Ranma 1/2:  Bet: A Fourth Option, part b
  It was pointed out to me (by Rick Robinson) that instead of 
two divergences (Angel 1/2 and Devil 1/2) that there should be 
FOUR divergences from Hel's little manipulation. One, the demon
 in the pool. Two, the angel in the pool. Three, neither in the pool.
 Four, both in the pool.  Three, i thought would be pretty much 
normal Ranmaverse, except that something occurred to me... 
you know how dangerous THAT is.
   but instead of going there now...
setting and major char by Rumiko Takahashi
 add'l char & situations by way too many people. y'know who 
y'all are, so just take a bow, would'ya?
webpage: http://metroanime.home.mindspring.com/
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 "She's coming around." Voice unknown. Female.
Fairly young.

 "Kasumi?" Voice identified. Nabiki.

 "AAAAaaaa! Kasumi! Kasumi!" Obvious.

 "Someone shut that blithering idiot up." Another 
unidentified voice. This one much older, female, raspy with 
age.

 "I did the best I could. Will she be all right?" 
Another unidentified voice. Male. Perhaps a little younger 
than herself.

 "You did fine, boy. With all the practice you're
getting rescuing young ladies from a Jusenkyo drowning,
maybe you ought to be a professional lifeguard." The older
woman's voice again.

 "Of course! Now just go ahead and pack your
things, it is quite obvious that the Tendo-Saotome pledge
takes precedence over some primitive community...." Her
father's voice again.

 "WHO are you calling primitive? We choose to
live with nature, rather than forcing it to follow our dictates.
We value strength, and keep ourselves strong without becoming
overly reliant on your technologies and the web of connections
needed to keep it working."

 "Hey, you jackass. I've got a claim that's at LEAST
equal to anyone else's!" Another voice. Female. About her own
age from the sound.

 Kasumi cracked an eye open to look at the various
people who had decided to have a loud argument in a sick room.

 "Nonetheless..." Her father was trying to intimidate
a small withered woman who was standing on a stick.

 "Leave Shampoo alone! She's MY bride!"
Some Chinese boy grabbed a pony-tailed boy and
seemed to be trying to identify him by feel.

 "Mousse, how many time do I have to tell
you, I am NOT Shampoo!" The young man started to
repeatedly strike the guy who was trying to grope him.
Not that Kasumi could blame the young man in the
slightest.

 A purple haired girl grabbed the hentai and
literally kicked him to the curb. "You no bother Shampoo
or her airen!"

 A young boy with an enormous spatula 
tried to glare at everyone. "What makes you think he's
YOUR 'airen' anyway?"

 Nabiki covered her eyes and had the grace
to speak in a low voice. "People, could we be a little
quieter while my sister recovers from her little ordeal?"

 A young girl came running into the hut
and spoke rapidly in Chinese.

 The old woman on a stick rolled her eyes
and made a comment that sounded like it was probably
a very dirty word in Mandarin. Kasumi noted Nabiki was
writing it down for later reference.

 The old woman spoke. "Well, we'll leave the
young lady here to recover. Ring Ring here is a bit young
but she is quite qualified as a healer. We have to go see
what your youngest daughter has stepped in."

 "Youngest? Akane?" Kasumi's father blinked.

 "Azure here tells me that she started to get into
an altercation with one of our hotheaded warriors, and when
one of the village males tried to intervene, she misinterpreted
the gesture."

 "One of your villagers tried to start a fight with
Akane?" Nabiki held a finger up. "Doesn't say much for your
little society here."

 Cologne's gaze was hooded. "There are always
those who are exceptions. Dowel enjoys inflicting violence 
a bit too much but if your sister had given way, she would
have avoided this. Razor, on the other hand, is such a gentle
soul that even Dowel wouldn't strike him."

 Kasumi noticed that both the boy with the 
ponytail and the purple haired girl had slipped out and
were running. Her father and some large man were behind
them before Nabiki had finished making her argument. The
boy with the spatula followed a moment later, muttering 
under his breath.

 The older woman, having said her piece was
out the door after them.

 Nabiki sighed.

 "Uhm, excuse me, Nabiki. What happened?"

 "Oh, sorry Kasumi." Nabiki paused and 
collected her thoughts. "Okay, you drowned in one of
these Cursed Spring thingies. Each of those springs 
tries to drown something in it, forming the template for
a transformation curse. Anyway, you kept Akane from
drowning, but got drowned yourself, so now there's a
Kasuminichuan with a not so tragic story of a girl who
almost got drowned in the spring but got resuscitated
by a dragon who can turn into a girl but is actually a guy
who has two of these Jusenkyo curses. Oh that was the
one who was in here with the red shirt and the ponytail,
and he's also the fiance that our father dragged us out
here to see.

 "The boy with the spatula is actually yet 
ANOTHER girl that Mister Saotome promised Ranma
to, taking her dowry or something like that. She just
crossdresses as a boy 'cause of some vow or something.
I still don't have all the details on THAT mess."

 "Oh," Kasumi said. So her life had been
saved by the fiance their father had arranged. This 
was interesting as they had come to rescue him.

 "Anyway," Nabiki continued. "Akane was
getting annoyed about all the fuss and bother and so was
going off to get a look at some of the martial arts contests
that are getting underway for some big tournament of theirs."
-------------------------------
 "Let me go!" Akane really didn't like being 
carried under one arm by this amazon. She especially
didn't like the way the bishonen she'd belted kept giving
her that hurt look. It wasn't as if she'd intended to hit
him since he was clearly some noncombatant sort. Besides
he looked a lot like a male version of Kasumi.

 A lot of this sing-song Chinese going on all
around her. Hardly anyone spoke Japanese, of course.
She was set down on a chair roughly and asked a lot of
questions. One of them pointed to her, and to the guy
she'd hit, and asked her a question. Akane guessed what
the question was and nodded, yes she'd hit the guy. Why
couldn't any of these villagers surrounding her speak  
Japanese? There were some amazons that did,  she had 
heard them.

 Oddly enough, as soon as she nodded there
was a lot of astonished expressions. Then grins were 
exchanged and a sort of celebration began among the 
assembled amazons.

 Someone had at least gotten her a drink, and 
that guy she had flattened had seemed immensely cheered up
when Akane had accepted it and sipped at it. What strange 
customs they had here.

 "Oh dear." That Ranma guy came running
up. "Did you actually beat Razor?"

 "He was interfering in my fight with THAT
amazon!" Akane stabbed a finger at the much larger
Dowel. "I didn't mean to hurt him."

 Shampoo started to laugh. "Now that one
of Tendo daughters you no have to marry, Ranma!"

 "Huh?" Ranma looked at Shampoo then
looked at the cup in Akane's hands. "Tendo-san, you
drank from that? Did Razor drink from his?"

 Akane looked from her own cup to the 
matching one in the boy's hands. He had just drained
his cup. Some little voice began telling her that she 
was in a bad situation. "Uhm, was there something 
special about this?"

 "You marry Razor. Is very good match.
Razor very good healer, good weaponsmith, he
considered very good catch among amazons."

 Akane stared at Shampoo, not wanting
to believe she had heard what the amazon had said.

 "AAaaaaaa, my little girl's gotten married!"
Soun started weeping. There was enough water that
Genma disappeared and a little pig was heard squealing
in protest a moment later.

 "Oh wow!" Nabiki looked at the blushing
groom, then over at the shellshocked bride. "Hey,
Akane, congratulations!"

 "Eeep," Akane eeped. Her eyes tracked over
to where the guy she'd laid out on the ground was 
looking her way. He blushed, looked at the ground, and
grinned. Akane lost her grip on the marriage cup as she 
fainted.
--------------------------------------------
 "BUT SHE'S NOT BOUND BY AMAZON
LAWS!" Nabiki protested.

 "Why not? Oh, and even if she not, then
my brother is. He bound by Amazon Laws. Amazon Laws
say he married to Akane." Sash stumbled over the 
unfamiliar words.

 "But...but..." Nabiki stared at the sight in
front of her. Razor had quickly lain the fainted Akane
out, checked her pulse and pupils, made sure she was
comfortable, and was now sitting next to Akane to
monitor her condition. He was the very picture of
attentive concern.

 He didn't just LOOK like a male version
of Kasumi, he was acting like it.

 Nabiki shook her head to clear it of the
idea that they made a cute couple.

 Razor was now crushing a few herbs into a
bowl, mixing it with water, then soaking a compress in the
mix to put over Akane's brow. He certainly LOOKED 
like he knew what he was doing. A little voice in the
back of Nabiki's head whispered something about how
much money an expert at Chinese medical lore could
bring in to their household.

 "So very sad," Sash was continuing. "Now
my poor brother have to follow wife, go live in strange
land, learn strange language and customs, tend to wife's
needs. I have to visit often...oh terrible tragic."

 Nabiki's eyes flicked back to where Sash was
trying unsuccessfully to conceal a grin. "Gives you an
excuse to get out of the provinces, does it?"

 "Damn straight. Love homeland, love simple
life, but sometimes want to (how you say) party on?"

 "That's another thing, how come you, this
Mousse guy, and so many others speak Japanese?"

 "Uchan Senkan Yamato," Sash said with a
nod. "Have whole first season on tape."

 Ukyou, listening in the background, twitched.
She LOVED Space Battlecruiser Yamato!

 Nabiki blinked at that. Oh dear kami no, not
an otaku! Next thing you know she'd be saying she did
cosplay!

 "Razor good tailor, very skilled, good healer,
do nice work with bladed weapons. Many many skills to
bring to marriage." Sash was still trying to convince 
Nabiki to accept Razor as a brother-in-law. "He very 
very good catch, but no good as fighter, just not have
right instinct for fight. Is good that he find someone
who care for him like your sister do."

 "I really DON'T think Akane intended any
of this," Nabiki's voice was getting thoughtful. She had
noticed the skilled embroidery work on Razor's shirt, and
if the boy had done it himself...

 "Have dowry," tried Sash. She really wanted
this to work. Why, her brother was already eighteen and
in danger of never finding a bride! It wasn't absolutely
official until it had been consummated though, so an
Elder could declare the marriage to be invalid unless 
the head of the household agreed it WAS valid.

 K-CHING! Nabiki tried to keep her 
reaction under control but the way she snapped to
attention was a dead giveaway. "Oh?" Nabiki tried
to sound disinterested. 

 "Yes, great treasure of my family. Heirloom
many many generations. It belong Razor now, he take
with him to give in marriage." Sash looked over the
younger girl and the way her hands were twitching
slightly. Could it be this simple?

 "Why are you talking to me about this,
anyway? Shouldn't you be bargaining with my 
father?" This had just occurred to Nabiki.

 "Eldest woman in family who not sick.
You in charge by custom of my people." Sash
shrugged. "Marriage make Nabiki in charge of
her family until Kasumi feel better. Then Kasumi
be head of house in amazon eyes. Is different in
Japan but we tend to see things in term of culture
we grow up in, yes?"

 Nabiki smiled. "Hmmm. Okay. Now 
what about this dowry?"
------------------------------
 "So, we're agreed then?" Cologne looked
around at the assembled parties. It was a compromise,
and as with all compromises it didn't really satisfy 
anyone but instead worked to minimize the overall
dissatisfaction.

 "I've got a year to decide whether I marry
Shampoo or Kasumi or..."

 Ukyou sat back and looked over the 
group. She'd have to determine for herself how much
of what she'd heard today was absolute rubbish. Some
things had become quite obvious within minutes of 
their meeting. "Yes, Ranma, I AM a girl, and yes, I AM
a fiancee and your best choice too."

 There were immediate protests from Soun and
Shampoo on this last point.

 "And me," Nabiki chimed in. "I'm a Tendo
too, y'know."

 "Razor and his wife fly back to Japan with
Ranma while the rest of you," began Cologne.

 "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" Akane screeched.

 Razor looked on in concern at his wife and
took the appropriate stance for a husband accepting
punishment from his wife. Head bowed, back exposed,
kneeling in front of her.

 Akane looked blankly at this until Sash
helpfully explained the details about an amazon marriage
and how the wife (the dominant partner) could demand
any number of things from her husband including a 
public beating for discipline.

 Ranma looked alarmed and glanced at 
Shampoo, who merely shrugged and smiled. Akane
looked ill and rushed to explain that it wasn't like that.

 Of course, Razor didn't speak a word of 
Japanese and assumed he was just getting yet another
tongue lashing from his wife. What had he done NOW?
Not for the first time, he was wishing that he'd gotten
interested in his sister's tape collection.

 Akane screamed at the heavens when it
became quite clear that: 
 a) if she yelled at this guy, he wasn't going
to do anything except wait meekly for her to finish and
wouldn't understand a word anyway.
 b) if she hit this guy, he wouldn't do a thing
to stop her and would (in fact) be trying twice as hard
to be a dutiful and supportive husband.
 c) she wasn't getting a bit of support from
anyone else in the room who were all concerned about
the tangle of problems surrounding this Ranma guy.

 Razor heard the scream, continued to look
at the floor, but flinched, being absolutely certain that
this was going to hurt. Didn't he get to enjoy any
of the perks of being married? His eyes flicked over to
where his wife was obviously trying to get control of
herself. He knew he could please her. He knew all the
right shiatsu and moxibuxtion points, had the scented
warming oils that the massage techniques could work
into her after she'd had a hard day defending her homeland, 
and he had studied all the various manners of giving one's 
wife pleasure. Of course, he'd never actually put them to 
use, it wouldn't have been proper behavior before he had
gotten married.

 When Razor was convinced that his wife was
through venting, he returned his attention to his 
embroidery. He'd heard her name meant 'Scarlet' and so
was putting a nice scarlet crane rising up in front of a 
yellow sun on the back of a silk shirt for his beloved.
Maybe this would please her.

 "While the rest of you," continued Cologne 
after Akane had settled down into muted mumblings,
"go by more traditional methods. As Kasumi here still
has a nasty cough, flying should be avoided."

 "If Ranma can handle it, I ought to go back
that way too." Nabiki winked. "After all, school is still
in session and I need to get back as soon as possible."

 "Three is a little difficult," Ranma confessed.
"I can fly two with frequent rests. Three's really pushing."

 "You're still young in dragon years," Cologne
acknowledged. "Your strength and speed will continue to
develop as you continue to mature."

 "Oh," Kasumi said with disappointment. She'd
rather been looking forward to flying on dragonback.
---------------------------------------------
stopping here. this was just an idea to sketch out and it
took off like way too many ideas lately.

Akane is married (in Razor's eyes at least) to Razor.
Akane is going to have trouble staying mad at someone
who is trying so hard to please her. Though there will
be obvious misunderstandings.

Shampoo, Kasumi, Nabiki, and Ukyou are all engaged
to Ranma, and he's got to choose one to marry at the
end of the year.

Ranma's male form is also influenced by the dragon.
Greater strength, speed, endurance, chi level. It's one
of the more intelligent breeds so he's also rather more
thoughtful than in the canon. His lifespan in both forms
is gonna be a lot higher too, expect him to remain in his
teens for over a century. 
 
The Musk Dynasty has a grudge against a number of
the characters, especially Ranma, and will be making 
appearances.

There's no Akanenichuan, but there is a Kasuminichuan
as well as Spring Of Drowned Bimbo and a few other non
canonical springs. All resulting from the Musk trying to
remake the Spring of Drowned Girl. One of which Ryouga 
falls into on his own. It's still Ranma's fault though, as 
Ryouga would never have fallen in the spring if Ranma 
hadn't run out on their duel.

Ukyou, Shampoo, and the Tendos start out with a nearly
level playing field. Shampoo's had a little more time with
Ranma to begin with. Ukyou's the old childhood friend.
Ranma is staying at the Tendo household.

If a crossover, imagine the scene where the infamous
Sailor Scouts are cornered by one of Beryl's generals,
only to have a dragon come swooping down and knock
him into next week.

Soun Tendo turns into a six year old girl when splashed
with cold water. Genma turns into a little black piglet.
Ranma turns into a dragon who can assume the shape
of Shampoo through an innate shapeshifting ability.
Ryouga turns into __________ (it shouldn't be P-chan.)
Spring of Drowned Chihuahua sounds amusing.
Nobody else (to begin with) is cursed until Mousse decides
to try to even the odds between him and that damn Saotome
by taking a dip in the dragon-spring. Unfortunately that one
was sealed up so he ended up in an entirely different one.
It should still be some sort of powerup though, maybe 
Tarou's spring. 

Ranma is a LOT more comfortable with his curse. Not
necessarily turning into Shampoo's twin sister, but 
turning into a dragon? Especially with the nature of 
the curse enhancing his uncursed form. 

Shampoo, Ukyou, Nabiki, Akane, Razor, and Ranma
going to school. Kuno attacks Razor for being engaged
to the fair Akane. Kuno nearly kills Razor who is waiting
for his warrior wife to step in, said wife stalking off angry
with everyone for taking this marriage thing seriously.
Razor continuing to try to figure out what the heck he did
to offend his wife THIS time. It's gotta be his fault, after 
all. Maybe she didn't like the shirt? After all she hung it
up on her wall instead of wearing it...

Inevitably, Kunou starts going after his "twin goddesses"
(Ranma & Shampoo), Ukyou (who is dressing in feminine
fashion just to compete here), and Akane. How can he deny
one the manly presence that is Tatewaki Kuno? Razor 
recovers and is told that Akane hasn't "done the deed"
with him yet because he hasn't proven he can defend himself.
At which point Kuno finds himself getting targetted with
potion bombs, drugged darts, and pressure point attacks.
Razor still can't bring himself to actually try to HURT 
anyone, so he's at a disadvantage in a Kuno vs Razor fight.
Akane has no idea about Razor's real feelings in any of this.
It's gotta just be those dumb laws, right?

Wrong. Razor thinks his wife is cute, relatively gentle, has
a kind heart, and needs someone supportive. As a healer,
he thinks his skills form the perfect balance to Akane's skills.
He fell in love on the trip to her home. He's just frustrated 
because of her refusal to see him as her husband. Once he
understands that in HER culture the male is supposed to
initiate certain activities, he'll try glomping her and acting
the enthusiastic partner. Which, of course, Akane won't
appreciate one bit.

Sash shows eventually, finds out that the marriage STILL
has not been consummated and has a long talk with Akane.
Maybe she doesn't know that the woman is supposed to be
the aggressor here? Or (gasp) maybe she doesn't know 
about sex at all? Is she...(say it ain't so)...frigid or just ignorant?
After talking with Akane she'll assume it is the former
and start taking steps to correct the problem. Sash loves
her brother (though he's a bit of a wimp) and does want him
to be happy.

Obviously starts out divergent and goes way out there, ne?