"My Life's Stranger Than Yours"
(A/N: Before we begin, I just need to address something real quick. I won't name any names...for now, but one of the reviews I got last Chapter was a jumbled up...'paragraph' that, in a nutshell was a bunch of DBZ Fanboying and Power level shenanigans, and I'm going to ask to NOT leave those kinds of reviews going forward(seriously, that's part of the reason I stopped writing 'The Last Hope'). I know the main cast of Dragon Ball is leagues stronger than anyone from Ranma 1/2, and I have no intention of raising anyone from Ranma up to the level of the Saiyans (the Earthlings however, are up for debate/consideration). Still, I don't think Ranma landing a few good hits on Goten of all characters would be out of the realm of possibility. This story isn't meant to be taken overtly seriously in terms of their fights, heck this story isn't even really about the fights (though there still HAS to be fights cause it's Dragon Ball and Ranma), and even if it was, the main character on the Dragon Ball side is Videl for crying out loud, so most, if not all fights that do happen are going to be relatively low in scale, so something like planet busting shouldn't even be part of the question. Also, to the one who left the review, first, when was it stated or even implied that Goten could destroy a star? Second, no one from the Z-Fighters, INCLUDING Goku, is 'PHYSICALLY' strong enough to move a planet [Except maybe King Kai's] (Goku could barely lift 40 tons out of Super Saiyan), Katchin is the 'HARDEST' metal in the Universe, not the heaviest, and finally (as I've stated TWICE) this fic takes place BEFORE Battle of Gods, so bringing up Goku's fight with Beerus is completely pointless!
Apologies for the long rant to everyone else, but I HAD to get that off my chest. If there's one thing in the Fanfiction scene that really grinds my gears, it's when Dragon Ball's power is blown way out of proportion in a crossover, even when it is the more powerful universe [which TBF is more often than not]. With that out of the way, let's get started.)
Revelations and Rematches; Ranma vs. Goten Round 2
Following Akane's revelation and Chi-Chi's over the top reaction, the three women sat at the kitchen table while Akane gave Chi-Chi the abridged version of her engagement with Ranma, explaining how it was something their fathers had arranged.
"Well, that's the gist of it," said Akane.
Chi-Chi mulled over Akane's story with a deep look of contemplation on her face. "I can't believe it."
"I know. It's crazy!"
Chi-Chi quickly whipped around to the girls and exclaimed. "Sixteen years old and already engaged! Videl are you really going to let a younger girl beat you like this!?"
"Chi-Chi!" Videl shrieked
"Wait, are you and Gohan...?"
Videl quickly cut Akane off before she finished. "No, Gohan and I are not getting married!" she said sternly.
"Not yet at least," Chi-Chi winked. "But back on topic, Akane, when's your wedding?"
Akane crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "I have no idea, and whenever it is, it WON'T be with Ranma. I guarantee it."
"What makes you say that?" Chi-Chi asked raising an eyebrow.
"Cause there's no way I'm marrying an arrogant, insensitive jerk like HIM!" Akane exclaimed!
"Now what's with that attitude?" Chi-Chi sharply asked. "You two made a promise right? It's your duty to follow through on it."
'Uhh...Chi-Chi, just because Goku made a promise to marry you doesn't mean it works that way for everyone else,' Videl internally sweatdropped.
"We didn't promise anything," Akane refuted. "Like I said, our fathers arranged it, and personally, I'd like the chance to pick my own husband...if I even ever decide to get married at all."
"Okay, fair enough," Chi-Chi nodded matter of factly. "But let me ask you this, what makes you so sure you won't pick Ranma anway?" Chi-Chi added. "I admit that boy's already raised a red flag or two, but nothing seems to be a deal breaker...at least not yet, and nobody's perfect, right."
'Just look at my husband for example,' Chi-Chi silently added.
Placing her hands on Akane's shoulders Chi-Chi gave her a few extra words of encouragement. "I'm sure that whatever issues the two of you may have, you'll be able to work through them, right?"
Akane released herself from Chi-Chi's affectionate gesture with a look on her face that said otherwise.
'I'll bet she wouldn't be singing that tune if she knew Ranma had two other fiancees, but this conversation's been awkward enough. There's no WAY I'm letting that slip out!' Akane internally declared.
As Chi-Chi and Akane finally ended their little tangent, Videl chose that moment to interject. "Okay...not that all this marriage talk hasn't been fun and all, but don't you think we oughta get back to the dishes? They're not gonna wash themselves you know, and there's dozens to get through."
The remaining women turned to each other then back to Videl before nodding.
"Well, you heard her," said Chi-Chi. "Let's get to work girls!"
"Okay!"
[Meanwhile]
In the skies of the Mt. Paouzu, Goku and Goten could be seen scanning the forests.
"Can ya see him yet Goten?" asked Goku.
"Not yet. I can't sense him either." Goten replied.
"Huh...maybe we'll have a bit more luck at ground level. Let's head down Son."
"Okay."
"Let's split up Goten. If you find him, raise your power and I'll come to you," Goku instructed.
"Alright."
Once the two had touched ground, they sped off in opposite directions.
"Hey Ranma, where are ya!?" Goten called. 'Weird, I still can't sense his energy either,' he thought.
After minutes of searching, Goten came up short unable to locate Ranma.
"Man, how far did that girl hit him?" Goten thought aloud.
As Goten continued his search, he soon found himself at a lake.
"He's not here is he?"
Goten's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of splashing water. Turning toward the sound, Goten could make out what seemed to be a girl with red hair who looked like she was wet, with a red cloth draped over her neck.
"Hmmm...maybe she's seen Ranma."
Scampering over to the red-haired girl, Goten called out, "Hey miss!?"
When he didn't get a response from her, he called again. "Excuse me!"
Having heard him this time, the mysterious redhead peered behind to spot the young boy. "Huh, look who it is."
As she turned to face the approaching boy, the young saiyan quickly skidded to a halt, his face a deep shade of red.
"Glad to see ya again kid. I was worried I'd have to go through the woods again to get back to your place."
Goten could only respond with a series of flustered gasps.
"Where's your old man and brother? Did they come lookin' for me too?"
Goten continued to mutter incoherently as the girl raised a confused eyebrow.
"What's your problem kid? What are you babbling about?"
"Uhhh...uhhhh..." Goten managed to point a finger at her chest, prompting her to look down.
Finally putting two and two together and figuring out what made Goten 'short circuit, she realized that she'd yet to put her shirt back on after wringing it out. Luckily, the sleeves of her shirt that was haphazardly thrown over her back covered the tips of her chest, keeping Goten from getting a full view, but still exposing enough skin to give the young boy an eyeful.
"OH! Sorry about that!"
Turning around, she quickly slipped her still damp shirt on and buttoned it up before turning back to face a still flustered Goten.
"Well, now that the show's over, why don't we head back to your place?"
"Uhhh...actually Miss, I can't go home yet until I find my brother's friend." Goten replied.
The girl raised an eyebrow at Goten before it hit her. 'I forgot, he doesn't know about my curse.'
Placing a hand on her chin, the redhead asked, "That friend wouldn't happened to have been a boy with black hair in a pigtail, would it?"
"Yeah!" Goten perked up. "Have you seen him!?"
"Maaaaybe," she answered in a singsong voice.
'Oh this is perfect!' she thought.
"How about this. I'll tell ya where he is...if you can beat me!"
Goten was taken slightly aback. "Uhhh...what?"
"You heard me kid. Let's go a round and if you win, I'll show you where your friend went." she replied.
"Are...are you sure?," Goten hesitated.
"What's wrong kid? Scared of losing to a girl?" the redhead raised a smug eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya."
Goten remained still for a brief moment thinking on what the best course of action would be. He really wanted to find Ranma, but didn't want to fight the girl due to fear of hurting her (something that a couple of accidents while sparring with Videl made him pretty weary of).
Goten thought it over for a few more seconds before finally giving his answer.
"Okay, let's go!" he said with a playfully confident grin.
The pigtailed girl grinned as both she and Goten took defensive stances.
'Alright. I underestimated the kid last time, but not this time. I'll blitz him with my increased speed and end this in a flash,' the redhead thought.
The two combatants stood still for a brief moment as a melancholy wind blew by. Once the wind died down, the redhaired girl made the first move. Darting at Goten, she threw a wickedly speedy punch at Goten that the young saiyan narrowly avoided.
The pigtailed fighter followed her attack with a low sweep kick that Goten simply hopped over. Anticipating his dodge, the redhaired girl quickly held herself off the ground with a single hand and spun into a dual side kick attack (A/N: Think Chun-Li's Spinning Bird Kick, but on the ground) launching the small boy aside.
Goten however, was quick to recover and prepared himself for the girl's next attack. Unfortunately he was caught off guard by the girl's speed as she closed the gap between them in just a couple of seconds. As Goten let out a surprised yelp, the redhead girl simply flicked Goten in the forehead.
"Hey!" Goten exclaimed.
Front flipping over Goten's head, the girl called out, "Catch me if ya can kid!" and darted into the forest.
"Get back here!" shouted an annoyed looking Goten.
As the pigtailed girl zipped away from Goten, she turned back and was surprised to see that he was keeping pace with her.
'He can keep up with me even in my girl form!? This is BS!'
The girl decided to shift gears and try and get out of Goten's line of sight. Leaping into the air, she bounded off of a nearby tree and launched herself in the opposite direction. Goten skidded to a halt and turned back to see the girl repeat this process again, but this time poised to attack with a flying kick.
Goten ducked under the girl's attack only to see her come back around again with the same kick attack, but much faster this time. This continued for a a few seconds until all that could be seen was a red blur darting between the trees and an orange and blue dot in the middle was avoiding them. Before long, the red blur seemed to dissappear, much to Goten's confusion.
Unbeknownst to him, the girl had zipped up the tallest tree she could find in the area and was perched on a branch with plenty of leaves to conceal her, watching Goten from a bird's eye view.
'A straight up brawl against that kid's gonna get me nowhere, so why not think like a kid and do a little hide-and-seek?' she mused.
"As soon as he drops his guard, I'll attack him from above and end this in one shot," she whispered.
Goten kept his guard up scanning the area with his eyes. Still, despite his lack of experience in comparison to the others, Goten had enough experince to feel that something was still off. Placing his hands at his sides, keeping them balled into fists, Goten closed his eyes and remained still amongst the trees.
The Pigtailed girl kept a constant watch on Goten. Though he'd dropped his stance, she could tell that he was still on guard. What she didn't know was why he wasn't moving. The wind had once again picked up as Goten remained motionless. Suddenly, the wind stopped and there seemed to be no sound at all.
The redhead barely had time to raise an eyebrow in confusion before she felt a sharp pain in the pit of her stomach. As the pain fully began to register, the redhaired girl looked directly in front of her to see Goten with a satisfied grin on his face, and his tiny fist buried in her gut. Her whole body shuddered and quivered as she slowly clutched her midsection and curled into a ball, slipping off the branch centimeter by centimeter. Before she slipped off completely however, a single thought crossed her mind.
'Damn...kid...beat me again...!'
Finally, the inevitable happened and the girl fell out of the tree, holding her stomach tightly. As she prepared to brace herself for impact with the ground (or rather try to), she soon felt a tugging at the back of her shirt. Turning around, she saw Goten just as chipper as ever, gently floating her down.
"That was close. Are you alright?" Goten asked as he let her go.
"Fine," the girl answered, dusting herself off. 'Except for my pride.'
The pair was interrupted by what sounded like clapping. "Not bad you guys," commented a familiar male voice. In the next instance, Goku warped right in between the two, startling the redhead and making her stumble back.
"Dad!" exclaimed Goten.
"Hey Son. I came back to see if you'd found Ranma yet when I saw you two running through the forest. Figured I'd wait and see how the fight ended. Although, what were you guys fighting about anyway?" Goku asked
"That girl said she knew where Ranma was and wouldn't tell me unless I beat her," Goten answered.
Goku raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Whadaya mean she'd tell you where he is? You already found him," said Goku.
Now it was Goten's turn to be confused. "Wait, what?"
"Goku, he doesn't know about that yet," said the redhaired girl.
"Oh yeah! Goten wasn't there when you showed us," Goku realized.
"Showed you what? What are you guys talking about?" asked Goten.
The girl sighed before turning back to Goten. "Believe it or not kid, I am Ranma," she finally revealed.
"What are you talking about? You're a girl and Ranma's a boy, and his hair's black," exclaimed Goten.
"Long story short kid, I turn into a girl whenever I get wet with cold water," Ranma explained.
Goten could only give Ranma a look of disbelief and confusion before Goku placed a hand behind his head.
"Come on. Let's head back home and we'll show you what we mean," said Goku. "Besides, I'm sure the others are waiting for us."
Ranma clung onto Goku's back as he and Goten ascended into the sky and made off for home. They could've used Goku's Instant Transmission, but Goku was adamant in not wanting to scare the girls again, so he opted not to this time.
As Ranma rode along with Goku, her thoughts never shifting from her two bouts with Goten. She's suffered her share of humiliating defeats before, but none could even compare to the amount of embarrassment that came from getting beaten by a little kid...twice. That also begged the question, If a little boy could be this strong, how strong did that make Gohan, and for that matter, how strong could Goku be? The question remained on her mind as the three of them finally arrived back at the mountain home.
[Meanwhile, some time earlier]
Though the task was long and arduous, the girls finally got all the dishes cleaned and were taking a much deserved rest at the kitchen table.
"Finally, we're done," Videl stated wiping her forehead.
"Geeze...how do those guys eat so much?" Akane groaned.
"It's...hereditary dear. The boys get it from their father," Chi-Chi said half jokingly.
"Well...I can't really blame them. Your cooking was delicious!" Akane complimented.
"Thank you, I do my best."
"Although, and I mean no offense, but I have to say, I still think I prefer Kasumi's cooking," Akane quickly added.
"None taken."
Videl decided to add her two cents to the conversation. "Personally, I still think she's a notch or two below you. Now Kasumi and Nodoka together on the other hand...that may be a different story."
"Who's Nodoka?" asked Chi-Chi.
"Ranma's mother. She moved in not too long ago and helps out around the house. Like Videl said, when she AND Kasumi are cooking together, dinner's always extraordinary."
As she thought back to Kasumi and Nodoka's various dishes and let out a longing sigh. "I wish I could cook like that."
"Wait, so when Ranma said before that you couldn't cook..." Videl began.
Akane quickly cut her off. "Just cause he was...kind of right doesn't mean he can just insult me like that! Besides, I'm getting better!...sort of...I think..."
"If you're so adamant about learning how to cook, why not just ask your sister or Ranma's mother to help you?" asked Videl.
"I did, a few times in fact," Akane replied. "Let's...just say they didn't go well. Still I managed to make good food a few times...at least..."
As Akane trailed off, disappointment evident in her voice, Chi-Chi lightly tapped her shoulder.
"You know, if you want to learn to cook, I could probably help you," she said.
"...Really!?" Akane perked up.
"Of course. I've shown Videl a thing or two about how to navigate the kitchen. I don't mind taking in another 'student'," said Chi-Chi.
"Well..." Videl bashfully giggled. "I'm no gourmet chef, but I can at least cook for myself, and make a decent meal for two." she proudly proclaimed.
Before Akane could give her answer, the front door could be heard opening.
"Oh, it looks like the guys are back," Chi-Chi beamed.
"Hey uh Chi-Chi, we need some hot water!" Goku called.
With a sigh, Chi-Chi grabbed a nearby tea kettle, which luckily still had some water inside and left to meet with the guys. "Excuse me a moment."
As Chi-Chi went to greet them, Akane stayed behind deep in thought. Truthfully, she wanted to accept Chi-Chi's offer instantly, but was understandably hesitant due to all her previous failed cooking lessons. Her thoughts were stirred however by an empathetic Videl.
"Akane, I say go for it. Chi-Chi's a really gifted cook. I don't know what may have happened with you in the past, but I can say from experience that if anyone would be able to teach you how to cook, it's her," she assured.
Akane remained silent giving the offer a brief extra moment of thought before her expression changed to one of determination. As she was about to respond to Videl, the two girls flinched at the sound of a surprised shriek.
Zipping out of the kitchen, the two girls dashed into the living room, and came across the scene of Goten on the floor staring wide eyed at a wet, male Ranma.
"What happened?" they asked.
"My curse was just a bit too much for the kid to handle," said Ranma. "Almost damn near had a heart attack."
"B-but how did you do that!? Are you like a wizard or something!?" Goten exclaimed.
"I ain't no magician, but there is magic involved. Either way, it's a lousy trick."
"Okay, okay, that's enough excitement for one night, wouldn't you say?" interjected Chi-Chi. "Goten, you should start getting ready for bed."
"Okay." Goten dashed upstairs, and while he ran, he couldn't help but think, 'I gotta tell Trunks about this!'
"I think I'll turn in too," Goku said following after Goten.
Once Goku and Goten disappeared, Chi-Chi turned to her three visitors and added, "On that note, I think it's time for you kids to start heading off for home."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Videl agreed.
"One sec. Just let me dry off first!" Ranma said darting to the bathroom.
As soon as Ranma was out of earshot, Akane lightly pulled Chi-Chi aside.
"Ms. Chi-Chi?"
"Yes?"
"Well...I've given it some thought...and I accept your offer." Akane proclaimed.
Chi-Chi paused for a second before her expression lit up. "Really!?"
Akane nodded. "I figured I've got nothing to lose so why not just go for it? Besides, any chance to make Ranma eat his words is worth taking!"
"Not the word's I'd have used, but I like your enthusiasm. Just stick with me and I'll make you into the kind of cook a good wife should be!" Chi-Chi declared.
Akane's enthusiasm briefly halted at that last statement, but nevertheless, she was grateful to Chi-Chi for accepting. "I'm...looking forward to it," she replied.
"Lookin' forward to what?"
The girls turned to see Ranma return, a towel in his hand.
"Oh...just the next time we come and visit...whenever that is," Akane replied.
"Oh..."
'Hmph...well then I guess that makes both of us,' thought Ranma. A scene of him overpowering Goten's Kamehameha with his Prideful Tiger Blast played over in Ranma's mind.
'You're not gonna tell him?' Videl whispered.
Akane nodded. 'No, I want to see the look on his face once he finds out he can never insult my cooking again,' she whispered back.
A scene of an apron clad Akane denying a begging Ranma more servings of food played in her head as a mischievous grin plastered it's way onto her face.
[A few moments later]
As the sun began to set at Mt. Paozu, an unlikely trio could be seen outside the doors of a familiar mountain home. Ranma, Akane, and Videl were all being sent off by Gohan, Goku and Chi-Chi.
"Today may not have gone exactly as planned, but it was fun to have you guys around," said Gohan. "Still, I'm sorry we didn't really get a chance to train today," he added turning to Videl.
"Forget about it Gohan. This just means I'll have to come back again soon," she said with a wink. "At the very least, today helped me realize just what I have to aim for," she added.
"That's the spirit Videl," said Goku. "And Ranma?"
"Yeah?"
"I can tell from you're fight with Goten that you have a lot of potential." he praised. "Keep training and someday, you can become a real force to be reckoned with."
Ranma was slightly taken aback by Goku's compliment. "Uh...thanks."
'Still, lotta good that potential did me when fightin' the kid,' he inwardly snapped.
"Akane..." Chi-Chi whispered.
"Hmm?"
"Whenever you want to get started, just let Videl know, and she'll pass it on to me, okay?"
"Sure thing."
After all was said and done, the aircraft sprung to life and ascended into the air with Gohan, Goku, and Chi-Chi all waving their goodbyes. As the plane disappeared into the sky, Gohan couldn't help but wonder what his mother was talking to Akane about.
[In the plane]
As soon as the three were a distance away from Gohan's house, Videl let out a low sigh. She didn't want to admit it in front of Gohan, but the fact that they hadn't made much progress training really bugged her, especially after their earlier encounter with Ryoga. The appoined time was drawing closer and the situation was starting to feel more or less hopeless. Still, Videl was never the type to give up (for better or worse). She just wished she had an idea of what her next course of action should be. Her contemplative look however, did not go unnoticed by Akane.
[Much later]
The gang finally arrived at the Tendo Dojo. The goodbyes were short and sweet this time as Videl hastily dropped off Ranma and Akane before blasting off into the sky again.
As Akane waved her friend off, her thoughts shifted to her expression on the plane. She could tell that Videl was still concerned over Ryoga, and after watching Ranma go all out against Goten, it seems that she finally fully understood what she was up against. Videl needed some serious help if she still insisted on fighting him. Though she initially pushed the thought aside earlier, Akane had a feeling there may be no more avoiding it. If Videl insisted on fighting Ryoga, then she needed to pay a visit to the Cat Cafe.
(A/N: Dang it, I wanted to get a chapter (as well as a Chapter of Shattered Academia) out BEFORE September ended. I also wanted to try making a reference to the song 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' in this A/N but I guess that ain't happening either. So, Ranma does get his rematch with Goten...sort of, and Goten gets...let's just call it a show (NGL, I thought about having F. Ranma completely exposed, but since Goten's only 7-8 years old here, I figured it probably wouldn't have as much impact on him for me to write a comedic scene with as opposed to say, if he were his DBS age...but then again, there was that scene in DB Fusions where he and Kid Trunks see Towa). As for the girls, it looks like they're both going to get some unexpected teachings. Akane from Chi-Chi and Videl from...well, you already know who it is, but stay tuned to see it unfold. Next time, we return to Nerima to see some familiar faces.)
PS: At the time of my posting this, I FINALLY found myself a new job! Fingers crossed that I'll be able to get a new laptop soon [Oh who am I kidding, my money's gonna be going towards Christmas shopping and Autumn/Winter game releases before I can get my hands on a new computer]!