Looking For Trouble

A Ranma ½ / Batman Fan Fiction

by

Jeremy Harper

Disclaimer – Ranma ½ is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. Batman is the creation of Bill Finger and Bob Kane. Both are used without permission.

Chapter 4

"Do you think Kuno will keep his word this time?" asked Nabiki.

"I believe him for now. But as for the future?" Ranma shrugged his shoulders. "Let's just say I'll be keeping a close eye on him until we're in Gotham."

"That's five months away," Akane pointed out, sounding a little unhappy.

"It'll be something to keep me occupied on slow nights," Ranma replied blandly.

The three teens were walking to Furinkan High School. Ranma had told the two Tendo sisters of his encounter with Kuno the previous night. He had not mentioned his saving Kuno's younger sister from a nasty fall afterwards, considering that a minor detail irrelevant to the situation at hand.

"I wish you didn't have to," continued Akane. "I wish the jerk would just leave me alone."

"I wish you would've kicked his dumb ass into next week," said Nabiki with some heat.

Ranma shrugged again. "For what's it worth, Akane, I think he will." He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone look so completely defeated before. I believe what you said to him yesterday, punctuated by that epic bitch-slap you gave him, finally drove home the fact you want nothing to do with him."

"I don't know if I really believe that, Ranma. I beat him up more times than I can remember, and all it seemed to do was encourage him."

"True, but don't forget he had Talia and her agents feeding his delusions. He doesn't have that sort of reinforcement anymore." He threw Nabiki a glance. "As for me beating him up... well, I couldn't. He looked so pitiful I couldn't find it in myself to do it. Besides, I doubt anything I could do to him physically would have compared to what he was doing to himself emotionally."

"I still think you should have done it," said Nabiki. "He deserves it."

"Yeah, I don't really disagree with you on that. But I don't beat up cripples, and that's what Kuno is right now – an emotional cripple. I'm a jerk, but not that big of a jerk."

"And if he recovers from being a cripple and starts harassing Akane again?"

"Then I'll teach him a lesson he'll be a long time in recovering from – if the Tomboy doesn't beat me to it." He flashed his fiancée a grin. Akane stuck her tongue out at him.

The three teens walked for a couple minutes in silent contemplation. During that time Akane noticed Ranma still seemed to be very watchful.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

Ranma hummed in response. "I think so."

"Is someone watching us?" Nabiki asked seriously. She remembered Ranma's comment on the walk to school yesterday.

"... No," Ranma said after a moment. "After visiting the Kuno estate I took some time to look around, see if I could flush anything out. I found nothing. False alarms happens sometimes."

"But you're still on the look out right now," said Akane.

"A little paranoia every once in a while never hurt anyone."

Nabiki shook her head. "You lead one hell of a strange life, Saotome."

"No argument there," said Ranma. He smiled a wide grin at the two sisters. "But it also can be a whole lot of fun."

Akane found her second day back at school to be less stressful yet paradoxically more frustrating than her first. On the positive side, she quickly learned that Kuno had been indefinitely suspended from school 'pending further investigation'. That last bit peeved her somewhat – he had orchestrated a continual campaign of harassment against her in front of dozens of witnesses for almost three months; just how much investigating was really needed? But on the whole she was immensely relieved that she would not have to deal with the upperclassman in the near future, and hopefully she would manage to avoid seeing him at all before she left for Gotham after New Year's.

Yet despite being nowhere near her, Kuno had managed yet again to complicate Akane's life. His brazen announcement of her engagement to Ranma had spread through the school like wildfire, and she found herself inundated with questions about her fiancé and their relationship. She followed Ranma's advice, simply stating that the engagement was just a formality to satisfy family honor and that it would be peaceably dissolved in the next few years. She did not know what she found more irritating – the students who did not believe her or the girls who did and started to express a rather perturbing (to Akane at least) interest in Ranma. It cost her a great deal of will not to tell those girls to keep away from him, but she managed. The last thing she wanted was to give the other students the wrong impression after swearing that the two of them were just friends. There was also the fact that she and Ranma were just that – friends. It was well within his rights to see, even date, anyone he chose to, though the thought of him actually doing so made Akane feel uneasy. She studiously avoided pondering just exactly why that thought disturbed her.

She also learned that Ranma was receiving his own fair share of attention – attention even more unpleasant than what she experienced. They had separated for lunch, Ranma wanting to explore the school grounds by himself, so Akane spent the period with Yuka and Sayuri, who listened to her vent with patient sympathy. Heading back to home room five minutes before the bell, they ran across Ranma being confronted by five boys near the front steps. Akane growled softly when she recognized the five as former participants in Kuno's campaign. Their posture was aggressive verging on openly threateningly, while Ranma seemed more amused by the situation than anything else; though she thought she could perceive a hint of annoyance in the way his mouth was quirked.

"You got some nerve, Saotome, just sweeping in here and taking Akane away for yourself," the largest of the quintet said.

Ranma rolled his eyes, his annoyance growing somewhat more pronounced. "First of all, I didn't do anything of the sort. This was agreed upon between the Tendos, my family and my guardian. They made the decision about the engagement. Second, there's nothing romantic going on between Akane and myself. We're friends. That's all. Finally, I don't appreciate you talking about her like she's some sort of prize. She a person, not a trophy to be fought over with no consideration for her feelings."

"Oh, you don't like the way I talk, huh?" The student thrust his chin out pugnaciously. "Whatcha ya gonna do about it, punk?"

"He doesn't have to do anything. I will!" She stormed up, fists clenched, her eyes blazing with anger. "You jerks! You promised to leave me alone, and as far as I'm concerned your promise includes not harassing my friends. I should thrash the whole lot of you for this!"

Four of the five boys flinched back, cowed by both the object of their deluded affection's anger and the memory of the ferocious masked man that had wrested their vow to stop pursuing Akane in such an aggressive fashion. The student haranguing Ranma hunched his shoulders momentarily but then sneered at him.

"Aren't you a tough guy, letting a girl fight your battles for you."

Ranma's expression stiffened briefly, then relaxed into a lazy, contemptuous smile. "You're a dumbass. Take a shot at me."

The student stared at him. "What?"

"Don't you understand Japanese? I shouldn't be surprised, considering you couldn't understand the words 'no' and 'not interested for months. Take your best shot at me. If you tag me, even just graze me, I'll kowtow to you and break my engagement to Akane right here and now, leaving her free to date anyone she wants." Ranma's grin grew wider. "Not that she'd ever give you the time of day. I mean, look at you. Even if you hadn't pissed her off by attacking her for three months running, I know for a fact that she has way too much class to be interested in knuckle-scraping, mouth-breathing Neanderthals."

The student's face twisted in anger. "You sonnova-!" His fist snapped out. Ranma checked the punch by grabbing the other boy's wrist and twisting it. The student's face paled sharply and he let out a low cry. Ranma continued to apply pressure, forcing him to double over, high-pitched whimpers of pain falling in a torrent from his lips.

Ranma looked at him, still smiling, then looked at the student's four friends. They immediately shuffled away from him. Ranma glanced around at the crowd of students that had been attracted by the commotion.

"Akane and I are friends," Ranma announced, raising his voice so to be heard over his over-matched opponent's groans and pleadings. "One of the reasons we became friends is because we bonded over a shared interest – martial arts. My father is an absolute fanatic about them and started training me when I began walking. I was his student until I was ten, and afterwards I had the good fortune to be taught by masters even better than he was. To put it plainly, I am not someone you want to screw with."

He emphiszed this by putting slightly more pressure on the idiot's wrist, causing him to cry out sharply and fall to his knees. Ranma pushed the student away, releasing his lock. The student fell on his rear and scrambled away, clutching at his aching wrist. Ranma ignored him, focusing on his four friends.

"Do you have any other objections about me being Akane's fiancé?" he asked. They frantically shook their heads. "Good. Keep it that way." He glanced around again, shrugged, and climbed up the steps to the school's front doors, Akane following. Once inside she looked at him closely; his expression seemed neutral, but his eyes glittered hotly.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Ranma shrugged and grimaced.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I'm finally, truly understanding how big a bunch of fools the boys in your school are. Don't get me wrong, I had a pretty good idea they weren't the sharpest swords on the rack to begin with, but I didn't realize until now just how moronic these guys are. Damn." He shook his head in mock-amazement.

"They are pretty dumb, no question." She smiled softly. "But they are bright enough to be scared. I don't think you'll have to worry about anyone else picking fights with you again."

Ranma smirked. "Too bad. Thrashing twenty or thirty idiots every morning would make for a good warm-up."

Akane snorted. "Trust me, that gets old real fast," she retorted. She looked quickly around to make sure no one was close by before adding quietly: "Besides, they'd stop after the first time you beat them all up. You are no where near as nice as me, after all."

Ranma chuckled. "Very true. I'm also no where near as cute, so they wouldn't have the motivation to keep up with it."

Akane blushed slightly at the complement.

Things were calmer the next day at Furinkan, much to Akane and Ranma's relief. They still had to deal with a few questions and were subject to curious looks, but at least no one tried to accost Ranma again.

The two students had gym class that day, and Ranma had the opportunity to display some of his gymnastic ability. He did not reveal his full abilities, of course, but he was feeling cocky and wanted to show off. Afterwards he sat down on the field and watched the girls' class play softball. To his complete lack of surprise Akane was captain of one of the teams, and her team was in the lead. Ranma leaned back on his arms as he watched the game. Two other boys in his class, Hiroshi and Daisuke, had joined him. They asked him questions about living in the States and Gotham City, which he fielded as easily as Akane fielded pop-flies to right field.

At least, he was fielding them easily until Hiroshi asked: "So level with us, how far have you gotten with Akane?"

Ranma blinked. "Say what?" he said flatly.

Daisuke chuckled. "Come on, don't be shy. You're her fiancé, aren't you?"

Ranma rolled his eyes. "Technically yeah, but it's just a formality. We're engaged to satisfy family honor and keep her old man and my idiot parents off our backs. We're breaking it off once I turn twenty-one."

The two boys looked a bit surprised by the venom in his tone. "You don't like your parents much?" Daisuke asked.

Ranma shrugged. "Let's just say I have good reasons for living in Gotham City and leave it at that."

Daisuke gave him a curious look, but Hiroshi just shook his head sharply. "We're getting off topic. You seriously mean to tell us that you haven't gotten to at least first base with Akane?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because we're friends – pretty good friends, considering we've only know each other for few weeks, but that's all we are."

Hiroshi laughed incredulously. "I can't believe it. You're not blind, are you? You know just how hot she is?"

"No, I'm not," Ranma said. "But I can appreciate her looks without being an ass about it."

"You're a better man than I am, Saotome," said Daisuke. "If she was my fiancée I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off of her."

"You try to put your hands on her without her permission, she'll break 'em." Ranma was growing annoyed and some anger was bleeding into his voice. And then I'd break you, he thought viciously. "I'd appreciate it if you'd stop talking about my friend like she's a toy. She had more than her fair share of that garbage from that samurai-wannabe who got suspended."

Both young men flinched a bit from the fierce glare of his sharp blue eyes. "Okay, okay," said Hiroshi, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "Sorry."

"Yeah, we didn't mean any harm."

"Unh," grunted Ranma. He blew out a breath to calm himself. "Fine."

"So, just to clarify, you really have no interest in Akane as anything more than a friend?" asked Hiroshi.

Ranma hesitated briefly before retorting. "No."

A loud 'crack' sounded from the softball field. Without looking Ranma lifted his hand to catch the softball shooting toward his head. It slapped loudly against his palm and he easily kept hold of it.

The boys in the gym class all looked at him in amazement. "Woah," Daisuke muttered.

Ranma stared at the ball and blinked. "Huh." He looked toward the softball field, where all the girls were looking at him wide-eyed. Akane was at the plate, bat in hand. She looked somewhat pale, having realized she had nearly beaned him on the head.

Ranma jumped to his feet, took a few steps and threw the softball toward the pitcher. "You're suppose to hit the ball between the baselines, Tomboy," he called out.

Akane glared, sticking her tongue out at him and pulling down an eyelid before turning back to the game. Ranma chuckled and watched her. He was smirking, but his smirk was fond, maybe even a little tender.

"You sure you're not interested in her, Saotome?" Daisuke asked slyly. Ranma glowered slightly but otherwise ignored the question.

"How have things gone today, Akane?" Yuka asked as they and Sayuri settled beneath a tree behind the school for lunch.

"Better," said Akane. "At least I'm getting fewer questions about Ranma now." She rolled her eyes a little.

"I can't really blame the other girls," Sayuri chimed in. "I mean, he's very cute and you both said that you're just friends, despite of being engaged."

"I... guess," admitted Akane, frowning slightly.

"Is it bothering you?" asked Yuka. "The other girls being interested in him?"

"A little. I mean, I know they aren't going to challenge him to fights in an effort to get to date him. It's not as if they're as stupid as the boys here."

"That's not saying much," said Sayuri. "The amoebas we studied in biology last semester are smarter than Furinkan boys." The three friends laughed at that.

"Still," continued Akane, "Ranma really doesn't want the attention."

Yuka hummed softly. "How about you, Akane, are you interested in him?"

"What?" Akane blushed a little. "No, of course not! Don't get me wrong, he's a really good guy, and we've become great friends, but nothing is going on between us. He's not interested."

"Yeah, and we also know Akane has her eye on someone else," drawled Sayuri.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Akane replied, sincerely baffled.

"Really? The name Nightwing doesn't ring a bell?"

Akane's blush intensified, and her eyes darted upward. Yuka looked at her, suddenly very interested.

"That's... that's absurd, Sayuri!" Akane exclaimed. "I barely know him."

"Even though he's helped you out, what, three times?"

"It's not like we got to hang out afterwards!"

"So are you telling us you don't think he's hot?"

"Yes! I mean... no! I mean... ugh!"

"It's okay, Akane," Yuka patted her on the arm. "Sayuri's just teasing. And it's alright if you have a bit of a crush on him. I think most of the girls at school are crushing on Nightwing. He's a really good looking guy, and it was so cool the way he scared off all the perverts."

"Good looking is selling him short," said Sayuri. "He's gorgeous. And that bodysuit and mask make him look so mysterious and sexy." She grinned naughtily at her friends. "I don't know about you two, but if Nightwing ever found me alone and told me to bend over my desk and hike up my skirt, I'd be all like, 'yes, daddy'."

"Oh my God," Akane groaned, burying her burning face into her palms.

"I really can't believe you sometimes," said Yuka, shaking her head, a blush of her own staining her cheeks.

"I'm just telling you the truth," Sayuri laughed.

Akane dropped her hands and gave her friend a gimlet stare. "I'm not talking about this anymore," she said primly as she reached for her bento.

Classes had ended for the day, and as students headed out they noticed a stranger standing inside the gates, leaning against one of the posts, muscular arms folded across a broad chest. He was a foreigner, around the same age as most of the students, with bright green eyes and deep red hair cut very short, dressed in a tight red tee-shirt and blue jeans. He was looking at the school's front doors, obviously waiting for someone, a pleased smile playing across his lips. The smile became a grin when Ranma and Akane emerged from the school, school bags slung over their shoulders as they chatted with each other.

The stranger pushed off the post and trotted toward them, throwing up a hand. "Hey yo!" he called out.

Ranma and Akane looked up at the call. Both teens smiled brightly at the sight of him and immediately walked to meet him.

"Hey buddy!" Ranma said, grabbing the teen's hand and playfully bumping shoulders with him. "I wasn't expecting to see you until maybe Friday."

"We managed to get in a little early," Roy Harper said. "Dig doesn't really need my help at Queen Consolidated right now, so I figured I'd swing by and see how you guys were doing."

"Hello, Roy," Akane said, giving her newest friend a welcoming hug. "It's wonderful to see you again."

"Great to see you too, kid." His smile faded a little when she stepped back. "Things going alright here?" he asked, giving a sideways glance around the school grounds as he recalled the outrageous situation Akane had to deal with during her first semester in high school. He noticed that many students had stopped to watch them, curious about the gaijin who was obviously friends with the school idol and her glamorous new fiancé.

Akane frowned a little. "The first day back was a little rough," she said with a soft sigh, but her expression quickly brightened. "But things are a lot better now."

Roy nodded. "You'll have to fill me in, but I'm happy to hear you don't have to break heads just to get to class."

"We got that pretty much settled for now," said Ranma.

"Roy!" The three teens turned toward the school doors to see Nabiki bearing down on them. The Furinkan students started to whisper and gossip among themselves. While Nabiki was not exactly running, she was walking very quickly, and no one could ever recall seeing the Ice Queen of Furinkan smile the way she was right now. She went right up to Roy, dropping her school bag and glomping on to him tight.

Roy laughed, hugging her back. "Hey babe."

Nabiki tightened her own embrace before leaning away from him, hands laced around the back of his neck, her eyes bright with good humor and her smile mischievous.

"So, what did you bring me?" she drawled.

Ranma's eyes narrowed at the comment, lips pursing. Akane rolled her own eyes slightly, but smiled fondly at the interplay between her older sister and her friend.

Roy simply laughed and smirked. "What, my grand and glorious self ain't enough for you?"

Nabiki's lips quirked as she mock-pondered his question. "Well... if that's all you have, I guess it'll have to do." She grinned and hugged him again, letting out a little squeal. The spectating students were dumbfounded, never imagining Nabiki Tendo, of all people, capable of making such a happy girlish sound.

"Huh," muttered Ranma, his expression softening.

"I'm so happy that you're back in Japan, Roy," Nabiki declared. Her grin became devilish as she stood on her tip toes and whispered something into his ear. Roy blinked in surprise, his tanned cheeks darkening slightly. Ranma's brows shot up – he could not recall the last time he saw Roy blush.

"That's definitely something to look forward to," he said, voice a bit hoarse. He coughed to clear it, recovering his poise. "But right now, how about we head over to that Neapolitan Ice Cream parlor. I liked the food there. My treat?"

Nabiki nodded happily at the suggestion, as did Akane. Ranma shrugged and smiled. "You know I never turn down free food. One of the few useful lessons my fool of an old man taught me. Lead on." They headed for the school gates, Roy grinning, extremely happy to have his new girlfriend on his arm and two good friends at his side.

Ranma was one of the last students to leave Furinkan the next day. The vice-principal had called him up to the office to discuss Tatewaki Kuno's attempted assault. He was surprised it had taken until Thursday for Furinkan's administration to interview him. But perhaps he should not have been – they had let Akane be ridiculously and violently harassed for the entire first term. Them taking three days to talk to him was minor in comparison to that irregularity.

He walked through the school gates, bag slung over his shoulder and whistling happily. He was meeting with Akane, Roy and Nabiki at his house, after which the four of them were going to take the train to Ahkihabara to look around and shop for a few hours. While Ahkihabara was not exactly his first choice of a place to hang out, Ranma was glad to get the chance to spend time with Roy. As much as he enjoyed Akane's company, he was missing his other friends. Late August, and the chance to see Donna, Wally and Garth, could not come soon enough.

He was walking down the street toward his house when he slowed his pace. A few blocks ahead he spotted Nabiki and Kuno. They were talking quietly, both of them looking agitated. Nabiki had her arms crossed defensively across her chest and was scowling at the taller student. Kuno, dressed in his kendoist uniform, was looming over her, on the boundary of her personal space. His face was wan and pale, making him look sickly, and he was speaking sharply and emphatically. Nabiki suddenly grimaced, nodded her head toward the alleyway they stood before, then walked into it, Kuno following her so closely he was practically treading on her heels.

Ranma frowned deeply, briefly wondering what to do before choosing a course of action. He quickly scanned his surroundings, making sure no one was around then jumped up to the roof of the building he stood by, easily clearing the gutter and landing without a sound. He traversed rooftops until he reached the alley Nabiki and Kuno had entered, and squatted down by the edge to eavesdrop.

"No," Nabiki said.

"But Nabiki Tendo," whined Kuno.

"No means no, Kuno. I would think you'd understand that by now, considering how often that's been beaten into your thick skull."

"Just one more, Nabiki Tendo. That's all I ask. One more." Ranma pursed his lips, eyes narrowing. He did not like the tone of Kuno's voice. It reminded him too much of an addict trying to wheedle one more hit from the dealer who just cut him off.

"You must have over a hundred of them by now. Why the hell do you need another one?"

"I... I am too familiar with my collection. I need something fresh. Though it is beneath my dignity, I beg you. Procure for me one more picture of my fierce tigress and I'll pay you-"

"NO!" Nabiki cut him off, spitting out the word. "I don't want to hear it. I never should have sold those to you in the first place."

Pictures? Wondered Ranma. He suddenly remembered all the photos and posters of Akane that he had seen adorning Kuno's bedroom walls, when he infiltrated the Kuno estate in search of his missing fiancée. Understanding hit him hard, and he had to clench his teeth hard to keep an explosive, angry breath from hissing through them.

"But Nabiki -"

"Get out of my way and leave me alone."

Ranma heard a grunt then rapid footsteps. He risked a peek down into the alleyway, spying Kuno slumped against a wall, face buried in his hands, looking completely pathetic, and Nabiki storming out of the alley and turning onto the sidewalk.

Ranma stood up, shaking his head sharply, fist clenched tight at his sides. He jumped across the alley, chasing after Nabiki. He let her get a couple of blocks away from Kuno before he dropped down directly in front of her path. She let out a little shriek of surprise, clapping a hand over her mouth and staggering back.

"Ranma!" she shouted. "What's the big deal? You nearly scared me to..." She trailed off, color draining from her face when she noted the arctic chill of the glare he transfixed her with.

"We need to talk, Nabiki," Ranma snarled. "And we need to talk now."

Author's Notes: Thanks once again to the wondrous Pursemonger for taking time from her busy schedule to pre-read my work. She has definitely helped improve the quality of my writing.

Hopefully the next chapter of School Daze won't take another two years to finish.