Epiphany Chapter 6

By Tripolar Disorder

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Ranko held Ranma-chan in her arms, within the little room within
her mind.

Unlike the last time, there was no weeping or tear-filled eyes.
Ranma-chan wasn't crying, just sitting relaxed, and leaning
against her twin for comfort.

"I'm sorry Ranma, I don't know what came over me. I felt your
pain as your mother fell asleep, and I thought you were going to
just curl up next to her and cry. I couldn't let that happen, I
promised myself I wouldn't let anyone hurt you ever again if I
could help it." Ranko continued to shake her head.

Ranma-chan looked into her eyes. Her face was emotionless but
firm. "Promise me you won't try to kill someone next time. All
the other stuff was okay but when you dropped her into the water
she could have drowned, and how would it look to have a Koi-pond
of Drowned Insane Martial arts gymnast in our own backyard."

Then her lips curled up into a smile. "Thank you Ko-chan. Thank
you for caring, and for wanting to help. I knew you wouldn't
have let her die."

Ranko sighed. "I'm not exactly like you Ranma. I don't have a
little voice inside my head to tell me not to do something. I
don't really know if I would have fished her out."

Ranma-chan hugged her back tightly. "Don't say that Ko-chan.
You wanted me to feel better and gave me the ability to change,
so you must have something. I know you would have done the right
thing, no matter how we feel about her. If you were a real girl
you would be a kind and loving person, not just what you did
today."

"Really Ranma? You really think so?"

"Yes Ko-chan."

Ranko looked as though she was about to cry, and Ranma-chan found
herself comforting her twin for a change.

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The next morning, the wonderful smells of breakfast stirred the
sleeping individuals in the living room.

Shampoo opened her eyes to find several smiling faces staring at
her. Ranma-chan pointed to her left and she turned her head
until her chin came in contact with Nabiki's hair. During the
night Nabiki's head had slid down until it was on her shoulder. A
terribly evil idea crossed her mind.

She gently nudged Nabiki and her eyes opened as well. She looked
around and realized her situation. Speechless, she stared at
Shampoo with large eyes.

As Nabiki started to move away Shampoo smiled, and grabbed her in
a standard amazon glomp. Nabiki was stunned, her heart beating
out of her chest and her eyes as wide as small ice cream dishes.

Shampoo laid her head on Nabiki's shoulder. "Shampoo no think
mercenary girl cared?" This was followed by a brief kiss right
on the lips. "Wo ay ni Arien." She said in a breathy voice.

Nabiki struggled free and dashed upstairs fast enough that a gold
medal runner would be proud.

Everyone downstairs didn't know what to say. They were all
witness to the most unusual site yet. Ranma-chan was the first
to speak.

"Ummm, Shampoo? Did you just give the kiss of marriage to
Nabiki?"

Shampoo giggled. "Hiya, course not Arien, but mercenary girl not
need to know that. Will hope that gets her back for taking
picture of Shampoo without clothes.

Nodoka and Akane were laughing, while Ranma had this rejected
look on her face. "Darn, I was hoping you were giving up on me."

Another collective chuckle before Shampoo had to leave. She
thanked Kasumi and bowed to Ranma before taking off.

Akane continued to stare blankly in the direction that Shampoo
went. "Ranma, have you wondered why she has been so nice to you
lately?"

Ranma-chan shook her head. "Nope no clue. I haven't seen her
since the day with the furo incident. It feels good though. I
hope it lasts for awhile."

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(later that day)

Akane was in her practice gi, walking out to the Dojo, when she
past the family room. Inside she found Kasumi trying to comfort
Ranma-chan who was kneeling in front of the futon Nodoka had been
on earlier. Their backs were toward her.

Ranma was stuttering between sniffles. "This reminds me ... of
the day I came .... here. We were all sitting around your father
... and Akane .... she wanted .... she wanted .... to be...",
then her emotions took over and she was crying too hard to
continue.

Kasumi was rocking her back and forth. "I remember Ranma. I
remember what she said, and after we found out about your curse,
we pushed you away. I'm sorry"

"Ryoga hates me, and Ukyo just wants to marry me. I don't want
that. If it wasn't for pops then...."

Akane stood in silence. She didn't know what to say. All this
time and she had no idea what a single statement had meant to
him. She felt her heart breaking and the blood drain from her
face. She tried to visualize a list of people that she could
call his friends, but found she could not put anyone on it.

A single image fixed in her minds eye. It was of him sitting
against a tree, in the corner of the school yard everyday at
lunch. Alone. Ukyo and Shampoo would show up only to try and
prove how well they could cook. Then she thought about her own
actions. <I just ignore him too. We all just use him and take
him for granted.>

Kasumi was still hugging Ranma-chan. "Ranma, we are friends now.
I care about you and I know Akane does too. We didn't know how
you felt. You never told us."

What Akane couldn't see, since both had their back to her, was
that both Ranma-chan and Kasumi were in fact grinning and doing
their best to sound honest and sincere.

Akane was having trouble standing. She was trying her best to
keep her knees from buckling and falling out from under her, but
Kasumi's words rang through her mind. <I do care about Ranma,
don't I? Yes!> She steeled her resolve, and walked around to
Ranma-chan's right.

Akane wiped her eyes with one hand and with a shaky voice, held
out the other. "H-h-hi I'm A-Akane, wanna be... friends?"

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Akane and Onna-Ranma were both sitting over-looking the yard,
their feet hanging off the edge of the wooden floor of the dojo.
Kasumi had cleverly bowed out with an excuse about making dinner.

Akane was staring down at her feet, watching her bare toes part
the blades of grass. "I am sorry I forgot about you, red-haired
girl. I said some things that I regret now."

Ranma-chan lowered her head at hearing this. Akane tapped her
shoulder a few times until Ranma looked into her eyes.

"I'm sorry Ranma. I didn't want a fiancée but when we found out
you were a girl I thought you looked sad. You really surprised
me in that sparring match. I was impressed."

"I forgot all about that after we saw each other in the bath. I
forgot that I had promised to be your friend. All I could think
about was your curse. You were the worst kind of pervert I could
think of and it clouded my judgment. I know now that you are
completely the opposite."

Ranma countered, while her eyes also never left her feet. "I
have a confession to make Akane. I really am a pervert." She
was twiddling her index fingertips. "I thought you looked
beautiful when you walked in on me."

Ranma looked over to see her companion blushing severely. She
stared at Akane's face with fascination. Akane turned toward her.
"Well, I thought you were very handsome too, although I was
jealous of this.." She pointed towards Ranma's left breast.
"I thought you were calling me un-cute because you compared
yourself to me."

Ranma sighed. "I am the jealous one Akane. You seem so happy
when you are around your sisters and I didn't have anyone until
mom showed up. It hurt that none of you wanted me. I felt all
alone again."

"I just lashed out at everything ... and everyone that hurts me.
I wish I could've known what to say to make it better, right
then. Then maybe you would have wanted to be my friend instead
of an unwanted fiancée."

Akane watched as Ranma pulled her legs up against her chest,
burying her face between her legs.

It was Akane's turn to stare at her feet. The sound of a
sniffling nose brought her out of feeling sorry for herself.

She could see the smaller girl shaking, silently crying. The
only sound being made was her nose trying to hold back the need
for a tissue.

Akane grabbed Ranma-chan into a fierce embrace. She held her
tightly, almost squeezing the air from Ranma's lungs.

She realized how hard she was squeezing and changed to a light
embrace, then stared directly into Ranma's eyes. All she could
see was tears rolling down her cheeks as emotion forced itself
from within.

Ranma tried to turn away, her eyes closed. "Please, don't look
at me this way. I'm not supposed to cry. It's weak and I'm not
supposed to be weak."

Akane pulled her in closer, sensing that ignoring her companion
would only make the situation worse.

A few minutes went by as one girl tried to compose herself with
the other continued to hold her.

Finally, Ranma looked up into Akane's eyes. She looked as though
a horrible secret was trying to tear itself out of her. "I..."
was all she said.

"What is it Ranma? Is there something wrong?"

Ranma took her right arm to her stomach, pressing against her
shirt. "I am ... tired of this life Akane. I want all the pain
to end and I don't know how."

These words registered like a large animal raking it's claws
across Akane's back. "What pain Ranma? I don't understand."

Onna-Ranma just continued to stare at the grass. "I can't
possibly be the man my father wanted of me. I can hardly look
myself in the mirror. I'll never be more than a burden to
whoever I end up having to marry. I want it all to end."

"What do you mean Ranma? You aren't seriously thinking of
suicide?"

"What if you hadn't seen the other me in the bath? You know, if
you always thought I was a girl? I wonder how long I could've
kept hiding the truth? You and I might be ... having fun
together doing... whatever you and your friends do when I'm not
around." 

Akane sighed. "I don't think it would have lasted Ranma. Even
if you could have managed to hide your male half, Genma could
change back into a man, and he would have spilled the beans."

Ranma nodded, another tear punctuating the realization she now
had. "You're right you know. It's all just some stupid dream I
wish was the truth."

"Would you rather be a girl Ranma?"

"I don't know yet. I wonder sometimes, but I'm not ready to make
a choice."

"I want you to know something. No matter what you decide. I
still .... love you Ranma." Akane's face was as red as ever. She
could not explain the way she was feeling. She turned her head
away from Ranma.

She felt it being slowly turned back by a Ranma-chan's hand. She
forced herself to look into Ranma's eyes, those deep pool of blue
that mirrored the person behind it. Akane could see what she was
thinking. <He loves me too. I can't believe after all I do to
him and he still loves me.>

"How? With the way I treat you? How can you say that?"

Akane closed her eyes. "Because I mean it. I think that I hurt
myself more when I strike out at you. I feel inside all the pain
you get just trying to defend and protect me."

Ranma looked at her, surprised at her confession. Akane took the
advantage, leaned forward, and their lips touched for several
moments, before parting. Ranma looked both surprised and happy,
if that was possible. Akane mused that she had caught the
smaller girl off guard for once.

"You have me Ranma. I think I'm being swept off my feet by the
lack of your usual behavior. I want take this slowly though,
'cause I'm not quite ready for sex with a girl yet."

Ranma looked at her strangely confused. "Umm Akane? Whats Sex?"

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What did you think was going to happen here, you major Hentai.
Maybe when I get to be a better writer.