My Life's Stranger Than Yours
A Dangerous Deal; Anything Goes Crane Style
Gohan let out a relieved "Phew!" as he glanced over Pantyhose Taro's unconscious form. His ease would only grow stronger as Videl sauntered up beside him, wrapping her arm around his waist. He returned the action by throwing his over her shoulder.
"Is he…?"
"Don't worry, he's still alive," Gohan reassured.
"Think we should do something about that?"
"Ranma!" the couple snapped.
"All joking aside, we should probably change him back to human form before he comes to," Akane suggested.
A bashful Gohan placed a hand behind his head with a hesitant chuckle. "Sorry but, I think I lost the thermos. After I changed him back before, I sort of threw it away because I was so focused on Videl at the time."
"Wait! Here it is!" Ranma called to the others. Sure enough, his thermos wasn't far from their position. It was however heavily cracked from the long fall. Thankfully, there was still some water left inside. Whether or not it was warm enough to trigger a Jusenkyo curse was unknown. The answer came soon as Ranma dumped the miniscule remains of his now broken thermos onto Taro's face. May have been just barely, but it was warm enough to turn the giant hairy beast back to his human form.
"Well, that was fortunate for once." Ranma proclaimed. No sooner had the words left his mouth did the thermos completely shatter into pieces. "…I had to say something, didn't I?"
Following the splash, Taro awoke to find himself atop an unconscious Shen, with the heroic quartet stood triumphantly over them.
"You…!" Taro attempted to launch an attack, but quickly crumpled to the ground, devoid of energy.
"I wouldn't do anything strenuous if I were you," said Gohan. "Even if you were in your chimera form, taking a blast like that would wipe anyone out.
"No…I can't…I can't stop…here!" Taro once again attempted to prop himself up only to shakily fall to a knee. "I have…to beat you…!"
An unimpressed Ranma quickly knocked Taro on the head, rendering him unconscious yet again. "Man…I ain't never see him keep going this long after getting his butt kicked. He really thinks the old freak'll keep is word."
Videl and Akane, who'd been averting eye contact with the still naked Taro turned to Ranma following his proclamation. "The Old Freak?"
"It's just a hunch, but come on Akane, you know anything else that would make Pantyhose fight this hard?"
Akane pondered briefly before concurring Ranma's theory. "Yeah, it does make sense…but can you please find him some pants before we start grilling him!?"
[Later]
Taro, covered by a familiar red cloth, once again awoke to the two martial arts couples. Once again, he attempted to lunge at Gohan. This time however, it wasn't fatigue that stopped him, but his partner. Turning back down, Taro found himself handcuffed to the now stirring Shen.
"Wha…wha happun?" muttered Shen.
"You two were just about to answer a few questions for us," Videl proclaimed.
Shen's expression immediately sharpened. "You're wasting your time. Our lips are sealed!" Taro was similarly dismissive, not saying a word.
"You sure we can't convince you to change your mind?" Videl clenched her fist.
"I'm down to try," Ranma added, cracking his knuckles.
"Easy guys," Gohan quelled.
All eyes turned to the hybrid who had a surprisingly jovial expression on his face. "These two may not want to tell us what we want to know, but I know someone who will."
All went silent until Ranma's face lit up. "Oh, do you mean that robot head guy?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot about him!" added Akane. "Where is he anyway?"
"He bolted, but he's not too far away. I can feel his energy getting further though, so I'll make this quick."
"Wait, are you talking about my…?" Shen's question was cut off by the whooshing burst of Gohan's energy as he shot off into the sky.
[]
Through the rocky terrain, the infamous assassin tore through the land, before finally skidding to a halt. Revealing a capsule, Tao opened it to reveal a large stone column. "Glad I decided to start bagging this thing. Finding a suitable mount just isn't what it used to be these days."
Picking the pink stone up, Tao hurled it as hard as he could, launching it far and high into the air. With a hearty huff, he leapt onto the column, riding it like an airborne surfboard. After a moment of ease, Tao allowed himself to relax with a relieved sigh. "Easy now old boy. Once this old thing lands, it'll all be over and you can go about your business looking for jobs that WON'T involve that freak of nature Goku or his family."
"I wouldn't say that exactly."
Tao whipped his head around searching for the source of the new voice. His search would cease as the pillar abruptly halted in midair, the whiplash actually throwing Tao off it. His resulting scream was similarly swallowed as he was hoisted by the collar.
"D-d-d-don't tell me…." With a shameful expression, Tao looked up to see a smugly grinning Gohan, his opposite hand clutching the pillar.
"Guess who?"
Pure defeat shone on Tao's face as he dejectedly turned to the ground. "I really shouldn't be surprised at this point."
[]
Coughing up the resulting dust, Shen continued. "If he thinks he can find that useless younger brother of mine, he can be my guest. Even if he does, there's no way Tao will tell him anything!"
"I dunno old timer. He seemed pretty freaked when Gohan introduced himself," Ranma countered.
Shen huffed. "Tsk, my brother may be a failure when it counts, but what he isn't is neither a coward nor a squealer. He won't tell him anything."
As soon as Shen finished his sentence, Gohan returned, holding Tao by the collar. "Hey guys, our metalhead friend here has just agreed to have a little chat with us," he announced.
Shen looked up to his younger brother, shooting him the most disgusted glare he could muster. Tao could only glance downward in shame.
[]
Tao sat alongside his fallen Crane brethren as the young fighters began the interrogation. "Okay, so we've already learned that you kidnapped Videl to lure me out," Gohan began.
"But the real question is, who sent you after Gohan in the first place?" Videl finished.
"A real cretin of a man," Tao answered. "A gremlin so vile he makes that old Turtle fool look tame in comparison."
Ranma and Akane's eyes both narrowed. "So I was right, it was the old freak Happosai after all!"
Shen perked up at the mention of the name. "Wait, you know him?"
Akane nodded. "He trained our fathers, and ever since, he's been a constant thorn in everyone's side."
Shen sneered. "Bested by the spawn of his disciples…I guess this is the price I pay for associating with that degenerate."
"You're an assassin," Videl pointed out.
"He's the assassin, I'm just a martial artist who's not afraid to do whatever it takes to win!" Shen pointed out.
The quartet turned flatly to each other. "I'm starting to see how you two worked together," Ranma noted.
"Don't misunderstand boy! I never would even consider working with that bastard, had our agreement not been mutually beneficial."
"Mutually?"
"Care to elaborate?" asked Videl.
"You'll have to ask him," Shen motioned to Taro.
"Well Pantyhose, you gonna spill your guts or what?" taunted Ranma.
"I've nothing to say to you crossdresser. These spineless geezers may bend at a single defeat, but I'm made of much tougher stuff than…!"
Taro swallowed his words as he was yanked off the ground, Shen tumbling along. To everyone's surprise, the one who dragged Taro up was Gohan, an uncharacteristically grim scowl on his face.
"What, you think you can intimidate me?"
"All I'm going to say is, remember what I managed to do to you while you were in your chimera form?"
Taro's eyes slanted, his mouth rising into a smarmy grin. "Remember what happened to you while you were entangled in my tentacles?"
"Yes, but am I in your tentacles now?" Gohan countered.
Taro glanced aside, avoiding eye contact as Gohan's gaze narrowed and he continued. "I'm not the type of person who likes to make threats, but I am the type of person who always keeps his word, and I assure you, if you don't tell us what we want to know, I'll be more than happy to find out how well you can take my attack in your human form."
Tao inconspicuously whimpered beneath Gohan's menacing tone while Ranma and Akane could only look on aghast.
"Damn…!"
'Is it just me…or has Gohan been getting scarier lately?' Akane mused.
"Just tell him boy. There's no sense in keeping secrets anymore…especially since they know the who," Shen encouraged.
With a sigh, Taro nodded and Gohan, in a move opposite what he just showed, let Taro down gently. Gohan released his own calming breath before retreating to his friends. To the Nerima fighters' surprise, Videl began clapping. Slowly, but sincerely.
"Not bad Gohan," she praised.
"So how'd I do Videl?"
"For your first time playing 'Bad Cop', really well I'd say. You should probably do it more often."
Gohan shyly rubbed his head. "Ehhh…that might not happen much, for a number of reasons."
Ranma and Akane turned to each other, simultaneously thinking, 'This is just a bit for them?'
Once Taro and Shen were settled, Taro began recounting his most recent encounter with Happosai. "I received a not so anonymous letter by arrow mail. When I realized who the sender was, I was initially uninterested, but on the other hand, any situation that leads to me catching that filthy old creep is one I can get behind, so as per the letter's instructions, I went to meet him.
[A Few Weeks Ago]
On a cliffside in the dark of the early night, a cloaked Pantyhose Taro approached an expectant Happosai as he smoked a pipe. "So you decided to show up after all," greeted the elder.
"Why did you call me here old man?" Taro demanded.
"My boy, I've got a proposition for you."
"Tsk, whatever it is old man, you can shove it. I've no intention of making deals with you…but I will…!" Taro proceeded to pull out a bottle of water that was quickly knocked away by Happosai's thrown pipe.
"Now, now, there's no need for that. Trust me, you'll want to at least hear me out before doing anything hasty."
"Why should I?"
"Because if you agree to this and succeed, I can assure you will receive the two things you want more than anything else in this world," Happosai grinned.
Taro dismissively crossed his arms. "I'll admit, you've piqued my curiosity, but why should I believe your being truthful?"
"Patience boy. How this all goes also depends on the cooperation of an old acquaintance of mine."
"Acquaintance?"
Happosai nodded. "He's the one who can grant you the second thing you want."
[]
"So I'm guessing one of these two was the aforementioned acquaintance?" asked Akane.
"Yes. After an irritatingly lengthy trip, the old man led me to this old man and his metalhead brother. Our introduction and negotiations were…less than smooth."
[]
"Shen you old bean, how's it been?"
"DODONPA!"
At the sight of the Anything-Goes Master, the Crane Hermit immediately fired his signature blast. "You've got quite the nerve to show your face around here you worthless pest!"
"Now, now, is that any way to treat your old classmate?" Happosai hysterically sobbed.
"Classmate?" asked Tao.
"He was a fellow student of Master Mutaito. Long story short, he didn't last long because in addition to being the worst kind of cheater he was just the most irritating, being this side of that one annoying insect that always manages to escape you!"
Taro snickered at the chaotic exchange. "Well, seems like your infamy extends even to your oldest compatriots, eh old man?"
"Hmm? And who might you be boy?" Shen asked.
"He's just a youngster whom I helped bring into this world, so he owes me a debt," Happy grinned.
"I owe you nothing, but you owe all of us an explanation!" Taro demanded.
"You'll get it boy, but first, why not let a couple of old dogs get reacquainted?" Happosai pulled out his pipe and lit it up before turning to Shen. "So Birdy Boy, I heard through the grapevine that your school wasn't doing too hot. Ever since your best student defected and you over there," he motioned to Tao. "…Were defeated by Roshi's boy, there hasn't been much going on at the ol' Crane Academy. Is that true?"
Shen grit his teeth as his entire body tensed. "If you've come to make fun of me, get your laughing done with and be on your way before I'm forced to take action again!"
"No, no, I'm not here to tease. In fact, I've come to help you rebuild your school," Happosai proclaimed.
"What!? You can't be serious!"
"Oh but I am, and it all starts with him!" Happosai jabbed his pipe in Taro's direction. "This one here, is to be your newest disciple," Happosai announced.
"WHAT!?" came a unified trio of cries.
"I don't know what you've been smoking in that pipe of yours shrimp, but if you think I'd train any student of yours, you're sorely mistaken!" Shen proclaimed.
"Feeling's mutual. I've no intention of wasting my time and energy with some decrepit , washed up has been." Taro snapped.
"You'd better watch that mouth of yours whelp!" Shen retaliated.
"Or what old timer?" Taro taunted, crossing his arms. The pair began approaching each other, malice evident on both their faces.
"ENOUGH!" Happosai quickly lobbed his signature firecracker between the conflicting fighters, forcing them apart. "Look, I understand this isn't an ideal set up for any of us, but I can assure you, if we can all play nice for just a little while, we can all come out of this happy as clams."
"What are you talking about?" asked Shen.
"We both know that you're struggling to find students, and this boy here has loads of potential just waiting to be unleashed. And you," Happy turned to Taro. "I know you're always looking for ways to gain power. You've always relied on that curse of yours, but that can only get you so far! I think it'd do you some good to power-up the old-fashioned way."
"Curse?" the brothers asked.
A twisted grin grew onto Happosai's face. "You'll get to see it in full force soon enough. For now, why don't you lot get acquainted like true martial artists."
[]
"After that, the boy and I began sparring," Shen recounted their match as Taro was able to parry many of Shen's own attacks. Though he was unsuccessful in counterattacking, the fact he could still keep pace with the Crane Hermit drew the old master's attention.
"Like Happy said, there was plenty of potential within him, and I could tell from the callous look in his eyes that he would definitely be right at home under the crane school. However, I was still less than interested in taking any of Happosai's associates under my wing…until I saw his."
"His what?"
"Are…are you talking about his actual wings?" asked Akane.
Shen nodded with teary eyes as he recalled the battle.
During the match, Taro managed to reclaim the bottle that Happosai had previously knocked away. Pouring its contents all over himself, he revealed his cursed form to the Crane Brothers. Needless to say, the two of them were more than stupefied at Taro's great transformation, Tao attempting to hide his quivering. 'First Goku, then his son, now this!?'
With his now superior size, Taro went on the offensive and managed to get Shen on the backfoot. He was however, still unable to land a solid hit, much less a decisive one due to his elderly opponent's superior speed. That gap in maneuverability would get wider once Shen took to the air. Determined to keep up, Taro spread his wings and zipped after the Elder Crane. When Shen glanced at his beastly opponent, for a split second, time seemed to freeze for him as his gaze fell to Taro's white wings.
"It was unmistakable…though attached to the form of a demon, those pure, white, crane wings were a true sight to behold!" Shen sobbed.
"Wait…are his wings actually from a crane?" asked Videl.
"Yeah. The thing that drowned in Pantyhose's ["Don't call me that!] cursed spring was 'A yeti, riding an ox, carrying an eel and a crane'," Ranma explained.
"An…ox?" Gohan guffawed.
"Does that mean anything to you?" asked Akane.
"Let's just say…that's my Grandpa's spirit animal." He replied with a chuckle.
"May I continue?" Shen interjected. "It may have been against my principles since Happosai was involved, but how could I say no to such a magnificent specimen? In the end, after seeing his potential for growth, as well as the power his curse granted, I agreed to take him on as the one to revive the Crane School to it's former glory."
"Well, that explains you're motivation, but I thought he wasn't interested in joinin'," Ranma pointed to Taro.
Taro grunted before responding. "It's true, I was in no way interested in whatever plans the old man had for his failing academy…but one thing made me reconsider."
"I'm guessing it was the Dodonpa technique?" asked Gohan.
Taro nodded as he recounted his days of training with the Crane Brothers.
[]
In an undisclosed forest, Taro repeatedly got thrashed around by a sneering Tao as Shen calmy observed sipping tea. Taro quickly reached for a stray container of water but was quickly halted by Shen and thrown back to Tao who struck him in the spine.
"Weeks and weeks of hell on earth, being unable to use my full power. The pain…the inner turmoil and humiliation! That's something I'll probably carry with me to my grave. The results however…were more than worth it.
Taro now fought Shen in midair as the two floated above the trees in the forest before exchanging blows with each other. It was clear Shen still held the advantage, Taro was now able to consistently land counters on the occasion Shen showed 'AN OPENING!' [A/N: Sorry, I had to].
Their clash would end with the two of them firing the trademark Dodonpa at each other, bathing the forest in a golden light.
[]
"To think…the power to fly in human form and a deadly attack that, when played to its greatest potential can kill a man in a single shot," Taro sighed nostalgically. "I feel no shame in admitting that training with you was one of the best decisions I've made in recent memory."
"I'll also say, it was nice to have a student appreciate my teachings again," Shen replied with a sobbing tone.
The young heroes all collectively deadpanned the hysteric duo before turning their attention to Tao who'd been silent to this point.
"Okay…so given what we know thus far, there's still something that I don't understand; Why'd he send you after me in the first place?" asked Gohan.
"He didn't say why he was aiming for you all he said was,"
"Train with The Cranes, strengthen yourself as best as you can, because you're going to need it for your upcoming battle."
"What upcoming battle?"
"You forget, I summoned you to bargain. Here's the deal. Once your training is complete, you are to fight HIM!" Happosai pulled out a newspaper showing a photo of The Great Saiyaman posing for the cameras.
"Who's this?"
"He's the one who stands between you and your greatest desire."
Taro's gaze narrowed before his expression illuminated. "You mean…!?"
Happosai nodded. "Yes. If you manage to defeat this Soyman in battle, I will allow you to choose a new name for yourself."
Taro's welling excitement paused. He knew Happosai too well. There's no reason for him to do something this 'generous' without some ulterior motive. "What are you after Old Man? You promise me a chance to change my name and lead me to a master who could increase my power ten-fold, and you're helping said master rebuild his fallen school. Everyone gets something out of this…except you. You wouldn't do any of this unless there was some personal gain."
Happosai sat down, his expression now fully serious. "Look here my boy. This Soyman character is a fool who likes to galivant around in some garish cosplay thinking he's some sort of hero, but for all his ridiculous theatrics, he's extremely powerful. I could feel his intense chi when we crossed paths, it's beyond anything I've ever felt before. I don't think it's wrong for me to admit that were we to meet again, he'd probably end me. You on the other hand, have a great power that can overcome many a strong foe, you just need to cultivate it because as you are now, you can't beat him either. After training with Shen however, there is a chance for you to overcome. What will I get out of it you ask? Only the greatest satisfaction of seeing that annoying otaku CRUSHED beneath the heel of one of my greatest students! REVENGE WILL BE MINE, SAWYERMAN! YOU HEAR ME!? MIIIIIIIINE! GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
[]
Ranma and Akane both nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right for the old freak," he confirmed.
"No idea what you did to piss the old man off, but whatever it was, you have my respect," Taro praised.
"What did you do Gohan?" asked Akane.
"I just stopped him from stealing…uh…well…?"
"He was on a panty raid wasn't he?"
A flushed Gohan could only nod. "Yup, that'd do it."
"After that, he showed a picture of that girl and said she was our best link to get to you," Taro continued.
"Using an old, abandoned Red Ribbon Army lab as a base of operations, we plotted everything out accordingly. You'd be surprised how many of those are still scattered around," Tao concluded.
"The what army?" asked the unfamiliar heroes.
"I'll tell you about them later," said Gohan.
"I assume you know the rest."
As Taro concluded the explanation, everything went silent as everyone took the information in. "So, this whole thing was just one of the old freak's revenge plots."
"I think this one ranks up there with the weakness moxibustion…at least in terms of scale."
At the mention of that event, Gohan was quickly reminded of an earlier conversation with Ranma. "Oh! I almost forgot, I do still have one-more question."
"And that would be?"
"What did your tentacles do to me?"
"What are you talking about?"
"When you had me constrained, I couldn't break free. I've broken through stronger bonds before, but your tentacles were different. It wasn't just my being unable to free myself, every muscle in my body got weaker. Do your tentacles have some kind of numbing toxin or venom in them?"
"Don't be ridiculous! Octopi aren't venomous, and even if they were, don't you think I'd be abusing that power much more if I possessed it?" Taro snapped.
"Are octopuses poisonous?" asked Akane.
"I don't know, Gohan's the smart one," Videl whispered back.
"But then how…?"
"Maybe you're just not as strong as you like to think you are," Taro taunted.
"Aren't you forgetting he beat you?" Ranma interjected.
"For now, but the next time we meet will be different!" Taro proclaimed. "I may have lost today, but I'll take the win soon enough!"
"Well, I doubt you'll be getting a second chance anytime soon, cause the three of you are going away for a long time!" Videl proudly proclaimed.
Shen and Tao both chuckled. "Do you truly believe any mere prison cell can hold us?" Shen casually rose to his feet, revealing a pair of shattered cuffs in his hand.
"Hey how did you…!?"
"Should've seen that coming."
"But did you see this coming!?" Tao's mechanical eyes shone against the setting sun's glare before bathing the area in an blinding orange glow. When the light finally died, the Crane Elders were nowhere to be seen. Taro on the other hand, stood atop a rock formation, his arms crossed. "Hear this Saiyaman, sleep with one eye open because I shan't rest until I've crushed you and claimed my prize!" Stepping back off the rock, Taro ascended in the air before flying off,
"No you don't!" Videl zipped into the air, but was halted by Gohan taking her by the wrist. "Gohan what are you…!?"
"Let him go. I think after today, it'll be a while before they even think about causing too much trouble again. Besides, if Taro's really that determined, he'll be back soon enough."
Videl nodded before landing and finally collapsing on the ground. "I'm not the only exhausted one am I?"
"No, I think we're all kind of wiped out," Akane replied.
"We have been through quite a bit today, haven't we?" Gohan added. "Come on, let's head home. I think your Dad is still freaking out."
After moments of recovery, the group finally made their way back to civilization, where Videl was warmly welcomed home by her father and best friend. Thanks to Buu, all the pain and fatigue of battle was swashed away for our young quartet.
As promised, Mr. Satan received quite an alarming bill from the infamous fortuneteller. While he took his frustration out on Gohan, Ranma took the time to 'play' with a very curious Majin Buu. Long story short, their playtime didn't last long as, after nearly a dozen 'rounds', Ranma was soundly knocked unconscious by the jovial Majin. P-Chan was reacquainted with Bee who was much friendlier to the piglet this time around. Finally, Videl took the time to introduce Akane and Erasa. One glance was all it took for Erasa to understand why Videl had taken such a fancy to her, and in Akane's eyes, Erasa seemed like a fun enough person to hang around, though her extreme cheeriness (not to mention her endowments) did give her some small memories of Shampoo. All in all though, the two took the moment to introduce themselves further while Videl snuck away to find Gohan, who'd finally been let off the hook from Mr. Satan's wrath, thanks to the timely arrival of Baba herself. Her search would lead her to, where else, but her balcony where a helmetless Saiyaman was prepped to take off.
"You weren't really going to leave without saying goodbye were you?"
"Of course not, just waiting for you to get back," Gohan chuckled.
Videl giggled before letting out a tired sigh. "Another crazy day huh?"
"That's putting it mildly. I still can't believe all this happened because of that Happosai guy."
"Ranma and Akane did say he was petty, but orchestrating a kidnapping? That's way over the line for petty revenge."
Gohan nodded his agreement. "Yeah, but what are supposed to do about him?"
"What do you mean what? You're a Super Saiyan superhero!"
"Videl, you know I can't just go around killing common criminals."
"I didn't say kill him…not that he doesn't deserve it, but don't you think you can just do…something with your power?"
"I can, but what would it matter? From what the others say, no matter how many times you punish him for acting up, he just comes back. It's like if Master Roshi were a villain."
Videl's eyes lit up. "Wait, maybe Master Roshi has an idea on how we can deal with this!"
"You think so?" Gohan paused to ponder before he too had a look of realization. "Yeah…you might be right. After all, Master Roshi knows both the Crane Hermit and Happosai right? If anyone will know what to do, it might be him."
"So we've got a plan?"
"Yah, but let's save it till later. I'm sure we could all use some time to decompress, especially you with all you've been through today."
"Yeah…as soon as Akane and Erasa head out, I'm hitting the bathtub."
"Huh…I think I could use a bath myself. My back's been bothering me for some reason."
Videl's face turned red as she narrowed an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "Gohan…are you implying what I think you're implying?"
"…What do you think I'm…?!" Gohan's face also flushed before he defensively waved his hands. "N-no, I didn't mean…! I meant when I got home!"
"Oh I know, I just love seeing you get all embarrassed like that," Videl giggled.
Gohan sighed in defeat. "You just can't stop teasing me, can you?"
"Only when it stops being funny."
"Figures."
Placing his helmet back on, Gohan headed for the edge of the balcony, floating above it. "Well…I guess I'll see you around Videl."
"Oh! Wait!" Videl quickly leapt off the balcony, into the air after Gohan.
"What is it?"
"I never did get to thank you did I?"
"For what?"
"Saving me…again…."
"Well…technically Akane and Ryoga saved you this time so…"
"Just kiss me you idiot."
Gohan barely had time to gasp before Videl pulled his face to hers, softly pressing her lips to his. After getting over the initial shock, Gohan put his hands on her shoulders and reciprocated in full. After a few long seconds, the duo finally split apart unaware of the audience of three retreating from Videl's room.
"We should probably leave them alone for now," giggled Erasa. "And maybe best not to tell Mr. Satan."
"…Yeah," replied a blushing Ranma and Akane.
[]
With their goodbyes now set, Gohan finally darted away from the Satan Manor, Videl waving him off. Once he was out of sight, Videl closed the balcony window, drawing the curtains shut. Once she was fully alone in the shade of her darkened bedroom, she tightly clenched her fist. With a frustrated grunt, she threw her fist into the wall, leaving an unsightly hole.
"Dammit…dammit…DAMMIT!"
Dropping to her knees, Videl punched the floor, tears welling up in her eyes. 'Every goddamn time.'
[]
After a rather relaxing flight, Gohan finally returned home, informing his family of the day's events. Goku was understandably surprised to hear that Tao and Shen were still out and about causing mischief, but debatably more surprised about them getting a new student.
With all that said, per Chi-Chi's orders, the father-son trio resigned themselves to the hot-tub while Chi-Chi got busy with dinner.
While Goku and Goten splashed around, Gohan was staring off into space. Understandable since he had quite a bit to think about between Happosai, the Cranes, and his sudden weakness spells, which he'd conveniently failed to mention to Goku.
His mind so far distracted, Gohan failed to notice his younger brother's cries for help as Goku playfully shoved him under the water.
"Gohaaaa~~bbbbb…!"
"Sorry kiddo, but I don't think he's helpin' ya this time," Goku taunted.
As Goku submerged Goten yet again, the youngest Son managed to escape his father's grasp, though chose to take his frustration out on his inattentive brother.
Swimming behind an unaware Gohan, Goten pressed his hands together, his two fingers outstretched. Before he could make the move however, he spied a much more intriguing target on Gohan's lower back. With an impish snicker, Goten drove his fingers into the dark colored spot eliciting a loud pained scream from Gohan.
"GAAAAGGH…!"
"Whoops…sorry I…Waaagh~bbbbbb!"
Taking a page from his father's book, Gohan shoved Goten beneath the water, holding him down for a few seconds before pulling him back up.
"Whoa you two, take it easy!" Goku got between his sons separating a startled Goten from a clearly annoyed Gohan.
"Not cool Gohan!"
"Neither was hitting me in the back like that…that ACTUALLY hurt you know!" Gohan rebutted.
"It was just a joke, I didn't know hitting that dot over your butt would hurt that much."
"Yeah well, it does so next time…" Gohan paused as he quickly recounted Goten's words. "Wait a sec Goten, what did you just say?"
"About what?"
"Something about a dot?"
"Oh…you have a real big dot over your butt…is that normal?"
Gohan placed a hand down to his lower back and sure enough, felt a familiar small bump, wincing upon coming into contact with it.
"Oh, I think that's probably where Gohan's tail used to be," said Goku.
"Gohan's what!?"
"Didn't you know? Back when he was a kid, Gohan used to have a tail. I did too actually," Goku explained.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm sure your mom must've shown you some old pictures of your brother when he was little, right Gohan? Gohan?"
Goku got no response as Gohan was once again staring into space. This time however, his face wore a calculating look that hastily shifted into frantic realization. Planting his palm to his forehead, Gohan exclaimed, "So THAT'S what was happening! I get it now!"
"Uhhh Gohan…what are you talking about?"
Gohan turned bashful as he rubbed his head. "Well…I didn't want to mention this because it's kind of embarrassing but…" He then proceeded to explain how whenever he got constricted by Taro, he'd lose his strength.
"Oh I get it. When he wrapped you up, he must've been pressing against the stub of your tail!" Goku realized.
"No wonder I didn't think of that…I didn't even know that spot had any feeling left in it after my tail got cut off."
"Now that I think about it, you never did train your tail to stop it from being sensitive, did you?" Goku asked in a teasing manner.
"I mean…" Gohan shrank against the tub's rim. "I…never got the chance to. Piccolo took it off before we started training, and I remember you told me it grew back but then Vegeta cut it off."
"Why'd Trunks' Dad cut your tail off? And how come I never had a tail!?" whined Goten.
"Well…we'll tell you that first part later, but we can't really comment on the second part. For now, it looks like we've got some work to do," Goku announced.
"Dad, what are you talking about?"
"Gohan, turn around."
"Why…?"
"I'm gonna help it so that spot won't hurt anymore!"
"Uhh Dad…can't this wait until tomorrow!"
"I mean, we can, but the sooner we get started, the sooner we can have this little problem taken care of."
"Oh, I think Mom's calling! Dinner's ready, I'm getting out!"
Gohan frantically hopped out of the bath, darting inside wrapped in a towel while Goku and Goten glanced at each other. "Ehhh, maybe it would be better to wait until tomorrow. After all, don't wanna miss your Mom's dinner."
"Yeah…but seriously, how come I never had a tail?"
"Don't feel too bad Son, Trunks never had one either."
The two followed Gohan's example and headed indoors, unaware of the familiar callous gaze hovering just beyond their front lawn.
"Guess this one's not entirely your fault kid. I'll take some responsibility, but know this; if just a little constriction was too much for you, then you're in for a world of pain when your father and I run that little fragility out of your system."
[]
While Goku and his family ate, the one who was noticeably not eating much was Goku himself who, like Gohan earlier, seemed to have a distracted look on his face.
"Goku, is something wrong?" asked Chi-Chi.
"No, not wrong…just wondering something."
"Wondering what?"
"One sec…" Goku put two fingers to his forehead and vanished, much to Chi-Chi's chagrin. Before she could even complain however, Goku reappeared, a deep red mark sprawled across his face.
"Okay, I'm good," Goku chuckled.
"Dad…where'd you go?"
"I went to Capsule Corp. I wanted to see if Vegeta still had a piece of his tail left…he does."
"Goku…by any chance was Bulma in the room too?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
Chi-Chi shot him a shamed expression before resuming eating. "Call it a theory."
A blue faced Gohan also resumed eating, causing a confused Goten to look around at all the adults. "Grown-ups are weird."
(A/N: Okay. I planned a LONG while ago to have Taro work with the Crane School. I did NOT however, plan for it to be a surprisingly effective match because I forgot what the exact animals tossed into Taro's Curse were, but low and behold, one of them was a crane! I knew I HAD to keep them together after I realized that accidental stroke of brilliance. Speaking of, we haven't seen the last of them either…well, Taro at least. Whether or not the Crane Elders return currently remains to be seen. But yep, Happosai was the one who set everything in motion, and soon it'll be time for him to pay for it. As for Gohan's major struggle, like I said, someone managed to correctly guess what it was (User: Self-Proclaimed King of DDR): the remnants of his tail. I knew going into this it'd be something of a stretch, but I still think it makes sense. Gohan was the only one between his father and Vegeta to NOT get over his tail's weakness so I figured the spot where his tail was would still be sensitive [That's actually a fairly common headcanon around other parts of this fandom, so I didn't just pull it out of nowhere] and with Gohan getting himself completely constricted, it'd be a sensible way for that spot to get touched because why would you attack at such a random area unless you knew specifically about that weakness? Is it a bit flimsy? Maybe, but how else was Taro supposed to be any kind of threat? Also, before anyone asks if Gohan even WOULD still have the stub of his tail after so many years had passed, while it's not an exact science, we know Vegeta still had his after at least a year and a half had passed (6 months from the Freeza base to Namek and the year he was chasing after Goku in space), so I don't think it's too farfetched to assume Gohan could still have his…even if anime filler could suggest otherwise. Moving on, next time we return to Kame House in search of a way to stop Happosai's schemes once and for all!)
