Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Light in the Darkness ❯ Where On Chikyuu Am I Now? ( Chapter 55 )

A Light in the Darkness - Part 55: Where On Chikyuu Am I Now?
by Mia Skywalker & Wataruo

 

PAIRING: None
RATING: G
WARNINGS: None
DISCLAIMER: Neither of us owns any of the DBZ characters or anything about DBZ, but we both wish we owned the Saiyans. All of them. At least all of the ones with hair. And yes, we're including Yamcha in that, now you know. These characters are owned by Toei, Viz, Akira Toriyama, and FUNimation. We do own what we've written here, and our specific storyline, just not Dragonball itself. Characters from other anime belong to the creators of that anime, not us. We make no money off of any of these guys, nor off this fic. We just have fun writing it.
SUMMARY: Other than the title of this chapter, I really don't want to give anything away.... *evil grin*
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Thank you to TwoMoons and Lady Lark for the beta.

 

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Day 10

 

Gohan headed to breakfast early the next morning. He had stayed up relatively late playing Playtendo, once he had realized that all the adults were doing adult things that he found boring. He wanted to train and was hoping one of the other warriors would be up and willing to spar. To his disappointment none of the others seemed to be awake yet, so he just set out to making himself breakfast.

 

Serori awoke early when she smelled something cooking. And like all the members of her race, her stomach most ruled her thinking. She hoped her sister would be awake and would want to spar with her before breakfast, but when she arrived in the kitchen a few minutes later she was surprised to see a boy about her age eating food she wasn't at all familiar with.

 

“Hi! I guess everyone else is still asleep?” she asked him.

 

Gohan blinked at the newcomer before realizing who she must be. “Hi! You must be Serori, Hakusai's sister. I'm Son Gohan!” He stuck out his hand at her.

 

She blinked at him a minute, wondering what the boy wanted. She reached out tentatively to take the hand he offered and was surprised when he shook it. Odd way to introduce yourself, she thought as Gohan released her hand.

 

“Nice to meet you,” she said looking around. “Everyone must really sleep late here?”

 

Gohan shrugged. “Not usually. Yamcha's been sick the last few days, everyone's been worried about him. Bulma's been keeping him in the regeneration tank every night.” He looked at her curiously. “You're a half-Saiyan too?” His voice sounded more eager than he realized. “Do you know how to fight?”

 

Serori blinked. “You are a Saiyan too?” she asked, excited. “Wow, that's neat. Usually the Saiyans I run into are adults, but you are a kid like me! I can fight. Hakusai taught me. Wanna spar later?”

 

It suddenly dawned on Gohan that not only did he have a friend his age, he had a Saiyan friend his age! He couldn't help feeling a surge of delight bubble up through him.

 

“Sure! Vegeta's been teaching me some of his techniques!” he said, not realizing how unusual that might be. “We're training for the Tenka Ichi Budokai in a few more days! It's the tournament for the world's strongest fighter. There's a separate category for warriors that aren't adults, like us, so we can fight too! When my daddy first fought, there was only one category, so he had to fight against adults. He still almost won!” he said proudly.

 

“Wow! Your dad must be really strong. My daddy wasn't much of a fighter. But he was a REALLY good cook! My mom was a good fighter before she got sick. We should practice together!”

 

~~~*~~~

 

The dark-haired boy looked around in confusion when he slipped out of his tent. He peered out cautiously, making certain it wasn't raining. He hadn't heard raindrops on the tent, but one could never tell, and rain was something he had to avoid as much as possible.

 

To his relief he saw the sun rising to a bright and clear morning. He closed the zipper of the tent again, then shook it from the inside so the morning dew would shake off of it before he went outside. He exited the tent and stretched his limbs, then carefully began packing his equipment as he started a small fire and breakfast. By the time breakfast was ready, he had everything except his pot packed up. He ate quickly and washed the pan in a nearby stream, being very careful to only get his hands wet and no more. He had learned long ago exactly how much water could get on him before it got.... Well, he didn't want to think about that.

 

He attached the pan, then, to the side of his pack where it generally hung, slid the umbrella into its sheath on the top of his pack, and headed off. As usual, he had no idea where he was or where he was going. It hardly mattered; he would walk until nightfall, find a place to sleep, and keep going in the morning. If by chance he stumbled upon people or a place he knew, sometimes he would manage to stay there for a while before he got pulled back again. It wasn't by choice; it was as though he were cursed. Sometimes he wondered if he wasn't, and if this curse was his true curse, his other curse just being more of a minor annoyance.

 

He sighed. It wasn't really a minor annoyance, he knew, but someday he might find a cure for it, and the other one, as far as he knew, had no cure. It was just the way he was and nothing else.

 

As he emerged from the forest, he noticed some buildings clustered in a small huddle. Glancing around, he noticed that there wasn't much else there, and wondered what he had stumbled upon. It looked friendly enough, although he knew sometimes appearances could be deceiving. Still, they might be able to direct him home, and even though he knew getting such directions was nearly always hopeless, he couldn't help feeling a small surge of hope that maybe he could find his way back again.

 

He approached the quiet compound, noting one building had a friendlier appearance than the others. This, then, might be the main residence, if any of this was residential at all. Diffidently he knocked on the door, aware that he might be awakening someone.

 

~~*~~

 

“My daddy is the strongest in the universe!” Gohan exclaimed, puffing his chest out proudly. “He can beat anyone! He even defeated Frieza!” He shared a smile with her. “Yeah, we can practice together. You should enter the tournament!”

 

The fact that this meant she would be competing against him didn't bother him. Winning or losing wasn't as important to him as the fight itself, and he thought of it less as a competition one must win and more of just a way of making oneself as strong as possible.

 

Just then they heard a knock at the door. The two children looked at each other curiously; there wasn't much around the compound, so whoever was out there must be a friend or someone who was lost. Gohan sensed for the person's ki, but shook his head when he didn't recognize it.

 

“It's no one I know,” he said, puzzled, as the two of them went to the door.

 

The young man who was out there looked at them in surprise, then smiled sheepishly. “I don't suppose either of you know how to get to Nerima?”

 

Gohan shook his head. “I don't know where Nerima is. Are you lost?”

 

The boy sat down heavily on the doorstep with a sigh. “I'm always lost. That's nothing new.” He looked back up at both of them.

 

Gohan could sense his ki was fairly high and fairly well trained, although it could be trained better. “Do you need help getting somewhere?” he asked the young man politely. “Or would you like something to eat?”

 

The young man's face lit up at the mention of food. He had eaten breakfast, but that had been a while ago, and had been fairly skimpy. He rarely carried a lot of supplies to eat much at a time.

 

“Would you mind giving me something to eat? I'm really hungry! It's been at least several days since I've had a decent meal.”

 

Gohan nodded and let him in. The older boy suddenly realized he was being rude, and blushed slightly. “Oh, my name is Ryouga Hibiki. Nice to meet you.” He held out his hand and Gohan took it.

 

“Son Gohan,” the little boy replied.

 

Ryouga looked at him in astonishment. “Son Gohan? Your father is Son Goku?” The little boy nodded, and Ryouga smiled. “I heard about how your father helped save everyone from those aliens a year or two back. You live here?”

 

Gohan shook his head. “No, I'm staying here for a while. This is Capsule Corp, where Bulma lives. My mommy and daddy wanted some time alone since they haven't seen each other in two years. So I'm staying here.”

 

Ryouga blinked. Capsule Corp? The Capsule Corp? He looked about the place curiously. He had never been here before; it was a unique experience. “Well, they probably do need some time alone then.” He could see Gohan really didn't understand and he smiled. “I'm sorry. I'm being rude.”

 

Gohan smiled back at him. “No, come on, we'll get you some breakfast!” He led the lost boy into the kitchen, and Ryouga was amazed at the amount of food on the table. “Are you cooking for other people too?” he asked in surprise.

 

Gohan giggled. “No, this is for me and Serori. But you can have some, too.” As they ate, Ryouga was very surprised at the amount of food Gohan and Serori managed to eat, as he consumed a more normal human share.

 

Serori grinned at the older boy. “Hey are you here for the tournament too?” she asked. “I mean it's a big deal around here, right Gohan?”

 

“All the strongest fighters are going to be there. Even my daddy,” Gohan replied.

 

“I had to ask `cause I am not from this planet. But my sister and I are moving here `cause this is where her husband is. So I suppose I'll being going to school when it starts.” She managed to say all this without taking a breath. “So where is Nerima? Is that the planet that you are from?”

 

Ryouga blinked. Then he blinked again. “You're from another planet?” He looked at Gohan in confusion, then back at Serori. “I'm not from another planet. I'm from Chikyuu. How many people are there from other planets?”

 

Gohan smiled at him. “My daddy is. But he came here as a baby so doesn't remember it. Hakusai is, so is Yamcha's mommy, but we never met her. And Vegeta. And Serori.” He pointed to the red-haired girl. “Serori didn't know that most people here don't come from other planets, that's all.”

 

“Oh.” Ryouga wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. “What tournament?”

 

“The Tenka Ichi Budokai. You're not here for that?”

 

Ryouga's face lit up at those words. He had heard about the Budokai before, but had never managed to be there when it was happening. “Yes, I'd like to enter the tournament! When is it?”

 

Gohan counted on his fingers. “Three days, I think?”

 

Ryouga's face fell. “Well, if I'm still here, and haven't managed to get lost....” He sighed heavily. “But that's bound to happen, and then I'll miss it again,” he said sadly.

 

Serori blinked. “Why can't you stay here?” she asked innocently. “I mean you could train with us and my family. It would be fun! Bulma-san is really nice. I don't think she would mind if you stayed for a few days. Right, Gohan?”

 

Gohan shook his head. “She wouldn't. Vegeta might,” he commented with a perceptiveness that might have surprised some of the adults. “But you could always stay with my mommy and daddy. I could stay there, too. You can meet my dragon!”

 

“See!” the little girl said triumphantly. “Problem solved! You won't get lost. If you stay with us until the tournament is over then everything will be okay! We can talk about it when everyone gets up!”

 

Ryouga was a little surprised at how eager these two youngsters were about keeping him there, but he couldn't help smiling at their enthusiasm. “All right,” he said quietly. “I'd like to enter the tournament, and maybe this will give me the chance. If your parents don't mind, that is.”

 

“Oh, my parents are dead,” Serori said matter-of-factly. “But my sister has been taking care of me since then, so I don't mind so much. And if you can't stay with Gohan's dad, then maybe you could stay with my sister and Yamcha.”

 

~~*~~

 

Vegeta awoke when the sun had barely risen. It had been the warrior's habit in the last year to be up before the rest of the house, find something to eat and be training before the rest of Bulma's family could bombard him with their chatter. But now, to his surprise, he realized that facing Bulma's family and the rest of her assorted houseguests, although still an annoyance to his routine, wasn't as big of a deal as it usually was.

 

Yamcha's mother was right. This planet would make you soft. Although it didn't explain Kakarotto. The younger warrior had always claimed emotions made him strong, and Vegeta rather begrudgingly admitted he might be right. Since he admitted his feelings for his mate, he felt... different. Stronger, maybe. Vegeta leaned over Bulma and pressed a kiss to her jaw before he slipped out of bed and dressed.

 

There was no point for her to be awake, he reasoned. He would train until breakfast was ready and then he would join them. He reached the kitchen a few moments later to see Serori and Gohan chattering away to a young man Vegeta did not recognize. He scowled at the group as he got himself a cup of coffee and sat down.

 

“Who are you?” he grumbled at him.

 

Gohan pointed to Ryouga. “He's Ryouga. He was lost, and said he wants to enter the tournament. But if he doesn't stay somewhere he'll get lost again.” He looked at the bandanna-clad boy. “Right?”

 

Ryouga blushed. “Right.” He looked over at Vegeta in embarrassment. “I can't help it, it just seems that all I have to do is turn a corner, and I'm... lost again. I never know where I'll end up. But I'd like to enter the tournament. I've always wanted to, but it seems I'm always in the wrong part of the world when it's going on....”

 

“You are a fighter?” Vegeta asked raising an eyebrow.

 

He knew that looks could be deceiving and his eyes narrowed on the boy. He took in his shaggy black hair and dark eyes, the backpack resting in the corner of the room with an umbrella sticking out of the top of it. He didn't look like much, but the pack looked heavy and the kid was either really naive or strong to want to compete in the tournament. He couldn't sense any large amount of ki from him, but then maybe he could suppress it like Kakarotto or the others did. Could be a new challenge.

 

“Well, how about a match after we eat?”

 

Ryouga was surprised by the question. “If you'd like,” he said softly. The small man looked very strong, and Ryouga had the feeling he was even more formidable than he appeared. He probably don't stand a chance against him, he thought almost ruefully. But who knows? Maybe.... He was surprised when he saw the amount of food Vegeta managed to devour. It was even more than he had seen the two youngsters eat.

 

“I probably won't be much of a challenge for you,” he commented disparagingly. “But I don't mind practicing, if you'd like.”

 

“You may surprise yourself,” Vegeta said. For moment Vegeta had felt something about the boy, but he couldn't put his finger on it. “And we only have three more days to practice. I am teaching the brat.” He jerked his head over to Gohan. “You might as well come along.”

 

“Brat?” Ryouga was surprised at the term, but noticed Gohan didn't seem insulted by it. “All right, if you would really like to.”

 

Gohan finished eating, then stood up and ran towards the door. “Come on, Vegeta-sensei! Let's spar! You gotta teach me more techniques!” He and Serori began to tussle for the doorknob, giggling as they did so, before they managed to open the door and run outside. Ryouga looked at them in confusion, then got up and followed, glancing back at Vegeta politely.

 

“We'll wait outside for you, if you're still eating.”

 

Vegeta rolled his eyes at the noise Gohan and Serori made, and hoped to Kami that Bulma had aspirin lying around. ::At least,:: he thought dryly, ::the other one seems quieter.::

 

“I am finished. We will take this away from the grounds. I'd rather not have my mate screaming at me if I can help it.”

 

Ryouga nodded, and followed Vegeta politely. When the three Saiyans started to fly off, Ryouga stared at them in amazement. “How do you... how do you DO that?” he asked incredulously.

 

Gohan paused when he realized Ryouga hadn't followed him into the air. “You don't know how to fly?” Then he remembered that his father hadn't learned how until he had gotten older. He paused a moment, and then whistled. “Kinto'un!” he cried out, wondering if the cloud would come to him. Almost to his surprise, it did. He looked at Ryouga curiously. “Can you ride this?”

 

Ryouga looked at him in confusion, then climbed on. Gohan smiled when Ryouga didn't fall through, knowing it meant his heart was pure. “Come on, you can ride it and follow us!” he shouted, leaping forward again.

 

Vegeta snorted. “I suppose the first order of business is to learn how to fly. You will never be able to keep up with the other fighters if you don't learn.”

 

Serori floated next to Ryouga on the cloud. “Wow! That is the neatest thing I have ever seen! Where did you get that?”

 

Gohan smiled at Serori. “It's my daddy's. He got it for saving Kame Sennin's turtle friend. It will only let you fly on it if you're pure of heart.” He beamed at Ryouga, who blinked at him in surprise.

 

“Pure of heart?” the lost boy asked in surprise. He had never thought of himself that way. He looked seriously at Vegeta. “I don't think many warriors on Chikyuu know to fly, but it would be a great advantage in battle, as you say. If you think I can learn, I would like you to teach me.” ::And then maybe I can defeat you, Ranma Saotome! And get revenge for all the evil you have caused me!::

 

“You have enough ki,” Vegeta said, silently thinking that it was a major understatement. He suspected the boy did not use ki blasts. But he could be wrong.

 

Serori grinned at the older boy. “Yeah we should teach you! It will be fun!”

 

“All right, but....” Ryouga blinked. “If you're in training yourselves, do you have time to train me? Won't it get in the way?”

 

Gohan laughed. “No, silly! Training other people helps train us, too! Unless you're really a beginner, but you have too much ki to be a beginner! I'll bet you're really strong!”

 

Ryouga looked startled at that statement. He was very strong, but not too many people who didn't know him realized that until they saw him crush rocks with his bare hands. He had the strangest feeling, though, just by looking at Vegeta, that the small warrior was much stronger than he was.

 

“Ah... yeah. Well, anyway, why don't you lead? I don't know where we're going. And besides,” he muttered, blushing suddenly. “I'd just get lost.”

 

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at that comment but headed off towards where they had been training earlier in the week.

 

“Do you think Hakusai and Yamcha will be sparring with us?” Serori asked.

 

“Possibly. If they can manage to get out of bed,” Vegeta said dryly.

 

“I didn't think they were that tired?” Serori frowned. “They looked happy enough to see one another.” This merely got a snort from Vegeta. “Well, I hope they come out later. Gohan? Is your dad coming?”

 

Gohan blinked. “I don't know. He sparred with us a few days ago. But he might want to stay home with mommy.” Then he grinned. “But he might want to spar with Hakusai, too! I think he'll be here today!”

 

Ryouga looked around at the barren area. It looked like a good place for sparring without destroying half the city. That was the problem he and Ranma often had; they tended to be a little indiscriminate when they were fighting. He looked at the other three. “How do I learn how to fly?”

 

Gohan beamed at him. “Well the first thing I have to ask is, do you know what ki is? `Cause if you don't it will make it a whole lot harder.” He found himself grassy spot and sat down. He patted a bit of grass near him. “Here, have a seat.”

 

Vegeta found himself a boulder to sit on and watched curiously. He said nothing because he was curious to see how Gohan would teach the young man.

 

Ryouga studied the little boy thoughtfully. “I think so,” he said musingly. “Everything I've heard, I think that's what I'm using.” He pondered for a moment. “I think.”

 

Gohan blinked at that. “Don't you know?” Gohan was certain Ryouga used ki. Unlike Serori, he could sense Ryouga had a very high ki level, and it looked fairly controlled. He suspected Vegeta could sense it as well.

 

Ryouga's brow furrowed. “Well, is that what this is?” He touched a finger to a boulder. “Bakusai Tenketsu!” he shouted, and the boulder exploded. After the rubble in the air cleared, they saw Ryouga standing there completely unscathed. “I think that's using ki. Isn't it?”

 

Gohan's jaw dropped. “What was that?”

 

Ryouga shrugged in embarrassment. “It's the Breaking Point technique. All objects have a breaking point; you just have to know how to find it and then focus your ki on it. That's it.”

 

“Holy shit!” Serori exclaimed. Vegeta merely rolled his eyes at the use of profanity but if he was more used to giving in to his emotions he might have echoed the sentiment. Instead, the warrior dusted the debris off of his shoulder and stood up.

 

“I have never seen that technique before,” Vegeta said. “But I think he was thinking more along the lines of this.” Vegeta raised his hand with two fingers extended, and with a bright blue beam obliterated the top half of a mountain.

 

“Show off,” Serori muttered.

 

Ryouga considered it, and then shook his head. “I can do something like that... but only when I'm upset.”

 

“Upset?” Gohan looked at him in surprise, wondering if it was anything like being a Super Saiyan. ::Maybe this is one of Yamcha's brothers!:: he thought excitedly. The young man did look an awful lot like Yamcha, when he looked closely. He wondered if he was.

 

Ryouga shrugged. “That's just the way I was taught. I have to be really depressed.”

 

“Nah you don't have to be depressed to do this,” Serori said with a smile.

 

Vegeta snorted. “I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my life.”

 

“Like this.” Serori cupped her hands and concentrated her ki to that spot. In a few moments, Ryouga saw that a bright, white-blue light appeared that seemed to pulse with its own energy. “See, this is ki. Everybody has it.” She looked up at him. “Why don't you try it? Just focus it onto one spot. It isn't hard.”

 

Gohan interrupted. “Not everybody has enough ki to do that, but he has ki. Not just what most people have. He has as much as Krillin did before we went to Namek.”

 

“Krillin?” Serori asked.

 

“Kakarotto's bald headed friend,” Vegeta grumbled.

 

“Oh.” Serori blinked. “But does he have enough to do this?”

 

Gohan nodded. The young man definitely had enough ki to do that. “You need to concentrate,” he explained earnestly. When Ryouga looked at him in confusion, he decided to approach it differently. “Do you do martial arts?” Ryouga nodded and Gohan smiled. “Then when you concentrate on your martial arts, what do you do?”

 

Ryouga frowned, and started to move through one set of katas. They could feel his ki building up. Vegeta could sense it was growing stronger than he had felt it before, as the boy continued to move. “That's it!” Gohan shouted, surprising him. “When you do that, you're building your ki! Now, when you do that, try to focus it into one spot, all right?”

 

Ryouga nodded, and continued the katas, closing his eyes in concentration. They could feel the ki building again, and this time Ryouga could feel it as well. He deliberately focused it on one hand, and when he opened his eyes, he found to his surprise that he was holding a green ki ball in his hand.

 

“Now what do I do with it?”

 

“Throw it!” Gohan shouted in excitement, and Ryouga tossed it towards one of the mountains nearby. To his amazement the small mountain was quickly reduced to rubble.

 

Ryouga stood there in astonishment. “I've never been able to do that before, without getting either really depressed or really angry!”

 

Serori jumped up and hugged him. “See? If you can do that, then you can fly!”

 

Vegeta blinked. The kid learned fast, maybe a little too fast. “Are your parents fighters?” he asked suddenly.

 

“Um... no....” Ryouga blinked at the question. “My father's an architect. My mother is a doctor. They've always allowed me to fight, though. I'm not really good at much else,” he said in embarrassment. “Except languages.”

 

“Well, you will be good at a lot of things by the time we are through with you. Saiyans are natural fighters,” Gohan said with pride.

 

Vegeta smirked. “Among other things. You have a pretty high power level for a human.” The older man studied Ryouga casually as if looking for something specific. “And young as well. How old are you?”

 

Ryouga seemed to sense that the older man was examining him for something, and it made him nervous. “Um... sixteen. Power level? Um... I guess so.” He had no idea what they were talking about, but somehow it was making him very nervous. “Uh... this will teach me how to fly?”

 

Vegeta inclined his head. “Yes, you need to know how to focus your ki to learn how to fly. It may take you awhile. Then again....” His brows pulled together in a frown. “...It may not.” ::Sixteen? Now isn't that interesting.::

 

Gohan nodded. “Yup! See, if you regulate your ki like this,” the little boy lifted off the ground a few inches, “you can hold yourself there. But to go as fast as us takes a lot of practice.”

 

“Fast?” Ryouga swallowed. If there was one thing he wasn't, it was fast. “I'm strong, is that all right? I don't know if I can be fast....”

 

Gohan giggled. “Strong is a start. But maybe your speed will improve. Come on. Concentrate and see if you can do this!”

 

“Um....” Ryouga tried to concentrate, but he was distracted by the others around him. He sighed despondently. “It's not very easy.”

 

Gohan blinked. “You just gotta concentrate. You have the ki! I can tell!”

 

Ryouga was amazed at the little boy's optimism. He also has the feeling that these two youngsters could easily beat him in a fight, and there weren't many he could say that of. ::They can probably even beat Ranma!::

 

“All right. Let me try again.”

 

He concentrated, pretending he was doing his katas, and he felt his ki flowing. He started to build it into a ball in his hand, at first, and then realized it would have to be more diffused. He allowed it to simply flow throughout his body, and felt himself building up. He had no idea what to do with it, though. He looked up at the others, unaware of how high his power level had risen.

 

“What do I do now?” he asked, sounding frustrated.

 

Vegeta's eyebrows rose. “Focus your ki. Imagine yourself lifting up.”

 

Gohan nodded from his position slightly above Ryouga. “That's right. Just focus all your energy into rising into the air.”

 

Ryouga stared at them, having no idea what they meant. Imagine himself lifting up? What were they talking about? “All right, if you say so....” He concentrated, trying to imagine himself going upward, and nothing happened.

 

Gohan giggled. “Not that way! Try to imagine yourself weightless! Like you're in water!”

 

Ryouga blinked. He could do that. He was a really good swimmer, which was fortunate considering all the times he ended up having to swim when he got lost. At least, before the curse. He tried to imagine that the air was water and that he was swimming. He even began to stroke his way upward, and discovered to his amazement that it worked. He blinked at them in surprise.

 

“I'm flying!”

 

In his surprise he forgot to concentrate, and he fell and landed hard. He was too surprised to worry about that as he stared up at them.

 

“I was flying!” he shouted up, oblivious to the fact that he hadn't been hurt in the slightest, and that they might find it just a little unusual. “Did you see that? I was flying!”

 

“See! I told you could do it” Gohan said grinning at him. “Did you hurt yourself though? You landed pretty hard!”

 

Vegeta blinked. Hard was not the word. A human would have ended up in the hospital for a shorter fall. But there he sat, apparently unscathed, not even noticing that Vegeta was staring at him.

 

“Huh?” Ryouga blinked up at Gohan in confusion, then shrugged. “Oh, I've had worse.” ::Usually from Ranma,:: he added silently. He wasn't sure he wanted them to know about his rival yet, though. “It's the Tenketsu training. And I've always been tough.”

 

He stood up, apparently unconcerned about the fall, and tried to concentrate on flying again, but frowned in frustration when he couldn't do it. He looked up at the three Saiyans hovering above him. “How do you do that so easily?”

 

Gohan laughed. “Lots of practice!” he said and then landed next to Ryouga. “Maybe you are tired and can't do it again right now?” he asked looking up at him. “This sort of thing takes a lot of energy if you aren't used to it.”

 

“Tired?” Ryouga looked up at the little demi-Saiyan in confusion. “I'm not tired. I just can't....” He concentrated, trying to build his ki, but he could feel it start to build and then falter again. “I just can't do it!” he said in frustration.

 

He could feel his anger and depression start to build over it, and subconsciously found himself feeding those emotions, his ki beginning to rise automatically as his rage built. ::I'll bet Ranma could do it!:: he thought to himself. ::Ranma can do everything better than me! I'll bet he'd do it easily!::

 

Gohan stared at the young man in surprise. His ki was building up quickly, but it was nothing he had ever felt before. He could almost feel it, a roiling black mass of despair, and he wondered what was happening to the older boy. Before any of the Saiyans could react, Ryouga suddenly shouted and loosed a ki blast towards a nearby mountain.

 

“Shishi Hokoudan!” he cried out, obliterating the top half of the mountain with a large green ki blast.

 

Serori's jaw dropped open in surprise and she looked over at her brother, whose facial expression mimicked hers almost completely. The older warrior was able to get his surprise under control and his usual scowl was back in place quickly. Vegeta's expression revealed none of the unease he felt when he saw the younger boy's attack. He knew anger could trigger becoming a Super Saiyan, but this was something he had never before seen and didn't know quite what to think about it.

 

“Impressive,” he said after a moment, and folded his arms across his chest. “But you need to learn to control that.”

 

Ryouga looked up at him, slightly embarrassed. Vegeta was right; he really didn't have any control over that ability. He could only use it when he was depressed, and it seemed to take him over when he was depressed. He hung his head, feeling ashamed of himself, wondering if he would ever be able to do anything useful. ::At least Ranma's ki attack he can use at any time. Of course, Ranma can do everything that I can't!:: His feelings of inadequacy began to increase again, as he compared himself unfavorably to his nemesis.

 

With a sense of alarm, Gohan could feel the older boy's ki begin to rise again. He had noticed the surprise on Vegeta's face at that first ki blast, although the man was very good at masking his thoughts and emotions. Still, the tip of the older Saiyan's tail was twitching ever so slightly, showing his agitation. Gohan looked up at him solemnly.

 

“Vegeta-sensei, I think we need to have Bulma take a look at him.”

 

His look towards Vegeta spoke volumes; he was beginning to suspect the other boy was perhaps partially Saiyan, since like his own abilities they seemed to be triggered by extreme emotional states.

 

Vegeta inclined his head slightly. “Maybe we should.” He eyed Ryouga thoughtfully, almost critically. If Ryouga had been aware of the scrutiny of the old man's gaze, it would have made Ryouga extremely nervous. And rightfully so - there was something calculating in Vegeta's expression.

 

Vegeta cocked his head and frowned. If Ryouga was capable of that kind of power when he couldn't control it, then what could he do when he finally learned control? Finally he made up his mind and looked down at Gohan and Serori, who were waiting for his decision.

 

“Well then, I suppose we need to teach you how to control this power of yours before you accidentally blow something up,” he said after several long moments. “But first I think the woman may need to look you over.”

 

“If you want to that is,” Serori piped up. “I met her and she is really nice.”

 

Vegeta snorted. Nice? What was that kid thinking? Serori had no idea what a temper his mate had. Good thing she was as strong as he was, Vegeta thought smugly. He had chosen well, not that she needed to know that.

 

Ryouga looked at them uncertainly and nodded. He looked dubiously at the little cloud hovering nearby, but Gohan smiled impishly. “No, you can fly!” he insisted. “C'mon, you can do it, I know it!”

 

Ryouga's brow furrowed as he concentrated on his ki the way Gohan had explained it before, and he levitated upwards. Gohan smiled encouragingly at him. Ryouga looked down at the ground and almost lost his concentration, but Gohan grabbed his hand before he could fall. “C'mon, let's go back, Bulma will look you over. Bulma knows everything!”

 

Ryouga was startled at the little boy's assertion of this unknown woman's mental superiority, but he trustingly followed Gohan's lead as they headed back towards the house.

 

Vegeta and Serori took off after them with Vegeta flying slightly behind the others, while Serori flew up to chat with Gohan.

 

Vegeta cringed inwardly when he realized that Bulma would not only run tests on Ryouga, but would indubitably invite the young man to stay. ::Sometimes my woman is too damn nice,:: he groused silently. But at least he could keep an eye on the brat. Why he wanted to was beyond him. It seemed there was something in the boy's past he needed to know and it was nagging at his subconscious to be wary of Ryouga.

 

Vegeta rolled his eyes as the group in front of him burst out laughing. ::Loud brats,:: he grumbled. ::I'll never have any peace and quiet.::

 

It startled him when he realized that he really did want quiet, so much that he was irritated with himself for being so soft. Up until now there had never been any question what he had considered his destiny; he would someday rule the universe as the most powerful warrior. Annoyed that he suddenly wanted to do nothing but protect his family and not conquer planets to become the ruler of the universe, he nearly passed the Capsule Corp buildings.

 

::Kuso!:: he swore to himself as he landed with the others. ::I am getting too soft.::

 

To be continued.....

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

And in the next exciting episode of DragonBall Z: A Light in the Darkness... More is learned of Ryouga's past.

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

Yes, my favourite lost boy just got introduced. Tada! ^_^ More on his past will be revealed in the next few chapters! Oh, I just love Ryouga! ^_^

 

Oh, and I'm adding to the disclaimer, because of Ryouga.... (didn't want to post it in the main disclaimer area and give a plot point away!)

 

DISCLAIMER: Ranma 1/2 and the character of Ryouga Hibiki are owned by Viz, Rumiko Takahashi, and some Japanese studio I don't know the name of. We do own what we've written here, and our specific storyline, just not Dragonball or Ranma 1/2 themselves. We make no money off of any of these guys, nor off this fic. Oh, I guess we do own Hakusai and Serori. But they're just characters. ^_~