Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2, though I kinda sorta own 'Aaron'. On with the story.
�Nabiki said that we�re a matched set now,� Akane said to Ranma once they were alone. She couldn�t work up the nerve to say anything during dinner, figuring it was better to talk to Ranma alone.
�What do you mean �we�re a matched set�?�
�We both have the same type of curse.�
Ranma bit back a reply. He thought about Akane�s words. It was true. They were a matched set. �You�re right. We are.�
�Perhaps, we could cure ourselves. Point out the pools to each other & jump in each one together.�
�Of course one of us has to hit the water first in order to be cured.�
Akane nodded. �Well, I�m going to sleep. Good night Ranma.�
�Good night Akane.�
Two Weeks Later
Akane & Ranma stood up on the cliff overlooking Jusenkyo. Akane saw the crumbled edge & suddenly remembered her fateful fall very vividly. She shuddered slightly.
�Something wrong, Akane?�
�Just remembering how I fell.�
�You never said how you fell.�
�Some of the rock of this cliff crumbled.� She pointed to the edge.
Ranma knelt down to inspect it. Akane knelt, too. The girl-cursed boy ran one finger along the edge. A few loose pebbles fell off the cliff upon his touch. �No wonder you fell. The edge was very soft & not solidly packed, like the ground we�re standing on now.�
�Let�s just find the pools & get this over with.�
�Okay. Which way did you fall?�
�To my left.� Akane looked in that direction, smiling inwardly about getting cured. Really, they just needed to find one pool in order to cure the two of them.
Her inward smile turned into an inward groan. In all her fantasies of getting cured, this one never occurred to her. In front of her, were several pools, one of which was �pool of drowned man.�, but she couldn�t remember which one it was. Ranma came up beside her & saw her dazed expression.
�What is it Akane?�
�I-I don�t remember which pool I fell in.�
�You don�t remember?� Ranma crossed his arms over his chest.
Akane emulated him. �Well, do you know which one you fell in?�
�Sure. It was that one,� Ranma pointed to a pool to his right. �No. It was that one. Or was it that one?� Ranma pointed to two more pools before scratching his head.
Akane smirked slightly. �You don�t remember, either, do you?�
�No.� Ranma shook his head, then sank to the ground, sitting Indian-style. He propped one elbow on one knee & placed his chin in his hand. Akane followed suite. They sat there for awhile, in silence. Finally, Akane let out a sigh.
�I guess we�re still stuck.�
�I�m sorry Akane. I wish I could remember.�
�It�s alright, I suppose. I�ll just have to learn how to deal with my curse. Any suggestions?�
�Well, don�t be embarrassed with your boy form. When you are splashed with cold water, don�t immediately run & get some hot water. You�ll have to get used to the fact that there�ll be times when hot water�s not available.�
�Those are good suggestions.�
�It�s how I came to terms with my curse.�
At last the two of them got up & headed for the airport to get on their booked flight. Everyone figured that it wouldn�t take long to go to Jusenkyo & get cured, so they got tickets to leave & return to Japan on the same day. When they entered the Japan airport, four hours later, they were greeted by their families, eager for their news. The two of them sadly shook their heads & told them the reason for their failure. As they left the airport, the cursed teens lagged behind the others. No one told them to hurry up. They let them come to terms with being cursed together, though it wasn�t necessary. They had come to terms hours ago.
As Ranma & Akane passed Shampoo�s restaurant, they heard Shampoo�s unmistakable voice call, �Ranma!� & the next thing they both knew, Shampoo had her arms around Ranma�s neck. She giggled & leaned her head against one of his shoulders, eyes closed. Ranma tried to get away, but the purple-haired girl�s hold was too strong. There was nothing he could do as Shampoo pulled him inside the restaurant, leaving Akane outside, fuming.
�Why that...boy stealer!� she exclaimed, clenching a fist. �I wish I could teach her a lesson!�
At that point, a bike passed Akane, splashing water from a puddle onto her (it rained in Japan during the plane ride to Japan). She instantly became a he. He smiled. Now there was a way to teach Shampoo a lesson.
Akane ran toward the restaurant & burst into it. Ranma was backed against the wall with Shampoo in front of him.
�Ranma marry Shampoo, yes?� the Amazon woman asked.
�No, he won�t, � Akane said.
Shampoo whirled around. �Who you, strange boy?�
Akane thought fast. He could tell her his name. But, Shampoo would never believe him. An alias perhaps? An inspiration struck him.
�I�m Aaron,� he announced. �Ranma is not marrying you.�
�Ranma will marry Shampoo.�
�I said he won�t,� �Aaron� struck a defensive pose. Shampoo did the same.
Ranma watched on as Shampoo & Akane kicked & punched at each other. Neither one actually got hit, as they blocked the other�s attacks. Shampoo swept on leg across the floor to knock her opponent off his feet. Akane leaped out of the way & landed a punch to Shampoo�s midsection. The Amazon warrior doubled over, giving Akane the chance to sweep a leg across the floor & knock his adversary to the ground. Shampoo looked up, a hand on her stomach.
�You beat Shampoo,� she said, standing up slowly. She approached Akane, seized him by the shoulders, & gave him the Kiss of Marriage. Akane pulled away, disgusted.
�What are you doing?� Akane demanded.
�Aaron & Shampoo engaged. Now Shampoo marry two strong men.�
Akane let out a yell, grabbed Ranma & ran out of the restaurant. Akane didn�t stop running until they were a block from the cafe. Then they started walking to cool down. Ranma was the first to speak.
�Nice going, Akane,� he commented.
The events that happened in the cafe sank in & a hand flew to Akane�s mouth. �What have I done?�
�Oh, don�t worry. Just show Shampoo your girl form & she�ll go back to bugging just me.�
�I�ll do that next time. Thanks.�
�Sure...Aaron.�
Normally, Akane would have struck Ranma for making a wisecrack like that, but this wasn�t a normal situation. And Akane rather liked having another name to go by. At least for now.
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Shampoo remained rooted to the floor when Akane & Ranma ran. She never had a man that yelled when he learned that he was engage. Yet, this reaction only fueled the young woman�s want to marry this boy.
�Shampoo marry Aaron & Ranma. No matter what it take!�
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Akane awoke the next morning, determined to tell Shampoo the truth about herself. It wouldn�t be easy, but it had to be done. After a slightly uncomfortable breakfast, Akane dunked her hands in cold water & took off for the cafe.
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Ryoga was certain he was in Japan. He recognized certain Japanese buildings. Even more so he realized that he was in the town Akane lived in.
�Oh Akane. How could someone like you ever be engaged to someone like Ranma. I would make a much better husband.� Ryoga approached a street with two directions. One led to the Tendo house & the other led to other stores & restaurants. He wanted to go to the Tendo�s & went right. The problem was that the Tendo�s house was to the left.
Akane burst through the door of the cafe. �Shampoo!� he called. The Amazon heard him & came flying out in a flurry of excitement. She flung her arms around his shoulders & gave him a hug. �Aaron glad to see Shampoo?� she asked, hugging him tighter. Akane felt like his windpipe was being closed off. �Uh, can we sit down & talk over tea?�
�Of course we can. Aaron wait here.� Shampoo disappeared into the kitchen.
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It didn�t take Ryoga long to realize that he took a wrong turn somewhere. Oh well, he could use a cup of tea or a nice meal, & Shampoo�s restaurant was just ahead. He walked in & was somewhat pleased to find that it was empty. As he headed for the double doors that led to the kitchen, he saw that they were open, & he heard voices coming from beyond them. He peeked around the edge of one of the doors & looked in.
Shampoo was sitting at a table with a tea kettle, some tea powder, two spoons, & two teacups. Sitting across from her was a handsome blond boy. He seemed to be uncomfortable while Shampoo talked animatedly. Ryoga couldn�t hear anything though.
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Shampoo was talking, but Akane wasn�t paying attention. He was trying to figure out how to tell Shampoo the truth. Suddenly, the Amazon said, �Aaron, you listening?�
�Actually, I was thinking.�
�About us?�
�Not exactly.� Akane filled his cup with hot water.
�Then what?�
�I was thinking about how to tell you about...this.� Akane splashed the water on himself.
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Ryoga stared at the scene in shock. He must need to have his eyes checked. He saw a blond boy, but then he saw Akane where the boy had been. Confused, Ryoga miraculously found his way outside & started to wander down the street in a daze.
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�Akane! You cursed?� Shampoo exclaimed.
�I am.�
�No matter. Shampoo marry you anyway.�
�You�re joking.�
�No. Shampoo love Aaron. You Aaron. Shampoo marry Aaron.�
Akane gave a shrill scream & bolted out of the cafe & down the street. She stopped running & walked down the street, wondering what Ranma was going to say when she told him what happened. The cursed girl looked up & saw a familiar figure up ahead.
�Ryoga!� Akane ran up to the boy.
He turned to her, dazed a first, but quickly chased that feeling away. �Hey, Akane. How have you been lately?�
�Great. Never better,� she lied. �How about you?�
�Same here. I�m glad I found the way to town. I had planned on seeing you.�
�That�s nice.�
�I thought I saw you walk into Shampoo�s earlier. I also saw a blond boy in there, too. Do you know him?�
�Uh, yeah. I do. We�re just friends, though.�
�What�s his name?�
�Aaron.� Akane paused, feeling bad about lying to Ryoga. She had to tell him the truth. �You know Ryoga, there�s something you need to know about Aaron.�
�What�s that?�
�Well. It�s just that I�m-,� Akane began, just before a puddle of water was splashed on Ryoga & Akane. �Aaron,� he finished. But, Ryoga had disappeared. At his feet was his adopted pet pig, P-chan.
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Ryoga stood at the feet of Akane. Looking up, he saw the blond boy again, only he was wearing Akane�s clothes. It didn�t take him long to realize that Akane was Aaron. She must have fallen into one of Jusenkyo�s cursed springs. Now, Akane knew the truth about him. She knew that he was cursed, too.
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�Ryoga! You�re P-chan!� Akane stood rooted to the ground, staring at the pig that was Ryoga. Ryoga hung his head in shame. Akane felt his heart going out to him in sympathy. Kneeling down, he gathered Ryoga�s clothers, belongings, & Ryoga himself. Then Akane headed for home.
Ranma heard the opening & closing of the front door & rushed to hear Akane�s news. He stopped short however, when he saw a male Akane holding a little black pig & Ryoga�s stuff.
�Oh, is P-chan going to be staying for awhile?�
�Yes, Ryoga�s going to be staying for a little bit.�
Realization lit Ranma�s eyes. �He told you?�
�Actually we were splashed with water.�
Okay. So, how did it go with Shampoo?� Ranma asked as he followed Akane & Ryoga to the bathroom.
Akane didn�t answer as he dunked P-chan into the tub of hot water. Ryoga resurfaced & pulled on his clothes while Akane poured hot water on his head & avoided looking at Ryoga while he dressed.
�How did it go with Shampoo?� Ranma persisted.
�Terrible. She still wants to marry �Aaron�.�
�That girl won�t quit.�
�You would know,� Ryoga & Akane chorused together.
�You know this is going to cause more problems, right Akane?�
Akane looked at him, puzzled. �What do you mean?�