With Xain Pu comfortably hidden behind the door, Ranma lets out a sigh. "Okay, old ghoul, I think we should start off with what you know because I have absolutely no idea what is going on." Cologne gave Ranma a teasing grin before replying, "Now, daughter-in-law, I'm sure you have some insight into what's going on. It seems quite obvious you made an important decision without telling anyone."
Astonished and a little angry, Ranma dipped a bit into her Soul of Ice technique. She knew that she had to stay calm to get answers from the wrinkled elder. Almost instantly, the room dropped nearly ten degrees, and ice formed slowly below the girl, spreading out in almost crack-like formations. Almost instantly, she eased off of her technique, realizing how much more potent it had become. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, small ice crystals formed in the air, melting quickly as she chose to ignore them to address the elder.
"Listen, old ghoul, I didn't come to talk to you about that. It's none of your business what I do with my body. There is something weird going on with my ki, not to mention my new appendages that I have no idea how they got there, and now I can't even feel my curse at all." Cologne was slightly astonished; she could easily tell that something was drastically different with the young martial artist's ki, as it was almost oppressive, so thick that she didn't think anything could truly affect her body now.
Cologne started to brainstorm to herself. Never before had she seen something like this, but with Ranma's new ears and tail, it brought up many possibilities. Figuring it was best not to leave the volatile, newly pregnant cat girl waiting, she decided to run a test that she believed would confirm her guess. "Now, child, we shall see if I can give you some answers, but first I need you to close your eyes." Ranma did so reluctantly, but her ears were still up, swiveling around to try to hear for movement. Not hearing any, she gave a small nod for Cologne to continue.
"Ease your breathing, child; I'm not going to hurt you—not that I could anymore," she whispered the last part to herself, thinking Ranma couldn't hear her. "Okay, son-in-law," Ranma absentmindedly flinched a bit; both chose to ignore it, and Cologne decided to continue. "I need you to focus your ki to your hands and imagine it extending outside of your hands, but keep it close, like you're still holding it."
Ranma did as she was told, moving her ki slowly at first, as it was much more difficult to control in this state. Only when it got to her palm did it flow easily again; like it was instinct, it flowed to the tips of her fingers. It ignited the room in a blue light that flickered for a few brief seconds, then blinked out of existence, sending a tired cat girl to her knees, gasping for air. It felt so natural, but it was easy for Ranma to tell how unrefined it was; she poured way too much energy and ki into it for it to hold a stable shape.
Cologne thought for a minute; after all, this all but confirmed her suspension in her own mind. "I believe I know what has happened to you, daughter-in-law. It seems this was your body's way of adapting to the neko ken. Most martial artists don't live long after learning the neko ken, but it seems that you have lived long enough with it for your ki and your body to adapt. I can only imagine what you were doing to cause this change."
Ranma absentmindedly blushed at this. "So I'm assuming there is nothing I can do to change this?" Cologne responded with a slow head shake. "From my ki reading, there is nothing wrong to fix, not to mention your ki has a density that would prevent most magic from being effective at all. That is also probably the reason you can no longer feel your curse, because it doesn't exist anymore. Now, on to other pressing matters: your pregnancy."
A loud thud was heard from outside the door, followed by glass shattering. Shampoo quickly swung open the door, rushing inside. "Airen, spring girl, why didn't you tell me?" Ranma looked at her like she had grown a second head, then began rubbing the sides of her nose. "Shampoo, you knew I fell into the Nyannichuan." Shampoo giggled a bit at that. "Shampoo doesn't mean a person who fell in the Nyannichuan; Shampoo means a person who goes in to get the right body."
Ranma contemplated for a bit; after all, Shampoo didn't seem offended that she wanted to stay a girl; she seemed more offended that she had hidden it. "You don't seem too mad about it, Shamps; why is that?" Shampoo smiled ear to ear at that. "That's easy; Shampoo likes girl Ranma, and cat ears only make Ranma better." Ranma blushed as brightly as her hair; she had expected everyone to hate her for wanting to be herself, all while Cologne was cackling in the background. Ranma quickly turned and gave the elder a glare, only to be placated by her.
"Now, daughter-in-law, try to control yourself; after all, it's not that surprising. Most of the village is women, so of course, over time we would develop feelings for other warriors. And after you defeated the Phoenix God, of course, you would become more desirable. Unfortunately, it seems you will not be fighting for a long time." Ranma didn't understand why, but that bothered her a lot.
"What do you mean, old ghoul? I can still fight whenever I want; I won't have to worry about the baby for a couple of months." Cologne bounced to Ranma in seconds, only to slam her gnarled cane to the young girl's head, causing her ears to flatten and give a yelp that sounded more like a meow than anything else. "Hey, why'd you do that for?" "That child is being dumb. A child is something to be taken care of from the day of conception, or you will lose it. Understand"? Ranma gave a tiny nod, as if reluctantly accepting it.
Slowly, a thought dawned on Ranma: "Crap, what am I supposed to do about Pops? He fights me every morning, and I can't tell him about this. He will flip, and my mom will force me to commit seppuku." Her ears flattened, and her tail flew between her legs until Shampoo stopped her downward spiral. "Shampoo will help Airen even though Shampoo doesn't get to have Airen's first time. Shampoo loves Airen no matter what." Ranma didn't know why, but that made her tear up a bit. No one ever told her that they truly loved her, but here was the girl that she turned down and thought badly about who truly did love her.
Cologne sighed at the fresh blossom of young love; it was such a rarity to come by. One she hadn't experienced since Happy. "We shall help you, child. Believe it or not, I see you as my faithful student and great-granddaughter. So we shall follow you and hopefully talk some sense into your family."
Shampoo quickly grabbed Ranma's hand and pulled her into a tight hug. Unlike her normally energetic glomps, this hug was lighter and radiated an emotion that Ranma wasn't used to. A faint purr started to rise in the back of her throat when Shampoo spoke, "Shampoo loves Ranma too much to let her die." Tears slowly cascaded down her face while the purr got louder. "I still refuse to go to China," mild laughter proceeded as they left the cat café to close up.