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PART II
Sometimes I Lie Awake, 
Wondering If We'll Make it Out of Here.
=============================

*I have until ... Monday night. Today's Wednesday.* As she wandered aimlessly around the sunny courtyard,
Ryoga-chan counted the days mentally and groaned. "It's not enough TIME! Especially since I have to stay
like this," she added with another groan.
"Miss Ryoga? Are you feeling OK?" Tinamous asked from behind her. She spun around in surprise.
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?! I'm fine!" she snapped.
"I was just enquiring. I was concerned after you left last night," Tinamous said calmly. "I do hope you
weren't caught in that explosion in the east wing."
"Errrr...." 
The young lord sighed. "Are you happy to be here?" he asked quietly.
Ryoga-chan was on guard. "Why wouldn't I be?"
He laughed. "You don't have to make excuses! If you want to go home, I will not keep you prisoners here."
Ukyo appeared as if by magic. "Are you sure you're really a lord? By all rights, you should be all 'I
shall wed and bed these wenches before the day is out wahaha' if you get my drift."
Tinamous laughed again. "That would be the best way to make enemies, don't you think? No, if you want to
go home..."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ryoga-chan said eagerly. "It was lovely to meet you, thanks for the
hospitality, but we really should be going."
Tinamous sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't have the power to send you home. I shall ask my mother to help
me, but I warn you..." He sat down on a convenient bench. "The reason all you girls were brought to my
realm is because of a curse."
"Curse? I can sympathise with curses," Ryoga-chan muttered.
"What kind of curse?" Ukyo asked.
"Many aeons ago, one of my ancestors defeated an evil wizard who was keeping the women of this realm
captive. However, before he died, the wizard passed a curse saying that if the Lord of the realm was not
married by Halloween of their seventeenth year all the women in the realm would be killed within a
month," he finished.
After a moment Ukyo spoke up. "T-that's... not a good thing, I guess."
Tinamous nodded. "There was a woman I loved..." he continued, with a small sigh. "I was going to marry
her, but she vanished a week ago. In desperation, my mother began gathering people from the mortal realm
to take her place." He grabbed their hands. "All I'm asking is that one of you goes through with the
wedding. Then you can feel free to apply for a divorce!"
Ukyo and Ryoga-chan exchanged glances. "I don't really see how we can refuse..." Ukyo said finally.

Elsewhere in Japan...
"Hey, my Aunt Yuriko lives near here," Tsubasa said as the group wandered around a town.
"You mean, you know where we are?" asked Washu.
"Yeah."
"ARGH!!! WE DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHERE WE ARE!!!" Mihoshi wailed.
"Don't cry, pretty lady, Happy will comfort you!" 
Mihoshi screamed and began beating at the old man with the butt of her pistol. "HELP! GET IT OFF!"
Her cries brought the attention of a small brunette girl in a yellow dress who ran over to them. "A
pervert! He must be a delinquent!" Mihoshi and Happosai stopped and stared at her as she held up a coin.
"HAPPO FIFTY YEN..."
*WHAM*
"HEY!!" The girl spun around as the coin was knocked out of her grasp and glared at the person behind
her. "You!"
The newcomer bent down, picked up the fifty yen piece and stood up, showing herself to be another small
girl. Her long black hair was held in a knot, with a few ornate wooden pins holding it in place. She was
wearing khaki shorts and a pale blue shirt and carried a backpack that rivalled Ryoga's. "What a waste of
money," she said scornfully. 
"Give it back, you delinquent!!" the brown-haired girl screamed. She pulled out another fifty yen piece.
"HAPPO FIF-HEY!"
This time the group saw the other girl pull a cloth bracelet from her wrist and use it to knock the yen
from the first girl's grasp. "Thanks for the yen!" she called, grabbing it.
"Ah, such sweet children," smiled Kuno. "If they were but a few years older, I would date with them!"
"Otherwise it's paedophila, which, incidently, is against the law," Nabiki pointed out. 
"Do you suppose... that girl could be related to..." Ranma began. 
Akane shook her head. "That would be too much of a coincidence." 
Mihoshi suddenly remembered Happosai. "Get off my chest, you weirdo!" 
"Don't wanna!" 
A buzzing sound filled the air, and Happosai jumped away as a metal edged fan whirred past him and lodged
itself into a tree trunk. "Pervert! That kind of thing is against the law!" the black-haired girl yelled.
"Stealing my yen is against the law too! Give it back!" 
The brown-haired girl chased the black-haired one as she ran away, pulling the fan out of the tree as she
passed it. "Gotta catch me first!"
"You know, I can see this coming back to haunt them in a few years," Ranma said seriously.
Nabiki groaned. "The martial artists of tomorrow. Come on, let's get some food. Kuno-baby, you're
paying."
"What?! And how did you come to this deduction, vile wench?!"
"I guess that means you don't want to see my latest batch of photo's of the bandannaed girl?" Nabiki
strolled away, hands behind her head.
"Wait!" Kuno chased after her. "Forgive this unworthy soul, I beg of thee!"
"Well..." Nabiki pretended to consider it. "That's dinner for everyone here then."
Looking at the assortment of Nerimans, Kuno blanched. "I... I see my reputation is at stake." Nabiki
sniggered and Kuno glared at her. "Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. Does thou not laugh?"
"I really can't tell what you mean, but..." Nabiki waved a photo enticingly. "Do you agree?"
Kuno sighed. "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! Did my heart love till now? Forswear it
sight! For I never saw true beauty till this night! Very well, a fair assembly." He waved to the others.
"Come, let us feast!" He turned back to Nabiki. "Does this include Saotome?"
"Of course." She pulled him along by the sleeve. "Come on, let's find a decent restaurant."

"Can I ask just one question?" Ukyo wrestled for possession of her spatula as servant girls attempted to
force her into a wedding gown. "What is the rush?! Halloween isn't for three weeks!"
"Think about it. He said that he had to be married by Halloween. He didn't say he still had to be married
ON Halloween." Ryoga-chan grinned at the logic of this. "So the sooner you marry him, the sooner we can
go home."
"Good point," Ukyo admitted. Then she frowned. "I'm not kissing him though!"

"\, I've known a few guy's who thought they were pretty smart, but you've got being right down to an art,
you think you're a genius - you drive me up the wall, you're a regular, original, a know-it-all!\,"
"It's that kid!" Ranma realised, looking at the stage.  True enough, it was the little black-haired girl
on stage, singing. 
Akane grinned. "She's pretty good.. and the lyrics are definitely you, Ranma!"
"Hey!" Ranma pouted and turned to Nabiki. "Why are we in a kareoke bar, anyway?"
"Did you notice how much the prize is?" Nabiki replied, pointing it out. 
Ranma's eyes bugged out. "Wow! With that much money, I could..."
"Pay back some of the money you owe me," Nabiki finished.
Ranma ran into the men's room, before reappearing in girl form. "I'd like to sing too," she said,
grinning cutely at the guy in charge of the microphone. She waited for the music to start up. "\, I never
could explain it, or even try to name it, all I feel, whenever I'm alone with you, but there's... \,"
"Look, it's the pigtailed girl!" Kuno jumped to his feet and glomped Ranma-chan.
"GET OFF ME, YOU CREEP!" 
*WHAM*WHAM*WHAM*
Kicking his unconscious body to one side, she turned the charm back on. "Can I start again please??" 
Unfortunately, she didn't get further than three words before getting glomped by Happosai.
"GETAWAYGETAWAY!!! HELP!!!" "SWEETO!!" Suddenly, the air was filled with whirring fans. Happosai yelped
and dove for cover under a table and the little girl scowled. "Do you mind?! This is a contest!" She
caught the fans which returned to her and bowed in front of Ranma-chan. "I like that song. Will you sing
it again?"
Ranma-chan sweatdropped. *What a weird kid!*

End Part II

===========================
PART III
All's Fair in Love, War and Kareoke.
===========================

"Are you going to sing, Nabiki?" Akane asked her sister. Up on stage, Ranma-chan finally managed to
complete the ending theme to El Hazard, kicking Kuno in the face as he reattempted to glomp her for the
fourth time.
"Are you kidding? Why would I do that when I have Kuno-baby to sponge off?" She looked at Akane, who gave
her a disbelieving look. Nabiki? Turn down the chance to get more money?! "OK," she sighed. "I'm
chicken," she admitted. "What about you?"
Ranma-chan flopped onto her chair. "That tomboy, sing? Are you mad?!"
Akane glared at her and stood up. "I'll show you, Ranma! Just you watch!" She stormed up to the stage and
grabbed the microphone. "\, Kiss me, I love the bearded barley, lightly, beside the green, green grass,
swing, swing, swing the spinning step, you wear those shoes and I will wear that dress... oh, kiss me,
beneath the milky twilight ...\,"
"OK, so the tomboy isn't half bad," Ranma-chan said grudgingly.
Kuno bounded forward. "Akane Tendo, I will fulfill your request!"
Akane kicked him in the head without breaking tune, then returned to her seat. "Ha! How was that then,
Ranma?!"
"You were OK, I suppose," Ranma-chan said in her best uninterested voice. 
They watched the judges whisper among themselves for a moment, before the main man (what else can I call
him??) walked to the centre of the stage. "The judges have made their decision. The winner is... Miss
Keiko Hibiki!"
"Yay!!" The black-haired kid (Now I can finally type her name!) bounced on stage and grabbed the prize
money. "Thanx!"
Ranma-chan and Akane exchanged glances. "Coincidence?" Akane asked weakly.
"Hibiki _is_ a pretty common surname..."
"Hold it, you delinquent!!" All heads turned to the little girl stood in the doorway. "You've stolen my
yen for the last time! I, Hinako Ninomiya shall bring you to justice!" She flicked a coin, catching it
between finger and thumb. "HAPPO FIFTY YEN..."
*PING*
With a growl, Hinako-chan rooted through her pockets. "Uh... HAPPO FIF..."
*PING*
Another bracelet knocked the coin from her grasp. "QUIT IT!!!"
"You've won the contest, kid, leave her alone," Ranma-chan advised. She lifted Keiko off the stage.
The child squirmed in her grip. "Don't let her get the yen! Put me down!"
"HAPPO FIFTY YEN SATSU!!"
*CHOMP*
Ranma-chan yelped and dropped Keiko like a hot potato as sharp teeth bit down on her arm. "You little..."
She paused in shock, feeling her strength fade. "What the..."
Everybody stared in shock as Hinako-chan's body grew, filling out her clothes and giving her height. She
stepped over Ranma-chan's drained body and advanced on Keiko. "Take this, you little thief!" She made a
triangle with her hands. "HAPPO NO YEN COIN RETURN!!"
At that moment, Ranma-chan stood up, only to be met will the full force of the blow. Keiko dodged and
Ranma-chan became a part of the wall. "Owww...."
"I did warn you!" was her parting call as she dashed out of the door, closely followed by the yelling
form of Hinako-chan.

"So when was it decided that _I_ was going to marry him?!" Ukyo growled.
Ryoga-chan sighed. "You're the girl, remember? Although..." She paused. "I don't see why he can't marry a
girl from here, though." 
"That I would do," proclaimed a voice behind her. Ryoga-chan jumped in surprise, turning to see Tinamous.
He bowed down. "However, you may not have noticed, but this realm is sparsely populated. Although there
are many pretty ladies here, there are not so many of my age, and those that are, my mother, the Lady
Ibis, would not permit me to wed."
"Shouldn't you have the choice though?" Ukyo asked. "I don't fancy being a divorcee at sixteen."
"Younger than you are happy mothers made," Tinamous quipped. "My mother is all-powerful here. I had to
fight for many months for the privilege to date with Yukio-chan."
Ryoga-chan sighed. *And too soon married are those so early made,* she thought, remembering the line
after the one Tinamous had quoted. *My will to her consent is but a part... if Ucchan doesn't want to
marry the guy, she shouldn't have to,* she decided. "Lord Tinamous... would you permit _me_ to be your
bride instead of Ucchan?"
"If she would prefer," Tinamous said with a shrug. 
Ukyo stared at the other girl in amazement. "Y-you really mean it?" she whispered. *Maybe... maybe he
really _does_ like me!* 
Tinamous nodded slowly. "Very well then. I shall tell my mother that I will marry Ryoga."
A new voice cut through the air. "So! I turn my back for five minutes and you're already gathering new
brides!"
There, framed in the doorway was a woman with short, dark brown hair. She was wearing a peacock-blue
chinese dress and a scowl. A bandage was wrapped around her head. Oh yeah. And she was carrying a frying
pan.
"Y... YUKIO-CHAN!!" Tinamous jumped forward, arms outstretched.
*CLANG*
"Don't you Yukio-chan me!" She lifted the frying pan and glared at him some more. "I fell off a ladder
and hit my head, winding up in hospital! Next thing I know, I'm being told you're choosing new brides!!!"
"T-the curse..." Tinamous whimpered in defence.
*CLANG*CLANG*CLANG*
"HALLOWEEN'S NOT FOR THREE WEEKS! YOU COULD'VE WAITED!!"
"I think I'm beginning to see the resemblance," Ryoga-chan noted.
Tinamous finally managed to detach himself from the frying pan. "Yukio-chan... let me explain!" He
grabbed her hands. "I did not know that you had been harmed. But, I do know that if by Halloween I am
unwed, you know that all females in the realm would die." He paused for dramatic effect. "This would
include you. Ryoga knows that I don't love her - she only agreed to marry me to help. Yukio-chan..." He
drew her close. "I love you. Will you marry me?"
Yukio looked at Ryoga-chan and Ukyo. "Is this the truth?"
"Oh, absolutely!"
"You betcha!"
Yukio turned her gaze back to the young lord. "Tina-chan... I accept your proposal."
"YATTA!!! Oops! Sorry!" Tinamous blushed.
Ukyo smiled. "I don't want to be a nag or anything... but can we go home now???!"

End Part III (Yeah, yeah... I know it was just a short one!)
Note - (Geez! An authors note!) In so many fanfics, the maidens are kidnapped for princes/ lords/ kings/
royal viziers/ magicians/ wizards/ goblins/ aged TV presenters as brides. I thought it would be
interesting for girls to be kidnapped by somebody who was entirely willing to let them go. ^_^
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Member 30 of SSoAGMA, Deadly Everyday Object Weaponary Technique, Dragon Warrior Style
Mousse no miku; Generally dangerous English otaku; Supporter of cliched pairs;
Member of the Chan club; WoS; SCG; COURT; SOotCiP;CotMHW - Launderer of the Robes of Death;
Head Castrator of the Hotnit Feminisation Project; Keeper of the Moneybags for the Hotnit Fan Club;
4th Gen. EOE; Image Consultant For "That Guy"; #WASHU#;AKPReSS, Gen. Div.; SLAP;
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Coming soon to list near you.. the legendary 50 foot sig of Team Chan !
"I just went to Germany, and all I got was this lousy sig!"