Dragon Ball R 1/2
Part 8

By Donny Cheng


Disclaimer:  All characters portrayed in this story are the property
of their respective creators and companies.

This story takes place after volume 38 of the Ranma manga and a few 
years after the end of DBZ.  It largely overwrites most of DBGT.

C & C welcomed.

Dragon Ball R1/2

by

Donny Cheng

Chapter 8

Vejita lifted an eye open, noticing his wife was gone finally.  He
did not want to go with them to the hospital.  Crying would be
inevitable no matter what the doctor found with Chichi.  All he wanted
to do he was lay back and enjoy a moment of quiet.

The last few days were eventful with his taking a pupil and reaching
a new transformation.  He knew he should be getting up to teach said
new pupil, but the boy seemed to know enough to figure out how to
better himself without any help at the moment.  He would be there when
Ranma needed a push to pass any block.  Ironically, the boy was the
one that helped him with the block the prevented him from achieving
Super Saiyajin Three.  However, it would be years before Ranma reached
that state, if ever.

If ever.  Vejita flinched involuntarily at the words, wondering if he
was putting too much hope in the boy.  He didn't know if he could wait
that long before sh... he died.

* * * * *

Ranma frowned as he felt along the fringe of his chi, determining
where it extended to.  He calculated that the increase from yesterday
was not as large has he had been used to since meeting with Vejita a
week ago.  Well, nearly two months if he counted the time he spent in
the Room of Spirit and Time.  Not for the first time, he wondered if
he had reached his peak already, but quickly stamped such thoughts out
of his mind.  While the increase was not as large as a day in the
Room, it was still leaps and bounds greater than the period of time he
stalled after learning the secret Saotome arts.

Trunks rolled his eyes at Ranma's frown, "You can't expect great
results everyday.  And you _are_ human after all.  That's better than
I did before I reached the next level."

"Only human," Ranma muttered.  It wasn't fair sometimes.  Both Trunks
and Goten, who seemed to only do a minimal amount before, could
exponentially increase their power levels just by beating the hell out
of each other and healing.  This Saiyajin genetics were a bit
intimidating.

"I mean it, you're doing great.  Before I reached Super Saiyajin Two,
I was at a dead end.  I could train for months or even years and I
would increase my power by maybe a tenth of what you did in one day."

Ranma blanched at the thought of having a block like that.  He always
figured that there would come a time when he would plateau in his
ability to improve himself, but he didn't expect it to come at so
young an age.  Not that he knew at what age it was normal to settle
down, but he figured it would be at least whatever age Cologne and
Happosai were.  However, he didn't know when it was that they had
leveled out or if they had, in fact, stopped improving in the first
place.  It would be scary to think that they stopped improving at his
age and that humans really were limited in what they could
accomplish.  He pushed aside those thoughts for the moment to focus on
how Trunks broke though his block.  "How did you push past it?"

"For Saiyajins it's extreme anger and the right power level.  For
humans, I only have Uncle Kuririn to go by, but what I do know is that
it could anything.  He increased his power dramatically through
intense training when my father was going to attack the earth.  Gohan
told me another time that Uncle thought he had reached his limit, he
had help from the Namek leader to unleash his untapped potential. 
These days, having a constant sparring partner like his wife, #18, has
done wonders for his power.  #18 is as as strong as an Super Saiyajin
and I wouldn't be surprised if Kuririn has gotten to the same level.

"Which amounts to more training.  But what was that about a Namek
unleashing his power?"

"We all have untapped potential in us.  As we get better, we draw on
our potential.  In turn, out potential grows as we grow.  Sorta like
learning.  The more you know, the more you don't know.  Hey, maybe we
could get Dende to help you untap your potential better."

"Wouldn't that mean you could technically become unbeatable?  You
could unleash you potential, which would give you more potential to be
unleashed again and again.  Isn't that like cheating?"

"Says the guy that told me my shoelaces were untied so he could
sucker punch me.  And no, it doesn't quite work that way.  A better
explanation is that your power is like mapping an uncharted area. 
You're at one point and you're giving a map of the next area.  Your
potential is used up in that you still have to cross the area you're
given before you can see an unmapped area or your new potential."

Ranma grinned, "Hey, it was your fault you weren't paying attention
and it isn't a sucker punch if you're in battle.  Anything goes.  And
I guess it can't hurt to try this method."

* * * * *

Dende pushed out with his consciousness and found yet another
avenue.  He felt along it briefly before ignoring it and concentrating
on other areas as he was already spreading himself very thin.  The
vastness of Ranma's innate potential was quite staggering.

Ranma shifted from where he sat as Dende's hand held his forehead in
place.  It was difficult to describe the feeling of someone occupying
his mind.  It was as if he was in the middle of a crowd filled with
the same person who were all speaking at once.  He found if he
concentrated, he could hear specific phrases amongst all the
murmuring.  These small bits of coherency led him along the same path
Dende was taking and he was given first hand knowledge of his own
limitations and potential.

Finally satisfied with what he found, Dende removed his hand from
Ranma's brow.  Before Trunks and Ranma could ask, he shook his head. 
"I'm afraid you might have wasted a trip here.  Unleashing your
potential won't be very much help.  Your potential, while great, is
too spread out."

Ranma nodded, "I guessed that after following you.  I think I have a
better understanding of where I'm at, so it's not a total loss coming
here."

Dende was a little surprised at how fast Ranma had improved.  The
boy's self awareness extended beyond chi detection now.  "Your
potential is like that of a road with many paths.  You improve by
taking all these side paths and merging them with the main road, such
is your school, Anything Goes, I suspect.  If I were to release your
potential, you would be drawing on one part of yourself while
forsaking the others."

Ranma nodded at Dende's analysis.  "The paths aren't compatible with
each other.  I could be using Amazon techniques and drawing power from
the potential you unleashed, but then when I need to use the shi shi
hokodan, I would need to switch my source.  Training removes this need
as I make the techniques I learned my own.  The power I draw to use my
variation of the kachu tenshi amaguriken would be the same as when I
use the moko takabisha as I've merged them to my style."

"Right, if I release your potential, it would be just highlighting
the branches rather than the main road to use the same example.  What
I can help you with is to let you know that there lies two branches of
great power in you, but they are both largely unused."

Ranma sighed, "I know.  One, I promised I would not touch.  The
other... well, I'll think about it."

Trunks blinked at the exchange, totally lost on what they were
referring to.  Dende seemed to know a lot more than he was saying. 
Kami-sama of the world smirked at him when he raised a questioning
eyebrow.  This was getting interesting.

* * * * *

Dende watched with apprehension as Ranma left with Trunks.  Watching
the boy over this past year, he knew exactly what the young martial
artist planned.  He also knew that although Ranma could bend the idea
of honor quite a bit, it would be only a last resort, so he doubted
that Ranma would try to access the Yamisenken and the Umisenken when
he still had options open.  That option was to access the untapped
power of the nekoken.

The sound of the door to the Room of Spirit and Time opening took
Dende's thoughts away from Ranma and to Nail and Piccolo who had both
entered just before the two boys had visited him.  It was really only
one place they could fight at full power without being detected.  He
had been getting worried as it was late and if Piccolo won, it could
mean the Namek was trapped as his two years were almost used up.  He
was surprised to see Nail walk out.  "You won?"

Nail smiled wryly, "No, as I expected.  Piccolo... he told me to do
what I had to do since he did not want to live another thirty years
with a bitter repressed Namek."

* * * * *

Piccolo's breath was ragged as he fought for air.  Nail lay on the
ground panting in front of him, while he remained standing.  "You only
stayed a little over a year in this room.  You didn't have to
challenge me until you completed the two years."

"It would have been a waste.  I know you regret using most of your
two years up and not having much to show for it.  I trained up to as
close I could to the point where we were both blocked as agreed," Nail
replied calmly, ready to accept his fate.

"You stopped a little short of that mark," Piccolo said, disagreeing
with his partner of several decades.  "You did it on purpose to make
use of the re-merged body in case you won, no matter how slim a chance
you had coming at me with a weaker power."

"I didn't think reading minds was one of your abilities," Nail joked,
and felt his ribs cry out at the effort.  "No, I know... the years
together... I could read you as well as you read me.  I would have
lost even if I came at you with even strength I think, because of
that.  You have a greater killer instinct with your demonic heritage
even though we are both of the fighting caste."

"Are you ready?"

Nail nodded and let his will go, ready to be assimilated once more. 
He blinked in surprise as Piccolo grew bright, his form
dematerializing.  In a flash of a moment, the older Namek was gone,
and Nail suddenly felt all his wounds healed and his body
revigorated.  "Thank you," he found himself saying inadequately.

* * * * *

"I only came out to let you know so you wouldn't be worried.  I'm
going to go back in for another two hours, maybe more," Nail said.

"And then?"

"I think you know."

Dende shivered at the coldness in that reply.  Vejita and Nail; one
would not make it through the day.

* * * * *

Ranma scowled at Trunks who wasn't trying very hard to laugh out
loud.  "Hey, it's not funny."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Trunks managed to say finally, wiping away the
tears of humor from his eyes.  "You do know how silly it is don't
you?  I doubt any cat anywhere can scratch you let alone hurt you."

"Yeah, I know that.  I don't know why, but just talking about
them...," Ranma shuddered.

"You don't have to do this you know.  Dende said you had another
large source of untapped power in you."

"I promised to seal them away.  I don't want to break them out unless
I have to."

"You could just train like a normal person," Trunks chided.

Ranma grinned, "I've never trained like a normal person.  It'll take
me forever to catch up at the rate I'm going.  C'mon, let's do this."

Trunks shrugged, though he still wasn't sure if he believed something
so small and utterly harmless could help.  He handed the freshly, dead
fish to Ranma who immediately began to rub it over his clothes and
body.  When the pigtailed boy was done, Trunks walked over to the door
and exited.  Outside, a small black kitten sat licking her paw.  He
watched as the kitten sniffed at the air and slowly made its way into
the gravity room.  He shut and locked the door after it despite his
doubts on this 'training'.

*I can do this,* Ranma thought.  *I can do this... no I can't.* 
Ranma ran across the room to the other side as the little kitten
followed in pursuit.  

* * * * *

Bra and Pan blinked as they looked at the view screen with Trunks. 
"What is he doing," Pan asked first.

Bra couldn't tell either.  She watched as Ranma was cornered by a
small fluffy kitten that she could carry on the palm of her hand. 
"Whatever it is, he's been like that for almost two hours," she said,
pointing to the timer in the room.

"Does the kitten have powerful claws that can shred metal like knife
to butter?"

"I know, it can shoot laser beams out of it's mouth," Bra countered.

"I know, it's an alien that only looks like a cat!" Pan clapped
gleefully, getting into it.

"No, no, and no," Trunks finally told them before their ideas got
more ridiculous.  "It's just an ordinary cat.  Ranma has ailurophobia,
which he got from some weird training session when he was little. 
When he gets scared enough, he'll be able to do the nekoken
apparently.  And no I don't know what that is either."

"I don't think we're going to get more out of him," Pan said as
Trunks continued to stare at what was happening in the gravity room.

"Yeah.  I'll just ask Ranma when he comes out," Bra said, smiling at
already having the next topic of conversation ready.

"We'll ask him," Pan corrected absently as she also looked at the
monitor.  The fear in the boy's eyes made her so much want to fly into
that room and save him, training session or not.

The three of them looked up as a chi signature flared.  That was not
strange in itself.  What was strange was that this signature dwarfed
that of Trunks' newly acquired Super Saiyajin Two power and was
nearing those of a Saiyajin's third transformation.  The strangest
part was that it belonged to none other than Piccolo.

* * * * *

Vejita was in no hurry as he made his way towards the blaring chi
signature that could only be an invitation.  The Namek was silent and
motionless, looking at him evenly as he settled a few meters away. 
Vejita crossed his arms as he looked directly at Nail.  It was hard to
tell the difference between two fighting class Nameks, even when
Piccolo had thirty years on this young pup.  "Piccolo let you out."

Nail nodded, a bit put off by the Saiyajin's matter of factness. 
Although he had Piccolo's memories, he had not personally dealt with
the Saiyajin prince regularly.  "I didn't think anyone knew."

"It wasn't hard to figure out how he became strong enough to take on
one of Freeza's forms after his merging with Kami.  The difference in
his chi told me the rest."

Again the calmness from the other man put him off a little, but he
drew confidence from Piccolo's experiences and his own as the
principal fighter among Nameks in the old days.  "Yes, back during
Freeza's attack on our planet.  Many things happened on that planet. 
Some of my friends had been in that settlement you destroyed."

Vejita shrugged.  "They could have easily been brought back with the
Namek dragonballs, but your elders decided against it."  His mind
raced as he chose his words carefully.  From what he could sense, this
new merging of Nail and Piccolo was close to his own ability.  There
may be a chance that Nail could actually beat him.  His pride scoffed
at that idea.  But something deep down inside him... hoped.

Nail clenched his right hand into a fist  "They hadn't been made for
our own benefit, but to help others.  It would have been wrong to use
them."

Vejita sneered, "Then blame it on the stupidity of your race.  I
suppose it's to be expected of a race that has magic and innumerable
abilities, but as a race they are content to live as farmers."

Nail bared his teeth.  "I'll show you a farmer."

* * * * *

Sweat trickled down Ranma's face as the kitten lay yawning in front
of him.  Why wouldn't his legs work!  He'd managed to move and bluff
his way through worse scenarios before.  A part of that reason he knew
was that his damned heightened senses seemed to pick up every facet of
the kitten's minuscule chi.  It was so small, he knew he could bat it
away with ease, but he couldn't even will his hands to even point at
the cat.  The other reason was that his concentration was being
diverted to an epic battle he knew was going on outside.  The fact
that he could sense the waxing and the waning of the signatures,
protected as he was from the outside world by the gravity room, told
him that this battle should not be one to be missed.

The cat inched forward.

Ranma forced himself to turn his focus away from the cat and the chi
flaring outside.  His mind went numb and he found it beginning to
retreat.  It was strange, as if he was separated into two beings, one
able to view the other objectively.  As his power grew, so did his
awareness and that was what he had been counting on when he attempted
to do this.  Trunks first gave him the idea when he moved objects with
his mind and chi alone.  He also learned that Goku, a person Ranma was
dying to meet from all the stories he heard, developed telepathy,
empathy and teleportation.

He looked deeply into his mind, finding for the first time, an area
that was blocked off.  Try as he might, he could not enter the
enclosed portion of his brain.  Sighing, he knew what had to be done. 
His eyes focussed again on the outside world, and he found the cat had
leapt onto his lap in the time he shut himself off.  He had not wanted
to move exactly _that_ fast, but it would do.  Ranma screamed.

Somewhere in between of losing his mind and screaming, he croaked out
a warning that he was not sure was heard of if he even said it. 
"Duck, while I still have an ounce of reason left in me."

* * * * *

Bulma didn't even notice at how far up she was as she rode on Goku's
shoulder with Chichi on the his other.  This battle was different she
knew from how Goku's usually smiling face was sporting a frown.  "How
is he doing?"

"Not good.  I don't know how, but Piccolo's gotten a lot better. 
Vejita is too new to Super Saiyajin Three and hasn't gotten used to it
yet so it won't help him very much.

"But it'll be all right.  It's just another one of their minor
spats.  They'll come back with bruises and it'll be fine again,"
Chichi said, trying to sound reassuring, as she held Bulma's hand.

"I sense kill chi," Goku said simply.

* * * * *

Vejita wished he didn't transform to Super Saiyajin Three as he
traded blows with Nail.  While he got the better of Nail, he knew he
couldn't keep the power going long enough before he wouldn't even be
able to reach level two.  Nail on the other hand was managing to
weather the storm.  He found and opening and spun in midair, swiping
with his heel across the Namek's neck, sending the green body towards
the ground.  He used the time he gained to de-power quickly.  But the
damage was done.  Although he had done all the beating for the first
five minutes, he knew that the strain had hurt him far more.

Nail crawled out of the crater that had formed in the earth.  He gave
Vejita a grim look, noticing the Saiyajin had lower his power.  It was
as both he and Piccolo had guessed, hence their haste to advance their
power.  Vejita, while more powerful, could not yet fully utilize this
new level.

He flew back up so that he was only inches apart from Vejita.  "Shall
we begin again," he snarled.

"Let's."

* * * * *

"Jeez, how could we have lost him?" Pan asked as she looked around
the sky.

Bra and Trunks followed right behind her through the giant hole Ranma
created in the wall of the Gravity Room.  "I don't sense him," Bra
said, her voice panicking.

"He's right up there," Trunks pointed at a speck in the horizon that
was growing smaller by the second.  "His signature is a little
different so don't focus on that.  Just look for strong signatures,
and you if you don't recognize it, it's probably Ranma's."

Pan nodded, as the three of them flew after the boy.  She wrung her
hands anxiously, replaying the scene of Ranma's bloodcurdling scream. 
She smiled wanly when she felt Bra reach for her hand.

"Don't worry, we'll get him back.  I think he's heading towards
Daddy," She said, but her tone of voice was not as comforting as her
words.  She too remembered the look on Ranma face as the kitten licked
him on the cheek.

Trunks, while worried for his new friend, was also getting concerned
about his father and what was happening in his battle with Piccolo. 
The chi felt different than normal.  He hadn't sensed such a darkness
in a battle aura since... Buu.

* * * * *

Never in his life did Vejita ever think he would use his suicide
attack twice.  His pride would not let him let someone kill him just
simply.  He had to lose fairly, and even then, the Saiyajin in him,
was a poor loser.  At least he would have someone to bicker with in
Hell when he died.  "Bulma... I'm going first.  I hated the thought of
you dying before me... and now I won't see it," he whispered.

Nail gasped as Vejita suddenly started to glow.  He wasn't sure how
big the blast radius would be of whatever move it was that the
Saiyajin was performing and when it would be released.  Running was
out of the option, so he prepared a counter strike as he focussed all
of his power to his fingers, hoping he would be faster. Just as Nail
fired his chi, a form blipped between it and the glowing Vejita.

"Meow," it said.

* * * * *

Vejita glared across the ground at Nail as the both of them tried to
gather their breaths at what almost happened.  "You were lucky."

"No, I think you were.  If your student didn't appear right then...,"
Nail let it trail off enigmatically.

"If he didn't come, you would be dead," Vejita answered forcefully.

"Meow," Ranma said, and hissed at the green skinned person in front
of his master.  He quieted when he felt Vejita's hand on his head.  He
lay on the ground in a fetal position and purred contentedly.  His
ears perked up as he heard his name being shouted.

The trio found themselves bowled over as Ranma flew into them,
purring.  Bra blinked as Ranma's head nestled underneath her breasts. 
She was about to gloat at Pan, when she noticed the girl had her arms
around the boy's midriff.

Trunks found himself pushed away as the girls fought over petting the
boy.  He resisted the urge to do the same, wondering how that would
look, petting a boy, despite acting very much like a cat.  Instead he
flew down to where his father lay, noticing Goku and his mother
arriving before him.

Vejita winced as Bulma slapped him across the face, and then groaned
as she buried her head into him.  He glared so hard at the others,
that they all had the decency to turn away, aside from Goku of course.

* * * * *

"Odd how this is where we always end up?" Bulma mused as Vejita
nuzzled against her neck.  Her husband grunted in response, continuing
nip at her skin gently, causing delightful shivers along her skin. 
"Stop it, I'm trying to be serious here."

"I was serious," Vejita said, pausing to look her in the eyes. 
"First thing tomorrow, I'm going to find those damn balls and wish
that you'll never die."

"Never is a long time.  Ever since I reached fifty or so, I've come
to terms with life.  I found I didn't hate growing old as much as I
thought I once did.  I've had two children, a wonderful career,
adventure, and excitement.  I've had it all.  What?  Oh, yeah, you
too.  I have you," Bulma giggled.  It had been too easy and she
couldn't resist.  He was somewhat mollified, but his expression told
her that he would go and do it anyway.  "While, I don't mind going
when it's my time, I suspect that it isn't my time yet.  I have after
all you to still look after.  I don't want you to go and pick a fight
as soon as I'm gone.  How about, you just wish that I live as long as
you do?  That should stomp any thoughts of going suicidal on me."

"It is not about being suicidal," Vejita said, miffed.  "I want a
warrior's death and nothing about that has changed.  Natural causes...
is not befitting a Saiyajin.  We come into this world kicking and
screaming, we live our lives as we came into it, and we'll leave it
the same way.  My concern about you not being by my side may have made
me want to seek this path sooner, but it is a path I plan on taking
nonetheless."

Bulma frowned, "I don't know what the big deal is about growing old. 
Well, we'll get to that when you get old enough to be considered
decrepit in two hundred years.  If that happens at all.  From what
you've told me, you don't actually know what happens when a Saiyajin
grows old because it's never actually occurred, ever."

Vejita blinked.  "What did you say?"

Bulma turned and looked at Vejita.  His stunned looked told her that
he didn't know.  His expression was on of petulant anger after she
started to laugh for the next five minutes.  "Did you honestly think
that your body is the same as the average Saiyajins'?  Your bodies
adapt as they grow stronger.  That adaptation takes place on a genetic
level and it was why Cell could genetically turn into Perfect Cell
even though he lost #18.  I'd say you haven't aged much since you
first transformed into Super Saiyajin.  And each successive
transformation slowed the aging process of your regular body."

"I'll never grow old?" Vejita asked.  Now that he thought of it, the
stronger the Saiyajin, the longer he lived back on Vejitasei.  He had
always attributed that to the fact it meant their strength allowed
them to survive battles rather than any indication that it also
extended their life expectancy.

"Well, theoretically, you will, just at a very slow pace.  Or if you
stay in your most advanced form long enough, you could eventually age
to the point where I'd have to give you a cane.  Time speeds up for
Super Saiyajin Three, I suspect, because your body assumes that is
your natural form, and your age is trying to catch up with you."

Vejita blinked all this.  This was all new information to him.  "You
got all that from my blood samples?" he asked warily.

"Just a pet project of mine," Bulma said innocently, blushing
slightly.  She didn't think he needed to know that she first tested
him to know if they would be compatible enough to have children. 
Gohan could have been a fluke after all.  After she confirmed they
were compatible, it had become as much a hobby of hers as it had
become scientific curiosity.  Some would say it bordered on obsession,
she thought wryly.  The truth was that she always knew that the day
would come when she would die while Vejita was still young and it
hadn't really hit her until she saw the effects first hand in two
other pairings.

* * * * *

Chichi blushed, "It's as I thought.  I'm too old to have anymore
children."

Bulma nodded sadly as she held Chichi's hand outside the doctor's
office.  They both expected this result, but, oddly, it still felt
like a disappointment.  It didn't help that the doctor, some pimple
faced child, kept staring at them.  Or that Goku was playing with some
children in the toy box looking very much a child himself.  What was
surprising was that there was an old man with him.  It took her a
moment to realize it was Kuririn.

"Hey," Kuririn said, embarrassed as he climbed out of the toy box
with Goku.  "It's been a long time since I've had one so young."

Goku grinned as he clapped Kuririn on his shoulder.  "They might be
having one too... oh," he said when he saw Chichi's sad smile.  In a
moment of rare seriousness, he went over to hold her.

Bulma couldn't help but feel a little self conscious as she, Chichi,
and Kuririn waited for #18, alongside the youthful Goku.  If seeing
her oldest friend, still young was a little weird, she was not
prepared to see #18 stepping out of the office as if through a time
machine looking as if she was, well eighteen years old.  The last time
she saw the woman, she looked much older almost in her thirties.  She
reprimanded herself for being so shocked since she had known from
Future Trunks that the androids would not age, so she knew that #18
was faking her age with makeup.  She wondered when the woman had given
up trying to hide the fact that she could not age.

It was difficult to tell how good the news was with #18 as she came
out with her usual expression.  Bulma thought it must have been bad
with how serious the woman looked.  But all of a sudden, Kuririn
yelped and picked his wife up, comically, being so short.  Bulma
realized something as she watched them.  It wasn't their youths that
shocked her so much, as she had known they would appear young, it was
how they looked beside their respective spouses.  She had known from
Future Trunks that #18 would always look the same, and she knew from
Vejita that Goku would also age slowly.  But she had not figured on
how humans would look to these three.

* * * * *

"Vejita, when you go and make that wish, since I know you won't
listen to me, can you include two other people?  Chichi and Kuririn."

He grunted a yes.  "I don't want Goku to lose focus if his woman
dies.  The runt can be useful I suppose.  Being human, he might be of
some use to Ranma.  And maybe with some more friends, they can
distract you from hiding in the lab in your spare time."

Bulma was tempted to bite him.  Of course, he would make it out to be
as least nice an act as possible.  He also seemed to be still
suspicious about her testing on his blood.  "Most wives get to know
about their husband's lives before they got married.  If you weren't
so secretive, maybe I wouldn't have been so nosy to find other stuff
about you."

"Before you, there was nothing."

He said it with such a straight face, she almost rolled off their
bed.  His arm, however, held her steady.  She suspected it was another
one of his feints.  She decided she would let it slide and accept it
at face value.  She had after all two hundred years to find out what
she couldn't in the last thirty.  "I suppose, you should also word the
wish so that I'm the same physical age as you, which is about late
twenties.  I don't know if I want to go through the next couple of
hundred years old as I am.  You really don't think I've changed much?"

"You're as I remember you.  Except you're packing a little extra
baggage in your gut and on your backside.  And your breasts don't
stick out as much anymore...."

Bulma did quiet him by biting his lip this time.  "You need to know
when to shut up."

* * * * *

"Okay, first one was to wish the group in front of Shenron would be
made twenty-nine.  The second was that they would only die when their
spouses died.  And the third wish...," she looked at the table,
"...well, that's all the wishes," Pan said, as the Shenron
disappeared.  Chichi, Bulma, and Kuririn, youthened, conveniently
disappeared with their respective spouses also, off doing... adult
things, she supposed.  "Do you really think that it was smart to waste
the last wish on this?" Pan asked pointing at the spread before them.

"What else could we have wished for?" Trunks asked between
mouthfuls.  This really was the best meal he could have ever asked
for.

Ranma nodded in agreement, reaching over for the biggest, juiciest
drumstick he had ever seen.  His dad would have died and gone to
heaven if he could have seen it.

"We never needed to use them before today and it wasn't like we
couldn't go and get them any day of the week," Bra noted.  Actually,
the way things were going before she found Ranma, she was tempted to
follow in her mother's footsteps and try to wish for a boyfriend.

"I guess so.  It seems like a waste, since we now have to wait an
entire year before they're ready again.  I just thought Ranma might
want to get rid of that curse of his."

Ranma fainted.

* * * * *

"Well?" Dende asked.

"I... don't think I will seek his life anymore.  I think I've always
known that he wasn't the same person that killed all my brothers all
those years ago.  But I had to see it for myself.  Don't tell Piccolo,
but I think he's mellowed out quite a bit so I don't trust his
opinion."  He winked at Dende as he felt the presense inside of him
stop eavesdropping on them.

"So, what now?"

"I am a Namek made for fighting.  What else?  Besides I think this
year's tournament will be interesting."

"Yes, I think so too," Dende agreed, before turning his gaze back to
the events below.  For once he wasn't watching Ranma.  Nerima seemed
to have made it through the week without the pigtailed boy just fine. 
He wondered if it make it through the next three years just as well.

A sudden fit of laughter caught Nail unawares.  It was never a good
thing when Kami of the world giggled as if he had set off some
practical joke, Nail thought.

* * * * *

The End. (maybe)