**Disclaimer: Refer to Episode 1**

Episode 2: Karma's Younger Sister, Lady Luck

It's a typical Red Shoe Sunday at the Nekohanten for Shampoo and Cologne. Mindless chatter and over-exaggerated slurps fill the restaurant, as Shampoo heads out for her usual round of deliveries.

"Don't damage any houses this time," Cologne chuckles.

"Then tell all man customer NO HAPPY ENDING!" Shampoo storms off on her signature bicycle with annoyance clearly painted all over her face.

As Ranma turns the corner, he notices a blur of purple and red growing faint in the distance. Feeling a huge sense of relief wash over him, Ranma takes a moment to thank everything that's holy.

*door chimes*

"Hey Old Ghoul! We need to talk!" Ranma calls out to Cologne and takes a seat.

"What did you call me boy?!"

A bundle of green onions barely miss the left side of young Saotome's face and drill into the wall behind him. His eyebrows raise at the feat.

"Make yourself useful child and bring me those onions." Cologne instructs.

"Her strength's as scary as her face," Ranma mumbles to himself as he tugs the bunch from the wall.

After some nervous laughter, Ranma finds himself in the kitchen admiring Cologne's cutting techniques and wishing she'd offer Akane a few lessons.

"Now what was it you came to talk to me about, Sonny Boy?" Cologne carries on, snapping Ranma out of his stupor.

Like a reflex, his hand goes to the back of his head. "Heh heh heh...well...uh...Na-"

"HERE." She hands him a freshly made batch of extra spicy curry ramen. Ranma graciously accepts it. "Take that to the customer sitting across from the door. Then, check around outside for Mousse...he's late with our supplies for the dinner rush." She uses her cane to push a tea kettle towards him as well. "Just in case the idiot needs it."

With a loud protest from Ranma's belly, he grabs the kettle with his free hand and reluctantly complies. Across from the door, Ranma sees a boy in an all-green bodysuit patiently waiting for his order. Those are the thickest eyebrows I've ever seen...he thinks in awe. The boy thanks him and excitedly goes on about some kind of spring time of youth or something. Slightly confused, Ranma politely smiles, nods, and pulls away toward the door.


Outside, Ranma checks the street for any signs of Mousse.

To his right: a few pedestrians. To his left: a very scared elder lady being chased by a white duck with some serious bifocals.

As he approaches the scene, Ranma realizes Mousse's miserable attempt to guard his fallen groceries. Ranma jogs over to the lady and reassures her safety. "Don't worry 'bout that dumb duck," he chimes with a huge grin. "He's probably just angry 'cuz his owner's a moron. That idiot probably went off to go play with more training toilets and forgot all about him!"

"...Oh dear...," she manages to whimper. The duck, now calmer but obviously affected by recent remarks, waddles over toward the pair. The lady stammers on. "...I-I've never seen a duck wear glasses before..."

"Yeah, you'd think, being a bird and all, he'd have better eyesigh- OWWW!" Mousse jabs his bill hard into Ranma's shin. "What the hell's that for?" Ranma throws a punch, but the duck dodges. With the elder woman steadying herself, Ranma brings his attention back to her. "I'll take care of this guy here. If not, I know a few restaurants that will." He keeps grinning and waves her goodbye. Now, for that duck...

"Hey moron! I brought this just for you!" Ranma yells, as he demonstrates the perfect throw.

*! #$*

Bull's eye. The tea kettle crashes into the back of Mousse's head and instantly changes him back to his human form. "Bastard! How dare you- What? What now?" Mousse breaks, as he notices Ranma forcefully turn his head away from him.

"I told ya I ain't into fightin' naked dudes. Put some clothes on, man." Ranma drops to a knee and focuses on gathering up the grocery bags. In one of the bags, Ranma notices a seemingly ancient gold mirror. "What's this ya got?" He holds it up and looks it over.

Mousse snatches the mirror out of his hands. "Nothing of your concern, Saotome. As an enemy to women, I could only imagine the foul ways you'd use this." At least 10 different scenarios of Ranma using the mirror to look up skirts flash in Mousse's mind.

"Whatever. It's just a stupid ol' mirror anyways." Ranma scoffs. He strikes the irritation nerve in Mousse, knowing he'd go for the bait.

"Fool. You have no idea what this mirror is capable of. It can take you anywhere you want to go!" A malicious stroke of genius comes to him, while Ranma's interests pique. "Actually...the shop owner says it can even teleport you to different times and lands..."

Ranma goes for the mirror and misses. "Aww man c'mon! I'm sure I could find us a cure with that thing!"

Excellent...I can rid you once and for all, Saotome. Shampoo will be mine with you gone! Mousse stifles a chuckle at the thought. "Well...if you feel THAT strongly about it..."

"OF COURSE I DO MORON! Lemme see it!" Mousse hands over the mirror. "How the heck do ya make this thing work anyways?" Ranma studies the mirror more intently.

"Well...I don't know." Mousse clears his throat and adjusts his glasses, as Ranma recovers from a hardcore face-fault. Mousse carries on, "I haven't done it yet. BUT, the shop owner did say to focus on a place you really want to be. Once you can visualize it, then the mirror should start lighting up. She said it would look like it's blinking. I guess at that time you just tell it where you want to go."

Hmmmm...Hell, I don't know. Maybe a place where magic is pretty common and all. It wouldn't hurt to have tons of tasty food there either! While Ranma muses in his head, the mirror begins to blink faintly making Mousse a little uneasy. "I GOT IT!"

"Whoa, h-hold on there, Sao-" Mousse tries to interject, but it falls on deaf ears.

"I gotta go to like...super ancient Jusenkyo!" Never once feeling the vibrations from the mirror, Ranma makes his declaration without realizing it.

*bing* In an instant, Ranma Saotome, heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, suddenly teleports to his new destination.

Meanwhile, Mousse stands dumbfounded and not quite sure how to feel about this yet. Stupid Saotome. Of course, you would dive right in without thinking it through. He curses under his breath, as two thoughts keep recurring in his mind: if I take any longer, Cologne is gonna kill me, and if the girls find out what happened to Ranma, they're gonna kill me.

fin Ep. 2