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 19


Three Super Saiyans, two Nameks, one of them the acting Kami of Earth, two Tendo sisters and eight Amazons including the human-turned Icejin Mousse, who was still being held in check by Piccolo were congregated in the empty lot behind Furinkan High. Congregated was probably too mild a term, seeing as the Amazons were practically captives of the Z-Fighters. Few moments ago Ranma Saotome had asked a simple but at the same time very complex question: "What are we going to do with you?"


For the warriors among the Z-Fighters, and that included everyone except Dende, the answer was simple: punishment in form of a thorough and good beating and shipment back to China with the warning to never come back, or their village would be reduced to a crater of radioactive glass. But the opinions among the warriors varied, and instant termination as favoured by Vegeta, Piccolo and maybe Ranma wasn't ruled out yet.


For Dende things were not as easy; he was also of the opinion that punishment was due, but he had rules to follow. If the Amazons were allowed to stay in Japan and were protected by diplomatic immunity, and this had been confirmed through his examinations a few moments ago, then he and the others could do little more than utter threats. Japan was a free country after all, and the Amazons had a right to be here.


"As much as I wish it weren't so, but the Elder has spoken the truth. She has ambassador status, and they are allowed to stay in Japan." he began.


Cologne smirked. "The law is on our side, and you can't do anything about it."


"The law." Ranma spat angrily. "You hide behind laws to your convenience, and when your targets fight back despite your clever laws you claim foul play. Pathetic."


"And you have broken several laws yourself, even though your diplomatic immunity might cover some of it. But attempted first degree murder in several cases will hardly be overlooked." Ryo-chan stated.


Cologne just waved it away. "You're not well informed, youngling. Diplomatic immunity covers everything. That aside, our lawyers are the best. You wouldn't stand a chance in court." she said, and her charges looked smug.


"Court? Do you really think we would limit ourselves to the courts? Do you really think we would sit by idly and let you walk all over us? I may have stopped Ranma once, but this idiot of yours is a danger to us; if he gets out of control I won't hold Ranma back a second time." Nabiki said, leaning into the pigtailed Saiyan.


Shampoo, who'd just watched the talk didn't like that one bit, but a bop on the head courtesy of the gnarled staff of her great-grandmother stopped her. ° Stop being foolish, Xian. I'm in the middle of negotiations over your future husband, I have no time for your childish antics. Saotome Ranma will be yours once I am finished convincing them that our laws are superior, this little girl is of no consequence. Have you understood? °


The purple-haired Amazon nodded. ° Yes, great-grandmother. But if she turns out to be an obstacle I'll treat her as such. °


Cologne nodded. The old matriarch switched her attention back to the matters at hand, and noticed that while the girl called Ryo-chan and Akane still watched her, the others seemed to be involved in a conversation of their own. How rude!


"Why did you stop him in the first place, onna?" she heard the one called Vegeta ask the girl with the bowlcut in an inquiring tone. "It would have saved you a headache if you hadn't. Enemies that are dead won't come back stronger, aware of your tactics, strengths and weaknesses like those that have been spared."


"I did it for a simple reason: I didn't want that Ranma has to become a killer over them." Nabiki replied, glancing at the Amazons. "It's as Dende-sama said: Ranma would have had to kill the whole tribe. I don't like the present situation one bit either, but eliminating the tribe would have been a price I would only be willing to pay if they" she glanced at the Amazons, "turn out to be unteachable."


Cologne bristled. "Little girl, you presume to call the Chinese Amazons, the heroic tribe of women warriors unteachable? We look back on three-thousand years of proud Amazon history, we have developed martial arts techniques you could only dream of and survived overwhelming odds. And you dare to call us unteachable? You are a few hundred years too young to presume to do that."


Vegeta glared at the Elder. "Quiet, you. Your petty human pride is on the verge of killing you, and I would be all too glad to fulfil your deathwish." he snarled with electricity coursing around his body.


Dende sighed. "Let us try to resolve this problem like reasonable adults, please."


"That's the problem, Dende-sama. They," Nabiki glanced at the Amazons, "aren't behaving reasonable as we would define it. They seem to be so used to getting what they want that they can't deal with opponents who defy them, and it might just be that their only response to that is an attempt to overcome the obstacles. And to them we are obstacles."


Piccolo nodded. "She's right, kid. I have encountered stubborn people before," he said and mouthed something that sounded like 'Goku', "but they seem to be ridiculously set in their ways. History has shown what happens to those who don't adapt," he materialised a twig, "they break." he finished and snapped the twig in two.


Ryo-chan fixed a surprised Cologne with a stare. "Your fancy martial arts techniques and three-thousand years of Amazon history might have been enough to deal with whatever enemies you have faced up till now, but if ya gonna keep on pestering us we're gonna show you what good those techniques and yer history are against Super Saiyans." she said, and her flaring aura filled the air with power. "So ya better relent or else."


"What she said." agreed Ranma.


Nabiki looked at the Saiyan Prince. "As long as they're after Ranma they put my family and me at risk, and the safety of my family is very important to me. But I believe there must be a solution other than wiping them off the map, Prince Vegeta. They have now seen that there're powers greater than them, and if that doesn't wake them up to reality then it might really be too late for them."


Cologne turned ash-grey as the implications of that statement hit her, and noticed the gleam that appeared in Vegeta's eyes with dread, but her soul of ice helped her out. Those were the good guys, and most of them were males. They'd put on a good show, but like most males they were all bark and no bite, the Elder assumed. They just had to stand their ground, and they'd come out on top with their prize. The laws were on their side, they couldn't harm a hair on their bodies without facing serious repercussions.


Vegeta had turned his head to Nabiki in the meantime, and was eyeing her up intently. A short while later the Saiyan Prince nodded in a satisfied way. "I see. You didn't stop him because you're too soft or because you can't hack with a little blood." he said with a nasty grin. "You care a great deal for your mate, mate of Ranma. You want to spare him from dirtying his hands, and I understand that. It's not my modus operandi and I would rather have eliminated them, but we will try your way first. Against my better judgement."


Nabiki allowed a smile to creep onto her face as she leaned more into Ranma. She knew she'd witnessed something out of the ordinary for the Z-Fighters in general and Vegeta in particular, it was obvious from the facial expression of Dende. Piccolo concealed his emotions much better, but the little Kami was easy to read. "Thank you, Prince Vegeta."


Vegeta inclined his head imperceptibly and surveyed the Amazons. "The brat made a good choice." he smirked.


Ranma smiled at Nabiki before his glare drilled holes into Cologne. "Before ya get the wrong impression, I ain't a softie just cos I listened to Nabs. I don't like killin', but I know there're times when it's necessary. It's a nice ideal ta think that good will always triumph over evil and all that," he said, ignoring the Amazon's protests at his choice of words, "but its totally idiotic ta believe that's gonna happen without soiling yer hands."


His stare hardened. "For Nabs sake I'm gonna give ya a chance. Change yer ways, or else. I want that ya understand one thing: yer fuckin' laws can all go and screw themselves, if ya don't stop pestering me 'n my friends no one's gonna hold me back. I'll protect those dear ta me, and I'm gonna do whatever it takes ta ensure that."


Cologne's soul of ice was working overtime as the Elder fought to hold her ground. "We acted on tribal law, and we operate under diplomatic immunity. You can do nothing to us without facing the consequences." Elder Cologne said.


"Consequences, hah!" Vegeta scoffed.


"Vegeta, lets try to solve this civilly, please." Dende said, stopping the Saiyan Prince before he'd finish what Ranma had begun despite the assurance he'd given Nabiki.


The Kami of Earth focussed on Cologne. "It may be that our laws can't get a hold of you, but fact remains that you attacked two members of the Z-Fighters, and friends of us. In one case with intent to kill. And we don't take lightly to that." he said in a scolding tone.


"And what do you want to do about it?" Cologne asked smugly; the Elder had overcome her awe at being in the presence of kami, for it had turned out that the actual kami held little in ways of physical power, and someone who wasn't versed in the art didn't deserve respect, even if he was kami.


Piccolo spoke up in Dende's stead, and the tall Namek smirked evilly. "Your tribe praises itself on its martial arts prowess, I can see that clearly." he mused; diplomacy was obviously not working on those stubborn women, and the time was right for some undisguised threats.


"So?" Cologne asked.


"I can't believe I overlooked you all those years ago." Piccolo said fake-contemplatively, his eyes narrowing.


"Huh? What do ya mean, Piccolo?" Ranma asked.


"I eliminated all martial artists that might have endangered my plans for world domination several years ago. How I could have missed your tribe is beyond me. Maybe I should correct my oversight." the tall Namek mused.


The Amazons and the Tendo sisters looked shocked. "W-world domination? Martial Artists… eliminated?" Cologne asked shakily, now not so sure any more if her analysis of these warriors had been correct. That statement had sounded too truthful for her taste.


"Aren't you one of the good guys?" Akane asked with a careful expression.


"I've given up on my plans for world domination. Too much bureaucracy." Piccolo replied. "Does that mean I'm a goody two shoes hero? No. Does that mean I would hesitate to kill them all?" he asked with a narrowing glance at the Amazons. "Hardly."


"Ugly green man, tribe would..." Shampoo began.


"Die." Piccolo spat with bared fangs as he appeared three feet above her head with large ki-blasts in both palms.


Mousse growled angrily at seeing his Shampoo threatened, but he hadn't recovered yet and could do nothing. 'I hope the old mummy doesn't screw it up. The enemy is too strong right now, a tactical retreat would be best. But knowing her she'll be stubborn about it. Stupid Elders, always thinking they know everything. But if anything were to happen to my Shampoo I couldn't bear it, so she better swallow her stupid pride if that's necessary.'


Cologne though was far from even thinking of a tactical retreat. "You're bluffing. Your aura indicates that you're one of the good guys, and good guys don't kill the perceived bad guys." she said confidently.


Piccolo smirked as he reappeared on the ground. "I might help the forces of good on occasion, but that doesn't mean I share their ideals. I'll wipe you and your tribe out in a heartbeat if it's necessary. We're facing enough threats from the outside, threats from the inside won't be tolerated. Besides, my aura is balanced because I want it to." he said with a toothy grin as he shifted said aura.


Cologne nearly lost her composure as evil intent flooded her senses, evil intent coupled with more than enough power to make come true what the Namek had said. "Goddess…" she breathed.


"I have to disappoint you, Elder, there is no such thing as a 'Goddess'. The so called 'Goddess' your tribe seems to worship, Aphrodite, is nothing more than a myth made up by humans. The only 'Gods' are the Kai." Dende explained.


"No so called heavenly help for the brave tribe of women warriors. Too too bad." Akane teased.


Ryo-chan nodded. "And there stand a selected few of the precious tribe of heroic women warriors… though their wounds are minimal, theirs pride may never heal! Hah hah."


"How dare you make a mockery of us!" Cologne exclaimed, her pride getting the better of her and making her forget which overwhelming odds she faced.


Ranma snorted. "You were doin' a damn fine job by yerself. As fer referring to yourself as the 'perceived bad guys', fuck on perceived. If you continue to harass me or my mate I'll fucking tear you apart. I'll make it a race with Vegeta and Piccolo who'll wipe you from the maps first. You have threatened my mate once, that won't happen a second time." he snarled. "Doncha forget, I know where your tribe lives."


Nabiki had stars in her eyes due to the compassion and feeling Ranma had shown to her with his words, but even in her happy state she didn't miss Shampoo's look.


"Airen already has mate!" her bubbly voice exclaimed as she latched herself on Ranma's lips, giving him a hard kiss. "I is wife, so no tearing apart sisters."


Ranma had been too stunned by Shampoo's actions to do much of anything, but if looks could kill Nabiki's deathglare would have killed the Amazon a dozen times over. To make matters worse, Cologne cackled. "There. The Kiss of Marriage has been given, Saotome Ranma is now officially the husband of my great-granddaughter."


Mousse made protesting noises from the ground as Piccolo held him down, and Ranma as well as everyone else aside from Vegeta had varying looks of shock and anger on their faces. "WHAT!" Ranma and Nabiki exclaimed together. "You old hag…" the pigtailed Saiyan sputtered angrily. "If you think I'll bow down to yer wishes just cos yer Shampoo gave me a kiss yer dead wrong."


"The contrary, sonny. I take the laws of my tribe with me wherever I go, being an ambassador. I could demand your extradition, and I will do that if I must." Cologne stated with a grin.


"They still don't see the consequences of their actions." Piccolo snorted. "And they've no idea with whom they're really dealing."


Vegeta snorted as well. "I have to agree, Namek. They're even denser than Kakkarott, and that's saying something."


"What do you say, Vegeta? Going from diplomacy to threats to a practical demonstration?" Piccolo suggested, smirking evilly.


The Saiyan Prince looked at the tall Namek, a barely visible grin playing in the right corner of his mouth. "I promised the mate of the brat that I would give her approach a chance. I can still blast them to the next dimension if diplomacy and threats fail."


Cologne bristled. "You're bluffing. Your own laws ensure that you can do nothing to us."


Piccolo shook his head in amusement. "They still believe we're operating within the scope of so called 'laws'. Is that because they can't imagine that someone other than they gives a shit on laws?" he mused as he trained his eyes on Cologne.


His lips curled into a nasty grin that left his fangs bared. "Say, isn't it an unsettling feeling if your advantage that you can do anything you please because of your 'laws' is taken away from you just because the other side doesn't care?"


Vegeta snorted in amusement and fixed Cologne with his teal eyes. The Namek's casual comment had made quite an impact, he could see it in the eyes of the stubborn old human woman. His own eyes narrowed until they were as cold as the vacuum of space.


Ranma, who'd been about to butt in to add his own two cents to what Piccolo had said reigned himself in as he saw how Vegeta stared the Elder down; it might be his peace and quiet that was hanging in the line as well as the safety of his mates, but Vegeta would be able to deal with the old hag much more efficiently than he could hope to; the Saiyan Prince was a right block of ice, and his coldness would hopefully fry the Amazon's brains.


"I'll explain it to you one more time, seeing as your obvious old age made your brain rot. Onna, I gave you the clear warning that I would reduce your precious village to ashes if you continue to pester my subjects, their families and friends. Without remorse. See this house over there?" the Saiyan Prince asked with a nasty grin.


Cologne paled, having a hunch were this was headed. "The one over there?"


Vegeta's grin grew even nastier. "BIG BANG ATTACK!" he exclaimed, and a slow blast of blue ki flew straight at the house. Two seconds later it made contact and detonated in a huge explosion, sending debris everywhere.


"There could have been people in there! Maybe there were!" Akane exclaimed in shock.


Even Nabiki had been shocked by this display of ruthlessness. "I really hope no one was in there…" she'd muttered at the same time as her sister.


Ranma caught Akane's and Nabiki's eyes and shook his head. "It doesn't matter." he said, shocking not just the Amazons.


"B-but…" Akane stammered; Nabiki whereas had caught on to what Ranma had intended when he'd shaken his head and played the part of the shocked and scandalised girl who'd found out how her boyfriend really was perfectly.


Ryo-chan laid a hand on Akane's arm. "Everything's okay, Akane." she whispered into the other girls ear in a way that looked as if she'd console the dark-blue-haired girl. "Continue acting shocked so that the bitches don't notice a thing."


The youngest Tendo sister had caught on and stared in what appeared to be shock at the Saiyan Prince. Said Prince had fixed Cologne with a cold look. "This was the slowest and weakest version, and you would have no hopes of stopping even that. So if you have a deathwish, and I hope you do, you'll find out what the strongest version does." he finished, a cruel smirk adding to his cold look.


"To make that perfectly clear, I don't care about these weak human laws you hide behind, so if you attack my subjects again the promised consequences will be enacted."


Vegeta fired another Big Bang attack at a nearby oak tree, and the twelve metre tall majestic tree was blown to smithereens. This version of his trademark attack had been about thrice as strong as the first, and the power contained in the blast could still be felt in the air. "Ashes to ashes." he said coldly, his teal eyes fixing upon Cologne like a hawk would fix a mouse.


"Goddess..." one of the Amazon girls breathed, shocked.


Elder Cologne couldn't fault her. She had now understood that this Prince Vegeta meant business. His coldness and ruthlessness weren't just a mask, it was his real self. The Elder recognised a warrior when she saw one, and after getting a glimpse at Vegeta's real self she could tell that he was as ruthless as they got; he would make good on his promise and wipe out the tribe without a second thought. This was very unsettling and made a change in plans necessary. Should they try to eliminate Vegeta by whatever means and succeed their village was also doomed; she'd no illusions that the retribution for this would see to the certain end of the tribe. Not even Mousse would be able to save them, that much was obvious. The power of the green man alone dwarfed Mousse's, and this Vegeta was even stronger. She'd struck into a real hornets nest this time.


"I see you have finally understood. Good." Vegeta commented with a cold smirk. "It took you long enough."


"You would really have no qualms about eradicating a village full of people?" Akane asked incredulously.


Vegeta looked at her, his teal eyes hard and unblinking. "None. Those who have made the enmity of the Saiyan Prince can't expect mercy nor will they receive it." he said, crossing his arms across his chest.


"I... see." Akane said, a tad bit unsettled.


The Amazons obviously did too. "Seeing as I have no other choice I'll agree to remove the Kiss of Death." Cologne finally conceded.


"But great-grandmother, is law! Nothing more important than law!" Shampoo cried.


"The survival of the tribe is, child." Cologne said softly.


While Ryo-chan was at least partially satisfied with this Ranma was not at all. "What about the Kiss of Marriage? I am already promised, and I have got zero interest to be dragged to your village." the pigtailed Saiyan growled.


Cologne looked at him. "I don't have the authority to revoke the Kiss of Marriage. But..."


"WHAT!" Ranma growled, and registered with half an ear that Nabiki had yelled the same. "Why is that?" he growled threateningly, his SSJ-aura flaring around him.


The Elder had to fight hard to keep her countenance in face of so much power directed at her, and angry power at that. "The Kiss of Death must be easily revocable in case the tribe wants to make peace. But a removal of the Kiss of Marriage needs the approval of the whole council before it can be removed."


"Why is that?" Ranma repeated with a growl, his aura flaring dangerously as it expanded.


"Has an outsider male become an Airen of an Amazon the tribe has an active interest to bring the individual into the tribe, as it is in our best interest to integrate his genes into our gene-pool. 'The one who defeats a warrior maiden of the Joketsuzoku is worthy.'" she quoted.


"I see." Nabiki quipped. "You pick what's best for you, the consequences for others be damned."


Cologne nodded. "In essence, yes."


"But now that the consequences have caught up with you, you will have to choose a different course of action." Dende said. "We can't and won't tolerate that one of us is forced into something he doesn't want."


"But Airen wants Shampoo! Shampoo know he want to come to village with Shampoo! How he could not?" the purple-haired Amazon asked incredulously.


"How do you know what I want?" Ranma snarled, ignoring the guttural growl from Mousse.


"Ranma is Airen, and Shampoo knows that he wants to come to village with Shampoo where we make strong daughters." the Amazon stated confidently, flaunting her assets in front of the pigtailed Saiyan.


The Saotome youth had to suppress the hormonal reaction to the sexy display ruthlessly. "Read from my lips: no. I already have my eyes set on someone else." he said, and added "Two someone's in fact." as a whisper.


Nabiki barely suppressed a blush, but it didn't do much good that she did; for Shampoo had the confirmation of her suspicion, and she reacted quite violently. "I knew! You is obstacle! Shampoo kill!" she screamed as she jumped at Nabiki, her bonborries poised for strike.


Akane and Ryo-chan were about to spring into action, but they stopped themselves when they saw Ranma blur. Shampoo's weapons clattered to the ground a few seconds later, damaged beyond repair. No one dared to move as Ranma's power filled the air, and the pigtailed Super Saiyan towered over the downed Amazon. Mousse wasn't able to bear seeing his Shampoo hurt and exploded into action.


With a yell of "Saotome, you fiend! How dare you hurt my Shampoo!" he flung himself at the SSJ, his anger giving him the power to unleash an attack on the Saotome youth despite the wounds he'd suffered from.


Ranma was in absolutely no mood to deal with the cursed Amazon. He sidestepped Mousse's punch effortlessly, ducked the follow-up and slammed his right fist hard into Mousse's left elbow. The resulting loud crunch from said appendage caused just about everyone to grit their teeth, and the face of the cursed Amazon contorted in pain as his brain caught up to the signals his shattered humerus sent. Mousse wasn't in pain for long, for twin balls of ki to the face stole his consciousness as efficiently as a ten-ton hammer. "Attack me again and I'm gonna show ya who's the obstacle."


The pigtailed SSJ turned around and glared at the still downed Shampoo with a look of pure ice. "If you attack Nabs ever again, if you so much as touch any of my friends you'll see what happens when I blow my top. To make it perfectly clear, no, I won't come to your village, no, I won't be your husband, and finally, no, I don't love you. Got that?"


Shampoo lost her composure at that, and tears glistened in her eyes. "Why not love Shampoo, Airen? Shampoo loves you!"


Ranma looked Shampoo in the eye and glared. "No, you don't love me. Heck, you don't even know me! You love the idea that I defeated you, and your secret weapon. Look, I could never love someone who tries to force me into something I don't want. You hunted me in China, and you even chased me all the way to Japan to claim me as your prize. But I ain't no prize, not for you or anyone else. I'm a person, and I have my own dreams and wishes, Kami-sama damn it!" he vented.


He looked at Shampoo, now a bit calmer. "I am not your Airen, and I don't intend to be. You're a beautiful girl and tough warrior, but I must decline."


Shampoo hung her head in sadness, and looked up with a cute pout a few moments later. "But…"


"No buts. I ain't your Airen and I ain't gonna be. Ever. You," he glared at Cologne, "will resolve the Kiss as soon as possible and I might let you return to China intact. Now get cracking!" he commanded.


Cologne inclined her head, seemingly in affirmation, much to the surprise of her charges; but inwardly she had other plans, and she'd get the time she needed. "We will. But we need time to set up a base of operations so that we can get everything under way. And no, travelling back to China would take even longer, even considering the possibilities we have."


"We understand." Dende said, although it was glaringly obvious that at least Ranma and the girls were quite discontent with the situation.


"See to it that your little girls behave in the meantime, onna." Vegeta said; the 'little girls' in question bristled unsurprisingly, but they knew they could do nothing. "Otherwise I might be forced to order my subjects to... correct their behaviour." the Saiyan Prince added coldly.


"As you command, my Prince." Ranma said, following a sudden intuition, much to the surprise of many.


Vegeta smirked. "While you humans prepare to remedy this nonsense I'll teach my subjects how to handle possible infractions most effectively." he said with a grin so evil that it sent shivers down the spines of all Amazons.


"I'm looking forward to it, my Prince." both Ranma and Ryo-chan said; the boy-turned-Saiyan girl had caught onto what Ranma had had in mind when he'd seemingly accepted Vegeta as his superior, and she had to admit that it was ingenious.


If it seemed that Vegeta could give Ranma orders, Ranma could (potentially) do things he'd else never do and claim it had been an order. Quite clever, this psychological manipulation; and by the looks of it the Amazons had bought it hook, line and sinker. And why shouldn't they? They had seen how Ranma had kicked Mousse's ass, what should stop him from doing the same to the girls, especially seeing that they were a tribe of macho chicks who acted more like men?


The intimidation was working indeed. "We understand. If you allow us to leave we'll begin our preparations." Cologne said.


"One thing before you leave, 'Elder'," Nabiki said, stopping the matriarch, "I just drew on what I know about diplomatic immunity. In my mind diplomatic immunity is nothing more than a protection afforded by a host country to dignitaries of another from 'prosecution' in the event that they inadvertently violate any of the host countries laws. Deliberate and knowing violation of said laws, especially if the dignitaries nation of origin has similar laws is an entirely different matter. Such instances are grounds for withdrawal of said immunity, expulsion of said dignitaries, and expectations of seeing the violator prosecuted under their own nations laws."


"What are you getting at, girl?" Cologne asked, her eyes narrowing.


Nabiki felt the grip Ranma had on her waist tighten, and she felt him grab her left hand; a small smile crept up her face as she fixed the Elder. "Simple. I have no idea why or how my government granted you diplomatic immunity, if it was some kind of favour to the Chinese government in hopes to improve the political relationship or something else, but what you did went well beyond the pale, and I would bet my ass that you would be prosecuted in your home country for your actions."


The middle Tendo girl glared at the Elder, who was kept in check by Ranma's threatening demeanour. "I will sure as hell report your actions to the authorities and have the proper actions conducted. I think it's high time you learned what diplomatic immunity entails. It's not a carte blanche for you to do anything you please. That said, welcome to Japan. Enjoy your further stay and play by the rules, or you won't like the results."


Cologne sputtered indignantly and laced Nabiki with a deathglare, but with Ranma and the other powerful warriors on Nabiki's side she could do little. "We will see about that, little girl." she finally replied. "We will take our leave now."


"Very well. You may leave." Vegeta said patronising.


"One more thing, old ghoul." Ranma said, and the ancient Amazon turned around to face him. "NO frickin Kiss of Death and NO thrice damned Kiss of Marriage while yer in Japan, or I swear I'll learn that attack of my Prince and fry yer fuckin' village right after I have fried you. Got me?"


The Elder nodded her head in acquiesce. "Understood. We'll take our leave now, and you'll hear from us once things have been processed at the village. Zài jiàn."


Then the Amazons departed without looking back, heads held high. Ranma, however, had the distinct feeling that this was not the last headache courtesy of the Amazons.


-.-


Seeing that chaos still reigned supreme after the departure of the Amazons the school-administration had decided to cancel school for today, something that suited Ranma just fine. He had used up a lot of energy in the fight and needed to replenish his energy-reservoir. "Damn," he growled, "I could eat a cow. I'm completely wiped out."


"Me too." Ryo-chan agreed. "A cow sounds very good."


"How about we relocate to the lookout to celebrate?" Dende suggested. "We wouldn't have to worry about food, seeing as my storage is magically refilled, and it wouldn't be as crowded as at the Dojo."


Ranma nodded eagerly. "Yeah, sounds great."


"I agree. Food and beverage are a must after a good fight." Vegeta stated.


"It's decided then." Piccolo said. "Get a hold on me and I'll teleport us over."


"Err, Piccolo-san, we should leave the school-compound first." Ryo-chan suggested. "It has been quite some time since I last visited school, but I'm sure that people are not used to see people disappearing in front of their eyes."


"Nah, after everything they have seen today they'll wave it off as just another hallucination." Nabiki disagreed. "If there'll be an investigation they'll probably claim that the government was conducting some secret testing in Nerima. After all, who would believe something like flying people who can shoot energy blasts? People didn't back at the Cell Games either. Idiots." she snorted.


Vegeta smirked. That onna was after his taste, and she'd make Ranma a good mate. 'I would pay good money to see how the stupid oaf would react to her bite.' he thought with glee. 'Seeing as it's the onna's money I should arrange something, maybe a new World Tournament...'


"Agreed." Piccolo said.


"Good." Ranma rubbed his hands. "Let's get a move on." he said; incidentally his stomach rumbled rather loudly just at this moment, punctuating his statement.


Vegeta's and Ryo-chans' stomachs answered, which caused everyone except Piccolo to grin. The Saiyan Prince's expression dared everyone to comment, but nobody was that stupid. Suppressing their amusement everyone grabbed a hold of the tall Namek, and a few seconds later they were gone.


-.-


A ragtag group appeared on the lookout, startling Mr. Popo, who was busy fulfilling one duty or the other. "Dende-sama, you're back! And you brought guests. Too good, I'll prepare something to eat right away."


"Thank you, Mr. Popo. I'm sure the Saiyans among us will appreciate this greatly." Dende said with a smile.


"I live to serve, Dende-sama." replied the immortal servant and disappeared towards the kitchen.


"Great! Finally something to eat!" Ranma exclaimed, causing snorts from anyone beside his fellow Saiyans.


"Do you think with something other than your stomach, Ranma?" Nabiki asked teasingly.


"Probably not, sis. He's a walking stomach if there ever was one." Akane said with a grin.


"Hey! A guy has to eat after a battle. Without food no energy, simple as that. And as I have loads of energy to replenish I need loads of food." Ranma said with a smirk.


"You're incorrigible, Ranma." Nabiki said in amusement. 'And I hope you'll keep this interesting quirk and all your others. Makes for some interesting verbal spars.' she added mentally.


"I try." Ranma grinned.


"Enough bantering." Vegeta commanded. "A warrior needs proper nourishment or he won't be able to function optimally in battle. We'll take in the food, and then we're going to spar."


With that Vegeta walked towards the kitchen, as usual not looking back. After a second Ranma shrugged and made move to follow, but came to a full stop again. "Sheesh, how could I forget! Piccolo, could ya do me a favour? Nabs, ya, Akane 'n Ryo-chan can already go eat sumthin', kay? I'll follow soon."


Nabiki eyed Ranma up for a few moments, but came to the conclusion that he wouldn't be telling. She just nodded and looked at her younger sister. "Come on Akane, I'm pretty hungry."


"I second that notion." Ryo-chan said with a grin and marched through the door the Saiyan no Ouji had gone through moments before.


Ranma hid his smile carefully. Nabiki had trusted him without asking questions, and for someone like her, who normally was a maniac-control-freak that meant a lot. The pigtailed Saiyan noticed Piccolo's eyes on him and raised himself out of his musings. "Piccolo-san, I wanted to ask you to teleport me over to the Tendo house. I'm pretty sure word of the fight has already spread, and I want to show her that I… we are okay. Besides, lunch without her ain't half as good, and I ain't talkin' 'bout her cooking skills."


Piccolo snorted. "I'll never understand ambisexual species. But I understand your real reasons. You want to check if she's okay. Take a hold, kid."


The pigtailed Saiyan did as told, and seconds later they were gone from the lookout.


-.-


Kasumi Tendo was worried, and thus she did what she always did when she was worried. She went to the kitchen and cooked; cooking was like a personal, intricate kata for her, and not even her new passion, the Art had been able to take its place completely. Ten minutes ago two of Akane's best friends, Yuka and Sayuri had stopped by, and the news they'd brought had been worrisome indeed. According to their depiction yet another rival for the love of Ranma had appeared, and an Amazon girl of all things!


She'd been tempted to write the story off to the younger girls' overactive imagination at first, but she knew that at least Yuka was very down to earth. Kasumi scowled as she seasoned the Kare Raisu. "Needs more curry." she muttered.


The two girls had given an account of a fight Ranma and a strange being had been involved in, and hadn't she known how strong Ranma was she'd have outright refused to believe the tale. Her Ranma had apparently won, but it had been after the fight that things had started to take a strange turn, according to Yuka. The brown-haired girl had had acted against Akane's orders along with her friend Sayuri, and the two girls had had a very good view from their positions behind an array of trees; they'd seen and heard everything. It seemed that these Amazons lived by very strange rules that attested that whenever one of their warriors was bested in combat by a male this male had to become the warrior maiden's husband.


Kasumi had barely suppressed her rage at the thought that some Amazon hussy had dared to claim her Ranma, and she'd been filled with glee when she'd learned how Ranma had slated the girl. It was so good that her Ranma was someone who could stand up for himself, and she'd make him proud by becoming as proficient at the Art as possible. It was through him that she'd rediscovered her passion for fighting, for protecting, and she was thankful. Fighting to protect, and be it even protecting herself complimented her nurturing side, and she could tell that it eased Ranma's worries as well; which was logical, for if she could defend herself sufficiently he'd to worry less.


She'd just added some seasoning to the Tonkatsu when she heard a sound behind her. Kasumi's trained reflexes kicked in, and she whirled around, already in a defensive position.


"You've trained her well, kid." a gruff voice commented.


"Piccolo!" Kasumi exclaimed as she recognised the voice. And he'd said kid, which meant... "RANMA!" she cried and flung herself at the pigtailed Saiyan.


Ranma was surprised by the sheer force of her 'assault' and had to use both arms to keep them balanced as he encircled her waist, but the even bigger surprise followed when Kasumi caught his lips in a full, emotion-filled kiss; said kiss seemed to turn time into a string of syrup, and Kasumi enjoyed the feel of Ranma's naked torso under her hands very much. His semi-naked state was a virtual invitation for her hands to roam, and she enjoyed the feel of his rock-hard muscles under her slim fingers to the utmost.


Her shyness and meekness luckily hadn't survived the first encounter with a naked Ranma-kun in the furo, and she was glad that those limiting behaviour patterns had died the sudden death. One simply couldn't afford to be shy around Ranma Saotome, for there were more than enough girls out there who'd jump at the chance to call such a beefcake their own. It was due to her ambition to have Ranma for herself that she'd come out of her shell, and she 'd even developed a variant of her father's demon-head technique that served to scare other girls away, and while she kissed the life out of her boyfriend Kasumi remembered the instances she'd to use the 'scare stare'. She'd practised it often in front of her mirror, and whenever she applied the 'scare stare' she seemed to radiate something she'd called killer intent that clearly conveyed the message "MINE!"


A brilliantly smiling oldest Tendo daughter came up for air a good two minutes later and looked a dazed SSJ in his teal eyes. "I'm so glad that you're okay, Ranma-kun. And if it were for me you could go around shirtless more often." she said with a playful wink and a twinkle in the eyes. "Just please limit it to the house or the garden, or you might give the female populace, err population of Nerima a fatal nosebleed. And it would be so disappointing to them when you say that you're already taken."


"I am?" teased Ranma.


Kasumi pressed her voluptuous body against Ranma's in answer. "Gauging from your reaction I'd say that's a distinct yes." she teased back. "I love you, Ranma-kun." she said seriously.


Ranma stroked her hair and let the back of his hand wander down her cheek, and Kasumi closed her eyes in bliss. "Same here, Kasumi-chan." he said with truth in his teal eyes. "But we really gotta sit together with Nabiki-chan, for I've fallen for the both of you."


The oldest Tendo daughter opened her eyes and sighed. "I suspected it, Ranma-kun. You're right, we'll have to talk about it, Nabiki, you and me. But all in due time." she smiled and gave Ranma another kiss which made him forget everything but this wonderful woman in front of him.


-.-


Ranma 'came to' a few minutes later, and noticed that Piccolo was floating about fifty centimetres above the ground, his legs crossed under his body. Electricity was snapping out from him, and the Namek had his eyes closed. "Probably meditating. Jeez, would've never thought that meditation can be so bad for your surroundings." he muttered as he noticed that several flies had obviously been electrocuted by the Namek's energies. "Err, Piccolo, we're done here."


Piccolo's eyes snapped open. "Good. I thought you'd never stop. Ambisexual relationships…" the Namek muttered, shaking his head. "Can we leave now, or is there something else ambisexual beings need to do after sucking the air out of each other? Some ritual, per chance?"


Ranma shook his head sheepishly. "Nope, Piccolo-san. We're ready to leave."


"Leave?" Kasumi asked.


"Oh. Err. Yeah." Ranma muttered sheepishly. "Forgot what we came for cos of all that, heh. Kasumi-chan, the others are all on the lookout. How would you like it ta come with me, have lunch and so on?"


"I'd love it!" Kasumi exclaimed enthusiastically. "The fathers are on the advertising gig Nabiki 'convinced' them to anyway, they won't mind. And there's always takeout. So just let me put the food into Tupperware, it would be too bad if it were to go to waste."


"Oh yeah!" Ranma agreed wholeheartedly, drool running down from the corner of his mouth at the thought of Kasumi's heavenly food.


A little later Kasumi was ready and had handed Ranma a new shirt to boot, albeit reluctantly, and Piccolo teleported the two lovestruck teens to the lookout.


-.-


A few minutes earlier, the lookout


The others had followed Vegeta into the newly made dining room, and the owner of said dining room, Dende, had excused himself; he wanted to meditate.


Ryo-chan smiled at Akane. "Ranma was right, some food sounds really good. I would die for some rice and Teriyaki. And once I'm filled I'm going to change back into a guy." she said as she walked to the table with the other girls.


"How do you deal with those switches in gender and emotional make-up? I imagine that it must be quite hard." Nabiki commented.


Ryo-chan nodded as she sat down on a chair. Vegeta was already sitting, and his choice of place emphasised his warrior-status. The Prince of all Saiyans sat as far away from the door away as possible, facing it. In case of an attack he'd be able to react most efficiently. Akane and Nabiki followed Ryo-chan's example, they just didn't care about such things and sat down across from the boy-turned-girl.


"Yes, it was pure hell in the beginning. My emotions were wrecking havoc on me, and I thank Kami-sama that I adapted as fast as I did. I'm really glad that the Amazons didn't catch up to me as well, for I think I might have blown up at them, and we all know what would have happened then." Ryo-chan commented.


Akane nodded darkly. "Oh yeah. I really hope that we'll be rid of them soon. They may be women, but they're acting like... perverts."


Nabiki snorted. "More like completely amoral and self-serving people, as is to be expected from a tribe of women warriors. They just disregard the opinions and wishes of others to further the advancement of their tribe, but they fail to see that their way of dealing with outsiders must fail once they encounter a force powerful enough to put the continued existence of the tribe on the line. And I'd say Vegeta, Ranma, Ryo-chan and Piccolo more than qualify. Their energy attacks could probably level whole city blocks, not to mention something puny like a village."


Vegeta looked up from his instant ramen and smirked nastily. "You're thinking in too small a scale, onna. Try the planet and you're getting close."


The middle Tendo daughter's eyes flew open in shock. "C-close? How strong are you people?"


"To give you a comparison, Nappa could have blown up the city you call Tokyo with ease, and he was a weakling compared to our present-day standards. My Big Bang attack could destroy this planet ten times over, and much as I hate to admit it, Gohan would probably be strong enough to lay waste to the Sol system." Vegeta grumbled.


"T-the Sol s-system?" asked a shocked Akane. "L-like in Earth and all o-other planets?"


"No, like in the tooth-fairies realm." Vegeta snorted sarcastically. "Of course the Sol system. Or do you know of any other race that calls their solar system 'Sol' system?"


A strange sound reverberated through the air, and a voice asked "What about the Sol system?"


"Ranma! And Kasumi!" Akane exclaimed. "Good to see you're okay, big sis." she smiled.


"Why shouldn't I be?" Kasumi asked with a smile of her own as she sat down across from her sisters, Ranma sitting down by her side. "It wasn't me who got pestered by those Amazons." she said as she passed the Tupperware, dishes and chopsticks around before helping herself to a decent lunch.


"Too true. They're real pests." Akane muttered darkly as she helped herself to a generous helping.


Nabiki and Ryo-chan nodded their heads as they followed Akane's example. "That they are." both said darkly.


Piccolo snorted. "If they don't learn who they're dealing with they'll be dealt with accordingly. And now excuse me, my meditations await."


The tall Namek left the room, and Vegeta grinned nastily. "What the Namek failed to say, they'll be treated like the bugs they are. And bugs are for stomping." he said and concentrated back on his food.


"O-okay." muttered Nabiki, delving deeply into the cool and calm persona that had brought her the nick-name of the 'ice-queen'. "Oh, Ranma, I have asked myself something, and it concerns one of your energy attacks."


"Yeah, Nabs?" inquired Ranma who was busy devouring Kare Raisu, Oden and Tonkatsu.


"Why did you call your 'Onyx Wave' that? I mean, you must have known that an onyx is a mineral that is mostly black in colour. Your Onyx Wave whereas is yellow-green. So why call it that?"


Ranma swallowed and sighed. "I knew that. But I did call it Onyx Wave cos it sounded cool. Imagine me shouting 'Topaz Wave'. How ridiculous would that have been? Nope, Onyx Wave sounds cool. Though if ya can come up with somethin' nifty I ain't gonna say no…" he said with a smirk.


The youngest Tendo sister made a gagging noise as her sister responded to the flirty tone and look on Ranma's face. "Not that mushy stuff again. Can you please get a room? Or distract me with something, please!" she exclaimed, looking at Ryo-chan.


"But little sis, we haven't even started." Kasumi said in a sweet tone as she rubbed Ranma's left leg, surprising not only her younger sister. "What do I get if I come up with something nice, Ranma-kun? Do I get to choose?"


"Hmm, how about you tell me what you want when the time comes and I tell you if you'll get it?" Ranma suggested with a smirk.


"Fine with me, Ranma-kun." Kasumi replied with a sweet smile.


Ryo-chan, who'd to pick her jaw back up from the floor just as much as Akane looked at the other girl a little lost; then she decided to tell Akane the first thing that came to mind. "Y-you know, I think you're pretty brave, Akane."


Akane looked surprised, plus she was properly distracted from the 'mushy stuff'. "Really? You mean it?"


"Yeah. I mean, you took those two heavily armed Amazons on without a second thought. And you were willing to jump into action to help your sister. I think that's pretty darn brave." Ryo-chan said with a blush.


"Aww, isn't that so sweet!" cooed Nabiki.


Kasumi nodded with a knowing smile. "Someone has a crush on baby sis." she stage-whispered.


Akane ignored her sisters and smiled brilliantly at the blushing Saiyan girl. "Why, thank you, Ryo-chan! I think you were pretty brave too. Not too bad for a boy-turned-girl." she teased, but got serious again. "But those Amazons are really annoying. Maybe Ranma should have blasted Mousse instead of sparing him, that might have taught them that messing with us isn't a good idea."


Ryo-chan nodded. "Yeah, maybe. Though I'm not sure if I could have killed Mousse had I been in Ranma's shoes. And an entire people? Sure, I was pretty determined to kill Ranma for what he had supposedly done to me, but would I have seen it through? I don't know. But Vegeta," she nodded her head at the Saiyan Prince, "would have no qualms about it. He would wipe the village off the maps if they so much as sneezed in a way he doesn't like."


"Sneezing is allowed, onna. But I won't tolerate transgressions against the Saiyan race, and that includes the brat as well as you." Vegeta commented, fixing her with a stare before concentrating back on Ranma.


The four girls shared a look, and each became introspective. Nabiki thought it interesting that Ranma didn't seem to take offence to being called 'brat', but she mused that this was most probably due to the fact that Genma had called him a lot worse. It was also obvious that Ryo-chan was right with her assessment. Vegeta would eradicate the Amazons should they try something stupid, that was practically a given. But maybe this unrelenting attitude was exactly what the Joketsuzoku needed, a long overdue wake-up call that would catapult them into the 21st century. That, or they were doomed. In either case, her position with Ranma was pretty much secure. Her boyfriend had shown that he was strong enough to take care of just about anything, and they had very strong allies. To top it, Ranma was a right beefcake and intelligent. What more could a girl ask for?


-.-


Akane on her part was reflecting upon what had happened; and that had been quite a lot. One could sum it up therein that life had gotten very interesting ever since the Saotomes had crossed their doorstep, but due to Piccolo she knew that the chaos that followed Ranma was not of his making; it was much more probable that her fathers' old friend had done something stupid.


She shook her head at Genma Saotomes antics; the man had probably his good sides, but the acts he did in haste and in order to gain an advantage, which was not seldom monetary in nature were just stupid. The whole engagement thing with Videl was an excellent and glaring example; a blind person could have seen that Videl was in love with Gohan, yet Genma had tried to force her into fulfilling the engagement to Ranma. All that so he could gain an advantage. It was sad. But now they'd a good handle of him, seeing as he had to teach a whole horde of students in tandem with her father; surprisingly this seemed to fulfil at least her father, and the dojo was an unexpected success.


Which brought her to the reason why that was the case: Ranma. Without him things would have carried on like they had for years. Her skills would have continued to stagnate, and she might have never admitted that she had temper problems, even to herself. She also knew for sure that he was no pervert, and once she'd realised that living together with Ranma had become a lot easier.


She had to admit to herself, she had already learned a lot from Ranma, who on his part passed the knowledge he'd gained over the years onto them. Training was finally fun again after what seemed an eternity ago, and she was always looking forward to their training sessions, even if she'd never admit that out loud. She also knew for sure that her sisters were also looking forward to their training every time, even if both her sisters seemed to be slight... no, perverts wasn't what she'd call them, this term was reserved for those who acted perverted - yes, her sisters were a bit overenthusiastic in impressing Ranma. How else would one explain that they needed to be caught by Ranma quite often during pathetically easy falling exercises? And not to forget their very revealing outfits. Akane sighed. She'd never understand how other girls could moon over boys.


-.-


Ryo-chan was reflecting on the Amazons. In former times she'd thought that members of the fairer sex would never act like something out of a bad movie, but the tribal women had proven her wrong. Ever since she'd received her curse, which she didn't view as a curse at all by now any more, her outlook on women had changed, and her other form had finally overcome that terminal shyness in front of women. It had been darn annoying how she'd started stuttering as a he, and how embarrassing it had been to pass out in front of females with a nosebleed!


She thought back to when she'd been cursed with dread. Back then she'd climbed out of the spring slightly disorientated, which had been due to the fact that the female form had cancelled her family curse out; she remembered how the disorientation had faded, and how she'd noticed the changes. Then she'd opened her gi, and had promptly passed out with a nosebleed. Her own new breasts had sent her to lala-land. When she'd come to she'd been in an unfamiliar hut, but her worries had been eased by the Jusenkyo guide who had explained the curse to her.


She remembered that the man had looked quite beaten up, and now she knew the reason. She hadn't stayed long and had soon left with destination Japan, and she had used the travel to get used to her curse. In the beginning she'd fought it tooth and nail, but seeing as it had been the rainy season she'd had no other choice but to deal with her new gender. she'd gotten used to her new body as fast as she had mostly due to the fact that she'd hadn't been allowed to cut herself the slack to pass out in the wilderness; the amazing abilities that came with this form had surely mellowed the change and had make her accept the curse more easily, and she'd practically thrown herself into training upon discovering that her cursed form grew stronger much more easily than her birthform.


Now she knew that she'd escaped her trip to Jusenkyo with a black eye, for if she'd been cursed to turn into something like that Mousse she'd have committed seppuku. All things considered she could be satisfied with how things had turned out, and even the chronic depression that had plagued her boy-form had disappeared. Life was good.


-.-


Mr. Popo had worked as efficiently as ever, and soon the meal, which had now turned into the main course due to Kasumi's unexpected assistance, was prepared and served. The Saiyans immediately dug in like hungry wolves that would stop for nothing. This was a lesson everyone had learned, sooner or later: never get between a Saiyan and his/her food. Dinner was accompanied by idle chatter, and after all the alarms and excursions of the day an all around pleasant affair. Mr. Popo had prepared tons of food, and it tasted great, even without Kasumis help.


Finally even the Saiyans were filled, and Vegeta's comment that a Saiyan was at his/her best after a good meal and that they should move their scrawny asses out on the lookout for a proper sparring match served to cause grins on his fellow Saiyans parts. Nabiki shook her head in amusement when she saw Ranmas look. "Haven't had enough fights for today, Ranma?" she asked.


"Err, no?" Ranma asked with a sheepish grin as he got to his feet.


"If it makes him happy, little sis." Kasumi smiled. "Besides, who could say no to training if it produces such results?" she asked as she let her fingers wander along Ranma's biceps in a very sensual way.


"KASUMI!" Akane exclaimed, scandalised.


"Is it something I said, little sis?" Kasumi asked innocently.


"You'll find that Saiyans like nothing more than to do battle." Dende said as he stepped into the room; he took a seat and smiled. "There're things that come close, but fighting is what they like best."


"True, Namek. We are a warrior race, the drive to fight is in our blood." Vegeta commented.


"Shouldn't that be were a warrior race, Vegeta?" Piccolo asked as he entered the room.


The Prince of all Saiyans growled. "Did they have group abatement for Nameks?" he growled, ignoring the question.


"What did you mean by that, Mr. Piccolo?" Akane asked curiously.


"Just Piccolo, kid." he said, looking at her. "Do you remember the alien attack that had been reported roughly ten years ago?"


Akane nodded. "Yes, but wasn't that a hoax?"


Vegeta snorted before Piccolo could respond. "You couldn't be farther from the truth, onna."


"That is true." Piccolo said as Vegeta didn't continue. "Roughly ten years ago Earth was attacked by alien intruders. They had come with intent to get their hands on a special treasure we possessed and still possess."


Nabiki's eyes lit up. "What kind of treasure?"


"Let's just say something valuable enough to blow up planets for and leave it at that, onna." Vegeta explained.


Nabiki's and Akane's eyes bugged out. "Whoa..."


"Indeed. These aliens were Saiyans, and they were two of the last five at that time. Nappa, a vicious fighter, was killed in a valiant fight, but it was not until Goku, Gohan's father, defeated the leader of the Saiyan group with the help of his son that things looked up. The leader of the group was until not long ago the only surviving pureblood Saiyan, and he is..."


"Me." Vegeta interrupted, drawing surprised looks upon him. The Saiyan Prince snorted. "I came to this mudball with a simple goal: to get the dragonballs to gain my erstwhile wish. Immortality. What I didn't expect was to meet my match. I, the Prince of all Saiyans had been defeated by a third class baka and his stooges! It was an outrage! But for some odd reason they let me live. Softness, I presume till this day."


"Let me get this straight: you came to Earth to get your hands on those dragonballs, and you were willing to exterminate any resistance to get them. Is that about right?" Nabiki asked.


"Yes." Vegeta replied evenly.


"What kind of monster are you?" Akane asked, taken aback.


"Akane!" Kasumi scolded. "One doesn't say such things, especially not if one doesn't know all the facts."


Vegeta on his part surveyed Akane with a hard look that turned said girls' innards to ice. "You know nothing about me, human. So don't arrogate to judge me." he growled.


"But..." Akane began.


Kasumi looked at her; catching her sisters' eye she shook her head. "Let it go, sis. This is nothing that concerns you, so don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."


Nabiki nodded as well. "You're treading on very thin ice here, baby-sis."


"Clever mates you've got there, brat." Vegeta commented with a smirk.


"Err, thanks." Ranma said, unsure of what else to say to that.


"Back to the story." Piccolo gruffed, and gave an abridged version of what had happened on Namek, and how Vegeta had ended up on Earth.


Shortly thereafter Vegeta's patience had run out, and the Saiyan Prince demanded his spar. Ranma agreed all too gladly, and seeing as he would spar with Vegeta that left Ryo-chan for Piccolo. Originally she'd wanted to change back already, but the prospect to engage in a good spar overcame her wish to change back quickly. And it turned out to be a very fulfilling spar indeed.


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, and many thanks to Tai Khan for coming up with this perfect definition for diplomatic immunity. Thanks, man!


And my heartfelt thanks to all of you for over a thousand reviews! You people keep me going strong!


I know, this was mainly a filler chapter that tied up the loose ends. Not very action-filled, but not every chapter can be.

I'm well aware that many of you'd have liked to see the Amazons punished in a more thorough way, but I think I gave good reasons why that didn't happen. The Joketsuzoku are now on probation, and they know what'll happen if they step out of line.

The next chapter (probably the next two) will deal with Happosai, but the meeting will go way differently in comparison to canon. All I say that action's gonna ensue…

I'll probably update on Friday, provided I've got enough time to answer the questions. The ideas just keep on coming, bloody muse won't leave me alone, and I've got some nice ideas for Happosai, Nodoka and much, much more... :)


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


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You can find the Q&A section for the last chapter at my Yahoo group, as usual. The link to it is in the homepage link of my profile.