Epiphany Chapter 7
By Tripolar Disorder
Previous Chapters can be found at www.fanfiction.net
and at Tripolar's webspace
http://sio.midco.net/tripolar/epiphany.htm
This is a Ranma Alternate Universe timeline.
To find out what happened before, go check out previous chapters.
Trying to condense 6 chapters of information and still be able
to explain the story, is nearly impossible.
And now the continuing story......
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Ranma-chan held Akane's limp form in her arms for a few moments
until she came to. Akane stared directly back into Ranma's
face with a look of strange happiness. She giggled a little.
Ranma continued to hold her, and held nothing but concern in her
eyes.
Akane regained her footing and took a step away from Ranma-chan.
"I thought you just said you don't know what sex is. That
was funny Ranma."
Ranma-chan looked at her. "I don't think women can have sex with
each other."
Akane looked at her with a strange smile.
Ranma-chan continued to press her point. "You know what I mean.
Neither of us have the right uhm-equipment."
Akane began to laugh in a forced manner. She grabbed Ranma-chan
by the arm and dragged her into the house.
*****************************************************************
Nodoka held one eyebrow raised while trying and failing to hide a
smile. Ranma-chan was staring at her as if she grown another
head.
Nodoka cleared her throat. "Well, dear... ahh, it is a little
difficult to explain. well uhm, two girls ... well, they just
love each other differently than if one was a man."
Nabiki looks up from her magazine and says in a very dull blunt
tone. "Yeah, Ranma, they use their tongues."
Hostile glares from both Nodoka and Akane persuaded Nabiki to
exit the room.
Ranma-chan stood there, a blank expression on her face. After
what was less than ten seconds, but felt like longer for her
mother, she responded. "I don't get it. The Panda never
explained sex to me at all." She dropped onto a cushion at the
table, laying her arms crossed on the surface and hiding her head
behind them.
"I must be an idiot to not understand sex. I barely understand
how a man would do it, and right now the idea of it in this body
gives me the chills."
Nodoka sweatdroped and her face changed to a brilliant crimson.
She sighed. "Ranma, there is a time in every parent's life when
they have to sit down and explain this to their children."
"I cannot allow you to accept the responiblity for not being
informed. A mother is expected to teach her daughter about her
body and now that you are my daughter as well as my son, I have
been failing in my duty twice-fold."
Ranma-chan looked up suddenly as she heard this. "Momma, please.
You didn't do anything wrong. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Ranma-chan was on her feet in an instant, making a sprint for the
hallway, when her forward momentum was stopped by a hand, firmly
grasped around the back of her shirt.
"Ranma. Please don't run away from this. You needn't feel shame
about this." Nodoka spoke as she continued to restrain the now
sobbing redhead with one hand, while her other hand tightly
clenched over her heart.
She then took her child down the hall, leading her with her hand
on Ranma's shoulders. "My dear, I think it's time I explained a
few things and this isn't the right place for it."
Akane was leaning down the hall enough to see Nodoka escort Ranma
into the furo, shutting the door behind her.
"Uhm, Akane. You think Ranma ever experimented with her female
body?" Asked Kasumi, still sitting at the table.
Akane broke her stare, turning to the source of the question.
"Well.... no, actually. She just said that it made her sick."
"I heard that. But I wasn't referring to sex with another man."
Akane's eyebrow lifted questioningly as she stared down her elder
sister with one eye.
"What are you talking about then?"
"I believe it's called Masturbation Akane. You ever think.."
"No Kasumi. I don't think so. If it was any other male I know
that had the curse, I wouldn't hesitate in saying yes."
"But you call her a pervert almost constantly."
"Yeah, I know.. " she said, her voice drifted off on the last
sylable.
"So, does that mean she isn't? Even in your eyes?"
"I guess so."
"Then why?" Was Kasumi's only response.
"I... I... don't know. I guess I'm just jealous."
"Of what?"
"Ranma makes a prettier girl than me, he's a better fighter than
me, she... he, whatever is better than me at everything."
"Would it be so bad to know that there is someone out there
better than you? Somone who obviously cares for you. Someone
who..."
"Who told me that she loves me?"
"He finally told you?"
"No, He didn't. She did. She, thinking of herself as a girl.
Trying to think of my feelings, having to be in love with her as
a girl."
A short pause ended with Akane adding. "I told her that we could
love each other, even as girls."
"Did you mean it?"
Akane looked away from her sister. "I want to say yes. I think
I can still love her."
"Even if she decides to stop being a man?"
Akane closed her eyes. "Yes Kasumi. I fell in love the first
time I saw her, and it was Nabiki that pointed out Ranma was
female. It scared me and I'm still scared by that."
"Why?"
"Because it means I'm not normal."
"You think Ranma is normal?"
"Very funny Ksaumi. Nothing about Ranma is normal."
"Then why do you think you have to be?"
Akane looked up into her sister's gently smiling face.
"You're scary when you're right."
"I'm glad we had this talk Akane."
"Me too Kasumi, me too."
*****************************************************************
Kasumi and Akane were still sitting at the table, watching a
television program, two hours later, when Nodoka returned from
the furo, sans Ranma.
With a Mischievious grin on her face, Nodoka cleared her throat.
"Sorry to intrude on the conversation, but I was wondering if
either of you girls could lend me your vibrator for a few
minutes?"
Kasumi blushed. Akane spit out her sip of tea across the table.
Nodoka looked at the two stammering young women and decided to go
ask Nabiki.
Walking up the stairs and down the hall, she knocked on Nabiki's
door. She was greeting by an equally mischievous grin.
"Nabiki dear, could I borrow your vibrator?"
Nabiki came to a grinding halt. Her face now devoid of emotion.
She turned around and went to her dresser. She removed a small
rectangular box from the drawer, and handed it to Nodoka.
"I just bought this one, and you don't have to return it."
By this time Nabiki was grinning again, but felt she had to ask
just one more thing. "Teaching Ranma about the joys of
womanhood, auntie Saotome?"
Nodoka nodded and smiled, before turning and leaving the room.
A few minutes after Akane and Kasumi watched Nodoka return to the
furo, they were startled by a loud squeek which Akane thought
might have been a nervous outcry from Ranma-chan.
They were about to listen for more, when they heard a crash
upstairs followed by Nabiki running down the hallway at an
impressive speed, followed closely on her heels by a strange
purple streak.
Akane turned toward Kasumi. "Didn't that look like Shampoo in a
violet leotard?"
Kasumi shook her head. "No Akane, it was a bodystocking."
*****************************************************************
A short while later Ranma, Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi were sitting
at the table waiting for lunch.
Akane was pale, while Nabiki had a smile going from ear to ear.
Ranma-chan was blushing head to toe. Even her hands were pink.
She was doing her best to ignore the fact that she looked like a
boiled lobster. Akane noticed she was shivering.
Kasumi was patting Ranma-chan on the shoulder. "You should calm
down Ranma. You look like you are going to pass out. Do you
want me to make you some tea to calm your nerves."
Ranma-chan stuttered. "N-N-No thanks K-Kasumi, I'll be F-Fine."
And then she proceeded to blush a deeper shade of red, which
didn't seem possible a few moments ago.
Nabiki turned toward Akane. "You should be thankful Akane. At
least Ranma-chan isn't a screamer."
Ranma-chan jumped up. "What's that supposed to me?"
Akane backhanded Nabiki hard in the stomach, causing her to
double over. "It's nothing Ranma, Nabiki likes to think dirty.
She's the real pervert here. I might be tempted to tie her down
and call up her favorite purple haired Amazon."
Nabiki blanched as her eyes grew large. "You wouldn't dare!"
Akane smiled sweetly. "Auto-dial number two" was all she said,
while holding her fingers in a V-shape.
Ranma-chan and Kasumi tried to hide soft giggling, Ranma turning
her head away while Kasumi simply put her hand over her mouth.
Nabiki growled at both of them, but it had no effect except to
spurn them further.
Nabiki lifted her arm as though to punch Ranma, who noticed it
and stopped snickering. Ranma was on her feet in only an
instant, moving to the door before she turned back. Her face
was now more sullen. "I shouldn't be laughing. I hate it when
people laugh at me, and all I want to do is hit them. I'm sorry
Nabiki."
Then Ranma-chan turned and left, slowly padding down the hallway
and disappearing up the stairs.
Nabiki's fist hadn't moved, still ready to assile someone who was
no longer there. She pulled her arm down out of the air. She
turned toward her sisters who looked both surprised and upset at
her.
"What?"
Kasumi sighed. "I can't say anything. I was laughing too,
though I feel bad now. Not really for you though."
Akane decided to air her opinion. "You laugh at her expense
whenever you can. You even profit on it, now you try to hit her
just for joining in on a small chuckle while the tables are
turned. You're horrible Nabiki."
Nabiki turned and looked back at Akane. "Like you aren't? You
do the same thing and he lets you get away with it. Why should
you be special?"
Akane lowered her head. "You're right you know. She does let me
pound her all the time for no good reason. It's because she
loves me."
"Well, maybe I should get Ranma to love me then. If his 'un-cute
Fiancee' can do it, I should have him easily wrapped around my
finger better than you."
Akane slammed her fist down onto the tabletop, snapping it in
half, it halves falling into a wide V-shape on the floor.
"It ends now. I will Never hurt Ranma again. I swear it, and I
won't ask anything of her in return either. But like hell I will
let you hurt her anymore, physically or otherwise. I'll send you
through the roof if you make her shed even a single tear. Sister
or not."
With that Akane stood up and stormed out of the room leaving a
very surprised and confused Kasumi, and an equally confused
Nabiki.
Nodoka appeared from the kitchen, hearing the table snap. "What
happened in here?"
"Do.. do you think..." Kasumi tried to stammer out.
"Think Akane is finally caring for Him, her, Whatever?" Finished
Nabiki.
Kasumi looked toward the direction that her younger sister had
exited by. "I hope so."
<As do I.> Nodoka thought to herself.
*****************************************************************
Akane found Ranma in her room. The recent addition of a
queen-sized western bed sat against the window, with Ranma
sitting curled up on top of the comforter with her back to the
door.
"Please Akane. I didn't mean to laugh." Onna-Ranma stated
almost zombie-like and emotionless.
"Ranma. I'm not going to hit you."
"Why not? I laughed at Nabiki."
"Because I know that you don't deserve to be hit."
There was no response. Ranma was still curled up and very
vulnerable, at least to Akane.
She placed a hand on Ranma's side, only to watch the girl tense
up, becoming almost rigid.
Akane hestitated for a few seconds, before her other arm found
it's way around Ranma's stomach, and she snaked her hands
together, interlocking her fingers.
With each passing second, Ranma seemed to be getting more tense.
Akane was expeiencing greater levels of shivering, until Ranma
finally blurted out, "Will you hit me or pile-drive me into the
floor, or whatever you planned to do already? I haven't got all
day!"
Now it was Akane's turn to shiver. "I'm not going to hurt you
anymore. I'm trying to make you feel better not worse."
She held the tense girl in her arms, eventually feeling straining
muscules loosen up, but Ranma still did not move from her little
ball.
"Ranma, please believe me. I'm not going to hurt you."
"I'll just annoy you somehow. It never fails to happen. Please
let go of me."
"No."
Silence and only the sound of her own breathing reined in on
Akane's ears for the longest time. She pulled the redhead in
against her as close as possible without crushing her.
Finally Ranma's eye appeared as her head lifted out from between
her knees, turned and tilted back, so she could see Akane, eye to
eye.
"Why won't you let me go? Why won't you leave? What... do you
want?"
Akane wanted to speak, and say 'nothing.' but she just looked
back trying to show her resolve.
Ranma's eye began to blink faster, a tear falling and rolling
down across her lower eyelid, as she continued to stare back at
Akane.
With little effort, Akane lifted the girl off the bed, turned and
laid her down on her side.
Ranma's legs no longer had the bed to keep her legs forced up
against her chest, and she let them fall limp as she was laid on
the bed.
Akane then laid down behind her, never letting her go. She
waited patiently and was finally rewarded as Ranma broke down.
All this was being watched by a tiny pair of eyes from near the
door.
<What's he trying to do?! He's got Akane believing he's hurt!
THE BASTARD!!>
Just as Ranma was beginning to open up and let out whatever pain
she was holding onto, she jerked out of Akane's grip twisting and
arching her back almost into a U-shape.
Akane was wondering what had gotten into her, until she saw
P - chan firmly clamped onto Ranma's ankle.
Said redhead hadn't even cried out, but was now flailing around,
trying to shake the piglet off. "Let me go!" She screamed, in a
manner so unlike Ranma's usual tone of voice.
Akane heard the pain resonating behind it, not the pain of being
bitten, but something else, far worse.
P - chan could no longer hold his grip as Ranma-chan made a
high-speed axe-kick, throwing the piglet across the room.
P - chan landed on all fours, and charged only to be grabbed by
Akane.
"Bad P - chan. Bad. Mommy wasn't in danger."
P - chan just squealed in protest, struggling to get out of her
arms and attack Ranma again.
Ranma was just staring at the piglet. P - chan realized this,
and stopped struggling. Looking into Ranma's eyes, an almost
evil spark seemed to resonate from within them.
Akane noticed the daggers being exchanged. "I'm sorry Ranma.
I'll put P - chan in my room and be right back. I'm going to
prove to you that I don't want to hurt you."
She left the room, P - chan still squeeling in her arms.
Ranma had other ideas, and lept out the window.
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<Damn Ryoga! He always manage to show up at the worst time.>
Spoke Ranma-chan from within her own mind.
<Calm down.> Replied Ranko, who currently had control of the
body they shared. <I'm actually glad he's here. There's been
something I've been wanting to do for a long time.>
<What's that?>
<I'm gunna make him change in front of Akane!>
Ranma was dashing across the rooftop, her footfalls making no
noise whatsoever.
She landed on the small portion of the roof from the first floor,
just next to Akane's window.
<You're bucking a stacked deck there. I thought you had all my
memories. I've been trying to do it forever, but he can MOVE as
a piggy. Serious agilty there.>
<True, you have tried, but I have a different approach, and this
time, there will be no amount of nimble footwork on his part that
will save him from this!>
She placed her forehead against the wall, and gritted her teeth.
In her mind she was growling to herself, though Ranma watched and
listened to the events unfold.
*****************************************************************
Akane had set P - chan on the bed, then turned toward the door.
She seemed lost in thought for a few seconds.
Ryoga, still in piglet form, sat there watching her, when he felt
his legs go numb. He looked down only to see his front hoofs
begin to slowly enlarge into his human hands.
The change began overtaking him, but the unevenness of it, even
parts of him reversing mid change, was taking it's toll.
Piggy skin began stretching out as the bones underneigh morphed
first, then the skin followed suit. This quickly overloaded his
pain tolerance and just before he passed out, he let out an
aunguished scream.
"BWEEEEEEEEAEAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!"
Akane spun on one foot, in time to see a naked Ryoga lying
face-down on her bed, unconscience, and P - chan was nowhere to
be found.
*****************************************************************
Outside, Ranma looked around, then shifted into Male form. He
jumped onto the roof above Akane's room, took three paces
forward. "I think right about here!"
At the utterence of those words, the unmistakable sound of Akane
Screaming "RYOGA, YOU PERVERT!!" Echoed out the window. Then
Ryoga, still dead to the world, smashed through the roof via
Akane's Chi-Mallet, directly in front of Ranma. Ranma held one
hand up, as if stifly waving goodbye as the limp, naked boy
entered into low-earth-orbit.
He then waited a few seconds, before jumping down the hole made
and wrapping his arms around her from behind.
"Agh!, oh it's you Ranma. I thought it might have been..."
"What happened Akane? I went up onto the roof to think and
suddenly I hear you sending him into space."
"I.. Think... no, it's too sick. He couldn't have possibly.. "
"What Akane?"
"Ryoga was trying to molest P - chan on my bed, while I was in
the room!"
Akane felt hands go limp and it was Ranma's turn to fall to the
floor, stunned into shock.
"Ranma, Are you okay?..... Ranma?"
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