A Tail To Remember
by Gie (phowahcs.com)


Chapter Eighteen: History Reborn

Chikyuu, Capsule Corp, Two Weeks Later

Akane sat still, staring off into space, eyes unfocused. The
cordless phone's receiver hung limply in her hand.

And she remembered that day...

After she had awoken from her much-needed nap,
Akane moved through the halls silently. Capsule Corp was so big, and
when it was quiet like this, it seemed to engulf her. The endless
hallways stretched on forever--she could walk for an hour through
the darkened corridors and not meet a single soul. Sorta creepy, if
you thought about it too hard.

But today, she knew someone was here. Or was supposed to
be here, still. She moved toward the resting ki level, still silent
through the claustrophoic hallways. As she came upon the main
living quarters, she stopped in the doorway, watching the silent
figure keep his vigilant watch on the horizon.

He stood in the large bay window, in the same spot Tobuma
had stood only earlier that morning, announcing their fates. The sun
no longer shone in the window, although it was still light outside.
Shadows were beginning to lean toward the sprawling headquarters,
signalling the start of the end of the very long, and very stressful,
day.

He kept his silent vigil on the horizon, watching and waiting
for his partner to return. His friend. Akane did not know the small
Human enough to know the extent of the relationship between the
two senshi, but she could sense it was strong and deep. Two
comrades in arms that seen too much together, and still pulled
through despite the circumstances.

Then they began to arrive back home.

The first ones back were Goku-kun and Gohan-chan. The two
looked worse for wear, showing the marks of a battle well-fought.
Akane smiled slightly to herself as ChiChi barged out of the house
and began to scold Goku-kun for daring to let her little Gohan-chan
get in the way of the throes of danger. Goku tried his darnedest to
placate the yelling female. But seeing no real harm came to her
pride and joy, she quickly relented her anger and threw her arms
around her two males, happy they came back in one piece. And alive.
The figure in the window watched the happy reunion with a small
smile on his face, but did not say a word.

Arriving next was Vejiita-chan. Although you didn't see much
of him--except for a streak of yellow. He was in a hurry, for Kami
knows what reason. His ki was rather high--but Akane did not move.
She was expecting someone of her own. Neither did he; the lone
senshi's eyes were still silently glued to the horizon.

Next came the boys. The two Saiya-jiin males from the
future that claimed their world was completely taken over by the
enemy they faced today. Two war-torn souls that seemed almost
knitted together by fate, and circumstance. They were the only tie
to their world--and her future. Her future as the Queen of the
Hachi Hive on Chikyuu. Akane shuddered as she tried to think of
her life as a mindless Drone--without Ranma. Maybe that was why
she was mindless...

But her atttention was redirected as the two young males
entered the room. They, too, looked scuffed from battle, but also
were none worse from wear. Both greeted her with a smile and a
'Konban wa' as they passed, heading for the inner sanctum of Capsule
Corp--Tobuma hesitating. He paused in front of her, staring at her
intently. Akane was about to speak, to ask what was wrong, angry
and frustrated at the extra attention, but was stopped
mid-sentence suddenly when he, with no warning, bent down and
brushed his lips against her cheek.

She let out a slight gasp--no more than an extra breath of
air; she was completely thrown off guard by his behavior. They
locked eyes with each other, dark-brown staring into dark-brown,
both holding their own secrets. She felt the slightest stirring in
her stomach--a gentle reminder of whom she carried within her
womb. Tobuma blinked a few times, breaking the spell cast upon
them. With a warm smile, a pink tinge highlighting his high
cheekbones, and a slight nod, the senshi she had just come to know
as her future child disappeared into the dark chasm of Capsule Corp.

The pale-faced senshi watched the two with a wistful smile
on his face--he did not have such Family Bonds that tied him to
others. But he did have a strong Bond with one of the senshi--and
he was still out there. So when Akane turned back to the one she
was originally watching, she did not see his face--he had returned
his gaze to the window.

Akane started slightly when she felt a set of arms and a tail
wrap themselves around her. She leaned back into the three-limbed
embrace, eyes still watching the small senshi in front of her. Her
hand snaked out and pressed itself against the male's cheek in
greeting. "Aishiteru, koibito." she whispered to him.

His mouth tickled her ear. "Aishiteru, Hima-chan." They
stood silent, watching the lone senshi in the window.

"Is everything alright?"

His nose rubbed against her ear, signifing a positive answer.
"Hai. The Hachi are gone," a tightening of his arms was the only
venting of emotion--his voice was neutral and soft. "As well as
several Humans who were assimilated before we could get to them."

Akane let out a gasp, mourning the loss of Chikyuu's people.
But her gasp turned into a plainitve cry when he continued,
whispering the tragic news in her ear, so the one they watched
would not hear. "Yamucha-san and Tenshinhan-san were lost, as well,
Hima-chan."

Akane turned around in her mate's embrace, eyes wide.
"Honto?" Ranma nodded somberly, and held Akane tight as she cried
silently on his shoulders, in memory and in honor of the two lost
senshi. She looked up into the cloudy blue eyes of her mate and saw
the pain they held--she realized that he was the one that had to...

"Oh, Ranma-chan--you had to, didn't you?"

Ranma nodded, and crushed Akane to him, blinking away the
tears that he refused to let fall. After several moments, they
broke apart and in unison, reached for each other's mouths, finding
comfort and solace in the other's lips. There, while their eyes were
closed, a solitary tear snaked its way down his cheek, falling silently
to the ground.

The mated pair was broken from their embrace when they
heard a cough. Both looked up and were face to face with the green
Namek-seijin, face drawn into somber lines. "Have you said anything
to Chao-tzu, Serori?"

Ranma shook his head. "I just got back. Does he know yet,
Akane?" She shook her head.

Piccolo nodded and brushed past them, striding toward the
small figure still watching the horizon. He laid a wide hand on the
narrow shoulder, startling Chao-tzu.

"Piccolo-san! Is everything alright? Is Tien-san with you?"
The child-man stared with hopeful eyes into the somber black eyes
of the Namek-seijiin.

Akane and Ranma turned and left the room, leaving the two
alone. They flinched when they heard a low, keening wail erupt from
the room they just occupied. Their hearts went out to Chao-tzu--
they may not know what it is like to lose a beloved friend, but they
could sympathize with him.

Akane broke through her dreamstate with a start, shaking
her head as the images fell away. Chao-tzu was heartboken when he
found out that Tenshinhan had died. Piccolo mentioned the magical
Dragonballs, and his subsequent resurrection, but it gave small
comfort to the pale-faced senshi. He nodded to Piccolo, bowing
slightly and left.

"We haven't heard from him since. I wonder where he is?"
Akane muttered to himself, placing the receiver back in its cradle,
to recharge. She sighed and picked up the photo frame that rested
on the endtable next to the couch she sat on in her and Ranma's
suite. It was the picture she was given by Ranma the first
Christmas they spent together. She fingered the smooth metal of
the frame, taking in each face she had memorized of the Humans
she had called at one point in her life an enemy or a friend. "Would
I feel the same way if I had lost one of them?"

Her reflections were abruptly halted when a set of familiar
warm hands covered her eyes. She smirked and latching on to an
arm with a free hand, tossed the 'intruder' over her shoulder. She
laughed out loud when Ranma let out an 'oof' when he landed on the
bed.

"That's what you get for sneaking up on me, Koibito." Akane
teased.

"Aww, what didya do that for, Akane?" Ranma scowled,
righting himself. "You knew it was me."

"How do you know that?" she teased. "It could have been a
Drone that snuck into the room, trying to sneak up on me."

Ranma blanched, throwing her a pained look. "Don't even joke
about that, Hima-chan."

"Gomen," she apologized. She patted the seat next to her.
"Come, let your sunflower brighten your day."

The ebony-haired male grinned mischeviously, matching the
sexy look on his mate's face. He crawled off the bed, and sat next
to his mate and wife, curling her into his embrace.

Akane snuggled deep in his arms, and rested her head on his
slowly beating heart. "Mmmm...I could stay in your arms forever,
Ranma."

He blushed slightly and buried his face in her midnight-blue
hair. "I know what you mean, Hima-chan." His mouth wandered
lower and nibbled on her earlobe, which elicted a throaty purr from
his soulmate.

"Ranma?"

"Nani?" He murmured into her neck, tasting her sweet skin.
"I just got off the phone with Kasumi-neechan." She shifted
slightly to look into his face.

He brushed a lock of bangs away from her face, tucking it
behind her ear. "What'd she want?"

Akane rolled her eyes and slugged him playfully on the arm.
"Baka, I called her." Ranma just rolled his eyes. "Anyway, she says
that everything is fine back home. Nabiki is doing fine in school, and
did you know what? Hey, are you listening to me, or just
concentrating on my neck?" Her eyes crossed slightly.

He glanced up from her neck, where he had been nipping a
trail of feather-light kisses. "Nani? I'm listenin', just keep talkin'."

Akane rolled her eyes and huffed. "Baka male
hormones...anyway, Kasumi said that your Otousan moved back home
with your Okaasan."

His eyebrows shot up. "Honto?" She nodded. "I thought
Oyaji was stuck in the Dojo for life. He'd never give up Kasumi's
cooking."

"Maybe she offered him something better." Akane mused,
grinning slightly. Ranma raised a suggestive eyebrow. Akane's grin
just widened, and she gave him a small shrug of her shoulders.
"Anyway, Kasumi said that all Otousan does now is mope around the
Dojo, and stare wistfully at the shoji board."

Ranma wrapped his arms around her wasit loosely, and stared
off into space. "He should start teachin' again, if he's bored."

Akane's smile faded. "I wonder if 'Tousan is angry at us..."

Ranma frowned back. "Nani? What do you mean?"

Akane rearranged herself on his lap so she could face him.
"Well, think about it. What was the main reason our parents had for
living?"

Ranma's eyebrows furrowed. "They wanted us to marry."

Akane nodded, smiling slightly. "Okay, done, well sort of.
What else?"

"And take over the Dojo...oh, wait a second," Ranma flinched.
"We aren't takin' over the Dojo, are we?" Akane shook her head, no.
"But they don't expect us to do that while the Hachi are still a
threat, do they?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think so. But have you
thought about it?" She placed her hand on her stomach, reminding
him of their responsibility. "We have a child to think of, and
support. We can't sponge off Bulma-chan forever"

"You're right, of course. I haven't thought that far into the
future--so many things are happening at once. I've been
concentrating on trainin' a lot." He laid his hand on top of her, and
flared his ki slightly. "Speaking of chibis...you went to the doctor
today, ne?"

Akane smiled, feeling the wonderful fluttering within. "Hai,
Bulma-chan and I went and saw the OB-GYN, Dr. Fujinkai She
seemed really nice. When we told her about our 'special needs', she
didn't even flinch."

"Even when she saw your tail?" Ranma raised an eyebrow,
waving his own appendage.

She nodded. "Hai. Actually, she seemed sort of excited.
New territory to explore, and everything."

Ranma rolled his eyes. "So, is everything okay?"

She nodded, showing her excitement slightly. "Hai.
Chibi-Tobuma is just fine. Progressing like normal. Although the
docrot did wonder Bulma and I knew about being pregnant so early.
We are only about one month along, compared to Human physiology."

He waggled his eyebrows. "Did ya tell her that you're just 'in
tune' with your body?"

Akane giggled. "Yeah, in tune. Although, wouldn't be nice to
just hand over Mirai Tobuma to our parents and say, 'Here ya go,
one full-grown heir; have fun!"

Ranma snorted. "Oi--no diapers!"

"No 2 A.M. feedings!"

"No whining!"

"No spit-ups!"

The mated pair rolled over the couch in morth, thinking of all
the things they would miss, and others' faces if they presented
Tobuma in such a manner. But their laughter soon calmed down into
slight sighs.

"You know, Ranma, I haven't told anyone at home about being
pregnant--we should tell them soon. I want them to know." She
glanced up into Ranma's face, eyes shining. "Do you have anything
planned today?"

Ranma ran his fingers through his mane, letting it fall back to
the side. "Iie, not really. I was going to spar with Tobuma this
afternoon. Do you?"

She shook her head. "Iie. We should go this afternoon, then!
I should ask Tobuma if he wants to come along. I wonder if he's met
his grandparents, yet?" She stood and moved over to the wall,
hitting the all-call button. "Tobuma? Are you there?"

After a moment, a husky voice came over the intercomm.
"Seiika-obaasan? This is Trunks. Are you looking for Tobu-kun?"

Akane smiled slightly. "Hai. Do you know where he is?"
"Hai. He's in the gravity room, sparring with Otousan. Did
you want me to get him?"

"Iie, I'll go talk to him myself. Ne, Trunks-kun," she glanced
at Ranma who shurgged his shoulders.

"Hai, Seiika-obaasan?"

"Did you want to come with me and Ranma to Nerima this
afternoon? It's what I was going to ask Tobuma."

Trunks paused slightly, as if thinking. "Sure, I guess. I have
nothing else really going on. You still have the Dojo there, right?"

Akane nodded, although he could not see her movement. "Hai.
The Dojo will be waiting for your kata. We'll leave after lunch, so
Kasumi-neechan isn't surprised by our appetites. Ranma has to take
a shower anyway. So be ready beforehand." A snort was heard in
the background. "Yes you do, Ranma. You stink."

Trunks chuckled over the intercomm. "Hai, Seiika-obaasan.
I'll be ready. I have to cleam up as well, Serori-ojisan, so don't feel
too bad. And so will Tobuma."

Ranma grumbled in the background as Akane turned back to
the intercomm. "Okay, Trunks. I'll talk to you later. Ja."

"Ja ne."

Akane turned back to Ranma and snorted when she saw him
lying on the bed, naked. "I thought you were going to go take a
shower, baka."

Ranma rolled to his side, smirking. "I am--I thought you'd
want to join me."

She rolled her eyes and walked to the balcony. "I have to go
ask Tobuma-chan if he wants to come or not." She opened the door,
letting a gentle breeze waft in. "Then I'll join you. Warm up the
jacuzzi, will you?" She jumped off the balcony, and into the yard.

Ranma grinned wide. "Hai."

Inside the gravity chamber, set at 250x normal, Tobuma and
Vejiita circled each other, waiting for an opening to attack.

Tobuma leapt, throwing a punch into Vejiita's stomach, which
ended him getting toosed over the older Saiya-jiin's shoulder.
Vejiita cracked his knuckles, shaking his head. Is that all you've got,
gaki?"

Tobuma smirked, not letting the barbs get under his skin. "A
true Saotome always has a trick or two up his sleeve." And
proceeded to show vejiita what was up his sleeve, by giving him a two
fisted punch to the face.

Vejiita easily side-stepped it. "Bah, gaki. That was pathetic.
Are you sure you know how to fight?"

Tobuma grinned. "Then why is your face turning black and
blue?"

His eyebrows shot up. "Nani? But you never even touched
me!" As Vejiita examined his face, Tobuma snaked his tail out and
catching the Prince off-guard, yanked his feet out from under him.
He threw a low-level ki blast at him, keeping him on the ground.

When the smoke cleared, Vejiita was standing once more, a
deep scowl written on his face. "Gaki--that was low and
underhanded."

Tobuma put his hands on his waist and grinned. "Yeah. Like
it?"

Vejiita grinned. "Hai."

A warning beep made the two Saiya-jiin turn their attention
to the Vid-screen. "Konban wa, Tobuma-chan, Vejiita-chan. Having
fun?"

Vejiita threw a dirty look at his sister. "Seiika."

Tobuma smiled slightly at his uncle and turned to the screen.
"Okaasan, Konban wa. Did you need something?"

Akane stuck her tongue out at her brother, and nodded. "Hai.
I was wondering, well, Ranma and I were both wondering, but he's in
the bath right now, but we were both wondering if you want to go to
Nerima with us this afternoon."

Tobuma nodded, giving Akane a bright smile. "Hai, I'd like to.
I haven't seen them for a long time." His smile faded, though, after
a thought crossed his mind. "How are you going to explain me to
them?"

Akane shrugged. "Tell the truth, I guess. It's the reason
we're going. We need to tell our parents and family that I'm
pregnant."

An evil smile crossed the future Saiya-jiin's visage.
"Nabiki-obaasan is going to be furious."

Akane mirrored him. "I know. I'm counting on it. She's not
goin to be there right away, so everyone else will know ahead of her.
It'll be priceless."

A bright light startled the three of them. "Konban wa,
Vejiita! Wanna spar?" A fresh-smiling Goku arrived, ready to do
battle with his Prince. "Oh, hey, Seiika-chan, Tobuma-kun! What's
going on?"

Akane beamed at the slap-happy Goku. "Nothing much,
Goku-kun! Ranma and I are going to Nerima this afternoon, and was
inviting Tobuma along. Trunks will be coming along, as well." She
glanced at Vejiita for his reaction, but got none. "Did you want to
come too?"

Goku's smile slowly increased. "Is Kasumi-san and
Saotome-san going to cook?" Vejiita perked his ears, a topic he that
slightly interested him finally coming up.

Akane shook her head, laughing. "You are a garbage disposal,
aren't you, Goku-kun?" He nodded emphatically. She grinned wide.
"Hai, more than likely we'll stay for supper."

Goku glanced at Vejiita and both nodded their heads. "Hai,
we're coming." Both spoke simultaneously. Goku smiled, "Hai, I
wouldn't miss your sister and Ranma's Okaasan's food! They're as
good as ChiChi!"

Akane grinned. "All right. We'll leave after lunch. Be ready
then." He glanced at her brother. "Oh, Vejiita-chan--"

He glanced up at the screen with a raised eyebrow. "Hai,
Seiika?"

"Nnnnyyaaahhhh!!!" She stuck out her tongue, and turned off
the screen.

Both Tobuma and Goku stifled their giggles as they watched
Vejiita's face turn red from embarrassment. "Baka..." he mumbled
under his breath. He moved quickly over to the column in the middle
of the room and turned off the increased gravity. "Gaki, you're done
for the day."

Tobuma swallowed the last of his laughter. "Ja ne, Goku-san,
Vejiita-ojisan!"

Vejiita just grunted, and when Tobuma had cleared the area,
turned it back on. "Ready to be beaten, Kakarotto?"

Goku smirked. "Ready as soon as you are, Vejiita."

Lunch at Capsule Corp was usually a noisy affair--when you
have five Saiya-jiin eating in one room, just the general clattering of
plates and pans can make your ears ring.

Akane thanked Ranma for the dish being passed to her, and
when the noises settled to a dull roar, she cleared her throat. "I
just wanted to let you all know, that we'll be leaving after lunch, so
be ready."

Bulma glanced up from her own small plate of food. "Where
are you going, Seiika-chan?"

She smiled at the lone Human in the room. "The boys and I
are going to Nerima to visit our families. Did you want to come, too?
Trunks-chan and Vejiita-chan are going to come along."

Bulma glanced at her mate with a surprised look crossing her
features. "Nani? Vejiita leave the confines of his Gravity Chamber?
Is the world ending?" Several giggles merged in the air with a loud
snort.

Goku clapped his hand on Vejiita's shoulder. "Hai, Bulma-san!
We heard that Kasumi-san and Ranma's Kaasan are going to making
supper!"

Bulma snorted, shaking her head. "Leave it to Mr. Stomach to
find food in the bargain somewhere." She smirked slightly. "Well, it
looks like I'll have to come along and baby-sit you guys..."

Vejiita snorted, looking up from his large plate. "There is no
need for you to come, Onna."

Bulma frowned. "And leave me here, alone? Some mate you
are..."

Trunks interrupted, trying to diffuse the situation.
"Okaasan, I'd love for you to come along." He smiled brightly at her,
flashing his pearly whites.

Bulma returned an identical smile. "Arigatou, Trunks-chan.
At least someone wants me along." She pointedly glared at her mate,
who just snorted and looked away. She turned to Akane and asked
her a question. "So, how are you going to explain Tobuma-kun here?
Or are you not going to?" She eyes Tobuma critically. "Although it
will be kind of tricky, since he looks a lot like Serori-kun."

Akane shrugged and gave Tobuma a wink. "Well, we're just
going to say the truth, actually. It's one of the reasons we're
going--to tell our families that I'm pregnant. They might not believe
it, or want to believe it at first, but they'll accept it." She glanced
at Tobuma. "Especially if you flash the Saotome katana."

Tobuma looked startled. "How did you know that the blade I
carried was the family katana?"

"I saw you cleaning it the other day. I easily recognized
it--since I've seen it flashed at Ojisan's neck several times." Ranma
smirked and nodded in agreement.

Tobuma smiled, one more secret out, and quirked an eyebrow.
"Did you see the other weapon I carry?"

Trunks snorted. "I wouldn't call that a weapon, Tobu-kun."

" 'Tousan did."

Ranma frowned, scratching his head. He didn't use any
weapons... "Was it mine?"

The multi-colored Saiya-jiin shook his head. "Iie, Otousan.
It was Okaasan's."

Ranma blinked. "You Okaasan's?" He glanced at Akane,
confused. "But she doesn't have any weapons, either." His eyebrows
went up in surprise. "Unless it's..."

Akane was confused as well. "I don't have any weapons. I've
been trained in several, but I don't like to use them. The only one I
really used was..." Her eyes widened and she reached behind her,
accessing her sub-space pocket. "You don't have Mallet-sama, do
you, Tobuma?"

A light breeze stirred everyone's hair when Ranma bolted
from his seat next to his mate and resurfaced behind Goku's
chair--on the other end of the table. "That is a weapon, Trunks-kun.
A very nasty weapon."

Tobuma grinned and reached behind him, bring out his own
version. It was definitely Mallet-sama, although the hammer looked
a little older, and more war-torn.

Akane hefted both mallets in her hands. "Hai, it's definitely
the same. How is it that you have it, Tobuma?"

He shrugged his shoulders, and when Akane handed him back
his version, returned it to his pocket. "I don't know. One day, when
I was reaching for something in my pocket, it came out. I showed it
to Otousan, and he explained to me what it was." He glanced at
Ranma, who was still behind Goku's chair. "He always got a shiver
down his back when he saw me holding it. I don't know if it was just
the memory of Okaasan, or the memory of Okaasan using the
mallet."

"More than likely the memory of her using the mallet," Ranma
grumbled. "That'll stay with me for the rest of my life."

Meanwhile, Vejiita had been staring at the hammer in his
sister's hands very intently. "Give it to me, Seiika."

Akane glared at her brother. "Ask politely, baka."

Vejiita just returned it, hand stuck out. She sighed and
handed over her toy. The Prince snorted and stared at the hammer,
noting the handle carefully. "Do you know what this is, Seiika?"

Akane shrugged. "A mallet?"

He grunted and shook his head. "It's more than a mallet.
This is Ke'petik."

Bulma, who had been pestering Vejiita for quite awhile on
lessons of his native language and history, lit up, and leaned close.
"Ke'petik? What does that mean? War-hammer of the gods?"

Vejiita gave her a raised eyebrow and nodded. "Close enough.
It is a legendary artifact of Vejiita-sei. The First Saiya-jiin were
supposed to have crafted it." He frowned slightly. "It was stolen
from the Museums when I was very young." He glanced up from
Ke'petik gave Akane a meaningful glare. "Would you know how you
got it?"

She shook her head. "Iie. It was there all the time. One
day, I was really mad at something, or someone, and I just wanted
to hit something hard. I reached behind me, and out came
Mallet-sama." She shrugged. "I thought it was just an ordinary
wooden hammer."

Vejiita snorted and placed Ke'petik on the table. "You would,
Seiika. You were never interested in the history lessons." Akane
just scowled. Vejiita stood and reached behind him. "If you paid
attention, you would know what this is, as well." Withdrawing his
hand from his subspace pocket, he pulled out a long package,
wrapped in a soft material. He laid it on the table and began to
unwrap it.

Ranma leaned closer, interested. "What is it, Vejiita-ouji?"

Removing the last piece of material, Vejiita held it up. "This
is Ke'petik's mate, Te'Ketii."

A long, golden sword shined in front of them. The blade was
long and rather thin, curving slightly toward the end. Words were
engraved in the hard metal. The hilt of Te'Ketii was encrusted with
several markings, while a thin piece of metal seemed to curl
endlessly around the base. All in all, it was a magnificent sword.

Trunks seemed to agree. He wiped a drop of drool from the
corner of his mouth. "That is a handsome sword, Otousan. Can I see
it?"

Vejiita glanced at the drooling male, and smirked. "Te'Ketii
only lets the finest Saiya-jiin senshi hold him. Are you worthy?"
With a flick of his wrist, Vejiita tossed Trunks the sword.

Trunks held out his hand, making to catch the sword by its
handle. But Te'Ketii had plans of his own. A dim yellow light began
to surround the sword and it stopped in mid-air. It rotated a few
times, and flipped itself around, so the handle faced Trunks. It
slowly descended into Trunks hand, and with a light flash, 'turned
off its glow.

Vejiita nodded to himself. "Te'Ketii approves of you. I found
him in Friiezer's armory, wrapped in a rotting piece of thread. He
didn't know what he held in his possession."

Trunks stared at the new weapon in his hand, rotating it a
few times, becoming comfortable with the different weight. It
seemed to hum with a barely-contained power. "It's a very powerful
blade, Otousan."

The Saiya-jiin no Ouji snorted out loud. "Of course it is, gaki.
He's yours, now. Or to more precise, you are his. Te'Ketii only allows
the finest Saiya-jiin senshi to be in contact with him, and only one at
a time." He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "When
combined with a Super Saiya-jiin's power, Te'Ketii should be
unstoppable."

Trunks continued to stare at the blade in his hands. "Domo
arigatou, Otousan." Vejiita just grunted.

Bulma glanced at her mate, a small knowing smile curling at
her lips. She knew he was rather proud of Trunks for his ability to
handle the powerful weapon. "So why haven't you used Te'Ketii,
Vejiita?"

Vejiita threw her a glare. "I rely on my body to fight, Onna,
not a blade."

Trunks pointed at the characters on the blade. "What does
this mean, Otousan? It's Saiya-go, ne?"

He grunted, closing his eyes. "It says, 'The warrior is the
extension of the blade.'"

Akane frowned slightly. "Isn't supposed to be the other way
around? The blade is an extension of the warrior?"

Vejiita shrugged. "You have not held Te'Ketii. If you did, you
would know his words to be the truth."

Akane picked up Ke'petik and studied the handle. "This is
Saiya-go, as well, ne? I always wondered what these characters
meant." She read aloud. " 'The earth trembles at my swing and the
skies shiver at my stroke.'"

"Well, it certainly makes Serori-kun here tremble and shiver."
Goku quipped. A round of laughter filled the room at the now
red-faced Ranma's expense.

Akane put Ke'petik away. "He's put away, you big
scaredy-cat."

Ranma glanced around quickly. "Ca...ca...cat? Where?"

Akane giggled a little. "Right behind you!"

"Eek!" Ranma let out a girlie squeal and jumped, latching onto
the ceiling fixture.

"Baka! Get down from there! There are no cats--I was just
joking!"

Tobuma leaned close to Akane. "Otousan still has his
ailurophobia?"

She nodded, still looking up at the frightened Ranma. "Hai. I
take it he's cured of it later on?"

Tobuma nodded. "He went through desensitizing. He was
pretty good around them after that. We even had a pet cat for
awhile. He still started slightly if Buster jumped up on his lap
unexpectedly, or a whole cluster of them came out of nowhere. But
for the most part, it was gone." He gave his future father a small
smirk when he finally dropped from his safe haven.

"So what brought him out of the Neko-ken? Since I wasn't
there..." she trailed off, a sad look to her eyes.

Tobuma matched it. "Well, he didn't go into Neko-ken much.
But when he did, we'd splash him with water to activate the curse, or
I was told Maiize-chan was able to bring him out of it a couple of
times."

"Maiize?" Akane frowned, a ball of jealousy beginning to well
up in her stomach at the mention of n unknown female--a Saiya-jiin
female. "Who's that?"

Tobuma smiled sadly. "Maiize died when she was just over a
year old, in a Hachi attack. She was Bulma-obaasan and
Vejiita-ojisan's daughter. Actually, she was the one that caused
Vejiita-ojisan's death." He paused at Akane's pale face. "It
happened when I was three, so I don't remember her much.
Trunks-kun has a picture of her; you should ask him to see it
sometime. She looks exactly like Ojisan only with Obaasan and
Trunks' blue eyes."

She swallowed and nodded. She glanced at her watch and
stood up. She caught Ranma's glance and pointed to the time. He
nodded and stood as well, moving away from the table to get ready
some last minute things. "All right, minna. We should get going."

Trunks glanced at his aunt. "How are we going to get there?
Fly?"

She shrugged. "Sure. I don't want to wait for a train."

"I could teleport us all there, Seiika-chan." Goku offered.

Akane shook her head. "You don't have to do that, Goku-san.
Actually, I'd like to see how long it takes to fly from one point to the
other. You can, if you want." She smirked. "Although I don't know
who you'd center on."

Goku smiled. "Okay. I'm going to go home and get ChiChi and
Gohan. Is it okay if they come too?"

The female Saiya-jiin smiled brightly. "Of course, Goku-san.
You don't ever have to ask to bring your family along!" Goku smiled
back and nodded. With a farewell wave, he flickered out of sight.

Everyone met outside, and were about to launch into the air,
when they were stopped by a loud cough. "Excuse me, minna, but you
all tend to forget that I don't know how to fly!" Bulma smiled
through gritted teeth.

Akane giggled as she hovered in the air. "Oops. Well, that's
what Vejiita-chan is for!"

Vejiita snorted and turned away. "I am not her slave."

Bulma snorted back. "Who said I wanted you to carry me?
You didn't want me to come in the first place!" She growled slightly
and turned to Trunks. "Trunks-chan, you'll carry your lovely 'Kaasan,
won't you?"

Trunks smiled and bowed deeply. "It would be my pleasure,
Okaasan." He swept her legs out from under her. Bulma let out a
squeal and held onto his neck tight. "Your chariot awaits, Madame."

Bulma giggled like a schoolgirl. "So chivalrous! I could get
used to this very easily!" She felt a pang of emotion hit her senses,
and she glanced at her mate, who just turned away quickly. She
sighed and rested her head on her son's muscled shoulder. "Are we
ready? Let's get this show on the road!"

Akane grinned and flared her aura. "Hai!" She turned toward Nerima, and
led the way, Ranma next to her.