Chapter 8.


Ranma sleepily rolled over, staring at the bright digital numbers of her clock. The shining red digits read '3:25'. Akane had long since fallen asleep, and was no doubt lost in wonderful dreams. Ranma, however, was very awake, dealing with the sharp kicks, and general discomfort of pregnancy. Ranma had thought more than once about moving into the nursery to sit in the rocking chair and think, but she was almost sure she couldn't pull it off without waking Akane. 'Heh... You'll wake half the block if you try to get up like you are, Ranma.' She thought. So Ranma lay there. The date was fast approaching, for the birth of these two little lives, only a week away. Ranma's mind again turned to the possibility that the 'great Ranma Saotome' wouldn't be able to handle the strain of labor. She'd seen herself down there before, and had no idea how a body that was as big as Dr. Tofu said it was, could squeeze through such a tiny opening. "Women have been having children for ages, my daughter." Nodoka had once said, the implication being that it was, however unlikely Ranma believed it to be, possible for a woman to give birth. Embarrassed that she'd have to be reassured in this manner, Ranma made some crack about how she was most certainly not a woman. Nodoka had laughed, and rubbed her hand over Ranma's belly, smiling up into the eyes of her daughter.

A tear came slowly to Ranma's eye, as she laid there in the bed. The last months had been so wonderful. This pregnancy had changed almost everyone she knew. Suddenly, Akane was showing a side of herself that had never made itself known before. She really had needed to dig down inside herself and pull out all of the nurturing feelings she had. When Ranma had spoken to Akane about the some of the changes noticeable in everyone, Ranma had made some other silly joke about the reason the two of them were getting along so well. "You always said you couldn't stand boys, Akane. Well, I'm a woman now, Guess you can put up with me a little better." Ranma had said. Akane, of course, as was becoming a part of her personality, giggled and flashed that cute smile. That same cute smile which kidnapped Ranma's heart years ago, the same cute smile that melted Ranma into jelly. It never failed. That smile got them into the position they were in now, Akane's small body pressed against Ranma's considerably larger one. Akane's arms were softly positioned at her sides, holding down the delicate fringe of a wispy nightgown, while Ranma laid there, cradling Akane in arms that seemed almost too big. The garment that drew about Ranma's body was somewhat larger, and teasingly masculine, printed with horses on a blue cotton background.

Ranma's mind began to wander again, and she thought of the changes in herself, not including the physical aspect. She would be a mother in only a few short days. Responsible for two little lives, full of potential, vulnerable to everything the world had to throw at them. How could she be a good mother, Ranma thought, when she didn't even know if she was man or woman anymore? Of course, the birth certificate would always read 'Saotome Ranma. Sex, Male', but that had little bearing on the current situation. Ranma was almost forced to give up the idea that she was a man, or, at the least a man only. What was she? Was she a 'she'? A loving mother, a caring wife? Was she a 'he'? A strong husband, a devoted father. Or perhaps did the answer lie somewhere in the middle? Was she exactly what she was meant to be all along? Or could it be that she somehow had desired to be who she was, and by virtue of that, transformed herself? And as a final stab, she thought on the harsh possibility that one, or both of her precious children could also be born afflicted by this ailment of a dual existence. Ranma shook this thought from her mind, quickly. It, however, would not be shaken, and returned to the forefront of Ranma's worries in mere minutes. How could she explain to a child of hers why a simple splash of water transformed that son into a daughter, or that daughter into a son? How hard would it be to raise a child whose personality would be split from the moment she or he even knew who they were, or would they ever know who they were? "I'm starting to wonder who I am..." Ranma whispered.

A mental note clicked in the back of Ranma's memory, 'Ukyou's wedding. Tomorrow'. "That's right, it is tomorrow, isn't it?" Ranma said softly, to herself, as she sighed. "I've been thinking far too heavily, I need some sleep. The children have calmed, so I should be able to get some rest."

"I know exactly who you are." Akane said, sleepily. The fact that she had been awakened by Ranma's musings both embarrassed and comforted the red-haired worrier. "You're you, Ranma. You're everything I could ever want, or need. Most people would have completely lost their minds, dealing with your curse, but you've overcome it. You manage to be a beautiful, feminine, graceful woman, capable of making me laugh at the drop of a hat. You also manage to be the man I married. Stubborn, handsome, so adorable when you smile, or when you're embarrassed. You can make everything right in the world by wrapping your arms around me, and I'd die if I had to live without you. Any part of you that makes you up is you, Ranma. Male or female." Akane's cheeks had fully flushed by this time, feeling the strong, soft arms still around her body.

Ranma had no logical response for this, but she could feel the warmth radiating from Akane's crimson cheeks. "You're blushing, Akane." Ranma said, simply. "Thank you... Let's get some rest though, today's going to be pretty crazy." Ranma re-adjusted her position as best she could, still holding Akane close. Ranma's head fell against the soft pillow, and she quieted her still-raging worries. 'There'll be enough time to worry about yourself tomorrow. Get some rest, it's Ukyou's big day.' Ranma's eyes fluttered shut once more, then opened what seemed to be mere seconds later, although, by the clock, it was actually several hours later. "Ugh... Eight o'clock already... When's Ukyou's wedding again? Two?" Ranma said.

Akane woke up a few moments later, glancing at the clock as well. "Eight already!? I have to get going! I'm supposed to be at the hairdresser in thirty minutes!" Akane said, hurriedly, kissing Ranma on the cheek. "I'll be at the hairdressers' until noon, Ranma, you know the number, then I'll be at the church after that. You need to get up and be at the church by twelve-thirty. Think you can make it by yourself, or should I come back and get you after the hairdresser's done with me?" Akane asked, looking at Ranma's half-asleep form.

"Well... Heh.. Maybe if I didn't have thirty extra pounds of kid to worry about, I could get it. Why don't you come back by though, I don't think I could take all day not seeing you anyway, Akane." Ranma said, smiling, before she swung her feet out of the bed, and stood very slowly. "Perhaps that wasn't the best idea." Ranma said, walking slowly to the bathroom, and shutting the door. Minutes later, she came out, after washing her hands. She went over to the closet and pulled out the outfit she'd picked to wear to the wedding, it was a brilliant white formal shirt, and an elastic waist dressy skirt. "The next wedding I go to, remind me not to be pregnant." Ranma said, laughing as she laid the outfit out on the bed.

"Ok, Ranma." Akane said, giggling, as she gathered up various things that she'd need to take to the hairdresser, and the church, along with her dress. "If you don't want to do your makeup now, I'll do it when I come back, you just need to shower." She said, kissing Ranma on the cheek again, before hurrying out. "See you in a few hours, dear. Take care of yourself. Call me if you need anything."

"I will, Akane. Don't worry, I'm a", she looked at her stomach, and giggled, "Big girl. I'll call you if anything hap- Ooh...oww..." Ranma's speech was cut off by a pain in her stomach, and she began groaning lightly.

"Ranma? What's wrong?" Akane said, looking worried.

"N-nothing... Just some cramps..." Ranma answered, forcing a smile back onto her face. "I'll be ok." The pain slowly died off, settling back into the dull ache that accompanied carrying around so much extra weight.

"If you're sure you're going to be ok." Akane said, turning to leave. "See you at noon, Ranma."

"Alright, Akane." Ranma said, smiling until Akane had closed the door. Ranma listened for the front door to open, then close, before clutching her stomach again. "Cramps? You don't believe that for a second, do you? Those were definitely contractions... But... I feel a lot better now, perhaps it was just a false alarm." Ranma said, pulling off her pajamas to get in the shower. Once in the bathroom, she unfastened her bra, and pulled off the white underwear, setting everything in a pile off to the side. She reached in and turned on the water, feeling it until it was at a nice warm temperature before stepping in. Months of practice gave her the skill necessary to wash her bulged form efficiently, and this time it only took her thirty minutes to wash her brilliant hair, and cleanse her aching form. She stepped out of the shower, toweling off thoroughly, before returning to the bedroom and pulling on some new undergarments and a pair of large sweatpants and a similarly large sweatshirt. It was around 9 now, and Ranma figured that Akane was deep into wedding preparations by now, getting her hair all perfected, trying to make all those last minute touches, most likely making sure Ukyou would be ready.

"Hon, you have got to sit still. Stop fidgeting." The hairdresser said, working carefully to put Akane's hair up. She was the last of the bridesmaids to get her hair put up, so she'd been worrying about Ranma the whole time, and now could hardly keep from bouncing nervously.

"Sorry. I'll try to stay still." Akane said. In the back of her mind, she wondered, 'Cramps... Heh.. And Ranma didn't even say it all that convincingly... Still, Dr. Tofu did tell us about those false contractions... But it's a week before her due date, we planned this so carefully...' Before long, Akane's leg was bouncing nervously, and the hairdresser smiled at her gently, although Akane knew that particular smile meant, 'Stop that.' So she did.

"Thanks, heh... Say, you worried about something, miss?" The hairdresser said.

"Yeah... Just my wi...er.. husband." Akane said. "He's kind of..." 'Pregnant' ran through Akane's mind, as a next word to say, although that would have gotten a strange reply. "Under the weather, I'm hoping he'll get better for the wedding though." She finished.

Kasumi looked over and silently mouthed the words, 'Is Ranma alright?', to which Akane nodded, then Kasumi turned to face Nabiki and Ukyou. "She's alright." Kasumi said.

The hairdresser returned to her work, and in a moment, Akane's hair was beautifully styled, in a sweeping upward hairdo matching her sisters' hair. They all gathered their things, and checked their watches, 11:45. They were right on schedule. They'd get dressed and put on their makeup at the church, and at 2, it'd be time for the big event. First, however, Akane would detour to her house, to pick up Ranma. 'I wonder what she's been doing... if she's had anymore "cramps"..' Akane thought.

Ranma, meanwhile, was sitting on the couch watching some odd talk show about women who married other women who were actually their brothers. "I've GOT to stop watching daytime television." Ranma said. She rose slowly from the couch, and another sharp pain hit her stomach. Ranma groaned painfully, sitting down again. In a few moments, the pains subsided, and Ranma looked down at her stomach. "Come on, you guys." Ranma said, "This is Ukyou's big day. At least wait until the wedding's over." She glanced over at the clock, and saw that it was 11:00. "Better get dressed." Ranma said, standing up again, moving into the bedroom. Her legs seemed weak and shaky for some reason, so Ranma braced herself, going against the walls. With such a slow pace, Ranma was not surprised that it took her a good five minutes to go from the living room to the bedroom. Once she'd reached the bedroom, Ranma slipped off the bulky sweatpants and shirt, looking to the outfit that was laid out for her. 'It is sort of nice, even thought it's huge.' Ranma thought, standing there nearly nude. She took the skirt into her grasp, and then lowered it, putting one leg through, then the other. Following that, she drew the shirt around her stomach, over her arms, and buttoned the few buttons. With a smooth motion, she flipped out the crimson strands that had been trapped in the shirt's collar. Ranma moved over to the mirrored dresser, and took a brush from the top, running it through her hair several times. Ranma looked over at the clock, and laughed that it'd taken her almost twenty minutes just to get dressed. Ranma pondered over doing her makeup, and what Akane had said. It's not that Ranma particularly *couldn't* do some things, it was that Ranma enjoyed it immensely more when *Akane* did those certain things for her. When Akane's delicate hands brushed cheek color, or eyeshadow over Ranma's face, she couldn't help but feel the love behind it. It seemed Akane genuinely enjoyed doing these things for her husband, so who was Ranma to get in the way of Akane's happiness? A thought flashed across Ranma's mind that just maybe it was a hint of her father's laziness, but she quickly let that slip from her mind, blushing at the thought that replaced it, of Akane gently sliding socks and shoes onto Ranma's feet, caressing them through the entire time. Ranma definitely enjoyed things like that, as possibly 'un-manly' they might be. So she decided to wait.

Akane burst in the door, hurriedly, the fact that her sisters and Ukyou were waiting outside, prompting her to go quickly. "Ranma! Come on! Time to go!" Akane shouted, making her way back to the bedroom. She saw a blushing woman staring at a picture of her, although Ranma didn't seem to notice her wife's presence. "Ranma. Come on, you big goof." Akane said, walking over and tapping Ranma on the shoulder. Ranma quickly dropped the picture, and her blush deepened.

"H-hi, Akane..." Ranma stuttered, "I w-was just thinkin' about ya."

"I could tell. You're too sweet, Ranma." Akane said, motioning to the dropped picture. "Ukyou and everyone are waiting outside. Grab that makeup case there, and let's go."

Ranma did as she was told, first slipping on a pair of pure white, flat, dressy shoes. "Ok, I'm ready. 'Cept for the makeup, but you said you wanted to do that." Ranma winked, and took Akane's hand, standing up.

"I said I *would* do it. You're the one that enjoys it so much, girlie." Akane said, giggling, walking out to the front door, holding Ranma's hand.

"So?" Ranma replied, smirking, "I'm a girl. Got a problem with that?"

"Nope. You'd look funny in that outfit if you weren't." Akane said, kissing Ranma's still pink cheek. They went on out the front door, and Ranma got in the back seat of the car. They all sped off to the church, where Ranma was about to have the unique experience of being in the bride's dressing room, as opposed to the groom's. They all filed out of the car, grabbing dresses and makeup, and all manner of other wedding accessories. A box with the purest, most sparkling white shoes, and another with the most delicate, wispy white veil. They took all of the things from the car, and moved into the church, going to a somewhat small back room, equipped with several lighted mirrors hanging over a table, big chairs, and a triple folding, tall mirror, presumably used to see the wedding gown from more than one angle.

"Wow." Ranma said, sitting down in one of the large chairs, looking around the room. "They go all out for you girls, huh?"

Ukyou smiled, and looked at Ranma. "Yeah... So, how's it feel to be on the other side for once, huh?"

Ranma blushed, and shifted around, suddenly uncomfortable. "W-well..." She stuttered, "It's... well..." Ranma looked over to Akane with a look that seemed to say 'help!'

Akane smiled to Ukyou, and whispered in her ear, "Ranma's really worried about what people are going to think, if she decides to... be more familiar with her girl side. She's doing fine, she's really happy about everything that's going on, she's gotten over a lot, just doing this whole pregnancy ordeal. Honestly, I don't know if she'd have a good answer anyway."

Ranma spoke up again, finally, "That's ok, Akane... I think I can tell her." Ranma said. "It... feels sort of weird, but I'm honored you'd want me back here with you, Ukyou. I know this is gonna be a great day for you, one you'll always remember." Ranma added with a giggle, "And because it was perfect, not because five or six different martial artists crash the party."

"Yeah.. Sorry again about that." Ukyou giggled, and put a hand to her mouth, before unzipping her gown.

"That's absolutely gorgeous." Ranma said. "You're going to look so amazing, Ukyou. You're going to look like a princess or something."

Akane laughed, watching Ranma so interested in a dress, and complimenting Ukyou like some sort of giggly bridesmaid. "Hey, hey," Akane said, "We're the bridesmaids, aren't we supposed to be the ones saying how spectacular the bride looks?"

Ukyou smiled, and looked at the four of them. "Thanks... Really. You don't know how much this means to me. You four really are the best.... girlfriends." Ukyou laughed a little, looking at Ranma in particular. "Lets get this dress on me, huh? Then you girls need to do your makeup, then.... We'll just have to wait, I guess, if we're done early." Ukyou said, hanging the dress on a hook on the wall.

"Nabiki? Kasumi? Can you help Ukyou? Ranma wants me to do her makeup." Akane said, helping Ranma from the chair she was in, to a chair by the lighted makeup table. Kasumi and Nabiki nodded, taking out all the dress' accessories.

Ukyou giggled a bit, and looked over at Ranma. "Makeup, huh?"

Ranma blushed, and answered, "Yeah... A girl has to look good for her best friend's wedding, doesn't she?

'Best friend?' Ukyou thought, as a pink blush threatened to overtake her face. 'Ranma really thinks I'm her best friend...' Ukyou spoke up, finally, "Y-Yeah, I guess so, Ranma." As Kasumi unzipped the long gown, fluffed the train, and straightened the underskirts, Ukyou continued thinking, 'And she said "a girl" and "doesn't *she* ", Does Ranma really consider himself a girl now?' Ukyou yelled at herself in her mind, 'Get your mind back on the wedding!'

Kasumi was busily poking Ukyou's shoulder, and finally got her attention. "Ukyou... Get undressed, dear." Kasumi said.

Akane, meanwhile, had finished Ranma's makeup, feather light touches of red cheek color, crimson lipstick, and a touch of mascara. Ranma looked in the mirror and blushed, seeing a beautiful face that shone through even the weight of nine months of pregnancy. "Thanks, Akane..." Ranma said, kissing Akane's lips in as passionate a manner as she could get away with, being there were three other girls in the room. Akane blushed, and giggled, kissing back, then they heard Kasumi telling Ukyou to get undressed. Ranma looked over, and asked Ukyou, "Want me to.. um.. Go on? I mean... You don't want me seeing ya... well.. naked, do you?"

Akane giggled somewhat, apparently Ranma still had a bit to go on that 'comfortable being a woman around other women' thing. "She's just getting changed, silly." Akane said, leaning down to whisper, "Although I'm glad that I'm the only woman you want to see naked." This drew a flaming red blush from Ranma, and Akane giggled only louder.

Ukyou looked over to Ranma, smiling, already having changed into her under-apparel, delicate, white, and lacy, with white stockings and a little blue garter. "I'm already changed now, Ranma. Thanks for keeping him busy for me though, Akane." Ukyou said, smirking.

Ranma blushed, and looked down, uttering the only reply that could come to her mind. "H-he should be surprised when he takes off the dress to see that, Ukyou."

"That is the point, Ranma." Akane said, giggling along with the other girls in the room.

"I... I see." Ranma said.

Kasumi held up one of the puffy underskirts, telling Ukyou to step in. Nabiki was busily pulling her dress on, then she moved to apply her makeup. She blushed bright red when Ranma commented on how pretty Nabiki looked. "Thanks.. I guess.. Heh.. I'm not too used to being in a dress, Hope I don't fall down in these stupid heels." Nabiki said.

Kasumi, always quick with a kind word, spoke up, while Ukyou squeezed herself into the bulky underskirts, one after the other. "You're going to do wonderfully, Sis. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, Nabiki, If I can do it, surely you can, huh?" Ranma added, smirking.

"Heh, I guess that's true, Ranma." Nabiki said, looking over the dress. "Ready to put this on, Ukyou?"

"Y-yeah... I am." Ukyou said, somewhat shakily.

Kasumi placed her hand on Ukyou's shoulder, reassuringly. "Ukyou, It's normal to be nervous.. We're here though, it's gonna be great. You just worry about this dress." Kasumi said.

"Yeah.. Just a little cold feet, I guess." Ukyou said, smiling. "Lets get that thing on me, these undies are cold." A little giggle followed, then she took another look at the gown, as Kasumi and Nabiki held it. "It really is gorgeous. I can't wait..." Ukyou said, almost in a whisper.

"Ok, girlie, here we go!" Nabiki said, as a flurry of motions ensued. Kasumi helped Ukyou get into her dress, and helped straighten everything, checking carefully that it was all hanging straight, and in place. Then, Ukyou found herself being braced by Nabiki, as Kasumi lifted Ukyou's feet, slipping on the spectacular white heels. Once on Ukyou's feet, they disappeared beneath a sea of material, although they easily added several inches to her height. As Nabiki slipped the short white gloves onto Ukyou's hand, Kasumi fastened the lace choker around Ukyou's neck. Her makeup had been done professionally earlier, so Akane only had to touch up a few places when she moved over to look at Ukyou's makeup, following messing with Ranma's.

Finally, the commotion calmed down, as Kasumi placed the veil delicately over Ukyou's head, pinning it into place. Ukyou stood there and gazed into the mirror, almost starting to cry. "I look... Wow... I mean, I thought it'd look nice, but I never thought..." The three sisters each placed a hand on Ukyou's shoulder, one on top of the other.

"Don't worry." Kasumi said.
"It'll be wonderful." Akane said.
"You look magnificent." Nabiki said.

"Yeah, Ukyou. Everything's gonna be perfect, we planned this all out." Ranma said, slowly rising from the chair. "Well, it's 1:45, I think I'm gonna go sit down." She added, walking out of the bridal room. Before the door closed, Ranma said, "See you in a minute, ladies."

'It's really happening. Fifteen minutes. Then I'm gonna be married. A married woman.' Ukyou thought, getting what she assumed were natural pre-wedding jitters. They all sat there for several minutes, then, the coordinator for the wedding burst in the room, mumbling something about how they had to go, now. The nervous bride, and her bridesmaids rushed off to the small hallway behind the huge main sanctuary where the wedding would be held. Everyone was seated, groom's family and friends on the right, bride's on the left. The equally nervous groom was waiting up at the front of the church, standing with the minister and the best man.

Ranma was sitting up near the front, clutching her stomach. Those pains had returned, more intense than before. Under her breath, Ranma pleaded. "Just a little more, just a little more," over and over. The contractions subsided for the time, then Ranma's ears caught the first few notes of the music. Every eye in the room turned toward the large double doors in the back. It seemed like an eternity before the doors swung open, and the family of the bride and groom filed in, followed by Kasumi, and Nabiki. The doors shut again, and the piano player ceased what he was playing, waiting only a moment before striking those first, piercing notes of the wedding march.

"I'm getting married." Ukyou whispered, looking back at Akane, who was holding the train of the gown. Akane smiled brightly, and mouthed the words, 'Everything's going to be great.' The coordinator opened the doors once more, and again, all eyes were drawn to the back once more. Ukyou finally stepped through the doors, an astonished gasp went over the whole crowd, and mutterings of 'Doesn't she look gorgeous', and similar could be heard. Ukyou's steps were slow at first, then, losing herself in the moment, she picked up her pace a little. Ukyou was further reassured by the utterly floored expression on her fiancee's face. As Ukyou marched down the aisle, she saw the smiles on everyone's faces, taking note of the one on Ranma's face, which seemed brighter than all the rest. Ukyou finally got to the front, and took her place beside the groom, Akane taking her place beside the other bridesmaids.

"Dearly beloved..." The minister started, going through his speech in the usual fashion. It seemed like an eternity before he asked for the rings, and the vows.

Ukyou spoke up, staring into her fiancee's eyes. "The moment I saw you, I knew there was something different about you. Every night you stayed a little longer in the restaurant, and before long, I knew you had a crush on me. You asked me out, and the rest is history. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

People all over the room were beginning to sniffle and cry, Ranma and the bridesmaids included. Ranma figured that since she was already wearing a skirt and makeup, crying was going to be the least girlie thing she did all day. 'Besides, this really is a beautiful ceremony.' Ranma told herself.

"Put this ring on his finger, and repeat after me..." The minister said the next little part of his routine. Ukyou did this, and her soon-to-be-husband followed, after also saying his vows. The minister spoke up again, the last thing he'd need to say. "I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride." Ukyou's husband lifted the veil from Ukyou's face, and gave her a long, obviously very passionate kiss.

The group filed out, and as Akane passed, she noticed a strange look on Ranma's face. She bent down and whispered, "What's wrong?"

Ranma answered, very embarrassed. "I..I think I should have gone to the bathroom *before* sitting down.. There was this big flow of...Wet stuff."

Akane's eyes grew to triple their usual size. "Ranma, your water just broke. You're having the babies." Akane said, keeping only a fragile hold on calm.

Ranma, however, was not so calm. "AAAAHHH!!! MY WATER BROKE!" She screamed.

The wedding party stopped, and turned around, most of them gasping. Akane took Ranma's hand and rushed out, virtually dragging the hysterical woman up the aisle. "Heh.. Have a nice honeymoon, Ukyou." Akane said.

"Honeymoon my ass, I'm coming to the hospital." Ukyou said, looking to her husband. "I'm sorry, heh.. Can't plan when babies want to come out." Ukyou's husband gave her a romantic gaze, and Ukyou gave in. "I'll.. Be at the hospital in a bit. I have to go... I just.. Havetogo! Take my car! The keys are in the bridal room." The newlyweds rushed out of the church, hopping in a car that said "Just Married" in white shoe polish.

"Newlyweds..." Akane giggled, taking Ranma to the bridal room, grabbing Ukyou's keys before going to her car, and driving to the hospital.

Ranma was positively nuts. She was going crazy, not sure whether to be embarrassed or excited or nervous. She giggled oddly, and it made Akane a bit nervous. "Akane, honey.. we are going to the hospital right?" Ranma said.

"Right, Ranma, just calm down. We'll be there in a moment. Don't worry, it'll be a while before anything comes out." Akane said.

A powerful contraction gripped Ranma's midsection, and she screamed in pain. "Get me to the hospital NOW!" Ranma commanded, feeling terrible seconds later. "I'm sorry, Akane." Ranma said, crying from the intensity of the feeling

Minutes later, Akane pulled into the emergency room drive, and yelled out to the sliding doors, "She's going into labor!" The doors opened a second later, and two nurses rolled a wheelchair out, helping Ranma into it.

"You're going to be alright, ma'am." The nurses said, seeing that Ranma was in quite a bit of pain. "We'll get you up to O.B., and they'll take care of you." The nurses wheeled Ranma off, while Akane stayed at the front desk to fill out some papers. She mouthed the words, 'I'll be there soon.'

Ranma got up and settled into her room, and the contractions subsided somewhat. Ranma had been having a rather nice conversation with one of the nurses, talking about how this was Ranma's first pregnancy, and all the wonders that the delivery room nurses have to see. "You girls must just be in heaven up here, huh? All the babies being born, seeing the mothers getting so happy." Ranma said.

One of the nurses answered, "Yeah, it's pretty nice. Especially for those of us who..." She rubbed over her own bulging stomach, and continued, "Might be patients instead of staff, any day now."

Akane came in, and moved beside Ranma quickly. "Hey, Ranma, how are you doing?" Akane said, taking Ranma's hand, kissing it delicately.

"I'm doing good, Akane. Well, about as good as you could expect for a woman in labor." Ranma said, blushing at the soft affection. "You called my parents, right?" Ranma asked.

"Yeah, I called everyone. They're on their way." Akane said, gripping Ranma's hand a bit tighter. "Don't worry, Ranma, I'm gonna take care of everything. I love you so much, Ranma." Tears started coming to Akane's eyes, as she started thinking that in a matter of hours, she'd be the mother of two wonderful babies.

"I love you too, Akane... Hey, I'm the one that's supposed to be crying, stop that." Ranma said, as she smiled. "The doctors here say it shouldn't be all that much longer. Although they don't really know..." The two of them sat there, Akane rubbing Ranma's hand, Ranma smiling to Akane lovingly. The moments passed, with not many words said, until finally, Ukyou came in, followed by the Tendou sisters, Ranma's mom, and Soun. Genma was nowhere to be seen. Ranma's eyes filled with tears as she scanned over the group, asking Nodoka, "Mom, where's he at?"

Nodoka was about to launch into a string of insults about the lazy, good-for-nothing panda, when said panda, currently a very nervous looking man, came into the room, bearing a huge bouquet of roses, with 'Congratulations, Daughter' written in pink on a white ribbon. "Ranma." Genma said, simply.

"Dad..." Ranma blubbered, looking at the roses, then at her father. "I'm glad you came."

Genma spoke up again, somewhat quietly. "I will support you in your new life, my.... Daughter. There is no way I would miss the birth of my grandchildren."

Soun, meanwhile, burst into Tendou patriarch crying reaction number six, medium wailing. "The school's future is finally secure!" Soun said, collapsing into a chair.

Nodoka moved to take the roses from Genma, utterly amazed at her husband's seeming growth of a new sense that there was life beyond the art. "Ranma, my daughter, I am proud of you." Nodoka said, lowering her voice as she moved beside Ranma. "I know you will be a much better mother than I have."

Ukyou just smiled, and the other Tendou sisters sat there silently, letting the soon-to-be grandparents take most of the attention. It stayed like this for most of the next hours, Genma, Nodoka, and Soun each having their own reactions, and their own little conversations with the woman who was in labor. Ranma's contractions came and went, along with many doctors and nurses who checked on the various aspects of Ranma's progressing labor. Eventually, the doctor said, with a rather broad smile, "It's time. Ranma, I'm afraid I'll only be able to allow one person to stay with you."

Ranma quickly made her decision, smiling to Akane. "I want my wife to stay with me. Sorry guys. Ukyou, you know how it is, I think, just getting married today and all." Ranma said.

Ukyou said nothing, just blushed softly. Nodoka spoke up in her place, declaring, "The relationship with your spouse is one of the most important, no one ever expected you to choose anyone else. We'll be waiting just down the hall."

"Thanks, mom." Ranma said, sniffling again as they all went out of the room, leaving only Akane, the doctor, and some nurses. "Guess it's time." Ranma said, as another strong contraction started hitting her. The doctor's examination showed that it was indeed time, and she propped up Ranma's legs, getting ready to deliver the baby.

"Alright, Mrs. Saotome, you're going to feel a really strong urge to push. Don't act on that until I tell you to. Mrs. Saotome's... Wife... Give her your hand to squeeze." The doctor instructed, getting all of her things neatly laid out on a tray beside her. Ranma squeezed Akane's hand tightly, fighting the urge that was tearing into her body. The moments of preparation seemed more like hours, then, finally, the doctor said, "Ok, Ranma, now I want you to push as hard as you can, when I count to three. One. Two. Three."

Ranma groaned and pushed, with all her might, while Akane sat, holding Ranma's hand, wiping the sweat collecting on her forehead. The doctor counted again, and Ranma set into the task again, starting again to cry as she felt something moving... down there. "What's happening?" Ranma said, through tears and groaning.

"I see the first twin's head, Mrs. Saotome. One more good push and this beautiful child will be out." The doctor said, counting one more time.

Akane smiled brightly. "I know you can do this. I believe in you." she said. She then watched as Ranma's face twisted and scrunched up as she pushed harder than one might believe was possible. Seconds after this effort, and after a light slap to clear material from the baby's lungs, the shrill sound of a newborn's cry echoed into Akane and Ranma's ears. "One more, Ranma, one more." Akane whispered, kissing the hand she held.

Two nurses took the baby off to be cleaned, as Ranma felt another sharp pain. "Guess these two don't want to be apart for long." Ranma said, waiting for the doctor's direction to push again.

"We're in the homestretch, Mrs. Saotome. A few more good pushes and this'll be all done with. We'll get your babies cleaned up and you'll be holding them in a few minutes." The doctor said, going into yet another count.

"Ok, Doc." Ranma said, holding back another scream as she pushed, nearly exhausted from the whole ordeal. "C-can you see the head yet?" Ranma asked, "I don't think I can take much more of this."

"One push at a time, Mrs. Saotome. Again." The doctor said, as Ranma pushed again, seeming to weaken slightly. "Ah, there's the head." The doctor announced. "Ok, Mrs. Saotome. One more good one, just give me one more push."

Ranma lay there, completely worn out. "I...I can't, Doc. I'm not strong enough." Ranma said.

Akane smiled brightly, looking into her husband's eyes. "You're more than strong enough, Ranma. I *know* you can do this. It's just one more. One is such a little number, come on, you can do it." Akane said, squeezing her husband's hand in support.

"A-Alright, Akane. One is a little number, heh..." Ranma said, gathering all her remaining strength into a last effort. Straining, groaning, and screaming, Ranma pushed with every ounce of power she had left.

The baby's cries rang out through the entire room, although Akane and Ranma's own tears weren't far behind. "She's beautiful. You have a wonderful son, and a gorgeous daughter." The doctor said.

A nurse came in, carrying a pink bundle. She took the doctor aside, and whispered something in the doctor's ear which made the doctor pale. "This one... Changed when we washed it off." The nurse said, just out of Ranma and Akane's hearing range.

The doctor came back, wearing a look that telegraphed her concern to the couple. "There's been a... Small problem, Mrs. Saotome. Your son.." The doctor's words were cut off by even harsher sobbing, not of joy, but of sorrow.

"Don't say it. Just don't. He changed the second the water hit him, didn't he?" Ranma asked.

"I'm... Afraid so, Mrs. Saotome." The doctor said, hanging her head. "You still have a wonderful family. True, this complicates things, but he appears to be a perfectly healthy little boy, as well as a perfectly healthy little girl. You did nothing wrong, Mrs. Saotome. The birth was perfect."

Akane hid her emotions, cradling Ranma's head against her shoulder. "Shh... It'll be alright, Ranma. No matter what happens, they're our children. They have two of the best people in the world to deal with this." Akane said.

"W-well, Doc... Let me see them." Ranma said, just as another nurse appeared, carrying another pink bundle.

"Have you picked names, Mrs. Saotome?" The doctor asked.

Akane answered, "Yes. We decided if we had a boy and a girl, we'd name the boy 'Ranma', after his father, and the girl 'Akama.' "

"Well then. Let me introduce you two, to your new children." The doctor said, as the nurses handed Ranma two pink wrapped bundles. "Ranma and Akama." The doctor added, with a smile.

Smiling brightly, Ranma looked at the twin smiling, squirming masses hidden beneath fuzzy pink blankets. "H-Hey.. You guys... I'm.. I'm your mother." Ranma said, breaking into unrestrained tears of pure joy.