Chapter 2

Ranma was feeling good about himself, especially the fact he didn't have to worry about his greatest fear. No longer would he have to run in terror from a cute fluffy kitten, humiliation filling him as he looked so silly. Now he could walk proud, all thanks to Shampoo and her treatment. It was worth the time they spent together if this could keep him from ever falling into the nekoken ever again. The gains of the martial arts style did not out way the loss of sanity.

Ranma thoughts turned back to the purple hair woman in his life and was still surprised at the fact he hadn't realized how cute and sexy she was. He thought about it, "I have always admitted she had a beautiful body with sexy breasts, legs and ass. Her face is cute with those pout lips, button noise, bright eyes and mane of purple hair. I guess it just hasn't hit me all at once before. There is also the fact that we have something in common with martial arts, me with my Saotome School of Anything Goes and she with her Amazon style martial arts."

As he thought about Shampoo, other women began to force themselves into his thoughts. Those being the three other contenders for his hand ... and the rest of his body. Kodachi, Ukyo and Akane. Or those were the opinion of many of the others who he had to deal with in life. In his mind only three out of the four could even hope to compete for his heart, since even with her physical beauty it was the who inner person who repulsed Ranma from Kodachi.

'In many ways it's like dealing with a female version of her brother, each as warped in their brains and souls. She wants ta kiss me as a guy and kill me as a girl, the reverse of her brother. Even if I was interested in her, I would have to deal with her creepy kin. Yuck, just give me a way to end it with their clan.' Ranma knew that he would never be interested in Kodachi as she was now, and even with therapy it would be dicey as well.

'Ukyo is another problem. She cute, I have ta admit, it's still like she's my old best buddy from grade school. I still see her as the non-sexual friend I go to in time of need. Yet I just can't end it with her because all of the troubles I caused her, or more exactly my pops caused her. If there was only a way to find her a boyfriend her clan would like better then me. A boyfriend she could love more then she likes me, like someone who could go inta the restaurant business with her like she dreams of.' With the thoughts most of his suitors in his mind that left Akane and Shampoo.

'Akane ... can be very cute when she wants ta be and has a great smile. Still I have ta deal with her problems like her anger and jealousy issues, then there is her cooking. I am just getting sick of her getting me into painful situations just because she thinks I'm being a pervert or being a jerk. Like leaving me to the swim team when they thought it was me, not the old pervert, who stole their panties just because she thought I was spending too much time with Ukyo.' Ranma remember it well, not because it was yesterday, but because he still had lumps on his head.

'Her cooking is improving with time, she is starting ta make a bland curry which doesn't taste as rancid as her other dishes. Nothing as good as Kasumi, Ukyo or the Amazons ... but something that can be eaten with other trouble. I just wished their was a way to teach her ta control her emotions and help her learn ta cook at that same time.' It was like lightning when the idea hit him. So much so he had to look up in the sky looking for clouds.

'If Shampoo's method can cure me from having ta run from cats, perhaps I can use it ta make Akane a little nicer. Course, Akane wouldn't let Shampoo do it ta her and she wouldn't let me do it ta her either, but maybe Shampoo could teach Kasumi and she can do it to her sister.' The idea of a calmer, better cooking Akane did look like an improvement. Still he was wondering if the relationship between him and Akane wasn't changing the more time they spent together, morphing into something less romantic and more brotherly.

Once again his mind turned to Shampoo and he thought over the reasons he wasn't chasing her as much as she was chasing him. A few reasons still kept coming up, 'Fact of the matter is, I'm not sure I want ta go back ta China ta live out my life. Visiting it would be fun every once and a while would be fun, it might also help with my training if I can find some of those rare masters hidden in the countryside. But Japan is my homeland and I'm not sure that I want to leave it. Plus there is the things Hiroshi and Daisuke says Amazons do, like keeping men for breeding stalk. Or doing all of the fighting while then men keep house.'

'I'm still not sure what they said is true. Sure the old ghoul and Shampoo are powerful fighters like those two said, there's Mousse to deal with and his Hidden Weapon style. That style looks like a cheap magic trick, yet what I see from trying it myself is it needs a lot of training with a person's ki. Training one's ki ta hold the little pockets needs an excess of ki, which course means you have ta training your body physically ta hold dat ki.' Ranma had to express a lack of understanding of the kind of village Shampoo had come from, especially since he only knew what he did from one visit and the Amazons who followed him to Japan.

'I could learn more about it when I go back ta Shampoo for more of my treatments. I still need at least five more of those before my fears are gone for good. Still it will be nice ta get ta see Shampoo without worrying about being attack by anyone else or being force on a date or something else.' Ranma thought as he finally arrived at the Tendo home and Dojo.

Back at the Nekohaten...

Shampoo was going over the events of the day in her mind and was regretting missing a chance to deepen the connection between herself and her beloved in his mind. She remembered, 'Shampoo should have masturbated herself so she could get her juices on her hand and then offered it to Shampoo's airen. Let him smell those juices and then taste them so they could be on his mind always. Still Shampoo has a chance to make sure that happens the next time we meet for the special 'treatment' for Ranma's fear of cats. So Shampoo's plans are going without a hitch so far, but I have to be prepared for any kind of trouble which could pop up when I'm not looking.'

The major danger was the twin pains in the neck of Nabiki Tando and Sasuke the Kuno family ninja. Each one of them was a master of gathering information on the lives of those involved with Ranma Saotome. The question would have to be which one of the two would be the major threat to her own plans, which was a simple answer as the Tendo daughter had a power of manipulating all of the players of the game.Sasuke himself was afraid of her as she could convince any member of the Kuno family that the ninja wasn't performing his duties well.

'So Shampoo has to get mercenary girl on her side as soon as possible so Shampoo can get to Ranma without being interrupted. Besides, if Shampoo has sneaky girl on her side Shampoo can use her to convince pervert girl not to chase airen.' Shampoo thought, using the little nicknames she had for the Tendo girls rather then there names due to her current dislike of the two girls. Shampoo still had a major obsticle to overcome if she was to win the next phase of her plans.

'How is Shampoo going to 'convince' sneaky girl to help Shampoo get married to beloved and convince sister to give up Ranma? It's true that sneaky girl takes advantage of her sister for her own profit, yet they are still family and they stick up for each other. Shampoo would have to find way to convince sneaky girl it would be best for her family if Ranma married Shampoo and didn't honour their engagement. Yet Shampoo doesn't want sneaky girl hating Ranma or it might cause problems for Shampoo.' Shampoo lay on her bed in thought, knowing she would not be distrubed as she had told everyone she was meditation on her situation.

She turned to a secret loose floorboard under her bed where she hid some of her most prized possessions from Mousse and her Great Grandmother, which currently held the Daimyo's Path. she pulled out the book and began to read more of the other methods of maintaining control over those in one's court who could cause the leader the most trouble. Included in those pages were ways to maintain the loyalty of one's servants.

She sorted through the options she had for the control of servants and come across one which might work with managing the Tendo sister. It was a few simple pressure points on the head which would make a person love and admire the purse who used the technique. It would also bring complete loyalty to the master who used the method, which was what Shampoo was looking for most. Once the trick was used, she would have a spy within the Tendo home which could help her catch her husband's attention and distract the main threats to her marital happiness.