Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Akane ❯ Love Isn't Enough ( Chapter 14 )

Disclaimer: I sadly don't own Ranma or any of the characters. Rumiko Takahashi does. I'm only using her awesome characters for fanfictional stories. So I repeat, Rumiko Takahashi is the Creator of Ranma ½

'...' indicates thoughts of the character

*...* will tell you when a flashback appears

<...> when characters are speaking Chinese

Akane

Chapter 14

Mousse had to find out where Ranma was. He needed to warn the martial artist that his fiancé was going to be attacked with a very strong potion that will have her forget everything... If he didn't get to him soon... Mousse shook his head. How could someone even consider that? Cologne was a decent woman but she was cut-throat most of the time.

The restaurant was closed and Mousse had made up his mind. It was time Shampoo knew what he was really like. Time that she knew how he truly felt and what she had forgotten. Mousse sighed as he started his trek down the stairs and confirmed where his violet-haired love was.

He watched her for a moment, how her wrist moved gracefully as she stirred the potion. He observed how her eyes seemed so disheartened. Was she thinking about what she was about to do with that substance she was stirring? But it was too late. There was no way that Shampoo was going to listen to him. She never did in the past, why would now be any different?

'Still Shampoo, how could you even think about doing something like that?'

"Shampoo..." He finally called and the girl turned around as soon as she heard him.

"Mousse! Don't' scare Shampoo like that! Dumb jerk!" She spat at him annoyed.

They stared at each other until Shampoo began to feel a little unnerved. She didn't know what Mousse was thinking and usually he would say what he wanted right after calling her but he was just staring at her with a sense of sadness dripping from his aura. She didn't understand.

"What is it you want, Mousse? Shampoo have no time for this." She stared at him only to see him shake his head.

"Shampoo," Mousse started in a tone that she hadn't heard in a long time. It wasn't one of infatuation, not asking for an apology. It was different; Distant... "You're not the same girl that I fell in love with. You have changed and I think you forgot what you wanted out of life."

Shampoo's face contorted in confusion. She didn't understand what he was saying.

"Shampoo know not where this comes from. Mousse, what is with you?" She got a little angered. "Shampoo is doing what Shampoo likes! No one tells Shampoo what to do!" She put her foot down because she felt she had to. There was something amiss and honestly, she was kind of afraid of what was going on. It was something that she's never experience with Mousse and she didn't know what he was liable to do.

Mousse growled and Shampoo stayed her ground but on the inside, she jumped. That was so un-Mousse like.

"What is wrong, Mousse? Have bad day?" Shampoo tried but he puzzled her again.

"And there you go again, Shampoo. Who are you kidding? You follow orders from Cologne without even thinking about the consequences." Mousse turned his back on her ready to walk away and commanded in a harsh voice,

"Come here, Shampoo."

Even though she thought it was childish, it felt like there was nothing that she could do against him at this moment. Shampoo shouted at him.

"Shampoo no follow your orders!"

But even as she sounded defiant, her childhood friend snapped his head to the side and watched as his emerald eyes burned into hers.

"I'm not playing around, Shampoo! Follow me!" He yelled harshly.

Shampoo flinched at his sharp tone and followed Mousse out to the back of the building. She watched his long black hair swing side to side with his strong strides. Shampoo's mind was blank. Why was Mousse acting the way he was? It was so out of the blue and she did nothing to him in the past days to make him angry...

"Where we go, Mouse? Why are we in backyard?"

But he said nothing as she noticed him get into a stance that she recognized in a heart beat. He wanted to fight her?

"You know, Shampoo, sometimes you need to stand up for yourself and not what you think you should do. Ready yourself."

Shampoo was lost.

"Shampoo wants to know what's the matter with Mousse! Why you picking fight? Shampoo will beat you like every time you try!"

Mousse snarled at her and her eyes widened when she saw him come at her with speeds she was not ready for. She was preparing for an impact when Mousse disappeared. Shampoo had no clue where he vanished to until she felt chains wrap about her ankle and pull her down to the ground. She quickly rolled over, her adrenaline pumping.

This fight was different than all the times she's ever fought with Mousse.

The chains quickly retracted and she jumped up to her feet only to see that Mousse was no long there.

'Mousse is fast.'

But as she turned her head to check behind her, she was yet again struck from behind but she managed to twisted around in Mousse's strong embrace and their eyes locked for a moment before she ducked down and back rolled away from him. When she was back to her feet, crouched and stared at where Mousse was last standing. One knife imbedded itself to the ground and another a foot closer to her and Shampoo acted quickly as she rolled to the side in time as the last knife landed where she once was.

'How!?' She questioned herself over and over. It seemed like he knew everything she was going to do and was just playing around with her. How could that be? But Mousse spoke up for her question.

"You see, Shampoo, it is by choice that I let you win." His voice traveled from her right and she snapped her head to find him standing but a few paces away from her. Her anger rose. There was no way that he was better than she was, not after all this time.

"Mousse lies!" Shampoo yelled emotionally and launched a high kick to his face when he blocked it with his forearm. But Shampoo's assault was not over as she dropped and placed her hands to the ground to kicked her feet out to sweep his legs but Mousse saw it coming and flipped over her and let loose another chain. The chain slapped around her wrists and pulled her arms from beneath her. Shampoo fell to the ground on her side and grunted out loud.

"Why do you continue with this, Shampoo? Remember before Ranma ever came into the picture? Remember what your ambitions were then, Shampoo?"

Shampoo got back up and readied herself for another attack and found Mousse running straight at her. She tried to sidestep him but he was still in her face. He went completely offensive, jabbing at her powerfully as he noticed that she was tiring from blocking his hard hits and let a few slip by.

Mousse could see her determination and that was one of the things he loved about her. She would put her best into everything he just wished that her efforts were not wasted on someone who wouldn't appreciate that.

He got another punch through to her side and in a last ditch effort, Shampoo blocked a shot to her face and dropped down to the ground and tried another sweep and got his foot to kick up from beneath him but her violet eyes watched as he gracefully bent fully backwards to let his hands touch the ground and pushed himself back up to land on his feet, ready for if she was going to come at him but she couldn't. That moment where he unleashed all those punches at her drained her stamina. Her side ached, her arms hurt from blocking and her breath was coming out in long laborious pants. Never had Mousse given her such a fight that would actually make her question if she was going to be victorious or not.

"When did you let anyone else's ideals cloud your own? When did you live for people other than yourself, Shampoo?" Mousse questioned her yet again and again she had no answer for that. She wanted to think that all those questions he was asking her were irrelevant but... were they really?

Shampoo brushed away her hair that was sticking to her face and saw that she was next to the knives that Mousse threw before.

"Stop playing, Mousse!" She ran and scooped up the knives and whipped them at his robed form but he only stood there and deflected them with a shield that he pulled from beneath his white robes.

"Shampoo is for Shampoo!" She yelled out in frustration. "No one else! Why you fighting with Shampoo? Shampoo no understand!" Her call was strong as she ran to his right, dodging his speedy chain strikes. When did his attacks become so fast?

"Isn't this how I'm supposed to win your heart, Shampoo?" Mousse yelled to her and Shampoo slowed down as she realized what he was after. That one moment of hesitation caused one of his chains to hit her on the shoulder and Shampoo was slammed up against the concrete wall with the seer force of the blow. She cried out as her backside was aching in pain and tears managed to slip from her eyes. Before she bounced forward to hit the ground, she was suddenly forced up against the wall. When her violet eyes opened, she was shocked to see how close Mousse's face was to her own and at that moment, she knew Mousse somehow had gotten strong. He only needed to finish her off and her marriage to Ranma would be annulled. She had to face it, Mousse had won.

Mousse continued to restrain Shampoo, letting his stare pierce her very soul. He watched as she stared right back at him, her pride was still strong and she would not cry out to him. Shampoo was an Amazon Warrior! She was the strongest woman, the most beautiful woman in all the world. Shampoo was the only woman that could make his heart ache and soar. And that is why he couldn't follow the laws of his own tribe. If she did not want to be with him, he wasn't going to force her.

"For me to even be recognized by you, I have to beat you." He pulled his face back a bit but never let his eyes stray away from her own. "Shampoo, this isn't how I want you to love me. I want you to love me for, who. I. Am. Not because I am a better fighter than you are. I never came at you full force before because I never wanted to receive your precious hand that way. I wanted you to do it yourself of your own free will. But if you refuse to realize who loves you or who has good or bad intentions for you, then I can't help you if you just turn a blind eye to it. I can't help you anymore, Xian-Pu. I'm sorry but I've tried so hard to help you, to guide you..." Mousse paused, breaking their stare and blinking away some threatening tears.

"Wo ai ni, Xian-Pu. Wo ai ni!" Mousse shouted his love for her from his whole being but no matter how much he told her, it wouldn't be enough. And that is why he had to apologize to her for giving up. "Dui bu qi, Xian-Pu. I'm sorry." And Mousse looked one last time into Shampoo's large, violet eyes and held her gaze for a moment longer as he lifted his hand from her shoulder, smoothed away her disheveled hair and slid his hand down her soft face to cup her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Shampoo."

And he let her go and watched as her eyes grew red, on the verge of tears but instead of crying or yelling at him she raised her hand and slapped Mousse.

He felt the sting on his cheek and let it seem like the pressure of the slap forced him to the ground. When he glanced up at the girl before him, her eyes were wide in disbelief.

"You have defeated me again, Shampoo." Mousse said broken-hearted. Shampoo gasped and watched as he stood up and turned his back on her and disappeared inside the restaurant, leaving Shampoo stunned. She dropped to her knees and lifted a hand to her face.

"Mousse let Shampoo win all this time?" Her first initial reaction was deceit and anger and she yelled out,

"Mousse is stupid!!" But then she felt sad and lonely suddenly. Mousse was always by her side... So did that mean that he was leaving? Was he going back to their village?

Shampoo waited some time before she pulled herself up to her feet and slowly walked in through the back door of the Neko-Hanten.

"Shampoo is free to love and free to do what Shampoo wants." She whispered brokenly as she found herself walking back to the potion. But then she realized that what her grandmother told her to do with Akane didn't give Akane that freedom to love and do what she wanted... Honestly, she did not want to do it. It was like a low blow... really low.

"Maybe Shampoo shouldn't..." She mumbled as she walked into the room with the potion. She half expected to run into Mousse but she bet he left the restaurant completely.

"Oh no!" Shampoo exclaimed as she noticed the condition of the room. "The potion is gone!" The ingredients were destroyed. Her violet eyes roamed over the shelves in the small pantry room as fine ingredients were ruined and strewn all over the place. It was a mess.

<What should I do?> She thought in her native tongue. And then she realized that Mousse was talking about Akane and he knew the plan against her.

"Mousse took the potion." She obviously pointed out as she saw the pot that it was held in over turned with traces of the reddish liquid dripping down to the ground. What should she do?

"Granddaughter!" Cologne called causing the purple-haired girl to jump and turn around towards the front of the store. She was frozen in place. What was she going to tell her grandmother?

Thanks

BlizzardAngel