From: Keener Barnes Konichiwa, this is my first post to the R.A.A.C. Please, be gentle. C&C donations are graciously accepted and lorded over those who didn't get any ;) Thanks to Rumiko Takahashi and Hiromi Hasegawa and Kiyoshi Okuma for creating these characters...Please don't sue Lonely Hearts and Furry Faces Most cats hated cold water. Shampoo simply LOATHED it. Her delivery bike, along with the ramen it contained, had fallen to the side of the road. The sudden rain storm, and the change it brought over her, left her with no choice but to abandon it. At least the Masaki Residence, the ramen's intended destination, was close by. Perhaps she could wait out the rain in there. She might even find some hot water. Setting off for the large house in the distance, she quietly cursed her luck. Shampoo crept quietly along the grounds of the Masaki home, carefully leaped over the back gate and approached one of the back windows. Maybe the bad luck spirits had found other playmates. Maybe this window just happened lead to a bathroom. Maybe Ranma was on the other side waiting for her with a bouquet of roses. She sighed miserably and prepared for the leap. Suddenly, she was no longer alone. A quiet sound in her sensitive ears announced the newcomer. Ryo-ohki studied the cat with a little interest, but mostly with apprehension. Real, biological cats always responded to her with fear; sometimes even outright revulsion. To a real cat, her scent just seemed wrong. She was something unnatural and they responded accordingly. Her humanoid companions treated her as a pet or maybe a warship. Kindly, but still not as a real friend. Sadly, Ryo-ohki prepared herself for more rejection. She was trapped between two worlds. Neither could really ever understand how she felt. Shampoo was fascinated. Never had she seen such a breed of feline before. It seemed to have been bred for simple kawaii's sake. Its large eyes, huge ears, and the strange crystal on it's forehead seemed to all be calculated for optimum cuteness. The young woman had a sudden urge to cradle the thing close to her. The random thought shocked her. She was an Amazon after all. While that sort of thing was fine for other girls (and for seducing future husbands) it had no place in the mind of a warrior. When she looked back at the strange pet, her own face filled with Amazon dignity and disdain. The cabbit's face, on the other hand, fell. Turning its head to the ground, it began to emit a low moaning sound. Astonished, Shampoo features softened as she listened to the creature. Was this cat crying? Her warrior's heart melted. Purring softly, Shampoo nuzzled Ryo-ohki's head, causing the cabbit to sniffle back a tear. This cat showed no intentions of hissing or trying to run away. Maybe, just maybe, it would even play with her! With a sudden movement, the cabbit twisted away from the pink cat and faced her, meowing a challenge. Shampoo blinked. Did that cat just *say* meow? It couldn't be, she chided herself, she must of imagined it. Intending to pounce on her new playmate, Shampoo leapt. Well, she was going to pounce on her, but the cabbit was not where she had been. The Amazon looked about curiously. She had not noticed the shape, half phased into the ground, behind her. With a triumphant howl, Ryo-ohki launched herself from her hiding place. Only sheer speed and an incredible combat sense allowed the pink kitten to jump up just in time. Her follow through, however, was less then spectacular. The two collided and tumbled into a heap. Shampoo laughed silently. She helped the cabbit up by gentle pushing with her head underneath Ryo-ohki's belly. She wished she could go on playing, but the rain had frozen her to the bone and she really needed that hot water. Smiling as best she could, she leapt away from the cabbit and up to the window sill. The gods hadn't abandoned her yet; it was a bathroom! Ryo-ohki watched her new friend with curiosity. She levitated up to the window and looked down at Shampoo, who was already exploring the bathroom. Her playmate seemed to be looking for something. As she watched, the pink cat leapt into the tub. A look of concern crossed her face as she stared hard at the faucet. Shampoo no baka, thought Shampoo, slightly surprised at the use of the Japanese words. Just how often had she heard those words screamed by her perverted tomboy rival? She brought her mind back to the task at hand. Just how was she going to turn the faucets as a cat? Ryo-ohki studied her carefully, then turned to the faucets. Suddenly understanding, she closed her eyes. A light emerged from her head gem, and the faucet's began turning on their own. Water poured in the tub and Shampoo looked up at her in thanks and confusion. When the cabbit opened her eyes she saw that her new friend had began to change! Shampoo, now human again, turned the knob, cutting the water off. Smiling, she turned to her strange friend. The cabbit's eyes seemed to glisten like jewels. The young woman wondered if her change had upset the poor thing. Then, a female form leaped on top of her, smashing into her in a bonecrushing embrace. Looking down the Amazon saw she was being hugged by a small child. Ryo-ohkie had seemed to have had disappear. Or perhaps not, Shampoo thought as the girl purred contentedly in her arms. She looked down and saw the fur clinging to the young girls face and the wild mane barely covering her enormous ears. It was the gem set in it's forehead that confirmed her suspicions. Ryo-ohki looked up at the young woman, her new-found companion and friend. Then she Remembered a phrase she had heard Ryoko use. Something she only used whenever her counterpart thought back to the long solitude in the cave. "I-I was so lonely!" Burying her head into Shampoo, the cat-girl began to cry. Shampoo, still not sure exactly what was going on, looked down at the young girl. Softly and tenderly, she began to rock her back and forth. "Shampoo knowing, was lonely too." The End (Opinions are like Dimesional Mallets, everybodies got one, their just) (rarely lethal until someone gets Glomped!!!) / Oo (~, ) V