Here's Part 4...
Gie-chan
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Tail--Four
Kon'nichi wa, minna! Here's Part Four of ATTR. Can you believe this is all
still Arc One? It's honkin' huge! I just wanted to send lots of love and
appreciation for everyone that has read and reviewed the past parts. It
makes my soul sing for joy! I hope the citrus scene didn't bug anyone.
There's no heavy stuff in this one. A little snugglin', but that's it.
Arigato, minna! I really mean it. In this section, a little more with
Bulma&Vejiita-oujisama, and Ranma and Akane enter the picture!! Aren't you
all excited? Read, and enjoy! Gie-chan. ~~~Feedback warms the heart and
feeds the soul~~~
A Tail To Remember
By: Gie (phowah@cs.com)
An Alternate Ranma 1/2 and Dragonball Z Crossover
Saotome Ranma, Tendo Akane and their familiars are not Mine.
They are Hers, Takahashi Rumiko-sama.
Son Goku, Vejiita-oujisama and their familiars are not Mine, either.
They are His, Toriyama Akira-sama.
But hey, if they want to come over and visit, party, get wasted and
fall asleep on my couch, that ki-draining chain holding them down is
not Mine, either.
Really, it�s not.
Any new characters, though, are MINE, not Hers, or His.
Timeline: In Ranmaverse, this is a few years after Saffron and the
wedding disaster. They�ve graduated from high school. Convenient,
ne? In DBZ, this is a few months after the defeat of Garlic Jr. I
will be using some Japanese within...hopefully, I will remember to
define it all at the end of the story. I will be creating my own
timeline, so some things will differ in both worlds. Especially DBZ.
That�s what �Alternate� means.
And here we go!
~CapsuleCorp~
Later, in the night, Vejiita was startled out of his slumber by
movement next to him. He saw, and felt, Bulma tossing around
restlessly. He scowled at her and flipped over. But soon flipped
back when he heard her cry out. He noticed she was still sleeping,
but there was a thin sheen of sweat that lined her forehead, and
she was restlessly tossing her head back and forth, mumbling
incoherent words and sounds.
He reached over and shook her awake. �Onna, Onna. Bulma,
wake up!� She abruptly sat up, panting. Her eyes darted around
wildly, not focusing on anything in particular.
�Stay away, stay away! You won�t get her!�
�What are you talking about, Onna?�
�Stay back! You won�t get her!� She held her arms out in a
gesture that mimicked her words.
Vejiita scowled at her. �You�re talking nonsense! Won�t get
what?�
�The Princess! Protect the Princess!�
Vejiita was officially thoroughly confused. Princess? His
eyes widened in realization. She was talking about Seiika! He
grabbed her shoulders. �What about the Princess? Where�s
Serori?�
Bulma shook her head and moaned in despair. �Serori�s down.
Goku�s down, Vejiita�s down! Gohan...Gohan! Transform and protect
the Princess!� With that, Bulma closed her eyes again and fell back
down on the bed.
Vejiita just stared at her in shock. Protect the princess?
What creature would be so strong and powerful to knock both him
and Kakarotto down? And Serori? He frowned down at the woman
next to him. Why was she saying these things? A thought crossed
his mind--she was still sleeping! So it was a dream? Vejiita shook
Bulma again. �Bulma, wake up.�
Bulma slowly blinked her eyes open and rubbed them in
confusion. �Vejiita? What�s wrong? Why did you wake me up?�
�Wake you up?� He snorted. �Onna, you woke me up! What
were you dreaming about?�
She rubbed her eyes again. �Dreaming? I...� A look of
understanding crossed her face. �I was talking in my sleep again,
wasn�t I?� He nodded impatiently. �I tend to do that. Sorry.� She
looked away sheepishly.
�What were you dreaming about? You need to remember.
You must remember!�
She looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember the wisps of
her dream. �Let�s see, I was eating some chocolate ice cream with
strawberries...oh wait. I won�t get into that one.� She giggled. He
snorted again, and crossed his arms. �Okay, okay. Let�s see, I was
in a meadow. Almost everyone was there. There were these strange
black and white striped creatures everywhere; some were on the
ground and some were floating in the air.� A faraway look crossed
her face as she talked. �I watched as the creatures attacked
everyone. The Chikyuu senshi and some others were the first to
fall, then a tall male--I don�t recognize him. Then you and Goku fell.
The three of you looked different, though. Your hair was blond and
you had green eyes--quite handsome, actually.�
She gave him a smile. He didn�t see or react to it because he
was staring out into the darkness. �Three Super Saiya-jiin. That
means I do reach the Super level!� He blinked and looked back at
Bulma. �Who�s the third?�
She shrugged her shoulders in reply. �I don�t know. He was
standing in front of a short female, though.� She furrowed her
eyebrows. �The female looked a little like you, Vejiita-chan. Maybe
that�s Serori and Seiika?�
He nodded in agreement. �They probably are, then. Then
what happened?�
She closed her eyes and concentrated on the fading wisps of
her dream. �Gohan arrived with two other males. The other two
were in Super Saiya-jiin form.� She opened her eyes and blinked at
him. �Two more Saiya-jiin? Super ones, at that?�
He shook his head. �Never mind that, now. What happened
to Seiika?�
Bulma closed her eyes again. �Gohan-chan and the two others
start trashing these creatures, but the creatures are really strong.
The two new Saiya-jiin are struck with this green light. And Gohan
is attacking what looks like the leader.� She opened her eyes and
shook her head. �That�s all I can remember. That�s when I woke up.�
She frowned deeply and rubbed her temples. �These creatures are
what Kami-sama sensed earlier, aren�t they? When I was younger, I
used to have prophetic dreams. They went away when I was around
eleven or so. But if they�re back, that means trouble.�
She scooted closer to the male next to her and wrapped her
arms around him. �Don�t leave me, Otoko. Please don�t leave me.�
He scowled at her, but seeing tears welling up in her eyes,
softened his expression and placed an arm around her. �Don�t worry,
Onna. Nothing will take me away from you.� His face became stern.
�Nothing at all.�
�I�ll hold you to that, Vejiita.�
He smirked at her. �I know you will. Now, go back to sleep.
You look like crap.�
She slapped him on the chest lightly. �Shut up, baka. Like
you look better yourself.� He laid down, on his back, and pulled her
down and close to him in the process. She rested her head on his
broad chest and wrapped a free arm across him. Soon she was
asleep, but tossing restlessly again.
Vejiita growled at her tossing and turning, and brought her
into his arms once again. She woke up at the movement and
helplessly looked at him. �Sorry. I keep seeing parts of the dream.�
He grunted and held her tighter. �Onna, the things I put up
with for you...If you showed as much violence in a battlefield than
you do in this bed, even Friiezer would have run away screaming.�
She just buried her face in his chest and sighed. Soon, a
low-pitched humming sound was heard, and Bulma felt Vejiita�s chest
begin to vibrate in unison with the sound. The combination of the
vibrating, his heartbeat, and the heat he gave off from his body
quickly lulled her back into sleep.
Several times she woke up again, but Vejiita�s humming put
her right back to sleep.
Vejiita, however did not sleep the rest of the night. He
thought about Bulma�s dream and what consequences will befall
them. He swore mentally to himself about not being ready for an
attack, even though it hasn�t happened yet. Then he remembered
his �pupil� in the morning. He smirked and started to dream up
countless ways to take his frustration out on the brat. Finally, dawn
broke free of the night, and with a last look and brush of his lips on
her neck and nose, he vanished from Capsule Corp. and into the
sunrise, to train his first student to use his tail�s abilities properly.
**********
Chikyuu, Nerima, Tendo Dojo, Morning.
The Sun peeked through the partially closed curtains of the
sleeping martial artist�s window. She snuck in, keeping herself as
quiet as possible. Creeping up close to him, she stroked his face
lovingly, coaxing him awake from his deep slumber; telling him of the
wonderful things in store for him that day.
Ranma just flipped over and snored loudly.
A dark cloud crossed over the Sun�s gaze, mirroring the mood
the pigtailed male would be in for if he didn�t get up that instant!
He flipped over again, and one of her sunbeams shone directly
in his eyes. He covered his face with an arm and snorted once, still
sleeping. The sun snorted back and disappeared behind a bank of
clouds, giving up on the boy for the morning. She�d show him who�s
the boss later, with a well-placed rain cloud.
The sleeping teenager slept on, unaware of the goings on
above him. Although he wouldn�t be in that restive state for long,
for the other occupant in the room, Ranma�s father, Genma, had just
awoke and was preparing for the morning�s sparring session by
yawning and scratching himself in several places. He smacked his
lips once and looked over at the boy, still sleeping soundly. Genma
put on a fresh gi and an evil smile and began to wake up his son.
�Ranma, wake up! It�s time to train!� Genma bellowed in his
ear.
Ranma screamed and jumped eight feet in the air, hitting his
head on the ceiling. He rebounded back to the floor, landing
spread-eagled on his futon. �Kuso! Oyaji, what in the hell did you do
that for? I was sleepin� peaceful-like!� He rubbed his head and sat
up, glaring at the older male grinning at him.
�You slept long enough, boy. Let�s get started.� He
demonstrated by doing a few toe-touches and jumping up and down.
Ranma growled and started to stand up. He felt a little
wobbly, but just took that as an after-effect of the pre-fight flight
he had. �Fine, Oyaji. Let me change first, and then I�ll kick your
ass.�
�You wish! No time for clothes, boy! Out you go!� He picked
Ranma up by the front of his t-shirt and threw him out the window
and into the yard.
Ranma grabbed his clothes in his flight, and after quickly
donning his favorite red shirt and black pants, which for some
reason wouldn�t slip on properly. He yanked them on hard and
continued his flight path outside. He shouted a curse into the air
and attempted to flip and land on his feet. He felt different--for
some reason he couldn�t achieve his normal balance. Something felt
off, or wrong. But before he could control his landing, it was made
for him, face first in the garden. Genma bounded out the window
after him in pursuit.
Ranma groaned and spit out a mouthful of dirt. He cursed his
father again under his breath and laid there, trying to figure out
why he couldn�t assert control over his balance this morning.
Genma landed in front of the prone Ranma and scoffed at
him. �What�s wrong, Ranma?� Genma needled his offspring. �Not
awake yet? You�re getting lazy, boy! Maybe it�s time to go on
another training journey to cure you of this bad habit!�
�Yeah, right, Pops.� He spit out another clump of dirt and sat
up. �You wouldn�t miss Kasumi�s cooking for nothin�. And talk about
lazy! You were in bed before I was last night.�
�Shut up, boy. Let�s get started, or does your mouth need a
longer workout that the rest of you?�
Ranma cracked his knuckles. �Fine, then. I can cream ya now
or later. No difference to me.� With that, Ranma leaped up into a
standing position and ran at his father.
Only to fall flat on his face, tripping over an unseen obstacle.
Genma burst out laughing at the boy in the dirt. �Ranma,
maybe we should restart with the basics today, like walking!� He
laughed even louder as Ranma glared at him.
�Will you shut up? Something tripped me up.� Ranma stood
and bent forward, looking for the miscreant root or whatever that
dared to get in the way and under Saotome Ranma�s feet this
morning.
Genma slowly stopped laughing and wiped the tears that
formed from his fit. �Boy, at least you�re good for a laugh in the...�
He trailed off and sobered quickly when he glanced over at his son.
Ranma had his back to him, but something had caught Genma�s eye.
A furry brown tail was dangling from Ranma�s posterior, the
tip twitching in the morning air.
Genma began to turn pale and sputter incoherently.
�What...where...when?�
Ranma glanced over his shoulder at his father. �What did you
say, Oyaji? I�ll kick your hairy butt in a minute. I just want to see
what tripped me up.� Genma pointed a him and sputtered more, his
face a ghost-white. �What are you pointing at? Do I have some dirt
on my butt or somethin�?� Ranma stood up and reached behind him
to brush off anything that was resting there. His hands found some
dirt, but when he ventured lower, they also found something that
felt remarkably like fur. Soft fur. �What the hell? Do I have an
animal on me?� Ranma grabbed the furry object and yanked. Hard.
Ranma�s scream woke the entire Tendo residence and the
surrounding neighborhood.
He gasped for breath, unable to breathe through the
excruciating pain. He let go and stuck his hands as far away from
his body as they could go. He spoke quietly and carefully. �Oyaji,
what in the hell is attached to me?�
Genma audibly gulped and spoke one word. �Tail.�
Ranma blinked. And blinked again. And once more for good
measure. �What did...What did you say, Pop?�
Genma repeated his one word, covering his face with his
hands. �Tail.�
Ranma swallowed and reached behind him again. �That�s what
I thought you said.� He reached behind him and brought his tail
around so he could see it. It was brown, a dark chocolate brown
with thick black hairs stuck intermittently. The fur was soft and
thick, and he stroked it absently. He felt tingles travel up his spine
when he went against the grain. He brought his hand up to the base
and realized it grew right out of his spine. Even though it was
foreign to him, it did feel natural to have one.
He dropped it and watched as it slowly returned to its
original position behind him, tip curling sporadically. He turned to
face his father and asked the all-important question. �Why...why do
I have a tail, Pop?�
Pop stuttered and shook his head. �I...� Before he could go
any further, a scream was heard from inside the house. Both looked
up to where the sound came from and Ranma snapped to attention.
�Akane!�
He jumped up and latched onto the frame of Akane�s window,
which luckily for him, was open. He stared at Akane, who was in a
familiar position. Her arms were as far away as possible from her
body and her face had a combination of shock and horror written
upon her features. His eyes roamed her body, searching for injuries
and stopped when something grabbed his attention. A furry brown
tail almost identical to the one he just discovered on his own person
emerged from her backside, the end twitching frantically.
Ranma let out a gasp at the sight and that was when the
other members of the household came barreling in to her room.
�Akane...� He pointed at the new appendage and stared. Kasumi
covered her mouth with her hands; Nabiki stared slack-jawed, and
Soun began to get pale, putting a hand on his cheek. Genma arrived
and groaned when he saw the matching appendage on his future
daughter-in-law.
Akane turned to her family, a stricken look upon her face.
�Tail...I have tail...� She turned around as Ranma climbed in through
the window. Her eyes went wide as he walked near her and turned
around, showing her his own tail.
She pointed at his new part and gasped. �You...tail...too...you!�
He nodded and started to speak, but several thumps coming from
the doorway halted his conversation. Kasumi and Nabiki were looking
down at their fathers, who had just passed out from shock.
All four conscious beings muttered, �Oh, my.�
Nabiki looked up at the newly-tailed iinazukes and blinked
slowly. She turned to Kasumi and asked, �So, when�s breakfast?�
Ranma and Akane both facefaulted, and Kasumi looked up at
her younger sister and smiled. �Oh, Nabiki-chan!� She turned
toward the kitchen. and called over her shoulder. �It�s the same
time as always!�
Ranma and Akane, once again facefaulted. They sat there,
dazed, shaking their heads in disbelief. Nabiki watched the two
with an amused smile and shook her own. �I have a feeling the two
lummoxes on the floor here have an explanation on why the two of
you are crossing the species barrier.� She smirked and reached
down to grab a hold of an arm of her father. �Hmm...I can�t wait to
hear what they have to say.� She gave Ranma a thoughtful look. �Do
you want me to call Auntie Nodoka, Ranma-kun? She might actually
have an answer to this...the real one, at that.� Ranma nodded slowly.
She smiled and held her free hand out. �Five thousand Yen.�
Both Ranma and Akane scowled. �Nabiki...� Akane growled.
Nabiki put an innocent look upon her face. �What?� She was
surprised, though, that when she growled, she actually *growled*,
Nabiki wasn�t aware that Akane could actually even make that noise.
Naturally, she didn�t show her surprise outwardly.
Ranma scowled at her and rumbled deep in his throat. �No
thanks.� He stood up and brushed by her, grabbed his father�s arm,
and dragged him downstairs. �I�ll call her myself.� She shrugged
and turned back to her sister, who was still staring at her. She gave
her a small smile. �See you at breakfast. I�ll take �Tousan
downstairs.� She held onto his arm and pulled him down the stairs,
following in Ranma�s footsteps.
Akane just watch them leave. She blinked when she heard a
small squeal coming from her bed. She turned and smiled at P-chan,
who�s eyes darted back and forth from her face to her new tail.
�P-chan! How�s my baby this morning?� She cooed to him. He gave
her a squeal and jumped into her waiting arms. He snuggled in her
arms while she scratched a particular spot he enjoyed behind his
ears. After a few minutes of loving, P-chan jumped down from his
mistress� arms and made his way out the door. Akane followed him
out, but turned in the bath. She closed the door and undressed,
preparing for her morning bath. She scrubbed and rinsed clean
before stepping into the furo, sighing in contentment as the hot
water seeped into her bones and muscles.
Akane began to think about her tail, and what it signified.
�Hopefully, nothing big. I really, really hope it means nothing big.�
She sighed and held her tail in her hands, smoothing the wet fur
down. She wrinkled her nose. �Eww. Wet fur smell. Almost as bad
as Saotome-ojisan in panda form.� She petted her talk absently as
she thought about panda�s son, Ranma. It was strange that he had
one as well as she did. �I just wonder what it means.�
Suddenly, a snatch of a dream popped into her mind.
~Vejiita-sei's Throne Room, A Long Time Ago~
Akane stood in a giant hall. She looked around and saw richly
colored tapestries adorned the walls and portraits of people that
she didn�t recognize. Thick deep purple carpeting covered the floor.
She saw several clumps of people scattered throughout the vast
room. In front of her sat a gigantic throne and two smaller ones
were on each side. In the center throne sat a large man; his thick
black hair stood virtually on end. A goatee framed his frowning
mouth. Bushy eyebrows were drawn together in a deep scowl. He
wore a thick armor and a cape was draped over the arm of the
throne. He had his arms crossed and his eyes closed.
Akane turned to her right and saw a young boy, no older than
two, standing next to her, mimicking the man up front. His frown
was as deep and his scowl as dark. Akane saw his hair was black and
stuck up like black flames. The boy opened his eyes and turned to
look at her. He frowned even deeper, turning away when the man up
front barked a command in a language she didn�t understand. The
boy next to her answered back in the same unfamiliar language and
she turned back to the male in front.
The King, she guessed, was saying something to her, and
automatically responded, even though she had the faintest idea what
she was saying. She sounded angry, or hurt, though. The King
turned his attention to her left and a boy stepped out from the
shadows. It was Ranma, but not. He looked the same, except his
hair was sticking out everywhere and he looked to be about the same
age as the boy next to her. He wore the same armor that the boy
next to her wore, except the color was a deep purple; it almost
matched the carpet.
Ranma came forward and kneeled before the King and spoke
in the same language as everyone else. The King responded and
nodded his head. Ranma stood and came back to stand slightly
behind Akane, as a guard would. She noticed as he walked back to
her, that he had a tail, like he does now. She glanced over at the
boy next to her and saw that his tail was wrapped around his waist.
She felt for her own and took note that hers was wrapped around
her waist as well.
The King spoke and nodded again, and two guards appeared
out of the shadows. They picked up Ranma and Akane and turned to
leave the room. Akane struggled in her guard�s grasp, and shouted
out in that language again. The boy that matched the King shouted
out and tried to go after her. She reached out to him, but the
guard held her fast. Another guard appeared from the shadowed
sidelines and tried to restrain the boy. He shook free and shot a
beam of light from his hands, disintegrating the hapless guard. A
door shut in front of her and the boy and the image disappeared.
Akane blinked and shook her head, clearing it of the lingering
images. �Where in the world did that come from? And where was
I?� She was brought out of her pondering when Kasumi announced
breakfast and the Fathers� awakening. Akane hurried out of the
furo and got dressed quickly. She put on a skirt because she tried
pants--her tail got in the way. That�s how she discovered it in the
first place. She went downstairs and joined her family at the table,
sitting next to the already seated Ranma, her usual spot. Only to
stand up again because she had pinched her tail. Ranma looked up at
her and shrugged helplessly, holding his own tail in his lap. She
remembered how she and that boy had rested their tails around
their waists, and tried it for herself. It felt sort of funny, but she
could get used to it. She sat down again, noting that it didn�t get in
the way this time. Ranma raised an eyebrow at her actions and
smiling, did it himself. They both watched the two adult males
slowly make their way to the table, groaning and holding their heads.
Ranma and Akane just stared at their fathers, who were
doing a good job of ignoring their children. Kasumi set out the food
and everyone began to help themselves to the dishes. The silence
around the breakfast table was oppressing, to say the least. The
only sounds made were of bowls and glasses being set down. Tea
cups tinkled against their saucers. Ranma would sneak a glance here
and there at Akane, focusing on her face, or peeking at her tail.
Akane, though, concentrated on the food in front of her. She
was hungry this morning. Actually, starving was more the word.
Kasumi�s food never tasted so good! She ate and ate, not getting
enough to satisfy her stomach. Ranma ate in his normal pattern,
piggishly, but that was no surprise. Still, no one spoke about the
events of the morning.
Soon enough, and too soon for the hungry members of the
household, the food was polished off, and tea was re-served.
Everyone found their cups to be the most fascinating items, when
they weren�t drinking out of them, that is. Finally, Nabiki broke the
painful silence.
�Ranma,� everyone looked up and directed their attention
toward her. �Ranma, did you call Saotome-obaasan yet?� Genma and
Soun opened their eyes in shock and relief, respectively, at what
Nabiki said.
He nodded, looking back into his tea. �Yeah, �Kaasan is on her
way.�
Genma gulped and spoke fiercely. �What did you say to her,
Ranma?�
He eyed his father warily. �I told her to come over right
away. It was important for her to do so.�
�And...�
�And what?�
�Did you tell her about the...thing?� He swallowed again and
threw a glance at Soun.
Ranma nodded. �Yeah, I did. She asked why she had to get
here immediately an� I told her me an� Akane grew tails last night.
She was quiet for a long time. I thought she fainted or somethin�.
She then asked if I actually said �tails.� and I said �Yeah, brown
tails.�� He took a sip of his tea. �She then muttered something
about giant monkeys and green men.� He studied the fathers�
reaction to his last comment, but they didn�t even flinch. He
continued. �Anyway, she said she�d be over as soon as possible. She
had to find somethin� first and then she�s come over. She did
mention taking a cab, so she should be here soon.�
Soun nodded his head. �That�s good to hear. I need to find
something as well. I�ll be back soon.� He nodded to Kasumi.
�Breakfast was delicious, as always, Kasumi-chan.� Everyone
mumbled an agreement.
Kasumi smiled and nodded back. �Thank you Otousan,
everyone.� She turned to her youngest sister. �You seemed extra
hungry this morning, Akane-chan.�
Akane rubbed her stomach in agreement. �Hn! I was, Kasumi.
Everything seemed to taste especially good today, too. Actually, I�m
still hungry. Are there any leftovers from last night?�
Nabiki snorted. �In this household? Yeah, right, little sis.�
She turned to her father before he left the room. �So are you
going to explain what�s going on, �Tousan?�
Soun started to sweat. Big. �Well, I would, but Nodoka-san
could probably explain everything the best. We should wait for
her.� He hurriedly exited the room.
Genma stood up to follow his friend. �Excellent idea, Tendo.
She would be the most eloquent on this matter.�
Ranma crossed his arms and sneered at his father. �Eloquent,
my ass! You just don�t want to tell us about me an� Akane�s tails!
What�re you hiding, Oyaji?� Ranma stood up and started to move
menacingly towards his father.
�Now, boy, Ranma, let�s think rationally about this.� Genma
started to back up as he saw Ranma�s aura flare into the visible
spectrum. �Tendo�s right. Your mother would be able to explain it
the best.�
They had backed out into the yard. �So you are hiding
something! Okay, Oyaji, if you won�t talk now, I�ll just have to beat
it out of ya. Don�t matter to me.� Ranma cracked his knuckles,
flared his aura, and jumped at his father.
Genma jumped up in response and a volley of furious blows
were exchanged between the pair. It ended quickly, though, when
Ranma feinted and kicked Genma in the stomach, hard. Genma
landed on the ground with an �oof.� He laid there and didn�t get back
up. Ranma, however, hung in the air after his father had fallen.
�See, Oyaji? I can kick your ass anytime, anyplace,
anywhere.�
�Ranma!�
�What?� Ranma turned to Akane, who had called out his
name.
She was staring at him with her mouth open and pointed at
him. �Ranma...you�re floating!� He looked down at himself and saw
that he had not yet returned to the ground. A soft blue aura
surrounded him, as well.
�Sugoi!�
�How are you doing that?� Akane came closer to him and
stared at his aura incredibly.
�I don�t know, Akane. All I did was jump up here to fight with
Pop, just like normal.�
�Oh my.� Both Ranma and Akane turned around and saw
Saotome Nodoka staring at them, one hand on her cheek and the
other clutching a box.
Ranma blushed and promptly fell to ground, the blue aura
dissipating. �Ugh! Ohaiyo, �Kaasan.�
Nodoka nodded. �Ohaiyo, Ranma-chan, Akane-chan.�
Akane nodded to Nodoka and turned to Ranma, offering her
hand to give him help up. He smiled at her and accepted it. At the
moment they touched hands, a flash went off in their minds that
awakened a memory long hidden from them.
~Vejiita-sei, Main Arena, Quite awhile ago.~
Ranma blinked and looked around. He noted he was in an
opened-aired stadium There were pairs and groups of people
surrounding him, fighting against each other. Everyone had some
sort of armor on, from being full suited to just a stomach-plate.
There were different sizes and shapes, but everyone was fighting.
He looked down at himself and saw he wore the same type of armor,
with a black jumpsuit underneath. His tail was wrapped around his
waist.
His eyes wandered around the stadium; the stands were
overflowing with people yelling and cheering loudly. A pillar stood in
the center of the ring, high above everyone else. Ranma squinted
and could barely make out three people on top, watching the
matches. His danger sense kicked in, and barely ducked a kick to
his head. He turned around and returned it to the tall skinny male
that had attacked him. He quickly took the inexperienced fighter
out.
Ranma never felt so good! He could feel the spirit of the
fight flow through his blood, and it pumped him up. The adrenaline
pulsed and surged through his system as he attacked the next
nearest warrior. He couldn�t believe how easy it was to take all the
other warriors out. He attacked the next, and the next, until it was
only him and one other male left.
A horn blew and the other male turned to face him. He was
huge; Ranma felt very small next to him. He had faced similar-sized
opponents before, but he still felt insignificant next to the hulking
male. He had muscles upon muscles, and unlike the other warriors,
he had no pants on, and a full set of chest armor. Ranma looked up
and up into his face; a bushy mustache adorned his cruelly smirking
mouth, and sweat shone on his slick head, the sun bouncing off his
baldness. An announcement went over the loudspeakers and the
crowd erupted in cheers and applause. He watched as the huge bald
man waved to the crowd and strutted over to the pillar. Ranma
followed him and stood next to him nervously. The man kneeled and
bowed his head. Ranma mimicked his action; he felt it was what he
was supposed to do.
He was startled when the pillar started to descend from its
height. It touched the ground and the crowd went silent. Ranma
saw a small pair of feet come into his line of vision, and felt a tap on
his shoulder. He looked up and stared into the prettiest brown eyes
he had ever seen. Actually, where had he seen those eyes before?
Akane.
The girl in front of him with the long, deep-purple dress, a
thin band of gold encircling her head, and tail waving gently behind
her was Akane.
�Akane� spoke to him, and he didn�t understand her. He just
looked at her quizzically. She spoke again, in a language he didn�t
understand. Heck, if she spoke in English, he wouldn�t have
understood her. She scowled at him and repeated what she said.
He tried to tell her that he didn�t understand what she was saying,
but those words didn�t come out. He said something entirely
different, and in the same language she spoke.
�Yes, my Princess.� Ranma was startled that he understood
what he said. Other words becoming clear to him as well.
�Your heart is mine, for mine.� Akane spoke to him again,
holding her right hand outstretched, palm down.
He bent his head again in a bow, then stood up and looked up
into her eyes. �My heart is yours, for yours.� He put his left hand
under hers, palm up. Her eyes softened a bit, and she continued.
�Your mind is mine, for mine.� A bright light started to form
around the two.
�My mind is yours, for yours.�
�Your body is mine, for mine.� The light started to pulse
brightly.
�My body is yours, for yours.�
�Your soul is mine, for mine.� The pulsing rose to a frantic
rate.
�My soul is yours, for yours.� The light flashed brightly once
and settled between their outstretched hands.
They both spoke at the same time. �We are one: heart,
mind, body, soul. To be apart is being halved; together, we are
complete. Eternal and unchanging. Nothing will sever the Bond.�
With the last word, they brought their hands together with a loud
clap and the light disappeared. They pressed their hands on each
other�s chest and the light flared again, sealing the bond and ending
the ceremony.
The crowd went ballistic. Not many people witnessed the
Bonding ceremony of a female member of the Royal Family, since not
many were ever born. And for one to be so young, it just wasn�t
heard of. The other three people on the ground: the King, Ranma
guessed, and Akane�s father; a young boy about the same age as him
and Akane, looking almost identical to the King, and the tall bald guy
were staring at the two of them in shock.
The boy spoke, sputtering his words out incredulously,
scowling as deep as possible. �Seiika-chan, this was supposed to be
the choosing of Royal Honor Guard!�
�Seiika� shrugged but didn�t break eye contact with Ranma. �I
know, Vejiita-chan.�
The King came over and knelt on one knee beside Seiika and
Ranma. He placed a large callused hand on her shoulder.
�Seiika-oujo-chan, you are sure about this? You realize you are
Bonded to Serori-kun here, not a warrior-bond, but a mate-bond?�
She finally broke eye contact with �Serori� and nodded,
smiling. �I know, Papa. Serori-chan and I talked about this
beforehand.�
The King raised his eyebrows and faced Ranma. �Serori?
What part do you play in this?�
Serori swallowed but did not back down. �Vejiita-no-osama,
Seiika-chan and I were in agreement with the Bonding. I was to win
today and she would choose me as her honor guard. We would
perform the mating ceremony, instead of the honor guard ritual.
We both wanted this.� He stuck his chin out and looked the King in
the eyes, daring him to challenge the Bond.
Vejiita-no-osama silently looked between the two and made up
his mind. He may not have liked it, but it must be honored. He
stood up and silenced the roaring crowd. He raised his hands and
proclaimed, �The Bond is Created. Let no one challenge it, for fear
of Death itself.�
The crowd erupted again, celebrating the union of the two
souls. Everything fuzzed and faded out as the memory ended.
~Chikyuu, Tendo yard, Present~
Ranma and Akane blinked back into real time and stared into
each other�s eyes, still holding hands.
�Seiika.�
�Serori.�
They sat there for a minute until a coughing noise startled
them out of their trance. They looked around them and saw that
everyone had gathered around them, staring at them in fascination
and confusion. They blushed and let go of each other�s hands,
putting their hands on their chests, where they rested in the
memory. Ranma quickly stood up and went over to his mother.
��Kaasan, do you know what happened to us?� Ranma held out his tail
for emphasis. �Do you know why we have tails?�
Nodoka looked at her son in the eyes and sighed. She nodded
once.
Akane spoke quietly. �We aren�t actually your children, are
we?�
The three adults looked at each other and shook their heads.
Ranma looked from his mother, to his father, and then to
Akane. He moved closer to her and asked, �We weren�t born on
Chikyuu, either, right?�
All three shook their heads again. Kasumi and Nabiki gasped
aloud. �They�re...aliens?�
�Oh, my.� Everyone turned around and saw Ryouga standing
there, mouth gaping open, and dripping wet. �Ranma...Akane...aliens?�
He hiccuped and laughed. �Ha, ha, you guys. It is a joke, right?
Right?� His eyes darted from one person to the next. �The tails are
props for a joke, right?� Everyone kept staring at him, and he saw
Ranma shake his head and mouth the word, �No.� He laughed weakly
and fainted on the spot.
�Oh, dear. Poor Ryouga.� Kasumi muttered.
Nabiki blinked at her sister. �Poor Ryouga? Poor us! Poor
Ranma and Akane! They�re the aliens here. Who knows, maybe we
are all aliens and one day the mother ship is going to come down
from the sky and take us all away back to the planet Zeldar or
something!� Nabiki panted, working herself into a frenzy.
�Vejiita-sei,� Akane muttered.
Nodoka turned to Akane. �What did you say, Akane-chan?�
She spoke louder. �We�re from Vejiita-sei. And our race is
called �Saiya-jiin.� Ranma�s real name is Serori and mine is Seiika.�
She frowned, thinking about more details of their true identities.
Nodoka stared at Akane curiously, and shook her head. She
indicated in the direction of the house. �Why don�t we go inside, and
we�ll talk about it more there, all right?� Everyone nodded and
moved inside, Genma and Soun picking up Ryouga and depositing him
in the dojo on the way inside. Ranma and Akane lingered in the back
of the group.
�Ranma,� Akane started slowly, turning to face him. �That
was you, in my dream, wasn�t it? You were Serori...�
�And you are Seiika-oujosama, of Vejiita-sei,� Ranma
finished, glancing down into Akane�s face. �It was my dream as well.
Although, I don�t think it was a real dream...�
�It really happened, and we were Bonded at two years old.�
Akane finished for him, looking up into his face. �Wow.�
Ranma stared in Akane�s eyes, moving closer. �Yeah, wow.�
Ranma placed his hands on her shoulders, and Akane rested hers on
his well-defined chest. They moved even closer together, Ranma
leaning down, and Akane standing on her tiptoes. Just as their lips
were about to touch, a voice called out from the doorway.
�Ranma-chan, Akane-chan, are you...? Nodoka stopped suddenly when
she saw and identified the position the two newly identified
Saiya-jiin were in. �Oh, my! Don�t let me interrupt you two!�
The moment�s spell broken, Ranma and Akane blushed deeply
and giving each other a longing glance, hurried inside, brushing by
Nodoka without looking at her. Nodoka giggled like a school girl, and
picking up the box she returned for, went inside to join the rest of
the family for the discussion of a lifetime, and events that seemed
to happen a lifetime ago.
**********
Well! There you go folks! Ranma and Akane discovered their tails. What
doesNodoka intend to tell them? What will they think of the story? And
what's with Bulma's dream? I was going to add that last past (ie the
Dream)onto Part 3, but alas, I didn't. SO...let me know what you think, as
always, and I'll get the next past out as soon as possible. Ja ne!