Some of you may recognize this idea from my essay on alternate universe 
stories...


(Takahashi disclaimer)

	Mr. Kuonji poured Mr. Saotome another small cup of sake.
	"Kampai!"  They both downed their drinks.
	Kuonji decided this was the best time to spring his idea.  "You 
know, Saotome, our children seem to get along quite well."
	Saotome nodded.  "That's so.  Let's have another."  They did.
	"In fact, my little Ukyou has become quite attached to your 
Ranma.  Even talked about marrying the tyke."
	"Hoho!  Precocious thing, isn't she?"
	Kuonji smiled.  "Just like her mother.  I was thinking, perhaps 
that's not a bad idea.  Let's engage them.  It'd be a good match."
	"Hmm..."  Saotome was about to agree, when he remembered an 
objection.  "No, I can't.  The boy is already promised in marriage.  
Blood brother pledge and all that."
	Drat.  Kuonji had been afraid of something like this.  But he 
knew his man, and had a counter-tactic.  "That's a pity.  I would have 
given you the yatai with all the trimmings as a dowry."
	"D--"  Saotome suddenly felt a chill down his spine.  What was he 
*doing*?  He'd nearly thrown away his honor, and his son's, for a food 
cart.  The scheming part of his mind immediately came up with a plan.  
He'd accept, then trick the boy into breaking the engagement, and they'd 
take the yatai with them as a farewell gift.  
	But the chill remained.  That was an *awful* plan.  He'd be 
breaking his word twice, and making enemies of the Kuonji clan.  Ukyou 
was quite the little scrapper, what if she grew up to be dangerous?  Did 
he really want to start a feud?
	"Damn, that's a tempting offer," Saotome was finally able to get 
out, "but I am sorry, I must refuse.  Honor, and all that sort of thing."
	"You're sure?" enquired Kuonji.
	"Yes."
	"Ah well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.  Just an idle 
thought."  Kuonji was a bit stung.  He'd been so *sure* the wandering 
martial artist would fall for it.  How could he have misread the man's 
appetites?
			*		*		*
	The next morning, Mr. Kuonji spoke to his daughter.  
	"I'm sorry, Ukyou my dear, but you can't marry Ranma."
	"Why not?" demanded the little okonomiyaki trainee.  "Aren't I 
cute enough?"
	"No, no, it's not that.  It's just that Ranma is already 
engaged." 
	"WHAT?  That jackass!"  Ukyou ran off, waving her pretty big 
spatula. 
			*		*		*
	"Whadja do that for?" asked Ranma, as he rubbed the top of his 
head, and evaded further strikes from Ukyou's spatula.
	"How *could* you?  I thought we were bestest friends!" wailed 
Ukyou, tears streaming from her eyes, which didn't help her aim.
	Ranma couldn't remember anything that would make his buddy so 
angry at him...oh, except that sauce thing, and he'd duplicated that 
pretty good, so Ucchan shouldn't have noticed.  "I am your bestest 
friend!  Whatever it was, I didn't do it!"
	"Liar!  You got 'gaged to 'nother girl, 'cause you like her 
better!"  There seemed to be steam coming from Ukyou's ears.
	"'Gaged'?  Whatcha talkin' about?  Waitaminit, `nother *girl*'?!  
What girl?"  
	"Another girl than me, Ranchan!"
	"Huh?"  Ranma stood still long enough for Ukyou to swat him a 
good one.  That didn't make sense.  The way Ucchan was talking, *he* was 
a girl.  But Ranma knew better.  After all, girls wore pink dresses and 
stuff like that, and didn't fight like guys did.  Didn't they?
			*		*		*
	"So Ucchan's a girl?"
	"That's right, Ranma," assured Mr. Kuonji as he applied a 
bandage.  "I'm surprised you never noticed."
	"And there's another girl I'm s'posed to get married to?"
	His father nodded.  "Yes, one of my friend Tendou's daughters.  
Where did you think that Tendou Dojo I talked to you about would come 
from?" 
	Ranma kept quiet, not wanting to bring up what he'd done with 
"the Tendou Dojo".
	"It will be a great day for our family's honor," continued 
Saotome.  "and for the Tendou family honor as well."
	Honor was very important, Ranma knew that.
	"Okay.  Can me and Ucchan still be friends?"
	"Umm...sure, boy."
	"Yay!  C'mon, Ucchan, let's play!"
	Yes, thought Genma, my judgement is as sound as ever.  He let the 
chill at the back of his spine slip from his memory.
			*		*		*
	Ten years later, two men sat in a kissaten, watching the rain 
through a window.  
	"We should be getting a move on, boy," insisted the older.
	"No way, Pops," rejoined the younger.  "We're staying right here 
until that rain ends.  If I'm finally going to meet that fiancee I've 
been stuck with, I'm gonna do it as a man, no misunderstandings.  
Besides, by now I know not to trust your judgement."
	Genma hung his head.  How had he let things go so wrong?  He'd 
done so well with the Kuonji thing, but after that...
	"Plus, you were the one who insisted we not buy an umbrella," 
nagged Ranma.  
			*		*		*

	Okay, and it goes from there with the slightly more enlightened 
Ranma meeting the Tendou family as a male with a secret.  The bad news is 
that the sisters only found out minutes ago about the engagement....


SKJAM!