Disclaimer: Just one more of these to go! At least, for this series. I didn’t create any of the characters or settings that belong to DBZ or Ranma 1/2. Please don’t sue, I’m rather poor.
Ranma 1/2 Z Neo: Part 16
(thoughts)
*actions*
^translations or author’s notes
The Powers Within
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
*on the rooftop*
Syme: *leaning once again over Tempo* She’s still alive.
Ukyou: That’s obvious. So?
Syme: Her ki has been almost entirely drained. Only the bare minimum is left.
Jet: So she’s...
Syme: *kindly* Just sleeping, Jet.
Jet Stream: *sighs in relief, dropping his head to his knees* That’s good.
Ukyou: *raises an eyebrow* Worried?
Jet: *glares at her, raising his head a little*
Trunks: *whispers over pendant, so only Ukyou can hear* Ukyou...
Ukyou: *standing up* I’ll go watch the fight now. *walks away, then talks back into the pendant* What?
Trunks: What’s going on????????!
Ukyou: Oh, it just turned out that the two that Ryouga and Ranma were fighting actually were aren’t that bad. Rather, their leader is a genuine monster, and by the look on their faces, they didn’t know that. The doctor guy’s okay, too. I think the hulk that Akane was fighting knew about everything, though.
Trunks: *listening over pendant* You do realize that makes no sense?
Ukyou: Too bad, Hon. You should’ve been watching the TV.
Trunks: *sweatdrop* You know, there’s no station that stayed behind to report this...
Ukyou: Whoa! Are they all sick or something!?!?!
Trunks: Nah, the viewers have just seen alien invasions before. It just doesn’t bring in good ratings anymore, once everyone’s left the cities.
Ukyou: *sweatdrop*
*other side of the roof*
Jet: *listening to Ukyou talking quietly to herself (or so it seems), then turns to Syme* Is she... you know, insane?
Syme: *shrugs* I wouldn’t diagnose against it.
*high in the air*
Piccolo: They need to attack at the same time, not just cover each other.
Vegita: Why should they? I’m enjoying the fight as it is.
Goku: But Vegita, they’re not doing very well.
Vegita: *shrugs* So I’ll take over when they all die.
Goten: *to Gohan* He’s being morbid again.
Gohan: *nods absently* (Piccolo’s right. They’d do better if there was more cooperation in attacks. I hope they figure that out soon.) Piccolo-san...
Piccolo: No Gohan, you shouldn’t go down and tell them. That would just bring attention to us.
Vegita: *grins* I like the element of surprise. Imagine his surprise when I come bursting out of nowhere to kill him...
*over the street*
Argos: Well, at least I won’t be totally bored by this fight. *grins evilly*
Ranma: *sarcastically* Of course not. Who could be bored by their own death?
Argos: *eyes narrow* You talk too much, boy. *crosses the space between himself and Ranma, pooling power into his fists. He hits Ranma in the stomach as Ranma dodges his other hand, not seeing his second punch. The monster’s longer reach comes into play by forcing Ranma into exaggerated dodges, using up precious energy. Argos lands a punch on Ranma, which he attempts to block.. except that this punch knocks him back twenty feet before he can catch himself and makes him wince at the pair of new bruises on his arms. Every hit that Ranma takes, blocked or not, results in new aches, as even the lightest of Argos’s punches have the full force of four of Akane’s hammers at once. Suddenly, Ryouga breaks in, covering a retreat for Ranma... with unexpected consequences*
Ryouga: BAKUSAI TENKETSU!!!!!!^ *The ground explodes upward, providing a rocky cover for Ranma to escape through. Ranma, thanks to Akane’s hammer and his over-exposure to Ryouga’s techniques, is able to fly through unharmed. On the other hand, Argos does not fare so well. Like Ranma’s water dragon attacks, the rocks seem to do more damage to Argos than any of the group’s ki attacks. Unlike the ki attacks, he cannot dodge them all, though only a few of the sharpest so much as scratch him. The rest are deflected by his fur.*
^breaking point technique
Ranma: *seeing Ryouga’s effect on Argos* Ne? Hey, Ryouga, how come...
Ryouga: *shrugs* I guess I’m just that strong.
Akane: I bet it’s because he doesn’t use ki for that attack, that’s why! Since that thing *points at Argos* eats ki, he must be vulnerable to non-ki attacks!
Ranma: Yeah, that makes sense! Okay, let’s attack with non-ki moves!
Ryouga: *looks briefly at Ranma* I could have told you th- *his words cut off as Argos attacks him. He takes three hits as Argos first gets in a kick, then a hit, then another hit in Ryouga’s moment of distraction. Ranma intercepts the fourth, knocking Ryouga back out of the way. In return, Ryouga launches into another breaking point, this time calling on energy inside himself to increase the effect.* BAKUSAI TENKETSU CHOUKYOSEI SHINSEI!!!!!!^ *The air around him burst with a crackle of energy as every stone and cement block for a mile bursts apart. Ryouga concentrates on sharpened edges, and, oddly enough, the rocks seem to ~agree~ with him, even obey. A kilometer’s worth of stone, cement, and plaster separates itself from the ground and storms Argos. At the last moment, he draws a bit of ki to protect himself, and deflects the majority of rocks. Akane, floating just outside a circle of flying stones, senses a moment of weakness in her enemy. She consciously calls on the power of the phoenix, summoning an attack.*
^breaking point super nova
Akane: HOUOU SHOUNETSUJIGOKU: SANSHUU!!!!^ *instead of punching Argos, who blocks rocks much to far away to reach, she points a finger at him. Fire pours from it, reaching Argos and wrapping around him, like the wings of a phoenix* (Now if Ranma follows up with his ice attack...) *she looks expectantly at Ranma, who looks back, also sensing his role. Unfortunately, he still recovers from his last attack, not yet able to use his abilities. The fire clears, and the group gets a good look at the damage done.*
^phoenix inferno: revision
*Argos stands in the midst of something right out of a volcano. Melted rocks cover the ground, hardening slowly as the air touches them. Some of the gray fur covering Argos has singe spots on it, and where it does, deep cuts made by hot, sharp rocks show. Still, no serious damage can be seen. Not enough force lies in just two of the fighters.*
*on the rooftop*
Ukyou: *watching the fight* (I wish I was over there... I could have done something...)
*over the street*
*Argos stands up, irate. He flashes forward, dealing blows to each of the young warriors in turn. Not even Ranma is fast enough to block his sudden attacks, for he moves at incredible speed.*
Ranma: (Now I’ll have to cover for both of while they ready their next attacks. I guess I’ll have to distract him...) Hey, Argos! *shoots a stream of ki at him* Catch!
Argos: *does exactly that* Alright. Your turn! *throws Ranma’s own energy back at him. Ranma dodges, then confronts Argos, flying into his face. He punches at the creature, but misses as Argos dodges. Argos clips him gleefully in the back of the head, and prances about to force a foot into Ranma’s abdomen. Ranma gasps, bending in half.*
*on the rooftop*
Ukyou: Ranchan! (Forget this!!! I’m not sitting by an instant longer!!!!) *flies off the roof to help her friend. Behind her, a figure stirs*
Jet Stream: Tempo?
Tempo: *groans* J-Jet?
Jet: Yeah, brat, I’m here.
Tempo: *grins wearily* Jet, I’m so tired...
Jet: Then sleep, stupid.
Tempo: No, I can’t. *tries to sit up, but finds she can’t* But maybe I’ll just watch from here... *manages to roll over onto her side to watch the fight as she summons up her strength*
*over the street*
*Ukyou dives into Argos’s back, knocking him over Ranma and sending all three tumbling. Argos recovers first and grabs Ukyou by the hair, flipping her into the ground below with a twist of his wrist. Ranma catches himself against the now stationary Argos and uses his proximity to pound a fist into Argos’s chin. Argos barely twitches, and grabs the fist that Ranma used to hit him. He raises Ranma a few inches into the air until Ranma stares at him eye to eye. Argos prepares to whack Ranma with a hammer-like appendage when Ukyou rudely interrupts to save Ranma by knocking her leg into Argos’s knees. Argos stumbles and drops Ranma, who rains a tenshin amiguriken onto him. Ukyou joins in with a smash to Argos’s head, interlacing her fingers and bringing them down to meet his skull. He hardly notices, but she comes away with stinging hands, thanks to Argos’s spiky natural armor. Argos takes advantage of her distraction to clock her across the temple. Ranma desperately grabs onto Argos’s arm to stop this action, but ends up being swept into the move, unable to stop it. He instead kicks Ukyou out of the way as gently as he can, getting his feet in front of Argos’s hand. Argos twists his arm until he grasps Ranma’s, and swings Ranma around in a continued circle until he spots a convenient spot to slam Ranma into, finally settling on the ground. Ranma hits with a force that shatters the already broken ground. Ukyou rushes to block Argos’s next attack at the fallen Ranma, but to no avail, as she has less speed and power than either. Ranma’s SSJ2 power provides a power way above Ukyou’s own. Yet even his power alone does not match that of Argos.*
*on the roof*
Tempo: *Drowsily, absently, she begins to sing a little tune well known to her. Jet listens absently beside her, sensing she draws some sort of strength from it, using it to focus what little power she has left. Intertwining with her ki, her wind energy gives her just a little more life than before as the tune winds on.* Earth, fire, storm and water,
elements touched by the wind;
changed by the wind.
Life flowing, swept up by the breeze,
dancing like flying leaves,
floating like blown leaves.
Earth, fire, storm and water,
these need the air,
these change through the air.
Talking, singing, loving and knowing,
we are each touched,
by the wind are we touched.
Earth, fire, storm and water,
each unchanged until it touches;
to change they need the wind’s touches.
A world moves by its breath,
and the breath will touch others,
and it will fill the others.
Earth, fire, storm and water,
they exist far away,
but they are alone so far away.
Go, my singing breeze,
go, my breath
and change earth, fire, storm and water with your breath.
*As she sings, and her power mingles with her ki, a change comes over her. Her long black hair seems to highlight itself sky-blue, her eyes become reflections of mist, grey-blue and mysterious. A peculiar comfort, like a sea breeze on a hot and humid day, seems to fill those around her. Jet, who would have probably panicked at his sister’s change at any other time, watches with hopeful interest, as if he can feel the rightness deep inside of him. Yet not even her wind can revitalize entirely the deep aching emptiness in her bones where once her ki, her power, filled her.*
*over the street*
Ukyou: *She picks herself up from where she was flung in her attempt to protect Ranma. Suddenly, she sees Akane and Ryouga both watching the fight with an intensity that could only mean one thing: They want to join in.* Ranma! *He turns his head to look at her, clearing away from Argos as he does so to avoid getting hit. As soon as he is out of the way, Ryouga starts the chain of attacks*
Ryouga: BAKUSAI TENKETSU Surge!!!^ *Rocks explode from the ground below, rising into the air as if of their own volition and casting themselves at Argos. As the first hits, Akane steps in*
^Breaking point technique surge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Akane: HOUOU SHOUNETSUJIGOKU: SANSHUU!!!!^ *Her phoenix follows her point to wrap around Argos, burning away yet more fur and melting rock against him. This time, Ranma is ready.*
^Phoenix inferno: Revision!!
Ranma: DORAGON YA BAKUHA!!!!^ *His stormy water dragon rises quickly, and follows his pointing arms to encase Argos. The heated rock quickly hardens and becomes brittle. Ukyou acts on a hunch, using Ranma’s still-going attack as a conductor*
^Dragon arrow blast
Ukyou: RAKURAI UCHINUKU!!!!^ *She punches into Ranma’s dragon, electrifying it. Her lightning traces up to where Ranma’s cool water has made Ryouga’s rocks brittle by stealing away too quickly Akane’s heat. The electricity shatters the rocks, and proves Ukyou’s hunch right by eliciting a howl of pain from Argos. Her storm spirit proves to be the final attack, and the four float away from the figure amidst a pile of rubble.*
^Lightning punch
Ranma: Ukyou? *turns to her, a questioning expression on his face*
Ukyou: *grins* I really didn’t think that my lightening attacks could be entirely ki. *Ranma smiles back*
Akane: *gasps a little from the shock of the moment* Wow. That was... *stops and shakes her head, unable to describe the feeling caused by the group attack.*
Ryouga: *nods* Yeah. Crazy, wild, impossible, cool, horrible, hard, wonderful, um.... I none of those quite cover it, ne?
Ranma: You can say that again, P-chan.
Ryouga: *turning to Ranma* Ranma-
Akane: *warningly* Guys...
Ranma/Ryouga: Gomen, Akane.
*high in the sky*
Vegita: *sounding disappointed* Oh, well, guess it’s over.
Piccolo: ... (Something’s wrong here...)
Goku: Hey, let’s go down and say hi!
Gohan: Great idea, Dad!
Piccolo: No, wait -
Goku: Why, Piccolo?
Piccolo: *pauses* Something’s... missing. *group looks at him with a questioning expression, except Vegita, who ignores them all.*
Vegita: *starts flying down* I’m going home. Bulma ought to have dinner ready by now.
*On the rooftop*
Tempo: *shakes her head* No... don’t stop now...
Jet: *looks at his sister* What? It’s okay, they’ve won.
Tempo: *keeps on shaking her head* No. Not yet. *strains, and sits up* They’re not using their full power yet.
Jet: *a little annoyed* Ash-brains, you know better than that. Who uses their full power if they don’t have to? That’d be a waste.
Tempo: ... *a worried look in her gray-blue eyes shows her doubt that the group has won so easily* *whispers to herself* They didn’t use their full potential.
*above the street*
Ranma: *with a relaxed expression* Glad that’s over. Time to go home.
Akane: *pauses* Hey - did you...?
Ryouga: *also noticing something* Feel that? *Akane nods*
Ranma: What? *extends his senses* Oh, no...
*Amidst the rubble on the street, a rock falls off a prone figure. A hand twitches, and suddenly curls into a fist. Argos rises to his knees, fur scraped and burned off in places, some of the many spikes protruding from the back of his head broken off, and looking rather peeved. More than a few veins make themselves evident on his forehead and neck. The creature stands again, evil and anger radiating from it.*
Ranma: Awww, come on, can’t just ~one~ guy who wants to kill me ~stay~ dead!?!
Akane: *her face furrows in distaste* I guess not.
Ryouga: I don’t know about any of you, but I’m not sure I’m quite ready to do that all again...
Ukyou: *nods* We may use some ki in our elemental attacks, but I don’t think that that makes up for elemental energy.
Argos: *from below* It seems I underestimated you. I won’t do that again. *launches off the ground*
Ranma: U-chan! Watch- *He sees his words prove utterly futile as Argos has reached his friend even before he uttered her name. He kicks in his SSJ2 speed to be by her side as Argos unleashes an attack. Ranma slams a block to her defense, and takes the brunt of the punch, falling backward. Akane and Ryouga also join the brawl, with Akane wrapping her arms around Argos’s neck in an attempt to strangle it. Ryouga draws forth from his endless supply of hammer-space bandanas and uses them distract Argos as he attacks with punches and kicks. Throughout this all, Argos hardly feels a thing. Instead, he returns fire by a barrage of punches and kicks to his attackers, first dislodging Akane from his back, then slams a fist into Ryouga’s jaw to stop the bandana barrage, then grabs Ukyou by the shirt collar and swings her into Ranma. Akane drops a hard kick to his knee as he does, trying to drive him off balance, so he kicks at her. The brawl proves to be devastating to the four young heroes, as Argos’s longer reach and great strength make them no more harmful than flies. Only Ranma has even the power block attacks without breaking bones, and does so as much as possible for his friends.*
*high in the air*
Piccolo: *growls* I knew that wasn’t it.
Goku: Oh no! That guy’s more resilient that Cell was!!! What’ll they do?
Gohan: Dad’s right. We’ve got to do something!
Piccolo: Like what? Do you really think you’d be any better off than they are? Pure strength doesn’t help much, and ki does nothing at all. They need the fifth element.
Goku: The what?
Piccolo: Wind. *Piccolo sweatdrops as Goku starts fanning the air with all his might*
Gohan: *remembering Tempo’s earlier attack* B-but that girl... can’t she...
Piccolo: *nods* That’s what I hoped. But she can’t without her ki.
Goku: *pauses, remembering the technique he picked up (by Goku style: watching) from Ukyou* Ano... Piccolo, that’s no problem.
Piccolo: *turns to him* What do you mean? The girl can barely even sit up!
Goku: Oh, that’s not much. *without explaining this, he leaves the confused and annoyed Piccolo and flies straight down* Oi!!!
*on the rooftop*
Jet: *hearing something from above, looks up and sees a man with black hair descending like a speeding bullet. Jet jumps up in a thought to protect his sister from the idiot who obviously doesn’t plan on stopping in time to spare the building, only to see Goku pull to a complete stop inches above the rooftop.* W-what? I thought ~you~ were in the ship!!!
Goku: Nah, I left. *Jet Stream’s eyes take on dinner-plate size at Goku’s casual admission of escape. The bandages around him testify to having help in that area. For the first time, he realizes that Ukyou was not there at the start of the battle.*
Jet: A-A-anoooooo..... *big question mark over his face*
Goku: *clapping Jet on the back so hard the boy falls over* How’s it going? You’re not planning on still hanging around with that guy, are you? *points to Argos, Jet just shakes his head* Great!
Jet: *looks suspiciously up at the tall smiling guy* (I think this guy must be an airhead.) What are you doing here, anyway?
Goku: *cocks head in trademark Goku way* I thought I could help the kids from the past by making wind. *Jet just ~looks~ at Goku, not understanding in the least. Tempo, on the other hand, smiles wearily a little, deciding that the four fighting Argos must be “the kids from the past” and figuring out what Goku means.*
Tempo: It’s okay, Jet. He’s going to help. He’s... planning on giving me some more ki?
Goku: *nods* Yup, that’s it. But I’m not sure my ki would work... I’m not the same species and all.
Jet Stream: *deciding that Goku does, after all, have a working mind, but just doesn’t like to show it* Use mine.
Goku: Alright. *sits down behind Tempo* Sit down on my other side. *Jet obeys. Goku places a hand on each of their backs, and concentrates. Ki flows through Jet into Tempo. When Goku feels that he has taken over half of Jet’s energy, he relents and takes his hands away from the two.*
Jet: *falling over with a groan* yow... I feel exhausted now... You’d better appreciate that, Ash-brains.
Tempo: *standing up unsteadily* Yeah, yeah, I owe you one, Mold-head. *turns to Goku* Thank you. *bows politely* I will do everything I can to aide your friends in defeating Argos. *Flies off the roof, leaving the two boys there*
*on the street*
*Akane’s face meets the rocky ground as she ducks a kick. Where once pavement would have split her cheek, a sharp rock raised by the brutal abuse of the surroundings does the job instead. Ranma pulls her out of the way as a foot steps down where she was, then dodges as Argos punches at the two. Ryouga futilely kicks at Argos’s knees, doing no damage. Ukyou is the first to retreat, having not as hard a body (since she never went through Akane’s hammers or Cologne’s Breaking Point training). As she backs off, a cool hand places itself on her sweaty and bruised shoulder. Ukyou looks behind her to see Tempo, blue highlights and gray-blue eyes evident.*
Ukyou: ... What do you want? *on guard a little, though she senses no mischief in the other girl’s eyes*
Tempo: *hesitates, trying to figure out how to say something* You... I need to help. I ~can~ help you. *indicates her blue eyes and highlights* Your spirit-power needs to be joined to your ki. It’s not. You can’t beat him otherwise.
Ukyou: What, and you can do that?
Tempo: *nods* I can.
Ukyou: *looks dubious, but something in her senses sincerity coming from Tempo. She nods* All right. But don’t do anything dumb.
Tempo: *laughs a little at this* Like what, blow up something? I already did ~that~. *Ukyou giggles too, realizing the humor in it.* Just stand still. *puts her hands on Ukyou’s back. For a minute, Tempo stands at a loss of what to do, remembering her own transformation, but unable to figure how to elicit it in another person. She finally just mentally finds Ukyou’s ki and spirit powers, and stirs them together. As she does, Ukyou’s hair, which was already SSJ blonde, gets a few streaks of what appears to be paler yellow than the rest of her hair. Ukyou’s eyes fade from blue-green to shockingly pale gray, almost white. Finally, Tempo takes her hand away. She breathes deeply, as if the effort has made her tired. Ukyou looks closely at her, knowing that the girl was drained of energy earlier.*
Ukyou: How did you get so much energy back so fast?
Tempo: My brother gave some to me.
Ukyou: *nods* *both girls turn to the scene in front of them. Argos still fights with Akane, Ryouga, and Ranma, none of whom can do anything against him. Tempo raises a hand, and summons a ball of wind to her fingertips. Though her ki mingles now freely with her wind spirit, the ball is pure wind. Ukyou realizes that before, every attack that the warriors have done has been diluted by ki as two powers struggled to free themselves from within. Now, with only one power source, it is simple for Tempo to distill a little bit of wind power from her ki. She throws the ball into the fray, where it dodges through Ukyou’s friends to hit only Argos. He howls as it pushes him out of the group of three, and Tempo and Ukyou head forward. Ukyou realizes yet another advantage of her new form: control over her elemental power. While before her spirit power was depleted with every attack, now she has the ability to choose how much she uses, like ki. Ukyou smiles to herself, impressed at the difference.*
Ranma: *straightens to see both girls walking toward them* Ucchan?
Ukyou: Hey Ran-chan. She *indicates Tempo* is going to make everybody stronger.
Ryouga: *suddenly interested* Really?
Akane: Ummmm.... *the others turn to see Argos charging them again. Ukyou leaps beside Akane and shoves her out of the way, toward Tempo, before summoning as small a bolt of lightening as she can to repel Argos again. Argos absorbs the shock, to Ukyou’s great surprise, though it does make him stumble. He stand back up and keeps coming. Ukyou steps out of the way as he swings a fist at her, as do Ranma and Ryouga. The three waltz around Argos, each dodging to the best of his ability. Ryouga steps over a kick, and looks up to see an unexpected punch aimed at him. He instinctively reaches up an arm to block; a loud snap is heard as the bone breaks. Ranma covers for him as he stumbles back, distracting Argos with an elbow to the head. Argos winces, as Ranma actually does some damage with his power. Suddenly, a small ball of fire hits Argos square on the back. He turns around with a howl as the flame burns away a little fur and leaves a blackened area of skin with an impossible blister. Akane stands behind him, her hair highlighted flame red and her eyes burning hazy red-gray, like a fire viewed through its smoke. Ukyou snaps a bolt of lightening at the burned patch on Argos as he charges angrily at Akane. He howls in pain as the sensitive flesh is hit. Rather than standing vulnerable in between the two powerful girls, he backs out of the group of heroes. Ukyou sees that Ryouga has left them; she assumes he will no doubt appear with his inner power awakened in a few instants. Ranma stands between and behind both girls, standing in his favorite ready pose: relaxed and appearing off guard. Argos stares at the three, then jumps off the ground and into the air. They follow, keeping themselves in position. Argos halts 60 meters off the ground. The three follow suit. He growls. Akane readies herself, sensing an attack. Suddenly, the air explodes in front of her.*
*in between the fight and Cap Corp*
*Vegita flies towards his home. Behind him, he senses four major powers, though they are a little odd. A fifth had been fading. Vegita pauses in his flight as he feels the fifth stop fading, and start growing again. He turns around, wondering if he might get his fight after all.
*over the street*
*Akane flits backwards as Argos launches a ki attack at her. She dodges each ball of ki, well aware that while such attacks have no effect on Argos, they can still harm her. He has maneuvered his way around so that no longer is he in front of all three, but instead beside Akane, as if facing a line of opponents. Akane flies backwards and down, under an attack, then back up over another. A third hits her in the stomach, sending her tumbling out of control. Argos moves on to Ranma and Ukyou, who team up to face him together. Below them, Ryouga starts flying upwards. Argos halts, and suddenly disappears.*
Ryouga: *sensing something falling by him* Huh?
Ranma: *figuring out what has happened* That girl! *Sure enough, Argos has dropped down beside Tempo. As Ranma and the others race to her aide, she jumps back from the charging Argos. He fires a thin beam of ki straight at her, piercing her shoulder. Tempo grabs her wound, instinctively trying to stop the bleeding. Argos uses this distraction to force a fist into her stomach. She collapses, and he brings his hands down as if to hammer her on the back of her skull. Ryouga, closer than the others, flies by and grabs her with his one remaining good arm. The two roll out of the path of the punch. Ranma rams into Argos, knocking the monster over. Ukyou tosses a bolt of lightening into his back, keeping him down long enough for Ryouga to remove Tempo from the danger area. Akane rejoins the group, having recovered from her forced flight and made her way back. Ranma, seeing Akane’s return, follows Ryouga. As the girls hold off Argos, he lands beside his friend.*
Ranma: Is she okay?
Tempo: *smiling a little* I’m fine. It didn’t hit anything vital.
Ryouga: *wrapping a bandana around the seeping wound* You sure about that??? *she nods*
Tempo: Thanks. *turns to Ranma* Your turn...?
Ranma: Yeah, I wanted cool highlights, too. *grins boyishly*
Tempo: Come here, then. *Ranma does so. Tempo touches him, and mixes his ki and water spirit as she did for Ukyou. Ranma’s pigtail (and the rest of his hair, too) gets dark blue stripes, and his eyes turn stormy water gray, a darker version of Tempo’s own coloring. When she finishes, Ranma helps her stand. He starts to feel her practically trembling with exhaustion and pain, though she has more energy now than she did after Argos stole hers. She ignores his quizzical look, and flies back to where the two girls keep Argos busy without falling behind.*
Ranma: (I wonder how long she’ll take to recover from this? She’s got a lot of endurance, though. Wish I could stick around for a spar after this battle is over... but I’ve got to get Akane and the others home.) *The three land near Argos and Ukyou and Akane*
Tempo: When we use our attacks, go all out. Don’t hold anything back as far as elemental power goes, though make sure you don’t dilute your attack with any ki. We’ve got to take this guy out now. I don’t think any of us can last until we regain our energies. *Ranma and Ryouga nod*
Ranma: I think we ought to attack in about the same order as before, with Ryouga first, then Akane, then you *looks at Tempo* before me, then Ukyou. *Tempo shakes her head*
Tempo: No. We need to all attack at once. That way, we can catch Argos in the middle of the attack, and destroy it once and for all. *Ryouga nods. Ranma hesitates, then does the same.*
Ryouga: So who’s going to tell them?
Ranma: *looks sideways at Ryouga* We are, of course. I’ll tell Akane, and you talk to Ukyou. *Ryouga doesn’t looks so happy at this, but agrees. He flies to stand beside Ukyou as she tosses a bolt at Argos, while Ranma halts beside Akane. Both boys describe the plan as discreetly as possible, trying to avoid having the creature they fight overhear. Unfortunately, his hearing turns out better than they allowed for. Argos breaks off and flies upwards yet again. Ukyou and Akane use the brief respite to rest rather than to give chase, attempting to rebuild their elemental energy. Keeping Argos distracted between them had been too big a job to be stingy with power.*
*Argos flies upwards until he hits mid-level to a skyscraper. Looking down, he realizes he has no pursuers. Argos looks around, trying to figure a way to protect himself, or at least power up. Below, a couple of small figures move about on a rooftop. One has the familiar aqua hair of the young Jet Stream. Argos smiles to himself.*
*on the rooftop*
Jet: *Jet watches his sister float in the air with the four people he started out fighting. She and the others look around to warily to find Argos, and she glances Jet’s way briefly. She smiles a little at him. Beside him, Goku sits, watching everything interestedly.* (I can’t believe that Argos is that... that thing. He told us our world was destroyed, and that we could never go back. The traitor. I bet Zeal is still perfectly whole. Tempo and I’ll go back after all this. Just as soon as they destroy Argos.) *A hand breaks through Jet’s thoughts, jerking him backward. The object of his newfound anger stares down at him, grinning cruelly, its single eye glinting smugly.* Hey! Let go! *Jet struggles against the hand that holds him. He cries out to his sister, who stands searching so nearby, yet so far away.* Tempo! Over here!!!
Goku: *from behind Argos* I don’t know who you are, or why you’re here, but Earth doesn’t want you. *His aura expands as he attempts to power up to SSJ. He finds he can go no further than SSJ1. Still, Goku being Goku, he kicks at Argos with all the strength that he does have. And of course, being Goku, that is enough to make Argos stumble away a little. Argos does not relinquish his hold on Jet Stream; rather, he drags the boy along with him. Jet cries out in pain as this smashes him into an awkward and unnatural position.*
Tempo: *calmly, as she arrives beside them on the rooftop* Let my brother go. *turns to Goku* You can go now. *Goku, sensing a major attack about to happen, nods and backs off*
*Argos does not respond to Tempo’s words. Rather, he slams a hand down into Jet’s shoulder. Jet cries out again as he feels his energy being drained. His own aura becomes evident, a light green color, as does Argos’s own again. Tempo, frightened by this, does not bother with anything fancy. Instead, she grabs Jet’s other arm and attempts to pull him away from Argos. Jet’s aura slowly begins to disappear. As it fades into Argos’s black, thousands of rocks in the background detach themselves from the ground at the sound of Ryouga’s voice. They slam into Argos from behind, knocking the now unconscious Jet out of Argos’s last-ditch attempt to restore his power. Tempo catches her brother and pulls him out of the way so that she and the others can make their move.*
*Tempo takes aim along with Akane, Ranma, and Ukyou, and all add their attacks to Ryouga’s. From the left, fire and lightning pound Argos. From the right, water drowns him. From the back, rocks pound him. And from the front, wind barrages him. The force from the five elements combines and encases the thing once known as Argos. When the five young people can no longer sustain their attack, they halt, each dropping to his or her knees in weariness. The sphere of power glows like a sun under the cloudy sky, as if the warriors had brought it down from the sky and held it on the rooftop. Slowly, the light dims. Where once a monster stood, nothing remains. Ranma’s last sight before he looses consciousness is a gloriously empty rooftop.*
*two days later*
Ranma: *yawns and sits up, throwing back a cover* Hmmmm? Where am I? *looks around, and recognizes his room at Cap Corp* Oh. I’m back here. *Ranma gets out of bed and walks to door, feeling surprisingly good again after exhausting himself so badly. He looks down and notices he is wearing different clothes, clean ones. For a moment he smiles, then his eyes widen as he remembers something. His hand reflexively reaches to his pocket, which, being a different pocket than the last one he remembers, is empty. He races out the door only to bump into Bulma, sending them both flying.*
Ranma: *standing up quickly and racing to help Bulma up* Gome nasai!^ Are you all right?
^Sorry
Bulma: *accepts Ranma’s help up* Yes, I’m fine. *brushes herself off* What’s the hurry? If you’re going to check on everyone else, they’re all still asleep. You’re the first one awake.
Ranma: Really? How long has it been?
Bulma: Two days. *giggles at Ranma’s expression* When all of you collapsed, Goku and his sons and Piccolo brought you back here. You’ve been sleeping since.
Ranma: *shakes his head* Wow. *remembers what he was rushing to find out* Ummm... Bulma-san, where are the clothes I was wearing?
Bulma: In the laundry room. *pauses* Oh yeah, *catches Ranma as tries to run off to the laundry room... a good thing, since he doesn’t know where the laundry room is* I found something in one of the pockets.
Ranma: *pausing suddenly and turning to Bulma* You did?
Bulma: *holding up a small black box* Yours? *he nods and takes it* So who’s it for? *Ranma blushes, staring down at the box that contains the ring he bought in the middle of the fight. Bulma grins teasingly, then walks down the way she was going before Ranma bumped into her*
Ranma: I guess it’s time... *Turns around, orienting himself, then walks into a room three doors down from his own. On the bed, Akane stills sleeps, but as Ranma closes the door behind him, she wakes up.*
Akane: *sleepily* Ranma? *yawns and sits up*
Ranma: *blushing* Gomen, didn’t mean to wake you.
Akane: Oh, that’s okay. I woke up a little while ago, but went back to sleep again. It’s time I got up again. *pauses* What time ~is~ it?
Ranma: *grins* Two days past when we went to sleep. *laughs at Akane’s expression* Yeah, that’s what I said, too.
Akane: *eyes narrowing* Which makes me wonder... what do you have to say about sneaking into my room? *smiles dangerously at him* Why shouldn’t I mallet you for coming in here?
Ranma: *backs off, waving his hands defensively* I wasn’t going to to do anything!!! I-
Akane: *seeing something in Ranma’s hand, interrupts him* Ranma, what are you holding?
Ranma: Uhhh... *blushes and quickly drops his hands again, then hesitantly walks forward* Um, Akane...
Akane: Yes, Ranma?
Ranma: *kneeling down by her bed so he sits eye-level to her* You know how when our dads first told us we were engaged? How they didn’t ask us first? Well, I only objected because I didn’t have a choice. I think maybe it was the same for you?
Akane: *nods, smiling a little at the memory... and as she starts to figure out where Ranma’s heading* So?
Ranma: Well, I wanted it to be your choice. *holds out the box he bartered for in the middle of the fight* Akane Tendo, would you marry me?
Akane: *eyes water a little, and she reaches forward and takes the the little black box, not bothering to look inside it* Oh, Ranma... Of course I - *Ranma hold up a hand to stop her, and she looks at him quizzically*
Ranma: Just a sec, Akane. *Walks over to the door and opens it. In falls the entire Son and Brief family (except Vegita), and of course Ryouga and Ukyou (who are sharing a tissue that looks suspiciously like one of Ryouga’s bandanas).*
Bulma: *from under the pile of people* Uh... hi? *everyone sweatdrops*
Ranma: A bit of privacy, please? *points out the door and down the hall. Reluctantly, the whole group disperses, except Ukyou and Ryouga* And when did you two wake up, anyway?
Ukyou: *sniffle sniffle* About five minutes ago. *points at Ryouga* He walked through my wall and woke me up.
Ranma: *cocks head with his little smirk at this* Hey, Ryouga, how’s the arm?
Ryouga: Oh, it’s better. Bulma-san fixed it up right away.
Ranma: *shakes his head with a grin and points in the same direction everyone else took* You can’t stay and listen, either. This is private. *They reluctantly follow the path of the others. Ranma goes back to sit beside Akane* Gomen for that.
Akane: *hiding a grin* That’s alright. Now, could you start again? *Ranma facefaults, and Akane laughs* You don’t have to start from the ~very~ beginning.
Ranma: Okay, okay. Akane Tendo, will you marry me?
Akane: Yes, I will. *She opens the box, and her jaw hits the floor as she sees the ring, a single diamond amidst a field of ruby petals set in gold.* R-Ranma! How...?
Ranma: *blushes* Ummm, let’s just say that Nabiki helped me a little. *adds as Akane looks at him, surprised* And no, we won’t spend the next 60 years of our lives in her debt, either! *Akane laughs*
Akane: You know, Nabiki’s not really as bad as people make her out to be. She just tries to make ends meet for the dojo.
Ranma: Really? You think she’d let off if we started teaching classes or something? *Akane looks at him, thoughtful.*
Akane: Teaching classes? Like martial arts? *Ranma nods* Hmmmm...
*A few minutes later*
*Ranma and Akane walk into the room beside their own, where everybody has gathered. Someone quickly flips on the TV, to hide the fact that the wall has quite a few ear prints on it. On the television, a scene is playing out.*
*A light glaring from a rooftop nearby reveals five young people standing in an approximate circle around a large bubble of energy on a roof. Everyone watches as all five young people collapse to their knees. Four go from blonde to black-haired, the fifth keeps her hair the same black it was. For an instant, five highlighted sets of black hair kneel facing a bubble of energy. Then the light fades, and... nothing remains. Simultaneously, the five collapse, color disappearing from each head. A tentative man dressed in red and black walks up to one, and the screen fades back to show an announcer.*
Anchor Lady: And that’s the scene that one of our operatives captured two days ago. Who are these people who seem to have saved the city? No one knows, despite multiple efforts to identify them. In other news- *Bulma stands up and flips the TV off*
Bulma: I guess someone stayed behind to tape the battle, after all. *shrugs* Hey, they’ll get used to it eventually. Who wants something to eat? *Sweatdrops as every hand in the room raises* Why’d I even ask? *walks out of the room*
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Author’s notes
Well, finally, that’s done! Just the epilogue left. Sorry it took so long to get this out, but it obviously turned out to be longer than I thought it would, even split up in half. (My system tells me it’s 40 pages long, and this is before editing... ^,^**) Thanks for sticking with me for so long. Hope you enjoyed!
--Fanime Lynn
Send all C&C to: Fanime_Lynn@hotmail.com