A Tail To Remember

by Gie

A DBZRanma Alterverse. An Epic of the Grandest Scale. One day Kamisama discovers discord in the universe, and finally lets the Z Senshi in on a secret that he has kept hidden from them: more Saiyajiin on Chikyuu! 122004! ATTN: CHAPTER 35!

34. A Meeting of Flesh: Part One

A Tail To Remember
By Gie: (phowah@cs.com)

I won't speak too long, for I know how long and patiently (some not so patient ^_^;;) you have been waiting for this. I won't delay it any longer. Just to note--it's gonna get quite...bloody/gory, so if you are squeamish in that respect, I'm sorry.

Another warning: well, if I tell you, I'd spoil it. Let's just say it's going to make an impact on a few characters. As always, let me know what you think.

Gie-chan

A Tail To Remember
Chapter Thirty Three: A Meeting of Flesh, Part One
***********

~~JFK International Airport~~

The loud hustle and bustle of the busy airport terminal was
interrupted by a keening cry from a bushy-haired male. "Doko wa
okorose ne dousite ka?"

"What did he just say, Daddy? Was it Tonkinese?"

"I don't know, Shane. Tonkinese is a type of cat, not language.
Now, don't stare at the tourist."

People automatically swerved around the strange bandanna-clad
young man that alternately yelled out loud and mumbled a foreign
language under his breath.

"Was it a swears?"

"I don't know, Shane. Now stop gawking or we'll be late for our
flight."

But Ryouga was in his own world, like normal, talking to himself as
he paced around in a circle. 'Why is it that I always do this to myself?
All I wanted to do was go for a little flight, to clear my thoughts.' He
snorted to himself, and startled a young woman and a girl, who happened
to be walking by at the moment. 'That was the first mistake, flying off
by myself. When Ranma and Kuririn-san taught me the technique, I was
always within their eyesight. I should have gone downstairs with Akane
when I had the chance.' He sighed at the remembered encounter on the
roof. 'Akane...she has such a forgiving heart....I don't deserve her
kindness.'

He sighed again and stopped his circular pacing cycle and looked
around, taking note of the large pictures everywhere. "By the looks of
the signs, I must be in an airport. But I don't remember the UN building
being next to an airport. Hopefully, I'm still in New York! Maybe I
better ask someone for directions."

Ryouga started to walk around, stopping to ask security guards
how to get to the UN building. But since Ryouga was speaking in
Japanese, he wasn't understood. One guard, after the fifth time being
stopped by the Lost Boy, finally just pointed behind him and shouted
exasperatedly, "Get lost, bub!" and ran away screaming about crazy
tourists.

Ryouga stared in the direction the guard pointed. At the end of
the hallway was a set of large grey double doors. "That must be the
exit! I'm on my way, Akane!" He charged down the hall, ignoring the
loud klaxons that sounded when he barreled his way through them.

He ran through the large parking lot, not taking note the scenery
at first. Or what he thought was a parking lot. Something fuzzed in his
mind, and he stopped, looking around. "What is this..." A dark shadow
fell over him and he looked up to see the large nose of a plane, mere feet
over his head. He turned to the side and stared wide-eyed as a set of
landing gear wheels as tall as he rolled by him. "I guess I'm still at the
airport," he chuckled weakly. He looked around again, trying to figure
out which way to go. "The guard said to go this way; maybe it's on the
other side of the tarmac?" Looking around carefully for more aircraft,
he made his way across the concrete fields and when he spotted a large
building, his hopes soared. "I bet that's it!" Quickly, he ran toward the
building and entered through the closest door he could find.

"Is this the UN Building?" he yelled out loud.

But no one answered him. Or to the extent he needed. They
were busy running around, screaming their heads off. He deduced that
he was not where he wanted to be. A man ran into him, and as he helped
the scared human up. "What's going on?"

"What are you standing around for, man? Those bees are
attacking! You gotta go and hide, like that cute alien chick said on TV!"
He yanked his arm out of Ryouga's slack grip and resumed sprinting down
the hallway.

"What is going on?" he repeated to himself, not understanding
the babble the man said. He worked his way down the streaming,
screaming horde, people bouncing off his sturdy frame in their frantic
attempt to escape their deaths. He turned a corner, and stopped in
surprise. A cluster of five drones were in the process of mutating a
clutch of people. "What..."

Someone ran by him, startling him out of his trance. "Are these
the Hachi? Gohan and Kuririn-san described them, but I never really
saw what they looked like." He stepped forward a few paces, and at the
same time reached up to his forehead. "Hey! Hey! Leave those people
alone!" Ryouga tossed a few of the spotted ki-infused cloths at the
drones, cutting a set of glowing antennae on one drone, and slicing a wing
to pieces on another.

The drones screeched and immediately turned in their
attacker's direction. The two injured drones broke away from their
original task, emitting a high-pitched noise as they advanced on him.

The human boy swallowed, falling into a offensive stance. "Come
and get me, ya dirty bugs!" He quickly attacked, and after a brief
struggle, Ryouga finished his original attack. He turned around, only to
discover a dozen more. "Where'd you all come from?" he wondered out
loud, but decided not to bother waiting for an answer, instead attacking
head on with his hands aglow with ki. "Hyahh!" The ki was launched in
short bursts, forming small but deadly balls. He still was not
comfortable using ki in such a manner, his training from the ShiShi
Hokodan overruling much of the practice with his new friends Kuririn and
Gohan.

Although soon he had to dodge them, since they were returned
with equal power and force. "Kuso...I forgot about that part." He
crossed his arms in front of his face to block the several he wasn't able
to avoid.

He attempted to bring his arms down into another attack pattern,
but realized he was frozen in place. "I can't move! What in the world..."
He peered through his arms, and realized a green light surrounded him.
"Chikuso..." With a sunken feeling in his chest, Ryouga watched a striped
drone advance toward him, removing a silver disc from a forearm.

The young man closed his eyes, not wanting to see the creature
attach it to his chest. 'I suppose it was a good life...it had its moments.
Although Ranma seemed to be in the center of the most memorable ones.
And Akane...' he sighed and quietly awaited his fate, letting the
memories warm his last moments on Chikyuu.

The sound of discharging ki made him open his eyes. "Nani?" His
eyes darted back and forth, trying to see what, or who had the ability to
use ki, since he did remember that the drones didn't. His chocolate orbs
settled on a large, dark-haired man, bent over several motionless drones
on the ground.

"You know, you're not paralyzed any more. Please, go and hide. I
don't know how many more drones are lingering around."

"When...how did you..." Ryouga blushed at his inability to express
himself, and his awkward position, quickly bringing down his arms. He
stepped closer to the stranger, curious. "Hey, how did you do that?"

The large man turned his head, pushing the thick black spikes
that framed his face out of the way. "The same way you took down the
other ones, sir." He stood up and held out his hand. "My name is Nanka."

"Ryouga Hibiki. You...you know I killed some of the drones?" He
shook the large, calloused hand, his eyes riveted on the other that held a
long, thick sword that was coated in blue.

"Well, I figured it was you, since you're the only human around
with a high enough level of ki to accomplish such an act." Nanka
shrugged and wiped the long blade on his pant leg to clean it. "You just
were unlucky enough to get caught in a paralysis beam."

"Thank you, Nanka. I thought I was going to become a drone."
The tall man just nodded in reply. "Can I ask you a question?"

Nanka nodded, glancing at the bandanna-clad man. "Sure, what is
it?" He turned his attention back to his sword, and then resheathed it in
the scabbard resting on his back.

Ryouga looked around, his hand moving to the back of his neck.
"Do you know how to get to the UN building? I was supposed to be there
for a big meeting, but I got lost." He weakly chuckled, shrugging at the
look on his rescuer's face. "I tend to do that."

"Are you part of the summit meeting on the Hachi?" Nanka
glanced at the young man, checking for any familar signs of him being
saiya-jiin. Other than the thick build and messy hair, there were no
other signs of alien genes.

"Well, sorta, I guess. My friends are going to be speaking, but I
had helped Ranma and Goku devise the defense plans that are supposed
to be presented."

Nanka blinked in surprise. "Are you talking about Son Goku?"
Ryouga nodded. "Well, my brothers and I are also part of the Hachi
summit." He peered closer at the young male in front of him. "Are you
saiya-jiin?"

Ryouga's eyes brightened. "So then you can take me there?"
Then his happy expression drooped in disappointment as he realized the
situation. "But if you're here, then that means it's over with." His
demeanor fell even more at the implications. "And they're going to go
back without me, and I'll be stuck here!"

"Well, it is over, since the Hachi attack on New York interrupted
it fairly well." Nanka smiled and clapped a hand on the depressed
human's shoulder. "But don't fret, young warrior. Come with me, and
I'll bring you back to your friends." Ryouga nodded, and the pair left.

After wandering down a few hallways, and going through a few
doors, the pair came upon another dark-haired man, although this one as
attacking a vending machine. "Yo, Tamana, look what I found! Can I keep
him?"

The male, now identified as Tamana, glanced behind him then
turned his attention back to the candy machine, grabbing a handful of
various bagged items. He turned back around, tossing half of them to
Nanka, he gave Ryouga a squint. "Eh, he looks a little scrawny. Better
toss him back."

Ryouga blinked a few times. "Nani?"

"Don't worry, Ryouga, he was just pulling your leg," Nanka smiled
and offered one of the treats in his hand; Ryouga declined. "This is my
brother, Tamana. This is Ryouga, a friend of Son Goku's party."

"Really? That's a coincidence, ne?" Tamana smiled at the
confused young man. "So do you know the Prince and Princess, as well?"

"Prince? Princess?" Ryouga was still confused over the earlier
comment.

"Vejiita and Seiika," Nanka explained.

Ryouga lit up at the mention of the latter name. "Oh, them. I
know Seiika as Akane Saotome. Her husband, Ranma, is my best rival.
Or, at least he was before he remembered he was an alien."

"Ranma? Ah, you mean Serori," Tamana nodded his head, the row
of spikes going down the back of his skull bouncing in synch with his head
movement. He turned to his brother. "Have you seen Yuukari lately?"

The three males continued on, their eyes and ears alert for any
sign of Hachi activity. "Not for awhile." Nanka closed his eyes and sent
out his senses, and after a moment, pointed in a direction. "Let's go this
way."

The normally frenetic activity in the large hallways was an
unwelcome change; the corridors were almost ghost-like in their
stillness. A few people peeked out of doors when they heard voices, but
the three quickly warned them to remain hidden for awhile longer.
Ryouga made sure he kept the burly males in eyesight, afraid of losing
his ticket back to Akane and the others. After a few moments of not
seeing any other signs of life, he cleared his throat. "Um, are they all
gone?"

Tamana shook his head. "Not likely. This area of the airport
normally isn't very crowded, since the airlines housed here are private
lines." They turned a corner and were greeted with the sight of blue,
splattered all over the walls as if a large abstract mural was just
painted. The remains of three drones were piled into a corner. "Looks
like Yuukari went this way." He kicked at a severed limb, and it made a
solid 'thump' as it hit the wall. "Let's get going and see if we can catch
some action ahead."

After going through a few more doors at a quicker pace, Ryouga
noted the devastation was getting heavier, and the piles of dismembered
drones got larger. The familiar screeching sound he heard earlier hit
their ears; the pair of saiya-jiin wincing slightly. "Sounds like we're
hitting the jackpot," Nanka said grimly as he unsheathed the sword on
his back. He turned to Ryouga, "Do you have a blade?"

The younger male shook his head. "Um...no." His eyes lit up and
he scrambled to undo the belt around his waist. "But I can use this as
one." Concentrating, he snapped the leather strap, infusing his ki to
make it ramrod straight.

The pair of saiya-jiin glanced at each other and shrugged in
unison. "Whatever works, I guess. We'll go first; make sure to watch
out for those paralysis beams." Tamana stepped forward, and the doors
slid open.

*******

~~At the UN Building~~

Akane stared off into space, one hand resting on the swell of her
stomach and the other supporting her chin. She kept track of the
battles through her senses, keeping careful watch on the outside
activity. She could tell Ranma and Trunks were knee-deep in drone
activity, and Goku had just arrived at the location of her father and
Gohan. "Goku just met up with Gohan and Dad," she commented out loud.

ChiChi sighed and wiped a hand across her eyes. "Well, that's
good news. Goku will watch over my Gohan."

"Where's Vejiita?" Bulma asked. "He's not talking to me
anymore."

She closed her eyes and focused on her twin. "He's just about at
Ranma and Trunks' location." She felt a warm flicker as her twin
acknowledged her, and she reopened her eyes with a small smile. "He's
being a brat, like normal."

President Shamar was sitting with them, and he called attention
to himself. "How do you know that?"

"We have the ability to track high-powered beings, Mr.
President," Akane explained, smiling at the blond-haired man.

"Is that a Saiyan trait?"

"No, it's not," she shook her head. "You could actually call it a
highly-developed seventh sense."

"But a Saiyan trait is being able to talk telepathically with your
mate," Bulma added, "or with others you are close to." Akane nodded in
agreement.

"Interesting," Shamar commented, "Can you tell how long it will be
before I am able to give an all-clear signal?"

"I don't know," Akane said, "but it's best to wait until the
warriors arrive back. Then we'll know for sure."

A spike of familiar energy caught her attention and she swiveled
her head around, her features furrowed in concentration. "Who is
that..." She turned to Ninjin, who was talking quietly with Nodoka and
Kasumi. "Ninjin, can I ask you something?"

The ponytailed saiya-jiin looked up and nodded. "Of course,
Princess. What is it you need?"

She ignored Nabiki's snicker. "Your brothers are in that
direction, correct?" She pointed to a corner of the large room,
indicating the airport.

Ninjin turned to the side she pointed, and after a minute, he
nodded with a thoughtful gaze. "Yes, they are that way. But I don't
recognize the other with them. It's a human male, with a fairly powerful
ki. I don't recognize the signature."

"That's what I was going to ask," she sighed.

"Is it Kuririn or Piccolo?" Bulma suggested.

She shook her head. "No, they're still in another part of the
world. Feels like Africa somewhere. But I've felt it before, I just can't
remember who it is." She frowned, trying to rack her memory to
identify the familiar feeling.

"If it helps, my Lady, the signature seems to be very
masculine--but laced with a heaviness that is not normal."

"Heaviness?" ChiChi questioned. "How can ki be heavy? The only
thing I can think of in such a way would be through a dark emotion. Not
evil--sadness, or depression, maybe."

"That's it!" Akane gasped, standing up. "Heavy ki! I only know of
one person who relies on depression to build ki strength."

Nabiki smirked. "So do I. It's got to be Ryouga."

She nodded in agreement, her spirit lighter than before. "I
wondered where he wandered off to! I was worried about him." Her
smile dimmed slightly and sat back down. "But he was taught how to
draw from other sources too, besides the heavy depression for his
ShiShi Hokodan..."

"You were worried about him? I thought you wanted to rip out his
spleen and feed it to him personally." Nabiki rolled her eyes at Kasumi's
gasp. "Or something like that. Did you two make nice-nice?" She
narrowed her eyes at the familiar term.

"Un," she started to smile, but it quickly went away in favor of
the frown that began to form when her attention returned to the varied
battles going on around the large city.

Bulma noticed her inattention and became concerned, getting
ChiChi's attention as well. "What's wrong, Seiika?" When she didn't
answer, Bulma poked her in the arm. "Seiika? What's going on?"

"Nani?" she said distractedly, still keeping her gaze directed
outward.

Kasumi put a gentle hand on her sister's shoulder. "Akane, is
there something wrong with Ranma or the warriors?"

Akane finally focused on Kasumi, her eyebrows furrowed in
intense concentration. "Ranma's group is being heavily attacked by
drones."

"Trunks..." Bulma whispered, her hand immediately going to the
prominent bulge of her unborn child. "Has Vejiita reached them yet?"

Akane stood up and walked a bit away from the group, one of her
hands clutching at her blouse. "Ranma..."

*****

~~Staten Island~~

"Come on! Over here!" Trunks yelled for the pair of Saotome as
they ran through the empty streets in search of more drones. "There's
a cluster of thirty drones!" He pulled out Te'ketii with one hand and the
other hand launched an explosive barrage of tiny ki blasts into the fray.

Ranma followed immediately behind him, his own ki blade growing
mightily. "Stay behind us, Oyaji, and help out the remaining humans." He
didn't wait for an answer from Genma, but instead sliced off the glowing
antennae of the closest drone, taking off the head with another swipe.

Genma stood in relative safety, hiding underneath the shadowy
awning of a bakery, the long sword Akane gave him loosely held in right
hand as he watched his son and friend make sushi out of the attacking
drones. His eyes darted from side to side, trying to keep up with the
frantic movements of the golden-haired warriors; the only real indicator
of victory being won was the splattering of cerulean blood and the
randomly flying parts of dismembered drones.

He ducked the splatter of sticky fluid when a severed limb flew
through the air, hitting the glass pane of the storefront. He scanned
the area, looking for any humans in need of help, but the only ones he
saw were peeking out from behind protective glass. A wild gesture
caught his attention--a woman was jumping up and down, pointing
frantically to an overturned popcorn cart. He had seen it earlier and
took no real note of it. But the woman's gestures made him look again,
and this time he saw what she was so excited over. Underneath the
cart, two small boys were huddled together in a small ball, flush up
against the giant spoked wheel.

Genma nodded to the woman in the window, acknowledging her
plea. He checked the activity of the drones and the fighting saiya-jiin,
and taking his opportunity, he dashed across the open street, diving
under the protection of the large cart.

The two boys opened their eyes when they felt Genma's meaty
hands touch them. "The big bees took Daddy," one of the two boys
whispered into Genma's ear as he gathered them close, holding them
tight to his barreled chest. "Why did they take Daddy?" he sobbed
into his ear, "I want my Daddy!"

Genma felt his heart shatter as his white dress shirt slowly
became soaked with the boy's tears. The other one was deathly silent,
but Genma could feel the rapid heartbeat of the very frightened child
against his arm. "Shush, little one, it will be all right," Genma spoke
soothingly into the crying boy's soft hair, "Uncle Genma won't let
anything harm you." Although the young child didn't understand the
Japanese words, he understood the tone, and his sobs settled into soggy
whimpers.

He couldn't help but think of the training days with another small
boy and the long hours he would hold the young Ranma in his lap, lying
awake into the wee hours of the morning, dreaming of the blindingly
bright future filled with untold expectations for the future of the Art
that he taught to him.

Genma blinked out of his daydream when a scream pierced his
thoughts and eardrums. Mere feet from their hiding place a drone's
head rolled to a stop. His sight was then distracted by the aquamarine
gaze of the grown version of his daydream. "Watch out, Pops, or the
Hachi might grant Vejiita-ouji's wish."

He stared into the pupilless expression, laced with concern and
worry, and Genma understood his dreams had finally come true. He
smirked and handed one of the boys to him, and raised his massive bulk
from the safety of the overturned cart. "You wish, boy. Then who would
give you your wake-up spar?"

Ranma grinned, dropping the glowing yellow and green look for the
normal black and blue. "Ya know, I sorta miss getting thrown out of the
window and into the koi pond every morning. But I also really like
Akane's wake up calls, too." Genma rolled his eyes at the leer that
flashed across the young male's face.

"Those are good too," he admitted, nodding his head. "Good
cardio-vascular workout."

"You ain't kiddin'!" Ranma smiled and jerked his head. "Come on,
Pops, let's go." The pair dashed across the street and ducked into the
opening doorway where eager hands immediately grabbed the pair of
young toddlers.

"My babies!" the same woman that alerted Genma to their
location now clutched the children tight in her arms, sobbing hysterically
in relief. "My babies!"

Ranma and Genma ducked back out into the street, not bothering
to stick around for thanks. The devastation that surrounded them was
now catastophic. The streets, sidewalks, and anything on them were
literally painted in indigo. Limbs, torsos and other miscellaneous body
parts littered the ground.

Trunks was standing in the middle of the street, his blond hair
almost as green as his eyes from the blood that covered him from head
to tail. The other two were filthy, but not as bad as he. They came over
to where he stood silently, his golden sword dripping blood next to his
side. Ranma and Genma followed his gaze to see a small stuffed animal
floating in a puddle of azure, the once beige fur now as blue as the
summer sky. "She was the same age as Maiize-chan. Her hair was
wrapped in a purple ribbon, her favorite color. She always liked playing
with my hair..." he trailed off, turning his head to the side as he dropped
out of super saiya-jin. His free hand moved up to run his fingers
through his now lavender locks.

The Saotome looked at each other, not knowing what to say to the
depressed male. Ranma stepped forward, putting a gentle hand on his
future nephew's shoulder. "Trunks..."

He shrugged it off, shaking his head. "Gomen. It just brought
back a lot of long-forgotten memories." He smiled a little, and quickly
changed the subject. "Are we ready to move on?"

"I think so," Ranma gave one last glance around, but then turned
to the sky. "Wait a second, Vejiita-ouji's coming." The other two
turned in the direction he was looking, and soon a white dot appeared in
the distance. After a few minutes of waiting, the ouji slowly landed next
to them, surveying the damage and destruction as he touched down.
Ranma greeted him with a nod. "What's up?"

"Not much it seems," he grunted, kicking away a limb near his
feet.

"Where's Goku-san?" Trunks asked as he cleaned Te'ketii with a
cloth.

Vejiita gave his future child a glance and then turned to the
destruction once more. "As if I care. Are you done here?" He walked
past Genma without even acknowledging his presence. Genma, though,
made sure he kept several paces between he and the foreboding Prince
at all times.

"That's what we were just deciding," Ranma said as he looked
around as well. "I think the locals can take care of themselves from now
on. Although, I hope they have a lot of cleaning supplies." All four males
smiled in some form at the quip. "So, how was Times Square?"

Vejiita smile turned wicked, flashing his sharp canines. "Bloody."

"Are we going to head back to the UN building?" Trunks inquired,
satisfied with his cleaning job of Te'ketii, resheathed the golden blade
in the casing on his back. He glanced around at the people just starting
to emerge from the protected cover of the shops. "If we are, I'm going
to tell the locals that the Hachi are gone." He didn't receive a definite
answer, so he shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the cluster of
citizens huddled together and started to talk quietly with them.

Ranma continued talking to Vejiita. "Well, if we go back now, I
can drop Oyaji off, and then we can continue doing flying patrols, that is,
if you feel it's necessary." He gave the older male a sheepish look.

Vejiita just grunted and turned to where Trunks was just starting
to walk back to them. "Are you finished yabbering with the humans,
brat?" Trunks flushed and nodded. "Then let's go. The sooner we get
back, the better. The Onna is banging around in my head and she's
giving me a headache." Trunks and Ranma both snickered. Vejiita
growled under his breath and launched himself into the air, Trunks
immediately following him.

Ranma turned to Genma and and gave him a lopsided grin. "Okay,
now no yellin' this time, Pops. My eardrums are too sensitive for your
girly screams of terror." The older male rolled his eyes at the barb but
kept them scrunched tight when he felt Ranma clutch him under the
arms, the ground falling away from his feet, and the air pushing at his
face.

But all of a sudden, the wind was gone, and he opened his eyes to
see why they stopped. What he saw made his stomach muscles clench
and twist into knots. Both Trunks and Vejiita were mere paces in front
of them, both glowing with bright auras. The reason they had halted in
mid-flight was floating directly in front of them:

A Swarm of at least a hundred drones hovered in the air, all
neatly paced in rows, with one lone drone stationed in front of them, the
first two sets of legs crossed over each other. The sun glinted off a
metal bracelet the lone drone wore, and Genma squinted to keep the
glare out of his eyes. Using the rapidly beating wings, it moved forward
slowly in their direction. Then, it spoke.

"You Saiya-jiin are arrogant creatures, are you not?"

******

~~Various parts of NYC~~

With one claw he sorted though the remains piled up with a
crater. Severed limbs littered the crater, giving the illusion of
fully-formed drones buried alive. But the bloodied and decapitated
striped torsos nullified the illusion. Along with the drenching blood that
dyed everything deep blue.

Daisy let out a noise of disgust. "These saiya-jiin are ruthless,
disgusting animals! It seems like they have no morals whatsoever." A
stray arm tumbled down the incline of the crater, landing at his feet. He
stared at it for a few moments, then shook his head, the antennae on his
head bouncing with the movement. "I am sorely tempted to plead with
the Captain to abandon this planet, and move onto friendlier pastures."
With a flutter of his wings, he rose from the carnage and into the air,
where all he saw was more signs of drone demolition. 'But this planet is
perfect for our needs. An extremely large population of low-energy
beings; soil rich and ripe for production; atmosphere ideal for use. We
will not have to seek a new world for several hundred years.'

As he flew through the air, he kept his sight to the ground,
searching for any sign of active drones. 'It would be perfect, save the
saiya-jiin population. I swore the reports said there were no more
saiya-jiin alive, especially this thick in concentration. And I can't believe
Vejiita and Seiika are the cause for all of this destruction.' Another
splatter of blue caught his attention and Daisy snorted in disgust once
again, landing to see the extent of the extinction. The two spots he
visited were too far apart, and the number of drones destroyed was too
high for the pair of siblings to cause the damage. "There has to be
more," he declared out loud.

A flash of light out of the corner of his vision caught his
attention, and quickly Daisy moved out of sight. He watched as the white
spot became closer and he inhaled sharply, realizing the figure that just
flew over him was the saiya-jiin prince himself, Vejiita. He watched as
the male slowed down and landed just out of sight behind a building, and
Daisy waited a moment before moving closer. As he peered around
the corner of the building, he discovered that he was talking with three
other males, two with swords strapped to their backs. The other black
haired male had no sword, but Daisy did discover something else: a long
brown tail flicking around his leg. Saiya-jiin. A quick glance to the other
two noted another tail on the light-haired male, but the cloth-covered
male was facing the wrong direction, so he couldn't tell if he had a tail as
well. 'Although, saiya-jiin can survive just as well without one,' he
amended his thoughts.

Four saiya-jiin.

Daisy backed away from the group and hitting a button on his
wristband, he signaled to the drones standing duty on the ship to send
two squads of armed squads that were still stationed deep underground
to come to him. Fluttering his wings lightly, he rose into the air and
awaited his attack force. Within five minutes, one hundred disc-wielding
drones arrived at his location and stood in their squadron, ready for
orders. It was time to take care of the saiya-jiin.

And when they rounded the corner, Daisy let a content smirk curl
at his lips as the three figures froze in the air. He glanced at the
dark-haired male carrying the cloth-covered male for a minute, but then
decided that it would work to his advantage.

He advanced forward a bit and felt a satisfied warmth in his
chest when the three flying saiya-jiin moved closer together, their
bodies glowing with attacking energies. He inhaled and spoke out loud:

"You Saiya-jiin are arrogant creatures, are you not?"

*****

"Hachi," Trunks growled under his breath. "Filthy, disgusting
drones!"

"It seems that you are the arrogant one, drone," Vejiita called
out, still in his attack position. "One hundred against four? They don't
sound like favorable odds."

"On their behalf," Ranma added quietly. Genma smirked. "Pops,
I'm gonna switch you to my back, so I have my arms free, okay?"

"Or you could put me down," he suggested, half listening to the
verbal banter going on between Vejiita and the lead drone. "Did you know
they could talk more than that high-pitched noise?"

"Yeah, they can," Ranma responded, his gaze locked on the pair
ahead of him. "Akane ran into one called 'Daisy' at the mall, and we
discovered they are highly rational beings. They have conscience,
thought patterns, and all that." He spared a glance down to the man he
held by the arms. "And I'm not gonna put ya down, Pops. The Hachi can't
mutate saiya-jiin--our DNA fights back. Yours doesn't. You'd be better
protected on my back." Genma nodded in agreement.

"...Daisy, ... officer aboard the starship Tokemonu."

"Speak of the devil," Ranma growled, "this is the drone that
Akane ran into at the mall, Vejiita-ouji."

Vejiita nodded in agreement. He shifted slightly, getting into a
looser stance that belied his tension. "Aren't daisies the little white
flowers that infants pick the petals off to determine their mates?" He
snorted and cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "But you've only got
four petals to pluck. Won't take very long, then."

Daisy was quiet for a moment, then spoke again. "Don't
underestimate us, Vejiita." at the subtle shift in the male's posture,
Daisy nodded. "Yes, I know all about you and your sister being on
Chikyuu. You may have destroyed two of my swarms, but there are still
eighteen others out there, assimilating scores more humans into drones.
Our numbers grow larger and larger, while yours grows lower and lower,
until this planet will be completely populated with drones."

"You know, we Hachi have the same goal as you do in this universe,
saiya-jiin. To survive. But, unlike you, we are the ones that won the
battle. My race has flourished, growing stronger and stronger in
numbers, while you and yours, well," he shrugged two sets of shoulders,
ignoring the warning growls that echoed in the air, "has not, I'm afraid.
The law of the universe is just in its judgement. The strong will survive,
and the weak will perish. Survival of the fittest. It's a millenia-old
saying; I'm sure it has its own version on this planet."

"And Chikyuu's struggle is a perfect example of this principle. If
the humans are unable to defend themselves against our attack, then we
Hachi have shown that we are the stronger race, and we have earned the
right to procreate here, and further the dominant species. You
understand, of course, that this includes the saiya-jiin, as well. Your
strength and determination will be an asset to our cause."

He glanced around the area. "Although I will have to be careful
not to assimilate you completely, since I plan on using you to draw out our
future Queen. She is around here, is she not? You wouldn't leave her
unprotected, since I know how protective saiya-jiin are about their
family units."

Ranma's aura flickered wildly, and Genma closed his eyes against
the brightness. "You will not touch one fucking hair on Akane's head, do
you hear me, Hachi! NOT ONE!"

Daisy cocked his head, studying the flashing male with interest.
"Ah, you must be Serori, Seiika's mate. Although the records noted that
you had died a long time ago, I should have realized that saiya-jiin are a
resilient bunch, and you would have survived somehow. Not to worry, you
will make an excellent drone. Perhaps an attendant to the Queen,
herself." He lifted one foreleg into the air and with a sharp slash of his
claw, the drones behind him sprung into action.

"No ki! Remember, no ki!" Trunks yelled as he swiftly pulled
Te'ketti from his back and launched himself into the attacking swarm,
immediately slicing off two drone's heads with one swing.

Ranma howled as he flew into the mass of black and white bodies,
not caring what and where he struck, his only true target the lone drone
that hid behind the swarm. Genma, not in the best position for an
offensive attack, just kept his head low and one arm tight around
Ranma's neck. The other swung the long, thin blade at any drone that
attempted to attack from the side.

Vejiita growled under his breath as he pinpointed the drones that
started to glow green. He knew that if they could not be assimilated,
but if they were frozen in place, they would not be able to stop them
from assimilating any other humans. Or go after his sister. With a hiss
he created a large ki blade and bulleted himself into the thick of it all,
attacking heads with a vengeance.

Daisy watched the massacre with wide eyes. Seeing the frenzied
attack ways the saiya-jiin made him realize just how powerful an
adversary they truly were. He watched as all three pinpointed the exact
weak point of the drone--the head. For if the head was gone, then the
drone was terminated. From behind the attack force, he watched the
detached heads and bodies rain down to the ground, falling limp and
lifeless to the earth. Mentally, he called back two pairs of drones to his
side, and waited to complete his final task. The swarms were there just
for fodder--he knew that they would be destroyed. Daisy wanted to
know just how efficient the saiya-jiin were in their destruction.

He got his answer.

All too soon, all that was left floating in the air were nine
figures: four saiya-jiin; one still being carried by another, and five
drones.

Daisy stared down at the ground, the several-layered annihilation
lying in multiple bits. "Well, that was...efficient, to say the least," he
commented before taking in the status of the saiya-jiin. All four seemed
not worse for wear. They wre filthy before, from earlier battles, and
this one just added another layer of blood and grime to their muscled
bodies.

Daisy jerked one claw of each side, and both pairs of drones flew
high into the sky, disappearing quickly from sight. Trunks immediately
flared his aura, becoming a rapidly fading vapor trail in his effort to
pursue them.

Ranma leveled himself off next to Vejiita. "It seems you are the
last one standing, drone. Now who is the dominant species?" Vejiita
smirked.

"Yes, yes, I can see that your egos are not damaged as well. But,
again, you have underestimated us. We do not require sheer numbers to
defeat our opponents." A green glow bathed the area, and both Ranma
and Vejiita barely had time to turn around before they were frozen in
place to see one lone drone emitting the paralyzing light over the area.

Daisy moved forward and stopped mere inches in front of Vejiita
and Ranma. "Sometimes, we only require a distraction." With a smile on
his black features, he removed two of the silver discs from his forearms
and attached them to the chests of the frozen saiya-jiin. The glowing
drone removed one of its own silver discs and attached it to the lower
back of Genma.

*****

Trunks slanted his eyes against the wind shear as he chased after
two of the drones. "Damn, these things are fast," he murmured to
himself. He flared into super saiya-jiin, and layered on the extra boost
needed to catch up.

The extra power helped, and he quickly caught up to the rapid
drones, and he shot ahead of them, a golden comet against the white
clouds that filled the sky. He stopped suddenly, and with Te'ketii at the
ready, he doubled back with a yell. The drones were unable to protect
themselves from the oncoming attack, going too fast to stop their bullet
flight, so they ended up flying directly into the deadly swing of the
golden blade.

The jasmine-haired male watched as the two drones plummeted to
the ground. And as he turned to go back to the original site, a third
drone whizzed by him, rocketing off into the distance, in the same
direction as the others. With a growl, Trunks flared his aura and turned
into a living torpedo, becoming another ray of light.

Within moments, he caught up with the third drone, and sent it to
the ground in several pieces. He slowly turned around in a circle, trying
to find the fourth and final drone, but when he felt both his father and
his uncle's power levels drop from high to almost non-existent in a
matter of moments, he knew where the final drone was. "Kuso! They
were just a distraction!" With a sky-ripping scream, he powered up to
his highest level and shot across the expanse.

*****

Ranma and Vejiita fell to the ground in pain, their attention on the
discs causing their ki to wink out. Both saiya-jiin had felt the pain of the
nanoprobes being ejected into their systems before--this being the
third attempt of assimilation for Vejiita. And to this extent, the older
male laughed. "You still don't know, do you, drone?"

Daisy blinked in confusion. "What is it I am supposed to know?"

He grunted, a wave of pain making his vision turn spotty. "Poor,
deluded drone! Do you think this is the only time those tiny pieces of
plastic have been injected into our bloodstream? Saiya-jiin are immune
to your feeble attempts of assimilation!"

The drone was taken aback at the relevation. "Immune? That
cannot be! The nanoprobes are able to change any type of DNA into a
drone." He stared at the males on the ground, watching for signs of
transformation. And after a few minutes of not seeing any, he made a
noise of frustration. "You just take longer to change."

"Longer than you can imagine," Ranma panted, his eyes scrunched
shut.

"Not as long as it takes to slice of a supersonic drone's head,"
called a snarling voice. Daisy looked up to see a sun-colored saiya-jiin rip
out the glowing antennae of the lone drone in the sky, and then take off
the head with his bare hands. "Trying to lure me away from the real
action, ne?" He crushed the skull of the mutilated drone in his hands,
letting the bits rain softly to the ground.

Vejiita quickly stood up, ripping off the disc attached to his chest
with one hand. "Took you long enough, boy." He scowled up at the
pale-haired youth brushing his hands off on his clothes.

Trunks scowled right back, not afraid of the dark look. "Yeah,
well, I'm here now, ain't I?"

"Trunks, get down here, now!" Both Vejiita and Trunks turned to
Ranma, who was crouched over the large form of his groaning father. He
was attempting to remove the silver disc from his large back. "I think an
arm is lodged in his spine!"

The future saiya-jiin fell from the sky and immediately pushed
Ranma's hands out of the way, working frantically on the small buttons
found on the faceplate. "Ojisan, can you hear me?" Trunks' only
response was a muffled moan.

"Have the probes been injected into his body yet?"

Trunks shook his head. "I don't know--I can't get it off. This is
going to hurt a lot, Ojisan." Trunks held the disc in his hands and with a
loud yell, infused his ki into the disc, making it explode. When the smoke
cleared, all that was left of the nanoprobe disc was a bloody mess on the
base of Genma's spine.

"Pops! Are you okay? Come on, speak to me!" Ranma rolled the
large man over, earning an intense scream of pain.

Trunks pried open one of the man's closed eyelids, and shook his
head. "He's in shock. I hope I haven't damaged the spine too much."

Daisy watched the frantic movements and was confused. "If what
you say is true, why are you worrying if the probes are in his system?
They will be ineffective, ne?"

Ranma was about to retort, saying that he wasn't saiya-jiin when a
blood-curdling scream came from the prone man. Everyone watched as
his blotchy white skin darkened to midnight black, and his two sets of
limbs contorted into segmented sections. Another soul-piercing scream
accompanied a third set of limbs bursting through the striped sides. A
set of antennae glistened with newly-formed blue blood as they emerged
from the smooth black scalp.

"Oh no...Pops..." Ranma groaned painfully, his heart twisting with
each physical mutation that formed.

The other two saiya-jiin turned from the grieving Ranma to focus
on the silent Daisy. Trunks growled loudly, pulling Te'ketii from behind
his back. "This ends now, Hachi. Your reign of terror is over with on
Chikyuu!"

Daisy cocked his head to the other side. "It seems you were
mistaken, saiya-jiin. You can be assimilated."

Ranma stood up from his crouched position on the ground. His
head bent, hair covering his features. "We are right, Hachi. Saiya-jiin
are impervious to your nanoprobes." A burst of ki sent the furious
Ranma into super mode. He stood tall, his aquamarine gaze spoke of
complete and total annihilation to the drone it focused upon. He stepped
forward, and Daisy, sensing his impending demise, stepped back. "It just
happened to be that he is not saiya-jiin." Ranma continued to step
forward, and Daisy equally fled backwards. He screamed, a corona of
gold surrounding him and launched himself at the hapless Daisy,
grabbing him by the thin throat. He stared into the black emptiness of
the drone's eyes, and Ranma spoke, his voice unsteady with unrepressed
fury. "What he is, is my father, and you will pay for his death with your
own!" With one twist of his hand, the flaming saiya-jiin decapitated him.

And then, Ranma howled his loss to the sky.

Both Vejiita and Trunks stared at the mourning male, and felt his
power continue to rise, breaking all barriers that existed before,
distinigrating the drone into dust at his feet. The ground underneath
their feet shook and cracked, opening great jagged maws of earth. They
watched with awe and slight horror as his hair got longer, and his body
expanded to embrace the ascension in power.

Just as fast as the increase came, it left just as quickly, dropping
the wailing male back into original form, his black hair falling over the
right side of his face; his odd dark-blue eyes turning purple in their pain.
He fell to his knees, and his forehead touched the ground as he mourned
the loss of the only parental figure in his life.

*****

~~Bronx Zoo~~

The three adults and one child stood next to an overturned ice
cream cart, enjoying the loss of business as they regrouped when they
felt the power increase flood their ki senses. The three saiya-jiin
turned to the south, their attention riveted on the huge power
fluctuations found over there.

Soun noticed their stance. "What's going on? Are there more
Hachi attacking?"

Goku shook his head. "No, at least I don't think so. It's
just...someone increased their ki to a level unreached before."

"Who is it?"

Tobuma dropped the cone he held in his hand, not even noticing
that it fell on his blue-tinged shoes. "Papa...It's the same level my father
reached when he attacked the Hive."

Goku turned back to the others. "Grab on. I'll teleport us there."
The other three latched onto the tall saiya-jiin and he put two fingers to
his head, but then opened his eyes. "His power level dropped to almost
nothing."

"Is he dead?" Gohan asked, his eyes wide in fear for the older
male.

"Not yet," his father shook his head. "Just really low." Goku
stole a look at the tri-colored male, and saw fear in his dark eyes.
"Trunks and Vejiita are there, too. I'll focus on them." He re-closed his
eyes and within moments, the four fizzled out of sight.

******

~~JFK Airport~~

Ryouga was staring at the three tailed males as they cleaned off
the blue-coated blades. "I have never done so much fighting in one time.
Even my battles with Ranma were never this intense."

Nanka smiled at the dazed human. He admitted he was rather
impressed with the young man. Ryouga had done well in the many
encounters they had with the drones, not losing his attention or cool when
faced with many adversaries at once. "You did well, Ryouga. I would be
honored to have you at my side in any battle."

Tamana nodded in agreement. "And I, as well. Although, I was
wondering how many of those bandanna you have around your head?
They just seemed to keep coming and coming." They laughed at the blush
that formed over the young man's cheeks. "So what say you, Yuukari?
Are we done here?" He turned to his older brother, who was silently
staring out the window.

"I believe so, Tamana," Yuukari said, nodding his head. "Although
I think our Prince's group could use some help. There is an intense battle
raging." He looked to Ryouga. "Young Serori is involved in that one, as
well."

"Ranma is there? Well, I'm all for joining in," the fanged boy
smiled. "Looks like I'm going to have to save his tailed rear once again."

"Again?" Nanka questioned, raising a thick eyebrow in surprise.

Ryouga's chest puffed out, more than willing to share his exploits
with his new comrades. "Several times I've had to rescue that sorry
excuse for a martial artist. Like the time when that fancy prince Herb
locked him into his cursed form."

"The Dragon Prince Herb of the Musk Dynasty?" Yuukari's eyes
widened in surprise. He knew of a large battle with the bratty prince.
What he didn't know was who he fought with.

"Yeah, I guess. He had a lot of ki attacks," Ryouga shrugged.
"Anyway, when Herb broke open the..." he paused in his retelling of the
fight when a large wave of ki washed over the four. "Who and what was
that?"

The three brothers shared an identical look, their faces drawn in
shock at such an extreme power level. "That was Serori," Yuukari
murmured. "I have never felt such a power before."

"Did he go super saiya-jiin?" Nanka asked, still shocked from the
reading.

"It's more powerful than that, if it's possible," he shook his head,
trying to clear it. "Come on, let's go."

******

~~UN Building~~

"Akane!" Nabiki screamed, who was one moment talking to her
about their latest doctor's appointment, then just crumpled to the floor.
"What's wrong!"

Everyone immediately circled around the fallen female, cries and
shouts for doctors drowned out the murmurings of the young woman.
But everyone was flung away when her aura exploded yellow, pure plasma
flying from her prone form as she was sent soaring into her ascended
state.

"What's happening?" President Shamar cried out, his body having
landed behind the American consulate's table when Akane's aura
exploded. "What is that energy?"

"That is a high-powered energy form, Mr. President," Ninjin
explained, helping up the blond-haired man, "that saiyans can reach
through intensive training. It is an old legend among our people spoken
and passed down through many generations. But I didn't know that she
was so strong that the barrier had been broken."

Everyone watched as Akane attempted to sit up, grunting and
clutching at her body. "Ranma...can't control...energy..." She sat up even
further, opening her glowing eyes toward her sister in law. "Help
me...window..."

Immediately, Bulma ran to the closest set of windows, using a
chair to break them open. "Get her over here! She wants to release the
ki safely!" Ninjin and ChiChi grabbed Akane's arms, pulling her burning
body to the window. "Get out of the way!" The three dived behind a
table and watched as Akane leaned over the broken glass and screamed,
setting free the excess ki sent to her through her Bond with Ranma.

Several moments later, the bright golden light dimmed, and Akane
backed away from the window, her features returned to normal hues.
ChiChi, Bulma, and Ninjin left their protective hiding spot and rushed at
the wobbling female. "Are you okay, Seiika?" Bulma asked, wiping her
dark hair, soaked with sweat, from her forehead.

"I'm okay...but Ranma isn't." Akane choked on a sob. "His
father...oh Ranma..." she collapsed into tears, hiding her face with her
hands. She fell to her knees, her forehead touching the ground,
inadvertingly copying the same position her mate.

"What's wrong?" Kasumi, Nabiki and Nodoka ventured closer,
noting the powerful light show was over with. Kasumi knelt next to her
sister, putting a comforting hand on the shaking Akane. "What's wrong,
Akane?"

"Kasumi...Ranma..." The young female fell into her sister's
embrace, soaking the young woman's blouse.

Nodoka knelt next to the pair, her dark eyes wide with concern.
"Akane, is something wrong with Ranma?"

Akane looked up from Kasumi's shoulder, her own dark eyes
shimmering with shed and unshed tears. "Oh, Auntie...not Ranma..." She
swallowed and choked back another sob.

"Genma's dead."

*******

Well, that was fairly exciting, ne? *stares at the people staring back at her for killin' off Genma* Um...the next part will be out within a few weeks, and that will finish up this arc. *stares to feel creeped out by the stares* Well, Daisy's dead, too, right?? GIVE ME A BREAK!!

Gie-chan

ACK!!!! If anyone can tell me what Ryouga really says in Japanese (I realize that what I have is wrong....oioioi) when he announces his 'lostness' please LET ME KNOW!

Angie