Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or Dragon Ball Z.

Author's Notes: Yay! The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day! So why the hell am I sitting inside writing? Simple, I go to a trade school during the day. Hence the sporadic updating. Well, without further ado…Let's get this party started!

Dragon Fire

Chapter 6

The Darkness

The sounds of screaming and someone shouting her name were the things that Akane woke up to. As she sat up, her bleary eyes took in the form of Shampoo and Nabiki sitting on either side of her. The sight of Cologne's body brought everything back to her and she once again felt dizzy, but fought it off.

"Stay down! Someone's attacking the stadium!" Nabiki warned, but she staggered to her feet anyway.

"Elder must not fight now. Must take Honored Grandmother home and stay safe." The once bubbly Amazon said with quiet desperation. She wasn't angry with Akane for killing her great grandmother. The Chinese girl understood the violent girl had no choice. Despite her pleas, however, Akane began to rise into the air.

"I'm sorry, but a martial artist must protect those weaker than themselves. Don't worry," she smirked "I'll be back." With that parting shot, she streaked off towards the stadium to give what aid that she could. As she approached, she saw a massive ball of golden ki fly for the stands and quickly launched herself in to intercept the attack. Her war hammer appeared, the upgraded form of her mallet, and she assumed a baseball player's stance before swinging the powerful ki weapon at the ball. The hammer impacted with the sphere and sent it hurtling into the sky, but the effort drained her somewhat. She gritted her teeth, but held on as she tried to see everything at once. Vegita was standing in the center of the ring with Goku, Gohan, and Supreme Kai standing in the ring. Piccolo and Kuririn were out of the fight; both were unconscious and not even twitching. The Prince of All Saiya-Jins wasn't even looking in her direction. He was so intent on taunting "Kakkarot" that he didn't seem to care what was happening. His hand suddenly shot out again and Akane's eyes traveled to where he was aiming. With speed born of desperation, she shot towards the place where he was about to fire, and placed herself in the path of the attack just as he unleashed another blast, but this time he was watching as the sphere fired off to destroy some more weaklings. Akane swung her hammer again and once again knocked the blast out of the park, but the backlash destroyed her construct and fried her. The once Majin girl hit the ground smoking, her eyes rolling back into her head as the nearly lethal attack washed over her. Her last conscious thought was:

"This just isn't my day…"

/-

"This just isn't my day…" was the thought echoed by the two girls trying to get into the stadium. The sheer wave of people trying to get out kept pushing the two of them back. Wrapped in a blanket that Shampoo had pulled out of stuff space was Cologne's body. It was her duty to ensure that the new elder made it back to the Amazons safely while ensuring that her departed relative's body remained intact. It was too much for the girl to bear; her eyes were stinging with tears as she wished she knew what to do. The throng of people pressed onto her from all sides and she was almost swept away in the sea of humanity before Nabiki grabbed her hand and pulled her onward. A particularly heavy bump jarred the arm carrying her precious burden and tore it from her grasp. With an inarticulate wail, she tried to break free and find her great grandmother, but somehow the mercenary girl grew stronger and pulled her beside her to whisper into her ear, miraculously heard above the shouts.

"Would she want you to die trying to find her already dead body?" the girl whispered and the fight into the stadium continued, Shampoo's tears streaming down her face. Nabiki felt terrible at having to say that, but often times we're forced to do things we don't want to do. She slipped her arm around the Chinese girl's shoulders to keep her from being pulled away from her. As soon as they got into the stadium, a horrible sight met their eyes. Half of the stadium was simply gone, not cracked or broken, but utterly annihilated. The rest of the stadium was almost empty except for the floorshow in the ring. The usual male bravado and macho posturing, but they didn't care to listen as they searched for Akane. They saw her laid out in a relatively unscathed portion of the stadium, cracks forming from where she landed.

"Akane!" Nabiki's heart felt like ice in her chest as the two girls rushed to check on the violent girl. When they got nearer, the smell of burnt flesh and fried hair assaulted their nostrils, but they reached her. A quick check at her jugular told the duo that she was alive, but judging by the injuries, she would be out for quite awhile. The arguing voices grew even louder forcing the girls to look towards the source.

"Fight me Kakkarot or watch those pretty little girls die!" Vegita held his hand out towards them, building up power, but before he could fire, Goku brought his hands up.

"Alright! I'll fight you, but not here. Babidi! I bet you can see the place I have in mind! Take us there!" Goku shouted. In a flash of light, the two saiya-jins were gone. Supreme Kai and Gohan were the only ones left in the ring, but a cry from above stopped them.

"Nabiki? Akane? Where are you?" Ranma's frantic voice was heard.

"We're down here!" Nabiki shouted to the sky, after a moment Ranma landed. The redhead spotted Shampoo just as the middle Tendo latched onto her. The purple-haired girl sighed as she gently brushed the hair from Akane's face. The whole incident was relayed to the neo girl. Just as the explanations were winding down, Kibito arrived. Ranma was glad because they only had four senzu beans, meaning that a healer was more than welcome.

"We don't have much time. The portal to Babidi has opened!" Supreme Kai called out as his comrade finished healing Ranma and Akane. There were no words to express what the two youths felt as Shampoo continued to weep for her departed kin.

"Go on and get out of here. I'll take care of Shampoo." Nabiki said before kissing her "girlfriend" one more time. She smiled at her baby sister before giving her a giant hug. Once again, there were no words, but at times like this, it's perfectly acceptable. The super powered youths leapt up to where the others were ready to brace the sorcerer in his lair. Without looking back, they jumped down the hole and into the heart of darkness.

"Take care…" the once mercenary girl whispered before guiding the grieving girl from the stadium.

/-

The final chamber of Babidi's spaceship was dominated by a huge incubator with a dial on the pedestal that was fluctuating wildly. Spikes of energy could be felt radiating from it and it moved faintly as if trying to hatch. The mad sorcerer laughed in delight even as the remaining warriors of Earth arrived to do battle. Another voice joined in with the laughter and Ranma felt her blood run cold even before Dabora stepped out from the shadows.

"So nice to see you again…" he barked with laughter. The diminutive sorcerer got control of himself before sneering at those assembled.

"You are too late! Even as we speak, Majin Buu is awakening! Those idiotic saiya-jins fighting is charging my creation rapidly! What can you possibly do to stop his revival?" he asked in condescending tones. The three teens began gathering in their power, much to the Supreme Kai's amazement, they were building up almost in unison. Ranma brought her hands back in an unfamiliar pattern as Gohan brought his cupped hands back while Akane suddenly manifested her war hammer.

"Go!" the three shouted at once. Ranma used a combination of the claws of the Neko-ken as well as the Yama-Sen-Ken's Kishin Raishu Dan, cleaving into the strange pink egg just as a Kamehameha fired into it, obscuring it in dust before Akane's war hammer slammed down, a powerful blast of energy erupting from the hammer's head. They had used up almost all of their reserves, but it was worth it. The trio smiled in triumph as they thought it was over, but malevolent laughter stopped their victory short.

"Thank you for completing his power up! We better go outside so that my lovely Buu has plenty of room to fight!" Babidi cried as he wove the spell to warp them outside. Once there, they had an unobstructed view of the incubator. Much to their horror, it was still intact, even if the dial was cut to pieces. The pink oval suddenly began taking shape as if it was a horror movie. It grew arms, legs, and a head. It was also inexplicably dressed in baggy white pants, like a jinn, wearing a vest and a cape. On his hands and feet were big gloves and big boots. He was enormously fat, but that didn't keep him from capering about and singing. If it weren't for the sheer amount of power he was radiating, he would have been almost comical.

"Now that my father's creation is here I guess I don't need you anymore Dabora!" the insane sorcerer cackled evilly, leaving his henchman to fume angrily. Dabora snarled in anger as he suddenly manifested his spear and charged the pink blob, ramming his spear through him. Everyone stared in shock at what just happened.

"Replace me will you? I'll destroy your toy!" he roared, before watching in fascination as the body seemed to contract a little. What was once the back became the front.

"Buu make you cookie!" the pink monstrosity shouted before touching the startled demon on the forehead with the tentacle on his head, turning him into a Dabora shaped cookie. His long tongue snaked out and he devoured the mighty demon.

"N-Nani?" the teens cried out as they watched what happened in horror. If this Majin Buu guy could do that, what else could he do? It wasn't going to be an easy fight, they knew, but they had no choice. They had to stop his evil even if they died doing it.

"No more fooling around!" Gohan cried as he unleashed the full power of the Super Saiya-Jin. His hair exploded into gold as his eyes turn a brilliant emerald green, he was a nuclear reactor of power ready to explode. Ranma joined him as she released all restraints on the Neko-ken, her hair flowing about her face as if blown by an invisible wind. Akane did her best to further power up, but even her efforts didn't go unrewarded. The ground beneath her cracked and fractured, small stones flowing around her body, held up by her corona of power. Babidi began to sweat a little as he felt their combined force in the back of his skull like a dull ache. His creation seemed unconcerned as the three powerhouses erupted into motion in a kicking, punching, melee frenzy. The bubblegum pink creature known as Buu absorbed heir attacks as if they were nothing. Upon seeing this, the evil sorcerer began to feel more confident, but another great power was streaking towards the scene.

"No! If all these powerful warriors converge on us then my poor Buu is doomed!" his fretting increased as a power greater than the approaching one also came to their location. Cries of shock and pain drew his attention as it looked as if Buu had trapped the trio in his magic bubblegum-like body and was unloading rapid fire shots into their faces just before manipulating his body to strike them simultaneously in their stomachs with blobs of his flesh, releasing them at the same time.

"Buu make you go bang bang!" he cried angrily as he swung his fist in a wide arc that blasted Gohan clear out of the battle area, but sent Ranma and Akane spiraling into the ground in opposite directions from each other. The teens shakily got to their feet. The redhead girl noticed that her half saiya-jin friend seemed to have vanished and came to the obvious conclusion. The pink freak destroyed him.

"Noooooo!" she cried to the heavens as she began glowing green and black with heavy depression energy. Akane saw what she was doing and did what she could to help the neo girl gain the needed power.

"R-Ranma…?" she called out weakly, clutching her side dramatically. The blue-eyed girl looked to her friend and former fiancée with pain on her face only to watch as Akane collapsed and didn't stir, her hand reaching out to her. That did it. Everything inside of her snapped as anger, hatred, pain, and depression warred with each other for dominance. In her right hand, a ball of pure red ki flared into existence as a green and black ball formed in her left hand. The two balls seemed to be fighting and fueling each other at the same time. She snarled in fury at the being in front of her. He seemed to realize something was about to go terribly wrong for him as the balls of energy erupted into pure waves of energy. Lightning arcing between the two streams as they plowed into the overstuffed pink wad, swelling him to tremendous size before the warring energies trapped inside finally exploded in a dome of pure dark red and green power that swirled into a tornado, splattering the pieces of Buu across the landscape. Just as the blast reached her, she named the attack.

"Broken Heart Blast…" before she was claimed by darkness and hurled away like a broken doll.

/-

The violent girl couldn't believe it. She had just helped Ranma kill Buu, but killed the redhead as well. The tears flowed down like rain as she thought about her actions. It was no use, she killed the neo girl. The grief nearly overwhelmed her just as Piccolo and Vegita arrived. Her fury replaced her sadness as she say the twisted sorcerer try to get away, but a hurled war hammer stopped him cold, blasting his legs out from under him.

"Wah! W-what is this?" Babidi screamed as he hit the ground in pain. Piccolo stood above him before firing down and destroying the cruel being. Vegita suddenly brought his head up as if he sensed something. Akane held her breath as the oppressive power of Majin Buu returned quickly with even greater fury than before. The pieces of the blob quickly shot back together, returning to the shape of their destroyer, and his smile was positively huge.

"Dad!" the voice caught them all off guard as they saw little Trunks and Goten suddenly streak in and land beside them.

"What are you doing here?" Akane shrieked in panic for the children.

"We can help! We're Super Saiya-Jins too!" Goten said confidently. Buu chose that moment to attack, but a Final Flash gave him other things to worry about. A decision was coming into his mind as he watched the hideous thing reform. He sighed and called his son to him.

"Yes dad?" Trunks went up to him and found himself pulled into a one-arm embrace from his father. It was so unexpected and unusual, but it felt good. It felt good until a sharp blow to his head sent him into unconsciousness. Goten grew furious and flew at Vegita.

"How could you do that? Daddies aren't supposed to hurt their kids! What kind of Daddy are you?" he was practically crying, but a punch to the stomach knocked him out as well.

"…Take care of them, Namek." Vegita said to Piccolo as he turned his attention to Buu once again. The green-skinned warrior understood and scooped up Trunks while Akane picked up Goten. The two looked back once at the proud Prince before taking off as fast as they could. Shortly after they left, a powerful explosion sundered the earth and erupted into the sky in a blast that rivaled Ranma's Broken Heart Blast. Akane lowered her head and cried.

"Akane…Take Trunks. I'm…going back to see about Vegita…" Piccolo said as he handed her the other child. She cradled the boys close as she took off once again as the Namek warrior went back to see his fallen comrade. Akane's tears trailed out behind her as she went back to the ruined stadium.

"…Ranma…" she thought with remorse as her lonely flight continued, the children held close.

/-

Consciousness came slowly to the redheaded girl as she fought to get up to her knees. The powerful eruption of energy had completely spent her energy, but it was worth it. The monster known as Majin Buu was no more and her friends were avenged. She smiled sadly, as she took stock of her surroundings before her eyes fixed on a figure in a black body suit with white boots. His energy was low, but Gohan was definitely alive. Later she would blame the female influences, but she quickly scrambled over and held him close. Her good friend was alive and the relief was almost too much to bear. When she remembered Akane, however, she nearly went back under, but suddenly a familiar flare of power could only be Akane! She wanted to fly, but her energy was spent. There were senzu beans around her neck, but before she could take one, Supreme Kai and Kibito found them. They were obviously relieved that the two of them were alive. Kibito gave them another healing, but they could feel his energy waning. Ranma blinked as she realized she was still holding Gohan and quickly let go, dumping him unceremoniously onto the ground.

"What the hell…?" he asked groggily as he sat up.

"It is good that we found you. Sadly, Vegita's sacrifice was wasted. Buu wasn't destroyed by the kamikaze attack." The kai bowed his head at the waste as did the others.

"What can we do now?" Ranma whispered wearily.

"Come back with us to the planet of the Kai. There is a lot that can be done to improve your already impressive skills." Supreme Kai said confidently. Kibito nodded.

"You are amazing warriors, but your potential hasn't even been tapped yet." He agreed.

"I need hot water to turn back into a guy…" Ranma grumbled. With a wave, the teakettle of hot water appeared over her head and upended. He had been reading about Jusenkyo and just had to see it in action. Well, it certainly was fascinating, but nowhere had he read that it created two separate beings. Gohan nearly had a nosebleed as he also took notice of the problem that was created. Ranma-kun grinned as he stretched.

"Now that's a lot better!" he almost kissed his bicep, but stopped as he saw what the others were staring at. If he weren't already sitting down then he would have collapsed in shock. An identical copy of his girl half was sitting beside him with her eyes closed, naked as a jaybird, she stretched languidly. That was too much for Gohan who collapsed backwards in a spray of nostril blood. Perhaps he should pass out as well. She turned to look at him with a bright smile.

"Hello Ranma…" she said. Yep, passing out sounded good, and he did.

/-

Ranko-chan took a moment to notice her state of dress (or undress as the case would be) and decided she definitely needed clothes. She fished the sports bra off her "brother's" chest since he didn't need it and began searching for pants as she put the bra on. Finally, she sighed in defeat.

"Need something to wear?" Supreme Kai asked. He was reluctant to cover up such a good-looking body, but he understood the necessity. When she nodded, he waved his hand and she was dressed in a red and black copy of his own outfit. Black over tunic, red trim, as well as a red shirt, red pants, and black boots. She noticed that a pair of red earrings dangled from her ears. The girl absently wondered what she did to deserve this, but kept it to herself.

"Wanna explain how I became my own person?" Ranko asked.

"Kibito?" the Supreme Kai turned it over to his lackey, uh, assistant Kibito.

"I would only heal you when you were injured, but the magic tends to repair what it considers damaged. The more I healed you, the more I healed your feminine chi. Eventually I had healed it so much that when Ranma was splashed with the hot water then you were born." The red-skinned man explained.

"So, essentially he's now my brother?" she asked. The two nodded. With a big smile, she gave her unconscious brother a hug. Her smile grew wider when he cuddled up to her. The Supreme Kai smiled and gestured for Kibito to pick up Gohan.

"We have to go." With a wave, they vanished. The only sign of their passing was the flattened grass.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Another chapter complete. I'm on a role today, ne? Two updates in such a short span of time. I'm trying to make up for all the time between chapters. I hope you enjoy this latest offering. I'll see you all again soon! Ja ne!