DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranma 1/2. Nor do I own any other recognized series/characters that may appear in this story. Characters and series elements are copyright of their respective owners.
A/N: This chapter I decided to concentrate on setting up the story between Shampoo and Mousse. And of course, the continuing build of tension between Ranma and Ryouga. Enjoy!
Shampoo had been careful all afternoon. She wanted a chance to talk to Mousse again, but dreaded another argument rearing its' ugly head. Sadly, she held back and neglected to break the ice. Turning around, she ceased following him and went to her trailer. Shampoo had not gone unnoticed. Mousse was aware of her hesitant shadowing of him ever since the end of the fight scene. Hearing her footsteps grow softer, he turned to see Shampoo as she left. Quietly, he followed her to her trailer. At the very least, he wanted to apologize for making her cry earlier. He felt he owed her that much. Shampoo placed her hand on the trailer doorknob, but she heard a voice behind her that made her stop cold. "Shampoo....."
Meanwhile, Ranma had snapped out of his blissful state and was walking around the set. His thoughts were filled with nothing but Akane. Still, he managed to keep his beaming smile down to a natural looking grin, so as not to arouse suspicion. Suddenly he spotted Ryouga. Ranma's fist clenched on reflex at the sight of his now real-life rival, but he calmed himself down again. Ranma was just about to pass by him when Ryouga looked up and called to him. "Hey Ranma.." he said casually, most of his attention on the script in front of him. Ranma bottled up his feelings and put on a casual front as he approached Ryouga.
"Hey man, whatcha doin'?" he asked.
Ryouga gave him a look, script displayed in hand. "I think that should be obvious" he retorted. "I'm practicing my lines for tomorrow." Ranma nodded. Ryouga sighed as he skimmed over his script."I wish they would give me normal lines. I'm not good at this poetry stuff."
Ranma scoffed, putting together which scene Ryouga must be referring to. He was going over one of the scenes where he was to get lost and be thinking of Akane. The writers always gave Ryouga poetic monologues for those scenes. "Gimme a break Ryouga. Yer lines ain't that hard. You got it easy compared ta some." Ryouga scowled, taking this as mocking of his frustration. Shoving the script at Ranma, he shot back at him.
"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you do any better."
Ranma smirked, eager to snatch up the chance he'd been given to show up his co-star. He took the the script and mock-cleared his throat, ready to ham things up with his best Ryouga impersonation. Striking a lovestruck and lost pose, he read the script aloud.
"Oh my dear sweet Akane. Will I ever make it back to your arms? Even as I stand here, miles away from your sweet touch, I can feel the gaze of your beautiful eyes calling back to me...." Ryouga frowned as it became quite obvious Ranma was making fun of him. He was about to snatch the script away from him when he noticed something. Ranma continued as Ryouga stared at him.
"Akane, my love, you are the reason I return. It is your embrace that calls my heart, it is your smile that I see in my dreams, even as we sleep under the same sky. It is your sweet voice that I hear within the depths of my soul, like a song taking my every breath away." Ryouga's eyes stayed firm on Ranma as he grew slowly uncomfortable at every word. As Ranma read the lines, his Ryouga impression had slowly faded away. Now he sounded earnest and truthful, not the joking tone he had begun with.
Ranma sighed, then quickly snapped out of it. He had gotten far too into the words he was reading. He casually tossed the script back to Ryouga and forced out a laugh.
"Heh, there. Now what was so hard about that? Child's play." Ranma stood up and walked away before Ryouga could respond. Ryouga took on a brief look of worry but dismissed it. He was overreacting. That had to be it. Ranma meanwhile smiled as the words in the script played over in his mind. *Too bad I never get to say that to her.* he thought. *Oh well, at least he doesn't get to either.*
Ranma was so lost in his own thoughts that he bumped into Shampoo as she turned a corner. "Oof!" he let out with a start. "Oh, hey, sorry 'bout that Shampoo. I didn't see ya." Shampoo smoothed out her clothes and smiled back at him.
"It's alright Ranma. I don't think either of us was watching where they were going. No harm done." Ranma blinked. He had heard news of his best friend being upset earlier. Now she was smiling ear to ear. "Not that I'm complainin' here, but I heard ya were upset. Now yer smilin' like ya got yer salary doubled. What's up?"
Shampoo smiled at her best friend, grateful for his concern. She then thought back to her last visit to her trailer, every detail coming back clear as a bell.
Shampoo turned at the voice that called to her. It was Mousse. She stood there motionless, unable to speak. Mousse was the last person she had expected to see following her. "Can I have a word?" he asked politely. A simple nod was all Shampoo could manage in reply. Mousse stepped up to her and briefly looked at the floor, remembering her tears. He then looked in her eyes and spoke.
"I'm very sorry for making you cry, Shampoo. I was wrong to yell at you. Can you forgive me?" Mousse looked at her almost nervously, the silence getting to him. Shampoo, for her part was halfway between shock and happiness. She smiled softly and broke the silence with a single word. "Yes." Mousse let out a sigh. He'd been holding his breath, although he wasn't sure why. And now that she had answered him, it was safe to let it out again.
"I'm glad." he said simply, trying not to make too much of things. He had apologized and made things right. That was the important thing.
Shampoo forced her emotions to stay in check as she gazed at the floor.
"I'm sorry Ranma forced you on that date with me.." she said softly. Mousse blinked in surprise. He never expected this. As he looked at Shampoo, he saw her eyes take on a look of sadness again. That was the last thing he wanted. Besides, the date was admittedly, very enjoyable. He rested his hand on Shampoo's shoulder and waited for her gaze to meet his. As she looked up at him, he smiled reassuringly at her.
"It wasn't that bad." he said as he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. He then turned to go, leaving Shampoo standing there in shock. As he walked away, Mousse thought to himself *Why did I do that..?*
Ranma waved his hand in front of Shampoo's face. "Yo, Earth to Shampoo? You in there?" he said to the silent girl before him. Shampoo came out of her happy daze and playfully pushed him. "I'm here you silly! I'm feeling a lot better now. Sorry you had to hear about before." Shampoo thought it better not to mention the kiss. Ranma had a knack for blowing things out of proportion. Besides, she herself wasn't sure if it meant anything. "Glad ta hear it." Ranma replied. "Well, I gotta get goin'. I need ta get ready ta go home." Ranma hid his smile so Shampoo wouldn't pick up on it. His every thought was on the anticipated second date with Akane, but he didn't want his best friend teasing him over it. The two nodded to each other and went their separate ways, both thinking about a great deal.
Ryouga stood pacing outside his trailer. He had finished memorizing his scenes for the following shoot and was pretty much done for the day. The only problem was he couldn't leave yet. He relied on his co-workers to get him safely home each day. This arrangement had been established long ago and the cast and crew were used to taking on the task in shifts. Ryouga looked back at his trailer absently, recalling what had transpired with Akane. He had an hour to kill, but he wasn't sure that seeing her now wouldn't be viewed as pushing his luck. He never did understand female mood swings and preferred to let them blow over first. Then he glanced back at his script and remembered his earlier encounter with Ranma. He was certain that something was going through his co-star's mind to make him read those lines with such intensity. And Ryouga was determined to find out what it was. He promptly walked over to Ranma's trailer and tiptoed up to the window.
"Spying, Ryouga? I thought you had more class than that."
"Eaaahhhh!" Ryouga jumped back with a start and swerved around to see Nabiki giving him a disapproving look. "I wasn't spying." he muttered defensively. Knowing full well that Nabiki wasn't stupid, he offered an explanation. "Ranma's been acting weird lately and I wanted to get to the bottom of things, that's all. Nabiki, have you any idea what's up with him?"
Nabiki rolled her eyes "What do I look like, the information desk? I don't have all the answers you know." she stood there with her hands on her hips as Ryouga's questioning glance slowly turned into a frown. "And just so you know. For not spying, you sure do lurk around windows well. Why don't you try asking around instead of attaching yourself to Ranma's trailer."
Ryouga growled and stormed off in search of answers, leaving Nabiki standing alone and letting out a small sigh "I shouldn't have been so hard on him. If Ukyo hadn't aggravated me all day, I'd be in my usual friendly mood. I'll have to apologize tomorow." she thought aloud.
As Ryouga searched the set, the tone of Ranma's voice played in his mind endlessly, torturing him like some small insecurity he wasn't aware was there. *I must have been imagining things. I had to be.* he thought as he searched for a second opinion. Suddenly he spotted Shampoo. Apparently his silent ranting had lead him to her trailer. *Shampoo's Ranma's best friend. If anyone knows what he's hiding, it'll be her.* he thought as he approached her.
Shampoo smiled politely as she saw Ryouga walk up to her. He didn't talk to her off-set very often, let alone visit her trailer. But she had had far too good an afternoon to care. "Hello Ryouga. I'm afraid I'm not the one to lead you home tonight. But if you came about something else, I'm all ears."
Ryouga grinned, satisfied that he'd finally get some answers and sat down on a crate nearby. "I came to ask you about Ranma, actually." he explained in a matter of fact tone. "He's been acting weird and I wanted to know what was wrong." Shampoo felt a momentary concern for her friend at Ryouga's words and urged him to elaborate. "Weird in what way?" she asked.
"Well, he's been smiling like a dork all day and he was reading my lines with a funny tone.." Ryouga cringed as the memory came fresh in his mind. Not that it ever let him a moment's peace to begin with. Casually, he turned Shampoo's script to the page he was referring to and continued. Shampoo read the lines and quickly got the idea, but forced back a smile as she listened to the rest of Ryouga's sentence. "And now that I think about it, he was way outta line with our fight scene! That really ticks me off. And to top it off, Akane barely let me kis-" Ryouga clapped his mouth shut at the realization that he had gone beyond expressing his frustration concerning Ranma and onto his day in general. He hoped Shampoo missed that last part or Akane would have his hide.
Shampoo meanwhile had heard every word and was rapidly putting the pieces together. Ranma had confided in her long ago about his feelings to Akane, she had witnessed many a time where he looked dejected coming from the direction of her trailer, and when she wasn't focused on Mousse that afternoon, she had picked up on Ranma's unusual enthusiasm during the fight scene. It was obvious to her that Ryouga had claim on Akane, or did he? Ranma had obviously expressed some feeling and had gotten a positive response. She then recalled her talk with Akane earlier. Akane had stared at Ranma through the whole second half of it. *Poor girl must feel confused as hell.* she thought. Smiling inwardly, she pretended not to hear Ryouga's slip of the tongue.
"Well Ryouga, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but although I have noticed a change in Ranma's behaviour, I am his best friend after all." Ryouga looked at her, puzzled. "How does your being his best friend qualify as bad news? If anyone can tell me what's wrong with him, you can".
"That's precisely it. I 'am' his best friend and as such, I can not and will not tell you anything for fear of breaking his confidence and trust." Shampoo smiled sweetly to an already agitated Ryouga and this act aggravated him more. He wanted answers and not only was he getting squat, but Shampoo had all but told him off. Ryouga began to feel the steam rise within him as he searched for the right words to express his displeasure.
Mousse, meanwhile had been lost in thought all afternoon. He simply could not find a reason for the kiss he had bestowed upon Shampoo. Sure, it was innocent enough, but it was not like him to make such a bold move. Upon reaching the end of the last of his scenes, Mousse had also reached a decision. He would ask Shampoo on a second date. He had enjoyed the first one well enough, as did she. It was only an outing shared by two friends, right? He would take her out again and if he could not figure out the reasoning behind his previous bold action toward her, he would shrug it off and continue on as always. This solution seeming satisfactory, he had retired to his trailer and prepared. Once dressed in suitable wear, he emerged from his trailer and made his way to Shampoo's. He was growing steadily nervous as he neared his destination. He turned the corner just in time to see Ryouga angrily step toward her in a verbal attack.
"Listen up Shampoo! I've had one lousy day and I came to you for answers! I've been wandering around this damned studio trying to get back here to do what they pay me for and I come back only to find Ranma out of sorts and other people avoiding me?!" Ryouga had just enough control left to hold back mentioning Akane by name, but he was far from through with yelling out his aggression at Shampoo. "You may be Ranma's best friend, but dammit, drop the nice act and cough up the information I came here for!"
Mousse felt an unexplained anger building up inside of him. Sure, he resented seeing such disregard for a co-worker, not to mention unprofessional and uncalled for behaviour, but there was something else there too. Something he could not put his finger on. But right now, he needed to put a stop to this shameless display on Ryouga's part. "Hey! What sort of man goes around exposing a lady to such hostile treatment? I strongly suggest you back off, Hibiki!" Mousse had interjected just as Ryouga was about to start ranting at Shampoo again and his voice was welcomed with two stares, one of shock and one of annoyance.
"What are you her boyfriend now, Mousse? Stay out of my business. She owes me some information." Ryouga growled, still annoyed at the lack of response from Shampoo. Mousse seethed at Ryouga's attitude and put on a calm but stern face as he placed himself between him and Shampoo. "I believe it is you who owe in this case. You owe her an apology. I trust you'll deliver it tomorrow when you've cooled your hot head. Now I suggest you be on your way. Sasuke is waiting to take you home." Ryouga growled again and was about to engage in a stare-down with Mousse, but decided his time would be put to better use getting answers from another source. Angrily, he stomped off to find Sasuke.
Shampoo, who had blushed at the 'boyfriend' remark remained silent throughout as she watched the two argue, wondering why Mousse had come to her aid. Was it possible he liked her? As she watched Ryouga storm off she turned to Mousse and smiled. "Oh thank you Mousse. Ryouga was really mad. Thank you so much for stopping him!" She was so caught up in the moment that she advanced toward Mousse to embrace him. Catching herself, she stopped and blushed, cursing herself for almost making a terrible mistake. *I can't believe I almost did that.. I could have scared him off for good!* she thought. Mousse had caught her near reaction and blushed, finding himself almost disappointed that she'd stopped from completing it. Nervously he watched her smile softly at him and coughed suddenly, trying to regain his composure.
"I came by to ask if you are free this evening." he said quite calmly, his nervousness hidden behind stoic features. Shampoo beamed. Maybe it wasn't a date, but it was at least a chance to get to know the man she had admired for so long. Mousse stood there calm in appearance. But inside, the silence was killing him, though he was most uncertain of the reason. Finally Shampoo broke out of her blissful state and nodded quietly. "Yes Mousse. I'm free tonight." she said with a smile. Mousse nodded in turn. "Then would you care to join me for dinner?"
Another nod was all he would receive. Smiling, Shampoo took Mousses hand and picked up her things. Surprisingly, Mousse found he did not mind the action and he lead her to his car, unconsciously squeezing her hand along the way.
