Goodbye

Sean Ross was a tall man of six foot two, he had dirty blond hair, a slimly muscular body and bright blue eyes that were oddly Asian in shape, this was just a coincidence; he was a mixture of Hungarian and Scottish. He’d been invited to his fiancée’s home to meet her family and was somewhat mystified at the number of teenagers in attendance.

They all seemed to be glaring a challenge at him while battle aura surrounded their heads. He recognized two of them as being related to Kasumi, the one with the dark bob and the petit brunette who had the same gentle eyes as her sister. He couldn’t place who the girl with outrageous purple hair might be, nor the geeky looking guy in the baggy white robe, nor the guy in the red Chinese shirt or the bandannaed guy with the red parasol. Then there were the kendo uniform wearing guy, the woman in the gym leotard and girl with the giant spatula; they really threw him for a loop. “Miss, I love the colour you dyed your hair” he offered nervously to the purple haired girl, thinking her perhaps a distant cousin or something.

“Shampoo no dye her hair, she natural all over” she said as if in challenge.

“Oh, a thousand pardons” he said politely, wondering about the bad Japanese. Kasumi’s father had been watching him with just as much suspicion. “Are these all your children?” he asked the tanned, mustached man.

“No, my children are Akane, Kasumi and Nabiki” he said indicating the girls Sean had thought. “This is Ranma, Akane’s fiancé” he said, indicating to the red shirt clad boy beside Akane. “And these are their friends who decided to attend; though I don’t recall inviting them” he said in confusion.

“Kasumi’s like a sister to us all; if she’s getting engaged then we had to meet you. Now how long have you been dating?” Ukyou demanded in a challenging tone, making everyone move forward threateningly. Sean gulped nervously, but Kasumi just laughed. She was used to their crazy antics and thought nothing of it.

“Six months, we only ever met on the nights of my library group, so that no one knew. I’m sorry about the deception, but it was nice having a secret. Sean and I never meant to hurt you” Kasumi soothed, taking his hand. She wore a huge engagement ring. He smiled nervously at the assembled people.

“We’re having a short engagement; but we’ll be back to visit and you’re all invited to visit whenever you wish” Sean assured them.

“How you make money? You kill cow for living?” Shampoo asked with a frown.

“My family owns the largest commercial organic cattle ranches in the united states. I hardly work in the slaughter house, I’m vice president of the company” he explained.

“So your family’s rich?” Soun asked.

“Yes” Sean answered, and then noticed, what he assumed was their pet panda and Soun linked arms and started skipping around.

“Welcome to the family” the delighted father said. Sean relaxed, but the rest didn’t look convinced.

“You know, we should throw Kasumi an engagement party?” Ukyou said thoughtfully. “I’ll cater it”

“Shampoo help cater too and girls help with decorations” she agreed.

“What’s this going to cost?” Soun asked sharply.

“Nothing, Nekohanten already has wedding decorations, just have to use. Chinese decorations okay?” she asked. “Then myself and Ukyou supply food. All you need do is invite guests” Shampoo said.

“Free sounds good to me” he declared. “Sean do you have friends to invite?” he asked.

Sean glanced from one face to the other “sure, when this is taking place?”

“Day before you leave” Shampoo declared.

“Really? I was hoping for a proper engagement party” Kasumi admitted.

“Then consider it done, Sugar. There’s no way in heck you’re leaving without a proper send off” Ukyou declared.

Later

Ryoga marched back and forth as he instructed the girls in a tone worthy of an army drill sergeant, causing the females to watch him pace back and forth as if watching a tennis match.

“Kasumi doesn’t wear perfume; her only scent besides anti-perspirant and soap, is vanilla body spray. This is how you will have to smell too” he lectured. “A man who’s been in love with a woman as long as he’s been knows everything about her, the way she smells, the way her clothes rustle when she walks, her voice, everything. Isn’t that right Mousse?” Ryoga asked. Mousse blushed and nodded. “You all will be wearing her clothes to make it seem more authentic. Now that we’ve met the competition, we have to work fast” he lectured.

“He no competition, in our tribe scrawny men like him reserved for deformed and midget girls” Shampoo sneered out of loyalty to Dr. Tofu.

“Well said Shampoo” Ukyou said for once, then looked at the outfit that Akane had handed her. It seemed to be some kind of frilly sack. “What the hell is this?” she demanded. The other girls were having similar reactions to the garments and the guy’s biting their lips to keep from laughing.

“Those are what you shall be wearing on your dates. Most of you are a similar size to Kasumi and whatever doesn’t fit, can be hastily altered” Ryoga explained.

“Doesn’t she have nicer clothes?” Shampoo asked.

“You’ve seen how she dresses. She’s a modest person who doesn’t care about fashion and you shall be the same. Don’t forget, as well as her clothes, you have to wear her side ponytail and no makeup” Ryoga warned.

“Hiya, Shampoo always wear makeup!” Shampoo objected.

“Not tonight” Ryoga cautioned “you’re going first” he ordered her.

“How are we even going to get him to agree to this?” Ranma asked.

“I have my ways” Ryoga said with a fang toothed smile.

Dr. Tofu

Dr. Tofu hadn’t been sleeping very well, he kept on having horrible dreams that Kasumi had already left and had taken to shadowing her wherever she went. The worst had been when she had been trying on wedding dresses with her sisters; they’d gone to Chinatown to see if they could get a good one off the bargain rack. He’d made himself watch as she tried on the dresses, each one making her look more angelic then the last. Her wistful smile as she looked at herself was enough to break his heart. Eventually he’d gone home and did something he never did; he got drunk. He wouldn’t have if he knew that Kasumi’s wistful smile was for her picturing him standing beside her.

Ryoga

Ryoga knocked on the door to Dr. Tofu’s house after Ranma had dropped him off; he was shocked to see him looking like crap. “Coffee?” he asked handing the cup to him, which Ono grabbed and drained on the spot.

“Rough night” he explained to the shocked martial artist.

“Does this have anything to do with Kasumi going to America?” Ryoga asked.

“How did you know?” Ono asked startled.

“Everyone knows about your feelings for her, but Kasumi herself” Ryoga explained. “That’s why we want to help” Ryoga said.

“We?” Ono asked.

“Mousse, Shampoo, Ukyou, Akane, Ranma, Kuno, Kodachi and I” Ryoga explained.

“How do you intend to help me?” he asked.

“Simple, we have four girls and you need practice talking to Kasumi. The girls are going to pretend to be her and go on dates with you” he explained.

“This will help me how?” Ono asked.

“Just try it, or I’ll tell Kasumi that you’ve been stalking her” Ryoga threatened.

Shampoo

Shampoo washed off her makeup and then put on the pink ruffled blouse and dark blue jumper that Ryoga had given her. She wrinkled her nose she tied her hair into side ponytail, topped by a floppy pink bow. She looked so dowdy and plain to herself that it was ridiculous. “How anyone want to wear these clothes?” she asked herself as she eyed herself from every angle. She sighed and closed the door to her room.

“Hi Shampoo, are you ready for your date?” Mousse asked, and then slapped his hand over his mouth to stifle his giggles at her appearance, causing him to shake with silent laughter.

“What Mousse find so funny?” she asked while tapping her foot. This made her look even more like a prim young housewife and made Mousse to laugh even harder.

“Sorry, you just look so different” he said wiping his tears away.

“Shampoo look ugly?” she asked with a blush.

“Likes its even possible for you to look ugly! No you look like Kasumi; sweet and unassuming. It’s a different look for you, but you still look beautiful” Mousse said.

Shampoo gave him a wide smile “thanks Mousse, Shampoo feel better now” she said. “You date shadow tonight?” she asked.

“S-sure” he stammered as she took his arm, he was in seventh heaven when she held it all the way to Dr. Tofu’s house. She knocked on the door and was admitted by Ryoga and the blindfolded Dr. Tofu.

Ryoga greeted her silently and said “Kasumi’s here for your date, don’t you want to say something to her?” he prompted Dr. Tofu.

“You look lovely tonight Kasumi, is that a new outfit?” he said feeling stupider by the minute.

Shampoo stifled her giggles and tapped his palm twice ‘no’

“Well you always do look lovely in anything you wear; I imagine tonight is no exception” Dr. Tofu said, determined to stick with this plan, no matter how stupid it was. All he knew was, that this girl was either Akane or one of the other fiancées and he was just making a fool of himself. “Would you like some tea before we go out to dinner or shall we go a little early, yes or no? ‘tap, tap’ “dinner it is” he declared and allowed himself to be led in the direction of the restaurant.

Shampoo tried to hold her purse how Kasumi did; arms straight down and in front of her legs, but found the purse kept bouncing off them “Japanese girls hold purse weird” she muttered and put it in one hand. When they got to the restaurant, they got a table immediately and quite a few stares.

The special were read and Dr. Tofu asked her which one she wanted, until she tapped his hand at the correct number. Despite the awkwardness of communication, Shampoo found herself enjoying pretending to be Kasumi. The doctor was an attentive date and left a gal wanting for nothing. He knew everything that Kasumi liked and wanted to order it for her, but still consulted her on each item prior to doing so.

She easily held his hand as they walked back to his place and she halted before his house. Dr. Tofu had gotten so comfortable with the unknown female, that it was like he was able to communicate with the real Kasumi, she even smelled like her! He finally gave into his despair and said “I know that you’re not really Kasumi, but I want to tell you that I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. There I said it! All my life I’ve been good with words, expect when I see you, and then they all desert me. Please don’t go to America” he said. He was answered when the unknown female hugged him, he felt her soft hair and lightly touched the bow in her ponytail, and then she softly pushed him inside and closed the door. He sighed and removed his blindfold, sat down and pretended that it really had been successful date Kasumi. She’d hugged him!

Shampoo stood in the shadows lost in thought at witnessing the doctor’s pain. “How’d it go?” Mousse asked her when he joined her.

She blinked away a compassionate tears and said “no matter what, she can’t go to America without knowing how he loves her” she declared. She took his arm again. “Shampoo feel bad for doctor, we go home and play cards, make Shampoo feel better?” she suggested.

“Not a problem” he replied.