Ok guys, I am finished with the Inu-Yasha fic. Yatta Sidhewolfe, thank you so much for the help. Sidhewolfe really cleaned up my grammar which really sucks. (Sigh) I love wolves. Any compliments that any of you hand out is partly hers by rights.

Rainer

Well this is my attempt at a Ranma 1/2 and Inu-Yasha crossover fic. It featured Mousse and Inu-Yasha. It had a lot of angst, very LEMONY, extreme acts of VIOLENCE and a somewhat sappy ending. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. There is a XXX rated scene. You do not have to read it. I don't own the characters. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi. This fic has some heavy spoilers. I changed a lot of the scenes from the manga. I am not telling which is which. Many characters in Inu-Yasha and Ranma 1/2 series are excluded from the fic. I have given cameo appearances though to Shampoo, Cologne, Ranma, Priestess Kaede, etc. Mousse is the only main character from Ranma 1/2. One other thing, Mousse and Inu-Yasha are somewhat OOC at times. Please forgive me for taking that liberty. This fic has more narrative than I would like. It is not my usual style of writing. Keep that in mind while reading the fic.

WHAT PRICE HONOR?

Mousse was walking slowly along the street. He was very depressed over his unrequited love for Shampoo. He was supposed to report to the café for work. But, somehow he didn't have the heart to do so even if it meant that he would be close to his beloved Shampoo. 'All I ever wanted was to be Shampoo's husband.' Mousse thought dispiritedly. Amazon honor was very strict on that. A male must beat an Amazon woman before asking her hand in marriage. Mousse knew that he was no match for Shampoo. The only other way was to beat the male that had defeated the female. That would be Ranma. Try as hard as he could, he simply was not a match for Ranma either.

Mousse made the bitter observation. "What price honor?" He walked on aimlessly not paying attention to his surroundings. He walked deeper and deeper into the city.

Mousse now realized that he had come to the train station. On an impulse, he decided to leave Nerima for a while and go somewhere else. 'I need to get away for a while.' He thought. 'I need to clear my head for a while.' Having made his decision, he ran into the train station and bought a one-way ticket to wherever the next train was going. Soon the train came and Mousse sullenly boarded it. He grabbed a seat by the window and stared at Nerima slowly disappearing from the view. Mousse heaved a sigh of utter depression and decided to get some shuteye before the next stop.

Meanwhile at the café, Shampoo was in a rage. "Where is the stupid duck boy?" She demanded angrily. "When the stupid duck boy shows up, he will be punished."

"You can punish him later." Cologne told her tartly. "For now, get to work. You need to bring the food to the customers."

Shampoo flounced off in a huff. Cologne shook her head at that juvenile display of temper.

The train came to a stop at the station in another city. Mousse woke up with a start. He peered through the window to discern what city he was in, but he was unable to recognize it. "Excuse me." Mousse called out to the conductor. "What city are we in?" The conductor looked at Mousse oddly. "Tokyo."

"Tokyo." Mousse murmured to himself. With a sigh, he got up and descended from the train. Looking around, he groaned. 'Whatever possessed me to buy a ticket to Tokyo in the first place?' He thought berating himself for his stupidity. Mousse knew that he was in trouble. He had no money and no place to stay. He had taken the train totally on an impulse, without any forethought.

With a disgusted sigh, he started walking down the street. Mousse kept walking and walking until his legs were so tired that he was ready to collapse. He moved deeper and deeper into the old part of the city. Suddenly, Mousse came across a small and old shrine. 'Maybe someone in the house would let me rest here.' Mousse thought tiredly. 'I could use something to eat and drink.' He heard a noise from the old building that was right next to the house. Curious, Mousse moved cautiously closer to the mysterious building. 'Someone is in there.' He thought. 'I need to talk to that person.'

Steeling himself, Mousse walked slowly to the door of the building, which he now recognized as an old well house. Tentatively, he knocked at the door. He heard the sound again, but no one responded to the knock. Puzzled, Mousse slowly opened the door and peered in. "Hello?" He called out. The mysterious noise came yet again. Mousse slowly opened the door wide, letting in the sunshine. The sun illuminated the inside of the well house. Now, Mousse quickly grasped that the noise was actually coming from inside the well itself. Surprised that anyone would be inside the old well. Mousse walked over to the well and looked inside.

Suddenly, a horrible sound emanated as a woman with many arms and legs like a centipede arose from the well. Mouse yelled in fear as the woman grabbed him and started pulling him down the well. Mousse did not know yet but he had come face to face with the infamous bone-eater woman. Only half of the woman was in flesh, while the other half was skeletal. The centipede woman cried out. "Oh what joy, what strength! My flesh returned to me."

Mousse continued to scream and kick as he struggled to break free from the grasp of the bone-eater woman. The woman held onto Mousse possessively as they tumbled all the way down the well. Somehow, Mousse hit the woman in the face and she let go of him with a cry. Mousse crashed on the bottom, letting out a painful grunt. Quickly, he scrambled away from the spot. Mousse ran until he hit a tree with a stunning impact. Dazed, he staggered around until he collapsed under the tree. It was then that Mousse realized he had lost his glasses in the struggle with the bone-eater woman. Now, he was effectively blind. Hence his collision with the tree.

Mousse knew that he was in even greater trouble. He was in a strange place and unable to see to protect himself from trouble. It was instances like these when Mousse really hated himself for his poor eyesight and the fact that he needed to wear such thick glasses. The irony of it, as had been pointed out to Mousse by many people, was that he had gorgeous eyes. His eyes were a bluish-gray color but sometimes seemed to shift to amber. They were very large, luminous and expressive. Those damn glasses as everyone kept pointing out, covered up his greatest asset as if Mousse needed constant reminding which he didn't.

Mousse groped around the tree until he found a long slender branch. He got up cautiously still dizzy from the collision. Using the branch the way a blind man would use his cane, he cautiously moved forward while keeping his ears open for the sound of the bone-eater woman. Slowly and painfully, Mousse moved fully aware that the bone-eater woman was somewhere near him. The branch made a slight tap-tap noise as Mousse felt out objects like trees, bushes, rocks and other impediments that would otherwise hurt him. Then Mousse heard a rustling noise behind him. It was the same noise that he had heard in the well.

Mousse lost control of himself. He fled in a blind panic, waving his arms like sensors as he crashed through the underbrush. He ran and fell, then got up and ran and fell again until he couldn't hear the noise anymore. Collapsing on the ground sobbing and panting, he tried to see where he was. Vaguely, he saw a huge tree. Painfully, he dragged himself under the tree. There, he rested, falling asleep out of sheer exhaustion.

Mousse slept for a long time. When he woke up, it was late in the morning the next day. His muscles were stiff and sore, so he got up and started stretching, working the kinks out of his muscles. His arms scraped against a strange object on the tree. Startled, Mousse whirled around in a defensive position. He slowly moved his hand toward the strange object. He started to feel up and down. To his surprise, it was a boy. Mousse felt along the boy's arm and hand. Mousse jumped back with a startled exclamation when he felt the long fingernails on the boy's hand. He cautiously moved forward again to the boy's body. Mousse felt the boy's face, exclaiming in astonishment when he felt the boy's ears, which were pointy and sticking up from the top of the head similar to a dog's. Curious, Mousse pulled at the ears to see if they were real. They were. Then he cautiously moved down the boy's body. Startled, Mousse felt the arrow sticking out of the boy's breastbone. Stepping back, Mousse looked at the boy with wonder.

All of a sudden, an eye began to open on the boy's face. The boy began to speak. "Who is out there?" Both eyes were now open and glaring at Mousse. "Who are you?"

With a startled cry, Mousse stumbled back in fear. "You ......You......You are talking. You are alive."

"Of course, I am alive. The boy snapped. "I am asking you again, who are you?"

"My name is Mousse." Mousse meekly told the boy. "Who are you?"

"Inu-Yasha." The boy replied.

"Inu-Yasha?" Mousse looked puzzled. "What is this place anyway?"

"You are really dumb." Inu-Yasha snorted. "We are in the forest of Inu-Yasha of course."

"Your forest?" Mousse was even more confused. "Where is this forest?"

Inu-Yasha stared at Mousse. 'Is he stupider than I thought?' He thought wondering. He started to notice that Mousse wore strange clothing. "What kind of clothing is that?"

Mousse stared. "Huh? Why these are my traditional Chinese Amazon clothing."

Inu-Yasha snapped. "We don't wear clothing like that!" Then he asked a question. "What year is it?"

Mousse opened and closed his mouth. Finally he said. "This is the year 1999."

Inu-Yasha snorted derisively. "Do you expect me to believe that drivel?" He added acidly. "This is the Sengoku period."

Mousse knew enough Japanese history to understand that somehow he had managed to go back in time. He had gone back to the time of feudalism and the warring states. "Oh no." Mousse moaned, realizing that now he was in a bigger mess than before.

Then, a spine chilling sound came to Mousse's ears. It was the sound of the bone eater woman. All of a sudden, five hands grabbed Mousse. He emitted a scream of complete terror. Struggling frantically, Mousse wildly tried to hit the bone-eater woman. Then the centipede woman turned and stared at Inu-Yasha. "Ahh, Inu-Yasha the half-demon boy." Inu-Yasha glared helplessly since he was pinned to the tree by the arrow. Mousse finally managed to push away the bone-eater woman by hitting her once again.

"Quick! Pull the arrow out of me." Inu-Yasha told Mousse. "I can defeat her."

Quickly, Mousse pulled the arrow out of Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha fell with a thump to the ground. Emitting a growl, he glared at the bone-eater woman.

"Demon be gone!" Inu-Yasha leaped in the air, sweeping his hand in a great slicing movement downward. "Taste my claws!"

In a twinkling of an eye, the bone-eater woman disappeared with a silent scream. Inu-Yasha landed on his feet, his eyes sparkling. "It feels so good to be free."

Mousse could only stare at Inu-Yasha in shock. Mousse could not believe just how powerful Inu-Yasha was. Unsteadily, Mousse walked toward Inu-Yasha with his arms in front of him. Inu-Yasha widened his eyes in disbelief.

"Are you blind?" Inu-Yasha asked Mousse. Inu-Yasha grabbed Mousse's arms and guided him closer.

"No, but I have very bad eyesight. I lost my glasses in a earlier struggle with the centipede woman." Mousse wryly replied. "It is this stupid pair of eyes that keep getting me into trouble." Then Mousse asked, "What does the centipede woman means when she called you a half-demon boy?"

"My father was a full demon and my mother was a human," Inu-Yasha snorted. "I wanted to be all demon. Humans are weak and silly creatures. I have been hunting for the Shikon jewel that would make me a full demon." Then Inu-Yasha asked, "What are glasses?"

Mousse sweatdropped. "Umm, glasses are aids which help people see better." Hurriedly changing the subject. "Oh, why do you want to be a full demon?" Mousse asked curiously.

"Because, then my powers would be complete. No one would be able to compete against me. Not even my brother, Sessho-maru would be able to compete against me, and he is a full demon." Inu-Yasha's eyes gleamed with desire.

Mousse slowly began to nod in understanding. He could relate to that since he had done things like that in order to beat Ranma and take Shampoo as a bride. "I understand."

Inu-Yasha looked at Mousse in surprise. "How can a mere mortal human understand?"

"Trust me, I do understand." Mousse sighed. His body was still bruised and battered. Despite, the long rest that Mousse had, his body had not recovered yet. Suddenly, the world turned around and around. Mousse started to fall in a dead faint.

Swiftly Inu-Yasha caught Mousse before he slammed into the ground. Carrying Mousse in his arms, Inu-Yasha looked around to get his bearings. Then he started walking north to a cave that he knew would offer shelter and safety for both of them. Reaching the cave, Inu-Yasha put Mousse down gently. Then Inu-Yasha got a container that was in the cave and went to get water from a spring flowing nearby. He carried the water back and set it down besides Mousse. Inu-Yasha tore the clothing apart, exposing Mousse's body. Inu-Yasha's eyes widened at two sights. One was the terrible bruises, nicks and abrasions all over Mousse's body. The other sight was the fabulous array of hidden weapons. 'This is not a weak and defenseless human,' Inu-Yasha thought wonderingly as his eyes roved up and down Mousse's body. Inu-Yasha tore a piece of cloth from his shirt and gently started daubing th e wounds with the water from the spring.

Inu-Yasha performed first aid the best he could. After doing that, Inu-Yasha walked over to the far side of the cave and went to sleep. When Inu-Yasha woke up in the morning, he got up quickly in a defensive position. After satisfying himself that no one was near, he looked at Mousse, who was still sleeping. Carefully checking to make sure that the wounds were healing properly, he took the opportunity to really take a good look at Mousse. The first thing he noticed was the long flowing hair. It was soft, rich, lustrous and ebony in color. Hesitantly, Inu-Yasha reached over and stroked through Mousse's hair. Mousse murmured under his breath and moved closer to Inu-Yasha. 'I think maybe I could begin to like him.' Inu-Yasha thought as he watched Mousse sleeping.

It was mid-afternoon when Mousse woke up. He tried to sit up but his ribs protested violently. So, still exhausted he fell back and looked around himself. His eyes blurring, he saw Inu-Yasha sleeping cross-legged a few feet away from him. Looking at Inu-Yasha, Mousse saw even with his poor eyesight, just how beautiful the half-demon boy was. 'Does that mean that I don't love Shampoo anymore?' Mousse thought, confused. 'What does it means?' Trying to think tired Mousse even more and he fell asleep again.

Mousse woke up again a couple hours later with a startled cry. Inu-Yasha murmured. "Quiet, everything is all right." Then he added. "I changed the bandages, your wounds are healing nicely."

Reassured, Mousse sank back and looked at Inu-Yasha with gratitude. "Thank you."

Inu-Yasha nodded somewhat embarrassed. A small fire was going about 10 feet away. On a spit, a piece of fowl was cooking. Mousse savored the aroma of cooking meat. His stomach growled with hunger, which caused Mousse to blush very hard. Inu-Yasha grinned, showing off his prominent fangs. So, Inu-Yasha moved to the piece of cooking meat. He carefully brought the spit, which the meat was on to Mousse. Mousse groped in the air for the spit, being unable to see well. Inu-Yasha grabbed one of Mousse's hands and guided it to the spit. Slowly, Mousse brought the meat to his mouth and started taking little bites off the piece of fowl. When Mousse was done eating, Inu-Yasha was there with a container of water. Slowly, with Inu-Yasha's help in lifting his head, Mousse drank the cool spring water.

After Mousse was done eating and drinking. Inu-Yasha lay Mousse's head back down gently. "Go to sleep." Inu-Yasha told Mousse. "You need more sleep if your wounds are to heal properly."

Mousse gratefully sank back into a dreamless sleep. Inu-Yasha stared at Mousse for a long time deep in thought. 'I don't like humans. They are annoying, weak and silly creatures. Yet, here I am taking care of a human. Why?' Inu-Yasha stared at Mousse's hair and could not resisted the temptation to stroke it. Once again, Inu-Yasha marveled at the rich velvety feel of Mousse's hair. Inu-Yasha gave a sigh. 'Sessho-maru would laugh at me if he saw me doing that kind of thing.' Inu-Yasha scowled at the thought. He checked over Mousse, looking for signs of discomfort. Finding none, Inu-Yasha went outside the cave to do some exercises.

When Mousse woke up again, it was morning. He stretched out his body slowly and luxuriously. He looked around for Inu-Yasha, but the cave was empty except for the smoldering fire that lay smoking next to him. Mousse decided to stand up. He took off the blanket, realizing with a start that he was naked. Gingerly, he slowly stood up. His bruised body protested, but Mousse felt that he had been lying down too long. Slowly, he stretched out his body, this time standing up. He started working the kinks out of his muscles that had been disused during his long convalescence. Inu-Yasha came in at precisely that moment. Inu-Yasha's eyes widened as he saw Mousse's naked body stretching out before him. Mousse blushed deep red and quickly scooped up the blanket to cover himself.

Inu-Yasha felt a flash of disappointment. He suppressed the feeling and instead gave Mousse a fanged smile. "I see that you are feeling better." Mousse nodded wordlessly. "I am sorry about your clothes." Inu-Yasha apologized. "I tore it to pieces to get to your wounds. It was ruined anyway." Then Inu-Yasha nodded over to the far side of the cave. "However, I got some new clothing for you. It is a little different than what you were wearing."

Mousse saw dimly the clothing that Inu-Yasha was pointing to. Thanking Inu-Yasha for his thoughtfulness, Mousse gingerly walked over to the pile of clothing. With a blush, Mousse dropped the blanket and started putting on the clothing. Inu-Yasha watched the scene with a peculiar smile on his face. When Mousse finished dressing, he felt like a new person. "This feels comfortable. It fits me perfectly." Mousse told Inu-Yasha shyly. Inu-Yasha walked over to Mousse and pressed something into his hands. With a start, Mousse realized that it was his lost glasses. Trembling a little, he put them on. His eyes blinking a little, he stared at Inu-Yasha, finally able to see him clearly. "How did you know that these are my glasses?"

"I never saw this strange object before so I figure it must belong to you." Inu-Yasha shrugged his shoulders.

Mousse saw that Inu-Yasha was even more beautiful than he thought. Mousse blushed at the thought. 'What is going on with me?' He thought panicked. To cover his embarrassment, Mousse asked Inu-Yasha. "Did you really kill that centipede woman?" Inu-Yasha smiled and nodded his head. "So, now what we do?" Mousse was unsure what to do next.

"I am hoping that you would return the favor by helping me hunt for the Shikon jewel." Inu-Yasha told Mousse.

"Oh, so that you can be a full demon." Mousse remembered.

Inu-Yasha nodded, looking pleased. "Well?"

Mousse smiled. "Aren't you afraid that I, a poor, silly, weak, human being, would slow you down?"

Inu-Yasha snorted at that. "You may be a human, but you are not weak and frail."

Mousse laughed. "Then my answer is yes." Then he asked, "Where are my weapons?" Inu-Yasha pointed to the pile of weapons. Mousse nodded his thanks and carefully started hiding his weapons inside his clothing.

Inu-Yasha watched the whole scene with some amazement. 'I pity the poor fool who think Mousse is easy prey. He would get a very nasty surprise,' he thought, bemused by the staggering amounts of weapons that Mousse hid.

Finally done, Mousse looked at Inu-Yasha expectantly. Inu-Yasha smiled. "First we eat then we go." Mousse smiled back and nodded. Inu-Yasha added, "We won't go too far the first couple days. You need to build up your strength."

So, the duo started off after a simple meal. Inu-Yasha led Mousse down the trail toward the bone-eater's well. Mousse still stiff and sore could only go a few hours, and then he had to rest. Their progress therefore, was very slow. Inu-Yasha controlled his impatience the best he could. By the end of the second day, Mousse was feeling much better as his muscles rapidly regained its old tone.

The third day, they arrived at the bone-eater's well. Remembering his earlier encounter with the centipede woman, Mousse gave a small shudder. Inu-Yasha paid no attention to Mousse as he picked his way through the massive pile of bones.

"Why are we looking for the Shikon jewel in this bone dump?" Mousse asked curiously.

"Because the centipede woman was looking for the Shikon jewel as well and I want to make sure that she did not have it." Inu-Yasha replied.

"Oh. Is that because if the centipede woman has the Shikon jewel, she would become all powerful?" Mousse asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded, impressed with Mousse's reasoning.

Together, they searched diligently for the Shikon jewel. But, the jewel was not to be found. Finally, giving up, they set up camp a short distance away from the well. "Feh," Inu-Yasha muttered, "we'll go east tomorrow and keep on searching." Mousse nodded in agreement. The night was cool, and despite the clothing he wore, Mousse shivered involuntarily. Inu-Yasha noticed that Mousse was getting cold, took off his cloak and lay down on the ground. "Mousse, come over here and lay down beside me." Mousse blushed nervously but did what he was told. Inu-Yasha snuggled up to Mousse spoon fashion and threw the cloak over them. "Now, we can be warm during the night," Inu-Yasha breathed into Mousse's ear. Mousse shivered again, this time not from the cold, but from the erotic heat in his body.

Mousse opened his eyes in the morning and saw Inu-Yasha still sleeping with his back to him. Mousse slowly ran his hand through the silvery mass of hair on Inu-Yasha's head. Inu-Yasha stirred a little and pressed back against Mousse. Mousse gulped nervously, excited to a fever pitch. Unable to reconcile his new feelings for Inu-Yasha with his old feelings for Shampoo, Mousse threw off the cloak and got up very quickly. This sudden movement woke up Inu-Yasha. He turned and glared at Mousse for disturbing his beauty sleep. Mousse gulped again and apologized. "I'm sorry to wake you up."

Inu-Yasha gave a fanged smile. "That is okay." He got up as well and started brushing the dirt off his clothes. "Here you keep the cloak, it is stronger than any suit of armor."

They moved east, away from the bone-eater's well. Mousse felt an inexplicable surge of relief as they put more distance between them and the well. They reached a clearing in the forest of Inu-Yasha. All of sudden, Mousse walked smack into a thin line of hair. "Hair?" Mousse looked with bafflement at the string of hair. More and more strings of hair started to appear.

Inu-Yasha's eyes turned murderous. "Ahh, it is Yura of the Hair!"

"Yura of the Hair?" Mousse asked nervously as he saw the strings of hair making grabs for him.

"Yura of the Hair." Inu-Yasha grunted in affirmation as he swept the air with his claws severing strands of hair that were about to close in on him.

"La." A petite girl appeared above them spinning hair into a gigantic spider web. She gave an evil smile. "So this is the great Inu-Yasha, the half-demon boy. Are you still looking for the Shikon jewel?"

Inu-Yasha glared at the black leather clad girl. "You know I am looking for the Shikon jewel.

"Yes I know," Yura of the Hair agreed. "However, I want it for myself. Therefore, I will have to kill you and that foolish looking human boy. Both of you have lovely hair. I can't wait to make them part of my collection."

"You are going to kill me? That's funny, because I'm the one who's going to do the killing!!" Inu-Yasha angrily shouted as he leaped into the air straight at the black clad girl with his claws on the ready.

Yura of the Hair gave a short laugh and threw strands of hairs at Inu-Yasha. Within seconds, Inu-Yasha was trapped in the web. "Mousse! Get out of here." Inu-Yasha shouted. The black clad girl's eyes gleamed as she threw her sword spinning so fast that the naked eye could not see it at Inu-Yasha. Within seconds the half-demon boy sustained serious slash wounds to his chest.

Mousse froze in shock. He watched the scene, mesmerized. Inu-Yasha struggled mightily with the coils of hair that bound him. "Arrrggh!" Inu-Yasha raged, seeing that Mousse hadn't moved a single inch. "Stupid foolish human boy!" Mousse snapped out of his shock. He saw the gigantic ball of hair behind the black clad girl. With incredible speed, he took a knife out of his clothing and threw it at the ball of hair, infusing it with his chi. The knife hit the ball of hair. The ball burst into flames. It disintegrated, and all the skulls with hair still on them fell to the ground. Yura the Hair went into shock. Taking advantage of it, Inu-Yasha tore out of the confining coils and slashed at Yura of the Hair. His claws sliced through the black-clad girl's left hand like butter. Blood spurted out of the severed wrist in a long arcing stream. The hand fell to the ground still twitching.

"La?" The black clad girl looked puzzled, looking at her severed wrist. "Oh, how rude of you." She threw her sword again in a wide sweeping arc. The terrible swift sword plunged through Inu-Yasha's chest and out in the back. Mousse gave a cry of horror. Yura of the Hair looked at Mousse with malice. "La, now for a fitting punishment for spoiling my nest." She waved her comb. "Flames!" A mighty wall of fire swept down toward Mousse. He dived into the pile of skulls and put the cloak over himself. The flames roared over him. Inu-Yasha could only stared in horror at the scene.

"Huh?" Inu-Yasha grunted in astonishment. He lay back against the rock panting, blood steeping from his chest.

Yura of the Hair swept in to stand in front of him. The black clad girl swung her sword back. "No moving now. If we don't behead you properly, that lovely hair of yours will get stained with blood." Inu-Yasha gave a fanged smile that spelled trouble. He suddenly lurched forward driving his claws through the black clad girl's bosom.

Mousse arose from the pile of skulls much to the astonishment of Inu-Yasha and Yura of the Hair. Mousse wrapped the cloak around himself. He looked defiantly at the black-clad girl, who now had a bloody hole in her torso.

Yura of the Hair did not drop like Inu-Yasha expected her to. "Huh?" Inu-Yasha was confused. 'How am I supposed to defeat this witch?' He thought frantically. 'Where is Yura's weakness?'

"I am immortal!" Yura of the Hair shrieked at Inu-Yasha. Her eyes were glittering with madness.

Mousse frantically tried to come to Inu-Yasha's aid. He tried to walk over the pile of skulls. Just then, his foot slipped on something and Mousse fell back on his butt. Curious, Mousse reached for the object that he slipped on. It was the comb. Using his chi, he sensed that Yura of the Hair kept her soul in the comb. With a yell, Mousse smashed the comb to pieces.

Yura of the Hair silently dropped to the ground at Inu-Yasha's feet. "So that's why I couldn't defeat her. She kept her soul in that comb." Inu-Yasha said softly.

Mousse scrambled onto his feet and ran to Inu-Yasha. "You are bleeding all over! We've got to stop the flow of blood." He panted heavily as he frantically tried to tear the cloak into strips.

Inu-Yasha looked at himself. "Feh. Not a problem, I will heal because I am a half-demon." He snorted. "But, I do hurt because of my human heritage. Stop trying to tear the cloak, it cannot be torn at all."

"Oh," Mousse said softly.

With a pained grunt, Inu-Yasha got up with Mousse's help and gingerly walked a short distance until he reached a clearing. "This is a good place to set up camp," he announced to Mousse and added, "There is a hot spring nearby."

Mousse nodded his head, "Oh good, then I can bathe too."

"What do you mean by that?" Inu-Yasha asked curiously.

Mousse blushed and explained, "I have the Jusenkyo curse. Cold water turns me into a duck, hot water returns me to my human form."

"Ahh, I have heard of the curse," Inu-Yasha nodded his head in comprehension. "There are thousands of tiny pools where different kinds of animals drown in them."

Mousse gave a wry smile and nodded his head in confirmation.

Mousse started collecting wood for a fire. Inu-Yasha went to the hot spring that was nearby to wash the blood off his body. Mousse had built a roaring fire. Concerned for Inu-Yasha, Mousse went to the spring. Mousse saw Inu-Yasha washing the blood off his body. Swiftly secreting himself, he looked at Inu-Yasha. Mousse immediately had a nosebleed looking at Inu-Yasha's fabulous body. Inu-Yasha's skin was tanned, his stomach flat and hard, his arms long and graceful. The water covered the bottom part of Inu-Yasha's body from the waist down much to Mousse's intense disappointment. Then, as if to grant Mousse's secret wish, Inu-Yasha came out of the water having finished bathing and Mousse's eyes widened in awe at the rest of Inu-Yasha's anatomy. Quickly, Mousse beat a hasty retreat back to the fire. Mousse was angry with himself and terribly confused by his conflicting feelings for Shampoo and Inu-Yasha.

The smell of wood burning wafted through the air. Inu-Yasha sniffed at it with pleasure as he headed back to the camp. "Ahh, that smells good." Inu-Yasha commented looking at the fire with interest.

Mousse smiled. "I see you cleaned up." He commented carefully covering up his confusion and guilt.

"Yes, as you can see, I heal quickly." Inu-Yasha agreed. "Well, we better get some sleep. We'll keep on hunting for the Shikon jewel tomorrow."

Mousse nodded and lay down with the cloak thrown back. He looked up at Inu-Yasha with an expectant look on his face. Inu-Yasha took the invitation and lay down beside Mousse. Inu-Yasha pulled the cloak over them. Together, they snuggled against each other in spoon fashion. Mousse breathed in the scent of Inu-Yasha's body and tenderly stroked the long silvery hair. Inu-Yasha feeling the stroking of his hair quietly turned around and looked at Mousse. Unable to see Mousse's eyes, Inu-Yasha removed Mousse's glasses. 'So beautiful.' Inu-Yasha thought as he stared into the large bluish gray eyes. Mousse, unable to see well, reached up with his hand and touched Inu-Yasha's face. Mousse felt the contours of Inu-Yasha's face, touching the ears, eyebrows, nose and the soft pliant lips.

Inu-Yasha closed the distance until he was breathing at Mousse's face, then Inu-Yasha kissed Mousse tenderly. At first, Mousse felt awkward about returning the kiss, but he slowly started to respond. The kiss grew deeper and more passionate. Mousse felt dizzy from the passion that he let loose from his body. Inu-Yasha took advantage of that and slowly stripped the clothes off Mousse. The fire cast flickering light over the two writhing bodies. Mousse uttered a deep moan as his underpants were stripped off. His cock flared up in excitement, dripping with precum. Mousse started licking at Inu-Yasha's ears, causing them to twitch. Inu-Yasha shivered from the erotic simulation. Mousse continued to lick at Inu-Yasha's ears, giggling at the twitching responses that Inu-Yasha's ears gave.

Inu-Yasha took the cloak off and looked over the whole of Mousse's body. Then Inu-Yasha bent over and took Mousse's cock into his mouth. Mousse uttered a gasp and arched his back in pleasure. Inu-Yasha sucked the precum out of Mousse's cock, thoroughly covering it with his saliva. Mousse writhed harder and moaned louder as Inu-Yasha sucked harder and harder. Suddenly, Inu-Yasha stopped sucking, Mousse cried out in disappointment. "Shh." Inu-Yasha soothed Mousse. "I want to take off my clothes too." Inu-Yasha got up and undressed, putting his clothes in a neat pile and also putting Mousse's clothes in a pile as well.

Mousse watched the whole scene, his tongue licking his lips in anticipation. Naked now, Inu-Yasha lay down next to Mousse. Inu-Yasha's eyes reflected a fire and passion. While Mousse could not see it, he could feel it emanating from Inu-Yasha's body. They intertwined and kissed each other passionately. Inu-Yasha slowly took control of the lovemaking. He gently rolled Mousse to the bottom with him being on the top. Both cocks hard and throbbing came into contact with each other. Inu-Yasha and Mousse moaned in unison in erotic pleasure. Then Mousse lifted his legs up until his puckering asshole made contact with Inu-Yasha's cock. It sent an electric surge of shock through Mousse's body. Still kissing each other passionately, Mousse whispered to Inu-Yasha. "Put your cock into me."

Inu-Yasha looked at Mousse with half-lidded eyes and simply nodded his head. He carefully positioned his cock at the base of Mousse's asshole and pushed his way in. Mousse uttered a gasp as Inu-Yasha's cock drove all the way in. Mousse's cock started throbbing even harder in response. Inu-Yasha's cock drove in and out again and again. It kept rubbing against Mousse's prostate, sending shivers of pleasure through Mousse's body. Mousse's asshole repeatedly spasmed again and again, caused both boys to moan louder and louder. Mousse's asshole spasmed so hard from the fucking that it clamped down harder and harder on Inu-Yasha's cock. It became harder and harder for Inu-Yasha to drive in and out of Mousse's asshole. Finally, unable to withstand the tremendous heat and tightness of Mousse's asshole, Inu-Yasha came with a cry of pure passion. At the same time, Mousse's cock exploded, causing his asshole to spasm one more time. This caused Inu-Yasha to come again in a smaller, secondary explosion. Both boys lay together panting covered with sweat and cum. Finally, Inu-Yasha pulled out his cock out of Mousse's overflowing asshole. Then, Inu-Yasha bent over and kissed Mousse tenderly.

"I think I love you," Inu-Yasha told Mousse quietly. Inu-Yasha cuddled up next to Mousse and put his arms around Mousse's waist.

"Me too," Mousse whispered as he put his arms around Inu-Yasha.

Both boys slept together in a dreamless sleep.

Morning found both boys still sleeping together. They had contented smiles on their faces. Mousse awoke first. The smell of dried sweat and cum hit him like a train. 'Oh no.' Mousse thought, getting into a panic. 'What came over me to have sex with a half-demon boy?' The half-demon boy in question stirred a little. He still had a smile on his elfin face. A rush of tenderness came over Mousse. 'I never felt this way before for anyone, not even Shampoo,' Mousse continued to think. 'Could I really let go of the Amazon code of honor?' The more Mousse tried to think, the more he got confused. Finally, he got up and went to the spring to bathe. "What price honor?" Mousse said aloud, remembering the bitter observation that he made back in Nerima. That time seemed a million years ago, not a week as it had really been. Mousse knew in a flash that he would have to choose between honor and true happiness.

Amazon honor frowned on homosexuality. Mousse had been trained to believe in Amazon honor. Which was why he chased Shampoo for so long and so relentlessly. "I don't know what to do," Mousse murmured despairingly as he continued to wash himself. Mousse felt torn asunder in two completely different directions. 'How does Inu-Yasha really feel about me?' Mousse thought. 'Will he stops loving me when he gets the Shikon jewel?' That thought was absolutely terrifying to Mousse. Tears began to form in Mousse's eyes. Mousse angrily rubbed his eyes. "You are not a crybaby," Mousse told himself.

"Why are you crying?" The voice came from the behind.

With a startled cry, Mousse turned around so fast that he lost his balance. He went under the water and came up coughing and sputtering. "Inu-Yasha! Don't scare me like that!"

"I'm sorry," Inu-Yasha gave a contrite fanged smile. "I woke up and found you gone. So, I went hunting for you."

A flash of warmth surged through Mousse. 'Stop that.' Mousse scolded himself silently. 'He just concerned about me that all.' "Oh," Mousse said aloud, unable to think of a witty reply.

Inu-Yasha stepped into the spring. Mousse looked at Inu-Yasha's naked body as it sank into the water. A surge of heat went into Mousse's nether regions. Inu-Yasha waded slowly though the water to Mousse. A fanged smile was still on the half-demon boy's face. Mousse watched with some trepidation as Inu-Yasha came up to him. Inu-Yasha gently put his arms around Mousse and pulled him close. The half-demon boy gently kissed Mousse. "Why are you crying?" Inu-Yasha asked again.

Mousse looked down, his face growing redder. "It is nothing."

Inu-Yasha frowned slightly. "Okay. Let me wash your back."

Mousse nodded and turned around. Inu-Yasha gently traced the spine of Mousse's back. Mousse shivered in delicious anticipation of sex. Slowly, Inu-Yasha scooped up the water, letting it go when his hands were over Mousse's back. Mousse felt water splashing over his back. The water ran in rivulets down to Mousse's ass. He shivered again from the erotic thrill. Then Inu-Yasha moved to Mousse's hair, thoroughly wetting it. Inu-Yasha ran his hands though Mousse's hair again and again. Inu-Yasha pressed his body against Mousse's entire backside. Mousse shivered again and moaned.

For the longest time, they stayed like that, savoring the feeling of contact. Finally, Inu-Yasha broke contact with a feeling of regret, "we'd better get dressed. I want to get going before too much of the day is gone."

Mousse nodded, suppressing silent tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. Mousse changed the subject and to satisfy a long-standing curiosity asked, "How come you have ears like a dog? They are pointy and sticking up on the top of your head."

Inu-Yasha chuckled. "I am a dog-like half-demon boy, I guess." Then he added, "They said that my father was a demon-dog. Really, I don't know because I don't remember a thing about him."

Mousse cracked a smile at that. Inu-Yasha helped him to shore where they got dressed. After a hasty breakfast, they started moving east again. For a long time, they walked in silence, each totally lost in their thoughts.

"Did you know your mother?" Mousse asked during one of their infrequent breaks.

"My mother died when I was very young. She was very beautiful," Inu-Yasha reminisced. "Did you know that I couldn't find my father's grave? He only gave me a couple clues."

"Oh, what are the clues?" Mousse asked curiously.

"A place one can see yet cannot be seen. A place its own guardian can never look upon." Inu-Yasha said thoughtfully and then added, "He did give me one more clue. The left black pearl."

Mousse looked baffled. "The left black pearl? A place one can see yet cannot be seen?"

"I know," Inu-Yasha admitted. "These clues had been driving me up the wall. They make absolutely no sense at all."

Mousse nodded slowly and stared at the sky deep in thought. Then he said. "Where are we going?"

"We are going to a village where there was a woman named Kikyo. She was the one who shot the arrow into me and put a spell on me. I am hoping we'll find a clue to the Shikon jewel there." Inu-Yasha replied.

"Okay." Mousse agreed. "That makes sense."

By nightfall, they reached the village. It was only a short run from the bone-eater's well. The villagers looked at them suspiciously. That was not surprising considering that the Sengoku Period was a time of chaos and wars. The village priestess, Kaede came out of the shrine and demanded. "What brings both of you to this humble village?" She squinted at them with her one eye, the other being covered by an eye patch. "In the name of Buddha, it is Inu-Yasha!" She cried out in recognition. "How did you managed to break my sister's spell?" She demanded.

"I did it, I woke him up." Mousse softly said.

The priestess Kaede looked at Mousse with astonishment. "Impossible! You are nothing but a human boy!"

Inu-Yasha growled something under his breath. The villagers, who have surrounded them, stepped back in fear. The priestess Kaede glared at the dog-like half-demon boy. Inu-Yasha glared right back. There was no love lost between the two formidable antagonists.

Mousse saw the impending conflict. He intervened, "We come here to find the Shikon jewel. Inu-Yasha said that Kikyo; your sister who put a spell on him probably knew where the jewel was. Please, we did not come here to cause trouble." Mousse sweatdropped as he saw the granite expressions on Inu-Yasha's and priestess Kaede's faces.

Inu-Yasha glowered some more, but sensing that he was not getting anywhere in his staring contest with priestess Kaede, he spoke in a conciliatory voice. "Lady Kaede, I need your help in finding the Shikon jewel."

"What makes you think that I would help you?" Priestess Kaede demanded, "It was you who killed my sister."

Mousse blinked at that statement. He had not heard that part of the story before.

Priestess Kaede glared at Inu-Yasha; "I know why you want the Shikon jewel. You want to be a full demon. What makes you think that I would allow that to happen? If it did happen, the whole village would be defenseless against your depredations."

Mousse intervened again, "No, he won't do that. I will make sure of that."

Inu-Yasha lifted his eyebrows at that statement. Lady Kaede narrowed her one remaining eye at Mousse. She looked at both of them and slowly nodded her head in understanding.

"Understand this, I do not know where my sister hid the Shikon jewel. I do know that she hid it in a place where no one had seen before. She said that it would be the last place anyone would think of looking for."

Mousse started violently, "that was similar to the riddle that Inu-Yasha's father left marking where his grave was."

"Ahh, what was the riddle?" Lady Kaede asked, her curiosity stroked.

"A place one can see yet cannot be seen. A place its own guardian can never look upon." Inu-Yasha scowled at Lady Kaede.

"There is another clue, the left black pearl." Mousse supplied eagerly.

"Mmmm, a place one can see yet cannot be seen," priestess Kaede murmured thoughtfully.

"What of it?" Inu-Yasha demanded impatiently, his hand running through his silver mane in irritation.

"Don't you see?" Mousse was exasperated at Inu-Yasha's denseness. "Perhaps Kikyo hid the Shikon jewel in your father's grave."

"My thought, exactly." Lady Kaede nodded sagely.

"Arrrgggh! That riddle is driving me up the wall." Inu-Yasha grounded out savagely, stomping his feet in a fit of childish temper-tantrum.

Mousse put his arms around Inu-Yasha's waist and pulled him into a heated kiss. Inu-Yasha forgot his temper-tantrum as he started sucking on Mousse's lips. Lady Kaede rolled her eyes to the sky and waited patiently for the two lovebirds to be finished.

Finally, the heated kiss ended as both boys came up for air. "Feeling better?" Mousse asked smiling. Inu-Yasha nodded wordlessly.

Lady Kaede looked at both boys with a bemused expression. "I can see why even if Inu-Yasha has the Shikon jewel, he wouldn't go on a rampage like before," she said dryly.

Both boys had the grace to blush becomingly. Lady Kaede shook her head in amusement.

"Very well, why don't we sit down and see if we can come up with a solution." Lady Kaede suggested, gesturing both boys to enter inside her house.

The threesome sat around the fire talking about the riddle. Mousse felt that his hair was out of place, pulled a mirror and a comb out of his shirt and started brushing his hair. The other two looked at Mousse strangely, having never seen a mirror before. Mousse was unnerved by the intense looks the other two gave him, "What's the matter? What did I do?"

Note: I made that one up. I am not sure just how common mirrors are during that period.

"What was that object?" Inu-Yasha asked, pointing to the mirror in Mousse's hand.

"A mirror," Mousse replied, now really confused and scared by the intense reactions.

"What does it do?" Inu-Yasha asked curiously.

In answer, Mousse wordlessly gave the mirror to Inu-Yasha. Lady Kaede moved around to Inu-Yasha's back and looked at the image of Inu-Yasha's face staring at the mirror.

"Of course, that's what the riddle means," Lady Kaede murmured. "A place its own guardian can never look upon."

Inu-Yasha gasped at that, "Of course, one cannot see itself in the face."

Mousse stared at them, then got a brilliant inspiration. "A place one can see yet cannot be seen and the left black pearl. Your father must have meant your left eye. Everyone could see your left eye, which is black. He must have used magic to hide his grave in your left black eye."

"Yes, that would fit," Lady Kaede nodded her head.

Inu-Yasha stared at Mousse and Lady Kaede in horror. "Do you mean that I have to dig out my left eye in order to get to my father's grave?" he demanded.

"Yes," Lady Kaede complacently answered.

Inu-Yasha tightened his mouth in a scowl. "I bet you are jumping with joy at the thought of an one-eyed demon."

Lady Kaede shrugged her shoulders. "It is your problem, not mine."

Inu-Yasha stared at his long fingernails as he tried to come to a decision. Suddenly, decisively and without warning, he positioned his fingernail just above his left eye and pushed in. Slowly, he gouged out his eye until it was free. He held the eye in plain view of the other two. They saw that it was a black pearl. Mousse shuddered at the sight while Lady Kaede calmly continued to sip at her tea.

"Well, what are you two waiting for?" Inu-Yasha demanded irritably, "do you want to enter the pearl with me or not?"

Lady Kaede lifted her eyebrows a fraction of an inch, but entered into the black pearl. Mousse followed her with extreme trepidation. Inside, they saw an amazing sight; the monstrous bones of Inu-Yasha's father lay bleaching in the open air. For a time, all three simply stared at the gigantic size of the bones. They were unable to believe that a demon could grow so large.

"Kami-sama!" Mousse breathed out in complete shock.

Inu-Yasha already surged forward impatiently, feverishly searching for the Holy Grail of his mission, the Shikon jewel. Inu-Yasha started tossing bones and other garbage around as he darted from one spot to another. Lady Kaede looked at Inu-Yasha with disapproval in her eyes.

"Rushing things a little, aren't you?" Lady Kaede inquired acidly as she began her search which was more thorough and systematic than Inu-Yasha's.

Mousse shook his head at the sight. 'Face it,' he told himself sadly, 'there is only one thing he really care about and that is the Shikon jewel.' He started searching in an area away from the other two so that he could be alone with his thoughts.

For a time, the three searched in complete silence, each of them alone in their thoughts. Mousse was searching patiently through the personal effects of Inu-Yasha's father when he came to an odd looking stone that twinkled like a diamond. Mousse looked at the stone and knew with a sinking heart that he had found the Shikon jewel. 'I could hide this,' he thought, 'then Inu-Yasha and me would still be together.' But, somehow Mousse couldn't bring himself to do this.

"Inu-Yasha, I have found the Shikon jewel." Mousse called out to the other two, who were still searching. The other two stood up in stunned silence, unable to believe that Mousse had really found the Shikon jewel. Then with a shout, Inu-Yasha came running over to Mousse. Lady Kaede followed at a much more modest pace.

Inu-Yasha stared at the stone lying on the palm of Mousse's hand. "The Shikon jewel," he breathed out in wonder. He took the stone from Mousse's hand and held it in his palm of the hand.

Lady Kaede came up and squinted at the stone. "Well, it looks like you are going to get your wish," she commented.

Inu-Yasha nodded his head happily. They left the grave of Inu-Yasha's father and stepped out of the left black pearl. Still clutching the Shikon jewel, Inu-Yasha picked up the black pearl and put it back in where an empty hole was in his left eye socket. By magic, his vision in his left eye was restored. He held up the Shikon jewel high staring at it in wonder.

"So, now what are you going to do?" Mousse asked with despair in his voice.

Inu-Yasha looked at Mousse sharply, "Why to make a wish to become a full demon, of course."

"Is it that all you want?" Mousse asked angrily as tears began to form in his eyes.

"Yes, it is all I want. What else to wish for?" Inu-Yasha was growing more and more confused by Mousse's strange behavior.

"Fine! Then I am leaving," Mousse was now really crying and started to turn around to leave.

"Hey, what did I do?" Inu-Yasha grabbed Mousse, now really confused and frustrated.

"You know what you did," Mousse yelled at Inu-Yasha, "all I am to you is a quick fuck." Saying the words, Mousse stormed off seething in anger and pain. Inu-Yasha stood stunned and rooted to the spot. Mousse ran and ran until he collapsed panting and sobbing. "Damn him, damn him straight to hell."

Meanwhile, Lady Kaede looked at Inu-Yasha still rooted in his spot with his mouth open and shook her head. "Inu-Yasha, go after Mousse and apologize to him," she quietly told him.

Eh?" Inu-Yasha turned a questioning look at her.

Lady Kaede's patience wore thin, "For Kami's sake, go after Mousse before he does something stupid. You love him, right?" Inu-Yasha snapped out of his shock and started running after Mousse.

But it was too late. Mousse ran and ran like the demons have been chasing him. He reached the bone-eater's well and climbed up the well. Emerging from the well, he realized that he had slipped back into his own time. "I'm back," Mousse breathed out in astonishment. He looked down the well and only saw an earthen floor.

Inu-Yasha searched for Mousse frantically until he came upon the bone-eater's well. "Oh no," Inu-Yasha groaned to himself, "he went back to his time." Disconsolately, he walked slowly to the village in a state of acute depression.

Lady Kaede met Inu-Yasha at the village's gate. One look at his face told her the whole story. She shook her head, "Come with me to my house, you can stay with me for a while," she told him. Saying this, Lady Kaede guided a disconsolate half-demon boy to her house.

Mousse started walking toward the train station. The tears on his face had long dried by now, and were congealed in a thick crust on his face. Reaching the train station, he did something that he never thought he would do. He started begging for some coins so that he could call Nerima. Most of the people passing by ignored him or gave him angry looks. Finally, an elderly woman took pity on Mousse and gave him the necessary change to call Nerima. He did not call Shampoo or Cologne, but Ranma, who had a history of helping friends and foes in trouble. Ranma, hearing of Mousse's predicament, wired some money so that Mousse could take the train home.

Mousse boarded the train in a state of acute depression. 'Why me? Why does no one loves me?' He thought, and tears started coming down his face. Angrily, he rubbed his eyes and forced himself to control his feelings.

Soon, the train arrived at Nerima. Ranma was waiting at the station for Mousse. Ranma was shocked by Mousse's appearance. Mousse's eyes were bloodshot with dark circles around them; his cheeks are red and blotchy from the crying. He moved like an old man, whose spirit was utterly broken. Ranma said nothing, but gently guided Mousse to the dojo. Ranma wished to talk to Mousse in privacy since something was clearly very wrong.

Arriving at the dojo, Ranma took Mousse to a place where he knew no one would bother them. They sat down cross-legged facing each other. "Okay, now spit it out," Ranma quietly asked, "I have never seen you like this before." Mousse sat for a long time, his lips trembling and eyes teary. Ranma patiently waited for Mousse to speak.

"How do you feel about homosexuality?" Mousse finally asked Ranma.

A soft smile lit up Ranma's face. "It doesn't bother me. Do you want to know a secret? I am gay myself." Mousse could only open and shut his mouth in shock. Ranma laughed at the expression. Then, turning serious, "Understand this, if you breath a word of my secret to my iinazukes, I will become Shinigami and follow you to the ends of the earth." Mousse could only nodded wordlessly. Ranma's face again softened, "I have a lover. The most beautiful boy on this face of earth."

Note: Shinigami translates to "The God of death."

"Ohhh, who is your lover?" Mousse softly asked in wonderment.

"His name is Ryoga Hibiki," Ranma replied with a smile on his face.

Mousse stared at Ranma in a state of utter shock. "Ryoga? Your hated enemy?"

Ranma laughed, "My so-called hated enemy." Turning serious again, Ranma asked gently, "Are you gay yourself?"

Mousse could only nod wordlessly. Then, suddenly he started crying again in huge racking sobs. Ranma hugged him and rubbed his back to comfort him. For a long time, they remained like that. Mousse felt the warmth of Ranma's skin and his heart ached anew for Inu-Yasha.

"Do you want to tell me the whole story?" Ranma asked, when Mousse finally stopped crying.

Mousse cracked a weak smile. "Yes, but I am not sure if you will believe me or not."

"Try me," Ranma suggested.

So, Mousse told the whole story. Ranma listened with growing amazement on his face as Mousse described where the bone-eater's well was, what Inu-Yasha looked like and the many adventures that both of them shared. When Mousse finished, he looked at Ranma's amazed face. "You don't believe me," he accused Ranma.

"Mousse, I do believe you. I don't think you would have any reason to lie to me," Ranma reassured Mousse. After a while of sitting in deep silence, Ranma heaved a huge sigh, "Oh boy, what a mess." Mousse could only nod his head.

"Ranma, I better go back to the café and make up with Shampoo." Mousse told Ranma, suppressing the mushrooming fear in his heart over the inevitable confrontation with what he was sure would be an enraged Shampoo.

Ranma looked at Mousse with concern. "Shampoo has been in a rage since you left," Ranma warned him.

Mousse gulped nervously, "I know, but I have nowhere to go."

Ranma grimaced and slowly nodded his head; "I know what you mean."

So Mousse left the dojo after saying goodbye to Ranma. He walked slowly to the café with extreme trepidation. Nervously, he pulled open the door of the café and stepped inside. Cologne looked up from the table that she was cleaning. "Mousse!" She gave a startled exclamation and then demanded, "Where have you been?"

Mousse gave a weak smile, "Oh, here and there, I have been around."

Shampoo, hearing noises from the eating room, came tearing out of the kitchen. She saw Mousse talking with Cologne. Her rage boiled up to a white-hot intensity. "You stupid duck boy!" She shrieked at Mousse. Furious, she dragged Mousse to the back of the café. "Because of you, I have to work overtime. I couldn't spend any time with husband. If I lose Ranma, then it is all your fault!" Saying that, Shampoo landed a powerful blow to Mousse's head with her bon-bori. Mousse crumpled to the floor as he slid into unconsciousness.

Mousse woke groggily to the effects of hot water being thrown at his face. With a start, he realized that he was naked and bound in a small shed out in the back of the café. His wrists were bound together with chains that were attached to the ceiling. The chains stretched his arms high above his head, so high that his feet barely touched the floor. A sound of manic laugher came from the behind. Mousse could only turn his head part way, but it was enough for him to see Shampoo holding her bon-bori. "No, please," Mousse pleaded with Shampoo as the stark horror of what she was going to do hit him.

"Silence!" A shrill shriek and a savage blow came crashing down on Mousse's back. Mousse screamed from the pain. Shampoo ignored the cry of pain and ruthlessly started whipping Mousse. Mousse begged her to stop, apologized for being gone, and told her that he loved her. Shampoo took no notice at all and continued to whip Mousse for ten minutes. By now, Mousse was incapable of coherent speech and simply screamed from the excruciating pain. His whole body felt like it was on fire. Finally, Shampoo stopped after fifteen minutes of whipping; her exhausted arm hung limply at her side. Mousse was mercifully unconscious from the beating. His body was drenched in sweat and blood from the broken skin. Already a mass of bruises was starting to form on Mousse's back. Shampoo spat, "That should teach you, stupid duck boy."

Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha was brooding. He was lying on the floor of Lady Kaede's house thinking about Mousse. Lady Kaede grew tired of Inu-Yasha's sulky behavior. "You got what you wanted, the Shikon jewel." She told Inu-Yasha tartly, "Now, you can be a full demon." Inu-Yasha didn't bother to answer her, still sulking and pouting. "Why do you think Mousse left you?" Lady Kaede cried out totally exasperated with Inu-Yasha's immature behavior.

"Because, he does not love me." Inu-Yasha sullenly told her.

"Idiot!" Lady Kaede snapped and pulled hard on Inu-Yasha's ears. Inu-Yasha yelped in pain. "Inu-Yasha, you are arrogant, selfish, stubborn, violent, angry, stupid and narrow-minded. You focused so totally on the Shikon jewel that you forgot to consider Mousse's feelings. The reason why Mousse left you was because he thought that you did not love him."

Inu-Yasha stormed out of the house, his bruised ego smoking in a rage. Lady Kaede shook her head at Inu-Yasha's behavior. He proved the truth of what Lady Kaede said about his behavior. She heaved a sigh, all she could hope was that Inu-Yasha would come to his senses and realize what he was throwing away.

Inu-Yasha angrily walked on the trail to the bone-eater's well. Reaching the well, he lay down and began to think about the situation. At first, he was irrationally furious at Mousse for leaving him. "After all, why can't I become a full demon and still have Mousse?" He told himself sullenly, "Why can't anyone understand that?"

But, over and over, Inu-Yasha went back to Mousse's bitter statement; "All I am to you is a quick fuck."

"Oh Mousse," Inu-Yasha murmured, "that is not true. I love you so much."

But, in his mind, a mocking voice asked him. "Do you really love him? You were so busy hunting for the Shikon jewel that everything else came in second."

"Shut up!" Inu-Yasha angrily told his conscience. The inner voice only gave a mocking laugh.

Inu-Yasha started throwing bones against the well, smashing them into pieces. After a couple hours of venting his temper-tantrum, he collapsed on the ground completely worn out. His thoughts constantly returned to Mousse. 'I need Mousse,' he thought, 'he is the only person to really care about me.' Suddenly, Inu-Yasha stood up and stared at the well with determination.

"I am going to get you back, Mousse!" Inu-Yasha shouted to the wind.

Inu-Yasha raced back to the village. He almost splintered the door of Lady Kaede's house in his haste to talk to her. "Priestess Kaede, I want to tell you something." He was panting and covered with sweat.

Lady Kaede looked up from her cross-legged stance. "Calm down," she said mildly, "sit down and have a cup of tea." Suiting her words to action, she poured him a cup of tea. She watched him as he sipped his tea. "Now, what it is you have to tell me?"

"I want you to have this." Inu-Yasha gave her the Shikon jewel. "Where I am going, I will not need it." He was smiling, his heart at rest.

"Ahh, you are going to find Mousse?" It was more of a questioning tone in Lady Kaede's voice. "Do you know where he lives?"

"Yes," Inu-Yasha said simply, "I am going to live in his world. It is the only way I can prove that I love him."

"You will need money." Lady Kaede pointed out; "you can't go robbing like you did before."

"I know," Inu-Yasha admitted, "I thought that I could use my father's treasure."

"Your father's treasure, of course," Lady Kaede murmured.

"Will you help me?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Yes, I will help you."

So, They got Inu-Yasha's father's treasure out of the black pearl. Inu-Yasha hauled some of it in a sack slung over his shoulder. The rest was hidden with Lady Kaede until Inu-Yasha could come back for the rest of it. The sack was incredibly heavy, but Inu-Yasha ran to the bone-eater's well with a light step.

Ranma was very worried. He had not seen Mousse anywhere. Ranma asked Shampoo where Mousse was and Shampoo had flown into a rage asking him why he should care about that stupid duck boy. With a sinking heart, Ranma realized that Mousse was in trouble. Mousse had told him about the bone-eater's well and his love for Inu-Yasha. Ranma took the train to Tokyo following the descriptions that Mousse gave him. It was fairly simple to find the house with the bone-eater's well. Ranma stared at the well with some trepidation, but he jumped down the well. To his surprise, he hit the earthen floor and there seemed to be no way out.

"Inu-Yasha! Ranma called out, "Inu-Yasha!"

All of a sudden, Inu-Yasha came out of the bottom of the well. He had a sack slung over his shoulder. "What do you want?" He demanded suspiciously, "how did you know my name?"

Ranma jumped with a startled cry. "Kami-sama!" Then he took the first full look at Inu-Yasha. Ranma quickly realized that Inu-Yasha fit the description that Mousse gave him. "My name is Ranma Saotome. I am a friend of Mousse. I need your help because Mousse may be in trouble and I can't find him."

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened in horror. "Quick," he told Ranma, "get on my back and we'll get there." Ranma gingerly got on Inu-Yasha's back, trying to find room with the huge sack that Inu-Yasha was hauling. Inu-Yasha made a mighty leap out of the bone-eater's well. Ranma's eyes widened in disbelief. Mousse had told him of Inu-Yasha's phenomenal strength. But until now, Ranma didn't really believe Mousse. Inu-Yasha started flying down the road toward the train station while Ranma whispered instructions into his ears. They caught the train back to Nerima. Many of the commuters were casting odd looks at Inu-Yasha's strange appearance.

A small boy walked up to Inu-Yasha and asked curiously, "Are those ears real?"

Ranma sweatdropped as Inu-Yasha glowered at the small boy. The boy became frightened and scampered back to his mother. The other commuters decided to look discreetly the other way.

The train arrived at Nerima and the duo made their way to the Tendo's dojo. Ranma had told Inu-Yasha, during the trip, all he knew up to that point Mousse disappeared. The Tendos and the Panda looked up from what they were doing at Ranma and Inu-Yasha with curiosity. Ranma simply shrugged his shoulders and took Inu-Yasha to his bedroom. Ranma finished explaining the problem.

Inu-Yasha was scowling, "Do you think Shampoo had something to do with Mousse's disappearance?"

Ranma nodded affirmatively, "I do. The problem is that Shampoo is one of my so called iinazukes." Ranma made a face at that statement. He added, "She won't tell me anything."

Inu-Yasha's eyes gleamed murderously, "Oh really? I think I can persuade her to see the wisdom of telling me."

Ranma gulped nervously.

"Take me to her," Inu-Yasha ordered.

Ranma only nodded weakly and led Inu-Yasha back downstairs. The Tendos watched with even more curiosity. Akane was extremely irritated by the casual brush off Ranma gave them when he came in.

"Well, what is this stupid looking dog boy doing with you?" She snapped at Ranma.

Ranma sweatdropped as he saw Inu-Yasha take a step toward Akane. "Not now," he pleaded, "we have to go to school." It was a desperate lie, but not very convincing to everyone. Inu-Yasha narrowed his eyes, but shrugged and turned his back on Akane. Ranma breathed a sigh of relief.

Akane glared at Ranma. Nabiki raised her eyebrows, looking at them with interest. Ranma sweatdropped even more as he dragged Inu-Yasha out of the house. "Is Akane one of your iinazukes? Inu-Yasha inquired irritably as he walked quickly with Ranma toward Shampoo's café.

"Yes," Ranma said weakly.

"Hummpf," Inu-Yasha snorted.

The two boys hurried to the café. Ranma was the first to enter into the café. "Nihao, husband," Shampoo greeted Ranma brightly. Then she saw a strange looking person with Ranma. She gave a scowl, "Who is he?"

"His name is Inu-Yasha and he is looking for Mousse." Ranma casually said, watching closely for the slightest change in Shampoo's face.

Shampoo's face twitched ever so slightly. She said disdainfully, "Who cares about that stupid duck boy?"

Inu-Yasha emitted an ugly growl and grabbed Shampoo by the neck. He slowly started to throttle her, lifting her high in the air until her feet were dangling. "I think you do know something," He said murderously. "I have a very short temper, so you better answer me fast."

Shampoo struggled in vain, her eyes pleading with Ranma. Her feet kicked desperately at Inu-Yasha. But Inu-Yasha ignored the kicking, concentrating on Shampoo's face.

Ranma stood rooted to the spot as he tried to figure out a course of action. He was frozen because of a mass of conflicting feelings. All his training was screaming at him to save Shampoo. In his mind, Ranma could hear his father raging at him; "It is dishonorable for a man to harm a woman." But, another voice argued with him, "If Ryoga was in trouble instead of Mousse, would you have done the same thing?" Ranma hated the word "honor," because his father all too frequently twisted the word until it became a travesty.

The terrible grip tightened until Shampoo's eyes were bulging out. Her hands clutched helplessly at Inu-Yasha's iron grip. Shampoo saw a cold determination on Inu-Yasha's face. Inu-Yasha betrayed no pity, no concern and no warmth. She continued to plead with Ranma, but he still remained rooted to the spot in a state of uncertainty. Finally, in the last second of having her life extinguished, she gasped out, "The shed."

Instantly, Ranma went into action, "Of course! The shed out in the back of the café." Ranma pleaded, "Let go of Shampoo, please." Inu-Yasha glared at Shampoo and then nodded his head. Ranma thanked Inu-Yasha and quickly took off toward the kitchen.

Inu-Yasha contemptuously dropped Shampoo. She crashed to the floor in an untidy heap. There she lay prone, gasping painfully for breath. Inu-Yasha took off after Ranma, not even bothering to look back at Shampoo.

The two boys tore through the kitchen and out the back door. The shed stood about twenty feet away. It was padlocked. Inu-Yasha simply tore the lock off. Ranma swung the door open. Inside, they saw a sight that horrified them. Mousse was still unconscious. He was naked and chained high from the wrists so his feet were barely touching the floor. His back was a mass of purplish bruises. In some places, the skin broke open and dried blood was congealed around the wounds. Inu-Yasha let loose a roar of anger. Swiftly, the two boys took down Mousse. Cradling Mousse in his arms, Inu-Yasha carried him out of the shed.

Ranma swiftly ran to Dr. Tofu's place. Dr. Tofu came running with Ranma to Shampoo's café. Inu-Yasha was sitting on the floor of the dining area, still cradling Mousse. One look at Mousse, and Dr. Tofu swiftly phoned the ambulance. Ranma looked around for Shampoo, but she was nowhere to be found.

The two boys went with Dr. Tofu and Mousse in the ambulance to the hospital. Fortunately, Mousse was a martial artist and a gifted athlete despite his poor eyesight. Dr. Tofu told the boys that Mousse would survive, but that it would take a long time for him to heal. Inu-Yasha told Dr. Tofu that he only wanted the best care possible. To prove his point, Inu-Yasha opened the sack, which contained part of his father's treasure. Dr. Tofu and Ranma widened their eyes at the gleam of gold and precious jewels.

Every day for the next three weeks, Inu-Yasha, Ranma and Ryoga, who came back from a trip, visited Mousse. They talked very quietly together so not to disturb Mousse, who constantly slept for twelve to sixteen hours a time. Mousse refused to say anything to the police who came and questioned him. He also refused to press charges against Shampoo, even at the urgings of everyone. Shampoo and Cologne disappeared from Nerima; no one knew where they went. Dr. Tofu monitored the care carefully, ordering the nurses to change compresses on Mousse's back every hour. A skin specialist came and did skin grafting on the some parts of the skin that had broken open.

By the end of the second week in the hospital, Mousse barely said two words to anyone. He constantly recoiled from anyone who might touch him. Inu-Yasha was beside himself with worry. He kept asking Ranma if Mousse didn't love him anymore. Ranma kept reassuring Inu-Yasha that eventually everything would turn out fine.

One day in the beginning of the third week, Mousse had a particularly bad nightmare where he woke up screaming in terror. Again Mousse spurned Inu-Yasha's attempts to comfort him. Ranma saw this and suggested to Inu-Yasha and Ryoga that they should leave the room since he wanted to have a private talk with Mousse.

Once they were out of the room, Ranma turned toward Mousse. "You haven't said more than two words to Inu-Yasha. He really loves you. Do you know that? I know about these nightmares that you been having because I get the same kind as well."

Mousse started crying, "How could he love me? I'm ruined for good. Every time someone tries to touch me, Shampoo appears in my vision, grinning like the grim reaper."

"Listen to me," Ranma said earnestly, "I felt the same way for a long time. You know what my father did in training me." At the memory, Ranma shivered involuntarily. "But I learned something. It is easier to bear the pain when you have someone who loves you to share it. The hardest thing that I ever did was to let Ryoga into my heart, but once he was in, I felt like I was not alone anymore."

Mousse stared at Ranma through his tear-glazed eyes. "Honto? Do you really mean that?"

Ranma nodded affirmatively, "Honto."

"What about honor?" Mousse asked tentatively, "does being gay go against your code of honor?"

"It is against my father's code of honor." Ranma quietly replied, "but, it is not against my code of honor. Honor's got nothing to do with homosexuality. Honor is about how you treat other people, how you conduct yourself and the life you chose to live."

Mousse looked at Ranma with wide eyes. Never he had heard so much wisdom and knowledge from Ranma before. "Will you ask Inu-Yasha in? I need to talk to him alone."

Ranma smiled and nodded. He went out of the room and told Inu-Yasha that Mousse wished to talk. Watching Inu-Yasha enter the room tentatively, Ranma took hold of Ryoga's hand and squeezed it. "Everything will be fine."

Ryoga gave a fanged smile, "Good. About time, you talk some sense into Mousse, koibito."

Inu-Yasha looked at Mousse nervously. "Hi Mousse, Ranma said you want to talk to me."

Mousse looked at Inu-Yasha and the nervousness that was displayed on the demon-boy's face. 'Oh Kami, he thought that I don't love him,' Mousse realized as the thought hit him, 'I refused to let him touch me.' Mousse opened his arms wide in an invitation to Inu-Yasha to come to him. "Come here, koibito," Mousse said huskily, "let me show you how much I love you."

A slow fanged smile spread across Inu-Yasha's face. He moved into Mousse's embrace and they hugged each other fiercely. "I love you so much." Inu-Yasha breathed into Mousse's ear. "I am going to stay in your world with you. I got my father's treasure and we can go anywhere we want."

Mousse stared at Inu-Yasha, "What about your wish to be a full demon?"

Inu-Yasha shook his head; "I gave the Shikon jewel to priestess Kaede. I choose you over my wish. You made me very happy when you were with me."

Mousse started to cry again, but these are tears of joy. Inu-Yasha lifted Mousse, who was naked, out of the bed and started carrying him around the room. Inu-Yasha kissed tenderly all over Mousse's body. Mousse shivered and moaned from the exquisite pleasure.

"What about Ranma and Ryoga?" Mousse asked, "after all, we can leave because we have money, but they can't."

"That is not a problem." Inu-Yasha assured Mousse, "I gave them a portion of the treasure and they are leaving Nerima soon. They want to make sure that you will be okay first before they leave."

Mousse smiled and lay against Inu-Yasha's chest and sighed in contentment. "Oh good, they deserve it."

Together, Mousse in Inu-Yasha's arms, they danced around the room kissing each other tenderly.

OWARI

Whew! I apologize for the length of the fic. Originally, I thought it would be maybe 10 - 12 pages long. But, it went on for almost 30 pages. ^_^;;;;; Yikes!! To all Shampoo fans, sorry about the rough treatment. Try to remember that it is just a story. I need a villain and Shampoo made a good villainess because of her relationship with Mousse. Oh yeah, C & C are welcome as well. Once again, thanks Sidhewolfe!

September 24, 1999