Joining

by Arinson Tidochi

Begins at the end of Ranma 12 and beginning of Dragon Ball Z. This story is now concluded. To find chapters 14 and 15 of the Episode Saga look for the seperate story Joining: Episode Saga.

10. Joining 10: Raku's genius

Joining 10: Raku's Genius Written February 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.

"Dude, I can scrape more talent from under my scrowdem then it takes to do that!" -Bee

"The test results were sub-optimal... or in the words of your generation, they sucked!" -Prof. Mike Gearhardt

"You are a woman aren't you? I would like to point out that I am indeed a man." -Sir Slasher's ultimate pickup line

Nabiki awoke to the sound of her alarm clock. Yawning she reached over to it and turned it off. "What 6:00 already?" She asked while looking at the clock. Slowly and wearily she crawled out of her bed. "I didn't get much sleep last night at all what with that tsunami that Ranma caused." Nabiki said to herself. "Well there's no helping it now, I might as well get ready for school."

After taking roughly half an hour to wash up and get dressed Nabiki slowly made her way down to the dining area. "It sure is quiet around here." She thought to herself. "Ranma's been gone for quite awhile and since he left everything's sort of calmed down. Now that he's gone it almost seems like none of that chaos ever happened."

Nabiki's face became thoughtful. "I wonder what happened to Akane. Is she really so foolish that she'd try to help Ranma fight against those aliens I saw on TV?" Nabiki sighed. "I can't worry about that now. I do have school to take care of after all." She smirked slightly. "And a lot of money to make."

She reached to kitchen table and sat down. Almost like magic Kasumi walked into the room carrying her breakfast and set it down in front of her. "That was quite a night wasn't it?" Kasumi asked brightly. Nabiki merely shrugged. "Yeah it was. I would have been happier if I didn't have to deal with that though."

Kasumi smiled at her kindly. "That's true but you know that it's our responsibility to handle unnatural events."

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Yeah you're right of course." She looked up at Kasumi with a very slight amount of concern in her eyes. "Do you suppose that Akane's okay?"

Kasumi frowned and held her right hand up to her heart. "I don't know Nabiki. Just a few minutes ago I lost track of her magical presence again. Whether she's left this dimension or something else I have no idea." She smiled brightly. "But Akane is a tough girl. I don't think that we have anything to worry about."

Nabiki nodded while picking at her food. "Yeah you're right Kasumi."

There was a knock at their door. "Oh my, a visitor at this hour?" Kasumi asked. "Would you mind answering that Nabiki?" Nabiki sighed and stood up. "If I have to." She said while walking towards the door. Kasumi smiled at her and then returned to the kitchen.

Nabiki slid the door aside to reveal a very pleasant looking young man. He was wearing a black business suit and had a professional looking suitcase. He bowed deeply as Nabiki opened the door. "I am so sorry to disturb you at this hour Miss Tendo." He said smoothly. "My name is Miren and I have some business that I wish to discuss with you."

Nabiki raised one eyebrow and paused a moment to examine the young man. "Let's see what we have here." She thought to herself. "A handsome face with somewhat short black hair and pale violet eyes. I can sense that there's something strange about him but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"What kind of business do you have to propose?" She asked. "And why does it have to be specifically with me?"

"Well you see Miss Tendo." He said elegantly, "You have a reputation for being the business person of the house. I figured that you would be the one to speak to of this matter."

"That answers one question." Nabiki said impatiently. "Now go on to your proposal. What do you want from me?"

For the first time the man seemed slightly unnerved but he quickly shrugged it off. "Very well then I will get to the exact reason I am here." A strange glint came to his eyes. "At some point yesterday you came across an unusual ball that had seven stars located within it."

"Oh really." Nabiki said with a cool expression. "Let's assume for a moment that I did come across such an object. What does that have to do with why you're here on my door step at six thirty in the morning?"

"It's quite simple." He said. "I am willing to pay whatever you ask for this particular item."

"Just how much is whatever I ask?" Nabiki asked curiously. "May I make any request?"

The man nodded. "Yes you may make any request that you wish. I am willing to go to any amount."

Nabiki's face became thoughtful. "Apparently that old ball is a lot more valuable then I thought. I should try to hang on to it for a while to see if I can't get anything else out of it."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry but it's not for sale at this time. Try again later please." With that she tried to slide the door closed but the man caught it. He looked up at her and she could see a strange fire burning in his eyes.

"I said that I was willing to pay any price." He said with a strained voice. He opened up his suitcase and showed that it was filled with beautiful golden coins. "This suitcase would let your entire family live like royalty for the rest of your lives. Surely you can let go of one worthless little ball in the face of these riches."

For a moment Nabiki was sorely tempted until she noted the fires burning in his eyes. Just the look of them sent shivers down her spine and filled her with a feeling of dread. "There's something wrong with him." She thought to herself. "Something horribly wrong. I don't think I should give this ball up until I know why he's so desperate to get his hands on it."

She shook her head. "Sorry, not for sale." She frowned at him. "Now please leave before I inform my father of an uninvited guest."

He frowned deeply and bowed to her again. "You're making a grave mistake Miss Tendo." He said coolly. "You'll regret this before the day is out."

"I don't think so." Nabiki said with a smile. She closed the door and returned to the table to eat. "I'm going to take that ball with me to school today." She thought to herself. "I can't risk him trying to take it from here."

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

Piccolo was sitting in a meditative position in his pocket dimension. Something caught his attention and he quickly opened his eyes. "Mire is on the move." He realized. He extended his awareness through the dimensional barrier and onto the earth. What he saw was a young man offering a rather sly looking brown haired girl a large amount of gold. Piccolo could see the desire in her eyes but for some reason she turned him away. Visibly frustrated the man turned his back and slowly walked away from the dojo.

"That girl was one of the magic users that I sensed in the house." Piccolo thought to himself. "And I'm almost certain that the young man was the mage Mire. Was he trying to buy the dragon ball off of her?" He waited for several minutes before he saw the girl step out of the house and begin to walk down the street away from where he was hidden.

He glanced down at his dragon radar. "She's taking it with her." He said aloud. "It would be best if I followed her and made sure that nothing happened." He waited for a few minutes until she was out of sight before he gingerly stepped out of his pocket dimension. Being careful to suppress his magical energy he trailed after her at a distance.

"I can't sense that damned Mire anywhere." He cursed to himself. "He probably knows that the girl can use magic and is trying to hide himself from her. That's going to make this harder." Using his senses he always kept himself just out of her line of vision.

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

The forms of Ranma and Goku were surrounded by a pure blue light. With increasing speed their bodies evaporated into the solid form of a man that was appearing in between them.

"It's happening!" An old woman said excitedly. "The first successful joining in 2000 years!"

The forms of both Ranma and Goku completely disappeared and gave the figure in between them a solid form. The blue energy condensed in the figure and then exploded outwards from him and almost blinded the old woman. She stood still for a moment blinking at the strange man that was now moving out from between the place where Goku and Ranma were once sitting.

Gradually she could clearly make out the features of the man. His hair was shaped similarly to what Goku's was before but only now all of the spikes were softer and less pronounced. In the back of his head she could see a pig tail dangling that had several sharp tufts of hair sticking out of it. He had soft blue eyes with black and extremely defined pupils. He was close to 5'10 and was at the same time lean as well as extremely well muscled for his size. He was wearing an orange Chinese shirt which had buttons all the way down the middle along with blackish orange pants. On his arms he had large dark blue armbands and on his feet he was wearing dark blue boots that were noticeably thinner and lower then Goku's had been before. His face was extremely handsome with features that were somewhat sharp but still quite gentle. His eyes had both a quality of mischievousness and of childlike innocence that would be irresistible to any member of the opposite gender. Wrapped around his waist was long brown tail and on his back was a large symbol of someone named King Kai.

The man moved his arms in circles and then threw a few punches and kicks at blinding speeds as he tested his new body. "Perfect." He said confidently. "I was slightly worried that the fusion of a saiyajin and a human would be a problem but that didn't turn out to be the case."

The old woman stared up at him in amazement. "Are you Ranma and Goku?" She asked hesitantly.

The man turned to her and smiled before nodding. "Yes I am. I am Ranma and Goku joined into a single being. My name is Raku." He turned over to where Akane was laying and his face became noticeably stricken.

"She worked so hard to save me." He said quietly while he kneeled next to her. He lifted one of his hands and brushed gently brushed one of her cheeks. "I can sense that her magic is completely gone. Did she lose it because of that fight?" He shook his head. "She's stronger then I would have thought possible." He leaned forward so that his mouth was next to one of her ears.

"Ranma wanted you to know this Akane." He whispered. "His last regret is that he never told you that he loved you. Thank you Akane for fighting so hard to save us. Thank you for everything you've done. Though it's impossible that we can ever be together I want you to know that even now I love you."

He returned to his feet and hesitated for a just a moment. "I can't be with you Akane because Goku and Ranma loved two separate women." He thought to himself sadly. "It would be unfair to you and Chi-chi if I chose one or the other or even if I tried to be with both at once. The only choice left is to be with neither. I'm so sorry." His face became determined and he began to walk towards the door. "Where are you going?" Phianta asked curiously.

He paused for a moment. "I can sense that Gohan's energy is almost zero. I'm going to save my son from Captain Ginyu and to destroy that alien before he can hurt anyone else." With those words he calmly walked out of the cave before he flew up into the still night sky.

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

The scene was Kami's lookout high above the earth. Kami was standing on the edge looking down at the planet far below with a big smile on his face.

"They did." He said happily. Goku and Ranma actually did it!"

"Did what? What's going on Kami?" Mr. Popo asked as he walked to stand next to his master. Kami smiled down at him. "With the help of a girl sorceress Ranma and Goku have driven the demon lord out of their minds and have successfully joined into a single being with their combined strengths. The earth can now be saved!"

"That's great Kami!" Mr. Popo said excitedly. "I knew that they could do it!"

Kami looked up into the sunrise which was now taking place. "Magnificent." He thought to himself. "I never should have doubted them."

"Hey, you there Kami?" He heard a voice ask in his mind. "Yes I am. Who is it that's contacting me?" He asked in confusion.

He could hear laughter in his mind. "Sorry, I guess that wouldn't be able to recognize my voice after what's happened. I'm Raku who was once known as Goku and Ranma."

Kami smiled widely. "Of course Raku. Ranma had the stone before he joined with Goku so it makes sense that you'd have it now. What do you need?"

"At this moment I'm on my way to fight against Captain Ginyu." Raku said. "But Gohan's still on the battlefield and is in no shape to help me out. I was wondering if you had a way to get him over to where you are so I can worry only about fighting."

Kami paused for a moment as he thought. "Well there is one way I can think of." He began. "What is it?" Raku asked. "It's the power of the communication stone that you have that I can bring whoever has it to the location of the other one." He said. "Since the other one is right here with me I could transport Gohan to my current location if you simply gave yours to him."

"That will work just fine." Raku responded. "Thanks Kami." With that his mental connection was cut off.

Kami smiled. "Raku is the joined form of the two greatest warriors this world has ever seen." He thought to himself. "I'm curious to see what he'll do when faced with an opponent like Captain Ginyu. I don't believe that Captain Ginyu will stand a chance." He smiled happily at the thought.

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

The scenery was stone as far as the eye could see. Two figures were facing off against each other. One was an extremely large purple man with a confident smile on his face. The other was a small bruised and battered boy who was struggling to even stay on his feet.

"It's incredible to me that you can still stand after everything that's happened." Captain Ginyu said with a smile. "Why don't you just give up Gohan? Your friend refused to and he died because of it. It would be so much easier for you if you did."

"No." Gohan breathed out. He paused for a moment to refocus his eyes on his enemy. "Real warriors never give up. I won't allow you to defeat me. I need to wish back Krillin with the dragon balls along with all of the other cities you've destroyed."

Captain Ginyu started to laugh. "Don't you know that my ally is already seeking the dragon balls? It's unlikely that anyone will be wishing on them any time soon, especially since I intend to kill that Namekian once I'm through with Goku." He cocked his head to one side. "So what do you actually intend to do against me? You can hardly stand with the condition you're in let alone fight."

"I don't care!" Gohan yelled. "I'm not giving up!" With those words he leaped forwards while yelling and drew back his right hand for an attack.

With a slapping motion Captain Ginyu easily knocked Gohan aside into a large pile of rocks which shattered on contact. Captain Ginyu walked over to where his prone body was laying. "You're actually quite strong." He said down to the prone form. His lips curled into a smile. "But hardly strong enough to really challenge me. Though I admire your spirit it's time for you to die." He rose up one of his hands to finish the boy off.

The moment before he released his attack a small burst of blue energy hit his hand and threw it off target. "What the hell was that?!" He yelled as he looked for the source of the interruption.

What he saw was a man fly down and land next to Gohan. "And who might you be?" He asked curiously. "Another brave defender ready to die at my hand?"

The man ignored him as he carefully examined the boy. "He's my son." The man whispered. "Only he's. not." He gently lifted up the boy's head and looked at him directly in the face. "Gohan." He said quietly. "I'm proud of you son. Goku was proud of you. He always will be." In a gentle motion he put a small rock into one of Gohan's pockets and stood to face Ginyu. In only a few seconds the boy disappeared.

"To answer your question my name is Raku." He said seriously while staring Captain Ginyu in the eyes. He paused for a moment and scanned the landscape. "Now where's Krillin?" He asked in an angry voice.

Captain Ginyu started to laugh. "You mean that little bald man? I killed him myself not twenty minutes ago. He was just a little weakling in the end though he did put up a valiant effort."

Raku frowned as a blue aura burst up around him. "You've made a mistake in coming here to earth." He said quietly. "And you've made a mistake in harming the people here and in killing Krillin. But most of all you've made a mistake in forcing me to fight you. You will pay for killing my friend."

Captain Ginyu stared at him incredulously for a moment and then started to laugh. "Who are you some kind of tough guy?" He leaned forward at him and sneered. "Look you little punk. You may be pretty tough at wherever you came from but I'm a professional soldier. To me you're like a little puppy."

Raku smiled at him grimly. "I guess it's true what they say that ignorance is bliss." He lowered his head slightly to accentuate his next words. "Why don't you stop talking and start fighting?"

"A smart mouth huh?" Captain Ginyu said with a smile. "I think I want to get a reading on you." He motioned with his hands and a scouter appeared on his head. After punching a few buttons his eyes raised in surprise. "60,000? Not too bad." The scouter disappeared. "But you should realize that I'm still over twice as strong as you. You really don't stand a chance against me."

"On the contrary I think that's my line." Raku said. "How much stronger an enemy is then me doesn't really matter anymore. I actually came here expecting you to be four times more powerful then me. With only double my power this hardly will even be a fair fight."

"What did you say?!" Captain Ginyu yelled out in fury before catching himself. He leaned back and started to laugh. "You talk a good fight kid but I'm curious as to whether or not you can back it up."

"Why don't you try me?" Raku asked. "That is what I came here for after all."

Captain Ginyu fell into a fighting stance. "Yeah I'll try you kid." He said grimly.

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

A light blue man with a white Mohawk was talking to a boy of close to 15 years of age in the middle of a large and beautiful city. Their only audience was a number of people walking on the sidewalks who were standing still, frozen in time.

"So tell me of this Raku." Supreme Kai asked curiously. "Where did he come from and why are you so certain that he will be able to repel Freezer?"

"Well it's kind of a long story." Maple said with a shrug. "Do you mind if we start walking? There's a place that I kind of need to be very soon."

"Not at all." Supreme Kai said. Together they walked at a very fast pace out of the city.

"Raku is actually a fusion of two separate warriors." Maple began. "Their names are Goku and Ranma. Goku is a saiyajin that lost his memories long ago when he came to earth and Ranma is a human that was born right here. Both of them have faced many challenges and have become incredible warriors in their own right."

"How were they able to fuse?" Supreme Kai asked curiously. "I have heard of only one civilization that had that technique."

"There was actually a technique that was developed right here on earth for that purpose some 5,000 years ago." Maple responded. "It's much more difficult then the other fusion but its results are permanent as well."

"So how much more powerful are they now that they're fused?" Supreme Kai asked.

Maple shrugged. "Maybe twice as strong as the sum of the individuals. But with these two the main advantage will have little or nothing to do with how much stronger the fusion will actually make them."

"What do you mean by that? What else could the fusion possibly do for those two but make them stronger?"

Maple pointed to his head. "It's all up here. The advantage of the Amazon Joining is that they're completely aware of themselves before they fuse. Though the final person will not be dramatically stronger then the individuals the difference of how much sharper his mind will be then the two individually will be exponential."

Supreme Kai gave Maple a funny look. "Are you trying to tell me that this Raku will be able to beat someone of vastly greater power because of his great intelligence?"

Maple chuckled slightly before shaking his head. "He won't be able to turn away Freezer's might on intelligence alone but be assured that it will make all of the difference in the end. Raku is a genius unlike anything this universe has ever seen before. He is a true master of improvisation."

"A master of improvisation." Supreme Kai pondered quietly. "I like the sound of that." He turned up to look at Maple seriously. "Remember that you have my authorization to do whatever you feel is necessary to clean up this mess." He said. "If you change your mind and decide to directly take a hand you are permitted to do so."

Maple nodded to him. "Thank you, I appreciate it." He said.

Supreme Kai held out his hand. "Good bye old friend. I hope to see you again someday." Maple held out his hand and they shook. "I agree. Let's get together and have some tea sometime."

A moment later Supreme Kai disappeared. Maple looked at his surroundings. "I'm already here." He said in mild surprise.

The scene was a torn rocky landscape. Several nearby mountains had been toppled and huge ruts of stone appeared to have ripped out of the ground. Two separate figures were lying on the ground and appeared to be semi- conscious.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to see those two again." Maple said in surprise while raising his eyebrows.

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

"Yes, they did it!" King Kai yelled. "Goku and Ranma have successfully Joined into a single man!" He frowned slightly and lowered his head. "But now they will face their ultimate challenge when they face up against the still vastly stronger servant of Freezer. Come on Raku!" He yelled.

Bubbles and Gregory were standing behind him looking clueless.

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

"Rrraaaaaagggghhhhhh!" Captain Ginyu yelled as he flew towards Raku with a raised fist. The distance between them was closing blindingly fast but the half saiyajin warrior still hadn't moved a muscle. He just stood still with a small smile on his face. "What is he up to?" Captain Ginyu asked himself. "Is he just going to let himself die?"

A split second before he made contact both of Raku's eyes widened slightly. In that moment seven vacuum blades appeared in front of him in Ginyu's path. "What the hell?!" He yelled as he flew off to the side and narrowly avoided the nearest one. Five of the seven blades gave chase and the apprentice mage found himself weaving between them and dodging desperately.

Captain Ginyu chanced a glance down where Raku still hadn't moved. "What the hell is this?" He asked himself while ducking under one blade. "He's making a fool of me!" With his left hand he threw down a blast of energy at the still man below. Raku vanished the instant before the attack made contact causing the five vacuum blades that were chasing Ginyu to disappear as well.

"Where the hell did he go?!" Captain Ginyu yelled while looking around wildly. "Behind!" He spun around to see Raku floating in front of him already attacking with a vacuum blade in each hand. Captain Ginyu sucked in his gut as one blade cut cleanly through his armor and the surface of his skin and tilted his head to the side to avoid the other one.

"Damn you!" He yelled as he threw out a blast of energy directly at the swordsman. Raku used his swords and promptly cut the energy attack into quarters so that they flew past him. He then allowed the swords to disappear and slowly floated to the ground while facing Captain Ginyu who had also returned to the ground. They landed forty feet from each other.

"How did you do that?" Captain Ginyu asked while breathing somewhat hard.

"It's called the Yamasen-ken." Raku said simply. "I used my mind to create vacuum blades in the air. It's a very simple technique." "No need to tell him that I used telekinesis to do it." Raku thought to himself. "I might need him to be ignorant of that trick later."

"Perhaps you're more resourceful then I gave you credit for." Captain Ginyu said grudgingly. "But you still lack what's most important in a fight."

"Really?" Raku asked naively with wide eyes. "What exactly would that be?"

"Style!" Captain Ginyu yelled while striking a pose. "You lack style of course. That's why you don't stand a chance against me."

"Style?" Raku asked. "You're wrong there; I've got plenty of style. Besides why would you think that a few lame poses would impress anybody?"

"What did you say?!" Captain Ginyu yelled furiously. "How dare you say that about my poses!"

"And in any case," Raku continued, "have you seen your fighting form lately? It really stinks! You should go back to wherever you learned how to fight and get a refund. There's no way you could have style with all of those sloppy dodges of yours."

Captain Ginyu was seeing red. After a moment passed to register his words he flew forward with everything he had to crush the bug in front of him.

"This guy's even easier to goad then Ryouga." Raku thought to himself. He frowned slightly. "Let's see what he thinks of this next series."

As Captain Ginyu flew towards Raku right before his eyes his quarry split into two separate people. "I don't give a damn, I'll kill you both!" He yelled. Almost as if he were imitating the Opening Gates Blow of the Yamasen-ken he swept out his hands to the side and struck both of the Raku's at once. The images evaporated at his touch.

He paused for a moment, dumbfounded. "Behind again!" He yelled as he spun around. "Kao-ken times eight!" He heard yelled from above him. He looked up for only a second before a foot flew into his face. Stumbling backwards while holding his nose he didn't see the punch aimed directly for his gut come in. Captain Ginyu fell to his knees while gasping and cursing. Raku landed directly in front of him and looked down at the larger alien.

"Those two were for all of the people that you've killed." Raku said coldly while staring down at him. "And this one's for Krillin. Kao-ken times ten!"

Raku brought both of his hands to his side. "Damn it!" Captain Ginyu said as he slowly rose to his feet and began to move backwards. "I need a second to rest. I'll have to teleport out of the way of his next attack."

"Ka-me-ha-me-ha." Raku said slowly while gathering the blast at his side. "I have to time it for the moment he releases it." Ginyu realized. "Wait for it."

Without releasing his energy Raku leaped forward before the startled Captain Ginyu. "Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken!" He yelled. In that instant his hands flew outwards and punched 1,000's of times covering the entirety of Captain Ginyu's upper body with energy charged punches. The series of energy blasts tore Captain Ginyu's armor apart and severely burned his skin while the force of the fists left his entire body covered with bruises. Raku floated what was left of the energy in the air while he did a jump reverse kick. While still preparing he caught the Kamehameha on the end of his foot and slammed it into Captain Ginyu's chest. The damaged alien flew backwards into a small mountain that was nearby causing its peak to collapse on top of him.

Raku floated in midair for a moment while his enhanced energy flared about him. His hair with its soft spikes and his pigtail blew back and forth while his clothes moved in ripples over his body. Slowly he released the energy and sighed as he lowered himself to the ground.

"I had to use up quite a bit of my energy for that attack." Raku thought to himself while watching the collapsed mountain. "But from what I'm sensing his power has been cut neatly in half. In terms of sheer power he still has the upper hand but he's much closer to my level now."

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "But even so his current level of magic is completely unchanged. Up to this point he's been too angry to attempt to use it but after that last exchange he's going to be getting desperate. I'll need to be careful."

The sun had risen higher into the air and conversing students walked through the gates into Furinkan High School. Things seemed normal enough. For this school in particular things were especially normal. Some groups of students could be heard talking about a man by the name of Ranma Saotome who used to attend the school. Comments sounding like, "Man those were some weird times." Could on occasion be heard floating from those groups.

Nabiki Tendo walked calmly through the gates of the school into the courtyard. "Who was that Miren?" She asked herself. She got a funny expression on her face. "Where on earth did he get that much gold, was that stuff even real? And how the heck did he know about that little ball I had, did he guess? But he couldn't have, he knew that it had seven stars in." She paused as something on the back of her neck tingled. Turning around quickly she saw a whisk of some kind of white cloth flutter around a corner in the distance.

"Must be my imagination." She thought to herself. She turned around and continued to walk towards the school. "There was definitely something strange about that guy." She said quietly. "Something weird that I couldn't quite put my finger on."

Nabiki felt herself bump into someone. Looking up she saw Kuno's back. He turned and gave her a sidelong glance. "Well hello Kuno baby." Nabiki said with false sweetness.

Kuno frowned at her. "Nabiki Tendo I would speak with you."

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me that you're going to ask for the location of your pig tailed goddess again?" She looked at him in annoyance as if her mind were somewhere else. "Look Kuno you've already paid me for every scrap of information I know about her and for a full fledged investigation for her whereabouts. What else do you want me to do?"

Kuno shook his head. "You miss understand me Nabiki my words with you have naught to do with her." His face became dreamy for a moment. "Pig tailed girl." He fantasized before he shook his head. His face became serious again. "I am merely requesting the whereabouts of your sister Akane. I have not noticed her this morning and I am wondering if she is sick."

Nabiki shook her head and put her face in one of her hands. "Yeah that's it, she's sick. Look Kuno-baby, I have a lot on my mind today and I really don't want to deal with."

She stopped talking as a bouquet of red roses was shoved into her face. "For me?" She asked sarcastically. "How lovely of you."

"Those are not for you Nabiki." Kuno said. "But rather for your sister Akane. I would have you deliver those to her this evening with my good wishes." With those words he turned around and walked into the building. Nabiki sighed and looked down at them. "At least the fool had the forethought of wrapping them in plastic before giving them to me." She mused as she stuffed the bouquet into her bag. Shrugging she walked into the building.

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

Piccolo slowly peeked from around the corner and watched the students file into the school. "Damn." He thought to himself. "That was a close one, she almost saw me. If she looked directly at me I would have had trouble hiding my magical powers from her." He chuckled slightly. "Not to mention that I'm a half foot taller then almost everyone in this country with green skin and pointed ears." He frowned. "I need a way to keep an eye on her without being spotted. I think I remember something that my predecessor had acquired to allow him to masquerade as a human. I wish I could just steal the dragon ball from her and be done with it but I wouldn't want to risk making her an enemy too. I guess that this is the only way."

A black hole appeared in front of him and Piccolo stuck his hand into it as if he were looking for something. A minute later he pulled out a small vial of spring water. "It has a strange magical aura." He thought to himself. "I think this is it." In a single motion he splashed himself with the water.

The first sensation was one of tingling as he felt his body shift and become smaller. A moment later his clothes felt large on him as he had lost over half a foot of height. Piccolo conjured a mirror and examined himself. He was indeed a human teenager with slightly green tinged skin with greenish hair and somewhat pointed ears. "It will have to do." He mumbled. After focusing for a moment his clothes disappeared and were replaced with a high school uniform just like those that he had seen the teenagers wearing earlier.

"Well I guess that I'd better get going." He grumbled to himself. "Whoever thought that the successor of the king of hell would ever need to appear like this? I'm glad Goku isn't here right now."

Piccolo walked confidently from around the corner and headed directly for the school. "Try to look like you belong here." He thought to himself as he passed a group of girls that were standing outside of the building talking. All of the girls stopped talking and turned to stare at him.

Piccolo awkwardly paused and glanced over at them. "Damn! I'm figured out!" He cursed to himself. He just stood still for a moment while the girls were staring. "What are you looking at?!" He yelled at them. The girls all quickly turned away from him in fright.

"And he's such a cutie too." One girl whispered. "Yeah. I guess that you can't judge a book by its cover." Another girl said.

Piccolo stood still while a slight blush came to his face. "Cute?" He asked himself. "Why would they consider me cute?" Piccolo thought back to what he remembered of humans. Since he himself was asexual he could never understand anyone else's interest in the opposite gender. He honestly had no idea what qualified for cute with humans.

"Dammit, by some freak accident I made myself attractive instead of the average I was hoping for." Piccolo cursed to himself. "Well it's too late to change anything now; I'll just have to deal with it." Somewhat less confidently he walked forward into the building.

"So how is this organized?" Piccolo asked himself. "Can I just walk into any class I choose and sit down? If so I could just walk into the room that the girl with the dragon ball is in and take a seat. I should be able to suppress my powers enough so that she won't detect them. But it's possible that they have set schedules for this sort of thing. If that's the case and I just walk right in I might get into a bit of trouble."

"Are you alright young man?" He heard a voice ask from behind him. Piccolo turned around to see a kindly man looking at him with concern. "You look a little green, are you sure that you should be in school today?"

Piccolo was about to retort angrily but caught himself. "No, I'm alright. Uh, sir?"

"What is it?" The man asked.

"I'm a new student here. I just came in from. America. I'm from America. And I need. some help in figuring out what classes to take."

"Oh a transfer student." The man said happily. "I had no idea that we had one of those coming in. Come with me." He grabbed Piccolo's arm and started to pull him along. As he was walking Piccolo glanced over at the room where he could feel the girl's presence inside. "Room B21." He thought to himself. "I need to get in there."

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

Captain Ginyu rustled slightly. "Dam that hurt." He thought to himself. "How did he do that? That technique of his had to have upped his power level." He paused for a moment. "Wait a second; I remember that Kao-Ken technique from somewhere else."

Goku looked up at Captain Ginyu, his eyes flaring. "Get out of my way!!!! Kao-Ken times four!!!" A huge burst of energy surrounded Goku's body. His muscles bulged out, the veins leaping and throbbing. He cupped his hands together and brought them to the side of his body.

"Now, Kamehameha!"

"Oh a little trick to increase your power, how amusing. I didn't know that the saiyajins had such fancy little tricks. So they're not just trained monkeys after all. Well, then give me everything you have!" Captain Ginyu stepped back into a fighting stance and held out his hands.

"Goku." Captain Ginyu hissed. "I don't know how or why but Raku has to be Goku in some way." He frowned. "So that means that by orders from Emperor Freezer I need to kill that boy." He stood up and threw the rocks that were burying him aside.

"Finally decide to wake up?" Raku taunted. "You were out cold for a few minutes there. I was afraid that you had lost your nerve."

Captain Ginyu looked down at him angrily. The top part of his battle armor had been completely torn apart revealing very large muscles under burnt skin. "Listen brat, I haven't even begun to fight." He said. "As a matter of fact I still haven't shown you my best trick."

"What can you roll over too?" Raku asked with a mocking smile on his face.

Captain Ginyu looked like he was going to lose his temper again but caught himself and actually smiled at the man who was currently below him. "A good guess but not quite." He said. "But then again I wouldn't expect a stupid monkey like you to understand anyways. You might be a better fighter then me but I hold powers that you could only dream of. Powers of the Arcane."

"Powers of the Arcane?" Raku asked with wide eyes. "That sounds really interesting. Would you mind showing them to me?"

"You dare to mock me." Captain Ginyu hissed. "You have no idea what you're up against."

Raku shrugged. "Why don't you stop talking and just show me what I'm against?"

"Very well." The apprentice mage said with a smile. "We'll see how you handle them. Enhanced invisibility!"

With those words he completely disappeared from view. "So how do you like this?" His voice asked seemingly from all around. "This is an improved invisibility created by my master Babbiti so that even scouters can't detect my power. So now you're completely helpless."

Raku closed his eyes and lowered his head. "He's right." He thought to himself. "I can't sense his power at all. I am completely blind to him." He frowned. "But there should be a way to detect his presence despite this spell." He smiled slightly. "Gotcha."

Raku widened his eyes and in response dust swept up from the ground and began to circle around his position. "This should make his approach easy to spot." Raku thought to himself while he confidently stood and waited.

"Möko Takabisha!" He yelled as he threw a blast of energy to his left. It blew up in mid-air as it made contact with something and another explosion could be heard as someone crashed into another mountain.

"Rather poor planning wouldn't you say?" Raku asked the air. "Just because you thought I was defenseless you dropped your guard. You should have been more careful."

"How the hell did he know?" Captain Ginyu cursed to himself. He looked up and reexamined the cloud of dust that was surrounding the half-saiyajin. Damn, it's obvious!" He yelled to himself. "He's using some kind of trick to make that dust move so when my body blocks it he can see where I am. If he really is Goku how did he get so strong?!"

Captain Ginyu smiled and released the spell of invisibility. "I'll have to try something else then." He thought. "Water crush!" With those words a voluminous amount of water materialized around Raku's body from all sides and came in upon his body with crushing force.

"Damn it's strong!" Raku thought to herself as she struggled against the water. "I have to deal with it another way."

"Is that a little too much for you?" Captain Ginyu mocked. "I made the water especially cold so that you could feel your muscles becoming numb even as you were crushed and suffocated all at the same time." He paused for a moment to get a closer look at the figure that was surrounded by water. "Wait a moment, something's changed." Captain Ginyu began to approach to examine his captive closer.

"Cold water huh?" Raku asked herself. "Can't say that it matters much to me. With all of the training that Ranma's gone through I can't even feel it. But I can't hold my breath forever."

Captain Ginyu walked until he was standing right next to Raku. His eyes bugged out of his head. "You're a, a girl?" He asked in shock.

He was right; Raku had just changed into a girl. She was several inches shorter then as a guy and all of the clothing was a much looser fit. She was older in appearance then Ranma's form had been before with somewhat sharper features and a slightly thinner face. However her hair was the most striking thing about her. It was still quite spiky but instead of being solid black like before it was a combination of black and red. There was no particular order to how the different colors were arranged but every spike of hair was made up of countless alterations of the two colors.

"What the hell is going on here?" Captain Ginyu asked in amazement. His eyes narrowed. "Wait a moment; I see a funny aura surrounding you. Is this some kind of curse?"

"Rrraaaaggghhhh!!!" Raku yelled as she gathered an intense battle aura. In a single instant the icy water evaporated into thin air because of the raging heat of her aura and Captain Ginyu was forced back a few feet. "Möko Takabisha!" She yelled as she threw forwards a ball of confidence which hit Captain Ginyu directly in the chest.

Yelling in rage Captain Ginyu threw the energy aside. "Kao-ken times four!" Raku yelled as an aura sprung up around her. "This should be enough to take me close to his level." She thought to herself. "I can't risk going higher then this, it would involve too much energy."

Captain Ginyu launched himself at the much smaller female with a direct punch. "Not much imagination." Raku said as she turned his punch into a throw and flipped him over her head. He landed deftly on his feet and threw a back kick which Raku ducked beneath. Before he could react she placed a kick into the back of his knee which threw him off balance. While falling Captain Ginyu threw one energy blast at the girl and flew backwards in attempt to get out of her range. Raku jumped to avoid the attack and the two adversaries stopped a comfortable twenty feet away from each other.

"You know, even now I don't really want to fight you." Raku said quietly. "You can leave now if you promise never to bother the earth again."

"Oh I don't think so." Captain Ginyu said all poses forgotten. "I've never fought anyone as strong as you Goku and killing you is the only reason I'm here."

Raku's eyes narrowed. "So you've figured out that I'm Goku, or at least part Goku anyways." She said quietly. "But I'm afraid that you're missing half of the story." She reached out one hand towards the earth. "Yeah I feel some water down there." She thought to herself. With a motion of her hand hot water burst through the surface of the earth and flew into her, turning her into a man.

"What an extraordinary person you are Goku." Captain Ginyu said. "To think that you'd change so much in just a span of a little over twelve hours. It's really amazing."

"My name is Raku." He said firmly. "Goku is gone; he no longer exists except for within me. I have inherited his power and his blood as well as his memories." His eyes narrowed. "But most of all I have inherited his desire to protect the earth and its entire people from those who would destroy it."

"I don't really know what you're talking about." Captain Ginyu said. "And I don't really care. As the leader of the super elite Ginyu Force I always come prepared to handle any situation." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Including situations where I take a great deal of damage." Holding up one hand he caused a small vial to appear and in a single motion he swallowed the contents of the vial. He paused for a few moments before his aura burst around him and all of the burns on his body miraculously began to heal.

"All of his energy is completely restored." Raku said with wide eyes.

"Oh you're surprised?" Captain Ginyu said with a cruel smile. "It's only a simple potion of healing that Babbiti had prepared for me before I came here. I am now at my full power. So how do you intend to fight against me now in your weakened condition?" He struck a pose. "Captain Ginyu is back!" He yelled.

Raku shrugged. "So what if you've restored your power. I haven't even used my best technique yet."

"You speak confidently." Captain Ginyu said. "I wonder if you're just talking."

Raku fell onto all fours and dug his hands into the dirt. "Meow." He said simply.

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

She was floating in the darkness. Lazily she turned her head from side to side, looking for something or someone. "Where am I?" She asked lazily. "Where's Ranma?" At that moment a gentle voice echoed in her mind.

"You must awaken soon Akane." It said. "You must awaken soon. Your part in this whole ordeal is not yet through. You must become the trigger that awakens the sleeping giant."

"What do you mean?" Akane asked confusedly. "What is this giant? Why am I the one who has to awaken him?"

"It has to be you because you are the one that has been chosen Akane." The voice said. "You are the one whose soul is the same as that of another. It is this bond that will let everything be accomplished. Now awaken Akane. The time for your role is drawing near."

"Wait!" Akane yelled, now frantic. "First tell me who you are!"

Nothing came for a moment, as if deliberation was taking place. "You know who I am Akane." It said at last. "Everyone knows who I am. The answer is right before you. always."

"Now awaken!"

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

Akane sat up with a start sweating and breathing hard. "Slow down young one, you mustn't move so quickly so soon." A kindly voice said from beside her.

Akane looked at her for a moment. "Cologne?" She asked. "What are you doing here?"

The woman chuckled. "Oh you have met Cologne? She is a good friend of mine but I am not her. My name is Phianta."

Akane looked at her a bit more closely and saw that she was right. Though they were both extremely old this woman appeared to be somewhat younger, by twenty or thirty years or so. Not much of a difference when one's past the 200 year mark but it was noticeable.

"I'm sorry Phianta." Akane said while bowing from where she was lying. "Where am I?" She asked while looking around. They were in a comfortable tent with all kinds of odd scrolls and weapons lying about.

"You are in China in our Amazon village." The woman replied in perfect Japanese. "Would you please tell me your name?"

Akane blushed as she bowed again. "I'm Akane, please forgive my rudeness."

The old woman chuckled. "I am not so easy to offend as Cologne; you have nothing to fear from me." She reached out one hand and touched it to Akane's head. Akane withdrew slightly but with seeing the kind expression on the woman's face she stopped moving and closed her eyes.

"Yes I can sense it. Your magic has been removed from your body." The woman said. "It must have been Maple's work trying to protect you from yourself. I could see your power you know, it was out of control."

"You saw that?" Akane asked, slightly abashed. "It was the only way to beat him though, I had no choice."

The woman shook her head. "No. It would have been much better if you had released only half of your power and then focused it into a real spell. With your powers completely unfocused they are greatly reduced in effectiveness."

Akane looked angry. "Well I didn't have time to think, I was kind of out of options at the time!" She paused and looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell." She said quietly. "I'm just a little stressed because I feel naked without my magic."

Phianta chuckled. "There's nothing to worry about child, I understand. I have magic too you know, though not as much as yours. Whenever I use too much of it I too feel tired."

"But it's different from being just tired." Akane whispered. "I feel empty, as if someone I loved dearly has died and left me." A few tears began to roll down her face. "I felt like this the night that my mother died."

Phianta held up a white clothe to her face. "Be at peace child, your magic isn't gone for good." She said calmly. "It will return to you soon. Maple would never open the door in someone's heart only to close it on them forever at a later time. I don't even believe that he has the power to do that."

"Thank you." Akane whispered while she wiped her face.

"Listen Akane." Phianta said. "Why don't you lay back for a time while I prepare you something soothing to drink? You'll feel much better I promise."

"Alright. Thank you for your kindness." Akane said while she returned her head to the small pillow. "If what I remember is right then Ranma and Goku are now one person." She said to herself quietly. "And they'll never be able to split again." A few tears began to roll down her face. "I'll never see Ranma as he really is again."

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

The kindly middle aged man led Piccolo into a small office and sat him down in front of his desk. "My name is Mr. Hayer." He said with a smile. "And you are?"

"Piccolo." Piccolo responded. "It's probably safe to use my real name." He thought to himself. "No one would think that some teenager is the same as the legend."

"Ah, as in the legendary Piccolo the Demon King from legends." Mr. Hayer said with a bright smile.

Piccolo sweat dropped. "Yeah, just like that." He said nervously.

Mr. Hayer leaned closer to him. "They say that only a few years ago Piccolo was released to again bring evil upon the world. And though he was defeated his successor still walks the earth seeking revenge."

Piccolo leaned back while sweating. "Is that what they say?" He asked cautiously.

Mr. Hayer started to laugh. "What a load of nonsense huh? Anyway I need to see your transfer papers."

"Damn, I need to think of something fast!" Piccolo thought to himself after recovering from the shock. "Uh, just a moment." He turned to the side so that the teacher couldn't see what he was doing and pretended to rustle through his pockets. Quickly he conjured up a piece of paper with some basic information over himself and a few classes that he could think of off hand. Turned he handed it back to the teacher.

Mr. Hayer looked at the paper curiously for a moment. "Let's see here. You've taken Math, Japanese and Ancient Legends. That not really much to go off of. What was your GPA in America?"

"It's right here." Piccolo said while he handed him another piece of paper. He was sweating quite heavily now.

The man raised one of his eyebrows. "A 25. That's quite impressive since here we go off of a four point scale."

"We do things differently in America." Piccolo coughed. "Why the hell did I choose that place?" He asked himself. "I've only heard it mentioned in passing. Oh well, with any luck he hasn't heard anything about it either."

"You pass." Mr. Hayer said happily. "With most schools in Japan you'd have to go through a lot more trouble to enter but Principal Kuno has a policy where any interesting students can easily get in. And since you're green that qualifies you. Any classes in particular you want to take?"

Piccolo thought for a moment. "Do you have any students attending this school with the name of Tendo?" He asked hesitantly. "Or at least I thought that was the name I read on the building." He thought to himself.

"Tendo Tendo." Mr. Hayer said as he turned to a computer screen and typed a few things in. "Yes we have two Tendos that are currently attending this school. An Akane and a Nabiki."

"Which one of them is currently in Room B21?" Piccolo asked.

The man turned to look at his computer again. "That would be Nabiki Tendo."

"I want you to make my schedule identical to hers." Piccolo said. "I hope this guy buys it." He finished to himself.

Mr. Hayer raised one eyebrow. "Already singling out a lady so early here in Japan ay Mr. Piccolo?" He pressed a button on his computer and printed something out.

"The very idea is preposterous!" He yelled while blushing slightly. But Mr. Hayer wasn't listening. He was just humming to himself while pressing buttons on his computer. A moment later he handed something to Piccolo.

"You're lucky that it's still only a week into the new semester so you're not far behind." He said with a smile. "I'll call your teacher so that she'll know you're coming. Come here after school and I'll have your books for you. Have a good time."

"Oh and Piccolo." Mr. Hayer said as Piccolo stood up and moved for the door.

"Yeah what is it?" Piccolo said in a cold voice.

"You'll want to be careful with that Tendo girl." Mr. Hayer said seriously. "She has a reputation for having a cold heart and loving money too much."

"I'll keep it in mind." Piccolo muttered as he walked out the door. "So her name's Nabiki." He thought to himself. "And unless I'm mistaken her magical abilities are fairly impressive. I'll want to keep as low a profile as possible when I enter the class."

Piccolo walked up to the classroom door and stood still hesitantly for a moment. "Why is it that I can face invading aliens yet I'm afraid to enter a classroom full of weaklings?" He cursed to himself. He paused for a moment to gather his nerve. "Well I guess it's now or never." He grumbled to himself.

As he was reaching for the doorknob the door opened quickly and before he could react he felt himself being pulled into the class. "And what he have here students is an American!" An exited female voice chirped as she held him firmly in place in the front of the class.

Piccolo scanned the room. Upon seeing him all of the guys began to look very annoyed and he could hear one of them muttering something about "competition." The girls however had a completely different reaction. They all started to blush and talk excitedly amongst themselves about the "super cutie." Piccolo caught the eyes of the girl that he was looking for. She looked at him with her brown eyes obviously slightly bored. But from the way she was shifted forward in her seat Piccolo could tell that she was at least mildly curious about whom he was.

"Could you right your name on the chalkboard Mr. Handsome?" The teacher asked happily.

"Okay." Piccolo muttered. He walked over to the board and wrote simply Piccolo. He then set down the chalk and turned around. "So where do I sit?" He asked simply.

The teacher started to laugh. "Now you aren't getting off that easily! I don't know how things are done in America but in Japan it's tradition for the students to introduce themselves and then tell a little something about their families."

Piccolo stood in front of the class and took a completely serious no nonsense expression. "My name is Piccolo and I am from America. I've never had a mother that I know of and my Father was killed shortly before I was born."

"That's so sad." The teacher cried. "Tell us what he did for a living."

Piccolo paused for a moment as he thought about it. "He was the head of a very large business corporation that repossessed souls."

There was a long pause and a wind blew through the room.

"Repossessed souls?" Nabiki asked herself as she shifted to leaning her head on her other arm. "What is he talking about? And for that matter why exactly is this guy green with pointed ears?" She smiled slightly. "Kind of cute though. I wonder how much some of these dimwits around me would pay for a date with this guy."

"So your father was in the shoe business." The woman said happily. "Well thank you for sharing Mr. Piccolo. Go ahead and take a seat over by." She scanned the room. "Miss Tendo has an empty seat next to her, why don't you sit over next to her?"

"Sure." Piccolo grunted as he moved past the students, the females of which were sighing in disappointment. "Being cute is so annoying." He cursed to himself as he avoided the eyes of one girl who was looking at him hopefully. "What the hell do these girls see in this face anyways? I hardly think that it looks nice at all." He pulled out the chair and unceremoniously fell into it.

"Well there is one advantage in all of this." Piccolo thought as he eyed Nabiki's bag. "At least I'm close to the dragon ball."

He looked up and studied her face for a moment. "I'm getting mixed reactions when I try to read how developed her magic is." He thought to himself. "She is quite developed in some areas but very lacking in others. In terms of sheer magical energy she's rather low but in terms of mental strength she seems to be quite extraordinary."

Piccolo felt something bounce off of his head. Looking up he saw the female teacher staring at him sternly. "I know that you are new to Japanese schools Mr. Piccolo but may I presume that in America it is not accepted practice to ignore the teacher and stare at the girl sitting next to you."

"Damn, shouldn't have brought attention to myself." Piccolo cursed to himself. "Now she might be suspicious."

Several girls in the room sighed in disappointment. "Oh great. The cute new guy already has a crush on the ice queen, what does he see in her?"

All of the guys in the room looked kind of smug. "Hey buddy, you can have her." One boy said leaning up to speak to him. "Just leave the rest of them to us."

"What? Are you crazy?!" Piccolo yelled as he jumped to his feet. There was a long and awkward pause as everyone in the classroom but Nabiki stared at him. Nabiki just calmly looked towards the front of the room.

A piece of chalk hit Piccolo in the side of the head. "Mr. Piccolo, out in the hall!" The teacher yelled. "And hold these while you're out there!" She produced two buckets that were filled with water. Not knowing what else to do Piccolo walked to the front of the classroom and took the buckets and then walked into the hall.

"Dammit, I screwed everything up." He cursed to himself. "I was sitting just a foot away from her and the dragon ball and now I'm out here." He sighed. "Well it could be worse I guess. At least I have a reason to be in this school now and I am close enough to protect the dragon ball if need be."

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

Raku explored the depths of his mind and soon found what he was looking for. Awakening the cat spirit he allowed it to come forwards in his mind. "Alright guy, we're going to have to do this together." He whispered to the other consciousness. Though it didn't have a body the cat was still able to nod.

With the cat mostly in control Raku crouched onto the ground and began to claw through the stone gently. The entire time he kept his eyes focused on his enemy. Slowly he could feel his senses expand as everything became heightened with a cat like awareness. Most impressive of all was his new battle sense. He always knew every motion that the strange tall man was going to make well before he made it.

"This is a new one." Captain Ginyu chuckled. "Your mind must have cracked out of fear of me. You're acting like an animal!"

Raku didn't say a word as he slowly moved in a circle around Captain Ginyu while growling lightly.

"I'll just put you out of your misery." Captain Ginyu said with a cruel smile. "If you want to die as an animal then it's your business." He rose up one of his hands and began to gather energy.

"Now die!" He yelled as he released it. The moment the energy left his hands Raku leaped out of the way and closed the distance between himself and Captain Ginyu. "What the!..." Captain Ginyu yelled as Raku leaped at him. He attempted to punch the half-saiyajin out of the air but Raku spun around beneath his arm and clawed at his midsection.

Captain Ginyu grunted in pain as five rip marks appeared on his torso. While Raku was in the air the alien brought one of his fists down onto the half-saiyajin's back, slamming him into the ground. Raku landed on all fours causing indentations to appear in the stone ground. When Captain Ginyu tried to stomp him Raku rolled onto his back and started to kick at Captain Ginyu's legs with his own.

Every one of Raku's attacks created a large red mark on contact and Captain Ginyu was thrown off balance. Before stumbling backwards he threw down a blast of energy in order to catch the half-saiyajin off guard but in a short leap Raku was well out of the radius of the attack.

Captain Ginyu stumbled back a few steps and stared at the small form crouched in front of him. "It's impossible that you could still be so fast." He said in disbelief. He held a hand down to his torso which was bleeding somewhat badly and healed it enough to stop the bleeding.

Growing impatient Raku began to approach his adversary. "Meow." He said in a threatening tone.

"Shut up you stupid cat." Captain Ginyu hissed. "I can't believe that you have so little pride as to fight like an animal. Unless you really are an animal of course. That's what I would expect from a saiyajin." Raku's eyes were uncaring, as if he was ignoring or simply couldn't understand what his opponent was saying.

Raku began to run at an angle to Captain Ginyu's position. With a curse the apprentice mage threw forwards a blast of energy. Raku quickly leaped over the energy and started to run directly towards him. "Gotcha kitty." Captain Ginyu said gloatingly as he brought his other hand around.

Captain Ginyu poured a great deal of energy into his attack and then released it at Raku. "Dodge this!" He yelled. Raku never missed a step as he leapt into the air directly into the oncoming blast.

Raku reached out both of his hands and ripped the energy in half and flung each half in a different direction where they blew up and left large craters. "Impossible." Captain Ginyu whispered. Raku flew right on through where it had been and kept his momentum as he attacked Captain Ginyu. Swiping out his left hand Raku ripped across his chest and with his right he tore deeply into one of Captain Ginyu's arms. In desperation Ginyu brought up one of his legs to try to kick the smaller man but in response Raku turned and began to rip into his leg. "Teleport now!" Captain Ginyu yelled, causing himself to disappear and reappear forty feet away.

Wincing he began to examine the wounds that had been inflicted upon him. "I am the great Captain Ginyu!" He yelled. "How can that little weakling do this to me?" He looked over Raku who was continuing his approach. "He's severely damaged my body." Captain Ginyu thought to himself. "I need to find some way to take him out of this fight.

"Look. Raku. Why don't you stop using that technique and talk to me like a real man?" Captain Ginyu gasped.

Raku shook his head around for a few moments and then stood to his feet. "Before his power level was four times greater then mine but now it's only a little over three times greater." He thought to himself. "That technique is even more powerful then Goku had guessed when Ranma used it against him."

"What do you want to say Captain Ginyu?" He asked in a cold voice. "I've given you every opportunity to leave and you refused. What else is there to talk about?"

Captain Ginyu paused for a moment to examine the man standing in front of him. "It's kind of a step down in terms of power but he is a very good looking guy." Captain Ginyu thought to himself. "And taking the body of Goku would be even better in Freezer's book then destroying him. I hate to use a healing potion and then turn around and damage my body even more but I have to be honest here. There's no way I can beat this guy."

"Well get on with it." Raku said somewhat impatiently. "What do you want?"

"This." Captain Ginyu said cruelly and he took one of his hands and dug it into his own torso.

"What are you doing, are you mad?!!!" Raku yelled in shock.

Captain Ginyu slowly began to keel over. "I like your body." He whispered. "I think I want it." "Change Now!" He yelled. A moment later he opened his mouth and Raku felt his soul slowly being lifted from his body as Ginyu's soul also lifted from his body.

"What the hell?" Raku asked himself. "He's using magic to try to steal my body." His face became confident. "We'll just see about that."

Raku looked around himself calmly as his soul floated towards the body of Captain Ginyu. "This is an arcane technique." Raku thought. "Because of my ability to sense magic I can see everything clearly." Focusing Raku stopped the movement of his soul.

He could see the spirit of Captain Ginyu staring back at him in surprise. "How did you do that?" He heard the alien think. "It's simple." Raku said replied smugly. "Not only did Ranma have excellent control over his spirit due to training but Goku was taught how to sense magic by King Kai. Stopping this trick is easy."

"I don't think so." Captain Ginyu said with a smile. With pure force of will he continued to force Raku's soul to move towards his own damaged body. "No!" Raku yelled. Again they came to a standstill.

It felt like a match of arm wrestling. Both opponents were struggling as hard as they could, neither one willing to yield. Slowly they could feel the fatigue building up within their minds.

"Just give up!" Captain Ginyu yelled in exertion.

"Never!" Raku yelled back. "I hold in me the strength of both Ranma and Goku, you will not beat me!" With a mighty effort Captain Ginyu began to be forced back towards his own body. "Nooo!" He yelled as he realized he was fighting a losing battle.

Raku felt himself land safely back in his own body. "It's good to be home." He laughed to himself. He looked up at where Captain Ginyu was sitting and holding his wounded stomach. "His power level has taken a major dive." Raku thought to himself. "Even in terms of energy alone he's weaker then me now."

"It's time to give up Ginyu." Raku announced. "You made a gamble and you lost. Even if you had a chance of beating me before you've thrown it away."

"No." Captain Ginyu whispered in pain. "I refuse to lose. I refuse to go like this." He pulled a small medallion that was forged from a black metal and had a small 'M' on the outside. "Emperor Freezer." He whispered to the amulet. "Please help me."

"That amulet holds an impressive magical power." Raku thought to himself. His eyes widened. "Did he say Freezer? I'm certain that Rate said he was the greatest of the demon lords. I have to stop him!"

"Kamehameha!" He yelled as he desperately threw a wave of blue energy to where Captain Ginyu was sitting. Before it reached him a black wall of energy appeared in front of it and completely enveloped the attack.

"Damn, too late!" He yelled. Out of the black wall of energy a small figure was slowly emerging. The black energy evaporated and the feared greatest of the demon lords Emperor Freezer lowered himself to the surface of the earth.

"No, oh no!" King Kai yelled. "Freezer is on earth, oh this is horrible! Raku's no where near ready to face him yet! His power is absolutely horrible, he makes Rate look like a weakling!"

Bubbles looked up from where he was coloring a small picture of a three arm monkey.

"No I don't know what he's talking about either Bubbles." Gregory said with a shrug.

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

"Tell me Mr. Popo, how is Gohan doing?" Kami asked his friend wearily as he began to rub his temples.

"He is doing fine Kami, thankfully. He took quite a beating at the hands of that monster." Mr. Popo looked up at Kami with concern. "Is there something wrong?"

Kami nodded. "Yes, there is something horribly wrong. A great evil has just touched down on the earth and for once I don't know why he's here. I somehow feel that he doesn't intend to destroy it."

"That's a relief Kami." Mr. Popo said. "Do you know who he is?"

Kami nodded. "There is only one being alive that could possess this kind of power. It is none other then Freezer, the greatest of the demon lords."

"Freezer!" Mr. Popo said in shock. "You mean that he's here?"

"I'm afraid so Mr. Popo but as of this moment there's little that can be done about it except for waiting and hoping. Please return to Gohan, we want to be careful with him."

"Yes of course Kami." Mr. Popo said as he turned around and ran into the building.

"So Freezer has finally made his move." Kami thought to himself. "For the past twenty years I have felt his power even though a vast amount of space separated us. But for him to come here and so obviously not desire to personally destroy the world is beyond belief. I wonder what's stopping him. And I wonder how the world will survive anything that he does try."

Kami closed his eyes. "He is so completely and utterly out of even Raku's league that the Joined man couldn't be more then a nuisance to him. I hope desperately that the earth can survive whatever it is he'll try, but for now there's little I can do."

Freezer stared down at the badly wounded man beneath with cold uncaring eyes. "So why have you summoned me Captain Ginyu?" He asked. "Was it so that I could see your failure to this monkey in person?"

"No, that wasn't it at all Emperor." Captain Ginyu said while avoiding eye contact. "I called you here so that you would give me the power to defeat him."

Freezer didn't have any eyebrows but he widened one of his eyes slightly so that it had a similar effect. "You want me to give you the power? What good would more power do you may I ask. Before fighting him you had double his power, where did all of that go?"

"I can answer that question." Raku said confidently from where he was watching the exchange. Freezer turned to look at him. Always before his eyes alone were able to make anyone quiver in fear but the man standing before him met his gaze confidently.

"You are Goku?" Freezer asked in slight confusion. "No impossible, you are only a half saiyajin you couldn't be Goku." He eyed Raku in interest. "But you do have a spirit that's remarkably similar to that of Goku's. So tell me half-breed, how was it that you defeated one of my strongest servants?"

"It's because he was a fool that allowed himself to be blinded by his own emotions and the apparent weakness of his enemy over and over again." Raku said seriously.

"I see, very impressive." Freezer said. "And tell me warrior of apparent weakness: what is your connection with Goku?"

"Goku is a part of me." Raku said simply. "Goku and Ranma performed the technique of Joining in order to form one person with the power to defend the earth."

"Raterfalinticanmiterican." Freezer said curiously. "Tell me, does this name ring a bell?"

"Yeah it does." Raku said. "That was the demon that attempted to destroy Ranma and Goku's minds before they could complete the technique."

"Would you excuse me for just a moment." Freezer said. Following that his body began to fluctuate slightly for close to thirty seconds. After that his form became completely solid again and he looked at Raku. "He's absolutely furious." Freezer said with a chuckle. "You might want to watch your back for a while young mortal, it's never a good thing to make an enemy of a demon lord."

Raku shrugged. "You can tell him to come back for a rematch whenever he's ready."

Freezer ignored his statement. "Rate shared with me all of the memories of yours that he had borrowed from you." He said quietly while beginning to pace around Raku. "It seems to me that you really haven't thought this entire Joining process through."

"What do you mean Freezer?" Raku asked in a no-nonsense voice.

"Just think about it Raku." Freezer said now quietly. "Think about what this will mean for your life. After you have driven us off of the planet, who will be left to compete with you? Ryouga?" Freezer started to laugh. "He has always been your traditional enemy and maybe if he trained in the room of space and time like Ranma had he could again have been his match but I'd say that such a thing is impossible now in your current form. What of Piccolo? Certainly not, maybe he could have caught up with you had he trained in a similar fashion to Goku but now such a thing is simply impossible."

"Get to the point Freezer." Raku said menacingly. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that you're the best there is." Freezer said cruelly. "Though it was something that Ranma and Goku had often dreamed of achieving it is really their worst nightmare. As long as you remain on earth there will be no more challenges for you. No one on this whole damn world will be able to compete with your strength. All of your old enemies are now weaklings and all of your new ones will be destroyed before they even have a chance. Both Ranma and Goku loved the challenge; it's what kept them going. But by going through with that ridiculous technique you ruined your chance of ever facing a challenge again."

"Enough Freezer!" Raku yelled. "I've had enough of this! Though it's true that I love a fight against a worthy opponent I was willing to give that up to save the ones that I love."

"The ones that you love." Freezer said in contemplative voice. "And what of the ones that you love, what will happen to them now that you've joined?" He again began to walk around Raku slowly. "Poor Gohan, his father as he remembers him is gone forever." Freezer whispered.

"Gohan is strong." Raku said in a strained voice. "Though Goku is gone I will still be here for him when he needs me."

"Poor Chi-chi." Freezer continued. "She believes that Goku is an angel and she loves him so much. How will she feel when she discovers that Goku is gone forever? How will she feel when she discovers that the father of her only child is gone forever?"

"Chi-chi is also strong." Raku said much more quietly. "It is one of the things about her that impressed me in the first place. Because she has Gohan to remember me by she'll be fine."

"And what of dear Akane?" Freezer asked now in a whisper. "What of the sweet girl of 17 years of age who loves a man so much she would risk her soul for him? How will she feel when she knows that her love is gone forever? How will she feel about you when she knows that you are the one who took him away? She could never love you the same way she loved him and even if she could, it would be unfair to Chi-chi for you to do such a thing."

"Akane is strong." Raku whispered, as if in pain. "And she is young. Ranma's disappearance will hurt her heart but I believe." Tears began to roll down his face. "I believe that she will love again."

"So I see." Freezer said as if he had discovered something. "By some twist of fate you have perfectly acquired both Goku's pure heart and Ranma's knowledge of the world as limited as it is. That means that your heart is too strong for me to manipulate, a rare trait indeed for a mortal." He turned back to where Captain Ginyu was lying semi-conscious on the ground.

"Very well then, Captain Ginyu you are forgiven. Return to your feet." Captain Ginyu struggled to stand until he was towering over his small master. Only at that point did it become apparent how small Freezer really was. With his small body and smooth while skin he almost would have had the appearance of a child if it wasn't for the insanity which was at this point flaring in his eyes.

He raised one hand and put it onto Captain Ginyu's chest. "Twenty percent Ginyu." He said. "I give you twenty percent of my full power to destroy the saiyajin and human child that you could not defeat on your own. That should be enough to make your strength eighty times greater then his. If you fail now then you know what that means for your soul."

"Yes master, I know." Captain Ginyu said with a smile. "But with that much strength it wouldn't matter how smart he is. An intelligent insect can be crushed as easily as any other."

Black energy began to pour through Freezer's outstretched arm into Captain Ginyu's body. Raku could only stare in rapt amazement as the large alien's power continued to grow until it dwarfed anything he remembered even from his four sets of memories. Then it grew even more.

Captain Ginyu's wounds all began to close, leaving horrible black scars behind. After a few more moments Freezer removed his hand. "It is done, you have your power." He whispered. "I will leave you now. Do not ask for help from me again." In a spurt of black energy Freezer's presence disappeared from the world.

Captain Ginyu looked over at where Raku was watching him with an expression that almost resembled that of fear. but not quite. "So are you ready to die for the embarrassment that you gave me boy?"

This time Raku didn't have a response.

"How long am I going to have to stand out here?" Piccolo asked himself in frustration. "Not that I can even feel the weight of these buckets but I'd rather be closer to that girl in case something happens." He heard a bell ring and students began to pore out of the class.

Nabiki walked out of the class last and paused a moment to examine him. "What are you looking at?" Piccolo asked hesitantly. "Damn, has she figured me out?" He asked himself in frustration.

"You can set those down now." Nabiki said calmly. "The class is over."

"Oh." Piccolo sweat dropped and then set down the buckets.

Nabiki stood still examining him for a moment longer. "So what's your interest in me?" She asked curiously. "I've been reading people for long enough to know that you weren't staring at me because you found me attractive, you were doing it for another reason. So what are you after? I hate it when people keep secrets from me."

Piccolo didn't know what to say. "I can see that when I read her mind as being well developed I wasn't mistaken." He thought to himself. "Perhaps you do deserve to know so that you are better capable of protecting yourself." He said seriously. "Not that I could keep her from finding out what I'm after anyways."

Nabiki raised one eyebrow. "Do go on please." She said. "I'm all ears."

Piccolo opened his mouth to speak but then stopped and began to look around with a slightly panicked expression on his face. "What's the matter?" Nabiki asked.

"Can't you feel it?" Piccolo said quietly. "Something just shifted the nature of this school. A spell was cast, a powerful spell."

Nabiki stared at him incredulously for a moment before a breath caught in her chest. "You're right." She breathed. "I can sense some major magic. How did you know?" The last question was asked directly at him.

"No time for that, we have to get the dragon ball out of here!" Piccolo said quickly, turning to her.

"Dragon Ball?" Nabiki asked quietly before her eyes widened in understanding. "You mean this?" She pulled the dragon ball out of her purse.

At that moment the lights in the school turned off and though it was day outside it became dark, almost pitch black. "Would Nabiki Tendo and Piccolo please report to my office?" A pleasant voice announced over the intercom. "All of the students in this school are currently being held hostage to insure your safe arrival. That is all, thank you."

"That was Mr. Hayer's voice." Piccolo said quietly as he conjured a lamp in his right hand and lit it.

Nabiki looked up at him with some fear apparent in her eyes. "What do we do?" She asked hesitantly.

Piccolo shook his head. "The only thing we can do is go to meet him. Normally I would sacrifice the lives of these people because we'd be able to bring them back at a later date but I don't think that Mire would simply kill them." He turned and looked at her. "He's a mage with powerful powers of necromancy and demon summoning. Their souls may be on the line if we run, so we have no choice."

Nabiki found herself drawing confidence from Piccolo as she looked into his eyes. "He is kind of cute." She thought to herself. "If you can get past the green skin thing. I wonder if he's dating anyone right now."

Almost as if he could read her thoughts Piccolo turned away from her while blushing. "We don't have much time, let's go." He said coldly. "I need to get out of this body." He thought to himself. "It must be wearing down on my mind. For a moment there I almost thought that I was pleased by her appearance."

Nabiki's face became just as cold as Piccolo's. "Right. If he thinks he can get this ball without a fight then he has another thing coming." Together they began to walk down the darkened hallways towards Mr. Hayer's office with Piccolo's lamp lighting the hallways.

"This is creepy." Nabiki said while scanning the walls of the school with her eyes. "Everyone's gone, just like that. What did this Mire do?"

"I have no idea." Piccolo said warily. "But we should keep our guard up." Walking together they turned a corner.

"I think that his office should be just up ahead." Piccolo said while straining to see down the dark hallway. In a quick movement his body tensed up and he began to crouch slightly.

"What do you see?" Nabiki asked to which Piccolo held up one of his hands between him and her. He stayed still for a moment longer. "Someone is approaching us from ahead on barefoot." He said lowly. "His pace is very exact and determined; he must know that we're here."

"I'm glad that my hearing hasn't suffered much." Piccolo thought to himself while grimly staring down the hallway.

"Any ideas who it could be?" Nabiki asked while backing up a step.

Piccolo shook his head. "You're the one who attends this school, you tell me."

Nabiki was about to respond when a figure stepped into the range of the lamp. It was a young man with an arrogant face who was wearing a blue dress-like uniform and was holding a wooden sword. His eyes were glazed over and were currently staring at the two forms in front of him.

"What are you doing here Kuno?" Nabiki asked him. Then she saw his eyes. "He's possessed." She said in a low voice. "I'm an expert at this kind of magic and I can tell that the spell holding him is very powerful. He's not going to be able to listen to reason in this state." "Not that he listened to reason before." She finished to herself.

"Be careful Piccolo." She said to the man standing in front of her. "Sometimes with this magic the person can become much more skilled then before. Kuno's normally a great fighter but in this state he would be even more dangerous."

Piccolo frowned at him. "Heh, he's a weakling. This will only take a second." He cracked one of his knuckles and began to walk towards the bokken wielder.

Nabiki sighed and put her face in her right hand. "Why do I always have to be surrounded by these big talkers?" She asked herself. "First Ranma and now this Piccolo guy."

She was speaking too low for a human to hear but Nabiki didn't notice one of Piccolo's ears twitching. "She knows Ranma." He thought to himself. "That's interesting."

Moving so quickly that Nabiki couldn't even follow him Kuno launched himself forwards towards Piccolo. She was about to yell out a warning when Piccolo caught the wooden sword easily with one hand.

"Quite extraordinary for a human." Piccolo said gruffly. "But still quite weak by my standards." With a twitch of his hand he removed the sword from Kuno's hand and with the same motion he tapped Kuno on the side with the sword and sent him flying unconscious into a wall. Afterwards he threw the wooden sword aside.

"How did he do that?" Nabiki asked herself while staring at him in amazement. "Even Ranma's not that fast. And what did he say about strong for a human?"

Piccolo turned back to her. "We should move quickly, I don't think that was the extent of his spell." The light that was playing off of Piccolo's no-nonsense face made him seem especially intimidating and dangerous.

"He really is cute." Nabiki thought to herself. "I hope that he sticks around after this is over so I can make some real money off of him."

Piccolo turned and began to walk rapidly down the hallway. About twenty feet later both of them heard sounds of a group of people walking down the hallway. "What the hell?" Piccolo asked in frustration and confusion.

"I hate to say this but I think some guests just showed up." Nabiki said wryly.

She was right. Within the range of the lamp alone ten students could be seen crowding the hallway and from all of the noise it was obvious that there were a whole lot more beyond them.

"I could just blast a hole through them." Piccolo said seriously. "That would make this entire process much easier."

Nabiki raised one eyebrow. "Well that would make it easier but I think that you need a little more tact. If we killed anyone I might feel slightly guilty about it and I hate that feeling."

Piccolo grinned at her. "You didn't seem concerned when I hit Kuno back there."

Nabiki smiled back at him. "I know that Kuno baby can handle it, he's taken hard hits from Ranma more times then I can count. One more isn't going to hurt anything."

"She called him Kuno baby, I wonder what that means." Piccolo said while he felt a slight unusual emotion twitch inside him. It was. unpleasant.

"Let's go, we don't have time for this." Piccolo said gruffly. He grabbed Nabiki's right hand with his left and held the lamp in front of him as he approached the group of students.

After recovering from the shock of the sudden movement Nabiki began to walk quickly so that Piccolo didn't have to pull her. The students moved to bar his way but Piccolo's face twitched and caused the sea of students to be divided.

"Telekinesis?" Nabiki asked to which Piccolo only nodded. They walked quickly through the group of students and finally found themselves standing in front of Mr. Hayer's door.

"So what now big guy?" Nabiki asked as she released her hand from Piccolo's. "Do we just walk right in and hope that he welcomes us with open arms?"

Piccolo shrugged. "I don't know. I only planned up to this point."

Nabiki's eyes narrowed. "Right, some savior you are. And you can't just take a lady's hand without permission, it's considered rude."

"If you would just walk faster then I wouldn't need to!" Piccolo said, raising his voice a level.

"Whatever you say." Nabiki said while waving him off. "This girl is infuriating." Piccolo thought while staring at her in frustration.

He coughed and adjusted his uniform. "This isn't the time for little arguments; we need to figure out what to do to release the students." He said calmly. "Mire is a dangerous enemy and most likely has some kind of trap set up for us."

Nabiki nodded. "So we should proceed with caution. That's what I'm used to in any case. This is the first time that I've faced off against a powerful mage. I'm lucky that I have you here to protect me."

Piccolo blushed slightly and turned away. "I'm here to protect the dragon ball, not you." He said seriously. "The only reason I didn't just steal it from you is because I sensed that you had magic and I didn't want to risk making you an enemy."

"Sure, whatever you say." Nabiki said while rolling her eyes. "It's alright if you can't admit that you're attracted to me."

"Why the hell would you think that?!" Piccolo yelled while turning to her with a blush covering his entire face.

Nabiki turned away. "I was joking of course; I have no idea whether or not you're attracted to me."

Piccolo stared at her for a moment longer before turning to the door. "I've had enough of this nonsense." He said loudly. "We need to focus on the task at hand." In one motion he opened the door and looked inside.

It was surprisingly well lighted inside the office. Cheery candles lined the walls and some soft and pleasant music was playing from somewhere. Mr. Hayer was dramatically sitting in his chair with his back turned to Piccolo and Nabiki. "Do come in both of you." He said politely. "I've been eager to talk to you."

Nabiki sighed as she walked into the room. "Do you have to sit with your back turned to us? That is so cliché."

"What are you talking about?" He asked curiously. Mr. Hayer turned around in his chair and held up a small black gem. "I was examining this beauty and the chair was turned around so I could get the best lighting."

He set the black gem on the desk and looked at Piccolo. "I suppose your wondering why there's been a sudden 180 in my personality."

Piccolo nodded slightly. "Yes I am. You don't seem to be the ruthless mage that you were before."

He shrugged. "That's because I'm not. I'm actually a demon that was summoned into the body of one Mr. Hayer in order to draw you here. The mage that you were referring to planned all of this as a trap."

"That doesn't change anything." Piccolo said. "We already knew that this was a trap. So why doesn't he just reveal himself so we can get this over with?"

Mr. Hayer leapt onto his desk and crouched on it. "I like your style Piccolo, so why not just get to the point?" He picked up the black gem off the desk and began to fidget with it. "Give me the dragon ball Miss Tendo." He said seriously. "Or else I will destroy the souls of all the students in this school."

"Piccolo." Nabiki sent telepathically to her ally. "What is it?" Piccolo telepathically returned. "That black gem that he's holding is what's influencing control over all of the students here." "Would destroying it free them or cause them damage?" Piccolo asked. Nabiki peered at it for a moment longer. "It's hard to tell." She replied. "But I'm pretty sure that destroying it would solve the problem."

Almost before finishing that thought a thin line of energy came out of one of Piccolo's fingers and hit the black gem, shattering it on contact. Almost instantly the heavy spell of darkness over the school could be felt lifting somewhat.

"Very impressive." Mr. Hayer said in annoyance. "But that is hardly the only plan that Mire had. Soon he will personally introduce you to another."

He lunged off of his desk at Nabiki. "Shield." She said while raising her left hand. In between them a shield appeared and he clawing at it desperately.

"Give it!" He yelled. "My master must make his wish!"

"Wish?" Nabiki asked while turning to Piccolo. "You never said anything about a wish."

"That is the purpose of the dragon balls." Piccolo said. "When all seven of them are gathered into one place the eternal dragon appears and lets the person who summoned him make any one wish that they choose. The mage Mire desires to make a wish of some kind and though I don't know what he desires I do know that it could only bring ruin." He looked at Nabiki. "We must protect the dragon ball at all costs."

"This is larger scale then I thought." Nabiki thought. "Any wish huh? I could go for that." Her eyes narrowed. "He's not getting his hands on this ball." She said out loud.

Her eyes widened in shock and she fell onto her knees. "Something's happening to me." She whispered.

"What's wrong Nabiki?!" Piccolo yelled staring down at her. Turning he saw Mr. Hayer lying on the ground with vacant eyes. "His demon is gone." Piccolo realized. "So Nabiki is being attacked by it!"

Nabiki was shivering in pain. She slowly raised both of her hands to her head. "So you think that you can beat me?" She asked with a calm though pain filled voice. "It won't be nearly as easy as you expect. Purify!" A clear energy flared about her and exorcised the demon. It practically flew out of her mind trying to escape her power but Piccolo grabbed it with one of his hands out of mid-air. "I'll teach you to attack her." He said coldly right before he blasted it with energy. With a scream the small demon was vaporized.

"The girl really does have a strong mind." A scratchy voice commended. Looking Piccolo and Nabiki saw a classical figure covered with completely black robes so that not even an inch of his body could be seen. Covering his hands were black gloves and on his feet he was wearing black boots. Under the surface of his hood two glowing blue flames could be seen where the eyes should have been.

"So you show yourself at last Mire." Piccolo said seriously.

Mire bowed slightly. "Sorry for the inconvenience that the lesser demon caused but it served my purposes."

"I understand." Nabiki said calmly in a business tone of voice. "So is the dragon ball all that you're after? Maybe we could make some kind of deal."

"There will be no deal." He whispered. The mere sound of his voice sent shivers up Nabiki's spine. "I offered you one earlier and you refused. If you don't give me the dragon ball then you will die. That is all."

"That's what you think." Piccolo said coldly. "You'll have to get through me first." He smiled showing his teeth. "And I know that you can't kill me."

"There are more ways to defeat someone then killing them." Mire said. "Believe me I know all of them. So what is the word young mageling?" He said while looking at Nabiki. "The choice is simple. You either choose life or death." He began to laugh gratingly. "But remember that when you die you will not die alone. Everyone in this school will die with you and in death give me even greater power."

"Don't do it Nabiki." Piccolo said. "We don't know what his wish will be but it would be better for all of us to die then allow him to make it. He must not get the dragon ball."

Nabiki nodded slightly and raised one of her eyebrows at the black robed figure. "You heard what he said." She said calmly. "The answer is no. Your business request has been denied."

"So I see, then that's how it has to be." Mire said coldly. "I shall enjoy this."

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

"His power is outrageous." Raku thought while staring at the gloating Captain Ginyu. "Never before has there been such a radical difference in power between me and my enemy but he must have limits." He carefully examined the eyes and the aura of Captain Ginyu. "Freezer's power comes from his insanity. Though Captain Ginyu may not realize it his mind is slipping away slowly. Furthermore he has very little control over his power. I may be able to use that against him."

"You're speechless I see." Captain Ginyu said calmly. "What no smart comments? Surely you have some joke that you want to crack. Or are you paralyzed with your fear?"

Raku shook his head. "I'm not afraid of you Ginyu, even now." He said calmly. "I won't afford you that pleasure."

"Oh well, it doesn't really matter anyways." Captain Ginyu said with a laugh. "So insect, are you ready to be crushed?" He disappeared and reappeared in front of Raku.

Raku made no motions to dodge his overhead strike. Instead he was carefully examining the fluctuating aura of the larger alien. In one swift move Captain Ginyu slapped him on the side of the head and sent him flying. Raku flew at an extremely fast pace and was already 100 ft away before he hit a mountain.

"Curious." Captain Ginyu thought to himself. "I could have sworn that I didn't hit him quite that hard. I guess I don't know my own strength" He chuckled and began to walk towards where Raku was laying.

"By throwing myself in the direction of the attack I was able to negate most of the damage." Raku thought to himself as he sat up and rubbed the side of his head. "But that still hurt like crazy." He stood to his feet to see that Captain Ginyu was already standing in front of him. "Well boy, what do you think of my power?" He asked calmly.

"Very impressive." Raku said calmly. "Even that light slap of yours sent me flying uncontrollably. But there's something that I need to tell you."

"Oh really, and what's that?" Captain Ginyu asked with a smile.

"It was the manner in which you slapped me." Raku said. "If you had done it like this." He imitated the slapping motion. "And at the exact moment you connected if you had stopped your body and clenched your leg muscles ever so slightly while lifting your back leg an inch off of the ground." He demonstrated was he was talking about. "Then you would have had an extremely stylish pose."

"My my I think you're right." Captain Ginyu said while rubbing his chin. "I never would have expected you to be such an artist. It's a pity that I have to kill you."

"Look Captain Ginyu, do you consider yourself to be a gentlemen?"

"Why yes I do." Captain Ginyu said with a smile. "It's something that comes naturally for me."

Raku lowered his head with a slight smile. "Then I have a proposition for you, one that you might find appealing. It would be a way for me to die poetically and dramatically at your hands. Surely as a gentleman you would grant me such a thing."

Captain Ginyu looked thoughtful. "Well I suppose that I could manage a request like that. What did you have in mind?"

"I saw a movie once where two men had their backs turned to each other at the start of a duel." Raku said simple. "Then they both took ten steps before they turned around and tried to shoot each other as quickly as possible. I would like to do something similar to that but only where each of us take ten minutes to prepare for a final strike instead of ten steps. Are the terms agreeable to you?"

"I've always been a sucker for old movies." Captain Ginyu said. "Well alright. In ten minutes I will give you the death that you desire." He conjured an hour glass and set it on the ground. "When this runs out we'll attack each other with everything we have."

"Agreed." Raku said with a nod. Both him and Captain Ginyu stepped out of the torn mountain and walked about twenty feet away from each other before they turned to face the hourglass.

"This is it." Raku thought with a smile. "I've examined everything about him and now I understand perfectly. I'm gonna' beat this guy no problem."

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

"It's almost time Akane." A voice echoed in her head.

"You again?!" Akane panicked while sitting up. She looked around for a moment to make sure that no one was nearby. "Who are you?" She whispered.

"It's almost time to become the trigger." The voice said, ignoring her question. "It's almost time to become the trigger that will awake the sleeping giant."

"What are you talking about?" Akane asked in frustration. "Why can't you speak so that I can understand you dammit?!"

An image appeared in her head of two beings that were facing each other. One was clearly the joined form of Goku and Ranma and the other was a large alien covered with black scars whose eyes burned with the same insanity as Rate's had. Raku was on his knees and looked to be in horrible shape as blood was clearly showing through his shirt from his stomach and the rest of his body was covered with scratches. It was obvious that he wouldn't be able to fight much longer.

"When the time comes Akane you must focus on this image." The voice said. "You must teleport yourself there and try to help the man you love. It is the only way."

"But how?!" Akane asked in a panic. "My magic is gone, how could I go there?!"

"You will find a way Akane." The voice said calmly. "You must find a way." With that it faded away from her mind leaving the image clear in her thoughts.

"But how?" Akane asked quietly. "How can I save him against that kind of power? It's just. impossible." A few tears rolled down her face and fell onto the ground.

Phianta stood still standing outside of the door with a cup of tea in her hands. "Who was speaking to her?" She asked herself. "Was it Maple again or was it someone else? Alas for that poor child. It seems that her destiny will be one of chaos. I only hope that she will have her happy ending." Phianta sadly looked at the tea she was carrying and slid it into her tent so that Akane would notice it. She then slowly walked away, lost in thought.