Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Personal Assistant to Love ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Kodachi waited in front of her school for a boy to pick her up and escort her home, secretly this had always been a fantasy of hers; for her school mates to see her in the company of a handsome man and feel envious of her. She proudly told all who asked her who she was waiting for, that she was expecting a boy to pick her up. She actually did get some stares of envy until Aoi said snidely “that would be the long haired guy you hired to be your PA?”

 

Kodachi blushed to be caught in a lie before her friends “he's more then just that, he's also my friend” she said hotly.

 

“Oh are you always so excited to see your domestic help? Exactly what sort of friends might you be?” she asked sweetly, implying to everyone that Mousse was a gigolo.

 

“The sort of friend you can count on in a battle, he's a martial artist like me and a powerful one at that. He's the sort of friend who would defend his allies to the death, not a bedmate as you're implying. Unlike you I'm saving myself for marriage. From what I've heard of your reputation, you've been married several times” Kodachi said primly, making Aoi blush.

 

“Why you.....” she cried.

 

“Now, now according the rules of St. Bacchus you must behave like a lady at all times” Kodachi reminded her. “Oh hello Mu Tzu” she said when she realized that he was standing beside her. He was frowning at Aoi and she wondered how much he'd heard. “Everyone, I would like you to meet Mu Tzu my PA, he's a student of Furinkan High where my brother goes to school” she explained.

 

Mousse blushed when all the girls scrutinized him with appreciation and wondered aloud where they could get an employee who looked like him. To cover up his embarrassment, he recited to Kodachi's updates for her upcoming birthday party and appointments that she personally had to attend. She'd been expecting Mousse to become her PA on a token basis, but he had proved to be good at his job. He had a knack for talking to people and kept files on them about personal facts, preferences and family members and had memorized all of these. He made everyone feel special from the lowest doorman to CEO's of companies. Several of Kodachi `people' had admitted to her that they wished that he was ten years older, both males and females.

 

“Sounds like you do make an adequate PA after all, perhaps you'd like to come work for me?” Aoi commented. “I can give you a better salary then what the Kunos' are offering you, my family has more money” she said snidely. Kodachi gasped internally at the outrage, but allowed nothing to show on the surface.

 

He smiled politely at her, disliking how she was speaking about Kodachi “thanks, but I am being paid quite enough and am happy with my current situation. Miss Kodachi perhaps we should get going? Thank you for the job offer, but it isn't necessary. I work only for those who I like” Mousse said quietly.

 

“How dare you” she hissed.

 

“I'm sorry but I must escort Miss Kodachi home, pleasure to meet you Megumi-san” he said bowed, offering Kodachi his arm. Tittering slightly she took it and marched off with him.

 

“I take it you're not a fan of Aoi?” she asked in amusement when they were out of earshot.

 

“As your employee, I wasn't too impressed with her attitude. As your friend; she's a bitch” Mousse replied and Kodachi laughed, a natural laugh, not her normal fingernail-on-the-blackboard one. The day was beautiful and they found themselves walking aimlessly, as if delaying going home. She asked him about his day and he told her about the people he'd met and how he was learning new things and how he wanted to do independent study to catch up with the year he missed. “I can help you” she offered.

 

“You would?” he asked.

 

“Of course, our two schools teach similar lesson plans, so we can go over what you don't know” she said. “Where are we?” she asked when she realized that she'd been so absorbed in their conversation that she hadn't look where they were going. She blushed when she realized that she was holding onto his arm and resting her head on his shoulder as they strolled. She quickly detached herself and wondered when that had happened.

 

“I hope you don't mind the slight detour? I normally feed my comrades this time of day” Mousse replied, pulling out the loaf of day old bread that his friend normally put aside for him.

 

“Comrades?” she asked glancing around until she spotted the white ducks in the manmade pond of the park they were in. They all looked happy to see Mousse and were lingering close to where they were. “Oh you feed ducks, I haven't done that in ages” she said.

 

“Us water fowl have to stick together” he said handing her some bread. She laughed as she tried to throw it to the skinnier ones, until Mousse showed her how they would eat out of her hand. It reminded her of feeding her own pet, so it was sad but fun at the same time. The comical ducks squabbled over the bread and then swam away to an old man on the other side of the pond when the food ran out.

 

“Fickle creatures, can you communicate with other ducks when you are one?” she asked having a seat on the bank, in no hurry to get home.

 

“Yes but they aren't that interesting to talk to, their thoughts are usually about eating, sleeping, swimming and........er, having their eggs fertilized so that they came have baby ducks” he said, sitting beside her.

 

“What's it like being in animal form?” she asked.

 

Mousse frowned, no one had ever cared enough to ask him that “it's weird, you still have your human intelligence and have to depend on someone who knows about your curse to change you back or knowing how to find hot water. You try to tell someone but all that comes out of your mouth `quack, quack'. To normal pedestrians you are simply a normal duck who could possibly become dinner. I've had had nightmares about that or being trapped in duck form” he admitted.

 

“Have you ever been?” she asked.

 

“Sometimes Shampoo would lock me in a cage overnight, it was horrible. You could feel the two different brains fighting for dominance. I'm sure that if I was trapped for more then a month that that I would lose my sanity and just become a normal duck. But hey, Shampoo never meant anything by it, it was just harmless fun” he said pulling himself out of his mood. He couldn't believe that he just had told his biggest fear to someone. He'd known Shampoo for fourteen years and had never told that to her!

 

“I'll bet” Kodachi said. “Mousse, I hope you don't mind me suggesting this, but perhaps we should get you micro chipped? I don't mean that you would become my pet, but I would be able to find you and help you in either form. I know a vet who would do it” she offered.

 

“I will if you will” he challenged with a twinkle in his eye.

 

“Done” she said to his surprise. “You want to watch out for me?” she asked with a blush.

 

“That's part of my job. But no following me when I go back to China” he said.

 

“You plan to go back?” she asked, wondering why this made her feel so sad.

 

“Eventually I'll have to, as the only male in my family I'm expected to take a wife and have an heir to carry on my family name” he said, this made him feel sad too.

 

“There's tons of a girl in Japan” she pointed out.

 

“As if a Japanese girl would want me?” Mousse scoffed.

 

“Why not, you're respectful of women, attractive, funny and intelligent, why with the right education you could really go places. Besides your eyes have already been evaluated and you make a good candidate for laser surgery, we just have to wait for the specialist from America to get here to do the operation” she said in encouragement. “What do you want to do with your life?” she asked him.

 

Mousse blushed at the praise “promise not to laugh?” he asked hesitantly.

 

“Of course not” she said.

 

“I like finding old computer towers on the curb and rebuilding them, I've even learned basic wiring. I would like to get into computer science. How about you?” he asked.

 

“I want to be a chemistry scientist, I have a fairly decent grasp of how to use poisonous plants in healing” she admitted.

 

Mousse laughed, she looked at him sharply to see if he was mocking her; he wasn't “I could see that; you make a mean paralysis powder” he mused.

 

“That food was meant for Ranma!” she protested and her laughter joined his; he liked her natural laugh.

 

She stood up, “I don't want to go home yet. Could you please show me more things you enjoy?” she asked him.

 

“Sure” he said and offered her his arm again. He showed her a tiny Chinese store that sold a favourite drink of his that he grew up with and bought her one, she liked it. He showed her the Chinese market and they wandered around while he told her amusing stories about circus life. Plenty of girls had been after him as he had been a headliner. He told her about life in his village and his favourite festivals. He showed her his favourite his views and just to be nerdy, introduced her to the guys that ran his favourite computer shop where he got parts cheap. At the end of their walk, it was getting quite late and both of them quite hungry.

 

Kodachi blushed when her stomach rumbled “I see you're hungry too” Mousse said in amusement.

 

“A little” she said primly.

 

“Ukyou invited me to have okonomiyaki on the house at her restaurant some evening this week, that's closer then your mansion. Why not just go there?” he suggested.

 

Kuno wasn't surprised to get the call from Kodachi saying that they wouldn't be home for dinner. Instead he ate with Sasuke. “Miss Kodachi seems quite taken with Mr. Mu” he observed.

 

“Indeed” Kuno commented, his eyes riveted to the monitor where Nabiki was eating udon noodles, he pretended that he was eating dinner with her.

 

“It's good to see her happy again, after Ranma she seemed so down” Sasuke said.

 

“A new person to focus you attentions on is normally all that it takes to lifts one's spirits” Kuno said, Nabiki seemed to be looking directly at the camera and toasting someone. Automatically, Kuno pretended to toasted her back with his tea; he nearly spit it out when she seemed to wink at him.

 

Ukyou was having a slow night when Mousse and Kodachi walked into her restaurant and sat at the grill with her. She wasn't surprised to see Mousse, but seeing him with Kodachi was a little strange. Normally when the snobby St. Bacchus girls went `slumming' they went to restaurants like Ucchans but would never deign to sit at the grill! “Hi Kodachi, we got wandering and hungry, mind if I take you up on your offer from today?” Mousse asked.

 

“Of course not” she said.

 

She was surprised when Kodachi bowed and said “I hope you don't mind that I'm joining his invitation, I insist on paying”

 

“No, any friend of Mousse's doesn't pay. What can I get you?” she said, recovering her shock that Kodachi would humble herself before her. She wasn't acting like herself. Where was her semi-sarcastic way of talking down to people?

 

“Two deluxes” Mousse ordered. Ukyou kept on furtively studying the people in front of her; she had to admit that they looked visually stunning together with their darkly, pale good looks. She was surprised how normal Kodachi seemed as they ohed and awed over the Japanese pizzas that she served them. Especially when Kodachi got sauce on her face and Mousse laughingly brushed it off with a napkin for her. It reminded her of how Ranma and Akane had been when they first started to fall in love.......

 

When they were done, Mousse said “two more please”

 

“Wait a minute; I have to watch your girlish figure!” Kodachi protested.

 

“I found your junk food drawer, you can eat whatever you want just like me” he said.

 

“How? I hid it so far back in the pantry” she protested.

 

“I have my ways” he said mysteriously.

 

Ukyou braced herself for Kodachi's grating laugh and was surprised when it was almost a tinkling laugh. “Two more coming up” she said, liking the affect that Mousse was having on her and grudgingly Ukyou was starting to like the gymnast too. Especially when Ukyou found more then enough yen under her plate to cover the cost of their food, plus a generous tip.

 

Kodachi almost hated getting home after such a pleasant evening spent with Mousse; she was going to suggest that they do their homework together and have some tea before bed when Mousse learned that a package had arrived from China for him. He hastily excused himself to go to his room. Kodachi followed at a more sedate pace and then turned on the monitor. She didn't watch Mousse voyeuristically much those days as it felt wrong for some odd reason. She wanted him eagerly tear into the package and read a letter.

 

Mousse's face showed confusion when he saw that the package from Shampoo contained all of the unopened letters that he's sent to her, bound by a ribbon, with a single letter to accompany them. He opened it and read it; it read:

 

Dear Mousse,

 

Please stop writing to my wife, I know that she's an old friend of yours but it's inappropriate that you write to a married woman. We've talked this over and we're both asking you to stop. She feels bad about how she treated you in Nerima and hopes that we can all be friends some day.

 

Please Mousse, its time that you moved on. Find yourself another girl, you're a good looking guy and plenty of them would have you. Let Shampoo go for all of our sakes, not only are we married, but have just learned that she's pregnant with our first child.

 

I'm not trying to be cruel; you have to understand that Shampoo's gone.

 

Ryoga.

 

Mousse dropped the letter, fell onto his bed and bawled like a baby amidst the unread letters containing his hopes and dreams. Finally he fell asleep, vowing never to love again as his heart tore in two.

 

Kodachi used the secret entrance to let herself into his room and with the stealth that Sasuke had taught her, she approached the bed soundlessly and picked up the letter from Ryoga. She frowned when she read it and then looked at letters that Mousse lay upon and realized what they were; love declaration to another woman She gently stroked his soft hair and whispered “I'll always be here for you, whether you want me to or not.” She kissed him softly on the lips, stealing his first kiss. She was gone before he woke up. He sat up in confusion, wondering why he'd felt that someone had tried to comfort him in his sleep.