Ranma 1/2: Enslaved, the Bet
by Gregg Sharp, http://members.aol.com/metroanime/main.html
a brief teaser, using char tm Rumiko Takahashi

Change: Happosai taught the secret amazon technique of "splitting cat hairs"
to
his students so that they could cover his escapes better. 
----======================
	The rain had been brief and had stopped just a few hours ago, leaving
the day muggier but slightly cooler. Nodoka Saotome opened the windows to her 
home, allowing tiny breezes to stir the air within.

	She was contemplating the emptiness of her home, after ten years of
the training trip her son and husband had undertaken, when voices and the
sound
of the front gate opening interrupted her reverie.

	"I think this's it." A young man's voice, somewhat uncertain. A quiet
murmurring from a woman followed that. "Well, it _has_ been years since I was
here last."

	That comment caused Nodoka's heart to skip a beat. Could it be? She
hurried out to the front door. There was a young man of about sixteen there,
wearing a red Chinese silk shirt and black leggings. He was followed by two
young
women, one slightly taller than the other.

	Nodoka frowned as they stopped and stared. In the two women's eyes
were the look of those who had been through much abuse in their lives. The 
taller one had the white tracery of an old scar going from chin to just under
one eye.
The shorter woman, a girl about the same age as the boy, had a slightly more 
haunted look to her.

	"May I help you?" Nodoka bowed, her eyes never leaving the three
standing in her courtyard. Upon seeing the bundle in one of Nodoka's hands,
the
youngest one looked ready to bolt and the taller girl fingered her scar in
what was
likely an unconcious gesture.

	The young man spoke with a touch of hesitation. "I'm Ranma Saotome, 
sorry about this."
---------------------------------------------
	Nodoka had hustled the three inside, and after a long and nearly rib 
crushing hug, wanted explanations. First, though, came tea. So it was that
Nodoka
came to be sitting across the table from her son and the two mysterious women.

	"Well, son, I'd say some explanations are in order." Nodoka sipped at her
tea and carefully appraised the two women, who seemed to hover close to her
son
as if he were shelter in an uncertain world. She had no idea yet how close
that
observation was to the truth. "Where is your father? Who are these two young
ladies? That would be a good start, I think."

	"Father," Ranma began, "well, I left him behind. Snuck out of camp one
day 'cause I remembered something you said years ago. ' It is the duty of a
martial
artist to stick up for those who are in trouble, in need of help, or in need
of a friend.
Do not turn your back on duty or honor, and don't abandon those whose needs
outweigh your own.' Something like that wasn't it?"

	Nodoka smiled faintly. He remembered the code she had taught him those 
years ago. Perhaps he had become a man-among-men, as well. "Yes, I believe it
was 
something like that."

	"Well, Pops said we couldn't do nothin' and that we had problems of our
own. I thought I could do somethin' so I did." No bragging, just simple
statement of
fact. "These two were slaves in a village we ran across in China. Lipstick
here 
managed to bump into me when we entered the village, and asked for help."

	The taller one bowed slightly. "Lipstick and Gloss are the names we
were given within the village. My real name is Kasumi and this is my sister
Nabiki.
We were taken by a Nichieju kill squad shortly after they killed our father
for the
crime of the unauthorized teaching of secret amazon techniques, something only
an Elder of the village should be able to do.

	"Both I and my sisters were taken to the village as children. Both Nabiki
and I were deemed unsuitable as warriors and so became slaves of the Council.
My youngest sister, Akane..."

	There was a flare of anger in Nabiki's eyes. "Don't mention that traitor's
name! She is no longer our sister Akane, merely the amazon Ko Em. Just another
one of our tormentors."

	Nodoka raised an eyebrow at the amount of venom in the young lady's
voice. "They didn't simply kill you or abandon you, at least."

	"They would not do that, Saotome-san." Kasumi's voice was soft and
full of hurt, remembering her own treatment at the hands of one who had once 
been her youngest sister. "If we had been male children, no doubt we would
have
been slain shortly after our father. That we were not was reason to take us
into the
tribe. If you are not a warrior, however, you are not much of anything in the
village.
We...did not fare well there."

	The haunted look had returned to the eyes of both of the girls. Nodoka
cleared her throat. "Do you have no family, then?"

	"We do not know of any, Saotome-san. We tried to stop by our home
but it had been razed years ago while we were in China. There is another house
there now, and has been for some time. 

	"Please forgive us for this intrusion." Kasumi bowed again.

	"So, my son, you decided to sneak into a village of heavily armed 
warriors and steal two of their slaves away?"

	"Mrs Saotome!" Kasumi's eyes widened and she stared at Ranma's
mother. Nabiki merely turned pale and closed her eyes, certain that she was
going to be turned away. And then where could she go but back to the damned
village where her punishment would be severe?

	"Uhm, I'd have said 'rescue' myself." Ranma tugged his pigtail. "Where
else could they go?"

	Nodoka was not heartless, no matter what her husband might think from
her ability to ignore his pleading and begging whenever he wanted to spend
money.
The tale of these two women, cut adrift on the seas of fate, touched her
greatly. That
her son had done something so honorable and heroic as to risk his life by
sneaking	
into a village to rescue two women was a good sign. Two fairly attractive
women 
who were apparently quite interested in their rescuer, judging by the body
language 
and how close they sat to him. The promise of being a 'man among men' was
recalled 
and Nodoka placed a large mental checkmark by it. That Ranma didn't seem to
know 
what was going on was merely amusing.

	"So, you brought them here to meet your mother?" Nodoka smiled. "Well,
that DOES change things doesn't it?"

	"Hmmm?" Ranma began sipping on his tea, not sure of what his mother
was going on about.

	"So which one are you going to marry?"

	<SSPLURSHHH> Nodoka leaned slightly so that Ranma's rather 
spectacular geyser of tea missed her. She noticed that both of the young
ladies
colored slightly (not enough to indicate that they've Done It, but enough to 
indicate that they've thought about It.) 

	"What..I..but...I...they..."

	"...or is it that you're planning to marry both?"

	Ranma went completely silent and pale enough that one would think
he'd seen a ghost. Finally a startled "eep" forced its way past his lips.

	Realizing she'd overplayed her hand, and that Ranma probably wouldn't
be capable of anything approaching coherent thought for awhile, Nodoka sighed
and asked if either of the two orphans would care to assist her in getting
supper
ready. It was quite late by now, and time to consider the possible events of
the
next day.

	"Saotome-san," Kasumi got up and bowed. "I would be happy to assist
you, but there is one further thing you need to know first. Have you heard of
a
valley of magical springs known as Jusenkyo?"
----------------------------------------------------
	admittedly this is just a short teaser, but i think you can see some of
the raw potential in this plotline. Ranma has defeated Shampoo and been
cursed,
so those plotlines are intact. Kasumi and Nabiki are also cursed, as part of 
punishments for prior attempted escapes. Ko Em/Akane is Village Enforcer, and
regards her two sisters as runaway slaves or stolen property and is coming to
take them back and slay the outsider who dared  such a deed. 
	Ranma staying with his mother in Juuban (or is this merely a fanfic
convention?) and has gotten over his 'man among men' pledge without ever 
knowing about it. Genma afraid to confront Nodoka as he doesn't even know
Ranma is alive. Ranma being taught manners and how to speak without putting
foot firmly in mouth, especially with the self-esteem problems both Kasumi and
Nabiki are likely to have.
	Nabiki is still Nabiki, Kasumi is still Kasumi, though both have been
beaten and broken, shunned as non-warriors in a warrior-elite society, and
have
gone through a LOT of abuse. They've also spent eight years being slaves in
a land of very different customs and have picked up some of those attitudes 
themselves. Nabiki will still want to be a businesswoman, Kasumi will still
enjoy
cooking and have the aura of niceness, but both will be scarred (and not just
physically) from their ordeal.
	i'm not sure when i could get to this project, or if, but it's one of those
'it could write itself' stories. 

oh well, ja ne.

gregg