Subject: [FFML][FANFIC][RANMA]Was It A Dream?
From: Mark Ferrer
Date: 8/5/1998, 10:48 PM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

mabli@idirect.com

Was It A Dream?

By: Mark Ferrer

Disclaimer: If you didn't already know, these characters aren't mine.
I'll just using them to tell a nice, short story. Don't sue me please.
(The justice system's bogged down as it is.)

Author's notes: Damn, still got writer's block. Here's another Mousse
story. Someone somewhere probably used this title and used this setting
but I haven't seen it so I'll just pretend I'm the first one to think of
it. C&C would be nice.




Shampoo walked over to the kitchen to retrieve the kettle warming her
tea. She couldn't help but get teary eyed looking at her modest
surroundings and how empty it felt. The tea had no taste to her because
her mind was still focused on other things. She twiddled with her
greying purple hair as she thought back to her teenage days.

"Ranma," she cried out softly.

The tears were brimming in her eyes when she heard a knock at the door.
She wiped the tears fiercely away and said, "I'm coming" as she got her
face covered as she always did whenever a person knocked at the door.

She opened the door to see a tall man in a dark cloak with a walking
stick. She studied him carefully and said, "Hello. Can I help you?"

The man started, and stopped, as if unsure how to proceed. A moment
later, he said, "It's good to hear your voice again."

"Mousse!" Shampoo exclaimed, "Why are you here?"

Mousse looked up, to allow Shampoo to see his face and said, "To see you
of course."

Shampoo saw that a bandage that covered his eyes and said, "What
happened to you?"

"I got a little ash into my eyes and got blinded." Mousse said in a
voice that suggested it didn't matter.

Shampoo remembered her surroundings and said, "Come in Mousse."

Mousse walked in, feeling around the small cabin with his cane. Shampoo
noticed that he was very well controlled in his actions in finding a
seat to sit in.

"At least now, I won't have to wear those damned glasses." Mousse said,
snapping Shampoo out of her reverie.

"Why did you come here?" Shampoo asked, "Do you want to marry me again?"

"I know you still have your sights set on another so no challenge
today." Mousse said calmly. He motioned for Shampoo to sit beside him.
<How does he know the layout so fast?> she thought to herself.

"I've been looking for you ever since you left." Mousse said directly at
Shampoo. "I want to know why you left."

Shampoo considered him for a moment and answered, "I left because of
this."

She uncovered her face and put Mousse's hand to it. He shivered a bit at
the thought of touching the face of the one she loved. She took it as
disgust at what it felt like.

"You're still the most beautiful woman on earth." Mousse said quietly.

"You're so stupid Mousse!" Shampoo shouted. "I'm hideous. Ranma doesn't
deserve someone who looks like me! No one does!"

She left to run but was stopped by one of Mousse's weapons grabbing her
by the hand.

"Please Shampoo, no more running away." he said.

She looked at his face, he looked almost desperate. She covered her face
once again with her hood and said, "Please leave Mousse."

"No." was the only reply.

Shampoo looked up and saw him walk over to her, navigating her furniture
without the use of the cane.

"If it means that much to you... here." he said, waving a hand over her
face. She felt a instant change in the texture and touched it. <No way!>
she thought. She rushed to a mirror, the only mirror in her house,
almost pushing Mousse over.

"No. This is impossible!" she said quietly.

Her face was no longer blistered and red as scars from the fire at the
Nekohanten. In fact, she noticed that she once again had the body of a
teenager, not the old woman she was.

"Should I be going now?" Mousse said, walking towards the door.

Shampoo grabbed him and said, "How did you do that?"

"I thought you wanted me to leave?" Mousse grinned.

"Stupid Mousse!" she said, hitting him on the head.

"Okay, okay!" he said, taking his original seat. He no longer needed his
cane and was walking around her cabin with ease.

"Now, you tell me how you did that?" Shampoo said, still touching and
looking the repaired places on her face.

Mousse's face turned grim as he recalled what happened on that fateful
night.

"After I got some of the customers out, I saw you were in the way of a
falling beam. I ran and pushed you out of the way remember? What you
might have missed was that I got burning ash in my eyes, making me
blind. After that, I heard you run off and I never heard from you again.
I travelled the world to find a cure for my blindness and for you. I
learned many kinds of healing magic along the way but I still wasn't
able to heal myself. At least I could take some comfort that I healed
you."

Shampoo only took a moment to completely understand Mousse's story.

"What happened to the others?" she said quietly.

"We all made it out safely." Mousse said.

"Not that... Wh-What happened... to Ranma?" she said, even quieter.

Mousse took a deep breath and said, "If you're wondering, he married
Akane. They had three kids. They look happy."

Shampoo's eyes got glassy with tears and she wiped them away. In that
time, Mousse had walked over to her and was now kneeling before her.

"Do you want me to leave?" Mousse asked.

"No." she said, trying to calm down.

"Shampoo, you knew it was going to happen." he said softly, sitting
beside her.

"I know, but... I always dreamed that it wouldn't. I loved him so
much..." she said, leaning on him for support.

"I know it isn't much, but... I love you." Mousse said, giving the girl
a small hug.

"I know... I don't deserve it. Go get married to a girl who appreciates
you." she said, pushing herself away from him.

"It's me who doesn't deserve you." he said, "Look at me, a perverted old
man in love with a beautiful teenager."

She smiled and said, "You look good with grey hair."

Mousse got closer and kissed her softly. She answered by giving him a
strong hug back. They stayed like that until Mousse cut off their kiss.

"Is this a dream?" he asked.

"It isn't." answered Shampoo kissing him back.
*************************
Mousse woke up to see that he was back in the attic. <No, please! It
couldn't be a dream. No!>
His eyes teared up when he felt something moving beside him.

"What's wrong Mousse?" Shampoo asked.

Mousse did a double take at what he saw. She looked so beautiful,
stretching out like a cat in front of him. His mind quickly ran through
the previous day's events, still not believing Shampoo agreed to marry
him. "Nothing. I was just thinking if this is a dream."

She pushed herself on top of him and said, "If this is a dream, you
better kiss me before you wake up."

The End.

More author's notes: (As you can tell, I like making lots of author's
notes) Well look what happened after I watched a rerun of Total Recall.
This fanfic came into mind at what was said at the end of the movie.
Anyone else think I made Mousse seem a bit too much like Rezo? Sorry
'bout that. Good? Bad? Ugly? Tell me what you think of this fic at
mabli@idirect.com