A Saiyan Tail
Part 21
Ozaru Ranma vs. Nerima
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Akane slowly opened her eyes as her world spun around, she seemed to be wrapped in a warm blanket of some kind. She had just had the strangest dream; Ranma had turned into a two hundred-foot monkey, and then grabbed her before wandering off into the streets.
Just as she had this thought, Ranma swung his arm as he walked. Akane screamed in fright as the beast upset her sense of vertigo quite suddenly. The streets of Nerima were far below. The massive beast paused suddenly, looking at the tiny creature in its palm curiously for a moment. The girl froze as the beast sniffed at her for a moment and made a small growling sound in the back of its throat. Ranma merely snorted and lost interest again, moving straight for the city in the distance.
"We have to do something Tendo!" cried Goku angrily as he hovered in the air, just above the beast's head.
"The tail is its weakness Saotome. If we cut it off, he will become your son again," said Soun firmly. "We must be cautious Saotome, he still has my Akane with him."
"Right, that means we can't just grab his tail," agreed Goku with a frown.
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Meanwhile, at a familiar restaurant.
"Oh my. And here I thought those were just silly movies," commented Cologne as she watched Ranma pass over the Cat Cafe with surprising calm.
"Shampoo not like Japan," said her Great Granddaughter sourly as the girl held down some of the more expensive china plates.
Mousse walked out of the kitchen with a dishtowel slung over his shoulder. "Hey Shampoo. I just saw your grandmother outside, did she go to the store or something?"
Cologne promptly hit him over the head and he slumped down to the ground.
"Stupid Mousse," muttered Shampoo.
"Well, the danger has passed. Come on, we'll go to bed. Be ready for a rush tomorrow Shampoo. That thing will probably knock out the power, and possibly some of the other utilities. Have Mousse prepare some water for tomorrow, just in case."
"Yes, Great Grandmother," muttered the girl as she kicked the boy awake. "Stupid Mousse wake up now! Shampoo tired!"
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"Jiro, it was just a movie. Please calm down," said Mrs. Takama as she comforted her young child in his bed.
"Mom! I don't want King Kong to come and step on our house!" cried the boy in terror.
"That wasn't real dear, no monsters are going to come and step on our house! Don't be silly," comforted his father as he walked into the room and smiled at the boy. "Just relax, and go to sleep."
"Are you sure?" muttered the boy nervously.
"Yes, now go to sleep," said the woman sweetly.
Both parents walked out of the room and shut off the light.
Jiro's eyes opened and he sat up in the darkness. He picked up the flashlight from his nightstand and turned it on. After a moment of searching around his room, he fixed it on the glass of water by his bed, and the tiny ripples that formed in the liquid. "MOOOOOOOOMMMMM!"
"Not again!" said the woman in exhaustion as she glared at her husband. "Whose idea was it to let him watch that stupid movie anyway?"
"I thought he was old enough!" muttered the man apologetically.
"Well, he obviously wasn't. You go in first this time," snapped the woman.
"Right dear," grumbled the man as he stood up from his chair and walked towards the boy's room. He opened the door just in time to see a huge set of toes burst through the wall, easily crushing half of the room before they vanished into the air again. A deafening roar shook the entire home as the beast passed by overhead.
"Oh my god! What happened?" screamed the woman as she ran up behind her husband. "What the hell was that?"
Her husband simply looked at her blankly, and said nothing as his jaw worked up and down.
"I told you!" screamed the little boy from under his sheets.
Mr. Takama walked into the room and picked up the blanket from over his son's head. "Scoot over son."
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"Come on Tendo! We don't have much time!" cried Goku in alarm. Already, the forces of the Japanese Self Defense Force were on the move.
The pair dove behind the giant monkey and moved closer. The animal glanced at them over its shoulder and swatted them out of the air with its tail.
Goku and Soun, plummeted head first into a grove of trees, knocking several of them over in their path.
"Man! He is so grounded!" snapped Goku as he sat up and dusted himself off.
"I don't think he's hurt anybody yet," commented Soun. "Come on, we'd better try again."
"Right!" agreed Goku.
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Ranma finally reached Tokyo, the scene once the beast entered the still crowded streets of the city was predictable. The Japanese citizens acted as if it was scripted, in their stereotypical manner. Running and screaming in mass quantities.
Ozaru Ranma roared as he put his fist into an office building and stomped through the streets angrily. Smashing cars and buildings in his wake as he ambled through the city.
"Ranma! Please stop!" screamed Akane desperately from her place in his grip. He paused and looked down at her again for a moment. He let out a small mewling sound and sat down in the middle of the street, appearing quite pleased with himself as he opened his palm and let Akane sit there for a moment.
"Ranma?" muttered the girl in surprise. He poked at her gently with his finger for a moment, seeming quite amused with his little toy.
"Stop right there! We have you surrounded!" said a voice from far below.
Akane glanced down and paled suddenly. Every police officer in Tokyo must have been down there. They had managed to build a roadblock with their cars around the beast. "They have got to be kidding!" she said in shock.
Far below, one of the men walked up to the captain nervously. "Uh sir? What are we doing?"
"Ha! There's no where he can run now!" said the man proudly. "We have him!"
"Are you nuts sir?" gasped the man in shock. "What the hell are we supposed to do? Cuff it?"
"Hmm, you have a point... I suppose we'll just have to shoot it! No one can withstand the full might of my nine millimeters of death!" The man unholstered his weapon and posed with it held high into the air.
"Um sir, it's looking at us," muttered the officer nervously as he started to back away.
Ranma roared angrily and slammed his palm into the ground just in front of the captain, easily crushing three of the tiny police cruisers.
"Ha! Your display has not deterred me! No one can withstand the might of the powerful and just, Shooting Star of Precinct Fourteen! Katsuhiko Kuno!"
"Ranma! Please stop! Calm down!" cried Akane desperately, once again, Ranma looked at her and calmed visibly. "Please stop this! Can we just go home?"
The beast looked at her for a moment and then turned its head towards the large tower that rose into the sky nearby. He really wanted to climb one of these big rocks, and maybe smash a few of them as well. Finally he grunted and stood up, moving back towards Nerima slowly.
Akane blinked in surprise as he did exactly as he was instructed. She sat down on his still open palm and looked up at his face. "What just happened?"
The gigantic monkey ambled through the streets again and smashed another building as it passed with its fist merrily.
"Stop that! You're being a jerk!" snapped Akane from its grip. The thing paused and looked at her again, it almost seemed ashamed for a moment. Finally, its face contorted and it slammed its fist into the building again. It snorted and continued to walk back towards Nerima.
"He's heading out of the city!" cried Goku as he dove towards the beast again.
"Right!" agreed Soun.
"Hey! Tendo!" cried a familiar voice from behind them.
"It's Yamcha!" said Goku with a small glance at the newcomer.
"Goku!? But? Who the?" stammered the man in shock as he noticed his friend floating with Soun.
"It is good to see you again old friend, but as you can see, we are quite busy," said Soun.
"If Goku is here, then who is that?" said Yamcha as he flew towards the rampaging monkey just behind the pair.
"Ranma," stated Goku firmly. "Come on! We have to hurry! I want to get him back to normal before the Self Defense Force gets here."
"Any idea how much time we have?"
"None," said Soun.
"Well, we'd better get started then," commented Yamcha as he blasted ahead of them.
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Nodoka Saotome sat in her home preparing for bed. It was late, and very quiet. She sighed and looked in the mirror, her hair was rolled into curlers, and she was preparing to put on her facial treatment for the night.
"It's so quiet... perhaps I have been a bit hard on my husband?" she said suddenly as the noiseless, empty house finally cracked through the last barrier of her anger. She stood up and resolved silently to speak with Goku tomorrow, after all, Ranma didn't seem to upset with his strange curse. Even if it wasn't exactly manly. He had always been such an easygoing boy anyway.
She paused as the phone rang and stood up. "I wonder who could be calling at this time of night?"
She lifted the receiver to her ear and frowned as she looked up at the clock. "Hello? Oh, hello Bulma-chan! It's been so long! How have you been?" She paused suddenly, her cheerfulness washing away in an instant. "Why would I be watching television at this hour? You know we go to bed pretty early around here." There was yet another long pause, and her face contorted even more. "He's WHAT?"
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Meanwhile in Tokyo...
"Bwahahahahahahahaaa! Look at the fool run in terror! No doubt he fears my prowess! For I, The Mighty Shooting Star of Precinct Fourteen, have saved all of Tokyo from the evil grasp of villainy once again!"
"I think he's finally lost it," whispered one of the officers who stood around glaring at the captain in shocked awe.
"Finally? That idiot does this whenever he so much as arrests a prostitute," commented another one of the nearby men.
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Akane shuddered slightly in the wind and glared back at her fiancee as he finally stepped into the Tendo yard and looked down at her. "Well, don't just look at me! Change back! What the heck were you thinking?"
The huge animal looked down at her and blinked, making a confused sound. After a moment, it gave a short bark that forced the girl to cover her ears.
"Well?" she said as she stood up and tapped her foot against his palm.
"Akane! Look out!" said a familiar voice. The girl found herself suddenly lifted into the air, leaving an angry two hundred foot monkey on the ground below.
The girl blinked as the animal stomped its feet and roared into the sky. "Daddy?" she muttered.
"Oh! Thank goodness you're safe!" cried the man as he pulled her into a rough bear hug in mid air. "Akane! Did he hurt you?"
"Dad?" muttered the girl in surprise as he finally released her. She had to stop herself from falling for a moment, but regained her balance quickly. "I'm fine. He didn't hurt me, I don't think he would have."
"Akane! Ranma is very dangerous right now! We have to stop him. I want you to stay here while his father and I take care of this. Please."
"Dad! You aren't going to..." said the girl as her eyes went wide with shock.
"He won't be hurt," said another voice from just above her. The girl glanced up to see Yamcha floating nearby. "Don't worry, it isn't easy, but we've done this sort of thing before."
Akane looked at her father and blinked. "You knew about this?"
"I'm sorry Akane, I didn't think it would be a good idea to say anything right away..." muttered the man nervously.
"You... didn't tell me? I could have been killed! You're just lucky Ranma seems to still like me!" snapped the girl with pain and anger flooding her face.
Goku appeared beside them. "Tendo, later."
"Right," agreed Yamcha.
"Come on!" snapped Goku as he dove towards the rampaging beast.
"My house!" cried Soun in shock. Then he paused. Something he seemed to forget about suddenly hit him. "My baby!"
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Kasumi stood staring up at the monster, she could not move as it simply looked back and did nothing. She was in the middle of pouring a cup of tea, and now a large puddle was forming on the floor around her from the overflowing cup.
Ranma had calmed immediately as the girl walked out of the home to see exactly what the noise outside was. Now, they simply stood and looked at each other. The giant monkey cocked its head and blinked, slowly it's lips curled back and bared its massive fangs. A low growl started to form in the back of its throat.
Suddenly, the beast froze in place, and fell to its knees, shattering the concrete wall that surrounded the yard as it did so. It slowly slumped forward, leaning against the roof, which somehow managed to hold under the massive weight.
Kasumi blinked, and turned to see her father gripping the thing's tail as hard as he could. "Father?"
"Kasumi! Run!" cried the man.
She nodded numbly, but was unable to move her legs. The only thing she managed was a tentative step back.
"Hiyah!" cried a voice from above. Kasumi turned her attention towards the sky, and saw a glowing yellow disk of energy slam into the ground, after passing right through the monster's tail.
"That got him!" cried Yamcha triumphantly as he landed nearby.
"Yeah," muttered Goku as he lowered his hands and sighed in relief as the monster began to shrink again. "It did," he finished quietly. He did not look happy. He landed nearby and walked over to pick up his son.
"Oh my," said Kasumi as she passed out on the ground finally.
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Akane sat around the table with everyone involved with the whole mess and scowled at her father. "You never told him? I can't believe you!"
"We thought it was for the best. He seemed so carefree, I couldn't bear putting the weight of his grandfather's death on him. I am so ashamed," said the man with his head hung low.
Yamcha was sitting nearby with a similar expression on his face.
"Well, I know now," said Goku. His features were deadly serious.
"I didn't think it would come up again. You had your tail removed, and Ranma appeared to be a normal boy. It didn't seem to matter anymore, please forgive our foolishness," said Soun as he bowed in front of his friend.
"Don't worry about it. You were trying to do what was best for me," said Goku morosely.
Akane gasped. The pain the man was feeling at the moment was obvious. "Mr. Saotome! I'm so sorry!"
"Ranma is going to need you more than I do. We're going to tell him what he did, and why it happened when he wakes up," said the man with a small humorless smile.
"Right," agreed the girl. "And you!" she turned to face her father with a vicious scowl. "How dare you engage me to him! You knew about this, and you didn't say anything!"
The man simply hung his head even lower than he already was.
The door to the home burst open, everyone turned to see an unfamiliar figure standing in the doorway with a katana held tightly in her grasp. "Goku Saotome! What have you been doing?"
"Uh oh," said Soun as he attempted to hide behind the table.
Yamcha simply stood up and backed against the wall with his eyes wide in shocked horror.
"Um, hi honey?" said the man with a nervous laugh. "You aren't going to believe what happened tonight..."
"Oh I heard all about it! You went on a rampage and destroyed half of Tokyo! What were you thinking? My own husband!"
"Um, actually, it was Ranma," said Goku as he looked down at the table and poked his finger on it.
"Now Nodoka, calm down. I'm sure we can explain..." said another familiar voice from the doorway. Bulma walked in behind Goku's wife and placed her hands on her shoulders gently.
"Explain?! My son just blew up half of Tokyo! This is even worse than if he did it!" snapped the woman in rage as she pointed at her husband with her sword. "Goku Saotome! You have shamed our family! I thought you said he had control now!"
"He does!" said the man as he jumped to his son's defense. "This is completely different!"
"Nodoka, please! Hear us out first!" whimpered Soun.
Yamcha was slowly edging his way towards the exit.
"Where the heck do you think you're going buster?" said Bulma coldly as she appeared beside him.
"Just out for a walk! I had nothing to do with it!" replied the man as he dashed out into the yard.
"Men," snorted Bulma as she turned back to the scene again. "Such cowards."
"Indeed," agreed Nodoka as she eyed Soun carefully. The man blushed, but continued to hide behind the table.
"Auntie! It wasn't Mr. Saotome's fault! Ranma turned into some kind of monster!" said Akane as she stood up in the middle of the room.
"Monster?" muttered the woman as she lowered the blade slightly. "What do you mean? My son is some sort of madman?"
"Not that kind of monster. Here, I brought a tape. Goku used to do this when he was little," said Bulma as she pulled a small capsule out of her purse and opened it on the table. A television and VCR appeared out of a cloud of smoke suddenly.
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Nodoka stared at the news report in shock, her mouth hung open and she turned towards her husband. The man was trying his best not to look at the screen. "Husband? You never told me about this?" her voice was ice cold.
"He did not know," said Soun. He had calmed quite a bit and merely sat across from his friend.
"What do you mean?" snapped the woman.
"I never remembered it when this happened to me. I just woke up, naked somewhere. The others were usually around, so I didn't think anything of it," said the man sadly.
"Others?" asked Nodoka with a small frown.
"We all knew," said Bulma with a small blush. "After Goku had his tail removed, it wasn't a problem anymore, so we just never told him. We didn't want to hurt him."
"I... see," said the woman with a small nod. "I am disappointed in you all, but, I do understand."
"What about Ranma? Will this happen again?" said Akane nervously.
"It could, his tail will grow back eventually," commented Soun.
"We'll have it removed as well then," said Nodoka.
"Wait! What if Ranma is a girl? He doesn't have a tail then," said Akane.
"She's right," said Goku as it seemed to dawn on him. "This curse of his could be useful after all."
"I hate to agree with you, but that operation was quite expensive. We'll have to be very careful, and keep track of the lunar cycle," said Nodoka. "It will do, for now." She sighed and looked at the family sitting around her. "I suppose this has worked out for the best. Come husband, I wish to speak with you."
"Huh?" muttered Goku in surprise. He stood up and followed his wife outside the home.
Akane frowned and looked at her father. It was obvious that the man felt like dirt at the moment, as far as she was concerned, he deserved it. Kasumi was still resting in her room, and Ranma was upstairs sleeping. He probably wouldn't wake up until tomorrow. "Great. Now what?" she muttered to herself. "Damn, everything was going so well. I finally start to actually like somebody, and they turn out to be some sort of crazy monster! I hate my life!" She slumped down and rested her head in her arms on the table. Once again, she had a lot to think about. She really hated that.
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"Husband, are things going well here?" Nodoka put her arm under Goku's. Her face was completely serious at the moment though.
"Fine really," he said dejectedly.
"Sit down. Are you still upset about Ranma? I wish I could say I have forgiven you, but I am beginning to understand why you were forced to take him away for so long. I do enjoy it when you visit. Perhaps we can be a family again soon? If only for a short time."
"Yes, and no," he said with a heavy sigh.
"What is it?"
"No-chan, I killed him. It was me," said the man somberly.
"Pardon?" gasped the woman in shock.
"After all this time. I know why they never told me, I was the one who killed Grandpa," said the man with a slight shudder.
"Husband, you know he has forgiven you. After all, you did meet again. He still loves you," said the woman as she put her arm across his shoulders.
"I know, but it doesn't feel any better," he murmured quietly.
"I know husband, but you are strong. Despite what happened to our son, I am still proud to call you that."
"Thanks," he said with a slight smile appearing for a moment on his face.
She kissed him on the cheek and stood up. "It is late, I should return home."
"I'll go with you," he said without a moment's thought.
"I was hoping you'd say that," she replied in a very formal tone.
Goku looked confused for a moment, and suddenly blushed as he realized what she was saying to him.
The pair wandered out of the gates and into the streets of Nerima.
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Ryoga Hibiki stood glaring at the puny humans before him. There were several tanks moving towards his now massive form across a large field. He snorted in disgust and looked down at them calmly.
"Ready men?" cried the commander into his radio as he pointed at the beast. He was poking out of the top of one of the armored vehicle's turrets.
"Leave now, I'm not bothering anybody. Go away, and I'll let you live," said the giant monkey with a vicious snarl.
"Sir? Did that thing just talk?" cried one of his men in shock.
The commander dropped his receiver and looked at the man next to him. After a moment he shook his head from side to side. "It doesn't matter, we have our orders! Fire at will!"
Ryoga chuckled as the shells exploded against his chest and all around him. The firing stopped abruptly and he slowly stalked towards them. "Last chance. Leave. Now."
"Sir?" cried one of the men in alarm.
The commander fumbled and fell back inside the tank. "Get us the hell out of here! Now!"
Ryoga narrowed his eyes as he watched the tanks retreat at top speed. He snorted in disgust and sat down on the ground again. "This is certainly interesting," he growled as he looked up at the full moon as it hung in the sky overhead.
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TBC...
Next time: The Return!
Part 21
Ozaru Ranma vs. Nerima
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Akane slowly opened her eyes as her world spun around, she seemed to be wrapped in a warm blanket of some kind. She had just had the strangest dream; Ranma had turned into a two hundred-foot monkey, and then grabbed her before wandering off into the streets.
Just as she had this thought, Ranma swung his arm as he walked. Akane screamed in fright as the beast upset her sense of vertigo quite suddenly. The streets of Nerima were far below. The massive beast paused suddenly, looking at the tiny creature in its palm curiously for a moment. The girl froze as the beast sniffed at her for a moment and made a small growling sound in the back of its throat. Ranma merely snorted and lost interest again, moving straight for the city in the distance.
"We have to do something Tendo!" cried Goku angrily as he hovered in the air, just above the beast's head.
"The tail is its weakness Saotome. If we cut it off, he will become your son again," said Soun firmly. "We must be cautious Saotome, he still has my Akane with him."
"Right, that means we can't just grab his tail," agreed Goku with a frown.
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Meanwhile, at a familiar restaurant.
"Oh my. And here I thought those were just silly movies," commented Cologne as she watched Ranma pass over the Cat Cafe with surprising calm.
"Shampoo not like Japan," said her Great Granddaughter sourly as the girl held down some of the more expensive china plates.
Mousse walked out of the kitchen with a dishtowel slung over his shoulder. "Hey Shampoo. I just saw your grandmother outside, did she go to the store or something?"
Cologne promptly hit him over the head and he slumped down to the ground.
"Stupid Mousse," muttered Shampoo.
"Well, the danger has passed. Come on, we'll go to bed. Be ready for a rush tomorrow Shampoo. That thing will probably knock out the power, and possibly some of the other utilities. Have Mousse prepare some water for tomorrow, just in case."
"Yes, Great Grandmother," muttered the girl as she kicked the boy awake. "Stupid Mousse wake up now! Shampoo tired!"
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"Jiro, it was just a movie. Please calm down," said Mrs. Takama as she comforted her young child in his bed.
"Mom! I don't want King Kong to come and step on our house!" cried the boy in terror.
"That wasn't real dear, no monsters are going to come and step on our house! Don't be silly," comforted his father as he walked into the room and smiled at the boy. "Just relax, and go to sleep."
"Are you sure?" muttered the boy nervously.
"Yes, now go to sleep," said the woman sweetly.
Both parents walked out of the room and shut off the light.
Jiro's eyes opened and he sat up in the darkness. He picked up the flashlight from his nightstand and turned it on. After a moment of searching around his room, he fixed it on the glass of water by his bed, and the tiny ripples that formed in the liquid. "MOOOOOOOOMMMMM!"
"Not again!" said the woman in exhaustion as she glared at her husband. "Whose idea was it to let him watch that stupid movie anyway?"
"I thought he was old enough!" muttered the man apologetically.
"Well, he obviously wasn't. You go in first this time," snapped the woman.
"Right dear," grumbled the man as he stood up from his chair and walked towards the boy's room. He opened the door just in time to see a huge set of toes burst through the wall, easily crushing half of the room before they vanished into the air again. A deafening roar shook the entire home as the beast passed by overhead.
"Oh my god! What happened?" screamed the woman as she ran up behind her husband. "What the hell was that?"
Her husband simply looked at her blankly, and said nothing as his jaw worked up and down.
"I told you!" screamed the little boy from under his sheets.
Mr. Takama walked into the room and picked up the blanket from over his son's head. "Scoot over son."
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"Come on Tendo! We don't have much time!" cried Goku in alarm. Already, the forces of the Japanese Self Defense Force were on the move.
The pair dove behind the giant monkey and moved closer. The animal glanced at them over its shoulder and swatted them out of the air with its tail.
Goku and Soun, plummeted head first into a grove of trees, knocking several of them over in their path.
"Man! He is so grounded!" snapped Goku as he sat up and dusted himself off.
"I don't think he's hurt anybody yet," commented Soun. "Come on, we'd better try again."
"Right!" agreed Goku.
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Ranma finally reached Tokyo, the scene once the beast entered the still crowded streets of the city was predictable. The Japanese citizens acted as if it was scripted, in their stereotypical manner. Running and screaming in mass quantities.
Ozaru Ranma roared as he put his fist into an office building and stomped through the streets angrily. Smashing cars and buildings in his wake as he ambled through the city.
"Ranma! Please stop!" screamed Akane desperately from her place in his grip. He paused and looked down at her again for a moment. He let out a small mewling sound and sat down in the middle of the street, appearing quite pleased with himself as he opened his palm and let Akane sit there for a moment.
"Ranma?" muttered the girl in surprise. He poked at her gently with his finger for a moment, seeming quite amused with his little toy.
"Stop right there! We have you surrounded!" said a voice from far below.
Akane glanced down and paled suddenly. Every police officer in Tokyo must have been down there. They had managed to build a roadblock with their cars around the beast. "They have got to be kidding!" she said in shock.
Far below, one of the men walked up to the captain nervously. "Uh sir? What are we doing?"
"Ha! There's no where he can run now!" said the man proudly. "We have him!"
"Are you nuts sir?" gasped the man in shock. "What the hell are we supposed to do? Cuff it?"
"Hmm, you have a point... I suppose we'll just have to shoot it! No one can withstand the full might of my nine millimeters of death!" The man unholstered his weapon and posed with it held high into the air.
"Um sir, it's looking at us," muttered the officer nervously as he started to back away.
Ranma roared angrily and slammed his palm into the ground just in front of the captain, easily crushing three of the tiny police cruisers.
"Ha! Your display has not deterred me! No one can withstand the might of the powerful and just, Shooting Star of Precinct Fourteen! Katsuhiko Kuno!"
"Ranma! Please stop! Calm down!" cried Akane desperately, once again, Ranma looked at her and calmed visibly. "Please stop this! Can we just go home?"
The beast looked at her for a moment and then turned its head towards the large tower that rose into the sky nearby. He really wanted to climb one of these big rocks, and maybe smash a few of them as well. Finally he grunted and stood up, moving back towards Nerima slowly.
Akane blinked in surprise as he did exactly as he was instructed. She sat down on his still open palm and looked up at his face. "What just happened?"
The gigantic monkey ambled through the streets again and smashed another building as it passed with its fist merrily.
"Stop that! You're being a jerk!" snapped Akane from its grip. The thing paused and looked at her again, it almost seemed ashamed for a moment. Finally, its face contorted and it slammed its fist into the building again. It snorted and continued to walk back towards Nerima.
"He's heading out of the city!" cried Goku as he dove towards the beast again.
"Right!" agreed Soun.
"Hey! Tendo!" cried a familiar voice from behind them.
"It's Yamcha!" said Goku with a small glance at the newcomer.
"Goku!? But? Who the?" stammered the man in shock as he noticed his friend floating with Soun.
"It is good to see you again old friend, but as you can see, we are quite busy," said Soun.
"If Goku is here, then who is that?" said Yamcha as he flew towards the rampaging monkey just behind the pair.
"Ranma," stated Goku firmly. "Come on! We have to hurry! I want to get him back to normal before the Self Defense Force gets here."
"Any idea how much time we have?"
"None," said Soun.
"Well, we'd better get started then," commented Yamcha as he blasted ahead of them.
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Nodoka Saotome sat in her home preparing for bed. It was late, and very quiet. She sighed and looked in the mirror, her hair was rolled into curlers, and she was preparing to put on her facial treatment for the night.
"It's so quiet... perhaps I have been a bit hard on my husband?" she said suddenly as the noiseless, empty house finally cracked through the last barrier of her anger. She stood up and resolved silently to speak with Goku tomorrow, after all, Ranma didn't seem to upset with his strange curse. Even if it wasn't exactly manly. He had always been such an easygoing boy anyway.
She paused as the phone rang and stood up. "I wonder who could be calling at this time of night?"
She lifted the receiver to her ear and frowned as she looked up at the clock. "Hello? Oh, hello Bulma-chan! It's been so long! How have you been?" She paused suddenly, her cheerfulness washing away in an instant. "Why would I be watching television at this hour? You know we go to bed pretty early around here." There was yet another long pause, and her face contorted even more. "He's WHAT?"
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Meanwhile in Tokyo...
"Bwahahahahahahahaaa! Look at the fool run in terror! No doubt he fears my prowess! For I, The Mighty Shooting Star of Precinct Fourteen, have saved all of Tokyo from the evil grasp of villainy once again!"
"I think he's finally lost it," whispered one of the officers who stood around glaring at the captain in shocked awe.
"Finally? That idiot does this whenever he so much as arrests a prostitute," commented another one of the nearby men.
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Akane shuddered slightly in the wind and glared back at her fiancee as he finally stepped into the Tendo yard and looked down at her. "Well, don't just look at me! Change back! What the heck were you thinking?"
The huge animal looked down at her and blinked, making a confused sound. After a moment, it gave a short bark that forced the girl to cover her ears.
"Well?" she said as she stood up and tapped her foot against his palm.
"Akane! Look out!" said a familiar voice. The girl found herself suddenly lifted into the air, leaving an angry two hundred foot monkey on the ground below.
The girl blinked as the animal stomped its feet and roared into the sky. "Daddy?" she muttered.
"Oh! Thank goodness you're safe!" cried the man as he pulled her into a rough bear hug in mid air. "Akane! Did he hurt you?"
"Dad?" muttered the girl in surprise as he finally released her. She had to stop herself from falling for a moment, but regained her balance quickly. "I'm fine. He didn't hurt me, I don't think he would have."
"Akane! Ranma is very dangerous right now! We have to stop him. I want you to stay here while his father and I take care of this. Please."
"Dad! You aren't going to..." said the girl as her eyes went wide with shock.
"He won't be hurt," said another voice from just above her. The girl glanced up to see Yamcha floating nearby. "Don't worry, it isn't easy, but we've done this sort of thing before."
Akane looked at her father and blinked. "You knew about this?"
"I'm sorry Akane, I didn't think it would be a good idea to say anything right away..." muttered the man nervously.
"You... didn't tell me? I could have been killed! You're just lucky Ranma seems to still like me!" snapped the girl with pain and anger flooding her face.
Goku appeared beside them. "Tendo, later."
"Right," agreed Yamcha.
"Come on!" snapped Goku as he dove towards the rampaging beast.
"My house!" cried Soun in shock. Then he paused. Something he seemed to forget about suddenly hit him. "My baby!"
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Kasumi stood staring up at the monster, she could not move as it simply looked back and did nothing. She was in the middle of pouring a cup of tea, and now a large puddle was forming on the floor around her from the overflowing cup.
Ranma had calmed immediately as the girl walked out of the home to see exactly what the noise outside was. Now, they simply stood and looked at each other. The giant monkey cocked its head and blinked, slowly it's lips curled back and bared its massive fangs. A low growl started to form in the back of its throat.
Suddenly, the beast froze in place, and fell to its knees, shattering the concrete wall that surrounded the yard as it did so. It slowly slumped forward, leaning against the roof, which somehow managed to hold under the massive weight.
Kasumi blinked, and turned to see her father gripping the thing's tail as hard as he could. "Father?"
"Kasumi! Run!" cried the man.
She nodded numbly, but was unable to move her legs. The only thing she managed was a tentative step back.
"Hiyah!" cried a voice from above. Kasumi turned her attention towards the sky, and saw a glowing yellow disk of energy slam into the ground, after passing right through the monster's tail.
"That got him!" cried Yamcha triumphantly as he landed nearby.
"Yeah," muttered Goku as he lowered his hands and sighed in relief as the monster began to shrink again. "It did," he finished quietly. He did not look happy. He landed nearby and walked over to pick up his son.
"Oh my," said Kasumi as she passed out on the ground finally.
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Akane sat around the table with everyone involved with the whole mess and scowled at her father. "You never told him? I can't believe you!"
"We thought it was for the best. He seemed so carefree, I couldn't bear putting the weight of his grandfather's death on him. I am so ashamed," said the man with his head hung low.
Yamcha was sitting nearby with a similar expression on his face.
"Well, I know now," said Goku. His features were deadly serious.
"I didn't think it would come up again. You had your tail removed, and Ranma appeared to be a normal boy. It didn't seem to matter anymore, please forgive our foolishness," said Soun as he bowed in front of his friend.
"Don't worry about it. You were trying to do what was best for me," said Goku morosely.
Akane gasped. The pain the man was feeling at the moment was obvious. "Mr. Saotome! I'm so sorry!"
"Ranma is going to need you more than I do. We're going to tell him what he did, and why it happened when he wakes up," said the man with a small humorless smile.
"Right," agreed the girl. "And you!" she turned to face her father with a vicious scowl. "How dare you engage me to him! You knew about this, and you didn't say anything!"
The man simply hung his head even lower than he already was.
The door to the home burst open, everyone turned to see an unfamiliar figure standing in the doorway with a katana held tightly in her grasp. "Goku Saotome! What have you been doing?"
"Uh oh," said Soun as he attempted to hide behind the table.
Yamcha simply stood up and backed against the wall with his eyes wide in shocked horror.
"Um, hi honey?" said the man with a nervous laugh. "You aren't going to believe what happened tonight..."
"Oh I heard all about it! You went on a rampage and destroyed half of Tokyo! What were you thinking? My own husband!"
"Um, actually, it was Ranma," said Goku as he looked down at the table and poked his finger on it.
"Now Nodoka, calm down. I'm sure we can explain..." said another familiar voice from the doorway. Bulma walked in behind Goku's wife and placed her hands on her shoulders gently.
"Explain?! My son just blew up half of Tokyo! This is even worse than if he did it!" snapped the woman in rage as she pointed at her husband with her sword. "Goku Saotome! You have shamed our family! I thought you said he had control now!"
"He does!" said the man as he jumped to his son's defense. "This is completely different!"
"Nodoka, please! Hear us out first!" whimpered Soun.
Yamcha was slowly edging his way towards the exit.
"Where the heck do you think you're going buster?" said Bulma coldly as she appeared beside him.
"Just out for a walk! I had nothing to do with it!" replied the man as he dashed out into the yard.
"Men," snorted Bulma as she turned back to the scene again. "Such cowards."
"Indeed," agreed Nodoka as she eyed Soun carefully. The man blushed, but continued to hide behind the table.
"Auntie! It wasn't Mr. Saotome's fault! Ranma turned into some kind of monster!" said Akane as she stood up in the middle of the room.
"Monster?" muttered the woman as she lowered the blade slightly. "What do you mean? My son is some sort of madman?"
"Not that kind of monster. Here, I brought a tape. Goku used to do this when he was little," said Bulma as she pulled a small capsule out of her purse and opened it on the table. A television and VCR appeared out of a cloud of smoke suddenly.
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Nodoka stared at the news report in shock, her mouth hung open and she turned towards her husband. The man was trying his best not to look at the screen. "Husband? You never told me about this?" her voice was ice cold.
"He did not know," said Soun. He had calmed quite a bit and merely sat across from his friend.
"What do you mean?" snapped the woman.
"I never remembered it when this happened to me. I just woke up, naked somewhere. The others were usually around, so I didn't think anything of it," said the man sadly.
"Others?" asked Nodoka with a small frown.
"We all knew," said Bulma with a small blush. "After Goku had his tail removed, it wasn't a problem anymore, so we just never told him. We didn't want to hurt him."
"I... see," said the woman with a small nod. "I am disappointed in you all, but, I do understand."
"What about Ranma? Will this happen again?" said Akane nervously.
"It could, his tail will grow back eventually," commented Soun.
"We'll have it removed as well then," said Nodoka.
"Wait! What if Ranma is a girl? He doesn't have a tail then," said Akane.
"She's right," said Goku as it seemed to dawn on him. "This curse of his could be useful after all."
"I hate to agree with you, but that operation was quite expensive. We'll have to be very careful, and keep track of the lunar cycle," said Nodoka. "It will do, for now." She sighed and looked at the family sitting around her. "I suppose this has worked out for the best. Come husband, I wish to speak with you."
"Huh?" muttered Goku in surprise. He stood up and followed his wife outside the home.
Akane frowned and looked at her father. It was obvious that the man felt like dirt at the moment, as far as she was concerned, he deserved it. Kasumi was still resting in her room, and Ranma was upstairs sleeping. He probably wouldn't wake up until tomorrow. "Great. Now what?" she muttered to herself. "Damn, everything was going so well. I finally start to actually like somebody, and they turn out to be some sort of crazy monster! I hate my life!" She slumped down and rested her head in her arms on the table. Once again, she had a lot to think about. She really hated that.
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"Husband, are things going well here?" Nodoka put her arm under Goku's. Her face was completely serious at the moment though.
"Fine really," he said dejectedly.
"Sit down. Are you still upset about Ranma? I wish I could say I have forgiven you, but I am beginning to understand why you were forced to take him away for so long. I do enjoy it when you visit. Perhaps we can be a family again soon? If only for a short time."
"Yes, and no," he said with a heavy sigh.
"What is it?"
"No-chan, I killed him. It was me," said the man somberly.
"Pardon?" gasped the woman in shock.
"After all this time. I know why they never told me, I was the one who killed Grandpa," said the man with a slight shudder.
"Husband, you know he has forgiven you. After all, you did meet again. He still loves you," said the woman as she put her arm across his shoulders.
"I know, but it doesn't feel any better," he murmured quietly.
"I know husband, but you are strong. Despite what happened to our son, I am still proud to call you that."
"Thanks," he said with a slight smile appearing for a moment on his face.
She kissed him on the cheek and stood up. "It is late, I should return home."
"I'll go with you," he said without a moment's thought.
"I was hoping you'd say that," she replied in a very formal tone.
Goku looked confused for a moment, and suddenly blushed as he realized what she was saying to him.
The pair wandered out of the gates and into the streets of Nerima.
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Ryoga Hibiki stood glaring at the puny humans before him. There were several tanks moving towards his now massive form across a large field. He snorted in disgust and looked down at them calmly.
"Ready men?" cried the commander into his radio as he pointed at the beast. He was poking out of the top of one of the armored vehicle's turrets.
"Leave now, I'm not bothering anybody. Go away, and I'll let you live," said the giant monkey with a vicious snarl.
"Sir? Did that thing just talk?" cried one of his men in shock.
The commander dropped his receiver and looked at the man next to him. After a moment he shook his head from side to side. "It doesn't matter, we have our orders! Fire at will!"
Ryoga chuckled as the shells exploded against his chest and all around him. The firing stopped abruptly and he slowly stalked towards them. "Last chance. Leave. Now."
"Sir?" cried one of the men in alarm.
The commander fumbled and fell back inside the tank. "Get us the hell out of here! Now!"
Ryoga narrowed his eyes as he watched the tanks retreat at top speed. He snorted in disgust and sat down on the ground again. "This is certainly interesting," he growled as he looked up at the full moon as it hung in the sky overhead.
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TBC...
Next time: The Return!