My Life's Stranger Than Yours

Satan City Mystery; The Long Awaited Reuninon

*DING* *DONG* *DONG* *DING*

That was the sound of the bell ringing at Orange Star High School. Once the bell tolled, the students began practically pouring out of the building. Two students however made their way through the school's interior. Their destination: the rooftop.

"Phew," Gohan sighed. "Now that class is over, I can't wait to suit up and go on patrol, especially after that mess yesterday," he said. Speaking of however, I don't think I apologized yet for bailing on you like that," he said placing his hand behind his head.

"Don't worry about it Gohan," Videl replied nonchalantly. "I knew you had to get home quickly, and I handled the whole situation easily," she said with a hint of confidence.

"Although," Videl paused. "I think I should apologize for not, being able to go on patrol with you," she stated.

"You're not coming with me?" Gohan asked.

Videl nodded. "Not today."

"How come? Is something going on?" He asked with a concerned tone.

"Oh it's nothing bad," she reassured him. "I just have other plans tonight. You see a friend from out of town is coming over today. What's more is she's a martial artist and she wants to have a match with me."

"Oh, that's neat," Gohan commented. "Do I know them?" Gohan inquired.

"You probably shouldn't considering I just met her yesterday," replied Videl.

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah. She and her sisters got caught up in that robbery escape we were trying to stop. I saved them of course, but she actually managed to help me out of a tight spot," Videl began. "After the bad guys got caught, I offered to fly them home because the bus got wrecked. After that we just kind of hit it off." she concluded.

"Wow. Sounds like yesterday was pretty exciting for you," said Gohan.

'Believe me Gohan, you don't know the half of it,' Videl thought.

As they continued their trek through the school, Videl recalled her trip to the Tendo Dojo. Her unfinished fight with Akane, meeting Ranma, seeing Ranma's curse and that perverted old man, those last two memories causing a faint blush to appear on her face.

Videl's internal flashback was halted when they finally made it to the door to the rooftop. Grrasping the knob, Gohan opened the door and motioned for Videl to enter.

"Heh, ladies first."

"Why thank you," Videl said strutting through the door.

The pair then rushed up the stairs until they finally exited on the rooftop. As Gohan hit the button on his watch and materialized his costume, Videl was already hovering above him.

"Hey Gohan, if you want to meet my new friend, you can," she stated.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Since you're gonna be in the city for a bit, just drop by my Dad's dojo. You know where it is right?"

"Yeah. I've flown past it before."

Ascending into the air, the Great Saiyaman jetted off into the skies of Satan City.

"See ya later!" Videl called. As Saiyaman flew off, she managed to catch a glimpse of him waving back at her. Once he was out of sight, Videl hovered over the gates on the school roof and began to fly her way to Mr. Satan's dojo.

"Okay...assuming our schools let out around the same time, and given how far away Akane's home is from Satan City...I think I should have a good while before she shows up," Videl thought. "Still, I need to get over there and get the place set up."

A short while later, Videl finally came across her father's dojo. To her surprise, there were police officers surrounding the building as well as a couple of ambulances.

"What the-!?"

Hastily landing, Videl rushed over to the Police Captain, aiming to get some answers.

"Captain! Captain!"

The officer in question turned to come face to face with the rapidly approaching Videl.

"Aw Videl, right on cue!" the Captain greeted.

Giving him a quick salute, Videl began, "Captain, what happened here?"

"That's what we aim to find out," the Captain replied tightening his hat. "All we know is that someone trashed your Dad's place."

Videl listened intently as the Captain began to give her the details.

"We were just about to ask questions when you showed up, so we don't have much of anything to go on, although eyewitnesses say they saw an unusual young man fleeing the scene."

"Young man?" Videl repeated.

"Yeah. According to witnesses, a pretty well built guy burst through the door and fled the scene in a rush. The weird thing is he's said to look like a high school student, potentially around your age. Probably just some juvenile punk playing a stupid prank."

As Videl forced her way through the stationed guards and enetered the building to survey the damage, she couldn't keep a gasp from escaping as she witnessed a giant hole smack dab in the center of the dojo. From the looks of it, it looked like someone had blasted the floor apart with some kind of explosive or something, at least, that was the best way Videl could describe it.

'Whoever did this wasn't just playing a prank,' Videl mentally noted, narrowing her eyes.

[Elsewhere, in the city]

A familiar duo were walking down the streets of Satan City, one of them a sour look on his face.

"Are we there yet?" Ranma groaned.

"You know Ranma, whining like a five year old isn't very manly," Akane replied. "I wonder what your mother would think?" Akane smugly added.

Ranma grunted, but held his tongue as he continued to follow Akane.

"Besides, it's your fault it's taking us so long to get there in the first place!" Akane exclaimed. "If you hadn't gone running off when we first got off the bus 'Mr. I'm not Ryoga', we wouldn't have gotten lost in the first place!"

Ranma continued to say nothing. He could see how irritated Akane was right now, and he didn't want to risk setting her off...at least, not without a good reason.

After a few more moments of walking, Akane's face brightened as in the distance, they could see a building with a large, conspicuous picture of Mr. Satan on it.

"Finally! We made it!" Akane beamed. "It's dead ahead!"

Waltzing up next to her, Ranma took a glance at the sign from afar.

"Huh, this guy loves to make an impression, doesn't he?"

Ignoring Ranma, Akane began to dash towards the building, Ranma right behind her.

"Hey wait up!"

As the duo hastily made their way to their destination, their run slowed to a jog before coming to a halt.

"What the-!?" Akane exclaimed.

The two froze as the front of the building was covered with police tape and there were a number of police cars surrounding the building.

"Huh, I've never seen this many police in one place before...actually I don't think I've seen any police back home," Ranma commented.

"Ranma, this is no time for jokes!" Akane snapped.

Rushing up to the scene, she was quickly halted by one of the officers on guard.

"Whoa, whoa, there!" the officer began. "Sorry Miss, but this here's a restricted area," he told her.

"But...what happened?" Akane asked.

"Sorry young lady, but that's classified info," the officer answered.

"It's alright. She's with me," chimed in a familiar female voice.

The trio turned to see Videl, already on the scene.

"Videl!" Akane greeted.

"Yo," added Ranma.

"Oh Videl, these two are friends of yours?" The officer asked.

Videl nodded her confirmation. Giving her a salute, the policeman left the three teens and went to regroup with his squad.

"Glad you could make it Akane," Videl replied. "And Ranma, I admit I wasn't expecting you."

"Yeah well, speaking of unexpected," Ranma pointed to the building. "What the heck happened in there?" he asked.

Videl crossed her arms. "Unfortunately, we're not too sure," she answered. "According to what we know, somebody just broke in out of nowhere, took out all the guys who were inside and made a wreck of the place while doing so."

"That's terrible!" Akane noted.

"Huh, this ain't the first time we dealt with a Dojo Destroyer, though this may be the first time he literally destroyed the place," commented Ranma.

"Destroyed is an understatement," Videl replied. "Inside it looks like someone blew the place up!" she excentuated with her arms. "Thankfully, the building is still in tact, but it doesn't look like anyone will be training here for a while."

As Videl continued to describe the damage to Akane, Ranma slipped away from the girls and entered the dojo to survey the damage up close, ignoring the police tape as well. Taking a hard glance at the crater that used to be the Satan Dojo, Ranma had a small realization.

"Hey wait, I think this was...!" Ranma's thoughts were cut off by the shouting of one of the officers.

"Hey kid! Just cause you know Videl doesn't mean you can be in here!" the officer yelled.

"Jeeze, I just wanted to see the place myself a bit," Ranma groaned.

'Why do I have a funny feeling I know who did this?' Ranma thought. 'After all, there's only one guy I know who could make a crater like that.'

Crossing his arms behind his head, Ranma strolled out of the dojo and rejoined the girls, who were still talking.

"I'm sorry Akane," Videl began, "But I think we may have to put our match on hold a little while longer. I want to find the punk who did this!"

Akane's expression fell, but she gave an understanding nod. Their exchange was broken by the hearty chuckle of the Police Captain.

"Nonsense. You and your friends can leave everything here to us," said the Captain.

"But Cap-!" Videl began.

"I promise, as soon as we find out anything new, you and your father will be the first ones we'll call," the officer assured her.

Videl momentarily paused. After a brief amount of thought, she gave the Captain an affirmative nod.

"Okay, just promise me one thing," she said.

"What's that?"

"You'll call me before my Dad, cause I want first crack at this guy!"

With a grin, the Captain gave Videl a trademark salute. "Roger that."

As the policeman began to wrap up their business, Videl pulled Ranma and Akane aside.

"Think they'll actually find the guy who did this?" Akane asked.

"Doubt it," Ranma answered.

"What makes you say that?" asked a confused Videl.

"Let's just say...I have a hunch who did this, and if I'm right, it'll be a while before they manage to find him." Ranma replied.

"Wait...you have somebody in mind? Who!?" Videl exclaimed.

Ranma shrugged. "Like I said, I could be wrong, so it doesn't really matter."

"Ranma!" Akane growled.

Videl narrowed her eyes. "So let me get this straight, you have an idea of someone who could be involved in trashing my father's dojo, and you're not gonna tell me?"

Ranma shot Videl a sly look.

"I'll tell ya what," Ranma began. "I'll tell you who I think it is...if you can beat me!"

"Huh?"

Videl froze as she was caught off guard by Ranma's request, as well as Akane's reaction.

"Oh no you don't!" Akane exclaimed, shoving Ranma aside. "In case you forgot Ranma, I'M the one who has the match with Videl!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know already," Ranma groaned. "I'm just saying, once you and Videl are done, I wanna go a round with her too," he said turning back to Videl. "And like I said, if you can beat me, I'll spill my guts."

A confident yet serious smile forming on her face, Videl replied with a very firm, "You're on!"

"Oh! But where are we gonna fight if your dojo's trashed?" Akane asked.

Videl giggled. "Don't worry. For now, we can just let the cops do their thing. If they find out anything new, I trust they'll keep their word and keep me posted," Videl assured them. "In the meantime, I think we ought to head to my place. We can have our matches there. Besides, I have to tell my Dad about the dojo anyway."

At Videl's invitation, Akane once again couldn't help but show her giddiness (through another failed attempt at hiding it), causing Ranma to make a mental note.

'Note to self: Ask Akane about her fangirling later.'

[A few moments later]

After a short walk through the streets, the eager young trio finally arrived at The Satan Manor.

"Well, here we are," Videl said.

"Whoa! It's so big!" Noted a bright eyed Akane.

Even Ranma had to give an impressed whistle at the sheer size of the building. As he and Akane moved to head to the door, they were subsequently halted by Videl who had something of a worried look on her face.

"Uh guys, before we go in, I think I should warn you," Videl began.

"Warn us of what?" asked Ranma.

"For starters, my Dad can get pretty...eccentric at times, so try not to be too put off by his inflated ego," replied Videl.

Akane dismissively waved her hand. "Oh that's no problem. I'm sure whatever ego your Dad has, Ranma has twice of, and I've managed to put up with him thus far."

"HEY!"

"Okay," Videl replied stifling a chuckle. "Second, we have an...unusual houseguest," Videl continued.

"So do I," Akane deadpanned as Ranma crossed his arms.

"Believe me when I say...this guy is...even more...unusual," Videl noted. "With any luck, he won't bother us, but...just...be wary," Videl nervously added.

Ranma and Akane both paused. The fact that there was someone in their house she had to warn them about caused both of them to raise their eyebrows. The thought was ultimately pushed aside for the moment as they followed Videl through the entrance.

"Hellooo!" Videl called.

Her announcement was met with a shrill yelp coupled with the sound of small but quick footsteps.

"Rarf!"

Ranma and Akane stepped through the door just in time to see Videl get tackled to the floor by...

"A dog?" asked Ranma.

Sure enough, the stunned Videl was being mercilessly licked by a tan colored dog.

"Take it easy boy! I'm happy to see you too!" Videl said through giggles. Lightly shoving him off her, Videl quickly got back to her feet.

"This is Bee," Videl introduced. "My Dad found him and took him in when he was just a puppy."

"Oh he's so cute!" Akane said kneeling down to pet him.

"Heh, is this the 'unusual friend' you were warnig us about," Ranma chuckled kneeling next to Akane.

"No...but speaking of which, I wonder where Dad is. It doesn't look like he's home," Videl noted. 'Thankfully, it looks like he took Buu with him,' she mentally sighed.

"Rarf, rarf!"

As the three young fighters got themselves settled, Bee ran off.

"Where's he goin'?" asked Ranma.

"Wherever he wants I guess. He's a pretty independent dog most of the time," Videl shrugged. "That being said, let's get to the gym, follow me."

[Later]

"Well you two, here we are," Videl stated.

After what may as well been a brief tour of The Satan Manor finally ended when our trio finally arrived in a large spacious room with a giant tile, square ring sat.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Akane. "This looks just like the ring they use in the Tournaments!"

"That's cause it is, but it's much smaller than the real thing," Videl replied. "Still, it's the perfect spot for a gang of martial artists to just go a few friendly rounds."

"Ehh, I dunno about perfect, but it'll do," snarked Ranma.

Akane could only lower her eyebrows at Ranma's disrespect, but then again, she was used to it.

"Akane, if you need a place to change, there's a bathroom right to the side there," Videl motioned with her hand.

"Thanks!"

An excited smile on her face, Akane dashed off in the direction Videl pointed, leaving her alone with Ranma for the moment.

"Okay Ranma, let's chat," Videl said turning to face him.

"Lemme guess, you're still upset about the whole me keepin' quiet about the dojo thing?" Ranma asked.

"Yeah, but what I really want to know is why you're doing it in the first place," Videl replied. "If you just wanted a match with me after Akane, all you had to do is ask."

"Well for starters, the guy I have in mind may be innocent, and I don't wanna give him any heat without being certain, cause Kami knows he's had enough crap to deal with, and the last thing I wanna do is give him something else to blame me for," Ranma said crossing his arms.

Videl placed her hands on her hips, a contemplative look on her face. "Okay, that's fair enough I suppose," she said with a sigh.

"But..." Ranma said.

"But what?"

"There's another reason I issued the challenge," said Ranma.

"What reason?"

"My end of the bargain."

"What do you mean your end?"

"What I get if I beat you," Ranma smirked.

"Whoa, hold on!" Videl snapped. "When did I agree to give you anything!?"

"When you accepted my challenge," Ranma replied. "You win, I tell you who I think trashed your Dad's dojo. Naturally, if I win, I should get something in return."

Videl's eyes sharply narrowed. "But wait, you just said you weren't sure if your 'suspect' was even the real culprit, so for all I know, you're info could just be a waste of time!"

"True, but I'm about 90% sure I have the right guy. I'm...mostly positive this won't be a waste of your time, and if it is, I promise I'll make it up to ya," Ranma reassured her.

Her fist shaking, Videl eventually relented and let out a sigh. ""Fine, Mr. Saotome," she said with disdain in her voice. "What do you want if you win?"

"Easy," Ranma smirked. "I want you to show me how to do that floating trick of yours!"

For a moment, there was nothing but silence as Videl processed Ranma's words.

"Huh?"

"When we fought the old man, I saw you floating in the air to dodge his attack," Ranma began. "I want you to show me how to do that."

Another brief moment of silence passed between them. Suddenly out of nowhere, Videl just broke out into a fit of laughter, much to Ranma's confusion.

"D-did I...say something funny?" Ranma asked.

Wiping away a tear, Videl answered, "No, I'm just laughing at the irony."

"What irony?"

"Sorry it's...an inside joke to be honest, you don't have to worry about it," Videl said, finally managing to compose herself.

'I wonder if this is how Gohan felt when I 'asked' him to teach me how to fly.'

[Elsewhere]

In the skies of Satan City, it's greatest defender let out a loud comical sneeze.

"Huh...wonder who's talking about me?"

[Back at the Satan Manor]

"Still, if that's all you want out of our fight then no problem," Videl said with a warm grin. "Although, if you wanted me to teach you how to fly, all you had to do was ask," Videl quickly added.

"Wait really?" Ranma asked raising an eyebrow.

Before Videl could respond, the duo got distracted by the sound of loud barking from somewhere in the house.

"Rarf! Rarf, rarf!"

"Is that your dog?" said Ranma.

"Bee? What's he barking at?" Videl asked dashing through the door.

Ranma and Videl exited the gym and dashed down a hallway only to find Bee chasing after something small and black, coupled with the sounds of barking and squealing.

"What's that black thing?" Videl asked.

Ranma's eyes dully narrowed. 'I freakin knew it.'

Appearing out of a nearby door, Akane, now garbed in her gi, asked,"What's going on out here?"

The short tempered tomboy paused as she took in the scene before letting out a shrill shriek.

"P-Chan!"

"Who chan?" asked Videl.

"My piggy!"

Akane dashed to the two animals and scooped up P-Chan in one fell swoop. She was quickly approached by Bee who continued to bark as he got on his hind legs still attempting to pursue his small target as Akane held the little piglet above her head, keeping him from the canine's reach.

"Bee! No!" Videl ordered. Motioning with her hand, she called out, "DOWN!"

The zealous dog, followed her commands and removed himself from Akane.

"Now sit," Videl ordered.

Bee obeyed and sat down. Relieved that Bee was behaving himself again, Videl bent down and rubbed his head.

As Akane let out her own relieved sigh that her pet piglet was safe now, Ranma gave the small mammal a suspicious look.

'Don't get too comfy yet Ryoga,' Ranma thought. 'I got a couple questions for ya.'

[A few minutes later]

The three teens, joined by their four legged friends were reassembled back in the gym, P-Chan in Akane's arms and Bee lying down by the door.

"Sorry about that Akane," said Videl. "Bee's usually really well behaved. I don't know why he went after your pet piglet."

"Oh it's okay," Akane replied. "P-Chan has a bad habit of wandering off and getting lost. Maybe this will teach him to stay closer to home," Akane said clutching him against her chest.

As P-Chan let out a satisfied squeal as he snuggled up against Akane. His squealing became much more erratic as he was snatched out of Akane's hands by Ranma.

"Hey!" Akane shouted.

"What's the big idea, Ranma?"

"What? You two have a match to fight right?" Ranma reminded them. "I'm just gonna keep an eye on our little friend here and make sure the dog doesn't try to get him again while you two fight it out." Ranma said narrowing his eyes.

"Hmmmmm..." hummed a suspicious Akane. She was well aware that Ranma and P-chan didn't really like each other, but for the moment, he was the only one who could make sure Bee didn't try to attack him again. After some brief thought, she relented.

"Alright fine, but be nice Ranma, cause I know how you two are, and if anything happens to him Ranma, I'll..."

"Relax," Ranma cut her off. "Pup Chow here will be just fi-AAAIIIIEEE!"

Ranma was cut off by P-Chan biting down on his finger.

"Hmph, serves you right."

As the girls stepped towards the ring, Ranma narrowed his eyes at the little black piglet, who was still attached to his finger.

"Yo Ryoga," he whispered. "I'm fightin' the Videl chick after Akane, but after that, we seriously need to talk."

The small animal shot Ranma an angry squeal, but quickly silenced when he saw the serious look on Ranma's face. Opening his mouth, he released himself from Ranma and landed on the floor.

[With the Girls]

Now that there were no more distractions, both girls stepped into the ring and took their respective fighting stances.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Akane," Videl said.

"For a battle like this, I have plenty of patience," Akane replied. "And this time, we're playing this through to the end!" she firmly added.

"You know it!"

Ranma sat cross legged by the ring, P-Chan beside him. As the girls finished prepping themselves, he took note of the look of intensity on Akane's face.

'Huh, I know Akane said she's been looking forward to this fight, but I didn't think it was this much.'

Glancing at Videl, he noticed her expression was similar to Akane's though notably more relaxed.

'Hmm...I saw a glimpse of what she could do before on Nabiki's camera, but this'll be the first time i get to see her fight for real up close and personal. Now the question is, will she use her flying move against Akane this time?' Ranma thought.

After a brief moment of staring each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move, both girls simultaneously rushed at each other, their fists drawn back to strike.

"You ready Akane!?"

"I was born ready Videl!"

'Showtime!'

[To Be Continued; Cue Roundabout]

(A/N: Cliffhanger, hanging from a CLIFF...and that's why he's called Cliff Hanger[If you get that reference, you had a great childhood]! Yup, another chapter of buildup, I apologize. But on the upside, Gohan finally makes an appearance, as does everyone's favorite Lost Boy, who's coincidental appearance now is COMPLETELY unrelated to Mr. Satan's dojo! Gohan's gonna be a bit less active for the moment, but I intend to make him a more active player once he gets properly acquainted with the Ranma 1/2 Crew. When that'll happen, I can't say for sure, but hopefully it'll be within the next chapter or two. All that said, stay tuned!)