by Gie: phowahcs.com
A Tail To Remember
Chapter Twenty: Confrontations
Outside--Tendo Yard
Vejiita stomped out into
the yard, anger rolling off him in
thunderous waves. "How
dare he! First he insults my student, then
he insults me! And I'm
supposed to let him off with nothing?"
Akane burst out the back
door, followed by Ranma, Tobuma,
Trunks, and finally Bulma.
"Vejiita! How dare you threaten Ranma's
father in such a way!"
"You know the laws, Seiika!"
Vejiita whirled around, eyes
blazing. "No outsider
insults or threatens the Royal line! That
kusotare should be a pile
of dust."
"We aren't on Vejiita-sei
anymore, Vejiita! Those laws don't
apply here. You know
better than that."
His face got a deeper
red, if possible. "We are Saiya-jiin.
We follow Saiya-jiin law.
There are no exceptions to this rule,
Seiika-oujo."
Ranma stepped closer.
"I didn't take offense to what he said,
Oujisama. Saotome Genma
is like that--that is how he talks. It's
just his way."
The Prince just spat.
"That is no excuse. Such disrespect
for Royalty is not tolerated!"
He turned slightly to face his sister.
"This may not be Vejiita-sei,
Seiika, but I will not let Imperial Laws
be broken and disregarded
no matter what planet I am on."
"Genma is not Saiya-jiin,
Vejiita. He was no aware of the
Imperial Laws." Akane
argued, throwing her hands up into the air.
"Don't you think I am
aware of that?" he argued back. "I
gave him a warning.
He foolishly ignored it. After the second insult,
I gave him another one.
He scoffed at me and then insulted me! It
is completely his fault he
did not heed them. I should have
destroyed him after the first--with
no warning!"
Bulma laid a firm hand
on his arm. "Calm down, Vejiita." He
just threw her a look of contempt.
She gave as good as she got.
"Seiika-chan is right.
You can't hold Saotome-san responsible for
breaking the Imperial Laws.
He did not know they existed, so he
could not break what he did
not know. He may not be innocent, but
he was ignorant." Bulma
smirked slightly. "Besides, I don't think
he's going to say anything
in your presence for a long time. He's
quite aware of the high-treason
he committed, and is sleeping off
his..."
Vejiita snorted and spat
once more, clearly displeased. He
pulled away from her and faced
the koi pond, arms crossed. "He will
not get away with such an
insult to the Crown and the Royal House
of Vejiita-sei."
Akane sighed. The
death of Saotome Genma has been
averted. For the time
being. Akane snapped her head around when
she heard the shoji doors
opening. "He lives with the knowledge
that you have the ability
to take his life at a moment's notice. He
steps out of line..."
she trailed off, glancing away from the porch
and turned back to her brother,
whose back still faced her.
"Knowing Saotome-ojisan, the
threat you hold over him will keep him
in line for some time..."
Vejiita grunted and turned
around. He locked eyes with his
sister, mulling over her words.
He flicked his gaze to the people on
the porch, his black eyes
boring holes into a particular being behind
her, telling of unspeakable
torture he could commit to the bag of fat
and water. His
eyebrows came together into his trademark scowl
and giving Akane one final
stare, he nodded once and turned back to
face the pond.
The air was filled with
the sound of breaths finally being
released. The thick
and heady tension that had once filled the air
cleared away like fog being
burned away by the sun. Everyone's
postures relaxed noticeably,
until they all turned toward the house
when a faint shuffle was heard.
The four set of eyes
were downcast as they stepped off the
porch. Genma, after
a 'gentle' prodding of Nodoka's katana, stepped
forward and stood in front
of Ranma and Akane. His eyes did not
meet theirs as he went down
on his knees. "Gomen nasai,
Vejiita-oujisama, Seiika-oujosama,
Serori-san, for my ignorance to
the Crown. I was not
aware that my words would cause discord to
the Royal House of Vejiita-sei."
He bowed low, his forehead
touching the ground.
"Please forgive me."
Everyone watched silently
for the Saiya-jiin's reactions.
Vejiita turned around and
stared coldly at the top of Genma's head,
but he did not say a word.
Ranma glanced at Akane and she nodded.
He bent down to Genma's level.
"Otousan, there is nothing to
forgive. You did not
know, so you can not be held accountable for
your actions." He stood
and helped Genma up, who in turn gave his
son an unreadable glance.
"But now you know, Human,"
Vejiita spoke quietly, but
malicious intent was dripping
off his tongue. "And so do the rest of
them. Watch your attitude
in front of Royalty."
Akane scowled at her
brother but smoothed out her features
when she turned back to her
Chikyuu family. "But we still consider
ourselves your children, and
you are our parents." She smiled
slightly as Kasumi, Nodoka
and Soun approached the group. "Our
biological parents died over
thirty years ago, with the destruction of
Vejiita-sei."
Kasumi blinked, confused.
"How can that be, Akane? You're
not even twenty yet."
"We were in cryo-statsis,
in the pods, for over fifteen years.
Without it, we would be thirty-five
years old." Ranma explained.
"When we arrived on Chikyuu,
we were actually four years
old, not two, like you thought."
Akane added.
Bulma raised an eyebrow.
"So you're thirty-five?" She turned
to her mate for confirmation.
At one time, he had told her he was
younger than that.
He glanced at her and
shook his head. "Iie. I spent four
years in cryo-statsis on a
purging mission for Friiezer." She nodded,
filing the information away.
That made more sense.
Akane turned her attention
to Tobuma and Trunks, who had
been quiet the entire time
the whole family mess was being
straightened out. She
gave them a questioning smile and got two in
return. "Actually, speaking
of family lines," Ranma swiveled his head
around fast, his eyes wide
with questions.
Akane nodded and continued,
her face growing brighter. "We
have an announcement."
Everyone turned their
attention to the blushing female.
Kasumi and Nodoka glanced
at each other, their expressions curious.
"Announcement?" The
eldest Tendo asked. "Akane-chan..." Her
eyes lit up and she sucked
in a harsh breath. "Are you..."
Akane nodded enthusiastically.
She placed a hand over her
still-flat stomach and beamed
bright. "In about five months!"
Both Nodoka and Kasumi
let out a high pitched squeal and
surrounded the expectant mother.
"Oh, Akane-chan! What
wonderful news!"
"Congratulations, Akane-chan!
That is most exciting news! I
am so happy for you."
Genma and Soun, the clueless
males that they are, stared at
each other and blinked a few
times in silence. They turned
simultaneously to Ranma, who
had the biggest grin on his face.
"What did you do, Ranma?"
Ranma's grin turned wider.
"Well, Oyaji, Tendo, I made you
grandparents."
The Elder males' expressions
were blank for several moments,
which, after the words had
a chance to sink in, turned into slow wolf
grins.
"You dog, boy!"
"My baby is going to have a baby! Waahh!!! I'm so proud!"
Both 'patted' their congratulations
to the expecting father,
which, in turn, sent him sprawling
into the pond.
"We must celebrate the new heir, Tendo!"
"Of course, Saotome, of course."
"The Master's stash?"
"Indeed."
The two males, oblivious
to anything or anyone around them,
especially a fuming female
Ranma, walked arm-in-arm toward the
house, giving each other hearty
congratulations, as if the pregnancy
was all their idea.
Vejiita, who was watching
the goings-on with a barely
contained sneer, snorted disgustedly
at the display of emotions.
"Can't the Humans do anything
without blabbering on so? It's just a
gaki."
He received an elbow
in the side from his mate. "Hush, you.
Be happy for them."
She gave him a smirk and wrapped her arms
around one muscled bicep.
"Besides, my 'Kaasan is going to be twice
as bad when I tell her."
Tobuma and Trunks snickered at the
strained look on Vejiita's
face.
Akane broke free from
the small clutch of female arms and
called out to the males entering
the house. "'Tousan, Ojisan, matte!"
The males turned around,
and rejoined the females as they
watched Akane pull out a thermos
of water, and heat it with her ki.
She handed it to Ranma, who
changed back to male, as well as giving
Genma a nasty glare.
"We're not done, yet."
"What is it, Akane-chan?" Kasumi fussed over her.
The female Saiya-jiin
rolled her eyes and moved closer to
Tobuma and Trunks. "Well,
we wanted to introduce our guests.
Haven't you been wondering
who they are?"
Nodoka nodded, eyebrows
furrowed slightly. "Hai, we were,
Akane, but we figured you
would tell us at your own pace. Although,
it is best manners to introduce
them immediately."
Akane looked sheepish.
"Gomen, Obaasan, but they are part
of the surprise."
Nodoka stepped forward.
"Kon'nichi wa, watashi wa Saotome
Nodoka, desu." She bowed
slightly and stood. But before the
others could introduce themselves,
Nodoka got a real good look at
the pair of unknown guests.
She raised an eyebrow when she
noticed the furry belts.
"Who are they, Akane-chan? I thought you
said there were no more Saiya-jiin."
She pointed to their tails and
got a shrug for an answer.
She peered into their faces, recognition
lighting her eyes. After
she did a complete circle around the
unknown visitors, she turned
to Tobuma. "You look almost identical
to Ranma-chan, only with Akane-chan's
eyes." She moved to Trunks.
"And you are an exact duplicate
of Vejiita-san, only with Bulma-san's
coloring."
Both Tobuma and Trunks
blushed under Nodoka's intense
scrutiny. Akane stepped
closer to Nodoka and nodded. "Well, why
don't you introduce yourselves,
boys?"
Tobuma smiled. "Hai, Okaasan."
A thump was heard.
Soun fainted. Tobuma just shook his
head. He bowed deep.
"Saotome Tobuma, desu."
Trunks swept low, as
well. "Shichi no Vejiita, desu. But
please, call me Trunks."
He stood and gave Kasumi a wink.
Nodoka blinked a few
times, surprise written across her
features. She looked
at each of the couples: Vejiita and Bulma;
Ranma and Akane; Tobuma and
Trunks. Her mouth opened and
closed several times, but
no sound was audible.
Kasumi summed it all up with two words: "Oh, my."
Akane nodded and started
to explain a quirky smile curling at
her cheeks. "Tobuma-chan
is mine and Ranma's child, and Trunks-kun
is Vejiita-chan and Bulma-chan's
child." She paused slightly for
effect. "They're from
the future. They traveled back twenty years
to help us in the war to defeat
the Hachi."
"So they're actually not born, yet?" Nodoka questioned.
"Right, but both Bulma-chan
and I are carrying them now."
Akane grinned at the embarrassed
looks of the two future
Saiya-jiin.
Genma walked up to Tobuma,
his future grandson, making sure
he gave Vejiita a wide berth.
He gave Tobuma a good stare-down,
and shook his head at the
Saiya-jiin's tri-colored hair. "From the
future, ne?"
"Hai, Ojjisan.
We came back in time to help defeat the
Hachi, who have taken over
our world. We are the only ones left."
Tobuma explained quietly.
"Hachi?"
"They're the new enemy
that's about to take this planet as
theirs, and create a new Hive.
They succeeded in the future.
We're here to help stop them
from doing so." He glanced at Trunks.
"Hopefully, if they are defeated
in the past, they will never have
existed in the future."
"We've already fought
and defeated a fleet of them, plus
countless Human Drones they
already had assimilated." Ranma
added.
Nodoka was about to ask
another question, but was
interrupted by Vejiita's shout.
"What in the hell is that?"
Bulma gave him a strange look. "What are you talking about?"
"Quiet, Onna. I feel something."
The other four Saiya-jiin
paused and closed their eyes, trying
to sense what Vejiita felt.
Ranma and Akane threw
each other a glance. "I've felt it
before, but not in awhile."
Ranma scowled slightly. "I can't
remember where I felt it."
Akane nodded, and frowned. "It feels evil, but..."
Tobuma and Trunks both
gasped. "We've felt it before, as
well!" Trunks gave Ranma
a look and flared his aura, Tobuma doing
the same. "Ojisan, he's
still around?"
Everyone, stared as the
two future Saiya-jiin immediately
went into battle mode.
Both had their aura bright, and drew their
respective blades: Trunks
carrying Te'ketii, and Tobuma drawing
the Saotome katana.
Nodoka blinked a few times as she recognized
the blade as the same she
carried on her back.
The three other Saiya-jiin
powered up in response to the
other two: Ranma and
Akane going back to back; Vejiita situating
himself in front of Bulma;
Tobuma and Trunks guarding Kasumi and
Nodoka.
Everyone watched their
surrounding with a warrior's eye--not
wanting to miss what was headed
in their direction. Ranma growled.
"What did you mean, Trunks,
when you said, 'He's still around?'"
Trunks darted a look
to his uncle. "This is evil, Ojisan. You've
dealt with him before."
He furrowed his eyebrows
and concentrated on the unknown
aura headed in their direction.
"I have?" All of a sudden his eyes
shot open. "I know who
this is!" Ranma's defensive posture relaxed
slightly. "It's the
old freak!"
Akane groaned and relaxed
as well. "I thought we'd seen the
last of him. Kasumi
said he'd been gone for quite some time."
Vejiita stared at them
and growled. "Who in the hell are you
talking about? Who is
this 'old freak?'"
"Happosai," Akane
explained, as she dropped her defensive
stance completely and leaned
up against her mate, "is our father's
sensei, and the Founding Master
of the 'Musabetsu Kabuto.'" Akane
wrinkled her nose. "And
also the local hentai. He gets his jollies
from groping girls and stealing
their underwear."
Bulma sighed disgustedly. "Another Kamesennin, hmm?"
Akane shook her head.
"Iie, actually, he's more dangerous
because he recharges his ki
from the perverse acts." She glanced
at Ranma, who had a rather
grim line set on his mouth. "Ranma's girl
side is his favorite battery.
Happosai gave him quite a run for his
money many a day."
Vejiita snorted.
"Che, anyone could have given Serori a 'run
for his money' before I started
to train him."
Suddenly, Ranma whirled
around and his hand flashed out.
"Hey there, old freak!
Long time, no see!"
In Ranma's tight grip
hung a small, wrinkled male, wearing a
maroon dogi and a black scarf
over his balding head, leaving exposed
too-wide eyes. In his
withered hands, he held a large bag literally
overflowing with various articles
of feminine garments of every
color of the rainbow.
Happosai, unfazed by
his capture grinned wide at his
'assailant.' "Ranma!
How I missed you so! How about you try on one
of my silky darlings for old
times' sake!" He held out a lacy black
bra.
Ranma snorted and plucked
the ill-gained bounty from his
hands. "Not today, ya
freak!" He flung the shriveled man toward
the pond and the bag of pilfered
pretties to the porch.
Happosai easily bounced
to the ground. "Have you gotten
stronger, boy?" He gave
him an appraising eye. "Well, no matter. If
you won't try one on, then
let me seek comfort in your bosom!" He
pulled out a kettle from behind
him and threw it in Ranma's
direction, and followed in
the cold water's path to fall into his
'embrace.'
The aqua-transexual easily
leaped out of the way, and
hovered in mid-air.
"I don't think so, hentai."
The perverted martial
arts master stood on Genma-panda's
head and stared at Ranma.
"Looks like you learned a few new tricks,
my boy. I didn't release
you from my tutelage, Ranma."
A bright glow flared
around the floating Saiya-jiin. "I was
never your student, ya pervert.
Why don't I show ya some of my
new tricks?" He gathered
some ki in his hands. "This one I learned
from my real sensei--Gallic
Gun!" He launched the small ki balls at
the even smaller male.
Happosai laughed as he
darted around the multiple ki
technique. "Not bad,
not bad, Ranma my boy! Have a sample of one
of my new tricks!" He
held up several of his firecrackers, and threw
them at the awaiting Ranma.
"Bakudan no Mizu!"
The Saiya-jiin caught
the bomb and stared at it. "Your
bombs don't scare me anymore,
old man!" He tossed it up into the
air, not caring where it landed.
Akane frowned.
"Bakudan no Mizu? Bomb of water?" Her
head shot up. "Ranma!
It's a water bomb! He's gonna..." She sighed,
as the water cascaded over
him. "Get you wet."
Ranma growled and detached
the horny man from his wet,
female chest with his tail.
He watched disgustedly as Happi
scrambled to reach for him.
"I told ya, old freak! Get off me!"
Vejiita frowned as he
watched the light spar his student was
going through. He turned
to Akane. "Why doesn't Serori just kill
him? He seems like an
annoying pest."
"He won't, because Happosai
isn't that bad of a man. He may
be a pervert, but he always
challenged Ranma to get better. He's
the reason why Ranma had to
learn the Hiryuu Shoten Ha." Akane
shrugged her shoulders, watching
the scene in front of them. She
gave Tobuma a glance.
"You two have met him, Tobuma-chan,
Trunks-kun?"
The tri-colored senshi
nodded, screwing his face up. "Hai, we
have. They're not very
pleasant memories, but yeah. He's a hentai,
but a rather resourceful hentai."
He shrugged his shoulders. "I
think the Hachi caught him
off-guard in a bathing house. We were
about eight or so."
Happi stopped struggling,
finally realizing how he was being
held. "Have you visited
Jusenkyo, Ranma?"
"Iie. Why do you ask that?"
He pointed to the tail.
"You have new a appendage. I thought
you added another curse, like
Pantyhose."
"Eew! That's a
nasty thought." Ranma tossed him down on
the ground. "It's not
a new curse, old freak. It's mine. I've always
had it, or supposed to."
"Nani?" Happi brushed
off his pants and glanced around him
and noticed the new faces
for the first time. "You must introduce
your guests to me, Ranma.
It's not polite to leave your sensei in the
dark about new secret training."
Ranma blinked a few times.
"Ya haven't been around lately,
have ya? Me an' Akane
haven't been in Nerima for over a month."
Happi glanced around
and noticed the female Saiya-jiin.
"Hotcha! Akane-chan!
Let me greet you properly, then!" He
launched himself into the
air, his arms spread wide and his eyes
glittering.
But was stopped by a
brick wall of ki. He bounced off the
shield that was exerted by
the three brightly-glowing Super
Saiya-jiin. Vejiita,
Trunks, and Tobuma stood in front of Akane,
identical aquamarine eyes
glaring hatefully at the diminutive male.
"No one touches the Saiya-jiin
no Oujo in such a disgusting
manner!" Vejiita roared.
The GrandMaster of the
Indiscriminate Grappling School of
Martial Arts stared at the
three males with awe evident on his face.
"Such power! How can
humans hold such control over their ki?"
Kasumi knelt next to
him and explained. "Happosai-ojjisan,
you weren't here when Ranma
and Akane discovered they aren't
Human. They're Saiya-jiin."
"Saiya-jiin?" Happosai
questioned. His eyebrows knitted
together as he tried to remember
where he heard that word before.
"About a month ago, Ranma-kun
and Akane-chan woke up to
find they had grown tails."
She pointed to the furry objects around
each of the Super Saiya-jiin's
waists. "They're from outer-space,
Ojji-san."
He nodded and backed
up a couple steps, running into Ranma's
legs. "I see."
He glanced up into Ranma's frown. "You don't happen
to be the same as a Son Goku,
are you?"
Vejiita let out a growl. "What do you know of Kakarotto?"
At that moment, Goku
materialized next to Kasumi, ChiChi
and Gohan in tow. "Konban
wa, minna-san!"
"Well, speak of the devil," Ranma smirked. "Hey, Goku-san!"
Happosai widened his eyes. "Goku-san?"
The male in question
waved to Ranma. "Hey, Serori-kun,
minna! Is it time to
eat yet? I'm starved!" He glanced around him.
"What's gotten everyone so
upset? Why are you Super Saiya-jiin?
Are the Hachi attacking somewhere?"
Tobuma shook his head
solemnly. "Iie, Goku-san.
This...man...tried to attack
Okaasan."
A rare frown crossed
Goku's normally jovial features. He
stared at Happosai hard.
"Don't you know you should never attack
the Saiya-jiin no Oujo?
Especially with Vejiita around. He's very
protective of his oneechan."
A feral snarl came from the male in
question.
Happi smiled sickly and
eyed the five males warily. "Now, who
said I wanted to attack Akane-chan?
I haven't seen her in a long
time, and I just wanted to
give her a hug!" His eyes teared up,
making him look vulnerable.
Bulma barked out a laugh.
"Don't believe a word he says,
Son-kun. Serori and
Seiika-chan say that he's a hundred times
worse than Muten Roshi."
Goku scowled. He was well aware of the
Turtle Master's habits around
females. He stood in front of ChiChi
protectively.
Meanwhile, behind the
wall of testosterone, Akane was
getting crabby. She
was getting tired of the machismo display. She
elbowed her way out, going
between Tobuma and Vejiita, scowling.
"Turn off the ki, guys.
I can take care of myself."
"Okaasan..."
"Obaasan..."
"Seiika..."
"Hima-chan..." All four males protested loudly.
Akane silenced them all
with a glare. "I can take care of
myself!" She turned
to Goku, the scowl melting away as she
composed herself. "Konban
wa, Goku-san, ChiChi-san, Gohan-kun.
How are you all doing?"
ChiChi pushed her way
around her husband and mate and
scowled at the perverted little
man. "We're all fine, Seiika-chan.
And you? How's the baby?"
She gave the older female
a gentle smile. "We're both fine.
The doctor said that everything
is progressing normal, for a
Saiya-jiin, that is."
ChiChi nodded and smiled back.
Akane then glanced down
at Happosai, who was inching closer
and closer to her. She
stuck her foot out, pushing it into his face.
"And what have we learned
today, Ojjisan?"
He backed away from Akane
and glanced at the others that
stood off to the side.
"Well, Akane-chan, I learned that..." he
jumped into the air, "that
you need a hug!"
Akane held out her hand
when the men started to move to
protect her. "I said
I'll take care of it!" she growled. When he got
close enough, she powered
up, flaring into Super Saiya-jiin. Her
aquamarine eyes bored holes
into the shrunken martial arts master
that, all of a sudden, had
no desire to give the female Saiya-jiin a
'hug.' She held him
by the collar of his dogi and glared at him.
"Akane-chan, you wouldn't
do anything to a hapless old man,
would you?" He glittered
his eyes, giving her puppy-dog eyes.
She shook her head, smirking
evilly. "I won't do anything to a
hapless old man, Ojjisan."
Happi let out a sigh and smiled. "But you
aren't hapless, Happosai."
She pulled out Ke'petik and sent Happi on
a long vacation via Akane
Air.
She sighed and held her
friend over her shoulder. "Well, we
won't see him for awhile."
Akane gave Ke'petik a soothing buff and
put him back in her pocket.
Goku stared at the smoke
trail that Happosai left behind.
"Seiika-chan, who was that?
He reminded me of Muten Roshi."
"That was Happosai, the
founder of the Musebatsu
Kasabuto," Akane sighed
as she leaned onto Ranma, wrapping her tail
around his leg. "And
also the most perverted person on this entire
planet, I believe. He
can be okay sometimes, if he can keep his mind
out of the gutter."
Ranma just snorted.
"I think I heard Kamesennin
mention a Happosai once or
twice," Goku noted,
turning toward Akane.
She nodded. "Then
that's where he more than likely heard of
you, and Saiya-jiin."
Akane's stomach rumbled,
announcing its need. A four-part
chorus answered her back.
Kasumi giggled. "I guess that means it's
time to start supper!"
Ranma grinned and rubbed
his noisemaker. "Actually,
Kasumi-san, have you seen
Ucchan around lately? I could go for
some okynomiyaki."
Nodoka nodded, and turned
toward the house. "She is still in
town, Ranma. Did you
want to order take-out?"
He nodded. "Yeah,
that sounds good." Nodoka retreated
inside to call. "Anyone
else hungry for take-out?"
"The Nekohanten is still
open, Ranma-kun." Kasumi suggested.
"What about ramen?"
The mated pair gave each
other a glance. "Is that a good
idea, Kasumi-chan?"
Akane asked warily. "We really didn't want to
let them know we were back
in town."
She chided them gently.
"Do you really want to alienate
them?"
Akane was about to answer,
but Tobuma interrupted her.
"Actually, Okaasan, Cologne-san
should learn about the Hachi
attacks. She will have
to let her village know, so they can prepare
themselves."
She scowled but nodded.
"I guess. We can order from there.
But if Shampoo starts getting
fresh, she's going to pay."
Ranma wrapped his arms
around her, giving her a hug from
behind. "She and Cologne
were supposed to have given up their claim
on me. But you're more
than welcome to kick her ass if she gropes
me."
Akane snorted but gave him a smile. "All right, if you insist..."
Soun whined, a fallen
expression written across his face.
"But what about all the food
Saotome and I got from the market?"
"Well, we can see what
we have, and prepare some side
dishes. How about that,
Otousan?" Kasumi reasoned.
He nodded, agreeing with
her idea. "That sounds like a plan,
Kasumi-chan. So, how
about a little game, Saotome?" He patted his
friend on the back.
"And since the Master seems to be gone for a
while longer, we can safely
raid his secret stash of sake."
Genma-panda held up a
sign. Sounds good, Tendo. The two
went inside, and Kasumi followed
to order the ramen.
"When will everything
be prepared, Seiika?" Vejiita asked, an
impatient look on his face.
She shrugged. "I
don't know. Ukyou-chan will probably make
the okynomiyaki as we go along,
and the ramen will be here...well,
when it's done. Why?"
He nodded and grabbed
Trunks by the tail, eliciting a squeal
of surprise from the purple-haired
senshi. "Then we have time to
train. Come, brat."
Bulma crossed her arms
and scowled. "Vejiita, must you train
every second you're not eating
or sleeping? We have a custom on
Chikyuu called resting?
Maybe you've heard of it?" She had her
fists on her hips, glaring
into his ebony eyes.
The male just shrugged.
"I have no need for socializing. You
are more than aware of that
fact, Onna." He walked away, Trunks
still being dragged by his
tail.
Bulma grunted.
"And do I ever." She glanced at the other
male Saiya-jiin. "Well?
Who else has 'no need for socializing?'"
All of the other Saiya-jiin
males raised their hands, except
for Ranma, who tried to raise
his but Akane held onto his hands
tight.
Bulma sighed exasperatedly
and fell to the porch, hands on
her head. "I give up.
I utterly and completely give up. It's no use
trying to create proper manners
in a Saiya-jiin while training.
There's no use getting through
to them in that state of mind."
ChiChi grunted and walked
by Bulma, heading inside the house.
"I learned that a long time
ago, Bulma-chan. A long time ago."
In the yard the boys,
and Akane, watched Tobuma and Trunks
spar with each other.
As the two cousins exchanged blows at a
dizzying pace, Vejiita broke
away from the group, glancing around
the area with a wary eye.
Akane noted her brother's behavior and
moved closer to him.
"Daijoubou, Vejiita-chan?"
He barely glanced at
her. "Iie, Seiika-chan. Something is
wrong."
She placed a hand on
his arm. "What does it feel like? Do
you recognize it?" Her
eyes brightened slightly. "Maybe it's still
residue from Happosai?"
He shook his head.
"Iie. This is different from the prune.
If I knew what it was, then
I could identify it."
Akane rolled her eyes
and turned back to the sparring match.
Vejiita wandered farther away,
trying to focus on the feeling.
He held out a hand and
blocked an errant ki ball from hitting
the house, still focused on
scanning the area. He abruptly turned to
the fight and spoke.
"Spawn of Kakarotto."
Both Goku and Gohan,
who were watching the cousins battle
each other, turned to the
Dark Prince. "Nani, Vejiita-san?" Gohan
asked.
"Where is the Nameksei-jiin?"
Gohan shook his head.
"I haven't seen Piccolo-san for a
couple days, Vejiita-san.
Last time I saw him he was over his pond."
He glanced at the older male
curiously. "Why did you want to know?"
"None of your business, brat," he snapped back.
Goku studied his sparring
partner and fellow sensei. He could
see and feel the tension rolling
off of him. "Oi, Vejiita, what's up?"
The Saiya-jiin no Ouji
just snorted. "Nothing to concern your
pea-sized brain with, Kakarotto."
"Ah, Vejiita,"
Goku moved over to the shorter male and put a
hand on his shoulder.
"I can tell something's bothering you. Do you
feel something? You're
awfully tense."
Vejiita sharply pulled
his body away from the taller male,
scowling darkly. "The
air is at unrest. That's all. Now leave me
alone unless you want the
snot beat out of you."
The jovial Saiya-jiin
smiled and shook his head. "Not now,
maybe later? ChiChi
said we couldn't get dirty before supper." He
shrugged his shoulders helplessly.
Vejiita snorted
and turned away, to face the horizon.
That...feeling...just wouldn't
leave him alone. What was it? It wasn't
that hentai from earlier...but
this is what he felt when he arrived.
It was just masked by the
nearness of the freak. Whatever it was
it wasn't close--but it was
strong.
Very strong.
