A Different Brand Of Mousse 1

                   A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by Mark Ferrer

                   Disclaimer: All rights are reserved to their respective owners. Only the
                     original characters are mine. Don't sue me, please. (I need all my money
                     for anime!)

                     Note: I've taken some liberties with some/all of the characters. Sorry, I
                     couldn't help it. This fic also has small crossovers that usually don't
                     have any big bearing on the fic.

                     Thoughts are in <>
                     Normal dialogue is in quotes (duh)

                          It was a rainy day in Nerima. The students in Furinkan High were
                     cooped up in the school during lunchtime looking out at the never ending
                     rain. The contractors renovating Ucchan's were taking a break, still
                     amazed at the damaged it sustained without crumbling to pieces. Soun and
                     Genma were as usual playing shogi.

                          At the Nekohanten, two fighters were squaring off. The lull in
                     activity had prompted Mousse to try out what his latest training journey
                     had brought with it. Today was the day, if Mousse won, he could date
                     Shampoo. If he lost, he would no longer be allowed to ask Shampoo on a
                     date. He had clearly set it up that he could still be allowed to marry
                     her.

                          Shampoo was breathing lightly while Mousse was panting hard and his
                     clothes were in disarray. Shampoo couldn't believe that Mousse was able to
                     slip in the being able to marry her part. Cologne agreed to the terms
                     telling Shampoo secretly that it meant he no longer had the privilage of
                     dating with her. It was a step closer to the day when Mousse fought over
                     the privilege of marrying her and losing. Mousse couldn't believe he had
                     gone for a whole half-hour against the one he loved. His training improved
                     his endurance and he was coming closer and closer to being able to knock
                     Shampoo unconscious before his instincts took over.

                          <He's gotten better...> thought Shampoo. <...but not good enough.>

                          She rushed at Mousse with her bonbori. The chinese boy was too tired
                     to dodge and was knocked out the door, turning into a duck in the pouring
                     rain. Shampoo looked around at the restaurant and saw that their fight
                     didn't affect the diner at all.

                          <Good. I won't have to get Mousse to clean anything.> she thought. A
                     ringing phone called her attention and the promise of more customers
                     called Shampoo to attention and she ran to the phone.

                          Mousse got up waddling back into the restaurant. <At least my glasses
                     weren't broken.> he thought.

                          Suddenly, he was grabbed by a hooded blur. He opened his beak to
                     quack but it was quickly tied up. He tried to fly away but he was placed
                     in a box. He was slightly relieved that the box had holes in it but he
                     started thinking the worst. Out of one of the holes, he could see part of
                     the face of the person who ducknapped him.

                          "You're a hard person to find, Mousse." he said. Mousse saw him place
                     something into box through one of the holes. He turned in the small box to
                     see what it was but blacked out at the smoke coming from the object.

                          <This kind of thing doesn't happen to me...> he thought before losing
                     all consciousness. The hooded man looked to see if anyone was looking and
                     disappeared.

                     ************************************************************************

                          Mousse woke up to the sound of birds chirping. He couldn't hear any
                     sounds of a city so he jumped up to see where he was. He was in the middle
                     of a clearing in a forest back in human form. He took a deep breath of the
                     sweet air.

                          <Hmm,> he thought, <the air's too sweet to be Japan. Could it be
                     China?>

                          "Welcome back to China." a voice behind him said.

                          <I guess I was right.> Mousse took out his glasses to see a masked
                     man approaching him. He dropped into a defensive position and said, "It's
                     nice to be back but I'd like to return to Japan if you don't mind."

                          The masked man put up his hands and said, "I am not asking for a
                     fight young man. At least, not yet anyway."

                          Mousse lowered his guard. He couldn't believe that he was actually
                     going to trust the man. "Why did you bring me here?"

                          "I want to help you." the masked man answered. "You have been
                     ignoring your training far too long, you are cursed and you cannot see
                     without your glasses. I am going to try to solve every one of your
                     problems."

                          Mousse laughed and said, "Why would you want to help me?" Absently,
                     he was cycling through all the people he knew and tried to match the voice
                     to a face. <I know that voice!> he screamed mentally.

                          "I'm going to help you because you have the potential to be the most
                     powerful human on earth. Does that sound to your liking?" he asked calmly.

                          Mousse gave a small nod. <Most powerful in the world? Yeah, right.>

                          "First, I want to test your current fighting ability." He seemingly
                     grabbed two swords out of thin air and slashed them at Mousse.

                          <He knows Hidden Weapons...> Mousse thought. He let his chains fly
                     out from his robes but they were dodged and got lodged deep into the tree
                     behind the masked man.

                          "You've always relied too much on your chains Mousse." the man said
                     sternly.

                          <How does this guy know me? Dammit! I know I've heard that voice
                     before...> Mousse threw some shurikens at the man then took out two huge
                     battleaxes. He tried getting as close as possible to do the most damage
                     but just ended up cleaving both swords in two. The masked man then threw
                     some shurikens of his own at Mousse. He threw them like he had an endless
                     supply.

                          <There's something different about his style.> Mousse noted.

                          Mousse ducked, jumped over and batted back as many stars as he could.
                     He threw both axes at the man. The masked man stood at the perfect
                     position for both axes to pass by inches past his head.

                          <Love that sound!> the man thought. He snapped out of it just in time
                     to dodge the potty trainers Mousse threw. "Mousse, try to counter this!"
                     he said. Again, from thin air, he took out two huge spiked balls and swung
                     them around his body.

                          <How the heck do I get past those?> Mousse thought.

                          He experimentally threw another potty trainer at the masked man. The
                     spiked balls smashed the potty trainer into dust. He threw knives but they
                     deflected off and almost got him instead. He took out his gas spraying toy
                     duck but the whirling spiked balls acted like a fan and blew it all back a
                     Mousse. Mousse fought back the sleep instinct and jumped as high as he
                     could. He was directly over the masked man when he felt himself being
                     lifted higher off the ground.

                          <Whoa! He's lifting me up with the wind coming from the balls!>
                     Mousse started to panic. <Damn, I really don't want to this but...> He got
                     all his weapons ready for the rarely seen... "HIDDEN WEAPONS FINAL ATTACK.
                     EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THE KITCHEN SINK!!!" he yelled.

                          The masked man below saw his view of Mousse blocked by thousands of
                     objects coming at him. All the weapons rushing at him blocked out the
                     sunlight in the spot he was in.

                          "I win Mousse." he yelled and he spun the balls so fast that all the
                     weapons lost their momentum and were harmlessly blown off to the side.
                     Mousse stared in shock as all his weapons missed their mark. He was still
                     in the air when the masked man said, "You have a lot to learn still." The
                     man slowed the spinning balls down to let Mousse land on the ground.

                          "The problem with that attack is that you really do use all your
                     weapons." he said thoughtfully. "I will teach you that attacks the will
                     allow you beat any of your rivals. In a short while, you may be able to
                     beat Cologne or Happosai." <The perfect bait.> the masked man thought.

                          Mousse, still shaken from the fight asked, "This may sound weird but,
                     could you help me get them all back?"

                          The masked man closed his eyes and concentrated. All of Mousse's
                     weapons seemed to fly up and go into a pile near them. "That is one of the
                     techniques I will teach you. For now, put all your weapons back, then got
                     to the hut at the end of the trail." He pointed to a trail going deeper
                     into the forest and walked to it.

                          <Any technique that might help me win Shampoo's hand...> Mousse
                     thought. He started the long and tedious process of replacing all his
                     weapons back into his robes. <It'll be a while before I ever use that
                     attack again...> He looked up at the huge pile of weapons in front of him.
                     Mousse reviewed the fight and the way the masked man moved. <I know that
                     guy! I know that style!> his mind screamed. <I wonder if that part about
                     beating anyone is true?>

                     ************************************************************************

                          Mousse made his way to the trail the masked man had pointed to after
                     about three hours of repacking every weapon he had. Like after every
                     fight, he felt as if he was missing at least one of his weapons.

                          <I've gotta start cataloguing my weapons,> he thought glumly, <but
                     then that will probably take at least a week...> He looked up at the sun
                     and tried guessing where in China he was in but came up empty. <I wonder
                     if I'm near Jusenkyo?> he thought. At the end of the trail, he came upon a
                     small hut. Guessing it was the masked man's, he made his way inside.

                          "Is anybody home?" Mousse called it, opening the door slowly.

                          "Come in!" he heard, the voice being muffled by the walls.

                          Mousse looked around the strange hut. Everything looked brand new,
                     except for the hut itself. The hut also seemed a lot bigger than the
                     outside had led him to believe. As with all masters of Hidden Weapons, the
                     man's quarters were neatly strewn with weapons of every type. He saw a
                     chair and sat down in it. Rustling from another room caught his attention
                     so he turned and a door opened, the masked man exiting from it. He noticed
                     that the door was flush to the wall and was well hidden.

                          "How do you like it?" the masked man asked.

                          "It's... nice." Mousse said unsurely, looking at the multiple weapons
                     on all the walls.

                          The masked man pulled up a chair and sat down in it. "It's nice to
                     see a fellow artist who trains in the Hidden Weapons." Mousse said humbly.
                     "It's amazing what you did out there. Who taught you?"

                          The masked man seemed to think about it a bit then said, "I was
                     taught under the same sifu as you. He trained me for a while, then I left
                     and travelled the world to test my skill. Thinking back, I think forgot to
                     tell you my name. I guess I was just anxious to meet you. My name is Gel."

                          Mousse nodded and asked, "If you don't mind my asking, how do you
                     know me?"

                          "A valid question, but unfortunately, I don't think I should answer
                     that for you right now. You'll just have to trust me." Gel said, almost
                     pleadingly.

                          <'You'll just have to trust me.' Famous last words.> Mousse thought.
                     <I shouldn't trust this guy but there's just something about him...>

                          The sound of a kettle boiling interrupted their conversation and Gel
                     said, "Just wait a sec, I'll be right back."

                          Mousse nodded and stared as Gel opened the door with a well hidden
                     doorknob. The door swung back shut, becoming one with the wall. <This
                     place is weird. How the heck is it that the outside is so small the the
                     inside is so big? And what the heck is with that entertainment system?!>
                     Mousse thought. He got up and further scrutinized the hut. It looked
                     around, it looked like a weird type of bachelor pad. In a corner was a
                     powerful looking entertainment system. <This guy must be pretty rich.>
                     Walking to the trophy area of the room, he examined some trophies, animal
                     heads, and ornate weapons. What he couldn't find were photos. There wasn't
                     a single photo in the house. At least in the living room and dining room
                     which he was currently in. He walked up to a display case with strange
                     looking weapons. He carefully scrutinized them with his glasses on. <I
                     can't believe I can't recognize these weapons.>

                          In the kitchen, Gel grabbed two tea kettles and got ready to leave
                     when, he felt a strong wave of nausea. He managed to save the kettles from
                     spilling and put them on the counter. He took a couple minutes to get over
                     it and checked an electronic device on his upper arm.

                          <Damn, not much left.> he thought. Composing himself, Gel came back
                     in to see Mousse admiring one of his weapons on display. He smiled and
                     said, "I won that from a secret tournament for more exotic martial arts."

                          Mousse admired the sword. It was perfect size and weight for him and
                     had ornate carvings on the hilt and the blade. Gel went over to the table
                     and placed two kettles on it. From thin air, he took out two cups. "Would
                     you like some tea?" he asked.

                         Mousse made his way over to the table and sat down. "Sure. I haven't
                     had any good tea since I left China." he said, taking an offered cup.
                     Mousse drank some and said, "This is good tea, but I don't think I can
                     finish to kettles full."

                          Gel smiled and said, "One is for drinking. The other is for something
                     else..." Gel poured more tea for himself. "Mousse," he said, "I know of
                     your curse. Would you like to be cured of it?"

                          Mousse almost choked on the tea. "Yes!" Mousse said anxiously. Gel
                     nodded his head and from out of nowhere, he took out another glass and
                     splashed Mousse with cold water.

                          "Quack, quack, quack!" Mousse quacked angrily, nearly making his
                     glasses fall off.

                         "Calm down Mousse. This is how to cure you." Gel soothed. He picked up
                     the second kettle and dumped its contents onto Mousse.

                          Human Mousse reappeared and said, "Hey, you could have at least
                     warned me first!"

                          Gel chuckled and said, "Sorry, it's just been a while since I've seen
                     anyone change with a Jusenkyo curse. Forgive me."

                          Mousse looked down at himself. He still couldn't explain it but
                     sometimes, when he turned back, he was naked and other times he had his
                     clothes on. This time being one of the latter. "Am I really cured?" Mousse
                     asked.

                          Gel threw the remains of the cold water at him and then finished his
                     tea. Mousse stood stunned, not only at the ice cold water, but the fact
                     that he was no longer a duck.

                          "This is amazing!" he said, dancing around in joy. He yelled at the
                     top of his lungs, danced the Macarena. He pretty much acted like a
                     complete idiot. Meanwhile, Gel continued drinking tea.

                          After a good five minutes of the craziness, Mousse finally calmed
                     down and asked, "Gel, can you tell me how to cure others? I need to cure
                     my beloved Shampoo."

                          Gel put his cup down slowly. The new course of the conversation
                     seemed to lower his spirits. "The cure for each Jusenkyo curse is
                     different. It took me a long time to learn of just the cure for you."

                          Mousse slumped his shoulders at the fact that he couldn't give
                     Shampoo the cure.

                          "Don't worry, you'll find a cure for Shampoo." Gel got up and said,
                     "Let's start with your first lesson." He walked, not waiting for Mousse
                     and stopped just in front of the house. He waited until Mousse was beside
                     him.

                          "Look closely at what a true master of the Hidden Weapons technique
                     can do." Mousse instinctively stepped back. Gel spread his arms and a
                     black hole formed before him. Mousse had no idea what was going to happen
                     next.

                          "Unlike you, I do not keep my weapons in my clothes. I keep them in
                     this, a dimensional closet if you will. It's been called The Void or the
                     Black Hole technique in places around the world." Gel lectured. "Come with
                     me Mousse." Gel said, stepping into the hole. Mousse cautiously stepped in
                     behind him.

                          On the other side of the black hole was a warehouse looking building.
                     "That is where I keep my weapons." Gel pointed. "But look around."

                          Mousse saw that they were standing in an open field. It look
                     untouched by humans. In the sky, he saw three moons.

                          "In the void, you are like a god, you can create almost anything you
                     desire. Some of the more complex things require you to know exactly how it
                     operates." Gel paused when he saw Mousse's confused look.

                          "Please observe." Gel closed his eyes and in front of him formed a
                     TV. "Another limitation is that to make energy in here, you need to know
                     how to generate energy. Maybe with a hydro-electric dam or something. I
                     myself do not know enough to make a TV. If you open it up, you'll see that
                     it's empty. I just know what it's like on the outside." Mousse picked up
                     the TV and opened it up with a sharp tap. There was nothing in it.

                          "This is all amazing but how do you make your own black hole?" Mousse
                     asked.

                          "That's what the spell is for." Gel said, taking out an ancient
                     looking manuscript and giving it to Mousse. "Come back outside, you can't
                     make a black hole in another black hole." Gel said, leaving Mousse again.

                          Mousse looked over the piece of paper as he walked back through the
                     hole. He couldn't even to begin to decipher what it said. <Can a human
                     have possibly written this?> he thought.

                          He gave it back to Gel and asked, "How do you make it?"

                          "Simple." Gel said, reading over the ancient manuscript. "You stand
                     perfectly still and keep your mind clear of all thoughts while I read the
                     incantation. Concentrating on what I say will also help." Mousse nodded
                     and sat down.

                          Gel read quietly and smoothly, walking around Mousse in a wide
                     circle.

                          <What the heck is he saying?> Mousse thought.

                          "Keep your mind clear." Gel whispered before continuing his chanting.
                     Mousse mind cleared as he listened to Gel chanting softly. The words
                     seemed to evoke strange memories to him but put them aside, remembering to
                     keep his mind clear. He felt as if he was in the darkness, floating around
                     aimlessly at the sound of Gel's words.

                          "Mousse. It's done" Gel said, tapping him on the shoulder.

                          Mousse opened his eyes to see a swirling black hole in front of him.
                     He blinked his eyes, unsure if he had just seen a flash of lightning deep
                     within the hole.

                          "The next step is for you to learn to control the void. That is done
                     by you stepping into it and commanding it to follow you." Gel read off the
                     sheet. He looked up and said, "This part is completely up to you. If you
                     succeed in controlling it, you'll have full control. If you fail, you
                     disappear forever. There is no halfways. Only true masters of Hidden
                     Weapons can fully control it. Think of this as another test." Mousse took
                     a deep breath and stepped in.

                     ************************************************************************

                          Time seemed to stand still as Mousse floated in his new toy. He had
                     no idea which way was down. He was weightless. He was in complete darkness
                     and unsure of what to do next.

                          <How the heck do I do this?> Mousse thought. Seeing no other
                     alternatives, he decided to copy what Gel showed him with the TV. He
                     thought of a flat, grassy plain like he saw in Gel's world. He was
                     buffeted by high winds. He felt his glasses slip off in account of the
                     tremendous wind. The wind blasted him around for a few more seconds then
                     he suddenly found himself face to face with the ground.

                          He got up and looked around. It was still dark but he felt something
                     solid underneath him. He promptly emptied the contents of his stomach onto
                     it. Getting up, he wiped his mouth with a tissue from his robes and took
                     out another set of glasses.

                          <Now for the light.> He remembered the sun Gel had and it appeared in
                     the sky. It was so hot and so bright that Mousse immediately made it
                     disappear. He concentrated on making it exactly like the sun.

                          Eventually, the temperature got comfortable and the brightness
                     practically the same as the sun. He looked back at his surroundings and
                     saw that they were in black and white. There was nothing around for 50
                     meters. He was on a circular spot of ground covered with grass. He
                     concentrated again, thinking of the mountains and valleys of his homeland
                     and the circular spot became larger and spread out onto the horizon,
                     becoming hills and valleys as it went. Colour came to his surroundings and
                     Mousse took a good look around. At his feet were the glasses he had lost
                     while floating around. He placed it in his robes and took another look at
                     his world. It now looked exactly like Gel's world's rolling hills and
                     valleys except for Gel's changes.

                          "All in a day's work." Mousse said to the wind. He looked back to the
                     opening and stepped outside. <I can make it better later. I've got to
                     figure out who this guy is.>

                     ************************************************************************

                          When he stepped outside, he noticed that he sun had set, a second
                     later, fell over in agony, the pain causing his eyes to water. He tried
                     thinking what could have caused it but nothing came to mind. He felt
                     strong arms carry him up and towards Gel's hut before he lost
                     consciousness.

                     ************************************************************************

                          Mousse awoke to the smell of food cooking. It smelled like a dish
                     from the Nekohanten.

                          Gel came in and said, "Congratulations, you were able to make your
                     own new world."

                          Mousse nodded and tried to speak but nothing came out.

                          "You can't say anything for a little while. After making your world,
                     you lost touch with this one and coming back after the first time may mess
                     you up a bit. I guess it's the price of receiving such power." Gel said,
                     looking Mousse over like a doctor.

                          "The Black Hole can be used by anyone, but only people who have the
                     power of telekinesis can utilize it fully."

                          Mousse eyebrow twitched in question.

                          "I know that you have latent telekinetic powers. The fact that you're
                     so good at Hidden Weapons proves that. I want you to try and do what I
                     do."

                          Gel took out a throwing knife and threw it at a wall where it stuck
                     in halfway to the hilt. Gel raised his hand and it snapped out of the wall
                     and into his hand handle first. "I'm a natural at this. I have a good
                     feeling that you're a natural too." he commented. He put it back into his
                     void and said, "Let me go get dinner."

                          Mousse looked at the hole caused by Gel's knife. He took out his own
                     knife and threw it onto the wall.

                          <If he can do it, I can too.> He concentrated and tried making it
                     come to his hands. It didn't budge. Remembering what he did in his world,
                     he tried a different approach. The knife twitched and fell to the floor.
                     <C'mon, come to my hand.> he thought, reaching his hand out slightly.
                     Instead of jumping up to his hand, the knife merely slid on the floor and
                     stopped on the spot his hand was over. <Well didn't that suck.> Mousse
                     thought sadly.

                     ************************************************************************

                          Dinner was full of talk about the new techniques Mousse was learning.
                     He found out that when you combine well controlled telekinesis and the use
                     of the black void, you would become a very formidable opponent.

                          "You could move the void wherever you want, meaning that if you
                     stepped inside and made it move somewhere else, you had the power to
                     teleport. It can also be made invisible to the untrained eye. With
                     telekinesis, you could form a barrier to shield yourself from attacks. A
                     counter to ki attacks or projectiles is letting it go into your void and
                     turn it around so that it comes back towards the person who launched it."
                     Gel had said.

                           Mousse asked about being able to beat people up using telekinesis
                     alone. When Gel answered yes, Mousse immediately thought of the
                     possibilities that were being opened to him. He could easily take on Ranma
                     and anyone else he wanted to beat.

                          <A good test would be fighting Cologne or Happosai.> he thought.

                          Gel meanwhile looked at his excited student. <Mousse... you are my
                     only hope.>

                     ************************************************************************

                          Back at the Nekohanten, Shampoo slumped tiredly in her chair. She and
                     Cologne had just closed down the Nekohanten after a record breaking sales
                     rush. The thunderstorm was only the calm before the storm. As soon as it
                     had stopped, customers flooded in like a tsunami. Maybe the fact that
                     Ucchan's was closed for temporary renovations had also helped up that
                     record. Her whole body ached after waiting tables, cooking and making
                     deliveries all day. She couldn't understand why Mousse wasn't there,
                     leaving her and Cologne to work during one of the Nekohanten's busiest
                     days. If she wasn't as fit as she was, she would have probably fainted
                     from exhaustion hours ago.

                          <Mousse is dead when he comes back.> she thought fiercely.

                     ************************************************************************

                          Mousse lie awake in Gel's sofa-bed wondering what to do with his new
                     powers. He was well on his way to mastering his new techniques. In less
                     than a week's time, he felt would be able to return to Japan again to win
                     his love. Tomorrow brought the more advanced techniques of using the Black
                     hole and telekinesis. Why is Gel so confident about my abilities? Who is
                     he? How does he know so much about me and my situation? were just some of
                     the questions he had in his head.

                          He took out a watch and found that it was nearing midnight. Seeing
                     that he couldn't sleep, he decided to plan out his next moves, as he
                     always tried to do. As soon as he got back to Japan, he would challenge
                     Ranma. He would send out invitations to the fight to everyone he knew in
                     Japan so that everyone can see his final victory.

                          <It was going to be great. When I get Shampoo, I'll return to the
                     village and we'll get married. I'll be her husband and then...> He was
                     stunned at what he had finally realized. If he went back, he would be
                     treated like a lower form of being. He would lose all the standing he had
                     in Japan. In Japan, he found that both genders were guaranteed equal
                     rights. He had a say in the matter. His words could have some impact in
                     the conversation.

                          <What am I thinking? Of course I want to go home...> He couldn't
                     believe what he was thinking. Still Japan exposed him to other cultures
                     and opened his eyes to how large the world really was. Thinking back to
                     his life in the village, it seemed so confining compared to Japan. He
                     remembered that when he wasn't chasing Shampoo, he was treated like an
                     outcast. He could feel people staring at him as if he didn't belong there.
                     People grew quiet when he came around. He could still remember the time he
                     challenged Shampoo and got knocked into the trash.
 

                          **<Ohh, that hurt> Mousse thought. His world was spinning so he lay
                     still in the garbage heap. He was extremely lucky to land in a heap that
                     didn't smell too bad. He tried recollecting his thoughts to what happened.
                     <Cologne must have taught that move to Shampoo.>

                          "Hey, did you hear? The 'blind bat' challenged Shampoo again."

                          <That voice!> Mousse thought. <It could only be Blush and Soap.>

                          Mousse kept quiet as the voices approached.

                          "That fool tried to win Shampoo again? How long did it take for her
                     to beat him up again?" Blush asked.

                          "Only about 10 seconds." Soap answered. "Poor Shampoo. She has to
                     deal with that guy almost everyday."

                          "I hear ya." Blush agreed. "Hey, you ever wonder why he's still
                     here?"

                          "Cologne instructed everyone to be quiet about it. I wonder why she
                     did it." Soap trailed off. The two girls turned the corner and their
                     voices became indistinct.

                          <What was that all about?> Mousse asked himself.**
 

                          <I still haven't found out about what they were talking about.>
                     Mousse thought. He got up and walked over to the open window. <This is
                     nice...> he commented, looking at the stars feeling the wind gently blow
                     into the hut.

                     ************************************************************************

                          Gel walked into the living room where Mousse was sleeping on the sofa
                     bed. He hefted the water filled bucket he was carrying and splashed the
                     sleeping boy. Mousse was awakened instantly and tried jumping off the bed
                     to face his attacker. Unfortunately, he fell off, landing on his head,
                     making a big bump on his head.

                          "Time for more lessons." Gel announced in a loud voice and walked
                     outside.

                          Mousse dressed up as quicly as a half-awake person could and walked
                     outside. "Is that how you wake all your students?" he asked, his eyes
                     still not completely open.

                          "Actually, you're my first student." Gel admitted. He motioned to a
                     large tree and they sat down underneath it. "This isn't going to be a
                     physical lesson as much as a spiritual lesson." he said, looking at Mousse
                     as if he was transparent.

                          "Your eyesight is what causes you most problems, correct?" Mousse
                     nodded.

                          "There's a way to overcome that weakness but it will involve some
                     pain. Would you still like to continue?" Gel asked.

                          "What would you have to do?" Mousse asked, slightly concerned.

                          "I will have to make our minds join for a little while. It is
                     necessary to give you the Mind's eye to cure your problem." he said, his
                     eyes not quite focused on Mousse.

                          "Mind's eye?" Mousse asked, completely confused.

                          "Very few people have that power. It allows you to see better than
                     anyone in the world. It allows you to see more than a normal person's
                     eyes. With it, you could be watching something happening on the other side
                     of the world as if you were really there." Gel said.

                          "That kinda sounds a lot like what TV's are for." Mousse said,
                     getting even more confused than before.

                          "It's better than TV, I assure you. No installation fee or rental fee
                     for the box." Gel joked.

                          Mousse didn't laugh, he was still confused.

                          "Would you like a demonstration?" Gel asked.

                          Mousse nodded.

                          "You might want to take your glasses off." said Gel.

                          Once Mousse took off his glasses, Gel moved closer and touched his
                     hand to Mousse' face in something like a Vulcan Mind Meld. Mousse jumped
                     back instinctively at what he saw. He saw images of things happening
                     around the world and beyond. He saw Ranma getting booted into the koi
                     pond, Shampoo on her delivery, American astronauts in a space shuttle,
                     people fighting in a war, a family having a picnic, people in dark rooms
                     making multi-billion dollar deals, aliens conversing in an alien language,
                     the latest Playboy photo shoot...

                          Gel sat back and looked as Mousse sat, trying to understand what had
                     just happened. "So, with this power, you can see everything?"

                          "Practically." Gel said, eyes focused on Mousse for the first time
                     that day.

                          Mousse silently thought of the possibilities of it all.

                          Gel broke the silence by asking, "Do you want me to give it to you?"

                          Mousse nodded but asked, "You mean you can't learn it?"

                          Gel sighed and said, "Unfortunately, no. It must be given to you. It
                     has only once happened that a person was born with it. When I give it to
                     you, I will lose the power. Would you still like to continue?"

                          Mousse nodded and said, "Why are you doing this for me?"

                          Silence followed for a minute before Gel finally said, "For a better
                     future." Gel quickly place his hands on Mousse's temples and closed his
                     eyes. Mousse couldn't even get a startled gasp when the pain flew through
                     his body. It felt like his head was being pounded by sledgehammers at
                     amaguriken speed. The pain subsided and he saw Gel slumped over him,
                     breathing hard. He moved to put Gel back in his seat when Gel's mask fell
                     off revealing the man behind the mask.

                     End Part 1

                     C&C? Send 'em to mabli@idirect.com

                     Author's Notes: Mousse is probably my favourite character and I think it's
                     about time for him to have a couple adventures.
                     I know it seems as if he's learning these powers without any price at all
                     but remember Uncle Ben's favourite words, "With great power comes great
                     responsibility."
                     But then of course, you should also remember the quote, "Power corrupts,
                     but absolute power corrupts absolutely."
                     Tim Taylor, "MORE POWER!!!!!"

                     --
                    Mark Ferrer

A Different Brand of Mousse #2