Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and whoever she sold the rights to.

The Jusenkyo Guide looked over the wrecked bridge that used to span the river and considered his options. He and his foreign guests could try to cross it by swimming. It wasn't a very fast flowing river and the distance across was at most fifty yards. However, he really wasn't in the mood to get wet nor was he all that great of a swimmer. A good fisherman maybe, but not a swimmer.

The other plan would be to follow the river until the next crossing. He was pretty sure the next one was five miles away which would then split into two paths. One led away from his intended destination but was much easier to travel on while the other was not very well trodden but would lead to civilization faster. And given his current company, he wanted to drop them off as soon as possible.

"Dammit, Pop!" came a feminine screech of rage behind him. "I don't care how hungry I am but I'm not eating any bamboo! I'm still human after all!"

The guide looked back just in time to see a large panda give a shrug to the young red-headed girl that had been talking then began eating the bamboo stick that he had just offered. Apparently, he wasn't as picky about what he ate.

For the twentieth time today, the guide shook his head and wondered just how strange his guests were, even for foreigners. Who was stupid enough to train at a cursed valley full of springs, anyway?

The guide turned back towards the river and made a decision. Perhaps this was divine intervention in disguise. Taking them to Nǚjiézú was probably a bad idea. It may have been the closest village to gather supplies but dealing with the Joketsuzoku was bothersome even on the best of days. Plus, the path that he would now have to take wasn't going to be easy to traverse. By the time he and his guests made it through all the winding turns and rocky terrain they could have made it to another community that would be easier to bargain with. And besides, given the temper on the young girl and the stomach on the panda behind him, he could only see trouble ahead. It would mean that they would have to travel farther than he had originally planned, but so be it. Better to get a headache from his guests than a spear through his chest.

Picking up his black duffel bag, he faced the pair and announced, "Honored customers, this way." He gestured downstream and began walking in that direction.

Groaning, the girl and the panda put on their backpacks and followed. Despite how tired and hungry they were, the duo caught up to the guide quickly. Once they reached him, the girl asked, "How much further?"

"Have to go different way since bridge is out," he answered. "Should get to village before end of day though."

"Great," the girl moaned. First this curse, now a trek through the wilderness on an empty stomach. This had to have been the worst day of her life.

Plodding next to her, the panda was thinking much the same thing. Munching on the bamboo stick in his paw was keeping the hunger down but it wasn't enough. He needed real food and it looked as though he would have to wait to get it.

Add to that was the need to get back to Japan. He had obligations to meet there but they would have to be put off for now. He needed to find a cure to this bothersome curse and continue making his son the best of his generation in martial arts. They were in good training territory and he was going to make the most of it.

He increased his speed until he was besides the guide and then whipped out a wooden sign with a message on it. He had learned this trick earlier that day once he found that gesturing and animal noises weren't good ways to communicate.

It read, [Looks like we'll be in the country for a while.] The panda flipped the sign over, revealing a new message. [Know any good training grounds?]

Miles away, in the village known as the courageous warrior women, a young girl knocked her last opponent from a suspended log, making her the champion. She basked in the congratulations from her fellow villagers and ate heartily from the provided feast that was her prize. The celebrations lasted well into the night.

For Shampoo, it was the best day of her life.

One month later...

It was a hot day to be working in the fields but it was work that needed to be done. The young warrior maiden known as Shampoo stood up from her crouch and dumped a handful of weeds into a wooden wheelbarrow next to her. She then checked the brown cloth keeping her hair tied up and out of her face before bending back down to continue working on the row of cabbage that she had been assigned to for today.

Village life was pretty dull in the Qinghai province in the heart of the Bayankala mountain range of China. If Shampoo wasn't training in the Joketsuzoku style of martial arts then she was helping her village survive the next year. She definitely preferred the training part, even with all the hardships that that brought. She felt so much more alive when performing her forms or dueling with her fellow fighters. However, one couldn't live on special techniques or even meditation for long.

There was one advantage to being a warrior when having to do chores though. Speed and conditioning were much higher than those without training so the menial work got done faster. And since Shampoo had just mastered the Chestnut Roasting on an Open Fire exercise a week ago, it made picking weeds a breeze. Using the speed and accuracy granted by mastering the technique, Shampoo was able to pluck every errant blade of grass out of the ground without harming the nearby vegetables. A week ago, this task would have taken her most of the day. Now, she was looking to be done in less than an hour.

Finally, the last bit of nuisance plant was picked up and then dumped into the wheelbarrow. Shampoo pushed it out of the field, past all the men and woman working their own rows, then dumped it on the growing pile of weeds. At the end of the day, the pile would be ground up and used for mulch to prepare another field for planting.

Her task done, Shampoo left the wheelbarrow for someone else to use and headed home. She took a leisurely walk and used the time to consider what to do with the rest of her day. Many of her fellow warriors would be doing their own chores by now so any challenges would have to wait. She rolled over the idea of going on a hunt but there was plenty of meat for the butcher to work on so anything more would be excessive and potentially wasteful. She could always get more training in but for some reason just didn't feel in the mood.

Shampoo sighed. All this extra free time and nothing to do with it.

She reached back and undid the cloth holding her hair back and let her long purple tresses fall out and sway gently in the wind. It helped cool her down after the work in the field. That's when a thought came to mind. This would be the perfect time to take a relaxing swim and wash off all the dirt and grime. She could even use the secret pond she had come across a few months ago when hunting...

Oh, wait. It wasn't so secret anymore she remembered sourly. Not since Mousse had stumbled upon her when she had been skinny dipping in it not too long ago. Shampoo was convinced that he had followed her and not just blundered by. How he had managed to sneak up on her like that she couldn't say but that pond was now compromised. If he came looking for her, it would be one of the first places he'd check.

Ever since winning the village championship a month ago, Mousse had been even more insistent at claiming her hand in marriage. The Hidden Weapons specialist must have seen her victory as a sign that this would be the time to make her his own. At least three times a week, Mousse was pestering her for some time together, giving her gifts or trying to impress her with a new trick that he had learned. It was really starting to grate on Shampoo's nerves, especially when he'd given his latest love speech to an ox.

Shampoo had slugged him into the sky so hard that she hadn't seen him for four days. Bad eyesight or no, she wasn't going to take an insult like that from anybody.

Some of the other girls may have seen Mousse as a good catch but Shampoo didn't think she could stand living with someone so clingy and suffocating. She conceded that he was a good fighter but that just wasn't enough. She wasn't quite sure what she wanted in a man yet but she knew that what Mousse had wasn't it.

Now in a foul mood, Shampoo wondered if it would be worth it to go swimming anyway. Maybe she could set up a trap to keep any peepers away. However, after thinking about it, it would be too much of a hassle to go to that much trouble. She'd just head home and take a bath and think of something else to do.

She eventually came up to the house that she shared with her father and great-grandmother. She opened the door and called out. Nobody answered, but that was expected. Like everyone else in the village, they too would be busy with their own work and wouldn't be back until later. She used the alone time to take a long and enjoyable bath followed by a relaxing session of combing her hair. Finally feeling good about herself, Shampoo dressed then entered the living room area to ponder what to do next but was greeted by a surprise.

"Home so soon, Shampoo?" her great-grandmother, Cologne, asked from her seat at the dining table. The little old woman, no taller than Shampoo's knees, was sitting at the table smoking a pipe and reading through a book. She marked where she left off and turned to regard Shampoo fully. "Nothing wrong out in the fields, I hope?"

"Nothing's wrong, great-grandmother," Shampoo answered. She took a seat next to her and continued, "I just finished early. The speed I got from the Chestnut Fist training really helped make things go quicker. I've been relaxing here since."

"Ah, yes," Cologne sighed in wistful remembrance. "I remember when I first learned that and suddenly I could speed through a mountain of dirty dishes in no time at all. Nothing felt better than not having duties like that hanging over my head." She then frowned, making her wrinkled face look even more hideous. "That is until my mother realized how good I was at menial chores and decided that all the free time I had would be better spent doing her own." She gave Shampoo a knowing look.

The young girl sweat dropped and hastily got to her feet. "Aiyah! I just remembered other things I have to do! Bye!"

Before Shampoo could flee to safety, Cologne spoke up, "Relax Shampoo, I'm not going to do that to you. Sit back down."

Shampoo obeyed but kept alert in case Cologne decided to change her mind and whip out a list. It would be her luck to gain extra work for being so efficient.

Cologne took a drag from her pipe and let the smoke billow out into a whitish cloud before evaporating into the air. With that particular itch taken care of, Cologne said, "This actually gives us some time to talk. There are a couple of things I wanted to go over with you."

"Like what, great-grandmother?"

"Like your future. It's been a month now since you became village champion and yet not much has changed for you. Tell me, what are your expectations?"

Shampoo blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, where do you want to go from here? What do you see yourself doing the same time next year?"

Shampoo thought it over a little before responding, "I would be getting ready for the next village championship."

Cologne grunted in dissatisfaction. "And what will you be doing in between now and then?"

"Training and working, of course."

"Exactly."

When Cologne didn't elaborate any further, Shampoo irritably prompted, "Great-grandmother, could you please get to your point already. I don't understand what you're trying to tell me."

Cologne let out a huff of air. Perhaps Shampoo wasn't as far along as she had thought. Trying a different approach, she said, "You are village champion, one of the highest honors a person of your age can obtain. Now that you have that, what else is there for you to look forward to?"

Shampoo scrunched up her features, trying to puzzle out what Cologne was getting at. "Well, in a few more years I can apply for village instructor. Is that what this is about? You want me to train harder for that?"

Sighing, Cologne shook her head. "No, Shampoo. This isn't about that. I'm sure that if you continue the way you are, you'll be village instructor without any trouble.

"I suppose I should have waited longer before bringing this up. It doesn't look like you're ready yet."

"Hey!" Shampoo protested. "I'm village champion! I'm ready for whatever training you can give me. Mastering the Chestnut Fist proves it!"

"Once again Shampoo, this isn't about that."

"Then what?"

"I want you to leave the village."

Just like that, all the anger and frustration swept out of Shampoo like a wind leaving a kite to fall back down to earth. All that was left was a numb feeling that was slowly being gnawed away by a sinking sensation. "W-What?" Shampoo stammered.

Cologne could see that her descendant was already taking this the wrong way. Looking to head off any potential misunderstandings, Cologne quickly said, "This isn't a banishment Shampoo. Settle down and I'll explain.

"I've been watching you for a long time now, even before the village championship. You don't realize it right now, but you are growing restless. Day in and day out, it's the same routine for you. You settled down a bit after the tournament but now you are getting crankier with others without even knowing it."

"I have not!" Shampoo defended, slamming her fist on the table.

Cologne quirked an eyebrow at Shampoo's outburst while Shampoo sat back, crossed her arms and pouted.

"As I was saying," Cologne drawled, "this will be good for you. There isn't much more that life here can offer you. I'd hate to see all the potential that you have be wasted. I know it will be hard for you to believe but there's more to this world than what's here in our village. For your own good, you need to get out and see it for yourself."

Shampoo couldn't understand why her great-grandmother was doing this to her. How could she possibly leave the village? All the people she knew were here. Her whole life was here. Did Cologne expect her to just toss that aside? What about the upcoming harvest? What about keeping up with her training? Was great-grandmother assuming that all this was unimportant? Granted, Cologne was usually right about things but this was too much!

And yet, there was a kernel of interest in what Cologne was suggesting. To leave and explore places that she'd never seen before. To experience new things and new people. What could she find out there besides a hidden pond? It was both exciting and frightening to think about.

And, Shampoo had to admit, she had already felt a bit of what Cologne was speaking of about being restless such as all the free time she had today but nothing to do with it. And it wasn't just today. Lately, she had been seeking out other things to besides training, just to get away from the tedium. Perhaps this was the opportunity she had unknowingly been waiting for.

These conflicting emotions and thoughts played across Shampoo's face. Cologne patiently waited. She'd known that this would not be an easy sell for her great-granddaughter. Indeed, Cologne was beginning to regret broaching this subject. She had thought that it was the right time but now she wasn't so certain. Throughout their small community, there was an undertone of accepting what you had and making the most of it without asking for help, especially from outsiders. Plus, the general consensus was that as long as the outside world left them alone, they would leave the outside world alone. Shampoo was very much a product of this mentality. Leaving went against much of what she had been brought up in.

However, now that it had been brought out into the open, Cologne was going to stick to it. She herself had been reluctant to leave the village in her youth but it had opened her eyes to things she had never considered before. Some of her experiences were bad but she would do it all over again for all the joys and knowledge that had come from her journeys. She wanted Shampoo to have the same chance.

Finally, after several minutes of thought, Shampoo looked up and asked, "What about my duties here? What about training? Isn't there more you can teach me?"

Cologne was prepared to answer. "Losing an extra hand isn't going to jeopardize the harvest. There are plenty to take up your space.

"As for training, yes, there are more things for me to teach you. But that doesn't mean I think you are ready for them. I don't want to overwhelm you with things that you won't need. Gaining some real world experience will help you determine what skills you are lacking and make better judgments about how to improve yourself."

"But what if I'm not prepared?" Shampoo countered.

"I think you are more prepared for this than you think. I wouldn't have suggested this unless I knew that you could handle it. The only thing lacking is the will to do it."

The pair fell silent again. Eventually, Shampoo stood up and announced, "Great-grandmother, I need more time to think about this. Is that alright?"

"Take all the time you need. I'd rather you make a decision you can live with than just do what I say. You're at the age where you need to make your own choices."

"Thank you. I'll see you later." With that, Shampoo turned and headed out of the house.

Cologne was left at the table, smoking her pipe and waiting.

Shampoo walked through Nǚjiézú with no real destination in mind. She was too busy going over what she and her great-grandmother had just spoken about. It was a shock to say the least which left her meandering through the streets, passing by neighbors and vendors alike. A few times she was stopped and greeted by passers-by either to just say hello or try to engage her in small talk. Shampoo kept the meetings short so as not to lose her train of thought before wandering away again. She hoped she didn't come off as off-putting but she had to concentrate on this choice Cologne had given her.

Leave the village. Shampoo couldn't believe that Cologne could say such a thing. She ran the conversation back through her head and realized that the old woman hadn't said it would be forever. That just brought up more questions though. How long would she be away? What if she came back and her great-grandmother said it hadn't been long enough? Would she just kick Shampoo out again?

Shampoo initial decision was just to say no. She was comfortable here. She knew the rules. She was making a name for herself. She had prospects lined up for her. Wasn't that enough?

Then again, Cologne had sounded certain that Shampoo could go on to greater things. What those were, Shampoo couldn't guess. However, Cologne was rarely wrong about things; infuriatingly so. Shampoo loved her great-grandmother thoroughly but there were times that she wanted to knock the old crone for being so right all the time. Perhaps this was the next step in her development as a warrior and Cologne was taking a more round about way of telling her. Shampoo just wished Cologne would just say so instead of going to these lengths to confuse her.

What to do? What to do?

"Shampoo!"

Shampoo's thoughts were interrupted by her name being called out passionately. She knew who it was immediately. Only one person could say her name with such emotion.

"Mousse," she groaned.

Sure enough, the tall bespectacled boy was coming her way, wearing his usual white robes and blue trousers. For once, he was wearing his thick glasses over his eyes instead of perched on his forehead. He bee-lined straight to her and came to a stop just a few feet away. He looked positively giddy to see her.

"Shampoo, looked at what I've got here!" He pulled out a small golden bell from within his sleeves and handed it out to her. "Take this!"

Shampoo didn't make a move and eyed the bell dubiously. "What is it?"

"It's a good luck charm. Whoever holds this bell and it's copy are destined to be wed!" So saying, he reached into his sleeves again and pulled out another bell. However, this one was much larger, bigger than either teens' head. He held it up triumphantly while still holding out the smaller one to Shampoo. "Come on, take it! And then we'll be happily married forever!"

'I so don't need to deal with this now,' Shampoo thought tiredly. She slapped Mousse's hand away, the one holding the small bell and said, "I don't have time for this, Mousse. Go bother someone else."

Mousse lost hold of the bell from the slap and it arched away and landed next to a man and woman couple walking by. The woman stopped and noticed the bell in front of her and picked it up. "What do you think this is?" she asked her companion.

The man didn't get a chance to answer because a high-pitched, nasally voice boomed out and said, "My bride!" From out of the larger bell that Mousse held, an enormous form emerged. It floated towards the woman holding the small bell and stood over her. Everyone watching blinked as they realized that the creature was a large white cat standing on its hind legs. It was taller than anyone present with yellow eyes twice the size of the large bell itself. Said bell floated out of Mousse's stunned grasp where it attached itself to the cat's chin.

"At last, nyaw!" it cried out in glee. "I've found my bride!" It reached forward with it's large paws, claws as large as steak knives extended outwards.

The woman kicked the cat in the nose, stopping him from grabbing her. "Who are you calling a bride?" she screeched.

The cat stepped back and rubbed its sore nose and in an even more nasally voice explained, "You hold the smaller of my bells which means that you are now my fiancée, nyaw."

"Too bad for you. I'm already married." She reached next to her and pulled the man close. Seemingly unfazed with the fact that she was talking to a creature three times her size and had materialized out of a bell she continued, "You'll just have to find someone else." Giving a humph, she walked past the cat and marched on her way. Before she and her husband left, she tossed the bell over her shoulder and didn't look back.

Before the bell fell back down to the ground, a hand reached up and caught it. A second later, the person instantly regretted it.

"Aiyah, stupid," Shampoo moaned.

The cat turned around and noticed another woman with the bell. "Ah! So you've decided to be my bride, nyaw? This is wonderful!" The cat leapt forward, intent on gathering Shampoo up.

This time it was stopped by a spiked mace to the head which drove it into the ground. Mousse stood above him, looking ready to kill. "That's my bride, you furball!"

The cat, tired of being knocked around so casually, reared up to its full height, forcing Mousse to jump off. The cat flashed its claws and roared, "You dare interfere, nyaw?"

"I dare all when it comes to Shampoo!" Mousse yelled back.

The two closed ranks and began to fight, kicking up a large cloud of dust and making it hard for anyone to see what was going on. Then, a spear attached to a chain came flying out and nearly stuck Shampoo in the head if she hadn't reacted fast enough and caught it. Fuming at how these two idiots where making a mess of things and feeling humiliated at causing such a scene, Shampoo charged into the cloud. A few seconds later, the gathered crowd heard two sickening thumps and then the cloud dissipated.

Shampoo stood glowering over both combatants, holding her chúi above them. Mousse and the cat were on their stomachs, eyes tearing up and gently rubbing the growing lumps on their heads. Shampoo reached down and grabbed the cat, bringing it eye level to herself and demanded, "What is going on here? Who are you?"

"Well," the cat began nervously, "I'm Maomolin, the Ghost Cat, nyaw. I've been searching for over three-thousand years for a bride, nyaw. Will you be my bride?"

"Not interested," Shampoo answered. "But I've got someone better in mind for you." She reached down and picked up Mousse by the back of his robes. She then jabbed the bell she had been carrying into Mousse's hand. "You two were made for each other."

Before either could protest, Shampoo uppercutted them both into the sky. The last thing she heard before they were out of sight was the fading wail of the Ghost Cat saying, "But I don't swing that way, nyaw!"

Heaving for breath in an effort to calm down, Shampoo stomped away, ignoring the gossip going on around her. A few minutes later, she reached her home and barged in. She noticed that Cologne was still sitting at the table, looking startled at such a noisy entrance.

Shampoo marched up to her great-grandmother and said, "I want to leave. Tomorrow."

Cologne merely smiled.

Notes: So starts another one. I realize that the setup for this is very similar to my last fic but that changes with the very next chapter where Shampoo meets some of the locals in the region.

Also, I haven't forgotten about Ranma. This will give me the chance to see what life could be like for him had he never met Shampoo. I'll be switching between both as I move along.

This story doesn't have the structure of my last one. It's kinda on the fly but I do have the first several installments planned out with ideas for scenes that I'd like to write. How I get to those scenes is left to be seen.

Hope you enjoy.