Epiphany Chapter 4

By Tripolar Disorder
and Dragon Dagger.

Revision 4.4.2

This is an alternative universe from the Ranma timeline.

Ranma-chan was sitting next to the mat. She was smiling and
Nodoka was hugging her from behind, her eyes closed. She kissed
the top of her daughter's head. "I'm glad you are ok dear. We
were worried."

Cologne came returned from her faceplant and she and Shampoo were
currently trying to determine if they just been dreaming.

Ranma-chan smiled widely as she looked at the strange face
Shampoo was giving her. "I'm free of your amazon tricks. The
Cat's tongue or anything else won't hurt me no more."

Shampoo tried to act innocent, her face difficult to read.

Nodoka looked at Cologne. "Care to explain?"

Cologne shrugged. "Never has my tribe seen anyone gain control of
a curse. It would appear that you are no longer cursed at all
Ranma. You now are a magic shapeshifter. I am curious as to how
Ranma knew after waking up."

Ranma nodded. "A little voice in my head told me."

She looked over the girl, noticing how strange she seemed to be
acting. Calm, reserved. Ranma-chan seemed buried in her
mother's arms, her usual proud and arrogent demeiner replaced by
child-like affection.

Cologne sent out her chi again, feeling the pathways. She
realized that she was witnessing an emotion she had rarely seen
in all her dealing with Ranma. Ranma wasn't mad, or upset, or
anything usual. She was relaxed and seemed happy. All the
problems she had seen with Ranma's thought patterns only minutes
before, gone.

(Could his mother actually invoke this much change in
personality?) Until yesterday she thought he didn't even have a
mother. She decided she would look into it later. For now she
would leave Ranma alone. If his mother really did have such an
effect, then more time spent together could pacify Ranma, and
make figuring out the source of his strange cure much easier.

Shampoo was sitting in the corner. She was both happy and jealous
of Ranma, as she watched the girl shift form repeatedly as if his
own body was a toy.

Nodoka cleared her throat. Ranma changed into girl form and
twisted her body around to face her mother. Cologne and Shampoo
did as well.

"If you will excuse us Matriarch, Ranma and I have some business
to take care of, Unless you need anything else from us?"

"Momma, please forgive me for deceiving you when I asked if you
still loved me. I really wanted to know. thank you for telling
me the truth."

Nodoka pulled her back into her arms and held her again silently
for a moment before responding. "You will always be my child, no
matter what."

Cologne tried to smile as she showed them out. She had made a
promise breaking the kisses, as well as protecting her from the
tribe. She was not as upset as she thought in finding out Ranma
was still able to be a man.

"Ranma, a word of advice." Commented Cologne. "You are not the
only one once afflicted with a Jusenkyo curse. If I am to uphold
my promise to protect you, I must ask you to refrain from
changing in public without the use of water. In fact, I would
reccomend that you change when struck by water anyway. Your cure
is beyond my understanding, so far from duplicatable."

Ranma-chan nodded. "That's a good idea. Thank you. I don't
want Ryoga or anyone else trying to beat a cure outta me if I
ain't got one."

Cologne showed them out, watched them disappear down the road,
then turned to Shampoo.

"Today has opened my eyes to a few things great-granddaughter. I
may be more willing to believe some of the things that you have
been trying to tell me."

Shampoo nodded. Then, I have but one thing to pass on you.
Ranma made a comment earlier, and I want you to know exactly what
she meant.

Nodoka gestured for Ranma to follow her. She had turned at a
corner while Ranma had continued straight.

"Where we going mom?" asked Ranma-chan. "The Tendo Dojo is this
way."

Nodoka replied. "We are going to our home Ranma. I need to pick
up a couple things."

Ranma-chan quickly made her way back to Nodoka's side and they
continued on down the street.

As they were walking Nodoka had time to think. She had fallen
behind Ranma and was watching her child.

Nodoka began to notice a change in Ranma's stride. The girl began
to slow down coming to a stop a few feet ahead. She just seemed
to be staring off into space.

Nodoka came up behind and asked her what was wrong. She was
surprised at the answer.

"Nothing really mom. Just looking around. I think I remember a
little about this place." And look Ranma-chan did. It was
interesting to just let the memories from her very young life
float to the surface as she looked around.

There was a playground nearby and as Ranma-chan spotted it she
remembered a painful memory. "I wasn't very strong when I was
little was I?" She murmured to herself as she let the memory of
getting beaten up by a bully on the playground play through her
mind.

"No you weren't dear. But you have grown up so well. I think
Those bullies would have their hands full."

"I wonder what they would think if a girl beat the snot out of
them?" Ranma-chan smirked as a slightly devilish light came to
her eyes.

Nodoka saw the grin and started chuckling. "Lets hope they don't
get the courage to try something. I would hate for someone to
get hurt."

Ranma-chan shrugged and smiling again letting the warm sun and
the peaceful street scenes bring her mood back up. They walked
along together, Ranma stopping several times to hug Nodoka before
running ahead and exploring.

(Like a puppy on a leash, always checking to make sure she
approved, before scampering off a little ways to check something
out.) Nodoka thought to herself with a smile.

As they approached the house, Ranma-chan seemed to get a bit more
excited. She apparently had remembered her first home.

Three young women across the street from them recognized Nodoka,
waved to her and made their way across to meet her. Ranma
instantly lost her good mood, and actually fell behind Nodoka in
stride. She seemed to be trying to hide herself in her mother's
shadow.

The women however were not fooled and one circled around while
the other two stopped in front of Nodoka.

"Greetings Saotome-san. We are a bit early but we wanted to get
on the road before noon."

Nodoka gasped softly. "Oh my, I comepletely forgot. It's been
a busy week. Girls, I have some good news. This is Ranko, my
daughter. I finally have my children back."

Onna-Ranma, currently being called Ranko, suddenly cried out and
jumped several feet foward, landing in a defensive stance. She
was suddenly breathing heavily as well.

"What's wrong?" Asked Nodoka quickly.

Ranko was staring back at the woman, who only a moment before had
tried to sweep the redhead into a hug. Said adult was now
staring back, her arms frozen in the position they were in when
Ranko shot out of reach.

"Momma... she, uhm, I..." And that was the last that came out
as Ranko realized what was actually happening and how badly she
had misunderstood the situation. She dropped to her knees and
curled up, hiding her face, her arms tightly pulling her knees in
to defend her face.

Nodoka was just as quickly by her side, pulling her daughter onto
her lap. The women all stood motionless, waiting.

Ranko's face was now visable again but her eyes now lacked focus.
She looked to have lapsed into a trance.

"Saotome-san. What is wrong with Ranko?"

Nodoka continued to hold Ranko, rocking her child back and forth.

"I'm sorry Atsuko, but my late husband took my children away from
me when they were young. I am certain that their childoods were
full of pain. Ranko was so abused, that she thought you were
trying to attack her, and her reflexes kicked in."

"All the things that that idiot did to them, I can't think of
how emotionally scarred they are."

Ranko started to come back, her eyes blinked slowly, and she
turned her head, looking around at her situation.

Atsuko spoke softly. "Ranko, I'm sorry I starled you like that.
Please forgive me."

Ranko nodded, and managed to stutter out. "I'm sorry I jumped.
Pops always attacked me from behind and I.."

The second girl, Sayoko interrupted. "Did he ever touch you?"

Ranko nodded a little. "Yeah, he used to hit me whenever he saw
an opening in my defenses."

Sayoko shook her head. "No Ranko, I mean did he ever... Molest
you?"

Ranko's face scewed. "No way? Pops never did any of that. He
may have been a drunk and a terrible excuse for a father, but he
never, NEVER did that. He hated child rapists, and I personally
watched him beat the snot outta this guy who admitted he fondled
little girls."

Sayoko took a few steps forward, placing her hands on Ranko's
shoulders. "You don't have to lie about it. If he molested you,
it wasn't your fault."

Ranko twitched and fell backward onto the pavement. "WHA! No
way! I told you, Pops NEVER tried anything like that. He beat
on me, yeah, and threw me in a pit of hungry cats and tons other
stuff, but he was always trying to teach me th' art."

Ranko flipped herself onto her feet. then walked up and squared
herself face to face with Sayoko.

"What do I have to do to prove that I'm tellin the truth?"

Sayoko slowly opened her arms and Ranko stepped forward. A
moment later and both were smiling as Sayoko had her arms wrapped
around the smaller girl. Two more pairs of arms followed suit,
and Ranko finally seemed to calm down.

"Alright Ranko-chan, I believe you. So you coming along to the
beach with us then?"

Ranko turned toward Atsuko, "The beach?"

Atsuko added in. "Oh, I know. We'll all tell the driver that
Ranko is your assistant and she can come with."

Ranma looked back and forth between her mother and the other
girls. "What are you talking about? Where are you going?"

Nodoka smiled. "That is a great idea. Ranko dear, will you
follow me inside and help me carry my equipment?"

Ranma's nervousness disappeared instantly. "Yes momma." and she
followed Nodoka as she made her way into the house.

"Momma, what's going on, and who are those girls?" asked Ranko
questionly as Nodoka started to flip through a small book of
phone numbers.

"Well dear, when your father left with you, I realized that I
didn't have a way to support myself. I turned a hobby interest
in photography into a little business that pays the bills."

"They are here because I scheduled a photo shoot on the beach
today and I forgot about it."

"Well, I'll go back to the tendos then, so you can work."

"Nonsense dear. You're coming with. Atsuko explained how.
You're going to be my assistant. I hope you can help me
carry..."

Nodoka was stunned as Ranko lifted the large case one-handed, as
if it were empty, and she knew for a fact that over seventy
kilograms of equipment was inside.

"Wow momma. this thing is heavier than it looks. I guess I'm
coming along then, by the look on your face."

"Let me call the Tendos." Replied Nodoka, smiling.

Nodoka was unpacking her camera supplies while the models went to
change clothes. Ranko had been asked if she owned a bathing suit
while they were on the trip and it was decided that they needed
to go buy her one.

Ranko had resisted at first before Nodoka calmed her down and
whispered something in her ear. Ranko had reluctantly agreed and
shuffled off after the girls.

Nodoka had gotten the last camera loaded and primed when she was
brought out of her musing by someone in front of her clearing her
throat.

She looked up to see the models in their swimwear. It was
obvious that Ranko was standing behind them, and she too was
bare-legged.

Atsuko and Sayoko parted and Ranko stepped forward. She was clad
in a shimering royal blue tank suit. She moved with small steps,
shyly, waiting for Nodoka's reaction.

"You look beautiful Ranko. I think maybe I'll have to include
you in some of my photos today, if that's alright with you."

The girls behind her giggled. "Of course Saotome-San. With all
the work we went through to get her into something girlish, she
better sit still for you."

Ranko blushed softly. "I think I can handle a couple pictures
being taken of me. Nabiki is gunna be pissed off when she finds
out that you got me looking like this."

Nodoka stood up and stepped around her equipment. She pulled
Ranko into a quick hug. "Well of course I want to get pictures
of you. I've got so many moments of your life that I missed,
but I don't plan to miss any more."

She handed Ranko a camera. "Now assistant. Since you were
obviously busy preparing the models, I loaded the cameras. Your
job is to give me a fresh one when I run out of film. Think you
can handle that?"

Ranko nodded. "Of course oh great Saotome-san. You can count on
me!"

Everyone got a quick laugh, then Nodoka started them on the day's
activities.