A Tail To Remember
by Gie (phowahcs.com)

A Tail To Remember
Chapter Fourteen: Explanations

Inside, everyone had gathered and seated themselves around
the large banquet table and was waiting for the rest to arrive and
Bulma to give the go-ahead. Conversation was light and happy.
Several cheers were sounded when Trunks and Tobuma entered the
room. They sat down together, Trunks taking his time due to
injuries he suffered under Vejiita's attack, and talked quietly to
themselves, while the others just glanced at them and wondered
what their story was.

After twenty minutes or so, everyone was getting antsy,
wondering where their hostess and her mate were hiding. Bulma
soon rushed in, looking wet and disheveled, a new set of clothes and
a warm blush across her features. She sat down next to Goku and
caught her breath. "Gomen, everyone. I had to take care of a few
matters...elsewhere. We'll start eating when Vejiita arrives."

"Don't wait on my account, Onna. If Kakarotto holds out much
longer, he's bloody likely eat the entire building." Vejiita walked in,
wearing a set of black pants and a black tank top. He flicked Trunks
a Senzu bean and sat down in between Akane and Bulma, the last
seat available. Trunks, surprised, caught the small legume and ate it.

Goku smiled at Vejiita and looked at Bulma with puppy-dog
eyes. "Can we eat now, Bulma? I'm starving!"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Hai, you overgrown garbage
disposal." Soon, food was being passed around the table, and mass
quantities were being consumed. With seven, count them, seven
Saiya-jiin appetites, there had to be mass amounts available for
consumption.

After a few minutes, and everyone had settled into the
routine of eating, Bulma stood up. "Since there are a few new faces
here at the table, why don't they stand up and introduce
themselves?" She sat back down and nodded to Akane and Ranma.

Vejiita grunted in between bites. "This isn't the first day of
kindergarten, Onna." She just elbowed him in the side and rolled
her eyes.

Akane wiped her mouth with a napkin and pulled the now
male-Ranma up with her, scowling at his mouthful of food. He
swallowed quickly and smiled. "Ohiayo, minna. I'm Saotome Akane,
and this is my mate, or husband, whichever you prefer, Ranma."
They both threw a heated glance at Yamucha, who looked surprised.
"We're also known as Seiika and Serori. We'll answer to both. Just
so you don't have to ask, yes we are Saiya-jiin, raised as Humans.
We just found out about our Saiya-jiin heritage a week or so ago,
when our tails grew back, and our memories were released from the
block Kami-sama placed on us when we crashed on Chikyuu. Vejiita is
my twin brother." She sat back down, pulling Ranma back down with
her once again.

Yamucha was confused. This was the Ranma he thought
matched the name and image Kami-sama showed them earlier in the
week. Then who was the redhead? "Can I ask a question?"

Bulma looked surprised, but nodded. "Sure, Yamucha. Go
ahead."

"Where's the redhead?"

Bulma frowned for a second. "Redhead?" She glanced around
and saw Ranma's cheeks flushed pink. She put one and one together
and came up with five. "Oh, that redhead! She...had to leave."

"Where'd she go?" He smirked widely, rubbing his hands
together at the memory. "She's a pretty hot chick!"

Ranma stood up, aura bright and hot. "That does it! I'm
gonna tear him apart!" Akane grabbed his wildly flailing tail, but
that didn't stop him. She reached for a glass of water on the table.
Lucky for her, and Yamucha, it was cold. Ranma shrunk and grew in
various different areas.

He stopped advancing, grunting and wringing out his once-dry
shirt with a frown. "Why'd ya go and do that for?"

Akane shook her head at her mate, and scowled at his
behavior. "Baka! He didn't know, Ranma. You should be used to it by
now." She pulled him back to his seat and went into the kitchen to
get some hot water.

"The redhead is a guy? Woah! No wonder she got bent out
of shape when I called her a lesbian." Yamucha muttered under his
breath. Vejiita looked up from his food, a look of surprise and
amusement on his face.

"So, how did you do that? Are you a Saiya-jiin shapeshifter?"
he asked out loud. "Sorry about earlier, man. Or are you really a
girl?"

Ranma stood up, aura going full board once more. "I'm a guy,
damnit!"

Akane opened the door to the kitchen and sighed. She
poured the water over his head. "He's male, definitely." They all
were entranced at the change as he shifted, several areas
broadening and growing, while others narrowed and shrunk, as he
returned to his original male form.

"Sugoi..." The un-informed members of the team marvelled
over the transformation. Akane briefly explained Jusenkyo, and its
'wonders.'

She patted her mate upon the arm. "I know. I never get
tired of watching him switch genders." Ranma sat down, flashing
Yamucha a glare. Akane wrapped her tail around his waist and
squeezed comfortingly. Ranma just grumbled and focused on eating
the food in front of him.

Bulma nodded to the pair of males. Trunks and Tobuma stood
up. "I'm Trunks, and this is Tobuma."

"You're Saiya-jiin."

Everyone turned to the door, where the new arrival stood,
arms crossed.

Gohan's eyes brightened. "Piccolo-san!"

Akane and Ranma gasped aloud. "You're Piccolo?" Ranma
sputtered out. "You're a green alien!"

Akane slapped her mate alongside his head. "Shut up, Ranma
no baka! That's not very nice!"

Piccolo smirked at the two surprised Saiya-jiin. "That's fine,
Seiika-oujo. If Serori here wants to make a fool out of himself, he
can. I already know I'm green, and not from Chikyuu." He smirked
wider at Ranma's blush. "I'm flattered you noticed, Serori."

Akane cleared her throat and gave the tall Namek-seijiin a
shy smile. 'Ohiayo, Piccolo-san. Is it true that you are related to
Kami-sama?"

He turned his eyes to the female Saiya-jiin and shrugged his
shoulders. "You could say that. But, let's not talk about my
ancestry." He turned his gaze to the two males that were still
standing. "As I said, you two are Saiya-jiin. Are you here to
destroy Chikyuu or some other nonsense along those lines?"

Trunks shook his head. "Iie. Actually we're here to help
protect it."

"Are you actually from space?" Chao-tzu spoke up, a brave
look upon his face.

Trunks shook his head again, surprising several of the
members present. "Iie. We were born on Chikyuu."

Vejiita had been silent, concentrating on his food, and not the
others surrounding him, but he spoke up after Trunks last
declaration. "Nani? How can you be born on Chikyuu? When?
Where?" He stood up, glaring at the two young Saiya-jiin with a
gleam of anger and confusion in his eye.

Trunks and Tobuma glanced at each other, not showing their
fear of the Prince's temper outwardly. They calmly sat down and
apaologized to the group. "Gomen nasai. We can't say. It'd
affect...gomen."

An uncomfortable silence reigned over the table. Some
focused on eating, and others just stared at the visitors or each
other. Bulma was first to break the maddening calm. "We
understand...I guess. Where are your parents? Do they live in
Japan?"

Both males sighed simultaneously. "They're dead." Tobuma
muttered.

Scattered gasps and murmurs rifled through the group. "Oh
you poor dears!" Bulma cried in sympathy.

Vejiita snorted, not looking up from his plate. "Stop babying
them, Onna. They've dealt with it, and moved on."

Trunks swallowed audibly and nodded. "Well, it still hurts,
but that's alright. We're fine."

Tobuma nodded as well. "Trunks-kun and I came to help you
defeat the Hachi, your new enemy."

Piccolo spoke from a corner of the room. "They're here,
aren't they." It wasn't a question.

Tobuma nodded. "Hai. A fleet of twenty Hachi Drones
landed in a clearing in the woods a few miles from here. They're
what attacked Vejiita-san and Seiika-san." Trunks agreed with his
Saiya-jiin partner.

"I was up with Kami when they landed. He sent me to warn
you if you did not already know." Piccolo pointed out.

Bulma rubbed her chest. "We knew." She nodded in Trunks
and Tobuma's direction. "They're the ones that destroyed the
Drones that attacked Vejiita and Seiika."

The others stopped eating and stared at the young Saiya-jiin.
"How did you know how to defeat them?" Goku spoke, staring at
them intently.

"And how did you know where they'd attack?" Ranma asked,
glancing in-between them intermittently.

Tobuma glanced at his partner, who sighed and shrugged and
nodded. "Alright, well, we can tell you this much. You need to know
it as well. The Hachi Drones have no ki to speak of. You can't sense
them. The only good thing about that is that they can't use ki
attacks."

"But that doesn't mean they can't use ki. What they do is
absorb yours, through special dics that each Drone comes outfitted
with, and send it back to you, at incredible speeds." Trunks added.

Akane nodded. "We found that out the hard way."

Tobuma glanced at Akane. "Hai. They are fast, and maneuver
rapidly. But if you destroy the discs, then using ki is fine, for they
have no way to defend themselves against the blasts."

Trunks smiled. "Or you could use regular, old-fashioned,
hand-to-hand combat, which Tobu-kun tends to do. I prefer to use
my sword. It works fast, and well." Several of the senshi nodded,
filing the information away for future use.

"But how did you know? I've never heard of them before."
Ranma persisted, wanting his questions answered.

"Well..." Trunks nodded at Tobuma to continue. "We have
faced the Hachi before, and know what to expect."

"They were on Chikyuu before?" Kurillin exclaimed. "When?
Why didn't we know about this?" Others murmured their
agreement.

Trunks shook his head. "Iie. They've never been to Chikyuu
before."

"But how..."

"We are not truly from Chikyuu, or this time's Chikyuu."
Tobuma began slowly. "We are from the future."

Silence enfolded the senshi. "Future?" Gohan stammered.
"Our future?"

Another meaningful glance, and a slight nod answered.

"Then that means..." Bulma trailed off, answering her own
question silently.

"We are your future, and the only ones left."

Everyone's jaws dropped in amazement. "How far into the
future?" Akane asked quietly.

Trunks furrowed his eyebrows. "Almost nineteen years."

ChiChi put a hand on her cheek. "If you're the only ones left,
then that means we are all..."

"Gone." Trunks said flatly, eyes closed.

"How?" Akane whispered, clutching Ranma's arm tightly. He
looked down at her in concern; her face was pale and as he watched
her, he could see her tremble every so often. He sent a wave of love
and comfort to her through their Link, but received a shaky
response.

"The Hachi attacked, and the sheer number of them was
overwhelming. They took you by surprise. You were able to resist
the onslaught for awhile, but as your numbers dwindled, so did the
resistance." Tobuma explained.

"The Hachi are bee creatures: antennae, wings, and all. They
are incapable of reproducing, so they infest other worlds and
assimilate them into their own by changing the DNA of a species.
That's another use of the discs. They latch onto the chest and
inject tiny nanoprobes into the bloodstream. That's what changes
the DNA."

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The process is
very fast, and very painful. But it can not be reversed. Once the
nanoprobes start assimilating the chromosomes, it can not be
stopped. The only humane thing that can be done is to, well, you get
the idea." He glanced around the room. Every face was trained on
him, and most were a shade of pasty white.

Ranma rubbed his neck, feeling the tension in the room
accumulating there within seconds. "So when do we die? When and
where's the big battle?"

Tobuma winced at the bluntness of his question. "Well, the
'big battle' is in just over six months, but not everyone dies then.
Some earlier, some later."

"The most recent was one week ago." Trunks said quietly,
turning away from the assembled group. Tobuma laid a hand on his
friend's shoulder.

"Who was it, Trunks-san? Was the person close to you?"

Bulma asked quietly, getting up and going over to him, placing a
comforting hand on his shoulder. She knelt down so she could see
into his lowered gaze.

He glanced at her, mesmerized by her blue eyes. Pain flashed
across his features, grief striking him mute. Bulma was patient with
the young Saiya-jiin, rubbing his knee in comfort. After a few
moments of silence, he hoarsely whispered, "It was my 'Kaasan."

Bulma let out a noise of surprise, not used to seeing a senshi
of such caliber breaking down in front of her. She wrapped Trunks
up in her embrace. "It's alright, let it out." She smoothed down his
strangely soft purple locks as he clutched desperately at her shirt.
She felt it become moist with his tears.

Vejiita scowled in their direction, a small bit of jealousy
worming its way into his words. "Stop babying him, Onna. He's a
senshi--death is part of war."

Bulma just looked up at her jealous mate, fire dancing in her
eyes. She felt very protective of this youth. For some unknown
reason. "Shut up, Vejiita-baka. Let him grieve." The Prince just
snorted and concentrated on his plate in front of him, ignoring and
blocking the assurances she sent through their Bond.

Tobuma watched Bulma comfort Trunks and inadvertently
sighed aloud. Akane noticed the yearning look on his face and
scooted closer to the tri-colored Saiya-jiin. "Do you miss your
Okaasan, too, Tobuma-san?"

He jumped slightly at her touch on his shoulder. He turned
to face her and was met with soft dark-brown eyes. He shook his
head, surprising Akane with his reaction. "Iie, I never knew my
Okaasan. She died a month after I was born."

"How sad!" She exclaimed. "I know how you feel. My Chikyuu
'Kaasan died when I was small, too. I don't remember much about
her."

Tobuma continued to stare into Akane's face with wide,
unblinking eyes. She met his gaze with one of her own, and deep
within his dark-brown depths, something stirred an unknown
sensation in her chest. She felt connected to this youth, but didn't
know how. She broke the gaze and smiled softly. "Can I ask you a
question, Tobuma?" He nodded, still staring. "Who are your
parents?"

Tobuma finally broke his trance, blinking a few times. He
blushed slightly and shook his head. "I can't say..."

"Tobu-kun, tell her. Tell them. It really doesn't matter
anymore, does it? They've almost figured it out already." A muffled
Trunks spoke from Bulma's lap, face still buried in her shirt.

Tobuma looked torn. "But Trunks-kun, what about our
present?"

The purple-haired Saiya-jiin senshi looked up with a pained
expression and into the troubled eyes of his partner. "What
present? There is no present for us, not anymore, unless you want
to become a Drone, or die by a Drone's hands. Their future is our
present. Maybe if we can prevent our present from happening, then
their future will be different. And so will our present." He laid his
head down in Bulma's lap, as if it were the most natural thing to do.
Bulma smiled down tenderly at the male and placed a comforting
hand on his head.

Tobuma furrowed his eyebrows a moment, trying to sort
through Trunks' dialogue. He could see the logic within it, but
something tugged at him in the corner of his subconscious mind. He
sighed and nodded, standing up and moving over to the big bay
window in the center of the room.

He watched the morning's sunrise break over the eastern
horizon and after a few moments, all thoughts collected, he spoke
calmly and clearly. His tail twitched back and forth, betraying his
feelings. All eyes and ears were riveted on him. "My Okaasan died a
month after I was born. She was captured by the Hachi, and made
the Queen of the Chikyuu Hive. She still lives on Chikyuu, and rules
over the Drones there. Like we said before, she is lost to us, and
that is why I consider her gone."

"My 'Tousan died a few months ago, and when he left us, the
fight for Chikyuu faded as well. He was the one that trained me and
Trunks-kun in the way of the Art and as senshi against the Hachi.
Trunks and I continued on, but it wasn't the same. The Hachi knew
of his death, and increased their efforts to get the few remaining
Humans that we protected to assimiliate them into their own."
Tobum sighed and shook his head. "But all our best efforts were for
nothing, and in vain. As we said earlier, we were the last two on
Chikyuu unassimiliated. Everyone else was dead or a Drone."

He placed a warm hand on the cool glass and continued with
his dialogue. "When Trunks' 'Kaasan died last week, it was then we
decided to use the time machine that she had built. She had
thought that if we could prevent the Hachi from attacking and
succeeding at taking over Chikyuu as their next Hive, it would change
the course of history, and none of our pain and suffering would have
happened."

"But who are your parents?" Goku asked. "If you're
Saiya-jiin, then you must have Saiya-jiin parents." Everyone looked
at the four present Saiya-jiin adults in question.

Tobuma nodded. He watched the sun rise higher in the sky
for a few moments and turned around. He made a complete circle
around the table and stopped in front of two.

Ranma and Akane.

He bowed deeply. "Kon'nichi wa, I am Saotome Tobuma,
Crown Prince of the Chikyuu no Saiya-jiin, and Heir to the Saiya-jiin
Empire."

Everyone was silent as Ranma and Akane stared slack-jawed
at the silent Tobuma. "You're our son?" Akane finally spoke. He
nodded slowly, searching their faces for any positive reaction.

Akane reached out, and brushed her fingers across his cheek.
Tobuma closed his eyes with a soft sigh. "But how..."

Ranma snorted, crossing his arms. "I really don't have to
explain that to you, do I, Akane?" Both Tobuma and Akane blushed
and she shook her head, drawing her hand back. Tobuma opened his
eyes, mourning the loss of contact.

Bulma blinked a few times and stared down at the young
Saiya-jiin in her lap. "Then who are..."

Trunks stood and compsed himself. He bowed in front of
Bulma and Vejiita, with a wide sweep of his arms. "Kon'nichi wa. I
am Shichi no Vejiita-ouji, Crown Prince of Vejiita-sei, Heir to the
Saiya-jiin Empire." He relaxed his posture and gave Bulma a wink
and a smile. "But please, call me Trunks."

Bulma's eyes widened slowly as he went through his
introduction. After a few moments of silence, Bulma muttered to
herself, "Oh my. That's a mouthful, isn't it? I can see why we
decided to just call you Trunks." She stood and circled the newly
identified young Prince. When she completed her circle, she
reached out and turned his face from side to side, nodding,
declaring out loud. "You look exactly like your Otousan, except with
my coloring."

Vejiita's eyes could not have been open any wider. He was
blown away by Trunks' declaration of his 'titles', and Bulma's
statement. Shichi no Vejiita? The Seventh? He was the Sixth in
the Royal line of the House of Vejiita-sei, but then that meant...

Goku scratched his head, confused. "You're Saiya-jiin, right,
Trunks, Tobuma?"

He nodded, smiling at the older male. "Hai, I am half
Saiya-jiin, half Human, like Gohan-kun. Tobuma is full-blooded."

"Then who's your Otousan?" Goku was lost, trying to
remember that mess of words he rattled off. He got confused
within all the titles, although a few words sounded familiar...

Bulma sighed and sat down again, shaking her head. Vejiita
snorted loudly and frowned in his direction. "If you couldn't tell,
Kakarotto-baka, by the title he stated, then you truly are a lost
cause to the intelligent." Bulma slapped him on the shoulder, and he
scowled darkly in her direction. ChiChi growled slightly, and
whispered the answer in Goku's ear.

The room was silent, eyes going back and forth between
Vejiita, Bulma and Trunks.

Goku's face lit up after ChiChi explained the situation to him.
"You're Trunks' 'Tousan, Vejiita?" He looked Vejiita up and down,
impressed. "I didn't think you'd be a papa, ever!"

Vejiita snorted and stood up, throughly disgusted by all the
talk and conversation topic. He stalked away and glared out the
window, effectively ignoring everyone in the room, and covering the
blush that threatened to heat up his face.

Tobuma had been watching Ranma and Akane, who were
silently watching Tobuma. The young male spoke quietly. "It's an
honor to finally meet you, Seiika-oujo. 'Tousan would talk about you
all the time--at times it seemed like you were actually there."

Akane smiled, wrapping her tail around Ranma. She studied
the male in front of her and saw similarities of both her and Ranma
in his features. He definitely had Ranma's hair, face and body
stature--he was a tall one. He had her eyes, and--Vejiita's widow's
peak? Well, not as drastic as her brother's, but still his hairline
came to a point on his forehead. It must be in her genes. And that
hair! It's everywhere! It sloped to the right, like Ranma's, and if
she remembered, before he went Super Saiya-jiin, it was in a braid,
too, like Ranma's. She looked at her mate, noticing for the time that
his hair wasn't in the familiar pigtail. "Ranma," he turned to her in
question. "Where's your pigtail?"

Ranma blinked a few times and smiled, running his hand
through his wild locks. They bounced right back into their original
position, pointing to the right. "Well, I tried to put it back into the
braid after we went Oozaru that first time, but it's so stiff now,
the braid looked really weird sticking out sideways." He shrugged.
"I think the Dragon whisker helped control it, but it's gone." He
flashed her a cheesy grin and winked. "Why? Do you want it back in
the braid?"

Akane shrugged back and smiled, patting his knee. "It doesn't
matter to me. It's your hair. I just realized that you haven't had it
in for awhile. I remembered that Tobuma here had his in a braid,
and his is out now, as well."

Tobuma smiled and reached behind him, pulling out a string
from sub-space. He reached up and quickly did his hair back into
the braid. "It explodes out of the braid everytime I go Super
Saiya-jiin." He finished and turned his head around, to show them
the long plait that reached halfway down his back, but curled up at
the end. "The longer it is, the better it stays down."

Gohan spoke for the first time in awhile. "Tobuma-san, can I
ask you a question?" He turned and nodded at the youngest
Saiya-jiin. "Is your hair naturally those colors?"

Tobuma chuckled and shook his head, the said hair bouncing
along. "Iie, Gohan-kun, it's not. I had it all black when I was young,
but when I could, I dyed one 'branch' midnight blue in honor of my
Okaasan, and when 'Tousan died, I dyed the other red in his
memory."

Gohan blinked, looking at the uncomfortable Ranma and
Akane, and then back at Tobuma. "Oh. I can see the blue for
Seiika-oujo, but why red for Serori-san? He doesn't have red hair."

Akane smiled wide and giggled slightly. "Well, 'Ranko' does."
She studied the colors. "The color is perfect." She patted Tobuma
on the knee. "That's a thoughtful memorial to your parents,
Tobuma-kun."

He blushed and nodded, fingering his pigtail. "Arigato.
Kasumi-Obaasan thought of it, and Bulma-Obaasan created the dye.
It's pernament, so I never have black roots." He glanced at Bulma
and smiled. "It was her own recipe." Bulma blushed as several
questioning looks were directed her way.

"Nani?" She thrust her chin out arrogantly. "So I dye my
hair. Where do you think Trunks got his purple hair? Certainly not
from Vejiita." A loud snort came from the window.

Followed by a vehement statement. "Protect the Princess."
Everyone glanced at the Prince, still facing away from the group.
Several were confused by the drastic topic switch.

"What did you say, Vejiita?" The silent Piccolo spoke from a
corner.

He turned around and stared hard at Akane. "Bulma said in
her dream, 'Protect the Princess.' Her dream was when you were
taken by the Hachi."

Ranma swore softly to himself. "Akane, that's right!" He
swore again. "They're always after you. Why you?"

Akane scooted closer to him and wrapped him in her embrace.
He pulled her into his lap and buried his face into her shoulder.
"Why you, Hima-chan?"

Trunks spoke from Bulma's lap. "The Hachi need a strong
female to be Queen of the Hive. Seiika-oujo is most likely the
strongest female on Chikyuu, especially in Super Saiya-jiin form.
She was the most logical choice." Several others nodded in
agreement.

Ranma looked up into Akane's face, his gaze hard and steely.
"Well, they won't get her. Over my dead and decaying body, they
will not touch one hair on her head."

Akane brushed his bangs out of his face and smiled slightly.
"I know that won't, Baby. I won't allow them to take me." She
leaned forward and nipped his nose lightly, resting her forehead
against his and closing her eyes.

"That's another reason we're here, as well." Tobuma spoke.
He motioned to Trunks and Bulma. "Bulma-obaasan thought that the
capture and assimilation of Seiika-san was the turning point in the
war with the Hachi. It was the main motivation for the time
machine." Trunks nodded in agreement.

"It was?" Bulma wondered aloud. "I built a time machine?"
Trunks smiled at his future mother and nodded. "I must be a pretty
smart girl to play with the quantum mechanics that a time machine
would require." She winked at Trunks.

"What is the date of Seiika's capture?" Vejiita moved from
the window to in front of Bulma and Trunks and demanded the
information with an intense look on his face.

Trunks closed his eyes, a thoughtful look crossing his
features. "About seven months from today."

Akane looked up sharply from Ranma's embrace. "Seven
months?" Trunks glanced at Tobuma questionably; he shrugged and
nodded to Akane.

Akane glanced at Ranma then at Bulma and Vejiita, then at
the two young males. "Honto? I have a few questions, boys." She
hopped off Ranma's lap and moved back into her chair. Ranma gave a
grunt of protest, but her tail around his leg smothered his protests.
Trunks and Tobuma nodded, signaling her to continue.

"How old are you two?"

Tobuma replied, "We're both eighteen years old."

Akane shook her head in disbelief. "You're the same age as
Ranma and I, now. How can I be a mother so early?" Ranma looked
at her in concern, but she shook off his inquiry. "Okay, next
question. How far apart are you in age?"

Trunks answered that one. "We were actually born only a day
apart. I'm the older one, though. That's why I have the longer
title."

Tobuma snorted, an old argument resurfacing old feelings.
"That's only because you were born first, you half-breed gaki."
Trunks looked over at Tobuma and rolled his eyes, sticking his
tongue out in retaliation.

Akane went pale. "Oh my." She laid a hand on her stomach
and closed her eyes. She soon flung them open once more, wide in
surprise. "Oh my!"

Ranma became worried. "What's wrong, Akane? What are
you getting at?"

Vejiita frowned slightly, then knelt down by Bulma. "Move,
gaki," he commanded to Trunks. The purple-haired Saiya-jiin quickly
complied.

Bulma frowned at Vejiita's attitude. "What's wrong, Vejiita?"

He glanced at her. "Hush, Onna." He put a hand on Bulma's
stomach, fingers splayed, and closed his eyes. His hand glowed
slightly; he opened his eyes wide, but kept his hand on her stomach.

Bulma let out a gasp and placed a hand over his. "What did
you do, Vejiita? What was that?"

He grunted and shook his head. "I'd forgotten about that
part of the Bonding."

Akane asked Vejiita, "Is she?"

He nodded. "Hai." He stood up and walked over to Akane and
repeated the process. "You are, too." She nodded her head. She
had figured that out already.

Bulma, Ranma, and everyone else in the room were throughly
confused. They had the slightest clue about what was going on.
"Will someone tell me what in the hell is happening?" Both Ranma
and Bulma shouted together.

Vejiita stood and moved over to Bulma once more, repeating
the process again, Bulma grunting at the sensation she felt. He
nodded and stood up, crossing his arms. "Onna, you're pregnant.
Seiika is too." He nodded towards the wide-eyed Tobuma and
Trunks. "With them."

The room collectively gasped in astonishment. Bulma placed her
hand on her stomach and gazed in Trunks' direction. He blushed
considerably. "Are you sure, Vejiita?"

"Do you doubt me? That was the gaki's ki you felt."

Ranma stared at Akane, jaw hanging open. "You're pregnant?
How?" Akane rolled her eyes. "I know how, Akane, it's just..." he
trailed off, not knowing how to phrase his question.

Vejiita spoke rather crudely. "The Mating Ceremony creates
the infant. It is a product of the Union, and certifies the Bond is
complete." He turned back to the window staring out into the light
once more.

Bulma tapped her chin, thinking things through. "So, every
time a Bond forms, so does a child?" Vejiita said nothing in reply,
only frowning deeper.

ChiChi glanced at her family, smiling slightly. She ruffled her
son's unruly hair. "It's true, now that I think about it. Gohan-chan
was conceived on our wedding night." Gohan looked up at his mother
and blushed slightly at being the center of attention.

Eveyone swung their gaze over to the loud scraping back of a
chair as Yamucha violently shoved himself away from the table and
stormed out of the room. Bulma watched his retreating back and
frowned to herself, a slightly worried look flashing across her face
for a moment.

Kurillin found his friend's reaction confusing as well and
commented out loud. "Hey, what's up with Yamucha? It's not like
him and Bulma were going out anymore, ne, Bulma?"

She nodded. "We broke up for good several months ago, but
there was really nothing going on between us for quite some time
before that. I better go talk to him." She stood up and was about
to leave the room, but was stopped by ChiChi's hand on her arm.

"Leave him be. It's not your concern anymore, is it, Bulma?
He just needs to deal with it in his own way." ChiChi patted her arm
and smiled slightly when Bulma sat back down.

She reluctantly nodded, sighing heavily. "You're right, of
course, ChiChi. It's his problem, if he hasn't gotten over me yet."
She glanced at the silent, stiff figure of her mate looking out the
window. She could feel, and sense, that his gaze was burning into
her, watching her every move and reaction to the news through the
reflection in the glass. She smiled softly and directed a strong wave
of love through their Bond.

He nodded slightly and sent back a fierce flame of passion to
her. She blushed at the onslaught and spoke again, brushing Trunks'
hair back like a child's, whose head had found its way back into her
lap once more. "I've been over Yamucha for awhile, and have moved
on."

Kurillin had been silently counting, trying to figure out why
the numbers and dates didn't match up. "Um, excuse me, but doesn't
it take longer for a baby to be born? Like around nine months? If I
figured it out correctly, then they would be born in six."

Bulma nodded. "You're right, Kurillin. A Human child is born
in nine months, but a Saiya-jiin child only needs six months to grow,
and if a gestation tank is used, then only three months."

"How did you know that, Bulma?" Kurillin asked.

ChiChi nodded as well. "I thought Gohan was born premature
when he arrived after six months, but he was normal size, and I was
very large, as well." A flash of pain crossed her face. "The
pregnancy was very difficult, Bulma-chan. The labor was even
worse." She rubbed her stomach in rememberance. "You two will
have to be careful. And eat lots. All I did was eat."

Goku nodded, smiling at the memory. "She gave me a run for
my money at the table!" ChiChi rolled her eyes at her husband and
mate's enthusiasm at the mention of food.

"How did you know all of that information about Saiya-jiin
births, Bulma?" Kurillin asked again, slightly upset he was being
ignored.

Vejiita grunted at all the talk and turned slightly to face the
room, focusing on the two females in his life. "They won't have to
worry about the birth process, because the gaki will be put into
gestation tanks that Onna will build."

Akane and Bulma both snapped their heads up and glared at
the Prince. "No, you won't!"

Bulma's face began to get red as her temper flared. "I have
always wanted a child, Vejiita! I will carry it to term, and that's
final! You can not replace the bond that forms between a mother
and her child!" Her eyes were wide and you could see the blue
depths swirling wildly with her passionate words.

Akane glared at Ranma. "That goes for me, too, Ranma. Don't
even think of crossing me with such an insensitive process!" Her
aura flared to life and she gave him a good impression of her
adoptive father's demon head technique.

Everyone, including Vejiita, ducked for cover as Akane's
temper started to rear its ugly head. Ranma let out a squeal of
shock and threw his hands up over his head to protect himself.
"Akane, calm down! Get a hold of yourself! Think about it, though.
What if the Hachi attack and you get injured, even worse than what
happened this morning? What will happen to the unborn baby?
What if you miscarry?"

Akane's aura flashed bright as she flared into Super
Saiya-jiin. "I don't care! It's the risk I'm willing to take." She
huffed and puffed, her anger and tears making her judgement and
eyes cloudy.

Ranma lowered his arms and wrapped them around his mate.
"I'm only thinking of you and the baby, Hima-chan. You don't have to
use the gestation tanks if you don't want to." She nodded and
calmed down enough to drop out of Super Saiya-jiin. He rubbed her
back, making soothing noises as she cried on his shoulder. "You'll
also have to stop training." She looked up, ready to argue once again,
but he stopped her with a glare. "I mean it, Akane. Stop training, or
the gestation tank." She frowned, but nodded, burying her head in
his shoulder once more.

When the Chikyuu senshi saw that things had returned to
normal, or as normal as it got for them, they rose from their hiding
spots and filtered out of the room, leaving Bulma, Vejiita, Ranma,
Akane, Tobuma and Trunks alone in the room.

Tobuma and Trunks watched their 'parents' from the
sidelines. "Trunks-kun, did you ever think you do something like
this?"

He shook his head and glanced at his cousin. "Iie, Tobu-kun,
never." His sharp eyes took in his 'parents' as they argued back and
forth the benefits and dangers of natural childbirth versus
gestation tank birth. His face grew brighter as he saw that Bulma
was going to be the victor in this battle. He watched as Vejiita
reluctantly nodded his head. Bulma's face lit with joy and she
showed her appreciation by leaping into his arms. Trunks' smirk
turned into a smile and he sighed softly when Vejiita wrapped his
arms around his young Okaasan and returned the affection. "I never
thought I'd meet my Otousan, either. 'Kaasan did him justice in her
stories. He really is a cranky, stubborn fool." Vejiita glanced his
way at the comment and scowled darkly, but did not release Bulma.
Trunks gulped and smiled weakly. "With very sensitive ears."

Tobuma chuckled at his best friend. "Ooh, busted!" He
sighed as well as he watched Ranma and Akane talking quietly, softly
touching each other; Ranma brushing his hand across Akane's still
flat stomach. "I understand, Trunks-kun. Even though I've seen her
in the Hive and in pictures 'Tousan and Kasumi-Obaasan had, it's
nothing like meeting her in person, before the Hive changed her."
Both Ranma and Akane stood up and tail in tail, stepped towards the
two future Saiya-jiin.

Akane spoke quietly. "Tobuma, could we talk to you for a few
minutes?" He looked startled, but nodded slowly. Akane smiled and
held out her hand.

Tobuma stared at the outstretched gesture nervously, and
slowly reached out to grasp it within his own roughened one. Akane's
warm hand wrapped around his as her smile wrapped around his
heart.

He glanced over at his young father and saw his face mirror
his mate's. Tobuma gave Ranma a shy smile, and with a glance back
at his cousin, followed his parents out of the room.

Which left Trunks alone with Bulma and Vejiita. The three
sat in an uncomfortable silence for many moments, until Bulma broke
the silence by clearing her throat. "Trunks-kun, why don't you sit
over here, and we'll talk, ne?"

He nodded and moved closer. Vejiita just stared at his
future son, taking in his stature and features. When Trunks sat in
the chair next to Bulma, he snorted and stood directly behind Bulma,
and faced the window.