My Life's Stranger Than Yours

(A/N: Reviewer Responses!

Hawkcam: I actually tried to write a Ranma vs. Videl sparring match, but it wasn't exactly coming out right. That's not to say it won't happen eventually, last chapter just wasn't the right time.

MythAnime: I'm not trying to undercut Videl's strength, but like I said, Ryoga can tank hits like nobody's business from people much stronger than Videl, so as she is now, she wouldn't be much of a threat.

Now, let's get to it!)

Escape From the Storm: Clash in the Cave

Though our quartet of friends made a fast break back to Gohan's house, they were unable to fully avoid the incoming storm as it abruptly started drizzling.

"God freaking dammit," complained an irritated Female Ranma. "How much longer till we make it back to your place!?"

"Not too long...but if you'd prefer, I think I have another idea!" Gohan replied.

"Anything, just get us out of this rain ASAP!" Ranma yelled.

"Okay then, follow me!"

Slightly changing his path, the girls followed Gohan until they found themselves at the mouth of a cave.

'A cave?' Ranma and Akane thought.

"Uhh dude...!" Ranma began.

"Don't worry, nothing lives here, trust me!" Gohan assured them.

Too irritated to argue, Ranma quickly dashed into the cave behind Gohan, followed by Akane and Videl, just as the light drizzle steadily began to become a downpour.

"Phew, glad we made it outta that before we got totally drenched," said Akane.

"Lucky us," Ranma snapped sarcastically wringing water out of her pigtail.

Gohan stood by the mouth of the cave and kept an eye on the weather. "Okay. I think we should wait here a moment and see if the storm passes. If not, I'll fly us back home in a flash."

"Yeah...but why couldn't you just fly us back to your house in the first place?" asked Ranma.

"Well...don't ya think it's a bit too soon for us to head back home?" said Gohan. "I mean, with that Ryoga guy showing up, and then the storm, we didn't exactly get a chance to really train."

"True," Ranma replied.

"Speaking of Ryoga, do you think he got out of the storm in time?" asked a concerned Akane.

[Elsewhere in the Forests of Mt. Paouzu]

A small black piglet could be seen desperately scampering away from a saber-toothed tiger. The fact that it was actually outspeeding the wildcat was beyond impressive.

'I swear, both Ranma and THAT guy will pay for this!'

[Back in the cave]

"Who knows," shrugged Ranma. "Eh, Ryoga's a big boy, he'll be fine," she nonchalantly added.

"I guess you're right...though I do wonder why he ran off the way he did. You wouldn't think a bit of water would keep him from a fight." said Akane.

Ranma sweatdropped with a deadpan expression. 'If only you knew,' he thought.

"Well, either way, we may be here for a bit, so I think we might as well enjoy this little break while we can," Gohan said.

"Ehhh, I'm not ready to take a break yet," Ranma exclaimed. "Like you said, we barely got to actually do anything since Ryoga and the storm showed up."

Gohan quickly took a brief second. Now that he noticed, the cave was actually pretty spacious. Maybe there'd still be plenty of room for them to actually get some work done.

"Alright, if you say so. Where should we start?" Gohan asked.

"Ranma!"

All eyes turned to Videl who'd been all but silent since they'd entered the cave.

"Videl?"

"What is it?"

"Ranma, fight me!" Videl declared.

"What? Why?" asked Gohan.

"Well, looks like someone's upset about their fight with Ryoga...if you could even call it that," Ranma teased.

Videl clenched her fist in irritation. Before she could make a move however, Akane beat her to the punch, literally, and pounded Ranma into the wall.

"Could you be any more insensitive you jerk!" Akane snapped.

Videl let out a sigh, her previous anger dissipating. "Akane stop...he's right."

"He is?"

"I am?"

"Videl..." Gohan interjected. He wasn't the best at readaing people, but he could tell that there was more to Videl's current mood than she was letting on.

"It's more than just you losing the fight that's bothering you, isn't it?"

Videl shyly turned her head away from Gohan, avoiding eye-contact. After remaining silent for a few seconds, she spoke up.

"Gohan...you know good and well that this isn't the first time I've fought someone who could just take all my attacks and keep on going like I wasn't even there." said Videl.

Gohan raised an eyebrow in thought. 'What does she mean by that?' It took him a few seconds but, but he soon realized exactly what Videl was talking about.

"Wait, you're not talking about...!"

Videl nodded before he could finish, cutting him off.

"Wait what is she talking about?" asked Akane.

"It's...something we generally don't like to bring up," Gohan solemnly replied.

"Really? Why?" asked Ranma.

"Let's just say it's not exactly a pleasant memory...for either of us."

As Gohan finished his statement, Videl let out desperate yell and proceeded to punch the cave wall in frustration.

"Videl!"

'Dammit...I'm sick of being outmatched like this!' Videl internally exclaimed. 'I know I'll never be as strong as Gohan, or heck even Goten, but still...I want to at least be known as the strongest Human, and I won't let some big moron who can't even read a map beat me again!'

"Ranma, you said I wouldn't stand a chance against Ryoga if I couldn't at least match you, right? Well in that case, I want to know just exactly what I have to work towards!"

Ranma gave an impressed whistle. Springing to her feet, Ranma took a defensive stance. "Alright, if you insist, but don't get mad at me if you can't keep up!"

Videl dropped into a stance of her own as Gohan moved over to Akane's side to give the two of them more room. Sure the cave was more spacious than expected, but there still wasn't too much to work with.

"Well, it looks like they'll finally get their sparring match after all," stated Akane.

Gohan remained silent as he eyed the two with concern. Videl was a very prideful girl and the encounter with Ryoga had obviously shaken her, but he couldn't help but wonder if fighting Ranma would actually help her or somehow make things worse.

The two combatants stood still staring each other down, until Videl decided to throw the first punch, which Ranma easily dodged by swaying to the side. Videl aptly followed up with another punch which Ranma dodged again. As Videl threw a third punch at the redhaired girl, she responded by hopping aside.

Ranma nonchalantly placed both arms behind her head and continued to dodge as Videl threw punch after punch at her. As the 'battle' continued, Videl found herself getting more and more irritated.

"Would you fight seriously!?" Videl yelled.

"Sorry, I was just under the impression that we were just warming up," Ranma taunted.

'Why does it feel like I've seen this before?' Akane thought with a disdainful look on her face.

Her eyes sharply narrowed, Videl threw a high kick at Ranma that the pigtailed fighter blocked. Catching Videl by the ankle, Ranma lightly shoved her back, knocking her off balance and on to the ground.

Videl rolled backwards, setting herself straight, but before she could fully recover, Ranma dashed in front of her instantaneously and playfully flicked Videl on the forehead.

Videl looked up at Ranma with irritation in her eyes, but the aquatic cursed fighter stood over her and extended a hand. With a sigh, Videl took Ranma's hand and let her help her up.

"Let's just call this match a demonstration," said Ranma. "I'd fight a bit harder, but I don't want this place to come down on us."

"Fair enough I guess...but next time, could you do more than just play defense?" Videl pleaded.

"Hmph, Ranma does that all the time when we spar. Dodge and block, but never fights back," Akane interjected.

"Really? Gohan's the same. I mean, I get that he doesn't want to hurt me and everything, but come on!" Videl replied.

"Uhhhm...we're right here!" Ranma snapped.

Gohan could only turn away and grin, a light blush on his face. 'Don't worry Videl. After today, I promise I'll be stricter,' Gohan internally stated.

As the girls, sans Ranma, laughed, the humourous moment was halted by a booming thunderclap, followed by a flash of lightning.

"Eeek!" Akane squealed bouncing into Gohan's arms.

The young half saiyan yelped in surprise, unsure of what to do in this situation. To Gohan's fear, Videl raised an eyebrow with an expression that looked less than pleased. His fear was abruptly put to rest with Videl's following words.

"Akane...are you afraid of thunder?" she asked.

Realizing the position she was in, Akane quickly motioned for Gohan to let her down before replying, "No, I was just...caught off guard."

'Ya know, normally I'd make some sort of teasing comment about 'why'd you grab onto Gohan like that if you were just caught off guard', but since I already know you're not usually scared by thunder or lightning like this, I'm gonna pass this time,' Ranma mentally proclaimed.

Sliding away from Akane, Gohan quickly went to the mouth of the cave to view the storm which, judging from the previous thunder and lightning, had only gotten worse.

"We can't stay in this cave all night," Gohan said. "Guess we have no choice. All three of you, grab onto me and I'll fly us home in an instant."

Though Ranma and Videl nodded their agreement, Akane was hesitant. "Uhh...are you sure it's safe to fly out in a heavy storm like this?" she asked.

"Don't worry, I've flown through worse than this, and since my house isn't too far ahead, it won't be for long, maybe two, three minutes tops."

Akane was still visibly hesitant but she eventually nodded her agreement as well.

[A few seconds later]

Ranma and Akane each wrapped an arm around Gohan's back while Videl had both of hers lightly wrapped around his neck, as the young saiyan prepared to blast off.

"Okay, you girls ready?"

"Ready!" Videl confirmed.

"I'm a guy ya jerk!" Ranma exclaimed.

"Heh, oh right..."

"I'm...ready!" Akane said sternly. Fear still evident on her features, Akane nigh instinctively pulled herself closer against Gohan until her chest pressed against his side.

Gohan's face instantly lit up a light shade of red as Akane held onto him tightly. This however, did not go unnoticed by Videl or Ranma, the latter of whom's face became an impish grin.

"Oh Gohan, I know we're in a hurry, but please don't go too fast. I'd hate to fall off from so high up," she said in her best playful teasing voice.

"I...I'll do my best..." Gohan chuckled.

"Oh thank you!" Ranma said flirtatiously pressing her chest into Gohan's side as well.

Gohan all but froze up from the excessive female contact. He'd never been this uncomfortably physical with a girl before, not even Videl. Speaking of whom...

"Gah!"

Gohan let out a small groan as Videl lightly squeezed her arms around his neck, before subsequently kicking Ranma in the back of the leg.

"What was that for?" Ranma and Gohan said simultaneously.

"You," she turned to Ranma, "stop teasing Gohan."

"And you," she turned back to Gohan, "just focus on flying, okay."

"Y-yes ma'am!"

With a soft inhale, Gohan let his energy burst before he blasted out of the cave and in a white streak, jetted off for his home.

Despite the pouring rain, Ranma was surprisingly unconcerned about getting wet, thanks in part ot him already being in female form. The thing that caught her attention now was the amount of power Gohan was emitting.

'What the hell is this guy!?' Ranma thought. 'All he's doing is flying, but his letting off such an insane Chi. This is nothing like when I felt it from Videl, this is a LOT higher...I think it may be even greater than Herb's!'

Ranma was unable to dwell on the thought for long because Gohan started to hastily descend. They'd arrived back at the mountain home in record time and dashed inside just as quickly.

Slamming the door shut, the four young fighters panted as water dripped off all of them.

"Gohan! Is that you!?" Chi-Chi called from the kitchen. Dashing to the entrance, Chi-Chi let out a loud gasp as she laid eyes on the four drenched teenagers.

"H-hey Mom...we're back." said Gohan.

[Eyecatch]
Akane and Videl run to each other before passing each other and stopping in a position similar to the cover.
[End Eyecatch]

Gohan and a now Male Ranma, sat in the living room clad in nothing but their shorts and towels each while Akane and Videl were both garbed in white bathrobes.

"Honestly, you kids should've come straight home once the storm started, now look at you all!" Chi-Chi exclaimed.

"It's not like that Mom. We found shelter in a cave and waited to see if the storm would die down a bit," Gohan defended.

"What's done is done," Chi-Chi sighed. "Either way, I think you could all use a fresh set of clothes until yours are all dry. Gohan let Ranma borrow some of yours."

"No problem." Gohan got up from the couch and dashed upstairs, with Ranma right behind.

"You two come with me," she said to Akane and Videl. "I'll lend you some of mine." Wasting no time, the two young girls followed Chi-Chi to her bedroom.

[Shortly]

Once Gohan and Ranma made it to Gohan's room, the half saiyan wasted no time in slipping his towel off and darting to his closet.

As Gohan rummaged through clothes, Ranma was eager to get some new info about...what his deal was.

"Okay Gohan, spill it!" Ranma exclaimed.

"Spill what?"

"When we were flyin' back to your place, you were letting off a pretty high Chi signal," Ranma stated.

"Chi signal...wait you know how to sense energy?" Gohan asked.

Ranma shrugged. "When they're expending energy, yeah. You saying you can sense chi just...whenever?"

"Yeah. It's one of the more basic techniques, but it's a pretty vital one amongst me, my Dad and his friends." Gohan replied.

'Flying and sensing chi whenever you can...wonder what other techniques he's got under his belt,' Ranma thought.

While Ranma was lost in thought, Gohan pulled out his orange gi and a green tracksuit and tossed them on the bed.

Ranma glanced at the two outfits and raised an eyebrow. "Huh, what's with the Gym Teacher outfit?" Ranma asked.

Gohan turned back and chuckled. "I...actually do wear that during Gym at school believe it or not."

"Figures..." Ranma paused then turned his gaze over to the orange gi where his face briefly lit up. "Hey...isn't that the same kinda uniform your old man wears."

Gohan gave a solemn nod. "Yeah, it is. My brother's outfit is similar, except it's black instead of blue."

'Speaking of which...where IS Dad?' Gohan thought.

"Hmm...so like, is orange a family color or somethin'?" Ranma asked.

"Oh no, it's nothing like that. The orange and blue uniform is actually the staple of the school my dad trained in when he was younger," said Gohan.

"Must've been quite the place if he still wears the same uniform," said Ranma. "What's the school called anyway?"

"It's called the Turtle School."

"Turtle School...?" Ranma repeated.

"Yeah."

Ranma let the name sink in. For some reason, the name sounded familiar but he just couldn't place it. Ranma sat in silent thought for a few brief seconds before it hit him.

'Wait a sec...didn't Pops and Mr. Tendo say something about...!'

"Son Gohan is the name of a once famous Martial Artist who trained under the Legendary Turtle Hermit!"

Ranma recalled his father's words and his eyes widened in realization. 'So Gohan does know about the Turtle Guy since his Dad was a student! Maybe Pops and Mr. Tendo were on to something after all!'

Just as the pieces began to fall into place inside Ranma's mind, his thoughts were interrupted by Gohan calling his name.

"Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

"Punch me."

"...What?"

"You said yourself you weren't going all out against Videl back in the cave, but I have a feeling it wasn't due to the lack of space," Gohan said.

Ranma shot Gohan a smug grin. "Was it that obvious?"

"Maybe just a little," Gohan grinned back. His face becoming serious, Gohan simply took a light stance signaling that he was prepared for an attack.

"This time, I want you to hit me with everything you've got," Gohan stated.

Ranma chuckled as he cracked his knuckles. "Okay pal, but remember, you asked for it!"

With a low, but fierce grunt, Ranma threw a full strength punch at Gohan that the young hybrid easily caught.

Ranma continued to try and put more force behind his blow, but Gohan's grip left the cursed fighter straining to even move. After remaining frozen in place for a few seconds, Gohan flashed Ranma a small grin before releasing his hand.

Shaking his hand out and rubbing his wrist, Ranma asked, "Okay dude, just what was that all about?"

"I...just needed to check something," Gohan replied.

Ranma was more than a bit curious at Gohan's reasoning for him wanting to hit him. Ultimately though, he decided to drop the issue for now...at least until he got some clothes on.

[Meanwhile]

Her robe discarded, Akane placed outfit after outfit against her frame in front of a mirror. Ever since Chi-Chi offered her wardrobe to the two girls, Akane was having trouble picking an outfit while Videl had made no attempt to even find one.

'Jeeze, does Ms. Chi-Chi have anything that doesn't look like it comes from Shampoo's closet?' Akane thought.

As Akane modeled more and more outfits, Videl was lost deep in thought as the memory of her recent encounter with Ryoga and her spar with Ranma replayed endlessly in her mind.

'I don't have the time or heart to strike an opponent who's so much weaker than me.'

The sting of his words made Videl's entire body tremble with frustration. 'Who the hell does he think he's calling weak!?'

"Videl?...Videl!?"

"Huh?"

Snapping out of her inner musings, Videl came face to face with Chi-Chi, who had just reentered, and Akane who were looking at her with a pair of concerned looks.

"Oh sorry, what were we saying!?" Videl exclaimed.

"I...asked if you were staying for dinner," Chi-Chi replied.

"Oh...yeah. How bout you and Ranma, Akane?"

"Sounds good to me, and Ranma won't turn down food," Akane replied.

Though Chi-Chi was delighted at having more guests, she could also tell that something was bothering Videl.

"Videl, are you alright? You've been looking pretty out of it since you and the others got back," said Chi-Chi. "Wait...don't tell me being out in that rain got you sick!" she exclaimed placing a hand on Videl's forehead.

"Chi-Chi, please! I'm fine," Videl assured. "We'll be out in a few minutes okay."

Chi-Chi was understandably skeptical, but she relented and left the two young girls to their own.

"You're still thinking about Ryoga aren't you?" asked Akane.

Videl clenched her fists even tighter and replied, "I just can't believe it. I know I said this wasn't the first time I've fought a guy who could just take all my attacks, but at least with the other guy, I at felt like I was doing something before..." Videl quickly stopped herself before the memory became too vivid in her mind. "Grrrgh...Ryoga just brushed me aside like I was literally nothing." Videl strained.

"That's Ryoga's thing. He's adept at tanking attacks and then overwhelming his opponents with pure power," said Akane.

"But I've dealt with those types of fighters before! Are you telling me that he's just that higher leveled than me?" Videl exclaimed.

"Like we said, he's Ranma's rival for a reason," Akane noted.

'Why do they keep saying that?' Videl irritatedly thought.

Videl suspiciously narrowed an eyebrow. "You know, I may not know exactly how strong he is, but you talk about Ranma like he's invincible or something," she noted.

"Oh please. Ranma's gotten his butt kicked PLENTY of times before, but there's no denying that he's an incredibly strong martial artist...for better or worse," Akane groaned. "Both he and Ryoga have gone to some crazy extremes to beat each other, so it's no wonder that they'd be stronger than most normal fighters."

'They're starting to sound like Goku and Vegeta,' Videl thought.

"So basically, you're saying that unless I go to some asinine length to train, I won't stand a chance against him?" Videl asked.

"Not necessarily, but if you want any hope of winning, you might want to come up with a technique that'll be able to break Ryoga's defenses first." Akane suggested.

Videl slumped down on the bed and let out an aggravated sigh. "Well that'll be a cinch," she sarcastically snapped.

"What's with that tone?" Akane replied.

"Sorry. I'm just thinking that this probably wouldn't be a problem if Gohan would train me harder," Videl lamented.

"Well, you said it yourself, he doesn't want to hurt you, right?" said Akane.

"I know, but even if he doesn't want to spar with me, he could at least teach me how to use energy more."

"Hmmmm..."

"What is it?"

Akane thought back to the special techniques Ranma had learned. For the few he used on a regular basis, one person was at the forefront in teaching them to him.

'Maybe...' Akane shook her head. 'No, no, that's a terrible idea! I can't take Videl to see her! Besides, there's no way she'd actually do it either!'

"Akane, what're you doing?" Videl asked.

"I was just uh..." Akane stammered.

Fortunately, Akane wouldn't have to finish her sentence as in the next instance, a familiar man garbed in orange and blue suddenly materialized beside the two girls. Under normal circumstances this would be a problem, but considering the two girls knew the man, one of them vastly more than the other, it wasn't...at least it wouldn't have been if Akane still had her robe on.

"Yo!"

"EEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK!"

(A/N: Hey all! Long Time no see! I bet many of you are wondering why this chapter took so long to release, and honestly, the only answer is Writer's Block. This Chapter was EXCRUCIATINGLY difficult to write for some reason. Eventually, I finally managed to put this hot mess together, but not without starting yet ANOTHER story. [For anyone interested, it's a Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows/My Hero Academia Crossover]. Here's hoping the next chapter[of both stories] won't take forever to get done. Also, regarding Ranma and Videl's 'match', I promise that they'll have a much more proactive battle some time in the future. Until next time!)

PS: Thank Zeno I got this out before the month ended!