"Ooooo... Shampoo kill!" Shampoo stormed towards the door
of the Nekohanten in a blind rage. That pervert girl had
insulted her for the last time. She had totally forsaken
the kiss of death she gave Akane a long time ago. No more.
Someone who besmudged your honor with insults like hussy
and bimbo didn't deserve to live.

A rabid Shampoo splintered a table and quickly turned it
into a pile of wood chips as she savagely washed it down
with a towel. These actions did not go unnoticed by Mousse.
'Ah, Shampoo, my love. What troubles your poor soul this
time?' Mousse thought to himself. 'If only I could've
brought myself to defeat you so long ago, you wouldn't have
had to suffer the advances of Saotome.'

Mousse mentally kicked himself. Under the facade he held
while around Shampoo and Cologne he knew that Ranma was not
the cause of his problems. He was.

Mousse noticed a purple blur head toward the general
direction of the exit and deftly slipped his glasses over
his eyes. Dropping his pail and mop he headed to the door to
intercept Shampoo. Eyeing the sword and bonbori Shampoo
carried Mousse spoke with a calm Shampoo was not accustomed
to. "Shampoo. I suggest that you stop this fool idea right
now. If you don't I'll stop it for you."

WHAT was he talking about?! Had all the long hours and
nightly beatigns finally sent him off his rocker? Shampoo
glared at Mousse in defiance. "No. Pervert girl insult
Shampoo for last time. Now she die. Stand aside or Shampoo
hurt Mousse as well."

Mousse attained a stance sending Shampoo back a step. "No,
Shampoo. I am going to stop you." Shampoo could not believe
his impertinance! He, who was but a lowly male.. A male who
could not defeat her in combat, armed or no, let alone
defeat her suitor to be. How could HE have the audacity to
proclaim that he would stop her!

Growling, Shampoo retorted furiously, "Shampoo warn once
more, Mousse. Get. Out. Of. Shampoo. Way. Before. Shampoo.
Hurt." With a glint in her eye, Shampoo took another step
toward the loosely stanced martial artist.

Mousse's eyes flashed as he removed his glasses. "Very well,
Shampoo. Hurt me if you must." Mousse stood his ground,
defying over three thousand years of Amazon tradition.
Shampoo lost control and charged, swinging her sword at
Mousse's throat.

"Mousse die like pervert girl, then!" Neither teenager
noticed the crippled form of Cologne look on with interest
as Shampoo's blade descended upon Mousse's neck.

'Shampoo? I hope you know what you do, Child. You as well,
Mousse' Cologne thought as she regarded the scene before
her.

Shampoo savagely finished the cut, finding the blade off
course. It had stopped next to Mousse, cutting through only
thin air and not him. Shampoo looked on, not believing. She
hadn't seen Mousse move. She must have missed! Mousse never
could have blocked that!

Winding up, Shampoo jabbed straight ahead with her bonbori,
aiming for Mousse's face. It, also, stopped next to him,
deflected aside by something.

"Shampoo... I'm telling you I'm not letting you pass until
you drop this kiss of death against Akane." Mousse declared
again. Shampoo couldn't believe this. She needed more
practice. Mousse wasn't even wearing his glasses!

With a vicious snarl, Shampoo let loose with her worst,
slashing savagely with her sword and jabbing with her
bonbori. Nothing hit. Mousse stood, unharmed as a flash of
white outlined his actions. His hands HAD been moving,
Shampoo noticed, but faster than anything she had ever seen.
How could he move this fast? Ranma couldn't even do this!

"Shampoo... This is your last chance. If you don't stop I'll
stop you." Mousse looked Shampoo in the eyes with a hard
edged gaze that sent a shiver through her spine.

'Well, Mousse. It seems I have underestimated you.' Shampoo
was totally blown away as she continued her assault. A kick
was deftly knocked aside as was an open handed blow, her
weapons had long since been knocked from her grasp. She
punched, feeling her arm stop while outstretched. She lashed
out with her other hand, finding that it to, refused to come
back to her.

Shampoo's eyes shone fear for the first time in all her life
as she looked up at Mousse, holding her arms at bay.
"M-Mousse... When you get this good?" Shampoo's bottom lip
was trembling as she stared in awe at the martial artist
before her.

"I've always been this good Shampoo. It's just I haven't
chosen to use it yet. My glasses as well, are simply a ruse.
An act. I don't need to see to know exactly what you are
doing and what you're going to do." Mousse sighed and looked
to the floor. 'Shampoo...' "Shampoo. I've always let you
defeat me before because I've always held hope that you'd
choose me out of your own love and not because I could knock
you out or defeat you."

Shampoo growled, Mousse had always had the ability to beat
her? Then... "Why? Why you no defeat Shampoo if you love
her?" Shampoo stood befuddled. A cruel edge suddenly came
back to her brain and she continued, "Is because Mousse is
weakling. Is a weakling male who no respect Amazon ways. Is
an honorless man." She practically spit the rest into
Mousse's face.

Mousse almost flinched, Shampoo could see his reaction. She
felt the grip on her hands go limp and took that opportunity
to attack. Lashing out with both hands, she tried to gouge
his eyes and land a powerful uppercut to the stomach but
Mousse would have nothing of it.

"No..." Shampoo found her hands caught again, and held
tighter than ever. "I won't let you do this Shampoo. There
may be codes of honor in Joketsuzoku but there is no honor
in forcing one to love you. I am better than that. I do not
abuse my skills and use them to belittle people." Mousse
sounded angry. This came as a complete surprise to Shampoo.
Mousse had NEVER gotten angry at her. Ever.

Mousse continued, "There is no reason to follow tradition,
Shampoo. Don't you see? The whole concept is wrong. The kiss
of death, the amazon laws of engagement and marriage. They
are not right. What you do is not right. Trying to kill
Akane. Do you really think Ranma would come to you after
that? After he has had the woman he loves murdered by our
'tradition'? That same tradition that keeps you after his
heart?"

Shampoo spat in Mousse's face. "What you know of tradition?
You always weak, Mousse! You always be weak!" Shampoo's
anger had gotten the better of her. She knew that Mousse was
not weak and that he had never done anything to harm another
who could not defend themselves. Mousse had honor, but
Shampoo would not give him that!

"I know plenty. Such as that you will NEVER understand!"
Mousse's temper flared. Why could she not see?! Sighing he
released Shampoo and turned to the door. "Alright, Shampoo.
This is how it is. I am leaving. And if you try to go after
Akane again, I will stop you again."

Shampoo looked on with defiance, not believing that Mousse,
who loved her, who had always loved her, would walk out the
door. "Go. But if Mousse go, he never welcome in Nekohanten
again. You stay, Shampoo only beat you within inch of life
before kill Akane."

"Goodbye, Shampoo. This is the last time we'll meet on
friendly terms." Mousse turned to Cologne's general
direction. "And to you Cologne, goodbye as well."

Cologne nodded to Mousse. "Good bye... son in law." Shampoo
looked stricken as the weight of Cologne's words sunk in.
'Son in law?!'

Turning back to Shampoo, Mousse gave her one last look,
almost an I'm sorry was in his eyes as he turned and left,
without glancing back. "Fair well, my love. You are released
from your engagement."

"What engagement?! You no defeat--" Shampoo stopped
midsentence when she suddenly realized that he just had
defeated her. And not simply physically. Shampoo yelled at
his back as he walked from her life, "You always be blind
fool! You never be anything to Shampoo! NEVER!" Shampoo's
hysterics died down as she sank against the door frame,
sobbing bitterly. Sparing a shamed glance at her great-
grandmother, she quickly looked back to the floor and
continued to cry.

Cologne shook her head. 'What have you done, great-
granddaughter? What will you do?' Cologne, above all,
understood that this was something that Shampoo would need
to deal with. Whispering, Cologne's voice never reached the
ears of anyone else, "Good luck to you, Mousse... may your
life be full. Amazons will always remember you for your
'stupidity.' I shall remember you for your honor."

Mousse continued the way he had gone, never stopping, and
never looking back.
------------------------------------------------------------
Total time: 1.03:48s
Written by: Mark Eymer
(saotome@micron.net)