The clock was ticking.
This was not unusual as clocks were meant to tick.
There were a lot of individuals looking at the clock as well, counting the seconds until they had to leave.
This was also not unusual as the time honoured past time of clock watching started early in North America, specifically as children waiting to watch their favourite show or for classes to end.
What was unusual was every one of these individuals was wearing what, for ordinary people, would be considered some of the gaudiest clothes imaginable.
The entire Titans team was nervously watching the clock and the monitors at the same time, hoping and praying for some type of action before...
"There has to be something happening!" exclaimed Roy Harper as he impatiently paced in the cramped room. "A supervillain, a bank robbery, a natural disaster, something!"
"I'm afraid not Arsenal. The JLA are going all out in answering every call they can. Young Justice is on standby as per the rulebook, and individual heroes and reservist are racing around the world to find anything they can," reported a dejected Jessie Quick.
The rest of the team groaned at that. They had become efficient in the past six months. Too efficient. Then again, they had reason to be.
In the past six months, the training regime that they had been subjected to was horrendous. It was beyond any scale that could compare, and EVERY superhero with access to the Watchtower, or who was 'chosen' to attend training was doing everything they could to stay out of it. And it was all Batman's fault!
In the past they had feared the Bat and, although he claimed to be human, people had doubted it.
Heroes around the world were now cautious, none willing to cross the Bat or his family ever again. If He said jump, the answer was not how high, but just do so and keep going until He stated that you were allowed to come down. The Bat had proven beyond any doubt that He and His family were not mortals by any stretch of the imagination, although the older Titans, such as Starfire or Cyborg maintained they were.
The clock struck. There was no helping it. As one, the members of the Titans, minus their leader Nightwing, made their way to the transporters, and their eventual, sore, aching, bodies.
"Damn Superman! Why couldn't he leave something for us to do?" muttered Roy under his breath.
Suffer a gunshot? It was nothing they couldn't handle. Survive what Chaos called the 'basics', that was another matter entirely.
Chaos was not having a good time.
"Promise." his opponent said in English, glaring at him behind her mask.
"Train." he countered, not willing to discuss what she wanted. Blasted girl! Didn't she realize he had an important job to do? His father had a lot to answer for, always getting him engaged to violent maniacs.
"Fine!" the girl answered and took her stance. The idiot was forcing her to make him take a day off.
Knowing her prowess, he too took a stance. The room was quiet for about thirty seconds, and then the battle began...
The Titans looked in awe at this "training session" between Batgirl and Chaos. It was unbelievable. Leaping to heights of twenty to thirty feet in Earth-normal gravity, blows that would certainly destroy reinforced titanium alloy, and growls that were reminiscent of a wild animal. And that was from Batgirl!
Chaos was just leaping around and dodging at speeds that would make the Flash green with envy. It was certainly doing so to Jessie Quick, who wondered how someone, who claimed to be a normal human and who's blood tests and DNA scans indicated this fact, could break the sound barrier with seemingly little effort. It elaborated just how little they knew about Chaos.
The Titans heard Batgirl growl over the speakers, "Date!"
Chaos was heard to reply, "NO!"
Batgirl then glowed, and to their amazement shot her hands forward and a...force..of something that glowed blue, shot out of her hands and hit Chaos in the chest, knocking him down and out.
"Roy?" Argent asked in an awed whisper, "I thought Batgirl wasn't a Meta?"
Roy winced. "She isn't."
Batgirl grinned behind her mask. Finally! She was going to show him what a good time they could have. "Nightwing. Taking him to Gotham."
Nightwing faded into existence, and smirked at the downed trainer. "Don't beat up too many crooks. Leave some hunting for the rest of us."
"Just date. Crooks bonus." Batgirl stated as she took her fiancé off to the teleporter.
The Titans blinked as one. Their leader appeared out of no where, in the middle of a lit room. In their eyes it was confirmed. Bat's were not human.
But since their trainer was KO'd, who could blame them for trying to sneak off?
"Stop." a low voice growled to those Titans who were inching towards the door.
Turning, they saw Batman as he too had appeared, in the same room as they were in.
"You start training with your other instructor, now that Batgirl is taking Chaos for a date."
"WHAT!!!" Screamed Roy. "You have another instructor? Another...being like him?"
The Bat smiled at them, unnerving them even more. "No, he is Heaven, he is Earth, and he has been asked to improve some of your tendencies, starting with you Arsenal. I'm quite sure that his methods and his abilities will "
The Bat's smile took up his entire face as the dejected team went into the training room to face a young man who's face was also completely covered.
Nightwing came up to Batman, humour in his voice. "What's so funny, dad?"
"Nothing son, I just wanted to watch this particular training session."
"A few more weeks, and they might actually try to find more crimes instead of sitting in the Tower." Nightwing stated as he looked at his team. "Still, I wonder..."
"What"
"Do either Batgirl or Chaos know what a date is?"
Ranma smiled as he and Batgirl went after Two-faces gang. Batgirl was right. This was a fun date!
"See."
"Yes."
Catwoman, could only shake her head. "I'll get you for this Bruce. I promise, I will make you pay for making me trail them on this 'date'."
A short fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga and Video series, Ranma ½ Saotome Ranma is copyright 1987, 2004 by Takahashi Rumiko.
Publishing rights:
Japan: Shogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong: Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America: Viz Inc.
Also based upon the Tenchi Muyu and related series of Manga, books, movies, OVA's and television series created by Hayashi Hiroki and Masaki Kajishima
Masaki Tenchi is copyright by Pioneer LDC
Publishing rights:
Japan: Pioneer LDC
North America: Pioneer LDC, AIC, and Viz Inc.
Also based upon the Batman series created by Gil Kane
Bruce Wayne, Batman, Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, Richard Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner James Gordon, Barbara Gordon, Oracle, Catwoman, Selina Kyle, Joker, Two-face, Timothy Drake, Cassandra Cain, Superman, Donna Troy, Troia, Wonder Girl, Martian Manhunter, Orion, Eel O'Biran, Plastic Man, Wonder Woman, Kyle Raynor, Green Lantern, Brainiac, Lex Luthor, New Genises, Diana Prince, Princess Diana, Argent, Arsenal, Roy Harper, Jesse Quick, Flash, Gotham City, The Watchtower, Hall of Justice, Young Justice, Teen Titans, Kon El, Kal El, Clark Kent, Conner Kent, Smallville, and Planet Krypton are copyright 1936, 2004 by DC Comics, and Time-Warner Entertainment.
Publishing rights:
North America: Direct Current Comics
By Ichinohei Hitomi
This was not unusual as clocks were meant to tick.
There were a lot of individuals looking at the clock as well, counting the seconds until they had to leave.
This was also not unusual as the time honoured past time of clock watching started early in North America, specifically as children waiting to watch their favourite show or for classes to end.
What was unusual was every one of these individuals was wearing what, for ordinary people, would be considered some of the gaudiest clothes imaginable.
The entire Titans team was nervously watching the clock and the monitors at the same time, hoping and praying for some type of action before...
"There has to be something happening!" exclaimed Roy Harper as he impatiently paced in the cramped room. "A supervillain, a bank robbery, a natural disaster, something!"
"I'm afraid not Arsenal. The JLA are going all out in answering every call they can. Young Justice is on standby as per the rulebook, and individual heroes and reservist are racing around the world to find anything they can," reported a dejected Jessie Quick.
The rest of the team groaned at that. They had become efficient in the past six months. Too efficient. Then again, they had reason to be.
In the past six months, the training regime that they had been subjected to was horrendous. It was beyond any scale that could compare, and EVERY superhero with access to the Watchtower, or who was 'chosen' to attend training was doing everything they could to stay out of it. And it was all Batman's fault!
In the past they had feared the Bat and, although he claimed to be human, people had doubted it.
Heroes around the world were now cautious, none willing to cross the Bat or his family ever again. If He said jump, the answer was not how high, but just do so and keep going until He stated that you were allowed to come down. The Bat had proven beyond any doubt that He and His family were not mortals by any stretch of the imagination, although the older Titans, such as Starfire or Cyborg maintained they were.
The clock struck. There was no helping it. As one, the members of the Titans, minus their leader Nightwing, made their way to the transporters, and their eventual, sore, aching, bodies.
"Damn Superman! Why couldn't he leave something for us to do?" muttered Roy under his breath.
Suffer a gunshot? It was nothing they couldn't handle. Survive what Chaos called the 'basics', that was another matter entirely.
Chaos was not having a good time.
"Promise." his opponent said in English, glaring at him behind her mask.
"Train." he countered, not willing to discuss what she wanted. Blasted girl! Didn't she realize he had an important job to do? His father had a lot to answer for, always getting him engaged to violent maniacs.
"Fine!" the girl answered and took her stance. The idiot was forcing her to make him take a day off.
Knowing her prowess, he too took a stance. The room was quiet for about thirty seconds, and then the battle began...
The Titans looked in awe at this "training session" between Batgirl and Chaos. It was unbelievable. Leaping to heights of twenty to thirty feet in Earth-normal gravity, blows that would certainly destroy reinforced titanium alloy, and growls that were reminiscent of a wild animal. And that was from Batgirl!
Chaos was just leaping around and dodging at speeds that would make the Flash green with envy. It was certainly doing so to Jessie Quick, who wondered how someone, who claimed to be a normal human and who's blood tests and DNA scans indicated this fact, could break the sound barrier with seemingly little effort. It elaborated just how little they knew about Chaos.
The Titans heard Batgirl growl over the speakers, "Date!"
Chaos was heard to reply, "NO!"
Batgirl then glowed, and to their amazement shot her hands forward and a...force..of something that glowed blue, shot out of her hands and hit Chaos in the chest, knocking him down and out.
"Roy?" Argent asked in an awed whisper, "I thought Batgirl wasn't a Meta?"
Roy winced. "She isn't."
Batgirl grinned behind her mask. Finally! She was going to show him what a good time they could have. "Nightwing. Taking him to Gotham."
Nightwing faded into existence, and smirked at the downed trainer. "Don't beat up too many crooks. Leave some hunting for the rest of us."
"Just date. Crooks bonus." Batgirl stated as she took her fiancé off to the teleporter.
The Titans blinked as one. Their leader appeared out of no where, in the middle of a lit room. In their eyes it was confirmed. Bat's were not human.
But since their trainer was KO'd, who could blame them for trying to sneak off?
"Stop." a low voice growled to those Titans who were inching towards the door.
Turning, they saw Batman as he too had appeared, in the same room as they were in.
"You start training with your other instructor, now that Batgirl is taking Chaos for a date."
"WHAT!!!" Screamed Roy. "You have another instructor? Another...being like him?"
The Bat smiled at them, unnerving them even more. "No, he is Heaven, he is Earth, and he has been asked to improve some of your tendencies, starting with you Arsenal. I'm quite sure that his methods and his abilities will "
The Bat's smile took up his entire face as the dejected team went into the training room to face a young man who's face was also completely covered.
Nightwing came up to Batman, humour in his voice. "What's so funny, dad?"
"Nothing son, I just wanted to watch this particular training session."
"A few more weeks, and they might actually try to find more crimes instead of sitting in the Tower." Nightwing stated as he looked at his team. "Still, I wonder..."
"What"
"Do either Batgirl or Chaos know what a date is?"
Ranma smiled as he and Batgirl went after Two-faces gang. Batgirl was right. This was a fun date!
"See."
"Yes."
Catwoman, could only shake her head. "I'll get you for this Bruce. I promise, I will make you pay for making me trail them on this 'date'."
A short fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga and Video series, Ranma ½ Saotome Ranma is copyright 1987, 2004 by Takahashi Rumiko.
Publishing rights:
Japan: Shogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong: Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America: Viz Inc.
Also based upon the Tenchi Muyu and related series of Manga, books, movies, OVA's and television series created by Hayashi Hiroki and Masaki Kajishima
Masaki Tenchi is copyright by Pioneer LDC
Publishing rights:
Japan: Pioneer LDC
North America: Pioneer LDC, AIC, and Viz Inc.
Also based upon the Batman series created by Gil Kane
Bruce Wayne, Batman, Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, Richard Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner James Gordon, Barbara Gordon, Oracle, Catwoman, Selina Kyle, Joker, Two-face, Timothy Drake, Cassandra Cain, Superman, Donna Troy, Troia, Wonder Girl, Martian Manhunter, Orion, Eel O'Biran, Plastic Man, Wonder Woman, Kyle Raynor, Green Lantern, Brainiac, Lex Luthor, New Genises, Diana Prince, Princess Diana, Argent, Arsenal, Roy Harper, Jesse Quick, Flash, Gotham City, The Watchtower, Hall of Justice, Young Justice, Teen Titans, Kon El, Kal El, Clark Kent, Conner Kent, Smallville, and Planet Krypton are copyright 1936, 2004 by DC Comics, and Time-Warner Entertainment.
Publishing rights:
North America: Direct Current Comics
By Ichinohei Hitomi