Mousse lay on the bed they had fixed for him and sighed. He was alone. Shampoo had clearly decided to get rid of him once and for all. Why she hadn’t killed him, he didn’t know.
          "I have no life without you Shampoo." He tried to sit up but couldn’t manage.
          "Mousse?" Akane poked her head in the door and smiled at him. "I found your glasses." She walked in and settled them on his nose.
          "I appreciate this, Akane Tendo. But I am too much of a burden. My Shampoo has forced me out. You should have left me to die."
          "Absolutely not! Don’t talk like that Mousse."
          "I love her Akane. And this is how she repays that love."
          Akane stared at him for a long moment. She had the hardest time believing that Shampoo could do this to anyone, much less Mousse. A niggling of guilt at all the times she’d hit Ranma with her mallet played on her mind. "Mousse, sometimes people can’t see the love that’s right in front of them."
          "Like you? And Ranma?"
          "Maybe you being gone will help to show her she can’t live without you."
          "And if it doesn’t?"
          Akane shrugged, a sad smile on her face. "Maybe it will show you that you can live without her."

          Ryouga ran his hand through his hair and brushed yet another gallon of the soft white sand out. "Oh Akane." He thought. "I am so sorry I left you. I had the best intentions leaving you to talk to Ranma, but I never meant to leave you."
          He looked around, dark shapes moved quickly from tree to tree, but his sense of danger told him not to worry. "I’m trying to find my way back Akane. I won’t let him hurt you."
          He thought briefly of her naked body poised above his, then pushed the thought away. Time for that later. Right now, she was dealing with Ranma alone. A hard wave of depression caught at him.
          Suddenly, a group of extremely tall creatures stood in front of him. A quick chi blast cleared the way, and he continued walking, Akane the only thing on his mind.

          Nabiki sat on her bed, thoughtfully playing with her abacus. She was trying to think of what could possibly be going on with Ranma and Akane. At least, that was the plan. What she actually kept doing was daydreaming. She closed her eyes and pictured Kunou in her mind. He had shared her lunch and was typically effusive about Kasumi’s cooking. But he had kept stealing glances at her. She’d studiously ignored them, but now, alone in her room, she kept playing the afternoon over in her mind. She’d known Kunou ever since she’d started school, had called him Kunou-baby (much to his dismay) almost as long. But suddenly, she was seeing him through new eyes.
          "Nabiki, your friend is here." Kasumi called from downstairs.
          She shook her head to clear her mind. Friend? She wasn’t expecting anybody. "Thanks Kasumi, I’ll be right down." She left her room, running into Ranma coming out of Akane’s. "Hey Ranma."
          He jumped at her voice. "I…I wasn’t doin’ nothin’. I’m stayin’ on the floor!"
          "I know. I was there." She smiled. "What is up with you two?"
          "What?" He started walking down the stairs, trying to avoid her probing stare.
          "You’re almost being nice. And she was in a good mood last night." Nabiki’s eyes narrowed.
          "All right! She heard about the mess with me and Ucchan. Then I called her an uncute tomboy who was built like a mule and almost as sexy, who can’t cook and would kill any man stupid enough to let her trick him into marrying her." He stopped abruptly as he ran into Kunou. Noticing Nabiki’s interest was no longer on him, he continued. "Um…er, but I apologized and forced down one of her cookies."
          "The day pales next to your beauty."
          Ranma looked down at his chest to make sure he was male then looked around for Akane. "Huh?" Then he saw the blush creeping up Nabiki’s cheeks.
          "Hello Kunou." Her cool voice belied her flushed face.
          "Well, I’m gonna find Akane." Ranma backed away, his gaze going back and forth between them.
          "I hope I do not impose upon thee."
          "No. What brings you here?"
          "I thought perchance we could compose a work of wit and intensity." He looked slightly nervous. "Our joint endeavor claims our attentions most expediently."
          "Sure. Do you mind working here?" She headed for the main room. "Go ahead and have a seat. I’ll go get my notes."
          "Nabiki Tendo?"
          She turned back around at the question in his voice. "Yes Kunou-baby?"
          He head out a huge bouquet of red roses. "They do you no justice. You are like the pure sunshine that causes the bloom of love."
          She walked back and took the flowers from him. "Is this some sort of practical joke?"
          "To joke of love is to make mockery of such innocent emotion. I do not joke of love."
          She looked into his eyes. "I’m sorry Kunou. I’ll be right back."

          Mousse lay on the futon and held onto Akane’s hand, squeezing it whenever there was a flash of pain. The doctor had just finished his examination. "Four broken ribs, as I expected." He sighed. "She certainly wasn’t fooling around."
          "I can’t believe Shampoo would do this to you. She’s violent but never without some strange reason."
          "Perhaps she has one."
          He sounded so sad, she stroked his cheek, "Oh Mousse."
          For Ranma, who had just appeared in the doorway, the scene was too tender. Too reminiscent of the previous afternoon. "What the hell is going on here? Wasn’t Ryouga bad enough? I mean he’s injured Akane. Can’t you control yourself at all?"
          She froze, her aura flaring around her briefly before it crumbled she ran out of the room in tears She ran past him, brushing him viciously out of the way.
          Ranma walked up to Mousse, "I’m sorry she was so…"
          "Shut up." A knife flew past Ranma’s face, cutting his cheek, drawing blood. "She was trying to comfort me because Shampoo has finally driven me away. I can’t fight her, so I have lost. Akane understood and was trying to be a friend. You are the same insensitive fool I have always taken you for." Mousse lay back, "Go away Ranma. I always believed you didn’t deserve Shampoo, but I believed you loved Akane. For her sake, I hope I was wrong."

          Akane ran past Nabiki and Kunou, out the door. Her heart ached. She should have known. Ranma didn’t love her. He was using what she did with Ryouga as a way to sleep with her, then obviously he was going to follow through on his threat to tell her family. He believed she could admit to him finally that she loved him then casually try to seduce Mousse.
          Tears blinded her, so she stopped running. She leaned against a tree and let her sobs overtake her. "Damn you Ranma!" She punched the tree and sank down onto the ground.
          "Akane?" Ukyou slowly walked up to her. Sinking down next to her, she squeezed her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
          "I’m fine Ukyou." She brushed her tears away angrily and stifled her sobs. "What are you doing out? I thought you’d be at Ucchan’s."
          "Too many people came by asking about Ranchan and me. I got tired of laughing it off."
          "Did you two really think you would fool Shampoo?" Akane looked down at her hands. Why not? They’d fooled her. Fooled her enough to…
         "Akane?" Ukyou’s face was worried. "You in there?"
         "Sorry."
         "I don’t know. Ranchan doesn’t always think things through, and I may have been a little overanxious to help."
          Akane didn’t respond. She thought back to the afternoon before. If she and Ranma hadn’t talked, today would be a completely different story. Not that it still couldn’t happen.
          "Ukyou, I think you should know something. It’s kind of important." She swallowed hard. "I know how you feel about Ranma and I think he deserves someone like you who loves him and who he can trust. He doesn’t trust me anymore, so I am breaking our engagement."
          "What?"
          "Take care of him Ukyou. Please?"
          "Your father isn’t going to agree to this Akane."
          "Don’t worry about my father. I have that handled. Just promise you won’t let Shampoo have him."
          "Akane…"
          "Stop it Akane." Ranma’s voice was stern as he looked down at both girls.
          "Go away Ranma. You’ve shown me how you really feel. I’m not going to live like that."
          "All I showed you was that I’m insensitive, insecure and a jerk. I thought you knew all that already."
          She shook her head. "I’m not going to live having to watch everything I do or say."
         "I was jealous Akane."
          Ukyou followed the conversation like a tennis match, a little amazed that the two were actually talking and there was no mallet in sight. Ranma’s comment brought her eyes to his. Jealous?
          "You don’t have anything to be jealous of."
          "Tell my heart that." He looked shyly at her. Sinking to his knees in front of her, he took her hands. "I’m sorry. I’m not always reasonable. I’m in love."
          "What?" Ukyou’s voice was cold. She quickly flung a flurry of small spatulas, pinning Ranma to a nearby tree. "What did you say?"
          "Um, uh. Hi Ucchan."
          "You…you love her?" Her voice seemed to shrink as she slumped to the ground. "Why? How? She’s violent. She can’t cook, she’s…Damn it! I’m the cute one!"
          "I’m sorry Ukyou."
          "Sorry! Sorry! She doesn’t love you like I do. She can’t. I gave up everything for you. I…"
          "Ucchan. You’re my best friend. But that’s all you can be. I love Akane."
          "Fine Ranma. But you’ll be sorry. She’ll never love you like I would have!" She stood up and ran from the park.
          "Oh Ukyou…" Ranma sighed and dislodged the last of her spatulas. Squeezing Akane’s hands, he helped her stand. "I’m so sorry Akane."
          "How could you think that Ranma? Mousse is a friend. That’s all. He was upset. I won’t live with you questioning my every move. You have to trust me."
          "I’m scared, that….that you’ll find someone you like who…who doesn’t turn into a girl."
          "Much better that he turns into a pig or a duck? Let’s remember who’s the pervert here." She squeezed his hand. "All kidding aside Ranma, I think Mousse really needs a friend right now. And I want to be there for him."

          Shampoo stared out the window as she stirred the potion her great grandmother was making. *Where Mousse?*
          "Shampoo is it boiling yet?"
          "No great grandmother."
          Cologne looked up from her scrolls at the sad tone of Shampoo’s voice. Perhaps now Shampoo was dealing with her feelings for the duck-boy. She would have no definitive success or failure with son-in-law until she did so.
          "Is boiling."
          Cologne hopped to the stove and threw in some ingredients. "Now cover the pot, child. We have a day or two to wait. Shall we open the restaurant tonight?"
          "Tomorrow please? Shampoo need go see husband."
          "Certainly child." The old woman watched the young girl leave through the back door. Quickly skimming the recipe again, she smiled. This time they’d have son-in-law for sure.
          Shampoo made her way slowly to the Tendo dojo. She studiously avoided looking at the trail of blood that led off in the direction of Dr. Tofu’s. Her mind was swimming with images of Mousse. He’d been her friend since childhood, despite his persistent pursuit of her. When Cologne hadn’t needed her, she’d searched Nerima looking for him, constantly coming up empty. She’d even stooped to asking Ukyou. And she was too ashamed to ask Ranma. She stopped in the park, sinking onto a bench. She wouldn’t see Ranma tonight. Her guilt at hurting her friend was too much. Tears filled her eyes as she stared up at the stars. *Where are you Mousse? Will you forgive me? Will I forgive myself?*

          Nabiki balanced her pencil on the tip of her nose. Kunou had been polite all afternoon, working hard the entire time. Their project was almost done, but that hadn’t stopped him from casting an occasional flirtatious glance her way. The project was done, Kunou was flirting with her, there had been no interruptions…things were going well, if she did say so herself.
          "Hey, Kunou-baby."
          "Yes, fair Nabiki?"
          "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
          "I would be overjoyed."
          "It would mean eating with Akane and Ranma."
          "I am happy they seem to have resolved the turmoil that has plagued them. As betrothed they must learn to embrace the small moments of joy amongst the agony of misunderstanding."
          "The pig-tailed girl may show up."
          "I am so glad that Saotome allows her to socialize."
          The twitching was barely noticeable now. "Kunou-baby, what’s going on?" Her voice had a defeated tone in it.
          "I know not of what you speak lovely Nabiki. I know only this. I love you. I have secretly for so long. Will you date with me?"
          She snapped the pencil in two. "What?"
          "I have put away the childish pursuits of yesterday. I seek fulfillment. I seek passion. I seek beauty and love. You are the embodiment of that which I desire. Nabiki Tendo, will you date with me?"
          "Nabiki? Are you and your friend staying for dinner?"
          Nabiki stared up at her sister, flabbergasted. "Oh my."

          Dinner was a quiet affair. That, in itself, was unusual, and everyone seemed to notice. Akane was helping Mousse. Ranma was trying not to be jealous by imagining her feeding him. Of course, that caused other sorts of problems. Kasumi was talking quietly with her father and Genma. And Nabiki simply stared at Kunou. As he finished both the meal and praising Kasumi, he finally returned her gaze. "I will give you time Nabiki Tendo. Good evening."
          She watched him walk away. "Excuse me. I’m exhausted. Goodnight."

          Ryouga stood still amid the tall trees. He stared up at the stars, allowing himself to think of Akane - her body poised over his, his name on her lips. His body shuddered with excitement. "I’m on my way back to you Akane. Ranma won’t hurt you anymore."

          Ukyou swung her spatula in a wide arc, finally connecting with the telephone pole that had been following her the entire day since she’d left Akane and Ranma in the park. "Go away Tsubasa, you pervert!"
          She slammed into Ucchan’s and headed for her room. Throwing her spatula onto the bed, she began to pack. "Akane! Fine Ranma Saotome! You love that stupid violent girl, then you’re welcome to each other. You won’t have Ukyou to play with anymore." She slung the bag and spatula onto her back and left the restaurant. Slapping a sign reading "CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE", she headed out of town.

          Shampoo tossed and turned, trying desperately to get to sleep. She could smell the potion simmering in the kitchen, but that shouldn’t be keeping her awake.
          Cologne’s soft snoring echoed down the hall, but again, that was a common occurrence. She sat up. Why couldn’t she sleep?
          She walked through the restaurant and their living quarters to reassure herself that everything was locked up. "No. Everything okay Mousse." She replied to the question he asked every night. Every night but this one.
          Shampoo returned to her bed, curling herself into a fetal position. "Oh Mousse, why you leave Shampoo?"

          Ranma walked out of the bathroom, slowly making his way to Akane’s room. He was far more nervous than he cared to admit. He’d almost stayed in girl form, but then thought Akane might take it wrong. Not that she couldn’t just as easily take the fact that he was male as a threat.
          He stared at the duck nameplate gathering his courage as though it were chi. He’d been in far more dangerous battles than this. He took a deep breath and knocked.
          Akane opened the door, his same fears mirrored in her eyes. She was wearing her blue and yellow pajamas and looked as cute as he’d ever seen her.
          "Well, sleep well Ranma." She went to her bed, quickly crawling under the covers. He followed her lead and climbed into his own makeshift bed.
          "Goodnight Akane."
          She turned to face him. Smiling at him with just a hint of mischief, she leaned closer to him. In her softest, most sultry voice, she breathed, "Goodnight Ranma."
          He rolled onto his stomach with a moan. Akane smiled. Perhaps this could be fun after all.