A Tail To Remember
by Gie (phowahcs.com)

A Tail To Remember
Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Special News Bulletin

A few hours later, Ranma went back upstairs to check on
Akane and found her sitting in the middle of her bed, deep in a
meditative trance. Quietly, he slid in behind her, his legs next to
her and arms around her waist. He nuzzled the soft skin behind her
ear, gently coaxing her out of the meditation. He knew he was
successful when her tail wrapped around his waist, and a soft sigh
escaped her lips.

She snuggled herself into a more comfortable position in his
lap and let out another sigh. "Suminasen, Ranma."

"What for?" He kissed the crook of her neck, earning a soft
purr.

"I'm a lousy person. I let my temper get away from me once
again. If you and Tobuma-chan hadn't stopped me, I probably would
have killed that hentai and everyone else in the room." She looked
down and Ranma felt warm wetness falling on his hands. "I have no
control when I get that way."

Ranma tightened his grip around her, burying his face in her
dark hair. "Don't talk that way, Akane. And don't even think about
it. It's done and over with. Yes, you were out of control," he
ignored the flinch that ran through her smaller frame, "but you had
a right to be that mad. Don't think that you didn't."

"I know, but since the beginning? How could I have not
known?" She snorted, disgusted with herself. "Now that I think
about it, it's so obvious. He was sitting right in front of me the
entire time, and I just chose to ignore it and your clues that you
blatantly thrown in my face." She shook her head. "I'm just a big
dummy, that's all."

"You're not, Akane. Stop it." His voice was sharp. "Okay?
You just wanted to see the best in him."

She nodded. "Okay."

He planted a kiss on the crown of her head. "Good. Actually,
I talked with Ryouga." He flinched at the growl that rumbled
through her chest. "He agreed to help out with the Hachi."

"That's nice," she spat out sarcastically, "but how is he going
to help as a pork rind?"

"Akane..."

"It's going to take a long time for me to forgive him, Ranma."

"I know. But just be open to him helping, ne? We need all the
senshi we can get."

She grunted. "Whatever."

A few moments of quiet passed and Ranma spoke up once
more. "Are you ready to go downstairs? I think Bulma and ChiChi
are worried about you. You scared them pretty badly."

"I did, didn't I. Well, I guess I put on quite a light show, ne?"
Her tone was resigned.

"Hai." He let a grin slip out. "Especially when you shot off
the Symphony--and exploded the dojo ceiling."

She let out a gasp and wrenched her head around to look in
his face. "It's gone?"

"Hai," his grin became wider, "your father fainted when he
saw the damage. There's also a really large black scorch mark
around the spot you stood where your aura started burning the
wood."

"Poor 'Tousan--he's rebuilt the dojo so many times since you
came." She giggled at his snort and turned around to snuggle back
into his muscular frame once again. "It's true! Although you
probably could create an entire foundation with the dust from the
cement blocks I obliterated over the years."

Ranma tightened his grip on her and levitated them off the
bed. He set her down softly and turned her around in his arms,
capturing her lops for a long kiss, which she eagerly responded to
with a passion. After they separated, both stared into the other's
eyes, lost within the depths.

Akane pressed her hands to his cheeks, running her thumb
over his strong cheekbone. The love in her dark eyes shone brightly
from their depths. "I don't know what I would do without you, you
know that?"

He nodded, closing his eyes and pressed his lips to her
forehead. "And you will never find out, Hima-chan. You will never
find out." A hand slipped down her side, coming to rest on the small
protrusion of Akane's stomach. "You go to the doctor tomorrow,
ne?" He let a little ki flare, and both smiled at the reaction of the
familiar flicker of ki that grew within.

"Hn." She purred softly as he caressed the result of their
Bonding. "Do you want to come along? Dr. Fujinkai will be taking a
sonogram, to see if everything is developing okay."

"All five limbs?"

She giggled and nodded. "Hai. So do you want to come
along?"

"Is Vejiita-ouji coming with Bulma?"

She rolled her eyes and reached to open the door. "Yeah
right. That would interrupt his training. And the 'Saiya-jiin no Ouji'
is above such trivial things as doctor's appointments." She lowered
the tone of her voice to eerily match her twin's smooth baritone.

Ranma blinked at her words as they crossed the threshold of
the room and into the hallway. "Did he actually say that? And in
front of Bulma?"

She shook her head as she closed the door behind them. "I
don't think she is going to ask him, but that's what he would say, ne?"

He nodded slowly as he caught up her hand, leading her down
the hall to the stairwell. "He would say that, but I don't think Bulma
would let him live long enough to react."

"You got that right." They emerged at the bottom to find
ChiChi supervising Nabiki and Gohan at the table. The mated pair
crept closer and Akane almost choked on her own tongue when she
saw what they were doing. Several ledger books were spread out in
front of them and Nabiki was going over the finer points of making
out a successful household budget.

She pointed out several different columns to the young
Saiya-jiin as she explained what they meant. "As you can see, we
had to stretch the minimum amount of money to cover the maximum
amount of expenditures. Now this one is from the month before
Ranma and his chaos permeated the household." She flipped through
one of the thinner books and indicated several numbers. "You can
see we ran the household fairly efficiently with a moderate amount
of income. There are the dojo expenses, household expenses, and
the monthly amount we paid for the contract at the concrete
company." At Gohan's puzzled look, she explained with a smile. "For
Akane-chan's brick fetish." She waved her hand at Gohan's
expression, but glanced over her shoulder at the snort Akane let
out. "It's true, Imoutochan."

She continued on, ignoring Akane and Ranma as they gathered
around her as well. "Everything balanced out at the end of the
month, and there was usually enough to set aside into the savings
account." She pointed out another row of numbers.

She pushed that ledger aside and pulled close a large,
thickly-bound ledger, and when she opened it up, Gohan could see
what made it so thick: hundreds of loose papers were attached to
the regular pages. Nabiki smirked up at Ranma as she spoke. "Now,
this is the ledger from three months after Ranma arrived. At first,
the damage totals weren't all that high, but soon the other fiancees
started arriving, and the rivals, and the attempts on Akane," she
flicked her gaze to her sister, whose eyes were wide at all of the
pink invoices stapled to the yellow pages, "not to mention the higher
levels of random demolishing of concrete and wooden poles made to
look like a certain pigtailed fiancee at the time. Plus, all of the glass
repair from someone launching another certain someone out into a
lower earth orbit." Akane finally flinched, a hot blush spreading
across her features. She punched Ranma in the shoulder when he
started murmuring under his breath about uncute tomboys.

Gohan and ChiChi just stared silently at the three Nerimians.
The young male turned back to the books and frowned when he
realized something was off. "Nabiki-san, these numbers don't make
much sense, though." He pulled the previous ledger back and pointed
out a column. "If this was your total net income from this month,
why is this month's so much more higher? It's almost triple in
amount." He pointed to the end total, which was significantly higher
that month's previous.

She nodded, smiling. "Good catch, Gohan-chan. Well, I
realized that with Ranma and his Otousan here, we would need to
increase the level of income to better accommodate our higher need
of money. It also became apparent that it would need to be a
drastic change, since we were going through food like no tomorrow,
and repairs were astronomical."

"So what did you do?" ChiChi asked, very interested since
the change in income was a drastic amount. She knew the strain of
stretching a tight and limited budget. Although she did have her
garden and the natural wildlife around them to help supplement it.

"I generated a new income from the highest income spender."
Nabiki smirked at the one in question, who knew what she was
talking about, and was frowning in displeasure.

"Who?"

"Why, Ranma-kun here, of course. I found the perfect
opportunity to supplement the small amount we had left from
'Tousan's running of the dojo and the savings account." She pulled
out a manila envelope and opened it, and withdrew what was inside.
She fanned out the glossy colored pictures. "Twenty-five hundred
yen each, or a set of five for ten thousand." The pictures were of
Ranma in female form, and all were very provocative poses.

"Oh!" ChiChi squealed, and quickly slapped her hands over
Gohan's eyes. "He's...she's...er...Serori's half-naked!"

Ranma glanced through them, vaguely recognizing them.
"That's the set I posed for, ne, Nabiki?" He held out up critically.
"I've seen better camera angles in dog show pictures." Akane
elbowed him in the side.

The middle Tendo rolled her eyes. "You get what you pay for,
and at the time the photographer's sitting price was right."

"You posed for them?" ChiChi stared at Ranma incredulously,
horrified at the thought. "They're...pornography! And you aren't of
age in them. Serori!"

He blushed a deep red, and glanced around in embarrassment,
scowling at Akane's chuckle. "Actually, they're not that bad, ChiChi,
compared to some of the stuff out there." He gestured to them.
"And it's only cleavage and sheer clothing. You don't see any nipple
or...other areas." He cleared his throat. "I made sure of that."

Gohan was trying to pry his mother's iron-clad grip over his
eyes, and finally got to see what her fuss was about. He blushed
slightly as he saw the male that he thought of as an older
brother...sister in the pictures...dressed rather scantily, but gave
them an aesthetic opinion. "Gee, Serori-san, you're awfully pretty!"

Akane giggled at the face Ranma made. "Hai, Gohan-chan,
he's very pretty."

ChiChi smiled at the mated pair. "Are you feeling better,
Seiika-chan? Do you want me to make some pork buns for you?" A
wicked gleam entered her eye.

"I do feel better, but let's put the pork buns on hold, okay?"
She gave the elder female a smile but glanced around the room. "So
where is everyone else?"

"Bulma, Tobuma, and 'Tousan are out assessing the dojo,"
Akane winced, and Ranma wrapped his tail around her waist for
comfort. "And the last time I saw her, Kasumi was in the kitchen. I
don't know where the other guys went." She shrugged and started
to clean up her papers.

ChiChi rolled her eyes. "More than likely they are outside,
maiming each other. Goku-saa, Vejiita, Trunks and that Piccolo-thing
headed in the direction of the backyard." ChiChi made a face at the
mention of the Namek-seijiin.

Gohan nodded in agreement with his mother, but not about
her opinion of his sensei. "Hai, Okaasan. But they aren't doing
anything too powerful at the moment." He gave his mother a smile.
"Can I go see what they're doing?"

She nodded, ruffling his hair. "As if I could keep you away.
Just don't get too mussed up." He nodded and ran outside.

ChiChi glanced down at the pictures again, which were still
spread out in front of her. "People buy these?"

"Hai, and they also buy these." Nabiki pulled out another
envelope, and picking up the female set of pictures, spread out a set
of Ranma as a male, holding several poses. In most of them he was
without a shirt, and sweat beaded down his toned chest. "They
aren't as popular as they used to be, since Ranma has graduated and
moved to Western Capital," she let out a small sigh and Ranma rolled
his eyes, "but there are still a few legends that float around the
hallowed halls of Furinkan." She glanced at the pictures again. "You
know, now that you've done some serious training and bulked up quite
a bit, I bet I could start selling some new poses. And if I get the
others, I could start like a Series 2--call it the Saiya-jiin Saga."
Nabiki's eyes lit up at the figures that started to roll through her
mind.

Ranma put a quick stop to that line of thinking. "Nuh uh. I'm
done with that! I only did it once, willingly, and that was to pay back
my debt to you." His eyes narrowed as he realized something. "And
come to think of it, my debt should have been paid in full by now. So
where's my cut? If you're still selling them, and my debt is paid..."

She waved a hand. "It's all taken care of, Ranma-kun. I've
been putting it into an account that you'll be able to access when you
finally take over the dojo." She opened at ledger and showed him
and Akane her totals. "Of course, I took out my fee for being your
accountant already, but you have a nice nest-egg started."

A growl rumbled from his throat and Nabiki blinked. "Stop
selling the pictures, Nabiki. Enough is enough."

"The more sold, the more in the account, ne?" She frowned
slightly.

Akane glanced over the numbers. "Actually, this is pretty
good. Arigato, Oneechan, but actually, the selling should stop."

A phone rang and Nabiki reached into a pocket and pulled out
a small cell phone. "Nani?" A small smile crept over her face as she
listened to the other end of the conversation. "Hai. Make sure you
get good ones. I'll come and pick out the finalists tomorrow." She
hung up and turned back to the scowling Ranma and Akane. "Okay,
okay! No more selling Ranma. Gotcha."

"You will not sell pictures of Tobuma or Trunks, Nabiki."
Akane growled under her breath. "And don't deny it, either. Your
conversation was clear as day."

"Fine. How about this--sell enough to cover the cost of the
dojo repairs and then that's it." She glanced between the pair, and
after a moment of staring at each other, they nodded.

"If I find out you've gone over the limit, Nabiki," Akane
warned her, "you'll have to deal with me, ne?"

She picked up the picture of male Ranma, scowling. "I hear
you; stop threatening me, Seiika." She picked up her books and left
the room in a huff.

Bulma, Tobuma, and a pale-faced Soun entered the room,
taking up different positions around the table. Tobuma sat down
next to his parents and Bulma settled down next to ChiChi. Soun
laid his head on the table and wrapped a pillow around his head. "So,
what's the bad news?" Ranma finally asked.

The blue-haired genius shook her head. "Well, to tell you the
truth, Serori-kun, the whole thing's vastly outdated, and there is
structure and foundation damage and half-assed repair jobs from
other times," she smiled apologetically at the shaking form of Soun,
who had started sobbing over his precious dojo. "So, the long and
short of it is that, well, you need a new one. From the ground up."

Akane shook her head in disbelief. "Really? Completely?"
She turned to her father. "Gomen nasai, 'Tousan, I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay, Akane-chan," the elder male sat up and sighed in
defeat, waving a hand in dismissal. "Maybe it's time to face reality,
ne? Let an old man's dreams fade away as they should have awhile
ago." He sighed loudly and looked down into this lap.

"Don't think that way, 'Tousan!" Akane knelt next to Soun,
and wrapped her arms around him. "We will rebuild it, even better
than before and when we've defeated the Hachi, Ranma and I will
take over the dojo, just as you and Saotome-ojisan planned, ne?" A
few tears escaped down her cheeks. "Just don't give up, ne,
'Tousan? Onegai, just don't give up on us." Soun burst into tears and
nodded against his daughter's hair.

Everyone in the room shuffled around a bit, uncomfortable by
all the emotions. Bulma cleared her throat, speaking up. The pair of
crying martial artists glanced up at her. Bulma smiled at them as
she spoke. "Don't worry about a thing, Seiika-chan. I'll send over a
construction crew and we'll get a new one set up and going in no
time."

"You don't need to worry about us, Bulma. We'll do it." Ranma
shook his head at the offer. Akane nodded in agreement.

"Actually, I insist, Serori. I am in contact with one of the
local schools and their construction classes, and this would be a
perfect opportunity for them."

Akane was going to protest again, but Bulma held up a hand,
not letting her respond. Ranma smiled at her and nodded. "Domo
arigato, Bulma. Your offer is most appreciated."

Nabiki peeked her head around the corner. "I think you guys
should be watching this."

"What is it, Nabiki?" Akane asked, following her into the
other room. "Is there another attack?"

"I'll go get the guys outside," Bulma said, and bolted out of
the room.

Akane sat down to watch what Nabiki had on: CNN. By the
time everyone filed into the room, Headline News had started, and
the anchor, Hiiro Taki, had just announced something about the
American Stock Market. "Now, in other news, the United Nations
has decided to call a special meeting early next week to discuss a
world-wide collaborated effort to stop the Giant Bee attacks on our
world's population. Such a meeting has not been called for over fifty
years."

Tobuma let out a curse, making several people turn in his
direction. "It'll only be worse! They'll mobilize their forces, then
the Hachi will have easy pickings!"

"Then what do we do?" Bulma asked. "It's not like we can go
and explain that their efforts are going to work against them!"

"Actually, that's what we need to do." Trunks spoke up from
the position on the wall, a hard, serious look underneath the layer of
sweat from the spar. Goku and Vejiita were next to him. "We need
to go and present our story to the council; let them know that their
efforts are fruitless, and tell them to worry and focus on their own
countries."

"They won't believe a word we say. The United Nations will
just scoff in our face and throw us out." Nabiki snorted. "How
would we convince them to listen?"

"We show them." Tobuma held up a small golden disk. "We
show them what can happen if they don't listen."

"What's that?" Goku spoke up.

"It's a data disk. Actually, it's all that's left of Chikyuu, at
least in our minds." Trunks said quietly. "I have several others that
hold all of my Kaasan's business dealings, logs and personal entries,
but that one has..." Trunks trailed off and glanced at Tobuma, who
was staring at it with a frown.

"This one was made about two days...'Tousan did a survey of
Chikyuu two days before he was killed."

Ranma blanched at the mention of his...future death. "What's
on it, Tobuma?" he asked quietly.

"I haven't looked at it yet," the young Saiya-jiin admitted
somberly. "I found it in a drawer with my name written on it in his
handwriting a little over a month after he died. Bulma-obaasan told
me what it is...or what she thinks it is." He glanced up at the
present version of his father and shrugged. "I guess the only way to
really find out is to look, ne?"

Trunks left the room and all could hear the distinct sound of
a capsule exploding, and when he returned, he held a small piece of
electronic equipment. Placing it in the middle of the room, he backed
away and Tobuma pushed a button, revealing a slot to slide the disk
in. After it disappeared into the player, he pressed another button
and stepped back.

Akane made her way over to Ranma, clutching at his arm. "Do
you want to leave?" She could feel the tension falling off him in
waves, and their Link intensified everything.

He shook his head. "Iie, I need to see this, too."

A three-dimensional picture appeared in the empty space
above the projector. Soon, it filled with a scene familiar to
most--the front lawn of Capsule Corp. Although the buildings
surrounding it were in dire need of repair.

A voice, deep and soft, filled the quiet room. Both Ranma and
Akane sucked in a breath--it sounded exactly like Ranma, but the
tone clearly held a note of aged weariness. "Well, this is it.
Tomorrow, I attack. It's all or nothing, now." The view panned the
area, taking in the desolation and destruction as the camera started
to move down the road. "There are so little of us left. And it's only
me and the boys that are any effect against the bastards. Soon,
though, it will only be them." A sigh was heard and a large
weathered hand passed over the eye, and when it was removed, the
image was from the air, and a panoramic shot of the area was shown.
Abandoned cars and trucks littered the roads. Broken-down
buildings, dark and crumbling in their disuse stood like battered
sentinels in the quiet air.

The voice started in again. "The image you see, well, once was
Nerima. There hasn't been a living soul here for a good six or so
years. It's definitely at its quietest since I've known the area." The
images blurred by as the speaker added speed.

The elder Ranma's voice started again when the camera's
images slowed down. "Tomorrow I launch my attack against the
Hive. Kamikaze, ne? I know. But with only a handful of people left
what's there left to lose? I'll have to send the boys to the other
side of Chikyuu. Hopefully they'll be occupied enough over there to
not notice my efforts here. They would more than likely try and
stop me, or do something foolish, like come with me." Everyone
heard a soft chuckle. "Bubu-chan will miss me..."

Nabiki let out a snicker and leveled a laughing gaze at
Tobuma. "Bubu-chan?"

"Shut up, Obaasan." Tobuma scowled, a blush covering his
high cheekbones. "I haven't been called that since I was six."

Mirai-Ranma went on as the images of a war-torn Chikyuu
kept the viewers entranced. "He's too much like his mother that
way. Always worrying about me and getting in the way. At least
there are no weird princesses out to marry him." He chuckled again.

The present time's Ranma chuckled as well. "You always
attracted the weird ones, ne, Hima-chan?" He ducked the fist that
was aimed for his head.

"Baka." Her eyes widened when a foreign image appeared in
the hologram. "What...what is that?"

"That is the Hive." Tobuma answered her, hate and malice
making his voice thick. "That's what the Hachi will build when they
secure their Queen."

"Me..." Akane breathed, her chest tight at the implications
running through her mind, and the others as well.

At this point, Ryouga happened to wander into the room
silently and sat himself in a dark corner. He stared at Akane for
several moments before sighing to himself and turning his gaze to
the image in the middle of the room.

"Did you know I can still feel you, Akane? I can still feel your
presence in the back of my mind. If I concentrate on you, and my
memories of you--I can feel your essence flow through me...it tears
at my heart that you live, and are not at my side. I almost killed
myself the night I lost you...I had the tanto pushed into my stomach
and was ready to make the cuts, but then...then...I heard Bubu-chan's
crying. I don't know if he sensed my absolute despair or he was
hungry, but that cry brought me back to my senses. If I was
gone--then he would have no one. Vejiita and Bulma would have
raised him as their own, I know, but he was ours, Akane. Formed
from our Bond, our soul. Damned if he wouldn't be raised as ours, as
well!"

Akane choked back a sob, a hand covering her mouth. "I'm so
sorry, Ranma! I'm so sorry..."

"Hush, Akane...it's not going to happen..." Ranma wrapped his
arms tight around her, crushing her into his chest. "The future is
not written in stone. I refuse to believe it!"

The image flickered and zoomed in on the Hive, a mass of
black onyx honeycombs, shining in sun. Many Hachi drones were
circling the large spherical object, going about their business,
looking like flies swarming a carcass.

"It's massive!" exclaimed Goku, leaning close. "It must be,
gods, over a hundred stories high! The Hachi look like gnats."

"One hundred sixteen stories and almost one mile in
circumference. Who knows what the population number." Tobuma
spat. Hearing his true father's voice mourning his mother struck his
heart deep. He didn't know about his father's suicide attempt, and
his own unknowing save. He already didn't have a mother...he couldn't
picture his life without his father.

"Chikyuu's inhabitants minus the ones that we destroyed,"
Trunks said tonelessly.

"This is all fine and morbid, but how will this help our case to
the UN?" All eyes turned to the practical Nabiki.

Bulma frowned. "How can we tell them without revealing too
much of the origins of you Saiya-jiin? If they find out aliens are on
Chikyuu, and have been for years..."

"They'll be after them like mice on cheese." ChiChi finished.
She shook her head. "They're going to have to be shown the data
CD, but maybe edit out Mirai Serori's voice, ne? I don't think they
need to hear that. They can get the general point without
commentary, or we add our own."

"Playing devil's advocate, they call us out, saying we're
bluffing. That you just 'created these scenes to try and dissuade us
against fighting the Hachi." Nabiki crossed her arms. "What do we
do then?"

"Then we show them that we mean business, and want the
Hachi threat taken care of." Ranma started. "We explain to them
that we are the ones that have been fighting the Hachi so far, and
if we have to, we give examples of our power."

"So you're the ones that brought them to Chikyuu! You're
siding with them?"

"No! We want them gone--it's just we have the best potential
to carry that objective out. We have direct stake in their defeat
and will resort to any means necessary to get it accomplished!"

"Our armies have been trained to protect our own. We do not
need your help, or your vigilante hindrance."

"What good will your armies be against a thousand paralysis
beams? What use will the guns and tanks and aircraft be against an
enemy that freeze you in place and takes advantage of your immobile
state?"

"We will develop ways to counteract them. We will have the
brightest minds working on solutions around the clock." Nabiki was
getting into it, her face flushed.

"There are none!" So was Ranma. Although his face was
flushed from frustration. "There is no way to detect where they
are and when they will attack next. So far, we have been relying on
the news to tell us where the next attack happens. We have
scanned Chikyuu for days on end, trying to find where they are
hiding out, where the nest is, but nothing. They have hidden
themselves somewhere undetectable. They have no energy signature
that we can lock onto. So how, pray tell, are you going to find
them?"

Everyone was silent, taking in the heated conversation
between Ranma and Nabiki. Finally she smirked, and shook her head.
"You can't get all hot-headed in there, Ranma-kun. They'll eat you
alive and spit you out to the dogs."

He sighed and ran a hand through his thick spikes in
frustration. "It won't be like that, will it?"

Bulma shook her head. "Not really. But the delegates from
every single nation on Chikyuu will be there, and each one has a stake
in the defeat of the Hachi, since it seems they have struck almost
everywhere. We have to present a well-informed, concise, clear
dictation in New York. One that everyone can comprehend and
comply. If we go in there shouting, they won't listen."

"Actually, the first thing is we need to know is if they will
take an audience with us." ChiChi said, her face pulled into a frown.
"The anchor didn't say the public was invited."

"We will be able to be heard, don't worry about that." Bulma
waved a hand. "Papa is in cahoots with Japan's UN representative,
and Capsule Corporation has enough pull in the world to be granted a
spot on the council itself. We are almost a superpower in ourselves."
She smirked and crossed her arms. "We will have an audience."

"Okay, so let's line everything up." Akane glanced at Trunks
and Tobuma. "You two need to brainstorm and make a synopsis of
the Hachi, since you are the most familiar with them. Everything we
need to present to them under the sun, okay?"

"Hai, Obaasan," Trunks turned to his mother. "I'll need the
use of the labs--We have quite a bit of information to sort through
on some of the data disks."

"No problem. While you're at it, you can also create a slide
show from the disks as well; something we can show to the delegates
and give to the news stations, too." The two males nodded.

"We also need to come up with an idea to present to them on
just how the separate countries can protect themselves," Goku said
somberly. "We need to let them know that we can't be everywhere
at once at the same time. So far the Hachi have been doing only a
few attacks in different places, at the same time, and we've been
able to handle them fairly well. But if they start pushing up the
frequency of the attacks, and the numbers involved, then the
countries will need some sort of defense, at least something basic to
protect themselves until we can get there."

"Very good ideas, Son-kun," Bulma nodded, smiling at her
long-time friend. "You and Vejiita are the best strategists, I'll give
you a generalized outlook on what the major countries are capable of
and..."

"I refuse to work with that idiot to save this mudball."
Vejiita glared at Bulma, his ire evident in his stance and stare.

"This mudball has every living Saiya-jiin on it, Vejiita!" Akane
scowled at her twin. "If this was Vejiita-sei, you would be leading
our strongest senshi against any attackers!"

"But this isn't it, is it, Seiika?" He growled back. "And I
refuse to associate with that numskull who doesn't have a decent
idea in his head. He'd probably suggest luring the Hachi away with
big vats of honey."

"Refuse to associate? He's your friend, bakayarou!" Bulma's
face was red with anger. "And you help create a war plan or I'll
dismantle the gravity chamber!"

"Onna..." he growled.

"Otoko..." she growled back.

Goku held up a hand. "Hey you two, it's okay. Just because
Vejiita can't work with me, doesn't mean it can't be done." He turned
to Ranma. "Do you want to help me, Serori?"

He nodded. "Sure, Goku. And actually, I was hoping I could
help. I have a couple ideas that might work. And Ryouga would be
willing to input his knowledge of the other countries too, ne? He's
been everywhere in his wanderings."

The young man in question scowled from his quiet spot against
a wall, but nodded. "I'll do what I can, Ranma." He gave a quick
glance to Akane, who had pointedly turned her back to him. He
sighed sadly and shook his head. "I'll do what I can."

Nabiki stared at the emotion-ridden people in the room.
"Getting back on track, I'd like to know who's going. We can't have
twenty people storm the podium."

"Well, actually, I thought the best speakers would be you and
Bulma, Nabiki," Akane stated, simply. "Both of you are poised and
well-spoken, and used to speaking in front of large crowds."

Bulma nodded. "Arigato, Seiika-chan. I'd also like to have
Trunks or Tobuma there, too, so you could have the 'real thing' for
presenting the Hachi future." The pair of future Saiya-jiin shot
each other glances and nodded.

She then turned to Goku. "And Son-kun has the ability to
make anyone believe what he says and go along with him and his
ideas." The tall male in question grinned and blushed. Bulma smiled
wider. "He'd be perfect to act as the impassioned one."

He nodded. "Sure, Bulma. I don't know what to say, but I'll
help out any way I can."

Vejiita snorted, shaking his head in disgust. "Pathetic baka."

"Shut up, Vejiita," Bulma warned him with a glare, "or you'll
be coming with me to the OB/GYN appointment with me tomorrow."
He blanched but remained quiet. She continued, glancing at
everyone else. "There is a visitor viewing area, or whatever they call
it, so the rest can watch."

"Good. I was hoping there was something like that. I did
want to go." Akane smiled.

"Well, let's get started, minna. We only have a few days to
prepare everything." Bulma stood up. "Are you ready to go,
Seiika-chan?"

She nodded. "In a minute." The others left the room, leaving
Bulma, ChiChi and the Saiya-jiin in the room. Ryouga remained in the
room, where he watched the interactions of everyone else silently
from a dark shadow.

Bulma turned to Vejiita, a scowl on her face to rival the one
on his own. The pair stared at each other silently for several
moments, until she smirked and turned away. If it could, Vejiita's
frown deepened as he stalked out of the room.

ChiChi turned to Goku. "I think it's time we started home, as
well. I need to start supper, and afterwards you can teleport to
Capsule Corp to start working with Serori-kun."

"Hai, ChiChi. That sounds good." Goku turned to Ranma. "I'll
talk to you later, then." He smiled down at ChiChi, taking her hand
to lead her out. The small Chikyuu-jiin female blushed and allowed
herself to be led out; Gohan following at his parents' heels.

Akane and Bulma gave each other secretive looks. "Did you
talk to him, Bulma-chan?"

"Actually, I did," she smirked, "And he blushed like a little
boy. But I was surprised, as well. Son-kun knows about Bonds and
Bonding, well, the gist of it all."

"He does?" Both Ranma and Akane blinked at each other in
shock. "But ChiChi acted like they weren't Bonded."

"They aren't," she shook her head. "They did conceive
Gohan-chan on their wedding night; ChiChi was right about that.
They've only gone through the one part of the Mating Ceremony
--they've Mated, but only Goku has Marked her. ChiChi thought he
was just 'being rough' so she didn't reciprocate it. Plus, they didn't
go through the actual 'Bonding' part, which is what opens the Link
between the pair."

"So are they going to perform it soon?" Akane asked
excitedly.

"I don't know. Son-kun said that he didn't know if ChiChi
would want to. Of course, I almost beat him up and told him that
ChiChi was almost mad with jealousy over our Bonds." Her smile
faded slowly. "But he also said that he had a feeling if they would
Bond and open a Link, something would happen to him, thereby
hurting ChiChi. He's died before," she reminded them.

She sighed and turned around. "I better go find Vejiita and
talk him out of his bad mood. Come and get me when you're ready to
leave, Seiika-chan." She left leaving Akane and Ranma and the pair
of future Saiya-jiin in the room.

Tobuma had been fiddling with the data CD while he and
Trunks were discussing and outlining what needed to be said and
documented for their 'presentation.' He was still in shock over the
realization of his father's early attempt of ending his life. The
thought depressed him more than he realized it could, since it
happened almost 20 years ago. He jumped when a familiar hand
came down on his shoulder, and his heart leapt, thinking that the
past six months had been a nightmare...but it instead shattered, and
he had to choke back the sob that threatened to bubble forth when
he turned to see the face of his father--the present day version,
who was in reality only a year older than he. He turned away quickly
to hide the raw emotion that wasn't able to be controlled.

But both Ranma and Akane saw it, and knew what it meant.
Ranma glanced at Trunks. "Trunks-kun, could you excuse us for a
moment?"

The purple-haired male looked up and nodded, knowing his
cousin's emotional state all too well. He felt it that day when they
first arrived and confessed their true origins; the same day he knelt
in his much-younger mother's lap and sobbed like a little baby. "Hai,
Ojisan. I'll be outside with Okaasan and Otousan." He got up and
left.

Akane knelt behind Tobuma and wrapped her arms around his
neck, burying her face into his black spikes. "Don't wallow in the
past, Tobuma-chan--it'll only increase the pain." Her tail wound
around his waist and squeezed comfortingly.

He shook his head in denial. "I'm not; it's just hearing his
voice today brought back a lot of memories." he sighed and clutched
at the hands resting on his chest. His voice was low when he spoke
again. "I miss him so much..."

"It's okay, Tobuma, to miss him." Ranma knelt down in front
of him, placing a hand on his knee in comfort. "I bet he's watching
you from up above now, ne? You'll always have him close," he pointed
to his chest, "in here."

The future Saiya-jiin nodded slightly. "I know." He looked up
and into the smoky blue eyes he known and loved since day one. "I
know." He leaned forward and buried his face into the chest of the
male that would one day become his father. "I love you, Papa..."

Ranma blinked, surprised, but wrapped his arms around his
family. He let a proud smile form. His family. His. "I love you too,
Bubu-chan...I love you, too." He caught movement out of the corner
of his eye and saw Ryouga emerge from his shadow, staring at them
with a resigned look to his handsome face. He nodded slightly to the
male Saiya-jiin and Ryouga turned around and left the room.

He caught Akane's teary eye and smiled tenderly at his mate.
He brought a hand up to cup her cheek. This is our family,
Hima-chan. Ours.

Hai. She nodded and closed her eyes. Past, present, and
future. Planting a kiss on Tobuma's head, she leaned forward and
captured her mate's lips.

Tobuma, mushed in between his past mother and father, felt
complete for the first time in his life. He let out a small contented
sigh and snuggled deeper into the familiar musky scent that
surrounded him. Content to stay in that particular position for the
rest of his life.

But the moment did come to an end. Akane pulled back, and
Tobuma immediately sat up, wiping away the tears that spilled down
his cheeks. "Gomen."

Ranma stood up and offered a hand up for Tobuma, giving him
a firm hug. "Forget about it, Tobuma. We're your family, ne?
That's all that matters."

"Hai, Otousan. Arigato." He nodded his thanks. Akane gave
him another hug and with a buss to the cheek, she pulled Ranma out
of the room, leaving the future Saotome alone in the room. He
sighed and stared at the images that the 3-D projector was showing,
knowing each spot by memory. A faint pain jagged through his heart
as he saw memories played through his mind as certain spots tugged
up scenes from the past.

As he was about to turn it off, a screen popped up, prompting
a password. Tobuma blinked. "Password? What for?" He sat down
and pushing a button, a small keyboard swung open from the side.
He typed in a few random words, but every time an ::error, invalid
password:: screen came up. He let out a frustrated sigh and
thought out loud. "Well, this was left for me, so what would 'Tousan
put as a password that only I would know?" He tried a few more
times, but it didn't open. He was about ready to give it a good kick
to the moon, but then a word popped into his head. He scrunched up
his face and typed it in:

::B-u-b-u-c-h-a-n::

::Password accepted::

"You are so weird, 'Tousan..." Tobuma shook his head. The
hologram turned to black, and slowly an image formed. Tobuma drew
in his breath as the familiar image cleared to show his father, Mirai
Ranma, sitting on the edge of a table. He really didn't look all that
different from the version that existed in this time, but there were
subtle differences. This version had grown into his looks; his broad
shoulders and developed chest being hugged by the silky shirt that
clung to his frame. The youthful-looking features seemed older than
normal, the toll of living in a war zone showing deep in the smoky
blue of the senshi. The differences were noticeable when he
compared the present day version, the one that did not live through
the horrors of war, and losing a mate and all other loved ones to the
enemy. The only real physical difference between the pair in
appearance was the jagged scar that started under his left eye and
curled to end by his ear. Tobuma sat back down with his eyes wide
and stared at the image of Saotome Ranma; Serori, son of Toma, and
mate to the Saiya-jiin no Oujo. His father.

Mirai Ranma ran a hand through his thick black spikes,
ignoring the state of tangle they fell into. He sighed and stared into
the camera. "Hey, Bubu-chan. I see you found the disc, and figured
out the password." He smirks. "You always hated that name, but
when Trunks-kun officially christened you with it when you were,
what, a year old, it stuck like glue. Your mother would have wanted
to call you 'T-chan' or something ridiculous like that."

"Yeah, I can see her doing something like that." Tobuma
agreed, talking to the projection as if he were sitting in the room
with him.

His smile faded as he stared into the camera lens. "I hope
you don't find this too soon after I...well, by now I should be dead.
Hopefully, the Hachi are dead with me, too. I hope you aren't too
disappointed in me, Tobuma, taking on the Hachi by myself. It was
something that I had to do. It was my fault they established the
Colony here on Chikyuu, and it will be my fault they are gone. Be
proud of me, Tobuma, that I am going to the other side as a
senshi--as a true Saiya-jiin wants: in battle, fists and ki flying. It
will be a glorious sight to see, musuko.

Tobuma nodded again. "It was, 'Tousan...you were at your
highest levels ever. We did feel you from the other side of the
planet where you sent me and Trunks to scrounge. And you were
right, we did try and stop you, but we were too late."

"With this battle, I also hope to liberate your mother, too.
I'm hoping that if I get to Akane, then the hierarchy of the Hive will
fall apart, and you and Trunks should be able to pick off the rest of
the wandering Drones. Hopefully, it will work."

"It didn't, 'Tousan..." Tobuma swallowed hard and shook his
head. "It didn't. We haven't seen the Queen...but the Hachi were
still mobile. And they picked up their pace of attacks. Trunks and I
tried our best to stop them! We tried so hard...but it wasn't the
same without you, Papa...you were the heart of Chikyuu's survival."

Mirai Ranma shifted a bit from where he was seated on the
table. "Tobuma, no matter what happens out there, I just want you
to know that I am very proud of you. You have surpassed whatever
expectation I have ever tried to place on you. I tried to be the best
father I could--I didn't have much to go by, only Oyaji's less than
perfect example, but I tried to just be there for you in whatever
way I could. Even if I had to be female, I would have moved
mountains for you, Tobuma. I love you, with all my heart, and so
does your mother." He smiled tenderly at the camera. "She would
be so proud of you."

"Papa..."

"Take care, Bubu-chan, and don't worry about me. I'll be
waiting for you at Enma-daiou's desk when your time is up. And so
will Akane." Mirai Ranma winked into the camera. "You can count on
that. I love you." And with a wave of his fingers, the screen faded
to blank, the machine turning off.

The young male was silent for several moments, staring into
the space where the image used to be. "I love you too, Papa..."
Letting his head fall into shaking hands and with silently shuddering
shoulders, Saotome Tobuma grieved the loss of his father. Alone.

Somwhere on Chikyuu, hidden from all

Deep within a cave several miles below the surface, Daisy
looked over his 'collected' troops--all fifteen hundred Drones. He
came to Chikyuu with a rather small assimilation force, just under a
hundred, but was happy at the progress he had accomplished thus
far, especially with the added bonus of the Saiya-jiin to contend
with. "I believe we are ready for the next step." Punching a few
buttons on the console in front of him, he raised contact with his
home ship, Tokemonu.

An audio answered him. This is the 4656-C Tokemonu,
Marigold speaking.

"This is Daisy, on Chikyuu, Marigold. Are you the only one on
duty?"

No, there are other officers and the captain here; putting
you on visual, now.

A hologram appeared and Daisy saluted the image of the
captain, Iris, and Rose, his second in command. "Greetings, Daisy,"
Iris nodded, "Are you sending in a status report?"

The Security Chief and Commander of the Drones nodded.
"Yes, I'm sending a filed status report with my daily log. Basically,
we have been doing fairly well. Not as many as I would hope for
being here a month, but my numbers are fairly standard."

Rose narrowed his beady eyes. "Are the Saiya-jiin causing
you any problems?"

Daisy nodded. "Actually they are rather a nuisance,
Commander. I've had to come up with several strategies to
counteract their defense. Usually, I try to send out several raiding
parties to try and spread out their forces, but usually at least one
Saiya-jiin and one of the normal human members of their defense
forces show up and defeat them. But I've taken to getting the raids
over and done with in a short amount of time as possible, and sending
the newly assimilated Drones back to base so they don't have a
chance to be destroyed."

"A wise judgment move on your part, Daisy." Iris nodded in
agreement. "Sound strategy but slow going. I can see why your
numbers are on the low side. Have you had any sign or contact with
the future Queen?"

"No, sir. Actually, I haven't had any reports of females in
their ranks. More than likely they are protecting them carefully."

"Saiya-jiin are fiercely protective over members of their
family units. It is no wonder they are not fighting." Rose added.

"I also have another reason why I'm calling, sir. I was
wondering when you would be arriving on Chikyuu."

Iris sighed. "Our repairs are going slow, but we have made
progress. Our main thrusters are online and engines are just about
ready to be set online. Our arrival should be just about three
months."

Daisy glanced down at his console for a moment before
looking back up. "That's actually rather good to hear, sir. I am
starting to run low on assimilation discs. The Saiya-jiin tend to
destroy any one that they come across, and when the Drone is
disarmed, they fire their ki. That is part of the setback I am
dealing with, as well. If I may, I'd like your permission to continue
on to Phase 2."

The pair of officers glanced at each other. "Do you think you
have enough Drones to proceed, Daisy?"

He nodded. "I will be sending almost everyone I can spare
with assimilation discs into a final raid that will span each of the
populated continents. It should increase my numbers by about half.
Then I should have enough for Swarming."

"If you think you're up to it, Daisy, then go ahead. If not,
then keep going with the small raids. An increase of any is more
than a loss."

"I understand, sir. Daisy, out."

Iris leaned back in his seat, and turned to look at Rose, who
had his head bowed into his chest. "What are you thinking, Rose?"

He was silent for a moment, but when he spoke, it was
obvious he was choosing his words carefully. "Daisy said the
Saiya-jiin's ability for ki was his biggest problem, right?"

"For the most part. But they must have some ability to fight,
to be able to disarm the Drones of their discs, as well." Marigold
spoke up.

Rose held out a limb, and a small ball of light green ki formed
in the palm, making a large shadow of a claw flicker on the black
communication screen. He let out an evil-sounding chuckle and made
a fist, forcing the ki through his four appendages. "Somehow, I
believe the scales will be tipping when we arrive." He turned to Iris.
"With your permission, sir, I'd like to start a project of my own."

The captain twitched an antennae in curiosity. "Of what
nature?"

"I have an idea that might help us in the defeat of the
Saiya-jiin on Chikyuu."

Iris stared at his officer for a few moments, and then
nodded. "What will you require?"

"I'd like to pull Poppy away from the upgrading, and have him
help me."

"All right. You have until we enter Chikyuu's orbit because I
will need both Mum and Poppy to start the upgrading and
reorganizing of the Drones on Chikyuu."

"I believe that will be plenty of time, Captain." He stood and
nodding to Iris, left the bridge.

Marigold stared after the enhanced Hachi, a thoughtful look
to his black features. "Is it going to be that bad, Captain? Are the
Saiya-jiin that deadly of an opponent?"

"Rose is...slightly overreacting, Marigold, but they are not a
foe to be underestimated. Their powerful ki techniques greatly
enhance their fighting abilities, along with speed, reaction time,
etc."

"Would it be prudent to receive the upgrade then?" Violet
spoke from the helm. "I didn't plan on going through the process,
since I will not be making landfall."

The captain shook his head. "Do what you feel is necessary,
Marigold, Violet. The ki abilities and shields would help you defend
yourself if you should be attacked. They can not be taken away
from you, like the discs can. But remember, when we start to build
and establish the Hive on Chikyuu, you will be down there, as well.
We are to be the backbone of this Hive. Our journey ends here, in
one way or another."

The two junior officers stared at each other as the implications
of their captain's words ran through their minds, several scenarios
forming from stray thoughts and imagined hypotheses.

After a moment, they turned back around to continue with the
journey to their final destination:

Chikyuu.