Am I Pretty Again Ranma�s Declaration of Womanhood

Mousse woke up feeling shaky and feverish; when they found him throwing up and realized that he might have the swine flu. Shampoo and Cologne left a note on the door of the Nekohanten "Restaurant Closed due to Illness" written in Mandarin and Japanese and quickly went to visit friends in a nearby city so they wouldn't get it. They left him some herbal remedies for the virus on the other side of his room and a jug of water and got their Amazon asses out of there as soon as they could. Leaving Mousse alone shivering with fever in his bed.

Ranko couldn't reach anyone at the Nekohanten, so find out her holiday schedule, as school was out for a week she opted to walk over. She was surprised by the bi-lingual sign on the door and used her key to let herself in. Finding no one, she let herself into the apartment over the stair, she felt bad using her emergency key this way, but she was concerned by now. She checked Cologne's room and Shampoo's after knocking politely on the door and then headed for Mousse's.

Mousse heard footsteps and weakly called out "could I have some water?"

"Mousse is that you?" Ranko said stepping into his room, shocked to find the high energy boy still in bed.

"Ranko, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I couldn't reach anyone, so I decided to drop by". Then she stepped closer to the bed and realized how pale Mousse looked. "Are you okay?" she asked and stroked his bangs back to feel his forehead.

Spying a pitcher on the floor, she got it and pour him a glass "you're burning up" she said with concern.

He drank it gratefully and then felt nauseous and ran into the bathroom to heave it up, he felt slightly ashamed when small hands held his hair back until he was done. Ranko had never seen Mousse look so young and vulnerable; he was wearing baggy blue and white striped pajamas that enhanced this effect. Handing him some tissues to wipe his face with, she helped him to stand and got him back into bed.

"I have the flu. Shampoo and Cologne were afraid it might be the swine flu, so they went away for a week" he explained.

"They left you alone?" Ranko cried in outrage.

"I just need to sleep it off" he explained. "You shouldn't be here, I might make you sick"

"I can't leave you alone like this. "I'm going home to pack and then moving in until you're better" she proclaimed.

"I can't let you do that" he protested, but knew that it was impossible to argue with the stubborn, but gentle girl when she was like this.

"Oh yes I am, I'm not leaving you here to suffer on your own" she said and went decisively down the stairs to go home to tell Kasumi and pack a bag.

Mousse fell asleep when she left and woke up to her gently moping his brow with a cool cloth, he welcomed her soft touch. He tried to get her to leave and even bodily carried her down the stair. She only came back up and scolded him for abusing his body that way. He was kind of amused, she weighted next to nothing.

Mousse pretended that he hated being fussed over, but in secret he enjoyed each act of kindness and caress that she offered him. He loved having her around like this; it was almost like he was her grumpy beloved husband and her, his well intentioned, nagging wife. But that was the extent of the relationship, he slept on his futon and she slept on the couch as she felt it rude to use the Amazon female's beds without permission.

For Ranko, it was like paradise being with him, despite his being ill. There was no one telling her who she was supposed to be or how to act. She could spend all the time she wanted with the man she loved; she could touch him, care for him and cuddle him to her hearts content. He never objected when he was in the grip of fever and she lay beside him. He would just spoon around her and this thrilled her. He hugged things in his sleep, like his pillow and she thought it adorable.

Mousse got used to her being his nurse and welcomed finding her at his bedside embroidering by the light from the hallway, so that he wouldn't be disturbed. "What are you making?" he asked on the second day when he was more lucid. He could have sworn that she blushed when she showed it to him. On plain background was a bunch of hearts with wings flying and in swirling letters it read 'In love is the only place to be'

He smiled at the message; it was one that he agreed with. "It's beautiful, your stitching is improving" he said.

She glowed at the compliment "I made it for you, I remembered how you liked bird name martial arts attacks" she said.

"I will always treasure it" he said, he could feel his heart flutter at this simple gesture.

"Would you like something to eat?" she asked.

"No, I'm not hungry" he replied, forcing nausea down at the idea of food.

"There's something that can quell your appetite? I'm shock. I really thought that you ate like a bird, twice your body weight everyday" she teased and caressed his cheek.

He pressed his heated flesh into her palm and then felt sleepy again. "I feel tired, do you mind staying with me until I fall asleep?" he asked.

"As long as you want" she said and then stroked his fevered brow until he was softly snoring, she continued to watch him like he was the most beautiful she'd ever seen.

His flu lasted three days and seemed to get worse at one point; Ranko blushingly removed his pajamas and draped a towel over his privates so that she could bath his limbs with a cool cloth until his fever finally broke. She sighed as his blankets soaked with sweat as his temperature dropped. Mousse opened his eyes to find himself pretty much naked. He blushed.

"Why did you take my clothes off?" he asked.

"Your fever was too high, one degree more and I would have had to throw you into a tub filled with ice" she said relieved that he was better. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"Naked and sore" he said.

She laughed "I'll go run you a bath; you can soak while I change the sheets on your bed" she suggested and hurried to do so.

Mousse lay back groaning as the warm water surrounded him, he still felt weak and tired, but at least he felt a bit better now that he was clean. He could feel the muscles pains dissipate and wondered if he could talk Ranko into giving him one of her famous massages. He was disappointed that she would be leaving tomorrow; but there was no reason for her to stick around now that he was better. His beastmates would be home soon and normal living conditions would resume, Shampoo would ignore him and Cologne would thump him on the head. Then he realized that he was dreading Shampoo's return. What was wrong with him? He was in love with her! Why was he wishing that Ranko could stay? That made no sense.

He was lost in thought when Ranko knocked softly on the door. "Mousse I left fresh towels and pajamas for you" she called. Was that why? Because she made him feel loved and cherished. Mousse wrinkled his nose, as an Amazon male he'd better not get too used to this treatment. There was no way Shampoo would ever pander to him like this! He got out of the bath that had been drawn for him, dried off and got into the clean clothes that had been lovingly laid out for him. 'What was weird about this picture?' he thought, then returned to his bedroom to find Ranko had put flowered sheets on his bed and substituted his comforter for a much nicer one. He looked questioningly at Ranko, "you didn't have any spare sheets, so I borrowed these from Kasumi" she explained.

'Too much pampering' he thought, but then didn't object when she ran her hands up the back of his pajamas and massaged his sore back. "Do you like that" she asked, anxious to please him now that her poor darling was better. All he could do was sigh with contentment. "Would you like to watch some TV?" she suggested and turned it on. He stood up to allow her to sit down and then realized that he was still slightly dizzy.

"I'd better sit in the chair" he said.

"Nonsense, there's plenty of room on the couch for two" she chided. He sat down. "Put your head in my lap" she suggested.

He blushed "that really insist necessary" he said.

"Come on just try it" she said and then he let her pull him down. It was surprisingly comfortable lying this way. Her toned thighs made a nice pillow he realized and he enjoyed the closeness as much as she did. She loved to have his silky hair sprawled over her flesh and managed to repress her naughty thoughts.

They watched half of Kill Bill when his eyes started closing. "Time for someone to go back to bed" she said softly. She helped the sleepy boy back to his futon and tucked the covers around him. On impulse she removed his glasses, folded the arms and then placed them beside his futon. For Mousse this was the most intimate thing that anyone had ever done for him. 'Could love really be like this? Full of comfort, gentleness and respect' he wondered as he drifted off, he smiled when a ghost of a kiss was pressed against his temple.

She watched him for a while longer and then returned to the couch and her sleeping bag.

Mousse got up the next day feeling completely healed, and he was ravenous. He sniffed the air and his stomach growled. He joined Ranko in the kitchen; she wore cute little orange pajamas that had a teddy bear the front. They were sleeveless, short in the leg and had a ruffle at the bottom of the shirt and cuffs of the pants. "What are you making?" he asked.

"Bacon, eggs and toast, I made lots just for you" she said and blushed when he dropped a kiss on top of her head without thinking. He'd loosened up around her after the sauna incident.

She watched him happily tuck into his food while she toyed with her own portion, her heart ached that she had to leave him. Pulling herself out of her dark thoughts, she managed to glow with embarrassment and pride when he enthused about what a great cook she was. She didn't even think anything of reaching out to straighten his collar.

"Mousse I would like to admit something to you" she said hesitantly.

"What would that be, that you tried to sneak nine items through an eight item express line at the grocery store?" he teased.

Unable to look at him she said "no I tried to seduce you in the sauna" she admitted.

That stunned him "really? But why?" he asked.

"I l-like you and I wanted to make love to you. I'll never know what it is to love" she said and started crying.

Mousse gravely held her 'how much longer' he wondered. "Ranko I'm honoured that you chose me, but I promised Shampoo a long time ago that I would be faithful to her" he said. "Or I would make love to you in a heartbeat" he promised her.

"I know, that you would never cheat on someone you love is an honourable thing" she said pulling herself together.

"Ranko, you mean the world to me" he promised her, the thought of losing her was killing him. That he would have to face her body as Ranma and know that it would never again contain her sweet soul. She was so wonderful.

"But I'm not Shampoo" she said.

"No you're not" he finished lamely. "I want to be with you until the end" he promised.

She smiled in a bitter sweet way "sounds almost like a wedding vow"

"I think it is" he agreed. He went on to try and cheer her up with talk of the dance that was coming up soon. He knew that she was looking forward to it.

She forced herself to pack though she loathed leaving him. "I'll pick you up in the morning, we'll hit the farmer's market, buy stuff for a picnic and then I'll teach you how to skip rocks" he promised her when he dropped her off. She gave him a sunny smile and went into the house. He felt like his heart was being torn out to see her go.

He walked home and started to laugh when he saw that she had left him the stuffed kitten doll that he'd won her at a street fair in his bed. Ranko adored cats; it was further proof that she wasn't any part of Ranma whatsoever. She'd taken to sleeping with it. Mousse picked it up inhaled the scent of it like it was a rare perfume, it smelled like her.