[Ya know what, this guy works so hard to C&C just about everything that
 comes down this list, I can't resist...]

David wrote:

"I suppose you are wondering why I called you all here," Nodoka Saotome
commented, gently cradling her teacup.  

"We are of course eager to hear anything you wish to say," Kodachi 
answered smugly.  Naturally she'd shown to the greatest advantage during
the tea ceremony.  

[That last sentence sounds very convoluted, or maybe I'm not reading it correctly.
 Either way I'd change it.]

Shampoo and Ukyo hadn't had any idea what to do and
Akane had been pathetically clumsy.  

Ukyo commented, "Actually I was wondering what Kodachi is doing here.
She isn't a fiancee, after all," and got a glare from Kodachi.

Nodoka smiled calmly, and raised a hand, "None of that, please.  As a 
matter of fact, this week my son agreed to become engaged to 
Kodachi-kun."

"What!?"

Everyone else winced at Kodachi's grating laugh.  

[Hehehe.  I give you credit David, you didn't actually use her laugh.
 That always annoys when I see "HOHOHOHOH!" running across the
 screen. I always get flashes of Santa running in my mind and that ain't
 right....]

"Oh my dears, did you 
think the passion Ranma and I share could be denied forever?"

Nodoka broke the stunned silence.  "The precise details of how Ranma 
came to make such a promise, no longer matter.  Given that the males
of this household, Ranma included, have made such gordian knot out of 
this situation that it falls to us to cut through it.  

[Gordian knots?  I guess I should dust off that Boy Scout's manual....]

Regrettably under 
present-day law Ranma can not legally marry all of you, manly though 
such a solution might be."

["What about Utah?"
 "What *about* Utah?"]

They all glared at Nodoka.  She kept smiling, unmoved by their anger, 
and continued, "As his mother, it is my responsibility to ensure his 
greatest possible happiness.  Is there anyone among you who feels that
their love for Ranma is exceeded by the others?"

The other three looked at Akane who defensively snapped, "What?"

"Go on Akane," Shampoo urged.  "You say you not love Ranma many, many
time."

"Oh and you do?  You just want to own him!"

[Hey, you break it, you buy it....]

"Well now, Akane makes a good point," Nodoka interrupted.  "Love is more 
than your personal needs.  It's caring about another's happiness more 
than your own.  Do the four of you care about Ranma's happiness?"

"Yes!"

"More than life itself!"

"Is for sure!"

[Heheheh.  I'm going to take a wild guess on this one...]

"Well...I guess..."

"You must realise that your competition for Ranma, the constant 
pressure, and the physical abuse he gets does not make him happy."

[Hmmmm, realise.  I suppose, if this is going by the 'British rules' 
 for writing...]

"Well that's Akane's fault!"

"You do it too!"

"That Akane is the most frequent offender does not make her the only 
one.  You have used your spatula to reprimand him repeatedly, and 
humiliating him via his fear of cats or the use of paralytic chemicals
is hardly any better," 

["Nor is forcing him to live up to an agreement he never truly consented to...
  Oh sorry, got carried away in the moment, tee-hee."]

Nodoka scolded.  "I will not allow this to go on.
I will set a test for you to establish which of you is worthy to marry
my son.  Those who fail will be considered to have no further claim."

Shampoo crossed her arms smugly, "Shampoo better at everything.  Shampoo
win easy no matter what."

[Hmmmm, this is the second time you've used smug, if you can find
 a better alternative, I'd say go for it...]

Kodachi giggled. "I don't think so, China Girl.  After all, being able 
to speak to your husband in Japanese is a useful talent for a Japanese
wife."

[Yeah, that crazy talk really says 'I love you'....]

"It won't be that kind of contest," Nodoka assured them.  "The true 
measure of devotion is self-sacrifice and so my test will be of your
willingness to give something up for the man you love."

"Like what?" Ukyo asked.

"You must give up the thing you love most apart from Ranma.  
Okonomiyaki."

"But that's not fair!  None of the others will care about that!"

"But Shampoo does care about the Amazons."

Shampoo started, and asked, "What Mother mean?"

"You must give up your membership in the Amazons, their laws, and any
intention you had of taking Ranma back to China.  You will become a
Japanese wife, or you will not marry Ranma.  Only thus may I be assured
that your love is for Ranma rather than for yourself and your law."

"But, Shampoo...I..."

[Uh, whose bit of dialog?  I can't figure it out...]

"And what terms would you dictate to me?  Willingly would I give up 
my luxuries for the ultimate joy of being with my Ranma-sama!  Ohohoho-"

"Get treatment."

[I'd say 'Get bent'  but that's just me...]

"What did you say?"

"What you must do to prove yourself worthy, is go to psychiatrist of my
choosing, let yourself be diagnosed and follow whatever course of 
treatment he prescribes."

["..And then claim to be persued by aliens or claim to be from the future to
 prevent the end of the world."
 "But Twelve Monkeys sucked."
 "That is true, but Brad Pitt is such a hunk.  Yeeooow!"]

"How dare you!"

"I believe that this is necessary for my son to have any hope of 
happiness with you, and it sacrifices the thing you hold most dear.
Your pride."

[Strange, and all this time I thought it was her laugh....]

Akane remained silent, gritting her teeth in anticipation.

"And what of the Tendo-girl?  What has she to offer that matches what 
you demand from me?"

"Violence.  The engagement to Akane is severed unless she gives up all
practise of martial arts and her position as heir to the Tendo school.
Further, she must restrict herself to verbal abuse when Ranma angers
her.  One more blow struck in anger, and..."

Ukyo spoke up again.  "I can see why the other sacrifices, but why 
okonomiyaki?  Ranma _likes_ okonomiyaki."

[I hate to break it to you Ukyo, but Ranma would eat a horse if it was
 served with a side of rice....]

"I know, but like the others you have been looking for a way to fit 
Ranma into your life instead of learning to fit your life to Ranma as
a proper wife should."

["But he's so poseable."]

"But I..."

"Shampoo..."

"The shame..."

[Kod is talkin' here, right?]
________________________________________________________________________
And now for a word from our Sponsor:  This will conclude in Part 2.

[I see Mixxzine has gotten to you too, eh?  Anyway, I kinda like
 how you set this one up, and with little or no description or
 prose.  Pretty darn good for a minimalist work, though some
 of the dialog doesn't bring across the characters very well, I
 knew who was talking... for the most part...  All in all, I'm kinda
 wondering how things will pan out and I for one don't have much
 partiality to Ranma fics....]

Bastion