Joining: Episode Saga

by Arinson Tidochi

A crossover starting roughly one year after the end of Ranma 12 and the beginning of Dragon Ball Z. Begins with Chapter 14 of the Joining Series

2. Joining 15: Theater Playground

Joining: Episode Saga Chapter 15: Theater Playground Finished October 2003

Wow, it's been a while! This chapter has been in the works for a long time, almost four or five months now. I hope that you guys haven't forgotten about me. The truth is that I've been very busy with college and stuff, but that's a common excuse. Recently though I've been getting really excited about the flow of the story and I can't wait to really get it underway again. I really love the episode saga but honestly the beginning the cell saga is going to be really awesome. How many people actually remember the plot developments up to this point? Hopefully you're motivated to reread it, but you only need to remember the basics to understand this mini saga. It should last roughly until chapter 18 or 19, I'm not sure yet.

In any case I still don't own Dragon Ball Z or Ranma ½. That pretty much goes without saying. Thanks goes to ALiX for his support, thank you very much! I want to let you know that I have no intention of stopping this story any time soon. In my opinion it's only going to get better from here. I am very excited as to what's coming up. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Enjoy the story!

***********************************************

The rising sun sent a myriad of colors weaving themselves across the rolling ocean waves. Because of this the water seemed almost like a jewel in liquid form which constantly shifted as if trying to find the best angle to represent its beauty. Set apart from this colorful display was a small island on which a small house rested. Sleeping just outside of the house a turtle slept peacefully, already warming up to heat created by the sun.

Inside the house Mousse awoke with a start. "Where on earth am I?" He asked himself, looking around confusedly at the incoherent blurs surrounding him. Finally he gave up and put his thick glasses on. Instantly it became clear that he was in a small bedroom which had a window overlooking the magnificent sunrise outside. "That's right." He thought with wonder. "I'm at Master Roshi's place; Ranma led me here last night." A wide smile crossed his face. "Today I'll start my training!"

He leapt out of his bed and quickly dressed in his traditional Amazon robes and out of habit he placed his glasses on top of his head. He then walked through the door and down the stairs entering the living quarters of the esteemed martial arts master.

"And a one, and a two." He heard Master Roshi's voice saying with delight. Mouse looked about confusedly for the old master and finally found a blurry humanoid shape standing in front of a box like thing doing some kind of exercise.

"This must be some kind of morning warm up." Mousse told himself. "I should do my best to follow him so I can be ready for his training."

Taking a place behind the old man Mousse did his best to follow along with the motions of the blur in front of him.

"Come on now, touch those toes!" A woman's voice said excitedly from in front of Mousse causing him to blink confusedly.

"Heh heh, that's right. Bend over now." Master Roshi said, drool coming out of his mouth.

"Well, if that will make me stronger." Mousse said dubiously.

"What?! Who's there?!" Master Roshi yelled in shock, turning around to see who was behind him.

"Me of course, I was following along with your warm ups." Mousse said confusedly. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Of course! Never sneak up on your master like that." Master Roshi said in annoyance. "You interrupted my morning exercises."

"I apologize Master." Mousse said, fearful of angering the old man.

"Well, apology accepted." Master Roshi said with a cough. "Now go fix me something for breakfast while I finish up here. This is your first act as my disciple."

"Yes of course." Mousse said, bowing deeply. He then turned and walked into the kitchen. Pulling his glasses back over his face he began to look through all of the various cabinets, analyzing the tools and food stuffs that would be available. Finally he settled on a simple amazon dish involving spiced eggs and meats.

"So is breakfast ready?" Master Roshi asked, now much more relaxed, as he walked into the kitchen.

"Yes Master." Mousse said dishing the food out onto a plate in front of the old man's chair before he himself sat down to join him.

"Hey, this is really good!" Master Roshi said excitedly after taking a few bites. "I guess that taking you on as a disciple was a good idea after all!"

"Thank you Master." Mousse said, again pushing his glasses to the top of his head so that he couldn't see anything.

"Anyways, it's time to get started." Roshi stated after they finished the meal. Motioning for Mousse to follow him he walked to the outside of the house. From there they took a small boat that was resting just off of the islands shore to travel to a larger continent. The overall journey took close to three hours and was spent mostly in complete silence for the two travelers. Mousse found himself constantly looking into the surprisingly calm ocean water, his eyes following the motions of the various creatures traveling in the waters below.

"If I had mastered the chestnut fist then I would be capable of pulling up an entire school of fish without getting my hands wet." He thought to himself. "But Cologne had always refused me those amazon techniques, saying that only female warriors were worthy of learning them. But then she turned around and taught them to Ranma. What is it that he has that I don't?"

A memory hit him, the memory of the aura he had sensed while Ranma had been approaching the Nekohanten. He shivered has he remembered the incredible powerful aura that Ranma had radiated. And even then he had recognized that most of Ranma's power was being held back, that it was hidden.

"So that's it." He thought to himself bitterly. "Right from the beginning she recognized his talent and was willing to do anything to bring him into the amazon tribe. She was desperate to draw his talent in to strengthen the tribe, why should she be concerned with a half-rate warrior like me?" He clenched his fists tightly. "Well I'll show her just how strong I'll become. I swear that not only will I become worthy of Shampoo but I'll someday reach Ranma's new level as well."

"What is it that you're thinking about boy?" Master Roshi asked calmly from where he was relaxing with his eyes closed.

"Nothing master." Mousse answered hesitantly from where he was sitting on the opposite side of the boat.

"Then start rowing!" Master Roshi yelled in frustration.

"Oh, right, sorry about that." Mousse said while beginning to row, causing the small boat to move forwards.

Master Roshi calmly apprised the young man who was currently rowing with all of his strength who was sitting in front of him. "A strong lad with a great desire to become as strong as he possibly can." He pondered. "I'm not sure why this one came to me but his clothes and mannerisms would indicate that he's from some type of Chinese amazon tribe." He started to drool at the thought of it but pulled himself from his daydreams. "His eyesight is horrible however and he has an unusual aura about him. I have a feeling that bringing out the potential of this young man might be more of a challenge then it was with any of my previous disciples."

He pulled out the collection of pictures that had been gifted him from the teenager sitting in front of him. "But it was worth it!" He crowed to himself.

****************************************

After crossing the ocean waters Mousse slowly stood up from his position in the boat and looked around at his new surroundings. "Man this hurts." He muttered to himself while rubbing his sore arms. "I'm going to be stiff for a long while."

"Well, here we are." Master Roshi said while standing up and stepping out of the boat. "Right along boy, your new home is right up here." He said while pointing to a house that was resting on a large hill.

Mousse stared in shock at the jungle located near the house. "It's in there?" He asked. "Why would you want to live in a place like that?"

Pain filled his head as Master Roshi thwacked him upside the head. "Put your glasses on boy!" He said in annoyance.

"Oh, right." Mousse said quietly while fumbling to settle his thick lenses over his eyes. Finally he looked directly up at the house located on the hill.

"That's huge!" He said. "Why would you live on that little island when you have a house like this?"

"I'm the Turtle Hermit. I have an image to maintain." Master Roshi explained. "Besides, I don't like little martial artists coming to me to whine about training. It gets me some privacy."

"I understand." Mousse said, bowing his head. "I sure am lucky that he accepted me as one of his students." He thought to himself.

"Don't just stand there, start moving!" He heard Roshi yell. Looking up Mousse saw that the blur was already halfway up the huge hill. "How'd he do that?" He asked himself in shock. "I'm coming Master!" He yelled before starting to run up the hill. After about three steps he tripped in a large pothole and fell face first onto the ground.

Watching from the house Master Roshi sighed as he saw the almost comical display of clumsiness from the man below. "I really need to do something about those eyes of his." He thought to himself.

*****************************************

Staring into the wide adoring eyes as the delicate but oddly powerfully hands pulled him along one phrase recurred with Piccolo again and again. "What the hell did Nabiki get me into?"

"We get to spend the next three hours together Mr. Piccolo, aren't you excited?" The girl giggled, a smile spread across her cute face.

"Charmed." Piccolo grunted, trying not to throw up on the girls arm.

"First of all we'll go get ice cream, then we'll go on a walk, and then we'll go to see a way too romantic movie!" Kayree bubbled, ignoring Piccolo's wince on every statement. The girl stopped suddenly and let go of Piccolo's arm as stars appeared in her eyes. "And then we'll share a romantic kiss." She finished, holding her face with both of her hands.

"Kiss?!" Piccolo exploded after a moment of silence. "Who said anything about a kiss?"

"Oh, don't worry." Kayree said brightly. "Of course we can't share a real kiss on the first date, it just wouldn't be proper. But there's nothing wrong with a peck on the cheek." She finished, pointed one finger towards her cheek.

Piccolo suddenly found himself sweating profusely, staring at the red haired girl in front of him as if she were some kind of alien. "Nabiki never said anything about this." He thought to himself desperately. "What should I do?"

"Why are you so quiet all of a sudden Mr. Piccolo?" Kayree asked with wide eyes. "Don't you like spending time with me?"

Piccolo was about to speak his mind when an image of an angry Nabiki suddenly popped into his head. "Yes, of course." He finally spat out after a moment.

Again that dreaded smile crossed Kayree's face. "I'm so happy!" She yelled, and then again grabbed Piccolo's arm. "Let's go get some ice cream!"

Piccolo's head hung in resignation as he followed the girl off to her destination.

Trailing after then a figure wrapped in shadows came to a halt. "Kissing?" Nabiki asked, her fists clenching in annoyance. "Physical intimacy of any kind wasn't part of the deal. Kissing costs extra." With that final thought she continued to follow them, her form still indecipherable to those around her.

**************************************

The light dimmed on the old street that passed over the river as a cloud drifted in front of the sun. In his usual place casually on the fence Ranma walked completely relaxed as if his body weighed nothing at all. Every once in a while an expression of concern entered his face as he looked down at the girl walking on the street beside the fence.

Finally he jumped down off the fence, landing in front of her. Akane started for a moment, surprised at seeing him, before she again looked towards the ground, her face clouded over.

"What's up Akane?" Ranma asked. "Something's been eating at you ever since yesterday. Don't tell me that Ryouga reacted that badly to you telling him off."

"I have a few things to tell you Ranma." Akane began slowly. "First of all was that I couldn't find Ryouga, anywhere. I don't even think he's on this world."

Ranma laughed. "Figures, he probably got himself lost on another planet or something. Don't worry about that Akane, he'll show up sooner or later. And if we're lucky it might not even be until after we're married." He leaned in closer to her. "Come on, there has to be something else that's bugging you."

Akane looked into his eyes and once again found herself lost in their blue depths. Finally she looked away. "Black magic is afoot Ranma." She said slowly. "Already I've seen a few creatures of evil powers and have had to fight against them."

She was surprised when Ranma only nodded. "I figured as much." He stated casually. "I've been sensing that something was wrong as well. Before even Raditz showed up the future felt especially heavy, as if something big was about to happen. Now even with Captain Ginyu's death that feeling hasn't changed, if anything its gotten worse. We're not through this yet."

His face became serious. "But I don't like the idea of you fighting these things alone. Look, I know you can take care of yourself but if anything happens I want you to call me alright?"

"Yes, of course Ranma." Akane said in surprise. "Could it be that he respects me?" she asked herself with an elated smile.

"Maybe you could come up with some way of contacting me." Ranma said hopefully.

Akane's face became thoughtful. "That would be simple enough with some kind of telepathic spell." She said. "But the problem would be that I'd have to broadcast it. Seeking out your individual mind would take a great deal of time."

"We'll need to work on that." Ranma agreed. "But meanwhile we should do some training. I have some other things I want to work on." His face became embarrassed. "And after that I have some homework that I should probably get to."

"Do you suppose that we could get something to eat first Ranma?" Akane asked softly. "Ukyo's place is open now isn't it?"

"Why would you want to go there?" Ranma asked incredulously before he saw her eyes creased with worry. "Oh right, I suppose so." He agreed. "I'm getting kind of hungry myself."

************************************

"Here's another one for you Krazer." Ukyo said, flipping an ukinomiyaki onto a plate and handing it to the man dressed in white standing next to her. "Take it to the old man in the corner."

"Right boss." He said with that innocent smile that Ukyo was growing to love. Wading through the crowded room effortlessly as if he were the only one there he casually placed the plate on the table in front of the appreciate man. "Thanks there young fellow." The old man chortled with a smile.

At the thanks Krazer's green eyes twinkled, causing a memory of his parents from distant childhood to again be found. At this the old man smiled joyfully and bent his head so that he could enjoy the memory and the food in peace.

From behind the counter Ukyo watched with appreciation as the mood of every customer that her new assistant interacted with lightened instantly and became joyful. She found herself thinking.

Noticing with confusion that she was staring at him Krazer looked up at her with questioning eyes. Ukyo almost laughed as she sensed pure perplexity practically dripping off of him. The entire thing was so amusing that she didn't even realize how embarrassed she should be to have been caught staring at him.

"Is there something going on between those two?" A man sitting in one of the corners whispered to his wife who was sitting across from him. "I think so dear." The old lady whispered back. "You can tell by the look in their eyes."

Unbeknown to them Krazer glanced to the corner that they were sitting in with a raised eyebrow. "Something between me and the human girl?" He asked himself. "What in all the dimensions are those two talking about?"

At that moment the door to the restaurant opened to omit two newcomers to the restaurant. One was a teenage male wearing Chinese clothes who was filled with cockiness and moved lightly as if his body weighed nothing at all. The other was a teenage girl wearing a high school uniform who radiated an unusual pure power. Showing some hesitation once they entered they finally made their way towards the front counter and took a seat directly in front of the cook.

"Look Ukyo." Ranma began uncomfortably. "About the other day."

"Oh, hey Ran-chan, Akane." Ukyo said with a smile, turning around to face her two friends. "So what will it be?"

Ranma and Akane turned to each other in surprise. "I'll take the regular." Ranma said with a small smile growing on his face.

"I'll try that too." Akane said happily, turning back to face Ukyo.

"Right, two Ran-chan specials coming up!" Ukyo said happily, turning back to the grill.

"That's odd." Krazer thought to himself, turning to the front of the store. "I just sensed a wide range of emotional fluctuations from Ukyo." His eyes widened when he saw Ranma and Akane sitting in front of the counter. "She's here!" He yelled to himself. "How could I have been so careless? I can't let her see me!"

"Hey there Krazer." Ukyo called out to him. "I have some friends that I'd like to introduce you to. Why don't you come over here?"

"Trapped." He thought to himself resignedly even as he plastered a smile on his face incapable of fooling anyone.

"What's he so nervous about?" Ukyo thought to herself with a frown.

Ranma and Akane turned to look towards the man indicated as he began to walk towards their position. Akane breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened in surprise. "Not human." She whispered to Ranma who could only nod in agreement. Indeed even though it may not be obvious to someone who has never met an intelligent non-human it was painfully obvious to both Akane and Ranma. Something about how his drab grey hair settled itself on his head and how his green eyes glowed with a promise of a foreign land lost long ago screamed to them that not only was he a creature alien to earth but was alien to that universe altogether.

The man's thin elfin hand clenched and unclenched nervously even as the three observers could feel his desire to leave surrounding the air about him. Ukyo didn't even bat an eye at this as she was already becoming used to it but both Akane and Ranma noticed it very distinctly.

"Hello." The man said awkwardly with a small bow. "My name is Krazer Mint, please treat me well."

"Ranma Saotome." Ranma said quietly, coming to his feet and bowing.

"Akane Tendo." Akane said equally quietly while also bowing. "Ranma's fiancée."

Labeling herself in such a way caught both her and Ranma by surprise and they turned to each other and smiled. From behind them Ukyo's expression fell for a moment before smiling at the sight of her helper again appearing very nervous.

"Why is he looking at me as if he knows me?" Akane asked herself, staring into his green eyes.

"I hope we will talk more later." The man said with another small bow. "But there are supplies that must be picked up, right boss?" He asked, directing the last question towards Ukyo.

She nodded slowly, seemingly confused by his desire to leave. "Well, yes. I could really use some more fish and fresh vegetables, and the afternoon rush is almost over. You can go to pick them up now if you want to."

"May the celestials favor you Ranma and Akane Saotome." Krazer said to them with a bow, not noticing their looks of surprise at the form of address. He then turned around and quickly walked out of the store, quickly brushing past some surprised customers on their way in.

"That was. odd." Ranma said, to which Akane could only nod her agreement. They sat in silence for a few minutes while Ukyo finished their order and took the orders of several other customers.

"So when did you meet this Krazer guy Ukyo?" Ranma asked between bites of his meal. "He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that you meet every day you know."

"Yeah, there's something strange about him, beyond the obvious." Akane agreed choosing her words carefully. "Do you even know where he's from? He might be dangerous."

"No, there's nothing dangerous about him. I can promise you that." Ukyo said softly. "I know because I can always feel what he's thinking. That's what I like about him. It's almost like he wears all of his thoughts and dreams on his sleeve."

Her face became angry. "I'm still annoyed about what he did to my shop last night when he broke in and trashed the place. That's why he's working for me, to make up for it."

Ranma and Akane looked at each other for a moment before turning back to her. "Look Ukyo," Ranma began, "I just don't want anything to happen to you."

Ukyo dismissed that idea with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry about me Ranma, I'm a martial artist too you know. I'm perfectly capable of handling myself against someone like him." She forced a smile as tears began to build in the back of her eyes. "You don't need to worry about me Ranma, just be happy with your own life."

"I'm sorry." Akane thought staring sadly at Ukyo. "I'm sorry that we had to hurt you."

"Well, I think we should be going." Ranma said finally. He came to his feet and smiled at Ukyo. "It was great to see you Ucchan." He said. "I'm glad to see that you're doing better.

"It was great to see you too Ranma." Ukyo agreed. "And you too Akane." She said, turning to her. "Make sure you two drop some time okay? Don't you dare become strangers on me."

"Of course Ukyo." Akane said with a polite smile. Both her and Ranma turned around and left the store, leaving Ukyo alone with her customers.

"You know." Ranma said after they were both outside. "Maybe this Krazer guy is a blessing."

"I think you're right." Akane agreed. "He may be just what Ukyo needs to really heal."

Side by side they made their way back towards the Tendo dojo.

****************************************

"Two for 'A Dear and Sweet Romantic Sunset at the Beach' please." The eager girl said excitedly to the booth worker while tightly holding on to Piccolo's arm.

"That would be 500 yen apiece." The worker said with an edge to his voice, looking jealously at Piccolo.

Piccolo met the look with confusion and not a little fear with eyes that begged for some kind of release.

"Come on silly, the movie is about to start." The girl giggled after paying the man, pulling Piccolo through the doors. Piccolo merely sighed resignedly and allowed himself to be pulled along.

"At the very least maybe I can get in a few hours of meditation to make this worth while." He thought to himself.

As they entered the showing place the room was already getting dark. Kayree quickly pulled Piccolo to a pair of seats in the middle of the theatre and sat down, leaning heavily on him. Taking a moment to examine his surroundings Piccolo noticed a great many other couples in that same theatre, the men of which seemed equally eager as he to be there.

"At least it's not unusual that I be feeling like this." Piccolo thought to himself with a frown. He looked down at the girl with a death grip on his arm. "But what I wouldn't give to get this leech off of me."

Unnoticed to him the girl's free hand began to hum with a soft black energy as her lips spoke hidden words. Even as this took place she leaned closer to him for another attempted embrace.

In front of the audience the movie screen flickered slightly, causing a blink of confusion from the crowd before it returned to normal.

*****************************************

Nabiki sighed in boredom from the top row of the theatre once the movie started. "This is so unbelievably lame." She complained to herself. "How can the plot of the entire movie focus on a single couple saying its last goodbyes at the beach? I can't believe that a movie like this got excellent reviews."

She looked down at where Piccolo and Kayree were sitting. The girl was trying to snuggle up closer to him but every time she did his body stiffened and became immovable causing her to sigh in disappointment. Sure enough however she was ready for another attempt just a few minutes later.

"Doesn't Piccolo look like he's having fun?" She asked herself with a frown. "I should get him to loosen him up or else no girl will pay to date with him again."

Once again Nabiki found herself thinking back to the incident in school that had happened earlier that day. Slowly she reached into her backpack and pulled out the black folder that had been left for her by Mr. Jones. With a whisper allowing her to see clearly even in darkness she again perused the offer stated within the folder.

'The First Technological Research Agency is a company that is quickly defining itself as a world leader in emerging technologies.' One paper read. 'It is well known for having an impact on all manners of technology, especially the new field of human biomechanics.'

"Human biomechanics?" Nabiki asked herself with a frown. "What on earth is that?"

'However the company has had difficulty in bringing its brilliant albeit unusual ideas to market in such a way as that it appeals to consumers. It is because of this that a true genius of economics must be added to the board of directors. It is for this reason that a teenage female in the Nerima district of Tokyo, Japan has been selected. This girl is clearly an untapped goldmine of pure economic potential. Signed Chief Engineer and member of the Board of Directors, Mr. Jones.'

"I'll need to get back to this later." Nabiki thought to herself. "This job is tempting but before I commit myself to anything I need to know what exactly human biomechanics is."

A subtle twinge in the air caused her to quickly look up to where Piccolo and Kayree were sitting. Nabiki sat still for a moment studying them carefully before finally she returned her gaze to the folder. "Must have been imagining things." She thought to herself silently.

*******************************************

A man dressed in blue and a white shirt rubbed one of his hands through his hair in frustration while leaning against a tree outside of a grocery store. Everyone who walked by looked over at him curiously; noting his grey hair and unusual eyes.

Krazer ignored the people eyeing him and sighed heavily. "My teachers always did say that I couldn't keep a secret no matter what I did. If I keep coming into Akane and Ranma in this form then certainly they'll figure out that I'm not from this universe. Unless they've already figured it out that is." He finished to himself miserably.

With another sigh he stepped away from the tree and walked into the grocery store. "Now what did Ukyo need?" He asked himself dully. "Flour and spices mostly I believe."

With a calculating mind he casually walked around the restaurant, grabbing whatever that it occurred to him Ukyo was short on. "This ought to do it." He said finally, walking over to the checkout counter with full arms piled high.

"My, that's quite a lot you're buying." A woman's voice said gently from in front of him.

"Who said that?" Krazer asked curiously, shifting himself so he could look sideways at the speaker. He settled his eyes onto a beautiful young woman of perhaps twenty years of age who had long silky brown hair and brown eyes. Her face was set into a position of eternal gentleness and her eyes were filled with joy. She gave a small gasp of surprise when she looked into his eyes.

"Is there something wrong?" Krazer asked curiously.

"No, nothing." She said with a sad smile. "For some reason seeing you made me think of someone that I cared for but lost long ago."

"Oh right, my eyes." He thought to himself. "The gift of my heritage and probably the biggest reason I won't be able to hide my identity for long."

He looked more carefully at the woman and blinked in surprise when he noted a magical aura surrounding her. It wasn't very powerful, but it was so in sync with her personality that its power could likely be magnified many times over.

"Here you are Miss Tendo." The elderly man behind the counter said with a smile. "Please have a good day."

"You too Mr. Shinto." She said delicately, removing the bags from the counter.

Krazer stared at her in shock. "Miss Tendo?" He asked. "Is your sister Akane?"

"Yes." She said mildly. "You know Akane?"

"No, not at all. I was just curious." He said lamely, walking over to the counter and setting his supplies on it.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself." She said in mild alarm. "My name is Kasumi Tendo; I am pleased to meet you."

"I am Krazer Mint." He said with a bow. "Please treat me well."

"Well Krazer, why don't you come over for dinner tonight?" Kasumi asked. "I'm sure that my family would be happy to meet you."

An aura of panic surrounded him, causing everyone in the store to blink in surprise and turn to him. Realizing that he was drawing attention he calmed himself down. "Sorry, but tonight isn't a good time." He said in embarrassment. "Another time perhaps. I'll be living in Ucchan's for three months or so."

"Oh, you're living with Ukyo, that's wonderful." Kasumi said brightly. "I always thought that girl must be lonely living by herself. Please make her happy."

An aura of confusion surrounded Krazer as he looked at her awkwardly. "I'll do my best." He supplied weakly.

"Have a good day Mr. Mint." Kasumi said before turning around and leaving through the door, leaving him staring after her.

"What an unusual family I've been charged with." He said to himself while shaking his head. "I hope my master was right about them."

***************************************************

With a grimace of something resembling pain Piccolo slowly made his way out of the theatre with a teenage girl hanging off of one of his arms. "Downright disgusting." He thought to himself bitterly.

"That movie was so romantic." Kayree said happily with wide eyes. "I especially like the part where they shared the twenty minute kiss on the beach."

Piccolo shook his head, trying to get the image out of his mind. "What was your favorite scene Mr. Piccolo?" She asked innocently, turning to him.

"The credits." Piccolo grunted.

"Yeah, the actors' names were so romantic." Kayree agreed. "I'm pretty sure they were French." Her face brightened and she let go of Piccolo's arm. "It's time for the parting kiss!" She exclaimed happily.

"Parting kiss?" Piccolo asked in growing apprehension.

"Of course silly, don't tell me you forgot." Kayree said, pouting. "You promised you'd kiss me on the cheek when our date was over." She turned her head to the side and pointed to one of her cheeks. "Right here." She said.

Piccolo could hear his heart beating like a drum in his chest as he stared at the cheek in question. He stood still for a long moment before a voice broke his hellish meditation.

"Your three hours have passed." Nabiki said coolly, stepping between them. "If you want to spend more time with my client you'll have to spend the money for a session tomorrow."

"Awww." Kayree said in disappointment, bowing her head. "Don't worry Piccolo!" She rebounded happily. "We'll have that kiss tomorrow!" With that she turned around and skipped down the street, humming to herself.

"Thanks Nabiki." Piccolo said in relief. "I have no idea how I would have dealt with that situation."

"There's no question of how you would have dealt with it Piccolo." Nabiki said calmly. "You would have kissed her; she did pay for it after all. But I should start charging more for physical intimacy." She added afterwards.

Piccolo frowned. "Give me one reason why I should put up with all this." He said threateningly.

"Your reasons will happen tonight." Nabiki said easily. "I'll begin teaching you how to control your magic and you'll get a chance to spar with Ranma. He's been quite eager for this chance unless I'm mistaken."

Piccolo nodded but the frown never left his face. "Fine, I guess that's how it will have to be." He said seriously, walking past her. "I'm going to your house."

Watching the retreating figure Nabiki felt her heart soften towards him. "He's honorable, regardless of anything else." She admitted to herself. "But still there's something about him that I can't quite put my finger on. Some aspect of his magic is still confusing to me. Or maybe I'm the one with the problem." She realized. "After all, I still don't know where that dark taint on my spirit came from." She shrugged. "Oh well, answers come with time."

Pulling out the folder that had been given to her by Mr. Jones she again began to leaf through its pages while she walked casually down the street towards her house.

***************************************

In a small dark room a circle of black glyphs glowed upon the ground. Standing before the circle was a feminine figure wearing robes who was chanting softly.

"Hello Kayree, how's it going?" A joyful female voice said while another dark figure entered the room.

The first figure started quickly before she sighed in relief. "Oh, it's only you." She said. "So what brings you here to my little project? Your turn isn't for a while after all."

"Do I need a reason to visit a team member?" The second girl said. "Actually I was just curious to see what you had planned for Akane."

"Oh." The first girl said with a shrug. She turned and again stared into the black circle. "It's a mental spell." She said finally. "I'm going to trap her mind and the minds of everyone around her. That way even if she herself is able to avoid it she'll have to find a way to save the others."

"Impressive." The second girl said approvingly. "So how do you intend to get her to the location of your trap?"

"That part I haven't figured out yet." Kayree admitted. "I don't have any kind of a relationship with Akane so I may have to resort to further trickery to manipulate her to where I need her to be."

"Leave that part to me." The second form said. "I already have a plan to get her there. And don't worry; I have no intention of interfering with your spell once it's underway."

"Really? I suppose that I will trust you then." The first form said. "Please don't disappoint me."

"Of course not." The second form responded delicately. "When have you ever been disappointed with my work?"

"Never, but don't make this the first time." She responded darkly.

With a bow and a nod the second form disappeared from the room leaving the first in quiet contemplation.

*****************************************

Piccolo shook his head, still trying to clear the horrible memory of the movie from his mind. "I can't believe that humans call something so inane and boring entertainment." He thought to himself. "I hope that the other girls foolish enough to pay Nabiki will bug me less so I can meditate."

He looked up sharply towards the Tendo dojo that was just now barely within sight. "Ranma's power just jumped a notch, maybe he's warming up." He thought to himself. Careful not to appear in a hurry Piccolo's walking pace more than doubled. Within a few moments he was already walking around the front of the house into the back where he saw Ranma practicing his forms. Gracefully Ranma leapt from one side of the spring to another and performed a variety of kicks and punches before landing.

"Very impressive Ranma." Piccolo said, the ends of his lips curving up. "But rather worthless now that you can fly."

"Not at all." Ranma disagreed with a shake of his head even as he continued with a variety of complicated kicks from where he was standing. "This particular set of forms focus on controlling the body as it moves through the air. That skill is made even more important by the ability to fly."

"So you're saying that practicing set moves over and over even after you've perfected them will continuously improve your fighting ability?" Piccolo asked incredulously. "Using those methods for training will only create patterns in your style that opponents can use against you."

"It's true for amateurs that set movements create patterns." Ranma admitted between kicks. "But my old man taught me a long time ago how to change set moves and combinations to be useful in all situations. It really creates a speed of thought that wouldn't be possible any other way."

"So the true purpose of your forms is to allow you to adapt even more quickly during fights." Piccolo said, smiling for the first time that day. "I suppose that's what I should have expected from you."

After another five minutes Ranma's movements abruptly stopped leaving him standing on the opposite end of the Tendo's property. "So where's Akane?" Piccolo asked. "I don't sense her within the house."

"She went out with a friend, Matsumi I think." Ranma said with a shrug. Looking back up at Piccolo his eyes focused and started to shimmer and he nodded slowly to which Piccolo nodded back. In unspoken agreement both of them settled back into relaxed stances with lowered guards that seemed almost lazy.

Without further comments both of them leapt through the air at each other.

***************************************

"A beautiful day isn't it Saotome?" Mr. Tendo said with a relaxed sigh as he moved one of his game pieces.

"Yes, indeed it is Tendo." Genma agreed with a cringe after he saw Mr. Tendo's move.

"Say Saotome, what's your thought on this Piccolo who's moved in with us?" Mr. Tendo asked curiously.

"Well it's hard to say." Genma thought with a frown. "He's definitely an excellent fighter but he doesn't use any kind of martial art that I recognize. He called it a natural style of fighting."

"Don't you think there's something else odd about him?" Soun said, now staring intensely at Genma's face. "Something odd about the way his energy feels?"

"Yes, I felt it too." Genma said. "There is definitely something odd about him but I can't put my finger on what."

A sound reminiscent of a sonic boom exploded from the back yard, causing both of the men to jump to their feet.

"What was that?!" Mr. Tendo yelled out.

"No idea Tendo, let's go find out!" Mr. Saotome yelled back. Both of them nodded to each other and ran into the back yard, stopping to stare in shock at what was taking place.

Floating above the small spring was a great blur of two people exchanging punches and kicks at a blind speed. Closer inspection showed that two people were Ranma and Piccolo and that every so often one of them would block a punch or kick thrown by the other resulting in an explosion like sound that had been heard earlier.

The two older men could only stare speechless as their fighting continued. "That training Ranma has gone through must have been very effective." Genma said quietly. "The boy might even be a match for the master now."

"Indeed Saotome." Mr. Tendo agreed.

*************************************

"So what did Ranma do after he found out that Ryouga was too tough to hurt?" Matsumi asked with wide eyes while walking along side Akane.

Akane now found herself chuckling at the now distant memory. "He used his father's technique, the Saotome Final Attack."

"Wow, what's that?" Matsumi asked excitedly.

Akane made a funny face. "It's where you run away until you can think of something else to do."

Matsumi started laughing so hard that tears came to her eyes. "That's all, that's the final attack?"

Akane shrugged and smiled a little. "Well, it worked." She continued. "He came back and won that fight by attacking the same place on Ryouga's body over and over again. He had a really tough time of it though; Ryouga had become a lot stronger."

Matsumi shook her head, still giggling uncontrollably. Looking up she gave a gasp of excitement. "Here it is, the café that I told you about!"

Looking up Akane saw a small but elaborate looking building with six large windows along the front that had a glass door with a large pouring coffee cup above it. Completing the look was a large sign that read Dunnery's Café in elaborate letters.

"Funny, I don't remember this being here." Akane thought to herself.

"It's owned by this cute little Italian family that moved here just a year ago." Matsumi said in response to Akane's confused expression. "They have the best coffee and tea I've ever tasted!"

Grabbing her arm Matsumi dragged Akane through the glass doors and into the restaurant. Moments later they were both sitting on ornate wooden chairs on opposite sides of a small wooden table sipping at coffee.

"I had no idea there were this many kinds of coffee." Akane said with a shake of her head. "There had to have been fifty kinds!"

Matsumi smiled and took another drink. "Maybe even more." She agreed. Her face became cunning and she slowly leaned across the table towards Akane. "So how's it going with Ranma?"

Akane shrugged and leaned back. "Alright I suppose. He asked me to marry him in three months from now."

"He what??!!" Matsumi shrieked, jumping to her feet. Instantly all other noise in the café stopped as the other customers turned to stare at the two now vary embarrassed girls. Matsumi whose face was now bright red quickly took a seat.

After everyone went back to their own business Matsumi eagerly turned back to Akane. "He asked you to marry him?" She asked in a high pitched voice.

"Well, yeah." Akane said blushing.

"What kind of ring did he present you with?" Matsumi asked with stars in her eyes. "Was it gold with all kinds of sparkly diamonds?"

"Uh, no." Akane said uncomfortably. "Actually he didn't have a ring."

"Oh, I see." Matsumi dead panned, sitting back in her chair. "Was there at least a romantic full moon showing?" She asked quietly.

Akane slowly shook her head. "I never saw a moon." She said quietly. "But then again the sky wasn't what I was looking at."

Matsumi cocked her head curiously to one side and gave Akane a curious glance. "Have you two even gone on a date yet?" She asked.

Akane stared into her coffee to avoid looking at her friend. "It really never came up." She said slowly. "We were both really busy this last year and couldn't see each other much and then all of a sudden our feelings came right out in the open. I don't really think we ever thought about going on a date."

Again Matsumi was leaning across the table. "Well you should go on at least one date before you marry him." She said dramatically. "Why don't you two go to a movie together?"

"A movie?" Akane asked skeptically. "Are there any good martial arts movies playing? I don't think Ranma would be interested in anything else."

"No silly, it's not about the movie, it's about you." Matsumi said condescendingly. "You take him to the mushiest and most boring movie you can possibly find and tell him that if he really loves you he'll stay awake through the entire thing. It's a test."

"Well I guess so." Akane said uncertainly. "Are there any movies out right now that are like that?"

"This new one just came out." Matsumi said triumphantly. "It's called 'A Dear and Sweet Romantic Sunset at the Beach'. Guaranteed to be the most romantic movie of the year. Critics raved about the hour long good-bye scene!"

"Uh right." Akane said awkwardly. "Maybe I should pass this time, I really don't want to be alone with Ranma through a movie like that."

"There's no need to be uncomfortable." Matsumi said soothingly. "Look, if it will make you feel better then I'll bring my boyfriend along and we can have a double date."

"You have a boyfriend?" Akane asked in surprise. "When did you meet him, what's his name?"

"I met him just a few days ago at Furinkan high." Matsumi said, clasping her hands together. "His name is Ryk. He acts like a tough guy but he's very sweet on the inside."

"Right." Akane said. "Well. I guess that I'll go with you. What day and time should we choose?"

"Tomorrow immediately after school." Matsumi said with a clenched fist. "We'll meet outside of the school gates."

"Well alright." Akane said uncomfortably. "I'll tell Ranma tonight."

"Would you two please quiet down?" A masculine voice said from behind Akane's back. "Regular conversational levels understood but your high pitched chattering is hardly something that I'm willing to tolerate."

Turning to look behind her Akane saw a man staring at her over the top of a lab-top with an expression of fixed annoyance. Small glasses rested at the end of his sharp nose and deep brown eyes rested under a mat of exceptionally well groomed black hair. Akane would have thought him rather cute if not for his facial expression which so perfectly combined smug arrogance with satisfied superiority that her skin crawled just by looking at him.

Opening her mouth for an angry retort Akane was surprised when Matsumi jumped from her seat and marched angrily past her to stand in front of the man.

"What do you mean by high pitch chattering?" She squealed in fury.

The man casually turned to stare up at her, his intense eyes meeting her own. "I believe that you just proved my point." He said with a frown. "Now would you please take your seat and talk at normal vocal levels as not to disturb the café's other patrons?"

Their battle of wills raged for several moments before Matsumi suddenly swung about and stomped back to her chair and took a hard seat.

Akane sat with her in an awkward silence until eventually the man behind her closed up his lab-top and left the café. Matsumi stood quickly to her feet and moved to leave after him.

"Wait, where are you going?" Akane asked in alarm while grabbing her friends arm.

Matsumi turned back to her, a sweet smile filling her childish face. "Nowhere important." She said all of her earlier anger washed away. "Remember Akane, tomorrow immediately after school." Breaking Akane's grip with a snap of her arm she casually walked out of the café and walked in the direction that the man had traveled moments earlier.

Akane stood still for a moment and stared after her. "I wonder what that was about." She said to herself with a shake of her head.

****************************************

Ranma and Piccolo continued to rapidly circle each other, now so high in the air that even the largest buildings below resembled toys settled on the ground. Piccolo paused for just a moment before launching into a full charge while extending his right hand as if it were a spear.

Ranma almost casually swatted the attack aside with his left arm and in the same motion turned the block into a punch which caught Piccolo in the side of the head. Before Ranma could retract his punch Piccolo grabbed his arm and drove his opposite fist directly into Ranma's stomach, doubling him over. Snarling in victory Piccolo quickly brought down his left arm as a fist towards the back of Ranma's head.

"Kamehameha!" Ranma yelled, releasing a blast of energy from the arm held by Piccolo which exploded right into his surprised face. Releasing his arm from the now loosened grip he sent a kick directly up into Piccolo's jaw, causing his entire body to jerk backwards.

A cocky smile filled Ranma's face as he watched Piccolo shake his rattled head and wipe the blood away from his lip. "Had enough Piccolo?" He asked good-naturedly.

Piccolo eyed Ranma with slight confusion evident in his eyes. "The Kamehameha Wave is Goku's favored technique." He thought to himself. "Has Goku trained with him at some point?" Noticing Ranma's arrogant smile Piccolo shook his head again. "There'll be time for those questions later."

"You forget who you're talking to Ranma." Piccolo said with an evil grin while conjuring a steaming kettle out of the air. "You are only human after all." Holding the kettle above his head Piccolo poured the hot water over himself, triggering the transformation that gave him a foot in height and enlarged the muscles covering his body. "Much better." He said in satisfaction as his high school uniform changed into his traditional garb. "My power is much improved in this form."

"Now maybe you will be a real challenge." Ranma said, his smile never leaving his face.

"We shall see." Piccolo said while the scratch on his chin healed up. In one smooth motion he flung the kettle aside where it disappeared into the air. He clenched his hands into claws and leaned back while snarling. An aura of energy exploded around him, causing the air to crackle with the sheer heat of its force.

Looking into Piccolo's eyes which were now shimmering intensely Ranma nodded. As if in response to the nod an aura of blue energy surrounded his own body, flaring in intensity to match Piccolo's.

A sound similar to a gunshot triggered the evaporation of the distance between the two warriors as they again met in the air.

************************************************

An hour later Piccolo and Ranma were left facing each other, each of them so torn and battered that they could barely hold themselves aloft.

"Not bad Ranma." Piccolo said, wiping blood from his forehead.

"I could say the same for you Piccolo." Ranma said with a smile, gingerly testing a large bruise on the side of his face. "I wasn't really planning on training this hard. Now it will be a few days before we can fight like that again."

"A few days?" Piccolo asked in contempt. "Is that how long it takes for humans to recover if left alone? Maybe you should ask Akane to heal your broken body so we can do this every day."

Ranma's face brightened up immediately. "Yeah, that's a great idea!" He leaned back and stretched for a moment before a pained look filled his face and he gingerly touched the side of his body. "I think you cracked a few of my rips." He said uncomfortably.

"I'd apologize but I don't see any reason for it." Piccolo said with a grunt. "Same time tomorrow Ranma?"

"Yeah, right." Ranma agreed. Looking back towards the ground his face filled with dread. "Man, I've got homework to do tonight. It's been so long I wonder how much I'll remember."

"At least you've gone to school before." Piccolo said with a frown. "As the king of Hell I don't have any kind of back round with schools except for destroying them."

"Right." Ranma said awkwardly. "Well I'll see you at the dojo."

In response Piccolo merely nodded. After giving him a sideways glance Ranma shrugged and then dropped towards the ground; moving so quickly as to seem a blur to those who were below.

Piccolo spent a moment looking after him before an evil smile crossed his face. "Ranma will prove to be an excellent training partner." He said to himself in satisfaction. His smile turned to a frown. "But tonight I will be practicing magic with Nabiki. I can only imagine what she will have in store for me." Waiting only to splash himself with cold water and to shift his clothing to fit his smaller size, he flew down after Ranma towards the Tendo dojo.

*******************************************

"I'm home!" Akane yelled while sliding open the door to her home. After removing her slippers off and setting them besides the door she walked over to the kitchen and glanced inside.

"Welcome home Akane." Kasumi said brightly. "Nabiki is already here, she arrived shortly before me."

"Did you go shopping Kasumi?" Akane asked with a smile, standing in the doorway.

"Yes, I picked up supper for tonight." Kasumi said with a smile. "And I met the most charming young gentleman."

"Who was that?" Akane asked.

"I think he said his name was Krazer Mint." Kasumi said, finely dicing a carrot.

"You met Krazer?" Akane asked in shock.

"Yes, he said he was living with Ukyo." Kasumi said pleasantly. "Do you know him?"

"Well yes." Akane said. "I met him earlier today when Ranma and I went to check up on Ukyo." Her voice became quiet. "Did he seem at all strange to you Kasumi?"

"Why no." Kasumi said in mild surprise while looking up at her younger sister. "He was about as normal as most of your friends."

"But didn't you pick up strange feelings while he was around." Akane persisted. "Or notice anything strange about his eyes?"

"Why yes, now that you mention it." Kasumi said thoughtfully. "When I looked into his eyes I couldn't help but think of our mother. I remembered her so clearly in my mind; her beautiful and joyful smile became so clear to me." She smiled gently. "I forgot to thank Mr. Mint for that; my memory of her had been fading since her death but because of him it has completely returned."

"Oh I see." Akane said in quiet surprise. "I suppose then that he's not someone I should worry about."

"Why ever would you worry about him Akane?" Kasumi asked curiously. "His is a gentle soul. Even though he's blessed with impressive magical abilities he's someone that I trust."

Akane nodded slowly. "Has Ranma arrived yet?" She asked after a few minutes had passed.

"No." Kasumi responded. "He left to train with Piccolo an hour ago."

Almost as if they had planned it out Ranma chose this moment to throw open the door to the house and walk inside. "I'm home!" He called out, his voice filled with pain.

Akane hurried to him, leaving Kasumi in the kitchen with a knowing smile on her face.

"What did you do to yourself Ranma?" Akane asked, staring at the gashes that were covering his body and the large bruise which took up half of his face.

"Training Akane." Ranma said, removing his slippers. "Piccolo is a lot tougher then I expected. He's already stronger then me. It's all I could do to even keep up with him."

"Here, let me help." Akane said firmly, quickly moving to his side. She closed her eyes and then gently settled one of her hands on his cheek and the other on his chest, not noticing the blushing that resulted. "Restore." She said quietly, forcing the image of an uninjured Ranma into her mind. She felt the magic flow out of her center and into him. When she opened her eyes a minute later she saw a completely healed Ranma staring at her in amazement.

"That was incredible Akane, I feel great." He said in astonishment, staring at her with excited blue eyes that caused her to blush slightly.

"Thank you Ranma." Akane said humbly. "But I'm not nearly as good at healing as Kasumi yet, I still have a long way to go."

Ranma shook his head. "If you say so Akane." He replied. "But considering that you haven't been doing magic for much more then a year I'd say you're doing great.

"He's right you know." Kasumi called from the kitchen. "You came into your powers unusually late. Both Nabiki and I started when we were nine years old. For how long you've had it your magic is really powerful."

"Well it's no surprise." Akane thought somewhat bitterly to herself. "Since my soul is just a copy of Maple's. That would explain how I've come along so quickly though."

"Oh, I almost forgot." She said loudly.

"What was that?" Ranma asked curiously, coming to his feet and testing out his body with a few stretches.

"Matsumi wants you and me to come with her and her boyfriend on a double date tomorrow." Akane said. "What do you think Ranma?"

Ranma opened his mouth to respond but before he could say anything both Genma and Soun were in the room.

"Of course he agrees Akane." Mr. Saotome said quickly. "When his fiancée asks him out on a date how could he refuse?"

Mr. Tendo held Akane's hands while crying. "My little girl is going on her first date." He said with joy. "Oh how I have waited for this day."

"Wait, I haven't even answered yet." Ranma said angrily. "What if I don't want to go?"

Akane's battle aura sprang up around her as her eyebrows started to twitch, causing the three men to take steps back in surprise.

"Of course I will go with you Akane." Ranma interrupted before she could speak

"Thank you Ranma." Akane said with a sweet smile, the aura disappearing instantly. "Meet me Matsumi and her boyfriend in front of the high school immediately after class." She turned around and walked up the stairs towards her room leaving the men staring after her.

"She's one heck of a fiancée Ranma." Mr. Saotome said critically. "You're going to have your hands full with that one."

Touching his hand to his previously bruised cheek in wonder Ranma could only nod in agreement.

"Did you have a good time fighting Piccolo Ranma?" Nabiki asked while walking down the stairs.

Ranma nodded. "Its excellent training, Piccolo is extremely strong."

"Extremely strong you say." Mr. Saotome said with an edge to his voice. "But not stronger then you right boy?"

"Hey, no one's stronger then me." Ranma said defensively. "But he is really good, probably one of the best I've ever faced"

"Anyways." Nabiki interjected. "It's good to see that you're enjoying one of the perks of our little deal."

"What deal was that Nabiki?" Mr. Tendo asked curiously.

"Mutual exchange." Piccolo said from the doorway. "The details aren't your business. Just know that I have no intention of hurting her."

"If I thought even for an instant that you might hurt her I never would have allowed you under this roof Mr. Piccolo." Mr. Tendo said seriously. "But I am a good judge of character and I think that even as harsh as you are you're someone I can trust."

"Anyhow boy." Genma said firmly turning to Ranma. "I think it's just about time that you filled your old man in on what's happened this past year. You've kept me waiting long enough."

"Yes Ranma, I would like to hear this too." Mr. Tendo jumped in.

Ranma looked back and forth between them, looking very much like he was trapped, before he finally sighed and nodded his head. "All right, I'll you what happened." He firmly took a seat on one end of the kitchen table.

Nabiki raised an eyebrow at Piccolo. "Is now a good time to begin our special training?" She asked in his mind.

Piccolo nodded uncaringly and together they walked up the stairs and entered Nabiki's room, leaving Ranma, Soun and Genma behind.

********************************************

Ranma's story began with what he was told by Mr. Popo of Goku and Piccolo's confrontation with Raditz and of the inevitability of the confrontation with the saiyajin invaders. He then told the entirety of the year's following events, failing only to mention his use of the forbidden techniques and of his and Akane's admission of love.

Genma and Soun stared at him blankly throughout almost the entirety of the story until finally Ranma sighed and leaned back, indicating that he was finished.

Mr. Tendo leaned forwards, a dour expression covering his face. "So Ranma," He began, "its true then that Akane has inherited her mother's magic?"

Ranma nodded slowly. "Yes it is." He said simply.

Mr. Tendo's face fell at the revelation. "I'm afraid that I am very tired." He said slowly while standing up. "I need to lie down for a while."

Both Genma and Ranma watched him go, the former with understanding and the second with confusion. Once they heard the door to his bedroom close Ranma looked curiously at his father. "What was that all about Pop's?" He asked.

It was at this point that Kasumi walked into the room carrying a large pot of steaming noodles. With a sad expression on her face she gently set the pot onto the table and then proceeded to bring out dishes and chopsticks for all of the residents of the house.

While Kasumi was working light flashed over Genma's glasses and he raised his head up so that he could look down at his son. "I can honestly say now that I'm proud of you Ranma. You've become stronger then I ever could have imagined. I suppose that now is the time to tell you a little of the family history of your fiancée. Maybe then you'll understand how your father in law feels."

When Ranma made no protest of his reference to Mr. Tendo Genma leaned forwards with a self satisfied smile. "Listen boy. Mr. Tendo knew when he married her that his new wife possessed a power that he did not understand. It was only when they lived together with her did he truly begin to see it for what it was. Gradually the connection between them became so great that they could feel each other's emotions and hear each other's thoughts. Mr. Tendo and I had gone our separate ways when we got married so what came next was only revealed to me through letters. His young wife became very sick, stricken by an illness of unknown origin. She died shortly after in the hospital, her last thought was a farewell that claimed it was because of the magic that she had to leave. Ever since that day Mr. Tendo was afraid that magic would appear in his own children, so that is why they did their best to hide it from him."

Ranma looked at his father with a combination of incredulousness and respect. "I had no idea that Akane's mother died like that." He said simply. "Heck, I only found out that Akane even had magic a few days ago."

"Akane has always been the most vulnerable of the three of us." Kasumi said sadly while standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "And her magic sprouted so late. Father had already given up hope on Nabiki and me not inheriting the magic but he always sensed that she was somehow different from us. He had hoped that the difference was because she did not have the magic. It's clear now that the difference is that she is much stronger then us." Kasumi smiled gently. "But unlike mother it is not Akane's purpose to die for the magic, but to live for it. With her powers she will help to save the world."

Genma frowned. "I see, I had no idea that all of this was so complicated." He looked at Ranma critically. "So boy, have you thought about how you'll raise your children yet?"

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked, taken back. He became angry, "Now just who would I have children with?!" He yelled across the table.

"You know what I mean Ranma." Genma said firmly. "Now sit back and consider what I have to say."

Ranma sat back hard on the floor. "I'll listen but I won't promise nothing." He said with a frown.

"Good." Genma said. "Now when you marry Akane everything indicates that your children will inherit both her magic and your talent in martial arts. So my question is how do you intend to raise the children, as users of magic or practitioners of the art?"

Ranma stared at him. "As martial artists of course." He said finally. "That's the whole point of this stupid engagement isn't it? To produce heirs to carry on the family school?"

"I'm afraid that it won't turn out like that Ranma." Kasumi said gently.

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked, turning to her.

"What I mean is that once the magic appears it will be there forever." Kasumi explained. "If you insist on training them only in martial arts and not at all in magic their powers will become unstable. They may end up destroying themselves or those around them."

Ranma's face became introspective and he stared at the pot of sizzling noodles in contemplation.

"You must find a way to train them in both arts boy." Genma said firmly.

"I'll think about it." Ranma murmured quietly.

******************************************

After leaving the dining room Nabiki and Piccolo walked up to her bedroom together and once inside closed the door.

"Where do we begin?" Piccolo asked looking around the room cautiously.

"Take a seat." Nabiki said, gesturing to the chair sitting in front of the study desk on one end of her room.

Piccolo looked at her for a moment trying to read her expression but her icy cool face did little to give him an indication of what she had in mind. Finally with a frustrated sigh he walked over to the offered seat and turned it around to face her before sitting in it.

Nabiki walked over to her bed and sat across from him. "I suppose the first thing I should do is find out how your personality combines with your powers." She said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Piccolo asked with a frown.

"Everyone has a base level of power that's determined primarily by talent that they're born with." Nabiki explained. "It is this power that cannot be changed no matter what that person does. However there are two primary ways to achieve effects beyond this base level of talent. One." She lifted the forefinger on her right hand. "A spell is used as a focus point for the power; the more specific the desired affect of the spell the greater the result from the magic placed into it. Thus learning a great number of spells is more useful then just trying to abstractly force things to happen. The latter is the beginners method of casting."

"So what you mentioned of personality must be the other method of enhancing one's power." Piccolo reasoned.

Nabiki nodded and lowered her hand. "That's right. Spells that are especially in-sync with the way you feel will be cast at levels beyond that of your base talent. It is because of this that Kasumi specializes in healing and defensive magic while I specialize in manipulative and secretive magic. With Akane it's hard to tell exactly where she falls but primal and violent magic seems to be her specialty."

"What about Mire, the mage that we met in the school?" Piccolo asked.

Nabiki paused and became silent for a moment. "I want to say evil or dark magic," She began, "but that is an extremely large category. For one person to have access to all of that as their specialty would mean that they would have to be talented beyond what humans can normally be."

Piccolo shook his head. "No, just more evil." He said firmly. "His mind was so drenched with dark thoughts and emotions that I'm not sure he's even capable of using magic that's not evil in someway."

Nabiki's face was thoughtful and she looked at Piccolo with respect. "I'm impressed." She said simply. "I think you might have figured it out. But for one being to be that evil." She shuddered. "I would have thought that only something from hell would have been capable of that, perhaps only the king himself."

Piccolo coughed awkwardly and looked away. "Thanks for the instructions in the basics," He said, "but let's get this magic lesson underway."

"Right." Nabiki agreed. "Like I said before, the first step will be to discover which category or categories of magic your personality matches the most closely." She pulled out of her desk a small ball composed of some crystal that seemed to be filled with the full spectrum of light.

Piccolo gave it a dubious look. "So what's this supposed to be?" He asked. "Are you going to read my future?"

Nabiki shook her head with a smile. "No, this is something that mother left behind. It serves as a spiritual mirror to whoever activates its magic." She held it out to him, and he took it cautiously.

"Now think of yourself. Your feelings. Your goals. Everything." Nabiki said slowly. "Think of them and the colors within the crystal will come to life."

Piccolo took a deep breath and stared into the center of the sphere. His thoughts began with the inherited memories of the original Piccolo and traveled to his intense desire to take revenge against Goku. His mind then traveled to his intense desire to become powerful and take the world by force, to become its master. This thought was interrupted by the new feelings that had appeared in his heart first for Gohan and now for Nabiki. Then his thoughts drifted to Piccolo Daimoa's as of yet unfulfilled promise, that when he was absorbed Piccolo would lose all of his old friendships and love to the evil heart of the true king of hell.

A gasp from Nabiki brought Piccolo out of his trance. Focusing his eyes on the crystal he saw that red light with small pieces of blue flared about the outside of the sphere of light. It was what was on the inside however which really caught his attention. Coexisting in the very center of the circle was a pure white light intertwined with a pure black light.

"What does this mean?" Piccolo asked with confusion, his gaze rising to meet Nabiki's wondering eyes.

"Your personality is part violent, part introspective, part loving and part hating." Nabiki said. "It's not unusual that a person would have both love and hate in their heart, but it normally just appears as a fuzzy grey area in the center. This is the first time I've ever seen the two so completely separated." Her eyes returned to the sphere. "I wonder what it means." She whispered.

They sat in silence for many moments more before finally Piccolo sat the crystal aside and stood up. "That's enough for one day." He said firmly.

"What do you mean?" Nabiki asked curiously. "I haven't taught you any spells yet."

"I just found out something new about myself." Piccolo said. "I need to meditate on what this means. We can start with the actual lesson tomorrow."

"Alright, we'll do it as you like." Nabiki said dismissively. She watched him as he walked to the door and left her room. A few moments after he closed the door behind him she lifted the crystal and settled it in her own lap. She spent a few moments staring into it and gradually the light inside began to flow and ebb so that it resembled a small pond composed entirely of flowing water. Blue and green light shifted carelessly about the pond, interrupted only on occasion by droplets of red. Flowing about the inside of the pond was a large grey stream of water. At the center of that stream black water could conspicuously be seen flowing along with the grey. Every so often tiny droplets of the grey water seemed almost to drop away into the depths of the black, disappearing.

Nabiki stared at the pond in horrid fascination before she finally tore herself away from it and again set it inside her desk. "What is wrong with me?" She asked herself silently, looking down at her hands. "And how can I stop it from getting worse?"

********************************************

The Tendo family and their guests awoke the next day to the first overcast sky since the series of incidents which took place in the last week. After eating breakfast with only a little exchange of words the four unenthusiastic students left the house and made their way for school.

Each of them seemed to have their own place in the group. Ranma as always casually strolled across the top of the fence. There was no evidence that anything was different then it ever was except for perhaps that his muscles had grown a little and he was even cockier then before. Piccolo trailed the group with a perpetual frown on his face and most of the time his arms were crossed. Nabiki airily led the four, almost as if speaking to her comrades was beneath her. Finally Akane walked in the middle with her head lowered towards the ground. On occasion she'd look up to greet a passerby or to look at Ranma but mostly she kept her thoughts and her gaze to herself.

"What is happening in this city?" Akane asked herself in silence. "Captain Ginyu's been destroyed and the alien invaders driven off. Who is left to cause so much trouble?"

Despite feeling so worried she found herself comforted by the confidence that the three who were surrounding her were showing in such a high quantity. "They'll be there for me, if I need them." She realized. Her face became determined. "But there's no way that I'm going to need them. I'm going to deal with this magical threat on my own."

Ranma curiously looked down at Akane. "Yo Akane, what're you thinking about?" He asked casually.

Akane turned her face up to Ranma's and looked into his eyes. His blue eyes met her brown ones with curiosity as he noticed the solid determination inherent there.

"Just thinking about that quiz today." Akane said finally, turning her gaze away from Ranma.

"Oh, right." Ranma said, turning his gaze back to the fence. "Something is definitely wrong with the way she's acting." He said to himself finally. "She's hiding something important, but why? Haven't I helped her so often in the past, can't she trust me?" Shaking his head in confusion, Ranma continued on his way.

************************************************

For some reason more then others this day at Furinkan passed more quickly then the others. Perhaps it was because Ranma continually found his mind wandering to the date with Akane at the end of the day. Another reason might have been the crawling feeling he had recently been getting in his gut. But regardless of what the source of the speed was, it wasn't until his last class of the day that a teacher noticed his day-dreaming.

Ranma slowly looked up after a piece of chalk bounced off his forehead to see an annoyed teacher staring at him from the front of the class.

"It would do you well Mr. Saotome if you got your sleeping done at home." He ordered in a stern voice. "Now please step into the hallway."

"Yeah yeah," Ranma said with a dismissive wave from his left hand as he stood up, bringing snickers from the others students and a deep frown from his teacher. In just a few minutes he was standing out in the hallway, casually holding a bucket of water in each hand while balancing one on his head.

The teacher gave him a triumphant smile. "Now don't spill a single drop Mr. Saotome, or it's detention."

Ranma nodded and in response the teacher returned to the classroom. "At least I don't have to listen to him talk out here." He thought to himself in relief.

He was standing in the hall for almost fifteen minutes before he could hear the footsteps of someone approaching. Looking to his right, he saw a relaxed teenager of approximately his height moving easily down the hallway.

"He has a back-round in some kind of martial art." Ranma thought to himself, appraising the graceful movements of the stranger. "He's not too bad, almost but not quite on Ukyo's level." Looking up to examine his face Ranma saw a handsome and pale visage with light blue eyes and topped with short but shaggy blue hair.

Ranma and the stranger eyed each other as he slowly walked by his position. Not to Ranma's surprise he stopped and turned fully to face him.

"You are Ranma Saotome." He said quietly, not as any kind of a question but as more of a statement.

Ranma shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, that's me." He agreed. "So who are you?"

The teenager stood quietly for what seemed like a long time, almost as if he were considering his answer. "Minder." He finally said.

There was another long pause. "Well, good to meet you Minder." Ranma said, breaking the silence. "So you practice martial arts?"

"I did once." Minder said. "But that was some time ago. Since then I've discovered an art that fit me far better. You could almost say that I was born for it."

"That's how I feel about myself with martial arts." Ranma agreed. "You have to find what suits you."

"We should try a competition some time Ranma." Minder said quietly. "My art against yours. What do you say?"

"Well I don't know." Ranma said uncertainly. "What kind of art do you have? I mean, if you're a painter or something we really couldn't compete could we?"

The teenager brought his right hand up to his hair and brushed it slowly as he thought. "So who is the better artist?" He asked. "The painter with his beautiful strokes or the martial artist with his powerful strikes? Perhaps that they both desire perfection is the only way the two can be compared. It is because we are so very different that I desire a competition with you Ranma Saotome. Your eyes are open. So as long as you keep looking you will see that of which I speak soon enough." With that final statement he finally continued walking down the hallway before he finally turned around the corner.

Ranma spent a moment staring after where he had left. "What was that all about?" He asked the empty hallway.

*****************************************

For Ranma the rest of the day seemed to pass fairly rapidly and almost before he knew it he was standing out in front of Furinkan high. Turning he saw Piccolo walking with crossed arms close to twenty feet away from him with a surly expression on his face.

"Hey Piccolo!" He called, waving to him.

Piccolo looked in his direction and frowned but still walked towards him.

"What is it Ranma?" He asked in a low voice.

"Up for some sparring tonight?" Ranma asked. "The old man can't keep up with me anymore and Ryouga's disappeared so you're the only one I can count on."

Piccolo paused a moment to consider. "Yes, of course Ranma." He said finally, a thin smile crossing his face. "But perhaps we should start practicing in the morning as well. Unless sleeping in has made you soft."

Ranma shook his head. "Not a chance. But I also practice with Akane in the morning. So as long as you don't mind joining us."

Piccolo shrugged. "Maybe she could teach me something about using magic to fight; Nabiki mentioned it was her specialty." His words turned into a cry of terror as a teenage girl ran up to him and grabbed one of his arms.

"Hello Mr. Piccolo!" She said happily. "I bought you for two hours tonight. How about going on a walk in the park?"

Giving Ranma one final look of desperation Piccolo allowed the girl to lead him away. Ranma stared after him sympathetically. "Man that looks familiar." He said to himself with a shake of his head.

"Having fond memories?" Nabiki asked from behind him.

Ranma turned with a start to see her standing almost six feet from him. "When did you get there?" He asked in surprise.

"Shortly after Piccolo's departure." Nabiki said, staring coolly after where her subject had just exited. "He's a goldmine you know." She added. "I'm bringing in quite a bit of money because of him."

"Yeah, at his expense." Ranma said with a snort. "Don't you ever get tired of extorting people Nabiki?"

Nabiki raised one of her eyebrows. "Whatever do you mean Ranma?" She asked innocently. "This is a business transaction. His going on dates in exchange for money is only part of the bargain."

"Well, it's not really my business." Ranma said with a shake of his head. "But don't push him alright? I know he seems like a nice enough guy but he has his share of secrets. I don't know if his old self is still in there but you don't want to make him angry."

"Don't worry Ranma, I am excellent at reading people." Nabiki said seriously. "And I am already well on my way to discovering just exactly who Piccolo is." She gave him an intense gaze. "Would you be willing to tell me what some of his secrets are?" She asked curiously.

Ranma smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid that they cost more then you can afford." He said simply.

Nabiki smiled back and nodded, conceding the point. "So tell me Ranma, how are you and Akane getting along?" She asked, changing the subject.

Ranma shrugged. "Well, you know how things are between us." He said.

Nabiki gave him a knowing look. "She was angry with you when the two of you first returned together but I've noticed that you two are acting differently towards each other now. You're constantly looking at each other with looks of wonder and sneaking glances across the room."

Ranma's face flushed slightly and he looked towards the ground. When he didn't say anything Nabiki asked, "So when's the wedding?"

Ranma gave her a surprised look. "Wedding, what do you mean?" He asked in shock, holding up his hands in front of him.

Nabiki gave him a triumphant look. "So you two are getting married, and I bet that you already have a date set too."

Ranma thought quickly, trying to think of a response but finally he just gave up and threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Yeah, in three months." He admitted. "We haven't told our parents yet because I'm not quite ready for the ruckus it will cause."

"But most of the fiancées already know." Nabiki probed. At Ranma's nod she thoughtfully rubbed the side of her head with her left hand. "That was probably a good decision." She said finally. "Tell them one on one rather then having to deal with them all at once. It will avoid confusion that way." She gave Ranma an appraising look. "It seems like you've actually learned something in the year you've been away." She said, mildly impressed. "And here I thought you'd come back an even dumber Karate jock then before, yet you already understand the basics of dividing your enemies."

Ranma shrugged. "It may have only been a year for you but for me it's been a lot longer." He said truthfully. "I may not even be completely the same person I was before."

Nabiki nodded slowly, staring at him before she finally turned away and again looked in the direction that Piccolo had left from.

"Well, I have business to take care of this afternoon." She said distractedly. "I'll see you around Ranma."

Walking quickly she disappeared around the corner of a building leaving Ranma looking after her in curiosity. "It couldn't be." He finally muttered to himself. "That's just impossible."

"Hey Ranma!" Akane called excitedly.

Turning Ranma said Akane approaching him with a bewitching smile. Standing on her right was her friend Matsumi; her brown hair charmingly braided and flung over one of her shoulders. Flanking Matsumi was an unusually tall teenager, almost six feet in height, who had white hair, grey eyes and a dour expression that seemed to suggest that something horrible was about to happen.

Ranma almost fell over when he saw Matsumi standing beside her date. Their auras were almost visibly clashing as her joyful I love the world personality created a sharp contrast with his don't get near me I bite hateful appearance. Even the condition of their uniforms showed just how different they were. Though Matsumi's uniform may have been clean that morning obviously the active running, playing and tripping over things that happened in the course of the day had taken their toll in the form of dirt and rips. His uniform however had the look of someone who either sat still in his desk or walked slowly being careful not to touch anybody all day. Needless to say Akane nodded understandingly when she saw Ranma's expression of surprise.

"Are you ready to go Ranma?" Akane asked with laughter in her eyes as she and her friends approached him.

Ranma and the other man eyed each other dubiously. "I don't like something about this guy." He thought to himself. "For some reason the air around him feels different, almost as though it were heavier."

The white haired teenager stared back at him, doubt also obvious in his eyes. "I'm pleased to meet you Ranma!" Matsumi said happily bowing deeply to him. "My name is Matsumi, I hope that we can be really good friends!" She paused awkwardly as she noticed that Ranma and her date were continuing with their staring contest. "Uh, this is Ryk." She said with a smile. "I know he looks serious but he's really gentle and sweet!" She grabbed his left arm and held it to accentuate her point.

Ryk grunted in response and looked away. "This guy really reminds me of somebody, but I can't put my finger on who." Ranma said thoughtfully to himself.

"Well, are you ready for the movie?" Akane asked, looking at the three of them appreciatively. "We don't have much time until it starts you know."

"Yeah, let's go." Ranma said.

"Yeeeaaahhhh!!! A movie!" Matsumi said excitedly. Holding tightly onto Ryk's arm she started to pull him off towards the theatre.

Ranma and Akane stared after them for a moment before Akane stepped up besides Ranma. "We should go if we want to catch up with them." She said softly, offering her hand.

Ranma stared at her for a moment with wide eyes before finally he smiled and took her hand in his. "You're right." He agreed. Walking quickly to catch up they made their way after Matsumi and Ryk.

****************************************

Time seemed to take forever for Ranma as he walked down the road, Akane's hand gently settled in his. But he couldn't help but feel that something about it was almost natural, as if this was the way it was supposed to be. He found himself thinking back to the times that he spent with her, and to his surprise it wasn't the exciting times when he fought for her that came back to him. Rather it was the gentle, slow times. He remembered when his legs had failed on the way back from Dr. Tofu's shortly after he first met her. Despite her rough demeanor she had shown herself to be in reality very gentle. He recalled also the Christmas celebration. Even though at first everyone was there and the chaos went as normal there was a brief interlude when he was alone with her and everything was absolutely perfect. Coming back to him now was every smile, every gentle gaze. He found it amazing that there had ever been a time when he would think her uncute.

He turned his head to look at her, and to his surprise found that she had already been looking at him. Instead of turning away when she was caught, however, Akane merely smiled gently, bringing a slight blush to Ranma's cheek.

It continued like this until they reached the theatre, finding Matsumi and Ryk standing outside waiting for them.

So how was the walk lovebirds?" Matsumi asked slyly, eyeing them.

Both Ranma and Akane blushed bright red. "It's not like that." Ranma and Akane sputtered together, inciting laughter from Matsumi.

"Of course not." She said dismissively with a wave of her hands. "Ryk and I had a good time, didn't we?" She asked the dour man, jumping to give him a peck on the cheek. "Well, come along then." She ordered Ranma and Akane, pulling Ryk inside.

Ranma and Akane quickly followed suite, pausing only for a moment to purchase tickets before they made their way to the large theatre room. Ranma paused outside to look distastefully at the name. "This is some kind of chick flick isn't it?" He asked, his voice dripping with boredom.

Akane nodded, a frown covering her face as she noted his expression. "Well, it may be a chick flick," she began, "but that doesn't mean that guys can't enjoy it too. You just have to appreciate your gentler side." On her final statement her voice took a sharp edge, causing Ranma to wince and then shrug.

"Alright, but don't be surprised if I do some meditating through the kissing scenes." He stated

Following Matsumi and Ryk the two of them entered the theatre and chose seats roughly in the middle. Only a few minutes later the movie began.

*****************************************

Not to Ranma's surprise he found himself almost immediately bored by the plot, if it could even be called that. All he got out of it was that some guy had to say goodbye to his girlfriend and was taking three hours to do it. His thoughts of how to escape were interrupted, however, when a dark chill settled on his spine.

Turning to Akane he saw that she was already looking at him in concern. She reached out and took his hand. "Do you feel that?" He heard in his mind.

Ranma blinked at her in surprise before returning an ominous "Yes."

"Where is it coming from?" Akane asked, her face looking confused. "I can't locate the source."

Ranma shook his head before relaxing his body and extending his senses to all around him. He carefully focused the ability to sense magic that he had gained from Goku when they performed the technique of Joining. After several minutes his gaze finally settled on the large screen.

"There it is." He told Akane silently, watching with intense concentration the beach kissing scene. "It's that screen."

Akane nodded in agreement, also carefully examining the screen. Both of them started in shock when Matsumi jumped to her feet. "I'm going to get some snacks." She announced. She then proceeded to pull Ryk up from his seat and to drag him along with her out of the screen room.

Ranma and Akane looked at each other curiously for a moment before they both shrugged, deciding that it was just as well.

"What kind of spell is it?" Ranma asked, trying to discern the nature of the magic by staring at the screen.

"I'm not exactly sure." Akane admitted. "But it's very dark, definitely some kind of black magic. It's a lot like what's been coming up the last few days."

Ranma was about to respond when he was mentally blinded sided by a powerful wave that emanated from the screen. Looking quickly up at where the attack had come from he saw only endless darkness.

"Akane, are you out there Akane?" He yelled, both with his voice and his mind. Not getting any response he paused again to further examine his surroundings. "This is exactly like the cleft that appeared between the minds of Goku and me." He thought out loud to himself. "But how could that be?"

He calmed himself and slowly extended his senses in all directions. "Dark magic." He whispered to himself. "Dark magic is attempting to trap me in my own mind. So that was the purpose of this spell. But how do I break it?"

Hearing a soft meow from behind him Ranma turned to see a small ethereal white cat approaching, its deep yellow eyes examining him carefully.

"The Neko-ken." Ranma said softly, dropping to his knees to gently pet the cat presence. "I remember when I used to hate you." He said softly to the little animal which started to purr to his touch. "I guess that it makes sense that you'd be in here too."

A thought occurred to him and he looked at the cat imploringly. "Do you know the way out?" He asked.

The cat looked up at him with large eyes that somehow seemed to express understanding and it slowly nodded.

"How?" Ranma asked, getting excited.

The cat lazily rolled onto its back, showing its pearly white belly. Growling in frustration Ranma began to rub it while the cat closed its eyes and purred contentedly.

"Enough already just tell me how to get out!" Ranma finally yelled at it. In response the cat opened its eyes and looked up at him as if he were an idiot. Lazily the cat gently scratched the air with one of its paws and nodded at Ranma, as if it were asking him to do the same.

"How is scratching going to help, there's nothing to put my hands on." Ranma said skeptically. But then a memory flashed back to him. He was standing still, powerlessly watching the powerful force known as Captain Ginyu pouring energy into an attack against the earth itself. He knew that he couldn't move fast enough to stop the attack. So he brought up both of his hands and somehow grabbed the space that was in front of him and ripped it open leaving a hole gaping in space.

Ranma looked at the cat. "Are you telling me that I can rip the fabric of this spell open with my own mind in order to escape?" He asked.

The cat looked up at him, a bored expression on its face. It was clear by looking at it that the solution he just mentioned was the most natural one in the world.

"Okay." Ranma said, concentrating energy into his hands. "I'm ready for it!"

****************************************

Akane came to herself in a beautiful grassy field overlooked by the sun shining brilliantly high in the sky. All around her flowers of her memory bloomed brilliantly with colors more splendid than anything on earth could muster.

"What is this place?" Akane asked herself cautiously, slowly surveying the scene around her. "What was it that brought me here? Was it that spell?"

The high pitch giggling of a little girl broke her concentration. Turning her head Akane saw a sweet looking six year girl with black hair running over the grass. Following her with her gaze Akane watched as the girl ran towards a small hill where a family was having a picnic. Struggling to see Akane could make out a total of five figures including the girl eating and laughing together.

"Something is wrong about this." Akane said to herself in warning. "Is that spell responsible for this? It must have been some kind of powerful teleportation spell to get me this far."

Frowning with her confusion Akane approached the picnicking family and watched the little girl sit down with them. "I know that I recognize this scene." She almost hissed to herself, "but I can't remember from where."

There was a click in her mind and a long following pause as everything seemed to shift and come into focus. It then became obvious to her why the black hair of the girl seemed so familiar. The features of the family almost shifted to show a kindly beautiful woman with long brown hair surrounded by three adorable little girls with a smiling man sitting next to here leaning up against the tree.

"That's me, mom, everyone." She said with a quivering voice, her eyes widening to twice their normal size. "But, but how?"

The woman looked up at Akane, her eyes showing surprise at the presence of the stranger. But the surprise didn't last long. She gently settled her hands on her lap and, raising her right handed, beckoned for Akane to join them.

"You want me to join you?" Akane whispered in surprise, her voice chocked by tears.

Nodding and smiling the woman again motioned for Akane to join them in their meal. Unable to hold back her sniffles Akane made walked slowly to the cloth where they were sitting and sat down with the family. With her mind filled with fog she accepted an apple offered by the woman and began to eat.

***********************************************

Upon grabbing the threads of the spell Ranma heard what sounded like a ripping sound that vibrated his soul. Gapingly he stared at the hole that appeared in front of him. Turning he looked carefully at the spiritual cat that was impatiently sitting next to him.

"Meow?" It asked in confusion, nodding towards the hole.

"This will lead out?" Ranma asked in confusion.

The cat looked at him as if his question wasn't even worth answering and again nodded towards the hole. Shrugging Ranma bent down to give the cat a quick pat on the head before jumping through the gap in the spell.

What seemed like only an instant later he found himself again sitting in the theatre in the exact same position he had been in before. Looking up at the screen he saw that it was now a confusing swirling mass of colors. The magic which before had been hidden now was clearly present to those were magic sensitive or even those who were not. Ranma paused for a moment to look around the theatre.

"At least one hundred people under." He thought to himself. He turned to look at Akane. Unlike the other people in the theatre she appeared to be struggling with herself against some unknown force.

"I have to help her." Ranma growled, putting his hand on her forehead. "Maybe if I connect our ki's I can form some kind of mental link."

"No Ranma. That is not the way that you should be helping her." Announced a voice from the entrance of the theater.

Looking towards the voice Ranma saw a man that was completely covered in white robes which were currently blowing dramatically in the breeze which had somehow entered the theater.

"Who are you, and what's with the pajamas?" Ranma asked incredulously from where he was standing.

"I am. The White Wizard!" The man announced before leaping into the air and floating down next to Akane. "I will help Miss Tendo Ranma." He said dramatically. "It is your task to destroy the screen that is creating the spell."

Ranma was about to question him when in the air he felt an aura of pure honesty. Looking closely at the robed figure he clearly picked up both the man's desire for expediency and desire to help.

"Well, I'll trust you." Ranma stated finally. "But if anything happens to Akane there won't be a place anywhere that will keep you safe."

"Understood Ranma." The man agreed. "It is my task as well to protect her. But you must do your part, please hurry."

Nodding Ranma watched only for a moment as the mage placed his hand upon Akane's forehead before he flew into the air and turned to face the myriad of colors which were now projecting themselves outwards from the screen.

"No need to overdo it." Ranma advised himself. "It wouldn't take much of a blast to bring this entire theater down on me."

Focusing energy into his hands Ranma released a baseball shaped sphere of blue energy which flew unerringly towards the screen. At the last instant however it flew off course to instead collide with the theatre wall, sending a large amount of dust and debris into the air along with causing a good deal many screams from the theater next door.

"What the hell?!" Ranma yelled, focusing his eyes onto where the energy had been knocked aside. It only took a moment for his eyes to settle onto a dark figure hovering in front of the screen; it was to his surprise that he hadn't seen this person before.

The person wore robes that could only be described as off black, more closely matching some shade of dark brown, and large tuffs of grey hair could be seen poking out from under the hood. Of the face only a slight outline could be made out but it was clearly a human male of some sort. On his right sleeve a white star with 13 points stood out from the dark colors of his robe. What was most impressive about him, however, was the intense aura that he was radiating. Even though it couldn't be seen by the eyes it could clearly be felt, and its strength seemed oppressive to Ranma.

"This guy's no Captain Ginyu." He hissed to himself. "His magical powers are much higher then Ginyu's; he's even stronger than Akane."

"Ranma Saotome." The figure said, his voice resembling a wheeze more then anything else. "I have seen you before. Impressive that you escaped my spell. You must be hiding no secrets from yourself; else your own mind would have destroyed you."

"Yeah something like that." Ranma stated. "Now who the hell are you?! What do you want with us?!"

"My name is Rykuyo." He stated, staring intently down at Ranma. "And the one I want is." He pointed down to where The White Wizard's hand was gently settled on Akane's head. "Her!"

"Soul burn!" He screeched, causing a column of black fire to cascade down towards Akane, swallowing up the light as it went.

"Damn!" Ranma yelled as he intercepted the fire in the air. "Mokou Takabisha!" He yelled, sending a blast of blue energy which met the fire in mid air. To his surprise the energy passed directly through the fire and out the other side as if it wasn't even there. An instant later the spell was on him.

Ranma screamed as the fire slammed into him. His entire body burned, it felt as though his skin was alive with pain. But the greatest agony took place within as he felt his mind and the very essence of his life catch the flame.

But the evil wizard didn't even have time to gloat. The Mokou Takabisha which passed harmlessly through his spell caught him head on. With a yelp of surprise he fell twenty feet to the ground in a cloud of smoke, landing on his knees.

Ranma didn't have time to register this, however. He struggled desperately to gather his mind to find the will to banish the fire from his soul but the pain was too great, his mind couldn't rally itself. Then a familiar voice echoed in his head. "Give a piece of that pain to me Ranma." The voice said firmly, and Ranma felt a link that was in his mind expand as his thoughts connected with someone else's. Not even taking the effort to consider who was talking to him, Ranma pushed half the pain through the connection. His thoughts resurfaced and he felt as though a great weight had been lifted.

"Rrraagggghhhh!" He yelled as he forcefully banished the pain with pure force of will. In an instant it was gone, and the fire vanished into the air. Breathing hard, Ranma slowly lowered himself to the theatre floor, carefully watching the smoking magician who was currently coming to his feet.

"Good Ranma." The mage wheezed. "Your mind is strong. Challenge me then."

"You've got it." Ranma said confidently, pausing only to shake some of the remaining fog out of his head. Exploring his mind he attempted to find the link which had been there before, but it seemed to have slipped out of sight. "That's something I can worry about later." He said to himself firmly. "I need to deal with this guy now. I can't afford to underestimate him."

*******************************************

Akane was only vaguely aware of laughing and talking with her mother and the rest of her family. She thought it was odd for a time that she was eating a picnic with her youthful self in attendance but after a time her progressively dulling senses failed to register even that oddity.

"So what do you think of Maple honey?" Her mother asked her gently.

"Maple?" Akane asked. "It tastes good I guess." She chuckled.

"No dear, I mean the wizard." Her mother said gently.

"The wizard?" Akane asked. "I remember. His hair and eyes are the color of maple syrup; it's where he gets the name. He's nice."

"Nice?" Her mother asked in surprise. "But he made me die Akane."

"What do you mean?" Akane asked in confusion. "He didn't kill you did he?"

"No, not directly." She responded. "But he knew that when I took my powers that I would be killed. So he's responsible."

"Oh, that's horrible." Akane said; sadness and anger welling up inside her. "How could he do such a thing? He must be a monster."

"And what of you dear Akane?" Her mother said softly. "He gave his soul to you didn't he? You're not even an original person, just a copy of him."

"I'm not real." Akane said, tears forming again in her eyes.

"Don't worry Akane, I still love you." Her mother said softly, pulling Akane close to her and cradling her face on her shoulder while she cried.

Something about the scent of her mother's soft brown hair was comforting to Akane. To try to counter the deep despair welling up inside her she pulled her mother closer. But it didn't work, somehow the closer she pulled the woman who seemed to be her mother the deeper the internal darkness became. "What is happening here?" She said to herself between sobs. "I don't understand."

"Be quiet little one." The woman said gently, humming softly while cradling Akane. "Everything will be alright soon enough. You'll be at peace."

But in an instant a stab of light pierced the fog of Akane's mind in the form of a voice. "She's not your mother Akane!" It yelled out.

"What?" Akane asked, leaning back and breaking the grip of the woman.

"Don't you remember you met your mother before in the world of the dead?" The voice asked. "This woman is a figment of your imagination. She's the product of a spell with the purpose of destroying you by using your memory that creates the most weakness."

With those words it felt like a veil had been lifted. Turning to survey the scene Akane found that the only one that she could clearly recognize was her mother. In the place of the rest of her family were only foggy, indiscriminate pictures. They lacked the details and reality of presence in such a way that could be expected from the memories of a child.

"What can I do?" Akane asked, taking a step back in horror.

At that question a flare of white energy appeared in front of here and from this energy materialized the form of the White Wizard. With a flick of his hand and a silent word the grassy landscape and images from long past vanished into an inky darkness.

"Did you break the spell?" Akane asked in awe, looking around at her surroundings.

"No, the creator of this spell is too clever for that." He answered. "Your mind is trapped because of your self doubt. If I were to remove it now then the memories that the spell has bonded with would be ripped out."

"Then how can it be removed?" Akane asked staring at him.

"There are three ways." The White Wizard explained. "The spell can be removed if its source is destroyed, if you become completely at peace with yourself, or if your magical capacity surpasses that of the caster and you remove it yourself."

Akane stood quiet for a moment and mulled over her options. "While I'm trapped in here it would be impossible for me to influence the outside world," She thought, "so the first option is out. I don't have nearly the time I need to come to grips with my past. That leaves using strength and overwhelming the power of the spell."

The White Wizard nodded as if he already knew her choice. "That really is the only option available to you." He stated. "But I should warn you that when you try to remove the spell your mind is going to come into direct conflict with that of the caster. Unless your intelligence is agile enough you won't stand a chance."

Akane looked at him, her eyes shimmering in determination. "I'll do it." She stated. "Just show me where to start."

He shook his head. "I'd love to help you Akane but this is your mind." He said. "But I can tell you that right now you are much too weak to resist the effects of the spell. First you need to increase your power and then you need to cast a spell that will gate your mind to the physical world. Once this is accomplished you will find the entrapment directly on your path. It is here that you will confront the mind of your opponent." A look of concern crossed his face and he looked over Akane's shoulder as if looking for something. "It's time to go." He said dramatically. "There are those in the physical world who need my help!"

"Wait, who are you?" Akane asked, grabbing his arm. "Why are you helping me?"

"You'll understand when the time is right Akane." He explained with a flourish. "If I give away my identity too early then you'll just be disappointed. I need to hold out as long as I can."

With that last statement a feeling of peace swept out from him, catching Akane off guard. All at once she sighed as her body relaxed. Dissipating into a cloud of white mist the mysterious wizard disappeared and she felt his presence leave her mind.

*********************************************

"Ripping!" The mage rasped while pointing at Ranma. At his command two dark spectral hands visible only because of the light of the screen began to tear through the air at a blinding speed.

Flying cleanly over them Ranma swung each of his hands in an arc sending twin black blades hurtling towards the evil wizard. Before making contact the mage disappeared and the blades sliced through the ground at the foot of the theater.

"Where did he go?" Ranma asked, intensely turning in circles.

"Flaring!" The voice yelled. All at once a ball of energy materialized in front of Ranma which resembled molten lava boiling in the air. He barely turned away fast enough to avoid being blinded by the intense light but even with his eyes closed it felt as though he were staring at the sun.

"Shit!" He yelled, barely dodging out of the way of the ball. Flying rapidly he quickly maneuvered around, barely keeping ahead of the energy. In the back of his mind he noticed that the screams from the rest of the theater had died down as the people were already making quick their escape. However down below him the crowd was still sleeping peacefully, undisturbed by the raging inferno floating above their heads.

"Aren't you capable of more?" The mage asked in a low growl. "My expectations were set much higher."

Ranma flew quickly so that he was hovering directly in front of the mage. Unable to see him but knowing that he was there Ranma turned to face him with a cocky smile.

"I'd hate to disappoint you." He said while the ball of flare approached from behind. Dodging aside quickly Ranma's eyebrows rose in surprise as he saw the spell veer off only inches from the face of his opponent to again follow him.

"You underestimate me." The mage said in annoyance, turning to face Ranma.

Ranma smiled and lowered his head to the ball of conflagration which separated him and the sorcerer. "Not this time." He whispered. Bringing his hands together to create a triangle he brought them in front of his forehead and slowed down, allowing the energy to approach.

"Curious." The mage said in a low voice, not moving from his position.

"I haven't mastered this technique yet." Ranma thought to himself in determination. "Heck, I haven't even tried it before. Yet I have to make it work." Gritting his teeth he gathered the light of the approaching attack and then forced it out in front of him.

"Solar Flare!" He yelled. At his command a burst of light resembled a beam exploded outwards from the flare, catching the wizard head on.

The blast of light was so intense that it burnt the mage's robes black and made a crackling sound as his flesh seared, throwing him out of the air to where he landed on his knees on the ground. Barely in time to dodge the spell Ranma dropped out of the air; a few locks of hair burned off the top of his head. Lightly rubbing his eyes he slowly floated towards the ground, landing next to the man who was kneeling on the ground in a half fetal position. Without the concentration of its caster the spell above dissipated in a brilliant display of fireworks.

"Not as tough as you thought huh?" Ranma asked, breathing hard. "Maybe now you'll think twice before you crash a movie that I was watching." He reached down and forcefully picked the man up by the collar of his robes. "Now how about some answers." He said, staring at his blistered face.

A soft wheeze resembling a laugh came from the form as a dark shadow cast across his face. "Not you underestimating me but me underestimating you." He said ponderingly. "But now my mistake is yours."

"What do you mean by that?" Ranma asked incredulously, staring at the darkened face. Only then did Ranma notice that below his line of vision the hands of the wizard had been working furiously.

"What the." He said, dropping the man as if he were diseased. Jumping backwards he saw a pentagram alight on the ground on the exact place that he had been just standing.

"Not strong enough." The wizard warned before he disappeared in a cloud of grey smoke leaving Ranma alone.

"What does he mean, not strong enough?" Ranma asked, staring at the black circle alight on the ground. It wasn't long before a loud roar crashed like an ocean wave over the theater auditorium. "Oh." He said simply.

*****************************************

Thanks go out to Ranko. I appreciate your help as always! Also thanks to The Eternal Wanderer. May you one day find your place.