Just Like a Dream

Actually, I have read that book, but just was doing it from Mythology rather then SF. I do own the entire immortals series by Piers Anthony . My favourite book is On a Pale Horse, I love that this inspired Dead Like Me! I always laugh when Zane shoots Death; it’s just so zany that in order to become death you have to shoot your predecessor. Okay, Sid is through geeking now. Careful girl you’re weird enough as it is ;)

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Mousse could only stare at the odd trio and then finally said “Who are you?” Still convinced that he was dreaming, he expected birdsong to emerge from their mouths when they opened them, rather then human voice.

Instead the youngest one said to him indignantly “Mousse are you crazy? How could you have done that to the person that we, The Fates, intended for you?”

“T-the fates” he stammered.

“Yes, we were once known as the Moirae, but are more commonly known as the three aspects of Fate. I am Clotho; it’s my job to spin the thread of life. This is Lachesis” Clotho said indicating to the middle aged woman “She measures the thread for me to weave and this is Atropos, she cuts the thread at the death of the person whose thread I weave” Clotho explained.

“What do you want with me?” Mousse asked.

“We want you to stop ignoring the dreams that we sent to you and realize who your true love is actually meant to be” Lachesis said.

“Yes, you were horrible to Ranma!” Clotho cried indignantly.

“Those dreams were from you? But why should you be so concerned about me?” Mousse asked.

Athopos rolled her eyes “blame her” she said indicating Clotho “we moirae are supposed to be impartial about human beings in general, but she chooses favourites all the time and you are one of hers”

“I’m favoured by fate?” Mousse said in a dubious voice.

“By one aspect” Lachesis corrected him, “she does kind of owe you for Shampoo, you were never meant to fall in love with her. You might say that she had a spell of drunken weaving”

Clotho blushed and muttered “I had one cocktail too many at a bacchanal orgy and things got a bit tangled up” she explained.

Mousse could only look in horror at this statement “but what do you mean that I was never meant to fall in love with Shampoo? She’s going to be my wife” he said.

Clotho looked embarrassed “no, you are intended to be the husband of Ranma Saotome, that’s why she was doused in the spring of the drowned young girl” she explained. “We sent the dreams to show you what your relationship is going to be like”

“Then why did you have to make them so sexy?” Mousse inquired, feeling like his head was about to fly off.

The rest looked at Clotho “I thought teenaged boys liked sex” she said with a shrug. “Mousse you have to forget Shampoo and make things right with Ranma” she implored him.

“I don’t want Ranma, he’s a guy” Mousse pointed out to them.

“Yes you do, you’re bisexual as far both his forms are concerned” she explained.

“I’ve never been attracted to guys in the past!” he protested.

“Well you are now, well one of them that is” corrected Atropos. “He’s your intended and you best realize that before its too late and you marry Shampoo” she said.

“So I will marry Shampoo” he said triumphantly.

“Yes you could and lets show you what will happen” Lachesis said and measured out three threads, one purple, one white and one red. She indicated towards the purple one “this is Shampoo, the red one is Ranma and the white is you” she explained. These she handed to Clotho, who seemed to weave them into an invisible tapestry in the air. Mousse’s jaw fell open when the red and white and the purple and white wound around each other concurrently. The red and white seemed to stretch on forever and other coloured threads were added and spread throughout the invisible tapestry. The white and purple wound around each other until Atropos stepped forward and snipped off the white thread decisively. Mousse looked questioningly at her.

“You will marry Shampoo when you are thirty, she will only agree when she’s desperate enough after Ranma marries Akane. You will have sex with your lovely wife three times in your two months of marriage and she will cry out ‘Ranma’ every time she orgasms. Then she will poison you after Ranma gets divorced, in hopes that he will marry her and she’ll get away with it. He won’t marry her because soon after, Ranma comes out of the closet” she explained. “With Ranma, you will live a long and happy life. Those other threads represent your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren etc.”

“Ranma’s gay?” Mousse asked.

Clotho rolled her eyes at him “he has four gorgeous fiancées and shows no interest in any of them. Are you really that surprised?” she asked.

Mousse thought about Ranma and said “no”

“He loves you Mousse and you love him. Wouldn’t you rather a life of bliss to a sexually frustrating marriage and an early death?” Clotho asked him softly.

“She really doesn’t love me?” Mousse said sadly.

“No, but Ranma does” Clotho said “Think about making love with her just now and realize whose in your heart before its too late” she advised him, she kissed him on the forehead and then they vanished.

Mousse sat down and thought about Ranma and realized that he did love Mousse. All of the signs had been there, how Ranma kept seeking him out, the pleasure he seemed to take in his company, the way that he looked at him, the accidental kiss that had electrified them both. It had electrified Mousse, he had really enjoyed it. He’d been running away from the feelings that he’d developed for the other boy. He thought about never seeing him again. Or returning to Nerima and watching Ranma marry Akane to live a lie. He then thought about having to wait fourteen long, sexless years to marry the person he thought he loved, only be killed by her soon after. Mousse closed his eyes and tried to picture her face, but all he could see was Ranma as the petit redhead and as the gorgeous brunette. He imagined not being able to touch them again, not being able to kiss them and never making love to them again. He felt such pain that he started to weep, Mousse’s eyes snapped open and he realized what a mistake he'd made. He didn’t love Shampoo; he loved Ranma.

Ranma

Ranma’s eyes were swollen from crying and the itchy irritating feeling kept her awake. That she shared a bed with Mousse’s twin-like sister, Gel didn’t help. Softly she got up and pulled on her clothes, she exited the house. She went to a nearby field and started doing katas. Training always helped her relax and she needed all the help that she could get right now. She wasn’t too surprised when Gel joined her. With unspoken acceptance, they began sparring. Gel in her lookalike robe and with her brother’s features, Ranma felt herself lashing out at the girl in her anger. Yet Gel would just spring out of the way harmlessly until Ranma calmed down and both were covered with sweat. They trained to the point of exhaustion and both finally gave up, they were well matched skill wise and had reached an impasse. “You’re really good” Ranma commented.

“So are you” Gel replied.

“Good thing I didn’t defeat you, I couldn’t stand having another Amazon fiancée” Ranma commented.

“You don’t have to worry, I already have one” Gel replied.

“Really, what’s he like?” Ranma asked curious.

Gel smiled mischievously “long brown hair, legs that won’t quit, large boobs and a mouth made for kissing” she replied.

“Oh you’re gay” Ranma commented.

“Yes, aren’t you? After all, you’re in love with my brother” She pointed out.

Ranma cocked her head “I’ve never really thought about it” she admitted.

“How do you feel when you kiss a girl?” she asked.

“I’ve never kissed one before” Ranma said with a blush.

“You could kiss me if you like” Gel offered.

“I don’t know if I should, what about your fiancée?” Ranma asked.

“Shoot, she’ll understand when I tell her that you’re a guy” Gel explained.

Ranma bent forward and placed her lips against Gel’s, she kissed a lot like her brother. Her lips were soft and full and her movements slow and gentle with just the right amount of teasing tongue. Yet Ranma didn’t feel a thing, no spark. Not how it was with Mousse.

Gel pulled back “anything?” she asked.

“Not a thing, I think I’m gay” Ranma said with dawning comprehension, it explained his lack of lust when it came to his fiancées. He found their forced attention repulsive.

“Welcome to the club” Gel said. “What are you going to do now?” she asked.

“I guess I’m going to go home and marry whomever I’m forced to” Ranma said ironically.

“It won’t make you happy” Gel pointed out. “Or her for that matter”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be happy again” Ranma said mournfully and allowed herself to be drawn into the hug of a stranger, so far from home.

Mousse

Mousse didn’t sleep that night, so the morning found him still sitting in the same chair with dark circle under his eyes. His mother knocked on the door. “Mousse, I bought a plane ticket for Ranma so that he could go home. He came to say goodbye” she called.

Ranma walked in, nervousness was cast over his handsome, boyish features. Mousse thought that he looked adorable. “Mousse, I just came to tell you that I’ll leave you alone from now on. You can come home when you’re ready. I’m going to tell Shampoo that I want nothing to do with her to clear your way. Bye Mousse” Ranma said and turned to leave.

Mousse stopped him “is that how you really feel?” he asked him.

Ranma refused to look at him “its the right thing to do. I want you to be happy” he replied and exited the hut without another word. Mousse ran after him.

“If you want me to be happy, then you better listen up” he said to the confused looking boy and then kissed him deeply and hungrily right in front of the entire village, Ranma blushed but let himself be kissed. Mousse was breathing funny, but rushed ahead with “I love you Ranma” he declared and then noticed Ra Xar starring at them, dumbstruck to see Mousse kissing another man and didn’t care in the least.

“Mousse, you really do?” Ranma asked, naked emotion on his face. “But do you love both of my forms?” he asked hesitantly.

Mousse pressed against him, proof of his desire poking Ranma in the stomach. “What does that tell you?” he whispered to him. “If you come back to the hut with me, I’ll prove it to you” Ranma blushed and nodded. They both excused themselves and Mousse’s mother just smiled and walked back to her farm, glad that the ticket she bought was fully refundable.

Mousse was all over Ranma the second the door was shut, he couldn’t get enough of touching him and tasting him, he practically tore the Chinese clothing from the delighted boy, revealing his well defined form. Within seconds Mousse was naked too and wrestled Ranma onto the futon. “Are you ready to try this?” he asked him.

“Yes, I want you” Ranma panted and heaved his body up towards Mousse, he was rockhard. He whimpered when Mousse wrapped his hand around Ranma’s thick, throbbing cock and gave him a squeeze.

“Now just calm down” Mousse advised and leaned down and took Ranma in his mouth. He experimentally sucked it and wrapped his hand around the remainder, moving it in tandem with his mouth. Ranma moaned heavily, his head rolling back and forth in ecstasy as he fisted Mousse’s long hair. Until he shot deep inside his lover’s mouth. Mousse leaned up and kissed him, he was well pleased that Ranma was tasty in either form.

“Oh my god, I don’t know which feels better: sex as a male or sex as a female” Ranma declared as he cuddled against Mousse.

“Well, we’ll have plenty of time to decide that. I fully intend to make many opportunities for you to properly find out” Mousse said.

“So now what?” Ranma asked.

“We’ll stay here and do lots of this, until we decide whether we’re going to marry with you as a man or a woman?” Mousse mused.

“You want to marry me?” Ranma asked, feeling suddenly shy.

“That’s what people in love normally do” Mousse replied. “Besides where else am I going to find someone who is both the loves of my life at the same time?” he said smiling at Ranma tenderly.

“So you don’t think I’m weird?” Ranma asked.

“No more so then usual” Mousse replied and laughed when Ranma threatened to throttle him.

Flash Forward

Ranma held her husband’s hand as they went into the Tendo dojo, where all those that they had invited were in attendance. She took a cleansing breath and straightened her maternity top; she was huge for five months. She would have felt unattractive if her demanding husband didn’t make her feel like a sex goddess every morning and every night. They’d just arrived in Nerima that evening, after six months absence and planned to tell everyone about them that night. “You ready for this?” she asked nervously.

Mousse squeezed her hand reassuringly “anytime you are darling” he replied.

She opened the door and stepped inside. Someone gasped at her obvious pregnant belly. Ranma smiled at those assembled and said. “I’m glad you all could make it. I assume everyone knows my husband, Mu Tzu?”

End Flash Forward