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.

13. Joining 13: Conclusions and Beginnings

Joining 13: Conclusions and Beginnings Written May 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.

Reader Responses: smashZ: Yeah, Ryouga is Ranma's biggest rival. I wouldn't worry about it; he'll still be Ranma's rival somehow. As for cell having Raku's genes, remember that his greatest strength was in his head on not in his body. Technically Gero could recreate him by putting both Ranma's and Goku's genes into a single body. To put it simply, we'll see what happens next. Cell won't get involved for a long time though, and when he does he won't be the same villain. Expect interesting developments to appear soon.

Materia-Blade: Thanks for the compliment, I really appreciate that you enjoy this story. To put it simply, this story won't become an angst story. I always get sad reading those, and I hate the idea of making my readers sad. I'd rather try to make you guys happy.

RLB71797: Thanks for forgiving me for doing a Ranma/Akane pairing. That's probably the easy way out, but from what I've seen of the series it seems the most natural. As for Dabura, I'm still toying with how I want to involve him with the series. You may or may not see him appear later in the story. I wish you good luck with martial arts; they're fun and very rewarding!

DarkBlueHated: I'll make more, you can count on that. As long as I get at least one positive review that will be good enough for me. Only one fan is enough to keep me going.

Vixen: I don't know the answer to this one yet. To tell you the truth I have potential plot developments thought out at most ten or eleven chapters in advance. So that means that Dabura won't appear for at least that long.

No, the kaioken isn't Krillin or the other's style at all. Krillin is my favorite character from Dragon Ball Z however, so you can count on him being important in one way or another.

We'll have to wait on this one. Those King Kai scenes were placed in as second thoughts merely to imitate the original series.

Heh heh heh

Oh, you most mean Genma! This one's answered in this chapter

It could happen, but both Piccolo and Nabiki would hate the idea of falling in love with anyone. We'll see what happens with this one.

She'll deal with it pretty well. However the full implications that await later may surprise her.

We'll need to wait on this one.

See 8

Ah, but is Freezer the big enemy? What of the demon lord Rate, Vegita or Captain Ginyu? Each of them had their times in the spot lights too. Freezer will get his time later.

Mokona: Well I might as well set it straight guys. Mokona is my baby sister and I asked her to flame my story just to see how the other reviewers would react. Sorry for the trick (apologizes). In any case, I love you little sis!

Quotes: "You will die a thousand racial deaths I slur." BB

"I am an equal opportunity slut. I have a black boyfriend, a Chinese boyfriend, a Mexican boyfriend." Tim E

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The sun was shining beautifully in the midst of a clear blue sky over a bustling city below. One building in particular was extremely striking. The entire surface was completely composed of black mirrors that shimmered their darkness in the sunlight. Inside the building everything was precise and neat, a perfect businessman's haven. Men wearing suits with suitcases walked about each with their own destination to the next place of importance.

On the top floor of this building there was a room that closely resembled that of a court. A continuous wooden desk circled itself around the room with a single opening in the middle. Overall there were twenty one seats the middle of which was empty. All of the people in the seats were wearing suits and ties and most of them were older gentlemen. Two women also graced the room's presence, both of them appearing to be middle aged.

An old man who was sitting next to the empty chair slammed the desk in front of him with a small wooden mallet. "I Mr. Klein will act as the head of this meeting to find a new Chief Financial Advisor for this company." He said in a stern voice. He looked around the room making eye contact with everyone until all of them had nodded their consent. "Then let this meeting begin." He hit the table with his mallet again and then settled back into his chair. "Now who would like to speak first?"

Before anyone could respond a hand to his left shot up into the air. "Excuse me Mr. Klein," said an arrogant voice, "I believe that I may already have the solution to our problem."

Murmuring erupted from around the table. "What?!" Mr. Klein asked in shock, leaning forward in his chair. "Mr. Jones may I remind you that you've only been a member of the board of directors for five days. How could you possibly have a solution for our problem when our previous CFA quit without prior notice only last night?"

"May I speak to the entire group Mr. Klein?" The man asked calmly.

"Yes, please." The old man said with a nod.

The speaker pushed off the desk and slowly stood up. He was a young man, at least twenty years younger then anyone else around the table. He had black well groomed hair over a handsome face with dark brown eyes. He was wearing a completely impeccable business suit that appeared as though he had ironed it only minutes prior to the meeting. He had a small set of glasses on his face that were too small to be of any use and his lips were slightly curled in a sneer.

He smiled and pushed up his glasses before speaking. "Well before I begin I should tell all of you that I saw the retirement of the CFA coming three weeks before the actual occurrence. That would mean that I had plenty of time to search in advance."

"But how did you know?" One of the men asked from across the table. "And even if you did, why would you think that three weeks is enough time to replace a major figure for our company?"

"I'll answer your questions in order if you don't mind." Mr. Jones said. "To tell you the truth I thought it was obvious. The venerable Mr. Arrak had in the past always precisely come to his office at 7:10 in the morning, ate lunch at 12:25 and left at 4:00 in the after noon. However I came to notice that all of these occurrences were beginning to take place progressively later in the day. There was even a point where he came to work at 7:15! This alone was enough to cause worry but not nearly so much as the extra strain that filled his face every day. His right eyebrow developed a slight twitch that took place every 30 seconds and his left leg bent by an extra three degrees every time he took a step. It was obvious that the job was wearing down on him."

Everyone in the room stared at him soundlessly.

"And to answer the second question, I've known of someone capable of filling this position for almost a year now. One who is a complete marketing genius of unlimited talent and potential. If we brought this person to our cause our company would capture billions of dollars that otherwise would have been impossible."

Again the murmurings surrounded the table. Finally Mr. Klein picked up his hammer and hit the desk, bringing everyone to silence. He paused for a moment to clear his throat. "So, how quickly can you bring this marketing genius here Mr. Jones?" He asked in a serious tone.

"The person of my choice shall be here within two months and 15 days Mr. Klein." Mr. Jones said calmly, casually placing his hands within his pockets.

There was another pause. "You realize of course that whether or not he'll be elected will be the decision of the entire council." Mr. Klein said hesitantly.

Mr. Jones smiled smugly. "Yes of course, I have already taken that into account. Not to brag but I have already taken everything into account down to you being three minutes and twenty five seconds late to this meeting so that I could finish my presentation."

There was another awkward pause. "Right then." Mr. Klein said with a cough. "Anyways, on to other business. Mr. Swanson, your report please."

Another man came to his feet as Mr. Jones smugly returned to his seat. "Excellent." He thought to himself. "With the financial advice of this one this company will come across riches that are now behind its reach. I can't wait until we meet."

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It was a clear crisp morning over a hospital located within a city. Inside there was a small room with three beds located next to each other in which three different individuals were sleeping while wearing the classic hospital gowns. One was a teenage girl with black hair who was lying on her side with a peaceful expression on her face. One was a teenager with black hair with light spikes who was just beginning to become restless. The third was a young man with spiky black hair who was lying on his back with his eyes wide open staring up at the ceiling.

The second man turned to look at the teenager. "Hey Ranma, are you awake yet?" He asked with wide curious eyes.

The boy shifted again before he opened his own blue eyes and turned to look at the other man. "Goku, is that you?" He asked with a yawn.

The man laughed and smiled. "Yeah, it's me. That means that we've separated."

Ranma nodded hesitantly. "I guess so." His face became thoughtful. "Right about now everything we did as Raku feels as though it was just a dream. Captain Ginyu, Freezer," He gulped, "Akane's death and return. And sometimes when I close my eyes."

"I think that I'm you instead of me." Goku inserted softly. "I feel the same way. When I close my eyes I'm not really sure who I am between us. All of your memories are so clear in my mind."

Ranma nodded his head slowly. "So what happened at the end?" He asked curiously. "Where did all of that power come from? I saw Akane die and then something inside just snapped, but my instincts tell me that the power was yours."

"I'm not entirely sure." Goku admitted. "But even now I can feel whatever it was that we awakened together boiling inside me. along with something else."

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked.

"I'm not sure yet." Goku continued. "I'll have to find that out later." He looked over at where Akane was lying. "So she's alive huh?" He asked with a huge grin on his face.

Ranma's face glowed with a simple pleasure as he looked at her peaceful expression. "Yeah." He said quietly. "Maple saved her somehow. I don't know how he did it but I owe him big-time now. He really saved us, all of us."

He looked to the window which was soundly closed. "I'm getting hungry man; I really want to get back to Kasumi's cooking." He jumped out of the bed and began to stretch.

"So you're leaving already?" Goku asked curiously while also climbing out of the bed.

Ranma shrugged. "I was exhausted before but to tell you the truth I feel perfectly fine now. Besides I want to try out some of your techniques while I still have the chance."

Goku laughed. "I want to try out some of yours too." His face became excited. "We should get together and spar sometime!"

Ranma nodded, "We really should, go ahead and drop by whenever you feel like it." A memory popped into his head of Goku clearing half of a table fully stocked with food and he sweat dropped. "On the other hand maybe you should give us some advance warning. I don't think the Tendo budget could handle you very well."

Goku gave an embarrassed laugh and put his hands between his head. "Yeah you're probably right. Then you should drop by our place in the woods. I'm sure Chi-chi would be more then happy to have a few guests. Next time you go on a training journey into the mountains make sure you stop by." His face became excited. "I really want to see how strong you are when you master the Neko-ken without me."

Ranma smiled. "You'll see it alright. Anyways I should probably be going." He walked over to the bed where Akane was lying and very carefully wrapped the covers around her. "I hate to go out wearing this silly robe but I really want to get out of this place." He said quietly to which Goku just nodded.

"Keep in touch." He heard in his head. He looked up in shock to see Goku smiling widely at him. "Keep in touch." He returned with a thought to which Goku nodded. Picking Akane up he moved carefully to the window which opened even before he got there. He jumped up to the windowsill and paused for a moment before he jumped out and flew into the air.

Goku stared after him. "I swore for a moment that I saw a glint of gold on his finger." He thought to himself before shaking his head. "I shouldn't worry about that now, I should go to my family. They're probably worried sick about me."

He laughed as he walked to the door. "I wonder when the marriage will be." He thought to himself happily.

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

Ranma was flying far above the ocean below carrying Akane in his arms. Together they looked as though they were angels with the wind whipping through their hair and across their white clothes.

"Ackk." Ranma thought to himself. "I had no idea that I wasn't wearing anything under these. I have to make sure that no one sees me from below."

He looked down at Akane's peaceful face. "Amazing." He said to her in wonder. "It's amazing what's happened and what you've done for me. I didn't realize how strong you were before Akane. I had no idea."

He gulped. "I think I've finally realized Akane that I. that I love you. Now that this is all over I can finally admit it."

One of Akane's eyes opened and she smiled pleasantly at him. "Do you really mean it Ranma?"

Ranma nodded. "Yeah I really do." He said absentmindedly before his eyes widened in shock and his hands on her slipped.

"Hey, watch it!" Akane yelled in fright as she felt his arms slipping. Without thinking she reached out for the closet thing and grabbed it for support.

Ranma stared at the girl who had just wrapped her arms around him and he felt blood rushing to his head. "Akane." He whispered.

Akane's eyes widened as she realized her situation and she quickly let go. "Fly!" She said in a high pitch voice and she too began to float in the air.

Both of them turned their backs to each other and were blushing beet red. "Sorry about that Akane." Ranma said quietly.

Akane shook her head slowly. "No, it's my fault Ranma." Her eyes widened in complete surprise and she turned back to him. "Wait a second, how did you get here?!" She yelled at him. "What happened to Raku?"

Ranma laughed. "I don't know how to explain it but Raku split in half." He said. His voice lowered. "It was because the Joining was incomplete. You see I had regret in my heart at the time and it didn't work quite right."

"I see." Akane said simply while staring at him. Her eyes slowly began to fill with tears. "I'm so happy you're back!" She said flying towards him. She wrapped her arms around him and started to cry onto his chest. "I went through so much, so much just so I could fight by your side Ranma." She said between sobs. "I even went to hell and I had to fight against Raditz and then I was all alone against Rate when you and Goku were gone and then I was almost killed by that monster!"

"There there." Ranma said while feeling helpless. "So strong." He thought to himself with surprise. "When the hell did she get to be so strong? Here I was training and pushing myself to my limit for over a year so I could protect her and the entire time she was training so that she could fight along side me. Thank you Maple." He thought while his eyes turned to the sky. "Thank you so much."

Akane continued to cry onto his chest for another five minutes before eventually her sobs settled into gentle sniffles. Her body paused. "Still afraid to touch me Ranma?" Her voice asked shakily.

"What was that?" Ranma asked curiously, looking down at her.

"I felt your body stiffen up when I touched you." She said nervously while turning her eyes to look at him. "I'm sorry to presume too much Ranma. Please don't worry about me." Tears were already forming in her eyes again.

"Hey, now wait a second, it's not like that." Ranma said awkwardly while reaching out to her.

"Don't worry, I understand." Akane said softly. "Teleport." With that word her body disappeared.

"What was that all about?" Ranma asked himself in shock. "Why did she just. leave?"

He floated in midair for a few minutes with a perplexed look on his face. Finally he brought his legs up to an Indian style sitting position and just hovered in the air.

"How do I feel about her?" He asked himself. "How do I truly feel about her?"

An image sprang into his mind. He and Akane were in the Tendo Dojo positioned to fight each other. Akane's face filled in frustration and she yelled in anger, from Ranma's perspective now the injury in her eyes was clear. Something flashed in front of his eyes and Akane flew backwards into the wall. Slowly she got up and though she could barely stand her eyes were filled with joy. Shortly after he remembered his words coming from his own lips. "Well, there's. me. You see Akane, I, I, I love you."

Then her image disappeared leaving Ranma alone. "So I love her." He thought to himself intently. "Elder made that perfectly clear to me. So now that I know that I love her what should I do?"

"Try telling her." A voice said cheerily in his mind, almost causing Ranma to fall out of his position.

"Is that you Goku?!" He yelled in shock.

"There's no need to think so loud." Goku's voice complained from his mind. "You're hurting my head."

"Oh, sorry." Ranma thought much more quietly. "So. how is it that you're talking to me?"

"I'm not really sure." Goku said back. "Maybe we have some kind of psychic link because of Raku. I think I felt it back in the hotel room."

"Yeah, that's right." Ranma responded. "I do remember us thinking our partings and not saying them aloud. So anyways as long as you're here, what was your advice?"

"Just tell her how you feel." Goku responded. "It's as easy as that. Trust me; Chi-chi simply melts every time she hears it. That's how I got myself off the hook only a few minutes ago."

"I tried that already." Ranma said with a sigh. "It worked for a little bit but then I found something else to drive her off. It always seems to turn out like that."

"Then why don't you show her in some way?" Goku asked thoughtfully. Both Ranma and the presence in his mind pondered for a moment.

"Try kissing her!" Goku said excitedly.

Ranma's face turned bright red. "What, what was that?" He asked.

"Easy, just kiss her next time you see her. It's a great way to pacify females, I only just found out about it six or seven years ago right before we had Gohan."

Ranma put both of his hands over his face as he remembered that experience. "Damn it, I have all of his memories." He thought to himself, his face even brighter.

"What was that?" Goku's voice asked curiously.

"Well anyways, I don't know if that's a good idea." Ranma said with a nervous laugh. "Can't you think of anything else?"

"Hey come on, you're a martial artist aren't you?" Goku asked. "After Captain Ginyu a challenge like this should be a piece of cake. Anyways, why not use the mind of the neko-ken to help you out? You used it once to kiss her. Just use it again and the second you start revert back to your regular mind. That will take care of all the nervousness."

"Would that actually work?" Ranma asked himself in surprise while clenching his fists. "No amount of training could ever prepare me for this." He thought to himself desperately. "But if the neko-ken can handle it then it's a more powerful technique then I would ever have imagined."

"Well, I should be going now." Goku thought back cheerfully. "Give me a call if you need me. This whole mental communication thing could come in to be really handy."

"Yeah right. I'll contact you if I need something." Ranma said. "Talk to you later."

"Talk to you later." Goku returned. His presence disappeared from Ranma's mind.

"Well, my course of action is set." Ranma thought to himself determinedly. "It's time to act." He sighed to himself and looked down at his gown. "But before I return home I should at least get some clothes. I'll return to Kami's lookout first to pick up my things before returning to the dojo." Energy flared about his body and he flew at a rapid speed until his form was just a bit of blue energy in the sky.

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

Piccolo yawned as he sat up from his rolled out blanket on the floor. "That was a decent nights rest." He thought to himself as he slowly stood up. "I had no idea that sleep could be so fulfilling until I received a weak human body." He glanced at a small clock that was on the wall of the guest room. "6:00 already?" He asked himself. "Well I should go and get some training taken care of."

He pushed open the door of his room and walked through the hallway, pausing at the room that was labeled as Nabiki's. He put one of his ears up against the door. "Her breathing is regular and her ki is normal." He thought to himself. "Nothing to worry about, she just needs rest." He stepped away from the door and proceeded to the stairway that led down to the kitchen.

"You're up bright and early Mr. Piccolo." Mr. Tendo called out from the front of the table. "I see that you're quite punctual when it comes to getting ready for school."

"School?" Piccolo asked in shock, his eyes widening with fear at the prospect.

"Of course." Mr. Tendo nodded. "Even though you're a martial artist of sorts you need to train your mind as well as your body. As long as you're already enrolled in school you should attend for as long as you stay here." He smiled. "All of your books are by the entrance. You're fortunate that you enrolled only a week after the beginning of class otherwise you would have a lot more catching up to do."

"Nabiki did say that I would be attending school with her as part of the deal but I had no idea I would have to begin so quickly." Piccolo thought to himself, still unable to move. He sighed in defeat. "Well, nothing to do but make the best of the situation."

He began to walk down the stairs again, only stopping this time Mr. Saotome stepped in his way. "What do you want?" He asked in annoyance.

"Don't you remember your promise?" Genma said with a frown. "You promised me that you would demonstrate your fighting style today. I want to spar with you to see how skilled you are."

Piccolo smiled evilly, causing Genma to step back uncertainly. "I'll be happy to spar with you." Piccolo said. "I'll just have to be careful not to hurt you too severely."

Genma gulped and nodded. "I'll be waiting for you outside, make sure you change to something you can fight in." He quickly turned around and walked out the door.

Piccolo looked down at himself to see that he was still wearing the uniform he had created yesterday except for that it was completely wrinkled and folded up because of the long night. "I guess it is time for a change." He thought to himself. He walked back up the stairs and returned to his room where by the force of his mind he transformed his clothes to his classical turban style outfit. "Much better." He thought to himself with satisfaction. "It's time to go teach that fat fool a lesson."

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Akane's feet touched down on the ground in front of her house. "I'm finally back." She realized with satisfaction. "With any luck there's still time for me to make it to school today. I've already missed several days; I don't want to miss any more if I can help it." She sighed. "But it's going to be tough convincing my dad to let me go." She looked down at herself. "If nothing else I should change these clothes before going in so that he doesn't freak out or something."

She closed her eyes and a moment later her white gown was turned into a golden light. Soon the light condensed into a high school uniform and settled onto her body. "Perfect." She thought to herself with a smile. "My magic is getting much better."

She took a deep breath. "Well I guess this is it." She said out loud. With those words she steadily walked towards her house. Sliding open the door she called out, "I'm home!"

"Welcome back Akane." Kasumi said cheerfully from the kitchen.

"Akane!" Mr. Tendo yelled happily running over to her. "Thank Kami, my little girl has returned safely." Tears started to flow from his eyes as he hugged her.

"Geese Dad, I'm okay." Akane said softly, hugging her father. "I'm a big girl now; I can take care of myself."

"So where's Ranma Akane?" Kasumi asked from the kitchen.

Akane's eyes narrowed. "I imagine he'll be showing up any minute now." She gently pried herself away from her father. "I'm alright dad, really. But I have to go to school today; I don't want to fall any further behind."

"You're a strong girl Akane." Mr. Tendo said with tears still falling from his eyes. "Of course you can go to school." He paused again, "I'm so proud of my little girl!" He hugged her again. Akane rolled her eyes.

The door slid open again and Genma stepped shakily into the house. His face had a large fist shaped bruise on one cheek and his clothes were covered with rip marks.

"What happened to you Saotome?" Mr. Tendo asked in shock as he stepped away from Akane to support his friend.

"His technique is very. effective." Genma concluded. "If you don't mind me I'd like to take a bath."

"Of course Saotome, let me help you there." Mr. Tendo said in support. "Kasumi, could you get the hot water running?" He called to his daughter.

"Of course." Kasumi responded with a polite smile on her face. She turned to examine Akane. "You're much stronger Akane." She said happily. "You've really grown in the past few days."

"Tha, thank you Kasumi." Akane said with a small but pleased smile. Kasumi nodded to her and turned to walk up the stares.

The door slid open again. "Hmm, it's his fault for being a weakling." Piccolo grumbled to himself as he stepped into the house. He looked up to see Akane staring at him in shock.

"Who are you?" She asked nervously. "I don't think I've ever seen you before."

Piccolo frowned. "I'll be staying her for a while, Nabiki bullied me into it." His eyes narrowed as he examined her. "You're not like the other girls here; your magical powers are much greater. May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Akane, I live here." She responded.

Piccolo shrugged. "Well met Akane. Now if you don't mind me I have school to get ready for." He trudged past her and walked up the stairs leaving Akane staring after him.

"School?" She asked herself curiously. "I haven't been gone that long, what on earth is going on here?"

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

"Oh I see." Akane said with a smile on her face as she walked down the street towards the school. "So you were here to help Nabiki and you're Ranma's friend."

"It's not like that!" Piccolo yelled in frustration. "I came for the dragon ball; it has nothing to do with Nabiki!"

Akane smiled all knowingly. "I'm just happy that Nabiki has found a nice guy to look after her. She always seemed so cold before."

"I give up." Piccolo sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. They walked in silence for another five minutes before Piccolo looked back at her. "So where's Ranma?" He asked in curiosity. "I was hoping to fight against him as soon as possible."

Akane raised her head and closed her eyes. "I imagine that the idiot will be showing up any minute now." She said in a cold voice.

"What the hell happened here?" Piccolo asked himself silently. "I was hoping to talk to Ranma to get advice on girls but it seems like he might even be more clueless then me."

Within another ten minutes they were in front of the school. Many other students were already walking from different directions all heading towards the entrance.

Piccolo paused twenty feet from the entrance and slowly turned around. "Something's coming." He said in a low voice.

Akane paused curiously and turned around. "Really, do you know who it is?" She asked.

Piccolo nodded slowly. "It's Ranma, and his power has grown impressively since I saw him last." He said in a calm voice. His eyes widened. "He's completely powered up!"

"Powered up?" Akane asked. "Why on earth would he do that?"

Piccolo turned to face her. "I don't really know anything about it." He said with a growl. "But I do know that what it is that you humans call love have caused limitless foolishness in the past. I've seen it happen many times."

"Love?" Akane asked in shock. "He did say that he loved me." She thought to herself while a smile played itself out on her face. "Maybe I was over reacting. Asking him to be comfortable with me so soon might have been a little to much."

"Ah, Akane your return is like the end of a long winter. Your beauty melts the snow and brings a blossoming Spring filled with love." A voice announced from behind them.

Akane sweat dropped. "Not now." She thought in frustration. She turned to him and opened her mouth to yell before he exclaimed again.

"I see that fool who challenged me yesterday has dared to show his face before me!" Kuno announced loudly while holding his bokken in front of him and pointing it towards Piccolo. Already an audience was beginning to form, there was still at least ten minutes before the start of class after all.

Piccolo and Akane both blinked a few times before they fully turned to face him. Piccolo raised one of his hands and pointed to his own face. "Are you talking about me?" He asked.

"Who else would I be talking about swine?" Kuno said coldly staring at him down the blade of his wooden sword. "Never since the vile sorcerer Ranma have I seen someone so filled with black magic. You be spelled me yesterday to gain your victory and then ran once the spell was broken by my strength of will. I would have your name before I smite thee."

One of Piccolo's eyes twitched. "Is this fool always so damn annoying?" He asked Akane.

Akane nodded, trying to suppress a groan. "Maybe I should run." She thought to herself. "Things are getting way too complicated." She felt a twitch in her right eye as she noticed someone in the crowd. She turned quickly to look. "That's odd." She thought to herself. "For a second I thought I saw a black hat poking out of the crowd..." She shrugged. "Must have been my imagination."

"I don't know how it is that he has memories from yesterday." Piccolo thought to himself. "Nabiki's the expert on that kind of magic, I should ask for an explanation later."

"I would have your name." Kuno reiterated in loud annoyance.

Piccolo shrugged. "I am Piccolo." He announced. "And if you wish to challenge me then get on with it. Otherwise get out of the way."

"So cool!" A few girls yipped from the crowd causing Piccolo to sweat drop.

"Are you trying to tell me that you're the legendary king of hell?" Kuno asked in shock.

Piccolo grinned evilly as his eyes narrowed, "Yeah that's right." He said in a low voice. "Not a chance of anyone believing it other then him." He thought to himself. "I don't have anything to worry about."

Kuno's eyes filled with annoyance. "Do you take me for a fool?" He said coldly. "The king of hell is said to be a green man with claws who pushes seven feet in hell with the power to breathe fire from his hands. You hardly fit this description."

Piccolo sweat dropped. "Not such a fool after all." He realized. "If I let him see my true form he might have a chance to figure it out." At that moment Piccolo found himself being afraid of warm water.

Kuno raised his sword high into the air. "For the crime of attempting to lie to me on top of all the others prepare to meet your end!" He began to charge forwards and lowered his sword to a fighting position.

Piccolo took a freestyle stance with his legs spread apart with his hands opened as if they were claws. "At last a little action from this talkative fool." He thought to himself.

Kuno was about to reach his target when an intense wind picked up and sent him flying backwards to where his head hit the side of the school, knocking him out cold. It was so intense that all of the students and Akane had to take several steps back from their positions to avoid a similar fate. Only Piccolo held his ground unhindered.

"So you've arrived Ranma." Piccolo thought to himself with a smile. "I'm curious as to what you're up to." He looked up into the sky and a being surrounded by intense blue energy flew overhead.

Akane put her face in both of her hands. "Ranma you fool." She thought to herself. "Why are you showing the entire school that you can fly?"

Sure enough the entire school was now watching as Ranma Saotome, the man who disappeared almost a year ago supposedly on another training journey, slowly descended onto school grounds facing towards Akane. Students could be seen leaning out of windows to get a better view throughout the entire school not including the now significant crowd that had now gathered.

Piccolo took one look at Ranma and then at Akane before he jumped out of the way by a good fifty feet. He looked over at Ranma again and gasped at what he saw. Ranma's face was completely focused, as if he was drowning everything around him completely out except for his single objective.

Akane.

"Akane, you told me that I was still afraid to touch you. You seemed hurt by it." He said softly.

Akane stood shocked, mesmerized by what she saw in his eyes.

Ranma made quick strides to Akane's position and stopped only a few feet in front of her. Together they stood staring into each other's eyes, each of them fascinated yet terrified by what they saw. Each of them were too scared to make the first move.

A feral look came over Ranma's face and a notable cat presence made itself apparent to those who knew what to look for. Akane gasped slightly at the changed expression but still didn't move from where she was standing.

"What is he doing?" Piccolo asked himself, staring at Ranma. "Is this some kind of new technique? I didn't see him use this one against Nappa or Vegita."

Now without hesitation Ranma put his hand under Akane's chin and raised her face to meet his.

And kissed her full on the lips.

Almost immediately afterwards the cat presence left, leaving Ranma's face as shocked as Akane's about what was taking place. But then gradually both of them accepted it and closed their eyes.

A sneeze over a half mile down the street was clearly audible.

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

A cry of frustration could be heard from a small planet that floated in midair above a winding green road below. On the planet's surface a bald man with three eyes was running in circles around the planet chasing after a monkey.

"Man, this is a really tough test." Yamcha said to Chaotzu who was sitting next to him.

The small white child merely nodded in agreement. "Tien looks like he's having a hard time of it." He observed.

"Yeah, you said it." Yamcha agreed. He looked over to where two men of approximately equal size were standing and talking. One had blue skin and was wearing sunglasses alone with an odd looking robe while the other was bald and noseless and was wearing an orange gi.

"I kind of envy Krillin." Yamcha said with a smile. "He's so strong that he caught Bubbles on the first try. That training that he and Gohan went through was pretty intense."

Chaotzu nodded and covered his ears as another cry of frustration came from Tien. "I almost had him that time." He yelled.

"Your friend is quite excitable isn't he?" King Kai asked with a smile. "But extremely talented. He should become very powerful if he keeps with his training."

"Yeah, Tien's really strong." Krillin agreed with a bob from his head. "It almost seems strange that I'm stronger then he is right now. It feels like I'm breaking some kind of rule. It used to be that Tien was Goku's rival."

King Kai chuckled and shook his head. "But Goku is a saiyajin. I doubt that anyone on earth will be able to be his rival for long."

He became silent and walked over to his car which was sitting outside his small hut. "Oh my, it looks like you need another polishing." He said with pride to his already blinding machine.

"Uh, King Kai?" Krillin said hesitantly to the small blue man.

King Kai hesitated and turned to him. "Yes Krillin, what is it?" He asked curiously.

Krillin began to nervously poke his two fingers together. "I was kind of wondering if since, well, I'm already too strong for this training. Maybe you could teach me a new technique?"

"A new technique huh?" King Kai said thoughtfully while rubbing the side of his face. "I suppose that I could try to teach you the Kao-ken but using that technique to expand your power doesn't really seem like it would be appropriate for you."

"I think I see what you mean." Krillin agreed morosely. "I'm not really a powerhouse like Goku, I don't think I'd be able to use the kao-ken nearly so well."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too disappointed." King Kai said brightly. "I think I have a technique that suits you perfectly!" He wagged one of his fingers in the air. "But you can't be afraid of sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?" Krillin asked curiously. "That sounds kind of scary."

"Well, it should." King Kai said. "But it's also an incredibly powerful technique. I'm sure that if you mastered it you would be able to put it to great use towards protecting the earth. Plus it will give you something to do other then just sit around and watch me polish my car."

"Right, so how does this technique work?" Krillin asked excitedly.

"Well, it involves absorbing a great deal of energy into your body." King Kai explained. "One you've mastered that then you'll be ready for the second step of the training."

"Where do I begin?"

"Wait for a moment." King Kai said, leading him to his house. He walked inside for a moment and then came out holding a small ball that was pulsing with energy. "This is a spirit bomb that was gathered and then trapped." He explained. "If you can absorb all of this energy into your body then you're ready for the next step."

"Wow, that's a lot." Krillin said intimidated while he took the small ball in both of his hands.

"Oh, and I wouldn't try to play baseball with it." King Kai said with a smile. "It would probably blow up on contact." He started to chuckle as if he had made a joke.

Krillin stared at him for a second before he took a seat and held the ball up for examination. "So I have to absorb all of this huh?" He asked quietly while staring at the ball. A cat like smile filled his face. "Oh won't Goku and Ranma be impressed to see that I know a technique that they don't! I can't wait."

He closed his eyes and focused his attention on the ball and slowly began to pull the energy away from its container and into his own body.

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

Piccolo stared in shock at the exchange that was taking place. "So this is what kissing is." He thought to himself. "I had no idea. I wonder why humans are so fond of it."

Almost a minute after it started Ranma separated from Akane and took a single step back. Together they opened their eyes and stared at each other.

"Akane, I, I wasn't lying." Ranma said quietly. "I meant what I said before."

"Keep going Ranma." Akane said in a whisper, her eyes shimmering with pent up emotion.

"I really do love you." Ranma said slowly. He gulped and hesitated for a moment but when he saw the look in her eyes he bit his lower lip and continued. "And I want you to be my bride."

Akane's breath froze in her chest and she could only stare at him.

"Did I say something wrong?" Ranma asked in fear.

Akane shook her head as tears slowly rolled down the side of her face. "Of course not Ranma." She whispered. "Of course I'll marry you. I love you too."

It was at this moment that a huge roar could be heard from the school as the entire student body either started to boo cheer or clap all at once. "He made a decision!" Someone yelled happily. "Ranma Saotome made a decision! At last the chaos is going to end!"

"But could it really be over that easily?" Someone else asked. "What about all of his other suitors?"

"Yeah, that's right." Ranma thought to himself. "I have some people to talk to before I can be through with this." He turned around and almost fell on his butt when he saw the entire school watching. "When did all of these people get here?!" He yelled in surprise.

Akane again put her face in her right hand. "They were here all along idiot." She said with an annoyed voice. "You just weren't paying attention."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ranma said, almost embarrassed. "I'm glad that Shampoo and Ukyo aren't here right now. I'd rather not have an audience when I deal with them."

"Ranma, please turn around and look behind me." Akane said with a long suffering sigh.

"Well, sure." Ranma said as he turned around. His eyes widened as he saw Ukyo standing only twenty feet behind Akane with wide eyes with tears rolling down her face.

"Well uh, hi Ukyo." Ranma said with a nervous laugh as he scratched his head with one of his hands. "Long time no see right?"

Ukyo lowered her head so that shadows covered up her face. "I guess that you've made up your mind Ranma." She said in a strained voice.

"Well yeah, it would seem like that wouldn't it?" Ranma said uncomfortably.

"Well then don't mind me. I promise I won't get in your way." Ukyo said while faking a smile. She quickly turned around and started to run away from the school.

"Wow, I really hurt her didn't I?" Ranma asked in a serious voice.

"Yeah, you did Ranma." Akane agreed sadly. "For a while I saw her as a competitor but now I really feel badly for her." She looked up at him. "Maybe you should go after her and say something Ranma."

"But what could I say?" Ranma asked. "Should I tell her that I don't love her but I've loved you for almost two years now? I don't think that would really change anything."

"I wouldn't worry about her Ranma." Piccolo said in a calm voice while he approached.

"What would you know about this Piccolo?" Ranma asked while turning to him. "I didn't think that you really understand human emotions."

"How can you say such a thing Ranma? Of course he understands human emotions." Akane said with a reprimanding tone.

Piccolo shook his head. "No, Ranma's right, I do have very little understanding of human emotions." He said calmly. "But I have made it my expertise to find out as much as possible about all of the negative human emotions which make the soul heavier. Things such as hatred and depression are emotions that I understand very well." He looked up at where the girl was standing a moment before. "Honestly all I felt from her spirit was the release of pent up depression that she had already felt. It's my conclusion that she knew of your emotions before either of you did but up to this point had lived in denial of their existence. Only now that both of you have made it obvious how you feel is she truly free."

Akane stared at him in surprise. "I'm amazed." She said. "Are you saying that she knew all along?"

Piccolo nodded. "It's my guess that almost everyone knew all along. Even you two. But both of you were too much cowards to admit it."

"Cowards?" Ranma asked, taking a step back. At first his eyes and face clenched with anger at the comment but then he sighed and relaxed. "Yeah he's right, I was a coward." Ranma admitted to himself. He looked at Akane who was now gazing at him with concern in her eyes. "I couldn't even be a man and kiss her on my own; I had to rely upon the neko-ken for that." A look of determination filled his face. "Never again." He thought to himself. "Never again will I be afraid to show my emotions."

Unbeknownst to those three the rest of the student body began to file back into the school, all of them talking about the events that had just taken place. Kuno was still lying unconscious just outside of the school.

Piccolo looked back and forth between them and shrugged. "Well this entire conversation is very interesting but I have a deal to fulfill." He said gruffly while turning towards the school. "I'll see you two later." With a slow and steady pace he walked past Kuno and into the school.

"Well, I guess that we have a lot to take care of don't we." Akane said simply. "You have to deal with Shampoo and Kodachi and we have to set a date."

"Set a date?" Ranma asked curiously.

"Well, of course." Akane said with a slight smile. "Set a date for the wedding. To get married you do have to have a wedding after all." Her eyes narrowed. "Of course this time we'll need to make sure that it goes uninterrupted."

"It's not like that was my idea you know." Ranma said, raising his voice. "If I had my way then all of those other guys would have butted out."

"Do you really mean that Ranma?" Akane asked with a smile that reached her eyes.

"Well. Yeah, of course." Ranma said, confused at her tone of voice. "Look, you still have Ryouga to deal with you know?" He said hopefully.

"Ryouga?" Akane asked in confusion. "Why would I deal with him? He's your adversary after all."

"Well yeah that's true." Ranma agreed. "But you're the one that he's in love with so you should be the one to talk to him."

Akane's eyes widened. "In love with. He's in love with me?"

Ranma rolled his eyes. "Couldn't you tell Akane? He practically acts like Dr. Tofu when Kasumi's around with you. I thought it was obvious."

"I had no idea." Akane whispered. "He was always so sweet and gentle; I really don't want to hurt him. I just want us to be friends."

"Look Akane." Ranma began. "I never wanted to hurt Ukyo or Shampoo or Kodachi, well maybe I don't care so much about Kodachi. But the point is that if we want to do this we might have to hurt a few people. It would be better then just stringing them along."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Akane said sadly. "I'll try to find Ryouga today after school."

"That would be for the best." Ranma said. "Why don't you leave while I go to visit Shampoo and that old ghoul? I can get myself reenrolled later."

"Alright Ranma, I'll see you soon." Akane said in a low voice. She slowly turned away from him and walked towards the school.

"For as hard as she hits she sure has a soft heart." Ranma thought to himself while scratching the back of his head. "Come to think of it," he said as he looked up into the air, "just a year ago I would never have been willing to set my foot down on this whole fiancé business." He chuckled. "Well I guess that there's still a little bit of Goku left inside me." Shrugging he put his hands in his pockets and began to walk away from the school, stopping only when a loud growl split the peaceful silence.

Ranma put his right hand to his stomach and smiled. "Well I guess it has been a while since I've eaten; now I can take care of two birds with one stone!"

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

It was a rather large and comfortable room with enough tables and chairs to sit at least thirty people, which is most likely why the forty plus people who were packed into the room made it seem that much more crowded. Behind the counter an old woman was working furiously with her hands moving too quickly to be seen filling bowls with ramen over and over again while a man behind her desperately tried to keep her supplied. Meanwhile a cute young girl with purple hair was rapidly moving to and from the front table providing the various customers with food. To the observant the mostly male crowd could be seen gawking at the slender figure of the girl but none of the three in the restaurant cared, or in the case of the man, noticed.

A silence broke out from behind the counter as the old woman stopped what she was doing and quickly looked towards the entrance of the restaurant. Without noticing that she had stopped the man crashed into the counter and dropped the pot that he had been holding over the other side where it landed with a loud clatter. This was loud enough that all noise ceased in the room as everyone looked to see what had happened.

What they saw was the man draped over the counter with his empty hands outstretched before him while the pot rested on the ground. Next to him the old woman was now standing on the counter in a cold sweat staring towards the door.

"What wrong great grandmother?" Shampoo asked while she ran to the old woman, callously walking past the prone man.

"I can sense an incredible power approaching." Cologne said seriously. "We are now closed!" She announced to the crowd. "I apologize for the inconvenience, if you return tomorrow we will be offering a special discount on all orders."

Murmers of dissent came from the crowd until they heard the last part of her message. Unwilling to argue with her they stood and drifted out. Within a few minutes they were all gone.

"Are you sure great grandmother?" Shampoo asked quietly as the last members of the crowd drifted out of the room. "I no feel anything."

Cologne sighed as she took a seat on the counter. "I can see that I haven't kept up sufficiently with your training Shampoo." She said quietly. "You're not nearly as sensitive to the energy of those around you as you should be."

"Huh, where did everyone go?" The man asked in a daze as he pulled his body over the counter and took a seat on it next to the old woman. He pushed his glasses which had fallen across his face up to his forehead and stared in shock at the wall. "Wow, something radical is coming this way!" He yelled.

Cologne looked him in surprise. "So the fool Mousse has more talent then he lets on." She thought to herself. "If he can detect Ranma's approach despite the worthlessness of his five basic senses then he must have some untapped natural ability. I should keep that in mind."

Shampoo stared intently at the wall as if trying to see through it before blinking in confusion at the two next to her. "I still no see it great grandmother." She said cautiously, as if afraid of being scolded.

Cologne sighed once again. "That's because you're depending too much on what your body is telling you Shampoo. If you want to sense the approach, focus on fluctuations within your spirit. That is the sensitivity known to true martial artists."

Shampoo again turned her face to wall but this time she closed her eyes and sighed deeply, relaxing herself. After close to ten seconds she widened them in shock and took a step back. "The spirit is so big!" She yelled, grabbing the counter for support.

"You are correct Shampoo." Cologne said calmly. "Roughly large enough to crush this entire city I would wager."

"What does he want with us?" Mouse asked, cutting off Shampoo's next line.

"All we can do is wait until he gets her." She said simply. "By the looks of it he's taking his time." She looked over at Shampoo and Cologne whose gazes were still on the wall. "I think he's hungry, why don't you two whip up a special for him?" She asked.

Nodding dumbly they scrambled to follow her orders. They somehow managed to work effectively together and by the time the form stepped through the door a complete bowl of ramen was sitting on the counter with a pair of chopsticks sitting next to it.

After one look at the man who had stepped through the door Shampoo's face paled. "Ranma?" She asked quietly.

"Yo guys, it's been along time." Ranma said with a straight face as he waved with one of his hands.

"Yes it has." Cologne said evenly. "And I have a feeling that it's been longer for you then for the rest of us."

Ranma raised his eyebrows in surprise. "So you knew more about Kami's special training then you let on." He said.

Cologne shrugged. "All I knew of his training was from old legends passed down from my ancestors. The real evidence is in your eyes. You're not the same man who left me only a few short days ago. Such growth is impossible in only a few days time."

"I underestimated you old ghoul." Ranma said as he approached her. "You're wiser then what I gave you credit for."

Cologne raised one of her eyebrows. "He said that almost with. respect." She thought to herself. "I can see that more has changed then just his power. It's almost as if there's a piece of someone else inside him that I just can't recognize."

"Ranma is back!" Shampoo yelled excitedly running towards Ranma for the inevitable anime glomp. Only this time she was interrupted as she met resistance almost a foot from his body.

"Long time no see Shampoo." Ranma said, breezing past her to take a seat. "Man, is this for me?" He asked happily as he looked at the ramen. Without waiting for a reply he started to eat the food at a rate that would make Lina Inverse take notice.

"I suppose some things will never change." Cologne thought quietly while she watched the food disappear. "Mousse, prepare another bowl for him." She ordered.

Mouse stared at Ranma for a moment longer before he shook his head and got to work fulfilling her command.

Shampoo walked back to where Ranma was sitting. "Shampoo is happy to see Airen back at last." She said with a smile. "Now we can marry and go back to China."

Ranma pushed the bowl aside and stood up to face her. "Look Shampoo, that's the reason why I'm here." Ranma announced.

Cologne's eyes narrowed. "Is he about to make up his mind?" She asked herself. From the expressions on the faces of Shampoo and Mousse their thoughts mirrored Cologne's.

"The engagement is off, I won't marry you." Ranma concluded.

Tears filled Shampoo's eyes as her intense gaze melted. She looked like she was about to protest before she sighed and lowered her shoulders. "Is it that violent girl?" She asked with a strained voice.

"If by that you mean Akane then yes." Ranma said quietly.

Shampoo sighed while she turned to Cologne. "What should we do great grandmother?" She asked sadly. "We no have the power to resist his wishes."

"That is true but Amazon tradition must be satisfied." Cologne said firmly. She looked at Ranma. "Despite your incredible martial arts abilities you are still vulnerable to the forces of magic." She threatened quietly. "I'm afraid you will find it not to be so easy to escape our tradition."

Ranma smiled. "You know, I actually thought about that." He said almost casually. "So tell me, what would happen if someone from within your tribe were able to defeat Shampoo in combat before our marriage took place? Would that annul this whole situation involving tradition and maintain your honor?"

"If such a thing were possible then yes, the male from the tribe would have priority over the outsider." Cologne said. "But Shampoo is the greatest Amazon fighter of her generation. Finding a male warrior from our tribe capable of besting her would be impossible."

"I don't know if I'd say that." Ranma said with a laugh. "I know of a guy who's easily capable of beating her in combat. He just needs to have the right trainer."

"You speak confidently sonny boy." Cologne said quietly. "If you're so confident then maybe you'll be willing to go along with a little proposition that I have for you."

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Ranma asked with a smile while looking directly at her.

"How about you arrange for a wedding to occur three months from today." She said, her lips already turning into a smile. "If your mystery amazon warrior can defeat Shampoo in even combat at that time, I will accept that your marriage to her is annulled and we will leave you forever, allowing you to marry whoever you may choose. If however she defeats your warrior, you will accept that of all men who live on this planet you are the only one worthy of her and will then marry her at that wedding."

"Great grandmother." Shampoo breathed in astonishment. "Not now child." Cologne cut her off, "Leave everything to me."

For almost a minute Ranma stared at Cologne intently while Mousse and Shampoo shifted nervously where they were standing. Finally he smiled confidently. "You're on old ghoul." He said with a cocky smile. "I'll find an amazon warrior so strong you won't believe it."

"I certainly hope so." Cologne cackled. "Because before this day is out Shampoo and I are leaving the Nekohanten to begin her special training in the art of energy manipulation. You know this training well since you yourself have already gone through it. Even with only three months her current abilities will be close to doubled."

Ranma nodded his smile still apparent on his face. "What, only doubled? With only that much of an increase she won't even stand a chance." He reached across the counter and grabbed the waiting bowl of ramen and proceeded to polish it off in less than ten seconds. He then set it on the table. "Put it on my tab alright?" He asked as he turned away and walked out of the restaurant.

"What warrior he speak of great grandmother?" Shampoo asked, tears still falling down her face.

"I'm not entirely sure child." Cologne said thoughtfully as she watched him leave. "It's possible that he paid a visit to our tribe in China and met someone there but I can't imagine a warrior of the caliber of which he speaks. Especially not after the training you'll be going through in the next three months."

Unbeknownst to them Mousse turned around and walked through the door and to the stairs and proceeded up to his room. "I don't know how or why." He thought to himself seriously. "But I've got a feeling that the warrior Ranma was talking about is me. If that's the case then I'm going to be going on a long journey too. He must know of someone who can train me who will make me much stronger." Tears of joy began to roll down his face. "If that's true then Ranma Saotome, I owe you."

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

"It's finally the last class of the day." Piccolo muttered to himself as he took a seat in the back of the room. "Why the hell did all of Nabiki's classes have to be so boring?" A girl that was sitting next to him smiled and waved, trying to get his attention.

"And why do all the girls have to be so annoying?" Piccolo thought to himself while ignoring her. "Hell, if I didn't know any better I'd say that every female in this whole damn building was trying to get my attention. I need to do something to get them off my back." He unconsciously leaned back in his chair. "But what would convince all of these girls to leave me alone? I need to figure something out."

"Oh I'm sorry Jauen." He heard a girl say sadly outside of the classroom. "I already have a boyfriend."

"Oh, well I'm sorry." A boy's voice responded. Even without his Namekian ears Piccolo could still clearly read the awkwardness in his voice.

"Good-bye." The girl finished before turning around and walking into the class. Piccolo felt a tap on his right arm. Turning he saw the girl who had been waving at him earlier smiling at him earnestly.

"What do you want?" Piccolo asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go out for ice cream after school today." She said while bobbing her head.

"What the hell is ice cream?" Piccolo asked himself. "It sounds disgusting." He shook his head and made an effort to smile but it turned out more like a grimace. "No, I already have a girlfriend."

"What????!!!!!!" The entire class yelled. Instantly Piccolo found himself practically up against the wall while every student in the class was staring at him.

"Who is she?" Everyone chimed together.

"What is it with this school?" Piccolo thought to himself while eyeing the door desperately. "I should have let Mire kill them."

He cleared his throat. "Uh. Her name is Nabiki. Nabiki Tendo."

"You're dating Nabiki?" Everyone questioned together.

An image of Nabiki's cold face appeared in Piccolo's mind and he sweatdropped. "I don't even want to imagine how much I'm going to pay for this later." He thought to himself. His face became serious and determined. "But if it gets those girls off my back then I'll pay any price." "Yes, I'm dating Nabiki." He announced seriously.

Everyone stared at him for a few moments, refusing to believe their ears. "Is he really dating her?" He heard someone ask from the back. "It seems that way, who would have guessed it?" Someone else replied. "His fan club sure won't be happy to hear this." A third person commented.

Piccolo cringed at the last comment. "I must be hearing things." He thought to himself.

"Alright class, it's time to begin today's lesson." A teacher said happily as she walked into the class.

"Saved." Piccolo thought to himself in relief as the entire class slowly turned around to face the front. Another image of Nabiki's cold face appeared in his mind. "But for how long?" He couldn't help but ask himself.

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

"Alright class, that's the end of the lesson for today." A serious faced man announced in a monotone voice. "Remember to read pages thirty-five through forty-three to be ready for tomorrow's quiz."

"At last." Akane breathed in relief as she stretched in her chair. "I didn't think that he'd ever be done talking." She looked despairingly down at the open book on her desk. "Who would have thought that I would have missed so much in the past few days that I've been gone? I can't believe how much there is to be done." She put her face in her hands. "And I don't think that I'll ever live down what Ranma did this morning. Doesn't that idiot ever think anything through?"

She slowly came to her feet and placed her books inside her carrying case and then slowly made her way out of the class and to the entrance of the school. Just before she could walk out of the front entrance a chill wind suddenly blew through so that she had to use both of her hands to keep her school uniform from being blown upwards.

"Where did that come from?" Akane asked in surprise. She shrugged and walked through the doors onto the stairs.

"Hello there Akane!" She heard a friendly female voice call.

Akane looked in the direction of the speaker to see a rather pretty brown haired girl of close to her height who was smiling at her happily. "Matsumi?" Akane asked with a smile. "Why are you here, I thought you transferred?"

The girl shrugged. "I know but my father's business brought me back to Tokyo. I'm so happy to see you!" She dropped her school case uncaringly and stepped forward to hug Akane whose eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm happy to see you too Matsumi." Akane said, hugging her back. "I'm so excited that you're back."

"Wow, so Matsumi's back now. Talk about a turn of good luck." Akane thought to herself happily. "She's been one of my closest friends ever since we meet in elementary school close to six years ago. I was so sad when her father's business forced her to move away two years ago. Come to think of it, I think she left only shortly before Ranma came along. Maybe that's the reason I was in such a bad mood when he first appeared."

"I know, so am I." She giggled as she stepped away from Akane. She smiled mischievously. "I saw you and Ranma's little demonstration this morning." She said airily.

Akane felt her face growing red. "You saw that?" She asked. "Ranma you idiot." She repeated to herself for the umpteenth time.

"I had no idea that your relationship with boys has gone so far in the years I've been gone." The girl squealed happily. "So when are you getting married? Am I invited? Is he a good kisser?"

"Well, I don't know, sure, kind of." Akane said, desperately trying to keep up with her questions. Finally she threw up her hands while her face turned even redder. "Please Matsumi, slow down!"

The girl started to pout and looked at the ground, tears already building up in the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry Akane." She whispered. "I just wanted to share your joy with you. I didn't mean to be a bother."

Akane sighed and lowered her head in defeat. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell. Look, why don't we go out for ice cream and we can catch up?" "I'll have to find Ryouga later, before he finds Ranma and gets himself hurt." She thought to herself.

"Yeah, let's go Akane!" Matsumi said happily while she grabbed Akane's hand and started to pull her off.

"Hey, slow down!" Akane laughed as she followed after the girl.

A short while later they were sitting in a small stall where Akane was staring in astonishment at the quadruple scoop of ice cream that Matsumi was eating.

"I don't think I'll ever get over that." Akane said, taking a conservative bit of her own ice cream.

"So anyways, tell me about how you and Ranma finally got together." Matsumi said eagerly while looking over her bowl.

Akane paused for a moment. "I obviously can't tell her everything, most of it is still beyond belief even for me." She thought to herself. "So I'll just gloss over a few things."

She opened her mouth to speak but before she could her entire body shivered and then froze in place.

"What's wrong Akane?" Matsumi asked curiously, staring at her friend.

"I sense black magic." Akane thought quickly to herself. "Oh, nothing." She laughed, putting her hands behind her head. "I just have to. use the bathroom. See you in a few minutes!" She quickly jumped to her feet and ran out of the parlor.

"But Akane, there's a bathroom right here." Matsumi complained, pointing to a conspicuous door with a symbol of a person wearing a dress.

"Not clean enough!" Akane called behind back to her, rushing quickly down the street and out of sight.

"So I see." Matsumi said with a pouting frown on her face. Once Akane was gone her frown slowly twisted until it became a conniving smile. "Don't let me down Akane." She whispered.

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

"I sense it really close by!" Akane said to herself while running down the street. She heard a high pitch scream from somewhere ahead of her. People who were around her looked curiously to where it had come from. "What was that?" She heard someone ask in confusion.

"Monster!" She heard someone else from further down the street yell. Their fear overruling their curiosity everyone began to run in the opposite direction of Akane.

"I'm going to need some kind of a disguise." Akane thought to herself in a panic. She ducked into a nearby alley. "Now what can I use?" She stood still for a second and finally hit her left hand with her right. "That's it!" She said with an excited smile.

She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment before her school clothes turned into golden light and then cascaded around her, becoming the robes that Maple had given her. She quickly pulled the hood over her head so that her face couldn't be seen. "I feel like some kind of superhero." She thought to herself with a smile.

She stepped out of the alley and started to run to where the scream had come from. Turning a corner she gasped at what she saw. Seven people were lying on the ground, their bodies soaked in their own blood. Standing above them was what appeared to be a large skeletal monster that had red fires in the empty sockets of its eyes. It turned slowly to her and raised its hands of which every finger had been sharpened to a point.

"What the hell is that thing?" Akane asked herself before looking down to examine the victims. "Still alive." She thought to herself, gauging their remaining life forces. "But slipping away fast. I don't have time to call for help; I'll have to deal with this thing myself." She took a standard martial arts stance and looked into the flames in the sockets of the skull.

Moving more quickly then she could move the skeletal creature covered the distance separating them and swiped at her with one of its hands. Both of her arms surrounded with holy power Akane blocked the attack to the outside and punched directly through the ribcage of the skeleton, shattering it in half.

Where the bones had been broken black energy floated in the air and continued to suspend the beast. Bringing together both its arms it attempted to impale its prey through the back. Its claws easily pierced her robes and flesh but before the attack cut deeply a whispered word caused Akane to disappear and reappear on the opposite side of the street next to the victims who were still lying on the ground.

She gingerly touched her back with one of her arms. "Not to deep." She thought to herself. "And fortunately it doesn't seem to be poisoned in any way. I can fully heal this later." She cast a light spell on herself and the deep cuts on her back instantly scabbed over and reduced in size.

Akane looked over to where her nemesis had already turned to face her. Its skeletal body currently showed not even a scratch upon the ivory white bones. Slowly at first it began to approach her again.

"Phsyical attacks don't seem to have any lasting effect on this thing." Akane thought to herself. "I really wish Ranma were here." She shook her head. "No time for that now, here it comes!"

If it were even possible this time the monster approached her even more quickly then it had before. "Aura!" Akane yelled at the skeleton reached forward to further grope her body. Its hands met resistance as a golden barrier sprang up around her. Its face incapable of emotion it tried to squeeze her to crush her past her aura.

"Can't breath." Akane thought to herself. "I could teleport away again to think of another strategy." She caught sight of one of the victims lying below her, his lifeblood continuing to drain away. Her eyes started to shimmer and her face became determined. "No, I need to help these people. I have to finish this thing now."

She raised both of her hands palm up and placed them on the skeletons chest. "Holy burst!" She yelled. At her command holy magical energy composed of light exploded from her hands and expanded as a globe, encompassing the entire position of the monster. Almost in slow motion its bones disintegrated in mid-air. Finally they were completely vaporized leaving only a small slip of paper with some sort of star shaped symbol that was surrounded in a black mist.

"What's this?" Akane asked as she knelt to take a closer look at the star. Before she could touch it a spark lit at one of its corners and the entire paper burst into flames, leaving only ashes behind. As soon as the paper disappeared the black mist dispersed into the air.

Akane spent a moment longer staring at where the paper had just been before she shook her head. "No time for this." She thought to herself as she looked around at all of the half dead victims of the attack. "Helping these people is more important."

"Stabilize." She whispered, touching her hands to the ground. There was an instant reaction as the various wounds began to scab over. "Not enough." Akane realized as she look around herself. "It's going to take more to help them. I'm going to have to use my full power." Her eyes were already beginning to droop with the effort she had put forth but she shook her head. "Snap out of it Akane." She said solidly to herself. "You have the power, I just know it."

She closed her eyes and found her focus. "Mass heal." She whispered gently. At those words a light reached out from her body and touched those who were lying around her. She remained in this connection for only thirty seconds before she wearily shook her head. The aura broke and she swayed to her feet. "Hey you!" She heard someone yell in the distance as a crowd of people were already approaching.

"Time to get out of here." She realized. "Teleport." With those words she again found herself within the small alley that she had used to change. Taking a moment to transform her robes to her school uniform she walked unsteadily out of the alley and went in the direction of the ice cream parlor.

"Hey older lady." A little girl said as Akane was walking by.

"What's that?" Akane asked tiredly, not even able to be offended by how she was addressed.

"Your hair is really weird!" The girl said with a smile, before she turned and ran to where all the action was.

Akane unconsciously touched her hair before she shrugged and continued to trudge to her previous destination. "Silly kid." She thought absentmindedly to herself.

Before reaching the ice cream parlor the creamy maple colored highlights which before were a sharp contrast to her regular hair color slowly returned to their previous black.

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

There was a large round room of which the ceiling appeared to be a night sky. All of the constellations moved about the ceiling and little lines of red light connected certain sets of them in order to form pictures of great complexity. In the center of the room a black light shimmered somehow set about from the darkness of the room and formed a circle that was filled with mystical seals and shapes. Surrounding this circle was four figures the genders of which were impossible to distinguish because of the robes that they were wearing.

"What do you think?" One obviously female voice asked. "She's quite extraordinary if I do say so myself."

"Yes, she should be of excellent use to us." Another female voice agreed.

"I don't know, she's powerful but she's still just an amateur." A third voice dissented, this one so hoarse the gender of the speaker could not be distinguished.

"Hey, despite her lack of elegance she cleanly destroyed that little creation of yours." The first form bristled. "I think she did a great job."

"Please girls, calm yourselves." A male voice instructed.

"Yes Mr. President." The three forms said obsequiously.

"This girl Akane, she interests me greatly." The voice said musingly. "The talent that she demonstrated today suggests that she may have even more untapped power then I previously thought." The form turned to the first girl. "For how long did you say that she's been awakened?"

"Close to a year Mr. President." The first voice said. "She spent most of that time developing her powers of healing with a local physician, but for some reason her capabilities have exploded to unprecedented levels in only the past few days."

"It's possible that there may be a connection between her increased powers and the magical attack that took place against the school yesterday." The second voice added.

The fourth form nodded. "So I see, very interesting." It turned its back to the other three. "Keep surveillance upon her." The voice ordered. "And continue to explore the scope of her abilities. I want to know everything about her."

"Yes Mr. President." The three voices chimed, each of the forms bowing deeply to him.

"Rykuyo, you will continue to have precedence in this research." He said to the third form. "Do whatever you feel is necessary."

"Of course Mr. President." The figure responded in a raspy voice. "It will be as you say."

With those words he nodded to those around him and then turned around to walk away from the circle. "This Akane isn't the only person of interest in this city." The dark shape thought to himself. "That Piccolo holds a great power which is familiar to me but that I just can't put my finger on. And Ranma now holds a physical strength greater then I previously thought was possible for a human." The form started to chuckle. "This new school year should prove to be very interesting for Nerima. Very interesting indeed."

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

There was a grey rocky landscape which was remarkably similar to the surface of the moon. Contrasting against the monotone colors was a small man with black hair which spiked directly up above his head who was wearing flexible battle armor with blue spandex covering his arms and legs. At the end of each arm and each leg a large circular weight was located of a grayish color. On his forehead a cursive M stood out amongst his proud and fierce features which seemed to ebb with a strange power. Currently a red aura flared around his body.

Close to four-hundred feet a way there was a small white building which resembled an insect. Inside two creatures were watching the small man who was training outside. One was a small yellowish man who had ratty robes and was wearing a belt with an identical symbol to that which was on the man's forehead. The other was a man about twice the size of the smaller one with a large helmet that jutted out behind him and who had large lips and somewhat vacant eyes.

"Very impressive Vegita, I had no idea that your hidden powers would prove to be so effective." The smaller man said gloatingly while rubbing his fingers together. He looked up at the thing that was standing next to him. "Take him up to training level forty-five." He ordered.

The eyes almost bugged out of the head of his helper. "But Master Babbiti, at training level forty-five the magnets in the ground would cause his weights to weigh over a ton a piece. He wouldn't even be able to move let alone defend himself from the battle droids!"

The creature started to chuckle. "You don't know Vegita like I do. He would sooner die then lose to anyone. If he is to achieve the status of super-saiyajin that Freezer spoke of then we will need to push him beyond his little limits."

The helper nodded slowly. "Yes, of course Master Babbiti." His hands went to the control panel where he pushed and manipulated a few different switches.

Outside the man fell to his knees as the weights became too much for his body to support. In the same instant three robots rose out of the ground surrounding him and all of them started shooting lasers at his position. Screaming in rage his aura became even greater and he launched himself from his knees towards one of the robots. Anticipating his movement it dodged out of the way and continued to barrage him with energy attacks.

"Raaagghhhh!" He yelled, launching a single huge blast of energy from his hands. Unable to dodge the robot fell apart under his attack. In a single motion the man grabbed the mass of melted metal and threw it at another robot, shattering it apart on contact. Seeing the destruction of its comrades the last robot continued to create space between them while keeping up the attack against him.

Using his signature attack Vegita unleashed a large number of smaller energy attacks which flew towards the machine, causing it to completely disintegrate. Breathing hard with the effort, he again fell to knees, the armor on his upper body almost completely destroyed. His body was already covered with numerous scratches and burns from where the lasers made contact.

"Very good." Babbiti said approvingly. "You." He ordered the soldier. "I have other things of important to attend to. I want to completely resuscitate him and in eight hours again place him in level forty-five training conditions. Only this time instead of the training droids I want you to use one class five machine of destruction."

Again the eyes bugged out of the aliens head. "Class five? Those machines have high enough power levels to destroy a planet! There's no way he could survive that!"

Babbiti shrugged. "So what if he dies? Resurrection is an easy enough feat. If he dies then make sure his body is well preserved and I'll bring him back next time I come here. You have your orders, teleport!" With that last word he vanished into thin air.

The soldier turned to the window where the small man was currently lying. Already a droid was next to him detaching his weights and bringing him back towards the building.

"I don't know what Vegita has done to deserve this kind of torture." The soldier thought to himself. "At least I'm not in his shoes."