Akane blinked at the sight that greeted her at the edge of the forest. It
seemed that all the trees in a straight line from a point somewhere in the
middle had been uprooted, not by excavators or anything normal, but by some
great destructive force. She could sense the residue of heavy ki that hung
in the air. Being of a darker nature, it was not as readily accepted back
into nature as normal �light� ki was. Her first thought was that Ryoga had
been practicing in the woods somewhere, but brushed aside the thought after
a while. Ranma hadn�t been at his favorite spot under the bridge nor at the
Ucchan�s. She had expected him to visit Ukyou and tell her what happened,
she�d always been a friend that he could talk to. But he hadn�t been there
either, most probably didn�t want to wake her. Well, technically he had, it
wasn�t hard to miss the lingering trace of dark ki that hung in the air, a
trace only a martial artist or one attuned to such forces could detect. The
trail had led her here to the edge of the forest.
"Ranma must be here�" Akane muttered, stepping past the uprooted trees. She
winced when she saw the remains of some nocturnal animals that had been
caught unsuspecting in whatever had caused the damage. She mouthed a silent
prayer as she proceeded deeper into the forest. Pretty soon, the damage to
the surrounding greenery had worsened, she was sure she was getting close.
Try as she might, she could not bring herself to think that it was Ranma who
had caused this devastation. It simply wasn�t�well, it just wasn�t him.
After half an hour trudging through the forest, she came upon a small
clearing. A dying campfire was burning in the middle of the clearing next to
a small one-man tent that had been neatly erected. Akane hid behind a few
bushes to observe without being seen. After another half an hour of waiting,
she was about to give up and walk into the campsite when a lone figure
exited the tent. Her heart leapt when she recognized Ranma but it also cried
when she saw the condition he was in. He looked terrible, hair was
completely disheveled and there were small rips and tears in his red
Chinese-style shirt. Strangely enough, his trademark pigtail was undone,
hair cascading freely over his shoulders to a point near the middle of his
back. Akane wondered why it did not grow as she remembered him saying that
another curse required him to braid his hair with the Dragon�s Whisker or it
would grown continuously and uncontrollably. She came to the conclusion that
Shampoo�s cure must have transferred every curse he had to Ran-ko. Akane
almost felt sorry for the poor girl, not knowing what she was in for. He
turned to face the spot where she was hiding and she crouched lower, hoping
he had not seen her. No matter how much her heart wanted to be with him, she
knew that it wasn�t the time. She almost broke when she laid eyes upon his
face. He looked like he�d been crying, that much was clear, but he also
looked like a completely different person. He had dark rings under his eyes
and the white of his eyes were horribly bloodshot. He�d also looked like
he�d aged considerably, she could see small tufts of what appeared to be a
beard on his chin, but she could be wrong. Needless to say, Akane was
shocked. She had no idea what the whole situation was doing to Ranma but now
she had seen it with her own eyes and a new hatred for Shampoo began to burn
within her breast. There was no question about it, she had done this to him,
she had forced him to become what he is now. There would be�there could be,
no forgiveness. This time, there would be hell to pay. Akane, silently
fuming, hadn�t noticed that Ranma had turned away from her and had moved
closer to the fire, sitting cross-legged near it. He picked up some dry
twigs nearby and threw them onto the fire, causing sparks to fly as the dry
branches ignited. 
Ranma sighed, his breath coming long and tired as he hugged his knees to his
chest. "�Come on out Akane, I know you�re there." He said to the fire. Akane
started in surprise, how could he have known? She slowly left her hiding
place and stepped out into the open, looking rather sheepish.
"Ohayo, Ranma�" she said with a twinge of sadness in her voice. "�How did
you know I was there?" she asked, out of curiosity. Ranma didn�t turn to
face her. 
"I sensed your ki�" he replied after a while. Akane nodded an �uh huh� but
didn�t push the issue. Ranma spoke again, still not turning to face her.
"�What do you want?"
"I�I�I w-wanted to s-see you Ranma�" Akane stammered, a few tears running
down her face at his cold attitude. "�I-If you d-d-don�t want me here,
I-I�ll leave�" she said, sniffling. Ranma didn�t answer her but from the way
his shoulders were moving, she could tell he was crying too. Akane turned to
leave. 
"�N-no, don�t go�" Ranma began, his voice soft and pleading. Akane turned
back. "�P-please don�t go�" he said, shuddering slightly.  Akane wasn�t
surprised at the almost overwhelming presence of a dark, heavy ki in the
area. But never in her life did she ever expect to feel this type of ki
emanate from Ranma. She unshouldered her pack and walked over to Ranma,
kneeling beside him. 
"Ranma�What�s wrong? W-why don�t you look at me?" she asked, tears running
freely down her face. Ranma simply buried his face in his knees but didn�t
answer. At any other given time, Akane would have malleted Ranma into orbit
for �being a jerk�, but not now. She could guess from the amount of dark ki
in the area what he was going through right now and she didn�t blame him, it
wasn�t his fault. "�R-Ranma�P�P-please�Why?" she begged.
After a while, he answered but didn�t look up. "�I�I don�t w-want you to see
m-me like this Akane�" he managed to get out between sobs. Akane laid a
comforting hand on his back and patted him gently. 
"Ranma�It�s ok�It�s going to be ok�" she said, trying to calm him down. She
was startled when he suddenly shot up and turned to face her. Akane�s heart
shattered when she saw his face. It was much worse than what she�d seen at a
distance. "�R-Ranma�" she cried. "�W-what have y-you done to yourself?"
"You call this �okay�?�" he asked, a sharp spike in his voice. "�This?" he
pointed to himself. Akane didn�t answer. "�No! I didn�t think so!" he
snapped. He buried his face in his knees again and began to speak, not in
his usual voice betraying the confidence he felt, no, it was the voice of a
defeated person, a person who no longer had a reason to go on living.
"�Everything I ever cherished�E-everything that I had in my whole
life�gone�" he sobbed pitifully. "�E-even m-my skills have left me�I�I have
nothing left�" Akane found herself crying as well, crying for him. "�I-I
didn�t mind being chased o-out of the d-dojo�I can take that�I didn�t mind
losing oyaji�I didn�t really mind losing Mom even�" he continued, drawing in
ragged gulps of air as he did so. "�Oh it hurt�Akane�You have no idea how
much it hurt�But�B-but I c-could take it�I never h-had a M-Mom for t-ten
years any�*sob*�way�W-why would it b-bother me now?" he asked, peering up at
the sky visible through the canopy. "�Nope! I�m n-not bothered at all�I�m
s-supposed to�*sob*�t-take it aren�t I��A Martial Artist can take anything!�
oyaji said�W-well, sure! I c-can t-take it!" he half-shouted to the heavens
before slumping and burying his face in his knees again. "�Only o-one thing
r-really hurt though�I c-couldn�t t-take I-I-i�*sob*�it�I couldn�t take it,
Akane�N-no m-matter h-h-how h-h�*sob*�hard I-I t-tried�" Ranma forced out,
his sobbing becoming stronger as he continued.
"W-what w-was it Ranma?" Akane asked, wiping away he own tears. It pained
her greatly to see Ranma like this. Granted she didn�t like his stuck-up,
arrogant air of confidence but anything is better than this, anything. 
"Y�Y-you�A-Akane�" he said finally. Akane blinked. 
"M-me?" Ranma turned a tear-streaked face toward her and nodded slightly.
"�W-what do you m-mean Ranma?" she asked, her heart thumping hard in her chest.
"I c-couldn�t t-t-take it�Oh, I t-t-tried�G-god knows I tried�B-but it w-was
too m-much�I l-l-lost the m-m-m�*sob*�important p-person I e-ever c-cared
f-for in my life, w-what was t-there l-left?" he asked, on the verge of
breaking down once again. "�I-I-it c-could h-have been s-so easy, y-you
know?" he asked.
"W-what could h-have been?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his
shuddering form. Then, realization hit her like a tidal wave. "�Y-y-you
d-don�t m-mean�" she asked in utter shock.
"�I-it c-could have b-been so easy y-you know?�" he smiled without mirth.
"�I c-could have e-ended I-it all s-so quickly�A-a simple strike, o-one
s-s�*sob*�s-shiatsu p-point�and I-I would n-never have t-to f-feel the
p-pain a-again�I�d f-finally b-be f-free�" he sighed, making a slow,
deliberate stabbing motion into his throat for emphasis. Akane hugged him
tighter, almost desperately.
"NO!�" Ranma flinched and she realised that she�d just shouted in his ear.
"�I-I�I mean�no, y-you m-mustn�t�R-Ranma�You c-can�t kill y-yourself�Y-you
j-just c-can�t�I�I�I w-won�t let you!" she yelled before she broke and
bawled. Ranma turned around to face her and pulled her into his arms. She
sat on his lap, hugged him tightly and cried her heart out, knowing that if
she hadn�t come along tonight, she�d never see her fianc� again. Ranma
hugged her back as best he could, crying on her shoulder as he did so. 
"I was g-going to d-do it t-to�B-but t-then I-I thought t-that if I did, I�d
n-never rest in peace�T-there I-is one t-thing I must d-do b-before I die�"
his sobbing slowly calmed, to be replaced with the shudder of rage. "�The
old hag will p-pay!�I swear I w-will rip her insides out w-with my bare
hands!" Ranma snarled. Akane pushed herself off him, shocked at the raw fury
in his voice. 
"R-Ranma�" she said timidly. Ranma lowered his gaze to her eye level and she
blanched when she saw the animalistic look in his eyes. It was Ranma�s eyes
but it wasn�t him, Ranma�s eyes held a kind and gentle look, the look of a
person who would never intentionally hurt someone unless provoked. The eyes
she was staring into now were the eyes of a demon, completely devoid of any
conscience. The inhumanity within them scared her the most. She knew then
and there that he would do it, if he ever got his hands on Cologne, he would
carry out his threat without regret and without remorse. <Poor Ranma�He�s
suffered so much�H-how can I blame him?> she thought. Ranma held her gaze
for a moment, his temper cooled by Akane�s sad look. There was no way he
could stay angry, not after looking into those beautiful, hazel-brown eyes.
He felt his anger slowly melt away like a bar on chocolate left in the open
on a hot summer�s day. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand then
hugged Akane to him again. "�I-I�m sorry Akane�I didn�t mean to lose it like
that�" he sighed, sadness evident in his voice. "�W-what must you think of
me? I must be n-no better than an animal to you now�"
Akane pushed herself away and shook her head. "No�" she replied softly.
"�No, Ranma�I don�t think that at all�H-how can I blame you after what
you�ve been through?�Oh Ranma�I�!" she tried to continue speaking but words
would not come. Ranma smiled at her, it was weak but full of warmth and
compassion. "�Wakarimasu, Akane-chan�" he said, hugging her to him again and
stroking her hair lovingly. Akane simply buried her face in his chest and
cried, she couldn�t stop if she wanted to. She cried for Ranma, she cried
for herself, she cried because of the sorry state they were both in now. She
cried because she couldn�t do anything else. She couldn�t deny now that she
loved Ranma deeply. She couldn�t even begin to imagine what life would be
like if he�d committed seppuku like he said he was going to do, save for the
one fact that life wouldn�t be worth living. It was painful even thinking
about it, the thought itself caused fresh gouts of tears to flow and she let
them. There was no hiding it now, not now. 
"R�Ranma�"
"Hmm?�What is it Akane?" Akane slowly pushed herself away from the embrace. 
"I�I�" she stammered, still finding it hard to speak. Then she gave up and
in one swift motion, pulled Ranma�s face to hers and kissed him full on the
mouth. Ranma blinked in shock for a moment then wrapped his arms around her
and tentatively began to kiss back.
He felt her mouth open beneath his and he felt her tongue begin to probe his
mouth. He stuck his own out in response and they twined playfully for a
moment. Somewhere deep inside, Ranma was crying in happiness, happiness of
realising that he hadn�t lost Akane after all, happy that finally they�d
been able to do what they�d wanted for so long now. But yet another part was
saying it wasn�t right, she was no longer his fianc�e after all. That one
part continued nagging at him, tugging at his mind, until he could bear it
no longer. Ranma slowly broke the kiss. He saw Akane�s face dissolve into
silent tears, her eyes big but her face expressionless. He sighed and slowly
began to push her away. She blinked in surprise and a little shock. Now that
she had laid her heart open to him, she was beginning to wonder if it was
the right thing to do. She felt a tightness begin to creep up, slowly
strangling her heart and other vital organs. <Why is he pushing me away?>
the though ran wild through her head, threatening to drive her insane as she
struggled to find an answer but couldn�t. "R�Ranma, w-what�s wrong?"
He sighed and gently slid her off his lap before standing up. "�I�I can�t do
this, Akane�"
Akane felt her world blacken, shrivel and die around her.
"W-w-w-why?�Ranma�I�I love you!�D-don�t y-you l-l-love m-me too?" Ranma
turned and looked straight into her glistening hazel-brown eyes. 
"Akane-chan�Believe me when I say�I love you more than anything else in the
world�"
"So why?!?" Akane interrupted, desperate to find an answer.
"�I was far too proud, far too stubborn to admit it before�Akane, I do love
you�" Akane breathed a sigh of relief, the tightness fading from her chest.
"�But�But I just can�t�not now�"
Almost immediately, the strangling feeling was back. "�Why not?!?�What�s
wrong? I love you, you love me�That�s all there is to it�" Akane retorted,
her voice raised in frustration, then became soft again. "�Isn�t it?" Ranma
shook his head.
"�No�I only wish it was�You see Akane�" he paced the campsite before
speaking again. "�The man you love, Ranma Saotome, is dead!"
Akane�s eyes became huge upon hearing his words. "�W-what do you mean?!
You�re standing right there!"
"Yes, I am here�But who am I?" Ranma asked, looking at her sadly.
"Who else would you be? You silly baka!�How many Ranma Saotomes do I know?"
"None�Ranma Saotome is dead�" he stated flatly. Akane�s eyes began to water
when she caught what he was trying to say. "�Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome
School of Indiscriminate Grappling, died tonight under the unforgiving blade
of the Saotome-ryuu katana�He died in dishonor and failure."
"Ranma no!�Y-you aren�t a failure�Y-you�I-it isn�t your fault�Cologne could
have used magic to fool your mother for all we know!" Akane protested,
hoping to make him reconsider. Ranma looked at her sadly. He knew full well
what she was trying to say but, as honor demands, he is no longer a Saotome
until he has redeemed himself from his shame and dishonor.
"Akane�Please try to understand�I�" 
"NO! I won't!�" Akane shouted, hot tears of anger and frustration spilling
down her cheek. "�It�s about honor isn't it?!?�ISN�T IT?!?" Ranma nodded
slowly. Akane stood up and threw her hands in the air in exasperation.
"�Honor, giri, loyalty, is that all your life is tied to?�" she asked,
razor-sharp spikes in her voice. "�If this was the Feudal Era, I would
understand but not now!�Hell not now!�"
"Akane, the code of Bushido stands no matter how far into the future we
progress�" Ranma protested. Akane cut him off with a wave. 
"�URUSEI!�" she screamed, falling to her knees sobbing. "�It�s all because
of Bushido, I'm going to lose the one man I�ve ever loved in my entire
life!!�" she sobbed. "�Dad was no better either�I�ll have you know Ranma, he
hit me tonight�" Ranma�s eyes widened in shock. 
"Tendo-ojiisan did what?!?"" Ranma demanded. Akane looked up at him and nodded. 
"You heard�he hit me�" she cried. "�I-I ran away, I came to find you, hoping
you�d help me but as I see, you�re no better either!" Akane screamed,
beating the ground with her fists in frustration.
"A-Akane-chan�P-please stop�" Ranma half-whispered, laying a hand on her
shoulder.
"NO I WON'T!�" she yelled back. "�I�m sick�Wakarimasu ka?!? SICK�and TIRED
of my life being run by a so-called code of honor that favors selective
people and punishes the rest undeservingly!" Akane stood up, shrugged
Ranma�s hand off her back and walked over to her backpack. She ruffled
through it�s contents and pulled out a small dagger. "�I�ve had enough,
Ranma�" she said, tears flowing freely down her face to drip onto the
ground. "�I think we�ve both had enough�"
Ranma took a step towards her. "�Akane�don�t be foolish�" he warned. "�Here,
give me the dagger�" he said, holding out a hand. Akane shook her head sadly. 
"If I can�t live my life free, free of the expectations of others�Then I�d
rather not live at all�" she said, wiping away a flood of tears. "�Ranma, I
can�t live without you�If the man I love is dead�Then I shall join him in
the afterlife�" she said softly, staring at the gleaming dagger in her hand.
"�When I come to cross the Sanzen no Ka, I hope you can find a way to
forgive me�For the spirits who inhabit the cursed river will not�Wakare,
Ranma-san�" she fell to her knees and raised the dagger above her head.
Ranma screamed. "NOOOOOO!" He made a split-second decision, mustering up as
much ki as he could, he released a Mouko Takabisha straight at Akane�s
hands. In his current state of depression, most of the energy dissipated
upon striking Akane but it was sufficient enough to knock her off balance,
the dagger flying from her grasp to embed itself in a nearby tree.
Immediately he was beside her and hugging her tight.
"No! Akane�Oh God no!�You must NEVER�you hear me? NEVER! Do that!�" he
shouted, holding her out at arms� length. "�Akane�Akane no baka!�" he
sobbed, hugging her tight once more.
"Ran�ma�" Akane half-whispered. "�Y-you came back�"
"Akane! You must never leave me!�I�I don�t know what I�d do without
you�Y-you�re all I have left!�P-please�Akane�" Ranma cried, clinging
desperately to her. Akane didn�t reply, she was happy to be in Ranma�s arms,
happy knowing that now, finally, she was free.

***************

Cologne hopped out of the back of the Nekohanten, a weary look on her face.
She�d been trying to console Shampoo ever since they�d arrive home to no
avail. The stubborn girl had continued sobbing despite her best condolences.
Mousse made to go look for Shampoo only to be stopped by Cologne.
"<No, let her be, Mu Suu�>" Cologne said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
Mousse turned to look at the ancient hag.
"<But�But she needs�>"
"<What she needs right now is some time alone�>" Cologne finished for him
then sighed. "<�My plan has gone wrong, instead of forcing Saotome to comply
with our laws�We have only succeeded in pushing him further away�>" Mousse
turned and glared at her.
"<What do you mean �our� plan?!?�*I* never had a hand in such a vile
dealing!�>" he stated angrily. He was still unable to accept the fact that
Cologne would tell Shampoo to give herself to Ranma the way she did. In all
regard, he now hated the old prune-on-a-stick(^_^) in front of him. Cologne
flinched at his tone then whacked him over the head with her cane.
"<Don�t you EVER presume to use such a disrespectful tone toward your elder,
Mu Suu!�>" Cologne shouted angrily. "<�Yes! I know you hate me for what I
made Xian Pu do�But know this! She did so of her own accord! *I* never
forced her into anything! I merely suggested the plan and she accepted�Her
failure is of her own fault!>" Mousse, on the ground, turned and snarled up
at the withered old prune berating him on the stick. How he wished he could
strangle her with his bare hands right now! He visualized himself standing
tall over the Amazon Matriarch, gloating in victory as Cologne begged and
pleaded for her miserable life and laughed without humor. <Someday�> he
thought. <�Someday, I will no longer tolerate this�this�slavery!> Ever since
Ranma had left the Nekohanten four days ago, he�d been thinking. Maybe Ranma
was right after all, the laws of the Joketsuzoku held no bearing here in
Japan. Yet he and Shampoo had been following her commands like dogs for the
past seven years.. They deserved better! Mousse got to his knees and bowed
to Cologne.
"<I humbly apologise and beg forgiveness for my rudeness, Honored Elder�>"
he began in a placating voice. "<�I have observed my error and rest assured
it will never happen again, this I swear!>" Cologne nodded, satisfied with
his apology. Mousse however, was seething inwardly at being so powerless, at
being forced to kneel before a piece of history.
"<Very well�It shall not be mentioned again�>" Cologne said, looking down at
the grovelling Mousse. "<�You may rise.>" Mousse got to his feet and put his
glasses on. "<�Now take this to Xian Pu�>" Cologne hopped into the kitchen
and moments later, a tray of ramen and tea came flying out. Mousse sighed
and caught it on one hand. As he made to leave, Cologne poked her head out
of the kitchen window. "<�One thing, do not try your usual wiles on her
right now�If you wish to keep your eyes matching�>". She said with a smirk
before disappearing into the kitchen. Mousse snarled inwardly at the cruel
retort but bit his tongue. One day, soon, his time would come. For now
though, it was best that he did as Cologne had ordered. Warily he headed
into the back for Shampoo�s room, the thought of seeing his beloved not
causing any fireworks to explode this time.

"<Xian Pu�>" Mousse called, knocking on her door. A few minutes later a
tired voice answered from inside.
"<Ni xiang sa mo, Mu Suu?>" Shampoo asked through the door. Mousse could
tell from her voice that she was still upset. "<�Wo pu xiang ni chow wo xian
zhai�" Mousse took a deep breath and readjusted his grip on the tray of food
he carried.
"<Khu Lon asked me to bring you supper�>" Mousse answered, hoping she
wouldn�t tell him to get lost.
"<�Chin lai ma, men may yo sor chu�>" Shampoo said with a sigh. Mousse
tentatively twisted the doorknob and entered, shutting the door behind him.
He moved to turn the light on. "<Do you want the light on?�>" he asked.
Shampoo, sitting over by the window on her bed, shook her head. 
"<No, leave the light off�>" Mousse nodded. He walked over to her dresser
and laid the tray onto it. 
"<Lai, che ii tian tong xi ma�>" Mousse suggested. Shampoo didn�t move.
"<Leave it�Wo pu xiang che xian zhai�>" Shampoo said, her voice soft, almost
tired. Mousse paused for a few minutes then walked over to her and laid a
hand on her shoulder. 
"<Xian Pu, what�s wrong?�>" he asked. Shampoo turned as if to slap his hand
off her shoulder but stopped when she saw that he wasn�t trying any of his
usual tricks. 
"<May tse la�I�m okay�>" she lied. Mousse wasn�t at all convinced.
"<Come on, what�s wrong?>" he asked, patting her gently on the shoulder.
"<�Tse lan-ma tse pu tse?>" Shampoo sighed and nodded after a few minutes.
"<�What did I do wrong?�I did as Khu Lon told me to�So why does he hate me
now?!?�>" Mousse sighed, he couldn�t answer her. It was painful enough that
he had to stand by, powerless, as Shampoo was forced, there was no other way
he could put it, forced to �degrade� herself in the way she did with Ranma.
Though, it wasn�t surprising that Ranma hated her now, after what she�d, no,
Cologne, had done. 
"<�I�I can�t answer that, Xian Pu�Though I know it isn�t your fault.>" he
said, trying to comfort her. Shampoo smiled, a weak smile without humor and
turned to look at him. 
"<Mu Suu�It isn�t fair!�>" she exclaimed suddenly. "<�Where have we gone
wrong? Why must we be forced to endure this hardship?�>" she cried, letting
a few tears drip onto her silken Chinese dress, staining it slightly. Mousse
winced when he saw her cry. It was all he could do right now to stop himself
from hugging her. Oh, he wanted to, God knows he wants to, but he also knew
that if he did so, it would mean that his eyes aren�t going to match for the
rest of the week. He moved to sit beside her and laid a hand gently onto
hers, patting it comfortingly.
"<�Xian Pu�Sshhh, don�t cry�>" he said in a soft voice, trying to reassure
her. Shampoo sniffled and nodded slightly. But try as she might, she
couldn�t stop. The tears continued to flow, as if years of frustration and
rejection were now coming to the surface. Mousse tentatively put an arm
around her and, sensing no resistance, gently pulled her to him and began to
stroke her soft lavender hair. He was surprised that Shampoo hadn�t sent him
on a one-way trip out of the Sol System by now, that in itself meaning that
either she was too depressed to care, or that he was finally getting
somewhere with her. Shampoo tensed at Mousse�s touch when he threw his arm
over her but relaxed when she noted that, again, he wasn�t trying to
glomp-hug her like so many times before. She decided to relax her guard and
let him hold her this time, feeling in need of company at the moment. To her
surprise, she found that she was actually enjoying the feel of being held as
Mousse was doing to her now. <Sigh, if only it were Ranma�> she thought
miserably. She sighed when he began stroking her hair, the feeling was nice
to say the least, but there was more, much more. She could feel that Mousse
was trying hard to control himself and was going out of his way to try and
make her feel better. She appreciated that. They remained in the position
for a while, neither Amazon saying anything. Shampoo finally broke the silence.
"<Mu Suu�What�re you thinking?�>" she asked. Mousse, completely lost in the
feeling of holding his beloved, didn�t hear her. Shampoo repeated the
question, this time adding a bop on the head, jolting Mousse out of his trance.
"Huh? What?�I�m coming! Five ramen, coming up!" he blabbered in Japanese,
not knowing where he was for a moment. Shampoo sighed and bopped him again,
this time pushing his arm off her shoulder to wake him up. The loss of
contact did it.
"<Uh, what did you say, Xian Pu?>" Shampoo repeated the question for a third
time. Mousse turned to face her.
"<Do you remember Ranma saying that our laws are �pure stone age�?>" Shampoo
nodded.
"<Why do you ask?�.>" she replied curiously. Mousse shrugged and turned to
look at his hands now in his lap.
"<�It�s Khu Lon�>" he said after a minute�s silence. "<�I can�t stand her
slave-driving ways any longer.>" Shampoo blinked then whapped him upside the
head.
"<Zhu cou! How dare you speak of your�our elder like that!�I�ll�>" Shampoo
stopped when she felt Mousse grab her shoulders. She moved to whack him but
stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. He wasn�t trying to glomp-hug
her, instead, he wanted her attention.
"<Xian Pu�Listen to what I have to say first, you can kill me later if you
want! �>" Shampoo blinked, whatever he wanted to say, he was willing to risk
Cologne hearing him.
"<Hao, zhiang ma�>" she replied after a moment, sliding his arms off her
shoulders. Mousse took a deep breath then began speaking.
"<�I�m starting to think that Ranma was right after all�About our laws and
what we go through every day in life�>" Mousse said softly, almost
dejectedly. "<�I mean, why must we endure this�torture�that Khu Lon makes us
endure?>"
Shampoo sighed, not catching his drift. "<�Ni tao ti xi zhiang xa mo?>"
Mousse sighed then turned to face her again.
"<Well tell me, honestly, are you happy here? Are you happy doing what you
do every day? Are you happy doing what Khu Lon tells you to do?�>" he asked,
taking her hands into his own. Shampoo blinked.
"<What do you mean?�Wo pu ming pai�>" Shampoo replied, her eyes betraying
the confusion she felt. 
Mousse pressed on inexorably. "<Well tell me this? Do you enjoy doing what
Khu Lon tells you to do in order to have Ranma for yourself?>" Mousse asked
in an almost disgusted tone. Shampoo shook her hands free from his and
folded her arms across her chest, turning away.
"<Of course I do!�Why wouldn�t I?�>" she replied stubbornly. "<�Khu Lon
tells me to do what is good for our tribe�She tells me to do what is good
for my honor�>"
"<So how much honor did it gain you when you used the passion spice on
Ranma?>" Shampoo flinched. Mousse was right, it was a dishonorable and
downright dirty way to trap a man. She�d done it countless times before
without feeling a pang of guilt. But for some reason, she was feeling
strangely guilty now. Shampoo didn�t answer, she couldn�t answer. The weight
of all the dishonorable acts that Cologne had made her perform simply so she
could trap Ranma came flooding back to her in that one, painful instant. The
passion spice, the Mao Mao Lin, the kairaishi mushroom, all the sins she�d
committed in the past weighed down upon her, making her feel as if the
weight of the entire world was on her shoulders. "<�Well?!?>" Mousse pressed.
      K  u  s  a  n  a  g  i       K y o
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       +-----+     /-, +-+-       +-----+
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      ----|----    / \ +-+-       /  J  \
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  "Kusanagi Flames, Yagami Tears, Orochi Blood"