Subject: [FFML] [FF] [R.5] Twenty Less Lonely People in the World (Chapter 8)
From: "Nikholas F. Toledo Zu" <niftol@i-manila.com.ph>
Date: 2/13/1998, 10:12 PM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

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|Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!Mayhem!|
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=> Warning!  This fic contains excessive amounts of sugar!  With 
Valentine's day nearing, every single media in existence has been 
turning out sugar bombs that try to mutate all of us into starry-eyed 
idiots.  Sad to say, they have converted me into their sorry lot.   

=> Although I'm *not* proud to be among the few people who dread the 
coming of February, I am forced, under the pain of insanity, torture, 
slow death, (and lots of other horrible things to graphic to mention), 
to write this fic.  Writing romance stories makes me feel all good 
inside.  <gasp>  It's starting already!  Somebody!  Whack me on the 
head!  <Whack, whack>  Thanks, I needed that.  

=> I'm warning you at this point in time that the fic has a *really 
cheesy ending*.   

=> Also, the plot (actually the ending) is not really my original idea.  
I would like to thank my contributor (who still desires to remain 
nameless) for coming up with the cheesy ending that started the wheels 
turning in my mind to come up with a story to match.  May she (and all 
those other nameless people) find our own cheesy ending sometime in the 
foreseeable future.

=> Some notes on notation.  Things in {curly braces} are author's 
comments within the fic.  Signs and sound effects are in... uh... 
<pointy braces> 

=> The disclaimer is at the end, and the more people I would like to 
thank.   

=> Will somebody whack me so I can start?  Thanks.  
********  


8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F  
                 Twenty Less Lonely People in the World
   <otherwise known as Mayhem's Valentine Fic with the Cheesy Ending>  
   By the currently sessile (not senile) Nikholas "Mayhem" F. Toledo  
8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F8F  

Chapter Eight 
A fight for life

	The fire caused a frightened mob to run out of the theater as fast 
as it could.  The stampede destroyed a lot of the seats and ravaged a 
clear path through the moviehouse.  Debris littered the floor as the mob 
crashed through the doors, effectively leaving a clear battleground.
	A large red battle aura surrounded Mousse.  He menacingly 
approached Ranma with fire in his eyes.  "Ranma Saotome, I challenge you 
to a fight to the death," he declared slowly. 
	There was a loud report, much like a shotgun, as the Mousse's 
words slowly sunk in. 
	"NOW THAT'S THE BEST THING I'VE HEARD ALL DAY!"  Ranma cracked his 
knuckles. 
	Akane suddenly felt this strange queasiness in her stomach.  
"Ranma, don't you dare go into a fight with Mousse.  He's dead serious."
	"Of course I'm dead serious, Akane Tendo."  Mousse seemed like the 
devil himself, the horrible red battle aura complementing the fire as it 
quickly turned the far side of the theater into an inferno.  "For a long 
time now, I had devoted myself entirely to Shampoo.  I cleaned for her, 
I worked for her, I even imagined that someday I could share the rest of 
my life with her.  Now, I realize the truth.  All this time she has been 
using me as her washpail, as her old cloth rags, throwing me away 
whenever she did not need me anymore.  I don't know why I stayed quiet 
for so long."  He laughed insanely, "maybe because I loved her." 
	"But now, all I have is hate for Shampoo.  All this time she had 
my heart out on a limb, laughing as she saw it break, smashed it into a 
million pieces.  A simple smile healed my heart quickly, but she did 
that just so that she could have the pleasure of seeing it break again.  
Not a day would pass where she would not ground my heart, or throw it to 
the dogs, or do cruel and merciless acts, just for the sake of seeing me 
suffer.  But, now... now, my eyes are clear."
	Ukyo looked at Shampoo.  "No, Mousse..." Shampoo was murmuring.  
"No do this to Shampoo."
	Ranma taunted him.  "Your eyes still aren't clear, Mousse.  You're 
still blind as a bat!  Fighting me won't do any good!  She won't love 
you even if you defeat me."  Ranma began to generate a small blue aura 
around him as his body snapped into the Traditional Anything Goes 
Fighting Form.
	Mousse's eyes glowed an insane hue.  "Ranma Saotome.  You're 
wrong."  A few chained weapons began to detach themselves from Mousse's 
body, floating in the chi-saturated atmosphere of the moviehouse.  "All 
I want is to make Shampoo's life A Living HELL!"  With a loud yell, he 
hurled himself and his weapons in a deadly whirlwind of chi and metal 
and fists.
	Ranma's blue aura grew in intensity as he dashed into the 
maelstrom.  The air was filled with shockwaves as attacks were launched 
and blocked, then counterattacked.  A strong gale blew from the center 
of the impromptu battle arena, filled with debris from the floor as it 
cracked under the pressure of the enormous willpower.
	Akane crawled over to Shampoo, who was seemingly in shock over 
what was happening.  "Shampoo never see Mousse that mad in entire life!"
	Ukyo shouted over the din.  "There's no way Mousse can win.  
Ranma's a lot stronger than Mousse."
	Ryoga yelled.  "Don't you see!  This is a fight to the death!  No 
matter who would win, only one person will be left!"
	Akane couldn't believe what was happening.  Ukyo was right.  There 
was no way Mousse could win against Ranma.  That would mean that...  
"MOUSSE!  RANMA!  STOP THIS!"  She stood up and began running towards 
where the two were fighting.
	Ryoga and Ukyo grabbed Akane's ankles.  She fell down to the floor 
with a loud thump.  "AKANE!"  Ryoga pulled her back, away from the 
danger zone.  "There's nothing you can do!"
	"Why?!?  Why can't we make them stop!"  Akane was trying really 
hard to get away from Ryoga.  "I suppose you're hoping that Ranma's 
going to die so that you can have Ukyo all to yourself!"
	Ryoga slapped Akane.  "SHUT UP!"  he screamed.  Then, the 
implications of his act stunned him.  Akane stood there, holding the 
sore spot.  Amidst the chaos that surrounded them all, tears began to 
fall.  "Please, Ryoga..." Akane pleaded.  "Please make them stop... I 
beg you!" 
	Ryoga felt his heart lurch out.  He couldn't bear to see Akane 
cry.  It took Ukyo's strong hands to hold him back.  "You jackass!  What 
the hell are you doing!"
	"I've got to stop them!  I can't... I've got to!"
	"WHY, RYOGA?!?  WHY?!?"
	Ryoga looked Ukyo straight in the eye.  "BECAUSE SHE'S RIGHT!"
	Ukyo looked at him stunned.
	There were loud screams of pain as some of the attacks got through 
someone's blocks.  Drops of blood could be seen on the floor.  But the 
fight continued relentlessly. 
	There was a flurry of movement, and Akane, Ukyo and Ryoga saw 
Shampoo run off. 

	Ranma blocked every attack that Mousse dished out.  Inside the 
twisting vortex of energy, he was surprised at the strength and ferocity 
of Mousse's attacks.  "Mousse is really playing for keeps this time," he 
thought as a chi-enhanced Fist of the White Swan Barrage Attacks ripped 
pieces of cloth of his Chinese shirt.  He didn't want to hurt Mousse, 
but the way the battle was going, only a strong and perhaps fatal attack 
could punch through his defenses.
	He saw a flutter of movement somewhere from his right.  It was 
Shampoo, running towards them at breakneck speeds.  "Shampoo!  Don't 
come any closer!" 
	Mousse, on the other hand, did not see her coming, and seeing 
Ranma's apparent distraction, brought all of his strength to bear on 
Ranma in a devastating roundhouse punch.
	"Mousse!"  Shampoo screamed, pushing Ranma out of the way.  
"Mousse!  You no have to do this!"
	Mousse horrifyingly tried to stop the attack, but it was too late.
	A massive shock wave ripped the cement floor, blew holes in the 
roof and snuffed out the flames as Mousse's fist came in contact with 
Shampoo.  The force of the blow blasted her though a nearby wall, 
burying her underneath a pile of rubble.
	 A terrible silence descended upon all of them, much, much more 
terrifying than the roar of battle.

Nikholas F. Toledo Zu @ http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/mezza9.html
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