Joining 8: Testing Written January 2003

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.

"All of this political maneuvering stuff is boring. Let me know when you have a problem that can be solved by violence." -Iyanus

"Why am learning underwater basket weaving you ask. Well it's just that someone gave me this book on it. You never know what might be helpful right?" -Antimerus

"I'd say I was long-winded, but I said nothing and typed it all instead." -Eternal Wanderer

Psycho king - Thanks for your advice. You can count on there being some empty space between this saga and the next one. I'm actually planning on filling some time with a few side quests of my creation but aside from that several years will pass where I'll only vaguely describe what's going on. As far as the thing with the Kais knowing about Freezer, you can count on it. Expect some mention of it somewhere in Chapter 9 (The very last page).

Taku - Thanks so much for your kind words! I really appreciate the encouragement that you've given me. I know that this story's been moving at a fast pace. It's probably because there are scenes coming up that I've been imagining in my head since before I've written chapter one that I've been desperate to get to. Overall the pace should slow down even though the chapters are going to only be getting longer. To answer your question about Captain Ginyu taking Dabura's body, no. It's a really cool idea but I'm afraid that it would upset the already unbalanced power curve. Dabura was supposed to be roughly as powerful as perfect Cell and Captain Ginyu is somewhere around 120,000.

Mokona - Hey baby sister what's up? I appreciate you being a fan of my stories, I love you!

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It was a dim expanse. Two figures stood together in an opening that seemed to stretch on forever.

"I'm glad we figured out we could create light just by concentrating." Goku said with a smile. Ranma nodded. "Yeah, its sure does make things easier." He stretched for a moment. "All right, now I remember everything about Shampoo, which actually clears up a lot. What should I focus on next?"

"How about that black haired girl?" Goku asked. "She seemed to be really concerned about you when she healed me."

Ranma nodded. "Good idea. She shows up in almost every image that Kami showed me." Ranma and Goku focused on the image of the black haired girl. A moment later the dam broke and memories of her flooded back into both of them.

"Akane!" Ranma said, falling to his knees. "Her name was Akane. And I."

"You really seemed to care for her Ranma." Goku said, looking at him wide eyed. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that you really liked her. You always seemed to be there when she needed you."

Ranma rolled his legs out from under himself and sat cross legged while rubbing his head. "I don't know how I feel; I'm just really confused to have to face all of that at once."

"Are you alright Ranma? I'm not sure how much time we have; I really think that we should continue." Goku said, looking at him with concern.

"I agree." Ranma said. "Next I think I should move on to some of those fight scenes."

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

It was a bustling city. Neon lights displayed a bustling night life to the heavens above. Somewhat above the boundaries of the city a man could be seen who was wearing black robes and floating high in the air.

"What an amusing little civilization that the people on this world have." Captain Ginyu thought to himself. "How perfect and how vulnerable." He closed his eyes for several minutes.

"I sense no dragon balls within this city so it's ripe for the picking." Grinning he lowered himself into the city and landed on one of the streets. Glancing off to his side, he saw two citizens staring at him with wide eye.

"That guy just came from the sky." A man whispered to a smaller woman standing next to him. "Yeah, he did." She agreed. "And he really looks cool!" "Yeah man, where did you get that awesome black robe!?" The man yelled. "That is so radical!"

Captain Ginyu laughed. "Cool is it? I love the irony in this!" He turned and looked directly at them. "How would you like a show that you can only see once in a lifetime?"

The two of them looked at each other and nodded excitedly. "Yeah, we'd love it!"

"Well then!" Captain Ginyu yelled. "Watch this!" He brought both of his hands to his body and began to gather his energy. Yelling, he held out both of his hands and released the energy. It spread out from his position and continued to expand until it enveloped the entire city. The entire time Captain Ginyu was standing in the middle of the explosion, laughing.

"Still no sign of Goku, I think I'll try that again." He said to himself. A moment later he flew into the air and into the darkness, towards another city.

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

"Well, I think that's everything." Ranma said while lying on the ground. "I remember everything now, that didn't take as long as I expected."

"You've really gone through a lot Ranma." Goku said while looking down at him. "You really know a lot of techniques. I can't wait to try some of them out."

"That's not fair." Ranma said, sitting up. "I haven't learned a single thing from you. Do you think that you could give me your memories in the same way I gave you mine?"

Goku shrugged. "I don't see why not, let's give it a try." Ranma stood up and stood across from Goku. Both of them lowered their heads in concentration and calmed themselves. Goku focused on his memories and pushed them forwards towards Ranma while at the same time he pulled them in.

A moment passed while nothing happened. An instant later Ranma's eyes opened in shock and he fell backwards on his but. "Are you okay Ranma?" Goku said while panicking. "Is that too much all at once?"

"No, I'm okay." Ranma said while returning to his feet again. "Man that's a lot to handle." He thought to himself. He smiled. "Some of those techniques of his are incredible; I can't wait to try out the kaoh-ken."

"Well, that's what we came here for." Goku said while looking around. "I wonder where the exit is." "I don't know if it's that easy Goku." Ranma said, also looking around. "We are inside our own minds right? I don't know if we can just walk out or anything like that."

"You can't just walk out but leaving isn't complicated." A woman's voice spoke out of the darkness.

"Who said that?!" Goku and Ranma said together, looking at where the voice came from.

"It was me." The voice said again. A moment later a beautiful woman wearing Amazon clothes walked into their line of view. She had beautiful black hair with blue highlights and piercing dark blue eyes. "You can call me Elder. I am one of the founders of this Amazon tribe."

Ranma looked at her suspiciously while Goku just nodded. "What do you want from us Elder?" Ranma asked.

"Oh, I was just wondering who was using the technique of Joining." The woman said. "It was the technique that I created myself after all. I'm surprised to find that two men who are not even from the Amazon tribe are using the technique, regulations must have become lax in the 5,000 years I was away."

"Actually they let us do this because of an amulet that Ranma has." Goku said with eyebrows raised. Ranma showed her the amulet.

"Oh I see, so the guardians have sanctioned this little breach of Amazon law. Well then, I suppose that there's not much else I can do but accept it." The woman smiled at them dangerously. "So why then are you intending to leave before you complete the final stage of the technique?"

"The final stage of the technique?" Ranma asked. "You mean there's more to it then simply restoring my memory?"

She began to laugh. "There is much more to it! If you two were to press ahead and complete it you would turn into a single warrior who would wield your combined strengths!"

"A single warrior?" Goku asked quietly. He started to laugh. "That's it Ranma, that's how we can win!"

"What do you mean Goku?" Ranma asked. "I think we might be better off staying separated. Would being combined really give us that much of an advantage?"

"Well, think about it." Goku said excitedly. "We both want to learn each other's techniques but we won't have time for that before we fight. If we combine then the single warrior will already know both of our techniques and will be able to use them together flawlessly."

The woman nodded. "You are correct. Unfortunately you must make your decision quickly because I sense that your adversary is already on the move looking for you."

"Could you show him to us?" Ranma asked. "I don't want to do this unless I absolutely have to."

Elder pointed to their right. "In that spot I will look upon the world." A shimmering image appeared where she was pointing. Beyond it the wreckage of a city could be seen, little more then a crater. A black image was floating above the city.

"It's horrible. Just like in the vision." Ranma said while trembling. "Give us a closer look at that man." Goku said, his face filled with concentration.

The portal flickered to show the robed figure. He was large, maybe seven feet tall. He was wearing long black robes and had horns coming out of the top of his hood. He was currently laughing loudly.

"It's him, it's Captain Ginyu!" Goku yelled. "Oh shit, I don't think we're ready for him!"

"Is he that strong?" Ranma asked in shock. Goku clenched his fists. "His power is outrageous. Even as I am now he's at least six times more powerful then me, maybe even more. We don't stand a chance against him, even working together."

"But if you combine your strength and skills you will more then be a match for him." The woman said again, closing the portal. "If you choose to complete the technique of Joining then you can win."

"Tell me Elder." Ranma asked while looking at her. "If we join, will there be any way for us to separate again? Or would we be one person for the rest of his life?"

She smiled sadly. "Unfortunately it would be a sacrifice for both of you. The joining would be permanent. You two would forever disappear from this world and leave in your place a single person with your combined memories, talents, skills and concerns. You would give up your individual selves but you can be assured that the one that replaces you both will fight for everything that you believe in and will care for everything that you care for."

Goku and Ranma slowly looked at each other. "That's pretty serious Ranma, but to save the world I'd be willing to do it." Goku said

Ranma gave him a cocky smile. "I feel the same way. I always like to fight my battles alone and I hate the idea of getting help from anyone else. But if what you say about this guy is true, then to save the world I'd give up who I am."

"Then you've decided." The elder said. "Then it's time for the cleansing process to begin."

"Cleansing, what do you mean by that?" Goku asked.

The woman smiled sneakily at him. "In order for you two to Join then you must first purge your hearts of all secrets that you've been holding from yourselves. You must completely accept who you are and then combine your souls together into one. The rest of the technique will take care of itself."

"Hey, I've already accepted everything about myself!" Ranma yelled. "I'm a martial artist; I'm hiding nothing from myself!"

The woman looking at him with an amused expression. "Meow?" She asked.

Ranma twitched. "Well, almost everything." He said quietly. "Will I really have to face that?" He asked himself. "Will I have to come to grips with the Neko-ken?"

Goku looked at him with wide eyes and then shrugged. "Well, let's get started then. I don't think that we have much time."

The woman looked at Ranma. "It is now that this form of me will leave you. Do not expect to see me like this ever again. When I disappear I will place you into whatever situations I feel are appropriate to bring out self acceptance and understanding. I will start with your problems that I feel are the least extreme and move forward from there."

She looked at Goku. "I will likely alternate between you two when revealing your problems. Both of you have shadows in your past that will be revealed."

She smiled warmly at both of them. "Please do not give up. Work together with these dilemmas, I feel that your hearts are strong and working together you can solve problems it would be impossible for either of you to solve alone. Once this is complete you two will be able to completely join and form a warrior stronger and more clever then anything this world has seen before."

With those words she disappeared. Goku looked around. "I suppose that's there's nothing for us to do but wait." He said, scratching his head.

"Yeah, I guess so." Ranma responded. "Damn, I don't like the idea of this." He thought to himself. "I can handle anything that lady can throw at me as long as it's not ca-ca-cats."

A second later their surroundings shifted. They were standing in a wide building that had a wooden floor. A single wooden door led into the room.

"Hey, isn't this the Tendo dojo?" Goku asked. "I remember this place."

"Yeah, it is." Ranma said while looking confused. "What would we be doing back here?"

"I suppose it's part of the test." Goku responded. "Maybe she has something that she wants you to see here."

"I guess so." Ranma said. A second later Genma and Mr. Tendo burst into the dojo. "Ranma, come quickly!" They cried together. Goku jumped backwards into the corner and looked on with wide eyes.

"What, what is it?!" Ranma asked hurriedly.

"It's Akane!" Genma started. "She's going to go to an arts college in Europe!" "You have to talk her out of it, it's too far for my little girl!" Mr. Tendo finished. "You're her fiancée, it's your responsibility!"

"Arts College, that's ridiculous." Ranma said with a skeptical look on his face. "She's too young for college. Besides, what kind of Art College would want a no talent tomboy like her anyways?"

"You've been gone for a year Ranma." Genma cried. "She's really improved since you've been away. Colleges have been falling all over her."

"Really. Is that true?" Ranma ask, some of his skepticism gone. "Well, it's possible." Ranma thought to himself. "I've been gone for a whole year after all. Who knows what could have happened with things quiet around here."

A thought hit him and he turned to the corner where Goku was standing. Ranma shook his head. "I can't let this vision get to me." He thought to himself. "I need to find out what that Amazon wants from me so we can move on."

"All right, I'll talk to her." Ranma said, turning to the two men.

"Really, you will?" Mr. Tendo asked happily. "That's my boy!" Genma said happily. Both of them moved out of the dojo and stepped out of the way of the door.

"Well, it seems like the thing to do." Ranma mouthed to Goku. Goku shrugged and followed him out the door. "Pleased to meet you sirs," He said while bowing to Genma and Mr. Tendo. Both of them bowed awkwardly back.

"Alright, now where is she?" Ranma asked himself. He concentrated for a moment. "I'm feeling her energy in the kitchen right now, this should be easy."

He walked into the kitchen where Akane was drinking tea. They stood for a moment looking at each other awkwardly.

"It's been a long time." Akane said, unconcernedly taking a drink. "Yeah, a long time." Ranma agreed, looking at her.

They paused again. Ranma walked over to the table and sat down in front of it across from Akane. "Look Ranma, don't try to talk me out of it." Akane began. "Nothing that you say or do will make me change my mind."

"What makes you think I would want to change your mind?!" Ranma yelled at her. "Damn it!" He yelled to himself. "That didn't come out right at all."

Akane bristled. "Well fine! If that's how you feel about it then I'm going! I hope that I never see you again you jerk!" With those words she jumped up the table and turned around and began to stomp up the stairs.

"Hey wait!" Ranma weakly began. Akane turned around without looking at him. "What is it Ranma?" She asked, surprisingly calm.

"You can't go Akane." Ranma said hurriedly. "You can't go because. I, well, because I." "Spit it out Ranma, because you what?" Akane asked.

"Because I won't be there to protect you." Ranma weakly finished.

"Ranma." Akane said gently. "I don't need your protection!" With those words she turned around and kicked the table into Ranma. She then turned around and stomped up the stairs.

"That didn't go well." Ranma said to himself. "I always manage to piss her off."

Goku walked into the room and sat down while looking at Ranma. "Wow, that didn't go well. You really made her angry didn't you?"

Ranma sat up, rubbing the red spot on his forehead. "Yeah, it always goes like that. I just wish I knew what to say to please her. I don't have any chance of getting on her good side anytime soon."

Goku blinked a few times and rubbed his head. "Why don't you go and fight her?" He asked.

Ranma stared at him. "Fight her? Are you serious? She wouldn't stand a chance against me. And besides, that would only make her angrier."

Goku sighed. "Well, I don't know about that. When Chi-chi and I were spending time together we would fight all the time and have loads of fun. It's one of my favorite things to do. And besides," He added. "From what I remember Akane was always pretty angry when you didn't take her seriously. I think you should really hit her this time."

Ranma nodded slowly. "I think you may be on to something there." He stood up and slowly walked up the stairs to Akane's room. He stood for a moment in front of her door staring at her name tag. Sighing, he knocked on it.

"Who's there?!" Her voice yelled out.

"It's me Akane." Ranma said. "I'm here to challenge you."

The door opened to show Akane staring at him incredulously. "Challenge me, are you serious? To like, a fight?"

Ranma nodded. "That's right; I want to fight you before you go. For real this time."

Akane stood looking at him for a moment longer before a slight smile filled her face. "Alright. I'll be down to the dojo in a few minutes." She closed the door.

Ranma stood for a moment longer looking at the door. "What have I gotten myself into?" He asked himself.

Within five minutes the entire household was gathered in the Tendo dojo. Akane and Ranma were wearing their martial arts uniforms and the rest of the family was standing against one wall. Everyone looked confused and slightly apprehensive, except of course for Nabiki who looked unconcerned and Kasumi who looked extremely concerned. Goku was sitting in one corner. For some reason no one had yet registered his presence.

"Are you sure you want to do this Ranma?" Akane asked hesitantly. Ranma slowly nodded.

"Well then, let's go!" Akane yelled, leaping at Ranma with a flying side kick.

"She looks like she's moving in slow motion." Ranma thought to himself. "She was slow before but this is ridiculous."

For a few minutes he simply dodged her attacks. Akane was soon breathing hard and looking extremely frustrated. "Fight me for real damn it!" She yelled at him. "I thought when you challenged me you were going to give me a real fight!" She punched at him again, and he promptly dodged.

"I'm sorry Akane, I just can't do it." Ranma thought to himself, looking at her. With the expression in his eyes her face became even more furious.

"If you can't take me seriously then I'm leav. Ooooppphhh." Her words were cut off as she flew backwards into the wall and slid to the ground.

"But I didn't even touch her." Ranma thought to himself in amazement.

"Amazing!" Genma yelled. "He moved so quickly that we couldn't even follow him." "Are you alright Akane?" Mr. Tendo yelled, running to where she was lying.

"Don't touch me father, I have a match to finish!" She yelled at him, slowly returning to her feet. Her face was angry when she looked at Ranma, but her eyes were filled with gratitude.

"How?" Ranma asked. His eyes widened with understanding. Turning he saw Goku in the same position in the corner as before. Goku gave him a victory sign. "Incredible." Ranma thought to himself. "He moved so quickly that I didn't even see him hit her. And she took it too." He looked respectively at Akane. "If she can take a hit like then she's tougher then I thought."

Akane went into her fighting stance again, but she was unfocused. Tears began to come down her face. "Are you alright?" Ranma asked awkwardly, walking towards her. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

Akane shook her head. "Thank you Ranma, thank you for hitting me." She said through her tears.

They stood awkwardly for a moment longer. "Look Akane, I don't care about the match." Ranma said carefully. Akane looked up at him with the tears shimmering in her eyes.

"She's really cute." Ranma thought to himself. "Please Akane, don't go to Europe. I want you to stay here."

She smiled slightly and wiped away her tears. Smiling even wider, she looked up at him. "Why Ranma, why shouldn't I go? What is there for me here?"

Ranma gulped slightly. "She's even cuter when she's smiling." He thought. "Well, there's. me." He said. He gulped slightly. "You see Akane, I, I, I love you."

With those words she and the Tendo dojo disappeared, leaving only the darkness behind.

"I guess that was what Elder wanted to hear." Goku said. "Good job Ranma."

Ranma shook his head. "It felt so real, I can't believe that I actually love her." He looked at Goku with a few tears in his eyes. "But it's real, I know it is. I love her." For some reason now the admission came much easier.

Goku put both of his hands behind his head. "Well, I guess that it might be my turn next. I wonder what she's going to come up with for me."

Ranma nodded and wiped his eyes. "Let's hope it's not as hard as what she had for me."

Goku nodded. "I can't argue with that. I'm really curious to see what she has for me. I hope that this won't take long. Aaaggghhh!!!" Goku fell to the ground with both of his hands clutching his head.

"What is it Goku?!" Ranma asked. "What's happening to you?!"

"It's a memory. Something's coming back to me!" Goku yelled. "Keep away Ranma!"

Ranma shook his head. "I don't think so Goku, we're in this together." Ranma sat down and found his focus. He then opened his mind to Goku's. "I see it too." He thought to himself. "Amazing."

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

There was a loud sound of crying children. Ranma found himself laying face down and looking upwards. "I wonder where Goku is." He asked himself. "Oh yeah, this is his memory. His mind is that of a child right now."

The baby that Ranma was inside seemed to be crying loudly. Another baby that was nearby looked over at him with a furious look in its eyes. "What's up with him?" Ranma asked himself. "Babies shouldn't be able to look that angry. Maybe he's pissed because I'm crying so loud or something."

A man walked over to the crib and stood above him. He had black spiky hair and was wearing saiyajin battle armor. He stared down into the crib and an evil smile crossed his face.

"He looks just like Goku." Ranma thought to himself, astonished. "Are they related?"

"I have high hopes for you young Kakarot." The man told the baby. "We've found a young and succulent world for you to conquer. It should be a very simple thing even for a baby to conquer this world."

"Is this guy for real?" Ranma asked himself. "Sending a baby alone to take a world?"

The man reached into the cradle and picked the baby up. "It's time Kakarot, your pod is ready." He carried the baby over to a small space pod and placed him inside. "This will be your home until you arrive Kakarot. Make your father proud."

"How many times have I heard that from my father?" Ranma asked himself. "It was never like this though."

A moment later the pod blasted up into the air and went into the atmosphere. A small machine that was in the pod began to speak to the child. "You are Kakarot, you are to destroy all life. You are Kakarot, you are to destroy all life." The voice repeated over and over again.

"I can't believe this; they're trying to keep their mission in his mind." Ranma thought. "I hope that I don't have to sit around for the entire journey to earth." He could feel himself nodding off. "I suppose not." He thought before his consciousness disappeared into the darkness.

He woke up what seemed like a few moments later in a small cradle. An old man with a kindly face was looking down at him. "Well hello there little fellow." The man said. "I hope that you're doing okay. I'm Gohan, and you are." He stood still for a moment, thing. He smiled and looked back down at Ranma. "And you are Goku. It means Savior of the Light. I hope that you like it."

He lowered his smiling face until it was just above Goku's ahead. Ranma could see the baby's hand reach up and grab his beard. The baby sat up and tried to attack him. "What's up with this?" Ranma asked. "Goku's attacking him! He remembers his mission somehow."

It continued like this for many weeks. Goku was violent and became progressively more so as his strength increased. However, one day the old man Gohan was pushing Goku in a cradle along the side of the cliff.

"This doesn't look good." Ranma thought as Goku looked down the side of the cliff. "I hope that we're not going down there."

His hope was in vain. Goku began to violently fight the old man and by accident threw himself off of the side of the cliff. As soon as he hit the ground Ranma's consciousness was thrown out of Goku's mind.

Goku and Ranma didn't speak for several minutes. "That was pretty intense." Ranma said, looking up at Goku. Goku stared sullenly at the ground. "Yeah. It was." He agreed quietly.

Goku shook his head. "I can remember all of it so clearly now. I can feel the desire to fulfill what the saiyajins wanted from me. I can feel the desire to destroy all life on earth." He looked down at his two hands with a frightened look on his face. "For all of my life I have fought to protect the earth, but I never would have imagined that I ever would have wanted to destroy it."

Ranma looked at him uncomfortably. "I suppose that I have to comfort him somehow." He thought to himself. "Damn, I've never been very good at this."

"Look Goku, none of that really matters now." He said. Goku looked up at him slowly. "How is that?" He asked.

Ranma sat still and thought for a second. "Well, you've already saved the world Goku. You've fought so hard for it, I wouldn't believe it if I didn't remember it with my own mind." "Man that sounded weird." He thought to himself.

"What you had desired when you were a baby doesn't matter now Goku. Don't ask me why, but I don't think it matters at all." "This is lame, I suck at this." He thought.

Goku smiled at him, his eyes clear and happy. "Thanks Ranma, you're absolutely right. None of that matters now. Why should I worry about the past when I have the future ahead of me?" He stood up and beat his chest. "We have Captain Ginyu to worry about! Let's move on to the next problem!"

Ranma stood up as well. "It worked; maybe I'm not as hopeless as I thought." He thought to himself. He gave Goku a cocky smile. "Right then, let's see what Elder has to throw at us next!"

"You wouldn't be so cocky if you knew." An amused female voice said from behind him.

"Yaaaaahhhh!" Ranma yelled, jumping into the air. "Who said that?!" He took a fighting stance and turned around only to have his jaw drop to the floor. "Who is it Ranma?" Goku asked curiously while peering around his back.

What they saw was a young and cute red-haired female several inches shorter then Ranma. Her eyes were blue but unlike Ranma's they were filled with malevolence. "Hello Ranma, it's about time that we met face to face."

"Who is this girl Ranma?" Goku asked while walking next to him. "She kind of looks like you, is she a relation or something?"

Ranma continued to stare at her in shock. "You're a person?" He asked. "Since when were you a separate person?"

The girl laughed at him. "I was always a separate person, because that's how you thought of me Ranma. I am sneaky, conniving and ruthless. I always come when I'm least wanted and I never leave when you need me to. I have the power to take away that which you value most, your manhood. So you see Ranma, everything that I am I owe to you. I would be nothing without you."

Ranma scratched his head. "So you're saying that I made you?"

She laughed again. "In a manner of speaking, yes. Honestly I don't exist at all and you're just imagining my existence."

Goku blinked a few times and then clapped his hands together. "You're Ranma's cursed form, I remember all about you!"

She smiled coldly at Ranma. "So how about a showdown? Now is your chance to defeat me for good. If you destroy me here then your curse will also be gone in the real world."

"Is that true?!" Ranma asked excitedly.

The girl shook her head with a smile. "Maybe so or maybe not. You have no way of telling do you? But it is worth a try." She motioned to Goku. "But please, keep him out of the fight. It wouldn't be fair to have two big strong men picking on one little girl."

"Right, leave this one to me Goku!" Ranma yelled. Goku nodded and jumped back. "Good luck Ranma!" He called to the teenager.

Ranma smiled arrogantly at the girl. "Now's my chance." He thought to himself. "Now's my chance to be rid of her for good." A blue aura surrounded his body causing his muscles to bulge and become denser. The entire time she stared into his eyes with an unconcerned expression.

Ranma leaped forward and threw a punch directly at her face. It missed as she seemed to evaporate into the air. "What the hell!?" He yelled. "Where'd she go?!" Turning he saw her behind him with that same uncaring expression on her face.

Moving as quickly as he could Ranma kicked at her torso below her line of vision. The attack fell short. "I was off, but how?" Ranma asked, staring into her eyes. "My aim was perfect and she didn't use telekinesis. Why can't I hit her?"

A slight smiled curved her lips. She slowly and gently threw a punch forwards with her right hand. "Ha." Ranma thought. "Don't even have to dodge that one, it's way off." The attack hit his solar plexus, knocking him to the ground and causing him to gasp for air. A moment later he flipped to his feet and returned to his fighting stance.

"How did she do that?" He asked himself, almost in a panic. "It doesn't make sense that she could move like that, it's just impossible."

The girl's smile became wider. "Thank you Ranma. Thank you for me."

"This isn't good." Goku thought to himself while watching the fight. "Somehow she's reading all of his moves way before he throws them. And how is she dodging his attacks, they're spot on! Something isn't right here."

Ranma began to circle around the girl. The entire time her smile was becoming wider and wider. "That was just a light tap Ranma." She said. "I'll hit you for real next time."

"Where is her speed coming from?" Ranma asked himself, his teeth clenched. "And her power is beyond belief. Where is she getting that strength?!"

The girl disappeared. "Is that the Uminsen-ken?" Ranma yelled, desperately searching for her. "Even better Ranma." The voice whispered. "This is how fast you expect me to be, so therefore I am faster. I come in an instant, in a drop of rain or a simple puddle on the road. My speed is blinding, and once I attack I can never be turned away."

"That's it!" Ranma thought. "I'm lending her strength. It's because I think too much of the curse! But how can I change my thoughts now?"

A sudden attack to his stomach took his thoughts off of it. Ranma fell to the ground desperately clutching his stomach while the red-haired girl stood over him. "Does it hurt Ranma?" She asked. "This is the pain that you allow yourself to feel because of me. This is your fault."

"No." Ranma chocked, desperately struggling to his feet. "It doesn't hurt a damn bit. That punch didn't even itch." He coughed out some blood.

The girl laughed. "Really. It didn't hurt a damn bit. You should watch your mouth when ladies are present Ranma."

"I don't give a damn about you!" Ranma yelled at her. "You didn't matter to me at all. Even with you inside me I beat Herb and Saffron. Even with you I fell in love with a girl. Even with you I am a man!"

Each word seemed to be a like a physical blow. After the last line she fell to her knees out of breath.

Ranma walked over to her and stood above her. "As I expected. Those words stole her strength. When she dies I will be free from my curse forever."

Raising up one hand he quickly snapped it downwards with the intention of crushing her throat in one strike.

His hand was caught.

"What the?" Ranma asked, looking at his arm. Turning he saw Goku holding his arm firmly in place with a serious expression on his face. "Why the hell did you stop me?!" Ranma yelled. "When she dies then I'm free!"

"I understand what you've gone through Ranma." Goku said quietly. "I remember clearly the pain that this girl has caused you."

"Then why are you trying to stop me?" Ranma asked, his face furious.

Goku smiled gently. "I remember the pain but I also remember the joy. Wasn't this girl the one who allowed you to get closer to Akane when you first met her?"

Ranma stared at him in shock. "He's right." He realized.

"I know it's not my place to request this but I want you to show her mercy Ranma. I wouldn't ask this if she were completely evil but she has shown that she has good qualities as well. Please Ranma, spare her."

Ranma clenched his fists at his side and stared at the ground. He stood there for many minutes until he relaxed them. "Alright Goku, I'll spare her." He turned away from the girl that was lying on the ground. "You should leave before I change my mind." He spat to the ground.

But she was already gone, dematerialized into the air.

"That was a challenge." Goku said with a serious expression. "I'm beginning to realize that Elder's playing for real. She's not going to hold back against us."

"Yeah. I've got a feeling that you're right." Ranma said, staring at the spot on the ground where the girl used to be.

"I wonder if she's going to give us a break this time." Goku commented while stretching. "These trials take a lot of energy."

"I wouldn't count on it." Ranma said, staring up into the air.

"Why would you say that?" Goku asked curiously, looking at him.

"There's a ball of energy high in the air." Ranma said. "It looks kinda like a full moon."

"Really, in here? Wow, that's weird." Goku turned around and peered up into the air. "You're right Ranma, that's beautiful..."

"Hey Goku." Ranma said curiously. "When did your tail grow back?" "Goku?" He asked again. He curiously looked over at Goku's face. "What's going on. Oh my God."

Goku was staring up at the moon, his breathing had picked up. He seemed to be growing fangs and his muscles were beginning to bulge. His eyes widened and turned crazy as he stared into the light of the moon. He began to grow until his form towered above Ranma's. Then he grew even more.

"I don't remember anything like this." Ranma thought to himself in a panic. "If that's true then Goku must have no memories of his transformations. Damn, that must mean that he doesn't have any control!"

Goku's form towered above that of Ranma's. He yelled to the moon above and beat on his chest. "His power is awesome!" Ranma yelled. "It has to be at least ten times greater then before! How am I going to stop him now?"

The ape stared down at the young man below it. It jumped forward and tried to stomp on him.

"He's fast!" Ranma yelled as he jumped out of the way. "Much faster then I would expect." He began a game of dodging, struggling to stay out of the long reach of the large primate. "This has to be something from Goku's past, but what could it be?"

His eyes widened. "That's it!" He yelled. In the second that he was paused a large foot kicked him, sending him flying several hundred meters. Ranma landed on the ground and quickly jumped to his feet. In a single leap the ape covered half of the distance between them and started to run the rest of the distance.

"Only got a few seconds." Ranma thought. "I remember blank spots in my mind whenever I saw a full moon. This transformation has to be the filling in of one of those blank spots. I have to share his new memories!"

The ape threw a punch down at Ranma who leaped up towards it. Quicker then he could react it snapped up one of its hands and caught him in mid-air.

"Now's my chance!" Ranma yelled. Quickly he relaxed despite the crushing grip and extended his mind into Goku's and forced his entry.

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

He was furious, all he felt was the rage. Small creatures below him were running and making loud noises. The noise hurt his now sensitive ears. He swiped his hands through the trees, trying to get at them. He was able to catch a few, crushing them instantly.

A large yell came from behind him. It was a challenge, he sensed. He turned to see a small old man standing far below him on the ground. The man was in a martial arts stance and was staring up at him.

"I'm sorry Goku, I can't allow you to leave." The old man yelled up at him. "You must not harm anyone." The words didn't register with him, they sounded of gibberish.

He decided to kill the foolish little creature as quickly as possible. He began to throw out a series of attacks against the small man who deftly dodged all of them. He was amazingly agile for one of his size.

He caught the small creature in a state of unawares and kicked him, sending him flying over the trees and to the ground a small distance away. In a single leap he cleared half of the distance and then ran the rest of the way. He attacked downwards and the creature dodged, jumping into the air. With his other hand he caught the creature in midair.

He began to squeeze tightly. "No, stop!" He heard echo in his mind. Though he didn't understand the words the protest was clear to him. He paused, almost confused. He tried to squeeze him again. "Don't you remember me?" The voice said again. "I'm Ranma Saotome. I'm your friend Goku!"

He was confused. Several animalistic thoughts floated through him but none of them could explain the strange nature of what was happening. "Let him go." A voice said. A moment later he realized that it wasn't the same voice as before but his own voice. "Please, let him go." His voice said again, pleadingly. He was confused, extremely confused. He knew that it was him who spoke but he didn't understand the words. He couldn't understand what he wanted himself to do.

"Now!" His voice yelled again. In shock he dropped the man who fell to the ground, out of breath. Everything began to fade, to fluctuate. He could see the ground flying up to meet him.

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

"He did it." Ranma thought to himself, staring at the unconscious man lying on the ground. "He remembered. And just in time too. I think I'm bruised all over." He fell backwards into a sitting position.

"That was almost the end." Ranma said out loud. "I don't know how or why but he was reliving one of his old memories where he killed an old man. His grandfather." He realized, his eyes widening in horror. "That old man that he killed was his grandfather. And for some reason I was in his old man's shoes and everything I did played out to what his grandfather did in his memory. Man that's freaky."

He sighed and looked over to where Goku was lying. "I hope that he's not too hard on himself for that." He thought to himself. "I really need him now more then ever. Especially with the challenge that I'm going to facing next. I won't be able to make it through it alone." He shuddered at some hidden thought.

Goku began to stir and sat up, holding his head. "I just had the craziest dream." He said aloud, shaking his head with his hands. He looked up to see that Ranma was peering at him intently. "Wait a second; I think that was another memory."

Ranma nodded slowly. "I hate to say this but yeah, that was a memory. And that old man that you killed was your grandfather." "Damn, it, why did I have to say that?!" He yelled to himself. "That's only going to make it worse! I really need him to keep himself together right now!"

Goku sighed and a single tear fell down his face, which he brushed away. "It's true then, I transform at the full moon. It's a trait of the saiyajin race. And while transformed I did horrible things that I don't remember. The worst of all was that I killed my grandfather."

He smiled sadly. "But I talked to my grandfather afterwards. The witch Babba had summoned him and I fought against him without knowing it until the fight was over. I think he knew that I was the one who killed him, and I think that he forgave me."

He leapt to his feet. "In any case, all of that's in the past! The world has to be saved here and now and worrying about things that I couldn't control even then won't help anything!"

Ranma stared at him in amazement. "Was that Goku just now?" He asked himself. "He didn't strike me as wise before, I wonder what's changed about him." He smiled slightly. "Nothing. Even now his heart's like that of a child's. Amazing."

He jumped to his feet. "Right then Goku, let's finish this training!" Goku looked at him seriously in the eyes with a slight smile on his face. "It's your turn now Ranma and I have a feeling that this will be the last challenge."

"Right on." Ranma said confidently. But to someone extremely observant a tremor could be detected in his voice. A slight bit of fear that no amount of confidence could shake.

Goku walked a few steps away from Ranma and put his hands on his hips. "So Ranma, any clues as to what the next challenge will be?" He asked. He started to laugh. "I know that with me I had absolutely no idea what the challenges would be! Ranma?"

He looked over at where Ranma was standing. "Ranma?" He asked.

Ranma's head was lowered and he was staring at the ground. "Grrrrr." He growled lowly. He fell onto all fours and began to growl loudly.

"Are you okay Ranma?" Goku asked awkwardly, walking towards him. He reached out to put one of his hands on Ranma's shoulder. Almost faster then he could react one of Ranma's hands rushed upwards at Goku's arm.

"Whoa!" Goku yelled, jumping out of the way. "Are you okay Ranma?" Ranma slowly raised his head until he was looking into Goku's eyes. There was no recognition there. He began to growl and walk menacingly towards Goku.

Goku backed up slowly. "He's acting like a cat." Goku thought to himself. "Wait a second, I remember something about this. It's called the Neko- ken." "Good kitty, good kitty." Goku said hesitantly, holding his arms up in the air. "I've got to help him somehow, but he doesn't remember anything that happens to him while he's a cat. Maybe I can subdue him."

Goku disappeared from where he was standing. Ranma looked around cautiously and suddenly leaped into the air with a loud feline screech. A split instant later Goku appeared directly behind where he was. Goku stared at Ranma as he landed ten feet away from his prior position.

"I was moving too fast, Ranma shouldn't have been able to follow those movements." Goku said. "Ah man, this isn't good. All of his abilities are amplified and I can't sense the difference in his power level!"

Ranma stared cautiously at Goku while growling lowly. "Reow!" He yelled while leaping at Goku in an extremely smooth motion. Goku dived to the side, barely dodging Ranma's attack, but not completely. His clothes were ripped by Ranma's claws and blood could be seen underneath.

"He's incredibly fast!" Goku yelled. "Kao-Ken times three!" A burst of energy surrounded his body. "Sorry Ranma but this is for your own good!" He yelled. A split instant later he appeared next to Ranma and grabbed both of his arms. Ranma growled in protest and tried to escape but he couldn't get away.

"I've got to get into his mind before he escapes." Goku thought, staring into Ranma's desperate eyes. "But how, how did he do it so easily?"

In desperation Ranma planted both of his feet into Goku's face, sending him flying backwards. In the same motion Ranma launched forwards and clawed at him wildly with both of his hands. Goku found himself backpedaling quickly trying to avoid the attack. A moment later both of them were standing still facing each other wearily.

"I don't get it." Goku thought himself. "The Neko-ken is incredible! Even when fighting at triple his power level I don't have any advantage." He relaxed his body and released the Kao-ken. Ranma noticed the drop in his power level and looked at him curiously. "Meow?" He asked.

"I think I remember." Goku thought. "It had to do with his spiritual training. If I can extend my spirit out to him maybe I can help him gain control of that thing. It's worth a shot, from what I remember only that Akane girl has been able to release him in the past."

Goku closed his eyes and focused. Ranma began to creep towards him slowly, staring at his face curiously. "It's similar to the spirit bomb." Goku thought. "With that technique I borrow the spiritual energy of those around me. Only now I want to extend my spirit to him. I just need to change it a little bit."

Taking a firm hold of his consciousness, Goku thrusted it into Ranma's mind. Inside he saw an awesome mental presence, a being of incredible power and force. Ranma's mind was also there, but was asleep.

"No, Ranma!" Goku yelled. The presence turned on him curiously, and attacked. "It's trying to force me out!" Goku realized. "I can't let that happen!" He began to wrestle with the creature. "Come on Ranma, wake up!" He yelled to the sleeping mind.

It rolled over. "Just great." Goku thought to himself. "He's not going to help; I'll have to borrow his energy to help me!" In a single instant Goku drew a great deal of energy from the sleeper and turned it on the presence. "Reowwww!" It yelled, flying from the mind.

Goku's mind sighed inside Ranma's head. "Easier then I expected." He said to himself. "Now wake up Ranma!" He yelled to the boy's mind.

"What?!" It asked, waking up in an instant. The shock of the wake up ejected Goku's mind from his body. Both of them found themselves looking at each other with confused eyes.

"What happened Goku?" Ranma asked confusedly. "I don't remember anything."

Goku shook his head and looked seriously at Ranma. "You were possessed by a cat presence and I was able to eject it from your mind, but I don't think its over. Now we have to beat it."

"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked with a yawn. "Meow?" Something asked from behind him.

Ranma's eyes opened widely and a terrified expression filled his entire face. "Ca-ca-ca-cat!" He yelled, running past Goku. Goku caught one of his arms and stopped him from running any further.

"Stop it Ranma!" Goku yelled. "If you can't beat that thing then earth and Akane are done for!" His words seemed to relax Ranma somewhat and he turned around slowly to look at the creature.

With the lack of a body it had a celestial appearance to it. However, soon it gained a hard form in the guise of a snow white cat. "Well I and Ranma are kind of like spirits here too." Goku thought to himself. The cat stared at them with large curious eyes for a moment and then began to clean itself.

Ranma stared at it, breathing hard. "Come on man, it's just a cat. There's nothing to be afraid of." He thought to himself. He gulped loudly.

"Don't worry about it Ranma, I'm here with you." Goku said calmly, putting one of his hands on Ranma's shoulder. "We can beat that thing together."

Ranma grinned slightly. "Any ideas?" He asked. Goku shrugged. "Beats me, he's from your past right? All I know is that so far everything we've seen like this represents old memories somehow. We just need to figure out how to accept it."

Ranma shook his head. "Easier said then done. That thing holds an awesome." His face strained slightly. "It holds a great power over me. I don't know how to resist it." He admitted.

Goku shrugged. "Well, why don't you show me? I remember the results of the Neko-ken training but I don't have your memory of how you came across it in the first place. Why don't you share it with me?"

"I don't think that's a good idea Goku." Ranma said seriously. "I've been trying to forget about it myself for most of my life."

"Well that's the problem!" Goku laughed. "If you accept it then this whole process will be over and we can complete the Joining."

Ranma sighed. "I suppose that's it's the only way. I'll do it." He took a seat in front of Goku, who followed his lead and also sat down. The cat looked and them curiously and walked over to sit next to them. Ranma shivered and turned his head so that he couldn't see it.

"Are you ready?" Ranma asked quietly. "It's possible that I may inflict this problem on you too if we do this." Goku shrugged. "If we're going to become one person then we'll have to share this problem anyways." He looked behind himself. "Wouldn't you know it, my tail's back! That's pretty cool."

"Let's focus." Ranma said seriously. Goku nodded and looked at him. "Right, I'm ready." The cat meowed its agreement.

Both Goku and Ranma found their focus and Ranma pushed his memories into Goku's mind.

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

"That's odd." Goku thought to himself, looking around. "I'm in a really small body, I'm a little kid." He looked up to see a middle aged man looking down at him. "That's Genma, Ranma's father." Goku thought to himself. "This must be a memory from Ranma's childhood."

"Son, I have a special training for you today." The man said down to the child. "What's that father?" Goku found himself responding.

"It's called the Neko-ken." Genma said seriously. "It will give you great strength and will make your father proud. You do want to make me proud don't you boy?"

"Yes father." Goku again found himself replying. "How long will this training take? I want to go play."

"Not long son, not long at all." Genma replying, reaching into a bucket at his side. "Once you complete this training then you'll be done for the day." He pulled out a long line of fish that were tied to each other and walked over to the child. "Stand still boy, I'm going to wrap these around you."

"Why's that dad?" Goku asked curiously.

"You'll find out soon enough son." Genma said seriously. A few minutes later the child found himself completely covered with fish.

Genma walked over to a huge pit that had a wooden lid. In one smooth motion he threw the lid aside. "Come here boy." He said to the child, who curiously walked over to the pit to look inside. "Wow, that's a lot of cats." Goku found himself saying, looking into the pit.

"I think I see where this is going." Goku thought to himself. "But I have to handle this training. If my mind cracks like Ranma's mind did when he was a child then our chance of completing the Joining is over."

Genma picked up the child and threw him into the pit. "Don't come out until you've mastered the Neko-ken boy!" He yelled into the pit.

Goku found himself surrounded by a hoard of angry cats, all of them biting and scratching at his skin. Goku could find his mind slipping. "Got to hold it together!" He yelled to himself. "Hold it together Goku! Ranma needs you!" Using his discipline as a martial artist Goku forced his mind to keep it's focus and it's sanity.

An exhausting twenty minutes or so passed and eventually the cats lost interest in the scared child. Genma gently let a rope fall into the pit. "Come on out boy." He said gruffly. The child took the rope and allowed himself to be pulled out of the pit.

Genma scowled down at the scared boy. "Well, I guess it didn't work, we'll just have to try it again.

The child was too stunned from the experience to say anything. Genma took another bucket and opened it. "Well, salmon didn't work so we'll try tuna this time. Maybe tuna will do it for us."

He walked over to the child and began to wrap tuna around him. "Why is he doing this, is he insane?" Goku yelled inside his mind. "No wonder Ranma's mind snapped, I can't believe this!"

Within a few moments the child was again flung into the pit of wild cats. "Have to hold it together!" Goku yelled to himself, struggling to keep his focus.

This incident happened only one more time. Goku felt a strange new presence manifest itself in Ranma's mind. "What is this?" He asked himself. "Amazing, I think it's the mind of a cat! It's taking over Ranma's body and letting him sleep! It's trying to protect him!"

Goku stayed within Ranma's memories until the child was soothed by the old woman. He then returned to the strange cleft between their respective minds.

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

Goku and Ranma were both still sitting on the ground across from each other. The cat was also asleep, purring loudly from its curled position on the ground next to them. Goku's and Ranma's eyes opened at the same time and caught sight of each other.

Goku nodded seriously to Ranma. "I see now Ranma, I think I understand what your father put you through. That was pretty awful; if I were a child when that happened I don't know if I could have handled it."

Ranma shook his head. "I think you could have, you had the mind of a fighter even as a small child." He sighed. "I can admit that I wasn't always a fighter, I owe it to my father that he worked so hard to turn me into one."

Goku laughed. "The world owes it to your father! Without you it wouldn't stand a chance!" His face became serious. "This is it Ranma, this is the last thing that you have to do." He pointed to the cat that was sleeping on the ground next to them. "You need to accept that cat, if you do then you will be free and we'll be done with our training."

Ranma slowly turned to look at the cat and shivered slightly. "Ye-ye-yeah. I guess I need to huh?"

"Come on Ranma, you have to do this." Goku said. "Look, I've experienced everything now too! I'll focus on helping you keep your cool so that you can accept that part of yourself, it's the only way."

Ranma gulped again. "Right Goku, let's do it." He said, his voice quivering. Goku closed his eyes and focused his confidence into Ranma. Ranma found his focus and accepted the confidence that Goku gave him and placed both of his eyes on the cat.

The cat woke up under the pressure of Ranma's intense gaze. It stretched lazily and looked at him curiously. "Meow?" It asked, staring at him.

"Gotta do this, gotta do this." Ranma said to himself quietly. "Here kitty kitty kitty." He said, patting his lap carefully.

The cat looked at him for just a second before it leapt onto his lap and began to nuzzle his neck. If it hadn't been for the presence of Goku Ranma would have instantly thrown the cat off himself and ran for cover. As it was he barely kept his focus and actually managed to put one of his hands on the cat.

The spiritual animal mewed happily and fell asleep on his lap, still purring loudly. After struggling within himself for several minutes Ranma reached down to the cat and began to gingerly pet it. As the minutes passed he gradually gained confidence and began to pet the cat more and more quickly.

Slowly the cat began to sink into his lap, until it had completely disappeared. As soon as it vanished completely Ranma gasped, breathing hard.

"What happened?!" Goku asked. "Where did it go?"

Ranma turned to look at him and smiled slightly. "Right here." He said, pointing to his head. "I can feel it inside me. It's a part of me now."

Goku sighed. "Alright, you've done it. Do you think you could bring it out again Ranma?"

Ranma nodded hesitantly. "I'm not completely sure but I can feel it much clearer then before. I think I can wake it up and give it some control. Maybe I can even keep some control at the same time."

"Right on!" Goku said excitedly, jumping to his feet. "That technique of yours is absolutely incredible! I think we could beat someone three or four times stronger and faster then us if we used that technique! Awesome!"

Ranma rose to his feet and smiled slightly. "Yeah, I think you're right. Thanks Goku." He said simply.

Goku smiled widely. "No problem Ranma, I owed it to you. Without you I couldn't have made it through my own problems. We had to help each other to accomplish this. We had to do it together."

"So what now?" Ranma asked. "What do we do now to complete the Joining?"

Goku shrugged. "Beats me. I think that Elder lady said something about combining our souls into one but I'm not really sure about how to go about that."

"I wonder." Ranma said to himself. "I think I may know how Goku. We already have all of each other's memories. We probably need to use the same process to combine souls that we used to share memories."

"That's it Ranma!" Goku said excitedly. "It's simple! Let's do it."

"I don't think so." An amused voice said from the darkness.

"What the hell is it now?!" Ranma yelled, turning to the voice. "We're finished with the training I know it!"

"Show yourself!" Goku yelled also turning to the voice.

A strange laugh floated from the darkness and a dark form materialized itself. It was a blond beautiful man with striking red eyes. He was wearing a trench coat that was completely black and underneath was wearing blue jeans and no shirt. "That was me." He said lightly, "and trust me, I have nothing to do with either of your little minds."

"Then what are you doing here?" Goku asked, surprisingly calm. "I don't remember inviting any extra guests to this little party."

He started to laugh. "Oh, you made a joke; I didn't expect anything as sophisticated as humor from such a lowly creature as yourself." His bright red eyes seemed to bore right through Goku. "I little warrior am a demon lord. I am Raterfalinticanmiterican, but you may call me Rate. And to answer your question, I am here to destroy you and your friend and to take your fused body for myself." He smiled evilly. "You understand that it is so complicated for a demon to enter the mortal world. There are so many rules to follow and it's much simpler to simply take a mortal body. And yours happens to be very convenient."

"Shut up!" Ranma yelled. "I don't want to hear a speech. And in any case what makes you think that you can beat us here? Our souls belong here; we'll have the upper hand."

He started to laugh. "Oh you really believe that do you? Well I'm afraid you're wrong. You see I was invited in by a scratch that was inflicted upon that man," he pointed at Goku, "Only a few hours ago. It was like a gateway for me. And now that I'm here destroying you two is the easy part. I specialize in manipulation of mortal souls and am even as good as Emperor Freezer, the Greatest of the Demon Lords. I'll simply fill you with hatred and the rest will take care of itself."

"A scratch?" Goku asked himself. "Does he mean the scratch inflicted by the greater demon? I didn't sense even a bit of magical energy from it."

"Don't think that you'll find us easy to beat." Ranma said seriously, falling into his fighting stance.

"Really, you'd think that we've never done spiritual combat before." Goku said with a smile, falling into his own stance. "We've been struggling with our minds non-stop for hours now. I don't think ejecting an invader should be any real problem."

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

"Oh no, oh no!" King Kai cried out into the air. "I sense that a new demon lord has just made its appearance on earth. But not physically like Freezer, only his spirit has entered the mortal world."

He clenched both of his fists. "I trained Goku in recognizing magic but I never instructed him in how to handle a situation of this magnitude! And there is no way that Ranma will be able to expel him. The boy holds a great talent but has never dealt with anything like that of the demon lord Rate. I fear that the two warriors are doomed."

He began to yell again. "And with the mysterious servant of the Lord Freezer on the loose, I fear that the earth may be completely destroyed! Oh why does it always have to turn out like this?"

Behind him Bubbles and Gregory were staring at him cluelessly.

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

Kami began to tremble from where he was standing and again looked down into the darkness of the earth.

"A chill wind blows." He thought to himself. "A bad omen. A demon lord is here on earth, but I can't ascertain its position." He paused for a moment and focused.

His eyes opened widely. "No! It's with Goku and Ranma! It's going to attack them, I can't believe it. Those two have no background fighting entirely on the spiritual level, even with everything that they've experienced. They won't stand a chance!"

He began to sweat. "I only wish that there was a way for me to help them, but I'm afraid that from where I am it would be impossible for me to interfere."

A glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes. "But Ranma still holds my communication stone, so I may be able to help. But first there must be an opening of some sort. If I just charged in now it would be as good as suicide."

He stared up at the stars. "Please you two. You have achieved miracles in the past, and it would take another for you to escape now. But the earth is counting on you."

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

"Hiyaaah!" Goku yelled, launching himself forward. Pausing in front of Rate he changed his momentum into power as he launched several punches at the confident demon lord. Rate merely shifted the position of his body, sending the attacks right past him.

"Do you really insist on fighting me like this?" He asked. "This will get boring really quickly." He looked at Goku sternly, causing him to fly backwards past Ranma hitting the ground.

"Mokou Takabisha!" Ranma yelled, throwing a ball of energy forwards towards the demon. He merely caught it with both of his hands and held it in place. "Fascinating." He said, holding it up for examination. "A ball of confidence. The fact that you can create this at all shows that you have no idea what you're up against."

"That's what you think." Ranma said with a smile. With a motion from one of his hands the ball erupted in the demon's face, sending him flying backwards. "Now Goku!" He yelled.

"I hear you." Goku said, appearing in the path of the flying demon. "Kamehameha!" He yelled, releasing a huge blast of energy. The dark form was caught on the blast and was flung forward onto its face.

"How do you like that?" Goku asked, staying in his fighting stance.

The demon lay on the ground for a moment more and then began to laugh. "Brilliant!" He laughed, slowly returning to his feet. "Absolutely brilliant. You two are already working together. You have demonstrated to me that you're both excellent fighters." He completely stood up and smiled insanely, his face twisting horrendously. "But I don't give a damn about that, none of it matters here. Even with your martial arts you might as well be children compared to one such as me."

"Shut up! I don't want to listen to your shit!" Ranma yelled. "Why don't you stop talking and start fighting!"

He grinned even more. "I don't see why you're so concerned about fighting, what with your dear Akane Tendo in hell even as we speak."

"What did you say?" Ranma asked, suddenly quiet. His eyes suddenly filled with hopelessness.

"What's Ranma doing, he's obviously lying." Goku asked with concern. His eyes widened in understanding. "Don't listen to him Ranma, he's using magic to try and trick you!"

"Magic?" Ranma asked slowly, looking up at Goku who was staring at him frantically. "He's using magic. Aggghhh!" He yelled, falling to the ground. "All I can think of is what he told me!" Ranma realized. "I need to concentrate, I need to remove him!"

The demon turned to Goku. "You're pretty brave but it's 4 o'clock. Do you know where your children are?" He started to laugh. "Well I do! Gohan is currently in another dimension, and I can guarantee that he's not coming back!"

"What did you say?" Goku asked, suddenly sullen. "No, he's getting me too!" He yelled to himself. "Come on Goku, you've got to snap out of this! Everyone's counting on you!" He could feel the demon slowly invading his mind, whispering to him stories of hopelessness, stories of despair.

"Too powerful, much too powerful." Goku and Ranma thought together, struggling against the oppressive force. Almost in sync they collapsed on the ground together and stopped moving.

"Well, that's a fine job for one day." Rate said, amused. "Mentally they're much stronger then regular people, it's a shame that I have to tuck their minds away while I use their fused body. Oh well, that's the way it goes I guess." He started to laugh insanely.

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

An old woman who looked remarkably like Cologne awoke with a start from her sleep. "Something's wrong with the boys." She said to himself. She grabbed her staff from beside her bed and hopped out of the tent.

She moved quickly through the village, ignoring the guards who stared at her as she traveled by. Within two minutes she reached a small cave that was set against a hill. She quickly opened the door and went inside.

"My god." She whispered in horror and shock. Goku and Ranma were still sitting across from each other, but both of their forms had become faint and had gained a misty quality. In between them there was a column of light and within that column a human form could be recognized which was also faint. A sliver of darkness had appeared within the light and began to spread throughout.

"An invader." The old woman thought to herself. "An invader has interrupted their Joining. How is this possible?" She noticed a small scratch on one of Goku's arms which was filled with darkness. "That's the scratch of a demon." She thought to herself. "Oh no, their body is being taken by a demon!"

"Bring me the Rika incense!" She yelled to a guard standing outside the door. "Right away respected elder!" She responded, running off.

"The Rika will help, but I'm afraid that it won't be enough." She thought to herself. "It has a holy and calming influence over those who inhale it, but it may be too late already to do any good." She sat down wearily. "I'm afraid that those two are done for."

"I think that you may be right." A voice said from the side of the room.

"Who's there?" She asked, turning to face the speaker. It appeared to be a man who had only a beautiful pure light for a face and who was wearing golden shimmering robes.

"It is I Phianta, I'm sure that you remember." He said gently. "I am here to act as a beacon to the one who might save these two."

"You mean that there's a chance Maple?" She asked hopefully. "There is a chance that someone can combat this invader?"

He shook his head. "There is no chance. I have seen the future and the one who could will arrive too late. She will fail."

Her face became downcast. "Then why are you here? Why have you come?"

She could tell that he was smiling gently. "You will need to wait and see." He responded.

She shook her head. "You're always playing games. I wonder what you're getting at now."

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

It was an old dream, yet now more vivid. Ranma and Goku were caught in the horrible darkness, and she could see that their souls had been driven away. "Please no!" She yelled into the darkness. "Please don't take Ranma from me!" It had no effect, it couldn't have any effect, she realized. The darkness didn't care; the pain that she was feeling was not something that it could understand. All that it knew was its hate.

Ranma fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious. Akane ran up to him and put his head on her lap. "Please don't go Ranma, please don't go." She whispered, crying onto his face. Ranma slowly opened his eyes, causing Akane to gasp for joy.

Until she saw the look in his eyes. Where before they were blue and beautiful, they were now dark, as if a shadow hung over them. Akane screamed and jumped away from him, staring down at him in horror.

Ranma slowly stood up and looked at her. His eyes held no recognition, no understanding of what once was. They held no caring, no passion and no love. They were empty, as if everything that was Ranma was gone.

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

Akane awoke with a start. "Ranma!" She yelled. "I have to help him!"

"Easy now." A gruff voice said from beside. "Don't want to be moving too quickly there missy Tendo."

She turned to look at the speaker. It was a large ogre. "Jake." She breathed. "It's you."

"Yeah, just me." He said. "You were out for quite a while, but you did it. You beat the criminal and now you're free to go."

"Free to go." She repeated quietly. Her eyes widened in shock. "I'm free to go! I have to go help Ranma!" She leaped out of the bed that she was in. "Thanks Jake." She said quickly, giving him a hug. She closed her eyes and concentrated. "I feel something on earth; I need to go to it." She said to herself. An instant later she punctured the dimensional barrier and disappeared.

Jake stood still staring at the spot where she was just standing. "She's gone, that's too bad." He said sadly. He brightened up. "Well, maybe she'll come back to visit some day! I hope she succeeds in what she sets out to do."

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

Akane appeared in front of a small cave opening. A few women who were dressed like warriors stared at her in shock when she appeared but paused because of her robes. "Ranma must be inside." She cried to herself. She opened up the door and ran through it.

Inside she found a strange scene indeed. Goku and Ranma were sitting cross- legged in front of each other and between them a solid form had appeared. Both of them were completely surrounded with a dark energy. Off to the side an old woman who looked like Cologne was burning exotic incense and was currently staring at her. A very familiar form was standing off to the other side.

"What's going on here Maple?!" Akane yelled, running into the room. "What's happening to Ranma?"

The face of light turned to her. "They're under assault by a demon lord Akane. A demon lord of immense power."

Akane grabbed his shoulders and began to shake him. "What can I do, what can I do to help them?!" She asked frantically.

He gently removed her hands and turned his face towards her. She received a feeling of sadness just by looking at him.

"Nothing." He said. "There is nothing you can do. There is nothing anyone can do now."

Akane began to shake her head in disbelief. "That can't be." She said in denial.

"Now listen Akane." He said slowly. "The demon has already perverted their minds. If you had arrived sooner then you could have done something to help them but I'm afraid that you were too late. My vision of the future was true after all."

"No!!!" Akane cried out. She turned and ran over to where Ranma was sitting. "Please Ranma, don't' let this happen to you." She cried, tears falling freely. "You have to fight him Ranma, please."

She felt a hand being placed on her shoulder. "That won't work now." Maple said quietly. "There is no way for him to resist a demon lord. He's gone Akane."

Akane's tears suddenly stopped flowing and a determined look came to her face. "I'm going in." She said seriously, standing up.

"That's crazy Akane!" The mage yelled at her. "You'll only be killed too! You can't place yourself into direct mental conflict with a demon lord, you won't stand a chance!"

"I have too!" Akane yelled back at him. "Besides, I won't be fighting alone. I know that Ranma will help me."

Maple shook his head. "No, he won't. Ranma's already gone Akane, you have to understand that! His mind has been completely perverted by the demon lord, it is impossible for you to help him!!!"

"Why do you say that it's impossible?!" Akane cried at him. "That doesn't matter! I read in my mother's book that magic works by changing reality to fit the will of the user! So what if it's impossible? With magic I can help him anyways; I'll just change the impossibility into possibility! . I have to." Tears again ran down her face. "Because he's always been there to help me. For once. for once I want to be there to help him."

"I'm going in." She said, turning away from him. She walked over to where Ranma was sitting and put her hand on his forehead. "I'm coming Ranma." She said softly. A moment later she disappeared.

Maple stared at the spot where she was just standing. "She's done it." He thought to himself in amazement. "She's realized the ultimate truth of magic; that impossibilities and possibilities don't matter. There's only reality and how it can be changed to match the vision of the user. And after only a year of magical training, incredible!"

The old woman looked at him curiously. "Do you actually think that she has a chance of success?" She asked.

The man shook his head. "No chance, there is no chance." He said seriously, staring at the three forms.

The old woman chuckled. "Your face displays your emotions old one, and I think you lie. When I look at you I get an overwhelming feeling of hope."

He shook his head. "It is impossible." He said truthfully.

"But now that she realizes that impossibility doesn't matter there may be a chance." He finished to himself.

Phianta looked at him for a moment longer and then turned her gaze to the three figures. "What tricks do you have up your sleeve Maple?" She asked herself. "There is something that you are not saying. I can't wait to find out what."

Oh my gosh, do our heroes stand a chance?! I don't have any idea; I haven't read the next chapter yet. But it should be good eh?

Thanks once again to Ranko! I really appreciate your input!