Nihao, My Valentine!
by rkOujirou

Author's note: This story takes place in the universe of the Ranma 1/2 anime, so disregard any manga-only happenings. Just a fun one-shot I thought up in the spirit of Valentine's Day. I had this idea floating around and I also wanted to try out a little different style of writing than I'm used to, so I decided to use this story as a test run of sorts. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. Just so you know.

"Shampoo back, Great-Grandmother!"

Fresh off an afternoon delivery, Shampoo strode into the Cat Café restaurant—her body sufficiently bundled up to combat the cold outside. It was February now, when even the afternoons could be rather chilly.

Over by the kitchen's stove, Cologne momentarily looked away from the food she was preparing. "Welcome back, Shampoo."

The Amazon elder wouldn't be the only one to pick up on the girl's return. Upon hearing Shampoo's voice, an overly-eager Mousse went rushing toward the restaurant's entrance. "Shampoo, I'm so glad you're ba-!"

WHAM!

Shampoo had already gone further inside by the time Mousse got there, and thus the boy who'd forgotten to put on his glasses crashed face-first into the side of the door. He slowly slid down the now-cracked frame until his jaw smacked against the floor. "…ba…ck…"

Ignoring the plight of her childhood friend, as she usually did, Shampoo stepped over to the kitchen counter and set down her delivery case.

"I've got another takeout order I'm finishing up," Cologne said. "Just give me a few minutes, child."

Well, no point in taking off her scarf and such if she was going to head right back out, Shampoo figured. She leaned back against the counter to take the weight off her feet.

While she was waiting, Shampoo noticed a particular group of customers that stood out within the restaurant's dining area. There were a number of strikingly upbeat high school girls sitting around, no doubt happy their weekend had begun with the end of today's classes. Altogether, the girls filled up three tables.

"So many girl come here," Shampoo said.

"Unusual, isn't it?" Cologne replied, finding it odd herself. "They all arrived a short while ago. I've never heard anyone talk so much about chocolate as those girls have."

"Chocolate?" Shampoo blinked. "Why chocolate?"

"Apparently they have something called Valentine's Day here in Japan where girls give chocolates to boys they like. From what they've been saying, it sounds as if it's tomorrow."

Shampoo, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, might have fallen over if not for the counter holding her up. "Give chocolate...to boy you like? Shampoo no hear about this! Why no one tell such important thing?"

Over at one table, the girls had catalogs from several businesses displaying their wide arrays of Valentine's Day merchandise. The thickest of the books was opened to a part that featured, among other things, a collection of miniature chocolates shaped like various animals. Thinking them to be adorable, one of the girls brought the catalog closer to her friend to show her. She then paused and looked up. Like a curious child, there was Shampoo peeking over the friend's shoulder.

"Umm…can I help you?" the girl addressed their unexpected guest.

"You give chocolate to boys on Valentine Day?" Shampoo asked, her eyes focused in a serious manner.

"Y-…yes?"

"Is tomorrow?"

"Right. Tomorrow."

Shampoo leaned in closer to get a better view of what they were all looking at.

Sensing the discomfort of her friend seated in front of the interested Amazon, one girl grabbed a catalog and held it out. "Go ahead and look through it if you'd like."

Shampoo gratefully accepted it, easing back a step as she flipped through the glossy pages. There was such a massive variety of the treats—she'd never known you could do so many things with chocolate! They came in all sorts of different shapes, sizes, and colors, many with unique designs worked onto them. Some were in boxes, some wrapped in foil, some bound in clear plastic. There was even one collection of smaller chocolates packaged together in a container that was itself made of chocolate. Who knew?

"So…supposed to buy these ones for boy?" Shampoo asked.

"Well, most people do that, because it's easier that way," one of the girls explained. "Of course, the most romantic way to go is to make the chocolate yourself!"

"Kyaah! I wish I could do that!" another girl squealed.

"I know, right? There's no way I could do it!"

"Me either! Next year I will, though! I'm definitely doing it!"

Shampoo placed a hand over her chin as she gave it some thought. Making the chocolate yourself did sound more romantic. You would actually have to put some work into it that way, and you'd even get the chance to add your own personal touches. Maybe these girls weren't able to do it, but she was plenty capable in the kitchen. She could do it, right?

Shampoo's lips curved upward into a confident smile. She could do it! She would have to round up the necessary ingredients and some other tidbits for decorative purposes, but she could definitely do it. She would give it her all and make the best chocolate possible! And then, tomorrow, she would present it to the one man whose heart she desired more than anything in the world, Ranma Saotome.

The next morning, Shampoo was up bright and early. Downstairs, only the glow of the streetlights shining in on the otherwise darkened dining area was there to illuminate her way. She flipped on the lights in the kitchen, strapped on her apron, and assembled everything she would need for the task at hand.

As she'd learned via some research the previous day, there were several ways to go about making chocolate, all of which varied greatly in difficulty. She assumed most people would simply buy pre-made chocolate bars, melt them down, and reshape them as they saw fit. Not her, though. No, doing that wouldn't allow her to put as much love into this as she'd like. But at the same time, she also didn't like the sound of the most complex method, which involved starting right from the cocoa beans. The process struck her as too time-consuming and too easy to mess up when attempting it for the first time. She only had a matter of hours to get this done after all.

Thankfully, there was a middle ground Shampoo was perfectly content with: starting with cocoa powder and working from there.

Humming a cheerful tune to herself, she dumped her cocoa powder into a bowl and began mixing some butter into it while allowing a pot of water to heat up off to the side. She put her exceptional strength to good use and creamed it together thoroughly, making sure to eliminate any lumps. Once that was finished and the water was up to the right temperature—hot, but not boiling—she poured the mixture into the pot and began stirring away.

The entire lower floor of the restaurant was filled with the rich aroma of cocoa now—a scent that utterly disgusted Mousse, who covertly observed the scene with clenched fists just outside the kitchen. Shampoo made no secret of what she planned on making and who she was making it for. There she was, slaving away in front of a stove before the sun had even risen, and all for that jerk, Ranma.

Mousse couldn't stand it. Unable to sit still any longer, he bolted out the front door with a purpose.

Shampoo was too engrossed in what she was doing to take any interest in Mousse's activity. Now that the cocoa powder had been properly stirred in with the water, she switched off the stove and poured the heated mixture into a bowl. Next, she mixed together some sugar and powdered sugar and stirred it in with the hot cocoa.

The time had come for a taste test. Shampoo dipped her finger into the mix and gave it a lick. It was sweet, but not sweet enough, she decided.

"Mmm…think need more sugar."

A little extra sugar and some milk were thrown in, and Shampoo went about blending it all together until the mixture was completely smooth.

"Is done!" She clapped her hands together excitedly.

Next came the step of pouring her newly-made chocolate into a mold, for which she had a certain heart-shaped container that had caught her eye while out shopping yesterday. She carefully filled the mold to the brim and set it in the freezer for the chocolate to solidify.

After a while, the chocolate had hardened nicely, and Shampoo freed it from the mold.

"Now is fun part!" Her eyes sparkled.

The fun part, of course, was decorating. She'd picked up some decorative glaze of several different colors specifically for this task. First came a white glaze which was used to draw an ornate border around the edge of the chocolate and then to write the name "Ranma" across the upper portion of the heart. That was easy enough. The dilemma came in deciding what to do with the empty space at the bottom. There were any number of things she could draw there. About the only thing she definitely knew not to draw was a depiction of a cat. Giving Ranma something that would scare him half to death sort of negated the whole point of this endeavor.

Shampoo suddenly perked up. She had an idea! Working meticulously, she used every other color of glaze she'd gotten to copy the vision from her mind to the chocolate. With one last drip of the sugary substance, she then stepped back to get a broader view of her work.

She had to chortle at the cuteness of it. Below Ranma's name, Shampoo had drawn chibi versions of both the pigtailed boy and herself side by side. It was perfect! She delicately set the chocolate in a thin paper cup she'd picked up along with the mold, put it in a plastic wrapping, and tied off the loose end of the plastic with a bright red ribbon. And with that, she was done.

Shampoo held the finished product up above her head, beaming proudly at the end result. All that was left was to deliver it to Ranma.

While Shampoo was putting on her coat to leave, Cologne made her first appearance of the day coming down the stairway. "Good morning, Shampoo. I'm guessing from that smell of chocolate you've been hard at work," she said. Noticing the wrapped item sitting on the restaurant's counter, she hopped over to take a look. Even she couldn't keep from smiling when she saw it. "My goodness, isn't that precious?"

"Is no easy make, but come out very good. Now just need give to Ranma."

"All right. Good luck, Shampoo. Take your time."

Taking the chocolate into her hands, Shampoo smiled. "Be back later, Great-Grandmother."

All of a sudden, the door at the front swung open. Standing at the entrance was Mousse, the left side of his face so swollen he could barely see out of his eye. Beneath his dirtied robe, his legs shook from weariness.

"D-…damn…you…!" Mousse stammered, speaking to no one in particular. He tried to walk inside, but his knees gave out on him and he wound up falling flat on his face.

Shampoo narrowed her gaze at the one lying in her path. "What happen?" she asked, if only out of curiosity.

"That…" Mousse spoke in a muffled voice, "that…accursed…Ra-"

"Shampoo," Cologne cut the boy off, "don't worry about this fool. I'll patch him up. You have somewhere to be, don't you?"

"Ah, that right! Shampoo need go!"

Stepping first atop Mousse's back…

"Oof!"

…and again on his rear…

"Agh!"

…during her hasty exit, Shampoo was out the door and on her way to the Tendo residence. The sun was up now, but it was still fairly early in the morning. Ranma may still be sleeping, she thought. If he was, she might be able to sneak into his room and present her gift without Akane or anyone else around to spoil the mood. Even better!

Hoping that might be the case, she hurried on her way.

The Tendo compound was noticeably quiet when Shampoo first arrived. There was no sign of Ranma and his father engaging in an early sparring session out in the garden as they sometimes did, which left open the possibility that Ranma was still in bed. So far, so good!

Her heart aflutter with anticipation, Shampoo sprung up to the home's first floor roof and swung open the window to Ranma's room.

One look was all it took to bring her back down to earth. There was nothing—no futons, no Ranma, not even a slumbering panda. Evidently, both Saotomes were already up and about.

Well, so things wouldn't go perfectly. At least she would still be able to give Ranma the chocolate she'd made, even if it was in the presence of Akane and co. In the end, that was all that really mattered. Actually, now that she thought about it, presenting the gift to Ranma in front of Akane might be a fun way to spite her rival.

Shampoo left the room, deciding to scour the rest of the floor for Ranma before she went downstairs. Not in Kasumi's room. Not in Nabiki's room. Not in Akane's room—he'd better not be! With nowhere left to check up here, all that remained was the lower floor.

Inside the living room of the Tendo home, Soun and Genma were parked on opposite sides of a shogi board and Akane and Nabiki at the table, having recently finished breakfast, when a bubbly "Nihao!" alerted them all to the presence of their visitor.

"Shampoo?" Akane scowled as she watched the girl enter. "Thanks for inviting yourself in. We have a door, you know."

"Oh, is Shampoo here? Welcome!" Kasumi shouted from the kitchen. She was busy with dishes at the moment, but she still did what she could to make the girl feel at home.

Shampoo, seemingly ignoring everything else, looked around the room while concealing the chocolate behind her back. Most of the usual suspects were there, but, strangely, not the one she'd come to see. "Where Ranma?"

"Oh," Nabiki spoke up, "he rushed out of here a while ago. Got a note from someone claiming to have some Nannichuan on them. We told him it sounded funny, but you know how he gets when it comes to finding a cure."

It did sound awfully suspicious, Shampoo didn't disagree. She couldn't think of any incentive someone would have for just giving Ranma a cure to his Jusenkyo curse like that. "Where he go?"

"He never told us," Nabiki said, casting a sly glance at her sister. "It's too bad. Akane was so looking forward to giving him chocolate for Valentine's Day."

"I didn't make it for him!" Akane slammed her palm against the table. "I…I just happened to have some left over after I made Dad his chocolate!"

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, Akane."

Over by the shogi board, Soun felt a pall hanging over him as if his time of reckoning was nigh. Touched though he was by the gift, he really didn't want to be reminded of it. Akane was going to expect him to try it eventually, and he wasn't yet mentally or physically prepared for the effects of doing so.

Shampoo, meanwhile, had only now realized she might not be the only one who planned on giving Ranma something today. As she'd learned, Akane had made him chocolate as well. Had Ukyo done the same? What about Kodachi? And what if one of them got to Ranma before she could? Wouldn't that make her gift feel less special in a way? Wouldn't that effectively mean she'd lost this battle of the heart?

Shampoo didn't like it. She had to be the first to give Ranma chocolate, and to make sure of that, she needed to find him before any of the other girls did.

"Sh-…Shampoo need go now!" she said, abruptly backing out of the room. "Bye bye!"

When Shampoo turned to run down the hallway, Genma happened to catch a glimpse of the gift she'd been hiding behind her. For Ranma to marry Akane in the end was the only result he truly wished for, but discovering Shampoo's intentions managed to bring a haughty chuckle out of even him.

"Ahh, to be young. Eh, Tendo?"

"Y-you said it, Saotome," Soun replied, though still preoccupied with his own plight. "Good times those were! Ahahahaha! P-…please help me…"

Outside now, Shampoo hopped her way up to the top of the nearest utility pole and, using her hand as a visor, visually searched the immediate area. Ranma didn't appear to be anywhere nearby. She didn't have any clues as to where he might be either. All she knew was it sounded like he'd been baited out with the promise of Nannichuan. Who would do something…like…wait, hadn't Mousse come back to the restaurant all beat up just as she was leaving?

Shampoo's eye twitched. Mousse. This sort of thing was right up his alley. He knew why she was making chocolate this morning. Of course he'd try to lure Ranma away before he could receive it.

There weren't any other leads to go on. If anyone knew where Ranma might be, it was Mousse. Shampoo would need to head back to the Cat Café to have a word with him before she could proceed any further.

If he coughed up what she wanted to know, good. If not, she was okay with getting it out of him the hard way.

A quick return home confirmed for Shampoo exactly what she already suspected: Mousse had indeed left Ranma that note. He wasn't much willing to divulge Ranma's last known location at first, but after some coercion by Shampoo and Cologne—the details of which would never leave the restaurant—he finally spit it out.

And so, Shampoo now found herself wandering through a public park a fair distance from both the Cat Café and the Tendo residence. According to Mousse, he had lured Ranma here and fought with him—in a losing cause, naturally—after which another of Ranma's rivals had shown up out of nowhere and himself challenged Ranma. Mousse had apparently passed out while that fight was ongoing and failed to see where the two of them ended up.

It wasn't the most useful information, but it was better than anything else Shampoo had. At least she'd been given a general idea of where to search.

"Mousse say should be somewhere here…" she mumbled as she went about surveying the area.

There wasn't much to see in the park at this time of year with the trees barren of leaves and the grass discolored as it was. It wasn't all bad, though; the air was fresh and there was plenty of room to walk one's pet dog and the like.

A good fifteen minutes into her search, Shampoo was already starting to wonder if she was wasting her time. She'd spotted a pair of craters in the ground that served as signs of the battle, but she still hadn't seen either Ranma or the one he'd been fighting. It had been a while since Mousse had seen them going at it, she reminded herself. There was a good chance they weren't even around here anymore.

It was only when Shampoo neared a large pond sitting at one end of the park that she came to a stop. There was…something down by the water's edge. A small animal, maybe? And it looked to have some kind of object in its mouth. Whatever was going on, it was an uncommon enough sight that Shampoo deemed it worth looking into.

Over by the pond, the animal—a black piglet—was pulling a backpack from the water using its teeth. Some sopping wet clothes already sat nearby.

With one final burst of energy, the piglet got the pack fully back onto land. There wouldn't be any time to celebrate, though. No sooner had the piglet's goal been achieved when it felt itself being raised into the air by the bandana around its neck. Squealing with surprise, it was soon staring at the face of a very familiar girl.

"Ryoga," Shampoo addressed the creature, "Ranma was here?"

Ryoga, though clearly perturbed at the mention of Ranma, nodded his head and added a soft grunt to confirm he'd seen the boy.

"Where he now?"

In response to the inquiry, Ryoga launched into a string of oinks and grunts to let Shampoo in on what he knew, none of which was the least bit helpful to someone who didn't speak pig. Her brow furrowing with annoyance, Shampoo looked around for someplace they could speak in private.

She eventually brought the piglet to a restroom within the park. Plopping it down on the floor, she reached into her coat and pulled out a metallic flask. "Shampoo bring this one for Ranma in case he girl, but…"

Shampoo undid the cap and poured the flask's contents—some heated water—onto Ryoga, triggering his transformation. Ryoga sat on the floor in his human form now, sans clothes and with his hands covering his lap. He had scrapes and bruises all over him, but still looked to be better off than Mousse had been.

"Ranma, right?" he asked, shaking the water from his hair.

"That right," Shampoo said. "Mousse say he see you fight Ranma."

"Yeah, I fought that jerk all over the place." Ryoga folded his arms over his chest. "We got so wrapped up in it that we both accidentally fell into that damn pond."

Ryoga realized now that by moving his arms he'd also exposed another part of himself. "GYAH!" He moved his hands back down into his lap, his face flush from embarrassment.

Shampoo wasn't much intrigued by the glimpse she'd gotten, offering only an indifferent shrug. "No worry. Only man Shampoo want see naked is Ranma," she flatly informed him.

"Oh, really?" Ryoga muttered. He didn't know whether to feel at ease or insulted by that.

"So Ranma is girl now?"

"Probably."

"Probably?"

"He was last I saw, but as soon as we got out of the water, that Kuno guy showed up and chased him off."

"Kuno?" Shampoo looked exasperated. First Mousse, then Ryoga, and now Kuno? Seriously? Why did this have to happen today, of all days? All she wanted to do was give Ranma his chocolate!

Frustrating though it was, Shampoo tried to remain calm. It was just one more leg to the journey. No big deal. There was still plenty of time left in the day.

"Which way Ranma and Kuno go?" she asked impatiently.

Ryoga, looking absorbed in thought as he spent several seconds mulling it over, gradually pointed off to his right. "That way?"

Shampoo promptly slapped a hand over her face. What was she thinking? Asking Ryoga for directions? She'd have more luck choosing a direction at random!

"Never mind. Shampoo find Ranma by self."

She grabbed her gift that she'd set on the restroom counter and turned to leave, but then drew to a halt when an idea popped into her mind. "Ah, Ryoga," she faced the boy again, all smiles, "Akane make Valentine chocolate for Ranma today. Maybe if Ranma no want, Ryoga eat and make Akane happy."

"Ch-…chocolate?" Ryoga was at full attention now. He hadn't even known it was Valentine's Day. No doubt, Ranma would definitely try not to eat what Akane had made, he thought. The ungrateful bastard! It would be a trial for sure, but if he could just finish the chocolate in Ranma's place and tell Akane it was good, Akane might…

Ryoga sprung to his feet and threw his hands up into the air. "All right! This is my chance!"

And yet again, Ryoga had left himself uncovered. "GYAH!" he cried, returning his hands to where they belonged. But this time, he noticed, there was no one there to see him. Shampoo was gone.

"Oh, she left already. W-well, that's fine then."

Eager to get to Akane's side, Ryoga flipped the cold water knob on the sink. He didn't have his clothes with him, so he'd have to venture back outside in his pig form. There was only one little problem: no water was coming out from the faucet.

Ryoga turned the knob further. Nothing. The hot water knob, then? Maybe if he just let it cool for a while…no, nothing from there either.

It was sort of disgusting, but the alternative option would have to do. Ryoga ventured into one of the stalls, hoping to use the toilet water to change. But alas, the toilet held none, either. The next stall over? No, same thing. The urinals? Bone dry. All of them.

"WHAT IS WITH THIS STUPID BATHROOM?"

Bewildered, Ryoga peeked his head out the restroom door in search of answers. His jaw dropped. There was a sign on the outside wall he hadn't been able to see when Shampoo was bringing him in here, reading: Restroom Out of Order. Please Use Another.

"Whaaaaaaaaat?" he gasped. "What…WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?"

With Tatewaki Kuno having emerged as the last known person to see Ranma, Shampoo was left with two options: try to find Kuno, or go straight to finding Ranma.

As much as she liked the latter, more direct approach, there was no telling where Ranma might be, and the only place she knew for certain he would return to at some point was the Tendo home. If he was already there, Akane would have given him her chocolate by now, rendering Shampoo's gift meaningless in her mind. Sure, she could just wait outside the compound for him to return, but what if another girl, namely Ukyo or Kodachi, got to him before then? That wouldn't be any good either.

In the end, Shampoo concluded the greatest chance of success resided with the first option: find Kuno and have him lead the way to Ranma. Such was why she now stood outside the spacious Kuno estate. There was no guarantee the boastful blowhard would be here, but quite frankly she didn't know where else to look. Thankfully, she'd learned of this estate's location a while back when coming here with Ranma in search of a special urn. Fun times.

If there was one thing Shampoo recalled about this place, it was that the grounds and home itself were littered with booby traps, and thus she proceeded over the gate with caution. Using what details she remembered from the last visit, she successfully navigated her way closer to the living quarters without setting off any of the installed security measures. Regardless, by the time she was halfway there, her presence had already been uncovered.

"Intruder! Don't you move another step!" a voice bellowed out.

Flying through the air, the Kuno family's guardian, Sasuke, whipped a manriki in Shampoo's direction to subdue her. The weighted chain was right on target, but Sasuke hadn't taken the intruder's impressive reflexes into account. Shampoo sidestepped the manriki with relative ease, and Sasuke, stunned that he'd missed, lost his focus just long enough that he ended up with the girl's fist planted in his face.

"Gnnnnngh!" Sasuke groaned. Down for the count, he crumpled onto the grass in a heap.

"Impressive!" came a call from the main building's walkway.

Shampoo followed the new voice with her eyes. Standing atop the wooden path was the very man she'd come to see, Tatewaki Kuno. He was rubbing the back of his neck with the hand that wasn't clutching his wooden sword—a clear sign he was sore from something. And yet, he didn't bear any visible marks that might indicate he'd taken a few shots from Ranma.

"Shampoo, I believe it was?" Kuno said, pointing the tip of his sword at her. He happened to notice the helping of chocolate she was holding. "Chocolate? I see, so that's how it is. However, if you've come seeking a date with the great Tatewaki Kuno, I shall have you know my heart resides only with Akane Tendo and the pigtailed girl."

"Aiyaa, so disappoint," Shampoo replied sardonically. She never did find much amusement with Kuno's attitude. "Where Ranma, you stupid?"

Kuno cocked his head. "Ranma Saotome? How am I to know? I have not seen the cretin today."

Shampoo rolled her eyes at the response. She'd almost forgotten how dense Kuno was. "Such dumb boy," she mumbled. "Where pigtail girl, then?"

"Ah, my pigtailed goddess! That is quite another story." Kuno was all too happy to discuss the fiery redhead. "You see, she and I were…ahem…displaying our deep love for one another, as we always do in our respective ways, when that elderly scoundrel who enjoys partaking in the undergarments of maidens interrupted us. It was unforgivable!"

He was either delusional or deliberately making his chase of Ranma's female form sound innocent, Shampoo thought. More important, though, was the last tidbit of information he'd mentioned. "You no is talking Happosai?"

"Indeed." Kuno gave an affirming nod. "He latched on to the pigtailed girl's bosom without warning. Being the noble man I am, I stepped in to defend her honor, but the vile miscreant sent me away with a mere flick of his tobacco pipe, curse him! That was the last I saw of either of them."

"What? You is kidding!" Shampoo hung her head, sulking. Now it was Happosai? The evasive pervert even her great-grandmother couldn't keep up with? This wasn't ever going to end!

No. No, she couldn't let herself get dejected like this! She'd put all her feelings into making that chocolate for Ranma, and she was going to give it to him! There was a fair likelihood Happosai was still out collecting girls' underwear somewhere. If that was the case…

Shampoo spun around and bounded toward the estate's border. She had a plan.

"Ah!" Kuno was caught off guard by her leaving so abruptly. "If you see the pigtailed girl, send her my feelings of love!"

"You shut up!" Shampoo snarled back at him, in no mood for his antics. She quickly disappeared over the gate.

Miffed by the impertinent command, Kuno frowned and let out a huff. "Well, that was very rude."

"Hahahahaaaaah! What a haul!"

Toting a sack overflowing with brassieres and panties, the lustful lecher known as Happosai moved efficiently from balcony to balcony, building to building, and block to block, adding on to his growing collection with every stop. It was impressive really. Disdainfully perverted, yes, but impressive nonetheless.

After wrapping up his business at one final apartment complex, he took to the top of the wall bordering the road.

"That oughtta keep me going for today. Time to head back to Tendo's and get some grub!"

All of a sudden, Happosai skidded to a halt. He squinted his eyes and stuck his nose up into the air. There was a peculiar scent—not pungent in the least, but rather quite pleasant. He knew it from somewhere, too. But, where?

He sniffed furiously in an effort to catch the scent's trail—and he found it. Swinging his head around, he locked on to an antenna atop one of the area's taller buildings.

"I see you there!"

Bolting across walls and rooftops along the way, Happosai scaled the building up to its summit. Once he'd reached the top, his heart swelled with delight. Tied to the antenna was a plain, off-white brassiere, as if it had been left there just for him.

"Ohh, how sweet!" he gushed, rubbing the cloth against his cheek. So enamored with the item was the old man that he barely noticed when he was lifted up by the sack of loot on his back. "Eh?"

"Is too easy," Shampoo boasted, having apprehended her target. "Great-Grandmother perfume work good on pervert man with sharp nose."

"Shampoo! W-…wait," Happosai stammered. He felt sick as he looked down at the bra. "Then…this is…Cologne's?"

"That right."

Happosai gagged and tossed the garment aside. "Ugh! That might have been nice if it were 300 years earlier!" His mood brightened when he chose to focus on the younger girl in his presence. "Shampoo, how about giving me one of your bras instead?"

"Mmm…maybe can do," Shampoo replied, feigning thinking about it, "if you answer question for Shampoo?"

"Sure, sure! Whatever you want! Ask me anything!" Happosai agreed without a second thought.

Shampoo was thankful for Happosai's simple-mindedness. It made her task that much easier. "Then, where Ranma?"

"Ranma? That ungrateful whelp? He got all mad earlier and picked a fight with me just 'cause I wanted a feel of that girl's chest of his!"

"No can blame him! And? Where he now?"

"Who knows? Probably still on top of that truck I left him on."

Shampoo raised an eyebrow. "Truck?"

"You got it," Happosai confirmed, smirking. "We were on a truck while he was trying to get a piece of me, and that moron never noticed the overcrossing up ahead! Bwahahaha! He smacked his head on it good and got knocked silly! Bet he's on a nice, long road trip right about now!"

All at once, the feeling of her hopes sinking immersed Shampoo. That wasn't at all what she wanted to hear. If Ranma was unconscious atop a truck, he could be anywhere right now. Heck, he could be on his way to Hokkaido for all she knew! At least she'd had other leads to follow at every stop up to this point. With this…that was it. Ranma's trail had gone cold.

"Bra! Bra!" Happosai chanted excitedly. "You said you'd give me a bra if I told you, right? Right?"

Seething, Shampoo glared icily at the one within her grasp. "Bra? Shampoo give you something even better."

"Really? What? Wha-?"

Shampoo let go of him and, with a powerful punt, sent the old lecher soaring off into the distant sky. "How you like THIS?"

"GYAAAAAAAAAH! WHYYYYYYYY?"

With his fading cry, Happosai was gone. Normally, Shampoo would have felt fantastic after dishing out some punishment to the pervert. It was only a shame she was in no mood to celebrate at the moment.

Sighing, Shampoo plopped herself down against the antenna. She stared wistfully at the chocolate in her hands.

It wasn't over yet. Ranma may have awakened before the truck had gone too far. She could still look for him.

But…where exactly was she supposed to look?

As the hours passed, morning turned to afternoon, and afternoon turned to evening. It grew dark early—the short days of winter wouldn't allow for the sun to stay out very long. And under the fresh shroud of night sat Shampoo, who tightened the scarf around her neck in an effort to keep warm.

After spending the entire day running around, she'd parked herself on the swing set at a small playground she'd run across. It was cold enough outside that she could see her own breath, but she didn't want to return to the comfort of the Cat Café just yet. How could she bear to face the others there? She felt like a failure, and the reason she felt that way was sitting right there in her lap: the still-undelivered chocolate she made for Ranma this morning.

Shampoo hadn't been able to find Ranma in the end. And she'd tried. Oh, goodness, she'd tried. She felt like she'd checked every square inch of Tokyo's Nerima Ward throughout the day. She'd looked around Furinkan High. She'd paid a visit to Ucchan's Okonomiyaki—much to Ukyo's chagrin. She'd even stealthily returned to the Tendo home to see if Ranma had arrived there since her first visit, which, from what she saw and the way everyone was talking, she deduced he hadn't. Ranma was nowhere to be found, and with his whereabouts a mystery, there was no way to give him his Valentine's Day gift.

For a long while Shampoo just sat there, dispirited, staring at the heart-shaped treat. She really was proud of it when she'd finished it earlier today. Even so, what good was it? Valentine's Day was nearing its end. It wouldn't have the same meaning if she gave Ranma the gift tomorrow or another day, but what could she do? She had no way of knowing where he was right now. Maybe he'd made it back to the Tendo compound since the last time she'd checked. He would have already gotten chocolate from Akane if that were true, though. No matter how Shampoo looked at it, it all just seemed hopeless.

She lifted the chocolate heart up, bringing it closer to her. All she should've had to do was give this to Ranma, she thought. How had it all gotten so complicated?

Well, no point in thinking about it now.

It was done.

Over.

At least for today, her feelings wouldn't be able to reach him.

Biting down on her bottom lip, Shampoo took the chocolate and, although hesitant at first, convinced herself to wing it back over her head. And that was that.

She really wished she'd never heard about Valentine's Day. Oh well. Best to let it go and move on.

"Oww!"

Somewhere off behind her, Shampoo heard a loud yelp from someone. The fool had probably tripped or stubbed their toe or something, she imagined. People should really be more careful where they're walki-

"Who the heck throws chocolate at someone?"

Shampoo's eyes opened wide. She knew that voice. Was she just hearing things? She spun around in her swing and, for just a moment, drew in a breath and held it there.

Beneath the shine of the playground lights, there was Ranma, his fatigued body propped up only by a self-fashioned walking stick. He was in his boy form now, meaning he'd evidently found some hot water somewhere. If his tousled hair and tattered clothes were any indication, he may have traveled from far enough away that he'd bumped into a hot spring along the way back. He must have been hungry, too, given the ferocity with which he was feasting on the now-unwrapped chocolate in his possession.

Shampoo started to breathe again. She wasn't imagining it, she told herself. He was real. "R-…Ran…ma…"

"Huh? Shampoo?" Ranma said. He took another bite from the chocolate. "What're you doin' out here?"

"Shampoo…looking for Ranma…"

"Seriously? In this friggin' cold?"

With a long, drawn out groan, Ranma plopped himself down on the swing next to Shampoo's. "Man, this's been a hell of a day. You wouldn't believe what I've been through."

Shampoo barely registered what Ranma had said. For her, it was hard to focus on anything other than that piece of chocolate she saw him gnawing at.

"So right when I wake up, I see this note sayin' someone's got some Nannichuan," Ranma began, chomping another piece away from his snack. "Lot of good that did! Turned out it was ju-"

Shampoo reached across to the other swing and placed a finger over Ranma's chocolate-stained lips, stopping him from going any further. "Shampoo know," she said, smiling. "Hear it all when try to find Ranma."

"Ya did?"

Licking away some chocolate her finger had brought back with it, Shampoo nodded.

"Mousse?" Ranma asked.

"Mhmm."

"Ryoga?"

"Yes."

"Kuno?"

"That right."

"The old freak?"

"Everything."

"Even Kodachi?"

"Eve-…Kodachi?" Shampoo blinked. She had a brief moment of panic within. Had Kodachi beaten her to the punch? "What Kuno girl do?"

Grinning proudly as though he'd earned a small victory, Ranma stuck his tongue out at her. "Just kiddin'! I never saw Kodachi."

Shampoo pursed her lips, glowering at the boy. "That no is funny," she pouted.

"Yeah, yeah. I gotcha."

Once Shampoo saw Ranma having another go at her gift, the playful trick was quickly forgiven. "Ranma…how chocolate?" She looked at him expectantly.

"Mmm, this?" Ranma held up what remained of the heart. "It's pretty good, 'specially since I ain't eaten anything in forever. Why ya ask?"

"Shampoo…make that one for Ranma," she told him. "Is for Valentine Day."

Ranma immediately stopped chewing. "Valentine's Day? Y-…you made this?" A suspicious look in his eyes, he peered down at the chocolate, then back at Shampoo. "You didn't put nothin' funny in it, did ya?"

"No funny stuff," Shampoo replied, shaking her head. "Unless Ranma want count love! Shampoo put very much love in chocolate."

Ranma again stared at the treat. He didn't feel weird or anything, so maybe it was just plain old chocolate, he thought. Finally giving in, he took another bite. "Well, that's fine, I guess." He took a closer look at the chocolate's design now. Most of the top portion, including much of his name, had been eaten, but the special caricatures of he and Shampoo at the bottom still remained. Ranma's face lit up when he realized just who those drawings represented. "No way! Those look just like me and you! Did you do this?"

"Shampoo did! Is cute, yes?"

"It's awesome! I never knew ya could do stuff like that." Ranma got a good laugh out of the cartoonish depictions. Once he'd settled down, he turned to face the girl, who had a hopeful look in her eyes. "Thanks, Shampoo. Y'know, for the chocolate. That was cool of ya to do that."

Shampoo felt as if her heart were about to burst from joy. That chocolate she'd put so much effort into this morning…Ranma had liked it. He'd even thanked her for it! Sure, it was a real pain getting it to him, but for a reaction like this, it was all worth it. Every little bit.

"Well, I probably oughtta head home," Ranma said. "Had enough of bein' out here in the cold. You should be gettin' back, too. Don't wanna get sick or nothin'."

Ranma was right, of course, but Shampoo was still sort of bummed to hear that from him. It was a rare occurrence for her to get to spend time alone with Ranma like this, and she'd been enjoying it. He was probably exhausted from his long day though, she figured. Ahh, such was life. She'd been able to give him his chocolate at least. That much was good enough.

"Ah! When Ranma get home, Akane have chocolate for you, too," Shampoo said. She was hoping for an amusing response, and she wasn't disappointed.

"Wh-…what?" Ranma's face went pale. "So that's what she was doin' last night! Oh, man, that's gonna turn my stomach inside out. I don't wanna go back there!"

Cringing at the thought of what awaited him, Ranma looked to Shampoo again. "Y-y'know, I think I saw a vending machine back there with some soup in it. I ain't got much money, but I probably got enough for one can we could share to warm us up a little. You, uh…you wanna hang around here for a while?"

Shampoo felt her breath catch in her throat. She took back wishing she'd never heard of it; Valentine's Day was the best!

The End

Happy Valentine's Day!