Shattered

My entry into "The Bet".  (brian_kun@hotmail.com)

Rock: me
Pond of inspiration: The Fic "Iron Roses" (Author unknown, to me anyway)

*-*-*-*

	Brian had opted for the direct route this time.  Entering directly into
the contest rather than send one of his underlings in his stead.  "Hi,
Toltiir.  Looks like you've attracted quite a large number of entries
into this contest, hm?"
	"It would appear so, Brian.  Do you want to give it a shot?"  The black
cat noted the headphones the other god was wearing.  "What cd?"
	"Titanic Soundtrack."
	"AAAAHHHH!"*
	"Okay, fine, jeez."  Brian banished the cd player and turned his
attention to the viewing globe skimming through the timelines with
incredible ease.  "Now, let's take this reality here.  Where Kodachi
marries Ryoga.  And change this..."
	The cat eyed him dubiously.  "You sure you haven't done this before?"
	"Trust me."
	"You sound like me whenever I do something really sneaky."

*-*-*-*

	Akiko Kuno turned at the top of the staircase, suitcase in hand, to
glare at her approaching husband.  A young Kodachi watched in horror as
her mother stumbled backwards, frantically reaching out for something to
steady herself.  All she managed to grab hold of was her husband's tie
as she fell backwards, pulling him with her.
	Kodachi and Tatewaki ran to the bottom of the stairs, their parents
necks twisted at odd angles, the blood pooling beneath the broken
bodies, soaking the cream colored carpet.  Tatewaki ran to phone the
police.

*-*-*-*

	The policemen took full reports from the two stunned children, as best
could be done considering their ages, debating what could be done with
them.  Foster homes and adoption seemed the most likely solutions, save
that splitting the two up would probably be just as traumatic as the
fact that they had watched their parents die.  And happening so recently
afterwards, might well make it worse.
	"Detective!"
	"What is it, Lieutenant?"
	"The boy keeps mentioning the name 'Tendo', do you suppose they could
be friends of the family?"
	The detective nodded his head slightly, "Which Tendo?  It's a pretty
common name, you know."
	"He keeps saying the names Akane, Nabiki, Kasumi and Soun.  Soun Tendo
runs a dojo near here."
	"Hmmm... makes sense, we'll have to talk it over with them though." 
The detective took one last look at the scene before shaking his head
and walking away.  "Poor kids."
	After hearing the plight that had befallen the two Kuno children,
Kasumi managed to convince Soun that it was their duty to be there for
them.  Nabiki aided in the convincing, the sudden influx of cash wasn't
exactly a bad thing in her eyes.  Both girls argued passionately, for
they knew what it was like to lose a mother.

*-*-*-*

7 years later....

	"Fiancee?"  Came from four voices simultaneously
	"Yes, daughters, the son of a very good friend of mine, Genma Saotome,
will be returning here from China today.  It was agreed that we would
marry our children in order to carry on the school."
	"Ooh, China!"  Nabiki sounded enthusiastic.
	"Don't we have any say in who we get to marry, daddy?"
	"Akane-neechan, maybe he'll be handsome."
	"That doesn't change the fact that he'll still be a BOY 'Dachi.  You
know I hate boys!"
	The black-haired girl turned to Akane, wearing her formal kimono.  "I
ask you again, Akane-neechan.  Are you really sure you aren't a les--"
	"I SAID I WASN'T OKAY!"
	"Okay..."
	"I hope he's younger than me." Kasumi said.

*-*-*-*

	A short time later, there was a knock at the door.

	"That must be Ranma!"  Nabiki and Kodachi squealed, still wearing their
formal Kimonos.  Akane was still kneeling on the floor in her gi,
growling about the injustice of it all.
	Tatewaki lifted his eyes as something tickled his senses.  "Something
bodes not well, Kasumi-neesan."
	"What do you mean, Tatewaki?"
	"I cannot be certain, but something is odd in the air."
	A shriek from around the corner drew the attention of the three people
in the room.  Nabiki and Soun rounded the corner with terrified looks on
their faces.  A panda rounded the corner shortly after, carrying two
bodies slung over it's shoulders.  It gently placed Kodachi on the
ground, followed by placing a redheaded girl on her feet in front of it.
	Soun leaned in to get a closer look.  "You wouldn't be..."
	"I'm Ranma Saotome... sorry about this."
	Soun enveloped Ranma in a hug that could crush marble.  "Oh how I've
waited for this day!"  Soun pulled away from Ranma and took a good look
at the young man, two protrusions from the chest area drew his attention
immedeatly.
	Nabiki leaned forward and prodded Ranma's breasts.  "Ranma's not a boy
daddy, he's a girl!"
	The last thing Soun heard as darkness closed in was "Pig-tailed girl, I
would honored to be engaged to you!"
	Soun came to to find Kodachi leaning over him along with the pig-tailed
redhead, casting an occasional curious glance at the panda that occupied
the entryway.  Tatewaki was unconscious by the wall, which now had a
sizeable dent in it.  "What were you thinking, Daddy, engaging one of us
to a girl."  Nabiki almost yelled.
	"Saotome swore he had a son."
	Nabiki squeezed Ranma's breasts again for emphasis.  "Excuse me, does
this look like a boy to you?  Do boys have these?  Some fiancee HE
turned out to be."
	Kodachi slapped Nabiki's hand away.  "Nabiki-neechan, stop it." 
Kodachi faced back to the redhead, "You must forgive her, she has this
odd defense mechanism.  Whenever she gets scared or caught off-guard she
does something completely reprehensible so that people don't remember."
	Nabiki glared daggers at Kodachi.
	"I am Kodachi, would you care to see the dojo?"
	"Sure."
	"Yeah,"  Akane chimed in.  "And maybe you can spar with me."

*-*-*-*

	Entering the dojo, Akane headed towards the center while Kodachi sat
down near the wall.  Ranma watched with some interest as she sat down
with her back against the wall to watch Akane.  "Aren't you going to
sparr too, Kodachi?"
	Akane interjected, "Kodachi doesn't prefer hand-to-hand combat.  She's
trained to use weapons.  She into rhythmic gymnastics martial arts."
	To demonstrate, Kodachi produced a ribbon from nowhere, quickly snapped
it around Akane's waist and tossed the long-haired martial artist to the
other side of the dojo.  Akane flipped in mid-air and landed on her
feet, glaring at the gymnast.  "You didn't have to demonstrate, you
know!"
	"Does she get this angry very often?"  Ranma whispered to Kodachi.
	"Most of the time."
	Ranma stepped to the center of the dojo and faced off against Akane,
assuming an indifferent stance that appeared to leave her wide open. 
Akane whirled into several punches and kicks, but wound up hitting thin
air.  Kodachi watched, her interest piqued as Ranma flowed effortlessly
around Akane's attack.
	Akane threw a full strength punch which Ranma flipped over, following
it up by tapping Akane on the back of the head.
	"I believe you lost, Akane-neechan." Kodachi called from the
sidelines.  The other two teenagers began giggling at Akane's stupified
expression as she stared at the hole she had put in the wall.  Akane
soon joined in the laughter.
	"You are better than me...  It's a good thing you aren't a boy."
	Ranma stopped laughing at that.  "Why?"
	"I'd just... hate to lose to a boy."
	Kodachi noted Ranma's thoughtful expression as Akane walked out of the
dojo.

*-*-*-*

	Kodachi and Akane were preparing to bath in the changing room.  Akane
spied the chinese clothes Ranma had been wearing in the hamper.  Kodachi
slid open the door and the two came face to...you know, with a very
naked male who was stepping out of the bathtub.  As Akane slowly walked
backwards out of the room, Kodachi's eyes memorized every detail of the
exposed body in front of her before he managed to regain enough of his
wits to yelp and hop back into the furo.
	Smirking slightly, she closed the door to the bathroom just as Akane
began screaming.  "Ohohohohoho..."  Kodachi dressed quickly and walked
down to the living room where Akane was hoisting a table over her head. 
"I'll DROWN HIM IN THE BATHTUB!"
	Kodachi sat on the floor near Soun just as Ranma rounded the corner. 
"I'm Ranma Saotome... sorry about this."  Nabiki and Kasumi stared,
Akane let the table connect with her head, and Kodachi watched. 
Tatewaki's reaction, however, was more aggressive.  "Foul demon!  What
have you done with the fair pig-tailed girl?"
	Tatewaki charged at Ranma who sidestepped and backhanded him into a
wall.
	"That didn't hurt, you know."  That said, Tatewaki fell unconscious.

*-*-*-*

	While Akane nursed Tatewaki back to health, Ranma told the tale of his
father's stupidity and his dunk in the Jusenkyo pool.  Soun accepted
this with unbelievable grace.  "Well, your problem isn't so bad after
all.  Here, these are my daughters.  Kasumi is nineteen, Nabiki is
seventeen, Akane is sixteen, and this is Kodachi, she is also sixteen. 
Choose one, she'll be your new fiancee."
	"WHAT!?"
	"It would appear, Daddy."  Nabiki said.  "That your friend Genma didn't
tell Ranma about the engagement either."
	"So?" Both fathers said at once.
	Nabiki groaned and put her head in her hands.
	Genma pushed Ranma forward.  "Well, son, pick one."
	Ranma glanced at each of the girls.  "Um... ah... er..."
	Kasumi and Nabiki leapt behind Akane and shoved her towards Ranma. 
"Oh, he definiteley wants Akane."
	"What?  Why me?"
	"Well, you hate boys right?"
	Kodachi cleared her throat. "Ahem."
	"Well, yeah bu-"
	"You're in luck, Akane.  Ranma's half-girl."
	"Then it's settled.  Ranma, you are now engaged to..."
	"AHEM!"  Kodachi glared at the two fathers who were currently shoving
Ranma and Akane at each other.  "I would not mind being engaged to
Ranma."
	"Dachi?"  Akane looked at her. "You WANT to be engaged to him?"
	Kodachi nodded slightly as she admired Ranma's male form.
	"But he's a pervert!  A freak!"
	"Hey what do you mean, pervert?"
	"You saw me and Kodachi in the nude!"
	Needless to say, Ranma wound up being nursed back to health by
Kodachi.  "You'll have to forgive Akane.  She's really a very sweet
girl, she's just s violent maniac.
	Ranma sat up, removing the damp cloth. He looked into Kodachi's violet
eyes, "So, Kodachi, we're engaged huh?"
	"It would appear so... and Ranma-sama?  Call me Dachi."
	Ranma nodded his head briefly before heading off in search of a snack.

*-*-*-*

Other scenes I had planned:

	"So, why does Akane have to fight all these guys before school?"
	"Brother dear is very protective of her honor.  He stated before the
entire school that any man who wished to date Akane-neechan would have
to defeat her in combat, Ranma-sama."
	"I *guess* that makes sense, and stop calling me that."

*-*-*-*

	"I am Asuka, the White Lily. remember me, Kodachi?  Your boyfriend
shall be mine!"

*-*-*-*

	"What's that, Dachi?"
	"Isn't he cute, Akane?  I found the poor little piggy just wandering
around outside."

*-*-*-*

	"Pig-tailed girl, my vixen!  Asuka, my White Lily!  Shampoo, my
purple-haired temptress!  How can I deny even one the manliness that is
Tatewaki Tendo!"

*-*-*-*

This was written during my muses downtime (read: writer's block)
concerning my other fics.  I thought it turned out pretty well.  This
will be continued whenever I find the time.

*- It's a cheap laugh... but I'm not proud.

"Sometimes the greatest discoveries are made when the inventor has
nothing better to do."
	-Some guy with a beard

?_?
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Shrine/6648
Brian, singing off...