Ranma � is the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi and all of the companies
that have licensed it.

Before I let you loose on my fic,  a request please.  I need some poor
unfortunate souls to volunteer to be pre-readers for me.  Please?
I promise I won't write the sequel to "Who's My Mother", at least not until
I have finished with my guest spot on R&R Reviews. [Why do I hear the sounds
of knuckles cracking]

Alternatives, Chapter 2

*************

Monday morning in Nerima district started normally for a change.

As Ranma and Akane ran to school, Ranma jumped of the fence and asked Akane
to stop.

"Akane,  I �," Ranma looks around to make sure that no one else is in
earshot, "am going to my mother's this afternoon.  Could you come with me?
I'm going to ask her about some stuff, and I'd sorta like you there."

As Ranma finished, he blushed and looked at the ground.

[Ranma is asking me to go with him to his mother's?  I wonder what he is
going to be asking her?] "S, s, sure, Ranma.  What are you going to ask your
mother?"  She said with a hesitant smile.

"Gee thanks, Akane!  Oh no, we're going to be late!"  Ranma jumps onto the
fence and begins running to Furinkan High.

"Wait up, Ranma.  What are you going to ask your mother?"

"We ain't got the time, Akane!  Anyway, I want you to hear it when Mom
does!"

Akane was surprised.  [I wonder what he's going to ask his mother?  He wants
me there.  Maybe,  he wants to set a date for our wedding.  Oh, that would
be wonderful!  What would be a good day?  I wonder if he'll tell me he loves
me?  Better slow down Akane, What if he wants to get out of our engagement?
No, he has too much honor for that!  Besides, I know he loves me.  I know
that officially he's never told me so, but I know.  I'll ask him again when
we get to school.  I'm sure he'll tell me then.]

After they arrived at school, Akane again asked Ranma, "What are you going
to be asking your mother, Ranma?  If you tell me, we can work out the best
way to ask the questions."

Ranma starts sweating a little and answers, "Uh, Akane, I'm going to have a
hard time saying it the first time.  Telling you now will only make it
harder to tell my mother."

"Ranma, that does not make any sense.  Talking things over with friends
always makes things easier for me.  I always talk out problems with my
friends before taking them to Daddy.  Oh.  Unless.  Is the reason you do not
want to talk it over with me is that you want to break our engagement?"

"No, Akane.  Don't be stupid or nothing.  I just want you and mom both to
hear at the same time is all."

"You don't trust me to keep it a secret until this afternoon?" [He's not
going to tell me.  I don't believe it.]

"Geez, Akane.  I'm just not good at mushy stuff is all.  Just wait till this
afternoon, OK?"

"You promise that you're not breaking the engagement?" [If you are, I have a
mallet with extendible spikes that I have wanting to try.]

"Yes, Akane, I promise.  Geez, how many times have you broken it, anyway?"

"Ranma, I can break it, you can not, got it?"  Akane says as she grabs a
regular mallet from hammerspace.

"OK, Akane, OK!  You don't have to hit me over the head, OK?"

"Hmph!"  Akane turns her back on Ranma and goes to her class. [I'll talk to
Sayuri and Yuka at lunch.   I am sure that we will be able to figure it
out.]

As he watches Akane walk away, Ranma hears someone clear her throat. [Uh-oh]
He turns around.

"Hi Ucchan, Nabiki!  How long have you been here?"  He asks as a sweatdrop
forms behind his head.

"Long enough to know that you are going to your mother's today with Akane!
How come you didn't ask me Ran-chan?"  Ukyo questions Ranma.  "I am your
iinazuke, also."

"Ucchan, I just need some time with my mother and Akane this afternoon, OK?"

Nabiki chimes in with a smirk, "So are you and Akane going to set a new
date, Ranma?"

"The only date he's going to be setting is with me, do you understand that
Nabiki?"

"Yes, I believe I do Ukyo-kun."  Nabiki then saunters off to class. [I am
glad I had my friends install microphones into Aunt Nodoka's home when it
was rebuilt.  I will just have to activate them today, I guess.  I wonder
how much I will be able to make off this.]

Ukyo glares at Nabiki for a few seconds and then turns to Ranma and says,
"Ranma, I want to come.  May I?"

"Ucchan, I really need to talk with my mother today.  I want Akane there as
a friend."  [And so that I won't back out of asking Mom what to do with all
of my problems.]

"I don't like you going there with just Akane, Ranma.  But, OK."  [That
doesn't mean that I can't follow you and see what I can find out.]

******************

Ranma was nervous.  As the school day progressed towards lunch, he noticed
that Akane's mood seemed to shift from pleasant and smiling to glaring at
him in seconds.  He couldn't figure it out.  Ucchan seemed to be hurt and
angry that he didn't ask her to go to his mother's home.

[Man, I didn't want anyone to know that Akane and I were going to Mom's.
Now Ucchan and Nabiki both know.  I wonder who Nabiki has sold that
information to so far.]

******************

"As a matter of fact, Kuno, I know precisely where Akane and Ranma will be
this afternoon."  Nabiki was saying to Kuno.

"As for that lout, Saotome, I care not whither he goes." Kuno began, "As for
the beauteous Akane, I will allow you the privilege of dispensing said
information to me."

"First, Kuno-baby, I need 10,000 yen.  Then and only then will I tell you
where Ranma and my sister are going."

"Mercenary"

"Yeah, Yeah, I love you, too, Kuno-baby."

"Akane and Ranma are going to visit Ranma's mother this afternoon at her
home.  He wanted Akane along for some kind of moral support.  He said
something about wanting to ask his mother something or other."

[Hmm, I'll send Sasuke to find out what this is about.  I'll decide what to
do based on what Sasuke finds out.]  Kuno is lost in thought, standing in
front of Nabiki.

"That is all the information I have right now, Kuno.  Please move along, I
have other business to attend to."

"..."

[I wonder if I should call Shampoo, I could make a few yen off her, too.]
Nabiki pulls out her cell phone and dials a number.

"Nekohanten Cafe, Shampoo speaking."

"Hello, Shampoo.  This is Nabiki Tendo."

"What you want, Nabiki."

"I would like some of your delicious ramen for lunch today.  Think you could
deliver some to me?" [Free, of course]

"Yes.  What you really want."

"I just thought that we could talk about where Ranma and Akane are going to
be this afternoon over lunch is all."

"Airen go on date with violent pervert girl!  He no allow to, I his wife."

"Why don't you ask him, after you bring me my lunch, hmm?"

Click.

[Well, that went well.  All I need to do now is to rig up the betting pools
by lunch time.]

******************

Akane, ignoring Ranma, sat with Sayuri and Yuka at lunch time.  She told
them everything that Ranma had said that morning.

"OK, let me get this straight.  He made sure that no one else could hear,
right?"  Sayuri asked Akane.

"Yes, he looked around the block making sure that no one else was around,
before asking me anything."  Akane answered.

"Uh huh, How did he ask you?  Was he excited, embarrassed, sad �?"  Yuka
then asked.
"Well, he seemed a little embarrassed � and a little nervous.  You know
Ranma, he never likes to show much emotion."

"Well, I think he's going to ask you to set a date for a wedding and get his
mother's help in setting it up.  That will be so cool!"  Yuka said.

"You are soo wrong, Yuka!  I think that he is going to try to get out of his
engagement.  Why else would he want Akane there?"

Akane listened to her friends arguing as she put her head in her hands.
[Well, they really helped out.  I wish I knew what this was all about.  At
least, they helped me sort out what I am feeling.  I'm a little scared.
What is that baka going to be talking to his mother about?]

******************

Ranma was feeling a little strange.  It was lunch time.  Akane was with her
friends.  Ucchan was upset with him.  No one was glomping onto him.  No one
was challenging him. [Hmph, this must be how most people have lunch.  It's a
little boring, but I could get used to it.]  He lay back and decided to take
a quick nap.

ching, Ching �

"Airen, why you take Akane on date!  You my husband, not pervert girl's!"

[Uh, oh]  "Hi, Shampoo.  I'm not going on any date with Akane!

"That not what Nabiki say.  She say you take Akane to mother's house.  That
not true?"

"um, err Yes, that is true Shampoo.  Akane and I are going to my mother's
house.  It's just that I have some things to talk over with my mother and I
wanted someone with me."

"Shampoo, you wife.  I go with you, instead. OK?"

"No, Shampoo.  It's not OK.  All I am going to do is be with my mother and
Akane is that OK?"

"GRRR.  IT NOT OK!  PERVERT GIRL NOT WIFE, SHAMPOO IS!"  Shampoo began
advancing on Ranma.

"Hold it right there, Shampoo.  If Ranchan wants to spend time with his
mother, we should let him have it."  Ucchan says as she runs up and steps
between Shampoo and Ranma.  "But why he wants Akane there I really don't
know."  [Why didn't you want me there?]

As Shampoo and Ukyo begin a stand-off, neither see Ranma slip away towards
Akane.

******************

"Akane, would you mind too much if we went to my mother's now?"  Ranma asked
nervously.

"We still have the afternoon classes to go to Ranma.  Why do you want to go
now?"

"Shampoo is here.  She and Ukyo are about to have a fight.  I just want to
get out of here before it gets too bad around here."

[He actually wants to leave before a fight starts?] "Well, OK.  Let's get
our stuff and go."

As they run off, Yuka turns to Sayuri and says, "See there Sayuri, Ranma is
really excited!  He's going to get Akane and his mother to set a date for
their wedding.  I just know it!"

"I think he just didn't want to get beaten up by Shampoo and Ukyo"

******************

As Ranma and Akane walk towards his mother's home, Ranma gets more and more
nervous.  At one point, he looks at Akane and sticks his left hand out in
invitation to be held.

Akane, seeing this, grabs his hand and starts beaming in happiness. [YES.
He does love me!  I knew it.  I just wish that he would open up to me.]

"Ranma, can you give me any hint about what you want to talk to your mother
about?"

He looks at her, at her hand in his, and sighs.  "Akane, I want to discuss
my honor, my curse and all of my unwanted fiancees.  I'm going to ask my
mother for help.  I didn't want to tell you earlier because someone else
might have heard.  Can you imagine what would have happened?"

"Why did you pick me to go with you?  After all I'm one of the unwanted
fiancees, am I not?"

Ranma stops and looks at her.  Akane looks in Ranma eyes and feels a blush
begin to rise at the love she sees there.

"No, Akane.  You have never been unwanted.  I l.. l.. l-word, no, love you.
I have loved you for a long time now.  It's time to clean up my life.  Don't
you agree?"

"�" [Did he just say that he loves me.  He said that he LOVES Me!!!]

Akane's smile is bigger than Ranma has ever seen.   She is standing there
looking at him.

"Akane, are you all right?"

Startled out of her reverie, Akane says, "I am better than all right, Ranma.
I am absolutely great!  I love you, too!  We'll work out whatever problems
we need to, I promise."  Akane then glomps onto Ranma.

Ranma reaches down with his right hand and lifts Akane's head up by the
chin.  He slowly brings his face towards hers and breathes, "Arigato, my
kawaii iinazuke."  They kiss.

After a few moments, they hear clapping and yelling.  They part and realize
that they are on a busy street and the people around them are cheering for
them.  They both begin blushing and continue on, arm in arm.

******************

Ding Dong.

"Hello, who is it please?"

"Mom, it's me and Akane.  Can we visit you for a while?"

"Of course, Ranma, of course.  Come in.  Would either of you like some tea?"

"That would be great, mom!"

"Yes, I would like some tea, Auntie Nodoka."

As they settle in the main room, drinking their tea, Nodoka asks, "Ranma,
Akane it's always wonderful to see you.  To what do I owe the honor of your
visit?"

"Well, Ranma?"

"Mom, I have been thinking (Yes, Akane I do think every now and then.) and I
can't figure out what to do.  I would like your advice on some things."

"Oh, Ranma, I will help you all that I can.  What is it you need help with?"

"It's several things, Mom.  The biggest problem is that I have four
fiancees.  Akane is my fiancee from an agreement Pop made before either of
us were born.  Ukyo is my fiancee from an agreement Pop made during our
training trip.  Shampoo considers herself my wife because I defeated her in
a fight.  Kodachi wants me.  I'm sure that there are others that I am
engaged to, but that haven't found us yet.  When we first came to Nerima, we
were found by two different families that Pop had engaged me to.  At least
with those, we found a way to break the engagements."

"Mom, I ...I love Akane.  I would be happy to have her as my wife.  Honor
demands that I marry both Akane and Ukyo.  Shampoo's honor demands that I
marry her.  I think Kodachi really just want a chance.  How can honor be
met?  If I try to marry any one of them, we would just see a repeat of the
last wedding.  I don't want to hurt any of them either."

"Thank you for what you just said, Ranma, I love you, too."  Akane said as
she hugged Ranma.  [I can't believe that he's finally said it and twice in
one day!] "You will have to hurt them.  You can only marry one of us."

"Akane, there's another problem with getting married.  I'm only a man half
of the time.  Do you really want to marry someone who is a girl half of the
time?  What would we be when I'm a girl?  It wouldn't be man and wife!"

"That's not a problem, Ranma.  When you're a man, we will be man and wife.
Woman to woman, we will have to work out." [Please let us just be friends
when we're both girls.  Unlike what Shampoo thinks, I am not a
pervert-girl.]

"Besides, I've been noticing weird things lately when I'm a girl.  You know
that I have always acted differently when I'm a girl.  Things like how I
stand, hold my arms, even how I walk and swing my arms.   I've noticed that
I am staring to think differently as a girl too.  When I'm a girl, the
thought of holding or kissing another girl is pretty disgusting to me.  I've
been looking at guys and noticing stuff.  I look at them and notice how well
groomed they are.  I notice what they are wearing and what fabrics their
clothes are made of.  I check out how they are built.  Do they have broad
shoulders?  Do they have big hands and feet?  I start wondering if they are
going to be good with children.  I even check out their, you know whats."
[Man I can't believe I'm telling this to Akane and Mom!]

"Ranma, that's not so weird all girls ...do ...OH"  Akane begins to blush as
she realizes what Ranma was saying.

"Now when I'm a guy,  I am all guy.  I don't like guys or nothing.  I like
girls.  It's just that when I'm a girl, I've been getting attracted to boys.
The last time I fought Ryoga as a girl, I got distracted because I started
noticing how cute his fangs were and how strong his hands were.  Ugh.
Akane, would you really want to marry someone who is interested in you only
half the time?"

"Yes, Ranma because the other half of the time, you would be my best
friend."

"Ahem"  Nodoka interjected.

"Ranma, you do have some serious problems.  It is very manly to have so many
women betrothed to you at once.  However, it is not very manly to notice how
cute some other man's teeth are.  I have some good news for you.  I never
understood why you and Genma did not cure yourselves when you first got
cursed.  I wrote a letter to the Jusenkyo Guide.  I asked him about the
curses and their cures.  I received a reply from him a few weeks ago."

"You did?  What did he say?"

"There are only two ways of being truly cured.  The first is to simply live
through it.  In the case of people falling into the spring of drowned
animals, the curse stays with you as long as that animal would have lived
normally.  For example, Spring of Drowned Mouse affects most people for two
years.  The Spring of Drowned Cat curse lasts from 12 to 18 years.  However
for the pools of drowned people, the curse only leaves when you accomplish
what the spirit wanted to do in their life.  Specifically, the Spring of
Drowned Girl curse lasts until the person cursed gets married to a man and
has a child.  The spirit of the curse then allows you to choose to keep the
curse or not.  The guide wrote that in every case of someone fulfilling that
specific requirement, the person ended up keeping the curse.  I can
understand that.  You don't know the joy and happiness you have when seeing
a life that you brought into the world for the first time.  You also don't
know the absolute commitment you feel when holding your baby for the first
time.  It is one of the things that makes being a woman so very special."

"I can't believe anyone would want to stay a woman, especially after having
a baby." [Oh man, Oh man.  I don't wanna have to have a baby.  I don't wanna
have to have a baby!  I'm a guy!]

"You've never had a baby, Ranma.  The next time you are in your girl form,
ask someone to let you hold their baby for them.  Afterwards come and tell
Akane and I how you felt holding that precious little one."

[OH MAN!!!]  Ranma bigsweats.

Akane picturing Ranma holding a baby, starts to laugh and then almost starts
to cry.  [ I don't want to lose you Ranma, especially to a man.]

"Ranma, if it means a cure for you, I'll ...I'll get in the Spring of
Drowned Boy.  That way we would always be man and wife.  It would be that
sometimes, you would be the wife and sometimes I would be."

"Thanks Akane, but I really don't want you the get cursed.  What about if I
jumped in the Spring of Drowned Man?  Wouldn't that cure me?"

"The Guide also wrote that many had tried that early in the history of the
springs.  It was found out to their horror that the curses mix together.  If
someone cursed with from the Spring of Drowned Wolf jumps into the Spring of
Drowned Woman, you get someone who looks like a European werewolf rather
than being cured.

Ranma thinks, [That explains what happened to Pantyhose's form.]

"Many of the tales of strange or mythological beasts may come from just such
occurrences.  If you jumped into the Spring of Drowned Boy, you would come
out with no sex.  You would be neither male nor female when your curse
activated and there would be no way of getting rid of it.  However, for
those brave enough, there is a way to be permanently cured.  If you were to
jump into the Spring of Drowned Twins, you would be turned into twins.
However, in the case of curse victims, instead of becoming identical twins,
you become yourself and your cursed form.  In your case Ranma, you would be
Ranma forever and Ranko forever.  Half of you would always be a man.  The
other half always a woman.  On that day, I would gain a daughter."

Ranma's face pales at the thought of being a woman forever.  [It's not like
I don't take advantage of the form.  Have sex with a man?  Ugh!!  Have a
baby?  No Way!  But ...half of me would get to be a man forever.]

Akane is sitting holding Ranma and looking into his face.  "I will support
you whatever you decide."

"There is another side effect of the Spring of Drowned Twins, that we may
want to think about.  If you used the Spring to separate into two halves,
your new male side could then jump into the spring and make a Ranma for each
of your fiancees.  Family honor would be upheld.  If you wanted, you could
even make a Ranma that had no fiancee."

"Akane, would it bother you to have several of me around?"

"No, as long as I have you Ranma, I don't care if Shampoo, Ukyo or Kodachi
get another one of you.  Just don't go hentaii on me and start switching or
something."

"Would you help Ranko adjust to being a woman full-time?  I would need a lot
of help."

"Akane doesn't need to answer that Ranma, as my daughter it would be my duty
and my pleasure to help you.  I am sure that she would be your friend,
though."

"Of course I would, Ranma."

"Thank you mother, I knew you would be able to help me.  May I think about
my options for a few days?  Neither cure is an easy one."

"You are welcome, my son.  Would you stay for dinner, I would like to learn
more about you my son.  Tell me about the different techniques that Genma
taught you."

The conversation continued with Ranma telling his mother and Akane
outrageous stories, the bulk of them true.

******************

A little ninja left soon after they did.  He needed to report to his master
and mistress.

Nabiki listened a little longer making sure that nothing more important was
on the tape.  [Hmm.  So Akane and Ranma love each other.  I think that their
pictures have just gone off the market.  I'm going to have to research just
what will be needed to add several birth records into the national database.
I could sell this to the Old Ghoul for a lot of money.  Ukyo and Kodachi
will probably want it also.  I bet that Obaba would even help us in getting
to China and back.  ...Let's see we would need passports for Ranko and all
of the assorted Ranmas]  Nabiki sat at her computer and began making a
project plan for everything that had to be done.  This would be her present
to Akane.

Neither Shampoo nor Ukyo had made it to Nodoka's home that afternoon.  For
some reason, they both had to be treated at the local hospital.

******************
All right!  After many delays and side-tracks, I have finished Chapter 2.  I
hope you liked it.

If there are any problems with continuity, grammar or whatever, please C&C.
Did you like it?  Did you think it was the worst thing since (shudder) "The
Oscar" started writing?  An inquiring mind wants to know.   Without your
comments, flames or freeze rays, I will not.

Thanks,

Mike

email me at allenmk@gte.net
This is my home email address.