Phoenix: Reignited Edition Vol. I (Ranma 1/2)

1.15: Off the Rails

"Hey, kiddo, whatcha thinkin'?"

Ranko looked up from the train window, blinking herself back into the moment. The Shibuya cityscape zooming by her served as a welcome analogue for how quickly her life seemed to be moving at the moment. At least, unlike the shops and plazas that zipped past her right shoulder, it no longer felt like it was passing her by. "Huh? Sorry! I spaced out for a minute there."

With an easy grin, Izumi gave the smaller girl a nudge with her shoulder. "Yeah, you've kinda been off in your own little world since we got on the train. Everything okay?"

The redhead gave a slow nod, turning in her seat to face the girl that had taken to calling herself her sister. One of them, she corrected herself. There's freakin' three more! She tried to smile, even though the ends of her ears still felt like they'd been injected with molten plasma. "Yeah, I think so. It's just... been a crazy couple o' days, is all. Trying to just digest it all, and it's a lot."

"Anything you wanna talk about?" Izumi offered a disarming smile, adjusting in her seat as well. "It stands to reason you'd have a lot going on in your head right now, but you gotta remember, all of us have been where you are, honey, so there's... we understand, is all I'm trying to say."

As if, Ranko thought with a sigh. Bet none of you woke up one morning and said, "hey, today's a good day to start being a girl," and then spent all day having strangers messin' with your tits and shootin' holes in your face, while everybody's lookin' at you like you're a charity case. "You guys... sure like doing the whole talking thing, don'tcha?"

Izumi nodded softly. "Talking about the things you're feeling is good. It gives you validation, even if it's just somebody else saying they understand. Brains are complicated, and they can think a thousand things at once, but your mouth can only say one thing at a time, so talking about stuff has this uncanny way of simplifying things and quieting the noise in your head a little bit so you can focus and work through stuff. Again, though - it's not a requirement. There's no expectation here, Ranko. We want you to process everything at your pace. We want you to feel comfortable."

Comfortable? What's that?! Ranko fidgeted in her seat, idly eyeing the sparkly paint covering her fingernails. Perhaps it was psychosomatic, and perhaps it was the Full-Body Cat's Tongue, but she could have sworn she could feel the thick layer of polish lacquered on her nails. I'm sitting here talking to a stranger who wants to be my sister, and dressed up like a freakin' Barbie doll. Every impulse in her mind told her to run, but she couldn't decide if she wanted to run from the new developments in her life, or toward them.

"Why do you do it? What makes you guys wanna take a chance on me like this?"

Izumi chuckled quietly under her breath. "Because you're worth it, honey. Because all of us - even Mama, although she doesn't like to talk about it - know what it's like to need somebody else to tell you you're worth it when you can't believe it yourself. We all know what it's like to have nothing, to doubt everything, and to feel like the demons of the world are waiting around every corner and hiding in every shadow to get you. And, we know, for a hundred percent certain, that there is such a thing as coming back from feeling like that, because all of us did it." She reached to her right, patting the back of Ranko's hand gently while avoiding her younger sister's fresh nail polish. "You will too, Ranko. I promise. We're gonna help you get your feet back under you, no matter what it takes."

The young redhead shrugged nonchalantly at the elder girl's words, speaking over the chime indicating the approaching train station. "I just... I ain't used to people lookin' out for me, doin' for me, stuff like that, when there's nothin' in it for them. My pop, he was a big one for, ya gotta make your own way in the world, always be ready to up and split, don't get too attached, that sorta thing." Of course, then he grew roots in Mr. Tendo's guest room, and he doesn't even have a job. Maybe... She smiled weakly. Maybe it was just one more thing he was full of shit about. It's amazing how much different all the shit he used to say feels after you get out from under it a little bit and see it from a different perspective.