Subject: Tales of Ranma & Nabiki 8
From: "Mr. the Rutsch" <jdrutsch@ucdavis.edu>
Date: 3/6/1996, 7:12 PM
To: fanfic@tendo-dojo.ranma.net


Tales of Ranma and Nabiki 8:
Rough Draft

"Ukyou!"
"Oh, hello Ran-chan!  What's up?"  Ukyou had been working on something
during lunchtime, but she set her papers aside and turned to face
Ranma.  Ranma sat down on the grass beside Ukyou.
"Nothing much..."
"Mmmm."
"Actually, there is something."
"What?"
"About yesterday."
"Oh.  Yeah.  What?" Ukyou looked a little uncomfortable.
"Well...I was just wondering what you meant, when you told mom about
our engagement." Ukyou looked to the side.
"We're engaged, aren't we?  I just mentioned it."
"Yeah, but there's more than that.  I mean, maybe I'm wrong, but it
seems that you...I dunnow.  Maybe meant something more.  It's probably
all in my mind....but..." Ranma didn't continue.
"Ranma..." Ukyou blushed.  "it's not, well...I told you our betrothal
was off."
"Then why..."
"I don't know.  I wasn't trying to make your mother call off your
engagement to Nabiki or anything.  It just...it seemed so fast.  One
second you were just sitting around the table, the next minute your
mother comes in and tells you that if you don't marry Nabiki you'll
have to commit seppuku."
"Yeah..."
"I guess I didn't want to see you forced into a decision."  Ranma
thought about this for a second.
"Ukyou..."
"Yeah?" Ukyou responded, with a hint of hesitancy in her voice.
"Thanks a lot.  But no thanks."
"What?"
"It's just...you're the first person I've told this to...so don't go
telling everybody or nothing..."
"Tell what?"
"I don't want Nabiki to think it's forced.  Because...it's not.  I'm
going to make a real proposal sometime soon."
"You are?"
"Yeah.  Tomorrow, or something."
Ukyou didn't know how to respond.  A tear formed in her eye, which
she wiped off with as quick and subtle a motion as possible.
Eventually, Ukyou broke the silence.
"That's hard to believe."
"You're tellin' me it's hard to believe" said Ranma.  Despite her
sorrowful state, Ukyou laughed.
"So what are you doing?  To propose?"
"Actually...I was kind of hoping you could...assist me."
"You want my advice?" Ukyou was a bit startled.
"Yeah.  Why do you look surprised?"
"Uhhh...No reason, I guess.  What are you thinking of doing?"
"Proposing."
"That's it?"
"Yeah" replied Ranma.
"I guess I can try to think of something."  Ukyou paused for a few
seconds before turning to face Ranma.
"So when would you get married?"
"I don't know.  Soon, I guess."
"Mmmm..." Ukyou wavered.  "I like what you said.  It's hard to
believe."
"Yeah." said Ranma.  He agreed, and he felt like he should expand on
what she said, but didn't know what to add.  After a few seconds, he
returned to the old topic.  "So got any ideas?  I can't think of
anything."
"Nabiki seems like the type of person who'd appreciate being 'swept
off her feet.'  Why don't you do something unexpectedly romantic?"
"Like roses and chocolate and limo rides and everything?"
"Maybe some of that.  But you're not trying to be Santa Claus."
"She'd go for it."
"I don't think so.  It seems to me like anything she can attach a
price tag to she views apathetically.  I mean, I haven't known her
that long, but..."
"Yeah, I think you're right." interrupted Ranma.
"Ok, here's an idea..."  for the next fifteen minutes Ukyou discussed
plans with Ranma.
"That sounds like a pretty good idea" said Ranma.
"Yeah...but not perfect."
"Well...it's hard to be perfect."
"That doesn't mean you can't try.  Want to work on it later today?"
"Sure."
"Ok.  While you're at it, you can drop by my new place, check it out!"
"Sounds good."
"So after work, okay?  Let me give you directions."
"Ukyou?"
"What?"
"I know it may have seemed kinda weird, me asking you how to propose
and all, when you're still my fiancee and everything."
"Yeah..." admitted Ukyou.
"I just wanna say...thanks."
"Thanks?"
"Thanks for helping out, and for your good ideas, and everything."
"It was...no problem."
"I hope we can stay friends..." Ranma stopped.  He looked
uncomfortable.
"Of...of course."
"I'll see you after school."
"You too, Ran-chan."
"Ok, bye!"

**

"Hey Ukyou..."  Akane walked up to Ukyou, still sitting on the grass.
"Oh, hello Akane!  C'mon, sit down!"
"Sure...ok." Akane sat in the grass beside Ukyou.
"So what's up?"
"Well...I saw you with Ranma."
"Yeah?"
"I was just wondering..." Akane came to a standstill.
"What he said?"
"Yeah.  I don't mean to sound petty, but I couldn't help but look.
And wonder."
"You like Ranma, don't you?" asked Ukyou.
"Ukyou!"
"Just asking."  Akane blushed.
"Maybe."
"Maybe.  Akane, well..." Ukyou paused before continuing.  "I think
Ranma's getting serious with Nabiki."
"Getting serious?  He's already betrothed to her, and now his mom's in
on it too!"
"True.  I meant...getting more serious."
"Getting more serious?"
"Yeah."
"You don't mean..."
"I...I can't say for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if he proposes
to her any day now."
"Oh my god."
"Yeah..." said Ukyou.
"I have to do something!"  Akane sounded agitated.  Ukyou put her hand
on Akane's shoulder to calm her down.
"Akane...I can't tell you what to do....but..."
"But what?!" asked Akane, raising her voice.
"Don't go too far."
"I have to do something!"
"Akane..."
"I'll never forgive myself if I don't!"
"Akane..."
"What?!"
"Sometimes there's nothing you can do.  Or should do.  You have to
accept that."
"I can't!"
"You have to try...you can't."
Akane sat on the grass, thinking.

**

After school at the Tendo household, nothing much was happening.
Nabiki was busy working on some problem with her abacus, Genma and
Soun were playing a game of Go, and Ranma was sitting at the table
looking bored.  Kasumi was busy serving tea and snacks to everybody.
Nodoka was busy talking to her husband and son.
"So you decided to train by the springs even though the guide told you
they were cursed?"
"Yes..." admitted Genma.
"And after you were transformed into a panda, you jumped up and
decided to push Ranma into a spring?"
"Not exactly...you see..."
"Oh." said Nodoka.
"It's not like that!  I mean, I was in a state of rage!  And
confusion!"
"Oh." said Nodoka.
"You can't know what it's like!  I've never been...in less control!"
"Oh." said Nodoka.  Genma didn't reply.  Nodoka continued.
"And then when you got here, you betrothed Ranma to Nabiki?"
"Yep." replied Nabiki, who continued to work on her abacus.
"Well, at least you did something right."
"Hard to believe, isn't it?" grumbled Genma.  Kasumi entered the room
and sat down to the side of Ranma.  Nabiki turned to face the
conversation.
"Mr. Saotome is very skillful managing Ranma's affairs." Kasumi said,
cheerfully.
"Yeah, don't I wish." replied Ranma.  Kasumi smiled.
"You're an excellent martial artist, Ranma.  Your father trained you
well."
"Thanks, Kasumi, but I'm not like world-class or anything."
"Sure you are" replied Kasumi.  "Besides," she said, "Nabiki likes you
enough to pause from her calculations.  He must have raised you well
for that to happen!"
"Kasumi!" replied Nabiki, turning to face her sister.  Kasumi flashed
a ridiculously happy smile at Nabiki.  Nabiki caught Kasumi's joke and
stuck her tongue out.  In response, Kasumi was about to say something,
but before she could she was startled by a loud crash to the side of
the room.  Everybody turned and look as one of the walls to the room
was demolished.
"Somebody just broke down the wall!" uttered a shocked Nodoka.
"You get used to it" responded Ranma, whispering.
"So," asked Soun, sternly, "who goes there?  And why didn't you use
the door?"
Through the hole walked a stranger to the family, although evidently
no stranger to Ranma.
"Sh...Shampoo?  What are you doing here?"
"You know this girl?" asked Nodoka.
"Long story, mom" replied Ranma.  Meanwhile, a hostile if
uncomfortable purple-haired Amazon approached Ranma.
"Uhhhh...long time no see, Shampoo.  I mean, not that I've ever seen
you before.  How did I know...uhhh...heard about..."
"Stop you stupid talk."  Ranma felt compelled to obey.  Shampoo
reached down to her hip pouch and opened two containers.  Nonchalantly
taking one, she doused the contents on Ranma.
"Wha'd you do that for?!" asked Ranma-chan.  Shampoo didn't reply,
only flashing a nasty look at Ranma.  She reached for the second
container and tossed the contents at Ranma.
"Hey!" replied Ranma-kun.  "You can't just come in here and..."
"Is true!  You a man!"
"Yep, I'm a man, all right."
Shampoo looked at Ranma with momentary indecision.  Eventually she
hugged Ranma passionately and spoke.
"Mota airen."
"Moda ailen?" asked Nabiki, still in a state of disbelief.
"My beloved husband" replied Nodoka.
"Oh my!" said Kasumi.  "Well, I imagine our guest will want a glass of
tea!"
"Uh...look Shampoo." said an uncomfortable Ranma, struggling to remove
himself from Shampoo's embrace.  "I uh...Well, I can't..."  Ranma
broke out of the embrace and started running away.  He couldn't get
too far before his progress was impeded by Shampoo, so he started
running around the room, Shampoo in chase.
"I hope this doesn't change your opinion of my son." said Nodoka to
Nabiki.  She ducked as Ranma jumped overhead.
"Of course not.  I mean, he wouldn't be running away if he was
interested in her." Nodoka smiled.
"There's still people who would have been jealous.  I know I would
have been."
"Nah" replied Nabiki, moving her arm to avoid being jumped on by
Shampoo.  "I mean, I know Ranma..." Nabiki paused.
"Loves you?"
"Yeah..."
"And you love him?"  Nabiki didn't answer.  Nodoka smiled and
continued.
"It gets easier every time you say it."
"Yeah...I love him."
"That's good."  Nodoka raised her hand to block her head in case
Shampoo made a careless jump, which didn't happen.
"When I..." Nabiki came to a halt.  "When I paused, I hope you didn't
think I didn't mean it."
"Of course not" replied Nodoka, sweetly.  Kasumi, arriving with some
tea for Shampoo, side-stepped a charging Ranma and sat by Nabiki and
Nodoka.
"I'm sorry for the chaos, Mrs. Saotome.  Ever since Ranma and Mr.
Saotome arrived life has been so unpredictable."
"Don't worry," replied Nodoka, smiling,  "I hadn't forgotten the
trouble they can cause."

**

Shampoo finished moving steaming hot bowls of Ramen, covered with fish
cakes, mushrooms, and green peppers, to the table.  They joined an
already impressive display of Chinese and Japanese foods, with a wide
array of sauces and styles of cooking.  The entire family sat around
the table.
"So Shampoo good cook and make wonderful wife, Ranma!" said Shampoo,
excitedly.
"Right, right.  So get on with it, why aren't you trying to kill me,
and now trying to marry me?" Shampoo filled bowls with steamed rice
and passed them around.
"When you challenge Shampoo, and Shampoo loses, Shampoo suffer grave
consequence."
"You mean your prize food?  Heck, you're cooking more food for us now
than you ever would have won..."
"That stupid!  No!  In Joketsuzoku, when Amazon woman loses, if loses
to a woman, she must kill woman or face dishonor!"
"Yeah.  I knew that.  That's why you were trying to kill me back in
China..."
"Just because a law.  Shampoo no mean anything.  When Amazon woman
loses, if loses to a man, she must marry man!"
"Oh my!" said a startled Kasumi.
"What type of stupid law is that?" asked Akane.
"Is ancient law of Chinese Amazon.  Very important tradition.  Is what
makes us Amazon."
"But wait a minute..." butted in Nabiki.  "If you're beat by a man,
you have to marry him."
"Shampoo just say that!"
"Well, you weren't beat by a man!"
Shampoo reached over and put her hand on Ranma's chest.
"Ranma is man!  Shampoo no blind or stupid!"
"But he's also a woman!  He's an exception to your laws!"
"Amazon council already make ruling.  Is really a man, so Shampoo
marry."
"How'd you find that out, anyway?  That Ranma was really a man?"
"Great-grandmother tell Shampoo!"
"How'd she find out, then?" asked Ranma.
"Very mysterious stranger come to village.  Great-grandmother sees
her.  Great-grandmother not see every stranger, this stranger very
special!"
"Oh."  Answered Ranma.  "Regardless, Shampoo, I already have a
fiancee."
"You do?" asked Shampoo.
"Yep.  Nabiki over here.  So I'm afraid you'll have to tell the people
at your village that I'm already taken..."
"Shampoo do no such thing!  You no marry sneaky girl!"
"Shampoo," said Nabiki, "Ranma isn't bound to obey your village's laws
and traditions."
Shampoo's eyes narrowed as she looked at Nabiki.
"Shampoo will have husband."

**

"And so class, look upon the yakuza as your friend.  While nobody
likes to have to pay protection money, the damage they can do to your
competitors is worth the price many times over.  Moving on..." Nabiki
turned from the lecture to whisper to Ukyou.
"Class almost over?"
"Yep." said Ukyou.
"What are you looking so excited about?"
"Excited?  Oh, nothing.  Great lecture I guess."
"I guess..." Nabiki turned back to take notes.
"...tommorow's lecture, I'll talk about loan sharking and review a few
common legal loopholes to use and avoid.  However..."  the teacher
smiled and turned to Nabiki.  "Before you all pack up your bags and
leave, I have one special announcement." The teacher turned to the
side of the classroom and opened a door.
Behind the door stood Ranma, dressed in a tuxedo and holding a dozen
roses.  Visibly shaking, he entered the classroom slowly and
determinedly.  The entire classroom silenced in wonder and confusion
as to what was happening.  Ranma looked around the room and continued
walking through the class.  When he stopped to hand a startled Nabiki
the roses, and then bent down on one knee, the classroom erupted in
applause.
"Nabiki..." he eventually got out.  After a pause that seemed
infinitely long, but was truthfully only a few seconds, he continued.
"Nabiki, since I met you I've come to love you very much, and I want
to ask you something..."
Ranma laughed nervously and flinched his head.
"It's hard to talk with all this cheering..." The applause died down,
although it was impossible to miss the occasional excited squeal or
gasp of anticipation.
Eventually, Ranma went down to his pocket and fumbled out a ring,
which Nabiki recognized as his mother's marriage ring.
"Nabiki, I've come to love you very much, and I want to know if...if
you'll marry me."
"What?" asked a stunned Nabiki.  Ranma again laughed nervously.
"If...I want to know if you'll marry me."
"No way!" said Nabiki.  The sounds of anticipation instantly gave way
to a collective gasp, followed by silence.  Ranma, shocked, looked at
Nabiki.  After a few seconds, he turned and ran out the classroom.
Ukyou got out of her desk and ran to follow him.

**

"That stupid girl!  She...she shouldn't have let me think she liked
me!  That stupid stupid stupid stupid girl!"
"Ranma..."
"Stupid stupid stupid!"
"I'm sure she didn't mean it..."
"What do you mean?  She accidentally said 'no?'  It just happened to
slip out of her mouth when I get around to proposing?"
"Ranma..."
"She's an idiot!  She's not worth marrying!"
"Ranma...if you think that, why you did you propose?"  Ranma didn't
respond.  After a few seconds, he started to cry lightly, although he
tried to hold back.  Ukyou wiped the tears off his eyes.
"Don't cry.  Give Nabiki a second chance.  I'm sure she's just as
upset about what happened as you are." Ranma didn't respond.
"You took her by surprise.  And if you think it was difficult for you
to propose...you've been preparing for the moment.  Ran-chan..." Ukyou
paused.  "I've talked to Nabiki, and I know she wants to get married.
To you."
"Then wha'd she do that for, anyways?"
"Nabiki just didn't know how to react."
"Sure.  Whatever."
"Ranma..."
"Leave me alone." Ukyou looked at Ranma sadly.
"Ran-chan...I can't blame you if you want to be left alone.  But I
want you to promise you'll speak to Nabiki later today.  Okay?"
"Can't you do it for me?" asked Ranma, gruffly.
"I'm not the person who's about to get married to her" said Ukyou,
smiling.  "It's something you need to do."
"I...I guess..."
"So you promise you'll talk to her?"
"Sure."
"I'll see you later tonight.  Drop by the okonomiyaki shop if you just
want to talk or something...and good luck!"  After patting Ranma on
the back, Ukyou turned to leave.

**

"Well, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have lost my P-Chan!" yelled
Akane.
"So now it's my fault?  Do tell."
"If Ranma hadn't been with you, he could've been with me, and I
would've had a skating partner!"
"Sure..." replied Nabiki, sarcastically.
"Don't just dismiss what I tell you!  You treat Ranma like a jerk!  I
heard about what happened in your business class!  If you don't like
him, why are you so possessive?"
"I don't treat anybody like a jerk." said Nabiki, coolly.
Meanwhile, Ranma was coming up the stairs from a lengthy, difficult
workout.  While it was difficult to do, it was something he knew he
had to do.  He had to approach Nabiki.  Besides, he had promised, and
he didn't break promises.
Walking up the stairs, he heard muffled screams coming from behind
Nabiki's door.  Great...an argument.  Ranma was about to stop and wait
for a better time, but he didn't want to have to do...all of this...at
another time.  He determinedly walked up to the door to knock, pausing
briefly to listen in on the argument.
"You treat Ranma like garbage!" yelled Akane.
"Why do you keep bringing Ranma up?  Who cares about this Ranma,
anyway?" asked Nabiki.  Ranma didn't stay to hear any more.

**

"Ranma, where are you going?" asked a curious Kasumi.
"I'm headed over to Ukyou's" said Ranma.  There was a tone of anger
and disgust in his voice that would have been impossible to miss.
"But it's almost time for dinner!"
"Guess I'll just have to miss it then."
"Oh my!"
"You got that right."
"Ranma, what happened?  Why are you so mad?"
"Your sister obviously doesn't care about me."
"Why do you think that?" asked Kasumi.  Ranma paused.
"I guess I'm not surprised Nabiki didn't tell you."
"Tell me what?"
"I proposed today, and she refused.  Then I overheard her say that she
hates me."
Kasumi didn't know how to react.
"You may not see me for a while..." said Ranma, turning to leave.  He
paused and continued.  "You may not see me ever again." Before Kasumi
could say anything more, Ranma had left the room.
"Oh my!" she finally got out.

**

This concludes Tales of Ranma & Nabiki 8.
Ahhhh!!!
Well...Please tell me what you think.  I'm very concerned with making
things work as well as possible, and I am open to suggestions.  Please
please please please please ^_^
Thanks to David Bateson for looking over my outline and offering
suggestions.  Many ideas were taken directly and indirectly from his
comments. (BTW, David, I split it into two parts)
My main problem with this chapter is that Ranma isn't acting very 
Ranma-ish, in my opinion.  Is it a big problem?  Anybody see any ways to 
correct it other than changing the concept behind the series?

Jeff


****jdrutsch@ucdavis.edu***********************Jeff Rutsch************* 
"Ranma's not a boy...he's a girl!"
"Akane is MY fiancee!  You TOUCH her, and I'll KILL you!"
"Ranma, change back into a boy while I buy you some time."
"But if I seem to act unkind/it's only me, it's not my mind."
"Ranma [sic],/give your heart to Akane [sic]. /Soon,/right away."
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