Chapter 5: Mousse's Change of Heart

Reunions

"But Sifu!" Came Mousse's plea. His teacher had laid quite a bombshell on him. He knew, however that his master would absolutely not change his mind.

"I've made up my mind, Mousse. We're going to Nerima. Your stories of it have inspired me. We need to have a style that can adapt to stand against other styles. Isn't that the whole purpose of the hidden weapons technique? Always be ready for anything?" The giant of a man turned around, to point himself in Mousse's direction. It made it feel like he was at least acknowledging Mousse. "And don't worry about money. I'm prepared for that as well. We'll go, and go comfortably. Nerima sounds like it's an exciting place."

"It's also where Shampoo is! And Cologne. I'm… not ready to face either of them, especially after what I said to them."

"It's been a year, Mousse. You've had time to get your head and emotions straight… Your student is advancing rapidly… as rapidly as you did. Taking him there will force him to adapt his style to counter a multitude of different schools of fighting. I wish I had taken you there myself. I even have a fairly expansive piece of Property already purchased, that we can use as a training facility. Chang can even set up those confounded wires of his."

Sifu Really didn't like Chang's method of hearing summons from other rooms. He had a trail of wires that he kept tight throughout the house. When you want to contact him, pluck one of them, and he will come soon. Sifu was still trying to get used to them. When your navigation depends on your ability to know where everything is, a change like that can make things… difficult.

Mousse sighed… and gave in. Now, he had to tell the student and his sister. Mousse reached over and plucked a string, to call his student. He was surprised when both people he had to tell came from the direction of Chang's room. She was blushing, and he was grinning… both stopped, when they both saw Mousse's eyebrow arching over his glasses. This wasn't a happy look.

"And what might you two have been up to, in there? Nothing a Proud Amazon Girl would be Ashamed to have her MOTHER know about?"

Eyeshadow shook her head vehemently, "Nonononono! I was just helping Chang with his lip reading…" which Chang agreed with…

Mousse leaned in close… she blushed… he grinned… "It's hard to read lips while you're kissing. I won't tell Mother about this… Just… don't let things get out of hand? Please?"

The conversations were covered by his sister's giggle's, and his student's hastily written replys.

Meanwhile, In Nerima…

Shampoo had just closed down her new restaurant, down by the waterfront, from it's first week of business… She was amazed. Once She had her focus on keeping the restaurant running, instead of Matrimony, she was amazed by the amount of Money it was bringing in. She still lived at the other restaurant, but this one was opened because she frankly couldn't stay ahead of all the demand. The restaurant was packed every day. Both of them were.

"Aiyaa… How much Money did Great Grandmother throw away trying to catch Ranma?" she wondered aloud in her slightly better Japanese. Cologne was still gone, searching Japan for Mousse, to Bring him back for Shampoo to Marry, so they could go back to Joketsuzoku, and live their lives with Mousse living the life of a good little man-slave, also known as a 'husband'.

Little did Cologne know that Shampoo wanted something different. Since Shampoo had been running things, she discovered that She had a few good business instincts. She had hired mainly attractive, young, fresh out of high school girls for delivery and waitresses, cute boys of the same age to work as Busboys, and had even set up delivery contracts with a few local businesses.

When she got home, on her bicycle, she went upstairs, as she usually did. She went through her nightly routine of shower, and stretching. She even went through a few Katas, just to keep herself up to par, as far as fighting went. She laid down in her bed, and looked over at the final part of her nightly routine. She picked up the picture from Mousse's room, and looked at it, long, and hard. Trying to imagine Mousse's smile in the picture as Genuine. She missed that smile… That face… She remembered the times she had seen him out of his robes, while practicing... "Mousse… why you have to go and turn Handsome overnight? Why not just stay skinny, blind boy from village?" She set the picture down, as her mind pondered what it would feel like to be held by those arms, feel those fingers in her hair, those lips on hers… All her imaginings led to one long sigh , and the one word she could think of that summed it all up. "Aiyaaaaaa…"

Time Passes…

Chang sat on top of the Warehouse he called home. He and Mousse had moved here from China some months ago. For some reason, Sifu had insisted that Ai Xiado and himself also come. Something about Mousse needing to complete his training. He mumbled the rest, and Chang couldn't read his lips. He was confused, but didn't question it. He had progressed in his art quite a bit… His specialty was staff weapons… He had modified about fifty collapsible staves, which he was now wearing up his sleeves and pant legs. Some other weapons, such as knives, and shuriken had found their way into his arsenal. He was also developing skills with whips. His unarmed fighting was also coming along nicely. But Mousse wasn't moving quite as well in that respect. He still depended too greatly on his weapons, and couldn't progress beyond them.

His train of thought was derailed when he felt something… He had set up a series of wires, that connected at this very spot where he was sitting. Almost like a spider's web. Mousse had almost insisted he not be alone on the roof, with no way to know when someone was coming. Something about visitors tending to arrive via rooftops. Again, he didn't question it. So he got up, and slowly looked in the direction of the vibration… to see a young man, near Mousse's age, collapsed in a heap on the roof. He appeared to have just landed… quite hard, too.

Chang picked him up, and quickly made his way to the doorway. He ran down the stairs, thinking this person must be in pretty bad shape, if he had been thrown to the rooftop. Chang pulled a bell from a sleeve, and began ringing it loudly, trying to get the attention of those inside. That was when he got the fist in the face…

Elsewhere…

Mousse stood in front of his master, wearing only his pants, and not wearing a single weapon. Quite a feat, when he hadn't done that in quite a few years. But Sifu had insisted. "The Body is a Superior weapon to any that you can hold. You've got to learn to fight without them. You brought Chang here, so he could be exposed to many different types of martial arts… yet you have not used any yourself. Time to expand yourself beyond the weapons…" His master stood in a similar state, although Sifu was Much more intimidating, than Mousse. He was at least 6'3'' and was as muscular as any bodybuilder. His stances were solid, secure, and more than anything else, skilled.

"Why didn't you try and teach me this before? When I didn't have so many habits to break?" he muttered to himself. He stood in his most familiar fighting stance, but he still felt naked without his weapons.

"Because the amazons were always watching. Now… attack me! Use the skills I taught you!" The man had to be well in his sixties, but had stayed in better condition than anyone else he'd known. The only indication of his age was the long, white hair that flowed around him, as he skillfully dodged all of Mousse's attacks. Mousse tried punching, and kicking, even his more complex attacks, but all were avoided... except for the Ostrich Kick… which was caught. Mousse scowled, and spun his other leg around, losing his patience, and forgetting that he was fighting his master.

His attacks became sharper, stronger, fiercer… but his focus slipped… he didn't notice the palm-heel-strike that caught him in the stomach.

"Better. You are improving. But not enough… If you truly want to wear the master's robes, you must learn to Always keep a tight control over yourself." The old Giant pulled his gloves on, and went towards his robe. "On another topic… when is your sister supposed to return from the store? I'm feeling a little hungry."

Mousse groaned a little, still trying to catch his breath. His master never was one to hold back. "In a few minutes… Just enough time for me to take a breather…" then Mousse and Sifu perked up… they heard Chang running, and ringing the bell. Something was wrong… Then they heard the sounds of combat… and both took off running for the stairwell…

Chang stood his ground against his assailant. He didn't know what this person's deal was… {Here I am trying to help, when he punches me in the face? There's gratitude for ya…} but of course… he said nothing. Because he couldn't talk. The stranger was in front of him, blue eyes glaring back at his. They were on a twenty foot landing, so both could stand and look at each other, without being to close. The stranger was saying something…

[Alright, buddy, who do you think you are? And where were you taking me?]

Chang wanted to get his pad and pencil out, and write down a response, but when he reached behind himself, he barely had time to dodge the attack that was aimed at his head. {Great… he thinks I'm reaching for a weapon… Alright, dude… Time to get serious…} Chang remembered his old training… from before he met Mousse… and the stranger's fist hit home, right in the middle of Chang's chest.

He felt it… the energy of pain… How it flowed through him… The essence of the Wounded Dragon style was to draw power from pain… whether to heal wounds, or to increase strength. Chang saw the surprised expression on the stranger's face, when the blow seemed to have no effect. He punched again… and again, all the while, Chang hardly blinked. The blows were strong, and quite skilled. Against anyone else, they'd be rather effective.

Chang merely smiled, and let his training take over. The stranger's speed increased, as he said something strange… Chang wasn't paying attention. He was more focused on keeping the energy flowing how it needed to. Some to healing… some to strength… Then he started fighting back. Time seemed to slow down, as he flowed into a smooth series of attacks, from punches, to kicks, to staff strikes… his opponent was hard pressed to dodge them. They began trading blows at almost a blinding speed.

This kept up for a few minutes. Neither of them seemed to make any kind of progress against the other. Chang was always just absorbing the stranger's blows. The stranger dodged or blocked most of Chang's attacks.

Then, catching them all by surprise, a flash exploded in the middle of them, and, through the spots in his eyes, Chang was able to see the stranger knocked back and bound by a chain. He then felt Sifu's hands grab him and hold him back. After that, he wasn't aware of anything.

Mousse, however, was standing over The stranger's form. "I knew I'd eventually run into you here, Ranma Saotome. What are you doing here? Answer me!" as a sword appeared in his hand, and was held at Ranma's throat…

In another portion of Nerima, Akane was holding her mallet, and wondering why she had just hammered Ranma into the skyline… Oh yeah… He had just pointed out Shampoo's new restaurant. {Old habits die hard. Shampoo just… pushes all my buttons the wrong way… Now I have to find Ranma… I think.. Yes, he landed on that old Warehouse over there.}

She made her way over, through a few side-alleys to find her way to the front door… that was… Open? Funny... she was expecting to have to break in, to get to the top floor. Oh well, best to take the easy road. She went in, and immediately heard Ranma's battle cry, "Kachu-Tenshin-AMIGURIKEN!" and general sounds of combat… She also thought she saw someone running up some stairs.

{Uh oh… He might be in trouble… I'd better follow…} She cautiously crept along the wide-open floor, noting an unusually large cache of weapons scattered along the walls, and floor. Her mallet in hand, she climbed the stairs, gripping tightly, as she went into who knows what odds, against someone Ranma had to use the Chestnut-Fist against… {Love makes you do strange things, sometimes…} She rounded the last corner, where she saw a Giant man, with hair that almost brushed the floor, holding back a youth with shoulder length hair, and a very familiar person holding a sword to Ranma's neck.

"Aw, Geez… Mousse?! What're you doin' here? And who're these people? Especially the kid there… He packs a meaner punch than Ryouga, on a GOOD day…" Ranma rubbed his chin, where a glanceing blow had caught him. Ranma knew that if he had been caught straight on by that punch, it would have been the end of the fight for him.

"Sifu… Meet Ranma Saotome… I told you about him. I think I can guess how he arrived, from the mark on his head… Akane got a bigger mallet, didn't she?"

"So this is Ranma… then that means the young lady holding a large hammer, approaching from the left, would be Akane." Mousse had to smile at his master's timing. Akane was about to brain him with her Mallet, but was stopped at the end of a long staff, in the middle of her mallet's striking surface. "Quite a bit of power, young lady, but absolutely no subtlety at all." He twisted his wrist a little, and caused the precariously perched Akane to stumble over, ending up beside Ranma.

"Ranma, Akane… Meet my Sifu, Whose name is a mystery to all but himself, and my student, Chang, who has the unique ability to absorb pain as a fuel for power. I'd advise you not to hit him with the Amiguriken again, Ranma… you probably wouldn't like the results." The two waved a little, not sure whether or not they were in trouble.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEY! BIG BROTHER!!!! I'M BAAAAAAAAAAACK! EVERYBODY HUNGRY!?"

Mousse sighed… "When will my sister learn that Chang is the only deaf one here…?"

=An hour or so later =

Akane sat back, "That was great, Eyeshadow. You're a great cook." Everyone had shared a meal, to catch up with everyone, and get to know the new people. Mousse wasn't quite finished… he was kind of babying his stomach. Everyone was sharing a bit of tea, as they talked.

"Well, I wish I could claim the credit, but everything's take out, from a new chain restaurant, around the corner… The recipes taste just like Amazon recipes for these things. Funny name though… The Cat Café."

Cue Spit take from Mousse. "WHAT?! What were you doing across town!? You weren't gone THAT long!"

"Umm, I thought your hearing was better than that, Big Brother… I said I was just around the corner. It's a new chain. They said they were getting a branch in Tokyo, soon. I didn't feel like cooking, so I picked up some take-out." Eyeshadow explained, with a confused expression. "What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that Cologne might know where I am, now! This is bad… I knew we shouldn't have come back here!"

"Yo, Mousse, calm down. Cologne's been gone for over a year, and a half. Shampoo's turned into Nabiki's favorite investment. The Cat Café has Boomed. It's the most popular restaurant in all Nerima. Since most of their money isn't being spent on repairs, anymore, it's amazing what they can afford to do." Ranma's comments seemed to calm Mousse down.

"Shampoo's… really doing that well for herself?" he asked, once he had digested all that information.

Akane nodded, "There's only one thing. Every time someone I know sees her, they say she looks kind of depressed. It's not about Ranma, though… We ran into her a few days ago, and she just waved a little, said Nihao, and went on her way. I'm… starting to accept her…"

"Then whyd'ja knock me into the Warehouse district for pointing out her new restaurant?"

=WHAP! Splash!=

Ranma burbled from his new position, face first in a bowl of wonton soup. "I said STARTING to! Doesn't mean I like her yet!"

A small note landed in his lap. Mousse read Chang's handwriting, and chuckled a little. "Chang asks if you're at all related to the Amazons. He's remarking on your treatment of your boyfriend."

Ranma's head perked up a little, the bowl still attached. He removed it, then said, "Akane the Amazon? That might explain a few things."

Things kind of went downhill from there.

=A short distance away=

Shampoo stared out the window of her office in the new restaurant. She could have sworn she had seen Eyeshadow leaving with a few bags of take out… What could this mean? What was she doing here? Was… Mousse here too? Could he be back? A million other questions raced through her mind, as she got out of her chair, put away the receipts from last night, and started heading out the door. She told her Secretary that she was going for a walk, and to expect her back within a couple of hours. The fact that Shampoo even had a secretary now, despite the fact that she needed one six months ago, still amazed her. She started walking down the street, tracking the way she had seen Ai Xiado leaving. She had to know… If the man she loved were this close, nothing could keep her away.

=Back at the Warehouse=

Mousse was walking to the door of the warehouse, with Akane and Ranma. "Sorry about the sword at your throat. Some old habits die hard. And the fact that I saw you fighting with my student didn't help matters either."

"Hey, don't worry about it. That kid's one tough customer, though… Ya might wanna think about the upcoming All-styles tournament, next month. He'd go far… maybe even win it all. Think about it, Mousse." Ranma said with one last wave, He and Akane left the gates, and started their way to a bus stop, to head back to their side of town. Mousse looked out at the setting sun. Surprisingly, his afternoon, with Ranma and Akane had been most pleasant. Very enjoyable. He might have to pay the Dojo a visit sometime soon.

His train of thought was interrupted by the sounds of a struggle nearby…

Shampoo had lost track of Eyeshadow some time ago… She had called in, and told her secretary she had decided to take the rest of the day off, for personal reasons. She had checked every house, being as stealthy as she possibly could. No houses in this area were recently moved into. And no mail boxes had Chinese names at all. She was starting into the warehouse district, and getting close to the old, abandoned one, when a large hand landed on her shoulder.

"Hey, pretty lady… Whatcha up to?" came a large, gruff voice, accompanied by hot, fairly rancid breath. She spun around, out of the grip. A huge, unkempt man, with a large gut, but larger muscles on his arms was looking at her with a look that made her shiver. He was accompanied by three associates, that were no cleaner than their spokesman. All were looking at her with lustful sneers.

"I-I'm looking for an old friend…" She cursed herself for that stutter… but nothing scared her more than the thought of someone doing what these men obviously wanted. She felt herself backing up, trying to put some distance between herself and the small group.

They started closing the gap, slowly, "How about a few new ones… We'll be real friendly…" as the leader drew a knife from behind him. Shampoo felt the chill run down her spine. She'd always been told what outsider men were like… Ranma and Ryouga and none of the other men she had met had fit the description, but these four certainly did. They only wanted one thing from her, and didn't care what it took for them to get it.

"Y-you mean to take me by force…? S-shampoo no go easy on stupid men…"

"Shampoo? It's that rich chick from China with a funny name… We'll get more than just a piece of tail from this one…" one of the others commented as they kept advancing. They were all holding knives, and making every step count. Shampoo kept retreating. The leader chimed in, "Ya don't say? Well, if she behaves, maybe we'll let her live…"

Shampoo's retreat was interrupted when she tripped over a garbage can, falling square on her back. A small scream escaped her throat, as she started crawling backwards, too scared to try and push herself up. The sneering men just drew closer. Shampoo was paralyzed with fear, eyes locked on the face of the leader. She was probably going to die, right after they were done raping her… She closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable.

The chuckling from the leader ended with a strangled gasp. She opened her eyes to see his face turning bright purple, and his fingers clawing at his throat. His companions turned around at the sound of a man's voice… "You will leave now, or you'll live to regret it." The voice sounded so familiar… but her mind was still paralyzed with fear. A black blur Dashed towards the three remaining punks, and stopped, only long enough to hook the closest one behind his legs, and knock him to the ground, planting the butt of the staff in the middle of the punk's forehead. The would-be rapist was unconscious before he even knew what hit him.

The leader was on his knees, disentangling a wire from around his throat. A small trickle of blood was oozing down his throat. He struggled to regain his breathing, and the knife he had dropped. While this was happening, Another of his partners fell from a knee to the face, followed by a kick from the black-blur's trailing foot. Again, Down in less than five seconds. The leader muttered a curse, and pushed himself to his feet. As he did, His last flunky was dropped with a strike from a staff to the midsection. The staff came up, in a vicious arc, right across the face. The stranger finally stopped moving, right in front of the leader, pointing the end of a spear at the man's throat. "You will get up, and you will run away. If you don't, they won't find enough of you for the police to identify." The man's voice never changed its tone, which was chilling enough to start with. The large, fat, muscular man, who was so intimidating before… Ran away, with blood on his shirt, and another bodily fluid saturating his pants.

Shampoo was still sitting on the dirty ground, in one of her best business suits, hair slightly disheveled , and openly gawking at her rescuer. He bore an uncanny resemblance to the very same person she had come here seeking. His eyes were even closed. "Miss, are you alright? I hope I arrived before those ruffians had a chance to hurt you…" The voice… then those eyes opened. That stormy blue. It had to be… It couldn't be anyone but…

"M-mousse?" Her voice had a timid, school-girl quality, that complimented her squeaky soprano in a most embarrassing way. "Is that you?" her voice didn't improve, as she discovered the was trembling.

His eyes blinked, and those glasses came out of his sleeve. The composure cracked, and he stumbled back, "Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-shampoo!?"

End Chapter 5

Author's notes: HAHAHA!!! FINALLY Finally I have written the scene that's been in my head for over two years! The scene that made the REST of the story! I want to thank all of you readers who have put up with me for the last few years of reading. This one chapter was rewritten no less than ten times, and survived two folder-purges. But Finally it is finished. The next chapter… will be up when I can do it. Yeah, yeah, I know what yer saying. But THIS one, I've had planned out, since I created Chang. It SHOULD move along fairly quickly. Anyway, thank you all for reading, And chapter 6 will be the Final chapter, drawing my first fanfiction to a close.