A legend reborn

by Trugeta

Falling into a unique pool at Jusenkyo bestowed upon one Ranma Saotome the fate to master one of the most terrible powers there are. Watch as he becomes the first Legendary Super Saiyan ever in control of his powers.

14. Never steal a Saiyans' mate

Title: A Legend reborn

Author name: Trugeta

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Akira Toriyama and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarks mentioned in this story.

This story takes place after Movie 10 of Dragonball Z and at the beginning of the Ranma series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

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Chapter 12: Never steal a Saiyans' mate...

Baffled faces were Gohan's only answer for about ten seconds. Then pandemonium seemed to erupt.

"You know kami?" Akane.

"There is a kami?" Nabiki.

"Oh my." Kasumi.

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me!" Ranma.

Gohan looked amused. "I assure you I'm not. And yes, there is a kami, and I know him. In fact, Piccolo here is his predecessor."

Four sets of eyes locked upon Piccolo in total disbelief, and the tall Namekian got annoyed. "Will you stop staring already!" he growled, baring his teeth.

Ranma and the girls looked sheepish, Gohan grinned and Vegeta snorted. The latter wanted to get a move on so that he could learn more about the new Saiyan. "Cut the nonsense already. You can continue your mindless ramblings at the lookout." the Saiyan prince stated and floated upwards, his arms crossed across his chest.

Piccolo grabbed Gohan's arm wordlessly. "Touch Ranma and the rest of you get a hold." he grumbled.

"You haven't, have you? You have mastered the Instant Transmission technique? Cool!" exclaimed Gohan.

Piccolo and Vegeta growled, even if for different reasons; the Nameks' growl was one of affirmation while Vegeta's was clearly one of annoyance. The Saiyan Prince would never admit it, but he longed to learn Kakkarotts technique. However, it was beneath him to admit such, and thus he maintained his annoyed mask. But he'd figure it out yet. If the Namek could do it, then it should pose no problem to the mighty Prince of all Saiyans.

In the next minute everyone did as Piccolo had ordered, and the gruff Namek teleported them all straight to the lookout.

-.-

Ranma and the three Tendo girls looked around in wonderment upon their arrival; they'd just been teleported, just like in a sci-fi series! That was something especially Ranma wanted to learn at any rate, and it was also something that managed to overcome even the calmness one Nabiki Tendo had acquired over the years, which had given her the nickname Ice-queen. Right now the ice had melted, and she, just like her sisters, stared around in wonderment, while the present Z-fighters, minus Vegeta, shared amused looks.

Nabiki, just like Ranma, analysed the situation. They'd just reappeared on something that looked like a platform, and from her estimation it had to be pretty high up. Akane and Kasumi had arrived at the same conclusion, obviously; the three sisters and Ranma were just about to investigate, when a calm voice spoke up from behind them.

"We're indeed pretty high up, Nabiki, Akane, Kasumi and Ranma. One could say it gives one a godly overview." Dende said, hiding a snicker.

Piccolo, who stood in the background like usually, scoffed. "What did I tell you about acting like a proper kami, kid?" he asked gruffly.

"Aww Piccolo, lighten up. You can't always be so stiff and formal. This is the 21st century, for cryin' out loud, so have some fun!" Dende countered.

"Oh no!" another voice exclaimed, which turned out to belong to a black skinned small man, "He's being addicted to Pepsi again!"

Instantly all members of the Z-Gang groaned. "Not again!" exclaimed especially Gohan, vividly remembering the last time, although it seemed to have happened in another life-time.

"Kid, what did I tell you last time?" growled Piccolo. "No more Pepsi for you or I'd evaluate you so badly that your green butt would be black by the end? Ring any bells?"

"So sue me. No, better, teleport to the Tendo home and get Ranma's father seeing as he isn't working, in contrast to Soun Tendo, then extend my invitation to Videl. They should be present for our meeting." Dende said, adding his authority as a kami of the Earth to his voice.

Piccolo growled, but obliged anyway; he'd remind the little upstart god who the more experienced Namek was later.

Ranma on his part was impressed; this little green man really seemed to have something that could be called godly powers. Not bad. One look at the Tendo sisters told him that they were as impressed at the display as he was.

"Wow," Akane said as if on cue, "he's really kami! I could feel it!"

"Me too." stated Nabiki, who'd never really believed in such things; but it seemed she should…

"Me three." said Kasumi, touching her cross. "Kami," she then gently said, "if I may ask that, are you God? The God?"

Dende smiled. "No, I'm not the God. There're entities that are higher up the ladder than I am, so to speak. Me, I'm simply the guardian of this planet; as such I have godlike powers within my limited sphere of influence, but I don't see myself as a god. I'm just Dende."

"Nice to meet you, Dende-sama." Kasumi said with a smile, and Nabiki, Ranma and Akane greeted the little green god in a similar fashion.

"If you aren't careful his ego will inflate all the way to the moon." Gohan warned in jest.

"Hey," Dende exclaimed indignantly, "everyone needs their nookies. And now I believe you've to tend to your girlfriend." he said with a mysterious smile.

While Vegeta scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest in his classic 'you're all beneath me' posture Piccolo reappeared indeed, and he had Genma Saotome and Videl Satan in tow.

"Good," Dende said, "the tea party can begin."

-.-

One exchange of life-stories later everyone was looking strangely at the Saotome patriarch, courtesy of his training methods. Well, that was nothing unexpected, but the fact that Genma Saotome ignored it completely was. This was easily explained however, and caused by the phenomenon that his mental capacity was currently busy with remembering one of the many deals he had made in the past. Which was no easy task at any rate...

"Satan… Satan…" he mumbled, "the name rings some bells…" then he snapped his fingers. "Ah yes, I remember now! I made an agreement with your father, girl. Ranma," he turned towards his son with a smirk, "meet your fiancée, Videl Satan."

"WHAT!" everyone exclaimed, and Gohan had involuntarily powered up into Super Saiyan mode, which caused Genma to edge away slowly.

Piccolo smirked, however. That was a perfect opportunity. 'Ranma, whatever happens, pretend to take up the engagement. Just go along with it and feign acceptance.' he sent telepathically.

Ranma looked around astonished, until he'd identified the voice in his mind. 'Huh? Is that you, Piccolo?'

'You're quick on the uptake, kid. I know I'm asking a lot from you, but this is a perfect way to get Gohan out of his shell. The kid loves Videl, and if he has to fight for her it will most probably spur his competitiveness. Gohan has been wasting his powers for years, and he needs an incentive to become a true warrior. If he has enough of a Saiyan left in him he will fight for Videl. That he has powered up is promising.' Piccolo explained.

'Yes,' another voice added, 'I don't know what will be coming for Earth, but something is, and I have got a bad feeling about it, Ranma. We need every strong warrior we can get, and the stronger, the better. You'd profit from that too, as you could learn a lot from a Gohan at full power. After all, he was the one who slew Cell. Will you help us to awaken the warrior in Gohan again?' Dende asked telepathically.

Ranma nodded imperceptibly, not very surprised that this powerful young man had killed Cell. "Pops, whadda hell do you mean? Our family has an agreement with the Tendos, and I'd like to see that through. Both Kasumi and Nabiki are much to my liking, so what the fuck is the meaning of this?" he asked in an icy-cold voice, starting out slowly so as not to blow the chance to make Gohan a friend afterwards.

Everyone (except Vegeta, who couldn't care less) trained their eyes on Genma, and the portly man sweated in face of so many hostile stares. But if what he'd recently heard about the idiotic father of Videl was true, then they'd be set for life should the boy marry Videl. The idiot Hercule was practically swimming in money, and he'd do everything to get some of the cake. "Boy, Videl's father and I made an agreement many years ago. Hercule Satan, her father, saw what a fine young man you were; him being a great martial artist, he saw your potential in the Art immediately, and thus we engaged you two. It's a matter of family honour, boy, and you must see this through. You must marry a Tendo, but you must also marry Videl."

"Will father ever like that." Nabiki muttered with a growl, and Kasumi nodded angrily.

In fact, the eldest of the Tendo sisters was beyond angry. No one dared to steal her Ranma without some serious consequences! 'No more nice Kasumi, Saotome-baka!' were the angry thoughts of an oldest Tendo daughter who schemed how to best get back at Genma. At this moment Kasumi left the path of the docile housewife forever, and unbeknownst to him the Saotome patriarch had been the final catalyst.

Gohan on his part locked his teal eyes on Genma with a look of utter loathing, something seldom seen before on his face. "Over my dead body, jackass." he growled.

Vegeta smirked imperceptibly as he sensed a change in Gohan's attitude. The brat was showing Saiyan spirit, finally; hopefully he'd blow his top, so that he could see if what he'd observed of Ranma held true. A fight between those two was bound to get very interesting, and considering Gohans' awakened instincts very likely.

Ranma surveyed his father. "Is that your last word, oyaji?"

"Yes." Genma said with finality, crossing his arms across his chest.

"You heard the man." Ranma said towards Videl with a sigh. "It's a matter of family honour, thus I must obey the head of clan. And that's my father. Which means I'll have to marry you." he said, following Piccolos' plan to a t.

"Gohan, you're not going to let that guy steal my freedom, are you?" Videl asked with an annoyed look. This was not going her way, not at all. Gohan had finally admitted his love to her, and now some jackass and his son were trying to destroy their love? No way!

Ranma sighed as Gohan locked his eyes upon him. His father had done it once more, he'd made a potential friend into a rival, at least for the moment; but at least things were going the way Piccolo and Dende wanted, even if he, Ranma, would probably pay for it. And Gohan's answer was predictable. "Not... A... Chance... In... Hell!" he growled, his protectiveness for his mate coming to the fore full force.

Piccolo hid a smirk at seeing proof that his assessment of how Gohan would react had been correct; the want to protect his mate from competition had sprung up in him, and it was soaring sky-high! It looked as if Gohan was positively ready to wring Ranma's neck, completely forgetting that Genma was the one responsible for this mess.

But that was easily explained: the other strong Saiyan male had been perceived as a threat to his mate, and it seemed as if Gohan's Saiyan side was finally coming forth, and that full force; all that only due to the fact that this Genma was threatening to take Videl away from Gohan via a legitimate claim so that she could become Ranma's mate. Piccolo found the mating concepts of humans and Saiyans utterly fascinating, even if revolting. And they were so easy to exploit.

Vegeta noticed it too, of course; Gohan was in full 'protect-the-mate-at-all-costs' mode, and the Saiyan Prince would not be surprised if Kakkarott's first spawn would act like a Saiyan and attempt to eliminate the competition. That he had already transformed proved that he considered this Videl girl as his mate. Yes, he could see it in Gohan's eyes; even though Ranma was not at fault he was considered as dangerous competition anyway. The Saiyan Prince grinned in anticipation of a good fight; if only he could get some popcorn. 'Damn my brat for getting me addicted to this human stuff…' Vegeta chided himself as he clamped down on this weak craving.

Akane, Nabiki and Kasumi on their parts watched with trepidation how the facial expression of the former happy-go-lucky Gohan changed into an angry scowl; the middle Tendo daughter scowled too, and even Kasumi looked utterly displeased; but their ire was not directed at Gohan, for he was not to blame. No, their ire was solely directed at Genma Saotome and his deals. But sadly it seemed that none other than Ranma always had to clean up his fathers' messes. And it looked as if this would turn into one hell of a mess…

-.-

Genma Saotome on his part was utterly satisfied and congratulated himself for remembering the agreement he'd made with that oaf Hercule Satan. Now he only had to get the boy to act on the agreement, and they'd both be set for life.

What Genma failed to consider, as usual, was the impossible situation he had conjured up for Ranma; it was obvious by far that Videl would never accept the engagement, and that she loved Gohan. But seeing that Genma was blinded by the opportunity to get his hands on loads of money he had put this out of his mind.

Thus the Saotome patriarch was completely oblivious to the baleful glares of the others as he basked in the knowledge that a case of sudden liquidity would soon be his; and considering the wealth Hercule Satan had apparently acquired it made the agreement they'd made nearly twelve years ago that much sweeter.

Besides, there was still a possibility to fulfill both agreements; Ranma could have his year if he implicitly wanted, and when the expiration of the deadline had arrived he could choose any of the three daughters of Soun to fulfill the Tendo-Saotome agreement, which took precedence anyway. This Videl girl could then be his mistress.

'Yes,' Genma thought with a wicked grin, 'should No-chan ever find us I'm sure she'll verily approve of this. Knowing her crazy concepts of manliness it's a given that she'll be nuts over it. One girl more to give her grandchildren. Heh heh.'

Not caring about the animosity in the air Genma continued to scheme, already picturing all the riches he'd be able to afford with the money his son would make for him.

-.-

Said son was at present locked in a battle of glares, even though he wasn't responsible for the deterioration of the situation at all; but he would be damned if he'd back out of a battle of wills, even though his unthinking father was the sole reason for said battle.

Gohan's jealousy had obviously flared higher than Kermit on a sugar high could jump, as the growl from deep within his throat proved, and honestly, he could not fault the other young man. Videl was quite a looker, expressive face that showed that this was a girl who knew what she wanted, soulful blue eyes and a very hot body. Yes, if someone came along and tried to snatch her away if she was his he'd blow his top too.

That was just what Gohan finally did. His reawakened Saiyan side, which had remained dormant ever since the end of the Cell Games, was nearly completely controlling the young man's actions. Gohan had however retained enough of his human side to refrain from going into SSJ2 mode; the combination that had just formed from the two till then separated sides of Gohan had deemed Super Saiyan level 1 sufficient to trounce this danger to his mate but good.

What Gohan didn't know was just how close Ranma was to achieving the status of a Super Saiyan himself; at the end of his fight with Vegeta he had unconsciously been only a hairsbreadth away from it…

Not knowing or caring the first blows were traded even though the Tendo girls tried to stop the escalation, and Gohan was surprised that Ranma was able to keep up with him despite his Super Saiyan status. Gohan pulled everything in his book, every hand-to-hand move his vast knowledge provided, but Ranma's defence was airtight. As Ranma continued to block and weave around the blows the bystanders who could sense changes in powerlevels noticed that Ranma's powerlevel was constantly climbing, and the young Saiyan was moving ever faster.

Soon he had Gohan in the defence and raked at him with gunfire thanks to the wide array of moves he could choose from; he used a left front snap kick which Gohan blocked and landed in a left front stance. His left low block deflected the counter-kick, and Ranma countered with a right reverse punch.

Gohan blocked with a double-armed block and growled. This was already taking too long for his liking; raising his power-level he shot forward and due to his now greater speed his bicycle-kick managed to get through; it sent Ranma flying backwards through Dende's house, and the Tendo sisters gasped in shock.

Dende on his part waved that away. "The damage to my quarters is irrelevant, that can be repaired with ease; as for your worries, Ranma in unharmed."

The three girls eyed him sceptically until Ranma emerged from the partially destroyed building, dusting himself off. Sighing with relief Nabiki turned towards Videl. "Is there a specific reason that you siced your boyfriend on my Ranma?" she asked with an icy-cold glare.

"Yeah, why did you do that to my Ranma?" added Kasumi.

Videl, who was standing a few feet away beside Piccolo, glared right back. "What would you have done in my place? Gohan has admitted that he loves me not a month ago, and it took him long enough; then some jerk comes along and claims that I am to wed his son! So what?" she asked angrily while Gohan and Ranma kept exchanging blows.

Nabiki reined her temper in, keeping her practised ice-queen-mask in place. "That does not explain why you said, and I quote 'Gohan, you're not going to let that guy steal my freedom, are you?' to your boyfriend. You referred to Ranma, who's the lest to blame. If anyone is to blame then it's his irresponsible and thoughtless father!"

"What she said!" Akane exclaimed, giving Genma the evil eye.

"Too true." Kasumi agreed, adding a glare.

"Hey! I'm just looking out for the boy!" Genma exclaimed, only to shrink back from the several heated glares that were sent his way.

"That may very well be, but I was just so angry! Gohan and I have gotten very close lately, and when this guy threatened what we've achieved I saw red." Videl said with a tinge of regret.

Nabiki nodded. "I see. But consider that this whole situation is not Ranma's fault; yet he is paying for something his father did. In consequence I'll both hold you, Genma, and your boyfriend accountable for any damage to my Ranma. I can't stand it what your unthinking acts did and still do to Ranma, Genma Saotome, and if you think that this is over then you're dead wrong." she said with a venomous glare.

Genma shrank back from the glare. "But I didn't do anything! I just happened to meet this Hercule Satan twelve years ago, and we made an agreement. So what?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Are you daft? The honour pact you made with our father, which was lately renewed by Ranma, takes precedence! Pacta sunt servanda, ever heard of that? Obviously not! Pray that this engagement will be resolved, or you will spend the rest of your worthless life in a zoo after I've mopped you up in court! Have I made myself clear?" asked Nabiki icily.

Genma gulped, and Videl asked herself what her father had thought when he'd made this agreement with this… this man. His behaviour was revolting, period. "I'll do everything in my power that you won't become my father-in-law, agreement or not." Videl growled.

"As amusing as this is," Vegeta butted in, "I'd like to watch this fight. So shut your traps, onnas!" he growled.

Nabiki and her sisters were taken aback. "What's with the attitude?" Nabiki asked Videl, who seemed to know this man.

"You don't want to cross him. Vegeta has the power to back up his attitude, and you never want to get on his bad side. In former times he blew up planets for fun, and this is no joke." Videl said.

Nabiki and her sisters swallowed collectively and shut their traps, much to Vegeta's silent amusement. A smirk crept on his face as this confirmation that he still had it in him; he continued to watch what looked to turn into a promising fight with a grin.

-.-

The fight between Ranma and Gohan was indeed turning hot, as both combatants had taken to the air. Due to his adaptivity Ranma had already mastered the technique of flight sufficiently to use it in battle, and without him knowing it his time in the dreamscape helped too. Blows were now being traded back and forth at a rapid pace, but due to the fact that Gohan was drawing ever more power from the higher ends of the SSJ-level he was overpowering Ranma quickly.

Gohan's right fist suddenly lashed out too fast for Ranma to react, and he was hit hard in the head with enough force to send him slamming into the ground. The lookout seemed to buckle from his impact and a crater formed beneath Ranma. Intent on following his attack up Gohan was in descent when his senses alerted him to a rapidly rising power-level down below. The others looked at each other as they had noticed it too, at least those of the Z-Gang. Piccolo smirked to himself; this was going better than even he had anticipated. Granted, he couldn't have asked for a better catalyst than the engagement between Ranma and Videl, but who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth?

The person who had to suffer because of said gift horse had finally had enough and swore as he got to his feet; Gohan seemed to be a nice guy, but he, Ranma, would be damned to hell and back if he'd be the other boys' punching bag just because of his jealousy issues; he didn't know how, but he knew that Gohan recognised the girl Videl as his mate. Internally he found the notion that he'd take up the engagement utterly ridiculous, but he'd go along with what Piccolo had asked of him.

Ranma realised however that he needed much more power, and on instinct he gave way to his growing anger and rage. He would not lose, especially not in front of the girls, his mates. Ranma Saotome didn't lose, and he had much better things to do than playing punching bag for a jealous guy; punishing an idiotic panda for meddling in his life sounded about right.

Thinking of his father and what his deeds entailed for consequences made his blood boil. He needed more power to finish this fight, so that he could show his mates that he was strong! He didn't want to lose them due to the fact that he was too weak to fight his way out of a situation his father had created! Suddenly his need for more power was answered, and a wall he'd only briefly sensed before suddenly collapsed.

Ranma felt his ki skyrocket, and a shockwave of pure power encompassed the lookout. Power filled Ranma's whole being, more power than he'd ever felt before; it was streaming through his veins, through his core, through his very being. The Saotome youth noticed that his whole body was encompassed in a golden glow, and his battle-aura was giving off a high-pitched sound. All his muscles had bulged and effectively doubled in size, and hell, they felt powerful too.

All that the others could see, those that could not sense powerlevels anyway, was a golden glowing silhouette amidst the still settling dust. Finally said dust cleared, giving view on the new Super Saiyan. His height hadn't changed and he was still standing at 6''4', but the hair that was now standing up in golden spikes gave the impression that Ranma had grown; this was added by the fact that his whole body had become much more muscular.

Ranma looked very impressive, and as well Nabiki as Kasumi were licking their lips. They were asking themselves what the hell had just happened and what had caused this unexpected change, but who were they to look such a gift horse in the mouth? This form of Ranma looked even more edible than his other form; especially those gorgeous muscles and teal eyes made him look very… sexy.

Akane was as confused as her sisters, but she also recognised just how powerful Ranma really was; with that kind of power it would have been childs' play for him to take whatever he wanted, even her or her sisters' virtue. Yet he hadn't done that, and that proved to Akane beyond a doubt that Ranma was trustworthy.

Genma on his part was ready to say his prayers; he had no idea what the heck had just happened, but somehow his son had changed, and the change was not for the better. The boy was practically radiating power, and the Saotome patriarch feared that Ranma would use this power to fry his butt for that little engagement bit…

-.-

Ranma's power might have risen to impressive heights, but the members of the Z-Gang that were on site knew that Gohan was still the more powerful fighter by far. After all, Gohan could still ascend to Level 2, which would give him a huge advantage. The pigtailed Super Saiyan didn't care about any such things, however; all that he wanted at this point was to do battle to test out his new abilities, the reasons for said battle forgotten. "WILDFIRE!" he yelled, and a yellow-green energy-blast, more powerful than anything Ranma had ever fired, left his palm.

Vegeta was as surprised as Gohan; the Saiyan Prince knew that he'd seen a ki-attack similar to that before, but at the moment he could not remember. Vegeta watched as Kakkarotts' spawn overcame his surprise and countered. "KAMEHAMEHA!" he yelled.

The two blasts met in midair detonated in a cacophony of noise and light. Both fighters were pushed back by the force of the explosion, but Ranma didn't press for an attack and waited instead. His instincts told him that he had to wait for just the right moment, just before the light from the explosion had died away… and there it was!

Ranma used all of his newfound speed to appear behind Gohan, who reacted a millisecond too late; or so it seemed. The pigtailed young man tried to catch Gohan off guard, and threw a punch at his seemingly unprotected back. Unfortunately Ranma hadn't known that Gohan could sense ki, and thus the son of Goku was adequately prepared.

He just phased out of sight and appeared behind Ranma, intent on ending the fight through a blow to the back of the head; but Ranma didn't even think of playing along. This time he phased out of sight, moving too fast for the untrained eye to follow.

Down below three Tendo sisters were beyond impressed by the prowess Ranma showed, and one part-time panda was downright afraid of what would happen to him after the fight was over. He had to concoct a plausible story, or his hide would be baked!

Up in the air Ranma and Gohan had changed pace and were raking at the other with gunfire. Punches and kicks were exchanged at a rapid pace, and the Z-Fighters among the group could sense that Ranma's ki kept on growing the longer they fought. Vegeta had difficulties to place it, but he had the feeling that he had encountered the same phenomenon some time ago. Then it hit him! 'Brolly! He's like Brolly in that regard.' thought the Saiyan Prince surprised, 'But that is utterly impossible. Our legends are quite definite; there's only one Legendary Super Saiyan in a thousand years, and Brolly was the last. How can that brat have the same abilities? Or is this just a coincidence? As if!' Vegeta snorted. A Saiyan Prince didn't believe in coincidences, simple as that.

Piccolo had noticed the look on Vegeta's face, and he nodded in compliance. "I'm sensing the same, Vegeta. His ki is growing while they are fighting, and that should be impossible even for a Saiyan."

Vegeta snorted. "I sensed the same thing in my fight with the brat, Namek. You can be sure that he'll be questioned thoroughly once Kakkarotts' spawn has beaten him."

"That's assuming that Gohan can." Piccolo stated, much to Vegeta's surprise.

Nabiki, who had been watching the midair fight with her sisters, perked her ears at that. Gauging from the surprise on the short man's face the green man had just said something utterly astonishing. That bore further surveillance…

"What do you mean by that, Namek?" Vegeta demanded.

"Take a closer look at his ki, Vegeta. Then you'll have your answer." Piccolo stated.

The Prince of all Saiyans snorted, but did what Piccolo had suggested anyway. Furrowing his brows in concentration he reached out with his senses, and besides what he'd noticed before, namely that Ranma's ki was growing, he noticed something else. "That can't be!" Vegeta exclaimed all of a sudden, and his eyes flew open.

"He's found out, hasn't he?" stated Dende with a small smile. Piccolo just nodded back.

"What have you found out?" interjected Nabiki, now too curious to keep her countenance. "What is wrong with Ranma?"

Vegeta growled. "The brat has a potential we've only encountered once before. Tell me, woman, could he become a danger to this planet? What do you know about him?" he demanded.

That question caused all three Tendo daughters to look at Vegeta with various expressions of surprise on their faces. "A danger to this planet?" asked Akane. "No way."

"Ranma-kun? A danger? Never!" Kasumi stated with conviction.

"I agree." concurred Nabiki. "We've come to know Ranma as a person of high moral integrity and a strict code of honour. In my opinion he fights for what is right, not easy, unlike others I could name." she said with a glare at Genma. "Ranma fights to protect, not to destroy. Why?"

"None of your business, onna. That's on a need-to-know-basis, and you don't need to know." he stated, crossing his arms before returning to watch the fight.

The Saiyan Prince suppressed the smirk that threatened to get out, as it would have been unbecoming of his status. It might just be that he'd found a new challenge to match his powers against; it was just no challenge to try to catch up to someone who let his powers stagnate, but this Ranma was different, he just knew. He could feel within him the strive to become stronger, to become the best. Maybe the brat would also be a worthy addition to their ranks, but a more thorough interrogation was definitely called for. It also seemed as if the brat had already several candidates for mates. Not bad.

Vegeta registered with amusement how the younger of the potential mates scoffed, but looked up without another word too. Unbeknownst to Nabiki she'd just affirmed the feeling the two Nameks and one Saiyan Prince had gotten from the young Saiyan, which meant that he was prime material for the Z-Fighters…

-.-

The Saotome youth was completely thriving in battle, and the blood rushed in his ears and filled them with songs of battle. He felt more alive than ever before, and as he dodged and weaved around blows, searched for weaknesses in his opponents defence and countered blows he felt that this was what fighting really should be.

He shot forward, and brought his left hand in for a punch. Gohan easily blocked it, and countered with a Masenko, which showed that he was getting really serious. However, Ranma managed to deflect the energy attack easily, and it was sent into the sky where it exploded harmlessly. Ranma closed in and aimed a kick for Gohan's head, but the other young Super Saiyan dodged and said kick sailed harmlessly over Gohan's head. Gohan suddenly cupped his hands in front of him, a look of determination on his face.

"KAMEHAMEHA!" he shouted, and a blue beam of energy erupted from his palms.

"WILDFIRE!" Ranma countered, and a yellow-greenish energy-ball exited his palm.

The energy-attacks met in midair, and both Gohan and Ranma struggled for supremacy. The older son of Goku reached deeper into his energy-reserves and drew from his SSJ2- energies, and after a bit of struggle the Kamehameha-wave managed to overcome Ranma's energy blast.

Ranma had no time to react other than bringing his arms up in an X to try and block the wave, and in the next second it exploded with force. The pigtailed boy had the feeling as if a speeding freight train had run over him, and he felt that he was hurtling towards the platform of the lookout.

Seconds later he impacted with a crash that seemed to shake the whole structure, and a fountain of dust and chips from the flooring were kicked up into the air. Inside the crater Ranma got to his feet and popped his joints, not looking much worse for the wear. He circled his left arm a few times to reinstate full mobility, and just looked up to see how Gohan yelled. With that yell the son of Goku ascended to SSJ2, and Ranma felt Gohan's ki skyrocket. 'Damn,' thought Ranma, 'I forgot just how strong he really is. Grrrrrrrr, even with my newfound powers that's gonna get tough…'

The pigtailed boy just watched Gohan how he was hanging in the sky, and in the next moment his opponent had disappeared; fact that irritated Ranma immensely, until his senses caught up to a fast moving ki… right there! However, he had not enough time to react before a strong right hook to the chin sent him straight through the building, until Ranma felt himself bounce off of something hard.

Shaking his head to clear it he got to his feet a bit troublesome. "Damn, his strength has definitely increased." Ranma muttered.

Gohan followed his last attack immediately up and shot towards Ranma with the speed of a lightning bolt. He saw Ranma's eyes shoot open in surprise, and that was just the opening he needed. The son of Goku threw his right leg out in a front kick aimed at Ranma's head. The pigtailed Saiyan tried to cross his arms in a cross block, but the attack came in too fast and Ranma was once again thrown backwards into the building. The kick had felt like a jackhammer and Ranma had to admit that Gohan's speed had impressively increased as well. Ranma used his ki in a novel way however and twisted his body so that upper and lower body switched places.

Upon feeling surface contact Ranma pushed off as hard as he could and shot towards Gohan like liquid lightning. The Son youth was only initially surprised, but his SSJ2 reaction time was just too fast to allow a successful attack. Blocking the incoming barrage of punches Gohan countered with a surprise attack. "SOLAR FLARE!" he yelled, and the attack blinded Ranma instantly.

Pressing his advantage Gohan landed punches and kicks all over Ranma's body, and the last blast-kick-punch-kick-combo threw Ranma once more straight against the indestructible doors of the hyperbolic timechamber. As he bounced off his vision had cleared somewhat, and thusly he saw the fist coming that sent him into darkness.

-.-

Ranma found himself in a lightless place. Darkness reigned supreme, and the pigtailed Saiyan had no idea where he was or how he'd gotten here. He got to his feet and tried to orientate himself, but the darkness was absolute. With a grunt Ranma expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation and the universe at large.

"I thought Ranma Saotome doesn't lose?" a voice asked out of nowhere. "That's the second time in a row, should I get worried?"

"Huh? Who's there? Show yourself!" Ranma commanded.

The voice chuckled, and Ranma thought that it sounded a lot like his own. "Yes," the voice said, "I am a part of you. I'm what you suppressed since our... transformation. I'm the embodiment of what you gained through the change, I'm the warrior in you. Our motto has always been that we don't lose, and we never give up; that's what constitutes a warrior. All this has been amplified, but you achieved a tight reign over your instincts, over me. I only recently got some fun after you... changed."

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?" asked a confused Ranma.

His alter ego slapped his forehead. "Damn are we slow on the uptake! No wonder wonderboy out there beat us senseless." he sighed.

His face grew serious and he ignored Ranma's indignant "Hey!". "Listen up. You know that we were changed into a Saiyan at Jusenkyo, right? Good." he said at Ranma's nod. "Well, for lack of a better explanation, I'm your Saiyan side. All the instincts, urges and whatever that came with that."

"And what does that mean?" asked Ranma, not knowing where his alter ego was headed with this.

"It does mean that I, your Saiyan side, am a part of you. Instead of suppressing me you should embrace me. It does not mean that you have to give in to your lesser urges, we'll just be a bit more... forceful in our handling of situations."

"Why should I do what you suggest? Could be a trap and you wanna use my body to wreck some serious chaos." Ranma said to his alter ego.

The other Ranma sighed and floated crosslegged in mid-air. "Too late for that. Haven't you realised how we seem to literally attract chaos? I bet that's all oyajis fault."

"Most likely." Ranma growled. "But don't try to distract me and answer the question." he said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I'd have done that anyway. You don't have to worry 'bout anything. This whole situation is caused by the fact that our human side, you, and our new instincts, our Saiyan side, moi, are not in sync as of yet. Even with the unusual upbringing we had our new instincts are sufficiently different so that you have serious problems adapting to them. But I feel that we'll get one hell of a lot more powerful once that happens; can't you feel it? This is not our full potential. I can feel it! There's more, and we only have to join up to get stronger! Imagine how well we could protect the weak, and our mates!"

Ranma had been in the process of absorbing and processing the info, but that last sentence threw him for a loop. "MATES!" he yelled.

The other Ranma winced. "My poor ears…" he lamented. Then a smug look entered his face. "Of course mates. Haven't you seen how Nabs and Kas-chan act around us? The three of us, a locked room, and a bed... need I say more? Betcha Kas-chan would use her 'oh my!' in a completely different context. And imagine seeing the real Nabiki under her mask once we get her motor running..."

Ranma blushed, but he admitted that those naughty thoughts held a lot of promise. "I see your point. What do I have to do?"

The other Ranma smiled. "Just accept me." he said, and the blackness faded away.

-.-

Ranma sat up and was instantly fully alert. Processing what had happened he came to the conclusion that he'd been knocked out; the blow had to have been very strong, for he felt like he'd been kicked by a mule with explosive hooves. Growling he noticed that he was buried under the remains of a concrete wall, and he had apparently dropped out of the Super state, as he'd dubbed it.

But had that strange dream he had experienced been 'real'? Did he really have a Saiyan side, and was acceptance of it all that was needed to feel complete? Well, only one way to find out. From the next second on Ranma consequently stopped suppressing the voice that had whispered suggestions in his ear, and it seemed to make click in his mind. Ranma thought he heard a feint 'Thank you.' in his mind, but he couldn't be sure. As he got to his feet he couldn't stop to think that he felt different. Complete was an appropriate term.

With a yell he switched into the Super state, his eyes closed so that the flying debris that wasn't incinerated wouldn't cause damage. Popping his joints and cracking his knuckles Ranma smirked as he noticed the increase in his ki. He felt good, and he'd show wonderboy that he wouldn't lose in front of his mates...

to be continued...

Thanks for reading. Also, thanks to everyone for helping me out with suggestions, comments, ideas and c&c in general. Special thanks go to the people at Shinjis board, especially to Innortal for giving me the idea of using Videl as the catalyst.

Many thanks to those of you who were kind enough to leave reviews for the last chapter:

JakeTheSheepy, bissek, Lord Oberon, Natara, Emerald Dark Knight, hmr, FairyQilan, ron, Gundum M, ninofchaos, Ranko, leeyiankun, Taiki, Rose Vaughn, runnerz, Wonderbee31, Silverscale, Dark Topaz, Rejhan, Saiyan Negi Springfield, Xtor49, loyal reader, Dragonheart7373, MarshmellowDragon, ss4-link, Dumbledork, Jax9, Shiner, Anime-Freak317, RockBane, blindelf22, sandcrawlr, dennisud, sadfru, RubberNeck, Lightsfaith, Jetsmillion, Neon-Ronin, ranger5, majinbuu7985, JohnnyG, borg rabbit, MysticSuperSaiyanGohan, Oligel Ronew, arekuruu-inabikari-no-She, Dragon Man 180, psycotic boy, Light02, RagnaBlade, AZant, Innortal, Master Chaos, Mega Shadow, Rignach

A/N: Some of you might think 'One sec, Videl can't know that Gohan's the Gold Fighter and the Great Saiyaman.' Normally, when taking the canon-time-frame into account that would be true; but keep in mind, this story takes place after Movie 10, and Videl had definite knowledge of Gohan's powers there and then. Videl knows all about Gohan being a Saiyan, but the tourney hasn't taken place in this timeframe yet. Hope that cleared some things up.