Joining 2: One year to prepare
Written November 2002
By: Arinson Tidochi
I own neither Dragon Ball Z nor Ranma ½, and I don't have any money anyways, so please don't sue me. I'm not making any money out of this fanfiction, I'm just doing it for fun.
"I train all of the soldiers from my country, they can do anything. In fact, if you see them they'll probably do it." -KB
Ranma sighed with the strain he was feeling, and stopped for a moment to shift the weight of the large pack on his back. "Just how far are we going to go you old hag?!" He yelled out. Cologne paused for a moment to look back at him with an amused expression. "Now future son-in-law, if you learn to be patient it will make all of this training so much easier. We're just going to where we can make sure that no one will interfere. Now if you're done resting, we can continue."
Ranma lowered his head and began to shake with rage. "I can get the removing ourselves from interference part, but could you explain to me why the hell I have to carry your supplies too?"
Cologne began to laugh as she walked along. "Hasn't your father taught you anything about being a gentleman? When there's a lady present of course you carry her things for her."
"You're no lady you old hag." Ranma muttered to himself, only to find himself lying on the ground with a golf ball sized lump on his head.
"If you're done complaining than we can continue." Cologne said before continuing to walk along the path.
Ranma stopped thinking about his aching head and stood up, following behind the Amazon elder. "Why the hell am I out here in the middle of nowhere with this old hag anyways?" He asked himself through his aching skull. "Oh yeah, that's right. It all started when that Mr. Popo guy visited the Tendo Dojo just a few days ago."
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"Aggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!" Mr. Saotome yelled as a kick from Ranma sent him sprawling over 40 feet into the neighbor's yard. "Oh my, is Ranma bullying his father again?" Kasumi asked as she walked from the kitchen.
Nabiki rolled her eyes, "Yes, for the third time today. Some tough guy comes along and pricks his pride and he has to go on a warpath to prove his manliness."
Akane looked in concern at Ranma who was standing in the back yard. His battle aura was glowing so intensely that even with the already dimming light of evening it was as bright as a cloudless summer day. "You don't understand Nabiki." Akane said, her voice trembling somewhat.
"Oh really?" Nabiki asked, settling her chin on her hands. "Tell me Akane, what exactly don't I understand? Ranma comes along, and wins every fight he's in. In the small handful of fights that he does lose, he always rebounds and wins against the guy who beats him within a few days. And just a few months ago, he fights and beats a god-like creature. And so when someone does come along and beat him, he spends all of his time moping about his wounded pride. Now tell me, what exactly is there to not understand?"
Akane looked down at the table and began to speak slowly. "It's not just that someone beat him, that's not it at all. This wasn't a drawn out and extremely close fight. This Raditz guy decimated Ranma. Ranma never stood a chance. Raditz was on a completely different level, a level I never would have thought possible if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."
Small tears began to form in her eyes. "If Raditz chose to, I think. I think he could destroy us, all of us humans. He said that he wanted too, that he was disappointed when his brother wasn't able too. And not even Ranma could touch him."
She stopped in surprise when she felt her tears being wiped away. Looking up, she saw Ranma looking down at her, his blue eyes filled with concern. "Don't cry Akane. I'll find a way to beat that guy." He sat down and stared with determination at the ceiling. "I'll do whatever it takes to be the best there is, and I won't let this Raditz guy or anyone else stop me." His eyes softened and he looked back at Akane. "And I'll do whatever it takes to protect you."
Akane found herself blushing and she quickly turned away to hide it. "Does he mean it?" she asked herself. "Did he mean what he said just now?"
Nabiki, after watching this whole display, simply rolled her eyes again and stood up. "Wow Ranma, you're actually a bit of a gentleman after all. An understanding word is the last thing I'd expect from you."
"What the heck do you mean by that?!" Ranma yelled out. "I say understanding words all the time!"
Nabiki gave him a condescending look. "Really. Tell me Ranma, when was the last time before now that you gave an understanding word to anyone?"
Nabiki stood still for a moment as the flustered Ranma tried to think of a response, than shrugged and started to walk up the stairs. "Point made. I'll be in my room studying."
Looking for a chance to change the subject Ranma quickly turned to his father who just crawled back into the house. "Hey pop, ready for round two? I haven't even worked up a sweat yet!"
"Not. just. yet boy." His father responded, gasping. "Why don't you take it easy on your old man and go find someone else to beat on for a while."
Ranma shook his head. "You know there's no one else I can use. Shampoo and Ukyo are girls, Mousse is way too weak, and Ryouga's no where to be found when ya really need him. You're the only one I got Pop."
"Man what I wouldn't give for Ryouga to show up right now." Ranma thought to himself. "He's always itching for a fight and can take hits like crazy; he'd be perfect to practice with."
"Ranma." Akane said with an edge to her voice. "Yeah, what is it?" he asked turning to her. "Aren't you forgetting about a possible training partner?" She asked while her cheeks puffed out slightly and her eyes narrowed.
Ranma thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so. I've already gone over everyone I know who can actually fight, and none of them are nearly good enough to give me a decent sweat. Why, did you have someone in mind?" He asked hopefully, only to find himself flat on his face with a huge lump on his head.
"I'm going to study." Akane said curtly, putting her hammer away. She then walked upstairs as her flaring battle aura slowly dissipated.
Genma slowly pulled himself up to a sitting position at the table. "Listen to me boy, all of this training that you're putting yourself through is completely worthless."
Ranma glared over at him. "Worthless? What do you mean by that?" Ranma pulled himself up to a sitting position and brought himself next to the table, gently testing the lump on his head.
Genma stared over at him seriously. "Boy, no amount of beating on people will do you one bit of good if this Raditz guy is as strong as you described. The reason you couldn't beat him is that his underlining physical abilities were simply vastly superior to yours."
Genma reached out to accept a drink from Kasumi. "Ah thank you Kasumi."
Kasumi smiled, "It's no problem at all Mr. Saotome." She walked back to the kitchen.
Genma turned back to Ranma, "Now listen to me boy, you need to get back to the basics. You've always depended on your skill and your speed before, but if I understand this guy right he had very little real martial arts skill. He just outclassed you in every physical category that exists: speed, strength, endurance, amount of chi energy, you name it, he had you."
Ranma shook his head slowly. "You're right, but how? His level was just too outrageous; you didn't feel his power like I did Pop. It was. just impossible." Ranma finished that last line quietly.
"Strong yes, but hardly impossible. Especially for a talented martial artist like you." A strange voice spoke out from the yard.
"Who said that!?" Ranma yelled out, jumping to his feet. Looking out to the yard, he saw a small man with completely black skin and red lips with a turban on his head.
"My name is Mr. Popo, I was sent by Kami to speak to you Ranma."
Ranma looked confused. "Kami? You mean that there actually is a Kami? What does he want with me?" Genma quickly moved to the opposite side of the table.
"Oh look, we have a visitor." Kasumi said pleasantly, looking at Mr. Popo. "Why don't you come in, we'll be happy to have you as our guest. Isn't that right Father?" She asked Mr. Tendo as he walked into the room.
He looked outside and saw the visitor. "Right Kasumi. Ranma, why are you making him wait outside? Invite your friend in and introduce him to us."
Ranma was about to say something but Mr. Popo cut him off. "Thank you for your hospitality Mr. Tendo, but I'm afraid that I'll need to decline. This visit is strictly business. Ranma, would you please follow me?"
With saying that he quickly jumped into the air and started moving off at an impressively fast pace. Ranma chased after him, but with Mr. Popo's head start he found himself having trouble keeping up. They finally stopped in a quiet then empty park about a mile from the Tendo dojo.
Ranma strolled up to him, eyes confused. "So tell me, who is this Kami and what does he want with me?"
Mr. Popo gave Ranma a side ways glance. "Kami is the Guardian of the Earth who watches over all of the people from his lookout high in the sky."
Ranma narrowed his eyes. "Sounds like some kind of fairytale. Is this Kami guy for real?"
Mr. Popo nodded, "He is as real as you or me. You have caught his attention Ranma. He noticed when a mere human was able to defeat a being the caliber of Saffron. You really impressed him with your abnormal abilities."
"I'm happy to hear that this guy who watches over the whole world is impressed with me, but cut to the point. What does he want with me?"
Popo looked at Ranma directly in the eyes. "Don't you already know? It has to do with a visitor from a week back."
Understanding filled Ranma's eyes. "You mean that Raditz guy, don't you?"
Mr. Popo nodded, "That is correct, why don't you take a seat Ranma, and I'll explain everything to you."
Ranma nodded and took a seat on a bench. "Shoot."
Mr. Popo began to pace back and forth as he talked. "That man that you called Raditz is actually an alien warrior from another world. He is a member of the saiyajin race I believe it is called. From what Kami has discerned, they are a group of space pirates which destroy all intelligent life on various planets and then sell them for huge profits. As you may have guessed, earth is one such planet that was slated for this fate by the saiyajins. However, the agent they sent lost his memory of his mission and is now the one that we call Goku."
"So the guy that he called Kakarot is known as Goku here on earth?"
"That is correct. In fact, Goku is the strongest champion that earth has, at full power he is over twice as powerful as you." Ranma's face became slightly bitter as he looked towards the ground. "Or should I say that he was over as twice as strong as you. He sacrificed his life in order to defeat Raditz."
"Raditz is dead?!" Ranma said, quickly looking up. "Then what's the problem and where do I fit in?"
"I was getting to that." Mr. Popo said. "Before he died, Raditz called for a few of his allies. They are now coming here to earth to finish the job, and they will be here in one year."
"So more of these saiyajins huh? Two more guys like Raditz." Ranma looked down, his eyes filled with hopelessness.
Mr. Popo shook his head. "No, not like Raditz. Not like Raditz at all." Ranma looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
"The weaker of them holds at least four times the power that Raditz held. And the stronger, at least ten times Raditz's power."
Ranma stared at him, barely understanding what he just heard. "The weaker one, stronger than Raditz. And the stronger. Oh my God." He choked out. "Is there anything we can do?"
Mr. Popo nodded, "Yes, Kami's plan is already in motion. Goku will seek training in the afterlife and will be wished to life before they arrive by the dragon balls. Kami is also training a team of warriors who will face them when they arrive."
Ranma didn't know what he meant by wishing back to life, but at this moment he didn't really care. "This team that Kami's training, will I be a member?"
Mr. Popo shook his head. "No, Kami has special training in mind for you. He is going to have respected elder Cologne of the Amazon tribe take you through a series of special training routines in order to prepare you."
Ranma shook his head. "Not to disagree with you, but I don't think that what I need right now is more techniques. What I really need is to be stronger."
"I'm afraid that I need to disagree. To be of any use in defending the earth, you need to learn to fly. You will learn that as a result of the Ancient Amazon's training."
Ranma's eyes filled with wonder. "To be able to fly. It would be like a dream."
"It will be reality, or else the entire earth may be in danger. She will be coming to take you to train tomorrow. I will see you again in one year. Good luck." Without any warning, Mr. Popo leaped into the air and disappeared.
Ranma stared after him. "Dang, I still had so many questions." He said to himself. "Well, I'd better get back and tell everyone what's going on. Man won't they be freaked."
"Akane, please wait for me." He whispered to himself, as he leapt off into the night.
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"Yeah, they were freaked all right." Ranma thought to himself, watching Cologne's back in front of him as he walked along. "Pop and Mr. Tendo were so proud. Nabiki was speculative. Kasumi was supportive. And Akane was." Ranma slowed down as he remembered Akane's face. She was trying to smile and to be supportive, but it was so strained. Her mouth was smiling but her eyes were crying. That was before she realized that he might just be trying to get away to spend time with his other fiancées. She became much less cute very quickly.
Ranma sighed to himself. Her eyes were so beautiful that he almost decided not to go, to just take her and run off; leaving Kami and the saiyajins behind, to leave all of their problems behind. But if he did than the world would be in danger, and so would Akane. He had no choice but to train as hard as he could, to learn what Cologne had to teach him, and to fight. Not that he minded the fighting part, the idea of fighting an enemy even stronger then Raditz got his heart racing. Besides, maybe being away from Nerima for a year would be good for him. He just hoped that Akane would get over her suspicions and realize that he had no choice but to leave her.
He was so busy pondering that he didn't even notice that Cologne had stopped until he almost tripped over her. She looked up at him, amusement in her eyes, "Well, here we are sonny-boy. That trip wasn't so bad, now was it?"
"Yeah, whatever." Ranma threw the pack to the ground. "All right old hag, let's get this training going. This had better be worth the long trip."
Cologne chuckled as she looked over at him. "Alright future son-in-law, let us begin." She pointed to the top of an apple tree that was casting a shadow on where they were standing. "Do you see the ripe apple at the top of that tree?"
Ranma looked up. "Yeah, what about it?"
"I want you to bring it down here for me?"
Ranma laughed. "Ha, that's easy." When a single jump he flew ten meters into the air, grabbed the apple, then returned to ground. He then tossed it to her.
Cologne narrowed her eyes. "Very good, that was a very impressive leap. Now, bring another one down without touching it or the tree."
Ranma stepped back in shock. "What do you mean without touching it? That's impossible!" Cologne sighed, "How little you know." She then reached out her hand, made a plucking motion, causing the apple to fly out of the tree into her waiting hand.
"What, how?!" Ranma said, his eyes as wide as saucers.
"I simply used my chi, my spiritual energy. That's what I'm here for, to teach you to control your spirit. Sure, you may know a few tricks all ready, but you need to learn to express your chi without having to resort to specific techniques to vent it."
Ranma looked at her in amazement. "You can teach me to do that?"
Cologne smiled somewhat, but it was slightly bitter. "Yes I can and will. I was given no choice in the matter. At higher levels, even this will eventually be possible for you." Seemingly with great effort, she began to float lightly so that her feet only slightly touched the grass, and then rose to about three feet above the ground. Sighing in exertion, she then floated back down.
"Where do I start?" Ranma asked excitedly. Cologne pulled a small ball out of her pocket and set it on the ground. "This is made from a special wood which is excellent for channeling chi. Simply fill it to capacity with your energy and then return all of the energy from it back to your own body. Start out touching it, then move back until you are easily performing this at twenty feet."
"Is that all? I'll master this in one month tops."
"I thought you'd say that, but it's much tougher than what you think. It took me an entire year to truly master this exercise." She gave a small yawn and then looked around her. "If you don't mind, I'm off to rest."
Ranma stared after her, "I guess the years are catching up with her after all."
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Akane was walking for, well it seemed like forever to her. It was a dark passage, damp and kind of disgusting. "Where on earth am I now?" She asked herself, and then chuckled. "Great, that sounds like something Ryouga would say. He's a sweet guy, but I don't want his sense of direction." She looked around again. "So how did I get here anyways? The last thing I remember was coming home from school, eating and doing some homework, and then going to bed. So does that mean that this is a dream?"
Akane pinched herself. "OWWW! Well, it sure doesn't feel like a dream. But how could it be anything else? Hey, I think I see an end!"
Akane started running and came up to what looked like some kind of a door. "I wonder what's through here." She said to herself while looking at the door. It was made out of a wood that was firm yet seemed somehow soft and smooth to the touch and was both elegant and beautiful in design. She began to reach for the silver doorknob but stopped herself. "Is it really such a good idea to open a door in this weird place? I don't have any idea where it leads." She looked around the musty and damp cavern about her. "Can't be any worse then here I suppose."
She put her hand firmly about the knob. When she was about to turn it, a voice seemed to speak inside her head. "Akane Tendo, so you finally came to seek what your powers have to offer."
She jumped away from the door and stepped back into a fighting stance. "Who said that?!" she yelled, looking into every shadow as quickly as she could.
"No one who really matters my dear. There's no need for you to be so defensive. I'm rather fond of your regular, cheerful self. In any case, I think you may be interested in what I have to say."
Akane came out of her stance but kept her hands up, ready to defend herself in an instant. "Alright, I'm listening. But you'd better talk fast; my nerves are strained right about now." Her voice had a definite edge to it.
The voice chuckled inside her head, unnerving her even more. "Akane, how would you like to fight alongside your fiancée? The power you need is behind that door."
Akane's mouth dropped in shock. "Fight alongside Ranma, but how? He's so skilled. way beyond me."
"Yes his skill in martial arts is well above yours, but you have something that he doesn't. I don't want to make you feel like you're being forced, but I have something to show you."
The scenario changed, leaving the door and the cavern as only a memory. Akane found herself standing in the ruins of what appeared to be some kind of city. The buildings were toppled upon themselves, burned to the ground. Skeletons of humans and animals alike littered the streets. Nowhere in this city was there a sign of life.
Akane dropped to her knees, tears forming in her eyes. Just two feet away was the skeleton of a child clinging to the skeleton of what appeared to be a small cat. Everything smelled of death, it was so thick in the air that Akane could taste it. "How, how did this happen?" She asked.
"This is the future of your world." The voice responded.
Akane looked up, the tears almost too thick for her to see past. "The future of my world?"
"Well, from your perspective yes, this is the future. From my perspective it's both the past and the present. You see, to one such as myself time is such a relative business that it's hard to distinguish between the past and the future sometimes. People tend to forget that any given time is both the past and the future relative to the other points of time that exist."
Akane started shaking her head by the end of his lecture. "I don't care about any of that! Just tell me what caused this. And what I can do to stop it."
"Did Ranma tell you of the two saiyajins who are coming to earth within one year?"
Akane nodded. "Yes, Ranma did mention them. So they caused this. Does that mean that Ranma failed?" She had to force herself to ask the last question. The words almost wouldn't come.
It felt almost as if the strange being was smiling. "No, not those two, or at least not directly. What caused this is actually a being that followed them here to this world. A being that's as strong mentally as they are physically. Earth's defenders simply had no way to deal with it I'm afraid. And with that being the case, the earth fell and was largely destroyed.
Akane almost chocked, "Please don't talk about this horrible destruction in past tense, it's so creepy."
Somehow she knew that the being raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How would you have me refer to it, in future tense? That's what it is in relation to you. I'm sure that would make you feel so much better."
Akane sighed, and stood up again. "I suppose you're right, refer to it as you want to. Just please, you said that I could get power to allow me to fight alongside Ranma. Tell me how to get this power, and how to prevent this destruction."
"Why don't you start right now?"
Akane was confused. "Start now, what do you mean?"
"Simple, start to heal the destruction right now, in this time. This isn't any ordinary vision you know. Your spirit has actually been taken from your bed and placed in your future. You're actually here. And anything that you heal here and now will never have been destroyed by the evil powers in the first place."
"Really, do you really mean that?!" Akane asked hopefully, but then her face fell. "But how, how can I heal, I'm no doctor."
Suddenly the door from the cavern appeared in front of her, hovering in the air. Again the voice spoke in her mind. "Behind this door is the magical power that's been resting latently in your soul since before you were born. Simply open this door and the power will be yours. I must warn you though. Once opened it will never be closed again. You'll be stuck with your powers forever, whether or not you want them."
"To save the world, to save Ranma, I'll do it." Akane said firmly and without hesitation. She stepped towards the door and reached to open it.
"You realize that when I say forever I do mean forever don't you?" Akane stopped short. "You will never die of old age, whether or not you want to. Even when Ranma is an old man, you'll still physically just be a girl of sixteen. And when he finally dies, you'll still be alive."
Tears began to form in her eyes and she stepped away from the door, looking scared. Then, a determined look came over her face. "If what you say is true, Ranma will die a lot sooner if I don't open this door. At least we'll have a few happy years together before I'll have to deal with that."
The voice continued to speak, almost to mock her. "My, how sad of a day that will be. After caring for a man that could be mistaken for your grandfather you'll finally get to watch him die. That won't be the end either. How about your children? They'll age normally you know. I wonder how it would feel to watch them die, one after another. I wonder what it would be like to bury one's eighty year old daughter, yet not be able to be buried. To never be able to find rest."
"STOP!" Akane yelled, and then fell to the ground crying. "I don't care what you say, I have no choice! I have to do it!" With those words she leaped forward and opened the door only a crack.
Nothing happened.
"Now now." The voice soothed. "That was only meant to be a test. True you are now immortal, but a simple wish on the dragon balls will allow Ranma to be alive as long as you are. There is no need for him to ever grow older. I only wanted to see how determined you were."
Akane stayed on her knees, tears freely falling from her eyes. "Some test." She muttered. "Now where are these powers that you mentioned?"
"What did you expect something dramatic?" The voice asked, sounding amused. "May I remind you that you only opened the door a crack? The more the door is opened the more of your power that will pour into you. Right now you have roughly point one percent of your power. But I wouldn't open it any more!" He exclaimed as she began to reach for the handle. "If you open it further I'm afraid you'll have more power then you're prepared to handle. You may very well overwhelm your mind and drive yourself to the point of insanity."
"Insanity?" Akane asked, frightened. "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?"
"Because it doesn't matter if you relax into it. Simply practice with one level, and then open the door a bit more. You'll soon be growing into your full powers. At any time you can form a mental image of this door and open it further, to access more of your power."
Akane thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Now why don't you try that healing that I mentioned before?"
Akane knelt next to the skeleton of the child and placed her hand upon it. She used her discipline as a martial artist to find her center, and then found something within herself that she had never felt before. She took it and gently forced it out through her fingers into the skeleton of the child. But nothing happened.
"What's going on, I thought you said this would work!?" She yelled out, almost choking on her tears.
"Akane." The voice said gently. "Resurrection is a very difficult process; even I have trouble with it. But don't worry; your effort wasn't in vain. Can't you feel the soul of that child? Your powers let it rise to heaven. You let the poor child rest."
Akane's eyes widened and she realized that he was right. Her power had not gone into the skeleton but into the soul of the child. She could almost see in her mind the spirit of the child thanking her and then rising up into the air.
"You have one year Akane, one year to hone your skills and develop your control. Always, always remember what you are fighting for. I love you my child, and I wish you good fortune."
Akane looked up into the air, and with her newly sensitive mind she thought that she caught a glimpse of him, a man who only had light for a face and who was wearing brilliant golden robes. "Thank you." She whispered.
He chuckled and then bowed. "Well, I guess I'll see you on the other side in one year Akane. By the time you get here, I hope that it will be a little cleaner for you." With those words, he disappeared. The destroyed landscape disappeared as well, and Akane finally drifted off into real sleep. For the first time since meeting Raditz, she didn't have a nightmare at all.
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(Right about now there's going to be a time flux, because I want to get back to Ranma for a change of pace. When I continue with Akane a bit later, it will actually be the next morning after her vision took place. Don't worry, I'll catch her up with Ranma on the time scale soon enough.)
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Ranma was standing in a relaxed fighting position, his eyes closed. To an outside observer, it would seem like he was doing nothing. It would seem like he had nothing to do with the three rocks which appeared to be juggling themselves only a few meters away. In fact, it would seem like he was doing nothing at all, until one noted that neither of his feet were touching the ground.
"Very good future son-in-law" Cologne applauded him. "You've mastered the final stage of the spiritual freedom training, and in less than half the time that it's taken anyone before. It's only been eight months since we've started."
Ranma allowed the rocks to fall, then began to quickly fly about the side of the mountain, trying to dodge the falling snow. "Yeah, it has been eight months." He thought to himself. "I wonder how Akane's doing." Concentrating, he forced his energy through his right hand and tried to give it some kind of form. Looking down at the twisted object of blue energy in his hands, he chuckled to himself. "Well, I guess that I've still got a little work to do." Ranma than performed about twenty flips and landed on the ground next to Cologne.
She looked up at him with respect in her eyes. "My sonny-boy, you take to the air like a fish does to water." She gave a short laugh. "But that won't help you with the next segment of your training."
Ranma looked down at her confidently. "Just bring it on old hag; I'll take whatever you throw at me." Cologne's eyes narrowed. "Oh will you now, I have a feeling you may regret those words. But if you want to stand a chance against the saiyajins, you need to do exactly what I say."
Ranma looked down at her. "Haven't I been doing everything that you've told me to do all along?" Cologne nodded. "Yes you have, but I just wanted to make sure. If your heart is not in this next part of your training, you will fail."
Ranma shrugged, his confident smile never leaving his face. "That hard huh? Well, bring it on. I'm ready for it."
Cologne looked up at him, her eyes devious. "Well, if you're so eager to prove yourself future son-in-law, then we can get started. To begin the training, go and wait for me at the top of this mountain. I'll be up there soon with your instructions."
Ranma shrugged, "All right, I'll be waiting for you."
"One more thing Ranma." Cologne said, causing Ranma to stop moving in mid air. He turned around. "Yeah, what is it?" "I need to take a trip to the village before we start, so I may take a while, don't move from the mountain until I arrive." Ranma shrugged, "Yeah, whatever." Then quickly flew off.
Cologne smiled as she went back over to fire to warm herself. Ranma was going to have a long day. He would realize the horror of the elemental resistance training soon enough.
That's the end of chapter 2! I'd welcome any questions or comments! Also give me any criticism over the story. I'd appreciate all of it!
(Special thanks to Ranko. I really appreciate your help!)
By: Arinson Tidochi
I own neither Dragon Ball Z nor Ranma ½, and I don't have any money anyways, so please don't sue me. I'm not making any money out of this fanfiction, I'm just doing it for fun.
"I train all of the soldiers from my country, they can do anything. In fact, if you see them they'll probably do it." -KB
Ranma sighed with the strain he was feeling, and stopped for a moment to shift the weight of the large pack on his back. "Just how far are we going to go you old hag?!" He yelled out. Cologne paused for a moment to look back at him with an amused expression. "Now future son-in-law, if you learn to be patient it will make all of this training so much easier. We're just going to where we can make sure that no one will interfere. Now if you're done resting, we can continue."
Ranma lowered his head and began to shake with rage. "I can get the removing ourselves from interference part, but could you explain to me why the hell I have to carry your supplies too?"
Cologne began to laugh as she walked along. "Hasn't your father taught you anything about being a gentleman? When there's a lady present of course you carry her things for her."
"You're no lady you old hag." Ranma muttered to himself, only to find himself lying on the ground with a golf ball sized lump on his head.
"If you're done complaining than we can continue." Cologne said before continuing to walk along the path.
Ranma stopped thinking about his aching head and stood up, following behind the Amazon elder. "Why the hell am I out here in the middle of nowhere with this old hag anyways?" He asked himself through his aching skull. "Oh yeah, that's right. It all started when that Mr. Popo guy visited the Tendo Dojo just a few days ago."
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"Aggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!" Mr. Saotome yelled as a kick from Ranma sent him sprawling over 40 feet into the neighbor's yard. "Oh my, is Ranma bullying his father again?" Kasumi asked as she walked from the kitchen.
Nabiki rolled her eyes, "Yes, for the third time today. Some tough guy comes along and pricks his pride and he has to go on a warpath to prove his manliness."
Akane looked in concern at Ranma who was standing in the back yard. His battle aura was glowing so intensely that even with the already dimming light of evening it was as bright as a cloudless summer day. "You don't understand Nabiki." Akane said, her voice trembling somewhat.
"Oh really?" Nabiki asked, settling her chin on her hands. "Tell me Akane, what exactly don't I understand? Ranma comes along, and wins every fight he's in. In the small handful of fights that he does lose, he always rebounds and wins against the guy who beats him within a few days. And just a few months ago, he fights and beats a god-like creature. And so when someone does come along and beat him, he spends all of his time moping about his wounded pride. Now tell me, what exactly is there to not understand?"
Akane looked down at the table and began to speak slowly. "It's not just that someone beat him, that's not it at all. This wasn't a drawn out and extremely close fight. This Raditz guy decimated Ranma. Ranma never stood a chance. Raditz was on a completely different level, a level I never would have thought possible if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."
Small tears began to form in her eyes. "If Raditz chose to, I think. I think he could destroy us, all of us humans. He said that he wanted too, that he was disappointed when his brother wasn't able too. And not even Ranma could touch him."
She stopped in surprise when she felt her tears being wiped away. Looking up, she saw Ranma looking down at her, his blue eyes filled with concern. "Don't cry Akane. I'll find a way to beat that guy." He sat down and stared with determination at the ceiling. "I'll do whatever it takes to be the best there is, and I won't let this Raditz guy or anyone else stop me." His eyes softened and he looked back at Akane. "And I'll do whatever it takes to protect you."
Akane found herself blushing and she quickly turned away to hide it. "Does he mean it?" she asked herself. "Did he mean what he said just now?"
Nabiki, after watching this whole display, simply rolled her eyes again and stood up. "Wow Ranma, you're actually a bit of a gentleman after all. An understanding word is the last thing I'd expect from you."
"What the heck do you mean by that?!" Ranma yelled out. "I say understanding words all the time!"
Nabiki gave him a condescending look. "Really. Tell me Ranma, when was the last time before now that you gave an understanding word to anyone?"
Nabiki stood still for a moment as the flustered Ranma tried to think of a response, than shrugged and started to walk up the stairs. "Point made. I'll be in my room studying."
Looking for a chance to change the subject Ranma quickly turned to his father who just crawled back into the house. "Hey pop, ready for round two? I haven't even worked up a sweat yet!"
"Not. just. yet boy." His father responded, gasping. "Why don't you take it easy on your old man and go find someone else to beat on for a while."
Ranma shook his head. "You know there's no one else I can use. Shampoo and Ukyo are girls, Mousse is way too weak, and Ryouga's no where to be found when ya really need him. You're the only one I got Pop."
"Man what I wouldn't give for Ryouga to show up right now." Ranma thought to himself. "He's always itching for a fight and can take hits like crazy; he'd be perfect to practice with."
"Ranma." Akane said with an edge to her voice. "Yeah, what is it?" he asked turning to her. "Aren't you forgetting about a possible training partner?" She asked while her cheeks puffed out slightly and her eyes narrowed.
Ranma thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so. I've already gone over everyone I know who can actually fight, and none of them are nearly good enough to give me a decent sweat. Why, did you have someone in mind?" He asked hopefully, only to find himself flat on his face with a huge lump on his head.
"I'm going to study." Akane said curtly, putting her hammer away. She then walked upstairs as her flaring battle aura slowly dissipated.
Genma slowly pulled himself up to a sitting position at the table. "Listen to me boy, all of this training that you're putting yourself through is completely worthless."
Ranma glared over at him. "Worthless? What do you mean by that?" Ranma pulled himself up to a sitting position and brought himself next to the table, gently testing the lump on his head.
Genma stared over at him seriously. "Boy, no amount of beating on people will do you one bit of good if this Raditz guy is as strong as you described. The reason you couldn't beat him is that his underlining physical abilities were simply vastly superior to yours."
Genma reached out to accept a drink from Kasumi. "Ah thank you Kasumi."
Kasumi smiled, "It's no problem at all Mr. Saotome." She walked back to the kitchen.
Genma turned back to Ranma, "Now listen to me boy, you need to get back to the basics. You've always depended on your skill and your speed before, but if I understand this guy right he had very little real martial arts skill. He just outclassed you in every physical category that exists: speed, strength, endurance, amount of chi energy, you name it, he had you."
Ranma shook his head slowly. "You're right, but how? His level was just too outrageous; you didn't feel his power like I did Pop. It was. just impossible." Ranma finished that last line quietly.
"Strong yes, but hardly impossible. Especially for a talented martial artist like you." A strange voice spoke out from the yard.
"Who said that!?" Ranma yelled out, jumping to his feet. Looking out to the yard, he saw a small man with completely black skin and red lips with a turban on his head.
"My name is Mr. Popo, I was sent by Kami to speak to you Ranma."
Ranma looked confused. "Kami? You mean that there actually is a Kami? What does he want with me?" Genma quickly moved to the opposite side of the table.
"Oh look, we have a visitor." Kasumi said pleasantly, looking at Mr. Popo. "Why don't you come in, we'll be happy to have you as our guest. Isn't that right Father?" She asked Mr. Tendo as he walked into the room.
He looked outside and saw the visitor. "Right Kasumi. Ranma, why are you making him wait outside? Invite your friend in and introduce him to us."
Ranma was about to say something but Mr. Popo cut him off. "Thank you for your hospitality Mr. Tendo, but I'm afraid that I'll need to decline. This visit is strictly business. Ranma, would you please follow me?"
With saying that he quickly jumped into the air and started moving off at an impressively fast pace. Ranma chased after him, but with Mr. Popo's head start he found himself having trouble keeping up. They finally stopped in a quiet then empty park about a mile from the Tendo dojo.
Ranma strolled up to him, eyes confused. "So tell me, who is this Kami and what does he want with me?"
Mr. Popo gave Ranma a side ways glance. "Kami is the Guardian of the Earth who watches over all of the people from his lookout high in the sky."
Ranma narrowed his eyes. "Sounds like some kind of fairytale. Is this Kami guy for real?"
Mr. Popo nodded, "He is as real as you or me. You have caught his attention Ranma. He noticed when a mere human was able to defeat a being the caliber of Saffron. You really impressed him with your abnormal abilities."
"I'm happy to hear that this guy who watches over the whole world is impressed with me, but cut to the point. What does he want with me?"
Popo looked at Ranma directly in the eyes. "Don't you already know? It has to do with a visitor from a week back."
Understanding filled Ranma's eyes. "You mean that Raditz guy, don't you?"
Mr. Popo nodded, "That is correct, why don't you take a seat Ranma, and I'll explain everything to you."
Ranma nodded and took a seat on a bench. "Shoot."
Mr. Popo began to pace back and forth as he talked. "That man that you called Raditz is actually an alien warrior from another world. He is a member of the saiyajin race I believe it is called. From what Kami has discerned, they are a group of space pirates which destroy all intelligent life on various planets and then sell them for huge profits. As you may have guessed, earth is one such planet that was slated for this fate by the saiyajins. However, the agent they sent lost his memory of his mission and is now the one that we call Goku."
"So the guy that he called Kakarot is known as Goku here on earth?"
"That is correct. In fact, Goku is the strongest champion that earth has, at full power he is over twice as powerful as you." Ranma's face became slightly bitter as he looked towards the ground. "Or should I say that he was over as twice as strong as you. He sacrificed his life in order to defeat Raditz."
"Raditz is dead?!" Ranma said, quickly looking up. "Then what's the problem and where do I fit in?"
"I was getting to that." Mr. Popo said. "Before he died, Raditz called for a few of his allies. They are now coming here to earth to finish the job, and they will be here in one year."
"So more of these saiyajins huh? Two more guys like Raditz." Ranma looked down, his eyes filled with hopelessness.
Mr. Popo shook his head. "No, not like Raditz. Not like Raditz at all." Ranma looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
"The weaker of them holds at least four times the power that Raditz held. And the stronger, at least ten times Raditz's power."
Ranma stared at him, barely understanding what he just heard. "The weaker one, stronger than Raditz. And the stronger. Oh my God." He choked out. "Is there anything we can do?"
Mr. Popo nodded, "Yes, Kami's plan is already in motion. Goku will seek training in the afterlife and will be wished to life before they arrive by the dragon balls. Kami is also training a team of warriors who will face them when they arrive."
Ranma didn't know what he meant by wishing back to life, but at this moment he didn't really care. "This team that Kami's training, will I be a member?"
Mr. Popo shook his head. "No, Kami has special training in mind for you. He is going to have respected elder Cologne of the Amazon tribe take you through a series of special training routines in order to prepare you."
Ranma shook his head. "Not to disagree with you, but I don't think that what I need right now is more techniques. What I really need is to be stronger."
"I'm afraid that I need to disagree. To be of any use in defending the earth, you need to learn to fly. You will learn that as a result of the Ancient Amazon's training."
Ranma's eyes filled with wonder. "To be able to fly. It would be like a dream."
"It will be reality, or else the entire earth may be in danger. She will be coming to take you to train tomorrow. I will see you again in one year. Good luck." Without any warning, Mr. Popo leaped into the air and disappeared.
Ranma stared after him. "Dang, I still had so many questions." He said to himself. "Well, I'd better get back and tell everyone what's going on. Man won't they be freaked."
"Akane, please wait for me." He whispered to himself, as he leapt off into the night.
*************************************
"Yeah, they were freaked all right." Ranma thought to himself, watching Cologne's back in front of him as he walked along. "Pop and Mr. Tendo were so proud. Nabiki was speculative. Kasumi was supportive. And Akane was." Ranma slowed down as he remembered Akane's face. She was trying to smile and to be supportive, but it was so strained. Her mouth was smiling but her eyes were crying. That was before she realized that he might just be trying to get away to spend time with his other fiancées. She became much less cute very quickly.
Ranma sighed to himself. Her eyes were so beautiful that he almost decided not to go, to just take her and run off; leaving Kami and the saiyajins behind, to leave all of their problems behind. But if he did than the world would be in danger, and so would Akane. He had no choice but to train as hard as he could, to learn what Cologne had to teach him, and to fight. Not that he minded the fighting part, the idea of fighting an enemy even stronger then Raditz got his heart racing. Besides, maybe being away from Nerima for a year would be good for him. He just hoped that Akane would get over her suspicions and realize that he had no choice but to leave her.
He was so busy pondering that he didn't even notice that Cologne had stopped until he almost tripped over her. She looked up at him, amusement in her eyes, "Well, here we are sonny-boy. That trip wasn't so bad, now was it?"
"Yeah, whatever." Ranma threw the pack to the ground. "All right old hag, let's get this training going. This had better be worth the long trip."
Cologne chuckled as she looked over at him. "Alright future son-in-law, let us begin." She pointed to the top of an apple tree that was casting a shadow on where they were standing. "Do you see the ripe apple at the top of that tree?"
Ranma looked up. "Yeah, what about it?"
"I want you to bring it down here for me?"
Ranma laughed. "Ha, that's easy." When a single jump he flew ten meters into the air, grabbed the apple, then returned to ground. He then tossed it to her.
Cologne narrowed her eyes. "Very good, that was a very impressive leap. Now, bring another one down without touching it or the tree."
Ranma stepped back in shock. "What do you mean without touching it? That's impossible!" Cologne sighed, "How little you know." She then reached out her hand, made a plucking motion, causing the apple to fly out of the tree into her waiting hand.
"What, how?!" Ranma said, his eyes as wide as saucers.
"I simply used my chi, my spiritual energy. That's what I'm here for, to teach you to control your spirit. Sure, you may know a few tricks all ready, but you need to learn to express your chi without having to resort to specific techniques to vent it."
Ranma looked at her in amazement. "You can teach me to do that?"
Cologne smiled somewhat, but it was slightly bitter. "Yes I can and will. I was given no choice in the matter. At higher levels, even this will eventually be possible for you." Seemingly with great effort, she began to float lightly so that her feet only slightly touched the grass, and then rose to about three feet above the ground. Sighing in exertion, she then floated back down.
"Where do I start?" Ranma asked excitedly. Cologne pulled a small ball out of her pocket and set it on the ground. "This is made from a special wood which is excellent for channeling chi. Simply fill it to capacity with your energy and then return all of the energy from it back to your own body. Start out touching it, then move back until you are easily performing this at twenty feet."
"Is that all? I'll master this in one month tops."
"I thought you'd say that, but it's much tougher than what you think. It took me an entire year to truly master this exercise." She gave a small yawn and then looked around her. "If you don't mind, I'm off to rest."
Ranma stared after her, "I guess the years are catching up with her after all."
************************************
Akane was walking for, well it seemed like forever to her. It was a dark passage, damp and kind of disgusting. "Where on earth am I now?" She asked herself, and then chuckled. "Great, that sounds like something Ryouga would say. He's a sweet guy, but I don't want his sense of direction." She looked around again. "So how did I get here anyways? The last thing I remember was coming home from school, eating and doing some homework, and then going to bed. So does that mean that this is a dream?"
Akane pinched herself. "OWWW! Well, it sure doesn't feel like a dream. But how could it be anything else? Hey, I think I see an end!"
Akane started running and came up to what looked like some kind of a door. "I wonder what's through here." She said to herself while looking at the door. It was made out of a wood that was firm yet seemed somehow soft and smooth to the touch and was both elegant and beautiful in design. She began to reach for the silver doorknob but stopped herself. "Is it really such a good idea to open a door in this weird place? I don't have any idea where it leads." She looked around the musty and damp cavern about her. "Can't be any worse then here I suppose."
She put her hand firmly about the knob. When she was about to turn it, a voice seemed to speak inside her head. "Akane Tendo, so you finally came to seek what your powers have to offer."
She jumped away from the door and stepped back into a fighting stance. "Who said that?!" she yelled, looking into every shadow as quickly as she could.
"No one who really matters my dear. There's no need for you to be so defensive. I'm rather fond of your regular, cheerful self. In any case, I think you may be interested in what I have to say."
Akane came out of her stance but kept her hands up, ready to defend herself in an instant. "Alright, I'm listening. But you'd better talk fast; my nerves are strained right about now." Her voice had a definite edge to it.
The voice chuckled inside her head, unnerving her even more. "Akane, how would you like to fight alongside your fiancée? The power you need is behind that door."
Akane's mouth dropped in shock. "Fight alongside Ranma, but how? He's so skilled. way beyond me."
"Yes his skill in martial arts is well above yours, but you have something that he doesn't. I don't want to make you feel like you're being forced, but I have something to show you."
The scenario changed, leaving the door and the cavern as only a memory. Akane found herself standing in the ruins of what appeared to be some kind of city. The buildings were toppled upon themselves, burned to the ground. Skeletons of humans and animals alike littered the streets. Nowhere in this city was there a sign of life.
Akane dropped to her knees, tears forming in her eyes. Just two feet away was the skeleton of a child clinging to the skeleton of what appeared to be a small cat. Everything smelled of death, it was so thick in the air that Akane could taste it. "How, how did this happen?" She asked.
"This is the future of your world." The voice responded.
Akane looked up, the tears almost too thick for her to see past. "The future of my world?"
"Well, from your perspective yes, this is the future. From my perspective it's both the past and the present. You see, to one such as myself time is such a relative business that it's hard to distinguish between the past and the future sometimes. People tend to forget that any given time is both the past and the future relative to the other points of time that exist."
Akane started shaking her head by the end of his lecture. "I don't care about any of that! Just tell me what caused this. And what I can do to stop it."
"Did Ranma tell you of the two saiyajins who are coming to earth within one year?"
Akane nodded. "Yes, Ranma did mention them. So they caused this. Does that mean that Ranma failed?" She had to force herself to ask the last question. The words almost wouldn't come.
It felt almost as if the strange being was smiling. "No, not those two, or at least not directly. What caused this is actually a being that followed them here to this world. A being that's as strong mentally as they are physically. Earth's defenders simply had no way to deal with it I'm afraid. And with that being the case, the earth fell and was largely destroyed.
Akane almost chocked, "Please don't talk about this horrible destruction in past tense, it's so creepy."
Somehow she knew that the being raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How would you have me refer to it, in future tense? That's what it is in relation to you. I'm sure that would make you feel so much better."
Akane sighed, and stood up again. "I suppose you're right, refer to it as you want to. Just please, you said that I could get power to allow me to fight alongside Ranma. Tell me how to get this power, and how to prevent this destruction."
"Why don't you start right now?"
Akane was confused. "Start now, what do you mean?"
"Simple, start to heal the destruction right now, in this time. This isn't any ordinary vision you know. Your spirit has actually been taken from your bed and placed in your future. You're actually here. And anything that you heal here and now will never have been destroyed by the evil powers in the first place."
"Really, do you really mean that?!" Akane asked hopefully, but then her face fell. "But how, how can I heal, I'm no doctor."
Suddenly the door from the cavern appeared in front of her, hovering in the air. Again the voice spoke in her mind. "Behind this door is the magical power that's been resting latently in your soul since before you were born. Simply open this door and the power will be yours. I must warn you though. Once opened it will never be closed again. You'll be stuck with your powers forever, whether or not you want them."
"To save the world, to save Ranma, I'll do it." Akane said firmly and without hesitation. She stepped towards the door and reached to open it.
"You realize that when I say forever I do mean forever don't you?" Akane stopped short. "You will never die of old age, whether or not you want to. Even when Ranma is an old man, you'll still physically just be a girl of sixteen. And when he finally dies, you'll still be alive."
Tears began to form in her eyes and she stepped away from the door, looking scared. Then, a determined look came over her face. "If what you say is true, Ranma will die a lot sooner if I don't open this door. At least we'll have a few happy years together before I'll have to deal with that."
The voice continued to speak, almost to mock her. "My, how sad of a day that will be. After caring for a man that could be mistaken for your grandfather you'll finally get to watch him die. That won't be the end either. How about your children? They'll age normally you know. I wonder how it would feel to watch them die, one after another. I wonder what it would be like to bury one's eighty year old daughter, yet not be able to be buried. To never be able to find rest."
"STOP!" Akane yelled, and then fell to the ground crying. "I don't care what you say, I have no choice! I have to do it!" With those words she leaped forward and opened the door only a crack.
Nothing happened.
"Now now." The voice soothed. "That was only meant to be a test. True you are now immortal, but a simple wish on the dragon balls will allow Ranma to be alive as long as you are. There is no need for him to ever grow older. I only wanted to see how determined you were."
Akane stayed on her knees, tears freely falling from her eyes. "Some test." She muttered. "Now where are these powers that you mentioned?"
"What did you expect something dramatic?" The voice asked, sounding amused. "May I remind you that you only opened the door a crack? The more the door is opened the more of your power that will pour into you. Right now you have roughly point one percent of your power. But I wouldn't open it any more!" He exclaimed as she began to reach for the handle. "If you open it further I'm afraid you'll have more power then you're prepared to handle. You may very well overwhelm your mind and drive yourself to the point of insanity."
"Insanity?" Akane asked, frightened. "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?"
"Because it doesn't matter if you relax into it. Simply practice with one level, and then open the door a bit more. You'll soon be growing into your full powers. At any time you can form a mental image of this door and open it further, to access more of your power."
Akane thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Now why don't you try that healing that I mentioned before?"
Akane knelt next to the skeleton of the child and placed her hand upon it. She used her discipline as a martial artist to find her center, and then found something within herself that she had never felt before. She took it and gently forced it out through her fingers into the skeleton of the child. But nothing happened.
"What's going on, I thought you said this would work!?" She yelled out, almost choking on her tears.
"Akane." The voice said gently. "Resurrection is a very difficult process; even I have trouble with it. But don't worry; your effort wasn't in vain. Can't you feel the soul of that child? Your powers let it rise to heaven. You let the poor child rest."
Akane's eyes widened and she realized that he was right. Her power had not gone into the skeleton but into the soul of the child. She could almost see in her mind the spirit of the child thanking her and then rising up into the air.
"You have one year Akane, one year to hone your skills and develop your control. Always, always remember what you are fighting for. I love you my child, and I wish you good fortune."
Akane looked up into the air, and with her newly sensitive mind she thought that she caught a glimpse of him, a man who only had light for a face and who was wearing brilliant golden robes. "Thank you." She whispered.
He chuckled and then bowed. "Well, I guess I'll see you on the other side in one year Akane. By the time you get here, I hope that it will be a little cleaner for you." With those words, he disappeared. The destroyed landscape disappeared as well, and Akane finally drifted off into real sleep. For the first time since meeting Raditz, she didn't have a nightmare at all.
*******************************
(Right about now there's going to be a time flux, because I want to get back to Ranma for a change of pace. When I continue with Akane a bit later, it will actually be the next morning after her vision took place. Don't worry, I'll catch her up with Ranma on the time scale soon enough.)
******************************
Ranma was standing in a relaxed fighting position, his eyes closed. To an outside observer, it would seem like he was doing nothing. It would seem like he had nothing to do with the three rocks which appeared to be juggling themselves only a few meters away. In fact, it would seem like he was doing nothing at all, until one noted that neither of his feet were touching the ground.
"Very good future son-in-law" Cologne applauded him. "You've mastered the final stage of the spiritual freedom training, and in less than half the time that it's taken anyone before. It's only been eight months since we've started."
Ranma allowed the rocks to fall, then began to quickly fly about the side of the mountain, trying to dodge the falling snow. "Yeah, it has been eight months." He thought to himself. "I wonder how Akane's doing." Concentrating, he forced his energy through his right hand and tried to give it some kind of form. Looking down at the twisted object of blue energy in his hands, he chuckled to himself. "Well, I guess that I've still got a little work to do." Ranma than performed about twenty flips and landed on the ground next to Cologne.
She looked up at him with respect in her eyes. "My sonny-boy, you take to the air like a fish does to water." She gave a short laugh. "But that won't help you with the next segment of your training."
Ranma looked down at her confidently. "Just bring it on old hag; I'll take whatever you throw at me." Cologne's eyes narrowed. "Oh will you now, I have a feeling you may regret those words. But if you want to stand a chance against the saiyajins, you need to do exactly what I say."
Ranma looked down at her. "Haven't I been doing everything that you've told me to do all along?" Cologne nodded. "Yes you have, but I just wanted to make sure. If your heart is not in this next part of your training, you will fail."
Ranma shrugged, his confident smile never leaving his face. "That hard huh? Well, bring it on. I'm ready for it."
Cologne looked up at him, her eyes devious. "Well, if you're so eager to prove yourself future son-in-law, then we can get started. To begin the training, go and wait for me at the top of this mountain. I'll be up there soon with your instructions."
Ranma shrugged, "All right, I'll be waiting for you."
"One more thing Ranma." Cologne said, causing Ranma to stop moving in mid air. He turned around. "Yeah, what is it?" "I need to take a trip to the village before we start, so I may take a while, don't move from the mountain until I arrive." Ranma shrugged, "Yeah, whatever." Then quickly flew off.
Cologne smiled as she went back over to fire to warm herself. Ranma was going to have a long day. He would realize the horror of the elemental resistance training soon enough.
That's the end of chapter 2! I'd welcome any questions or comments! Also give me any criticism over the story. I'd appreciate all of it!
(Special thanks to Ranko. I really appreciate your help!)