In Heat

Mousse was happy to see his mother when she picked him up from the airport. He had to leave Nerima because seeing Shampoo every day was too much for him after he'd announced to her that he was no longer in pursuit of her. His depression had settled over his like a wet blanket and he'd realized how meaningless his existence was. So he had given his notice to Cologne and had departed for China within a week after his bitter evening spent with Ranma. Another thing was that he couldn't bear was seeing Ranma herself, she'd come into the restaurant and watch him as if to gloat what she'd robbed him of. If anyone had noticed his going from being a hopeful man in love to a hollow eyed stranger, nothing was said and news of his departure was met with joviality by his tribe's members.

Mousse examined the tall female in front of him; she looked to be an older clone of himself, as were his three sisters x chromosomal versions of himself, only younger. She was still a beautiful woman he had had missed her horribly while in Nerima. He smiled for the first time in days as she hugged him. "Welcome home Mu Tzu" she said. "I'm sorry that your sisters weren't here to welcome you home, they are on a training trip" she explained.

"That's okay, I'm just glad to be home" Mousse explained giving her a weak smile, she sensed there was something wrong at his silence as she drove them home; Mousse had always been chatty. Once they got home she set out the dinner that she had prepared for them and noticed again how quiet he was and how he picked at his food.

"Mu Tzu are you okay?" she finally asked him. "You don't seem like yourself and you aren't even wearing your robe."

"I gave it up" he said.

"Why? Mu Tzu is there something you want to tell me son?" she asked him, noticing that he was close to tears.

"I-I was raped, she used my own chains and locks against me" he said out loud for the first time and burst into tears. She put her arms around him and rocked him.

"She?" Lo Xien questioned when he pulled himself together.

"I-it was a girl I knew, she tied me up and...took me" he said with a blush.

"Anyone I know?" she said in a level tone of voice.

"I'd rather not say, no one you're ever met" Mousse is with a teary sniffle. "I enjoyed it, I was a virgin and she took that from me. I guess that that probably sounds stupid seeing how I'm male and all, I'm such a studmuffin that girls are tying me up to take advantage of me" he said with a bitter laugh.

His mother raised his face so that he looked into her eyes. Mousse was as passionate as his father had been, he'd challenged Lo Xien thirty times before he beat her by accident when she'd slipped on a patch of damp grass (not that she'd counted that against him). He also had been adamant about waiting until their wedding night. She imagined that Mu Tzu held the same belief and the loss of his virginity must be devastating to him. "There's nothing funny about being raped whether you're male or female, a physical barrier shouldn't make a difference. You didn't enjoy it; your body reacted to stimulation, and it was nothing more than that. It was horrible what happened to you" she said in a soothing voice.

"I can't marry Shampoo now, or anyone. I'm damaged goods" he said.

"Then we'll just have to fix you" she said.

"How?" he asked with fresh tears flowing down his cheeks.

"It wasn't your fault. Did she drug you and restrain you?" she asked.

"Yes" he said. "I guess she must have drugged me somehow, when I woke up I was n-naked and tied up with my own chains" he said.

"I've been volunteering at a new clinic in town; they have a rape counselor on staff. Would you be willing to meet with Dr. Chan?" she asked.

"Wouldn't he just think I sound whiny?" Mousse said.

Lo Xien shook her head "he used to be a prison doctor, male rape victims are common there so he won't discount you" she assured him.

Mousse was nervous when his mother brought him into the clinic, from a distance the doctor's hard black Asian eyes look pitiless, his appearance was neat and conservative, and Mousse almost begged his mother who walked beside him to take him home. Up close the doctor looked different and he was relieved when he saw compassion and understanding in his eyes. The doctor recognized the hunted look in Mousse's eyes.

Ranma

Ranma dug the test out the garbage again to see if the results were any different, but sure enough, there were the two pink lines as clear as day. She didn't know how much longer people would believe that her inability to turn back was a resurgence of Herb's ladle of permanence. She'd only wanted to sexually experiment! She knew that she couldn't as a male or else she'd be trapped into marrying one of her fiancées or killed for cheating on the whole rotten lot of them. So she'd thought it would be safe to try a discreet encounter with someone who would rather be caught dead then admit to sleeping with her.

She'd felt bad about how Mousse had acted now. Her ego hadn't allowed her to believe that he would reject her. She couldn't imagine anyone rejecting her and had thought that the bondage might help entice the chain-loving boy. Now she realized that his misery was real and not playacting as she'd convinced herself that evening. It had seemed to wickedly fun at the time, the whole drama of the situation. She'd laced his drink at a party and helped his stumble towards their love nest under the pretense that she was taking him home. He'd been as weak as a kitten when she'd removed his clothes and used his own weapons to attach him to the bed. The red panties and bra added just the right touch, she thought as she studied her prey with hungry eyes, willing him to wake up for her deflowerment. Like everything else she did, she was methodical about everything, including losing her virginity. It'd been the single most exciting night in her life and she had loved it...and now was paying the price.

She'd gone into the Neko Hanten to see if he would talk to her and allow her to say that she was sorry. However he'd ignored her, even when Shampoo had glomped onto her. He seemed to move like a robot and avoided looking her at all costs. Then he was gone without a word to her. Shampoo said he'd quit and gone to China; that he'd left Shampoo told her how badly he was hurting.

She'd tried to tell herself that her inability to shift forms was due to the damage that her womanly parts had sustained while riding herself of her hymen and she just had to heal. Dr. Tofu had been doubtful about this idea when he'd examined her, after she'd sworn him to secrecy. He'd suggested another reason and here was the proof.

"What the hell am I going to do?" she moaned, looking at the test again to see if there were any changes; still double pink lines on the third pregnancy test she'd taken.

Ranma a Year Later

Ranma came off her shift at the hotel where she worked as a maid and trudged home wearily. She worked long hours, but was lucky of any work she could get at her age and educational level. She knocked on her friend's door and picked up her daughter to bring her back to their small studio apartment. Her friend worked at diner and they purposefully kept separate shifts in order to looking after each other's children when the single mothers had to work. Ranma felt tired and world weary at age seventeen. She wore her hair back in a bun after finding out that being a young mother and having girlish hair doesn't mix; men made assumptions about you that often weren't correct.

She opened the door and lifted the three month old Midori Saotome-Mu out of her backpack baby carrier. She smiled at the tiny dark-haired girl, even at such a young age the famous Amazon beauty showed in her. Her hair, Ranma suspected was going to be long and straight like her father's and she had his odd green Asian eyes, but Ranma's own features were also already apparent in her daughter's face.

Her pregnancy had been an easy one, but had come as total shock to her fiancées and family; she'd been disinherited by her father on the spot. Kuno was twisted enough to think that Midori was his and Ryoga had surprised her by offering to kill whoever had forced her as he couldn't believe that she had had sex willingly with a man. Forced her? She'd forced him!

She'd refused to tell anyone the name of her baby's father (or about Midori's secretly hyphenated last name), even when it had cost her her home. Oddly enough her fiancées had all been supportive of her and some had even offered her a place to stay. However she'd discovered that Ukyou only used it as a way to try and trap her and she wasn't comfortable staying with the Kunos.

Ranma had been worried when Midori was born, thinking her eyes too tell-tale of who her father was, yet no one seemed to notice as Mousse's eyes were normally hidden behind his glasses. Though Cologne had looked at Midori suspiciously for a second Ranma was sure.

Ranma had been allowed to remain at the Kendo house for a while after Midori was born. Then the fiancées had descended again, declaring that they didn't care who the father of her first baby was, as long as they were the mother of the next. Then they had started bickering over who would make the best co-parent for Midori. Not wanting to see her daughter growing up and being fought over like Ranma was herself, she'd accepted the money that Nabiki had generously given her and had departed.

She looked around at the tiny apartment that she called home and felt lonely. The only person she talked to in the evenings was her daughter, whose happy gurgles filled her nights, but she wasn't a great conversationalist. She would feel slightly envious when she saw a happy family and wonder what Mousse was doing. She had no great love for him, but felt it was wrong that he didn't know about his daughter. She had no way of contacting him except through the Amazons who were leaving for China themselves soon. Would he even want to meet Midori based on how she was conceived? Ranma was reluctant to draw attention to her half Amazonian daughter for fear that they would realize who's child she was and try and claim her for the tribe in this way. So Midori would remain fatherless and Ranma just steps away from poverty.

Mousse

Mousse's counseling has allowed him to recover rather well and he'd even forgiven Ranma. He wasn't yet at the point where he was able to go on dates, but no longer considered himself valueless. His mother and Dr. Chan had proven invaluable; leaving Nerima had been the right thing to do. In relative peace of his village and surrounded by people who loved him, he'd healed. He'd even becoming willing to accept that he and Shampoo were never meant to be. So imagine his surprise when he'd opened his door and his purple haired friend had given him a giant hug as if happy to see him. "Xian Pu, how are you doing?" he asked her.

"Invite me in and I'll you" she said with a giggle.

He made tea and they got caught up "I went back to school and do volunteer at my friend's clinic" he said. "I'm studying to be a therapist" he explained, not divulging what sort.

"Mousse, why did you leave like that and not contact me?" Shampoo asked after a year of wondering.

Mousse put down his cup "something happened to me in Nerima and I just couldn't remain there; I was raped" he explained.

He was surprised when his normally self-centered friend took his hand "I never knew. Did they catch the guy? You should have told me" she said in sympathy.

"I couldn't, it was too personal and I was hurting too much" he said. "So tell me of the news of Nerima" he said to distract her.

"Sure, Ukyou's with Ryoga now. The Kunos are still crazy and Akane has a boyfriend" she said.

"And you're married to Ranma?" Mousse said, asking what he really wanted to know.

Shampoo looked at him blankly, "no I'm not even sure where Ranma is now that she had her baby. She pretty much disappeared" she said.

"Baby, what baby?" Mousse asked sharply.

"I guess you must have left before you found out. She had a baby girl and named her Midori, it was a huge scandal, and no one knows who Midori's father is. Ranma refused to tell. Midori's a cute little thing; I guess she's about three months old now" Shampoo explained.

Mousse could feel himself turning pale.