Amazonian Switcheroo

Part 11

"AH!"

Ukyo sighed, turning from the customer she was serving to check on Aroma. Ukyo sighed again, dismayed at the girl's performance. She had tripped and fallen, causing several prepared okonomiyaki dishes to fall on the floor. It also caused a few plates to get broken. This was the fifth time this had happened.

"Aroma-chan," Ukyo said, helping the timid girl up, "maybe you should rethink this. I mean, I have nothing to do with Shampoo or anything. And me and Konatsu can handle things just fine."

Aroma shook her head. "No. I admit, I did come here to help Shampoo-sama, but really, the others are way more capable and co-ordinated. The only time I can even be of use is when someone gets hurt. Besides, you aren't nothing in all this, you are Shampoo-sama's friend, are you not? And I believe, if I can at least try to help you, then that would make me of worth to Shampoo-sama, right?" She smiled uncertainly, looking up at Ukyo's face.

Ukyo sighed, and smiled slightly. "Alright, sugar, let's see if Konatsu has anything for ya." She led the young girl away, going into the backroom where Konatsu was getting ready.

Shampoo sighed. Who knew being Ranma Saotome could be so tiring?

The idiot father tried to get in a sneak attack and Shampoo had to dodge or else be thrown into the nearby koi pond and have his deception be revealed. And then he was reprimanded for showing by same idiot father.

And then he had to attend the 'school' that his former airen had attended. Oh the joy. Nonstop badgering by young men and women who were not recognisable and yet knew him (or Ranma at least) somehow, and they would not stop bothering him for the silliest of reasons. And an adult man droning on and on and on about something inconsequential to Shampoo's plans. And when he spoke up about it, he was forced to stand outside the room carrying two buckets of water for no reason.

What was this facility for anyway! Torture!

Apart from all that, attending school wasn't too much of a problem. Until...SHE came by. That psycho woman who was related to that crazy idiot boy. Before, she was nothing more than an annoyance, an obstacle in her way. But now, Shampoo could do nothing to escape the insane girl's clutches.

But somehow, amazingly, he had managed to escape...HER...and now sat down at the dinner table with everyone else, eating dinner with them.

It was times like this, when nobody was fighting, or something random crazy thign was happening, that mad life worthwhile.

Wait, where'd THAT come from! That wasn't HIS thought! He would NEVER think that way, especially considering that this was only his second day of pretending to be Ranma.

No matter...he was probably just tired, nothing to worry over. Besides, he had more important matters to concern himself with, and could not afford to be distracted.

He smirked. Soon, he would figure the perfect way to exact vengeance on Ranma...very soon...

Akane sighed, lying on her bed in her room. She sighed wistfully, staring at a picture in her hand.

She had taken it (using a camera she 'borrowed' from Nabiki) over at Cologne's, when she had managed to get some alone time with Ranma. The photo portrayed Ranma, in his 'Shampoo-form', smiling coquettishly at the camera, wearing a very elegant, beautiful, Chinese-style dress, which was a dark blue colour and made of a very fine silk. Akane had another photograph, whoch was similar, except Ranma was in her red-head form, wearing a red version of the dress.

There was a time when it would be a chore to make Ranma wear such attire, but it had gotten increasingly easier as time went on. Now Ranma would often be seen wearing a dress or a similarly 'girlish' mode of dress, often of her own volition. Hell, it was often something from the girl's wardrobe.

Akane knew they were running out of time. And she didn't know how to feel or what to do.

She stared deeply at the picture, her heart beating faster. She missed her fiancée, longed to hold her, caress her, and kiss her full, soft lips.

Akane didn't know what the future would hold, nor did she fully care. All she cared about, at that moment, was for Ranma to be with her and to never leave her side.

Regardless of what form she took.

Ranma breathed deeply, bathing with her friends. It had become so much easier lately, either due to overexposure (she had been forced into a group bathing several times) or because of her 'curse' , she had no idea.

She leaned down on the edge of the furo, Towel massaging her back. Ranma hadn't realised how tense her muscles were, and had never had a back massage before, and so was surprised by how good it felt (while at the same time would occasionally be a little painful), and she would audibly moan frequently.

"Shampoo, why are you with that Akane girl?" Towel asked unexpectedly.

Ranma frowned, paling slightly. "Why do ask that, To-chan?" Amazingly, she was able to hide any nervous or unease she was feeling.

"Because it seems so sudden. Last we checked, you were in love with a young man named Ranma Saotome, but now you've pulled a complete 180. I just wanna know the reasoning for such a hasty change of heart."

The lavender haired girl sighed. "Well...Ranma...Ranma's changed. He's no longer the kind of person I respect...he's become cowardly, cold-hearted and obsessed...but not in the way one would admire. I tried to patch things up, reason with him, but...things went sour, and now...he wants me dead. And Akane...well, she's been my rival for a long time...and in such a time I couldn't help but notice her...appealing nature. Sure some aspects of her personality grate, but...we've sorted through it. And now...we're together."

"And how did you get her to return your feelings?" The gloomy girl continued on. "Mind control? Brainwash? Coercion?"

Ranma visibly cringed, frowining disgustedly. "No, I...I don't do that...anymore..." she added the last a little hesitantly. "We just...found someplace to sit and talk...and we...talked some...and...we talked about our feelings, and what we wanted, and...secrets I don't care to share...and we realised...we likd each way more than we thought we did..."

Lotion's mouth was open wide in a huge smile, eyes shining in adoration. "Oh Shampoo! That's so romantic! I personally don't what the circumstances are, as long as she makes Shampoo-sama happy and doesn't do anything to hurt you, then I support your relationship with her! I just hope someday I find someone and have something like the two of you have!"

The lavender-haired girl giggled softly. "I'm sure you will Lo-chan...I'm sure a lot of people would love to eb with you."

Lotion grinned. "THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOUR KIND WORDS MEAN SO MUCH TO ME!" she leapt at Ranma and grabbed both her and Towel in a big, crushing hug.

Ranma smiled (though in a pained way). She felt a very deep kinship with these girls, despite only knowing them a short while. It probably helped that her mind was changing rapidly, but that was besides the point.

She frowned. Time was running out. Just a few more weeks, and the person she was would be gone forever, and she wasn't sure who would be in her place.

She was very worried and uneasy about the future...

Aroma had picked some flowers. She noticed that Ukyo-san had gotten a little hurt, and the flowers would make a great remedy for bruising. Plus, she'd kept a few on the side just cause they were pretty.

She knocked on the door to Ukyo's room. She waited for a while, but no one came to answer, and she could hear someone was on the other side.

She mustered up her courage (which was rare for her) and opened the door gently.

She stared at the sight of a half-naked Ukyo-san, her almost bare chest visible. Aroma could tell instantly that the person she was looking upon was indeed female.

Ukyo stared back at her, pale, fear and a hint of sadness in her eyes,frozen in place, stuck in a position where she had been preparing to reapply the bandages to her chest.

And then Aroma fainted.

I AM SO SORRY FOR BEING SO LATE!

Writer's block, combined with a general lack of writing interest and laziness, and the fact I have a job is the reason for my failure.

And since haven't updated this story in so long, I'm worried it might not be...up to scratch.

I'll probably be finishing it soon, so as not to drag it out for too long, and I don't want people to be waiting forever for it to end. Plus, I don't want to create a whole series of chapters that basically act as filler (I have Akane's Magical Mishap for that).

Hopefully some important stuff will be covered in the next chapter, which hopefully won't take forever this time.

As always, I hope you enjoyed it and please comment!