Ryouga stared at the ceiling, trying to understand how he ended up in another world. It had started off as a normal day, with him leaving the Tendo Dojo to go find Akane, who had gone to school. He had bumped into Mousse, who had been trying to escape Cologne for a while, had started walking with him, talking and not paying any particular attention where they were going ... and ended up here. They had split up to look for familiar landmarks, leading to Ryouga getting even more lost to be eventually found by Washu and Sasami.
"I wonder where Mousse is ..." Ryouga wondered, eyes tracing over the patterns in the wood ceiling.
"I'm right here." Ryouga jumped up from his bed, whirling around to look towards the window. Mousse was perched on the windowsill, a grappling hook hanging from his right hand. "Though I am still not sure where 'here' is." He calmly began to wind up the rope attached to the grappling hook.
"According to Washu, the one who lead me here, we're in another world." A brief pause in the smooth motion of the rope was Ryouga's only answer.
"I knew that already. I have known since we first set step here. Although I could not put it to words until you said that." Mousse's voice was soft, calm, unruffled. Ryouga slammed his fist down onto the table next to the bed, annoyance showing quite clearly. "And just how did you manage to know that?!?"
"I could tell where you were in this castle by both sound and scent. As to how I knew we were in another world ... It felt like I had come home, moreso than the Amazon Village, and yet I knew, also, that only part of me truly belonged here." A look of fear crossed Mousse's face as something began to throb on his forehead, his hand reaching up to push his bangs back, his voice shaking. "Ryouga, what is this upon my forehead?"
Ryouga didn't answer, staring in mute astonishment, as well as fear, at the triangular symbol being traced, over and over, by Mousse's fingers.
"Well, I'm not quite sure as to what it is. By similarities to other symbols in the history of the Earth, it can be many things. A ward, a sealing spell, or a curse are the most common matches of the symbols." Washu leaned back, a considering look upon her face. She placed a hand underneath Mousse's chin, tilting his head gently. "And none of them were ever engraved in the form of tattoos that seem to be glass beneath the skin. I wonder why it has such a metallic look to it in places ..."
Mousse blinked, his eyes for once clearly seen as his glasses were on a table nearby. Even to Gourry, who watched from nearby, could tell that something was wrong with the boys' eyes, that they were continuously trying to focus enough to see, continuously missing that point that would allow Mousse to see without his glasses.
"As to your eyes, there's something rather odd about their build ... " Washu fell silent, considering, her head resting upon her chin as her eyes scanned the screen which displayed the data from her tests. "It's almost as if ..."
"As if what, Miss Washu?" Mousse asked politely, looking towards a spot on the wall in Washu's rough direction.
"I'm over here. It's almost as if your eyes are designed to work with a third one for sight. But, where that third eye would have to be, you've got that symbol upon your forehead." Mousse stared in shock, an expression that was mirrored on Gourry, Ryoko, and Ryouga's faces. No, correction. On Ryoko and Ryouga's faces. Gourry had fallen asleep and was snoring softly from his spot on the floor. Washu tapped the side of her face with a finger, looking thoughtful. "Are you positive that both of your parents were human?"
"No." Mousse looked at the floor, easy thing to do as it was obviously below him. A look of subtle horror began to grow upon his face. "I was raised by the village, and I don't remember either my mother or my father. No one was willing to tell me anything about them, only that my mother had been a 'strange one' and never mentioned my father at all, except to call him 'the demon' and would quickly hush afterwards ... "
Washu sighed, shaking her head. "Well, I can tell you this. I'd need to visit my lab to get definite results, but there's more than human DNA in your makeup." A look of pity briefly crossed her face as Mousse dropped his face in his hands. "I'm sorry that you have to find this out from me."
Mousse's voice was muffled and strained, as if he was on the verge of tears. "It'll all right.... I hope."
Part 6 | Fanfiction