Amazon Council
                                                                                                                  
By David B. Swanton

           It was the oldest and largest hut in the village.  It had a
thatched roof on its mud walls, and a hole in the roof for the smoke of
its centered fire pit.  It may not have been the most modern of
buildings in the village or the most aesthetically pleasing either, but
its importance could not be disputed.  For this was the chamber of the
high council of the Amazons.  The place where the elders and masters of
the village would meet in order to discus matters of importance, to
solve disputes amongst the villagers or questions of the Law.  The smoke
rising from the roof signified that the council was in session.  No one
would dare to interrupt a meeting that was not meant for them.
                                                                               
*******
           A girl the age of sixteen stood before the council.  Her long
purple tresses were pushed over her shoulders.  Standing straight and
proud the girl looked directly at the Matriarch of the Village, waiting
for her to start.

           "Shampoo." The ancient woman spoke. "Does your return to the
village mean that you have killed this outsider called Ranma?"

           Shampoo took a deep breath and prepared herself for what she
was about to say.  Without showing any emotion the girl replied. "No
great Grandmother.  Ranma is not dead."

           The council gasped at the impertinence of the young woman.
The old lady of the council narrowed her eyes on the young warrior.
"You will address me by my proper title here!" she said in an icy tone.

           "Yes Matriarch."  The girl replied sheepishly.

           "Good, now tell us why you have returned home with your task
uncompleted?" The old woman said returning back to the business at hand.
"Remember what you have to say will determine your future. So speak
wisely."

           Staring straight ahead lest to show any fear. Shampoo started
her tale.  "After I gave the outside girl the kiss of death.  I chased
her and her panda across China from village to village.   They were
always just one step ahead of me.  She is very cleaver and fast, I had a
tough time tracking their next moves.  It came clear that she was
heading towards the Sea of Japan so I thought I would meet them at the
port.  Unfortunately this is where I lost them."  Shampoo paused a
moment to gather her thoughts. "I had questioned the port master and the
dock handlers for two days.  No one saw either of them.  I was about to
leave and try the next port down on the coast, when I overheard an old
sea man telling his mate about a girl and panda jumping into the water
and started to swim out to sea."  The council started to murmur their
disbelief at this news.

           "I see." Said the matriarch. "Its too bad the outsider
defeated you.  She would have made a formidable Amazon if she could swim
all the way to Japan.  So tell me Shampoo is this when you decided to
turn tail and run?"  The old woman said with contempt in her voice.

           "I don't give up that easily!" Protested the girl.  "I booked
passage on the next ship out of China heading for Japan.  I had to work
my fare but that didn't bother me.  I reasoned that if I could get there
first then I could surprise her and defeat her on her arrival."  The
council was impressed with her resourcefulness.  Then she continued "The
problem was I didn't know where they were going to in Japan." She said
embarrassed.  A couple of the council members laughed but were quickly
quieted by a stern look from the Matriarch.  Shampoo continued her
tale.  "I therefore decided to head to the largest city Tokyo.  I
figured that a giant panda would be very noticeable.  It took a few days
of looking and not being able to speak Japanese well made it harder.
While walking down a shopping district I came across an unusual box.
There was a man in it.  The man in the magic box was saying something
about a panda on the loose in a small district called Nerima.  He didn't
seem to concern about this and said that that ward was known for strange
things.  I finally had the lead that I was looking for."  Pausing to see
if the council was still following her story shampoo continued.  "I
finally found her with a friend.  As soon as she saw me the outsider ran
like a coward.  I would have thought that someone who beat me in battle
would have been more brave."  The council had thought this as well maybe
this Ranma was lucky to have beaten Shampoo the first time.  Shampoo
looked over to the fire and noticed it was starting to get low.  She was
going to have to skip a lot of the unnecessary details, for she only had
as long as the fire remained lit.

           "Continue child." The Matriarch said sensing Shampoo's
concern.

           I found where Ranma's friend lived and decided to pay her a
visit.  She would know where I could find Ranma.  I attacked her hoping
to loosen her tongue but in doing so a man jumped in the way and
defeated me while trying to protect her.  As it turned out his name was
Ranma as well."

           There was a sharp gasp from the entire council.  Did this
Japan really have warriors so good that they could beat their best?

           "So what did you do?" Asked the Lore master Lotion.  As lore
master it was Lotion's duty to record history as well as to interpret
the laws as they have been handed down through the ages.

           A small smile formed on the face of the girl, it was soon
replaced with the look of sorrow.  "I gave him the Kiss of love and
proclaimed my devotion to him."

           The members of the council nodded their approval.  A man this
good would sire many strong daughters and help keep the tribe's blood
lines fresh.

           "So where is your husband Shampoo?" Asked Lotion gaining a
stern look from the Matriarch Cologne.

           Shampoo sighed at the thought of her strong man.  "He proved
to be reluctant to accept my love.  I would be trying to show him my
devotion only to have him disappear.  As soon as he would vanish the
girl would show up. I would try to kill her and when she escaped he
would appear.  My attention soon became divided and I was unable to
focus my attention on one or the other.

           "That was good strategy on their part." Commented Shadow the
War master.

           Glancing at the fire Shampoo knew that she was going to have
to hurry if she wanted all the facts to be given. The Matriarch noticed
this as well and motioned her to continue.

           "I finally had the Boy type Ranma in my grasp and the Girl
type was soon to be mine as well.  Only to find out that they were the
one in the same."

           "How is that Shampoo?  We all saw the Girl when you fought
her and she was definitely a girl."  This question came from Incense the
Spirit master.

           "I was surprised as well.  But when the boy poured a bucket
of water on himself he became her. I cannot explain it but I saw it with
my own eyes.  Once more she claimed to have always been a girl. 

           I was hurt and angry.  I let my emotion get the better of
me.  I do love the boy.  Yet I have to kill the girl.  I tried to kill
her but when it came down to it I could only see the boy there in front
of me.  I decided I would come home for council on what to do."

           This revelation brought quite a stir amongst the members of
the council.  Shampoo heard some of the council saying things like
Jusenkyo and Nanichann.  Shampoo did not understand what she said that
would cause such a ruckus.  After a moment the council had quieted
down.  Blush the Healing master spoke up.  "I have one question for you
Shampoo.  Was it hot or cold water that this Ranma poured on himself?"

           Shampoo was really confused by the question.  What difference
did that make?  She wondered to herself.  "It was cold water he took it
straight form the pond and it was a cool night."

           The council members shared a look of understanding amongst
themselves.  The Matriarch spoke. "Your time is up Shampoo." Indeed
Shampoo noticed that the fire did in fact die out.  "Go to your hut and
we will call you when we have reached a decision on what to do with
you."

           Shampoo was no sooner out the door when all hell broke loose
in the council chamber.  Members were arguing over the importance of the
situation.  "Silence!"  Yelled the Matriarch.  "This is an unusual
situation." She continued in a more relaxed tone.  "Lore master has
there ever been a situation like this before?"

           Lotion thought about this for a while and checked some of the
books that she had brought with her.  After some consideration she shook
her head.  "No I have not heard of another case like this before."

           Cologne nodded she too had never heard of this before which
surprised her considering how close to Jusenkyo they were.  "So this is
the problem.  Shampoo was beaten not once but twice by the same person.
It is obvious that this person is under a Jusenkyo curse and had
defeated her in both forms.  So which law applies here?  The Kiss of
Death, or The Kiss of Love.  To wed or to kill?  We do know that this
Ranma is in fact male due to the fact that cold water makes him a
girl."  Cologne looked at her fellow council members and saw that they
all agreed to her statement.  "It doesn't help that Ranma beat her first
as a girl.  So Lotion what is your opinion on the matter? "

           The Lore master cleared her throat and with a quiet but
authoritative voice spoke.  "The law is very clear on being defeated by
an outside female.  Since the person in question was indeed a female at
the time that must take the persistence."

           The Healing master interrupted her colleague.  "Even if he
looked female we know that his true form is male and therefore the
marriage vow is the only true option." 

           Incense the Spirit master agreed with the Healing master.
"This Ranma should have been informed of our laws if the opportunity was
available before excepting his first challenge."

           "Ignorance of the law is no excuse!" yelled Lotion.  Both the
Land master and the Herd master agreed with the Lore master.

           "Well in that case Shampoo was in a no win situation." Said
the sea master Stocking with a slight grin on her face. She likes to get
under the pompous Lore master's skin.  Being the only master that had to
practice her trade outside the village gave her a better understanding
of the outside world.

           "Why is that?" Asked Shadow the War master. It was her duty
to protect the village from out side attacks and information was power.
Cologne smiled at her apprentice in approval.

           Stocking smiled, this was an opportunity to state her case
and she wouldn't pass it up.  "Shampoo was under tribal law to kill the
outsider as soon as she was defeated.  Allowing Ranma to escape to the
outside world subjected her to their laws." She stopped to allow her
words to sink in a bit.  "They frown on killing in the outside world.
Even for a noble cause as revenge." She said the last part with a little
bit of edge on it because she always felt that law was archaic. 

           "What does the village gain form either law?" Asked Shadow.

           Lotion spoke with a proud air.  "We keep our pride and our
honor."  She hoped to convince the War master with this line of
argument.  It seemed that having her on her side would tip the balance
in her favor.

           Incense spoke next. "We would gain much more than just
honor.  We would gain fresh blood, new knowledge, strong heirs and with
his curse a strong warrior that could teach the young and defend the
village against the Musk."  Incense smiled knowing her argument was much
stronger than the lore master's was.  The warrior nodded and considered
the points given as the two factions started to argue again. 

           "Enough!" yelled Cologne.  She was getting tired of the
bickering and it seemed that the other members of the council had made
up their minds.  "I call for a vote.  Lore master?"

           "Death."

           "Spirit Master?"

           "Marriage."

           "Craft master?"

           "Death."  The Craft master was known for her mean streak and
it was no surprise that she would vote for the death of the outsider.

           "Sea master?"

           "Marriage."

           "Healing master?

           "Marriage."

           "Land master?"  The land master was in charge of all the
crops that were needed to feed the village.

           "Death."

           "Heard master?"

           "Death."  It was no surprise of this vote either.  The heard
master and land master were rumored to be very close.

           "And finally War master?"  As defender of the village it was
her duty to vote last so the others would not vote due to her decision.

            "I vote in favour of the Marriage law.  The pluses out weigh
the negatives."

           Cologne frowned, a tied vote leaving the decision to her.
She had hoped to avoid making a decision on her Great granddaughter's
fate.  "I must make the final vote, but not until I ask Shampoo one more
question." The council nodded it was the matriarchs right to question
the defendant on last time on a stalemate.   "Now as for her punishment
for failure."

           "I have a suggestion."  Offered the Craft master.  She smiled
as she explained the punishment, and why she chose it.  The council
listened and felt a certain justice with what the Craft master was
offering.  They agreed.

           Shampoo sat in her hut waiting for her future to be decided.
She thought about her time out of the village and decided that she liked
being out of the village and hoped for an opportunity to go again.  Of
course there was the fear of being exiled.  This would allow her to
leave but she would never be allowed to return and this did not excite
her.  She wondered what Ranma was doing now. Shampoo was still confused
by the turn of events and wished her strong man wasn't really a girl.
How did she do that any ways?

           A knock at the door woke shampoo out of her daydream.  "The
council wants to see you." The voice behind the door said.  Shampoo got
up and headed out of her hut to follow the guard.

           The entire council watched the young Amazon as she entered
the hut.  She showed no fear just resignation.  The truth be told
Shampoo was terrified but to show it would be more disgraceful then her
failure to kill Ranma.  Taking her place the Matriarch spoke to her.
"Shampoo the council is at a stale mate over this situation.  Therefore
the final vote on your fate comes down to me.  Do you understand." She
nodded.  Shampoo didn't know if this would be a good thing or not.
Being the Matriarch's family meant having certain benefits but on the
same note came higher expectations as well.  "Good.  The first thing
that you should know is a little about your foe.  Do you know the valley
not far from here?"

           "The forbidden valley just over the range?" Shampoo asked.

           "Yes that's the one.  It is called Jusenkyo.  It is a
dangerous place.  Many that have visited end up cursed.  It is of the
curses that we asked you if the water was hot or cold that Ranma had
poured on himself."  Shampoo noticed the Matriarch referred to Ranma as
a male.  "The water was cold right?" Shampoo nodded.  "That means
Ranma's true form is male and not female.  This fact is what has caused
the stalemate in the councils vote."  Shampoo understood the implication
of the situation right away.  "So with this I ask you do you want your
revenge or do you want a husband?"

           Shampoo had come home for advice and now they were asking her
what she was going to do.  The only thing was she learned more about
Ranma that changed her understanding of the situation.  Shampoo was the
best fighter of her generation, but killing was not in her.  She did
find the boy attractive and he was a skilled warrior.  She could do
worse, for a husband.  Mousse came to mind.  "I want a husband." She
said after much deliberation.

           Cologne had guessed as much. "Ok it is decided then.  I will
go with you back to Japan and help you to bring home your husband.

           Now then.  As to your punishment for failure.  You will be
retrained at the forbidden valley Jusenkyo.  If you can defeat your
trainer then no harm will come to you but if you fail you will learn
more about your new husband and how his curse works.  This will help you
in your quest, as knowledge is power.  Your training will start
tomorrow.  We will head for Japan on completion of the training.  Go and
prepare yourself."  Cologne then turned to the rest of the council and
said. "The meeting is adjured." All members rose and left the
building.  

           It was the only building not to have any lights on.  It
looked almost abandoned.  It was old and had a single hole in the
thatched roof for its central fire pit.  Patches on the mud walls showed
its age.  It was the Chamber for the Council of the Amazons.



             Authors notes: I don't usually make notes but some things
need to be said.  I had always wondered why Shampoo would return after
hr final confrontation with Ranma thinking he was a girl.  I also felt
that her return to the village would be questioned.  The Idea of a
council came to me when I read another story called "Tails of two
wallets." A ver good story if you hadn't read it.  In that story a new
old lady shows up and her name is "Lotion the Lore master" I liked this
and thought that a village would need many Masters for various sections
of society.  This got me thinking of Anne McCaffery's stories of Pern
and thus led me to the Amazons having such a social structure.  Lotion's
character is different from "ToTW" and not as well developed and the
others were my own creations as far as I know.  I hope you enjoyed it
and got you thinking.  Dave

        I would like to thank my prereaders. John and Pat Thanks for the
input and support.  James my on lined bud.  And Janissa who finds the
holes in the plots.  Sorry Janissa but the council had to stay as is to
make the story work.


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