Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2.

Author's Notes: My stories follow what I'm watching! I recently read "Gift Of Love" by Laguna's baby sister -which I recommend highly for Ranma lovers- and wanted to create my own Mousse-featured story. I can't stand the Mousse/Shampoo pairing, so it's time to mess with the mixture! Reviews are love!

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His body was simply a mass of pain and scars, cleaning his new wounds. God dammit. He had tried to win Shampoo's heart once more and been completely destroyed in the process. The image of her kicking his unmoving body after the fight, staring down at him in complete disgust haunted Mousse's mind and made his stomach turn.

As many times as he had proclaimed his undying love for her, he knew there was no meaning to her. That shrew of a woman...

Mousse blinked for a moment. Where had that come from? No! He adored Shampoo! Her beauty, her strength, her bitchy attitude...

Dammit! Mousse pulled at his dark locks. What was going on? He'd never thought of anything negative about her in his life.

The young man sighed and pulled his coat over him once more, covering the bandaging. As much as he tried, he could not ignore a dull pain in his chest, one he had felt many times before.

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He didn't have a real direction. After his beating today, he couldn't look Shampoo in the face while he tried to work and ended up causing even more trouble after he spilled hot ramen on the old woman. Enraged by him and his stupidity, she fired him. So Mousse wandered the streets, eyes downcast behind his glasses. The dull pain in his chest continued to ache, along with the scarred flesh under his bandages.

A clap of thunder brought his attention to the sky. Shit. He really didn't desire to deal walking back home as a duck.

"Hey, four eyes!" He heard someone cry and looked over. It was that girl. What was her name? Ukyo! The one who owned the Okonomiyaki restaurant.

"You look depressed. Come in before you get soaked." She smiled at him from the doorway and disappeared inside. As soon as Mousse set foot in the door, the rain began to fall heavily.

"Whoo, good idea you came in! It's going to be a cold night and you'd catch cold." Ukyo went back behind her counter, leaning on it as she poured herself a glass of water.

'Lady, you have no idea.' Mousse sighed and sat at the counter, letting his head fall and hit it, sounding quite painful.

'Um, are you okay?" She sweatdropped at the man who seemed to be close to weeping. His sleeves had rolled back and Ukyo gasped when she saw the bruises and bandages that covered his arms. Mousse hid his face in his sleeves and trembled, not crying but close to it.

"Um...do you want a drink? It's on me." She poured him a bit of rice wine and he gladly took it, downing the entire glass in one shot. The burning sensation felt good on his throat.

"Life fucking sucks." He muttered, closing his eyes as he laid his head once more on the cool counter.

"Don't have to tell me twice...hey, don't I know you? You work at the Cat Cafe, right?" Mousse simply nodded, then winced as he remembered he was now unemployed. "Yeah, you're a friend of Ranma!"

"Friend? What friend? Ramna is my enemy and holds the right of marriage to my woman."

"Akane is your woman?"

"No! Shampoo!" Her name reverberated in his head and he groaned as a headache began to form.

"Hmmp, I seriously doubt she will be able to sink her claws into him."

"Why so?" Mousse smiled a bit at the unintentional joke she had made.

"He's getting married."

"What? When did this happen?"

"It's in the spring. He and Akane are finally...getting married." Ukyo's voice faltered softly, her eyes clouded over. "I suppose it's for the best...they really are a good couple..."

Mousse looked at the girl across from him. The sadness in her voice felt very familiar and at the same time, calming to his own depression.

"With how those two fight, it's not a suprise. I guess it's something that was meant to be." The shattering of glass made him jump. Ukyo held her hand as blood dripped down from it, the bottle having burst in her grip.

"Fuck!" She cursed, biting her lip. Mousse jumped from his seat and behind the counter, taking her hand in his.

"Are you all right?" He asked, viewing the cuts in her hand. When he looked up to her face, the tears that she cried were not those of physical pain. They stood still for a moment, staring on another down until Ukyo yanked her hand from his, grimacing.

"I'm just fine! Just...agh!" In frustration, Ukyo stomped off to the back room, leaving Mousse in the front of the house, unsure of how to feel.

Behind the curtain, Ukyo held a cloth to her hand, still crying softly. "Stupid Ramna...Stupid, stupid Ranma!"