This was formerly known as "Choices"  I'll need to fix up the first
part, but here's the conclusion to the story.  

____________________________________________________________________

The vase of black roses shattered against the wall.  "But 
I'm NOT crazy!  That disrespectful hag, how dare she!  
Insisting that I lower myself, me, Kodachi Kuno of one of 
the most respected families in all Japan!"  A ribbon slashed 
out, cutting through black silk curtains, and wrapping 
around a lamp to send it flying.  

"Just because I have a bit of a sense of humour, people 
insist on telling such cruel lie.  I credited her as having 
more perception than to believe their tales.  It appears I 
overestimated her," Kodachi mused, beginning to calm down.

Of course there was no particular reason why she had to pay 
attention to the fool.  She'd schemed for weeks and spent a 
small fortune to get Ranma to agree to an official 
engagement, and her success was probably what had sparked 
this absurd contest.  

It was all a plot to get rid of her, of course.  The other 
girls were in it as well.  Since they had no pride, they'd 
give up their trivial avocations and only Kodachi would be 
the loser, back where she started.  Well...so be it.  It was 
only money, after all, and not being "officially" engaged 
had never stopped her before. 

Too bad though.  After all, she wasn't really insane.  She 
just like to play with people a little.  Hmmm.  Wait a 
second.  She really wasn't insane.  Wouldn't it be nice to 
have official proof of that, and to have her status as a 
fiancee confirmed by the old bag's inane "contest"?  

Kodachi took out the business card that Nodoka had given to 
her.  It would be wise to check her psychiatrist's 
credentials.  After all, only the most reputable 
practitioner would be worthy of her social status.  

___________________________________________________________

Ukyo gazed blankly at her grill.  All her life.  Generations
before her, selling okonomiaki.  Her father used to tell her
that it was an ancestor of theirs who had invented it.  Give 
it up?  It would be like...

Like deciding to give up her womanhood.  Like giving up 
everything for just one thing.  She'd done it once...twice. 
Could she do it again?  Did she even want to?  Was Ranma 
worth it?  Let's face it, he was dumb as a stump.  Of course 
that could be kind of cute.  

His father.  To have Genma Saotome for a father-in-law.  
Heck, to have Nodoka Saotome for a mother-in-law.  She 
obviously a total idiot.  She married Genma, after all.  
Then there was this stupid test.  Akane give up martial 
arts?  Kodachi?  Admit she was nuts?  Shampoo, give up the 
whole Amazon thing?  Never happen.  They wouldn't have the 
guts.  All of them were takers, not givers.  They'd fail the 
test.

And then Ranma would be alone with his crazy mother and his 
theiving father.

Konatsu awoke when he heard the clattering downstairs.  He
wafted silently downstairs.  If someone had dared to break
in, he'd make sure they regretted their trespass.  He 
stopped, confused.  Ukyo-sama was dismantling the grill.

Ukyo turned when she heard the gasp from the stair.  "Oh, hi
'Natsu-chan.  Give me a hand will you?"

"Of course.  Uh...what are we doing?"

"Something different."
____________________________________________________________
Shampoo stormed into the Nekohanten's kitchen, her face 
glowing with fury.

Cologne took one look at her and dryly commented, "I take it 
that things did not go as hoped?"

Shampoo didn't bother to speak Japanese.  Not worth the 
effort, and no need to tell the customers about her 
business.  "Great-Grandmother, that horrible woman is going 
to stop me from marrying Ranma unless I swear never to go 
back to Joketsuzo and live as a Japanese wife for the rest 
of my life.  That insulting barbarian wants to turn me into 
another her!  That excretion of a diseased-"

"Shampoo!  I'll have none of that language!"

"I'm sorry, Great-Grandmother.  I won't do it again, but...
I don't want to lose Ranma.  I've never known anyone so 
wonderful, and now she's taking him away from me!  She just 
makes me so damn mad!"

"There's an old Amazon saying that you would do well to 
remember at times like this," Cologne commented.  "Don't get
mad, get even."

"I don't really want to kill Ranma's mother.  I think it 
would put a strain on our relationship."

"That wasn't what I meant in this case."  

Before Cologne could continue, a white clad form lunged 
through the swinging door which separated the kitchen from 
the tables.  "Shampoo!  Is it true?  Are you finally going 
to go back to China with me?"  Mousse lunged forward, flat
onto his face as she absently stepped aside, tripped him and
planted a foot on his back as she grabbed a cold drink to
hold over him.  

"I'm not in the mood to play right now, Mousse.  Behave."  
He remained still as she turned her attention back to her 
mentor.  "You were saying, Great-Grandmother?"

"At the moment Nodoka has the upper hand.  That will change 
after the wedding.  You have been studying marital arts, 
after all."

"Ye-es, but I'd still have to swear an oath not to return to 
China, and to live as a Japanese housewife."

"Has your association with Son-In-Law taught you nothing 
about the room for manuever that can be found in oaths?"

Shampoo looked at the old woman, stunned.  "You want me to 
do it?"

"I didn't say that.  It will be an awkward situation.  You 
wouldn't be free to return home as long as Ranma remained 
alive.  That is particularly awkward since in return for 
releasing you from Amazon law, I would insist that your 
children be returned to the Amazons through adoption or 
marriage.  It is up to you to decide whether that talented 
lout is worth the sacrifice."

"Ranma's mother wouldn't like that."

"No need to tell her until the occasion arises."

"But a Japanese wife..."

"What?"

"Once I am a Japanese wife, how I act is how a Japanese wife 
acts, right?  After all, there's no book of Housewife Law."

"Now you are getting it."

"But, Sham-quack!" briefly protested Mousse.

____________________________________________________________

Akane fumed as she stormed upstairs.  How could Ranma have 
put his mother up to this stupid scheme?  Well she didn't 
need either of them.  There was no way she was giving up the 
skills she'd spent ten years learning, the thing she did 
best, not for that jerk.  If the marriage was off she could 
just find someone else to marry.  She didn't need him. She 
didn't even want him!

She sniffled absently and wiped at her face.  She'd do just 
fine without him.  She didn't even need to marry.  You 
didn't need a man to be a martial arts sensei.  When she was 
older she could teach women's self-defense classes.  That 
sort of thing was getting bigger and bigger and they _liked_ 
getting taught by another woman.  

It would serve Ranma right when he was left all alone.  She 
punched her pillow and it exploded.  Damn.  Feathers 
everywhere that she'd have to clean up.  It was all Ranma's 
fault.  She went to get the vacuum.

"Akane?"  Kasumi was looking at her with concern.  

Busted.  "Oh...hi, Kasumi.  I was going to clean up a little
accident.  Nothing to...<glkct>...worry about."

"Oh Akane, what happened?"

"Just one of my pillows..."

Without really knowing how it had happened Akane found 
herself being hugged by Kasumi.  Well, she couldn't very 
well upset Kasumi more by pulling back.  She hugged her 
back, so Kasumi would feel better.

Kasumi held her close and said, "That's not what I'm asking 
you."  

Akane looked up at her sister, answering "Mrs Saotome told 
me I had to give up martial arts."

"What!  Why?"

"It's a c-contest.  Any one of us who isn't willing to give 
up what Auntie Nodoka thinks we care about most, loses their 
engagement to Ranma.  She thinks that'll solve his 
problems."

They let go of each other after a moment and Kasumi smoothly 
took over the job of cleaning up the feathers.  "If it's a 
contest, who do you think will win?"

"Probably nobody.  Ukyo wouldn't give up okonomiyaki any 
more than I'd give up martial arts and Shampoo wouldn't give 
up her people.  I guess maybe Kodachi's a long shot but 
putting herself under a psychiatrist's care with her 
pride...  Huhn.  Now there'd be a match made in hell.  It 
would serve Ranma right if Kodachi did win the contest."

Kasumi gave Akane a reproachful look, but didn't comment.

"Well it would!  He's the idiot who let himself get engaged 
to her."

"You might want to ask him about that."

"The last thing I want is to hear the gruesome details," 
Akane snapped, then said more quietly, "Thanks, Kasumi."

"That's all right.  I'll get you another pillow."

Akane lay back on her bed and sighed.  After a moment she 
leaned over and looked at her clock.  Time to get in her 
workout.  After all, she wouldn't want to let her martial 
arts skills slide.   

Well...maybe she'd put it off until tomorrow.  It had been a 
rough day.
____________________________________________________________

There was something going on.  Ranma was sure of it.  He 
couldn't put his finger on it, but he could just feel it.  
He'd seen Kodachi yesterday and she'd been...odd  She still 
called him "Ranma-sama", still came on to him, still was a 
snob, but she just seemed different.  Actually, come to 
think of it, she'd seemed relaxed, sort of pleasant.

Then there was the girl walking beside him.  She was angry 
about something and hadn't told him what it was.  Nothing 
unusual about that.  Happened all the time.  But there was 
something different.

"Say, Akane?"

"Yes, Ranma?"

"Why haven't you been working out for the last couple of 
days?  Is something wrong?"

She glared at him, snarling "Why no, why would you think 
that?"

"Did you bust something when I wasn't looking?"

"I'm fine."  She muttered something else he didn't quite 
catch.  "Unappreciative" something or other.  

"Oh.  Well, that's good," he said lamely.  "Say, you want to 
grab a bit at the Ucchan?  Looks like it's open again."

"A bite of what?"

He followed her gaze.  Through the window instead of the 
grill and stools he could racks of magazines, newspapers, 
and manga.  "What the..?"

"Still want to go in?"

"Yeah."  Ranma felt weird as he went inside.  It was like 
he'd been zapped into a world full of almost but not quite 
copies of everyone he knew.  "What's goin' down, Ucchan?"

"Hi Ranchan!  Have a look around the new Ucchan's!"

"What was wrong with the old one?"  Ranma watched with 
confusion as his fiancees exchanged mysterious looks.

"It was just time to...try something different."

"Oh...well that's your business I guess."  Ranma idly 
flipped through one of the manga. "Say, what's this?"

"Oh, that's something called Dragonball Z.  I don't know 
much about it."

"Funny stance.  Well, good luck with your new business.  I 
bet you'll be a big success with it."

"Thanks, Ranchan.  Come back soon."

Well, things were different, but nothing really suspicious 
was going on.  Ranma shrugged as he went back out.  "Hey 
Akane, I'm still hungry.  Would it be OK if we went to the 
Nekohanten?"

"Why not?  After all, Shampoo isn't there."

"She isn't?"

"Nope.  She moved out and got a job as a hairdresser."

There was something weird going on.  Definitely.  Hey, 
doughnuts!  
____________________________________________________________

When the competitors gathered again, the judge for their 
contest was looking a bit less self-possessed.  In fact 
Nodoka was looking distinctly pale.  

"Yes, actually I was pleasantly surprised by the therapist 
you recommended; quite respectful and intelligent.  Of 
course he confirmed that I'm not at all delusory.  All he 
thinks I need is a mild mood stabiliser.  I've been on his 
prescription for last few days and feel fine."

"Big deal!  You had it easy.  I had to give up my life's 
work, but the magazine stand is doing good business at 
least."

"Hah!  Shampoo have to give up 3000 years of tradition."

"My family's been making okonomiaki for at least that long."

"In you dreams!"

"Girls, please!"  Nodoka looked like she was getting a 
headache.  

"Hey, what's going on?"  Ranma asked as he came in.  

"Ranma?  What are you doing here?"  Nodoka was definitely 
getting a headache.

"I just noticed everyone comin' over here.  Is this about 
why everyone's acting so weird?"

One explanation later, Ranma wasn't looking particularly 
enlightened.  "This is nuts!  I don't expect anyone to give 
up everything that's important to them for me.  Why are you 
going along with it?"

Nodoka looked about ready to cry.  "I was so sure that 
they'd all say no!  I mean I couldn't have possibly been 
more unreasonable..."

"All of them?  I guess I can see you wanting a few less 
engagements but why try to get rid of all of them unless...
Mom...what did you do?"

"Well..."

"Hello?"  

Everyone turned to the new arrival, a handsome but tall 
young girl with her brown hair in a pony tail.

"Mom, you didn't-"

"Are you my fiancee?"
________________________________________________________________

David Johnston rgorman@telusplanet.net