Changing Plans

by Gregg Sharp

=====

Changing Plans... a storyline in The Bet (rough)
	pond by Rumiko Takahashi, Fred Perry,
etc. you know who as well as i do for the most part.
stone by... XOVER WARNING!
somebody, forgot who suggested this, gomen nasai!

-----------------------------

	"Minor change? How about a push,
here." Urd rubbed her hands, how could she keep
from meddling in THIS sort of love triangle, no 
make that a love _tangle_. Of course, if anybody
thought she was going to settle for just ONE 
nudge.....

	Toltiir sighed. Best to let her get it
out of her system. Who was going to notice
this timeline, anyway?

-------------------------------

	Ranma raised his hand, ready to rap
on the door. Akane had done something nice for
him earlier, and he needed to be nice in return.
Maybe they'd started out on the wrong foot and
there was a chance for them to find friendship if
not what their parents were looking for.

	"My life may as well be over if I
have to marry a STUPID JERK like him! Do 
you think I want everyone thinking I'M a 
pervert, TOO! Why don't YOU marry him,
if he's so cool? Face it, Nabiki, I'm engaged 
to my WORST NIGHTMARE!"

-------------------------------

	"Damn," Toltiir got out his VCR.
"She really said that? And he heard that?
And he stuck around anyway?"

	Urd smiled and appeared to be
examining her nails. "I simply pushed the
boy a little bit into a more romantic, 
thoughtful mood, he's so reactive he just
doesn't go there very often. Now watch.
When someone is trying to be open and
caring, they are vulnerable- the armor 
they may place around their hearts at 
other times is lowered. They can then
be hurt more than at any other time.

	"Mind you, he's still in that
thoughtful mode."

---------------

	Ranma took a step back. So
that was how she really felt about him.
Looking sadly back at the door, Ranma
shook his head. He felt a sharp retort
come up, but just didn't have the heart.

	He flipped over the bannister,
not realizing that he was retreating, as
something else penetrated the hurt haze.
*Nabiki thinks I'm cool?* The implications
of THAT weighed heavily on his mind.

	"Oh!" Kasumi dropped the 
bucket, suddenly being faced with a
plummeting martial artist who was still
pondering Weighty Things. 

	The bucket clattered to the
side, unnoticed. Kasumi's arms briefly
windmilled but she was kept from falling
by Ranma's arms around her.

	There was a brief moment as
the two looked into each other's eyes
from a few inches apart. 

	Ranma noticed Kasumi was
blushing. He wondered if that meant 
what he thought it did.

	Kasumi noticed Ranma was
blushing. She wondered if that meant
what she thought it did.

	"Uhm," Ranma managed
after one of those eternal moments.
Too bad she thought he was too young,
he tried to get his mind off the sensations
he'd experienced while holding her steady,
the way she'd filled his arms...
  
	"Ah," Kasumi managed in
way of reply. He was entirely too
young, wasn't he? How his arms had
felt around her, though...

	Ranma let go, abruptly, as
he noticed his father and Mr Tendo below.
"Ah. yeah."		

--------------------------

	"So what did you hope to
accomplish?" Toltiir blinked. "It looks
like nothing's changed..."

	"Au contraire," said the 
smiling Urd. "This is subtle, perhaps,
but the seeds have been planted. Look
into the hearts of those concerned."

	Urd gestured. "You see?
Ranma's heart has turned bitter towards
Akane, while the remark of Nabiki thinking
he's cool continues to play within his mind.
As well does replay the feeling that he had
upon hugging Kasumi that very evening.
He doesn't object to the engagement so 
much as it being forced on him, you see."

	Urd gestured and a number of
scenes flashed in quick succession.

	Ranma defeating Kuno, then
looks at Akane as he casually discards her
pictures, acting as if he'd touched something
unclean.

	Akane, yelling at Ranma after he
tossed her to safety atop a bicycle shelter
before running back to fight Ryouga.

	Ranma trying to have a heart-to-
heart with first Nabiki and then Kasumi,
turning from both with a heavy look of
sadness as their rejection becomes more
obvious.

	Ranma decides to use the Saotome
special technique: get away from the problem
until you figure out a way to beat it. He has
Nabiki look for his mother as part of this plan.

	P-chan being stolen by Azusa,
Akane being kissed by Mikado, Akane 
forfeiting the match in Martial Arts 
Figureskating because Ryouga never
showed up. Azusa taking Charlotte home
to his little cage.

	Azusa getting Charlotte "fixed"
after a third escape attempt. Ryouga is never
heard from again.

	Nabiki finally locating Ranma's
mother. Ranma contacting his mother. Nodoka
giving him a week where she observes him and
his curse before deciding if he's a "man among
men" or not. She finds the brooding figure of
Ranma to be a borderline case, and sets out to
correct his education.

	Ranma is discovered by a young
woman who wants to further her training in
the martial arts. He begins coming out of the
shell he's buried himself in as his love for the
Art resurfaces.

	Nodoka comments on how Ranma's
new student seems to be more interested in him
than just as a sensei.

	When Makoto Kino suddenly is 
called away from a training session, Ranma is
curious. Is his mother correct? Does Makoto
perhaps have a boyfriend she is rushing off
to see. Feeling some attraction to the woman,
he follows to set his mind at ease rather than
take the risk of being hurt like the last time.

	He follows Makoto only to see her
transform to Sailor Jupiter. When she gets
knocked aside by a youma, Ranma is there to
defend her. After the youma is defeated, Makoto
is questioned about the strange man who had
appeared and disappeared in a similar manner to
Tuxedo Mask.

	Making a mask for himself, Ranma
appears twice more in youma battles before
the Senshi get tired of this sometimes-girl
doing a variant of Tuxedo Mask's rescues
and have him issued a disguise pen. Ranma
flat out refuses to wear a fuku, but comes up
with a slightly different variant of a kung-fu
outfit to wear in his "Justice Mask" guise.

	Shampoo arrives and ends up 
threatening his mother. Ranma defeats Shampoo.
"Wo da airen. Wo ai ni." Etcetera.

	Nodoka asks if there is an alternative
to Ranma going back to live in a secluded valley.
Shampoo doesn't know, and sends for her
Great-grandmother's advice. 

	Great-grandmother Cologne actually 
arrives and finds out that Ranma is helping to 
save the world on a regular basis. This puts her
in a bit of a quandry. The best interest of the
village is served if the Negaverse or Dark Moon
Kingdom or Death Moon does not destroy the
world. Therefore, if Ranma is actually helping in
that regard, he must stay where he is.

	She doesn't approve of the Makoto-
Ranma romance, though, so something has to
be done so that the tie to Shampoo is at least
as strong as his current tie to Sailor Jupiter.

	Cologne adopts the guise of the
friendly mentor, teaching Ranma new techniques
that can help in his battles. She also is teaching
Shampoo, who may not be able to be a Sailor
Senshi, but is quite capable of wearing a fuku
and learning chi attacks and protective measures.
Sailor China is born and the overseas popularity
of the Senshi exploits explodes when footage of
a fuku-clad and masked Shampoo is seen. The
Chinese government, having heard that a Chinese
national is currently one of these elite defenders
of Earth from demonic attacks, changes its stance
from denial that such things exist to a rather 
more supportive role.

	Mousse shows up during a fight with
a youma to attack Ranma for stealing his bride.
This public accusation brings Ranma's identity
out, forces a rift between Shampoo and Ranma,
and causes Cologne to become VERY upset with
the visually impaired Chinese boy. Especially as
the added honor from her new role was becoming
quite satisfying.

	Nabiki discovers Ranma is alive and has
NOT dropped off the face of the Earth. Kasumi
discovers this shortly thereafter. Nabiki sells the
information to both her father and Genma.

	Genma and Soun try to get Ranma to
marry Akane. Shampoo objects to this. Makoto
objects to this. Ranma objects to this. Akane has
a kitten fit.		
	Ranma's identity is known, so he can't
publicly associate with either Shampoo or Makoto,
lest their identities become likewise suspect. 

	Wiseman recruits Mousse, promising
that Shampoo will be his after the Senshi are 
defeated. When Shampoo is apparently killed,
instead, Mousse attacks Wiseman. Wiseman,
having grown tired of this incompetent, blasts
Mousse into tiny little pieces.

	Shampoo and Ranma manage a twin
revised Hiryuu Shoten Ha on Wiseman. The
Sailor Senshi attack. When the dust clears,
Shampoo and the Senshi are triumphant, but
Ranma is missing.

	Since Ranma can't go home as his
identity as Justice Mask is known, he's taken
it on the road when he finds an article in
"Kansai Time Out" about an appearance at
Osaka University by archaeologist/treasure
hunter Gina Diggers and her sister Brianna.
This wouldn't be of particular interest to him
except for the remark about Brianna having a
curse that her father removed...

	Heading to Osaka to see about
having a curse removed, Ranma ends up
fighting the henchmen of an evil geneticist
named PeeWee. Once PeeWee observes
the curse, he wants to examine Ranma's DNA.
The curse also intrigues Gina Diggers, who
offers to hire Ranma as "hired muscle" while
her other sister (Brittany) is pregnant and
can't go adventuring...

	Ranma is just getting settled into
his new routine at the Diggers Estate in 
Atlanta, when Ukyou Kuonji shows up, 
having found out from his mother where
Ranma has disappeared to...

	Which is when the Sailor Senshi
start sending him e-mail. Or rather, Makoto
gets Ami to send Ranma e-mail. Gina finds
out about this and the presence of ancient
Moon Kingdom technology with predictable
results. Among which is something which
will supposedly cure any curse.

	Another hireling for the Diggers
is one of the werewolf clan maidens who is
hoping that Doctor Diggers can remove an
infertility curse placed on all the females of
the tribe. She is, understandably, also interested
in this quest.
================================

At this point,
Ranma's love triangle looks like:

Makoto Hino<some affection >Ranma
Shampoo >wife by law & some affection>Ranma
Ukyou Kuonji<friend>>loves>Ranma
Jazelle, high Kryn priestess>????>Ranma
Rochelle, werewolf>rival & interested>Ranma

this is as far as figuring out where this series
could go, that I have gone.

Ja ne,

gregg