Will You be my Fianc�?
An Alternate History of Ranma �
By Ammadeau
Roy.Fokker@UNSpacy.org
http://members.tripod.com/~Ammadeau/fanfiction.htm

Unlike my previous posts, 2b won't be following this
anytime soon as I'm currently having several problems with it.
That's why I'm releasing this now, in hopes that C&C I get will
clear up my minor case of writer's block.  So please send
C&C, comments, or  questions you have.  Every little bit helps.

My mail system also has a 30k limit so I can't send quite as
much as I'd like.  For those looking for a little more of this story,
a more complete version of 2a can be found on my webpage,
along with the first chapter to this story.  Finally, special thanks
go to Angus MacSpon and Jonas Fang for helping me clear
away some problems with this draft.

--

	In a town within the Nerima ward, Ranma awoke to greet 
the sunrise.  This wasn't by choice; he had to get in his morning 
sparring with his father, eat breakfast, and get ready for school all 
in time to catch an early train.  Furinkan was only the next town 
over, but walking there was certain to make him late.  Being late 
might mean getting transferred to a school that was ever further 
away.
	Ranma still felt a little groggy, a sure sign that the old man 
was going to beat him at sparring today.  Privately, he believed that 
he had surpassed his father about six months ago, but that didn't 
mean his pops didn't have any fight left in him.  The old man had 
strength and endurance to spare, plus being about as crafty as they 
come.  Even when Ranma was in top form, wins against his father 
didn't come easily, but the pig-tailed boy wouldn't have it any other 
way.

Chapter 2: Two Friendships

	At about the same time and in a place much closer to 
Furinkan High, Kasumi Tendo also arose to greet the sunrise, as 
she had been doing for nearly a decade now, to start preparing 
breakfast before the other members of her family awoke.  If anyone 
had observed her all this time, they would have noticed a lightness 
in her step and a slightly wider smile on her lips this particular 
morning.  Not a rare sight of late, but one unheard of a year ago.
	There was a simple reason for this: Kasumi was happy.  
That's not to say that she never enjoyed cooking meals, cleaning, or 
keeping the house in order.  While no one had ever actually 
thanked her for her efforts, she knew that she was appreciated.  
However, this did not mean much to her; it was in the acts 
themselves that she had found contentment.  Yes, for the longest 
time Kasumi had been content with her life as it was, but 
something, or rather someone, had given her a glimpse into the 
possibility of true happiness.
	As she rose from her bed, she imagined that her room 
belonged to not just herself but another.  After taking her bath, she 
fantasized in preparing it not for her father but for someone even 
more special to her.  As she passed the rooms of her sisters, she 
imagined that they now belonged to much younger children, still 
tucked in, waiting for the scent of their mother's breakfast to awake 
them.  She began to blush at this particular thought.
	As Kasumi moved out to the dojo, she could feel her pulse 
quicken as these day-dreams grew stronger.  She would open the 
door and lean against its frame, watching her husband move 
through an intricate kata that she could barely follow, his black hair 
wild and chest glistening with sweat.  He would pretend not to 
have heard her, but as the smile grew on his lips she knew that this 
was a special performance for an audience of one.  That he was 
performing for her and her alone.
	Kasumi would towel him down at the end of his practice, 
telling him that the bath was already warm.  He would hold her 
close, give her a quick peck on the lips, and hurry off to the furo.  
She would stay in the dojo for a few minutes more, tidying up for 
her husband's classes that day.  Making sure that everything would 
be perfect for him, her life and love.
	Then she would move on to the kitchen, preparing breakfast 
as one by one her children would come downstairs, eventually 
followed by their father.  She would present the meal to those 
smiling faces, eager to show their appetite for their mother's 
wonderful cooking.  And Kasumi would smile as her husband 
would hold her close, and whisper "Kasumi-chan" in her ear.  She 
would smile and whisper back "Ranma-kun."
	The sounds of other people stirring snapped Kasumi out of 
her day-dream, but the smile stayed on her lips as she finished 
preparing breakfast.

	Nabiki found that she wasn't quite herself that morning.  
Getting out of bed early wasn't so effortless as it had been.  She 
should have sprang up, eager to get to school and make her first 
yen of the day.  Instead, she yawned and stumbled, still feeling 
half-asleep.  She tried convincing herself that it was staying up all 
night thinking over the e-mail message she had gotten that had 
done it, but she knew that it was the contents of that message that 
had sapped her will.
	Over winter break, she had been making her rounds as 
usual, earning her yen for the day.  This day however, she found 
that she was being followed by a little girl with long auburn hair.  
As far as she could tell, the girl had been watching her intently for 
over an hour.
	Finally having had enough, Nabiki walked right up to the 
girl, but before she could say anything, the girl asked, "What have 
you been doing?"
	"What do you mean?"
	"I've been watching you collect money from people.  Why 
are you doing that?"
	"Because they owe me money."
	"But why do they all owe money to you?"
	"Why are you asking about it?"
	The girl shrugged.  "Just curious, I guess."
	"Well, the last person had made a bet with me and lost.  
The one before that had taken out a loan with me and I was just 
collecting his payment.  I had some photos to sell to Kuno, he's the 
kid that lived in the mansion."
	"So it's like you're running a business?"
	Nabiki nodded.  It wasn't exactly legal or a hundred percent 
honorable, but since she wasn't allowed to get a part-time job it 
was about the only way a school girl could make money.  Nabiki 
liked having money, and while her family wasn't poor, there wasn't 
a lot of funds for the extra things she had wanted.  That was why 
she had started, at least;  she had come to enjoy the thrill of a 
challenge, the thought and skill that went into bleeding ever yen 
she could from her opponent.  Her problem now was that she had 
gotten so good at it that it wasn't a challenge anymore.  She could 
take all of someone's money without even thinking about it.  Her 
whole business was becoming more of a chore than a pleasure.  
She was looking for a way to get back the old thrill again, and 
perhaps this is what put her in an unusual mindset for what the girl 
said next.
	Then the girl asked, "Can you teach me how to do that?"
	Nabiki was a little surprised by the girl's request, and it took 
some convincing on the girl's part to show that she was serious, but 
eventually the middle Tendo relented and took on her first official 
student, Hitomi.
	Hitomi lived in the next town over and would occasionally 
take the train to study with her new sensei.  At first Nabiki was 
keeping whatever profits Hitomi made as learning fees for herself, 
but as the training progressed, Nabiki reduced her cut until it was 
only a small portion of what her student was taking in.  Somehow 
teaching had revived the mercenary girl within her and she started 
working on improving her own business to the point where she was 
making several times more than what Hitomi had brought in.  The 
old thrill of earning yen was back, and owing it all to Hitomi, 
Nabiki felt a little guilty about snatching away the profits of her 
student.
	At Nabiki's suggestion, they started to communicate more 
often over e-mail.  She had sold her old Mac at a discounted price 
to her new student.  She had planned on getting a new one anyway, 
but still it was odd for her to sell it at a price that was much less 
than she could have sold it to someone else for.  Nabiki told herself 
that this was a present to her student for doing so well, but on the 
inside she was wondering if she was starting to go soft.

	Nabiki switched on her computer and got her things ready 
for a bath as it booted up.  Quickly entering her password, she went 
into her e-mail and pulled out the message, reading it for what had 
to be the hundredth time.

To: TheQueenOf@FurinkanHigh.edu
From: HitomiS@MegumiAcademy.edu
Subject: Outside Activities
	I just started my new juku sensei and my own business is 
expanding at my new school so I won't be able to come and study 
under you as often anymore.  Please use this time for something 
other than making money.  You said that you were always too busy 
before, but now you have the time.  There must be something you 
want to do.  You've helped me so much sensei, let me know if 
there is anything I can do to help you with this.

	Nabiki thought it over again.  Hitomi was just like having a 
kid sister, even to Nabiki who already had one.  Better actually, 
since Akane and she didn't really have any common interests, 
making their bond a little weak.  It was nice to have someone who 
looked up to you, listened to you, and tried to follow in your 
footsteps.  Nabiki enjoyed having someone to look out for, to 
protect, and to guide.  Maybe it was the emergence of a motherly 
instinct or just plain old loneliness, but she enjoyed it, whatever the 
reason.
	There was another side to it however.  Nabiki had taught 
Hitomi about the importance of an exchange: that nothing came of 
nothing, and that one should always make sure they got something 
out of any deal.  The girl had taken this lesson to heart, and decided 
that she needed to repay her sensei for all that she had been taught.  
Nabiki argued that the profits Hitomi had already given her were 
more than enough, but the girl was adamant on 'paying her sensei 
back in full.'  And since she couldn't help improve her sensei's 
business, Hitomi had decided to help in other areas, mostly by 
continuously trying to convince Nabiki to have interests that didn't 
involve business in some way.  Slowly but surely, Nabiki's 
resistance had been worn down.  She sighed a little bit, and began 
to type.

To: HitomiS@MegumiAcademy.edu
From: TheQueenOf@FurinkanHigh.edu
Subject: Re: Outside Activities
	What would you suggest I do then?

	Nabiki found that finally replying to that message and a 
nice long soak had rejuvenated her spirits.  She was ready to go out 
and earn her little pocket full of yen.  But first, breakfast.
	She came downstairs to find the meal already laid out; 
miso, fish, and rice were all tastefully arranged next to the hot tea 
waiting to be poured.  Kasumi was currently arranging her own 
breakfast, her eyes half-closed and a smile on her lips.  To Nabiki, 
it looked like her elder sister was thinking of something other than 
the food in front of her and she wondered what it could be.  She 
shrugged; as long as it kept Kasumi cheerful, she was all for it.  
Her great cooking alone was worth the price of her happiness.
	It was a quiet morning, with only birdsong and the faint 
sound of their father in the dojo, going through his morning katas.  
He hadn't taught anyone since Akane was little, but he still liked to 
keep in shape.
	"Good morning Nabiki," Kasumi said as Nabiki sat down 
and poured them both some tea.  "Did you sleep well?"
	The middle Tendo had to smile at that.  Despite the small 
age difference between them, Kasumi looked after her as if she 
were still a child.  Somehow, Nabiki didn't resent it though.
	"I slept okay, how about you sis?"
	"Oh yes, I slept very well."
	Nabiki could have sworn that for a moment it looked like 
her elder sister was actually blushing, but she had to be mistaken.  
Kasumi did not blush.  Not even the time the waiter had hit on her 
at a restaurant.  Not that her elder sister had even realized that the 
guy had been trying to pick her up.  Nabiki was becoming more 
and more convinced that Kasumi lived in a world of her own, and 
was increasingly envious of the happy place that elder sister 
inhabited.
	Nabiki decided to try something a little bold.  She didn't 
think it was true, but at least would get some sort of reaction out of 
Kasumi.
	"Wow sis, do you some sort of secret boyfriend of 
something?"
	The eldest sister nearly choked on her tea as her cheeks 
turned instantly rosy and her eyes held a wide, panicked look that 
Nabiki had never seen in her before.  She was feeling a little 
startled herself.  She'd just been joking, she had never expected it 
to be true.
	"Of course not Nabiki!  How could you even think such a 
thing!"  Kasumi practically yelled in a tone that was just barely in 
control.
	It was the kind of reaction Nabiki would expect from 
Akane, but not Kasumi, who often acted as if she didn't fully 
understand the world around her.  Nabiki wasn't sure how to read 
this.  If it had been Akane, then she would have known that such a 
strong denial meant that it had to be true.  Kasumi had never acted 
this way before, so it was hard to tell.  It might be a cover-up, 
though it could also be Kasumi outraged at being asked such a 
question.  It was so nearly unthinkable for Kasumi that Nabiki 
immediately favored the latter.
	It was possible though, Nabiki realized as she thought about 
it some more.  Kasumi went shopping about every day and always 
took her time about it no matter what she was out to get.  People 
rarely went with her so no one actually knew how she spent that 
time.  She could have been meeting someone, ridiculous as the 
notion may be.
	Kasumi had been acting a bit differently the past six months 
or so.   Before she seemed to have some sort of inner peace thing 
going, like she was a Buddha in training or something.  Now she 
was both happier and sadder.  She was usually the former, grinning 
instead of just smiling, actually laughing out loud at times, a sound 
which Nabiki hadn't recalled ever hearing before this year.  Kasumi 
even made a joke about Akane's cooking.  Nabiki, and everyone 
else, had been too stunned to laugh.  She was also occasionally 
melancholy.  If she ever was sad before, she had never shown any 
sign of it.  Akane and father were still just as oblivious, but Nabiki 
noticed and tried to help her sister out as best she could during 
those times.
	'But if she does have a boyfriend, then why keep it a secret? 
And why deny it so strongly?  It might be something worth looking 
into.'

	Akane yawned as she blinked the sleep from her eyes and 
shut off her alarm's annoying buzzing with an open palm strike, 
automatically pulling the blow so as not to damage the delicate (in 
her view at least) time piece.  She'd gone through quite a few alarm 
clocks in learning that it wasn't always a good idea to hit 
everything with full force.  It had been her father's whining about 
going bankrupt over busted alarm clocks that had finally convinced 
her to be more gentle with said time pieces.
	For a few moments she merely sat in bed, willing herself to 
be able to tolerate going to school when she knew what was 
waiting for her there.  Yet for some reason she didn't find it as hard 
this particular morning, as it had been all of the previous week.  
She spent another moment wondering about it, not coming to any 
real conclusions, decided she was being silly, and then hopped out 
of bed.
	Positive that Nabiki would be done by now, Akane 
gathered up her bath things and headed for the furo.  Sure enough it 
was empty.  Akane didn't really understand how her sister could 
make such an early start, though she did know some of the reasons 
why she did it.  The youngest Tendo wasn't complaining though, 
she enjoyed having the bath to herself, though she did resent not 
being able to enjoy it as long as she would have liked.  Coming in 
late was not an option when those boys would be waiting for her in 
the schoolyard.  And if they didn't slow her down, Kuno certainly 
would.  That was just another reason for her to pound them all into 
the dirt.
	Kasumi called her down for breakfast just as she was 
starting to forget about boys and relax.
	"I'll be right down," Akane called back, trying to keep her 
irritation out of her voice.  It wasn't her sister's fault that she 
couldn't enjoy a bath, it was all because of those stupid boys for 
listening to that idiot Kuno.
	Akane noted, as she sat down to breakfast, that her sister 
was smiling as always, serving a meal that Akane knew she could 
not hope to recreate.  Only her father joined her at the table.  
Nabiki had eaten early so she could be off for school and Kasumi 
had eaten with her as she usually did.  Soun was picking at his 
breakfast while he studied the newspaper and Akane's elder sister 
was starting on her household chores for the day.  Their house was 
so quiet and normal that it always left Akane somewhat unprepared 
for the chaos that awaited her when she departed.
	Akane listened to Kasumi humming a sweet little song as 
she washed some dishes, her eyes half-closed and a smile playing 
at the corners of her mouth.  Akane wondered what she was 
thinking of.  In many ways her eldest sister was a mystery to her.  
Her father was much like herself, and not just in matters of martial 
arts.  He was the source of her temper, though he was much more 
likely to break down and cry these days.  Nabiki she could also 
understand, to at least to some extent.  She knew the reasons why 
she sometimes did things, even though Akane usually didn't think 
they were worth while.  She had never had any need for yen 
beyond what she got for an allowance.
	Akane could not figure out how Kasumi could live the life 
she had and be so happy all of the time.  She would have been 
unbelievably frustrated and bored if all she did all day was cook 
and clean.  She even felt guilty sometimes that they had dumped all 
of this work on Kasumi and would try to help her out, though she 
knew her attempts at housework often created more work for her 
eldest sister than less.  Even after cleaning up one of Akane's 
cooking disasters, Kasumi would still be smiling no matter how 
bad the mess was.  Akane had once talked to Nabiki about it, but 
the middle Tendo had told her that as long as Kasumi was happy 
with the way things were then they shouldn't try to get in her way.  
Akane had reluctantly agreed.

	Hitomi awoke the second her alarm sounded and felt a 
surge of triumph.  She knew it was a very small victory, but she 
enjoyed it none the less.  She had worked hard to get over her 
natural inclination to sleep in, inherited from her lazy father.  
Nabiki had taught her the importance of making every hour in the 
day count.  Every extra minute spent sleeping, meant one less 
minute doing what you wanted to.  Hitomi was already convinced 
that there weren't enough minutes in the day to begin with.
	She switched on her computer as she started to get ready for 
the day.  Nabiki hadn't replied to her message last night, which was 
odd since her sensei was usually very prompt about things like that, 
checking her e-mail every day.  The most business often went to 
those most vigilant after all.
	Hitomi smiled when she read Nabiki's reply.  Soon the 
smile grew into a full-blown grin that erupted with laughter.  She 
just happened to have the perfect way for her sensei to spend her 
extra time.  She had had the idea for some a while now, waiting for 
an opportunity like this to use it.
	Her plan was actually quite simple.  Both Nabiki and her 
brother weren't seeing anyone and neither had ever been on a real 
date before.  They also happened to be the people that Hitomi liked 
most in the world, next to her parents that is.  If they married, then 
the person she had always thought of as he older sister would 
become her real sister.  She didn't expect love at first sight, but she 
would do her best to speed it along.
	Hitomi quickly typed her reply as a plan began to form in 
her mind.  Tomorrow was the first year anniversary of her 
becoming Nabiki's student.  She had planned to take her sensei out 
to a fancy restaurant which she had already gotten a reservation for.  
Unfortunately, her own business, combined with juku and some 
school activities, were keeping her too busy.  She had planned to 
get out of her obligations and take out her sensei anyway, but it 
would be much better if she could persuade her brother to go in her 
place.  She enjoyed the irony that she would be using the very 
skills that Nabiki had taught her in order to set up this date.
	As Hitomi was heading for the bath, she nearly tripped on 
something that was sticking out from under her bed.  She pulled 
out the short wooden staff and stared at it in confusion before she 
finally remembered.  Her mother had finished cleaning up the attic, 
storing everything in boxes, some marked for the basement, others 
the trash.  Hitomi had been curious over what her mother had 
found and decided to take a look.
	She had seen many strange things, but it had been the short 
staff that had really caught her eye.  It was made of a wood that 
was a dark reddish brown and nearly smooth as glass to the touch, 
at least those portions of it had hadn't been intricately carved.  They 
were all of abstract shapes, that, with their gently flowing curves, 
reminded Hitomi of water.  She decided to keep the staff for 
herself since it was headed for the trash anyway.

	Ranma wasn't really surprised to see Akane fighting a mob 
of boys before school the next day.  If the group hadn't given up 
after a week of this, it was unlikely to stop because Ranma had hit 
some of them a little harder than they were used to yesterday.  
Ranma decided not to interfere this time, though Akane would 
probably yell at him for not helping her.  He had a feeling that 
she'd yell at him no matter what he did, so thought it best not to 
draw her attention.
	Ranma skirted the edge of the fight, which was nearly over, 
in an effort to avoid any trouble before school started.  Akane 
would probably try to fight him again, if only to prove that she 
could fight her own battles, and Kuno would still insist that he 
hadn't been beaten.  Suddenly, the aforementioned kendoist 
blocked his path.
	"So I find you wretch, clinging to the shadows like a 
frightened dog, in the vain hope to avoid my vigilant eyes.  It has 
all been for naught knave, justice will be served.  So says the Blue 
Thunder of Furinkan High!"
	'Is it my imagination, Ranma thought, or are his speeches 
getting worse?'  "What do you want this time Kuno?"
	"For you to set aside your tricks and fight me honestly, man 
to man.  Only in this way can I prove my superiority to you and 
win the hand of the lovely Akane Tendo."
	Ranma decided now wasn't the time to mention that Akane 
was a little too busy with her own fight to notice him at the 
moment.  Not that she would have cared anyway; Akane looked at 
Kuno as if he were some kind of bug, while Ranma didn't think 
that she held him much higher in her estimation.  They could both 
beat each other senseless and she wouldn't bat an eyelash.
	"What does that have to do with me?" Ranma asked him.
	"I am sworn to protect the fierce tigress that is Akane 
Tendo from fiends such as yourself.  If you wish to possess her 
than you must challenge her to honorable combat, not beguile her 
with your witchery.  Swear true that once I defeat you, you will 
pester her no more."
	Ranma wasn't aware that he was 'pestering' her, in fact he 
seemed the only guy in school that wasn't.  "So if you win this 
fight, I have to leave her alone?"
	The kendoist nodded.
	"So what do I get if I win?"  After playing shoji with his 
sister, Ranma learned to make sure you always get something if 
you win.  She wouldn't even play unless they were both betting 
something.
	"You will not."
	"But suppose I do, shouldn't I get something?  How about 
this:  If I win, you have to make sure that morning fights with 
Akane will stop and make sure that no one at school tries to fight 
her anymore, including you."
	"But what better way is there to prove my love for her?"  
Kuno beseeched the heavens, hand covering his head in a gesture 
of tragedy.
	Ranma groaned.  This guy just could not be for real.  
"Look, all you have to do is beat me and you won't have to worry 
about it."
	Kuno pondered this for a few more moments in silence, 
until he finally said, "Oh very well.  Your chances of defeating me 
are so slim that it matters little."
	Ranma didn't know if this guy was blind, stupid, or had an 
ego the size of Osaka.  It was probably all three.  Ranma cracked 
his knuckles and prepared to pound the kendoist into the ground.
	Kuno fought better than he had before, Ranma had to give 
him that.  His bokken was blur as he sought to maim the pig-tailed 
boy.  Ranma still won in the end, but Kuno had managed to give 
him a few bruises to remember the kendoist by.  'If he would 
always fight at this level,' Ranma thought, 'he might turn into an 
interesting sparring partner.'  He had no doubt that Kuno would 
challenge him again.
	Ranma woke him up by knocking him on the head with his 
own bokken.  "Hey, anybody in there?"
	"That hurt you know," was Kuno's reply.
	"Well, you fought okay that time, but you still lost.  Now 
don't forget our bet."
	"I protest!  You must have used your magics on me again.  
No one can defeat the Blue Thunder, no one!"
	Ranma knocked on his head to stop the kendo boy's ranting.  
"Since when is pounding someone with fists and feet magic?  I 
didn't use any sorcery this time or any other time I fought you.  If 
you won't believe me, ask some of the people who saw the fight.  
We fought, you lost, now are you going to be a man and honor our 
bet?"
	Kuno sat in thought for some time, his eyes closed.  Ranma 
was about to clonk him in the head again, when the kendoist 
sprang up, knocking Ranma on his butt.
	Kuno stood, fist upraised, and declared to the heavens, 
"Yes!  The Blue Thunder will now protect the fair Akane Tendo 
from all challengers and in that way prove my love to her!"
	"That's not what I meant.  I just wanted you to stop the 
morning fights," Ranma said, but Kuno was already long gone.  
'Well,' he thought, 'at least I'm not going to be late for class today.'
	Ranma suddenly found himself surrounded by a mob which 
had been growing ever since the fight with Kuno had began.  He 
was now encircled by most of the school, all shouting things at 
him.  "Wow, you beat Kuno again!"  "What did you mean by bet?"  
"Do you have a girlfriend?"  "Are you dating Akane?"


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