A/N: Hey there friends! New chapter for the new story. I've decided on balancing my spare time between this story and In the Midst of Battle because... well, I don't know why. :) But that's my decision. Hope this story draws more of a crowd. Okay then. On with the show!

DISCLAIMER: Don't own Ranma 1/2. Geez, I feel like I'm insulting people's intelligence by continually repeating myself. I apologize in advance. :)

Chapter Two - King of Fools

"Tim was so learned he could name a horse in nine languages. So ignorant that he bought a cow to ride on."

- Benjamin Franklin

Geez, what a mess. Akane shifted through the remains of whatever had been in the park trash can before it had been set ablaze. She quickly pulled back the rotting stick she had been using in her search as the pitter patter of distant feet became evident to her remarkable hearing.

"Akane, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't go rummaging through my work." Akane snorted as she stood, turning to face the annoyed expression of her friend and co-worker. The girl before her shook her head in frustration as she caught a glimpse of the tool Akane still held. Akane cleared her throat, hiding the stick with one hand behind her back and grinning sheepishly.

"I only wanted to check for the bullets missing from the tree trunk, Kagome."

The said young woman laughed scornfully, and spoke as if she were scolding a child.

"My dear, dear, Akane. I will only tell you this one more time... that's my job. Contrary to popular opinion, I don't get paid for cleaning upyour messes." Kagome smiled at the sour expression of the young police officer, bending over the trash can remains just as Akane had done moments before. She touched one gloved finger to a partially charred piece of paper. A document, maybe... but she couldn't read it.

She stood abruptly, giving Akane a teasing glare and gesturing toward the young culprit seated in the back seat of a police vehicle. "Shouldn't you be attending to your dashing charge? He looks awfully lonely." Akane sighed, glancing behind her to follow the analyst's finger. The said young man- as if feeling their attentions directed toward him- turned to meet Akane's frazzled expression. He held her curious gaze for a moment before snorting abruptly and turning away.

"He seems somewhat... chilly in manner. Don't you think?" Akane returned, crossing her arms before her chest. Kagome only smiled charmingly and winked. At that, Akane seemed pleased to duplicate the afore mentioned man's childish actions in the most unladylike snort ever to grace her lips.

"Looks like our perp used some kind of alcohol to really get this bonfire going. I'm pretty sure that the fire started with this piece of paper here, though." She commented, returning to her professional manner.

"Alcohol like...?"Akane questioned. Kagome nodded, "Like beer." She stated bluntly. She ran her un-gloved hand through her long raven locks, frustrated, "Right now, I really can't say this fire had anything to do with the murder. It could've just been the old man's means of staying warm."

"Well, he definitely had the right idea, then." Akane responded grumpily, running her numb hands up and down her arms in a futile attempt to discourage her goose bumps. The young officer sighed after a moment, sympathizing with her friend's difficult job.

"As always, you've got your work cut out for you Kagome." Akane stood from squatting next to the burnt mass, and lifted a lazy hand in departure. Kagome smiled, calling, " I'll send someone down to you when I get some results. Have fun with killjoy over there." She smiled to herself and continued her work as Akane grumbled fretfully under her breath all the way to the police car.


"Oh, don't stop talking to yourself on my account. By all means, continue." Ranma commented snidely as Akane neared his open window. Akane considered pulling out her gun and giving him a good butt to the head, but decided wisely against it. Instead she plastered a weak smile on her face and tore the latex gloves from her small hands.

"Did the 'you have the right to remain silent' part of our speech somehow escape your patient ears at some point during the evening?" He only smirked irritatingly and replied, "I have a natural aversion to stupid people in uniform." Akane blanched, responding before she could even think, "Idiot! You're digging your own grave, saying things like that! Do you want to go to jail?"

"I'm not too worried about that, miss. You shouldn't be either." Akane only shook her head, her eyes permanently bulging half-way out of their sockets from shock at his careless view of his arrest. She walked around the side of the car, taking her place at the front wheel. Her version of a police car was a smooth black BMW with leather seats and a makeshift cage to keep the villains in the back seat, out of the front seat. There was a solid metal bar that ran the length of the back right and left doors in which to safely secure the prisoner's handcuffs. Up front, Akane buckled her sleek seatbelt, and fiddled with the car radio until she found her preferred station. Ranma groaned.

"Great. Out of all the cops I could have gone to the station with, I get stuck with the chick blasting Backstreet Boys. This must be what Hell is like." He pulled grudgingly at the cuffs that secured his hands. Once. Twice. Then he was free. He quickly plunged his fingers into his ears.

"This isn't the Backstreet boys, idiot. It's the Beatles. There's no connection whatsoever."She spared a moment to glance at him through her rearview mirror, and abruptly stomped on the brakes, screaming, "What the hell?" as they careened sideways toward the deserted sidewalk. Ranma swiftly unplugged his ears, allowing one eye to open and notice that they were dangerously close to flattening a dark blue postal box.

And she couldn't drive. Great. He gripped the back of the seat in front of him, readying himself for the jolt, but getting his face smashed against the cage in front of him just the same. They hit the mailbox... hard... and stumbled into the brick wall beside it. She had to have been going pretty fast to hit the wall with such conviction. Maniac.

"What are you trying to do!" He screamed at her from his inconvenient spot against the cage. A second later and the air bags popped in motion, suffocating her answer out of her. There was a slight cut, about an inch long across her forehead- a result from when a glass piece from her front window shattered. The front door opened, and she clumsily dragged herself out from behind the air bag. Her breathing was heavy as she knelt on the floor, but she quickly recovered, whipping her gun out from her black slacks and aiming it right between his eyes.

"What am I doing? What am I doing? You just slipped out of your handcuffs!" She was all but in hysterics. Obviously, nothing like this had ever happened to her before. What a boring job it must be.

"So?" He asked, puzzled. He showed her his hands, waving them to and fro. "I'm not going to try anything! What's your problem?" He screamed back, trying to be heard above her babbling. She pulled the back door open viciously, keeping a gun pointed at him, one hand grabbing his forearm and yanking him out of his seat and into the street. Maybe he should have kept the handcuffs on.


Akane watched warily as Ranma slowly made his way out of the car. She cursed herself inwardly. How could she have allowed him to do that? And her car! What a waste! As soon as he was fully out of the vehicle, she lunged for his hands, bringing them behind him as he simply let her take action. He looked confused - it was kind of... adorable. Bleah. There she goes again.

"Wow, you really did a number on that car of yours. Yeesh." Ranma remarked, wincing as the rear-view mirror dangled for a moment before crashing to the cement. Akane scowled behind him, shoving yet another pair of handcuffs on his wrists.

"Shut up."

"Hey! Watch it!" He whined as she tightened the cuffs so they were turning his hands slightly blue. She pushed him lightly so he leaned against the broken car's trunk.

"Don't move or I'll shoot you." She emphasized her threat with a click of the safety on her gun. Akane returned to the driver's side door and yanked it open, nearly crying when she accidently pulled it off it's hinges out of pure rage.

"Dammit!" She was just so angry right now.

Whipping out her radio, she fiddled with it for a few minutes, beating it heavily against the roof of the car, before it began crackling violently.

"I need... assistance. Immediately." She spoke awkwardly. There was a short intermission of static, which Ranma assumed must have been the other officer responding.

"On Mulberry right before the intersection. Yeah. Thanks." She slammed the radio back into it's receiver, (A/N: Or whatever you call it ; ), and strode angrily toward Ranma's lazy position leaned against the car.

"Do you normally get this excited over a case?" He asked, grinning as she noticeably grit her teeth.

"No, Smartass. I always drive my car into walls in order to spend quality time with murderers while we wait to be towed. It's how I get my kicks in life." Akane responded cynically. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him. He shrugged uncomfortably under her scrutiny, but remained leaning against the car.

"Where are your handcuffs?" She asked suspiciously, pulling him up and spinning him around. His hands remained clasped together, but the handcuffs were now dangling from his fingers. They clinked together as she reached for her gun once more. Before she knew it, though, she was on the floor, the gun kicked from her grip, and her hands held tightly behind her back.

"What are you -" She was cut off when Ranma slapped a hand over her mouth. Akane immediately began to struggle, using her many years of training and accumulated strength to no avail.

"Listen up. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to let you go, but if you make any noise, I'll have to knock you out... alright?" Akane nodded vigorously, her eyes shut loosely and her eyebrows knitted together. Ranma slowly withdrew his hands, allowing her to sit up and lean against the tire of her car. She looked at him for a long moment, no emotion visible in her clear chocolate eyes. She took a deep breath, keeping her eyes glued to her attacker.

"You son of a -" she screamed angrily before Ranma slapped a calloused hand over her mouth once more, pushing her back against the hub cap until it dug into her back. She attempted to bring her arms out in front of her so that she might deck him properly, but realized with dread and some amazement, that her fists were handcuffed together. With her handcuffs.

"What the hell did I just say?" Ranma demanded angrily, bringing his face close to hers. Her eyes grew wide as she kicked violently with her legs. Ranma abruptly switched his position so that he was sitting on top of her swinging legs. He sighed with some exaggerated drama.

"Now I can't trust you." Her eyes instantly narrowed and she spit out a muffled reply. Ranma puzzled over her mouthful of words that he couldn't understand.

"What?"

"Mmufd duu uuu mmnabd?"

"Say again?"

Akane growled and bit into his palm with anger. He yelped, "Youch!", yanking his hand away and cradling it protectively before his chest. She almost laughed at the wounded expression on his face. Almost.

"I said, what do you want, jerk?" His attention returned to her once more, and he grinned childishly.

"How 'bout a date?"

"How about you go to hell?" Akane screamed back in frustration.

A siren could be heard in the distance, drawing steadily nearer. Ranma cursed under his breath - Akane's heart cheered. Suddenly, he turned to her. His expression was serious, his eyes sincere. She sucked in a breath, admiring the crystal beauty of his eyes.

"I didn't kill the old man. A true martial artist would never killwith a gun." And just like that, he was gone. Vanished. Disappeared.

The police cars arrived, rushing over to Akane as she sat puzzling over the escapee. One man asked, as if on cue, "Where's the suspect?"Akane glanced up, her gaze clouded with thought, and shrugged. The man started barking out orders, sending men to search after the escaped man. "He couldn't have gotten far."

And here she had thought she knew everything there was to know about her job. She had thought she had seen every kind of criminal out there. She was so ignorant. She was nowhere close.

"Are you alright Akane? He didn't hurt you?" Akane looked up at a different man in front of her, her eyes clearing in recognition.

"No Kouga. I'm alright." Kouga nodded, his expression serious. He bent over her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Do you want me to catch him? I can still smell his scent." Akane met his eager gaze with surprise. Did she want to catch him? After a moment, she shook her head.

"No. Let him go for now." Sometimes, you just had to follow your instincts. Her gut was telling her that that man was innocent. And it wasn't just because he had a nice ass.


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