A Tail To Remember
Chapter 5--A Tale to Remember *grin*
***********

After everyone had settled down in the living room, Ranma
and Akane sitting close to each other, Nodoka opened the box that
she had brought along. "Ranma, in this box are the belongings found
on you the day you arrived here on Chikyuu." She indicated toward
Soun, who had a similar-sized box next to him. "Akane, that box has
yours. Both of you arrived on this planet sixteen years ago in a
round spaceship that landed in the backyard." She brought out
several photographs and handed them out. "The crater it created
was deep, and the ship you arrived in was fairly large. Both of you
were in the same ship." The pictures were of the landing site
close-up and farther away. A few were of the spacepod; outside and
inside.

Nabiki examined the pictures carefully. "Isn't the spot
where the ship landed in the same spot at the koi pond?" She
pointed out one particular picture and gestured at it.

Soun nodded. "Yes, actually, it is. The hole was so big. And
we had the faintest idea how to fill it. Your Okaasan actually
suggested the idea of creating the pond."

Nabiki continued, pressing the subject. "So where did you
put the spaceship?"

Soun smiled slightly, shaking his head at the memory. "Well,
since the spaceship was so big, we didn't have any means of getting
it out of the ground. And what would we do with a spaceship?
Where would we even think of putting it?" He glanced out the
window, in the direction of the water hole. "So it was buried in the
ground when the hole was filled for the pond."

"So you're saying, the ship is still in the ground, and we have
been living above it all this time?" she said incredibly, a glazed look
overcoming her eyes as her voice rose in pitch.

He nodded calmly, oblivious to Nabiki's rising voice. "Hai. It
is buried deep under the pond. You would have never known of its
existence, unless somebody blew up the pond and several tons of
dirt underneath." He laughed once, rubbing at his chin. "Well,
maybe you might have found it one day." Everyone laughed at his
remark. Nabiki sat back in wonder, murmuring to herself about not
being observant.

Akane spoke quietly. "So, were you ever going to tell me or
Ranma about...all of this?"

The three adults looked at each other and Nodoka spoke.
"Well, Akane-chan, to tell you the truth, no. The four of us decided
together that we would raise you two as normal human beings. We
didn't know how to raise aliens."

"But why did you take us in and raise us? We had to have
come to Chikyuu for a reason, right? What was our 'mission?'"
Ranma burst out.

Nodoka went back into the box and pulled out a few more
items. "I don't know what your mission was, or why you came to
Chikyuu. You did speak to us, but we didn't understand you. The
language you spoke was unfamiliar to our ears." She held up the
outfit Ranma had on when he arrived that day. "This is what you had
on at the time."

The girls 'awwed' at the sight of the tiny armor and bodysuit.
Ranma scowled at them and reached for it. The white and gold
armor was scuffed up a bit, but looked to be in excellent condition.
The deep purple bodysuit was folded neatly. "It's so small."

Nodoka nodded. "Well, you were a small child. You looked to
be about the size of a one or two year old, but your actions and
sentience were way above that."

Soun opened his box and pulled out an article of clothing,
handing it to Akane. "Akane-chan, this is what you were wearing."
She felt the deep-purple material. It was very soft, but stretchy.
The gold accents that were threaded within the fabric shone
brightly in the lights of the room. She held it next to Ranma's
bodysuit and compared the two. It was about the same size and the
material matched in color and in type.

"How cute, matching outfits!" Kasumi exclaimed.

Nabiki rolled her eyes. She turned to her father. "'Tousan,
what else is in there?"

Soun stood up and handed the box to Akane. "Here,
Akane-chan. These are your things, again." Akane smiled at her
father and looked in the box. She pulled out a necklace with a 'V'
pendant, and a circlet of gold. She ran a finger over the pendant,
feeling the lines that made up her insignia. She glanced at Ranma
and saw he was examining his own. It was similar to hers; although it
didn't have the red stone in the apex of the 'V'. Both pendants had
three gold rings surrounding the first prong. She smiled at him and
they both placed their insignias around their necks once more,
tucking them away from prying eyes.

Looking closer at the gold circle in her lap, she could see that
it was actually two thin strands of gold woven together. In the
middle of the band was another red stone, like on the V pendant.

"That's a pretty necklace, Akane. Do you know what it is?"
Kasumi asked.

Akane fingered it, getting a faraway look to her eyes. "Hai, I
do. It's not a necklance, though...it's my crown."

"Crown?" Everyone, except Ranma, said incredulously.

"Hn. My full name is Seiika no Oujo. I am the
Crown-Princess of Vejiita-sei, and heir to the throne of the
Saiya-jiin Empire."

Everyone around them gasped at Akane. They didn't know
what to make of this new relevation. Nabiki was the first to recover
and make a comment. "So, is Ranma a Prince, then?" she asked
kiddingly.

Ranma shook his head. "No, I am an Elite Senshi, not a
prince." He looked into Akane's eyes and smiled, a thick blush
spreading across his cheeks. Akane returned the smile and touched
him softly, her gaze very loving. "But I am her mate."

The room was completely silent. They were dumbfounded at
this announcement. All they could do was watch Ranma and Akane
stare into each other's eyes.

"Mate? As in married, mate?" Everyone turned toward the
new voice that entered the room. Ukyou and Ryouga stood in the
doorway; the warm box of okynomiyaki falling out of her hand to the
floor with a soft 'thump.' Both of the newcomer's faces were pale,
and Ukyou brought a hand up to her mouth.

"Ranchan, you didn't get married to Akane...did you?" Ukyou
asked hesitantly.

Ranma blushed and scratched his head. "Well, sort of."

Ukyou let out a wail and sank to her knees. Ranma rose to go
comfort her, but Akane stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
She shook her head and pointed at her chest. He nodded silently
and they both turned to watch Ryouga kneel down and hesitantly
comfort Ukyou.

Ukyou fell onto Ryouga's chest, grabbing fistfuls of his tunic
as she keened her despair into the folds. Ryouga looked absolutely
lost, not knowing how to comfort the sobbing girl. Akane came over
to the two and put her hand on Ukyou's shoulder. "Ukyou, listen to
me. You don't understand."

She looked up from Ryouga's now tear-drenched shirt and
shot a murderous glare at Akane. "Understand? I understand, all
right." She stood up and wiped her eyes with her fist. "I
understand that you've stolen Ranma from me and I understand that
you will suffer and pay the consequences!" With that outburst, she
reached behind her and brought forth her fighting spatula and
swiped the large weapon at Akane.

Akane did not move. She stood there and calmly locked eyes
with Ukyou. Ukyou, on the other hand, was just realizing that her
spatula was not in her hands anymore. It now rested in Ranma's
hands, who stood next to Akane, also calmly looking into Ukyou's eyes
as well.

Ukyou blinked and stared at the two in front of her.
"Nani...?" She turned to Ranma and her spatula. "Ranchan, how'd you
get over here so fast? And why did you take my spatula? Akane
deserves to be punished for forcing you to marry her."

Ranma shook his head. "Akane didn't force me to do anything,
Ucchan." A thoughtful look crossed his face. "Actually, I never
even married her." Akane elbowed him in the ribs and he amended
his sentence quickly. "At least, not on Chikyuu." He hefted the
spatula to his shoulder, rubbing his side.

Ukyou was confused. "But you said you married her! And
what do you mean, 'not on Chikyuu'? Where else would you go, the
moon?"

Nodoka spoke from behind them. "Ranma, she doesn't know."

Ranma twisted his head slightly to acknowledge his mother's
statement. "Right, 'Kaasan." He turned to Akane and whispered
something in her ear. She nodded and backed up a bit, giving Ukyou
and Ranma some space. Ranma turned back to the upset chef. "Are
you going to go after Akane-chan, again?" Everyone raised their
eyebrows at Ranma's honorific, Akane included; she smiled, but did
not say anything.

Ukyou crossed her arms and did not reply. Ranma shrugged
his shoulders and switched the spatula to the other side. "Can you
at least sit down and act like an adult?" She nodded reluctantly, and
sat down next to Kasumi. Ranma looked at Ryouga and he sat down,
as well, next to Nabiki. Ranma and Akane sat back down in their
original seats. "What me an' Akane have to say to you," he nodded in
Ryouga's direction, "you too, Ryouga, will be hard to believe, but
true." Akane nodded her head in agreement.

Ranma took a big breath and exhaled loudly. "Sixteen years
ago a spaceship crashed on this property. In that ship were two
small children. Me an' Akane." He watched their faces for a
reaction. Ryouga went pale; he thought what he heard earlier was
just a bad dream. It had to be--humans can't have tails, right?
Ukyou's face was blank. She looked around the room, going from
person to person. Each familiar face was dead serious, even
Kasumi's. Every one seemed to have 'it's the truth' scrawled on their
expressions. Ukyou sucked in a breath--Ranma was speaking the
truth.

She refused to believe it, though. "You look human, though.
You're not a little green man, or have twenty eyes and feelers or
anything like that." Nodoka's eyes lit up when Ukyou mentioned
'green man,' and remembered to mention that bit of the story.

Ranma stood, and pulled Akane up. "Well, we sorta do,
Ucchan." They both unwrapped their tails from their waists and
waved them in the air. Ryouga almost fainted. It was true.

Ukyou stood and went over to the pair. She bent down and
watched as the two tails waved gently back and forth. She reached
out with her hand and looked up into Ranma's face. "Are they real?"

He nodded and brought it forward into his hand. "Do you
want to touch it?" Akane sucked in a breath.

She nodded and lightly brushed it with her fingers. Ranma
shivered and Akane frowned, a low growl rumbling in the back of her
throat. He gave her a glance, and shook his head. "It's okay, Akane."
She nodded hesitantly, but gave Ukyou a dark scowl. Her own tail
twitched in agitation.

The okynomiyaki chef gave him a small smile. "It's soft,
Ranchan." She jumped a bit when Ranma snaked it around her wrist.
"It's also got quite a grip, too." The others laughed quietly and
Ranma released Ukyou's wrist. He curled his tail back around his
waist and sat down. Akane sat back down next to him, rather
closely, some noted silently.

Ukyou stood up and went back to her spot next to Kasumi.
"Aliens, hmm? I would have never guessed it. What planet are you
from? Venus? Mars?"

Akane spoke up. "Actually, we are from Vejiita-sei. It's in a
galaxy far away from here. Our race is called Saiya-jiin." Her chest
seemed to puff slightly. "We're a proud warrior race."

Soun spoke, with a surprised look upon his face. "How did you
know that, Akane? No one told you that. We didn't even know that."

Akane smiled a faraway smile. "I have been having
flashbacks, and memories keep slipping into my mind." Ranma nodded
in agreement. "This morning, in the furo, I had one about being in
the throne room with my father, the King," She looked
apologetically at her Chikyuu father. "Sorry, 'Tousan." He waved it
aside and motioned for her to continue. Nevertheless, she saw him
wipe a tear away from the corner of his eye. "My biological father
was there, and..." Akane drifted off, lost in the images forming in
her mind's eye.

"What is it, Akane-chan?" Nodoka urged. "What do you
remember? Is it bad?"

Akane blinked and shook her head. "It's not bad, it's just...I
remembered I have a brother. He was my futago, my twin, in fact."

Ranma nodded his head, eyes closed. He was lost within his
own memories, as well. "Vejiita no Ouji. Crown Prince of Vejiita-sei,
and Heir to the Saiya-jiin Empire." Ranma opened his eyes and
smiled. "He'd use those exact words whenever he'd introduce
himself, or get cocky." He turned and smiled at Akane. "And if I
can recall correctly, you'd use those words as well whenever you
wanted something or someone to do your bidding, Seiika-oujo."

Akane blushed and swatted Ranma on the chest with her tail.
He grabbed it and squeezed lightly, eliciting a squeal of surprise
from her. She tried to pull it out of his grasp, but he held it tight.
She finally gave up and turned away from him, mock-growling softly.
He smirked at her and continued to hold it in his hands, moving it
down to his lap where he could secure it better.

Nodoka watched their 'play' with a small smile. She asked
Akane, "So how much do you remember?"

Akane looked at Nodoka, furrowing her eyebrows. "I don't
remember everything. There are some gaping holes, and I
remember scenes, but things are filling in rather fast." She glanced
at Ranma, who was starting to seriously distract her. He had his
eyes closed and was petting her tail with long, slow strokes. Her
eyes started to close in pleasure. She tried her best to ignore him
and enjoy the delicious sensations he was creating with each stroke
on her new appendage. She returned to Nodoka, shaking away the
feelings that were building in the pit of her stomach. What was he
doing to her? "Could you finish your story, Obaasan?" She smiled a
bit. "Well, our story, but your version?"

Nodoka smiled. "Of course, dear. Where was I? Oh, yes.
Actually, I didn't get too far into the story yet, have I? Let me
see," Akane sat back and scooted closer to Ranma; the tension on
her tail was starting to hurt a little bit. She wasn't used to having it
stretched so far. Heck, she wasn't used to having a tail in the first
place. She jumped a bit when she felt something crawling up her
arm. Ranma's tail had unwrapped itself from his waist, and coiled
around her wrist. She blushed a bit and smiled; she brought her
tail-covered wrist into her lap and returned the favor, eliciting a
quiet purr from Ranma. She continued to stroke it, listening to
Nodoka tell of their origins on Chikyuu.

Akane and Ranma's 'tail footsies' did not go unnoticed by the
group. Kasumi and Nabiki shot knowing glances at each other.
Genma and Soun also shot glances at each other, but theirs spoke of
weddings and schools being united. And another shard shattered
off Ukyou's heart for each stroke the two Saiya-jiin made.

Ryouga, well, he was still trying to convince his heart and his
mind of the idea that Ranma and Akane were aliens was the truth.
Tails? Princesses? He caught bits and pieces of Nodoka's
explanation.

Nodoka, while talking and reliving the earlier events, had
thoughts of little tailed-children running around her. She gave the
two a wispy smile and started in on the tale.

"You both crashed at night. There was a full moon, and a
meteor shower that night. The four of us," she indicated to the
two men in the room, "me, your fathers, and Kikuko were on the
porch watching the meteor shower when we saw, what we thought as
one of the meteors, coming straight for us. We ducked in the house,
thinking it was going to hit. We watched it skim the roof, and crash
in the backyard, creating the crater you saw earlier." Kasumi
handed Ukyou and Ryouga the pictures of the crash site and pod.
They stared at them in wonder.

"We then noticed that it wasn't a meteor at all, but a
spaceship. Genma and Soun went down into the crater to get a
closer and better look. All of a sudden the ship opened up and, I
guess it was the ship's computer, spoke some language. A few
minutes later, it spoke again, and a cloud of gas was released into
the air."

"We thought it was poisonous and we backed away from the
ship as fast as possible." Soun added.

Nodoka rolled her eyes, and continued her story for her
enraptured audience. "Soon, a pair of dark-blue eyes," she gave
Ranma loving glance, "peeked around the door; those quickly
disappeared, and then a pair of dark-brown, almost-black eyes
replaced the blue set, and then we saw our first full glimpses of the
two of you." She smiled warmly at Akane.

"We were cute, right?" Ranma asked smugly. Akane pinched
his tail in response. He let out a yelp. "Nani?"

"Be quiet. Obaasan is still talking, Mr. Ego."

He mumbled under his breath, but let his mother continue.
Nodoka smiled a secret smile, and continued. "Actually, Ranma, the
both of were cute. Adorable, even. Akane was the first out of the
pod, and you followed right behind her. You talked to each other in
a strange language and then noticed Genma and Soun."

"Ranma, you spoke, and Kikuko and I came forward. All of a
sudden a bright yellow light surrounded you..."

Genma butted in. "Your aura flared and you went into a
ready, defensive stance."

Nodoka glared at her husband and continued. "Yellow light
surrounded you and we backed away. The two of you floated out of
the crater, and stopped eye-level with the four of us. We just
stared at each other for a few minutes until..." Nodoka started to
fidget and looked at her husband and his friend. The two males
both shot her a pained look and glanced in another direction. She
coughed and looked down at her hands.

Akane sensed something was coming up. "Then what
happened, Obaasan?"

Nodoka looked up at the two Saiya-jiin and grimaced. "Well,
Akane-chan, Ranma-chan, I don't want you to get the wrong idea, and
it never happened again..." she trailed off, looking back at her
hands.

Nabiki's interest was piqued. "What happened,
Nodoka-obaasan? It can't be that bad, can it?" Nodoka gave the
middle sister a strained smile.

She turned to Akane and Ranma, who were staring at her,
waiting for her to answer. She spoke quietly. "Akane, you pointed
something out to Ranma and then the both of you...changed."

The two were confused. Ranma scratched his head.
"Changed? Into what? Different clothes?"

Nodoka shook her head. "No, you changed...into monsters.
You changed into giant monsters and attacked the four of us."

Everyone's eyes were wide open with shock. Monsters?

Ukyou spoke shakily. "Monsters, Saotome-san? What did
they look like?" She threw Ranma and Akane a glance, and noticed
that the two of them were just as surprised as everyone else was.

Nodoka swallowed and continued. "They grew extremely
large, about twenty or so feet tall, the same brown fur as on their
tails was all over their bodies. Their faces changed, as well, turning
more animalistic. Kikuko thought you looked like giant monkeys, or
apes, only with elongated snouts."

The silence in the room was deafening. Ranma was the one to
break it with a word. "Oozaru." They all turned to Ranma, who had
his eyes closed in thought. He opened them and glanced at Akane,
who was nodding her head. "The form's called 'Oozaru'."

Genma stared at Ranma. "Do you know what triggered the
change? Can you do it willingly?"

Akane shook her head. "I don't know how or what makes a
Saiya-jiin transform. I think there is a trigger, but I don't
remember. Ranma?" He shook his head. Akane spoke again. "When
we attacked, did we hurt anyone?"

Soun shook his head. "No one was hurt. The ladies were
scared out of their minds, but Saotome and I stood up to you and
tried our best to stop you." Nodoka coughed loudly. Soun
bigsweated and rubbed his neck. "Well, we might have been startled
a bit, as well."

Nodoka laughed out loud, but immediately covered her mouth
to stifle the rest of her laughter. "Ha! You were dragging
Kikuko-chan by her arm so hard and fast she was flying through the
air!" Soun blushed but remained silent. Nodoka sobered quickly. "If
it wasn't for the green man, who knows what might have happened."

Everyone turned toward Nodoka and blinked. "Green man?"
Ukyou questioned. She snorted and crossed her arms. "Okay, now
we've now sped by and passed the 'Nerima weird' barrier and blasted
into the truly bizarre and unbelievable."

Genma and Soun both nodded in agreement. "Yes, it was truly
bizarre, but it did happen. As we were defending our home from the
rampaging monsters," Nodoka coughed again and motioned towards
Ranma and Akane. Soun blushed and continued. "From the alien
creatures," Nodoka coughed once more. Soun bigsweated, along with
the rest of the room and amended his thought again. "From Ranma
and Akane, a green man flew down from the sky and started to fight
the two of you. He threw a ki-blast at you, Ranma and you swiped it
back at him. He threw another and this one hit your back. All of a
sudden you shrunk and fell unconscious. He did the same thing to
Akane-chan, and she too, fell unconscious. He floated down from
the sky and touched your foreheads. A bright light flashed from his
hands and when we could see again, he was holding the two of you
out to us and asking us to raise you as our children."

Nodoka took over, getting a glassy sheen over her eyes. "He
said he repressed your memories and abilities, and that you wouldn't
transform anymore. Kikuko took Akane-chan and I took Ranma-chan
into our arms and we went inside. And that is that." She smiled at
the two on the couch lovingly. "Actually, the four of us were blessed
to have you both in our lives. Never forget that."

"So why did ya choose us that way? I mean, why'd you pick
me? Why not Akane?" Akane elbowed him in the ribs. "Not that I'm
complainin' how things turned out or anything, it's just that I
was...curious, I guess." He rubbed his ribs and scowled at the girl
next to him. She scowled right back.

A ghost of a memory past over Nodoka's face. "That's all
right, Ranma. Actually, your father and I did have a child before
you arrived. But he...he died soon after his birth from
complications." Nodoka started to get teary-eyed and abruptly
stood up and walked out of the room. Genma tossed Ranma a glance
and followed his wife out of the room.

Akane nudged Ranma; he nodded and followed his father.
They all watched the Saotomes leave and silence once again fell upon
the room. Kasumi was the first to speak. "Oh, poor Obaasan. How
terrible it must be to lose a child before it even had a chance to
live."

Soun nodded gravely. "Nodoka was torn up by the loss of the
child. She almost died in the childbirth, as well. That night you and
Ranma-kun arrived, Akane-chan, was the first real night she was
back to her old self. Ranma did the rest, by filling the giant hole in
her soul and her heart."

They were silent a moment more, and then the Saotomes all
returned, Nodoka and Ranma bearing tea and snacks for everyone.
Akane and Kasumi jumped up and took the trays from them. Small
talk convened as the tea and snacks were served. Akane and Ranma
were talking quietly to each other when Nabiki interrupted
everything with a question.

"Now, Ranma-kun, are you going to enlighten everyone here by
explaining what you said earlier?" She smirked a bit.

Ranma looked at her and then at Akane confusedly. "What
did I say, Nabiki?"

Nabiki rolled her eyes and exasperatingly reminded him. "You
said that you and Akane-chan were mates, remember? That's when
Ukyou and Ryouga came in? Sometimes..." Nabiki just shook her
head at him.

Everyone turned and stared at Ranma and Akane. They had
forgotten about that statement. Ranma and Akane, though, had not,
and wished that Nabiki did. Everyone was silent as they waited for
them to explain; Ukyou was alternating her thinking between busting
Akane's head in and bawling her eyes out. The pair of Saiya-jiin
looked at each other and blushed.

"Well?" Nabiki urged none too gently.

Akane and Ranma both shot murderous scowls in her
direction. Akane, though, started out the explanation. "Well, to tell
you the truth, Ranma and I are mated; well, actually Serori and
Seiika are mated, but we are them, ne?" Akane looked to her 'mate'
for help, but he just shrugged his shoulders and gave her a smile.
She groaned and played with her tail in her lap.

"You see, before, when I held my hand out to help Ranma up
from the ground when he fell from...floating...we touched hands, and
a memory busted through the roadblocks you said, Obaasan, that
the 'green man' put there." Nodoka nodded.

"And I had the same exact memory, at the same time, we
found out afterward," Ranma added.

Kasumi smiled. "That's sweet; you had the same memory."

"You were sitting there in that position for over an hour. We
couldn't budge you or touch you. Something was blocking us."
Nodoka told them.

"Well, Kasumi, we were both there, so it would be the same,
except from different viewpoints. I was on top of a stand looking
down at a bunch of warriors fighting each other. We were in a huge
stadium, and to me it seemed like a free-for-all."

"It was, Akane. I was in the ring, as one of the competitors.
It was the choosing of the Royal Honor Guard."

She nodded. "That's right. I was on the podium with my
father and my brother, Vejiita."

"Your brother was named after the planet?" Ukyou asked.
"Why was it called Vejiita-sei, when your race is called Saiya-jiin?"

Nodoka pointed out, "Why do we live on Chikyuu, and are
called Humans?"

Ukyou nodded reluctantly and Akane continued. "Actually,
the males are always named after the planet if they're royalty. My
father was a 'Vejiita,' as well. Anyway, the fights continued until
there were two left. Serori here," she nudged Ranma, "and one
other. I don't know what his name was. One Honor Guard for the
each of us. The two of them came to the pillar and bowed; Papa hit
a button and the pillar sank into the ground."

"I got off the pillar right away and went directly over to
Serori, and that was when I realized it was Ranma."

"That was when I saw you for the first time, too, Akane."
He then whispered in her ear, "You were the most beautiful
creature I had ever seen, Akane-chan." Akane blushed a deep red
and pushed the smirking Ranma away, her own smirk threatening to
turn into a goofy smile.

She recovered herself amidst snickering from the peanut
gallery, mainly Nabiki, and some giggling, mainly Nodoka and Kasumi.
The others were unaware or were silently smiling to themselves,
thinking of houses being united for once and for all.

"Like I was saying," Akane mock-growled deep in her throat;
Ranma growled back and slipped his tail around her wrist. "I had
walked up to Ranma and the crowd quieted. We then did the mating
ceremony, and created the Bond."

"Mating ceremony? Bond?" Ukyou asked fearfully. She had
a really bad feeling about where this was leading.

Akane nodded. "Yes, Bond. Saiya-jiin bond on several levels.
You only have one mate in your entire lifetime. Nothing can break
the Bond, or separate the Bonded. The ceremony makes the Bond
official, because you can 'mate mate' with anyone until the Bond is
formed and sealed. After that, it is impossible. A Saiya-jiin can not
'cheat' on his or her mate." She blushed, thinking about the subject
matter.

"What was the ceremony like? What did you do in it?"
Ryouga spoke for the first time. Everyone turned and looked at him.
He had been so quiet up to that point that everyone had forgotten
about him.

Akane blinked at him. She had forgotten as well. She stood
up and pulled Ranma up as well. "I went up to Ranma and held my arm
out like this and said, 'Your heart is mine, for mine.'" She held her
right hand outstretched, palm down. She stared a Ranma with a
pointed expression.

Ranma stared into Akane's eyes. He knew what she was doing,
and thought it was brilliant. Ranma knelt on the ground, bent his
head in a bow, then stood up and looked up into her eyes, a smile
upon his face. "Then I said, 'My heart is yours, for yours.'" He put
his left hand under hers, palm up. Her eyes lit up, understanding
that he knew what she was attempting, and was all for it. She
smiled, and continued.

"Your mind is mine, for mine." A bright light started to form
around the two. Everyone in the room gasped at the sight and the
ones closest to them scooted as far away as possible.

"My mind is yours, for yours."

"Your body is mine, for mine." The light started to pulse
brightly. Ukyou stood up, realizing what was happening, and cried
out in disbelief and outrage. She picked up her battle spatula and
swung at the two glowing Saiya-jiin. The aura of light around the
two, though, protected them, and both Ranma and Akane were
oblivious to the assault. Ukyou, though, was flung away from the
glowing couple, and knocked unconscious.

"My body is yours, for yours."

"Your soul is mine, for mine." The pulsing rose to a frantic
rate. Everyone had to cover their eyes, otherwise they would have
been blinded by the two in front of them.

"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.

Everyone looked at the dimly-glowing Ranma and Akane with
unadulterated throes of shock written on their faces. Ranma and
Akane just continued to stare in each other's eyes, hands on the
other's chest.

Nodoka cleared her throat. "Ranma-chan, did you do what I
thought you did?" Ranma nodded and smiled, his hand sliding up
Akane's neck to rest on her cheek. Akane's moved to circle Ranma's
neck.

Ryouga had watched the ceremony with a small amount of
dread in his heart. He realized quite awhile ago that he was not
meant for Akane, but you can never forget your first love. He went
over to Ukyou, to see if she was okay. She had awoken rather fast
from the header into the wall, and had caught the end of the light
show. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she watched the two
Saiya-jiin gaze at each other.

"He's not mine, anymore. I lost him...to an alien." Ukyou
slumped down the wall even further.

Ryouga rubbed her arm in a sign of comfort. "I don't think he
was ever yours to begin with, Ukyou." She nodded and continued to
watch the two, ignoring everything else around her except for her
misery.

At Ranma's earlier nod, Genma and Soun's faces both lit up
with glee. Genma brought out fans and danced a happy jig around
the room. Soun sat in his spot, tears coursing down his cheeks,
albeit they were from happiness and not devastation, like Ukyou's.
Kasumi had a smile on her face, beaming at the happy couple. Nabiki
wore a smirk, thinking she had to put the date down in her books and
check who won the betting pool for the date on which Ranma and
Akane would get married.

Ranma and Akane, oblivious to everything except each other,
still stared into each other's eyes. Ranma blinked and smiled at the
smaller one in front of him. He slowly leaned down, closing his eyes
as he descended. Akane drew her eyes closed as well and tilted her
head up slightly, her hand around his neck moving to burrow in his
hair.

Everyone became silent and observant as the two crept closer
and closer; Genma had even stopped dancing.

When Ranma was close enough, he slightly parted his lips and
gently bit Akane's nose, holding it within his teeth. Akane reached
up and enclosed Ranma's chin within her own. They sat there for a
minute, mouths interlocked on separate body parts. The others
could hear a rumbling sound coming from the couple; two actually,
each sound harmonizing with the other.

Ranma and Akane released each other simultaneously, and he
enclosed her in a hug. She wrapped her other arm around his chest
and they stood there, open for everyone's interrogation.

It started immediately with Nabiki bursting out, "What in the
hell was that?"

They released each other and sat down, tails curling around
each other in affection, a hint of a blush glancing their cheeks.
Ranma gave a small laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "What
was what, Nabiki?"

"That! That flashing thingee you did. And what was with the
biting? I swear, this is getting weirder and weirder."

Akane gently smiled at her sister. "The flashing 'thingee' was
the Bonding ceremony. We just performed it again and resealed the
Bond. We are officially re-mated--that is, in the eyes of the
Saiya-jiin Empire."

"And to us, as well." He turned to the fathers and smirked.
"You got what you always wanted, Oyaji, Tendo-san. We just united
the schools. Didn't need no church or wedding dresses."

The two fathers almost burst with joy and giddiness. They
stood up and danced with each other and made their way into the
other room, to celebrate the joining with a little sake. Everyone
laughed as the two males lumbered out of the room. Nodoka clapped
once in excitement and turned to her daughter-in-law. "So,
Akane-chan, I am sort of curious myself. What did the biting of
each other signify?" The girls in the room looked at her with
interest. Ryouga, feeling left out, and seeing Ukyou had recovered
enough, stood and walked out of the room, headed for parts
unknown, thinking his direction was the bathroom.

Akane blushed and moved closer to Ranma. She mumbled
something unintelligible and blushed even more. Everyone leaned in
closer to hear what she said. "I didn't hear you, Akane-chan. What
did you say?"

"I said, it was a kiss." She was a beet-red from all the blood
rushing to her face. Ranma was in the same situation. The girls
giggled at the two on the couch.

"Well, that was an interesting display of affection, then,
dear." Nodoka folded her hands in her lap. "You will be going by
Saotome now, won't you, Akane-chan?"

Akane blinked and looked at Ranma. He looked just as
surprised as she was. "Um, I guess I could now. I really didn't think
of it until now. Everything is happening so fast."

"Do your kind have family names, Akane-chan?" Kasumi asked.

She shook her head. "There are Houses, but no real Family
names. The Royal House was that, the Royal House of Vejiita-sei."

"Is there anything else that has to be done for this Mating
Ceremony, Akane-chan?" Nodoka asked not-to-innocently, a twinkle
in her eye.

Ranma and Akane turned purple with embarrassment. Nabiki
snorted and crossed her arms. "We can take that as a 'yes', I think,
Nodoka-obaasan."

Nodoka nodded in agreement. She brightened considerably
when an idea crossed her mind. "Why don't you two go stay at my
home for a couple of days? That way, you won't have anyone around
to bother you with the final 'ceremony obligations.'" She winked at
them.

Akane shook her head. "We couldn't kick you out of your own
home, Obaasan."

Nodoka waggled her finger at her. "You can call me Okaasan,
now, Yome-chan. And don't worry about it. You do need your privacy
to talk and for...other things." Nabiki let out another snort, and
Kasumi just blushed.

The female Saiya-jiin reddened with embarrassment and
nodded. "Okay, Obaasan...Okaasan. Only for a few days. Thank you
for your offer." Akane elbowed Ranma in the ribs. He was still
thinking about the 'obligations.' 'There's the Bonding, and the Union,
and the...'

"Huh? Oh, yeah, thanks, 'Kaasan. "Precciate it." He rubbed
his ribs, thinking about the bruise that was was forming there from
repeated elbowing.

Kasumi stood up, brushing her hands on her skirt. "Oh my, so
much has happened today already, and now, we missed lunch!" Two
stomachs rumbled in response to the mention of food.

Nodoka stood up and followed Kasumi into the kitchen. "Let
me help you, Kasumi-chan. We should prepare a feast, in honor of
the 'mating.'" Kasumi smiled at Nodoka's tease.

"That's a good idea, Obaasan." The voices were lost as the
rattle of pans and other kitchen noises dominated their
conversation.

Nabiki smirked at the two and stood up. "Congratulations,
kids. Well, I guess I'll leave you two lovebirds alone, or lovemonkeys,
I guess I should say, hmm? Call me down when the food's ready."
She gave them a wink and a wave and left for her room.

Akane and Ranma both sighed and leaned against each other.
"Wow, I never thought that the questioning would end!" Ranma
nodded in reply, leaning his head on hers.

"Actually, I have one more question." They looked up
surprised. They had forgotten about Ukyou. She sat propped up
against the wall, staring off into space, her arm gingerly holding her
shoulder.

Ranma and Akane nervously sat up. "What is it, Ucchan?"
Ranma asked quietly. He noticed something. "When did you get
hurt?"

Ukyou stood up slowly, and winced when she moved too
quickly. It had been injured when she was thrown against the wall.
She waved the concern aside, and picked up her spatula. "It's
nothing. I got it doing something stupid." She moved to stand in
front of them. Ranma sat rigid, hoping Ukyou wouldn't attack Akane
again. She took note of his defensive position and put her spatula on
her back and knelt in front of them, resting on her heels. "I won't
attack, Ranma. Promise." He nodded and relaxed a bit.

"My question is this. Please answer it as truthfully as
possible." Akane and Ranma looked at each other and nodded.
"Okay. I need to know this, otherwise my heart won't rest." Ukyou
blinked back a few tears and closed her eyes. "Ranma, do you...did
you ever love me?"

Ranma blinked and looked at Ukyou, studying her features.
"Not in the way you wanted me to, Ucchan. I loved you, and still do,
as a friend. My best friend, actually. You were one of the only ones
around here that would actually listen to what I said, and
understood." Akane glared at Ranma, but sat still. Ranma sensed
this and continued quickly. "But I love Akane, always have, and
always will. I didn't need the mating ceremony for that. Or to learn
about being a Saiya-jiin. And I don't love her because of the Bond
or her being my Princess." He turned to Akane and held her hands.
"I love You. Not Seiika no Oujo, Tendo Akane or even Saotome
Akane." She blushed and tears started to form in her eyes. Ranma
smiled and wiped them away as they fell down her cheek. "You. It's
always been You." He leaned down and bit her nose. She returned
the kiss on his chin. They released each other.

Akane spoke. "I love You, too. Not Serori, Champion of
Seiika no Oujo, Saotome Ranma or even Saotome Ranko." He blushed
in remembrance of his 'alternate' identity. She pointed at his nose.
"You. It's always been You."

Ukyou stood up, wiping the tears off her cheeks. "Domo
arigatou, both of you, for answering me truthfully. I'll be going
now." Ranma and Akane both stood up and walked Ukyou to the
front door. Ukyou turned around and gave Ranma a hug and a peck
on the cheek and gave Akane a hug. "Treat each other well." They
nodded and waved goodbye to Ukyou, who bounded away to her
restaurant.

Akane leaned against Ranma and wrapped her arms around his
waist. Ranma placed an arm around her shoulders and laid his head
upon hers. Their tails unconsciously wrapped around each other.
Both just stared into the bright sky, taking comfort in the other's
presence.

They were about to go inside when they saw a distinct light
flash in the enless blue. Akane pointed it out. "Ranma, did you see
that?"

He nodded, interest piqued. "Yeah, I did. I wonder what it was?"
************