A Saiyan Tail.
Part 17
Battle.
+++++++++++++
Son Goku floated above the ocean and glared at Piccolo.
"Well? Shall we get started?" said the demon with a small smirk on his
face.
"Anytime you're ready," said Goku with a nod.
"Come on then!" cried Piccolo as his aura flared around him.
Both men paused in mid strike as something seemed to hit them both at
once.
"What was that?" said Piccolo as he turned to face the strange new
power.
"Oh no. Ranma," muttered Goku in alarm. "We can finish this later," he
said to his opponent as he flew away towards the disturbance.
"As much as I hate to do it, I've got to see what that was. It couldn't
be Goku's brat! There's no way he's that strong! Ryoga, maybe? No. I
didn't train him that well." He followed behind his hated rival.
+++++++++
Ranma grit his teeth and prepared for the impact as Ryoga slammed into
him once again. "What's the matter, Ranma? Can't take the heat?" laughed
the lost boy viciously as his opponent was knocked closer to the ground.
"Damn! He's gotten faster too!" muttered Ranma as he tried his best to
deflect another barrage of strikes. "What the hell am I going to do?"
Ryoga floated back away from the boy and frowned. "He's still holding
back. What's wrong with him? He's going to die if he doesn't go all out!
Well, I suppose it won't matter, since he's going to die anyway." He
placed his hands over his head and smirked.
"No! He's charging up again!" screamed Ranma's mind desperately. He
charged forward and attempted to reach Ryoga before he could blast him.
"You should know better than that, Saotome! Shi shi houkou dan!" The
reddish energy slammed into Ranma sending him into the ground in a
massive explosion. Ryoga watched the small field vanish below him as
everything within a quarter mile was vaporized.
"Heh, I expected better, Ranma," said the boy as he flicked his fingers
on his forehead for a moment in a small salute. He paused and glanced at
the dust cloud below as a sudden feeling hit him. "What the?"
"That hurt you jerk!" screamed Ranma as he blasted out of the cloud and
slammed into the lost boy's gut.
"What? No way!" cried Ryoga angrily.
"What's the big deal, Ryoga? The one you survived in China was a lot
bigger than that," said Ranma with a smirk appearing on his face.
"That doesn't matter! I'm stronger than you are!" snapped Ryoga angrily.
"I'll kill you yet!"
"Ryoga! We don't have to do this!" pleaded Ranma again.
"I've seen hell because of you! I won't let you ruin my life anymore!"
snapped Ryoga.
"No! We can fix it damn it!"
"No more words! Die, Saotome!" screamed Ryoga as he blasted forward and
attacked. Ranma danced and weaved around the blows easily this time.
"How? How is he doing this?" growled Ryoga from between his teeth.
"The dragon only made you stronger, Ryoga, but you're still not as fast,
and you're sure not as powerful as I am!" Ranma seemed to explode. A ball
of energy a hundred feet in diameter formed around him and pushed Ryoga
back.
"What? No way!" snarled the lost boy as he attempted to push the energy
back with his hands, but was steadily pushed away.
"I've been holding back my real power, Ryoga, because I didn't want to
hurt you. I don't ever want to hurt anyone again. You've gotten so
strong, that I can finally go all out!" said Ranma as the energy ball
died down.
"What?" snapped Ryoga angrily as he stared forward. Ranma was surrounded
by a blue aura of energy, it seemed to pulsate from him. His muscles had
grown slightly larger as well, giving him a bulkier form.
"No way!" snarled the lost boy as he charged forward again. Ranma was
far too fast though. He found himself striking nothing but air. He could
feel the heat build up on his arms from the friction of the air.
"Are you finished yet?" said Ranma calmly as Ryoga was thrown back by a
hard blow to the gut.
The lost boy sailed through the air, but managed to remain airborne. He
steadied himself and smirked again. "I felt that one, Saotome."
"That was just a tap," warned Ranma with his eyebrows creasing.
++++++++++++
Goku and Piccolo stopped and floated a short distance away.
"Ranma," muttered the Saiyan with a slight worry in his voice.
"He's even stronger than you are," commented Piccolo with his mouth
turning into a tight frown.
"Why do you think we've been gone so long?"
"What?" Piccolo whirled to face him with his fists balled up.
"I've been training him to contain his power," said Goku with a small
passing glance.
"You knew about this?" said the Namek angrily.
Goku merely nodded. "We can fight later, we have to break up this fight
Piccolo. Those two could destroy the entire planet if this gets out of
hand."
The demon looked at him for a moment and turned back to the two warring
youths. He hated to admit it, but Goku was right. Ryoga would get himself
killed, and Ranma might not be able to contain that much energy again.
That would be bad for him.
+++++++++
Ryoga was tossed through the air viciously as Ranma rained blows down on
him from all around. He shakily steadied himself after an elbow strike
that planted him in the ground, leaving a good sized crater in the
ground. Ranma seemed to appear out of nowhere just in front of him.
"Are you ready to talk yet, Ryoga? You can't win," said the Saiyan boy
darkly.
Ryoga wiped his chin and smirked. "I'll never give up. Not until you're
dead."
"If that's the way you want to play it," said Ranma in reply.
"Come on! Show me what you've got!" snapped the lost boy angrily. As he
spread his feet out and readied himself again.
"You've lost," whispered Ranma as he held up his palm and sent a
relatively small ball of energy into the boy's chest. Ryoga was thrown
off of his feet and slid across the ground into a large boulder. The rock
shattered and landed on top of him as it crumbled into itself.
"You think you've won don't you?" snapped the lost boy as he threw
several of the stones away and managed to stand above the rubble. His
clothes were in tatters and hung loosely off of his body.
"Ryoga! Stop this! He's emitting enough energy to damage the whole
planet!" said Piccolo as he landed between the pair.
Goku came down near Ranma's side. "Son! You've got to stop! Calm down!"
The pigtailed boy looked at his father for a moment and nodded. "All
right." He powered down slightly and seemed to relax his stance.
"Get out of my way!" snarled Ryoga angrily as he glared at his teacher.
"You don't get it do you? You've lost! There's no way you can beat him!"
snapped Piccolo in retort.
"Oh, you think so do you?" replied the lost boy with a chuckle. "One
last time old man, get out of my way, or I'll go through you."
"Have you lost your head, boy?" said the demon with a serious look
suddenly crossing his features.
"A long time ago. You don't think I was dumb enough to show you my real
power, do you?" Ryoga balled up his fists and smiled again. Slowly, the
stones around him began to rise into the air.
"What?" snapped Piccolo with a look of shock on his face.
"I must thank you, the lessons were good. I'm much stronger and faster
than I was before," said the lost boy with his grin suddenly growing to
almost inhuman proportions.
Ranma and Goku watched the scene in shock. "Piccolo! Move now!" screamed
the pigtailed boy as he raised his power levels once again.
The namek jumped to the side just as Ryoga vanished. Goku was almost
knocked over at the same instant by the force of the boy's passing.
"No way!" cried Goku in shock.
"I... I barely saw him move!" gasped Piccolo in horror. His face
contorted to a mask of anger. "He's been toying with me all this time!"
"Ranma!" cried Goku as he looked towards the sky. Every once and a
while, a flash of his son and Ryoga colliding could be seen. "Damn! We
have to stop this!"
+++++++++++++++
Akane rushed forward and stopped cold at the edge of a large field.
"They're close," she growled and clenched her fists at her sides.
Shampoo rushed up beside her, badly winded and staring at the girl in
shock. She was still wearing the turtle shell. It had to weigh a good
forty kilos. "How she do this?" said the girl as she rested against her
knees and attempted to get her breath back.
Akane frowned and glanced around. Finally, she took the shell off her
back and placed it on the ground.
"What you doing?" said Shampoo in confusion.
"We're here," replied Akane as she pointed to the flashing lights that
appeared in the sky on occasion in the distance.
"What is this?" gasped Shampoo in wonder. Was Japan under attack?
"That, is the fight," said Akane coolly. She could feel the energy of
the pair. She wasn't very good at it, but it was kind of hard to miss by
anyone with a little training.
Shampoo jumped up in fright as a crater appeared in front of her for
apparently no reason. "Aiyah!"
"You should leave. You could get hurt if you stay here," said Akane as
she glanced back at the amazon for a moment.
"You no tell Shampoo what to do!" growled the Chinese girl in reply.
"Suit yourself, don't say I didn't warn you," said Akane as she rushed
forward.
Shampoo followed behind her, but found herself being left behind easily.
"Wait! What about, Crazy Turtle Shell Girl?"
Akane was watching the sky, waiting.
++++++++++
Ranma fought hard and fast. The confrontation had been physical so far,
and Ryoga was still stronger than him. They were almost evenly matched in
speed though. That was bad for him. He was covered in bruises and
bleeding from several places on his face. He stopped and felt the energy
around him for his opponent.
"What's the matter, Ranma? Getting tired?" said Ryoga as he appeared
behind him and let loose a small blast of energy at point blank range.
The pigtailed boy appeared behind him, clutching his shoulder. A large
portion of his shirt had been burned away. "Damn it, Ryoga! Stop it! I
know another way!"
"I don't care! Don't try to pretend you aren't enjoying this, Saotome. I
can see it on your face."
Ranma paused. "What the hell am I doing?" he thought in shock. It was
true; he had a stupid looking grin plastered across his face.
"Come on! Let's see what we can really do!" said Ryoga with a similar
expression on his own face. He paused and slowly turned around. Akane
Tendo had found her moment.
++++++++++++++
Shampoo blinked as the girl in front of her took up a strange,
unfamiliar, closed stance. "What is doing?"
Akane merely smiled, it was not a pleasant sight. "Ka"
Shampoo stepped back as she felt something in the air around her. A
strange power build up that was unfamiliar to her.
"Me"
A light began to form in the Japanese girl's palm. The amazon's eyes
went wide with shock.
"Ha"
"Is impossible!"
"Me"
The amazon found herself stumbling back over her own feet.
"HA!"
+++++++++++
In the air, Ryoga Hibiki narrowed his eyes and shifted to avoid the
blast. It passed harmlessly by him, not that it was strong enough to do
much anyway. Strangely though, he lurched forward and fell to the earth
clutching his shoulder. "What the?"
Ranma glanced back over his shoulder and frowned as he saw Piccolo lower
his hand. The beam had passed by him, missing by inches. "What the heck
was that?"
++++++++++++
"Damn! I missed him!" snarled Piccolo as he turned to glare at the girl
standing a fair distance away. He had attempted to strike before the girl
could finish, but failed.
"That was your new move?" said Goku in wonder. "Pretty impressive."
"You'll find out how impressive it is later," snapped the demon in
retort.
"Can't wait," chimed Goku cheerfully. His face became serious again
immediately after. "Come on, let's go get them."
"Heh, they're both still green. Neither of them even noticed me powering
up, they were too wrapped up in their own battle."
"They noticed her," commented Goku.
"Only because she's standing right under them," replied the demon.
"What the heck was she thinking?" grumbled Goku. He had to get Akane
away from here! Soun would kill him if she was hurt.
+++++++++
Ryoga stood slowly to his feet, clutching his shoulder. It was hanging
limply at his side, useless. "What the? Are you trying to get yourself
killed girl? Get out of here!"
"You monster! You murdered my sister! I'll kill you!" screamed the
enraged girl as she dashed forward.
The lost boy's eyes went wide with shock. He found himself frozen as her
fist connected with his jaw. His head was turned, and a red mark became
apparent. It had felt like nothing more than a slap to him though.
"Akane! What the hell are you doing here?" snapped Ranma as he grabbed
her and pulled her away from him.
"You can't have him! He's mine!" snarled the girl as she tried to pull
away from him.
Shampoo's jaw dropped like it had a lead weight in it. "Stupid BOY
Ranma?"
"Not now Shampoo," replied the boy sharply. He turned back to his
fiancee. "Get out of here! You'll only get yourself killed!"
"I don't care! I'll find a way to get him!" snarled the girl bitterly as
she fell into tears in his chest.
Ryoga stood watching the scene. He had gone completely pale. "K-killed?
You're her sister? Oh god! What have I done?" He fell to his knees with
tears of his own falling down his cheeks. "A family...she had a
family..." he was muttering the words over and over. The thought of
others she had left behind had never occurred to him. He felt bad enough
for just killing her, this made it worse than ever.
Piccolo stood behind him with Goku at his side.
"It's over, boy," snarled the demon.
"Yes, you're right. I am prepared to die," said the lost boy in reply.
"Good," growled Akane as she stared at him hatefully.
"I'll make this quick then," said Piccolo as he raised his hand and
prepared to strike.
Goku was about to jump forward to stop the demon, when Ranma seemed to
explode in rage.
"No! No one is going to kill anyone!" His power flared once again around
him.
Akane stepped back with a betrayed and hurt look in her eyes. "How could
you?"
Piccolo paused and stared at him as well. "Why shouldn't I kill him? You
already said he's a murderer."
"It doesn't have to stay that way," replied Ranma sharply.
"Just let me die! I don't care anymore!" snapped Ryoga from his knees.
He had not yet moved from his position.
A dawning crossed Piccolo's face. "Oh, I get it. You want to use the
dragon balls."
"That's right. He doesn't have to die, Piccolo. His mistakes can be
erased," said Goku sharply.
The demon considered his options. Ryoga was useless, Goku would
undoubtedly protect the boy, and Ranma appeared to be quite adamant about
him staying alive. "All right. I can see I don't have much choice, for
now." He turned and started to float away. "We'll finish our fight
another time monkey. As for you," he turned and glared at Ryoga. "The
next time we meet; I'll destroy you."
"What do you mean erased?" said the lost boy as he slowly rose to his
feet. His scowl was still there, but it had softened a great deal.
"We can use the dragon balls to wish her back to life," replied Ranma.
"What? I don't have time for fairy tales! We'll finish our fight!"
snapped the angry boy as he started to move forward again.
Goku put his hand on the lost boy's shoulder. "It isn't a fairy tale."
The boy gave him a questioning glance and turned back to the young girl
who was still giving him dirty looks. She had calmed considerably, but
was still way beyond pissed. Ranma's hand on her shoulder was all that
was keeping her away from him. "What do you mean?"
"You dope! You already know! We'll bring her back the same way you got
your tail," said Ranma finally.
"You mean, that dragon...can?"
"Bring back the dead," said Goku with a nod.
"I don't have to be a killer?" said the boy as he looked at the ground
and contemplated the idea.
"Unfortunately, you used them. It'll be another nine months or so before
we can use them again," said Ranma with a sigh.
"Huh?" stammered Ryoga as he looked up from his thoughts.
"The dragon balls can only be used once a year. After that, they look
like ordinary rocks. After a year goes by, they change back again,"
explained Goku.
"I see," muttered Ryoga as he turned away.
"Do you want to help us find them?" said Ranma as he sat down in the
dust.
"All right. In nine months, I'll come back here. I'll help you find
those balls of yours to atone for what I've done. After that, we'll
finish our fight Saotome. I still haven't forgiven you yet."
"Right. If you aren't here, we don't have time to wait for you. We won't
be the only ones looking," warned Ranma.
"I understand," said Ryoga with a small nod.
"You think that will make it all better?" snapped Akane angrily.
"No, but it's the best I can do," replied Ryoga before he floated into
the sky and vanished.
Akane hung her head and turned into her fiancee's chest again. She
pounded on him lightly with her fists as she cried. "Why? Why did you
save him? You jerk!"
"Because it was the right thing to do. I'm proud of him Akane," replied
Goku.
"Come on, lets go home," said Ranma with a heavy sigh.
"Ranma. I dropped my shell," said the girl sleepily as he lifted her up
into his arms and started to float away.
"Don't worry, I'll get it," said Goku cheerfully as he moved away and
allowed a little privacy.
+++++++++++++++
Shamoo simply stared at the scene. She had been unable to speak for some
time now. The boy Ranma's power was even greater than her beloved's. It
was unimaginable, as was the Hibiki boy's. There was no way what she had
seen could have been real. She pinched her arm and slapped herself
several times. Even the Turtle Girl was easily more powerful than her.
"Is impossible! Shampoo Amazon! Greatest warrior tribe in world!" She
had heard the words many times within her village. Apparently, they were
much more wrong than she had thought. Her mind worked desperately for an
explanation, any explanation. "I must consult Great Grandmother about
this." She turned away and started the long walk back towards Nerima. She
had a letter to write, a really long one. Hopefully, they wouldn't think
she had gone insane.
+++++++++++++++
Piccolo stared out across the empty valley in silence. He floated high
in the air meditating on his current situation. Things had gone from bad
to worse.
Ranma was much stronger than he had anticipated. He knew about the boy
exploding when he was younger of course, but his power had actually grown
almost four times stronger since then. It had been a grave
underestimation on his part. Plus the fact that Ryoga had hidden his true
power as well. That was two new enemies, both of them more powerful than
Goku himself.
"I've got a lot of work to do," growled the demon as he finally lowered
himself to the ground and opened his eyes. "I'd best get started."
He smirked as he began to prepare his mind for combat. Even if he failed
now, he would easily outlive the monkeys in the end. There was no way he
could lose.
+++++++++++++
Goku Saotome sat in the Tendo home, much like Piccolo, in silent
meditation.
"This is just great. Ranma's stronger than even I thought. Piccolo's
probably going into training himself, which means I have to step up as
well. Especially with that new move he's got. I've got a lot of work to
do myself it seems." He tried his best to frown as he thought this, but
somehow, it just wouldn't come.
Ranma seemed to have forgotten all about his rival at the moment. He was
sitting with Akane, watching television. It seemed that way anyway. Goku
knew the look the boy had on his face. He was very much aware of the
situation, and probably planning his next move as well. "We'll train
together. Ranma's going to need it for that fight with Ryoga next year."
+++++++++
Ranma was becoming irritated. This television show boring, something
about two lovers, Akane had wanted to watch it with him for some reason.
Unfortunately, he was also getting hungry. His brow furrowed at the
thought. Kasumi made great meals, but she sure was slow. "Maybe I should
teach her some speed exercises or something?" he thought to himself. He
glanced over at his father for a moment and realized the man was watching
him. "I wonder if he's as hungry as I am? What's he looking at anyway?"
Both Saotome men, no longer able to contain themselves looked up at the
ceiling. "I'm hungry," the chimed in unison.
Akane looked up at her fiancee in irritation. "Oh well, it was nice
while it lasted I suppose. She looked back at the television again and
pushed at him gently.
"I can go? Thanks, Akane!" said the boy cheerfully. "Sorry. I know you
wanted to watch this together and stuff."
"Whatever, just go, before your stomach drowns the movie out," grumbled
the girl in embarrassment.
+++++++++
Meanwhile, Ryoga Hibiki stood in the middle of a jungle, somewhere in
Africa. He didn't particularly care where he was. He had no real
destination in mind. He did feel like a great weight was lifted off of
his chest. A small smile formed on his lips. "Ranma. I still hate you,
but if this works out, I won't kill you. After all, I'm going to need
somebody around to put my real power to the test. I'll just spend the
rest of my life tormenting you instead."
A low growl came from behind him. He smiled at the sound the big cat
that had been stalking him for a while made. He hadn't seen it yet, but
it was easy to tell it was there. He turned to face the brush and called
out to it playfully. "Come on! Let's see what you've got!"
++++++++++++
On a small island in the pacific, a few hundred miles away from the Kame
House...
"Master, are you certain this course of action will allow me to defeat
Saotome?"
"Shut up and run stick boy!" snapped Happosai as he stood perched on top
of the bloated sack Kuno carried. A huge mob was steadily gaining on him
from behind. "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!"
"Curse you Saotome! The torments I endure to see you finally defeated
are almost too much for me to bear! Fear not Akane Tendo! Pigtailed girl!
I shall soon free you from his vicious grasp!"
Kurillin looked over at the scene and smiled. "Hey, the new guy ain't
too bad."
"Shut up and run baldy!" cried Roshi as he hit his student on the head
with his staff from the top of Kurillin's own sack.
"Man! It was never this bad before Master Happosai came." He took a
quick glance at the mob of women chasing him, and started to cry as he
ran. "I'll never get a girlfriend!"
++++++++++++
TBC...
Next time: A new threat enters Nerima. Boy is he in for it or what?
C&C to Carrotglace@juno.com
Previous parts can be found at Http://www.Fanfiction.net and R&C Books
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