A Phoenix Reborn

Chapter 9

By The Senshi of Valis

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the series within this story as it is a work of

fanfiction.

Nodoka didn't know what to feel as she saw the over pass coming into view as Hikaru led both Ranko and herself. It was still dark out but the sun should be rising very soon to banish the night skies. After listening to what happened the night before Nodoka was mad that someone had dared hit Ranko but after finding out that it was a friend of Ranma's, at least she was praying it was Ranma since she had already been let down one to many times by false leads through the years, she wasn't sure what to think. Ranko had said the girl had accused her of abusing Ranma and throwing her out of the clan. The two girls apparently refused to talk to Ranko anymore after Ranma fled form the arcade with the girls following her. Ranko was sure that the girl was Ranma and Nodoka was inclined to believe her but she didn't want to get her hopes up. What had Ranma gone through though under Genma if the girls thought Ranma had been abused? Had the fool really thrown him out of the clan which would have been foolish because the fool wasn't even the Clan's head. He had married into the family, an arranged marriage which she never really wanted any part in and the only good that had come from it was Ranma and Ranko.

"They're there." Hikaru said, pointing at the forms of three people lying on the ground, apparently asleep. She felt bad for the two girls too, even if she was upset with the one for striking Ranko. It seemed that they were protecting Ranma and watching out for her which made Nodoka smile in relief. As the quietly made their way to the sleeping girls Nodoka got a better look at Ranma. She looked so much like Ranko which shoved any other doubts out of Nodoka's mind as to who she was. Both Ranko and Ranma were mirror images of a younger Nodoka. She had to wonder what kind of person Ranma was though, after everything that Genma put her through how did she turn out?

"Should we wake them?" Ranko asked in a whisper.

"Yeah but lets surround them so hopefully they won't run until we can talk." Ranko said.

"I'll wake them." Nodoka said moving closer to the girls before the dark haired one shot up and glared at them, taking a fighting stance.

"You!" the girl snarled recognizing Ranko.

"Look, there has to be some kind of misunderstanding." Ranko said trying to placate the dark haired girl.

"What is there to misunderstand, Ranma said that her so called family and friends treated her like crap until they had no more use for her!" the dark haired girl growled, "I won't let you hurt her again!"

"Honey, we never did that to him, we love him. His father kidnapped him when he was younger and we just found him." Nodoka said trying to avoid a fight. She was sure that either Ranko or herself could take the girl and after seeing Hikaru's new technique she was sure her youngest could even stand up to the girl. Nodoka was a little worried that Hikaru wasn't really too interested in martial arts since it was a family tradition but she never forced her. Seeing such an advanced technique had made her heart soar with pride in her youngest.

"Then why haven't you done anything?" the dark haired girl asked, keeping her voice down though it still carried anger. Nodoka noticed the blond girl start to rouse as well as Ranma.

"Don't you think we tried?" Nodoka asked, "Every time there was a lead Genma moved on to somewhere new. He was almost untraceable."

"I went all the way to China to find him after hearing rumors of Genma and Ranma being spotted there by the authorities that my family have contacts with." Ranko said surprising Nodoka. Didn't Ranko say that she went to China to take care of a demon. Sighing as she realized that Ranko viewed Genma as being worse than some demons she looked back to the girl.

"Please, just let me talk to my son." Nodoka said, the dark haired girl looking confusedly at Nodoka.

"Please…Let us talk to Ranma." Hikaru pleaded.

"Why did you let him take me if you care so much?" Ranma asked coming up next to the dark haired girl along with the blonde girl who looked like she was having trouble staying awake.

"I didn't let him, Ranma, he kidnapped you." Nodoka said.

"How are you so sure that I'm your Ranma anyways?" Ranma asked crossing her arms.

"We know about Jusenkyo and what that egotistical prince did to you." Nodoka said.

"So you show up and just expect me to be happy about it?" Ranma demanded making Nodoka want to cry. "How do I know you aren't worse than pops? How do I know you aren't going to try and make me return to the Tendos?"

"Ranma, if that little tramp even looks at your wrong again I'm personally going to flatten her myself." Ranko said cracking her knuckles.

"I'm divorcing Genma, Ranma. And as for that stupid pact with the Tendos, Genma made that not me. I refuse to let you be pressured to marry someone you didn't love. Nodoka said.

"You…Don't care that I'm stuck as a girl?" Ranma asked, a little weakly.

"I just want you back, boy or girl I don't care." Nodoka said, "I just want my baby to come home."

"Mom…I can't…I won't abandon Aiko and Yuki." Ranma said.

"Ranma, go with them." Yuki said, "We…We will be okay, we're used to being ronin. You have a chance to become something more and you can't pass it up for us."

"You are ronin?" Nodoka asked.

"So what?" the dark haired girl said.

"Ranma, you don't have to abandon your friends, they can come with us. I'll bring them into the clan too if they want. All they have to do is follow the house rules." Nodoka said.

"You're serious?" the dark haired girl asked as she dropped her stance, hope showing in her eyes.

"Why would you want to adopt ronin?" the blonde girl asked.

"Why should we trust you?" Ranma asked.

"I…I don't know how to convince you Ranma. We are your family though and we love you." Nodoka said.

"Please Ranma." Hikaru begged as she moved closer to Ranma. "Please don't leave again."

"Lets go with them, Ranma." The blonde said.

"We'll be with you if anything happens." The dark haired girl said.

"Okay." Ranma sighed before Hikaru and Ranko glomped him. Nodoka walked up to them and hugged them to, happy to have all her children together.

As she held Ranma she heard the two girls talking quietly to themselves and she could barely hear it.

"We'll stay long enough to make sure that they won't hurt her, Aiko." The blonde said.

"Yeah…It would feel good to have a family again but we don't belong with them. I doubt she will be as welcoming when she finds out some of the stuff we had to do." The dark haired girl said.

"We did what we had to to survive and if she they can't understand that then forget them." The blond said. Nodoka wasn't sure what they did but she would wait until later to find out. She wouldn't let the two just go though, no one needed to be out on the street.

"Thank you for looking after my son." Nodoka said pulling away from the group hug as Ranko and Hikaru continued to fuss over Ranma. "My name is Nodoka Saotome."

"I'm Aiko and this is Yuki." Aiko said.

"How old are you girls?" Nodoka asked, sure that they were in their twenties.

"I'm nineteen and Yuki is seventeen." Aiko said.

"Y-Your that young?" Nodoka asked in shock.

"We…We have reasons but we don't want to talk about it." Yuki said but Nodoka could see the pain in the girl's eyes.

"Lets get you all home." Nodoka said, smiling a little though her insides were in complete turmoil.

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Kiima was very excited as she entered the large chamber that served as the throne room. She had the reports of the signal that they picked up the day before and they narrowed it down greatly and they were sure that it came from a phoenix. That was good news in itself but what was exciting her so much is what else happened. There was a signal sent to the ring that accessed something that only one person should be able to, the armor for the senshi of their people. Ranma was alive, Saffron's daughter, the princess was alive.

"What news do you have, Kiima?" Saffron asked, stopping his pacing as he noticed Kiima hurrying into the room.

"We narrowed down the signal but there is something more." Kiima said handing the papers to the king. He took them and fingered through them, his eyes growing wider as a genuine smile started to form.

"She's alive…" Saffron whispered, his eyes misting over slightly. He grabbed Kiima and kissed her passionately for several moments before pulling away, "My daughter is alive my love."