since their first meeting just for the tomboy's sake. This time, though, acquiring the speed of the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken was *entirely* for Ayumi's benefit. When Ryomi had first come to seek out Ranma, Ranma had pointed out that fighting Ryomi with brute strength alone wasn't enough. One needed to have the speed to keep a distance from Ryomi. Ranma had always been faster than Ayumi; now, perhaps there was a chance Ayumi could become faster than her. That was part of the reason why Ayumi had stubbornly been practicing the speed technique Cologne had shown her for most of the week. More than anything, she simply wanted to go back to being who she was truly supposed to be. Destiny's Wish Part Twenty-Five: I'll Never Give Up written by Mike Koos -------------------- The rest of the family refused to let Ayumi's so-called misfortune cause them depression as well. Ever since Ranma had forced Ayumi to accompany her and her friends to the local pool, everyone had been looking for ways to lift the temporary girl's spirits. Most recently, Naka had conned his father into giving him some money to take Ayumi and Ranma out to the shopping district, plus the game center and a quick stop-off at a restaurant of their choice for all the basics of a fast-food lunch. Ranma had kept her mouth shut the entire time; it wasn't that often Naka spent money for anyone other than himself, and there had to be a catch somewhere, right? The day had ended on an unusual note at the restaurant when Kunou made an unexpected appearance, first mistaking Ayumi for Naka's date. When they finally convinced the Kendo swordsman that Ayumi wasn't Naka's date, he had begun to flatter both Ranma and the female Ayumi at the same time. It hadn't taken long for both of the girls to get sick of the act and lock Kunou in the restaurant's freezer. Ranma again found herself wishing that there really was another girl in the Tendo household for her to talk to. To relate to. How would her life have turned out if Kasuga or Naka had been born as girls instead of as boys? It had been arguably difficult to grow up without becoming something of a tomboy, given her role models. Saotome Genma had been the worst one to have as a role model, overall. The man wanted a highly-skilled fighter to carry on the family techniques and pride far more than he wanted a daughter. She'd spent some time wondering... what if her mother *wasn't* deceased, as her father insisted? What if her father had simply left her mother because she would have had an influence different than the one Genma wanted to have affect Ranma's life and training? No. Dad couldn't have been *that* insensitive, could he? Ranma made up her mind to keep a closer eye on the old man from then on. There was a neighborhood carnival scheduled for the weekend, and most of the extended family, including Ranma, were excited about the prospect of going. Everyone, naturally, except for Ayumi. Genma, ever the panda, followed Soun into the family room where Naka, Kasuga and Ranma were watching television. "It's almost time to go," Soun reminded them. "Are all of you ready?" "I am, Uncle!" Ranma said brightly, in a tone that made her father send her a suspicious glance. She was dressed in one of her favorite pairs of pants - denim jeans that had seen one too many trips through the washing machine - and a nondescript three-tone blouse. Naka and Kasuga likewise wore simple arrangements of a T-shirt and jeans. Kasuga blinked. "Where's Ayumi?" "Last time I saw him, he was lighting another fire out by the garden," shrugged Naka. Despite all his wisecracks to the contrary, he found it difficult to refer to Ayumi as a *she* rather than a he. Apparently Ranma found it easier. Ranma reclined in her chair at the table. "Still?" she sighed, somewhat wearily. "She's been trying to improve her speed for almost four days now, and all she's doing is getting herself burned." Naka peered around the edge of the open door leading out into the garden and picked out the flickering light of Ayumi's small fire. "He does look kinda pathetic, doesn't he? Ayumi *is* starting to look a little singed around the edges." "Yeah, but does she have to get singed in *my* clothes?" frowned Ranma. "Aren't those the overalls Yuka-chan gave you? I thought you said they were too small for you?" She stared at him for a few seconds. "It's the principle." Yuka had given her the overalls - a pink pair of overalls with the word 'China' painted on them in bright yellow - as a cute Christmas gift, but she had misjudged Ranma's size. Ayumi came closer to fitting the overalls, so Ranma had loaned them to Ayumi... who was wearing them over a boys' T-shirt and worse, boys' underwear. Ranma couldn't fault Ayumi for that, but at the same time, the thought made her cringe. Out in the yard, meanwhile, Ayumi was recovering from another failed attempt at reaching into the fire. It was rapidly becoming a routine... no matter how fast she pushed her hands into the fire, the heat became too much for her, and she came dangerously close to severely burning herself at every turn. The chestnuts she used to practice were well on their way to becoming blackened beyond recognition. She couldn't quit now, though. That was unthinkable! Quitting meant she would either have to spend the rest of her life as a girl... unless she agreed to marry Shampoo. Marrying her was also not an option. Why should she throw away her life trying to save it, trading one problem for another? Besides, she knew nothing about being a girl, even after a month. Ranma certainly wasn't much help; not that Ayumi wanted her sympathy to begin with. Or Yuka and Sayuri's sympathy. That left her to keep trying to take the fushichougan from Cologne. The Chinese elder hopped over the wall marking the borders of the Tendo yard as Ayumi took a breather from burning her hands. "Well, son-in-law," Cologne gave the girl her accustomed greeting, "how are you progressing with the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken?" "Old witch," Ayumi spat, obviously not in the mood to put up with her. Cologne dangled the locket in which she kept the fushichougan before Ayumi's face. "Would you look at that? Someone left this fushichougan out here in the open. What a shame..." she taunted Ayumi. Ayumi opted to fall for the ruse. She made a grab for the fushichougan, which Cologne easily dodged by swiveling to her left. For an encore, she blocked each of the rest of Ayumi's attempts - using a rubber stamp to mark the word 'failure' several times on the girl's arms. "How pitiful," Cologne chided her. "You are still as slow as ever. At this rate, you will be a girl all the way to your grave." She took up a position next to the fire as Ranma and the rest of the family walked out into the garden to see what the disturbance was. "Not that it's wrong to be a girl," she said with a knowing nod to Ranma. Ranma frowned. That sounded like something her father would strongly disagree with. She glanced at him, but the panda's attention remained fixed on Cologne. "So *that* is what Ayumi is attempting to do," she heard Soun say in a wary voice. When she turned around, Cologne was finishing another demonstration of the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken. "Wow," Naka was impressed. There were times when he was tempted to take up the martial arts... like now, for instance. He had been the only one out of the three Tendo brothers not to take any of the lessons their father or others offered. Sure, there were some low points to keep in mind, such as what Dad had done to Ayumi with the Nekoken training, but for the most part, Ranma, Ayumi and the fighters they faced were capable of a few interesting tricks. He had to laugh to himself at that thought. Dad would admonish him for thinking like that. Martial-arts techniques were *not* tricks. They were serious maneuvers designed to gain one an advantage in one way or another. Naka had to disagree with that point; he had seen a fair amount of pointless fighting techniques and strategies throughout the years, most of which were Ayumi's. Though, Kasuga had had to try some unusual tactics to get the better of their father. Another silent laugh. Kasuga was considered to be the 'nice' brother. Cologne placed one of the burnt chestnuts in her mouth and chewed on it. "Not bad. A bit overdone, wouldn't you say, son-in-law?" "I told you," Soun narrowed his eyes, "Ayumi is going to marry Ranma!" Everyone ignored him. "Can I try?" Ranma asked Cologne. "Yeah, like you'd do any better," snorted Ayumi. Cologne smiled. "Now, now, son-in-law. It won't hurt to let her try." She turned back to the fire. What better way to gauge what kind of threat Ranma was than to see a slight example of her in action? "First, however, let me replace these burnt chestnuts with new ones." She did, instructing Ranma to prepare herself for the effort. "Now." And then Ranma's hands blurred. Ayumi felt his jaw drop. Ranma was actually executing the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken. *Ranma*! Not quite as fast as Cologne had done it - Ayumi could have sworn he caught a glimpse of Ranma reflexively drawing her hand back in reaction to the heat - but fast enough that Cologne was visibly surprised. Ranma held out her hands, showing everyone the chestnuts resting in her hands. "Ii?" she asked Cologne without a hint of bragging to her voice. It took a brief second for Cologne to find her voice. "How did you...?" Only now did Ranma allow a tight smile to break through. "I've been practicing," she offered the chestnuts to Cologne. Now where had the old woman hidden that fushichougan? [My daughter has always shown a natural ability to pick up new fighting techniques quickly.] The sign which Genma raised practically radiated pride; Ranma's talent for fighting was one of the few things about her he could be proud of. Cologne showed Ranma a wider smile. "Perhaps you are not as weak a martial artist as I had been led to believe, child. I will have to keep an eye on you." Ranma pursed her lips. she thought bemusedly. "But this does not change anything, son-in-law. You are still the one who must master the speed of the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken to take the fushichougan from me. No one else," Cologne cackled softly. "By all means," she thought to add, "do come to the carnival tonight. We are running the Spirit World attraction. If you can somehow manage to improve yourself before the night has ended, feel free to seek me out." Waving her staff at everyone in an odd salute-like gesture, Cologne bounced out of the yard as quickly as she had arrived. Ayumi clenched her fists at her sides in aggravation. "Damn it!" she cursed at the Chinese elder's retreating back. All her 'arguments' with Cologne essentially ended this way, with her more frustrated than anything else. What was worse, she knew Cologne knew it, too. Shampoo's great-great grandmother was probably having truckloads of fun at Ayumi's expense, right? The more she thought about it the more she added to her mounting frustration. "Hmm..." Soun murmured, thoughtfully. "Are you sure you can trust her to simply return you to normal? We all know she wants you to marry that Shampoo girl. She will obviously go to any length to make that happen." "I've got to try. I don't wanna be stuck like this forever!" Without thinking about it, Ayumi pointed a lone finger at her chest. Ranma noted the gesture. She crouched next to Ayumi, certain she had a good idea how the girl felt. She didn't want to be a *boy*, herself! But at least there was something Ayumi could do about his condition. He would be a boy again, eventually, one way or another. "Why do you insist on using a fire? You know Tofu-sensei said you won't really be able to touch anything hot in your condition." Ranma was correct. What the Neko-jita actually did was render Ayumi super-sensitive to heat from any source. What good was practicing the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken if Ayumi couldn't come anywhere near the fire? Nonetheless, Ayumi raised the palms of her hands as close as she could tolerate to the flames, determined to try. "Ow! *Hot*! If I can get enough speed, I won't have to worry about the heat!" No matter how hard or fast she tried, however, she ended up yanking her hands out of the fire even faster. Once the feeling returned to her hands she fell to the ground, pounding fists against it in a gesture of futility. "I can't do it! I'll never be able to do it!" she grated. Soun rested a cautious hand on Ayumi's shoulder. "You mustn't give up hope, son." She looked up into her father's face, unsure of what to say. "Dad..." "At least, come with us to the carnival. It'll be good to take your mind off your problem for a while." Ayumi's eyebrows furrowed deeply. "We've already tried that. Several times, and it doesn't work!" Not as much as repeating those words over and over, anyway. "I need to learn how to do this, Dad! I mean, even *Ranma* figured out how to do it! It can't be *that* hard!" Off to her side, Ranma stood, the makings of a scowl forming on her face. "Gee, thanks," she rebuked Ayumi. The baka never changed! What was so wrong with admitting Ranma might be a better martial artist than her? Ordinarily, Ranma would have pounded Ayumi into the ground by now... so why *hadn't* she done it, she wondered? Was Ayumi honestly deserving of her sympathy just because he had a temporary Jhusenkyou curse? Her father and Shampoo had permanent curses, as she did, yet that didn't mean she had to be nice to *them*. If the pervert didn't shape up immediately, he was going to be in for it. "Uh, I didn't mean it that way!" Ayumi covered. Too little, too late... Soun knew he had to say something now or else he'd never get a word in edgewise in this, the latest of Ranma and Ayumi's building arguments. "I must insist that you come with us, son." "Why? I'll never be able to forget about *this*, Dad!" the cursed boy insisted. "My body's a constant reminder of my problem!" She noticed Ranma wincing at the declaration. No doubt there was a mallet soon to be imbedded in her head or face, courtesy of Ranma. "It doesn't matter. You are coming with us, Ayumi. Naka, Kasuga? Would you mind helping us with your younger... um, sister?" Ayumi shifted her attention back to the fire. "I *said*, I'm not going. I have to practice." "You leave me no choice, then. *Ranma*?" Ranma made a show of cracking her knuckles, all for Ayumi's benefit. "Oh, *Ayumi-kun*..." she emphasized, sweetly. A feeling of dread descended over Ayumi. "Okay, okay! I'll go!" Ranma was the one person whom Ayumi knew would never let her have her way, not if Ranma believed differently. She would never convince Ranma to leave her here to train. Not only that, Ranma's speed clearly outmatched hers, now. She wouldn't stand a chance either verbally or in a true fight. Unless... would sparring with Ranma help her learn how to acquire the speed of the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken? Perhaps. But it would have to be a serious, one-on-one fight, and neither of them had ever brought themselves to hit one another in such a fight. ** ** ** It hadn't taken long at all for Ranma to load Ayumi's arms down with cotton candy, caramel-covered apples, a couple of helium-filled balloons and a pair of unevenly-matched stuffed animals. By contrast, Ranma herself only held a thin pinwheel and a half-eaten caramel apple. She'd already complained about that point to Ranma, though Ranma only seemed interested in getting her to loosen up and have some fun, whether she wanted to or not. "Sheesh!" she grumbled, gulping down a mouthful of cotton candy that Ranma had insisted she take. Ranma adopted a feline smile. "You're supposed to be enjoying yourself. So do it, already!" Ayumi bit back the insult that came to her mind. "Hmph." Next, Ranma steered her toward a sharpshooting game. "You're all nuts if you think any of this is gonna make me feel any better." Ranma lowered her voice slightly. "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. This little trip isn't for you." "It isn't?" "Of course not. It's for me." "You!?" "Yeah. Me, and the rest of the family. Do you know you've been driving all of us up the wall with this problem of yours? Do you know how much effort it's taken for us to stay nice to you? I don't really *care* if you have fun tonight; *I* came here to relax! And I'm gonna work off all my stress even if that means I have to throw the main cause of it in the dunking tank! *Get it*!?" Ayumi nodded. She swallowed hard without realizing it. Now *this* was closer to the Ranma he knew. What was even more significant was what Ranma was implying - he *had* been thinking more or less only of himself ever since Cologne dumped the Instant Nyan-Ni-Chuan over his head, hadn't he? He couldn't have been easy to live with, particularly for Ranma, who likely had behaved the same way when *she* was cursed. But, regardless of how much she denied it, Ranma had come to accept her curse. Most of her anger was presently directed at her father - Saotome Genma, the man who happened to *like* being a panda part of the time! - or him. And he probably deserved everyone else's anger for his current behavior. Did he *have* to act this way? ...No. Then why do it? Would it be so wrong to lighten up for *one* evening, forget about his gender problem and enjoy the carnival? Again, no. She grabbed Ranma by the wrist. Ranma started. "Wh-what are you doing?" Ayumi gave her a casual smirk. "You win. You want me to have some fun? Fine; we'll have some fun." "Ba-baka!" stammered Ranma, backing away a step. She was blushing profusely by this time. Her eyes were growing as wide as the pinwheel she carried in one hand. "...Atashi...... you... we... you can't! You..." Ayumi rolled her eyes. Was that a full moon in the sky? "No, idiot! Nothing like that!" she snorted, which caused Ranma to relax somewhat. "I meant the games!" "Oh." After about half an hour Naka caught sight of the odd pair of girls as he waited at a booth with Kasuga for their takoyaki dishes. They watched while Ayumi - for once happy and not sulking about being forced to be a girl - dragging a reluctant Ranma to one carnival game after another. "I thought Ayumi said he wasn't going to have any fun?" Kasuga asked, allowing his eyes to track Ranma and Ayumi wherever they went. Naka snorted a laugh. "Right. You know how Ayumi is. He lies more than I do." Kasuga glanced at him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you say something, Naka?" "No, not really." Two games later Ayumi and Ranma found themselves at the goldfish tank. "Try your luck!" the vendor, a suspicious-looking man who happened to have a faint scar running from his forehead down through his left eyelid to his cheek - though both Ranma and Ayumi knew him as Mr. Yobuko; the scar had been given to him by one of his cats - gave them his pitch. "Bring home a goldfish for only 100 yen!" Ranma's face lit up. She had never had the chance to care for a pet until recently, due to her father's strict position on the matter, and though she now had P-chan, she figured having a goldfish around wouldn't hurt, either. At least with a goldfish she wouldn't have to worry about it disappearing for a week or more at a time or needing a bath. P-chan had a strange aversion to baths, anyway... She handed Mr. Yobuko the 100 yen and picked up one of the paper nets. "Now, don't feel you have to get them all!" the man joked. Ranma crouched in front of the tank. "Okay! Here goes!" While Ayumi watched Ranma's attempt at fishing with interest, Ranma brought her net out of the water. Two small goldfish flailed about within. "Congratulations!" Mr. Yobuko told her. "I don't think I've seen anyone do that as well as you this evening, young lady." "Thank you," blushed Ranma. Ayumi hmphed. She dug through her pockets for the remainder of her change. "Let me try!" Mr. Yobuko gave her a new net. "Here. Good luck." The cursed boy knelt before the tank in much the same manner as Ranma had. She dipped her net into the water... ...but with a little more force than was necessary, and her net broke against the surface of the water as a result. Mr. Yobuko gave her another net. "Here - try this one." "It shouldn't have broken like that," Ayumi remarked, suspiciously. Thank goodness the guy wasn't charging him for a second try. The second net broke... then a third, fourth, and fifth. Ayumi's temper was quickly rising. "Are you SURE these things aren't defective merchandise?" she spat. Mr. Yobuko prodded one of the unbroken nets with his index finger. "They look fine to me. Your friend was able to use them with no problems." "Hmph," Ayumi snatched the new net away from him, preparing to use it. Of *course* Ranma had no problems. She had no problem learning the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken, either. The Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken. Wait a minute... that was it! This would be a great opportunity to test her speed! "I think I've got it this time!" declared Ayumi. Ranma, as expected, smirked. "You sure?" "Just you watch and see." Oh, he'd show her... the cocky tomboy, thinking that only *she* could execute a speed technique properly. Breathe in, out. Raise the net into the air in preparation for the attack. And... She urged her arms to move faster. All Mr. Yobuko saw were several bowls suddenly and abruptly filled, each with four or five goldfish. His 'stock' was rapidly depleting - and the girl continued to scoop out more fish faster than he could see. Had she tricked him into believing she was much better at this carnival game than she had originally let on? Ayumi's speed hadn't quite reached the level of Cologne's, or even Ranma's, yet, but the fact that she was finally showing a marked level of improvement in the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken came as a bit of a relief. A crowd had already begun to gather to see the young woman transfer many goldfish from the tank to the bowls. "Amazing!" murmured one woman, who peered over Ayumi's shoulder at the girl's barely-visible motions. Ranma was likewise excited, though for different reasons. "Now, don't feel you have to get them all!" she mimicked the vendor's tone. Ayumi sniggered. "This is nothing!" A small corner of her mind berated her for letting her pride speak for her, as it often did. Mr. Yobuko inhaled. He knew what to do; had prepared for some emergency situations which might arise, yet not exactly for a situation where a smart-aleck girl was removing all the fish faster than anyone could see. There was a like tank of *piranha* hidden in the back of his booth. Only one thing left to do. Before the last goldfish disappeared from the tank, he removed the goldfish tank and replaced it with the piranha tank. "How about a bet?" he asked Ayumi. "If you can't get all of these piranhas, you'll have to return *all* of the goldfish!" "Hey! That's cheating! No fair!" Ranma blurted. Never mind that Ayumi had scooped out far more fish than expected. Ayumi cracked the knuckles on her right hand. "Fine. I accept your bet." Ranma turned to her with suspicion. "You sure you want to do that?" Her 'friend' nodded. "All right!" she exclaimed. "Let's go!" Shampoo sighed. Her great-great grandmother had charged her with the task of standing outside their 'Spirit World' exhibition, wearing an elaborate kimono, to act as a kamban musume, or someone to draw people to their exhibition. Shampoo didn't care particularly much for it. She was a fighter first and foremost. While wearing such clothing did tend to make her appear more attractive, hopefully to Ayumi, it reduced her ability to move around freely. Merely standing around outside a building was boring. There were far more interesting things she could be doing... such as spending the evening with her Ayumi. And oh, did that ever make Ranma jealous! But there would be none of that tonight. "Everyone who makes it through this haunted building gets a coupon, half-off two bowls of ramen at the Nekohanten!" Or rather, a buy-one-get-one-free offer. Shampoo still couldn't understand why her great-great grandmother wanted *her* to be the one to attract people to their exhibit. Using beautiful young girls to get people to enter a haunted house made little sense to her. It was a pity Cologne had driven Ayumi to quit in order to devote more time to improving his speed - otherwise, she would have had Ayumi stand by Shampoo's side, drawing in paying customers. Shampoo let that image linger in her imagination for a moment. "Shampoo!" she heard his voice call her name. "Shampoo!" Wait... that was female Ayumi's voice, not the voice belonging to male Ayumi. So that meant... She spotted Ayumi rushing toward her. "Niihao, Ayumi!" she waved. Maybe this night wouldn't be so boring, after all. There were half a dozen marks left from tiny sets of teeth evident on Ayumi's wrists. "Aiyaa...," she said, noticing the blood. "What happened to your arms?" Ayumi dismissed the idea that there might be anything physically wrong with her. "Nothing a skilled martial artist like me couldn't handle. I'm here for the fushichougan. Where's the old witch?" She felt the unnerving sensation of the point of an all-too-familiar staff tracing up the small of her back and dove forward to get away from it. "Here, I believe," Cologne's weathered voice greeted her. The Chinese elder broke into a dead run for the front door of the Spirit World. "I'll be waiting for you inside!" Ayumi followed her. "As if that'd make a difference!" The greeting committee waiting for Ayumi within the first room she entered were part of the crew hired by Cologne to man the attraction, dressed in special costumes. A 'monkey' wielded a staff, a 'pig' raised a rake above its head and with her luck, she figured the 'dragon' really *did* breathe fire. Still others waited within reach to gang up on her; Cologne had instructed them not to take Ayumi lightly. The monkey, dragon and pig advanced. Ayumi spun around on the ball of one foot, shouting "Get out of my way, losers!" and extending her arms and free leg outward to hit whatever they could in a move derived from the one Sanzenin Mikado called the 'Death Whirlwind,' though not as show-offish. A thought turned one of the corners of her mouth up in self-amusement - if Mikado saw her now, he'd no doubt hit on her, like he did almost every girl he encountered. All three of his opponents were sent flying. Before Ayumi could hurdle the remainder of the greeters, however, the dragon fell to her side and breathed a stream of flame at her. Floundering, she scrambled out of the path of the flames. "Whoa!" As luck would have it she landed next to the man in the monkey suit she'd already knocked out of the fight. Ayumi grabbed the man's staff, spinning it before her like an extended baton to ward off the flames. When she was within range of the dragon's head, she planted one end of the pole into the thing's snout and pole-vaulted past the entire surprised group, into the next room... Where a giant pool of hot water awaited her. "What the...?" She rolled her eyes. Cologne sat patiently inside a halved, hollowed cask in the middle of the pool. She dangled the fushichougan locket at arm's length, the same move she knew which aggravated Ayumi to no end. "If you want this, you'll have to come all the way across this hot bath to get to me. You're not afraid of a little hot water, are you, son-in-law?" she called to Ayumi. Ayumi grimaced. "You aren't gonna scare me off that easily, old witch!" She leap high into the air over the pool with the intent of landing on or in Cologne's makeshift boat. "So you'd better prepare to lose!" Cologne used her staff to push her cask slightly out of Ayumi's range as the girl descended. Ayumi pushed the staff she carried into the water as well, hoping to use it as a stilt to walk across the water in the same manner Cologne used *her* staff to get around much faster than she could on her feet alone. She took a swipe at Cologne that went wide. "Too easy," Cologne taunted her. As she steered her cask farther away from Ayumi, the girl's staff leaned forward, bringing her dangerously close to the hot water her body wouldn't tolerate. She already felt the painful effect of the water's heat against her cheeks. The next thing to do was thrash her legs back and forth in an attempt to right herself... "Don't forget, son-in-law, that's hot water!" Cologne allowed herself a laugh at Ayumi's misfortune. But then Ayumi shifted her staff back the other way. All at once she sat atop the end of the staff, perfectly upright and vertical. She showed Cologne a broad grin. "Ha! Fooled you!" "Oh?" That wasn't all, either. She held out her free hand - letting the fushichougan locket fall from it to the end of the locket's chain. "And what would you say to *this*?" Cologne gasped, nervously. "The fushichougan! It's not possible!" "Believe it, old witch! All I have to do is take this medicine, and..." she popped the small green sphere she found within the locket into her mouth while leaping off her pole into the hot water. "Tastes kinda like candy..." Ayumi hit the water. Her eyes opened wider than she thought they would ever go as every last inch of her body recoiled in absolute pain from the hot water. She thought it would go away, but it refused to leave her. It wouldn't go away! The last thing she heard before screaming and blacking out was Cologne's voice. "That's exactly what it is." Ranma and Shampoo had been arguing outside the door to the Spirit World building when they heard Ayumi's screams. Shampoo had refused to let Ranma follow Ayumi in without a fight, and Ranma had lugged Mr. Yobuko's tank of piranha along with her cursed rival in mind. Tossing a tankload of piranha-infested water at Shampoo was the easy way out, but hey, it was a great stress-reliever. Chances were Shampoo would dodge the water and Ranma would wind up having to prove her point with her fists anyway. Ayumi's screams of pain had interrupted Ranma before she could throw the water at Shampoo. "Ayumi!" both Ranma and Shampoo cried at the same time, running into the building. They found Cologne setting a barely conscious Ayumi down close to the edge of the pool of hot water. The girl twitched spasmodically, most likely from having taken a dip in the hot water, Ranma assumed on sight. She knew from experience that one way to help Ayumi recover from a full-body plunge into hot water was to dump cold water on her. Shortly after her fight with Mousse, Ayumi had been frustrated enough to take a running leap into a bath full of hot water, hoping that the water would change her back even if she couldn't physically bring herself to touch it. And there was only one immediate source of cold water... the water in the tank Ranma had brought. Piranhas or no piranhas, Ayumi needed help. "I'd better cool you off," Ranma sighed. Ayumi's spasms subsided as the cold water soaked her. "You disappoint me, son-in-law. Not only have you failed to attain the necessary speed, but you assume that your speed is all that is necessary to win in a fight against me." The boy had strength, and now some speed to increase his power, though when it came to thinking his way through a fight, he was terribly lacking. Ayumi tended to lead with his pride and stubbornness, not his mind. That would always lead to his destruction in the long run. Shampoo watched, unsure of what to make of the piranha making desperate attempts to nibble on Ayumi rather than flounder about for air, now that their water had drained away. "Maybe it's too much for him to learn?" "Give him some time," Ranma set the empty tank aside. "He'll learn it." Ayumi collapsed into unconsciousness. ** ** ** In the week that followed, Ayumi forced herself into a level of seclusion in order to practice. The old witch loved proving she had a large bag of tricks; she had to learn to keep her cool and learn to see a way around these tricks. But it was too difficult to keep her cool in a house where practically anyone could interrupt her at any time. Her family, Ranma and her father, not to mention the occasional visitor... anyone could pop up to annoy her. And with an alarming consistency, at that. She all but ignored Ranma's requests to help her practice, which usually led to Ranma clobbering her on the grounds of insensitivity. Ranma was long since tired of Ayumi's self-centeredness in the matter, though Ayumi believed it was crucial to focus only on herself. She had to remove all other concerns from her mind to help her concentrate. What to concentrate upon? Raising her level of speed for the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken, for one. How could the tomboy figure out how to do it faster, sooner than him? It didn't make a lot of sense. Sure, she was fast, yet not *that* fast. Ranma couldn't have picked up that much speed overnight. However, Ranma insisted on helping, so she occasionally went down to the Nekohanten to see if she could win the fushichougan medicine from Cologne... only to wind up spending a lot of time fighting Shampoo. Cologne seemed to have a sixth sense that warned her when Ranma would visit the restaurant for an attempt. Then, at the end of the week, Ranma told Ayumi a startling bit of news - the Nekohanten was temporarily closed. Cologne and Shampoo had apparently taken their business to the nearest beach during the height of the summer season. There would be a lot of people on the beach and in the water, all potential customers of the Nekohanten. Not to mention the fact that the beach was the perfect battleground for the latest round of Ayumi's battle for the fushichougan. Most of the family had reacted with joy when Ayumi told them she wanted to spend some time at the beach. She had purposely ignored them all the way to the beach and disappeared the moment they arrived. "Now... where are you, old witch?" mused Ayumi, half an hour later. Spying on the Nekohanten revealed that Shampoo and their hired help were the only ones manning their restaurant-on-the-beach; Cologne had to be out somewhere making deliveries. That was good - better to fight on open ground than within the confines of Cologne's home ground, the Nekohanten. Now, where to find her? There was a tremendous amount of ground to cover, for Cologne to hide in. The best place Ayumi could think of to survey the entire beach was the very top of the lifeguard's tower. She sat cross-legged on the canopy covering the top of the tower, using a hand to filter the sunlight out of her eyes. Ayumi shifted within her one-and-only swimsuit, uncomfortably aware of its presence, and therefore, her condition. A month of his life had been wasted in the wrong gender. She had to find a cure as soon as possible! Any more time spent like this and she was bound to lose her mind. Naka would undoubtedly make some lame comment like "What little of a mind she had to lose..." She didn't want to think about what might cross Ranma's mind. There was only one person who could end this nightmare now... Cologne. Ayumi vowed she would find the cure no matter what the cost. Even if she had to give Cologne a nightmare of her own... Ayumi still considered herself to be a gentleman, though Cologne had long since worn out her welcome - and Ayumi's patience. Cologne chose that precise instant to sail through the air past the lifeguard's tower. Ayumi hopped down from the top of the tower. "THERE you are, old witch!" she yelled at the top of her voice, making sure to include a sufficient amount of venom. "Ah, son-in-law," Cologne nonchalantly acknowledged Ayumi's presence. That Ayumi was here was no surprise; she had expected the boy to show up, eventually. She led Ayumi on a chase around several of the people lying on the sand. "You know why I'm here! Where's the medicine?" "It's just ahead." Ayumi saw that they were nearing the site of the beach contest of the day. "Who will participate in the great Watermelon Endurance Race?" they heard the announcer ask. "The Watermelon Endurance Race?" came a voice from the gathering crowd. "What's that supposed to be?" "The object is quite simple. Each racer tries to keep his or her watermelon safe while destroying everyone else's watermelon. The first person who makes it through the goal with their watermelon intact--" Most of the boys decided it was time to leave to find more interesting things to occupy their attention. "Sounds like a stupid waste of time." "--wins a date with the lovely Miss Shampoo!" Standing atop a raised platform just shy of where the announcer was making his pitch, Shampoo put forth her best 'cute' face. At the mention of the word 'date,' the entire single male half of the crowd did an about-face. A date, with a young woman as beautiful as this 'Shampoo?' Odd name, but what was in a name? She was probably using the name as some sort of professional or commercial gimmick, anyway. So what difference did a name make? Only one person chose to pay attention to what Shampoo lazily held in her right hand... the chain, to a familiar faux-gold locket. "T-the fushichougan!" Ayumi gasped. *Shampoo* had the medicine? Ha! It would be far easier to con Shampoo out of the medicine than to trade blows with Cologne. "I know what you are thinking, son-in-law," Cologne assured her. "But, you will have to enter and win the race if you want the fushichougan. There is no other way." Ayumi scoffed. "Oh, really?" she smirked, half-aware she was cracking her knuckles. "Guess you're slipping in your old age. This'll be a piece of cake!" There was no way she could avoid it for much longer. Oh, sure, she could have elected to stay home in the first place. It would have been so easy... The Tendo residence had no answering machines; she could have offered to be left behind in case someone important called. To keep an eye on the dojo. Pick up all the mail and newspapers, make sure anyone who thought this was a great time to break into the home would regret it for a few months at the very least... But no, Saotome Ranma knew, she liked to fool herself. Either that, or she was daring the world and the whole of Nature to send the tides to get her. Why else would she bother to dress in a swimsuit, wear swimmer's goggles, and rent a float if she was never going to bother coming within several yards of the water? It was a shame this wasn't the Winter break - at least *then* she could bundle up and not worry about getting wet for a while. No, scratch that. Last snowfall, Ayumi had pitched a snowball at her face, and the snow had turned to water inside her muffler, changing her while she was busy pelting the boy with a few dozen snowballs of her own. The day had yet to be a total loss... she'd left her father the panda at the rental booth after all the children in the area began mobbing him, hoping he could play with them... Ranma snickered; guess the old man had finally found a disadvantage to staying in panda form most of the time. He deserved all of it. Her eyes found the spot Kasuga and Naka had claimed for the family... but Ayumi wasn't there. Or in the water, or anywhere else, as far as she could see. "*Now* where did Ayumi go?" she muttered under her breath. Everyone knew full well the real reason why they were here - Ayumi would follow Cologne practically anywhere to get the medicine he needed to restore his body to normal. Maybe she should have searched for Cologne, instead. "C'mon!" Ranma overheard a trio of boys talking. "I'm gonna enter the Watermelon Endurance Race!" "Me, too!" "They said the winner gets a date with a really cute girl!" Ranma closed her eyes and sighed. Some guys would do *anything* for a 'really cute girl.' On the other hand, she reconsidered, it might not be a bad idea to watch those guys drool over their 'cute girl,' for a laugh or two. Ayumi - that baka - really didn't need her around to watch his every move, did he? Would it be so wrong if she risked letting him make a horrendous mistake or three while she tried to have *some* semblance of a normal life? Honestly, how much trouble could one lone baka in the body of a girl get himself into? As Ranma neared the makeshift stage she discovered who the 'really cute girl' chosen to serve as a prize for the male winners of the Endurance Race happened to be. The prize, meanwhile, was busying herself with fawning over Ayumi, who Shampoo had dragged onto the stage. "I'm *so* glad you've come to fight for me, Ayumi!" she gushed, her eyes glistening brightly. Ranma saw her latch onto Ayumi with a rallying cry of "You've made me so happy!," and Ayumi's subsequent muffled cries... "It's not true, it's not true, it's not true!" She closed her eyes and exhaled, her breath forming a soft growl as it left her throat. It figured Shampoo would find some way to get Ayumi in her embrace... But then Ranma thought about the situation at hand. If Ayumi had entered the race to 'fight for Shampoo,' either Shampoo or Cologne had offered the fushichougan to Ayumi if Ayumi won. Otherwise, Ayumi wouldn't bother with the race. Therefore, the logical solution to this mess would be to enter the race, if just to keep things from getting too weird. Shampoo would need to be kept in check. The issue of jealousy never dared to cross her mind. Ranma discovered before the race began that any *girl* who won the race wouldn't be obliged to 'date' Shampoo - that fact alone came as a great relief to Ranma - but would instead receive a voucher for a free jet-ski rental or something of similar or less value, which Shampoo presumably kept tucked within the locket alongside the fushichougan. If she won, would Shampoo be required to give *her* the fushichougan? As they stood at the starting line Ayumi shot Ranma a glare which she interpreted as, "On your marks... get set... GO!" A starter's pistol marked the beginning of the race. Ayumi shot forth with a vengeance, making short work of a dozen of her competitors' watermelons within a mere few seconds. Ranma, however, wasn't one of them. No, Ranma would be a much more challenging target than most of the other people running the race. Why did the tomboy always have to interfere, anyway? Didn't she have anything *better* to do? Couldn't she torture, say, Naka for once? Something triggered her sixth sense - the one that warned her of a rapidly approaching danger. She glanced immediately around herself. A shadow was descending on her. Ayumi traded her watermelon for the simple wooden sword she carried in her right hand in time to parry Cologne's attempt to puncture a hole in the watermelon with the staff Cologne was never without. "I *knew* you'd show up, old witch!" seethed Ayumi. Cologne blocked Ayumi's sword strikes by spinning her staff at high speed to create a shield. "I just happened to be passing by," she replied, ever the innocent. "Why, I was merely here to recall the days I spent on the beach as a little girl..." Wooden sword clashed against wooden staff. "I thought they didn't have beaches back then?" Again, Ayumi's danger sense warned her of approaching trouble. She hopped to the left on instinct - just as her father and Genma the panda brought their swords down on the spot where she had been standing. <*They're* out to get me, too?> "We can't let you win this race, Ayumi! You are engaged to Ranma, not Shampoo!" The tear ducts in Soun's eyes were working overtime, as usual. Soun took Ayumi by the upper arms and held her fast. "Unless you really *do* want to marry Shampoo..." his voice turned menacing. His intent was clear... girl or not, Ayumi would be in for a great deal of trouble and physical pain if she professed love for anyone other than Ranma. Ranma risked a glance back at them as she passed. "Forget it, Uncle! If Ayumi wants to fool around with Shampoo, I don't care!" she announced. She proceeded to slash her way through four boys' watermelons, if just to prove her sincerity. Naka and Kasuga watched the show from the sidelines. "Determined and strong, isn't she?" Naka remarked off-handedly, while picking remnants of his corn-on-the-cob out of his teeth. "Go, Ranma!" cheered Kasuga. Naka stared at him for a second. The announcer felt compelled to comment on Ayumi's predicament. "What a strange scene this is, folks! A girl is trying to fend off the unusual team of an older man and a panda! Not to mention a very shriveled old crone!" Cologne broke away, moving to strike a glancing blow against his head with her staff. "Who do you think you're calling a 'shriveled old crone?'" She *was* sponsoring this race, after all, wasn't she? "Meanwhile, a rather determined girl has taken a shortcut around the crowds and is well ahead of the pack! Will *she* be the winner?" Ranma laughed to herself. Shampoo dropped to the ground some five yards ahead of her. "I won't let you pass until you surrender your claims to Ayumi!" she leveled her sword at Ranma. "This is indeed a surprise! Our 'prize' has entered the race!" "Never!" countered Ranma. She charged, sword at the ready. Just as their swords clashed, Ayumi leapt high over them both, destroying their watermelons as they watched in stunned silence. Her eyes flashed. "Will you two QUIT fighting over me?" Why was he always the center of attention? Or Ranma? There was always someone out to get one half of the betrothed pair for one reason or another. Shampoo, Ryomi, Kunou, his not-all-there younger sister Kodachi - or guest lunatics like Sanzenin Mikado and Shiratori Azusa. Even undecided lunatics like that weirdo with the camera and a fixation on Ranma... what was his name again? Gosunkugi... Hikaru. Yeah, that was it. For someone so adamant in claiming that there was no engagement between her and Ayumi, why was she always fighting in favor of their relationship? Genma struck Ayumi from behind with a new sign. [You're not getting away THAT easily!] Then came Soun's turn. He imposed himself in his temporary daughter's face. Every time he did so, he couldn't help wondering what would have happened if he had been blessed with one or more daughters? "It's time you resolved this issue once and for all!" Genma pushed Shampoo and Ranma close to Ayumi, keeping a hold on both girls within his large panda arms. Soun drew a breath and continued, loud enough for the spectators to hear. "You are going to choose. Ranma, or Shampoo, and give the one you truly love a kiss." "What an unusual turn of events!" The roving announcer was doing his best to keep up with what was going on - a daunting task, what with all of the wild cards in this race. "One girl has been challenged to pick between two other girls, one of whom is our 'prize,' Miss Shampoo, and kiss the girl of her choice!" The crowd was equally as stunned. Ranma blinked. The expression on Shampoo's face grew serious, eventually developing into a tight smile. Ayumi turned and strode angrily toward Ranma. Her heart skipped a beat. What the heck was Ayumi doing? Ranma lamely brought up her hands and waved them to ward off Ayumi. There was a blush spreading across the top of her cheeks, though she couldn't do anything about that now. "N-now wait just a minute, Ayumi! You can't..." she stammered, backing away, and nearly stumbling several times in the process as a result. "You can't do this, baka!" she insisted in a lower, more urgent voice. "We're both girls!" Ayumi lunged past her and carved up the watermelon her father still held. "I'm *NOT* that kind of girl, thank you very much!" "It was merely a joke..." Soun covered. Shampoo folded her arms. *Again* Ayumi refused to make up his mind. Obviously, he didn't want to hurt Ranma's feelings by telling her how he truly felt about Shampoo. That was sweet. Misguided, yes, but sweet. Ranma was strong; she would be able to handle rejection well. Ayumi heard a low growl come from behind her. It rose in volume and strength. Uh-oh... An irate Ranma place-kicked her into the sky. "Go to *hell*!" Actually, now that she thought about it, Ranma's kick hadn't inflicted that much pain. Maybe she was losing her edge? "Oh, really?" Ayumi mused. As soon as she began her descent, she broke into a cannonball roll. Ranma's kick might not have hurt her all that much, but falling from great heights would if she failed to control her landing. Somehow, Ranma had sent her flying directly toward the goal. "You haven't won yet, son-in-law!" Cologne sprang up from ground level, sweeping her staff through Ayumi's path to cut her off. The cursed boy contorted her body so that the attack would miss. She breathed a small sigh of relief; her true form would have been a little too slow to avoid it. She landed a distance from the goal. Cologne landed directly in front of the goal, as Ayumi figured she would. Both of them still had their intact watermelons. The Chinese elder perched on hers. "You obviously want to marry Shampoo. But you're still going to have to fight me to win, this time." Ayumi narrowed her eyes. "No problem. I can win any fight against you, no matter when, how or where!" <...to be continued...> Credits: -------- Written by: Mike Koos Pre-readers: Richard Beaubien, Tom Williams, David Wills With apologies to Tahahashi Rumiko... Trivial note: As of February 20, 1998, this series is now officially one year old! Not that it makes that much of a difference, mind you. ^_^ I first began to write the series out on that date in 1997, after discussing it in email with a few people. And now look at the resulting mess. :) Thanks to all the readers of Destiny's Wish for your support. :) All parts of this series are available at the RAAC archives at ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works or from my WWW pages at http://www.fanfic.net/~makoto/ Comments and questions welcome. * Mike ('Kino Makoto') Koos: makoto@cal.net * http://www.fanfic.net/~makoto * * "I can do nothing to stop you. Your background music is too strong * for me." - Sam Johnson, Whose Line is it Anyway?