A Light in the Darkness - Part 75: Piccolo Crashes the Party
by Mia Skywalker & Wataruo

PAIRING: None
RATING: PG-13
WARNINGS: none
C&C: Please! ^_^
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, even though the last one is a crying shame. 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: Gohan trains Ryouga for a while, Piccolo shows up (yay! ^_^), and a technique of Vegeta's has an... unexpected effect on Ryouga.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Thank you to Lady Lark and Selenity Jade for beta-ing this. 

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Last time on Dragonball Z: A Light in the Darkness....

Gohan nodded, then automatically turned towards Vegeta, as though looking to him for leadership. "Vegeta-sensei...?" he asked, suddenly a little hesitant.

To everyone's surprise, Vegeta dropped his hand down on Gohan's head. "Come on, brat, let your parents make up. The sooner they do, the more time I have to beat the crap out of your father."

Gohan gave a watery smile. He didn't think Vegeta was as serious about the 'I'm going to kill Kakarotto' thing as everyone seemed to believe. He felt that, like with Piccolo, deep inside he was nicer than he seemed. 

"OK, Vegeta-sensei!" he said, taking Ryouga's hand again and launching himself into the air. The three of them headed for their usual sparring spot to begin training.

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Gohan began by using some basic moves with Ryouga, as Vegeta mostly watched for a while. He found that Ryouga was more than competent; compared to any human who wasn't a Zed Senshi, he was amazing. But although he had the natural strength of the Zed Senshi, he didn't quite have the speed. And that would be a big liability in a fight.

He decided that the first thing he would try to teach Ryouga would be to control his speed. He started by having Ryouga close his eyes and simply concentrate on trying to see Gohan and Vegeta purely by ki. It didn't take Ryouga long to grasp the basics of that, making Gohan suspect he already did something like it to a degree. Most people would have taken months, or at least weeks, to pick that up.

After Ryouga had mastered that, Gohan and Vegeta began sparring. The Saiyan Prince had been watching them somewhat in boredom, but the prospect of sparring perked him up considerably. At first Ryouga watched in frustration, unable to see more than an occasional blur when they temporarily dropped out of super speed. Eventually, however, he began to be able to see them and he stood there awestruck, watching the speed and fury of their blows.

Vegeta grinned as Gohan came at him with a series of punches and kicks. The little brat was good. So good that the older man found himself wondering if he would outdo his father. ::Feh,:: Vegeta thought as he aimed a kick for Gohan's head. ::His mother is overprotective, he'll never beat his father.::

Much to Vegeta's surprise, Gohan caught the older Saiyan's foot and flipped Vegeta out of the way. He disappeared from sight only to reappear slightly above him. The little warrior linked his fists together, raised them over his head, and then brought them down on the back of Vegeta's neck, sending the other warrior to the ground.

Vegeta stood up and brushed himself off, looking up at the child above him. ::Shit. I really have to learn to pay attention.:: "Nice one, brat." He smirked at Gohan before charging up, his fists clenched at his sides, his body alight with his blue-gray battle aura. He was only vaguely aware of Ryouga's surprise as Vegeta's power rose.

A large blue-white ball of ki formed in Vegeta's hand and he shouted, "Gallic Gun!" He fired the blast at Gohan, knowing that it wouldn't be all that damaging if it hit, but at least it might distract him.

Gohan managed to move out of way of Vegeta's Gallic Gun, uncertain why the older warrior didn't use a stronger attack. It almost seemed as if Vegeta was going easy on him. While Gohan was distracted, he didn't see Vegeta smirk and fire a barrage of small ki blasts at him, until it was too late.

Several of the blasts got through Gohan's ki shield, reminding the younger Saiyan that Vegeta never did anything without thinking things through. If one thing had been proven true about the short-tempered Saiyan, it was that he was one hell of a tactician. Gohan wasn't prepared for one particularly large ki ball that caught him in the abdomen, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him open for the rest of Vegeta's rapidly fired ki blasts, which sent the little boy hurling towards the mountainside. The impact forced Vegeta and Ryouga to shield their eyes from the incoming debris and when Ryouga blinked to clear his vision, his jaw dropped in shock. There was a large aperture right through the middle of the rock, letting the other two warriors see clear to the other side.

Ryouga could see Gohan clearly with his newly enhanced vision, and was surprised to see Gohan on his feet, hands resting on his knees, glaring at Vegeta from his position on the other side of the mountain. Ryouga was stunned to notice that although Gohan was breathing heavily and his shirt was torn in several places, he seemed basically unscathed.

Vegeta smirked as he watched Gohan regain his breath and prepare to launch his own attack. "Well?" he sneered. "Is that all you have? If so, you better run home to your father to protect you."

With a scream, Gohan hurled himself at the older man, impressing Vegeta with the unexpected fury of his attack. Though Vegeta blocked most of his attacks, Vegeta found himself wincing when a few of Gohan's blows struck home.

This continued for some time, neither warrior letting the other gain an advantage over him. Ryouga was astonished by the two Saiyans' stamina. Rarely had he seen opponents so strong, with the possible exception of Ranma. Though Gohan was younger than Vegeta by several years, it was obvious to Ryouga that what Gohan lacked in experience he made up for in enthusiasm.

After Vegeta backhanded Gohan into some nearby trees, he arched a brow at the quiet Ryouga, who seemed so stunned, it was almost if he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. The older Saiyan smirked, feeling somewhat pleased with himself, and waited for Gohan to return from his side trip to the foliage.

Ryouga had been watching curiously. The only one he knew who even came close to being able to take and dish out this kind of punishment was Ranma. Well, a few of their adversaries sometimes could, but not quite like this. He thought that Kuno might be a pancake if Vegeta had blown him towards the mountain like Gohan had been.

He didn't think he was quite up to the speed of these two, but he thought he could handle the punishment. It reminded him of the Tenketsu training. When the little demi-Saiyan returned, he shouted at him, "Gohan! Show me some of that."

Gohan hesitated, and then nodded, landing next to him. "All right. What do you want to see?"

Ryouga looked down at his hands, then towards Gohan. "How do you do ki blasts that way? I can only do mine when I'm depressed. That's the only way I can build up my ki."

Gohan scratched his head. "That means your ki is probably not balanced. Here, let's have you try to balance it." They spent about half an hour practicing, and Vegeta began to get impatient.

"How many times do you have to see it?" Vegeta grumbled. "For Kami's sake, just try the damn thing!"

Ryouga had been in the midst of building up his ki to try the blast, and Vegeta's impatient comment made him nervous. Startled, he released the blast before he was ready to, hitting an unprepared Gohan straight in the head and knocking him down to the ground. Because Gohan had no shield up to deflect any of the shock, the little demi-Saiyan was blasted deeper into the ground than any of them had expected.

A sudden roar was heard overhead, and a green and white blur abruptly appeared in front of them. "VEGETA!!!!" an extraordinarily angry Namek shouted in fury at the two Saiyans standing. "I knew I couldn't trust you! If you have hurt Gohan, I'LL KILL YOU!"

Vegeta scowled at Piccolo's rather abrupt appearance. "What are you talking about, green man? Did we invite you here?"

Piccolo growled, his eyes glowing slightly red. "I don't NEED an invitation! I don't trust you, and I never will! You're just WAITING for a chance to murder everyone, but if you've hurt Gohan, then YOU'LL PAY!"

"Are you challenging me, Namek?" Vegeta asked, suddenly furious at Piccolo's interference. Who was he to suddenly show up after all this time, precisely at the exact moment that Gohan got pounded into the dirt by a misfired ki blast? "Last time, you did not do so well. Sure you want to press your luck?"

The Namek smiled, an evil smile. One full of confidence, filled with secrets. "Oh, don't worry about ME, Saiyan. I can handle you. I'm a lot stronger than I was when you last faced me!" And Vegeta could see that it was true. For some reason that wasn't immediately clear, Piccolo's ki was considerably higher than it had been when Vegeta had first arrived on Chikyuu, a little over a year ago.

Vegeta smirked. "I doubt that, plant boy. Are you going to hang around there all day, or are you going to come down and get the shit kicked out of you?"

Piccolo's eyes narrowed, his smile getting more evil. "And who are you to talk about plants, Vegetable head? I don't really see you going anywhere." 

He had been watching the spot where Gohan had fallen through the corner of his eye this entire time, and hadn't seen any sign of movement. He felt alarm at the idea that Gohan might be dead. These feelings for the little boy disturbed him, but he no longer questioned them. Gohan had been the first person - really the only person - to ever offer him friendship unconditionally, and he wasn't going to let him be hurt. And if he was already too late - if the little boy was dead - then his death would be avenged.

"All right, if that's the way you want it...!" With a roar, Piccolo charged at Vegeta, using everything he had as he struck at him.

Vegeta dodged Piccolo's first attack easily, but made a severe misjudgment when Piccolo back-punched him through the same mountain that Gohan had gone through previously.

With a speed that Ryouga had difficulty seeing, he barely made out some of the techniques that the newcomer used. They were different from the ones his new friends used. The blows seemed more intense, quicker, more powerful than the ones that Vegeta had used on him.

With a shout Vegeta held up his right arm, palm up, thumb turned in. "Eat this. BIG BANG ATTACK!" 

The force of the blast pushed Ryouga back, forcing the boy to land on his backside. When he looked up, his expression changed from stunned amazement to fear for the other man's life. Surely no one could live through a blast like that, no matter how strong.

The blast completely enveloped Piccolo. Vegeta smirked at the spot where a cloud of hazy had formed from the impact of Vegeta's newest attack. From his relaxed posture, Ryouga assumed that Vegeta thought he had won. Then after a few moments the fog cleared, and Vegeta's expression changed for smug satisfaction to extreme annoyance.

Piccolo crouched in a large ditch, arms crossed in a protective manner in front of his face. His clothing was torn and frayed and seemed to smoke slightly. The others watched as Piccolo raised his head, sneering at Vegeta. "Kisama!" Vegeta muttered under his breath. "Aren't you dead yet?"

Piccolo grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Come on, Monkey-boy. You know I am not even warmed up yet." He charged the smaller man, taking him by surprise as delivered a well-placed punch to Vegeta's midsection. Vegeta wheezed as Piccolo continued to rein rapid punches to Vegeta's stomach, forcing the air out of his lungs and weakening the other man.

When it seemed that Piccolo was slowing his pace to change attacks, Vegeta clenched his fist and rammed it upward into Piccolo's jaw, jamming his teeth together. The punch was hard enough for Piccolo to release the Saiyan. The combined motion unbalanced the taller warrior, so Piccolo ended up landing on his rear and giving Vegeta the much needed time to catch his breath as the Saiyan considered his options.

"Kisama!" Vegeta swore, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. From the iron taste in his mouth, Vegeta could tell that he had taken some internal damage from the Namekian's pounding. It never occurred to him that he could just tell Piccolo that it was a mistake, that Ryouga had lost control and had hurt Gohan accidentally, that Vegeta had nothing to do with it. His pride as a warrior would not permit him to turn down a challenge, and since Piccolo seemed to be out for blood, who was he to deny him?

Vegeta coughed once, and when he tasted more blood, spat it out to the side, sneering at Piccolo's kneeling form. "Time to finish this," Vegeta told him, cupping his hands in front of him, concentrating on the exact wavelength needed. Soon a small bright sphere formed in Vegeta's hand. "You know what this is, Namek?" he asked, sneering at him, but he didn't look up from the ball he was forming. "This is your death sentence."

Vegeta threw the ki sphere into the sky and stared at it intently. He felt the trigger click over in his brain, and he couldn't help smiling ferally at the orb that shone down on him. ::I haven't done this since I first fought Kakarotto.::

Ryouga had been staring at the two men, stunned by the sheer viciousness of their attacks. It was obvious that neither alien was holding back, that each was fully intent on killing the other. He didn't know how to stop them, even though he felt that it was all a misunderstanding. Apparently the green-skinned alien believed that Vegeta had hurt Gohan. He hardly even seemed aware of Ryouga's presence. Of course, Ryouga was well aware that he wasn't on any sort of power level with these two, not the way that they were exchanging blows and attacks. In all of the fights that he had ever been in, he had never seen or experienced this sort of pure power.

He looked up curiously at the strange orb that Vegeta had created, and was surprised when instead of hurling it at the strange green-skinned alien, he sent it upwards, to float in the sky. As Ryouga's eyes drifted towards it, he found himself compelled to stare at it, and felt a strange power surge through him. He could feel his heart beat, as though it had become the only thing of importance in the universe. It pounded in his ears, surging through his blood, sending power spiraling through his veins. He had never experienced anything like this, as he felt himself slowly becoming something else.

Vegeta let out a growl when he felt the change taking place. One minute he was looking out at Piccolo, and the next thing he realized that was towering over the others, his massive shadow blocking out the sun. He snarled as he looked down at Piccolo, enjoying the look of pure terror that crossed his face.

Then a moment later he heard a loud voice in his mind. ::VEGETA! What are you doing?:: Goku's voice rang insistently in his head.

::Butt out, Kakarotto. This is not your fight.:: Vegeta moved closer to Piccolo, causing the ground to quake with his movements.

::VEGETA!:: came Goku's voice, the tone somewhat stern. ::You aren't thinking. Do you know what you have done?::

::Bakayaro!:: Vegeta snapped. ::Leave me be. I am busy.::

::What about Yamcha?::

Vegeta raised his foot, prepared to squash the Namek flat, but Goku's voice in his mind would not leave him alone. ::What about him?:: he asked knowing Goku was on his way, even as they spoke.

::He doesn't know how to control it. Hakusai can control that form but Yamcha can't. Neither can his half-brother!::

As if on cue, a loud feral roar interrupted Vegeta's motion, and he stared in disbelief. 

::Kuso!:: Vegeta thought as he looked over to where Ryouga had once stood. It hadn't occurred to the Saiyan Prince that Ryouga would also be tempted to look up into the sphere and become Oozaru. From the way the were-ape was acting, Vegeta knew he had no control whatsoever. 

::Kuso!:: he thought again, eyeing narrowing as Ryouga spotted him and trampled trees and hills as he approached. ::Well I guess I have to take care of you first,:: he decided, facing the other were-ape as it came thundering toward him.

To be continued.....

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And in the next exciting episode of DragonBall Z: A Light in the Darkness... Rampaging Ryouga! ^_^