It was a typical day at the Cat Cafe. Shampoo busily waited tables alongside Mousse as Cologne cooked in the back. Shampoo grumbled to herself quite often, as working with Mousse was anything but easy. Not that he didn't pull his weight - in fact, that was the least of her problems. The main problem was that the man was desperately in love with her, and it affected his performance more and more these days.

Mousse would take any chance he could to gaze at Shampoo and smile, walking into a wall or dropping plates like an idiot despite wearing his glasses. Between making a mess, or lunging at a customer who even remotely flirted with her, Shampoo found herself wishing that Mousse didn't even work there at all. How was it possible that having extra help was anything but helpful?

"What you doing, stupid Mousse?" Shampoo snapped at him when he yet again dropped plates, distracted yet again by whatever she had been doing. "Now Shampoo have to do more work! Stupid Mousse!"

Mousse sulked as Shampoo shoved him in the kitchen to wash dishes. It seemed this was happening more and more lately, and even Cologne was growing tired of the antics despite the fact that Mousse was cheap labor who worked endless overtime.

"Great-grandmother!" Shampoo would yell into the kitchen in utter annoyance. "Mousse horrible worker! Send him back to China, do great-grandmother really need help that badly?"

"Shampoo, I understand your frustrations," said Cologne kindly. "But he's cheap labor, my dear. And I know you may forget it sometimes, but I am the leader of our tribe. It's my job to look after everyone, even Mousse. If Mousse is insistent on living in Japan, it's my position to ensure he's looked after."

Shampoo grumbled to herself, fuming as if steam would come out of her ears. If only there were some way, just for even a day, to get rid of stupid Mousse for some peace and quiet. How was she supposed to get any time alone with Ranma with that idiot running around in the background of her life?

That night, Cologne entered her bedroom with a heavy sigh. Indeed, Mousse had been becoming much more of a problem these days due to his foolish love of Shampoo. The man chased after a woman high above his caliber, and simply would not give up.

Most importantly, Mousse's antics were starting to cause issues for Shampoo's future husband. It was incredibly important for Shampoo to have access to Ranma without any interference with competition - be it a man or woman. Mousse was constantly getting in the way of Shampoo's rightful bride-groom, and it simply would not do, even if he was a member of her tribe. Not anymore. Although it would prove almost impossible to eliminate all obstacles to future son-in-law, such as the Tendo girl or the spatula girl, perhaps the burden could be lessened even just a little with the right tactic.

Cologne reached for a box hidden in the back of her closet - a collection of priceless Amazon tribal treasures. Within it's confines was the answer to at least part of the problem. There it was - a small locked box holding an ancient artifact. Cologne opened the box, reaching for the large jewel she had been seeking. Yes, this small device would certainly solve the Mousse problem, and help remedy the Ranma one. With Mousse out of the running, it would only be a matter of time before all other competition for Shampoo's hand would be completely eliminated.

The reversal jewel. The secret treasure of the Amazon tribe. When worn right side up, the broach has the power to enhance feelings of love, but when worn upside down, it turned love into the most bitter hatred. The terrifying power of the reversal jewel...indeed, it was not to be taken lightly.

When Mousse was fast asleep, Cologne entered his bedroom. It was incredibly important for the man to wear the jewel at all times, without knowing it was on his person. With great care as to not wake him, Cologne delicately entwined the jewel into the back of Mousse's long hair, hiding it from sight, even from him, ensuring it was upside down in the desired position. When her work was done, Cologne left Mousse, and went to her bedroom for the night. The events to unfold would be interesting, indeed.

Shampoo awoke that morning in absolute peace and quiet. Normally she'd have dealt with Mousse's antics as usual - him bringing her flowers or breakfast, chattering to her like a monkey in a tree while she tried to wake up. The sun beamed through the window, warming her skin. She stretched with a large yawn, and noticed great-grandmother in the doorway with a smile.

"Good morning, great-granddaughter," said Cologne happily. "Shampoo, I've decided to let you off today. Go spend the day with future son-in-law. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself."

Shampoo beamed - a day with Ranma was exactly the thing she wanted. Shampoo nodded to Cologne and got dressed, running down the stairs towards her bicycle to head towards the Tendo home. She didn't even acknowledge Mousse, who was working in the kitchen, and he didn't even pop out a head to say to hello. Yet that was of little concern when one was off to see airen!

Shampoo had a fantastic day. She had a lovely visit with Ranma, despite the clear grumblings of Akane, and neither hide nor hair had been seen of Mousse. Perhaps finally, after all this time, Mousse had finally her words at face value and would stop bothering her, once and for all. When she arrived back at the restaurant at nightfall, Mousse didn't even look up from the tables as he picked up the dishes into a large bucket. Shampoo had a splendid, quiet evening to herself, and was hopeful she'd be able to see her future husband again tomorrow without too much interruption.

The next day, however, turned out to be less splendid and more of a puzzle for Shampoo. Sure, she'd imagined Mousse had gotten the point and finally decided to stop bothering her, yet he was acting even more out of character than usual. In fact, he was downright mean.

"Mousse, hurry up!" Shampoo would shout at him as she waited tables. "Customer waiting for table! Mousse clean faster!"

"Whatever." grumbled Mousse as he ignored Shampoo's request. The same thing happened when she had told Mousse to bring several plates to a waiting table - normally, she had to scold him in order to prevent him dropping the meals, yet he snatched the plates right off the counter and went to serve them without even a word. She had yelled at him to clean the bathrooms, and rather than obediently following her orders with a goofy grin, he banged the table with a fist and shouted her way.

"Yeah, I'll get it in a minute, alright?" he snapped. Shampoo was shocked by his response, and noticed with a sneer he was talking to a girl - and, more importantly, she was laughing, practically giddy as she spoke to Mousse. Shampoo simply just snorted and continued on with her work. It wasn't like Mousse to play such stupid games.

As the day went on, Shampoo found herself becoming more and more suspicious of Mousse's behavior. He didn't lunge when a customer flirted with her, or even bat an eyelid when she passed within a few feet of him. He hadn't even dropped a single plate - not a single one - while staring at her! Perhaps the man was feeling under the weather, or simply had started listening to Cologne for once. Either way, Shampoo was thrilled for once to be working at the restaurant without Mousse chasing her around or causing messes because of his stupid antics. That is, until they were cleaning up for the night.

"Mousse get broom and sweep!" Shampoo demanded, as she always did to Mousse whenever she needed something, awaiting the prompt delivery as it always came. Mousse simply kept wiping down tables, ignoring her request. Shampoo grumbled, and shouted at Mousse again. "Get broom stupid Mousse! Shampoo giving you an order!"

"Get it yourself, Shampoo." spat Mousse in annoyance, taking Shampoo completely off guard.

"Aiyah?" Shampoo exclaimed, the anger palpable in her voice.

"I said get it yourself. I'm not your servant, Shampoo," replied Mousse without even looking at her. "Besides, I have more important things to do than waste my time helping you around here all goddamned night."

Shampoo simply stood there in complete shock. Mousse had never, not EVER, not ONCE, spoken to her like that. It had come out of absolutely nowhere, and Shampoo had no idea how to react to it.

"But...but Mousse..." Shampoo found herself stumbling before Mousse grumbled and spat at her again.

"I told you Shampoo, get it yourself. No more overtime for me. I'm out once I'm done with these tables. I have plans tonight." said the annoyed man as he continued to clear the tables.

"Oh, really?" shouted Shampoo in annoyance at how stupid Mousse was behaving. "What Mousse have better to do than help Shampoo?"

Mousse glared at Shampoo from behind his glasses, and in his gaze, Shampoo felt a cold she'd never known. It felt like a kick in the guts.

"I'm going on a date," said Mousse nonchalantly. "A customer asked me to go to dinner today. So I have to get ready."

"A date?" exclaimed Shampoo in sheer surprise. She had spent so much of her life rejecting Mousse, it had never occurred to her that someone else might present even a slight interest in him. "Date...date with who?"

"Why do you care where I go, Shampoo? You're not my mother," spat Mousse coldly. "Now if you don't mind, I have a date to get to. So get lost."

Shampoo stood there in utter shock. In all her years of knowing Mousse, the man worshiped the ground she walked on. Yet there she stood, completely rejected while he got ready to go on a date with another girl. It must have been the girl from earlier - she was quite pretty, with curly brown hair and blue eyes - the one who had been laughing like a fool at Mousse's jokes. It shouldn't have mattered - after all, Mousse being gone would give her plenty of time to go visit Ranma without being followed. Yet deep down, Shampoo couldn't shake the feeling of how different Mousse had acted towards her that day.

Mousse came down the stairs that evening wearing a fine tuxedo. He had tied his hair back, and Shampoo was taken aback at how incredibly handsome he looked. He simply straightened his tie and walked out the door, not even acknowledging Shampoo as he slammed it behind him.

Shampoo decided that the only place to go now was the Tendo Dojo. Seeing Ranma was sure to cheer her up - after all, he was her future husband. Shampoo walked, stomping her feet louder than she intended when she passed by a couple walking together. Shampoo gasped when she realized the tall, handsome-looking man was actually Mousse, and he was accompanying the girl from the restaurant earlier that day. She looked incredibly beautiful, wearing a silky dress and sparkling earrings. Shampoo looked on at them, but Mousse didn't even notice her, and kept walking on with the other girl. Shampoo couldn't understand why it made her heart sink so much. She shook the feeling off, and made her way to visit Ranma.

Shampoo knocked at the door of the Tendo home, only to grumble in annoyance when Akane answered the door. Despite this, Akane greeted her kindly - as she always did, despite Shampoo's constant antics to try and claim Ranma for herself.

"Oh, hey Shampoo!" said Akane happily. "Here, come on in. We're having some tea and cookies."

Shampoo fumed, but decided getting to see Ranma tonight was incredibly important enough to endure the Tendo girl's company as well. She entered the house and smiled as she saw Ranma sitting at the table, watching some movie on TV. He smiled and waved when he saw her.

"Hey, Shampoo!" said Ranma. "What brings you out here this hour? Don't you usually close up the restaurant at this time?"

Shampoo frowned, recalling her sparring with Mousse. She hadn't quite finished her chores, as it was quite impossible to catch up without Mousse's help.

"Shampoo was, but not able to finish. So Shampoo wanted to come see airen. Shampoo even bring cooking!" Shampoo forced herself to smile, pulling up the bag of dumplings she had packed. "It future wife duty to cook for husband!"

Ranma grinned at the sight of the plate of dumplings. "Hey, you aren't getting any complaints from me!" Ranma said with glee, grabbing himself a plate and heaping some of the dumplings onto it. He savored the delicious taste. Even Akane seemed happy to have Shampoo over despite her oogling over Ranma - good food was good food, after all.

"So, Shampoo," asked Akane with curiosity, as a lightbulb had gone off in her head after analyzing the facts. "You said you couldn't finish closing up the restaurant today. Why not? Doesn't Mousse help you do all that work?"

Shampoo's brow furrowed, just as Akane had anticipated. She had struck a nerve - Akane's gut feeling was never wrong.

"Aiyah," Shampoo snapped coldly, almost breaking her chopsticks in half. "Yes, that true. But Mousse no around to help Shampoo tonight."

"Oh really?" replied Akane, knowing full well the signs of a jealous woman when she saw one. After all, Ranma had so many women chasing after him, Akane was all too familiar with how it felt to have such self-doubt. Even if it was the normally overly-confident Shampoo - a woman who never questioned anything she ever did. "Why not?" Akane asked. "What, is he sick or something?" Akane could her the simmering growl underneath Shampoo's exterior. Ranma must have caught on, as he eyed Akane with significant concern - he was all too familiar with Shampoo's vicious temper.

"Stupid Mousse leave Shampoo alone to finish up tonight," Shampoo spat in annoyance. "Stupid Mousse say he have date tonight with some...some girl," Shampoo exclaimed, clenching her teeth at the thought of the girl walking by Mousse's side that night. "As if helping Shampoo not important enough!"

Akane simply folded her hands as she continued to unravel the mystery. "Oh, a date? Like a date date?" said Akane with extreme interest.

"Shampoo not know!" Shampoo yelled, pounding her fists on the table. "Mousse just dress up in suit and slam door behind him!"

"Sounds like a date date to me then." Akane chuckled to herself. "Not that I'm surprised. It was only a matter of time, you know. You've rejected him time after time, Shampoo. I don't blame him for trying to move on."

"Hmmpfh!" huffed Shampoo. "It not like Shampoo even date Mousse anyway! Not that it matter to Shampoo, of course!"

"Well, sounds to me like someone else wants to. After all, Mousse is quite a handsome man. I don't blame someone for going after him." replied Akane with a snark.

Akane could practically feel the fire under Shampoo's voice. "Other girls think stupid Mousse handsome? Hah! Shampoo laugh at that! More like girl have bad taste!" she scowled.

"Oh, I don't really think so," said Akane. "I happen to think he's actually very handsome, underneath those glasses." Akane had hit the sweet spot, and Shampoo's face became so red it looked as if she might pop a blood vessel.

"Oh really?" Shampoo shot back. "Well stupid Tendo girl have bad taste too!"

"Oh, it's not just me, Shampoo. Some girls in my class have seen Mousse at the restaurant, and they happen to think he's incredibly cute." replied Akane, continuing to stoke the fire.

Ranma glared at Akane's statement, but also gulped nervously seeing Shampoo's wrath boiling to the surface. "So did he say anything about her?" asked Ranma curiously, wincing as Shampoo shot him a stern look.

"Mousse not tell Shampoo anything. Not that it matter." Shampoo replied in annoyance.

Akane held her head in her hands as she stared slyly at Shampoo from across the table. "If I didn't know any better Shampoo, I'd think you were jealous." said Akane sarcastically.

Shampoo was beginning to snap. "Jealous?" spat Shampoo with a furrowed brow, a vein popping out from her red face. "Shampoo not jealous of stupid Mousse! Mousse can have date with whoever he want! Shampoo no care!" she huffed, much to Akane's amusement. If there was anything Akane knew, it was how to make a girl jealous - and this was the perfect chance to test her theory.

"Well then, I hope it goes well for him. If he gets lucky, maybe he'll even have his first kiss tonight," Akane said nonchalantly, grinning slyly. "Or maybe even more."

That finally did it. Shampoo's cheeks were as red as beets could possibly get, the anger steaming from her. "Shampoo not care if stupid Mousse go on date with entire town!" she yelled, standing up and pushing the table out from in front of her, flipping it over as the wide-eyes Ranma stared on. "Mousse can kiss however many girl he like!" she snapped, and stormed out of the dojo, stomping her feet as she tore the door off the hinges.

Ranma cowered in the corner, terror plastered on his face at sight of the furious Shampoo. Akane simply smiled her all-knowing smile at Ranma, who looked at her puzzled.

"Seems like she's doing great, isn't she?" said Akane with a sly smile.

"Really? Cause it seems like she's doing terrible." replied Ranma scratching his head, and Akane rolled her eyes at him. Men...sometimes they just didn't get it.

Shampoo lay awake in bed that night, still fuming at Akane's words. She tried to sleep, but only tossed and turned, her mind filled with thoughts of Mousse's actions, and what Akane had said. She heard the sounds of Mousse climbing the stairs in the early hours just after midnight, and she heard no more when he entered his bedroom. It sounded like he was alone - not that she cared, Shampoo convinced herself.

Surely Mousse had not lost all interest in her. It was impossible. She was Shampoo - a beautiful, strong warrior of the Amazon tribe. Sure, she was thrilled initially at the idea of Mousse finally leaving her alone, but the fact was that he had simply lost all interest entirely. For Shampoo, this had to be practically impossible! After all, what was not to like? She finally fell asleep, convincing herself that she was just acting irrationally, and that getting upset over Mousse was just a waste of her time.

The next morning, Shampoo had a plan that would surely ease her insecurities. She left a note inside Mousse's bedroom door. It read, in elegant Chinese calligraphy: 'Dear Mousse, would you like to go on a date with me tonight? Nothing would make me happier. Your Beloved Shampoo.' Shampoo knew for complete certain Mousse would say yes in a heartbeat. For crying out loud, this was MOUSSE! He'd be ecstatic, tripping over himself in stupid delight, walking into a wall as he proclaimed his love. The plan was foolproof!

Later on that day, the note was gone - Mousse must have gotten it! Shampoo was sure now things would be different between them.

They were. They were worse.

Now Mousse ignored her completely. Shampoo tried everything to get his attention, but nothing worked. She bounded, she leaped to the sky! Yet nothing worked. Not one thing.

Mousse worked as usual in the restaurant, yet acted as if Shampoo wasn't even there at all. After it was time to close, he would leave, and not come back until very late at night, stumbling up to his room without even so much as a word to her. It was infuriating to have this man who proclaimed his love left and right suddenly treat her so cold. More importantly, Shampoo couldn't figure out why it bothered her so much. After all, she could chase after Ranma now without the crazy antics of Mousse trying to ruin it for her. Yet doing so now didn't thrill her the way she had expected. She didn't even have the urge to go to the Tendo home to be with her bride-groom.

Akane had been right - she was jealous, but why? Akane herself had said Mousse was a handsome man...and indeed, he was not nearly as detestable as Shampoo had let on. In fact, he was tall, muscular, with dark hair and steel eyes...Shampoo could finally see for herself what Akane had meant by other women going after him. Yet it had never been an issue before, as Mousse loved her, and only her. At least, that was what she thought. It had been such an annoyance that Shampoo had never really stopped to think about it much.

Mousse had proclaimed his love and proposed on a regular basis her entire life. Finally, after all this time, he was out of her hair, having lost all apparent interest, yet Shampoo felt entirely unsettled by it. For some reason, it struck her confidence deeply to have Mousse suddenly ignore her like this. It had to have just been some sort of elaborate ploy to make her jealous...yet Shampoo realized the the Mousse she knew would never go for something like that. He was hopelessly devoted to her. So that couldn't have been the angle.

Shampoo sat by the small pond in the yard of the restaurant, watching the fish bob at the bread crumbs she had thrown in the water. Shampoo sighed, looking down at her reflection sadly. Could it really be true that after all this time, Mousse simply didn't desire her anymore? Sure, Shampoo had imagined what it would be like to have him give up his antics...but it had never occurred to her that he would lose all interest in her completely. It shattered her confidence far more than she could have ever expected.

Maybe she wasn't as beautiful as Mousse had proclaimed all these years. Yet customers flirted with her left and right, so that couldn't be it. Why did it matter if Mousse found her appealing or not? Shampoo shook her head in frustration before heading back to work. As usual lately, Mousse didn't even acknowledge her presence, and continued his work, although it didn't stop him from flirting with several girls who had come in at lunchtime. Seeing that made Shampoo so angry she thought she just might explode.

As the days went on, things only got worse. No matter how hard Shampoo tried, Mousse shot her cold glares and cruel words whenever she tried to get near him. Shampoo tried all the tricks up her sleeve when it came to flirting - yet it didn't seem to matter. Mousse simply turned his head in annoyance and stormed off, shouting at her to leave him be.

"Oh Mousse!" Shampoo would say with a giggle, trying her best to sound flirtatious. "There is really funny story Shampoo want to tell Mousse! It go like this..."

"Go away, Shampoo." Mousse spat like ice. "If you want to make me smile, then get out of my sight."

Shampoo tried another approach - perhaps the man spurned would be the man intrigued. She convinced Ranma to come to the restaurant with her, wrapping an arm around him for efficacy.

"Nihao, Mousse!" Shampoo shouted as she entered the door with Ranma as Mousse served dishes, but he simply glared from over his glasses with ice in his eyes before exiting into the back.

"Boy Shampoo, what did you do to make Mousse so mad?" Ranma asked.

Shampoo bristled in her reply. "Shampoo not do anything!" she spat. "Stupid Mousse just being idiotic duck-boy as usual!"

Ranma shrugged, his hand behind his head. "Whatever you say, Shampoo. I guess there's nothing to be jealous about." he said.

Shampoo fumed as she punched Ranma at his comment. "SHAMPOO NOT JEALOUS!" she screeched as Ranma's body flew across the street and into the cement sidewalk. Ranma got up and followed Shampoo back to the dojo, rubbing the bump on his head. Even someone as hard-headed as he could see Shampoo was jealous - yet he knew better than to say it out loud. But Ranma did know one thing. When chased, one runs, and when one runs, the other cannot help but pursue.

Shampoo sat across from Ranma at the Tendo home, stirring her tea over and over. She sighed heavily, and Ranma looked over at her, cocking his head. Shampoo grumbled when she heard the voice of Akane.

"Well, Shampoo. I heard you've been chasing Mousse lately. Kind of a strange reversal, isn't it?" said Akane as she leaned against the doorframe.

Shampoo glared at Akane. "This have nothing to do with Akane."

"Get with it, Shampoo," Akane chuckled. "Mousse has lost all interest, and you just can't accept how it feels to be rejected."

Shampoo flipped the table over, spilling her hot tea, and stormed out of the dojo, but not before ripping the door off the frame again. Ranma sat there wide-eyed, gulping nervously at the furious Shampoo's wrath.

"I think that went well, don't you?" chuckled Akane as Ranma rolled his eyes.

Shampoo tried to distract herself in those coming days as much as possible. She simply could not let stupid Mousse get to her any longer. This was simply a blessing in disguise, and Shampoo convinced herself that going along with it would result it her own happiness eventually.

Work in the restaurant went smoother than ever. Too smooth, in fact. Nothing happened out of the ordinary. No fiasco, no dropped plates, no anything. Shampoo hated to admit it...but it was...well, boring. She went to go see Ranma after closing, but it did little to improve her mood. The more she tried to ignore Mousse's coldness, the more it ate away at her, despite how she vowed for it not to. She found herself missing the company of her friend.

Yes, friend. Shampoo had spent so much time berating, beating, and trying to ignore Mousse since Ranma had defeated her in combat, she had forgotten the childhood companion that Mousse had been. Although she would never admit it, Shampoo found comfort in having someone else besides Cologne from her village in Japan. Being so far from the Amazon tribe made her feel homesick sometimes.

Shampoo went up to her bedroom that night and leaned against the window, looking up to the heavens. The moon was full tonight, basking the landscape in gentle ambiance. Mousse made her laugh with his idiotic antics, and was always there for her whether she wanted him there or not. He was the only true friend she'd ever had. She'd taken it for granted, because he was always there. Now that he wasn't, she felt barren and empty.

One day, Shampoo had had enough of Mousse's behavior. She wanted answers, and she wanted them now. She didn't give him a chance to ignore her. She stomped up to Mousse, and shoved him down the hall to the stairs leading up to the roof of the restaurant.

"MOUSSE!" screamed Shampoo, letting all the built-up anger and frustration escape her. "What you doing, Mousse? Why you doing this?" she demanded. But Mousse only walked backwards up the stairs as Shampoo pursued him.

"I'm not doing anything!" Mousse yelled back as Shampoo encroached on him in the stairwell. "Let me out of here!"

"No!" spat Shampoo. "Not until Mousse give Shampoo answer!" They had emerged on the rooftop now, Mousse continuing to back away as Shampoo encroached on him.

"Leave me alone!" shouted Mousse as he tried to escape, but Shampoo had him cornered against the brick chimney.

"Admit that you love Shampoo!" Shampoo cried as she approached Mousse where he stood, but he simply shot a look of hatred her way. The resentment in Mousse's normally kind eyes shook Shampoo to her very core.

"I don't love you. I could never love you," Mousse spat. "I hate you." Mousse said cruelly, averting his eyes as Shampoo stared at him in shock.

"A...aiyah?" Shampoo stuttered, unable to comprehend what she was hearing from Mousse. "No! Shampoo no believe you!"

"Are you deaf?" Mousse snapped. "I said I hate you."

"No! That not true!" Shampoo exclaimed, holding a hand up to hear heart. "Mousse love Shampoo! Shampoo know it!"

Mousse furrowed his brow, averting his eyes in his icy reply. "I could never love someone like you. You've made up my mind for me. I'm going back to China tomorrow, so I can have a life without you in it. I never want to see you again."

Shampoo held a hand up to her heart at Mousse's vicious words. She couldn't believe that she was hearing this from her kind, gentle Mousse. The tears began to pour from her eyes and down her cheeks, dripping onto the cement as a choked sob escaped her lips. She fell to her knees and continued to weep, unable to stop the flood of emotions.

Mousse's eyes widened as tears continued to fall from Shampoo's eyes. The sight sent a shock wave through his body. Something snapped inside of Mousse. Shampoo's words, her tears...they woke him up. The jewel cracked in half, falling from his hair, shattering into many pieces on the ground. For a moment Shampoo stared at the shimmering broken pieces as they rolled across the ground. She then realized Mousse was staring directly at her - he was crying too, as tears dripped down onto the cement. Before she could react, Mousse had rushed to where she knelt on the ground, and wrapped his strong arms around her trembling body.

"Oh, Shampoo!" cried Mousse as he held her close in a loving embrace. "I'm so sorry, Shampoo!" exclaimed Mousse as he caressed her face. "I...I don't know what happened to me. It was like I was in some kind of trance."

"Aiyah?" said Shampoo in confusion, noticing the broken jewel on the ground. Shampoo recognized that jewelry. It was great-grandmother's reversal jewel - the dangerous artifact that had the power to control a person's emotions. Yet how had it gotten onto Mousse? Shampoo suddenly realized that great-grandmother must have put it on Mousse to deter him from bothering her anymore in pursuit of Ranma. In the beginning, Shampoo would have been thrilled at this idea...yet in practice, it was far less so. Shampoo looked up into Mousse's eyes - the kind, gentle Mousse had returned behind those turquoise eyes, and he stared down at her with affection and love.

"I didn't mean any of those terrible things I said," Mousse replied, his eyes welling up with tears. "I love you, my beautiful Shampoo...with every ounce of my entire being. Not even the reversal jewel could change that."

"Mousse..." whispered Shampoo, picking up a piece of the broken jewel from the ground, eyeing it curiously. "Reversal jewel...how it break?"

Mousse reached out a hand to Shampoo's cheek, lovingly stroking her soft skin. "When I saw you crying, I just couldn't bear it. Even though the jewel's power was completely controlling me, I couldn't see you in pain. I wouldn't allow it." She could see the love behind Mousse's affectionate eyes.

Shampoo stared up at Mousse with a blush. His love for her must have overridden the power of the reversal jewel. Only the strongest and most true feelings of love could break such a powerful artifact.

"I loved you from the day I first saw you," Mousse said as he tenderly wiped the tears from Shampoo's eyes with his thumb. "You were ill-tempered, mean-spirited, and vicious. You were the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. You still are, and always will be. No one else could ever take your place in my heart." Mousse said lovingly.

Shampoo felt immense relief and satisfaction wash over her body. Her Mousse really had come back. "But..." Shampoo stumbled, trying to find her words. "What about dates Mousse go on?" asked Shampoo. "Mousse...Mousse go out with other girl and...and..." Shampoo found herself blushing. "Mousse...Mousse kiss her?"

Mousse gazed down at his beloved warmly. "Never, my beautiful Shampoo. Even under the cursed reversal jewel, I couldn't give myself to another. I couldn't even get through the date - I ended up leaving early to wander on my own. I did the same with all the others. They weren't you, my beloved."

Shampoo felt herself blush as Mousse continued to stroke her cheek. She gasped when a pair of warm lips met hers, passion pouring into her from Mousse's soft, gentle kiss. She was so taken aback by the love he was expressing through it that her knees buckled, but Mousse pulled her against him. His breath was heavy as he pulled from the kiss, Shampoo's cheeks as red as vine tomatoes.

"That was my first kiss," said Mousse tenderly into her ear. "For me, it's always been you, my precious Shampoo. And it shall always be you, forever."

Shampoo swooned in the arms of her Mousse - yes, her Mousse. The kind, gentle, loving man she had spurned all these years. She touched his face, bringing her lips to his as she kissed him back, running her other hand against his muscled chest.

Mousse gasped and nearly keeled over from his happiness. There was the Mousse she knew. She pressed herself against his chest, allowing complete surrender into his strong, loving embrace. "Shampoo love you too, Mousse." Shampoo whispered into his chest, and she could hear his heart begin to race at those words, and it made her smile.

Mousse swept Shampoo up into his strong arms and held her soft body against him, pressing his lips to her for another sweet kiss as Shampoo wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders. She remained that way as Mousse carried her back down the stairs and to her bedroom, where he lay her on the billowy softness. He smiled down at her, his eyes filled with affection and love, and she reached out to his face, pulling him into a kiss to show her love.

That night, Shampoo lay flush against Mousse's muscled chest, her soft body entwined with his. They kissed softly in the darkness, and with each gentle kiss and motion, Shampoo felt more loved and cherished than she ever had in her entire life. He trailed soft kisses down her neck and shoulders, and Shampoo sighed at his touch.

Mousse smiled, seeing her pleasure. He grew bolder, bestowing soft kisses on her breasts and stomach, his hands exploring her body as he kneaded her soft skin. Every single time Mousse touched her, she could feel his love and devotion under his fingertips.

"Ohh..." sighed Shampoo. She felt like her whole body was tingling, every bit of her skin sensitive and alive at his touch. She had never known she could feel like this. She was full of desire, her body hungering for him.

By the time they joined as one, all her nervousness was long forgotten. She wanted him, needed him - with Mousse's mind focused on her pleasure, and her need, as it had always been. As Mousse gently made love to her, she felt closer to him than ever before. She felt that they were truly together, that they had become one to a degree she could have never imagined. She was swept away by Mousse's soft, gentle lovemaking, transported by waves of ecstasy.

"I love you, my beautiful Shampoo." Mousse said as they basked in the heat of their lovemaking. Shampoo knew, that without a doubt, Mousse deeply meant those words when he said them.

Shampoo pillowed her head against Mousse's muscled chest, content as she fell asleep for the first time in so many days. Mousse fell asleep as well, with the biggest grin of his life plastered on his face. For surely tomorrow would be a much better day than the last.

Cologne sat on her staff that night, holding her head in her hands as she deeply sighed. "Well, that didn't work out quite like I planned." she chuckled to herself, admitting defeat, and would deal with the situation in the morning.