Story: Hula Hoopnosis

 

The Tendo training hall stank of old cedar and the cloying, tropical scent of coconut oil. Below the rafters, the Hula Committee moved in a shimmering, synchronized circle. The silver grass skirts caught the dim light, casting rhythmic, flickering reflections against the walls.

Nabiki stood at the center, her expression one of cold, calculated triumph. Beside her, Shampoo swayed with a precision that bordered on the supernatural. The Amazon’s eyes were wide open, her pupils dilated, reflecting the shimmering silver of her new uniform. Though that was not nearly as distracting as the rest of her. The exposed flesh of her tummy, flickering around slowly but surely, would surely draw the eye more readily than the flickering reflections. Which was all part of the trap. It was all part of the design. If you watched the dancing girl too closely, beguiled by her beauty, mesmerised by her grace and poise... then you would be mesmerised in a more literal sense.

"The rhythm is settling in nicely, isn't it?" Nabiki asked, her voice a smooth purr. She lifted her leg slightly out of the grass skirt, and the effect was like a slow reveal. A tantalising treat in its own right, exposing that glorious thigh would surely draw its own gaze, leaving the watcher's will as mush.

"Shampoo feel like cloud in summer breeze, Leader!" the Amazon chirped. Her voice had lost its usual aggressive edge, replaced by a melodic, airy quality. "Everything feel light. Everything feel... right."

Nabiki circled her new asset, tapping a finger against her chin. "Good. Very good. Your Amazonian instincts make you a formidable tool, but your devotion makes you an efficient one. Now, let's talk about the 'rescue.'"

Yuka and Sayuri stepped forward, their own movements echoing the slow, undulating wave of the hula. They looked like porcelain dolls possessed by a tropical fever. While they were not quite as graceful or as enchanting as the other two, make no mistake - if you underestimated them, it would be at your own peril.

"The plan is simple," Nabiki explained, her eyes glinting. "Ranma and Akane are too stubborn for a direct approach. Their mental discipline is like a solid brick wall. We can't knock it down in one go, so we'll invite them to open the door themselves. Shampoo, you are the face of this operation."

Shampoo beamed, her hips continuing a subtle, rhythmic sway even as she stood still. "Shampoo help Leader! How Shampoo lead uncute-ones?"

"You approach them as the concerned ally," Nabiki said. "Tell them you've discovered a 'dark force' affecting the school. Use Kasumi as the example. Tell them she's being held in a state of mental fugue and that you've found the source. Lead them through the 'hazards' we've set up. Don't try to hypnotize them directly - that would trigger their disciplined defenses. Instead, let the environment do the work."

"What kind of hazards?" Sayuri asked, her voice dreamy.

"Visuals and audio," Nabiki replied. "I've coordinated with the student body. We'll have 'distractions' along the path. Groups of students dancing in the periphery, the subtle playback of the theme through the school's intercom in certain hallways, the shimmering of the uniforms. We aren't looking for a total collapse of their will today. We just want to fray the edges. We want them tired, confused, and instinctively attuned to the rhythm."

She made a particularly lewd motion with her hips.

"The rhythm of hula obedience~"

"And if they suspect?" Yuka wondered.

Nabiki smirked. "That's where the 'rescue' comes in. The moment they feel the pressure, Shampoo will 'save' them from a minor hazard, reinforcing the idea that she's the only one they can trust. We'll build a bridge of false security, and then we'll lead them straight into the heart of the island."

======

The school courtyard was a chaotic swarm of students, but Ranma and Akane walked through the crowd like two soldiers in a war zone. Akane’s eyes scanned every face, searching for the vacant, blissful smile she had seen on Kasumi.

"I'm telling you, Ranma, it's not just a phase," Akane hissed, her voice tight. "Nabiki is up to something. Kasumi doesn't just start humming Hawaiian songs and walking like she's on a beach in the middle of Nerima."

Ranma, currently in girl form, rolled her eyes and adjusted her school bag. "Look, I agree it's weird. But Nabiki's always doing something weird. Maybe she just found a new way to scam people into buying hula lessons."

"This isn't a scam! It's... it's like they're not even there anymore!"

"Aiyah! Ranma! Akane!"

They both spun around. Shampoo was jogging toward them, her expression one of exaggerated distress. She wasn't wearing her usual Chinese dress; instead, she wore a modest but form-fitting outfit that seemed to cling to her curves.

"Shampoo?" Ranma asked, blinking. "What's with the look? You look like you're about to go on a cruise."

Shampoo skidded to a halt, her breathing heavy. She looked between them, her eyes wide. "Ranma! Akane! Thank goodness Shampoo find you! Terrible thing happen! School be under attack by strange spirit!"

Akane stepped forward, her brow furrowing. "What are you talking about?"

"Spirit of sleep! Spirit of dance!" Shampoo waved her arms frantically, though her motions had a strange, fluid quality to them. "Shampoo see Kasumi-girl! She be like zombie! She smile, she dance, but eyes be empty! Shampoo try help, but something in air make head spin!"

Ranma crossed her arms. "Not you as well... Urgh, maybe there's something more to it then?"

"Oh, when I point it out, it's nothing, but when she does?" Akane huffed indignantly.

"It not just Kasumi!" Shampoo insisted, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Shampoo see other girls too. They all fall under spell! It like a sickness. Shampoo find where it come from, but it too dangerous for one person. Shampoo need more strong martial artists!"

Akane looked at Ranma. The suspicion was there (it always was, where Shampoo was concerned), but the fear for her sister outweighed it. "Where is she? Where's Kasumi?"

"She be trapped in a kind of... dream-state," Shampoo explained, her hips giving a tiny, unconscious twitch. "She be at the training hall, but she not see Shampoo. Something block the way. A 'wall of rhythm'. Shampoo can lead you there, but we must be careful. If you hear the music, you must cover ears! If you see anything strange, you look away too too quick!"

"Anything strange?"  Ranma scoffed. "In Furinkan? Might as well not look at anything at all!"

"Ranma, shut up!" Akane snapped. "Shampoo, lead the way. If Kasumi is in trouble, we're not wasting time."

Shampoo went up ahead of them, a cruel smirk on her pretty face as she took the lead, and a subtle, almost imperceptible swagger to her step that made the light shine just so off her uniform...

Aloha hoi~

======

As Shampoo led them through the corridors, the atmosphere began to shift. It was subtle at first. In the distance, the faint, rhythmic thrum of a bass line echoed through the vents. It wasn't loud enough to be a song, just a steady, pulsing beat that seemed to synchronize with the heartbeat.

"Do you hear that?" Akane whispered, stopping in her tracks.

"Hear what?" Ranma asked, though she paused, her head tilting.

"That... thumping. It sounds like a drum."

"I don't hear anything," Shampoo said quickly, though she was smiling. "Must be wind in pipes. Come, we must hurry!"

As they turned the corner toward the gym, they encountered a group of students. Six girls and four boys, all dressed in a variety of bright, tropical attire. They weren't blocking the path, but they were dancing. They moved in a slow, undulating circle, their hips swaying in perfect unison. 

The sunlight hitting the windows created a strobe-like effect, reflecting off the silver fabric of their skirts. The flashes were precise, rhythmic, and blindingly bright.

"What is this?" Ranma muttered, shielding her eyes. "Is the whole school having a luau without telling me?"

"Don't look at them!" Shampoo warned, grabbing Ranma’s arm and pulling her forward. "Is dangerous! Look away!"

Ranma rolled her eyes but did as she was told. Just as planned. Shampoo could barely repress the giggle she was feeling bubbling up inside of her. She wondered how long they'd last underneath this assault? As the less than obvious hypnotic signals hit their subconscious, they'd soon both buckle and they'd be too too cute as hula girls!

Aloha hoi~