NOTES: The title comes from the song "Nothing Ever Changes;" I was reading Washu-chan's snippet (again) while listening to this particular song and *BOOM* I realized just how well the melody and the lyrics went with the snippet. My reasoning is simple: Verse one (standing in isolation....) reflects utter hopelessness, a state with Mousse is quite familiar in Part One after his imprisonment. Verse two (farewell to my first love....) still has a lot of that despair and hopelessness, but there seems to be a 'light at the end of the tunnel', so to speak--the light being Ranma and Ryoga (or my "angels of vengeance," as I like to think of them here). And verse three (lay down....) seems almost like a rebirth, breaking from the pain of the past to find a new hope (new love???) for the future. At least, that's the way I look at it. I'm not saying the going will be easy for our boys, but there is still hope. Ryoko-chan's Fic Key: * = emphasis ~ = lyrics <> = thoughts <~~> = telepathy/telepathic conversation % = flashbacks ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ CHANGES by Ryoko Saotome "Are you *sure* about this, great-grandmother?" Shampoo asked softly in Mandarin, purposely keeping her voice at a whisper so that the subject of their conversation would not overhear. To be perfectly honest, despite the fact that the boy annoyed her to no end, she wasn't all that convinced that he wouldn't return this time. "Quite sure, Shan Pu," Cologne answered, patting her granddaughter's hand comfortingly. She herself wasn't too thrilled with the idea, but the traders *had* offered her quite a bit of money for the boy she'd described as a hard worker and skilled martial artist. "Is he, now?" one of the traders had commented, an evil smirk on his face. "We'll just have to work on that, won't we?" The manner in which he'd spoken left Cologne chilled to the core, but she couldn't back out of the deal. Not now, since she'd already received payment for the Amazon boy. She sighed again and patted Shampoo's hand one final time before hopping down from the table. "It's all said and done now, granddaughter," she said firmly. "They'll take him away tonight, and tomorrow we can begin working in earnest to acquire your husband." At that, Shampoo smiled brightly. With Mousse gone, there would be no one to hinder her pursuit of Ranma Saotome. she reassured herself as she flirted with one of the customers. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ Ranma looked around the Nekohanten, a slightly confused expression on his face. He'd been out of town on a training trip for the past week (he smirked at the thought--he rarely ever got any *real* training done when he took the trip with Ryoga) and had just returned to Nerima the day before. He felt like *something* was a bit off, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Shampoo had glomped him the second he'd walked through the door, and Cologne had started in on him about all the techniques she would teach him *after* he married with Shampoo, and- he thought suddenly. Mousse hadn't tried to kill him. Mainly, because the Chinese Amazon just wasn't *there*. "Um, Shampoo?" he said as he tried to pry the lavender-haired girl off of himself, "Where's Mousse? Usually he attacks me two seconds after you latch on to me!" "Stupid Mousse gone," Shampoo said, eyes sparkling with delight. "Mousse no come back. He gone for good! Why Airen want know where stupid duck at?" Ranma blinked at the girl as his mind tried to process the information she'd revealed to him. Mousse, gone for good? For some reason, that just seemed plain *wrong*. Truth be told, Ranma actually *liked* having the other boy around. It always kept everything in balance--Shampoo would glomp Ranma, Ranma would pry her off, Mousse would attack Ranma, Mousse would attempt to glomp onto Shampoo (which gave Ranma time to rush off before the girl tried that trick again). It was a comfortable cycle, giving some tiny sense of order to his life. But there was more to it than that. Mousse was, in some small way, his friend. "Just curious," he lied smoothly, his mind already going over the facts again. he thought as he finally managed to escape from Shampoo's embrace. Shampoo babbled on happily, completely unaware that her "airen" was so deeply lost in his own thoughts that he never even heard a single word. Right in the middle of a sentence, he suddenly said, "That's fascinating, Shamps, really, but I gotta lot of things to do today. Catch ya later." And with that, the pigtailed martial artist rushed out the door. Shampoo blinked her eyes, confused over the turn of events. Mousse was gone now; didn't that make Ranma happy? Shaking her head, she filed that thought away in her mind to mull over later and smiled sunnily at the next customer who walked in. She *did* have an image to maintain, after all. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ "The things I'll do for that guy," Ryoga growled to himself as he shoved another tree branch aside and slipped deeper into the forest. It had been over three weeks since he'd last talked to Ranma, and the other martial artist had been concerned about something. After several hours of sparring and... more *pleasant* activities, he'd finally told the Lost Boy of his worry over Mousse and Shampoo's seeming indifference to the whole situation. Then he'd elicited a promise out of Ryoga that he'd keep an eye out for the Amazon the next time that he left Nerima. he complained mentally. Sure, he could tell himself that. At least it let him ignore the tiny little voice in his mind that insisted that Ranma wasn't the *only* one worried about the Chinese boy. In all honesty, he, too, thought of Mousse as a friend, and dozens of possible scenarios rooted themselves in his mind the instant Ranma had told him Mousse was missing. On top of all that, he felt that maybe his affection, for lack of a better word, for Mousse paralleled his love for Ranma. Shaking his head to rid himself of that train of thought (momentarily, at least), Ryoga pressed forward, knocking another tree branch aside, before stopping suddenly. There, in the clearing on the other side, was some sort of base. Men and women moved around quickly, all darting furtive glances at the few men who were sitting and watching the activity going on around them. Whenever one of the workers stopped to catch a breath or faltered under the workload, one of the men would rise quickly and beat the person until he or she either stood up shakily and went back to work or passed out. Then the man would sit back down and laugh with his cohorts as the others worked even harder and faster to make up for the one they'd lost. Ryoga felt a rising fury fill his heart, and barely managed to keep himself in check. If his hunch proved correct, he needed to keep as silent as possible and remember this location. Then he'd go back to Nerima, get Ranma, and come back here. Once that mission was accomplished, *then* he'd kill these bastards. Some time ago, he'd discovered that when he was focused on reaching a certain location, he actually got there quickly without getting lost even once. After much experimenting, he realized that he was focusing more on a *person* than on a *place*, and consequently could track Ranma just about anywhere. He just hoped that he'd been able to do the same with Mousse. And that it wasn't too late for the other boy. After watching silently for several more minutes--during which two more people had been beaten and dragged away, one of them bearing a *very* strong resemblance to the Amazon Ryoga was searching for--he stood and headed back the way he came. He focused his thoughts on Ranma and let his feet choose the direction. He would get back to Nerima quickly, then *both* martial artists would come back to rescue their friend. Ryoga thought, not even bothering to worry about why he'd used the term of endearment. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ ~ Standing in isolation Roadless wilderness Faded and discarded The last leaves gone, gone ~ <~Hang in there a little longer, Mousse-chan.~> The broken Amazon looked up in confusion. No one had spoken directly to him, at least not calling him by name, since he'd been dragged to this horrible place. And no one who *had* spoken to him had done so in such a gentle, caring manner. And his confusion only grew as he noted that he was, indeed, still alone in the room where they'd locked him after his latest beating. ~ And let me tell you Nothing ever changes Nothing ever changes ~ He sighed as he blinked back tears. All that he'd been through lately was catching up to him, making him as crazy as Kodachi Kuno. He was hearing voices now, never mind the fact that the voice sounded more than a little familiar to him. Then it came again, seconds later: <~Be strong, help is on the way. And we'll get you outta there.~> It was too much to dare hope for. He'd been here for three weeks; stripped of his weapons and robes, forced to work until he collapsed, beaten to the point of semi-consciousness, and... and.... He couldn't even bear to think about all that they had done to him. It was easier to break down and cry again. He would never get out of here... but still, that familiar, comforting voice had given him a tiny sliver of hope. And that could be the greatest weapon of all here in the slave camp. Even as he cried, his heart reached out and clung to that tiny sliver of hope with all its might. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ "My God," Ranma murmured as he peered through the trees at the darkened camp. Ryoga sat beside him, cracking his knuckles every couple of seconds. The Lost Boy's rage had steadily grown as he'd made the trip to Nerima and back here again, barely holding it in check as he tried to keep his thoughts attuned to Mousse long enough to lead Ranma to the encampment. Now, his rage was trying to find a physical outlet, and it was taking all of his willpower to keep from using a ShiShi Hokodan to decimate the entire base. Ranma, for his part, was becoming quite angry himself. The one recurring thought in his mind was , "that bitch" being Shampoo. Cologne had at least had the good sense to look nervous when Ryoga had stormed into the Nekohanten and shot her an icy glare before striding over to Ranma and telling him about the slave camp. Shampoo had simply been her air-headed, bubbly self, and ignored the daggers that the Lost Boy was glaring at her. He was beginning to entertain thoughts of going Neko-ken on the girl and not worrying about the consequences until after the fact. He shook that thought off and went back to observing the camp. He was a bit surprised by the fact that the bastards who ran this horrible place didn't bother with guards. Then again, probably not many of the slaves attempted to escape. He placed his hand on Ryoga's shoulder, sensing that the bandanna'd martial artist had been just about ready to release a ki blast at the slaver who was strolling by, and released a shaky sigh. "Come on," Ranma finally said as the last light in the camp blinked out. Both boys stood, Ryoga cracking his knuckles and glaring towards the doorway the slaver had walked through. They moved swiftly across the grounds, keeping to the shadows of the small, decapitated buildings. Ranma glanced into one of the tiny windows and shuddered. The cabins the slaves were forced to live in were practically falling apart, and the few people he could actually see didn't look terribly healthy.... "I'm going to get them outta here," he whispered over his shoulder at Ryoga. "You think you can distract those monsters long enough for me to get these locks taken care of?" Ryoga smiled and cracked his knuckles yet again. It wasn't his normal shy half-smile, it was actually *feral*. "Oh, I'm *sure* I can take care of them," he said softly, hatred filling his voice. Without a backward glance, he darted off in the direction of the slavers' cabin. Ranma shook his head and smiled coldly. The so-called men who ran this camp didn't stand a chance against a pissed-off Ryoga Hibiki. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ Ryoga crept closer to the window, reminding himself that relying on stealth would be his best course of action... for the moment. Once he made his way inside the building, all bets were off. He cracked his knuckles again and listened to the men inside talk about the weather and politics as if they were just normal working-class people heading home for the evening. He was *furious* that these assholes could just act as if what they did was no big thing. Ryoga silently swore that these two would be the first to die. "So, any plans for tonight, Yiroshi?" asked one of the slave traders. The man named Yiroshi laughed. "I think I'll pay a visit to our pet Amazon. After the beating he received today, I don't think he'll put up much of a fight." "He hasn't put up much of a fight at all lately," the first man said with a chuckle. "I believe he's finally learned his place." Ryoga cracked his knuckles again. He had a pretty good idea of exactly what kind of "visit" this Yiroshi bastard had planned, and judging from the first man's words, this wasn't the first time. "Bakusai Tenketsu!" he shouted, hitting the wall's breaking point. Both men looked around, alarm clearly evident on their face. Ryoga smirked menacingly. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ It took Ranma just seconds to pick the locks on the cabins and reassure the inhabitants that he was there to help them. Those who were able to walk carried those who couldn't, and the women gathered up the few children that were also locked up. At every cabin he came to, he scanned the bruised and weary faces for any sign of his friend, only to be disappointed each time. Until he came to the final cabin. As he scanned the faces before him, quickly losing whatever small hope of finding Mousse unharmed he still had, one of the women grabbed his arm. Ranma spun his head around and looked at her, and the young woman read the unspoken question in his eyes. "If you are looking for the Chinese boy," she said in formal Japanese with a slight English accent, "they've locked him away in the main building." She lowered her voice to a shaky whisper before continuing, "That's where they keep their 'pets'." She moved through the door with the others as Ranma stood still, shock and rage battling for control. <"That's where they keep their 'pets'."> The words continued to play over and over in Ranma's mind as he walked from the now-empty cabin and watched the last of the freed slaves flee into the forest, back to whatever homes they'd been dragged from. <'Pets.' I swear to God, I'm gonna *kill* that bitch!> Rage won out, and the pigtailed martial artist broke into a run. He'd be damned if he was gonna let Ryoga have all the fun of killing those sons of bitches for hurting Mousse. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ By the time Ranma made it to the main cabin, using the shattered wall as a point of entry, the slavers were in a panic. He smirked at the sounds of crumbling walls and terrified shouts. Ryoga was obviously enjoying taking the sick bastards down one by one. <~Hey, Ryo-chan.~> <~Ranma? Where are you?~> <~Same place as you,~> Ranma replied, grimacing as he stepped over the severely battered body in the doorway of the room. <~Jeez, Ryoga, there's hardly any of this guy *left*!~> <~That son of a bitch was talking about hurting Mousse again. I wasn't about to let *that* happen anymore.~> Ranma snarled and kicked the body, wondering if this was the man who'd bought Mousse in the first place. He sincerely hoped it was; if not, the man who *did* would end up in worse shape, because he'd have *both* Ryoga and Ranma to deal with. Then Ryoga's "words" sunk in. He'd said that he wasn't going to let it happen anymore. Meaning that- "Damn it!" He glared back at the battered body and then broke into a run, stopping briefly to listen for the sound of Ryoga's ShiShi Hokodan. When it came from the left and up, he headed off to the right, breaking down every locked door he came across. In the fourth room, he found the boy he was looking for. And it broke his heart. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ CHANGES by Ryoko Saotome (Part Two) Ranma couldn't think straight. Any coherent thought he may have had vanished the instant he broke down the door to the fourth room and found Mousse. He was lying in the corner of the room, curled up into a small ball, body shaking with unshed tears. His robes were gone; the only clothing he had left were his pants and shoes. Even from across the room, Ranma could see the ugly bruises and cuts that covered the Chinese boy's back and arms. His long hair was matted with dried blood, and from the stale smell of blood and sex, it had been quite some time since the boy had been allowed to leave the room. The rage that had built up before began to return, but was overpowered by the heartbreaking sight of his friend. Ranma quickly did the math in his head-the week prior to finding out the boy was missing, the six weeks during which Ryoga had found this place and returned to Nerima, three more weeks to come back here--and figured that Mousse had been living in this camp, in this hell, for over two months. he thought furiously. <*No one* deserves this, especially not poor Mousse!> Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he sent off a quick message to his love. <~I found him. It's... it's not good, Ryoga.~> Then he stepped into the room and walked over to his broken friend. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ (Ryoko's Note: This next section, with the exception of the song lyrics, is adapted from Washu-chan's snippet.) ~ Farewell to my first love Farewell for all time ~ "Mousse?" He ignored the voice. All he wanted to do was die, die so that he could finally escape from this horrible place and the hurt they'd inflicted on him far too many times to count. The voice spoke again, a bit more insistent this time: "Mousse?! Oh, jeez." Then there were hands again. It was always hands, or more often fists, that caused much of the pain. But this was... different somehow. These hands weren't *trying* to hurt him, even though they were; they were trying to hold him up, to help him. The tears came again, and he didn't try to stop the flow. "Hang on, we're leaving," the voice spoke, and there was something familiar in the gentle tone. The small sliver of hope that he'd been clinging to for the past month grew a little bit more, but he wasn't ready to believe that anything good could happen to him ever again. No one was there to save him, because no one cared. But that tiny sliver of hope still grew anyway. ~ Pleasure for the loving ~ "Can you walk at all?" the voice--Ranma's?--asked him, concern marking every word. "You aren't exactly small." "Not without you." Mousse lifted his head slightly and blinked. It was difficult for him to see, his glasses having been broken only days after he was brought here. He hadn't realized that he'd spoken the words aloud, and the answer surprised him. He could think of no one in his life that would be willing to help him, and he was beyond the point of caring. he thought bitterly, trying to ignore the fact that it hurt just to breathe, ~ There they lie, eye to eye ~ They got to the door, and the light hit his eyes for the first time in he didn't know *how* long. All he was aware of was that it hurt to breathe, hurt to move, hurt to even be alive. The pain was too much to bear, and he slipped into the welcoming darkness that enveloped him. ~ Oh baby, baby Nothing ever changes Nothing ever changes ~ ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ <~I found him. It's... it's not good, Ryoga.~> The message came to him through a haze of anger. There were so many slavers here, more than he'd realized the first day he'd found this hellhole, and it was taking him all his willpower to keep from killing them all in one fell swoop. For what they'd done to Mousse, Ryoga wanted to make each and every one of them suffered a bit before he finished them off. Then the message from Ranma came to him, and fueled his rage once more. The fact that there were only a couple of slavers left after his initial rampage meant nothing to the Lost Boy. They had brought Mousse here, beaten him, tortured him, raped him God only knows how many times... there was no way in hell Ryoga was letting *anyone* responsible walk away from here. A man turned the corner and ran right into Ryoga. His eyes widened with fear-- he'd been one of the two men that the enraged martial artist came across first, and had somehow managed to escape his wraith. He wouldn't be so fortunate *this* time, and he knew it. The last sight he saw in this world was a feral grin and a flash of blue light.... ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ The dark-eyed man flinched as he heard the scream of his last remaining ally. Dimitri had come flying into the room a short time ago, screaming something about a demon or an angel that was wreaking vengeance on them for their practices. He'd cried that Yiroshi was dead, killed as he himself was escaping. The other men had run to find this so-called angel, and none had returned. But their screams... no, Kenji didn't think he'd forget their screams for as long as he lived. Dimitri had cowered in the room, shaken and sobbing, and had rushed out once the screams had stopped, figuring that the avenger was gone. Kenji thought as he shook his head. <~I'd love to see you even try to *walk* after I'm through with you.~> The words weren't spoken aloud, but he heard them clearly. Heard them within his *mind*. Kenji slowly turned to the door, and came face-to-face with the man responsible for killing all of his people. "Man" wasn't even the right word. The figure in the doorway may have been furious, and was a rather frightening sight, but he was still nothing more than a boy. Probably around sixteen, same as the Chinese boy he'd purchased in Nerima a little over two months before. A red aura danced around him, giving physical life to the rage and fury building up within him. He spoke aloud, his words drilling directly into Kenji's brain: "So, it was *you*." Kenji flinched involuntarily, gathering up his courage. This was, after all, just a *boy*, a mere child, and he would be damned before he showed fear to a child. He gave the boy in the doorway a cold, mocking smile. "What's wrong, *koibito*?" he asked, purring the words and noticing with some small twist of sadistic glee that the boy actually grimaced at the word. "Pissed because your little boyfriend gave it up to me instead of you, hmm?" That was the absolute wrong thing to say. The red aura flared to life, nearly blinding Kenchi. He had to turn his eyes away, giving Ryoga the opening he needed to strike. "You sick fucking *bastard*! *SHISHI HOKODAN!!*" The world was suddenly nothing but unending pain, pain that came with a flash of blue-grey light and the sudden realization that maybe this boy wasn't someone to be toyed with. Then there was nothing. Ryoga dropped to his knees, surveying the room with cold brown eyes. The men responsible for Mousse's suffering were gone, never to hurt another human being again. <~Ryo-chan?~> Ranma's questioning voice spoke up in his mind. <~They're gone, Ranma. All of them. They won't hurt anyone else now.~> Ryoga sighed and shook his head, rising to his feet. <~Let's get outta here, koi. I don't want anything else to do with this place.~> Ranma's response wasn't in words, but in a flooding sense of relief and agreement that washed over his mind, easing him out of the killing haze that he was still locked in. Ryoga moved over to where there was once a wall and jumped to the ground, landing lightly on his feet. He looked around for a moment before spotting Ranma struggling with the Chinese Amazon and rushed over to his side. Blinking back the tears that threatened to fall as he caught sight of the damage done to his beloved friend, Ryoga took the unnaturally thin boy from Ranma and settled him into his arms. That done, the two martial artists set off in the direction of home, hoping that the damage done to their friend wouldn't utterly destroy his mind.... ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ % FLASHBACK (Memories....) % The hand struck out, catching the Chinese boy's face with terrifying force and knocking him backward into the wall. He slumped against the wall, grimacing at the pain surging through his entire frame and shooting a glare at the man who'd struck him. He couldn't remember much, couldn't remember how he'd gotten here. The last thing he could remember was Shampoo's lilting voice calling for him to come help her in the kitchen and a needle being pressed into his arm the moment he'd walked through the door, and then he was... well, wherever the hell he was. His robes were gone, as were his weapons, and he didn't know what had become of them. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Mousse eased himself away from the wall, only to be caught in an iron grip and slammed against the wall, hard. He gave a sharp gasp of pain as the plaster cracked around him, and looked up to see the man sneering down at him. "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, Kenji," the man said, directing his words to the tall, dark-eyed man standing behind him. "Hai, Dimitri, indeed it does," the one called Kenji replied, his words deceptively soothing. "I think it would be best to start teaching our little one his place *now*." Before Mousse even had the time to contemplate the meaning of those words, the hand connected with his face again, knocking him to the other side of the room. He sank to his knees, holding his head as the pain shot through his skull. He'd hit this wall pretty hard, his glasses knocked off his face. The sound of glass crunching beneath the heel of a boot and twisted laughter were the only indications he had to the fate of his glasses, and he grimaced as he tried to stand once more. An elbow came down hard on his back, knocking him back to the ground, and then the real beating began. Fists, boots, hands, all rained down pain upon his slender form. He was sure that at least one knife was utilized as well, judging from sharp pain and the warm trickle of blood that came immediately afterward. Mousse fought back as much as he could, feeling his strength slipping away with each blow inflicted upon him. Then the second man--Kenji, he thought that was the name--said something to the other men, and the beating ceased. He could feel the hands again, but this time they weren't hitting. They were stripping him of the last of his clothing, and realization of what was about to happen flooded his mind. He began to struggle again, fighting against his captors only to be struck again. The blow that came to his head was both a blessing and a curse, and he slipped into darkness as the first sensation of real pain shot through his body. % END FLASHBACK % "no... please... don't...." Ranma blinked sleepily and glanced over at the frail form lying beneath the blankets. He'd taken it upon himself to stay awake and watch over Mousse tonight, despite Ryoga's protests that he get some sleep himself. The truth of the matter was, Ranma felt responsible. If Shampoo (at the thought of the girl, he growled and vowed to rain horrible fiery death down upon her first chance he got) hadn't been so damned intent on letting nothing stand in the way of claiming him, then perhaps Mousse would never have been sold in the first place. With that thought in mind, he was determined to watch over the Amazon and tend to him in any way he could. "Mousse?" he asked, crawling over Ryoga to the taller boy's side. He thought maybe he'd woken up, but a quick glance revealed that he was still sleeping soundly. Ranma thought with a frown, brushing a stray strand of hair from his friend's face. "Ranma?" Ryoga said, slowly awakening from his fitful dreams. His mind was haunted by thoughts of the slave camp, of the expressions of hopelessness he'd seen the first time he was there, and they were keeping him from truly getting any rest. "How's he doing?" Before Ranma had the chance to respond, the boy in question began thrashing in his sleep, his voice rising to a frantic pitch. "No! Oh, God, *no*! Please, *DON'T*!" "Mousse!" both martial artists cried, Ryoga quickly closing the distance between him and the other two. Ranma began to lightly shake the thrashing boy, calling softly to him, trying to draw him out of whatever hell he was reliving in his dreams. Ryoga drew in a deep breath and reached out with his mind, keeping his mind calm. <~Mousse. Mousse-chan. It's alright, you're safe now. Please, wake up.~> The boy's thrashing and screaming began to die down. An unmistakable and long-forgotten feeling of warmth and tenderness flooded his senses, comforting him and momentarily banishing the demons he'd lived with every night and every day for months. As the wave of calm drifted over him, he could hear a voice calling softly to him. It was a different voice than the one that directly touched his mind, but soothing all the same. He awoke with a start, another scream still trapped in his throat, and found himself drawn into a warm comforting embrace. He clung to whoever was holding him, drawing in breath shakily as the hands gently stroked his back and soothing words were whispered in his ear. Another set of hands began to run through his hair, working out all the knots and tangles than had formed during his captivity. "You're safe now, Mousse-chan. We're here." "We won't let anyone hurt you, I promise." Those voices... they were so familiar, yet he'd never heard them sound so... so caring, so gentle. Drawing another shaky breath, he opened his eyes and attempted to focus on his saviors. "Ranma?" he asked softly, before turning his head to the left to gaze at the other boy. "Ryoga?" "Hush," Ryoga said softly, still working his fingers through the matted locks of hair. "We're here, we won't let anyone hurt you anymore." "S'right," Ranma agreed, pulling Mousse a bit closer as if he wanted to somehow draw the shaken boy into his own body to keep anyone from ever harming him ever again. "It's okay now, we're here for you, buddy." The three boys stayed that way for a long time, Ranma cradling Mousse close to his arms as Ryoga stroked his hair and murmured reassurances to him. After a while, the Amazon went limp, allowing the oblivion of sleep to claim him. Ranma looked up from the boy in his arms and focused his gaze on Ryoga. "I'm almost afraid to let go," he admitted, keeping his voice pitched no higher than a whisper. "Just the thought of what he's been through..." "I know, koibito, I know," Ryoga said, frowning slightly. He chewed on his lip for a minute, one fang peeking over his lip, before reaching a decision. He moved over next to Ranma and pulled the boys close, eliciting a soft cry of surprise at the movement, wrapped his arms securely around both and lay back onto the ground. After getting over his initial surprise, Ranma cuddled up against his beloved and dropped off to sleep himself, thoughts still on Mousse and wondering how they could possibly help their friend. Ryoga lie awake for a long time, mulling over the same thing in his own mind. He'd spent the past month fighting with the tiny voice in his head again, the same one that he'd fought with so many months ago when trying to come to terms with his feelings towards Ranma, and could only come to one conclusion. He loved Mousse. He loved the Chinese boy just as much as he loved Ranma. he groaned mentally as exhaustion finally set in and the Lost Boy fell into his own dreamless sleep. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ Sunlight hit his eyelids, jarring him from sleep. Mousse frowned slightly and snuggled closer to the warmth beneath him before three thoughts occurred to him almost simultaneously. The first was that he was out of that horrible cell, that he was finally free again. The second was that the warmth beneath him was a body, more specifically, *two* bodies. The third was the realization of just *whose* bodies they were. With a slight yelp, he jumped backwards, pulling himself free from Ryoga's arms and landed with a *thump* on the ground. Ryoga made a soft growl of protest and turned over on his side, drawing Ranma close to him. The younger boy made a contented sound and snuggled up against the warmth that surrounded him. Mousse blinked, taking in the scene before him. He mulled that fact over in his mind for a moment, before deciding that it wasn't really all that shocking. They looked so damned *cute*, lying in one another's arms.... he thought, frowning slightly. The thought of the lavender-haired *former* love of his life was painful. He instinctively knew that she'd had something to do with his capture, with... with everything that had happened to him, and it tore him apart inside. He wanted to hate her, he wanted that so desperately, but years of pining after her left him unable to do anymore than mourn for what could never be. Pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, he gave in to his tears and began to sob brokenly. It wasn't just lost love he was mourning. He mourned for all the wasted time, all the missed chances, his freedom, his life--he truly wanted to die. At least death would release him from all the torment and pain that he was living with now. Eyes still wet with tears, Mousse lifted his head and gazed wistfully at Ryoga's pack. A single thought occurred in his pain-filled mind: With that thought foremost in his mind, the Amazon shifted onto his hands and knees and crawled over to the pack. He paused briefly next to the sleeping forms of Hibiki and Saotome--it was easier to think of them by their family names right now, easier to pretend that *this* wouldn't hurt them if he thought of them as strangers--then cautiously reached into the pack. After a few minutes, he withdrew a pocketknife, then moved slowly back to where he'd been moments before. He glanced back at the two boys sleeping peacefully behind him--well, perhaps not so peacefully after all. A small frown had appeared on Ryoga's face, and Ranma was shivering slightly. Mousse snapped mentally, snapping the blade open on the pocketknife. He sobbed brokenly, holding the blade to his wrist. "The only way..." he repeated softly, closing his eyes. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ CHANGES by Ryoko Saotome (Part Three) The blade touched the delicate flesh of his wrist. "The only way," he repeated again, softly. Eyes still closed, Mousse drew in a shaky breath and pressed it into his skin. "NO!!" A smaller body slammed into him, knocking the blade out of his hand and putting pressure on the wound he'd just inflicted. The sorrow and pain that had been his constant companions were clouding his thoughts, and he could only catch snippets of what was said: "... my fault...." "... *both* fell asleep... don't blame yourself...." "... should have known... everything he's been through...." Those two voices... they had drawn him away from the pain, from the sorrow and heartbreak once before. The small part of him that didn't really want to die was praying that they'd draw him back again. The lingering feeling of hope reached out to those voices and allowed them to pull him slowly back to awareness. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ "Why?" was the only question Ranma was capable of asking. After spending several minutes blaming himself, he'd finally settled onto that one-word question as he began to clean the cut inflicted on the Amazon boy's wrist. The cut was shallow, thank God, but the thought that Mousse--*Mousse!*--believed that suicide was the answer to his problems cut the pigtailed martial artist to the core. It left him with a feeling of cold dread, and asking 'why' seemed to be the safest thing to say. He loved Mousse, he was sure of that now. The night had been spent in half-slumber, trying to figure out the depth of his friendship with the hidden weapons expert. Sometime between midnight and four a.m. he came to the realization that his feelings for Mousse were damn near identical to his feelings for Ryoga. It had been a shock, and a bit frightening, and he had pushed it aside so that he could get a few good hours of sleep. Then he'd awakened to see one of the people he loved most cutting his wrist open.... Ryoga saw his lover suppress a shiver as he bandaged Mousse's wrist and tilted his head to one side, frowning slightly. Ranma was taking the blame on himself for not keeping watch over their friend last night, and it worried him. The younger boy may have been an expert at hiding his emotions, but after spending so much time with him, Ryoga had become, in turn, a bit of an expert at reading him. The soft tone of voice, the slow movements, the uncertain manner in which he tended to the broken warrior.... Ryoga was suddenly reminded of that night at the Tendo Dojo all those many months ago, when Ranma had confessed his love for the wandering martial artist. He'd behaved in almost the same manner, Ryoga realized. "I don't know why, Ranma," he replied quietly, "I honestly don't know. But, I do know that we have to stay with him. Love and care are about all we can offer him. Hopefully, that'll be what brings him back to us." Ranma's head snapped up, eyes wide as he examined Ryoga's face. Was it possible that Ryoga *knew*? That they *both* felt the same way towards the Chinese youth...? "... ranma? ... ryoga?" The two boys exchanged a glance, silent understanding passing between them, then looked back to their friend. The Chinese youth was staring at the bandage on his wrist, confusion evident in his eyes. He seemed to be trying to recall how he'd been injured when realization and pain crossed his features. "I... I actually... oh god...." A wounded sound made its way past his lips, and he slumped forward, silent sobs wracking his body. Ranma and Ryoga moved as one, drawing the shaken youth into their arms and whispering words of comfort. "Shh, it's okay, Mousse. Hush, we're here." "We won't leave you. It's alright, Mousse-chan." "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I d-didn't mean...." Mousse managed to say somehow. "Shhh," Ryoga whispered, gently brushing a lock of ebony hair back from the other boy's eyes. "It's okay now." "No i-it's not... it'll n-*never* be ok-ay, not really." "Mousse...." "No," he said, interrupting Ranma. "Nothing can e-ever be the same. I-I can't go ba-back to Nerima. Not like t-this." "We don't have to go back to Nerima just yet," Ranma whispered, glancing over at Ryoga, who nodded in agreement. Mousse looked up, glaring through his tears, first at one, then the other. "W-why do you t-two c-c-care so much a-anyw-way?" he sobbed. "I'm no-nothing. I'm l-*less* than noth-thing. Sh-shampoo doesn't l-love me, no one could e-ever love someone like m-me." Silence passed between the three boys. Mousse stopped talking--the effort it took to even utter a few words was too much. Ranma blinked and looked over at Ryoga again. <~Ryo-chan?~> <~Hai?~> <~What you said earlier... about love and care...?~> <~Exactly what you thought I meant, koi. It's the one thing we've got plenty of to give him, ne?~> "You aren't nothing, Mu-chan," Ranma said softly. "And you deserve someone better than that bitch." Normally that comment would have made the Amazon boy furious. After the hell he'd lived through, knowing that *she* was partially responsible for it, all he could do was blink at the comment. "And there are at least *two* people who think you're worth loving," Ryoga concluded, still running his hands through those raven locks. Blue-grey eyes blinked once, twice. Disbelief was visible in their depths, and the words that came next reflected that emotion: "W-what? But I th-thought that-" "Me and Ryoga, right?" At the silent nod, Ranma smiled slightly. "Well, I happen to care about you, too. A *lot*. I don't give my heart away to just anybody." "I don't let many people in at all," Ryoga confessed, never ceasing the soothing movement of hands through hair. "Ranma and you are the only one's who've ever gotten under my skin like this." Mousse was, for his part, stunned. He never thought that *anyone* would want him after everything he'd been through. But the most sought-after male in Nerima and the wandering martial artist had *both* just admitted to loving him. *Him*! His mind couldn't even begin to believe anything so... so.... could ever happen to him. His mind denied it, but his heart clung to it desperately. "Come on," a gentle voice--Ryoga's, his mind helpfully supplied--said next to his ear, followed by a fleeting kiss on his cheek. "I can't go back to Nerima," Mousse protested weakly as both of his friends helped him to his feet. "We aren't going back there yet," Ranma said. "We won't until you're ready to go back." "But you still need to get checked out by a doctor," Ryoga insisted. "Those bastards did a lot of damage to you before I got to them." He was just about to protest again when Ranma caught his arm: "Please, Mousse. For *your* sake?" The pleading look in the younger boy's eyes killed whatever argument he may have used. With a sigh, he nodded his head and leaned on Ranma for support. Ryoga grabbed up his pack--after carefully placing the pocketknife back in its pouch-- and wrapped one arm around Mousse's back. In that manner, the three young martial artists made their way towards town. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ Ryoga looked over at the two boys sleeping on the other bed and heaved a sigh. It had been a few weeks since he and Ranma'd rescued Mousse from the slavers (even now, the thought of the bastards enraged the Lost Boy), and they were nowhere near Nerima. Neither he nor his lover thought the Amazon was ready to return to where it all began, so to speak, and so they had set off in a random direction after a brief stop at the nearest hospital. The doctor had put most of their worries to rest within a few hours. All of the tests she'd run turned up negative for STDs, and she told them that most of the physical scars would fade over time. She had said nothing about the most recent scar on Mousse's wrist, choosing to question Ryoga about that in private. % FLASHBACK (Compassion....) % "Could I speak with you in private for just a moment, Hibiki-san?" the young doctor asked, a small frown marring her delicate features. Ryoga glanced over at Ranma, who nodded once before turning his attention back to Mousse. The tall Amazon was starring at the wall, his expression blank. The Lost Boy followed the doctor out of the examination room to her smaller office across the hall. "I didn't want to bring this up in front of the others," she said apologetically, motioning for him to be seated before continuing. "You said he was kept there for about two months, correct?" "Hai, Toshira-san, give or take a few days." Dr. Toshira nodded, still frowning slightly. "Was he in pretty much the same condition that he's in now? Distant, almost as if he didn't even know you were there?" "Hai," Ryoga admitted again. He wasn't sure he liked where this conversation was heading. "The cut on his wrist... it was self-inflicted, wasn't it?" Ryoga simply nodded. Dr. Toshira sighed and took off her glasses. "I'm not surprised, to tell you the truth," she said after a moment. "Mousse's physical scars will heal over time; the bruises should heal within the week. I'm more concerned about the emotional scars. I know I don't need to tell you this, Hibiki-san, but his injuries are more than skin deep. I'm able to stitch up the cuts and prescribe something for the physical pain, but I'm powerless to heal a wounded soul." "Isn't there anything you can do to help?" Ryoga asked softly, not willing to give up whatever small hope there was to bring back the old Mousse. "I can't do anything, but perhaps you and Saotome-san can." She smiled gently at his stunned expression. "I may be rather young, but I'm not naïve. The pair of you are very attached to him, and in my professional and personal opinion, you may just be able to give him the type of support he needs right now. It never ceases to amaze me how great a role unconditional love plays in a patient's recovery." Ryoga couldn't help but return the woman's smile. She may have been an adult, but she was a very understanding and compassionate one. "Thank you, Toshira-san. There should be more people in the world like you." The young doctor smiled again. "Thank you for the compliment. Now," she said, changing the topic as they returned to the examining room, "do you have any idea where you're going to spend the night?" % END FLASHBACK % Dr. Toshira had generously put the trio up for the night ("Anything I can do for my patients," she'd said with the same gentle smile from earlier). They hadn't had the opportunity to thank her for her kindness--she had already left for the hospital by the time Mousse had finally awakened. But there had been a note, and Ryoga had scribbled a quick reply before they set off. Mousse made a small whimpering sound in his sleep, and Ryoga started from his thoughts, ready to wake him should another nightmare overtake the fragile warrior. He needn't have worried, though; Ranma, still asleep himself, edged closer to the other boy and wrapped one arm around his waist in a protective gesture. Mousse whimpered again before relaxing back against Ranma and drifting into deeper sleep. Ryoga smiled. "Thanks, doc," he said softly, watching the sleeping forms of his loved ones. "I'll remember what you said." ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ It had been weeks since they had taken him from the darkness, taken him away from the pain and torment he had come to know and accept. He was still amazed that anyone could care enough to risk so much for him. He was also amazed at how much that feeling of safety seemed to be stronger whenever he was closest to the other two. a small voice in his mind insisted, as it had for the longest time. That was what kept him from truly accepting the feelings of security and compassion that the two martial artists--two boys who had, just a short time ago, been his rivals--gave to him. Mousse knew all too well that giving his heart to someone was a dangerous thing to do. He'd given his heart to Shampoo, loved her without question, doing whatever she wanted him to, all to make her happy. And she had repaid him with betrayal, turning him over to men who cared nothing about the lives of other. Men who had used him and left him broken. Mousse decided, the voice told him. "Damn it." "Mousse? You awake?" He cursed himself silently and opened his eyes, blinking up at Ryoga. He had hoped that, if he remained quiet, he would go back to sleep and be able to forget his thoughts for a little while. Then again, the nightmares might come back if he did that. Settling for the lesser of two evils he said, "Yeah, barely." Ranma made a soft whimper of protest as the taller boy climbed off the bed. Mousse tried not to think too much about the small ache in his heart as he slipped out of the younger boy's protective embrace. It was still too much to hope that they wouldn't just abandon him after he was 'better'. He really didn't want to be alone anymore. He moved over to the other bed and sat down, drawing his legs up underneath himself in a gracefully fluid motion before turning to face Ryoga again. The wandering martial artist was watching him carefully, as if trying to size him up. The intense look in his eyes made him a little uneasy. Those brown depths were always so expressive, and the compassion and love that Mousse saw in there was unnerving. He tore his gaze away and looked over at Ranma, who was beginning to stir. <~He'll be awake soon.~> Mousse started, then relaxed. He was becoming used to Ryoga's use of telepathic speech. He couldn't answer in kind as Ranma did, but he didn't stop to wonder why. He had a pretty good idea of why. Ranma belonged to Ryoga. Ryoga belonged to Ranma. And he didn't fit anywhere. the small voice said angrily. "S'too early," Ranma groaned, waking slowly. Ryoga smirked at the pigtailed boy and reached across the distance to pull the blankets off him. "You say that every day," he teased lightly. "It's after ten already!" "Wake me when it's noon." He pulled the pillow over his head and rolled onto his side away from them. "I'm going to take a shower," Mousse suddenly decided, standing and heading to the bathroom. He didn't miss the fact that Ryoga watched him closely as he walked out of the room, or that Ranma pulled the pillow away from his face long enough to mumble a 'good morning' before the door clicked shut behind him. Locking the door, as he'd begun to do every time they found a hotel to sleep in for the night, he leaned against it and sighed. Physically, he was as healthy as he'd ever been. Emotionally, he was still shattered. And every day it was becoming harder to ignore the voice that told him to let Ryoga and Ranma past his defenses, to accept the love they offered, to admit that perhaps he-- "Baka," he grumbled to himself. "Don't go there, Mu Tsu. You'll only be hurt again." He stripped out of the borrowed tunic and pants and turned on the water. He waited until the temperature was perfect before climbing into the shower and leaned against the wall, letting the water soothe away some of the doubt and fear that waged war in his mind. "Hey, Mousse! Save a little hot water for the rest of us, willya?" Ranma's voice came above the sound of the rushing water. "I get it before you do," Ryoga's voice chimed in. "If it's a little cold, at least *you'll* still be human!" Mousse couldn't suppress a small smile as Ranma began to whine about how unfair Ryoga was being. To be perfectly honest, he didn't know what he would do if the two boys ever left him. he realized. Telling the voice to go to hell, Mousse shut off the water and climbed out of the shower. He debated going to the room to get a change of clothing before realizing that would mean leaving the relative safety of the bathroom. Sighing, he pulled on his clothes from the day before and opened the door to rejoin his friends. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ <~Uh, Ryo-chan?~> <~Hmm? What is it, koi?~> <~Doesn't this forest look awfully familiar?~> "I think," Mousse said aloud, frowning a bit, "that we're in Nerima." "NANI?!" Ryoga thought. He was certain that there was going to be a fight once everyone realized they were back. Ranma smirked. He still wanted to beat the living hell out of Shampoo for her role in Mousse's abduction, and was beginning to think of ways to torture the cat girl. Mousse was silent, lost in thought. he realized. "Let's head over to the Nekohanten," Ranma said, interrupting the thoughts of his companions. "I'm in just the right mood for ramen." "I don't think so," Ryoga replied, shaking his head. "Let's go to the dojo first and let Akane know we're back. God only knows what's been going on around here for the past five months. I really don't want to be attacked by all your fiancées!" Ranma sighed, obviously disappointed. "Okay, Ryo-chan, let's go to the dojo. Mousse?" The hidden weapons expert glanced over, thoughtful frown still in place. "Hmm?" "You okay?" He looked quizzically at the younger boy for a moment before nodding. The frown vanished, replaced by a small smile. "Sorry, just thinking about something," he admitted. He still had a lot of doubts, and knew he would have to face them soon. For now, though.... "Let's go," Ryoga said, starting towards town. Ranma cleared his throat. "The dojo's *this* way, Ryoga-love." Grumbling, the Lost Boy turned and headed in the correct direction. He couldn't suppress a grin at the sound of Ranma and Mousse's smothered laughter just behind him. he thought, his smile becoming a bit wider. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ The moment the trio entered the dojo, two of the three Tendo girls pounced (figuratively speaking). "Oh, my! You three look exhausted!" "I am *so* glad you guys are back! If I had to listen to Shampoo bitch at me one more day about hiding her 'beloved airen'...." "Sit down, all of you. I'll get you some tea." "Hell, even *Kodachi* took the hint after the first week and stopped popping up every time I turned around!" "Perhaps you should get some sleep...." "And Ukyou had to throw her out of her place last night! She thought I was hiding you there!" "Give them a break," Nabiki spoke up for the first time since the boys' arrival. "They just walked in the door two minutes ago." "Oh... gomen," Akane apologized, feeling somewhat sheepish that she hadn't noticed how worn out the three boys seemed. She wondered how long they'd been walking today before Kasumi ushered them all to the table for tea. Once they'd all finished and rested for a while, Ranma jumped up. "I'm going to the Nekohanten," he announced, a decidedly not-Ranma gleam in his eyes. "I'll be back in a little while." "I wouldn't suggest going over there," Nabiki said as she placed her empty cup on the table. "The girl's gotten even screwier since you've been gone. She just won't accept the fact that you aren't interested in females in general." "Maybe I just need to knock some sense into her," Ranma replied, moving towards the door. "Ranma, I don't think-" Akane said. "Maybe you should just-" Ryoga said at the same time. "Come *on*! She deserves it for what she did!" "No, Ranma." Everyone looked towards the speaker, surprised. Mousse calmly set his cup on the table and stood up. "I have to handle this myself," he explained. "You ain't going over there alone, Mu-chan," Ranma insisted after a moment. "Damn right he's not," Ryoga agreed. "Count me in," came Akane's vote. "Give me a sec to grab my camera," Nabiki spoke up as she left the room, "and I'll join you." Kasumi shook her head and began to clean up the scattered teacups. The five teenagers were going to go over there whether she liked it or not. She smiled to herself as she heard the group leave the dojo. They would have been surprised that the older girl would have gone with them had they asked. she thought as she finished cleaning up. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ The bell above the door tinkled, and Shampoo bounced into the room cheerfully. She wasn't in the best of moods since her Ranma had left so many months ago with the stupid pig boy, but she wasn't about to let that ruin her reputation. She froze, the smile disappearing from her face as she saw the group that had entered the Nekohanten. "Hello, Shampoo," Mousse said coldly. Ranma and Ryoga flanked him on the left side, and Akane and Nabiki (armed with her video camera) on the right. None of them seemed to be in the best of moods, and it looked to Shampoo as if Ryoga was physically restraining Ranma. "What stupid duck doing here?" she asked, contempt in her tone. "No one want Mousse here. Why Mousse come back to Nerima?" He walked past her, ignoring her completely. Shampoo took that opportunity to strike out at the boy. Ranma lunged forward, but Ryoga drew him back into his arms. <~This is Mousse's battle, koibito,~> he said mentally. Ranma nodded, but still kept his fists clenched. He wasn't about to let that bitch hurt Mousse anymore. ~ Lay down Let it break down ~ Shampoo swung around, only to find her fist caught. Mousse looked at her calmly, but the expression in his blue-grey eyes was one that she had only ever seen directed at Ranma. Contempt, hatred, and anger, where there used to be love and tenderness directed towards her. "I only want to get my things," he said calmly, "and then I'm leaving." He released the girl's hand, shoving her away from him as he did so, and continued past her into the back. He didn't see Cologne, and he really didn't care. He had told Shampoo the truth--he only wanted to get his belongings and go. He didn't need Shampoo. He didn't need Cologne. They couldn't give him what he needed to complete the healing process except for their absence from his life. the familiar voice spoke up. ~ The hidden tortures ~ Mousse looked around the small room he'd lived in for so long, then turned away after gathering a few of the weapons he still had left here. There was nothing he needed from here other than that. Not anymore. Hell, not *ever*, and he knew that now. he said to himself as he returned to the restaurant. Shampoo was still fuming, shooting him poisonous glares. "Stupid duck boy leave now," Shampoo said, ice dripping from every word. Mousse turned that contemptuous stare towards the girl once again and nodded his head. "Why would I want to stay anywhere with a bitch like you?" he asked just as coldly. Shampoo's mouth dropped open in shock and anger. Mousse had *never* talked to her that way before! Nabiki grinned from behind the eyepiece of her video camera. This was just getting better and better. Akane simply applauded. After the hell the Chinese girl had put that boy through for so long, she was thrilled that he was *finally* telling her off once and for all. Ranma was still trying to break away from Ryoga, but was smiling. He couldn't have said it any better himself. <~I knew you had it in you, Mousse-chan,~> Ryoga congratulated the tall Amazon youth. It looked as if Mousse was finally beginning to heal a little. Mousse turned away from Shampoo and strode towards the door. The only warning he had was Ranma's cry to look out before the chair flew over his head. Shampoo had raised another chair to throw at the boy when the chain wrapped itself around her arms. She gave a startled cry as Mousse yanked on the chain and dragged her across the room, pulling her face-to-face. The cold stare he gave her chilled her to the very core of her being. The chair fell from her hands, forgotten in the icy depths of once-warm blue-grey eyes. "Mousse...." she said, confusion and a bit of fear creeping into her voice. "Shampoo sorry." "Doesn't matter," he said, and there was finality to his words. He dropped her, the chain loosening and returning to wherever he'd drawn it from. He turned and walked towards the door, pausing only once. Without turning, he said the words she'd wanted to hear from him for years. But they didn't bring her joy; they pained her, somehow, because she knew they were as true as all of his declarations of love had been. ~ To an end...... ~ "I don't need you, Shampoo. I don't love you. Not anymore." Then they were all gone. The lavender-haired girl sat on the floor of the Nekohanten for a long time, unmoving. Finally, the tears came, and she wept for all that she would never have. ~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~^^~~^~~ EPILOGUE Mousse sat and stared out the window. Over a month had passed since he walked out of the Nekohanten for the last time. The building stood empty now-Shampoo and Cologne had gone back the village only a few days later. The old ghoul had stopped by the Hibiki residence before they left. She told Mousse that he no longer had a place in the tribe. He'd responded that he didn't need the damned tribe--they weren't the ones who'd risked their lives to rescue him. As far as he was concerned, his place was in Nerima, where he was wanted. Where he was loved. He sighed and leaned against the window, closing his eyes. The road had been a long one, and he knew he still had a long way to go. Just like he knew that Ranma and Ryoga stand by him for as long as it took for him to heal completely. It hadn't been easy for him to accept the love that the two martial artists offered to him; even from the first day he'd been suspicious of their motives. But here it was, four months since the night they'd raided the camp, and they had not pressured him into anything even once. He still found it impossible to sleep through the night unless one or the other was in the room with him. From the beginning he'd hated that weakness; now, he accepted it. He would never really be the same person he was before the slavers took him away. Ranma and Ryoga accepted that--they would love him no matter what--and Mousse himself was beginning to accept it as well. Mousse shook his head, a small smile touching his lips as he thought about how patient the others had been with him. He turned from the window and walked back into the living room, where his family was waiting for him. The time for mourning the past was over. Now, it was time to heal. ~ Nothing ever changes Nothing ever changes Nothing ever changes ~ OWARI