Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Light in the Darkness ❯ Prelude to a Super Saiyan ( Chapter 66 )

A Light in the Darkness - Part 66: Prelude to a Super Saiyan
by Mia Skywalker & Wataruo

 

PAIRING: Bulma/Vegeta, Yamcha/Hakusai
RATING: PG
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 and Ryouga in that, now you know. Dragonball Z and the associated characters are owned by Toei, Viz, Akira Toriyama, and FUNimation. 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. We just have fun writing it. Oh, I guess we do own Hakusai and Serori. But I doubt anyone cares. ^_~
SUMMARY: Goku tries to explain being a Super Saiyan to the others.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Thank you to TwoMoons, Lady Lark, Selenity Jade, and klewis for the beta. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Yamcha wasn't sure what woke him that morning. As he blinked his eyes open, he felt some strange flares of ki a short distance away. He was instantly awake, concentrating on the source. To his chagrin, after a moment he recognized it was Vegeta... and Bulma. Embarrassment filled him as he realized what he was sensing; it was only because the two were making love that they were somehow... merged. Was that because of their `bond'? Was that what it did to them?

 

He looked down at the sleeping Hakusai, and a smile played over his lips. Although Hakusai hadn't mentioned it, he somehow knew they had bonded as well. He didn't know how it had happened, nor why, but he knew it had. There was no other explanation for the way he had reacted when she had been gone, the pain he had experienced when they were apart. He suspected that either she wasn't aware that they had bonded, or she was afraid of his reaction to it, so she hadn't said anything. He knew that at one time he might have reacted with fear and would have run away from her, but not now, not after everything he had been through.

 

Yamcha slipped out of bed without disturbing her, then gazed down at her silently for several minutes. Her hair was still in its usual braid, and he had an urge to see it spread out around her. He knew, though, that if it had the typical Saiyan stiffness, it probably wouldn't spread out so easily. He touched his own hair, observing that it seemed stiffer than it had been before he had been in the regeneration tank, and wondered if that was going to change as well. He shook his head; there was no way to know yet without doing some more tests, and he really wasn't in the mood for those at the moment.

 

He started towards the closet, and then noticed something black folded on the seat of the chair near the door. He picked it up and shook it out, and blinked in surprise when he saw the bodysuit. It looked similar to the one Hakusai normally wore, but the CC embroidered over the right breast told him it was something Bulma had made for him.

 

He slipped it on, noting with a pleased smile how it fit snugly to him, stretching to fit even his bulk. He suspected it would stretch to fit any size. He wondered if it were truly as sturdy as Saiyan armour, or if it just stretched to fit; he knew Bulma had been trying to convince Vegeta to loan her his torn up armour for some tests so she could try to duplicate it, but he didn't know if she had been successful. He suspected she would be successful now, but whether or not she had done so yet, and had time to make this, he wasn't sure.

 

Still, it was better than nothing. He just hoped it wouldn't get ripped in any place that would be embarrassing.

 

Yamcha leaned over and lightly pressed a kiss to Hakusai's forehead before slipping quietly out of the room. He felt Gohan's, Serori's, and Ryouga's ki a short distance away, and smiled when he realized they must have been awake for a while. Yamcha grabbed a quick breakfast - at least, quick by Saiyan standards - before joining them. Not wanting Bulma angry with him for leaving a mess, he made sure to set the cleaning robots to clean up before he left.

 

He flew to where he sensed the ki energies of the three demi-Saiyans, and watched them train for a little while. Ryouga had apparently gotten the hang of flying, although he still seemed a bit awkward at it. More awkward, Yamcha noted critically, than he or any of the other Zed Senshi had been. He noticed that the boy sometimes seemed to almost get lost in midair, like he forgot where he was, and he would start to head off in the wrong direction but Gohan or Serori always stopped him in time.

 

Yamcha frowned at that. There was something wrong there, and he wondered what it was.

 

He had watched them for almost half an hour, half his awareness remaining on the sleeping Hakusai, before Gohan flew down towards him, acknowledging his presence. Yamcha knew that the small Saiyan had likely sensed him as soon as he had awakened, but Ryouga and Serori looked startled and slightly disoriented.

 

::It looks like we need to train them on how to recognize and sense ki. Then they would have known I was here. It'll keep them from being surprised by opponents.::

 

“You're doing well, Ryouga,” Yamcha praised his younger brother heartily.

 

The teenager blushed slightly, pleased at the compliment. He still felt slightly unsure of himself, and a little in awe of the enormous man he had been told was his older brother. Especially since he knew that Yamcha was one of the heroes who had saved Chikyuu on numerous occasions. “I guess so.”

 

Gohan nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, he's really strong, Yamcha. Almost as strong as my daddy! I mean, not with ki, just with... he can crush a boulder with his hand!”

 

Yamcha looked suitably impressed, and he looked at Ryouga curiously. Hadn't their mother made some sort of hint that Ryouga's father might not have been fully human? He wondered what other DNA the boy had, and if it might complicate things.

 

“Well, then we should train his strength more. And it might be interesting to see if he can go Super Saiyan.” Yamcha blinked in sudden realization. “Hey, I wonder if I can go Super Saiyan!”

 

Gohan scratched his head, looking puzzled. “I dunno. No one except my daddy has gone Super Saiyan. Not even Vegeta. Maybe my daddy can show you how to do it?”

 

“Maybe....” Yamcha looked at the two boys thoughtfully, not really looking at them, but thinking of how things had changed.

 

“Um....” Ryouga glanced from Gohan to Yamcha in confusion. “Can I ask you something? What does `going Super Saiyan' mean? I mean, you've said that we're Saiyans - is that like being a superhero of some sort? Aren't you already sort of superheroes?”

 

Yamcha looked at his younger brother, somewhat startled. “Well, no. Not really. It's a state some Saiyans can reach, but for some reason it seems to be rare. Vegeta always calls it the `legendary Super Saiyan', and he seems to be convinced that he's the legendary Super Saiyan. Even though Goku's the only one who's ever reached that state. I don't think Vegeta knows how someone becomes a Super Saiyan or he would already be one. Maybe Goku can tell us, though.”

 

Gohan nodded, smiling happily. “Yeah! My daddy's a Super Saiyan! He'd know!” Then he thought about the fact that his father wasn't that bright and therefore wasn't always that good at explaining things, and he sweat-dropped slightly. “Or... maybe not. But we can ask him!”

 

Yamcha scratched his head. “All right. We can go over there and talk to him, see what he says.” The four demi-Saiyans took off, flying toward the Sons', Ryouga a little behind them, wondering what they were really talking about and why it was such a big deal.

 

~~~*~~~

 

Goku was chopping firewood in the back yard for Chi-Chi when he felt the approaching ki. He looked up and concentrated for a moment, then smiled when he recognized the ki signatures. His son, Yamcha, Serori, and the boy Ryouga were on their way over. He looked at the firewood for a moment and then swiftly stacked it against the wall before going inside to tell Chi-Chi that she might want to make lunch for several Saiyans. He stepped outside just as the four demi-Saiyans landed, and he smiled charmingly at them.

 

Gohan waved to his father. “Hi, Daddy!” he exclaimed happily.

 

“Well, hello, Gohan!” Goku smiled at him fondly. “Are you having fun at Bulma's?”

 

Gohan nodded eagerly. “Yeah, Daddy! I've been training Ryouga all morning!”

 

“You have?” He smiled proudly at his son, looking over at Ryouga and Serori with a smile.

 

The teenager smiled back at him nervously. After all, this was the Son Goku, the one who had helped save Chikyuu from those alien invaders before. “Hi,” he stuttered out, and then blushed slightly, feeling stupid.

 

Goku smiled back at Ryouga, noticing that the young man seemed to be a little shy. Goku couldn't comprehend why Ryouga was nervous, but he wanted to make Yamcha's young brother feel welcome. “Gohan's training you?” He nodded in approval. “I'm glad.”

 

“Yeah.” Ryouga thought Goku wasn't nearly as large or as fearsome as he had been led to believe, but he was still one of the greatest heroes on Chikyuu. “He taught me how to fly already.” Then he blushed, remembering Goku had been there when they had taught him. “And he says I need to learn how to control my... ki?” That had confused him a little. He knew what ki was - he used it when he created the Shishi Hokoudan - but control it? He had always created ki blasts only when he was depressed, he wasn't sure he could control it at other times.

 

“He also needs to learn how to sense and recognize ki,” Yamcha put in, startling Ryouga. “So does Serori. They need to do that so enemies won't be able to surprise them. Not unless they can control and mask their ki the way we can.”

 

Goku nodded. “You are right. You can also gauge your opponent's strength in a fight by their ki. Yamcha can show you. Even I could show you if you want.”

 

Ryouga looked at him in surprise. Gauge a person's strength? “You mean, like being able to measure ki? Is it something you can measure that way?” he asked in surprise.

 

Yamcha grinned. “It sure is! Bulma has this scouter thing that we got from the first Saiyan who landed here - other than our mother and Goku, that is - and it measures ki with a little screen. We know how to do it ourselves so we don't need the scouter like others would.”

 

Ryouga stared at him, feeling a little overwhelmed. There was a part of him that was fiercely eager to learn how to do this, and another part that was slightly afraid. What if it turned out that Ranma had a stronger ki than he did? He didn't want to face that.

 

Yamcha interrupted his thoughts then, and turned back to Goku. “But that's not why we're here, Goku. We have a question for you.” Goku looked at him curiously and Yamcha continued. “We were wondering if you could tell us what you do to go Super Saiyan. Is it a particular technique? Do you have to build up to it somehow? Do you know exactly what it is you do to get there?”

 

“Anger,” Goku said after a moment's thought. “I was angry at Frieza for killing Krillin. I think that's what triggered it. But I think you need to build up to it somehow. It took me a few months to be able to do it at will.”

 

“Anger?” Ryouga blinked at Goku, as did Gohan and Yamcha. Gohan had seen his father go Super Saiyan and had realized he was angry, but hadn't really thought about that as the trigger.

 

Yamcha looked at the other three demi-Saiyans, and then back at Goku. “But you can control it now?” he prompted. “You said you can do it at will. You don't have to get angry anymore? Do you know what you do now that causes it?”

 

Goku gave Yamcha one of his famous `I-haven't-the-faintest-clue' looks and mumbled an apology. “Sorry, Yamcha, I don't know what it is I do.”

 

Sweat-drops appeared behind all four demi-Saiyans. “Oh, Dad....” Gohan muttered, sounding embarrassed. Sometimes his father's lack of intelligence was mortifying to him. He had been told that his father had been hit on the head as a baby and he knew that was why, but it was still somewhat disappointing.

 

Ryouga looked from one to another of them in confusion. “Is there anyone else who might know?” he asked innocently, not realizing how rare being a Super Saiyan was.

 

“No,” Yamcha said heavily. “Only Goku has ever managed to become one. Even Vegeta hasn't, and he's mentioned that there hasn't been a Super Saiyan on Vegeta-sei in over a thousand years. They're apparently really rare.”

 

“Well, Hakusai might know,” Goku said folding his arms in front of his chest. “She could probably explain it better than I could, anyways.”

 

“Hakusai?” Yamcha double-blinked at Goku. “Why would she know?”

 

“`Cause my sister can go Super Saiyan too. I guess she didn't mention that, huh?” Serori piped up after being unusually quiet that morning. “At least she says she can. I have never seen it.”

 

Goku blinked. “She never told you?” he asked Yamcha, looking confused.

 

“She can?” Yamcha stared at Goku in disbelief for several seconds, causing him to worry slightly, and then a slow smile spread across his face. “You mean she's a Super Saiyan and Vegeta isn't?” He somehow found that idea highly amusing, and a warm glow built up in him. His mate was a Super Saiyan! It didn't matter to him that it meant that she was stronger than he was; he was proud of her for her own accomplishments. “I'll bet Vegeta will hate that when he finds out!”

 

“How come?” the little red-haired demi-Saiyan said after a moment. “Why can't he do it?”

 

“I don't know.” Yamcha shook his head, a silly grin still on his face. “And he's been trying to get there like... forever! And I'll bet he'll be pissed she did it first!”

 

“I don't know.” Goku scratched his head. “He already knows about it. And I don't remember if he was happy or not. Hakusai never seemed to care about it either way. She said having that much power is overrated.”

 

“He knows?” Yamcha's grin broadened. “Oh, I'm sure he's not very happy about it at all.” He knew how Vegeta was always insisting that he was the strongest Saiyan in existence, and the fact that there was now not just one, but TWO Super Saiyans - one simply a `third class warrior' and the other his own sister - must rankle. “I bet that's got to bug him.” He smiled almost evilly at the thought. Even though he no longer hated Vegeta, he really enjoyed the idea of something irritating the small surly Saiyan like that.

 

Goku grinned. “I guess it does. Not that Vegeta would ever admit as much to us. Maybe to Bulma, but not to us.” He blinked a few times and looked around, noticing for the first time that Hakusai was not present. “Speaking of which, where is Hakusai?”

 

“Oh.” Yamcha put a hand behind his head, looking almost embarrassed. “She was asleep when I left, and I didn't want to wake her up. She's pregnant, you know.” Then he blinked, remembering that Goku didn't know that. “Oh. Yeah. She's going to have a baby. We're going to have a baby.” He blushed in a kind of embarrassed pride.

 

“Ain't it great Goku-san?” Serori smiled happily. “I get to be an aunt.”

 

“Pregnant?” Goku beamed at Yamcha and slapped him on the back. “Congratulations! You're going to be a father and an uncle.”

 

“An uncle?” Yamcha blinked in confusion. It took him about a minute to figure out what Goku meant. “You mean Bulma?” It was a bit disconcerting to realize she was now his sister-in-law, and that he would be uncle to her child. It looked like both babies would even be born at close to the same time, in fact. That was a little startling, and he was wondering if he was going to be able to get used to it. “Wow! Man, I didn't even think about that.” He looked at Ryouga and grinned. “You're going to be an uncle!” he announced proudly.

 

Ryouga blinked. They had mentioned that Hakusai was pregnant when he had been removed from the tank the other day, but that was before the whole thing had sunk in, that he was only half human, and that this man was his brother. He had always been an only child, and both of his parents were only children, so he had never had either siblings or cousins. There'd never even been the possibility of him being an uncle, or even anything remotely similar. He couldn't help the smile that made its way across his face.

 

Goku laughed, amused by the pleased look on Ryouga's face. “It's great having a family isn't it?”

 

Ryouga nodded, blushing that his face had been so easily read. “Yeah, I guess it is. I never get to see my family much. We're always getting... we're always traveling,” he said, after some hesitation.

 

Yamcha slapped him on the back heartily, making even the immovable Ryouga lurch forward with the force of his blow. “Well, you have family now! And it looks like it's getting even bigger!” He paused then, and his face grew serious. “We've still got my other brother to find, you know,” he said, losing all humor abruptly. “I know we're hoping to find him at the Budokai, but what if he isn't there?”

 

Goku shrugged. “Don't worry, Yamcha. Bulma was working on something for that. And there is always the chance that you will find him familiar.”

 

“Familiar?” Ryouga and Yamcha asked in unison, blinking in confusion. Neither of them had any idea what Goku was talking about.

 

“I think what my dad means is that his ki might be similar to yours,” Gohan piped up, having quietly listened to the adults speaking for the past ten minutes or so. “Like my daddy's and my ki are similar, people sometimes get us confused if they don't know us well. Maybe your brother's will be like yours, Ryouga. Especially since you're twins.”

 

Ryouga stared at the little boy in surprise. Since he had never even heard of being able to sense and recognize ki, he never would have thought of this. “Do you think it's possible?” he asked hopefully.

 

“I don't see any reason why not.” Goku smiled at Ryouga. “Think we ought to go and see if Bulma has finished that device yet?”

 

“Uh... we might not want to do that right now,” Yamcha interrupted, and then blushed suddenly. He looked at the surprised looks that the others directed at him with a sheepish grin. “She's a little... busy, right now, I think.” He didn't want to tell them about what he had sensed in hers and Vegeta's ki earlier that morning, although he thought that they had probably finished by now. Still, he wasn't about to interrupt them and possibly irritate Vegeta.

 

“Maybe we should just wait for her at Capsule Corp,” he mumbled.

 

Goku blinked, and smiled at them. “That's all right with me,” he agreed, not having the slightest idea what Yamcha was implying, but willing to wait. “Chi-Chi is making lunch for us if you'd like to eat here.”

 

All four agreed enthusiastically. It had been several hours since they had eaten, and as Saiyans they were already hungry again. The five of them trooped inside just as Chi-Chi finished cooking lunch. The five Saiyans ate heartily, while Chi-Chi beamed with pride at the way they raved over her food.

 

~~~*~~~

 

Hakusai awoke much later in the day than she was accustomed to. She was more than a little surprised when she glanced at the clock and noticed how late it was. “Oh hell.” She yawned, then rolled over onto her belly. She was somewhat disappointed that Yamcha wasn't there, but she could feel his presence nearby. She smiled, content with the knowledge that he was keeping an eye on her. Hakusai wondered if Yamcha was even aware he was doing it. She closed her eyes again, feeling too lethargic to move, and felt herself getting drowsy again.

 

A few minutes later she felt Vegeta and Bulma return and she sighed. There was no point in annoying them, she thought to herself. But that didn't mean she couldn't annoy Yamcha. She grinned and sent a thought to him privately. ::What are you doing?::

 

“What?” he said out loud at her voice in his head, causing the others to blink at him in confusion. ::Hakusai? Where are you?::

 

::In bed. Thinking of you,:: she thought back at him coyly.

 

He blushed abruptly. ::Ah... Hakusai....:: he protested mentally, even though no one could `hear' them for it to embarrass him.

 

::What are you doing?:: she repeated, still curious about where he was. ::Or is it a secret?::

 

::Oh. Sorry. We're at Goku's right now, having lunch. Are you hungry?:: he asked, feeling guilty.

 

::Well, yes,:: she admitted, thinking about it. ::But I'll just eat something here.::

 

::We're about to head back, I think,:: he told her. ::We need to talk to Bulma. And to you,:: he added. ::Is Bulma back yet?::

 

::She just got back a little while ago,:: Hakusai informed him. ::You need to talk to me? About what?:: she asked curiously.

 

::Oh. About what it's like to go Super Saiyan. And what you do to achieve it. Is there anything special you have to do?::

 

Hakusai was thoughtful as she slipped on her bodysuit, before she finally replied. ::Well, I was angry the first time it happened. Someone dear to me had been killed.:: Her mind shuttered closed briefly, but not before Yamcha could sense a deep and abiding pain. He was wise enough not to press her about it.

 

::Yeah, Goku said that it was anger that triggered it the first time for him, too. But he said he can control it now. Can you control it as well?::

 

::Well....:: Hakusai mused on it as she headed towards the kitchen. ::I don't know. I've only done it once. I'm not sure if I can control it or not. I haven't had any reason to go Super Saiyan since then.::

 

::Oh.:: Yamcha's disappointment was obvious. ::We were hoping you cold tell us how you managed it. We're wondering if any of us could learn to do it eventually. I know our power levels aren't high enough yet - except maybe Gohan's - but with enough training we were hoping.....::

 

::Yeah, and wouldn't that piss off the Prince of Scowls?:: Hakusai chuckled. ::I don't know. I'm not sure any of you are ready for it yet, except maybe Gohan. But with training, maybe.:: Then she sobered. ::But there's always the possibility that you can't go Super Saiyan.:: The last was sent to him almost reluctantly.

 

::Can't?:: Yamcha was startled. ::Because we'll never be strong enough?:: There was a slight undercurrent of resentment at that, at the idea that maybe she still thought he was too weak.

 

::No.:: Hakusai's thoughts back to him were soothing and loving, but sad. ::Because you're not fully Saiyan. It's possible that because you're half human you can't go Super Saiyan.::

 

Yamcha was shocked into silence for almost a full minute. ::I didn't think of that,:: he admitted, when he was finally able to think again. ::I'll tell the others.:: There was silence for several minutes along their bond, and Hakusai could sense that Yamcha was talking to the others. When he came back, it was almost with hesitation. ::Goku says you could be right, but he doesn't know. He also thinks you might be wrong. He doesn't seem worried about it. He seems pretty sure Gohan is close to going Super Saiyan. Do you think he might be right?:: She could tell that he was hoping she would concur.

 

::That sounds like Goku.:: Hakusai sighed. ::I don't know. No one really knows, you know. It's never happened before, but then, Saiyans don't generally mate outside their species. Don't worry, Yamcha,:: she tried to assure him. ::We'll find out. If Gohan's as close as Goku seems to think he is, then we'll know soon enough.::

 

He nodded, although she couldn't see it. ::All right. We'll be right over,:: he told her.

 

She smiled as she finished up her last bite of breakfast - no, lunch at this point - and turned on the cleaning robots. ::You do that,:: she told him, and sent him a suggestive image that made him blush to his toes.

 

~~~*~~~

 

Goku and the others became aware rather quickly that Yamcha was in communication with Hakusai telepathically, and waited while he finished his conversation. They continued to talk amongst themselves, although they were curious about why he had mentioned Hakusai's concern, that the non-full-blooded Saiyans might not be able to go Super Saiyan. Ryouga was simply confused - he hadn't yet seen a Super Saiyan's power in action, so didn't know what that meant, but Goku didn't seem overly concerned, so Gohan didn't allow himself to worry about it. He trusted his father completely; if Goku thought that there would be no problem with him reaching Super Saiyan level, then he didn't think there would be, either.

 

Yamcha's face eventually refocused on them, and he looked at Goku with a serious expression, the blush gradually fading. “Hakusai is waiting for us. She isn't really sure how to explain how to go Super Saiyan, but maybe she can show us and we can all figure it out together. We might not be strong enough to do it yet, but with a little more training....”

 

Goku smiled at him, his innocent, carefree smile. “I'm sure you can do it!” he agreed. “Let's go talk to her then!”

 

The five Saiyans said good-bye to Chi-Chi, who ranted at them for leaving her alone with the mess, and they took off for Capsule Corp to see Hakusai and Bulma about entirely different things.

 

To be continued.....

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

And in the next exciting episode of DragonBall Z: A Light in the Darkness... Hakusai attempts to demonstrate going Super Saiyan with disastrous results.