I have two problems with this story.  First, since Nodoka admitted that
Yohko and Ranma were not engaged as children, on what grounds can she
dissolve the other engagement?  Second, I see Ranma's reaction as
very OOC.  He respects his mother, and I can't see him using vulgarities
with her.  I do think that he would politely demand to know why family
honor required him to marry Yohko. 

1)  Nodoka sees it as her duty to make sure that her demon hunter clan
continues.  As she does not have a daughter to continue the line she
believes Ranma must marry into one.  She believes that her duty as a demon
hunter comes before her family honor.  (think about it.  her duty is to
protect the world from evil.  nothing else matters against that.)

   One complication with marrying into another line--there'll be *two*
transformation rings in the family.  Whose ring does the kid get?  Mom's or
Grandma Nodoka's?
   Yohko:  We could always have a second daughter... ^_-
   Ranma (sweatdrop):  Ain't one *enough*?

   Another complication is which family becomes "dominant'--that is, who
takes whose family name?  It'd be a shame to see either line end, but one of
them will, since neither family has another child to carry on the name.

2)  Ranma's sick and tired of people trying to manipulate him and marry
him off.  He was already nervous from Yohko's man-hunting gaze and this
unexpected announcement from his mother was simply too much after
everything else that has already happened to him.  Ranma isn't exactly the
most emotionally stable person and this just broke his control.

   He's a damn sight more stable than most Nerimites... ^_^

 Ranma
isn't taking what he said to his mother lightly though, he let his mouth
get away from him and he has to deal with the emotion concequences of his
actions.  Also, he did ask his mother why family honor requred him to
marry Yohko.  Nokoka said it was none of his business.

   And she's completely wrong.  She handled this situation in almost the
worst way she possibly could.  Completely aside from the fact that there's
far more honor lost than gained by breaking the engagements, it damn well
*is* Ranma's business why he's being forced to marry some girl he just met.
Even *Genma* gave reasons for the engagements he was responsible for, and
he's as low as they come.  (Yes, I am a member of the Garrote Genma Group.)

AJ

*******************************************************
* Kent Magami and David Outram (kmagami@hsonline.net) *
*Second Deacon of Ryoga, Tracker of the Wandering One *
*Co-founder and High Priest of the Holy Order of A-ko *
*      Motto: You can *never* have enough C-kos!      *
*******************************************************
*    One month after B-ko hypnotized C-ko...          *
*                                                     *
*    C-ko:  Hi, B-ko!  What're we gonna do tonight?   *
*    B-ko:  The same thing we do every night, C-ko--  *
* try to destroy A-ko!                                *
*    C-ko:  Waiwai!!!!                                *
*                                                     *
*    o/~ One of them's an airhead; the other one's    *
* insane!  It's C-ko and the Brain! o/~               *
*******************************************************