"Where am I? What is this place?" She said to herself.
"I remember... being in a... restaurant... I was helping Goku with... something?" she mumbled. "Their was a short guy with spiky hair, and... Krillan with blond hair and a nose? Am I dreaming?" she asked herself.
She looked down at herself for the first time only to scream out in mortification as she realized that she was without a stitch of clothing. After a few minutes of trying to cover herself with her hands and failing miserably she gave up, as she was all alone in this nothingness. "I have to be dreaming," she muttered with a shake of her head, "I mean come on I'm floating naked in a black void, I hope I'm dreaming cause if I'm not I'm in a world of trouble."
"Lets see," she mumbled and scrunched up her nose cutely in intense concentration, only to smile as an orange gi popped into being around her. "OH YEAH!" she shouted in girlish glee, "Defiantly a dream, or something like that anyway," she finished with a smile.
'Now, what do I remember...' she thought, 'everything recently seems so vague and disjointed, I don't really understand it mostly flashes of things.'
"That thing at a tournament and then in that restaurant are pretty clear," the red headed girl said to herself. "It was confusing but clear," she mumbled, "but before that... the clearest thing I can remember is..." she frowned in confusion before her eyes popped open in shock and fear, "KURUIJINI!" she blurted out and looked around as if expecting him to appear at the mentioning of his name.
She remembered now, how Kuruijini came about and took over her and Ranma's body, their dark side. His plan to dominate the worlds, and the battle that took place when she and Ranma found each other and attacked him together from the inside as Goku attacked from the outside. How she volunteered to stay, locked inside of their mind, holding the line in a constant struggle to keep Kuruijini at bay as Ranma took over the body that was his by right.
"Ranma wasn't happy with that," she mumbled, "stupid chauvinistic baka," she smiled. "But how did I end up here... and where is Kuru-baka, if I'm not keeping him away from control... then where is he?"
A cold feeling grew in her chest at the thought, "Ranma, I hope your okay," she mumbled in worry for the both of them.
#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#
Only Human
By Verse12
Verse12 (AT) Hotmail (DOT) Com
#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#
Disclaimer:
I do not own these characters nor do I claim too, this is a simple fan based homage. Their creators and the companies they work for and with own the characters and all that pertains to them. (I.E. Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, Shougakukan, Pioneer LDC, Hiroki Hayashi, Ryoe Tsukimura, Akira Toriyama, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Artmic, Youmex, Bandai, C2) This is just fans of the shows expressing their love for it for fun, no profit is involved or expected thank you.
#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#
Chapter 14
Ranma & Ifurita's Excellent Adventure Special
Or
Cool Down Part Two
#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#
Back in the real world Ranma stood up and paced a bit in anxious tension, in what little space he had in the crowded private dining room in the restaurant. Just when Vegeta was about to explode Ranma sighed and began his explanation, "I've gotta curse, when I was a teenager back in my home universe. When I was splashed with cold water I turned into a girl."
"HAH," Vegeta barked in laughter, "A part time Onna," he chortled.
"Hot water reversed it," Ranma grit out coldly at Vegeta.
"When I ended up in that other dimension," he nodded to the Krillan he has been traveling with. "I was in my girl form. The trip some how scrambled my memories somehow or something, and somehow caused some kind of amnesia. I was found in a forest by a young boy, with a tail, named Goku."
Everyone looked on as Ranma related his tale of what could have been. "That Goku took me to grandpa Gohan, he... Adopted me and we became a family. I took the name Son Akane, Akane was the name of my Fiancé, and it was the only thing I could remember, so we assumed it was actually my name."
"Time passed, I had amnesia for about five years and though during that time I learned I could change genders, I didn't know what form was mine though."
"That's got to be rough," Videl, said in sympathy.
"Tell me about it," Ranma smiled, "A product of five years as a woman and a badly phrased wish on the dragonball's ended up driving me a little nuts. I developed something like multiple personality disorder. My dark side went around trying to take over the world," he shrugged. "It wasn't easy to fix but in the end Akane... My female persona, locked herself away deep within me... within... us, holding my dark side at bay. She is... protecting me, at the cost to her continued life." He paused in a moment of painful reflection. So now that she's suddenly started to make appearance's again..."
"You're worried that your darker half will as well?" Piccolo questioned.
"Exactly," Ranma nodded.
"Bah," Vegeta scoffed, "in a real fight you or your 'darker' half doesn't have a chance."
"Yeah thanks," Ranma said drolly.
"While you were fighting I did notice that your Ki was defiantly doing some unusual things," Piccolo added, "Your Ki was splitting off and leaking into unusual patterns inside your body."
"It's like you have several separate pools of Ki that are separate yet connected," Dende confirmed.
"$#!&" Ranma cursed and looked over at his Krillan and Roshi and sighed. "I think I can feel them getting stronger," he said, "Plus I'm worried that the year we just spent as other people will give me yet another personality."
Ranma just sighed and shook his head, "Well... We'll just have to deal with this as it develops. Whatever happens it won't be the same, I have to much control over myself now, and now that I know what is going on I should be able to keep the status quo."
#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#
Everyone kind of quieted down at this and just looked at each other uncomfortably. "Uhm," Gohan interjected, and when everyone looked at him he changed the subject and asked Ranma a question. "You, or rather your 'other' self said something about dad graduating from orange star high?"
"What?" Ranma asked in an absent minded tone of voice. "Oh, yeah... after he won the Budokai I felt it was important that he get not only an education but to socialize with kids his age. And maybe learn to love something outside of fighting and food."
"He was about sixteen or seventeen at the time so between the tutoring I had been giving him over the years and Bulma and Chi-chi giving him a crash course he passed the placement test so he could join in his senior year."
"Wait a second," the Chi-chi of this universe cut in, " Goku and I got married after he won the Budokai?"
Ranma coughed uncomfortably, "yes well that was my doing, I had a lot of bad dealings with arranged marriages when I was younger and as My Goku's legal guardian... I couldn't let him get married at that young of an age."
"And any arranged marriages had to be approved by me before they became binding. So I sort of made an agreement that if the Chi-chi in my universe wanted to marry Goku she had to win him the old fashioned way. Not by letting him think that marriage was something to eat."
"Is that what you did?" Gohan asked in confused wonderment as he looked at his mother.
"That's... That's not important," Chi-chi said in a stuttered exclamation, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment.
"So what happened next," Goten queried as he and everyone at the table was looking Ranma to continue his tale.
"He started classes," Ranma continued, "He had a little trouble finding an elective to take. But then we remembered a cheap little camera I had gotten Goku years before, for Christmas. So he chose to take photography as his elective class, and then..."
"Photography?" several people at the table exclaimed cutting off what Ranma had been about to say next.
"What a waste of time that is," Vegeta scoffed.
"Actually," Ranma said slyly as he grabbed a capsule out of his bag and activated it.
When the smoke cleared four books sat there. Ranma picked them up and smiled at the group, "My Goku did pretty good he mainly did his photography as a hobby. Most of his pictures were of landscapes after most of his battles. But he made enough to keep feed, in fact he pulled in as much Zeni as a good doctor or lawyer would."
At this stunned statement he handed out the four different books to those at the table. The books were books of photography and the images were breathtakingly beautiful. But the stunning thing was that author's name was listed as Son-Goku.
"NO WAY!" Everyone but Goku exclaimed in shock.
Goku was oddly reflective, he was not someone who was ever broody or introspective but all these talks about things that could have been were getting to him. These books were the final straw, he realized he had been missing something his whole life... he realized he wanted more from life.
Everyone was hunched over the various books that the other Goku had published and talking in hushed tones. Even Vegeta was peaking surreptitiously over at the books as he tried to pretend he wasn't. Everyone stopped and looked over at Goku as he spoke up with a look on his face not seen outside of life and death battle, "do you have any pictures of him?" He asked Ranma.
Ranma looked deep into Goku's eyes and nodded silently. Without a word he opened his bag and took out a small photo album and handed it to the third class Sayia-jin warrior.
Goku thumbed through the album silently as everyone watched him with bated breath. On the last page he turned the album sideways for what was obviously a landscape style photo of many people.
They looked so much like his friends and family... but different to, he thought.
Everyone waited for Goku to say something as he looked at the photos but when he frowned and began to look intently at the last page, some kind of group shot, Ranma voiced the question on everyone's mind. "What's wrong Goku?"
"This group shot I see me and Gohan and the others... but where's Chi-chi?"
"Ahhh..." Ranma trailed off nervously and glanced at the Roshi and Krillan with him. They of course were no help and looked in every direction but at him and Goku.
"Well actually, that is, at that time..." he hemmed and hawed.
"WHAT!" Chi-chi barked in announced.
"At that time we had a falling out with Chi-chi, in fact it's because of her that Krillan and Roshi-sensei are stuck with us."
"WHAT!" everyone asked, well almost everyone, Vegeta and Piccolo didn't seem to care.
"What do you mean by falling out?" Chi-chi growled out menacingly.
"Well, while Goku was going to High School Bulma invited us to stay with her at Capsule Corp. She helped Goku study and stuff he actually with her help graduated in the top third of the class."
At Chi-chi's growl Ranma moved on quickly, "Anyway, one thing lead to another and Bulma and Goku fell in love, got married and had Gohan. Chi-chi went a little nuts and vowed revenge, the end," he finished in a rush and waited for the inevitable explosion.
"KAKKAROOOTTTTT!" Vegeta roared, showing he had been listening, "YOU AND MY WIFE! YOU... ARE... A... DEAD MAN!" With this Vegeta's power exploded in a torrent of energy as he flew at Goku with all of his strength.
#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#
Moments later most of the men and little Pan who wanted to see the fight had flown out the hole in the roof after Goku and Vegeta.
The two Roshi's of course stayed and grinned lecherously to each other at being left alone with all the pretty ladies.
Bulma sighed and exclaimed to the other women present, "Let's let the boys settle their testosterone issues themselves."
The blue haired scientist looked over to Chi-chi whose face was still marred by a frown of anger? Or was it something else. "Chi-chi you KNOW me and Goku would NEVER..." she trailed off sincerely.
"Of course," Chi-chi said with a shake of her head as she put on a smile. "He wouldn't dare..." she trailed off with a chilling tone of voice that left the other women present shivering in fear.
"ANYWAY," Ifurita cut in so as to dispel some of the tension in the air. "You all know that what is true in one reality isn't necessarily true in another."
The others nodded in understanding of this point and things settled down into a semi-tense quiet.
They sipped coffee or tea for several minutes, no one evidently worried about Goku and Vegeta. The quiet continued until Android 18 noticed Ifurita glancing at her daughter several times.
The blond Android woman glanced at the pale android quizzically. "I'm sorry," Ifurita, responded to the unspoken question, when it was obvious that she was noticed in her glances. "She's very beautiful," Ifurita complimented the younger Android with a wistful smile.
"Thank you," was 18s questioning reply.
"It's just that in my... creation...reproductive organs were deemed... Unnecessary and they places they went were used for... Other functions," Ifurita explained in a quiet voice.
Soothing and comforting exclamations were the response when the other women heard this. Ifurita took solace in the understandings of these women around her and her heart was lifted.
It was at this point that the boys returned Vegeta first in a bruise on his right eye and a slight cut on his lip. His attitude could be described as stormy at best.
Goku was not far behind him as well as the others Goku looked slightly worse than Vegeta with a black eye and large bruise on his left cheek.
"VEGETA," Bulma roared standing up and getting up in his face. "WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!" "HUH?" she questioned. "THAT WAS ANOUTHER REALITY NOTHING LIKE THAT HAPPENED HERE!"
"OF COURSE I KNOW THAT WOMAN," Vegeta roared back. "IT WAS THE PRINCEAPLE OF THE THING ALRIGHT," and as if that was explanation enough he walked past his fuming wife and sat down grabbing a piece of left over cake as he sat.
Pan-chan could be heard loudly complaining to anyone she could, that it wasn't a real fight so her Grandpa wasn't really beat by Vegeta.
A momentary flash hit Ifurita as she realized that everything was in proper alignment for the final jump and she had recuperated long enough. If they were going to get Ranma home on the next reality jump then they needed to be going soon.
So it was with a melancholy sigh she stood up with her announcement that they need to be saying goodbye to their new friends.
#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#
A half an hour later they all gathered in a nearby park for the transition. Goodbyes were said and promises to visit if possible. An aide of Bulma's arrived with a small capsule case just in time. Bulma said it was a gift for a glimpse of what could have been. And for maybe giving her best friend a chance at finding something else in his life.
"The capsules you have are almost twenty years older than the things we have now," Bulma said with a smile.
As this was going on Ranma dug around in his pack looking for something. Several items were placed next to him as he rooted around.
One little box happens to catch Ifurita's eye though. "I was wondering where that went," she murmured.
She picked it up with a little smile. "What's that," Bra-chan said, somehow homing in on the jewelry case.
"Oh the other Dende gave this to me when we left. He said it was given to him by his superiors to help me in the future," The pale Android said to the little girl with a smile. She opened the box showing the two identical sets of earrings inside, "I don't know what they are supposed to do. But it is nice to get a present from someone."
"I know these," Bra said with a big smile. "I saw a picture of these Daddy and Kakkarot used these to merge to fight Buu."
Bulma had caught that last bit as she was coming over to lasso her wayward daughter. At the confused look on Ifurita's face Bulma looked at her with a resolved look. "I think I need to tell you something before you leave. It could help deal with some things that the other Bulma and family may face in their future."
"O... kay," Ifurita answered with a frown as Bulma pulled her aside so she could whisper a few things that could help deal with a little problem that went by the name of Majin Buu.
While Ranma was searching and Ifurita was learning of Buu and Babbidi, Krillan took the opportunity to let his counterpart know that he should defiantly use the Dragonballs to get himself a nose. "Food is SO much better with a nose," he said with a grin.
"Aha!" Ranma shouted out triumphantly. At the inquisitive looks he got he held up a little box about four by four by two with two straps that hung from the sides. "Just a little something I picked up a couple of realities ago."
"I still think that that is a cruel trick to play on them," Ifurita said with a frown as she rejoined the group with Bulma trailing behind her.
"I just want to see what people's true feelings for me are," Ranma replied with a shrug. "Plus it's a pretty good prank on everyone who wanted to use me when I was a kid."
"Krillan you and Roshi-sensei know what I want you to do right?" The once and future resident of Nerima asked his two guy friends.
Ranma buckles the box onto his upper left forearm and grinned. "It's great to meet you all and I hope we can get together someday," he said with a smile at the Briefs, the Sons, the Chestnuts and all their friends.
Goku smiled with a strange light and he approached Ranma and grasped his hand in one hand and gave him a brief one armed guy hug with the other hand. "Thank you," Goku said with a grin, "I can't even explain how much I mean that."
"It's okay," Ranma smiled broadly as he steeped away from Goku back toward Ifurita Krillan and Roshi. "That's what families for."
A murmured goodbye and a loud 'POP' sound the travelers were gone.
#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#
High above Nerima a loud 'POP' sounded as the four travelers arrived. "I'll head on down to the dojo," Ifurita said with a grimace. "I still don't like this, but I kind of see your point, just don't take to long. I need to see Makoto and see if he can help me."
"I understand," Ranma nodded, "Just kind of give me an intro and then go check on Makoto. We'll be okay and so will you guys."
And with that Ifurita floated down toward the dojo in the distance.
#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#
To be continued: In Only Human: Interlude Five
A scene from Interlude Five
"What is that supposed to do," the monster asked with an evil grin of her own.
"Oh, that allows me to do this," Miz responded with smile.
The monster looked confused for a moment when the forgotten girl screamed loudly and pointed behind it.
The clawed thing whirled around to see only water in front of her face, she looked up and up and up near the top of the vaulted ceilings a monstrous face formed of water roared at her.
"#$!&," The much smaller thing cursed.
#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#
Endnotes:
I'm sooooo sorry it's been so long but I have been writing some it's just been slooowww going. This is not been preread but I have not heard back from my prereaders in quite some time. No offense it has been a LONG time I appreciate all the work they did in the past.
Oh and I already have the next part finished I'll update that soon.
Thanks again, later.
Signed: Verse12