Somewhere, on an empty street corner, a lone figure stood within a phone booth, hand on the receiver, unmoving.  Outside, the sky was blackened with heavy rain clouds, threatening to drench the Earth at any moment.  Thunder rumbled, causing the figure inside the booth to shudder involuntarily.  Slowly, the person's hand moved to lift the receiver from the cradle.  The dial tone pierced the silence of the booth, but was drowned out by another roll of thunder.  The person clenched the handle tightly, as if struggling to make a decision.  Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the interior of the booth momentarily, revealing to any observer the pain etched across the young man's features.  

Another crack of thunder sounded, almost immediately followed by a torrential downpour as the clouds overhead finally released their overly-saturated burden.  The young man flinched at the sound, his other hand reaching out to steady himself against the glass wall of the booth.  Slowly, almost against his will, the young man reached into his pocket and withdrew a coin and slid it into the coin slot.  The sound of the coin dropping into the machine resonated inside of his mind.  Swallowing the lump that suddenly formed in his throat, the young man began to press a number into the keypad, his finger trembling more violently with each number.

Finally, he punched the last digit, and breathing heavily, listened to the phone ring on the other end.  Part of him hoped that no one would answer, yet another part prayed that someone would.  Then, on the second ring, someone picked up on the other end.  As he waited, the only sound he could hear was beating of his own heart as it thumped against his chest.

***

With a sigh, Saotome Nodoka set her now cold cup of tea on the table in front of her.  She was seated at the dining room table, facing the sliding doors which lead to the lawn outside.  They were currently closed due to the approaching storm.  Though it was close to dawn, the sky was still very dark, as if insisting that daylight would not come on this day.

On the table in front of her was the telephone.  It sat next to the tray that held the cooling pot of hot water used to make her tea.  For the past few months, the phone rested on the dining room table every evening while the rest of the household took turns keeping watch over it.  Though it seemed a bit extreme, nobody mentioned it.  In fact, most insisted that it be done.  Everyone was going to be prepared when that phone call was received, no matter what it took.

Outside, lightning flashed, casting parts of the room in deep shadow while illuminating the rest.  With a crack of thunder, the long-awaited rain came pouring down from the heavens.  Nodoka sighed again as she gazed through the sliding doors and remembered the events of the past few months.  She remembered the day he had vanished.  At first, no one believed that he had run away.  But after the first week, it became apparent that he was indeed gone.  That's when the nightly vigils over the phone began.  How many nights had she stayed up next to this phone? Far too many, she thought, just like the others.  She turned to look down the hall where the main door resided, a slightly pained expression adorning her face.  How she hoped beyond hope that one day, he would come walking down that hall, greeting her with open arms.  She looked back at the phone, as she once again prayed that for once, it would just-

*RING!*

Nodoka nearly yelped in fright as the telephone rang loudly.  She forced her pounding heart to slow as the first ring came to a close.  Tentatively, she reached out a trembling hand to grasp the phone as it began to ring a second time.  She lifted the receiver, interrupting the second ring and brought it against her ear.  Take it easy, she said to herself in a rush.  It could be anyone, a wrong number, a message for Kasumi, a friend of Akane...  "Tendo household, Saotome Nodoka speaking."  She was relieved to hear that her voice came out steady.

There was nothing but silence on the other end.  No, wait.  Not completely.  There was a hissing sound in the background, as if there was a bad connection or something.  Nodoka waited patiently for any reply, trying to keep a lump from forming in her throat.  "Hello? Is anyone there?"  Again, nothing but the hissing noise.  Her hopes falling, Nodoka sighed and was about to hang up the phone when she heard a voice.  A male voice.  It spoke a single word, barely audible over the hissing, as if whispered.  But it was spoken with such emotion that it pierced her very soul, right to the core.

"Mom?"

Trembling, Nodoka tightened her grip on the receiver, clutching it with both hands so as to not drop it.  She swallowed heavily, trying to clear her throat of a lump that had formed.  Her eyes welled up with tears as she fought to regain her voice and make a reply.  "R-Ranma?"  Her voice thickened with emotion as she swallowed again.  "Is it really you?"

For several long moments, there was nothing but silence as Nodoka tried to reign in her emotions.  Her attempts proved to be in vain as the young man responded in a voice as laden with emotion as hers.  "H-hai."

The confirmation proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back as Nodoka lost all semblance of self-control and began sobbing uncontrollably.  She struggled to regain her composure so she could tell him just how much she loved him, how much she missed him, how sorry she was for everything, how much she wanted him to come home.  "Oh, Ranma," she managed between sobs.  "I-I've missed you so much."

She held her breath in an effort to control her crying, trying to listen to her son's response.  What she heard nearly broke her heart.  "I've...  I've missed you too, mom."  His voice was cracking, even as he struggled to keep it steady.  "I-I've missed you so much."

Nodoka gasped out the sob she was holding back as the tears poured from her eyes.  "R-Ranma, I love you."  She tried to hold down another sob, to no avail.  "I love you, so very much."  Her throat was tightening so much she was afraid she wouldn't be able to continue.  "Come home, Ranma.  P-please, come home to us."  Another sob tore through her body as she fell forward, her strength leaving her.  Strong hands grasped her from behind to steady her, but she barely noticed, so intent was she on hearing the response from her lost son.

The sob she heard over the line was almost too much for her to bear.  "I want to, mom.  I want to, so bad."  She heard him take in a deep breath and hold it.  She could picture him clutching the phone like she was, eyes squeezed shut, trying to keep the tears from leaking past his eyelids.  She heard him shakily release the breath.  "But...  I can't."

Nodoka's eyes shot open at this, the tears ceasing to fall momentarily.  "Why?" she asked breathlessly.  "Why not?"

As she waited for his answer, another roll of thunder sounded overhead.  A small part of her noticed that it also sounded from the other end.

"Because," Ranma answered.  "Because I f-failed you, mom."  She heard him bite back a sob as he tried to continue.  "I...  I lied to you, for a long t-time."  Her heart wrenched as she heard his pain over the phone.  The tears started again as she realized what he was referring to.  "I...  I'm n-no longer your son," he whispered.

Nodoka began to sob again as she tried to tell her son that she loved him no matter what, that he would always be her son, that they would help him if he would just come home.  "R-Ranma.  P-please come home to us."  It was all she could get out between her sobs.

"I-I want to."  Ranma's grief threatened to crush Nodoka under its weight.  "I w-want to come home."  His voice rose in pitch as he struggled to keep his emotions from going out of control.  "I l-love you so much, mom."  He tried, in vain, to suppress another sob.  "I...  I want to come home.  Please, h-help me."

Nodoka nodded her head violently, as if hoping that he could see her.  "Of course we'll help you! Just tell me where you are."  She began to pray.  "We'll come get you."

"I don't know."  Ranma's voice was small, swallowed up by his emotions.  "I...  I just don't know!"  Ranma's voice rose in volume as the pain and grief became too much for him to handle.  "H-help me, mom.  I- I want to come home!  Help me!"

"I'll help you, Ranma!"  Nodoka's voice was raising in volume as well as she began to panic.  "Just tell me where you are!  Please, Ranma!  Where are you?"

There was a loud clanking sound over the phone as the receiver was dropped.  Sounds of shattering glass and splintering wood could be heard over the phone as someone began destroying the phone booth.  Nodoka, nearly hysterical with fear, shouted through the phone.  "Ranma!  Please stop!  Ranma!"

Then, Nodoka heard Ranma bellow as his grief and pain reached the beyond his ability to endure.  It tore her heart in two as she heard him.  But, it wasn't just over the phone.  She turned her head to one side and listened.  It was coming from right outside, it seemed.  She looked up and saw that the rest of the household was already out the door, running in the direction of that yell.  She clutched the receiver again.  "Ranma!  They're coming, Ranma!  Just wait a little longer!"  She strained to hear any reply, but the hissing sound, which she finally recognized as rain, was too loud.  She waited, holding her breath in anticipation.  Then, she heard voices.  "Ranma?  Where are- There!  Ranma!"  There was a pause, and she pictured the small group running towards her son.  "Ranma!  Thank heavens!  Oh Ranma!  We missed you, Ranma!"  Nodoka sagged in relief, a small, watery smile forming on her lips even as her tears continued unabated.  "Auntie Saotome?"  It was Nabiki.  "We've got him.  We're bringing him home."  There was a click and all she heard was the dial tone.

Nodoka hung up the phone and tried to rise, but her legs had no strength in them.  She then felt the strong arms that had supported her throughout her conversation gently lift her to her feet.  Finally realizing who it was, she turned her husband and said, "Thank you."  It didn't seem enough, but he seemed to understand.

Genma gave his wife a small, loving look.  "Let's go, No-chan.  Our son is waiting."  They both walked to the open front door and waited as the rain continued to hammer the ground.  A moment later, five figures appeared at the gate.  Nodoka's attention was drawn to the smallest of the figures, someone who she had previously known as "Tendo Ranko," but now knew to be her son.  She stepped outside and ran to him, not caring about the weather, her tears mixing with the rain.

Ranma was tired, hurt, hungry, and cold.  He was also female, thanks to probably the worst storm Nerima had ever encountered.  But, for a moment, it didn't matter.  Nothing else in the world mattered as Ranma ran to his mother and collapsed in her arms, finally, as her child.  Physical and emotional exhaustion finally overtook Ranma as tears continued to pour from his eyes.  One final thought echoed in his mind as he drifted into unconciousness:

I'm home.