The Pursuit of Love

Ukyou was wandering the street of Nerima aimlessly, still in shock at the angry words that Ranma had lashed at her.

“Can’t I just take a walk with Akane without you showing up and acting all jealous?” he demanded after Akane had run home without him.

His poisonous words were like a spike being slowly driven into her brain, each one hurting as much as the next.

“I’m not into you. Once we were friends, but now I hate you!” he raged at her

A car drove by, she didn’t even notice when it splashed her with mud from the rain the day before.

“Do you hear me? I hate you and never want to see you again! Stop following me around, stop groping me and stop saying you’re my cute fiancée! I’ve never asked you to marry me and I never will. Fuck off Ukyou” he screamed at her. She stared at him, he’d never spoken to her like this before and she didn’t know how to take it. All she’d done was ask him what the hell he was doing with Akane. She hadn’t known that Akane was going to coldly tell him to walk with his cute fiancée and leave in a jealous rage.

“But, Ranma?” Ukyou protested. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

“I-said-get-out-of-my-face” he retorted, emphasizing each word. She’d done as he’d requested, and now she wandered in shock, feeling like her heart was breaking. She felt numb, yet her body burned with tears that she dare not shed for fear that they would never stop. She didn’t even care about the damage that she was doing to her spatula as she dragged it along behind her. Dimly she heard someone calling her name, but chose to ignore them. She just walked faster, wanting to be alone with her thoughts and to suffer her humiliation in silence. Ranma didn’t want her! Someone grabbed her spatula and she just let them take it, past the point of caring.

“Kuonji-san?” someone said and she just growled at them, wanting them to go away, but they didn’t. She was pulled against a powerful chest and strong arms enveloped her. She struggled against them at first, and then her breath hitched and her tears burst forth. She felt herself being bodily lifted onto someone’s lap and she wrapped her arms around them, accepting the comfort that she so desperately needed. He held her throughout the storm and then wisely put her on the park bench beside him. He handed her a handkerchief that he plucked from the wide sleeve of his robe.

“Thank you Mousse” Ukyou said tearfully and dried her eyes with it.

“Ranma?” he guessed.

She tearfully nodded; afraid she would start crying again.

He turned his blind eyes on her and asked, “would you like to talk about it Uuchan?” and then blushed. “Sorry, I have no right to call you that” he apologized.

“It’s okay” she said dismissively, just glad to have someone to talk to. Mousse seemed to be examining at her clothes, as if to see if they were torn.

She laughed humourless “no he didn’t hurt me like that; I don’t think that Ranma could ever force himself on a girl. He said that he hated me and never wanted to see me again” she explained bitterly.

“I couldn’t see him doing that either, but I had to know. I would have been forced to seek vengeance for you if he had” Mousse explained

Ukyou felt flattered at that and went on to tell Mousse about the fight “I guess that you don’t care, seeing how you hate him and all” she concluded.

“I don’t hate him, it’s impossible to stay mad at him; he’s too nice a guy, if a tad full of himself. No the only thing that I have against him is that he stands in my way to love” Mousse explained. “Quite frankly, it sounds like he was just venting his frustrations and will apologize the next time you see him” Mousse suggested

Ukyou paused, letting this sink in. “Mousse, why did you come after me?” she asked.

“You seemed in a bad way, I kept on calling you and you wouldn’t answer. You seemed depressed and looked like you could use a hug” he explained. “I hope you don’t think I wanted to take advantage of you?” he said with a blush.

“No, I needed a good cry. I’m grateful to you” she explained. “Besides, you certainly didn’t touch me inappropriately. Anyway, I’ll probably die a virgin at this rate” she said with irony in her voice. “I guess you feel the same way seeing how long you’ve pursued Shampoo” Ukyou said.

She was surprised when his pale face was painted by blushes “I’ll tell you a secret; I’m not” he admitted.

“Really?” she exclaimed. This caused Mousse to wince.

“Am I really so ugly?” he asked.

“No of course not, you’re really quite attractive” she assured him, he flashed her a grateful smile. “Do you want to share?” she asked intrigued.

“It’s the usual way: depression, drinking and a willing woman. After Ranma defeated me, I went home to China. I had nowhere to stay that night, so I decided so stay in the airport overnight to catch the plane in the morning. An older girl, who had just flown in started talking to me and she offered to let me stay at her apartment that night. I should have known better, she was twenty and insisted we have a couple drinks. I, not being much a drinker, got hammered in no time. When she started kissing me, I just let her fuck me. I was depressed over losing Shampoo to Ranma and wanted comfort I guess. I think she just wanted to get laid, because she made me breakfast the next day and then drove me back to the airport. She never gave me her number” Mousse explained.

“That seems kind of sad. I want my first time to be on my wedding night with Ranma” Ukyou admitted with a blush.

Mousse nodded “I’m sure that all the fiancées want that too” he said.

“Do you think I should give up?” she asked.

“No I don’t, you have to keep on trying until you’ve exhausted every avenue to love” Mousse declared.

“Like you?” Ukyou said.

Mousse nodded “Shampoo’s not as indifferent to me as she seems. I’m good for her vanity and to provide comfort when Ranma makes her sad like he does you. Besides, she could beat the snot out of me if she really wanted to or she could order me to leave her, she’s the future leader after all, yet she does neither. I live with her and sleep in the room next to hers” he pointed out.

“You’re a lot more crafty then you let on” Ukyou said. “What will happen if she marries someone else?” she asked, pain flashed in his eyes.

“Then I would have to give up and concede that she chose someone else. I would probably rejoin the circus and travel for a bit, and then I would have to find another love” he said. “I refuse to give up my quest for love, nor should you” he said vehemently.

Ukyou stood up; fueled by Mousse’s impassionate speech “you’re right, I refuse to give up on Ranma. I’m not letting one of those hussies marry him without a fight. Thanks Mousse, I was thinking of releasing him from our engagement until I talked to you” she said, impulsively giving the Chinese boy a hug.

He blushed “glad I could help” he said, turning to leave.

“Mousse” Ukyou said, now it was her turn to blush. He turned his face questioningly towards her. “You can call me Uuchan if you want” she said. He just smiled in return.