The Next Bus

Sorry really into Ranmachan-Mousse lately. They say that boys are like buses. If you miss the first one, the next one will be along in ten minutes.

I’m looking for a beta that does anime dark fics, lemons, dark lemons, some BDSM fantasy and general fluff. Does anyone know of anyone or would care to volunteer? I would rather do less volume and receive fewer complaints; I am a skim editor and suck as result.

Thanks,

Sid

Mousse walked home reflecting on the strange developments that had happened in the last month. The first had been the death of Ryoga; that had been a harsh blow to everyone who knew him. He’d died when trying to rescue an elderly lady from a burning building, he did manage to save her, but she’d sobbed to him about the loss of her cat. So the brave boy went back, only to get lost and died of smoke inhalation. Everyone had attended his funeral; it has been a sad day for all. Mousse hadn’t been close to him, but they had their curses in common and he’d genuinely liked the other martial artist. Mousse mourned his passing.

The other bizarre development was that Ranma seemed to be locked permanently into her female form. She had gathered all of her fiancées and enemies together and had publically dissolved her engagements as she was not able to legally marry any of them. She further announced that she was leaving Nerima to seek a cure and probably wouldn’t be returning for a long time. Seeing his dreams for his son at an end, her father had abandoned her as he feared his wife’s blade. A brokenhearted Ukyou had sold her business and left for destinations unknown. Akane had announced that she’d never wanted Ranma as anything more then a friend. Kodachi had simply found another guy to pursue. Shampoo and Cologne realized that Shampoo would never marry Ranma, so they to had sold their business and left for China. Shampoo could have killed Ranma and fulfilled her kiss of death, but simply didn’t want to. They’d left Mousse in Nerima to find his own way back to China; he’d managed to find work on a cruise ship as a waiter and would be departing in a few days.

Mousse had decided to take a walk through the busy streets of Nerima, the place that had been his home for over a year now. So much had changed, he’d finally realized that Shampoo would never love him and had given up on her. They had had the honest, heart-to-heart talk that was long overdue and formed a friendship from it. She’d given him a hug before departing, after she apologized about her great-grandmother not paying for his ticket home. He’d assured her that there was no hard feelings and watched her get on the plane, he’d felt like he’d closed a chapter of his life. He wondered idly what the next chapter would bring.

He found himself wondering how Ranma was doing; she’d departed with only a pack on her back containing all of her worldly possessions. She’d left in the night so that no one could stop her or follow her. Mousse didn’t hate her and never had, she’d merely been in the way of his goal. He’d even admired her in a way.

Mousse found himself wandering for hours, as if saying his final goodbyes to every part of the city. He was still staying at the Nekohanten until he left and would hand over the keys to the new owners. Feeling tired, he headed for home, cutting through the park to shorten the distance. A flash of red caught his eyes, very apparent on a snowy day like this. He turned his head towards it and was surprised to find a petite redheaded girl sitting on a bench in the bitter cold. “Miss are you okay?” he asked sensing sadness coming from the recumbent figure.

She looked up to reveal weary blue eyes; there was defeat in her gaze.
“Ranma!” Mousse said in shock, he noted the fatigue in her drawn features. He also noticed that she wore only a poncho type thing over her regular Chinese clothes, she’d taken to wearing that a few months ago. “What are you doing here?” he asked her.

“I have nowhere to go” she admitted.

“But I thought you’d left?” he said having a seat beside her.

“I did, I was living at a rooming house until I ran out of money. I sold everything I own and now don’t have anywhere to stay” she said. “Please don’t tell anyone that you saw me” she implored him.

Mousse frowned; he wasn’t seeing his former enemy when he looked at her, now all he saw was a sad, young girl sorely in need of help. “Why didn’t you go to the Tendos? They would have taken you in” he said.

“I can’t ever go back there” she said, but offered no other explanations.

“Come with me” Mousse suggested “I’m leaving for China soon, but can at least offer you hot showers, warm meals and a bed to sleep in for a few days” he said and offered her his coat.

“Why are you helping me?” she asked.

“Because you need it. Come with me, our battle is done and I’m still alone. I could really use the company” he said as if she was doing him a favour.......and not the other way round, she stood up and allowed him to help her into his coat. See how she swam in it, Mousse noticed for the first time how tiny she really was as she trudged back to his place.

She stopped shivering when she got into the warm apartment. “I’ll draw you a bath. Those clothes have to be washed” Mousse said noticing how fifthly her clothes were and that she didn’t have a spare set. He also noticed that her hair looked greasy and her braid was sloppy. He didn’t think that she’d properly bathed for a while.

She suddenly looked nervous “I’ll wash my own clothes” she said hastily.

“Don’t be silly, I have a load to do and can throw yours in with mine. I have some clothes that I’ve outgrown, you might have to roll them up a bit, but they should be fine” Mousse said and led her into the onsen. He left her to bathe after she tossed him her clothes.

Humming he placed the laundry into the machine and turned it on, and then put on some ramen that he’d made the day before to reheat it for the starving girl.

He opened his dresser and pulled out a pair of pants and a shirt similar to what Ranma normally wore and took them to her.

Ranma settled gratefully into the bath and relaxed, feeling the chill to go out of her bones. She’d been cold for so long that she’d forgotten how warmth felt. She smoothed her hands down her changing body and hoped her rough living conditions hadn’t done any damage. She sighed and lay back to soak in the intoxicating warmth and then sniffed the air. She recognized the smell of Amazon ramen and her mouth watered; she hadn’t eaten properly in days. Finally feeling clean she stood up and exited the curtain to slip into the robe that Mousse had left for her.

Mousse knocked on the door, unaware that Ranma couldn’t hear him because her ears were submerged; he called “Ranma are you decent?” Knowing there was a modesty curtain over the bath itself for the privacy of the women he formerly used to live with, he pushed open the door. “I found these, they’re not the greatest, but they’ll do until your own clothes........” he said and then gaped at the naked girl before him. She just looked back at him nervously and dropped her robe in surprise. It wasn’t that she was naked that the sight of her disturbed him, he’d seen her pretty much naked before along with the rest of the Nerima Wreck Crew. It wasn’t that her hair hung down her back in long, wet strands. It was the curve of her swollen belly. Mousse’s mother had had four children and he knew a pregnant woman when he saw one. “R-ranma who, when?” he stammered. The expression on her face confirmed that she knew the he had figured out her secret.