Sign
(Thoughts)
SOUNDS
+ Flashback +
Chinese

Unlikely Couple
--
The Ukyou and Mousse team up part 2

Walking down the street, Ranma grumbled darkly as he cast a look over his shoulder. Part of him wanted to go back and demand some answers, another part of him, the one who was always losing against him were telling him to stay out of this mess.

But sadly, it wasn't in his nature to stay out. Something was up, and he was going to find out about it. There was no way that Ranma Saotome would be caught off guard by something like this. No way.

Turing and heading back towards the restaurant to demand some better answers, Ranma narrowed his eyes as the faint feeling of having someone spy on him made itself know, the feeling growing as each step brought him closer to the Neko Haten. "So, ya think it's fun to spy on me huh!"

Snapping around as he spoke, Ranma's fist was already moving to strike whoever it was, after all, living with so many rivals and random attackers out to get him on a weekly basis had taught him not to hesitate. "Ucchan?" Stopping his fist less then a centimeter from her face, Ranma turned bright red as he moved backwards a little to avoid any retaliation she might make. "Look, I'm sorry, it's just, I'm a bit tense today."

Turning halfway around to stare at the area around him, Ranma quickly looked up at the rooftops as several rapid footsteps were heard. But unlike what he had expected, they were moving away from him with each passing second. "What is going on around here?"

Staring at Ranma as he mumbled out a comment to himself, Ukyou quickly coughed as she reached out and grabbed his shoulder, turning him back around to face her completely. "Look Ran-chan, I need your help okay, Mousse told me of this plan of his, and well, I'm not sure I can go through with it."

Giving her his full attention at those words, Ranma knew that he shouldn't have left the Neko Haten. Shampoo and Ryouga were in trouble. But it was Mousse, if anyone besides him could be able to handle the blind duck, Ryouga could. "Come on Ucchan, this is Mousse, what's he going to able to do, Ryouga can handle him. Besides, if you don't want to be part of the plan, then don't."

Looking down in shame, Ukyou removed her hands as she sighed. "Ran-chan. He wants to go after Akane to lure you away, he got some surefire way to get rid of Ryouga and claim Shampoo as his own."

Freezing at the words, Ranma clenched up as his hands as he rushed past Ukyou, not even waiting to hear what else she might have to say about it.

Instead, all he could think off was getting to Akane before she got messed up by all of this. "Stupid duck, if he's after Shampoo, why do something to Akane." But even as he spat out the comment, he could guess it already, Mousse had known he would go back to the restaurant, he needed him out of the way. "Ryouga, you better be ready for this, something tells me Mousse not playing around anymore."

Left behind, Ukyou felt like kicking herself as she saw Ranma run off, her heart clenching up as the thought that he might care more for Akane then for him rushed through her, only to get crushed as once again she reminded herself that is was only because of his engagement to the Tendo girl, when she was out of the way, he'd turn to her as the one he truly loved.

"Not bad Ukyou, not to bad at all." Mousse commented as he landed on the street next to her. His eyes hidden behind his glasses as he kept a dark look at the direction that Ranma had run off in. "You'll be glad to know I have made sure Ranma won't find Akane right away."

Turning her own glare towards him, the long haired girl slowly reached down a hand towards her main spatula. "You better not have hurt Akane, got it." Turning to face the restaurant, Ukyou cracked her knuckles as she glared down the street towards the Neko Haten. "Well, let's get it over with okay."

Grinning, mousse turned to face the restaurant as well. "Yes, let's get it over with."

Glaring death at a nearby tree, Ryouga grumbled as he couldn't help but think of what the old crone had said about him and Ranma. How could he be in worse physical shape then that pigtailed jerk?

So he wasn't as fast as him, but he liked to see Ranma run around with the same amount of weight as he could. Hell, he was stronger then Ranma, the only reason he lost was because he was too damn fast. If only he'd stand still for once and take his punches like a man, then it would be a fair fight.

"Breaking Point!"

Smirking as he watched the tree stagger forward, then explode into a shower of toothpick sized parts, Ryouga grinned as he wondered how long it would be before he could use this new part of his technique to catch Ranma of guard.

"You idiot! Look at what you did to this place" Smashing into the floor with aloud crash, Ryouga groaned as he felt someone land on his back, their eyes glaring at him as he sat back up, or would have if someone hadn't planted a staff right in front of is eyes. "Well Boy, seems you improve on that technique after all, though I suggest you stop before you have to start blowing up living tings of a more messy composition."

Pushing the staff away, Ryouga grumbled even more darkly as he settled back into the chair, eyes the remains of the tree lying on the table top before him. "Why do you care about it anyway, I trained until I could use like this, I've no intention of going any further with it. Besides, I've already learned an attack that works on humans."

Pulling out her pipe as she settle din on the table, Cologne gave Ryouga a very overall look once more. "So, you think you can beat Ranma with it?"

Smirking as he stared back at her, Ryouga thought back on what he had learned, and how he had learned it. "Yes, I know I can win with it, all I needed was to challenge Ranma and test it on him." Thinking back on it, he still had the challenge letter somewhere, he had after all been looking for a place to mail it when he had found Shampoo in that alley. "Still, I haven't perfected it yet, but I am planning on it one of these days."

Standing up, Ryouga stretched as he gazed out the window and froze, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the smirking face of Mousse just outside the window, Ukyou standing next to him with an unreadable expression on her face. "When did he?"

Next to him, Cologne eyes showed nothing but contempt and anger as she saw Mousse moved his face over to face her, his eyes still closed as he did a small nod in greeting. "Ryouga, I feel this is it, the last chance we have to deal with this."

Cracking his knuckles in reply, Ryouga was far to busy thinking of the revenge he would get out of this, Mousse would pay for planting those knives in him, not to mention his sick desire to kill Shampoo simply because she had rejected him. "It ends now alright, one way or another."

Stepping forward as he spoke to himself more then to Cologne, he froze as a softer and bigger hand then the old Amazon's grabbed his shoulder. A faint smell of freshly added perfume and the lingering smell of the wilderness not yet washed out had him smile a bit as he felt himself calm down. "Shampoo, thank you, but this is between him and me."

Shaking her head in a negative manner as she stepped up to stand next to him, the purple haired girl glared out through the window and into those cold eyes glaring back at her. "No Ryouga, this between Shampoo and Mousse too."

Turning to fire off some kind of argument, Ryouga stopped as he spotted her wearing her battle outfit, richly decorated leather armor and wrist brands fitting in tightly over the lose, yet form fitting silk clothes. "Sha... Shampoo." Shaking his head to clear it, Ryouga refocused on the half blind martial artist just outside the restaurant. "Fine, it seems Ukyou has decided to get involved, so it might be a two on two fight."

Following the purple haired girl as she walked out through the door, the lost boy turned his head as a blast of cold air hit him along with a light chuckle that he had only heard once before. "Why are you here Ukyou? Don't you know what he has done?"

Pulling off her spatula, Ukyou just stared back as she let out one of her famously, cold smiles, the one that meant business. "He didn't tell me much Sugar, other then he has a way of making it easier for me to get Ran-chan." Her words spoken without much warmth as she slipped into a battle stance, Ukyou grinned at him. "And as you know sugar, all is fair in love and war."

Her last comment followed by the sudden flick of her wrists, several small objects getting launched at him and Shampoo by the brown haired girl. "So just get out of the way Ryouga." The last comment added in as two knives sliced through the objects, each one shredding and letting out a cloud of flour.

Jumping across the rooftops, Ranma cursed under his breath as the tendon dojo and house came into view, the rather large compound seeming to be as serene and quiet as a distant mountain.

Clearing the wall around the place easily, Ranma tensed as he landed on the ground, eyes turning around rapidly to pick up any sigh of a treat. "Pops, Mr. Tendo!" Calling out as he rushed towards the backyards entrance into the house, he stopped as the two elder people stepped out with questioning looks on their faces. "Pops, did Mousse get her already, is Akane safe?"

Facing Ranma with a puzzled look, the large man turned to regard Soun with a confused expression before turning back to face Ranma as the other two members of the Tendo family stepped out. "Ranma, Akane just left five minutes ago, said she was going to the Neko Haten to look for you."

Giving a harsh glare at Ranma, Soun quickly grabbed the pigtailed boy's shoulders. "Boy, what did you mean, is that Chinese boy after my daughter again?"

Pulling free of the grip, Ranma stopped as he turned back to face the direction he had just come from. "Ukyou, no, she couldn't." Rushing off, Ranma jumped over the wall again, his face setting into a stone mask as he landed on the ground and took of running again. 'She must have lied to me, but why, and why do I think it has something to with Ryouga.'

Coughing loudly as he moved backwards, Ryouga quickly moved to the side as a massive shadow descended on him, eyes darting to the side as he refocused on Mousse breaking out through the cloud, a thick chain running from his right sleeve to were it was attached to the wrecking ball he had tossed at the lost boy.

Next to him, Shampoo had jumped backwards to avoid a series of spatulas hurled at the ground, one of her bon boris sporting a large cut in it from deflecting a least one of them. "Ukyou, this has nothing to do with you, so just stay out of it." Letting out the comment, Ryouga backed up and slashed out in a wide arc with his trusted umbrella.

Just smirking as she rushed out from the cloud as well, the long haired girl merely shrugged as she jumped over him and Shampoo easily. "Sorry sugar, but this is one thing I got to do." Kicking in the door of the Neko Haten, she grinned as she could see the vial containing the way to win Ran-chan just lying there on the counter before her. "This is too easy."

Then she let out a curse as a purple haired blur impacted her from behind, sending the two of them crashing in through the door and out of the major combat zone.

Ignoring the concern he felt for Shampoo in order to face his own opponent, Ryouga turned back to face Mousse as the Chinese boy glared back at him. "You, for everything you done Mousse, hurting Shampoo, hurting me, I'm going to make you pay!" Rushing forward, as he yelled out, the lost boy lashed out and cursed as Mousse avoided his attack with ease.

The half blind boy grinned as a chain wrapped around Ryouga and allowed him to pull the boy downwards. "You should have stayed out of it Ryouga, then you might have had a chance." Shooting forward with three knives in his hand, Mousse grin faded as he saw the smirk on Ryouga's face. "What?"

"Breaking Point!" The ground ripping out a cloud of dust and fragments that belted him head on, followed quickly by a slack in the chair that flew back at him.

Turning around and sending out a series of bandannas to clear some space around him, Ryouga grimace as he heard a lamp post and a car get shredded, but no sound from the Chinese boy. "Where are you?"

"Hawk's Talons!"

Moving around, Ryouga hissed as burning sensation arose from his left arm as the sound of fabric tearing reached him, the whole thing accompanied by Mousse laughter as he jumped backwards, razor sharp needle blades getting pulled back into his shoe. "How can you ever hope to protect Shampoo, in fact, how did you ever manage to beat me in the past?"

Baring his teeth as he ignored the pain, Ryouga simply grinned as he began to pull in on his strength, eyes narrowing as he jabbed the ground with his right hand. "Breaking Point!" The explosion of shattered pavement shooting out to cover him as he concentrated on pulling in on that power, feeling t form between his hands. "Mousse, this ends now!"

"How true!" Came the reply as Mousse shot out through the rock fragments, saw blade like sword held up over his head, the light of madness glinting behind his glasses as the sword descended on him.

Moving backwards into a half crouch as he saw the attack, Ryouga flung out his arms and hope against hope that his new attack wouldn't fail, that it worked like he expected it too. "Roaring Lions Blast!" The sphere of power held in his hands firing off with a sensation of draining.

As for Mousse, it felt like getting kicked by a mule, his whole lower body protesting the attack as he was thrown backwards to impact a still standing lamppost with a hard crack. "So, you have a new attack?" Grinning as he pulled himself up, mousse glared at him as he pulled out two handfuls of knives to replace the lost sword. "It won't help you Hibiki, this time Shampoo will be mine!"

Tossing the knives forward, he grunted as that blasted Umbrella intercepted them, each one sinking into the water proof clothing and getting stuck there. "Bastard!" Rushing forward for one massive attack, he grinned as his next trump shot out of his sleeves. "Eagles droppings!"

The odd phrase making the lost boy look in time to see at least four small sized bombs flying towards him. "Shit!" The word getting spat out as he moved back to gain some distance, a move that sadly left his umbrella to get blown up. "Damn it Mousse, that was my favorite!"

Ripping off another handful of Bandanna's as he took off Running forward again, Ryouga grunted as he let them lose, the cloth projectiles buzzing forward in a strange circular pattern, each one forcing Mousse to jump backwards, and finally into taking off into the air by using the lamppost as a springboard. "Roaring lions Bullet!"

The Chi attack shooting out as Ryouga ducked to avoid a small rain of knives, one cutting a small trace on his right shoulder as he crashed the neighboring shop's outer wall. Turning around, he froze for a second as he spotted Mousse once more approaching from above, this time with a spear in his hands.

He had only one thing let to use as a defense, he couldn't fire off another chi attack in time, he had to do it. No matter how much he hated to use it after what had happened the last time.

Ripping off his belt, he snapped it out in a arc as he willed it to become as tough as a slap of stone, the tip of it hitting Mousse's spear just in time to deflect it, but not the follow up kick that sent him flying. "Hibiki, prepare to Die!"

Anger rushing through him while he landed on his feet, Ryouga dug his fingers into the heavy, concrete object before him, his eyes nearly flashing as he faced the half blind boy. "Just shut up Mousse!" His words spat out as grabbed the lamppost he had destroyed earlier, eyes blazing with anger as he pulled it up. "And the only who's going to die, is you!"

Backpedaling to avoid the massive projectile as Ryouga hurled it at him, Mousse grunted as he was met with a punch right in the face, his body crashing into the ground as another form landed before him. "Shampoo?" The girl in question turned to glare at him as she deflected a kick from Ukyou with ease.

Facing his partner, and rather rudely ignoring the disheveled appearance of her, he snarled as he turned to see Shampoo moved towards Ryouga. "Ukyou, use the powder damn it, use it!" Snapping out a hand to point at his purple haired angel while standing up.

Grinning as she turned around while standing next to Ryouga, Shampoo lifted up a small vial and held it teaseling in front of her as she watched Mousse grit his teeth in anger. "You no get this Mousse, Shampoo rather die before she has anything to do with you ever again."

Tossing the vial forward, she smirked as she hurled off her Bon Bori at the same as Ryouga tossed off several bandannas to aid her. "You lose Mousse." Her comment hitting the blind haired boy as he blocked his face with his arms, having desperately attempted to reach the vial the second it had been tossed.

Then he felt a heavy impacted as Shampoo's weapon hit him, a hissed out angry curse making him grin as he saw Ukyou cradle a badly damaged vial in her hands, a minor cut on her cheek letting a drop of blood run down her face.

Tearing it form her as he jumped back up, the male Amazon turned to face his beloved and that stupid pig boy as it was his turn to dangle the vial in front of him in a teasing manner. The top half of it shattered and only a small drop of powder left in it, it was enough to make him far more confident then before the fight had started. "Hmm, I still win Shampoo, I have enough here to make you love me!"

Rushing forward he blinked as he impacted an unexpected obstacle, the vial's contents getting dumped out even as a punch hit him in the face in retaliation. "Shampoo!" Yelling out in surprise over the hit, he coughed as he got a face full of powder thanks to a sudden gust of wind. "No!"

"What do you think you're doing Mousse!" The angry words freezing the battle as Akane glared at each of them, a broken vial on the ground before her, along with a completely puzzled Mousse who was trying to grab the broken vial form where it had landed. "Honestly, is anyone going to tell me what's going around here? I came down here to tell you something, and this jerk jumps me as soon as I turn the corner."

Pulling out a spare set of glasses, Mousse glared up as her while holding the remains of the now completely broken vial. "What happened, Akane Tendo, is that you… that you?" Staring at the tomboyish girl before him, Mousse dropped the vial as the specially made love powder kicked in, easily destroying whatever he had ever felt for Shampoo, as the short haired, angry girl became the new focus of his life, the only reason for him to live. "Akane Tendo, I love you!"

And at that point in time, Ranma arrived on the scene as well, eyes locking onto Mousse as he yelled out the confession and hugged the poor girl caught of guard. "Mousse!" Resulting in the now very pissed off pigtailed boy ripping the half blind boy away from his Fiancee. "You're dead!"

And off to the side, Ukyou simply glared at the whole mess as once again, a plan had come apart. Thankfully it wasn't her plan, and she could easily work her way out of it. Still, defeat, even one from something this stupid didn't leave her feeling very happy.

Still, it wasn't all in vain though. If Mousse loved Akane now, she had another one to hitch Akane onto. All it would take was some planning, but first, she had to get out of there and think of an excuse to use on Ranma to get off the hook about lying to him.

"Good Grief." Cologne's voice cut through everything as she jumped out of the store, one hand holding onto her staff while she gazed over at Ranma and Mousse slugging it out. "You kids really know how to make a mess don't you?"

TBC: Aftermath.

An Finally, I move off from the Mousse is insane part, and it should all be wrapped up next as two old friends of Shampoo return with news from the Amazon Village of an upcoming trail to re instate her as an Amazon warrior. Ryouga meanwhile face off on the issue of how to let Shampoo know of his feelings.

As for the Roaring Lion blast "ShiShi Houkoudan." Someone one asked me in a review when in the manga this story was placed, well, I've finally decided and planted it the part where Ryouga would have issues a challenge against Ranma in order to test the attack against him.

And on a final note, part of this chapter makes me question what I was thinking. It seems rather rushed to me, and somewhat lacking. Must be because I haven't written a fighting scene with the Ranma 1/2 characters for so long.

Demino.