Crash & Burn by Ryoko Saotome
Disclaimers: Ranma ½ is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, no matter how much I wish I had come up with the idea first. The song "Crash and Burn" is by Savage Garden, and just seems to fit the story.
Warnings: A little OOCness and rape (in flashback/nightmare); later portions will include lemon scenes [finds herself glomped by all three of the boys] urk... can't... breathe....
Summary: Sequel to "Changes"
Grouping: Nothing in this part, but the sequence will be Ryoga/Mousse; Ranma/Mousse; and Ranma/Ryoga/Mousse. I love it when a plan comes together (take that statement any way you wanna...)
Archive: Yes, please ^_^

Author's Note: Has anyone besides me noticed that all of my fics so far have been either inspired by a song or contains the lyrics of a song somewhere in the text? Okay, I thought it was just me ^_^ heheh. Anyways, here is part one of my sequel to "Changes". If you haven't read that story, I'd suggest doing that before jumping into this one--you won't really understand what's going on here. Okay, enough of my rambling, on with the story.

Key:
* = emphasis
~ = lyrics
{} = thoughts
{~~} = telepathy/telepathic conversation
% = flashbacks

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CRASH & BURN by Ryoko Saotome

{It's been almost a year now,} Ranma thought with a small frown as he walked past the long-abandoned Nekohanten. {Almost a year since the old ghoul and the bitch sold Mu-chan.}

The thought of what had happened to his much-loved friend still filled him with rage, even all these many months later. Mousse had been beaten and raped numerous times before he and Ryoga had located the encampment and made certain that no one would ever be put through that torture again. Ryoga had certainly done a thorough job on the bastards--there was nothing left for the authorities to investigate, and destruction of the compound was chalked up to arson.

What worried Ranma the most was the change that had taken place in Mousse. He had made a full physical recovery, but emotionally he'd been shattered. The once-proud Amazon warrior had become skittish and suspicious of everyone. Even now, nearly ten months later, the only people he fully trusted were Ryoga, Ranma himself, Akane, and Nodoka--and the only reason for *that* was because of her being Ranma's mother.

The pigtailed martial artist shook his head and continued towards the school, half-hoping that something, *anything* would happen. It had been way too quiet lately, especially since Tatewaki Kuno had given up pursuit of his 'pigtailed goddess' to concentrate his efforts on 'the beauteous Tsubasa Kurenai'. Ranma couldn't help but feel sorry for the crossdresser--even if he wore the boys' uniform (which was becoming more and more often due to Kuno's pursuit), he was still delicate-looking enough to pass for female, and thus couldn't get away from the kedonist.

Unbeknownst to Ranma, something *was* about to happen. And it could possibly hinder Mousse's erstwhile recovery.

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

% FLASHBACK (Alone) %

{Why don't they kill me? I wish they would kill me. Please, God, let this end.}

~ When you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you ~

It wasn't the first time he'd had thoughts like this. It wouldn't be the last.

Mousse shivered in the corner of the room, desperately wishing that his tormentors would go too far today, that their 'attentions' would progress beyond the point he could take them and that he would find a release from this hell he'd been sold into.

{Shampoo, I never thought you could hate me this much.}

~ Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart ~

Shampoo. He didn't want to think about her, but his thoughts were drawn to her. That beautiful lavender hair and gentle violet eyes... no. her eyes held no trace of gentleness; those eyes regarded him with hatred and contempt. Something within him died a little, and tears stung his eyes again. She truly did hate him; she had allowed him to be forced into this half-life without a second thought. Anything to get the stupid duck out of the way so that she could have her precious Ranma.

{ranma... do you even know i'm gone? do you care?}

The door creaked open, and the Amazon shuddered involuntarily. The man who'd walked into the room closed the door behind him and locked it to ensure that there would be no disturbances. He then moved towards the boy shivering in the corner and pulled him roughly to his feet. Mousse gave a startled cry, and received a stinging slap for his efforts.

"Damn it, I was *so* hoping that I wouldn't mar that pretty face of yours today," the man--no, *monster*--said in a cruel, mocking tone. "It's so much nicer when you relax and cooperate. Why won't you cooperate?"

Mousse said nothing, only touched his face where the blood was beginning to trickle from an old cut. The man who had a firm grip on his arm growled and threw the boy on the ground. Before he could struggle to a less vulnerable position, the man was on his back, tearing at the remains of clothing he still wore.

"You had to do this the hard way, didn't you?" the man almost purred in Mousse's ear, undoing his own pants and pressing closer to the Amazon. "I'm beginning to think that you *like* the pain."

"... please... don't..." Mousse begged quietly, unable to trust his voice as he struggled to free himself. There came another stinging slap, then the man plunged into him. The Chinese boy's screams of pain and despair were muffled by the hand that was suddenly clamped over his mouth. There was no gentleness in the manner in which he was taken, and the pain was unbearable. All Mousse could do was cry as the man slammed into his body again and again, and he winced as the man came within him.

The man pulled out roughly and shoved the Amazon back to the floor. Mousse curled up into a ball and shivered, his tears falling freely. He'd long ago stopped trying to hide them, for they were his only means of release here. The words spoken behind him made him shudder:

"I'm not through with you today. You *will* learn your place, my pet."

Footsteps retreated, then the door opened and was locked again from the outside.

~ I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold ~

{Please let me die. Please, God, let me die before he comes back,} he thought desperately.

{Hang in there a little longer, Mousse-chan.}

The words strengthened him a little. They weren't his own, but had been spoken within his mind several weeks ago. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on, but he would try.

Damn it, he would hold on as long as it took.

~ When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore Let me be the one you call If you jump I'll break your fall Lift you up and fly away with you into the night ~

{please...} he thought as he collapsed into unconsciousness, {please... I can't last much longer... ryoga....}

~ If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone ~

% END FLASHBACK %

Mousse sat up in bed, choking back a scream. It was morning already, and from the looks of the room, he was the last one in the house to awaken. Ranma had school that day--just because he was living with Ryoga now was no reason to drop out, despite his protests to the contrary--and he had no idea where Ryoga could be. It had to be nearby, though; the sudden wave of comfort and calmness that swept over him certainly was *not* his own. Not after that dream again.

He shivered as he remembered it. There had been so many nights and days when he knew nothing but intense pain and suffering. Sometimes the men had been satisfied with beating him nearly lifeless; other times, far too often, they'd used his body to relieve their own sexual desires. Sometimes they'd done both.

{~Mousse-chan...?~}

{Damn it, I forgot he could do that,} Mousse thought as he jumped and turned to find Ryoga watching him intently from the door.

Ryoga frowned at the pale, still-too-thin Amazon youth wrapped in the blankets. He looked so fragile any more, despite his physical recovery. His lack of trust in anyone save his immediate 'family' worried the Lost Boy to no end--the other boy had once been a warrior, and a good one despite his handicap. But now... Shampoo had destroyed that innocence in the boy, and had taught him that it was safer to keep others at arm's length.

"You okay?" he asked aloud, not wanting to startle Mousse again. The other boy was silent for a long time, and when he did answer, Ryoga was stunned by the honest admission:

"No. Haven't been for a long time now."

Mousse sighed and fell back onto the bed, closing his eyes and trying to block the images that came unbidden to his mind. Any other time when Ryoga'd asked that exact same question, he would have said 'yeah, just a nightmare' or 'I'll be fine, really'. Well, he was tired of trying to deal with it himself. He was unconsciously reaching out to someone he knew he could trust, and desperately hoping that the bandanna'd martial artist would take the initiative.

The bed shifted slightly as Ryoga sat down next to his friend. Mousse had always said he had to do this himself, had to face the nightmares alone in order to be free. He hadn't thought *that* was a good thing to do, but had stayed nearby and given the other boy his love and support, as had Ranma.

{~Ranma.~}

{~Hai, itoshii?~}

Ryoga frowned slightly. He wondered briefly if he was doing the right thing.

{~I'm going to have a little talk with Mousse,~} he finally said through the link he and the younger martial artist shared. {~I'll fill you in when you get home from school, okay?~}

{~Hai.~} The relief in Ranma's thoughts was unmistakable. {~I've been worried about our Amazon. Oops, gotta cut this short, I just caught site of Tatchi stalking poor Tsubasa again!~}

Ryoga shook his head, smiling slightly, before turning his attention back to the boy lying on the bed. By this time, Mousse had rolled over onto his side away from the Lost Boy. He frowned, then lightly laid a hand on the other boy's shoulder. Mousse started a bit, then turned his head to gaze back at Ryoga. There were unshed tears in his blue-grey eyes, and the pain within those depths was heartbreaking.

"Care to talk about it?" he asked softly, not wanting to force the Amazon to speak.

The Chinese youth blinked at the wandering martial artist, one tear managing to escape, then drew in a breath and began to tell his friend the whole story....(^)

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

"I can't believe what I'm seeing," Ukyou said, trying to smother her laughter before it began. Ranma and Akane blinked at the okinamiyaki chef in confusion, then followed her gaze across the schoolyard. Kuno had just managed to corner Tsubasa and had glomped onto the younger boy (who was actually dressed in the boys' uniform that day).

"I wonder what he'll do once he figures out Tsu-chan's a guy," Ranma mused aloud, smirking a bit. He had been troubled all day, ever since he'd received the message from Ryoga that he was going to get Mousse to talk about what had happened to him. The Kuno/Tsubasa situation, however, never ceased to amuse him.

Everyone who was watching the scene with the young kedonist and the younger 'girl' began to cheer when 'she' effectively flipped him and proceeded to pound him into the ground. Nabiki smirked and began to collect the money she'd won on the fight--she wasn't dumb enough to think that Tsubasa would just stand around and *let* Tatewaki grope him!

"GO, TSUBASA!" Akane shouted with a laugh before she turned back to Ukyou and Ranma. "I swear, one of these days Kuno's gonna figure out that Tsubasa isn't female, then all hell's gonna break loose."

"You're right, sugar," Ukyou agreed, wiping the tears from her face. "I'm putting my money on Tsubasa in *that* fight, too!"

Ranma opened his mouth to speak when suddenly his smile disappeared, only to be replaced by a vicious glare. The two girls sitting with him blinked and followed his gaze. Their breath caught in their throats, and they turned worried eyes back to their friend.

"I--I can't believe it!" Akane whispered, glancing back over her shoulder.

"How *dare* she show her face again after-" Ukyou began, only to be interrupted by the new topic of their conversation--and the recipient of Ranma's ire:

"Nihoa!"

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CRASH & BURN by Ryoko Saotome (Part Two)

The three teenagers looked up at the speaker. Ranma was aware of a slow burning rage building within him, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to hold himself back. Akane and Ukyou stared at the girl, mouths open in surprise, and Akane kept shooting looks at Ranma that said 'remember you don't hit girls'. Nabiki began to collect new wagers; everyone at Furinkan High had heard about what the girl had allowed to happen, and she wasn't surprised that most of the bets seemed to be in Ranma's favor. Even Tsubasa left off beating up Kuno in order to watch the scene unfolding before him.

Shampoo smiled sunnily at the three teens and sat down with them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Akane asked, desperately wanting to pull her mallet-sama from hammer space and using the cat girl's head for target practice.

The Amazon smiled at them again. "Shampoo get bored with life in village. Want return to Nerima and visit with friends again."

Ukyou and Akane blinked at her, then glanced back over at Ranma. He was beginning to develop a noticeable nervous tick, and he was giving her a look that can only be described as 'bubonic-plague fatal'.

"Excuse me."

Without any further words, Ranma stood and stalked away from the table. He couldn't trust himself anywhere near the girl. Hell, all he wanted to do was rip out every strand of her lavender hair and gouge out her eyeballs. *Then* he'd kill her. Mousse had gone through hell because of that bitch, and he still wasn't fully recovered from his ordeal.

And now, Miss Aren't-I-The-Cutest-Little-Thing-Surely-You-Couldn't-Want-To-Hurt-*Me* waltzed back into their lives after nearly six months and expected to be welcomed with open arms? Fuck that. He was leaving before he could give into the urge to give that bitch the beating that she deserved... for now.

Next time, she wouldn't be so lucky.

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

~ When you feel all alone
And a loyal friend is hard to find ~

Mousse finally finished his story and closed his eyes. For some reason, he felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders.

{Now he'll leave,} Mousse thought to himself, feeling the tears begin to fall again. {Now he knows for sure that I'm worthless, and he and Ranma are going to leave me. God, how am I ever going to survive without them?}

"Oh, God, Mousse...."

{Here it comes.}

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

{What am I--nani?!}

Mousse looked up and found that Ryoga was still sitting next to him. The other boy's brown eyes were filled with tears, and Mousse realized that he had been monitoring his emotional state throughout the story. He knew that his pain and sorrow had to be overwhelming the other boy, and regretted making him suffer.

"Gomen, Ryoga," he said softly, lowering his head again. "I didn't mean to cause you any pain."

Ryoga reached out and gently tilted Mousse's head up so that he could look him in the eye. "Don't apologize," he admonished, stroking the other boy's cheek as he spoke. "You've kept this inside for far too long, and it's doing more harm than good. You had to tell someone sooner or later, Mousse-chan."

~ You're caught in a one way street
With the monsters in your head ~

Mousse slowly nodded his head in silent agreement. He knew he felt so much *freer* after revealing everything to the Lost Boy, and yet there was still a part of him that was lost and alone. He let his eyes slip closed again and turned his head away.

"How can you even want me around, knowing that I'm worthless?" he whispered softly.

"You are *not* worthless, Mousse," Ryoga said, placing his hands on either side of the other boy's face and turning it back towards him. "I've never thought that of you."

The Chinese boy opened his blue-grey eyes and looked into Ryoga's. The Lost Boy could see so much fear and uncertainty within those eyes, and so many things that the other youth couldn't even find the words to say:

Please don't leave me alone. Please don't hate me. Please help me get through this.

Please love me.

Words alone could not express the depths of his loneliness. But his eyes said it all.

~ When hopes and dreams are far away and
You feel like you can't face the day ~

Ryoga blinked at the other boy for a moment, then closed the distance between them, brushing his lips to Mousse's gently.

{Slowly, Ryoga. Don't push him too fast.}

The Amazon hesitated for only a moment, then hesitantly returned the kiss. He was nervous, but he felt none of the fear he had come to associate with such intimate contact. He parted his lips slightly, granting Ryoga access to his mouth, an invitation that the Lost Boy couldn't deny. Their tongues brushed against one another, twining together in a sensuous dance. They finally had to pull apart in order to catch their breath. Blue-grey eyes locked with warm brown, and no words were needed. Everything that needed to be said was right there between them.

~ Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall ~

"Are you sure?" Ryoga asked anyway, already knowing what the answer to his question would be.

"Hai," Mousse replied softly. "I need this. Please, Ryoga."

That was all the invitation the bandanna'd martial artist needed. He drew the Amazon into his arms again and began to mark a trail of kisses along his jawline, pausing to nip at his ear for a moment before moving down his neck. Mousse made a soft sound and let his head fall back, and Ryoga placed a few more kisses along the line of his throat before beginning to move lower. He flicked his tongue lightly over one of the Chinese boy's nipples, eliciting a sharp gasp from the other boy. With a small smile, he worked at it for a moment, alternating between sucking and nipping, then moved lower.

Mousse moaned softly as Ryoga continued his exploration of his body, feeling as if he was drowning in the sensations that were washing over him. He'd never thought that anything could feel so right and wonderful after his imprisonment, but the Lost Boy was *very* quickly disproving that theory! He wanted more, but he wasn't sure if he could handle any more.

~ Lift you up and fly away with you into the night ~

Ryoga looked up, locking eyes with Mousse. He really was beautiful, and Ryoga found himself wondering, not for the first time, why Shampoo never gave the boy a second glance. That didn't matter now, though; she was gone, and Mousse was here, now, with him.

"Say the word and I'll stop," Ryoga whispered, thinking to himself {even though I don't think I *can* stop at this point!}

The Amazon was silent for a moment, catching his breath. Ryoga felt his own breath catch in his throat. An eternity seemed to go by, although in reality only a few seconds went by before Mousse spoke.

"I don't want you to stop."

~ If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart ~

The Lost Boy leaned down to capture the Amazon's mouth in another deep, soulful kiss, all the while working on removing what little clothing they were both wearing. Somehow he managed, only breaking the kiss once in order to shrug off his T-shirt, and slowly kissed his way down the other youth's body. They locked eyes once more; then Ryoga took him into his mouth. Mousse cried out softly, arching his back as he tried to move deeper within the warm, wet heat that was the center of his world at that moment. Ryoga moved slowly, taking deep strokes and flicking his tongue ever so lightly against the shaft as he moved. The Amazon was reaching a feverish high--he had never been taken to such heights before, and he wanted to take it further. Ryoga continued his gentle teasing for a few moments longer, stopping before actually bringing Mousse to the release he desperately craved.

~ If you need to crash then crash and burn ~

He reached for the lubricant on the nightstand--he and Ranma'd needed it only a few days ago while Mousse was at Dr. Tofu's for a checkup--and squeezed a bit into the palm of his hand. He wet his fingers, rubbing them together to warm the lube, then gently pressed one finger into the sheath of Mousse's body. The Amazon made some soft, slightly pained noise, but didn't offer any protests. Ryoga began to stroke gently, licking Mousse's erection as he did so. He added a second finger, then a third, moving them all along the other boy's prostate and driving him closer to the brink.

"Oh, *God*, Ryoga," Mousse gasped, rocking his hips to meet the other youth's hand. "Please...."

"Please what?" Ryoga asked, his tone light as he removed his fingers and moved so that he was between the Chinese boy's legs. He stroked his own erection, hissing slightly as he rubbed the last of the lube onto himself to avoid injuring the other boy.

Mousse pulled himself into a sitting position and took Ryoga's face in his hands, drawing him closer. He was out of breath, but managed to gasp out his words as individual sentences: "Please. Make. Love. To. Me."

Ryoga pushed the Amazon youth back down onto the bed and leaned over to kiss him. Then he entered him with one fluid motion. Mousse threw his head back and cried out softly as the Lost Boy began to rock against him, slowly at first, then increasing the speed and depth of his thrusts. The Amazon wrapped one long leg around his lover's waist and rocked his hips in order to meet the thrusts. They moved together gracefully, holding nothing back, clinging to one another as they came closer and closer to release.

~ You're not alone ~

They came at the same time, crying out in one voice and collapsing together onto the bed. It was several minutes before they were able to catch their breath; then Mousse curled up against Ryoga and gave him a soft, sweet kiss.

{~I wish I could thank him some other way, but I can't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now,~} Mousse thought, pressing himself closer to the other boy's warmth.

{~You just did.~}

The Amazon started, then turned his head to Ryoga. The Lost Boy grinned at the confused expression on his face and kissed him on the forehead. {~Same thing happened after Ranma and I made love for the first time. I think it centers around me, though.~}

Mousse considered this for a moment, then nodded. {~I guess this means I belong to you now, huh?~} he thought to Ryoga, smiling mentally.

{~Hope that doesn't bother you any.~}

{~Not a bit. I--I really do love you, y'know.~}

Ryoga smiled and hugged Mousse closer. {~I know. And I love you, too.~}

They didn't move for a long time. They were still lying in bed when the outside door slammed.

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

{That goddamn, stupid, fucking *bitch*!} Ranma fumed, slamming the door behind him. When he'd stalked out of the schoolyard, he just kept walking until he made it back to Ryoga's house (even though he did stop to throw a few rocks through the windows of the Nekohanten in a fit of childish anger). {I cannot *believe* she would just come back here after what she did!}

{~Ranma, you're projecting.~}

The pigtailed martial artist flinched and sent a quick mental apology to his love. He hadn't realized that his anger was practically tangible.

{Maybe *that's* why everyone stayed out of my way,} he mused, looking up as Ryoga entered the room. He looked a bit disheveled, as if he'd just thrown his clothes on in a hurry.

"What are you doing home?" he asked, a slightly worried note in his voice. "Did something happen?"

"Oh, *I'll* say something happened!" Ranma said, trying to remain calm but failing miserably. "Who's the last person on the face of the earth we want to see anywhere around Nerima right about now?"

Ryoga chewed his lip thoughtfully, leaning back against the wall. The only person he could possibly think of that would make Ranma *this* angry was--

"No way," Mousse said softly, having heard the last part of the conversation. He also looked a bit disheveled to the younger martial artist. "She wouldn't dare--"

"Oh, she *dared*, all right!" Ranma growled. "Hell, she dared to sit down at the same fucking *table* as me, Ukyou, and Akane and acted like nothing had ever happened!"

"You didn't do anything drastic, did you?" Ryoga demanded. Mousse was watching the younger martial artist, a slightly worried look in his expressive eyes. Ranma, despite his anger, couldn't help but get lost in those eyes for a moment--they'd somehow managed to talk him into getting contacts, and they improved his looks.

{As if it's *possible* for him to be more beautiful than he already was,} Ranma thought distractedly before responding to Ryoga's question.

"No, I took off before I gave into the urge to pound her face into the dirt like Tsubasa did to Kuno today." The other two boys smirked at the mental image.

"Kuno's *still* panting after Tsu-chan?" Ryoga asked, shaking his head. "I want to see the look on his face once he realizes Tsubasa's a guy!"

Mousse dropped into a chair, drawing his legs gracefully over one of the arms before adding his two-cent's worth: "Maybe he already knows." At the startled looks he received from the other boys, he shrugged and said, "Well, it *is* possible!"

"Are we talking about the same Tatewaki Straight-As-An-Arrow Kuno here?" Ryoga asked, quirking an eyebrow at the Amazon. Mousse just grinned and nodded. He hadn't spent much time at school lately--staying awake until 4 a.m. wasn't exactly the smartest way to deal with his nightmares, but it *did* help somewhat--but when he did go, Kuno's antics never failed to amuse him.

"*Someone's* in a good mood this afternoon," Ranma muttered under his breath. The hidden weapons expert was awfully cheerful for someone who was probably still half asleep. In fact, Mousse was acting an awful lot like he did after--

Ranma smirked and shot a look at the two boys across the room. "You two had sex, didn't you?"

He knew what the answer was going to be before he even finished asking the question. The lovely shades of red the two boys turned was worth asking it, though.

"Well..." Ryoga faltered, "I wouldn't have used that terminology, but...."

"Yep," Mousse interrupted, still a pale shade of rose but managing a grin.

Ranma pretended to pout. "You could have at least videotaped it for me."

"RANMA!"

"Kidding," he said, trying to keep from laughing at Ryoga's reaction. {Well, not *really*,} he added to himself before changing the subject. "So what are we going to do about--"

*DING-DONG*

"What the hell?" Ryoga grumbled, even as he moved to answer the door. Ranma and Mousse watched him go, then Ranma crouched down on the floor next to the other boy.

"Really, I would have liked to at *least* watch," he grumbled. Mousse turned yet another shade of red and giggled. Ryoga returned to the living room, followed by Tsubasa, Akane, and Ukyou.

"We've got a problem," Akane said.

"Duh!" Ranma retorted, deciding that he wanted to use Mousse as a chair all of a sudden and dropping into the other boy's lap. "Shamps decided she wants to come back here and play Little Miss Polly Perfect and wants us to treat her like we used to! What would *you* classify that as?!"

Tsubasa shuffled his feet nervously and played with the ribbon in his hair. "Um..." he mumbled, "there's a little more to it than that."

A sense of foreboding seemed to fill the air. No one spoke for a long time; Ryoga was the one who finally broke the silence:

"What do you mean, Tsubasa?"

Ukyou looked over at Ranma and Mousse, drew a breath, and said:

"She's not leaving without Mousse."

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

Silence hung thick over the group. No one dared to speak in the aftermath of the revelation. Akane drew in a breath and was about to speak when Ranma finally found his voice.

"Like hell she is," he growled, wrapping his arms protectively around the Amazon youth. "The bitch'll have to go through *me* first!"

"Normally, I'd tell you to think things through before acting," Ryoga said, his own anger beginning to show on his face, "but this time, you've got the right idea. Who the hell does she think she is?!"

Akane shook her head slightly. "I know, and I agree that the girl has lost what little mind she had to begin with. But why would she change her mind about Mousse all of a sudden?"

"She's right," Tsubasa agreed. "It's been six months since she left without a backward glance, and now she suddenly decides that he's the guy for her?" He shook his head and frowned. "It all seems a little too cut-and-dry to me."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Ryoga asked, glancing over at his loves (Ranma was still curled up on Mousse's lap with his arms wrapped around him). "I don't like this wait-and-see approach at all."

"She's moved back into the Nekohanten," Ukyou said. "Maybe we can go over there and talk to her, find out what's going on in her head."

Ranma snickered suddenly. "She'll have to replace all the windows before she can reopen the place. I made sure of that!"

"Ranma!" Ukyou scolded, her eyes laughing. "I can't believe you would do something so childish!"

"I can't believe you didn't invite me," Akane grumbled.

"Are we going over there or not?" Ryoga said, eager to resolve the situation if possible. He turned to the two boys seated in the chair. "Ranma, I think it would be best if you stayed here for the time being."

"Aw, Ryoga!" the pigtailed boy whined, already thinking of all the things he wanted to do to the cat girl.

"Someone should stay here with Mousse," Tsubasa spoke up, hoping that his hunch about Ranma's protectiveness was correct. The younger boy frowned for a moment, then nodded his head and cuddled closer to the Chinese boy without saying another word.

"Are we all set, then?" Akane asked. Her question was met with an affirmative. "Okay, let's go. Ranma...?"

"We'll be fine," he replied; Mousse nodded in agreement.

The door closed quietly after the four teens. Ranma and Mousse were silent for a long time, just sitting and holding onto one another.

"I hate her," Ranma finally said softly. "Why did she have to come back? Why now?"

"I don't know, Ranma," Mousse answered in a voice that was barely a whisper. "But I don't want to leave Nerima. Not now, not ever." He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the other boy's shoulder. "Not if it means leaving you and Ryoga."

Ranma blinked at Mousse, debating whether or not to follow what his heart was telling him to do.

{Aw, hell, why not? I may never get another chance if Shamps has her way.}

Slowly, he tilted his head and regarded the other boy quietly. Before he could move, Mousse tilted his own head up and gave him a warm, sweet kiss.

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

Shampoo scowled at the glass that cluttered the floor of the Nekohanten. She was quite sure that the building had been in excellent condition when she stopped by this morning, but now all the windows were broken. A few telltale rocks were the only clue as to what had happened.

{It doesn't matter,} she decided to herself. {No matter how childish Ranma acts towards me, I'll have the last laugh once I get 'my dear Mu Tsu' away from him.} Her eyes glimmered with a malevolent light. {I'll teach that bastard to say no to *me*!}

The bell above the door jingled, and she quickly pasted a glowing smile on her face. She had to keep up the act for a little while longer. Turning, she greeted the group that stood there with her trademark "Nihoa!"

Ryoga frowned at the girl. There was something completely false about her smile--it was more like a silent growl, and he didn't like the anger and falseness he was picking up from her aura. The other three seemed uneasy as well, and Tsubasa kept glancing over his shoulder as if expecting someone else to arrive as backup.

"Hello, Shampoo," Ukyou said softly, then paused. "Um... we were wondering...."

"What made you come back here?" Akane interrupted. She was eager to get rid of the cat girl any way she could, and the urge to break out her mallet was almost overwhelming.

Shampoo smiled. "Shampoo tell you before, get bored with life in village and want visit with friends. After visit, she take Mousse and go home."

"What makes you think he'll go with you?" Tsubasa growled, his eyes flashing slightly. "After everything that happened to him--" He stopped mid-sentence, noticing that the evil glint was reappearing in the lavender-haired girl's eyes. The conclusion he was drawing from that look was too horrible for him to begin to comprehend. Ryoga glared at the girl, making the connection.

"You *knew* what was going to happen to him, didn't you?" he said, his tone low and fierce. If he was right, there was no way in hell he would let the bitch get anywhere *near* Mousse!

"Of course I did," she answered in flawless Japanese, startling the hell out of the other four. "How else was he ever going to learn his proper place in Amazon society? And now that he's learned, he can be a worthy husband to the future ruler of the tribe."

"You--you cold, heartless, egotistical, self-centered *bitch*!" Ukyou fumed. "That's what it's all about, what *everything's* always been about--you, and everyone else be damned!"

Shampoo smiled smugly. "Of course," she purred. "Ranma's a complete waste of my efforts, especially since he obviously prefers the company of swine"--here she shot a look at Ryoga, ignoring the angry glare he sent in return--"and Mousse *is* an Amazon male, after all. It's only fitting that he return to the tribe."

"Fuck the tribe," Ryoga growled. "I'm not letting you come within fifty feet of him!"

"It's not you I'm here to fight, pig boy," the Amazon girl hissed at him. "I'm here to face Ranma. And if he thinks he's stopping me, he's sadly mistaken. I *will* be taking Mousse with me. I suggest you all leave. *Now*." With that, she turned and walked into the back of the Nekohanten.

The four teens looked at one another in stunned silence and walked out of the restaurant. As they slowly began to make their way back to the Hibiki residence, Tsubasa spoke up hesitantly:

"Who's going to tell Ranma?"

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

Mousse gently broke off the kiss and leaned back to look at Ranma. The other boy titled his head and regarded him silently once more, blinking in surprise.

"What was that for?" he asked softly once he found his voice again.

"Just because I love you," the Chinese boy replied, a shy smile appearing on his lips. "Why, do I need some other reason?"

"No, not at all, Mu-chan," Ranma said, shifting around until he was straddling the other boy in the chair. "That's a *very* good reason," he concluded, leaning in for another kiss. It was eagerly returned, and the Amazon wrapped his arms tightly around the smaller youth, pulling them impossibly closer than they already were. A soft moan escaped Ranma's throat, and he lashed his tongue lightly across Mousse's lips. The other boy opened his mouth slightly in response and flicked his own tongue out to meet Ranma's. Their tongues entwined gracefully as they explored the hidden contours in each other's mouths with a gentleness born of passion.

Finally, the need to breathe overpowered the desire to drown in the kiss, and they broke apart. Two different shades of blue locked and clashed, and the want and need was apparent in both sets of eye.

"Upstairs," Ranma breathed.

"Good idea," Mousse replied in kind.

Neither one was sure exactly how they made it up the stairs. But once they got into the bedroom, it made no difference. Ranma pulled Mousse down onto the bed and trapped him in another gentle, impassioned kiss. Hands came into play, roaming lightly through clothing and teasing at the enflamed flesh underneath. Mousse pulled back for a moment and locked eyes with the younger boy, locking for the answer to his unasked question within those crystalline blue pools.

~ Because there has always been heartache and pain ~

The answer was clear, and to reinforce it Ranma pulled the other boy down and nipped gently at his neck. Mousse whimpered slightly, moving to place a butterfly kiss on Ranma's exposed throat. They quickly shed their clothes and moved back to their game. The younger boy closed his eyes as his soon-to-be-lover placed a trail of light, gentle kisses along his collarbone, gasping when he came to a sensitive spot. Mousse noted the spot, and lightly traced the spot with the tip of his tongue before continuing to explore his partner's body. Every line and contour was quickly memorized by touch alone, every gasp and moan stored away in his memory for future encounters.

"You learn fast," Ranma complimented, moaning as Mousse began to place light kisses along his abdomen. The Amazon looked up and smiled.

"I had a good teacher," he replied, nuzzling at the other boy's erection before tracing his tongue lightly along its length. That small motion alone earned him a throaty moan, and he smiled again. He continued the light licking and caressing movements, drinking in every low moan and pleading whisper before actually taking the other boy into his mouth. The slow, deep strokes and nipping were slowly driving Ranma to the edge, and he threw his head back with another low moan. He never would have thought that Mousse could make his blood boil quite so much, and he was loving every minute of it.

~ And when it's over you'll breath again ~

The Amazon youth pulled, leaving Ranma craving more. He pulled Mousse down and stole another deep, lingering kiss. When they broke apart again, the desire in his eyes was burning far brighter than before. When Ranma found his voice, it was far huskier than normal. His demand was simple, one that Mousse was hoping he'd make:

"I want you," he said as calmly and controlled as possible, "to make love to me. Now."

It wasn't exactly an invitation, but the Amazon wasn't one to ignore a request. Gently pushing the younger martial artist back down on the bed, he quickly found the lube where Ryoga had left it earlier in the day. He squeezed a few drops onto his fingers, rubbing his fingertips together to spread it a little, and gently pressed one finger into the body that was beginning to writhe beneath him. Ranma let out a throaty moan as Mousse's fingertip brushed lightly against the delicate nerves that sent waves of pleasure shooting through his body. A second finger, then a third were added, and he began to press against the fingers, begging in no uncertain terms to be taken right then.

Mousse gently withdrew his fingers and slid quietly between Ranma's thighs. He leaned over to kiss the other boy's throat again, sliding into him with the same fluid grace he exhibited in every other aspect of his life. Ranma wrapped his legs around his partner's waist, meeting every thrust and stroke with one of his own. They both moved gracefully, clinging to one another as their actions increased in speed, until neither one was able to speak in words. Their cries rose together as they came closer to the edge.

Mousse came first, shivering slightly as he spilled his seed into the body writhing beneath him. As the first traces of warmth began to fill him, Ranma shuddered and cried out as his own orgasm hit. The older youth pulled out of the other carefully, and they collapsed against one another, curling up as much as they were able to without moving too much.

{~Damn, Mousse, you're a fast learner!~} Ranma thought to the other boy admiringly. Mousse turned his head to gaze at the other boy, his eyes slightly glazed over. He smiled and nodded.

{~Toldja I had a good teacher,~} he replied in kind. {~So I guess we all belong to one another now, huh?~}

Ranma giggled and kissed the Amazon gently. {~Yeppers.~}

~ You'll breath again ~

The sound of the door opening downstairs alerted them to the fact that the others had returned. They exchanged a look before both collapsing into a fit of muffled laughter. There was silence from downstairs, then Ryoga's voice permeated the thoughts of both.

{~I leave you two alone for half an hour...~}

{~Hey, you're the one who didn't make a video for me!~} Ranma teased back as Mousse fought a losing battle with the giggles.

{~Get some clothes on and get down here,~} Ryoga replied, a hint of laughter in his 'voice'. {~We found out a few things about dear Shampoo.~}

{~Clothes? We have *clothes*?~} Mousse sent back in reply, causing Ranma to burst into laughter once again. Still laughing quietly, the pair dressed quickly and rejoined their friends downstairs.

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

Tsubasa glanced out the window for the third time in five minutes and breathed a frustrated sigh. Before anyone could ask the boy what was bothering him, though, Ranma and Mousse came down the stairs. Ukyou looked them over thoughtfully, then shook her head.

"Nope, not even gonna bother asking," she decided aloud.

Akane rolled her eyes and scolded, "Jeez, Ranma, what are you doing, forming your own harem?!"

Ranma ignored the question, instead dropping back into the chair he had been in earlier--in other words, back on Mousse's lap--and said, "Did you guys find out anything useful?"

"We found out that she's more of a bitch than we thought," Tsubasa muttered, looking out the window a fourth time. If she didn't know better, Ukyou would have thought he was *waiting* for someone. "And she's a big phony on top of all that!"

Mousse and Ranma blinked in confusion and looked to Ryoga for an explanation. The Lost Boy sighed and told them everything Shampoo had said. He didn't leave out her sudden fluency in the Japanese language, either.

By the time he finished talking, Tsubasa had looked out the window a grand total of fifteen times and the two boys who'd remained in the house were furious.

"Oh, she is so dead it's not even funny!" Ranma growled. "If I thought I wanted to kill her before...!"

"I *knew* she was behind that somehow!" Mousse said quietly. It seemed that the angrier the Amazon youth got, the quieter he became. Right now, the others had to strain to hear him.

Ryoga shook his head and said, "I had an idea she was up to something. I never would have figured her to be the kind that would resort to torture to--*ahem*--'teach someone his place'."

"She had us all fooled," Akane said quietly.

"What we need is a plan," Ukyou spoke up, "and a good one. Who do we know who might be able to come up with some way to stop Shampoo without resorting to extreme violence?"

"No violence?" Ranma said. "That's no fun! I want the bitch to *suffer* before we kick her ass back to China!"

*DING DONG*

"Again?" Ryoga said, surprised. "What the hell is this, Grand Central Station Nerima?"

He got up and went to answer the door, grumbling all the way. Everyone looked at each other as they heard Ryoga's surprised exclamation in shock--except Tsubasa, whose eyes lit up:

"KUNO?!"

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^

"KUNO?!"

Before Ryoga could ask what he was doing there--hell, before they could ask *how* he knew where everyone was!--a very happy cry came from the living room:

"Tatchi!!!!"

With only that warning, Tsubasa bounded into the foyer and power-glomped the kedonist, damn near knocking the older boy over in his enthusiasm. "Where the hell have you *been*?!" he demanded, hanging onto Kuno's arm as if he expected the older boy to vanish into thin air. "You *told* me you would be at the Nekohanten!"

"Um, excuse us?" Ranma called meekly as he peeked around the corner, as were Ukyou, Akane, and Mousse. "What, exactly, do you mean, Tsu-chan?"

It was about this time that Tsubasa realized everyone in the room, with the exception of Mousse and Ryoga, had seen the 'fight' earlier and quickly dropped Kuno's arm and flushed a bright red. "Er... ah... ano...."

"Aww... Ucchan, don't you think they make a cute couple?" Akane asked the other girl mischievously. Ukyou grinned and nodded enthusiastically in reply. Tsubasa's only response was to blush an even brighter shade of red and stammer some more.

"Knock it off, you two," Ryoga scolded the two girls before turning his attention back to Kuno. "Ranma *does* have a point, though."

Kuno blinked at the group before shaking his head. "I overheard the--*ahem*--conversation that Shampoo--"

"Lavender-haired, violet eyed *shrew*," Ranma grumbled under his breath; Mousse clamped one hand over his mouth to shut him up for a second.

"--had with Ukyou and Akane earlier," Kuno continued as if he'd never been interrupted. "Since it seemed there might be a confrontation, I decided to follow and make sure nothing untoward happened to anyone."

Everyone blinked in confusion. "Ano... could you maybe explain that in plain Japanese?" Ukyou asked hesitantly.

The translation came from Tsubasa: "He tailed us to make sure that Shampoo didn't do anything violent."

"Oh." After a few minutes of silence, Ranma asked, "Why, exactly?"

"He was looking out for his boyfriend," Akane said suddenly, shooting a look at Tsubasa. He blushed in response and looked over at a wall. The girl grinned. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Is Nabiki looking for another spy?" Kuno mumbled under his breath. Ranma heard him and snickered.

"I thought you hated boys, Tsu-chan," he sing-songed. Mousse smacked him lightly on the back of the head.

"Behave," he chided. "Everyone's entitled to change their mind. If that wasn't the case, I'd still be chasing what's'erface all over Nerima and declaring undying love."

"I didn't come here to discuss my love life," Tatewaki interrupted, and ignoring the stares he got for his statement. "I came here to help decide what to do about the girl."

"Well, we all agree that *something* has to be done to stop her," Ryoga said, still trying to comprehend the idea of Tsubasa and Kuno being a couple. "The question is, what?"

"KILL HER!!" Ranma declared loudly. "TIE HER UP, FEED HER TO PIRANHAS, AND *KILL HER*!!!" Everyone sweatdropped.

"Erm, Ranma?" Tsubasa said quietly. "Isn't that a *bit* excessive?"

"Nope," the pigtailed boy grinned. He had a lot of other ideas involving painful death for the lavender-haired Amazon. He projected some of the more creative ways to his lovers, who both paled slightly.

"Ugh, not even Shamps deserves *that*," Mousse shuddered. Being forced to listen to "... Baby One More Time" in a continuous loop was a fate he wouldn't wish upon his worst enemy.

Akane shook her head. "I don't *want* to know, I don't *care* to know...."

"I thought that we were going to take a *non*-violent approach," Ukyou said, glaring at the pigtailed boy (who was currently being held down by Mousse).

"That's no fun," Ranma grumbled. Mousse leaned down and whispered something to the other boy, which caused him to brighten suddenly. "Y'promise?"

"As soon as we take care of this problem, yes."

Ryoga shuddered as Ranma smiled brightly and glanced over at him before giggling. {~Mousse...~}

{~Yesss?~}

{~... never mind, I have the feeling I don't wanna know.~}

"Okay!" Tsubasa spoke up, finally managing to overcome his embarrassment at being found out. "Now that we know what we're *NOT* going to do to her"--here he glanced at Ranma, who was busy thinking about whatever it was Mousse promised him, and shook his head--"what *are* we going to do about her?"

"Actually, the piranha idea has merit..." Kuno said thoughtfully after a moment.

"Tatchi no baka," Akane mumbled as the others began snickering. "I was thinking something along the lines of hitting her over the head with a sledgehammer and shipping her back to China in a doggie bag."

"Kami-sama, Akane, just how damn hard are you planning on hitting her?!" Ukyou shouted, eyes wide. Akane just smiled sweetly in response.

*DING DONG*

"What the fuck?!"

"RYOGA!!" six voices chorused, a bit shocked at the Lost Boy's annoyed exclamation.

"I feel like I'm living in a damned bus station," the Lost Boy grumbled as he rose to answer the door yet again. Ranma stopped him, a dark look crossing his features.

"I think it's for me," he said quietly, then he stood and walked towards the door. Mousse glanced out the window and blanched.

"Oh, shit..." His voice was barely a whisper. "I don't believe her nerve..."

The room fell silent. From the foyer they could all hear a cool feminine voice:

"Nihoa, Ranma."

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

"What the hell are *you* doing here?" Ranma growled, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms. It was taking all of his willpower to not just knock the bitch into next week.

Shampoo smirked. "Why, Ranma! One would think you *weren't* happy to see me!"

"What. Do. You. Want?" he repeated, annoyance in his tone. The Amazon girl merely smirked again and tossed her lavender hair.

"You already know."

Ranma took one step towards Shampoo, pulling the door closed behind him so that the others couldn't hear his next words.

"You'll have to go through me first," he hissed, quiet fury in his tone. "And even if you kill me, I very much doubt Ryoga will let you anywhere near Mousse without a fight."

"That doesn't matter at all," she said, her own tone threatening. "After I get *you* out of the picture, Pig Boy will be a cinch. Swine like him are all the same--take away their one true strength, and they're *nothing*."

Ranma cracked his knuckles. "*What* did you call Ryoga?" Shampoo smiled menacingly. "You heard me."

That was the last straw. Ranma's aura began to glow red, and he quickly blocked off his thoughts from his lovers--if he failed, he didn't want either one of them to suffer with him--but not before sending them both a very brief message.

"Park. Now."

"But of course, 'dear airen'."

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

Four of the six people in the living room hadn't heard any part of the conversation from the time Ranma stepped outside; two were able to feel his anger rising but didn't 'hear' anything being said. Then, even that connection was blocked, and Ryoga and Mousse exchanged a worried glance.

"Is he... just going to fight her... *alone*?" Tsubasa finally asked softly, sliding off the arm of the chair into Kuno's lap. The older youth responded by wrapping his arms around the other boy and pulling him close. Akane and Ukyou looked at each other, then shifted their gazes to the other boys in the room. Ryoga looked pale, and Mousse shivered slightly.

"I think," Mousse said softly, "he is."

"NANI?!"

"Has he lost his mind?!"

"There's no way in *hell* she's going to make this a fair fight!"

"He could be killed!"

Ryoga didn't speak. His mind was still reeling from the last message he'd received from Ranma just before the link was severed:

{~If anything happens to me... just remember I love you both with all my heart and soul.~}

To the Lost Boy--and, he was quite certain, to Mousse as well--it sounded as if Ranma didn't expect to survive the encounter.

~ When you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you ~

{~Ryoga?~} The 'tone' was soft and almost frightened.

{~Hai, Mousse-chan?~}

{~I'm going after them.~}

"No!" he shouted, startling the others in the room. "If you go out there, then what's to stop her from just going after you? I can't allow that!"

"Damn it, Ryoga, I *know* the risk!" Mousse shouted back. Even now he could hear the fear in the other boy's voice. "But I'm a warrior. I can't just *sit* here knowing that one of the people I can't possibly live without may be about to die and not do a damn thing about it!" He took a breath to calm himself slightly, then continued in a more subdued tone, "I can't lose him, Ryo-chan. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least *try*."

~ Give me a moment please
To tame your wild wild heart ~

Ryoga lowered his eyes. The Amazon was right. He wasn't happy about Ranma's brash decision either, and he couldn't stand the thought of a life without the pigtailed boy. He looked up at Mousse, saw the same fear and determination in those blue-grey eyes that he *knew* was in his own, and smiled slightly.

"Then we both go," he said finally.

"You're crazy!" Ukyou declared, finally catching up with the conversation. "I'm coming with you," Kuno said, standing (Tsubasa had noticed his shift of weight and stood seconds earlier) and moving towards the two boys. "Saotome could very well be in over his head, and will need all the help he can get."

"Translation: he wants a piece of the bitch, too," Tsubasa supplied helpfully, linking arms with Kuno. "And frankly, so do I. No one treats *my* friends this way!"

"I've been wanting to pound her ever since I met her," Akane joined in, pulling her mallet-sama out of hammer space. "Maybe Ran-chan will let me take a whack at her!"

"I've changed my mind. You're *all* crazy!" Ukyou groaned before pulling out her battle spatula. "And I must be, too, for going along with this! So, any idea where they may have gone?"

Ryoga took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on Ranma's whereabouts. It was a talent he hadn't employed since the night they found Mousse at the slave camps almost a year ago, and he was desperately hoping he remembered how to lock onto the other boy.

{I know you can do it, Ryo-chan,} Mousse thought. {You found me; I *know* you can find Ranma.}

The Lost Boy's eyes flew open suddenly, and he turned to the group watching him expectantly.

"They're at the park."

"Then that's where we've gotta be."

On some unspoken signal, the group rushed out the door and headed towards what would probably be the final confrontation... one that someone wouldn't be walking away from....

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

Ranma barely had time to turn around to face Shampoo before the lavender-haired Amazon struck him with a surprise ki attack. The ground around him ceased to exist, and it was only due to the fact that he moved so fast that he even managed to elude 'ground zero'.

{Fuck! I didn't think she even *knew* any ki attacks!} Ranma thought as he continued to dodge her blasts. He wasn't exactly trying to not fight--he was ready to pound her into the dirt first chance he got--but he needed to observe her for a moment and find an opening.

She knew all his techniques, and she wasn't about to let him gain any ground. The second Ranma's foot hit the ground, Shampoo unleashed another unknown ki attack as she tried to catch him off-guard.

However, even the best-trained martial artist makes mistakes--and Shampoo was just as human as anyone else. Every time she unleashed an attack, she left herself open for a physical assault. Ranma noticed this, and the next time she let loose a ki blast, he was ready for her. He dodged the blast gracefully, landing right next to the lavender-haired beauty.

"What the hell--?" she started to say, only to be cut off as Ranma *finally* got to hit her. He was fairly pissed off, too--it was hard to forget that she had ruined someone's life when he saw that person every day--and as a result he knocked her back a good hundred feet.

Shampoo shakily stood, bringing one hand to her mouth to wipe away the blood that was beginning to flow from the wound--she had bitten her lip when he punched her, and would probably require quite a few stitches. She glared at the pigtailed martial artist.

"So, you want to get physical, ne?" she growled.

Ranma sneered back. "Shamps, I've been wanting to get physical since I found out you were involved with Mousse's suffering."

The two combatants glared at one another, sizing up the other's strengths and weaknesses, then attacked as one. Shampoo didn't let up one bit once she got her rhythm set; neither did Ranma. Punches were thrown and blocked effectively; kicks were countered almost instantly. If anyone was unaware of the seriousness behind the battle, they would have appeared to be moving as one.

No one can keep up a strenuous pace forever, though. Shampoo found an opening and launched repeated kicks and punches in a flurry of motion. Ranma, caught off-guard, could do nothing more than block as much of the attack as he could. The Amazon wasn't going down easy, and she had every intention of killing her opponent.

As Ranma hit the ground, struggling to regain his footing, the remaining six teens arrived. Ryoga's eyes narrowed as he saw the damage that had been done to his younger lover and turned to glare at Shampoo.

"I dare you," he said coldly as the female warrior moved in to finish off her opponent, "to even *move* one step closer to him."

Shampoo paused. The menace in the Lost Boy's tone was not lost on her, and she moved one step away from the pigtailed boy. As she stepped back, a flurry of chains suddenly wrapped themselves around her and spun her away from Ranma. They released her, and just before she hit the ground, she thought she saw Mousse and Tsubasa rush over to the fallen warrior's side.

Akane, Ukyou, and Kuno surrounded the girl before she even had the chance to pick herself up off the ground. And, judging from the fact that *all* had their weapons drawn, she wasn't going to be able to talk her way out of this mess.

{~Mousse, how is he?~} Ryoga asked, worry for his love overriding his anger at Shampoo--for the moment.

Mousse drew the smaller youth into his arms and quickly evaluated his injuries. {~A few broken bones, some cuts and scratches, burn marks from some sort of ki attack, and he's unconscious. I'm getting him out of here.~}

Leaving him to his task, Ryoga turned and stalked over to where the three teens were 'keeping an eye on' Shampoo. He nearly smiled--the three looked ready to attack if she even sneezed wrong!--but his amusement died when he looked into her cold violet eyes and saw no remorse for her actions.

If anything, she looked *proud*.

Akane stepped aside and let the Lost Boy into the circle. He crouched down next to the girl and glared at her. When he spoke, the look in Shampoo's eyes went from arrogant to worried to downright fearful.

"If I *ever* see you anywhere near Ranma or Mousse again," he said slowly, his eyes conveying just how serious he was, "I will kill you. No fancy fights, no weapons, no battles. I will simply kill you the way I killed *them*."

She didn't need to ask who he meant by 'them'--she had read about the destruction of the compound, and had no doubt that Ryoga had been responsible for the whole thing.

"Get up," he said, "and get out of my sight." Shampoo wasted no time in obeying the command, despite the fact that a boken and a battle spatula were thisclose to her neck, and it seemed neither teen would feel any remorse for her untimely demise. The group turned, and she couldn't resist just attacking once more--how *dare* that pig try to tell an Amazon what she could and could not do!

The blast came without warning. The only warning she had was the blue-grey aura that flickered briefly around Ryoga before she heard his words:

"SHISHI HOKODAN!"

The light from the blast was blinding, and Ukyou, Akane, and Kuno had to shield their eyes. When the glare finally died, there was no sign of Shampoo remaining. The only thing that marked where she had stood was a large, burned-out crater and a bit of smoke rising from Ryoga.

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

Tsubasa paced from one end of the room to the other, stealing concerned glances at Mousse every time he passed the other boy. The tall Amazon youth hadn't said anything ever since the hospital staff literally peeled him away from Ranma and took the injured youth to the emergency room.

"Tsubasa," Mousse finally said softly. "*Please* stop stalking around like a caged animal."

"Oh! Gomen ne, Mousse," the younger boy said apologetically and dropped into the chair beside the other teen. "I tend to get restless when I'm worried about something. Or someone," he added softly.

Mousse nodded and turned to stare at the clock again. What the hell was taking the doctors so long?!

Ryoga, Kuno, Akane, and Ukyou chose that moment to arrive. Ryoga took one look at Mousse and realized that there had been no word on Ranma's condition yet, and sank down into the seat opposite the Amazon, taking his hands in his own and squeezing them gently.

{~How are you holding up, Mu-chan?~}

The Amazon sighed and replied {~I'd be doing better if I *knew* something, for God's sake!~}

"Nothing new?" Akane asked Tsubasa softly, trying to give the other two boys some small amount of privacy.

"Not a damn word," the boy replied, leaning his head against Kuno's chest and suppressing an annoyed sigh. The older boy wrapped his arms around Tsubasa in a gentle embrace. Ukyou sighed and dropped down into another chair in the waiting room.

"It's been at least an hour," she mumbled. "Why don't they know anything yet?!"

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than one of the doctors entered the waiting room. She glanced around at the small group, pushing a lock of brown hair out of her eyes. Mousse and Ryoga looked up at her and started, recognizing her almost instantly.

"Dr. Toshira?" Mousse said softly. The woman turned her head, and her eyes lit up in recognition of her former patient (1).

"I should have expected to see the pair of you here," she said, her voice just as gentle and friendly as Ryoga remembered it being. "You're concerned about Saotome-san, ne?"

"How is he?" Ryoga asked.

"Well, the external injuries were easy to spot, especially those burn marks. When we went to set the broken bones, we located some internal bleeding." The six teens gasped and looked worriedly at one another. Dr. Toshira continued: "One of his ribs was fractured, and it broke off into his left lung. We were able to stop the bleeding and set the rib, though. He's still unconscious, but from the extent of his injuries, I'd say that's mostly Saotome-san's means of getting away from the pain. He should be coming to any time now. Normally, I wouldn't allow any visitors, but since you *are* his family"--here she smiled warmly at Ryoga and Mousse, who both blushed slightly--"I don't see any problem with having you sit with him for a while."

"Arigatou, Toshira-san," Ryoga said in a small voice. The doctor smiled again.

"Come on," she said. "I'll take you to see him now." Ryoga and Mousse glanced over at the others for a second; the four teens nodded and stood to leave.

"Call me at the dojo as soon as he wakes up," Akane urged. Ukyou nodded in agreement and followed the other girl out the door. Tsubasa and Kuno remained a moment longer.

"We'll be at Ucchan's," Kuno said softly before turning to leave, Tsubasa still in the protective circle of his arm.

{~They're a cute couple, ne?~}

{~Hai. Never though I'd see the day Tatewaki Kuno would date another guy.~}

Dr. Toshira cleared her throat to get their attention again. The two boys blushed slightly in reply and followed her to the room where Ranma was currently recovering from surgery.

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

{Oh, God, I hurt all over. How damn hard did she get me with that last kick?}

Ranma groaned softly and opened his eyes just a bit. The light hit them unexpectedly, and he whimpered as he squeezed them shut again. He thought he saw two people in the room--at least, he *hoped* he was in a room!--but he wasn't exactly sure who they were. Despite the fact that his head hurt like hell, he slowly reached out through his telepathic bonds and attempted to reach his lovers.

{~Itoshii? Mu-chan?~}

Ryoga lifted his head from the bed and shot a quick glance over at Mousse. The Amazon pushed himself away from the wall and dropped down next to the bed, locking eyes with Ryoga. Ranma hadn't shown any signs of regaining consciousness in the past half-hour, but both were *sure* he'd just reopened the links to them.

{~Did you hear...~} Ryoga began hesitantly.

{~Hai, I did.~} Mousse turned his gaze to Ranma and reached out to brush a strand of hair away from his face. {~Ran-chan? Are you awake?~}

The second the message reached him, Ranma struggled to open his eyes again. This time, he didn't close them when the light hit, instead groaning aloud and reaching up to block the light.

"Damn, guess I am," he said softly, blinking against the glare. "Could one of you--"

Ryoga quickly shut off the overhead lights before Ranma even finished the question, then quickly moved back to the bedside. "Oh, Ranma, what the hell were you thinking?!" he scolded, taking one of the younger martial artist's hands in his own.

Ranma chuckled, ignoring the fact that it hurt to laugh. "I wasn't. I was just so damn angry I never even stopped to think." He winced slightly before continuing: "Besides, I didn't like what she called you, itoshii."

{~The swine comment again?~}

{~She called you that to your face?!~} Ranma asked incredulously.

{~That bitch said that?!~} Mousse thought, hearing this information for the first time.

Ryoga blinked and said aloud, "You mean, I didn't tell you guys that earlier?"

His lovers blinked at him, then Ranma grinned and turned to Mousse. "You promised," he said to the Amazon, eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Ranma-love, you have a broken wrist, a sprained ankle, at least one fractured rib, nearly a dozen first-degree burns, and more scratches than I've ever seen in my life," Mousse said. "I think you should be fully recovered before we do that!"

Ryoga was completely lost, but he had the feeling that *this*--whatever it was--was what the two had been discussing earlier.

"I could just watch."

"But what fun would that be for you?"

A long pause, then: "How long did Dr. Rei say I'd be in this cast?"

"Dr. Rei?" Ryoga asked, smiling at Ranma's sudden enthusiasm.

"Yeah!"

Mousse smiled too. "Dr. Rei, as you call her, said you'd probably be able to get that thing off in about two months or so, depending on how quickly the bones knit."

"Well, if I'm *really* careful, I should still be able to 'play'!" Ranma insisted.

"I know I probably don't want to know, but--" Ryoga started, only to find himself interrupted.

"Which do you prefer, Ryo-chan? Whipped cream, chocolate syrup, or strawberry sauce?" Ranma asked, a wicked grin on his face.

"Ranma!" Mousse scolded playfully. "That was *supposed* to be kept a secret!"

The Lost Boy began to blush. "Oh," he said softly (2)

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

*BRRRRRRRING*

Kuno groaned and reached for the bedside phone. He picked it up in the middle of the second ring.

"Moshi moshi?" he said quietly. Tsubasa had just drifted off to sleep, and he *really* didn't want to wake the younger boy.

"Kuno? It's Ryoga. Ranma woke up a little while ago."

"How is he?"

He could practically hear the smile in the Lost Boy's voice as he answered, "Just fine, despite his injuries. He and Mousse are already plotting against me."

"Nani?"

"Let's just say it involves food products that can be used as body paints."

"Ah," Kuno said, smiling at the mental image he conjured up at that comment. It seemed like something Tsubasa might suggest.

As if knowing his lover was thinking about him, the boy in question groaned and opened his eyes sleepily, silently asking who was on the phone. When Tatchi mouthed "Ryoga," he immediately grabbed the phone away.

"Is everything all right?"

"Oh, hey, Tsu-chan. You sound like you just woke up."

"That's 'cause I *did*," he said with a grin. "How's Ranma doing now?" He listened silently, eyes lighting up at the mention of body painting using food. His gaze shifted over to Kuno, and the wicked gleam in them intensified. "I'll have to get them to take notes for me," he commented mildly.

"Knowing those two hentais, they'll videotape the whole thing!" Ryoga said with a laugh. "I'm sure they'll give you a copy if you ask nicely."

"I just might. Feel like having a few visitors over?"

After hearing that Ukyou and Akane were already on their way to the hospital, Tsubasa told Ryoga that they'd be there shortly and hung up the phone. Then he shot another wicked glance at his boyfriend.

"I prefer strawberries, if you were curious," he said, smirking. Tatchi smiled at the younger boy and pulled him down for a deep, breathtaking kiss.

"If we're going over there, we should at least get dressed," he told the younger boy even as he nipped at one of his ears.

Tsubasa pretended to pout. "Why can't we go like this?"

"Because we don't live in a nudist colony," Kuno replied matter-of-factly. Tsubasa giggled and stole another kiss before climbing out of the bed to gather up his clothes (3).

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

"Hot fudge might be a bit much, Ranma," Mousse said, frowning a bit.

"Aw, come on!" the pigtailed boy protested. "If rocks pounding into him don't hurt, I don't think there'll be much of a problem with hot fudge!"

"Why don't you use caramel? It's just as sticky, and it's more fun anyway!"

"Akane!"

"Well, it's true!" the girl insisted, tossing her head.

"Slow down!" Tsubasa interrupted. "I can't write that fast!"

Ryoga, Ukyou, and Kuno slipped out of the room, a bit concerned over how serious their lovers were being about the whole issue. As soon as the door closed behind them, effectively blocking the voices within, Ryoga quirked an eyebrow at Ukyou.

"Caramel?" he asked. The girl's reply was to blush prettily and look away.

"Well, she was just so convincing..." she said, trailing off before going into any detail.

Kuno nodded his head sympathetically. "If it makes you feel better, Tsubasa decided he wants to do the strawberry thing sometime."

"Let's just face it, you two," Ryoga said with a sigh. "Our lovers are strange, strange people."

{~I heard that!~} Mousse 'said', snickering. {~What do you think of strawberries, caramel, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce?~}

{~Sounds like a dessert to me.~}

{~I was hoping you'd say that!~} Ranma replied. {~Tell Ucchan and Tatchi we came up with the perfect combo in here!~}

Ryoga snickered and turned to the other two, who were staring at him strangely. "I think," he said, still smiling slightly, "that the three of us are in a *lot* of trouble!"

~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~

"Aw, c'mon!" Ranma protested, dropping onto the couch and pouting. It had been over three months since the fight with Shampoo, and he had just recently gotten his cast removed. His lovers were still being a bit overprotective of him, though, insisting that he not train too hard while his ankle was still sore.

"It's just a little sprain," he insisted again.

"Sprains can be worse than breaks," Mousse said, trying to ignore the fact that Ranma was inching closer to him as he spoke. "You shouldn't overdo it."

Ranma climbed onto Mousse's lap and nuzzled against him. "You're no fun," he muttered before nipping at the other boy's neck. The Amazon whimpered slightly at the contact and closed his eyes.

~ Let me be the one you call ~

"Shouldn't you be bugging Ryoga?" he asked, not really complaining about the attention he was receiving. Ranma continued to kiss and nip at the other youth's neck as if he didn't hear him.

"Mmmm, I like bugging you, too," Ranma finally replied, placing another kiss on his lover's collarbone. "Besides, he's upstairs, and I'm not supposed to overdo it, 'member?"

"You just want someone to carry you around, don't you?"

"You know it!"

Mousse mock-growled, then shifted so that the younger boy was settled carefully in his arms before standing up. Ranma giggled, wrapping his arms around Mousse's neck and snuggling against him. The two boys made their way up to the bedroom; Ranma solved the problem of how to get in by leaning over and pounding on the door.

"Oi! Itoshii!" he shouted, knocking even harder as Mousse struggled not to laugh. "Let us in!"

"Are your hands broken?" came the muffled, and somewhat amused, reply from within. It sounded like he was just on the other side of the door.

"As a matter of fact, they are! Now open up!"

{~*What* am I ever going to do with you two?~} Ryoga thought to the pair as he opened the door and quirked an eyebrow at them.

{~I've got a few suggestions,~} Mousse replied, moving to set Ranma down. The boy frowned and clung to him tighter.

{~ 'scuse me, Mu-chan, but I'm not exactly ready to get down yet.~}

{~Spoiled.~}

{~I can make it worth your while.~}

Then, to make sure he fully had the Amazon's attention, Ranma pulled him down into a lingering, passionate kiss.

~ If you jump I'll break your fall ~

"*ahem* If you two would like to come up for air..." Ryoga said, even though he couldn't help but smile at the pair. Mousse pulled back from the kiss and mock-glared at the boy still settled into his arms.

"Oh, you are *so* going to pay for that!" he 'threatened'. Ranma's eyes lit up.

"Promise?" he asked as he hopped out of Mousse's arms and sidled past Ryoga, making sure to brush up against him as much as possible. Ryoga's gaze lingered on the younger boy for a moment, then he pulled the Amazon youth into the room and trapped him against the wall.

"I think I've decided what to do with the pair of you," he said softly, brushing his lips softly against the other boy's.

"Mmm, what's that?"

"How 'bout I just show you?" came the reply, followed by a deep, breathtaking kiss. Mousse moaned softly and wrapped his arms tightly around the Lost Boy, parting his lips a bit in silent invitation--and Ryoga wasn't one to turn someone down. Their tongues intertwined, locked in an impassioned struggle for dominance.

A pair of strong arms slipped around Ryoga's waist, and he whimpered slightly as Ranma began to place light nipping kisses along the back of his neck. The pigtailed boy grinned and continued his attentions, enjoying the fact that he was slowly driving the bandanna'd martial artist to his own 'breaking point'. Ryoga broke off the kiss and began to mark a trail of warm wet kisses up the hidden weapons expert's jawline, paying special attention to the sensitive spot just below his ear. Mousse groaned, tilting his head back in submission.

~ Lift you up and fly away with you into the night ~

Ranma's hands and lips continued to play havoc with Ryoga's control, and he nipped lightly at the Amazon's ear, eliciting another whimper. Without warning, Ryoga turned and caught Ranma up in his arms, tossing the younger boy onto the bed. He then turned and did the same with Mousse, then stood back to watch the pair tussle playfully.

"Hey, get offa me!" Ranma 'protested'.

"Nah, I like it right here," Mousse replied, smirking.

Ranma pouted, then grinned wickedly and wrapped his arms around the taller boy, pulling him down against him. Then he rolled over so that Mousse was now on the bottom, and pinned him carefully.

"What were you saying again?" he said, leaning down and pressing his lips against the other youth's. Any protest Mousse may have been ready to make died without a second thought, and he began to kiss him back. They both started tugging at one another's clothes, somehow managing to strip without moving from their positions on the bed.

Ryoga watched with slightly glazed eyes as he peeled off his own clothing. Damn, it was just so easy to watch them together. Two absolutely beautiful boys, and both of them were his. He walked over to the bed, drawing the Amazon youth into his arms and tucking his chin against his shoulder--he'd have a *much* nicer view of the action from here. Mousse whimpered again as Ranma began to leave a trail of sucking kisses down his chest, nipping gently at one of his nipples as his hand stroked and caressed the other. The younger boy loved teasing his partners at every opportunity, and was *very* much taking advantage of the fact that Ryoga was silently watching the show and that Mousse was lapping up the attention he was given. He glanced up at the Lost Boy, shot him an evil grin, then took the Amazon boy into his mouth. Mousse moaned and arched his back, trying to get deeper into the warm wet heat surrounding his throbbing erection. Ranma took slow, deep strokes, raking his teeth lightly along the other boy's length as he moved. Ryoga slowly began to run his hands along the Chinese boy's body, placing soft kisses all along his neck as he did so.

~ If you need to fall apart ~

The duel stimulation quickly became more than the boy could bear, and Mousse came with a shaky cry, burrowing his face against Ryoga's neck. Ranma remained where he was, savoring every drop of the Amazon's juices, then placed soft kisses up his body till he was kissing Ryoga over the other youth's shoulder. Mousse smiled wickedly and pulled himself out of Ryoga's embrace, moving down the bed until he was able to reach the lube on the nightstand, then turned back to watch his lovers in action.

Ryoga pressed the smaller boy onto his back, placing a tender kiss to his throat as his hands began to explore the slim form beneath them. Ranma whimpered and moaned at the gentle teasing exploration, gasping outright when the Lost Boy began to stroke his erection. Ryoga grinned down at the boy and continued to stroke and pet his lover, drinking up the whimpers and begging cries he was eliciting from the younger boy. Mousse slid up next to Ranma and turned the pigtailed boy's face to his, capturing his lips in a gentle yet soul-searing kiss as he handed the lube to Ryoga.

~ I can mend a broken heart ~

Ranma's gasping cry was muffled by Mousse's mouth as Ryoga pressed one wet finger into him. The Lost Boy stroked gently at the hidden nerves, and Ranma began to moan and lift his hips to intensify to contact. He clung to Mousse, biting at his neck as he reached down to stroke the Amazon's growing erection. Ryoga added another finger, then another, continuing to stroke the nerves and drive Ranma close to the edge of passion. He withdrew his fingers, moving between his younger lover's thighs and sliding slowly into the sheath of his body, groaning at the sensation.

A hand on his shoulder stopped him for a moment, and he glanced over his shoulder to nod silently to Mousse. The Amazon wet his fingers and gentle pressed two into the Lost Boy's tight opening. He moaned softly, moving back and pressing his lover's deft fingers deeper into himself. Mousse stroked his lover for a few moments, then withdrew his fingers and pressed himself into Ryoga's opening. The three remained still for a few moments longer, then slowly began to move as one. If two alone appeared graceful, then the three of them together turned lovemaking into a work of art. Words were beyond them, and the room was soon filled with the moans, gasps, and cries of three boys caught up in the throes of passion.

~ If you need to crash then crash and burn ~

Ranma came first, head thrown back in a gasping cry as he clung to the Lost Boy. At the first spasm of his lover's orgasm, Ryoga lost what little control he'd been holding onto and spilled his seed into the trembling boy beneath him. Mousse cried out and bit down onto Ryoga's neck as he came within his lover's body. Once the trembling subsided, Mousse carefully slid out of the warmth of the Lost Boy's body and dropped next to Ranma. Ryoga likewise pulled carefully out of Ranma and rolled over to the side opposite the Amazon. Ranma peppered both his lover's faces with sweet kisses before snuggling up to the hidden weapons expert. Ryoga then pulled both into his arms and nuzzled against Ranma's neck.

After a long moment of silence, Ranma spoke up.

"We're gonna have to do that dessert thing again sometime!"

"I just now got the chocolate syrup out of my hair, Ranma."

"Aw, c'mon, Ryoga! If it makes you feel better, *I'll* be on the bottom next time!"

"Okay, Mousse, you've got a deal."

~ You're not alone ~

That decided, the three lovers drifted off to sleep.

OWARI

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Ooh, lookie! Footnotes!

(1) Dr. Rei Toshira played a minor role in CHANGES. She was the doctor to whom Ryoga and Ranma took Mousse shortly after freeing him from the slave camp, and gave Ryo-chan some advice on how to help Mu-chan's healing process (no, you hentais, she never said anything about 'sexual healing'!)

(2) I know, I know. I'm an evil little thing, aren't I? Seriously, though, most of my fantasies involve food, mainly strawberries and whipped cream. I know, but I can't suppress my hentai thoughts!!

(3) I promise, if anyone *really* wants to see the lemon scene that I was thinking of writing here, let me know and I'll send it out to the list. Cross my heart and hope to be smothered by bishounen if I'm lying. Wait, that's a reward, isn't it ^_^ ?

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