A Tail To Remember
by Gie (phowahcs.com)

A Tail To Remember
Chapter 30: Flaring Tempers in Flight

The next few days passed very quickly for the residents of
Capsule Corporation; the hours filled to the brim with preparations
for the presentation to the United Nations. Each member of the
household had their own duties that needed to be done, and
sometimes it seemed that there weren't enough hours in the day to
get everything ready, and Sunday, the night before the summit,
arrived all too soon for those involved.

Kasumi slid open the back screen, a warm smile on her face.
"Welcome back, minna. Did you have a pleasant flight here?" She
gave her youngest sister a gentle hug. "Otousan is out in the dojo,
explaining to Okaasan what will be taking place tomorrow." She
greeted the rest of the group that arrived with smiles and hugs.

Nabiki was waiting at the table, several papers spread out in
front of her. She glanced up from her studies when Akane entered
the room. "Kon'wa, imoutochan. Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Not really," she shook her head, her dark hair rustling gently
with the gesture. "but I'm not one of the ones that'll be in front of
everyone speaking." She cocked her head and studied the older
female. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess," Nabiki shrugged her thin
shoulders. She gestured to the papers in front of her. "I'm just
doing the last bit of research I think we'll need on the members of
the Council." She gave the entering Bulma a smile and a nod when she
sat next to her. "I was looking over what you faxed me, Bulma-san,
and I think our plans will go over rather smoothly. There shouldn't be
too much opposition from the dignitaries. We really only have to
worry about the United States and Russia, seeing as they have the
biggest contingency of allies. We get them to follow us, then most of
the other powers will follow in their footsteps."

Bulma nodded in agreement, sorting through the papers on the
table. "You're right, of course. Even if the smaller countries don't
agree, the US will more than likely try to coerce them into
accepting."

"Do you think you will have many oppositors?" Nodoka asked,
as she entered with a tray full of cups and a large pot of tea. "You'd
think that such a contingency plan would be widely wanted, and
accepted."

"Hopefully, it will be," Trunks answered her. "For their own
sakes, they will listen and agree." Falling into the open spot next to
Nabiki, he picked up a piece of paper with a large man's picture
predominately covering most of the page. "This is the one we will
have the most trouble convincing."

Akane cocked her head in question. "Who is it?"

"That is Dunkirk Spiel, the German representative. He is a
hard headed, backstabbing isolationist bent on creating havoc
wherever he goes. He thinks that Hitler had good ideas, but just was
misguided in the ways to present them to the world." Bulma
scrunched up her nose in distaste. "He's a bastard that thinks the
world would be better under one united ruler: him or someone he
appoints. He tears apart the reputation any that oppose him with lies
and scandal, and is supported by some of the dirtiest corporations in
Europe."

"But if he is such a disgrace to the Council, why is he still
there? Wouldn't Germany choose another representative?" Nodoka
thought out loud, her mouth twisted into a frown.

Bulma shook her head. "Who said they haven't tried? But
Spiel has some connections to people who have some connections...you
get the idea. Anyone that thinks of trying to oppose him or stop his
implementations somehow learns the hard way how hard Spiel can
hit." She ripped the paper with his profile in half with a snort. "Let's
see what Dunkirk Spiel can do against Briefs Bulma, ne?" She winked
and crossed her arms smugly.

Vejiita snorted from his position against a wall support. "You
sure are one cocky bitch, Onna." He smirked at the intake of breath
from Kasumi and Nodoka.

She smirked right back. "Takes one to know one, Otoko." She
glanced around at the people assembled. "Well, are we ready to go?
I have a private company jet waiting for us at Narita Airport. It's
going to be a long flight, and the sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get
there and get into our hotel rooms."

Ranma glanced around. "We're only waiting for Goku and his
family. He's bringing Ryouga, as well. Have you called him yet,
Akane?"

She nodded. "When we got here. ChiChi said they'd be here
as soon as possible." As soon as she got done speaking, a familiar
tingle filled their senses and Akane smirked. "And speak of the
devil..."

"Sorry we're late, minna," ChiChi apologized, "but Goku here
decided he needed to talk to the Jolly Green Giant quick." She shot
her sheepish-looking mate a glare and purposely turned her head
away from him. "Sometimes..."

Akane shook her head. "You're not late at all, ChiChi." She
turned her gaze to Goku. "Is Piccolo-san coming?" She pointedly
ignored the male human along for the ride.

"Iie," the tall saiya-jiin shook his head, "that's what I went to
find out. He said that he'll head up to Kami's tower and watch the
action from there. Less human interaction, he said, the better."

"I can see why he would say that," Tobuma smiled,
"Piccolo-san tends to draw attention to himself even without trying."

Vejiita pushed himself away from the wall. "Enough with the
asinine chit-chat. We need to get going."

Bulma stood as well. "He's right. Come on, minna; everyone in
the capsule plane." Soon, the large group of saiya-jiin and humans
were loaded into the plane and enroute for the airport.

After a bit of playing 'Which terminal was the jet at?' the set
of twelve passengers were safely aboard Bulma's personal company
jet, or affectionately known as 'Capsule Force One.' Before take off,
Bulma gave a quick tour. "Here is the main area, where we'll be
sitting for the main take-off and landing. The middle section has
lounge chairs and a large meeting table. We'll more than likely spend
most of the trip in there. There are several small curtained rooms on
the sides of the plane, each with a bed. Since this trip is going to
fairly long, you are more than welcome to take advantage of them.
The bathrooms are at the end of the plane, and just ask the flight
attendants for whatever you need. They have a fully stocked kitchen
and bar at their disposal." She glanced at Goku and Ranma, the
notorious eaters. Both perked their ears at Bulma's mention of the
kitchen "And with seven saiya-jiin stomachs, I do mean fully stocked.
The cargo hold is stuffed to the brim with food." Several stomach
growled in appreciation; Bulma just rolled her eyes.

A smooth voice came over the intercom. "Attention, please,
this is your captain, Tamahome speaking. Flight CC144, non-stop from
Tokyo to New York. Briefs-san, we are ready and waiting for your
go-ahead."

"How professional!" Kasumi said, as she buckled into the plush
seat, her father next to her. Nodoka and Genma sat directly behind
them, and Nabiki and Ryouga were directly in front of her. Across
the aisle, Ranma and Akane were strapping themselves in, with
Tobuma and Trunks in front of them, and Vejiita and Bulma's empty
seat directly behind them.

Behind Vejiita, ChiChi was buckling Gohan in tight. "Make sure
you stay in your seat, Gohan-chan. You don't want to get hurt in
take-off."

Goku shook his head in amusement at his wife's antics.
"ChiChi, don't worry, he'll be fine. You know, he's flown before."

Gohan nodded. "I can go faster than this plane by myself,
Okaasan."

She frowned, hands on her hips. "And why would you want to?
There's no sensible reason to do anything of the sort." She pulled
out a capsule and exploded it in the empty seat next to him. When
the smoke cleared away, a stack of books were revealed in its place.
Both Gohan and Goku groaned. "Since we're going to be here awhile, I
see no reason for you to fall behind on your studies."

"ChiChi..." Goku groaned.

"Hush, Goku. Now, I made sure to include some books on the
founding of the United Nations, and the past legislation they've
passed for the better of our world. I don't see why someone
shouldn't be well versed on the history of this mission." She rubbed
the dejected looking Gohan's messy black spikes. "Cheer up,
Gohan-chan! It'll be fun, once we get there, knowing what went on
within the hallowed walls of the UN building."

"Sure, Okaasan."

"There's my good boy." She beamed at him and moved across
the aisle and buckled into the seat next to Goku.

Bulma rolled her eyes and picked up the phone at the front of
the plane. "We're ready back here, Tamahome-san. Arigatou." She
hung up the receiver and fell into the aisle seat next to Vejiita,
buckling the harness around her. She leaned over Vejiita and clicked
his shut as well.

"What in the hell are you doing, Onna? I don't need to be
strapped in like a child." He glared at her with contempt.

"Everyone needs to be buckled in. Just don't argue with me,
okay? When the plane levels out, you can take it off. It's just a
safety precaution." She sighed when he turned away from her,
grumbling about fragile human corpses, but he left the safety
harness where it was.

"Flight CC144, Tokyo to New York is ready to take off. The
flight is an estimated 12 and one half hours, and the time when we
arrive at JFK International will be about 9:00pm Sunday evening. The
seat belt signs will be turned off when we are at fifteen thousand
feet and flying steady. We may have some inclimate weather, but
that should not be for some time. Domo arigato, minna-san, and enjoy
the flight."

Several hours into the flight

Just about everyone had gathered in the lounge area, and was
talking amiably. A large amount of food was spread across the
meeting table, and several passengers were taking advantage of the
bounty laid out.

Bulma turned to Trunks, who was relaxing in one of the large
lounge chairs. "Trunks-kun, can we see what you put together for
tomorrow?"

"Sure, Okaasan," Trunks nodded and disappeared into the
front for a moment. He returned a few minutes later with the disk
projector. Tobuma had cleared a spot on the meeting table and
Trunks put the machine down there, and turned it on. He dimmed the
lights in the room and sat back down.

Conversation came to a halt as the familiar images from Mirai
Ranma's recording appeared in the center of the room. Silence
echoed, save an occasional intake of breath as a particular scene was
recognized. Several scenes showed despair-ridden refugees, tucked
away in hidden camps, safe for the moment from the marauding
Hachi, but after awhile, the pictures of humans ceased to be shown.
Desolation and destruction was a heavy burden, and from the looks on
Trunks and Tobuma's faces, the cross was bared between the two
males equally.

After a few minutes of the bleak scenes from the future
world, the footage faded away. Kasumi shook her head in despair.
"Is that truly your world, Tobuma?"

"Hai, it is, Obaasan," the pigtailed saiya-jiin said quietly. "Or
was. Through reconnaissance missions, done by others when I was
younger, it was discovered that the Hachi really don't care about the
states of the world they start their colonies on. What they do is
strip the worlds of their populations and natural resources, and when
the world is barren and useless, they send out search parties for
another world to devour and destroy." He let out a sigh and pulled on
his braid in frustration. "What I want to know is why they were even
in this quadrant of the universe? It's the only inhabited planet in
this system. Only inhabitable planet for several light years, even!
Why us? Why here..."

"I can't answer that, Tobuma," Akane said quietly, "but what
I can say is that when we are done with the Hachi here, I'll come
back with you and help free your world."

"Akane!" Ranma gasped, swinging his chair around to face her.
"You can't!"

"And why the hell not?" she snapped back, her eyes darkening
in anger. "My child risks his life to help save my world; I can only do
the same for him!"

"Okaasan," Tobuma's cheeks held a tinge of red, embarrassed
by the limelight shining on him. "There isn't much of our world to
save anymore." Trunks nodded in agreement.

"But it is your world, Tobuma-chan," Akane stood and moved
over to him, kneeling next to his chair. "We will rid your universe of
the Hachi, so no other world will be dealt the same fate as yours."
She laid a comforting hand on his knee, squeezing it lightly.

He nodded, ducking his head. His own hand came and rested
over hers. "Hai, Okaasan, domo arigato."

"Well, you're not gonna go anywhere without me, Akane, so you
better count me in, too." Ranma crossed his arms with a smirk
lighting his face. "And Tobuma is ours. We share the responsibility,
ne?" She smiled and nodded, sitting back in her original spot next to
her mate.

Trunks glanced up when he felt a hand on his arm. He had
been watching the fierce protectiveness that both Akane and Ranma
were wielding over his hapless cousin-brother, reminding him of days
past. Fond memories brushed over his mind's eye of both Ranma and
Bulma lording over them.

He blinked into identical blue eyes, a familiar fierce flame
flickered within their oceanic depths. "Don't forget about us,
Trunks-chan. Both me and Vejiita are by your side, as well."

Trunks flicked his gaze to hard black obsidian, but a slight
inclination of the male's head told him that Bulma truly meant, 'we.'
"Arigato, Okaasan, Otousan." He nodded at them both.

"Vejiita and I have been talking, and we decided that if the
UN would ask for a liaison to the humans, I will be such," Akane said,
her posture straightening slightly. "And Vejiita will be recognized as
the leader of the Saiya-jiin on Chikyuu." Surprised looks darted all
around at the news. Akane frowned a bit. "Does anyone have any
objections?"

"Actually, I think that's a not that bad of an idea, Akane,"
Soun agreed with her, slowly nodding his head. "Although, the UN
Council will more than likely think of you as a unit, rather than
separate people, then."

"And if worse comes to worse," Bulma pointed out, "and they
start threatening to kick you off Chikyuu, you can try claiming
refugee status. Your planet is destroyed, ne? You have no where
else to go..." she smiled.

"What about the 'alien' fact?" The ever practical Nabiki asked
the all-important question. "Are you going to reveal it?"

"If we have to, we have to," Ranma answered her, glancing at
Vejiita out of the corner of his eye. "We'll cross that bridge if we
have to."

"Let's hope that we don't," Bulma added, shaking her head.
"The UN could go either way; welcoming a new species to Chikyuu--or
get all paranoid over it."

"They wouldn't ask them to...leave, would they?" Nodoka
blinked a few times in worry, her gaze falling on Ranma.

"They have the power to, but it wouldn't make much sense. All
of the saiya-jiin, except for Vejiita, were raised here on Chikyuu,
thinking they were human."

"But what if they do tell you to leave? What will happen
then?"

"Then we leave." Vejiita spoke, his arms crossed. "I know of
several neutral, inhabited planets that would welcome competent
senshi as we saiya-jiin."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You would just take
off? Leave the Hachi here to assimilate the humans?"

"I'm not defending this planet for the humans, onna." He had a
disgusted look to his face. "I could care less for you weaklings. If
the humans decide to waste their only defense against the bugs, then
more power to them."

"Then why are you fighting them?" ChiChi spat, a sneer
curling at her lips. "It can't be from the goodness of your heart,
that's for sure." Goku frowned at his wife, but didn't say anything.
Bulma almost choked on her drink.

"It's none of your damn business, female," he sneered back.

"No matter why Vejiita-ouji is fighting for Chikyuu, he is, and
leave it at that." Ranma spoke up, trying to diffuse the situation. He
threw a warning look to ChiChi, who snorted and turned her attention
away from him. "And if we, the saiya-jiin that is, are forced to leave
Chikyuu, then well, we'll go." He shrugged and turned to Akane, who
nodded reluctantly. Her tail unwound from her waist and intertwined
with his in a silent bond. "I'd rather stay and fight, but I don't want
my human family to get in trouble for it."

"So, you're finally the Saiya-jiin no Ou, ne, Vejiita?" Goku
grinned at the older male. "Gotta start getting used to saying,
'Vejiita-sama,'" A very large grin lit his entire face.

"I am not King," Vejiita spat, his face screwed up in a black
scowl. "Nor will I ever be. I may be the undisputed leader, but I will
never be king." He crossed his arms and glanced away. "Nor do I
wish to be."

"Why, Vejiita? I thought you wanted..." Goku trailed off when
he saw the murderous look he was given by the shorter male.

"You have no right to tell me what I want, kusotare! The only
things I've ever wanted was to annihilate Friezer and ascend into my
birthright. After meeting you, the third-class scum that you are, all
I've wanted to do is grind your stupid ass grin into the heel of my
boot!"

"Vejiita!" Bulma yelled at him. "That is no way for you to act!"

He stood up, his chair falling away from behind him. "Shut up,
Onna! None of you realize what that sorry excuse for a saiya-jiin has
put me through! Defeating Friezer was my right!" He jabbed his fist
into his chest, his black eyes flashing in his fury. "Kakarotto
suffered nothing under his evil white claws! He came to Namek to
gain a stupid wish to save his weakling friends, and thought, 'While
I'm here, I might as well kill the bane of the North Quadrant and be
the first saiya-jiin in a millennia to be the Legendary, all for shits and
giggles for the saiya-jiin who thought he was a human!'" He spat and
leveled a murderous look at the taller male. "Well, fuck you,
Kakarotto! Fuck you and your damn clan of weaklings!" He spat again
and stormed out of the room.

Bulma jumped up and started to go after him but Akane shook
her head, standing as well. "I'll go, Bulma-chan." She flashed a look
at Ranma, who nodded back, and she left the room as well.

"I didn't mean..."

Goku trailed off, but Bulma shook her head. "Don't worry
about it, Son-kun; he's had that bottled up inside him for quite some
time. It's better he gets it out now, rather than at another
inopportune time."

"I can't believe you're willing to just leave Chikyuu!" Nabiki
turned to Ranma, an accusing look to her sharp features. "What
about your human family?" She threw a glance to Genma and Nodoka,
who both had serious looks on their own. "Are you willing to leave us
to the mercy of the Hachi? What about your friends from Furinkan?
What about Ukyou? Will they be left behind to be killed as you
blindly follow that explosive murderer?"

Ranma narrowed his eyes at Nabiki. "Vejiita is my Prince, and
I will follow him wherever he goes, no questions asked. I will not hold
against him what he had done under Friezer; he holds it against
himself just fine. And no, you know me better than that, Nabiki." He
furrowed his eyebrows. "I wouldn't leave anyone I cared about to
suffer under the Hachi. You are more than welcome to come with."

Nabiki stared at him with a blank face. "Actually, I don't think
I know you at all, Serori." She stood up and moved to the opposite
end of the plane.

Ranma growled under his breath and crossed his arms in a
huff. "Damn female." He roughly pushed out of his chair and went
off in the direction Vejiita and Akane left. Bulma soon followed
behind him.

The rest of the plane ride was spent in seclusion by many
members, and the only disturbance was when a patch of turbulence
forced the large group back together to ride out the bumpy weather
in their harnessed seats. Not much was said while in the same room,
so by the time the plane landed at JFK International in New York, all
were ready for a change of scenery.

Goku arched his back, stretching for all he was worth. "Oh
boy! Am I glad to be off that plane!" He reached down and rustled
Gohan's hair. "Next time, we'll fly the natural way, ne, Gohan?"

The young boy nodded. "You got it, 'Tousan."

ChiChi rolled her eyes. "That is the natural way, Goku-saa.
You're the unnatural one."

Bulma glanced around, and when noticing the two long black
cars, she waved her hand to them. "The limos are over there, minna.
Pile in. They'll take us to the hotel."

When the two cars pulled up to the large building, Bulma got
out first, but paused before closing the door. "Ill go get the room
keys. We should have seven room reserved. I'll be right back." She
disappeared through the large gold and glass doors.

Everyone piled out of the cars and stared up at the building
that seem to rise into the sky with no end in sight. "Wow, I wonder
how many stories it has?" ChiChi wondered out loud.

"Ill go find out!" Goku quickly said, and with a flare of ki,
launched himself straight into the air, disappearing quickly.

"Goku! Oh that man!" ChiChi fumed under her breath, shaking
her head. "Why does he have to go do these kinds of things to me."

"I don't think anyone saw, ChiChi," Akane assured her. She
glanced around. "At least I don't think so. No one reacted oddly."

"That's because this is New York, Akane," Nabiki drawled,
looking around at the people moving rapidly from one place to
another. Many were talking on cell phones, consulting their watches
or looking through papers. "No one pays much attention to anyone
else but themselves."

"It certainly seems crowded, doesn't it, Saotome?" Soun said
as he watched three people weave around their group, not even
looking up to see where they were going.

"That it does, Tendo, that it does," Genma agreed as he
picked up a newspaper that one of the people that went by dropped
into a garbage can.

But he didn't get a chance to look at it, because the return of
Goku from his floor-counting expedition also brought a mini-cyclone,
whipping the paper out of Genma's meaty hands. "Guess what? It has
exactly one hundred floors! Plus, there's a small funky floor on the
top of the building, but I didn't count that one."

"That's called the penthouse, Son-kun, and we would have used
it but it was already rented when I called for the rooms. Okay,
everyone, follow me, and we'll go up to our rooms." Everyone filed
into a very large elevator, the walls complete mirrors. Bulma
explained the situation as she handed out keys. "We're on the 77th
floor, in rooms 7710-7719. There's no one else on the floor; I made
sure of that." She smiled at ChiChi when the younger woman rolled
her eyes. "All of the suites have two bedrooms, one bath. In the
center is a small heated pool with jacuzzi and sauna that we have full
and uninterrupted access to, along with a small weight room on the
side." She held up a hand before anyone could say anything. "No, you
can not go all out in it. But if you want to spar, take the elevator up
to the penthouse, and then take to the air. We really don't need
anyone to see your abilities if we don't have to reveal them." The
elevator doors opened, and she glanced at her watch. "It's a little
before seven now, New York time. Why don't we meet in the lobby
at eight, and we'll go get dinner, and regroup for tomorrow. Sound
good?"

Everyone nodded or made some movement of agreement, and
filed down the hallway, each finding their rooms with relative ease.
Bulma opened the door, Vejiita swiftly moving past her and made a
beeline for the bathroom. She chuckled and closed the door behind
her, and seeing the large bed, made her own way for it, immediately
falling into its comforting softness with a loud groan. "Oh, I think I
could lie on here forever and ever and ever." Two solid thumps
indicated shoes found the floor.

A loud flush answered her and a moment later Vejiita entered
the bedroom, going to the large window to glare out at the scene of
the busy city below. "This is a damn loud city. I can hear the
incessant noise from here."

Bulma let out a snort. "Well, what do you expect, Vejiita?
There are fifty times the number of people here than in Western
Capital. And probably the same amount of vehicles. New York City is
probably the most populated city in the United States. It's on the
same level as Tokyo."

"Have the Hachi struck here, yet?"

Reluctantly, she stood up and moved over to his side, pulling
the curtain open a little more. The sun was barely peeking over the
horizon, so the sky was filled with dark blues and purples, with thick
black lines jutting everywhere. "Breathtaking, ne?" She just got a
grunt in reply. She sighed and leaned against the solid figure next to
her. "Actually, no, they haven't. They've struck other places on the
eastern seaboard, but not New York City itself."

He frowned, watching the millions of people moving around like
a colony of ants, not mindful of what could befall them should the
Hachi attack. He stiffened slightly when he felt Bulma's hand wander
over his back and come to rest lightly over the base of his tail. "Be
careful what you do with that hand, Onna, or you won't make it to
supper."

She chuckled and giving it a light squeeze, released it and him
as she walked away from the window. He turned to watch her as she
wandered out of the room. "You wish, Otoko," she called out, and he
noted that from the slight echo to her voice she had entered the
bathroom. "Although you wish that all the time." The soft swishing
of water also let him know she had started running water for a bath.

A evil smile flitted at the corner of his lips, and with a few
quick movements, he disrobed the annoying human garments he was
forced to don for the plane ride there. The thick carpet covered his
footsteps as he made his way to the bathroom, where he beheld his
mate undressed as well, and slowly stepping into the water of her
bath, her tiny toes testing the steaming pool for the correct and
tolerable temperature. "Maybe if I actually enjoyed myself once, I
wouldn't have to keep coming to your ugly ass all the time." His arms
quickly wrapped around the small waist and with a loud splash, entered
the water.

"Vejiita, you bast...!"

In the hallway, Ranma came to a rigid halt in front of the door
where he heard the loud squeal of indignation, followed by a even
louder splash. He shook his head and relaxed, chuckling quietly to
himself. "Sounds like someone is getting a bath." Quietly, he
continued down the hall and came to a stop in front of a different
door. He raised his hand, and after a few hesitant attempts,
knocked solidly on the darkly stained wood.

"Who is it?" a muffled voice spoke.

He hesitated again. "It's...it's me, Ranma. Can I talk to you,
Nabiki?"

After a few moments, the soft click of the lock being
unbolted hit his sensitive ears and the door cracked open, revealing
the gentle features of Kasumi. "It's not time to go for supper yet, is
it, Ranma?"

He shook his head. "Not yet." He tried to peek around the
tall female. "Can I come in?"

Kasumi glanced over her shoulder, silently communicating with
the other member of the room. The door opened wider and she
slipped out, closing the heavy oak behind her. "I'm afraid Nabiki is
still quite upset with you, Ranma-kun," Kasumi's liquid eyes confirmed
her words. "She is not in the best of moods to talk with you. It
might be better to come back later."

He shook his head firmly. "Iie, I wanna get this all in the
open, now. I didn't think she'd think I would just go and leave you all
here at the mercy of the Hachi." He let out a frustrated sigh.

"I know, Ranma-kun, and I think she knows that, too. But I
think the biggest thing she was struck by was how blindly you would
follow Vejiita-san. You were never known to be the follower; you
were always the leader of your little adventures." She handed him
the plastic key card. "I'm going to go see Akane-chan for a few
minutes." She smiled a familiar smile and reached out on her tiptoes,
kissing him on the cheek lightly. "I know you as well, Ranma-kun. You
would never abandon your loved ones." She smiled again and made her
way down the hall, disappearing around a corner.

He sighed, and taking a deep breath, swiped the plastic key
card in the black slot, and when the red light flashed green, slowly
turned the brass knob and pushed the door open. He peeked his head
around the corner, getting a quick layout of the room, and noted that
it was exactly like the suite he and Akane were in. He also noticed
that Nabiki wasn't within sight distance, so he quickly slipped in,
making sure the door was firmly shut behind him. Tossing the plastic
card on the small table next to the door, he cautiously made his way
into the next room. "Nabiki? It's me, Ranma."

"Obviously, since I didn't expect Trunks-kun until after
dinner." Ranma quickly turned around and saw Nabiki sitting on a bed,
her back flush against the headboard. She stared at him under
heavy lids. "What do you want, Serori?"

His eyebrows furrowed as he fell out of his defensive stance.
"Nabiki, come on!"

"Where are we going, Serori-san? I don't think I want to go
anywhere with you." Her arms were crossed over her chest.

"You aren't going to make this easy for me, are you?"

"No."

He sighed heavily and fell into a chair. "What do I have to do
to make it up to you? What do you want from me? I am who I am,
and it is not the same person you used to rent to flighty teenage girls
for a quick yen."

"Why not?"

He was confused. "Why not what?"

"Why aren't you the same person that arrived on our doorstep
several years ago. An immature, clueless teenager that didn't know
the difference between naiveté and stupidity. A boy who would
throw himself into a mob of hormone-driven boys to help a clumsy,
badmouthed tomboy afraid of boys defend herself against a
bokken-wielding Shakespeare nut? Where is he, and who is the
creature that replaced him? The confident, alien-tailed senshi, not
afraid of anything or anyone, and with enough power in his toenail
clippings to decimate an entire city?"

He pointed to his chest. "That is me, Nabiki. Both the
immature, clueless child and the battle-hardened senshi."

"Where does the first end, and the second begin?"

He shook his head. "They don't have a definite line. Melded
and molded into the superior hunk of male-flesh before you." He saw
the corner of Nabiki's lip twitch and he smirked himself. He twisted
in his chair and flexed his arms and chest. "Look at my massive
pectoral muscles...I am here to pump you up!"

Nabiki covered her mouth to stifle the snort spewing forth,
only failing when he did it again. "Oh, Kami...you've been watching too
many reruns of 'Saturday Night Live.'" He grinned along with her, but
both smiles faded to grim lines. "But this isn't a comedy sketch,
Ranma, is it? Not some deranged idea coming from the mind of a
bored genius." Ranma scrunched up his face at that thought, but
Nabiki just shook her head. "Never mind that. Would you..." her
features softened slightly, "would you leave? Leave and never
return? If Vejiita ordered you to pick up and never come back, would
you do whatever he said?"

Ranma was silent for a few moments, his eyes closed. "I don't
want to leave, Nabiki. This is my home. Chikyuu-sei is my home.
Vejiita-sei may be where I was born, but I was raised here, and I
want to defend it. If the UN orders us away, then we have no choice
but to go. Vejiita doesn't want to leave, either, you know, he's quite
happy here. But given the option of staying on a non-friendly planet,
or taking a ship and leaving, he would be more than willing to go."

She leaned forward slightly. "So why does he stay? Why
does he defend Chikyuu?"

He shrugged his shoulders, as if the answer was fairly obvious
to the casual observer. "Bulma is here. His Bonded and Linked mate
makes her home here, and he would defend her home until his dying
breath. But if she agrees to leave, then he has no qualms about
going." He grinned as a thought came to him. "When he left the
meeting room, he threw out the suggestion of once they were off the
planet, to just blow it up." He shrugged his shoulders again at
Nabiki's choked gasp. "It would solve the Hachi problem."

She cleared her throat. "I...I suppose it would."

Ranma stood up and moved closer to Nabiki, kneeling next to
the edge of the bed. "So, are we better now? Is my name still
Mud?"

She peered over the pillow that had maneuvered into her lap.
"It should be," she smirked at his widened eyes, "but it's
not...Ranma." She smiled, watching him visibly relax. "Did my
approval mean that much to you?"

His posture more relaxed, he shook his head, and leaned back
against a nearby chair. "Nah, not really." He didn't see Nabiki's eyes
widen drastically, then quickly narrow. "Actually, I could care less,
but Akane wouldn't sleep with me until I made nice-nice with you."

"Nice-nice? So you only came here so you could get laid."

"Uh, yeah..." His danger senses ticked off, registering an
ominous presence nearby, and he sat up to discover a blood-red aura
surrounding the middle Tendo sister. "Uh, Nabiki, are you okay?" He
stood slowly, inching his way to the door, all the while eyeing the
tell-tale twitch of one eye and the thick vein pulsing on her temple.
"Maybe I better go now..."

Praising his speed once again, he whipped out of the room just
in time to hear the muffled thump of a pillow hitting the solid oak
door. Followed by an alarm clock. And two pairs of shoes. And a
suitcase.

He cringed after each thump. "Geez, what did I say?"

Supper came and went by fairly uneventfully. Bulma, being the
smart girl she was, planned accordingly for the stomachs that needed
to be fed and had rented out a banquet room for their private dining
pleasure. And to the seven saiya-jiin's salivating satisfaction, much
food was had by all. Afterwards, the group of fifteen went on a tour
of the Big Apple, including the UN building where the summit would
be taking place the next day. At the end of the tour and when they
arrived back at the hotel, Goku complained that they missed a part on
the tour.

"And what part was that, Son-kun?" Bulma asked amusedly.
She had a feeling she knew what it was.

The large man pouted, his arms crossed like a child's. "I
thought we were actually going to see a Big Apple!"

He slipped out of the room quietly, trying not to disturb the
older man that already was asleep, if he could have been judged by
the soft snores coming from the other room. With bare feet he
made his way down the hall and stopped in front of the elevator.
Upon entering the large moving room, he pressed the button marked
'PH', and the doors closed silently.

When they opened again, a soft chime marking the end of the
ride, a fairly brisk breeze rushed across his tanned face, and he
blinked as dust swirled into his eyes. Stepping forward, he moved
out over the roof, coming to stand next to a lone figure, his eyes cast
forward into the city-lit horizon. And when he stared out into the
darkness as well, the answers he sought in the artificially-lit sky did
not become clear, as he had hoped.

"You won't find your peace on this rooftop tonight, Ryouga.
Especially since you have to be watching for stray ki blasts."

"Why did you bring me along, Ranma? How will I make a
difference in this city?"

"I don't know, Ryouga. Call it a hunch, I guess." He shrugged
his shoulders, glancing to his one-time rival. "But in the grand
scheme of things, everyone plays a part, ne?" He turned back to
stare into the skyline.

Ryouga snorted. "My part is insignificant and pointless; an
extra that could be played by anyone." He glared down over the edge
of the building, barely able to see the continuous activity that went
on no matter what situation arose. "It has no meaning or impact into
the outcome, and if removed, the scene is not altered on a grand
scale. Another just shifts to the right to fill the gap."

"You know that's not true, Ryouga. You're important."

"That's what you think." The pair was silent for awhile, and
the only sounds that were heard were distant echoes of fighting.
"You know, Vejiita and I aren't all that different." Ranma turned to
Ryouga, a startled look to his face. "Well, in some ways we are
completely different, but in others our lives parallel each other."

Ranma was unconvinced. "I didn't know you were a warrior
prince from another planet."

He rolled his eyes. "Not in that way, baka. You are my Goku."

Now he was even more confused. "Nani?"

"Vejiita and Goku are rivals, are they not?" Ranma nodded his
head slowly. "As are we, or we used to be." Ranma flinched, but
nodded again. "Well, when Vejiita was yelling on the plane, his words
struck a chord in me. He suffered under that Friezer...thing, right?
He trained and trained, trying to get enough power to defeat him,
but then all of a sudden, Goku swoops in and takes his revenge out
from under his nose. Then he has the balls to go super saiya-jiin
without even trying, right? He didn't train and sweat blood to
accomplish what he needed to do, it was handed to him on a plate, and
he didn't even react accordingly to the power bestowed upon him!"

"So what does this have to do with us?"

Ryouga exploded. "Everything! Being saiya-jiin, you basically
were handed all of your exceptional martial arts skills. Akane's hand
and heart were practically tossed into your lap, and for the longest
time, you didn't want anything to do with it! And don't even make me
mention all of the other girls that swooned over you." At this point,
neither male noticed they gained an audience of the fighters from
the sky, and a lone female that arrived from the elevator. "All the
while, I was training and training, trying to learn as much as I could
to defeat you, but it was all for nothing! You would always have one
more trick up your sleeve, or one more shot of adrenaline. And I
thought I finally got to you with the ShiShi Hokodan, but no, you had
to go and figure it out. You would have never gained access to your ki
without me, Ranma! Your Moko Takabisha is the result of my training!
My hard work! And what thanks do I get?"

Ranma blinked a few times. "Huh?"

"Exactly!" A dim green glow started to form around the raving
Ryouga, and his voice lowered to a harsh whisper. "Actually, do you
know what I got? I got the heartache of knowing that Akane hates
me. She hates me for loving her. For listening to her when she
needed a friend. A friendly soul to vent her frustrations over you.
and now she hates me. The one reason I didn't want to tell her about
P-chan. I thought I would die if Akane hated me. And I was right,
although my body hasn't died physically, my heart has. And it's all
your fault, Ranma. You did it." He started chuckling, and the green
glow got brighter and brighter. Ranma started to ease himself away
from the lost boy. "That's it, isn't it? It all comes back to you. You
you you. Well, when is it going to be me, Ranma? When?? When will
it be my turn to get the power and the girl? WHEN!"

With a cry of pain, Ryouga threw his arms up into the air.
"SHI SHI HOKODAN!!" The roof exploded in a bright green light,
and several of the observers in the sky had to dash out of the way of
the powerful blast.

When he opened his eyes, all he saw was white. Am I blind?
Did the ki burn out my retinas? He raised a shaky hand to his face,
and with a sigh of relief, removed the wet washcloth from his
forehead.

Sitting up, he glanced around, noticing that he was alone on
the roof, except for a solitary figure standing in the shadows a pace
away from him. He sighed and shook his head. "I blew up again,
didn't I? The pain and anger eating away inside me finally found an
outlet. I'm surprised I didn't destroy the hotel. Heh, you were
wrong, Ranma. I did find my peace tonight." He stood up, brushing
off his pants a bit. "I think it's time for me to get lost. Thank you,
Ranma. Sayonara." He casually waved his hand and started back to
the elevator.

"Don't go, Ryouga."

He froze in his tracks. "A...A...Akane-san?"

The dark-cloaked figure stepped into view, and it was Akane.
A sad look filled her face, and she moved forward, placing a small
hand on his arm. "Don't go."

"Akane...I..."

She shook her head. "I know, Ryouga, I know, and I'm sorry
for the hell you've been putting yourself through." She withdrew her
hand when she felt that he wasn't going to leave. "It hasn't helped
that I've been treating you like pond scum for the past week. I was
furious at being deceived for so long. It also hurt, a lot, that you
didn't trust me enough to tell me." She held up her hand when he was
going to reply. "I know why you didn't, but it still doesn't change the
fact that you were the one that kept it from me, and forced Ranma
to do the same thing. Although it's partially my fault for not seeing
the nose in front of my face, too."

She sighed and walked around him, so they were face to face.
She stared into his handsome face, her dark brown eyes focusing on
his golden brown ones. "I am willing to put the past where it belongs,
Ryouga, in the past. Bygones be bygones, and all that." She stuck out
her hand. "Kon'nichi wa, watashi wa Saiya-jiin no Oujo, Saotome
Akane, desu."

Ryouga glanced down at her hand and after a moment of
hesitation, reached out and clasped it within his own. "Watashi wa
Hibiki Ryouga, desu. A few years ago I fell on accident into a cursed
pool in China. Now I turn into a small black pig with cold water."

She smiled, "Really? My mate has a similar curse, although he
turns into a red-headed floozy. When there is a full moon, we both
can turn into giant apes called Oozaru."

"Nani?" Ryouga's eyes went wide and he dropped her hand like
a hot potato. "Giant apes?"

Akane giggled. "Hn! Maybe you heard of my long lost uncle,
King Kong?" Ryouga blinked a few times and Akane giggled again.
"I'm joking, Ryouga." She smiled and turned around. "Come on,
Ryouga, it's way past our bedtimes. We need to be out of the hotel
by eight tomorrow morning, or rather, this morning. You were out for
awhile."

He blinked again and shook his head. "You go ahead; I'll be
there in a minute or so." She nodded and disappeared into the
elevator.

Ryouga turned back to the edge of the building and the
skyline, the haze that surrounded the tall buildings seemed to enclose
the city like a protective blanket. A small smile crept across his face
as he stepped onto the ledge. The wind picked up once again, and he
closed his eyes, enjoying the breeze that blew his dark hair out of
his face. A look of peace settled on his face, and spreading his arms
as if to encompass the entire city in his embrace, he let his weight
shift forward, and he disappeared from sight.

The next morning

Everyone had gathered in the lobby once again, to leave for
breakfast, but someone seemed to be missing.

Akane glanced around, the large knot in her stomach telling
her something was wrong. She finally noticed what was missing:
Ryouga. She turned to her father, who was reading an article in the
newspaper. "'Tousan, didn't Ryouga come down with you?"

The long-haired man shook his head when he looked up from
the paper. "Iie, Akane, he wasn't in the room when I woke up this
morning. I just thought he wanted to get in some sparring in before
breakfast."

Ranma blinked and turned to his mate. "Didn't he come in with
you last night, Akane?"

She shook her head. "Iie, he told me to go without him." A
stricken look crossed her face. "Do you think he got lost again?"

He shrugged, "I hope not. But knowing Ryouga, he'll show up at
some point again." His stomach growled. "Are we ready? My
stomach is going to start eating me from the inside out if I don't get
some food in it soon."

"I believe we are." Bulma called back to them, her face
flushed from running around. "The limos should be out front. Load
up, and I'll leave a note with the concierge about Ryouga."

Outside, a small area was taped off with police barriers, and
several police vehicles had their flashing lights on. "I wonder what
happened here?" Nodoka asked worriedly.

"Do you know how many crimes happen in NYC every night,
Obaasan?" Nabiki ignored the area and scanned for their rides,
pointing them out when she found them. "Come on, they're over
there."

Kasumi shook her head as she passed the crime scene. "It's
such a shame to see these types of things happening in the world
when the Hachi are such a bigger threat to us all." ChiChi nodded in
agreement.

In the trash can where Soun threw his paper, the large, bold
headline read:

"Man Plummets To Death Off Hotel Roof."

Breakfast came and went, and still with no sign of Ryouga.
Akane was still fairly worried, but she knew the martial artist could
take care of himself. After a quick trip back to the hotel to change
into more proper attire for the summit meeting, the pair of limos
pulled up to the large, flagged building. As everyone piled out of the
cars, Bulma handed out instructions and photo ID's. "At all times this
ID must be visible on your person. If it isn't, Security will think
you're just a stranger from off the street, and will immediately
throw you out. We are the special delegation from Japan, and our
Ambassador, Yoko Mamoru, will be introducing us."

"When will that be?" Akane asked, straightening the jacket of
the outfit she wore.

Bulma led the procession into the large building, and after
talking with several guards and a few phone calls, she turned back
around. "Yoko-san will be meeting us here in a moment to lead us to
our seats. Trunks, Tobuma, Nabiki, and I will be presenting our side
of the story after opening remarks from the Security Council. The
rest of you will be in Japan's area of the General Assembly." She
glanced at Vejiita and Akane. "One or both of you may be called to
speak for the saiya-jiin, so be prepared." Akane glanced at Vejiita,
and both nodded with an identical smirk.

A large, dark-haired man with striking green eyes strode up to
their group, and Bulma's blue eyes lit up with recognition. "Yoko-san!"

"Briefs-san, it's a pleasure to see you once again! The last
time I saw you in person, and not talked over a staticky phone was
just before you were taking off on a special adventure." He glanced
around at the large group and smiled. "Seems like you're still on it,
almost twenty years later."

She smirked and shook her head. "You don't know the half of
it, Yoko-san." She made quick introductions of everyone to the
Ambassador of Japan to the UN.

Yoko's gaze lingered on Vejiita, his sharp green eyes taking in
the powerfully built male carefully. He turned to Bulma. "Your
husband is the one that arrived in West City, is he not?" Vejiita
frowned sharply but did not answer him.

Bulma frowned as well. "He is, but what does that have to do
with anything?"

Mamoru smiled and shook his head. "Hopefully, nothing at all.
Come with me, and I'll get you seated. The session is about to begin."