Disclaimer: The characters as well as the settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter 1

It wasn't exactly how he'd planned his big arrival. Three years had passed since Mousse left Nerima to improve his fighting skills at the legendary martial arts school XiaLung in China. Only few were allowed to enter that school and Mousse had been both lucky and talented enough to be granted permission.

Now, back in Japan, he was prepared for his final combat with Ranma Saotome. This time Mousse was confident about defeating that arrogant wimp and finally winning Shampoo's affection.

What Mousse hadn't been prepared for, however, was the sudden downpour as soon as he reached Nerima city, shrinking him into a little bespectacled white duck.

What a start… he thought. Grumbling over his luck Mousse settled down on the loose pile of clothes, when suddenly he was struck by a leg.

Akane was buried in thought as she strolled along the sidewalk. Thick raindrops trickled down her umbrella, causing those tiny dripping noises above her. Akane smiled softly remembering Kasumi's advice to take the umbrella with her. She had been skeptical at first, but then again, her older sister was always aware of the current weather situation, almost as if she'd learned the weather forecast by heart. But maybe it was only the result of daily boredom from being a housekeeper.

It hadn't rained in Nerima for days, but now, along with the imminent event, the weather seemed to reflect her growing chagrin. Her mood had been downcast these days and no mather how hard she tried to delude herself, she just couldn't blame it on her boyfriend's absence. Ryouga was pretty much absent every second week and she had learned to deal with it.

No… Akane could tell that the reasons lay elsewhere and there was no doubt about them being connected to a certain nuisance called Ranma. Damn, why was part of her still clinging to him? It was all over now! Soon it was going to happen; and nothing was about to stop them…

Just as she was about to cross a bridge, following her usual route home, she stopped, for she thought she had just tripped over something quite lively… an animal perhaps?

"Ryouga!" she called out happily and almost a bit relieved as she turned, expecting to see her little P-Chan, who had returned from his travels. Much to her surprise it was not the black little Piglet she had anticipated but a rather uncommonly looking duck with spectacles quacking at her angrily.

"You…" she almost chocked while the umbrella, which had kept her dry until now, hit the ground. "Mousse! You're back!"

Akane shifted uneasily on the water tin while she waited for him to change and get dressed.

"You sure haven't changed a lot." she heard a voice speaking behind her. "Your legs are still as short as ever, Akane."

"Why you…" Akane turned furiously to face Mousse, but froze on seeing the Amazon male fully-dressed now talking to a huge rubbish bin he obviously mistook for Akane. The Japanese girl restrained from hitting him with an elbow and crossed her arms instead.

"Well, it's not like your eyesight has gotten any better over the years."

Slowly she stood up and walked over to a surprised looking Mousse who had just put on his glasses.

"I don't assume you've come back to Japan just to insult me."

"Of course not! I've come to challenge Ranma. And when I win, Shampoo will finally learn to love me."

Mousse spoke with such determination it made Akane cringe. So he came unknowingly…

It was too cruel. Akane almost couldn't bring herself to tell him that he was too late; to tell him that Ranma and Shampoo were going to get married in a few days from now, that all these years training in China had been in vain. Only too well she remembered the pain she felt when she first heard the heartbreaking news. And for all she knew, Mousse was a man sincerely in love with Shampoo.

Yet, cruel as it was… wasn't he going to find out sooner or later?x

„What?!" Mousse's fist hit the wall with such might it left a dent the size of a beach ball in the bricks. "How could you possibly let that happen?!"

„What do you expect me to have done?" Akane retorted, "Tell them that I forbid it? As if that would've changed a thing!"

"But aren't you in love with Ranma? You should have married him before he could change his mind!"

"Oh, will you cut it out?!" Akane's face had turned red with fury and some other emotion, which she desperately tried to ignore, "I'm not in love with that jerk anymore! And if you're so eager to blame someone why don't you blame yourself for not being present at the time it was decided!"

Mousse flinched at her last words.

Damn, she was right. Mousse clenched his fist in realization and self-reproach.

It was his fault for having left! What has he been thinking when he left Shampoo in Japan alone with Ranma? Curse his zeal to beat Ranma in order to have Shampoo. Without it he would have never gone on this trip to China. But more than that - curse Ranma Saotome! How dare he take Shampoo away from him?

On seeing Mousse so upset, Akane suddenly felt very sorry. She shouldn't have said that - at least not as bluntly. Who was she - Ranma? The reason why he was absent at that critical period was because he wanted to have Shampoo so badly in the first place.

Akane stared at him silently, not knowing what to say anymore. It was Mousse who broke the silence, looking up to eye her skeptically. His voice was once again under control. "So you're just going to stand there and watch the party?"

"What would you suppose me to do?"

„There's no way I'm going to let the wedding happen! You can either help me or not. It's not like it matters much to me."

Akane grew silent. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd helped him prevent a marriage between Ranma and Shampoo, though last time she looked back, Akane remembered Mousse having manipulated her to some degree.

In the past it was because of some spell Cologne had put on her great granddaughter in order to trick Ranma into marrying Shampoo. At that time Ranma wouldn't have dreamt of wanting to become Shampoo's groom.

But things had changed now. Ranma's feelings had changed and even though it broke her heart, Akane had accepted it. If this marriage was truly going to make Ranma happy, then she would not interfere.

„No…", she replied cautiously. "I won't stop you from doing so, but I'm not going to help you either."

Stubborn girl, Mousse thought. Why was she always so obstinate about her feelings for Ranma? Any idiot could tell she was still in love; apart from Ryouga and Ranma perhaps.

"Fine then." he said taking off his glasses grimly. "I'm going to have a word with Saotome now."

For a moment Akane almost feared he'd crush those spectacles in his fist, but on the other hand, he was probably equipped with a lot of substitutes in his sleeves.

Faster than Akane could look, Mousse placed his hand on the wall and leapt over it. Akane was about to open her mouth but figured it was already too late when she heard the loud splash.

"Maybe you should at least wait 'till your clothes are dry." she said raising an eyebrow at the duck floating within Mousse's white robe on the neighbor's koi-pound.

Authors note:

Yay, a Shampoo x Mousse fanfic! It took me quite a while to think of a plausible love story between those two (since Rumiko Takahashi desided to leave us with only few and unsatisfying hints -_-)

There's also some Ranma x Akane in there. However, the focus is mainly on Shampoo and Mousse.

I like the ending of this chapter. Mousse is a rather adult character compared to other characters in Ranma 1/2 I think (or is it just me? XD) Still he has these clumpsy moments which in my opinion make him cute x3

Edit: Since recently there have been a few people talking about how Akane and Mousse would suit each other better or that Shampoo doesn't deserve keep in mind that this is a Mousse x Shampoo Fanfic. I think I've made this clear in the description. I write this Fanfic for myself and those people who ship this couple. Comments against this couple are expected to be deleted.

Thank you for your understanding.