"Mulder no baka"

by Nancy

Fandom: Ranma/x-files cross over

Rated: nc-17 (for the agents) Ranma/Ryoga Mulder/Krycek

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, not matter how much I beg. Ranma & cia belong to Rumiko Takahashi, and x-files to CC 1013 and Fox.

Summary: Agent Krycek fell into a cursed spring, turning himself into a dog and with the help of Ranma and Ryoga they search for the cure, the Spring of Drowned Man.

Kind of X-files AU, Mulder and Krycek are still partners and the betray never happened (and never will) It's not really necessary Ranma knowledge

"Mulder No Baka"
by Nancy

The night was so dark that they had to use flashlights, the mud underfoot rising to their ankles and annoying Agent Krycek. They should have been in Nebraska, trying to catch some idiot farmer who had hacked into some government files, probably by mistake. But no, Mulder had arranged for some friends of his to do that case, deciding that a trip to China was a better idea. Before long, they were in Jusenkyo, looking for proof of extraterrestrial life. Mulder had read
that mysterious lights had been seen in the region, leading him to further research. It seemed that a lot of people had gone missing from the area.

His interest sparked, Mulder had dragged his young partner across the ocean. As usual, Krycek had been unable to say no to his hazel eyes and that damn pout. The worst part was that Mulder was consciously aware of Krycek's weakness, and used it every time he wanted
something.

But, what the hell, Krycek didn't have a problem with walking in mud, or illegally breaking into some swamp at three o'clock in the morning, in a foreign country whose language he didn't even speak. Not if that meant another moment like the one he had shared with Mulder in the airplane. A moment of full lips, so near his own, of the sweet smell of the senior Agent's breath on his cheeks. The perfect white teeth and the tongue wetting that full lower lip were a dream, the older man teasing him mercilessly.

It seemed as though they had been playing that teasing game forever, although it had really only been since the start of their partnership. Two weeks ago, however, it had slid out of control and even Scully grew weary of stopping their playful grabs during meetings with Skinner.

Krycek was frustrated and wanted to take the final step, but he had decided to leave the first move to Mulder, who was enjoying their little intercourse too much to do so yet. He hoped that Mulder wouldn't take much longer and had hoped that the trip to Nebraska might have been his chance. After all, Mulder had been right that there was no real case, leaving plenty of free time for sex.

But no, instead they were hunting aliens in this dark, sightless place.

//Why can't aliens appear in a sunny place and during daylight, for God's sake, or do anything useful for that matter?//

Despite everything, however, it felt good to be pressed to the tight body beside him. Mulder must have been doing some working out. His body was firm and the loose suit felt rough in a sexy sort of way when he touched it, feeling the muscles of Mulder's back at the same time.

Mulder turned his head to give his partner his what-are-you-doing glare, but Krycek remained unconcerned. This was another one of their games, so he slowly ran his hand over the tailored jacket.

"Nice." He lowered his voice in the way he knew drove Mulder crazy during their phone sessions.

"Yeah. It's a nice suit."

Krycek feigned a confused look, batting his eyelashes. "What suit?" It was too obvious, but maybe the other man needed a push.

Mulder smiled widely, continuing their game. He had been so near to kissing Krycek in the airplane, but a waitress had been looking at his green-eyed partner and he had chickened out, even though he had really wanted that kiss, and to say "mine" to everyone who lusted after
Krycek to no avail.

Mulder knew he was scared: scared of what the man could do to his head. One look of the piercing eyes, one soft whispered word, and he forgot everything that had been important to him a minute earlier, just as now the alien hunt was completely forgotten.

"Mine, obviously." Mulder grabbed Krycek's cheap tie, brushing his nipples with his knuckles at the same time and making him shiver with pleasure.

"Well, yours is in pretty bad shape right now."

Mulder looked at his suit and had to agree with his partner, whose own suit was amazingly only dirty from toe to knee. He couldn't let it stay that way. If the senior agent was dirty, it was the junior agent's duty to be dirtier.

Still holding onto his tie, Mulder gave Krycek a little push, just enough to make him fall, muddying his suit and, maybe after, leading to a little mud wrestling. But something went wrong and, with the ground underfoot so wet, Krycek slipped over a rock and fell into a pond of water.

Worried by the sound of a splash, Mulder called his partner but there was no answer. He pulled out his flashlight and started looking.

"Alex!" He was shouting by the time that he found a little creek. He was seriously thinking about jumping into the water when some bubbles came into view.

"Thank God."

Mulder's mouth was open but no words were spoken as a large Siberian shepherd dog emerged from the creek, leaving behind a wet dark blue suit and knotted tie. The dog looked Mulder right in the eyes with very familiar green ones.

//What a... green eyes? Alex?//

"Oh no, another curse. Bad luck, bad luck..." Mulder looked, amazed, at the new man, who was dressed in green pajamas covered in little red stars. He seemed to have appeared from nowhere and was moving without trouble through the awful, dark night, as though he had been born in the swamp.

He had.

"Very sad story. Siberian dog drowned 10,000 years ago, now poor dog man" The man shook his head pityingly.

"Wait, I don't understand. Who are you? What's going on?" Mulder wasn't sure of anything anymore.

"I'm the Guide of Jusenkyo. Now, come with me. Let's return the man to his human state."

Mulder opened his mouth but no words were formed. "Human state?" He was not making a very good impression. It was as though all of his intelligence had drowned along with Krycek.

The Guide looked at him blankly and just motioned for Mulder to follow him. The dog followed.

Krycek couldn't believe what had happened. How was he supposed to live now? How could something be so good one second and totally awful the next?

He was a dog.

***

"What happened?" asked the boy waiting for them in the Guide's house. He wore a yellow and black bandana around his forehead and had obviously been sleeping.

"Another course, big man too silly, fall in Siberian spring."

Krycek barked his disapproval of the man's words.

Ryoga looked at the dog and smiled, showing his small teeth as he patted its head. "Don't worry, he's gone to get some hot water. It could be worse, you know." The green eyes didn't seem to believe him, so Ryoga whispered his horrible secret. "I'm a pig."

Mulder couldn't help but laugh. "Look, boy, we're not interested in your habits. You're a pig? That's your problem."

The boy looked hurt by his last remark.

Mulder tried to apologize. "I'm sorry..."

"I'm not 'boy'. My name's Ryoga, and becoming a pig is my curse. It was all Ranma's fault anyway, that baka."

The Guide returned with the hot water and threw it over the dog. In front of amazed hazel eyes, he transformed back into Mulder's partner: the same eyes, the same familiar body. Mulder didn't think, running straight into Alex's arms and embracing him tightly.

Krycek was happy too, thinking that it was over and that he was a man again forever. He could just put the experience in an X-file before forgetting the whole episode.

The Guide coughed and handed the hugging men Krycek's clothes. Mulder turned red, feeling the naked body pressed against him. Hopelessly, he looked to one side and found Ryoga looking at his partner, a blush on his face. Ashamed, his honey-brown eyes found another - less naked - spot.

"What was that?" Krycek asked, putting on his shoes.

"I'll explain it for you, sir..."

"I'm Alex, Agent Alex Krycek, FBI, and this is Agent Mulder." Mulder snarled his dislike of the boy. "And you are Ryoga, right?"

"Right." Ryoga blushed deeper and shook the proffered hand. "It's the Jusenkyio curse. Each spring has its own curse. According to the Guide, if you fall in the Siberian one, every time cold water touches you, you'll become a dog. Then, with hot water, you'll revert to your original form. Sorry."

Alex dropped his head in his hands. He had been so sure that everything was going to be fine, but no, nothing had changed. Recognition passed through his head. "And your curse is to become a pig?" Now the words had a new meaning.

"Yes." His voice was barely a whisper.

Mulder was exerting great self-control, although he was dying to ask whether the phenomenon had been caused by alien influence, as well as what the change felt like and whether they were conscious in their animal state. He stopped his random thoughts, feeling guilty. After all, he had pushed Krycek into the creek. "Is there any way to retract the curse, a solution?"

"That's why I'm here," Ryoga answered. "The spring of the drowned man can make you a whole man again."

"Let's go there!" Alex jumped up happily.//Yes! There's a cure!//

The honey eyes looked sadly at him. "Unfortunately, the spring dried up."

"We have no idea why it occurred, or how," the Guide interrupted him. "But by the time Ryoga arrived in China, it had dried. It happened after some strange lights were seen in the area."

"That's why we're here," Mulder explained. "Do you know if the lights were extraterrestrial?"

"Sorry, but we have no idea. I know there was an ancient legend, but it was written in a very old Chinese magic book, which is now lost."

A guttural groan issued from Alex's lips. "So I'm gonna be a dog forever."

***

The Guide let them spend the night. Krycek throw himself on the futon and groaned.

"Are you okay?"

It was better if he didn't answer. "I'm just tired, Mulder."

"I was thinking, you know, if we're going to find that book so we can heal you, I'd better call Skinner to explain the situation and then..."

"Mulder, stop. How are we going to explain why we're in China? Besides, if you call saying that I'm a dog he's going to think that you've finally lost it."

"Look!" He punched the bed. "I can't just sit here and do nothing. This is my fault. *I* threw you in that spring. *I* dragged you to China."

A little hurt, Krycek wondered why Mulder couldn't shut up and stop the guilt trip. After all, he was the one suffering from the consequences, not the senior agent. He tried to appease the older man. "This isn't your fault, it's fate. Ok? Now, let me sleep."

"But..."

"No."

Mulder sighed and let his actions provide some assistance, taking his partner's face in his hands and smoothly kissing his lips. "I'm sorry."

They slept together, curled around each other.

***

When they emerged in the morning, Ryoga was eating like a starving man, a hopeful smile showing his teeth as he winked at Alex. "Hi," he said with his mouth full.

"Hi Ryoga. Why are you so happy?"

"He probably has a circus job." Mulder didn't know why, but the boy gave him a bad feeling.

"Remember the legend? I know a very old Chinese woman who is a magician. She trained me for some time, and I'm sure she would know about the lost book."

"You sure?"

The cross-legged boy nodded happily. "She's the grandma of one of Ranma's iinazuke, so if you and I go to Nerima..."

"Wait." Mulder interrupted the boy. "If we decide to go, it will be the three of us."

"Okay." Ryoga seemed a little disappointed. "If we go to Nerima, we can ask for her help. She'll probably add some weird condition but..." He shrugged.

***

They left that morning. It was supposed to be an easy journey from China to Japan, the trip taking them three days. Ryoga often lost the way, however, turning in the wrong direction every time. Once they actually found themselves back in Jusenkyo. Mulder came *so* close to breaking the boy's neck, but luckily Ryoga found the address on a piece of paper and they were able to buy a map. Mulder navigated, after Ryoga admitted that some people called him 'Lost Boy'. Luckily, he never revealed that sometimes he couldn't even find his way inside a house.

"It's this way, boy," Mulder said again, tired of his companion's ridiculous sense of direction. One time Ryoga had actually left the road and started walking through the surrounding forest, although Nerima was straight ahead.

"Yes, I know," Ryoga lied. "I'm sure the restaurant is nearby."

"Tell me again. This woman, Cologne, she'll tell us where to find the good spring, right?

"I've already told you." The Lost Boy shook his head, annoyed. He didn't know why Mulder was so obtuse. After all, he was a FBI agent, but the questions he had been asking on the road were children's questions about the curse: how it felt, whether they were conscious during the change and things like that. He was obviously annoying his companion, who rolled his eyes at every question.

"Hey, P-chan," a voice called from the distance.

"Where? Where is he?" a female voice asked. "That's not P-chan, you baka! It's just Ryoga."

//Are you disappointed that's only my human form, Akane?//

The three men looked at the two silhouettes drawing closer; a raven-haired girl in a school uniform and a taller, pig-tailed boy, who wore a Chinese outfit and glared distrustfully at the two agents.

"This is Agent Mulder and he's Alex. She's Akane." He turned and pointed to the girl. "And he's Ranma."

The four of them greeted each other politely, but Ranma still eyed the men suspiciously. "You brought two men to try to beat me? That's low, even for you, Ryoga."

Ryoga snarled. "I don't need anyone to beat you. I can do that by myself." Ryoga took a fighting stance, grabbing his red umbrella and screaming, like always, "prepare to die, Saotome!"

Ranma took on a fighting position himself, cursing his big mouth. Everything had been fine, they had been behaving like human beings for once, but he had to open his mouth and ruin everything with his macho talk.

"Stop," Akane said loudly, hitting Ranma in the head when he stared blankly at her. "What are you doing here, Ryoga? You didn't come to fight, did you? That's old history. Sure, he left the arranged fighting place, but you were four days late! I think it's time for you two to get over this."

"You were four days late to your appointment?" Mulder asked in disbelief, amazed at the boy's foolishness.

"Want to know the worst part?" Ranma began in a conspiratorial tone. "The appointment was in his back yard, and he was still lost for four days"

Akane's mallet ended Ranma's laugh when it collided with his back. "That's not very nice of you."

"Uncute tomboy," he muttered under his breath.

Ryoga pouted and hid his head. "Well that's none of your business and I didn't come here to fight, anyway." He turned his honey-colored eyes to the dark haired agent. "We're here to see Cologne."

This time Ranma closed his mouth but asked the question with his eyes.

"Alex fell into a cursed spring in Jusenkyo and the spring of the Drowned Man has dried up. We're going to talk to Cologne about some old legend that may be able to help us."

"You mean there's actually a chance of a cure? I'll go with you." It was decided and nothing could change his mind. Ranma knew about Ryoga's secret, in that he became a piglet, but Akane didn't. "Akane, why don't you go to school? I'll go with them."

His fiancée frowned. "That's only because you want to see Shampoo."

Right, like he wanted to see the blue haired Amazon that said that they were engaged and always concocted strange potions to try to win his love - like that was going to happen! "Think what you want."

"You're horrible." She left the four men, angry with herself for being in love with such a horrible guy.

"Okay, lets go." Ranma started walking towards the restaurant where Shampoo, Cologne and Mousse lived.

Mousse was in love with Shampoo but he would never have a chance with her. Amazons had a law that they were supposed to marry the man capable of defeating them in a fight. Mousse had lost that fight years ago. Ranma had won, but he didn't know about the law and was now stuck
with another fiancée. His father betrothed his son to whoever gave him food, resulting in a third fiancée, Ukyo.

Mulder and Krycek looked at each other, not knowing what kind of people they were with. They followed Ranma this time, as he didn't get lost like his friend.

Crossing a street, they walked by a woman, who was washing the trail. Distracted, the four men failed to notice her throwing a bucket full of water until it was too late and they were already soaked. Mulder looked, amazed, at his new companions and cursed out loud. There was Alex in his dog form, looking nervously at him. A small "Bwee Bwee" caught his attention. A little black piglet with a black and yellow bandanna around his neck was obviously a transformed Ryoga.

"C'mon P-chan," a redheaded girl said, her hair tied in pigtails. "Hasn't anyone told you it's rude to stare at girls like that? Cheer up! It's me! Ranma!"

The girl was beautiful. She grabbed the pig and Ryoga's things and kept walking. "You know, I was wondering when this was gonna happen. Here, we turn into our curse form every day. Grab his things and we'll go to Shampoo's house. She has hot water."

Still in shock, Mulder followed him, patting Alex's head for comfort.

***

"Welcome, son-in-law," an old woman with white hair said. She was short, her head reaching only to Mulder's knees.

"Ni hao, husband," a blue haired girl added. She wore a very short kimono that showed her figure.

"We need hot water," Ranma said, ignoring Shampoo's advances. He grabbed a hot kettle that she always kept nearby and threw it over himself before doing the same to the pig and the dog. The latter two had to dress quickly in front of everybody.

Mulder tore his gaze from his naked partner and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Agent Mulder and this is my partner, Agent Krycek. We came from Jusenkyo. The Guide there told us that the springs were drying, and that there was some legend about that. Ryoga suggested that we
should come to see you. If you know anything about it, it would be a great help."

Cologne listened to them and then smiled. "I was hoping this would happen some day. Be happy, son-in-law, you have some hope."

"Really?" He smiled and then started to laugh happily. He ran to Ryoga. "Did you hear that? We have a chance!" He hugged his friend tightly. Ryoga didn't think, hugging him back strongly, their chests touching.

Mulder squeezed his partner's shoulder. He wanted nothing more than to kiss him, but it wasn't the right time.

"Mmhh mmhh," Cologne interrupted. "Well, let me tell you. Every so many years the ponds change places. According to legends, years ago a witch married an old, rich man, who had two children: a boy and a girl. She hated them and, after a while, the children ran away. However, the witch wanted them cursed forever, so she cast a spell cursing every pond of water in their village. She didn't know where the children were, so the cursed ponds traveled from village to
village, poisoning everybody. If you could find their new location, the ponds are positioned equally. The one that was the spring of the Drowned Man in Jusenkyo will be there too, in exactly the same place."

"We know where it is!" Alex yelled, jumping to his feet. So happy that it didn't matter to him if he looked like a dork. "The guide showed Ryoga the spot and Mulder took some photographs."

"And to find the new location I could call the Lone Gunmen. They could locate police reports about people going missing in another area and becoming animals." Mulder found his cell phone and, after passing some time chatting with the loyal friends who had already resolved the case
in Nebraska, he hung up. "They'll call later," he informed them.

***

The four of them said their good-byes and headed to the Tendo house to pack Ranma's stuff and ask his father whether he wanted to join them, as he was cursed too. Mousse was cursed also, becoming a duck, but he was on a training trip and couldn't go with them. If everything worked out, Ranma promised to bring some of the magic water back for him.

Langley called as they entered the house to find Soun, Akane's father, playing goyi with a big panda, which greeted them with a sign saying 'hello'.

"Hello pop," Ranma said to the panda. "I'm going on a trip with Ryoga and Mulder and Krycek over there. The younger one is cursed too, and we may be able to find a cure. Are you coming?"

The panda looked around at the comfort of the home, thought about a hard trip and then held up a sign saying, "No, bring me a bottle of the water if works."

"Lazy old man."

"Listen, the Gunmen gave me a location. If you bring me a map of China, we'll know where it is." Mulder tried to concentrate on the job and not the odd family. What kind of father let his teenaged boy journey to another country with strangers? And Ryoga's parents, always
lost, had no contact at all with their son! He and Krycek were going to pay for the plane tickets - well, actually, the FBI was. He wasn't going to ask a thing of these people.

"What are you thinking?" Krycek asked, his voice husky in Mulder's ear.

"Now a very different thing..." The smile he gave him made the younger man's knees buckle.

"I was thinking that we're too young to have kids." Krycek looked at Ranma and Ryoga. "We haven't even dated yet."

Mulder gulped nervously, incapable of controlling his arousal. Krycek smiled, happy at the prospect of a cure, and pressed his lips against the older man's without anybody noticing.

After Ranma finished saying his good-byes to a happy crying Soun, who kept shouting that when he returned he would be ready for marrying Akane, the four of them began the trip to the airport.

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

Mulder kicked off his shoes, tired after a long and boring trip. The two boys had kept up a friendly fight on the journey, but it had been enough to move the tiny airplane and make his heartbeat speed. It had been a foggy evening, almost stormy and it had been hours before the
plane could land. At least it had been easy to find a hotel and they had taken two rooms with double beds. When he had asked how they should divide, Ranma had winked at him and taken Ryoga with him to one room.

He didn't know what to think about that. The only thing he wanted right now was a shower and then a comfortable bed, both things that would have to wait as his partner was in the shower. Mulder had suggested an authentic Japanese time in the bathroom, first washing themselves with a bucket and then sharing a hot bath, but Krycek had only smiled and politely declined. Mulder hadn't taken the refusal too personally. It was only a matter of time before they would share a
bath - and other things. Now, however, Alex was tired and troubled by his problems.

Mulder hated himself for those problems. They were his fault. If they had gone to Nebraska like they were supposed to, nothing would have happened, and maybe they would have been together by now. He had learned not to frown over lost causes, however. They were here now and he had to deal with the curse and with his own guilt.

With the noise of the water in his ears, he continued undressing, trying to erase his guilt with the thought of his younger partner's body under the spray as he soaped his arms, his chest, his hand
slightly brushing his nipples... The older man forced himself to stop that line of thought, his pants becoming too tight. Mulder couldn't be in such a state when his partner came out of the shower.

He was trying to calm himself when a weird sound caught his attention. Mulder listened for any clues about the cause of the noise. He heard it again, his body stiffening as recognition filled his mind. It was a bark. Somehow, Krycek had become a dog again.

Mulder ran to the bathroom and encountered a very annoyed and wet German Shepherd, which looked at him tiredly with the green eyes he knew so well. The dog was trying to turn on the hot tap with his furry paw but it was useless. The paw was much bigger than its target and
his movements clumsy.

"Calm down, Alex." Mulder tried to sound calm, but he was shaking as he turned on the hot water with a firm hand, the spray hitting him and Alex, turning the younger agent into a human again.

Krycek started to shake. This was not how he had imagined his life, not cursed like this. In a flash of anger, he punched the wall, a mistake. Now his hand hurt too. With a curse on his tongue, Krycek turned his head but choked on his words as he glimpsed the sight before him.

Mulder was wearing only boxer shorts, his body shining from the droplets of water. He smiled at the beautiful sight. Life was getting better at every moment. He looked calculatingly at the shorts and the bulge within. Krycek's smile grew. Yep, definitely getting better.

"So, since you're here now anyway, are you going to wash my back?"

Mulder stopped his answer of "not only your back". The truth was that he had come only because of the barks. He wanted nothing more than to take Krycek into his arms and kiss him, but that wasn't appropriate. "No, I don't think now is the best time to do that."

Krycek frowned and started to slowly caress the senior agent's chest. "Why not? I want it now." He did his best to sound sexy.

"That's exactly right." Mulder congratulated himself. His self-restraint was very good. "We should talk about this curse. How are you handling it?"

"Mulder..."

"I understand. You're in denial."

"I'm not," Krycek interrupted. "I'm hoping for a cure so I don't have to deal with this anymore, but that has nothing to do with my little shower offer."

Mulder tried to exit the bathroom but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"I know you want me and I want you."

Krycek made a movement too quick for the other agent to stop. Before he realized what was happening, Mulder found himself being tentatively kissed, strong arms wrapping around his body and lifting him against the wall. He opened his mouth, welcoming the other man's tongue, and gently biting his full lips. They had been fooling around the subject for quite a long time but now it was time for them to do it. Krycek needed it now.

With a determined sigh, Mulder embraced the hard body. Caressing the soapy back, his hand dropped until he cupped the round butt he had dreamed of at night.

"Stop," Mulder tried to say between kisses.

"What? Mulder, please, not now."

It was good to know that he could make the younger man beg, but that wasn't what he had meant. "No, stop for a minute. This is nice, but we should use the bed." He wanted to soap his lover and get to know his body that way, but they had waited for too long and now Mulder wanted to do everything. The shower was only good for kisses and caresses.

"Okay." Krycek moved before the older man had a chance to change his mind, jumping onto the bed, his body wet and open, legs spread. Mulder groaned in lust. It wasn't fair for just one man to be so goddamned sexy. He kissed the exposed neck, trying to not leave a mark, then
carefully lowered his head, wanting to explore every inch of the other man's body. Mulder nibbled his way to the reddened nipples, toying with them in his mouth, as his hands caressed his lover: his legs, abdomen... everything except the aching member that begged for his attention.

Krycek moved his hips in agony, panting for a firm touch.

"You know..." Mulder interrupted his actions to look into Krycek's green eyes, although he could see little of them as they were almost closed. "This is great and I've wanted to do this to you since I met you, but it's not going to make me forget to talk to you about the curse."

Krycek groaned. He couldn't believe the man could stop sex - great sex - just to talk. "I'm not avoiding the talk. I just want you. Now, please, fuck me." If that didn't put the man to work, then nothing would.

Mulder swallowed nervously, but he was eager to do as ordered. He brushed his hands over Krycek's muscled legs, before cursing his bad luck. "Damn! I don't have anything!" He should have at least prepared the man in the shower. Now he had to go back to the bathroom and pray that he found something useful.

Krycek moved Mulder's body off him and searched for something in his luggage. He returned to the bed with a tube of K-Y in his hands.

Mulder looked at him in amazement. "You have that in your pack? Were you hoping to get lucky or something?"

"Of course. If we had gone to Nebraska, it would be almost empty by now."

Mulder laughed. If they had gone to Nebraska so many things would have been different, but he preferred to not think about it any more.

"How do you want me?"

//If I say doggie style, he's gonna kill me...//

"On your back."

Krycek lifted his legs at the command, offering himself.

"You're beautiful." Mulder had to compliment the body. To him, Krycek was perfect.

With careful hands, he applied the lubricant to his fingers before touching the puckered opening. Alex moaned, wanting the real thing now as another finger joined the first one, stretching him. Another one was added and soon Krycek was shamelessly fucking himself with the three fingers. Mulder couldn't wait any longer. Both of them were ready.

Alex gasped at the loss of the talented digits, then watched as Mulder undressed himself and lubed his erect cock.

Mulder positioned himself and, with one thrust, entered the open body.

***

Lost again, Ryoga wandered through the halls. He knew both rooms were on the third floor, and he was almost positive that he was on the correct floor. He and Ranma were in a room across the hall from that of the agents. He just wanted to sleep and then to find the spring of
the Drowned Man and be over with the whole P-Chan thing.

He liked the trip so far. He and Ranma were getting closer and were almost friends now. He wanted that, wanted more, but knew not to want what he couldn't have.

Maybe if they hadn't fought in school over the breads they could have been real friends. During childhood they had been close, but then came the challenge and his becoming lost, following Ranma across the world to Jusenkyo. And then came his own curse. Despite their fight, however, they had somehow managed to retain some kind of friendship. And Ryoga was glad of that.

He looked at the many doors that lined the walls of the corridor. One looked a little familiar so Ryoga opened the door. Inside, a strange man was watching television. He apologized and opened another door. Viewing the room's interior, the honey-eyed boy froze. Still in shock,
he crossed the hall to the door across from the one he had opened.

//If they... maybe I could too...//

***

Krycek wrapped his legs around the other man's back, bringing him closer, deeper. Mulder continued to move inside him, filling him. The older man lapped at Krycek's open mouth, penetrating the hot channel with his tongue. Alex sucked on the invading tongue, both men close to climax. The actual act was so much better than any fantasies could ever be.

Mulder thrust one more time, hard, and came inside the open body. He left the hot tunnel and lowered his body until his mouth found the other man's reddened shaft. He sucked on the tip, then the whole member. Alex screamed only seconds later, filling the willing mouth with his seed.

"Wow."

"Wow," Mulder repeated.

"That was... God!" He searched for Mulder's full bottom lip and kissed it.

"Yeah."

The only noises that followed the conversation were heavy pants and breathing.

"Hey, Mulder, you up for more?"

"Oh, yes," Mulder gasped as Alex's mouth found his neck.

***

"Ryoga?" His friend didn't answer the call. "Ryoga?" This time Ranma's spoke louder, but the honey-eyed boy still showed no sign of having heard him.

Ranma never liked to be ignored. He sat cross-legged in front of his friend on the bed. "Ryoga," he said again, poking his nose. Ryoga started and looked at the shirtless body in front of him in amazement, suddenly realizing that he wasn't alone.

"Cat got your tongue?" Ranma smiled, trying to show that he wasn't annoyed at being ignored.

"They... They were together," the Lost Boy mumbled. "I saw it."

"What... Who?"

"Them. Alex and Agent Mulder."

"Yeah, they're in the other room 'together'," Ranma explained, trying to understand the state his friend was in.

"I didn't mean that," Ryoga said, his face a deep red.

The pigtailed boy frowned, and moved his face closer to his friend's, looking directly into the honey-colored eyes. "What did you mean?"

Ryoga's reaction made him smile. He was playing with his fingers, avoiding his friend's eyes and had the beginnings of a nosebleed. That told him everything he had to know. There was only one reason why his friend would have a nosebleed: sex. And if he added that fact to the 'together' thing, everything became obvious.

"Together as in having sex?" he asked, keeping his voice quiet. Ryoga nodded frantically. "And you just realized that now?" Was he naive or what? Ranma had known it from the beginning. From the way they touched and looked at each other it was kind of cute - and obvious.

He was glad for them but as jealous as hell, too. Not about either of them but about what they had. He wanted something like that for himself.

"You knew?"

Ranma smiled as a question entered his mind. He didn't like the idea but had to ask anyway. "What, are you worried because they're both men?" He actually didn't think that his friend was homophobic, but Ryoga was so taken aback with the news, as though something was actually bothering him.

"No, it's not that, but I saw them. It... It was weird."

Ah, so that was what bothered him, not that he had something against homosexuals. Although, Ranma hoped that Ryoga wasn't jealous of Mulder, like he had originally thought.

"You saw them? What, doing it?" Ranma smiled lustfully and poked him in the stomach.

Ryoga nodded shamefully.

"And what were they doing?" he continued questioning.

Ryoga had turned a crimson shade of red. "You know. Doing it." He didn't want to talk about it any more. He had the bodies impregnated in his mind, the moans still tingling in his ears.

"Oh. Tell me. What exactly were they doing?" He loved seeing the brown-haired man uncomfortable. He had cleaned away the trickle of blood but was still ashamed. Ranma had to move his head to be able to see his reddened face. Ryoga continued to make small movements with his fingers on the wall, drilling little holes in it, as he always did when nervous. Sometimes he was so cute.

"Nothing." Mumble, mumble.

"Aww. C'mon, you can trust me. I won't tell anyone."

"They were, you know, making love..." //Agent Mulder was thrusting inside the open body, Alex's sweaty body. Their screams were full of passion...//

//Whoa, making love. That's nice, he isn't disgusted or anything. Maybe I have a... Maybe? I'm Ranma Saotome! Of course I have a chance!// "And what were you doing there, watching them?"

Ryoga shook his head vigorously, wanting to rid his friend's mind of that that kind of thought. He wasn't a voyeur. "No, no. I was lost again, and somehow ran into them."

"I know, baka. You probably didn't know what sex was before tonight. I'm sure you're a virgin, waiting for your wedding night with the tomboy." It was a low blow and he knew it, but this would be the only chance he would have in a long time, so he wanted to take advantage of all the possibilities.

"So what?" Ryoga seemed hurt. For a moment, Ranma regretted being so direct, but it was for a good cause. It was necessary. "You have a lot of iinazuke, but you never actually do anything with them."

That was a good comeback. At least he didn't jump to the defense of the uncute girl's honor, starting a fight over her again. It was nice to have a decent conversation with Ryoga after all this time. It was like the beginning of their friendship, before the whole bread thing, before Jusenkyo.

"Yes, well, I don't want to hurt them. You know I don't love any of them."

Ryoga looked at him, amazed. He had known that Ranma was just playing with the girls, but it was quite remarkable for him to acknowledge it. "That's the most sincere thing you've ever said."

"You look surprised." He tried not to sound hurt, realizing that he usually wasn't so frank.

"I am."

"Oh."

Ryoga shifted uncomfortably on the bed. He didn't want to hurt Ranma, that had been never his intention, but the admission had surprised him and he was always honest. "It's good that you know. Damn, I'm so bad at this talking thing! I don't mean that you're a liar or that you like to have them all after you."

"It's okay," Ranma interrupted him, resting his hand on his friend's leg to comfort him. "I kind of like their attentions, but they're weird, man. Shampoo's potions, and fighting with Ukyo to see whose food I ate..." He shrugged. "That's not nice." Ranma grinned, not wanting to talk about the crazy girls any more. "Changing the subject, did you like it? Seeing them?"

"What?" Ryoga squeaked.

"Well, I saw you looking at Agent Krycek, so..."

Ryoga shook his head vigorously. "No, no... I... He's nice," he admitted. "But I don't like him, not like I like..."

He stopped suddenly. He had almost told Ranma his secret, so involved in the chat that he had almost blown it all.

"What? Like you like Akane?"

"No." Ryoga sighed, determined to be honest. If Ranma hated him he would have to live with it. "She's fine. But she's not..."

//Finally, he's over her. He only loved her because she adored P-chan. And he admitted that a guy was nice, and surely I'm nicer that the agent.// "Are you going to tell me?"

Ryoga didn't know what to do. One part of his mind wanted to yell the truth but another part warned him to be careful. Finally, as always, honesty won the argument. "It's you." He'd said it. It was all over but he felt the urge to explain himself. "That means nothing, you know? It's just that you were one of my first friends. Even though we fought over the breads it was still nice. But I like being your friend and when we've ended this curse, you could take the Tendo Dojo and marry Akane. I want to be there, as a friend. Okay?"

Ranma mouthed, "baka." Ryoga frowned, unsure what that reaction meant.

"That's not going to happen."

The worst had come true. He had offended Ranma and now he didn't want anything to do with him. Ryoga vowed not to interfere in his life again.

To his surprise, however, Ranma was still smiling. The pigtailed boy covered his friend's face with his hands, kissing him lightly on the lips. "I'm in love with you," Ranma revealed.

His eyes were so wide that it seemed as though they were going to pop out. "Really?"

To demonstrate his point, Ranma kissed the younger man again, taking time to explore the insides of his mouth. Moaning, Ranma licked the offered lips, the other boy's blushing face hot against his palms.

"Are you okay?" Ranma asked, looking him in the eye.

Ryoga nodded, still nervous. "Kiss me again."

Ranma chuckled and did it again. He wanted to keep kissing the boy forever, his nervous hands exploring the chest under the yellow shirt, lifting the fabric.

Ryoga stopped the kiss at the touch of Ranma's exploring hands and met Ranma's eyes.

"Nothing that you don't want..."

And Ryoga knew that he wanted everything with Ranma. "I want you."

"You've got me."

"Good."

***

"C'mon!" Ryoga knocked on the door to the agents' room. "We should leave early."

"They're not trained," Ranma reminded him, his hand still on his lover's waist. He knocked too, yelling at them, "Move your asses out of bed, or I'm going to kick the door in! And I don't think you want me to see you all naked in there!"

"We're coming," a tired Mulder answered. He softly kissed the naked shoulder beside him before heading to the bathroom.

They took the rented car, but the road wasn't good for it, as there was too much mud and too many stones. Eventually, they had to leave it parked on a deserted road, still with a long way to go according to Mulder's map. The two boys were fast walkers, their bodies adapted by hard work and travelling. While still in great shape, the two agents were having more problems, occasionally needing to rest.

It was obvious that the previous night hadn't only been a good one for the older men, with the kids constantly invading each other's personal space.

"It's here!" Ranma yelled. The other three men ran to the hill on which he was standing. Once there, they saw a lot of ponds full of water, as well as another, drier, pond.

"How do we know this is it?" Alex asked, looking at the full springs.

"Well, according to Cologne, they follow the same pattern here to in Jusenkyo. We had a map of those, showing the spring of the Drowned Man. Accordingly, it should be..."

The four men looked at the spring that, according to Ryoga's directions, was the one in question. The solution to the curse and the possibility of living a normal life again - all hopes were in a little pool of water.

The brown-haired man gulped. "Maybe I should jump in first. After all, I'm the one saying this is the right spring."

"If you jump, I go with you," Ranma said.

"I'm the FBI agent here. I should do it. What if this a worse curse? It's better if I go first."

"We really should have thought of bringing something to test it," Mulder said.

They agreed, but they were here now, and there was nothing was in sight that could be used to do the test.

"Okay," Ranma suggested. "How about the three of us jump together?"

It wasn't a bad solution. They were nervous, but it was the best they could think of. Alex and Ryoga nodded, the decision already made. Alex smiled at the other agent and with that they jumped in, not looking back.

Fox Mulder waited for a sign that everything was okay, that they hadn't drowned in the water. He also hoped for a good resolution. While he didn't agree that they should jump without first testing the spring, it was their decision to make, not his.

He started to worry when nothing happened. He felt everything as if in slow motion, only aware of the sun burning his skin and the waves the water was making.

Another part of his mind was telling him that after the whole episode was over he would have to study this water, capable of magically changing bodies back to their original forms. He would have to get some for Scully to analyze. Maybe this would be the evidence that he had been looking for all his life. Now he just had to link it with aliens. He hated that part of his mind. He should have been thinking solely about Alex and the kids but, while he did think about them, he
couldn't help but think about this too.

He and Alex had experienced a magnificent night and a great morning after, the final consummation of months of fooling around. He wished the younger agent the best. He was falling in love with the other man, falling hard. Mulder hoped that the pond was the solution to the curse but, if it wasn't, it didn't matter to him. He would continue to help Alex to find the real cure, but that wasn't going to interfere with their new relationship.

The older agent caught his breath. Something was surfacing from the water. His eyes widened at the sight of the figure that rose from within, soon followed by another two, identical figures.

Mulder paled, his mouth hanging open and his skin white. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Mulder, are you okay?" It was so strange hearing the familiar husky voice coming from the strange form.

"Yes."

Alex was concerned about his lover, about the way he was looking at him. But then he realized that he had a voice, an actual male voice. Looking down at his body, he saw that he was wearing the same clothes as before he had jumped into the pond, and that the clothes fitted perfectly. Krycek smiled. Finally, it was over.

"Oh, Kami-Sama!"

Ryoga's strangled call made Alex twist to look at the two young boys. He could tell who was who because one had a pigtail and the other wore a black bandanna. But that was where the differences ended. Clothes aside, their features had changed, making them look like twins. And
they were blondes now, too.

Krycek gasped realizing that he must look like them, only bigger and older. Looking at Krycek, the boys knew how they would look in the future.

Mulder took in the little details that made them different. No one had even thought of this possibility.

"What the hell happened?" the blonde Ranma yelled. "That old zombie lied to us. I'm gonna kill her! We look like fucking triplets!" In that moment, the only thought in his head was to go back to the house and to kill the woman who had inadvertently caused this outcome.

"Well, I have a theory," Mulder remarked. He should have thought of this before, as obvious as it was. The almost identical heads looked at him, sending a shiver down his spine. He focused on Alex's green eyes, the only thing the new curse hadn't taken from his lover. "This is the spring of the Drowned Man, of a specific man that drowned here. Right?" Nods of agreement from his audience. "So, when you fell in the other springs you became whatever specific thing had drowned there. My guess is that yes, you'll become a man in cold water, just it will be another man, not you."

Defeated eyes met Mulder's hazel ones, but he wasn't going to lie to his friends.

"So, this is it?" Ryoga asked, pulling a hot kettle out of his backpack and pouring some water on Ranma, Alex and himself. "We're still cursed?"

"Yes," Ranma said, "but we were already cursed. Okay, so we aren't cured, but this is a better curse. I'm not going to turn into a girl and have Kuno make passes at me. You're not going to become a pig, Ryoga, so nobody will try to eat you and you aren't going to turn into a dog any more, Alex. It's an improvement." Ranma sounded hopeless. They didn't know if he was trying to convince them or himself.

"It's okay." Ryoga smiled and took Ranma's hand in his. The pigtailed boy started at the unexpected touch, but then smiled and squeezed the comforting hand.

"I'm sorry." Mulder put his arms around his younger partner and hugged him.

***

"So, what are you two going to do now?" Alex asked, fighting a smile. The two boys were trying hard not to touch each other in public, but often succumbed to little hand squeezes or pats on the shoulder.

"Well, I suppose we'll go back to Nerima." Ranma caressed the nape of his lover's neck as Ryoga purred into the touch. "We'll try to find some way to make things better and explain this new curse to everybody." Then, looking directly at the honey-eyed boy he added, "And find some way to break off all my engagements..."

Ryoga blushed and, shaking his head, started to say something, but Ranma silenced him, a finger on his lips. "You know I'm going to do it."

"Yeah." He could do nothing to hide the blush that covered his face.

"Well, you'd better find a way for him not to get lost all of the time," Krycek offered, happy with the prospect of them being together. He wished them the best, but it wouldn't be easy for the boys to confront their families, although they would have to find Ryoga's first. And they were too young for an easy relationship.

"Yeah, we'll work on that." Ryoga wanted to never get lost again, to instead be with his friend whenever he needed him.

"And what are you two going to do?"

"We'll go back to DC," Mulder offered, wishing he were bold enough to hold his lover in the middle of the airport like Ranma was doing. "I guess we'll try to keep going with our lives, maybe even find a cure if we're lucky, but mostly we'll just keep going on as normally as we
can."

"Hey, if you find a cure, give us a call."

"You too."

"Okay."

The two couples separated, the agents leaving for their plane and to return to their jobs and to their changed lives, pretending that everything was fine.

The two boys watched them go before heading to Nerima, hand in hand.

The End

Japanese translation:
Iinazuke: fiancée
Kami-Sama: God
Ni Hao: hello (Chinese)