Turn Around, Look At Me
By S. Mark Gunther

    The wind blew gently across the sky as Mousse stood in front of the 
large bedroom window. He could feel the warmth across his shoulders as he 
looked out over the Nerima skyline. The stars began to twinkle as they 
made their debut on their celestial stage and Mousse couldn't help but 
feel a little misty-hearted at the sight. A comet began its race across 
the sky and it reminded Mousse of the life he was now leading. Racing 
alone.

    The times had changed in Nerima, and Mousse felt his mind wandering 
over the changes he had to be witness to. Ranma and Akane had married. 
Their fights now were ones of marital bliss, not friendly hate. Ukyou had 
shacked up with Ryouga and Gosunkugi and their restaurant was doing 
better than ever as a result. Nabiki and Kuno had begun a long and torrid 
relationship in the halls of their school. In less than 4 months, their 
first child was going to be a product of that union. And even Kasumi 
found love, as she fell for Mikado and began to date him.

    But even the love that had saturated the scene in which he lived 
could not rise his spirits as he watched his greatest love pass away. 
Shampoo found that she could not live with the shame of being an 
unmarried, defeated Amazon princess, so she decided to leave the entire 
world she knew to find herself. Cologne couldn't stop her, and Mousse was 
merely a body in her path as she barrelled out of his life. It had been 2 
months since she had left, and every day she was gone was a day he felt 
freer from her spell. But being free came with a heavy price for him.

    For nights he came up to the window and stared at the sky as he tried 
to make sense of his life. Why was he so cursed to be in love with 
someone who didn't love him? Why couldn't he move on? He had seen people 
in the city look at him in desire, even affection. But it felt to him as 
if it were nothing more than glances at someone who didn't understand. 
Time felt as if it was standing still, and he desperately wanted to go 
somewhere.

    "Mousse?" A gentle voice called from behind him. He turned around and 
looked at the face of the man he had been living with for the past month. 
The man he had been involved with for so long. He looked into the eyes of 
the first person he ever knew to care about him. it was as if he looked 
into the soul he had been wishing for for so long; a dream he didn't want 
to wake up from, but one he didn't want to fully fall into for fear of 
falling out for good.

    "Ichiro."

    "Are you ok?" Ichiro Tofu asked as he came closer to the young boy. 
"You've been here a long time..."

    "Aren't I always, Ichi?" Mousse sighed as he looked back out the 
window into the night sky. "I need you..."

    Letting his feet pad across the floor, Ichiro gently wrapped his arms 
around Mousse's body and drew him closer to his chest. The time slowed as 
they embraced in full sight of Kami and all his followers. Nothing seemed 
to matter except for the moment that they were in together. It all seemed 
to fall away as they cuddled in the warmth of the house.

    "Ichi, I still miss her so much. She was my first true love, and 
she's gone. I can't see anyone but her, and yet..." Mousse sighed as he 
leaned into Ichiro's chest.

    "You love me...I know."

    "Yes."

    "Mousse-Chan, I told you when you came here, that I would be your 
friend first and your lover after. I still feel that way. And I'm going 
to be there for you, no matter what." Ichiro sighed, kissing Mousse 
softly on the forehead. He knew that the long road to loving someone 
again was hard, for he was traveling it after losing Kasumi Tendo due to 
his own shortcomings. It was what made him go to Mousse. Better to cry 
with someone who you care about than cry alone. "It's going to take time, 
but I'll be here. If you'll be here for me..."

    "You will??" Mousse asked. His eyes were littered with happy tears as 
he buried his head in his lover's chest. "You mean it??"

    "Always," Ichiro answered. He felt Mousse's lips with a fingertip, 
and drew a smile as his reward. For a long moment they simply gazed deep 
into each other's eyes, trying to find the love that had brought them 
together in the first place. Stars twinkled, winds blew slowly, and the 
pair didn't care. It was all about them now.

    "Ichiro, let's go inside to the couch. I need to tell you 
something..." Mousse said softly as he walked to the stairwell. Ichiro 
followed right behind and the pair made their way through the crowded 
house/clinic to the small couch that now occupied the front room. Mousse 
had brought it in after he had moved in and it had been invaluable in the 
doctor's practice as a place to wait. Now, with the soft lighting in the 
room playing off the shallow walls, a strange feeling of love pervaded 
every nook and cranny therein.

    Mousse sat down and took Ichiro's hand as he sat down on his cushion. 
His slender fingers slid across Ichi's palm as he produced a box from his 
sleeve and placed it in Ichiro's hand. "Ichi, I can't do this without 
you. And I'm not going to love anyone without a commitment. So....will 
you marry me?"

    Ichiro gasped as he opened the box and saw a small gold band with his 
characters inscribed on the top. He lifted the ring and slipped it on his 
finger, all the while being watched by Mousse's ardent and hopeful eyes. 
"Mousse...do you mean it?? For real??"

    "Turn around. Look at me." Mousse gently lifted his lover's chin and 
smiled into his eyes. the floodgates finally opened in both their hearts 
and they began to cry and kiss each other as their embrace sealed their 
love for all time. The most splendid moment they had ever shared was felt 
as they came together, and as Ichiro pulled away he smiled the smile of 
true love.

    "I love you Mousse-Chan. forever and always."

    "Wo Ai Ni, Ichi-sama. Till the end of time."