Not a Private Bet #1: Part 1: A New Hope For Saotome
by Shade

Disclaimer: Yapapa, Yapapa. You know the drill, 
stuff that's copywrited or belongs to someone else
is used without permission. Heart's Desire belongs 
to those author's who wrote it. This is the way I'd 
see those wishes going.....no neat and tidy endings here bub.
Tcha.

ROTCF!
~~~~~~~~~

� .....Happosai would never suspect that she had stolen the locket.
Akane told herself that, and to some degree she believed it, but the
thought of the old pervert chasing after her was still disturbing. 
Well, it was always disturbing, but especially now.  She had a
decision to make.  So Akane left Nerima, traveling across Tokyo to a
park on the other side of the city.  There she planned to decide what
to wish for.........�

�Blah blah blah....And now for something completely different!�

*Bonk*

�Ow! Huh?!�

It was a note.

-A final word of caution you reckless idiots. If you go through with this
plan you risk the wrath of the Higher Powers, I won�t be able to help 
you without violating my restrictions. This is your last chance to reconsider,
choose wisely or you may end up regretting your actions.
-Shade 

�Hmmm.......� The quartet thought about it.
 Did they really want to end up in 
the middle of an all out War over one fic? 

�Let�s do it!� The four said in one united shout.

�You�re up first Rowan.�

~~~~~~~~

Akane Tendo had a wishing locket and 
was trying to decide what to do with it.
At last she could become a Gourmet 
Cook better then Shampoo or Ukyo 
and have Ranma finally beg to eat one of her meals.
Or she could become the greatest swimmer in 
the world. All of those tomboy cracks came 
back to her, she could wish to be the most 
beautiful woman on Earth! Wait a second, 
the last thing she neeeded was to give all 
those weirdos intent on kidnapping her 
yet another reason to go after
the youngest Tendo daughter.

Maybe she should think about this more carefully.
There were so many things she wanted to be, but 
with only one wish Akane needed to decide what 
she truly desired the most. 

Perhaps given enough time she might have made a sensible wish.
But in the Ranmaverse nothing *ever* goes according to plan.

It was the perfect moment for something to happen....
~~~~~~

Ranma walked through the park with Shampoo and Ukyo.
He�d come here to get as far away from the insanity 
of Nermia as possible before he talked to the two of them.
The last thing this situation needed was Kuno or Mousse 
or Ryoga or Happosai or any of the other characters that 
made Ranma�s life so interesting showing up. He had to 
somehow convince his two other fiancees to some how 
give up on him without causing millions of yen in property 
damages in the process. It was a worthy challenge for a martial artist 
of Ranma�s caliber. To stack things more in his favor he�d 
picked the spot in the city farthest away from Nermia to avoid
the ninja spies that usually kept close tabs on him.

It was foolproof plan.
Nothing could go wrong.
Absolutely nothing.

{Ranma you jerk!!}

Akane saw red. The wood she was sitting on started 
to scorch at the edges from the heat of her aura.
Her expression was no Soun Demon Head, but it came close.

{How dare that...that....PERVERT flirt with those two!
Especially after what they pulled at our almost-wedding!!
THAT BAKA IS MINE!!! Nobody is going to take 
him away from me! NOBODY!!}

Dust flew up on both sides of the path 
as Akane raced after the departing trio.
~~~~~~~

The pigtailed boy felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
Then he slowly turned around.

�Just WHERE do you think you�re going Ranma?!!�

Ranma groaned with all the enthusiasm 
of a condemned prisoner on his way to the gallows.
Any chance of a peaceful resolution to this 
whole mess just went flying out the window
at Ludicrous Speed. Akane was going to kill him,
you didn�t have to be Nabiki to be able to see that 
one coming.

{Oh man. This is just NOT my day! What the 
heck is Akane doing HERE of all places???}

�Akane, I can explain...really!�

�I don�t want to hear another one of your excuses!!
You�re all going to be sorry for trying to sneak 
around while my back was turned!!!�

�Look Sugar, I�m not interested in a fight. But if 
you want to rumble I�m more then willing to oblige.�

The Megaspatula (+5 against crossdressers) was hefted as 
the okonomiyaki chef fell into her battle stance. Ukyo 
really hoped though that it wouldn�t come down to blows,
Ranma had forgiven her for the wedding incident 
but he hadn�t forgotten it. Her position as the cute fiancee 
was on shaky ground and the normally perky 
chestnut haired girl knew it. But she�d be damned before 
she let the Tendo girl chase her away from her Ran-chan.

�Hah, Shampoo have no need to fight weak girl!�
The confident amazon smirked at her rival, this was one of 
the few areas she knew she was superior in and she used 
it for all it was worth. Even in a battle of words Shampoo 
fought to win, a small consolation as she watched her rival 
bask within the warmth of her airen�s affections. It wasn�t fair!
She wanted to tear out her hair and scream at the 
Kamis every time she saw that *insert appropriate Chinese curse here*
 brush off or take for granted loving gestures Shampoo would literally 
have killed to have bestowed on herself.   

�What did you say?! Would you care to repeat that!�
Reason was in retreat as Anger stormed forth.
So she couldn�t destroy buildings in a single blow!
She was a Martial Artist too!!!

And now Akane finally had the power....
.
She shouted the first thing that came to mind.
�I wish that I was a better fighter then Ukyo and Shampoo!!!�
~~~~~~~

Rowan nodded slightly, now 
this was the Akane he recognized.

�So be it.�

It wasn�t his way to twist the meaning of a wish, 
even a poorly chosen one. She�d get exactly 
what she�d asked for.

Now whether or not Akane would actually 
benefit from this was a whole nother story.
~~~~~~~~

As soon as the words were spoken Shampoo and 
Ukyo realized that something was wrong, their mood 
went from �easy confidence� to �uncertain with a tinge of unease�.

When they saw that Akane�s expression had gone from 
furious jealousy to a satisfied smirk one usually sees on 
large felines who have their helpless prey trapped right where 
they want them tiny alarms started ringing as their 
wavering confidence was downgraded to �definitely 
worried and could you please call some back up, preferably
a full SWAT team?�  with just the first hints of mild panic.

Unconsciously the two girls moved closer together, their 
rivalry temporarily on hold for a moment in the face of 
a mutual threat. 

The hands gripping the spatula tightened as 
beads of sweat formed on Ukyo�s palms..
 For the life of her the chef couldn�t figure 
out why she was so...so...afraid all of a 
sudden. It was just Akane.....

Shampoo had produced her Bonbori, 
dropping into her usual fighting stance.
Although she had an inkling of what the 
stupid pervert girl had done she was 
silently praying that she was wrong.
First hand experience had taught her 
that using Magic to achieve your goals 
inevitably meant nothing but trouble.
Shampoo was an Amazon warrior, 
she would not back down to this challenge.

�Akane just stop! You�re gonna get hurt 
if you fight them! Ucchan, Shampoo, don�t 
listen to her!! Don�t do it!!� 

He couldn�t believe it! Was she nuts?! 
Challenging both girls at once?! And what 
the heck had that �I wish� crap been about?

�Butt out Ranma!! This is my fight!!�

*POW* Ranma became better 
acquainted with Mr. Concrete Wall.

Akane pulled back her fist, nothing 
was going to get in her way this time.
 She was going to show these two who 
the best one really was! A familiar excitement
started to burn in her veins as she stalked toward
Ukyo and Shampoo........
~~~~~~~

�Ouch.� Shadow winced, this wasn�t a fight. 
It was a slaughter.

�Oh my, they�re going to be feeling
 that one for a few weeks.�

�Should have just turned her into a guy or 
something Rowan, this...this...is just.....*gruesome*.�
The Bard never was a fan of violence, especially 
when blood was involved.

�Sowing thine own seeds of destruction.�
Rowan shook his head sadly, why mess with
the meaning when the wisher screwed up 
things perfectly well on their own.
~~~~~~~

It was over.

Akane looked absolutely radiant, a giant smile 
on her beaming face as she stood like the calm 
eye in the middle of the hurricane. All around were 
traces of the tremendous battle that had occured 
just a few moments ago. Car sized holes in the pavement,
shattered concrete and glass everywhere, broken 
electrical cables sizzled and snapped where they lay,
the remains of several large wooden telephone poles 
were in a messy little pile next to a totaled motorcycle.

Everyone who could had already departed the danger zone.

That just left the victor, the victims and Ranma.

Ukyo had gone down first, her own giant spatula 
had finally been used to take her out. A black eye was 
already forming as she lay unconscious in the street.
Perhaps she was lucky in that she couldn�t feel the 
pain from her broken fingers or her dislocated hip.
A small trickle of sluggish red oozed from a nasty 
cut on her scalp where the sharp end of the titan 
cooking utensil had stuck.

Shampoo had been accustomed to rough treatment 
and was still awake, though groggy from all the 
blows to the head she�d taken when she�d refused to 
stay down. No more snipes to Akane or sweet 
nothings to Ranma would be uttered for awhile, the 
rawness and swelling she felt from inside her cheek 
guaranteed that. The normally stunning Amazon in her 
prime now resembled a giant bruise, her formerly fair 
skin now a canvas of unhealthy blue-violet, ugly green 
and fiery red. 

All in all, it looked like both of them had gone through hell.

Ranma was in total and utter shock.
Akane had just defeated Ukyo *AND* Shampoo by HERSELF?!
It was impossible!!
There was no way that she could 
have become that skilled in just a few weeks.

But the evidence was right there in front of him.
Not only had the tomboy beaten them, 
she�d wiped the floor with them and 
looked like she was enjoying it the whole time.
It wasn�t just the fact that somehow she�d displayed
skills light-years beyond any he�d ever seen her use. It 
was the way she had rubbed her newfound superiority in, 
taunting her opponents even as she demolished them.

A fight between Martial Artists was one thing.
This....this.....this was.....

Gently he inspected the battered Ukyo�s wounds.
Even though he wasn�t a doctor even he could tell 
that this was more serious then a simple visit to 
Dr. Tofu. Ucchan needed to get to a hospital,
Shampoo hardly looked any better. Ranma was 
surprised that she still had the strength to open 
her eyes considering the ordeal she had just gone 
through.

Ranma felt bile rising in his throat, he could smell 
the sickingly sharp scent of blood, their blood.
 Akane didn�t have a mark on her he noticed.
 That observation made him even more uneasy.

�Get away from them Ranma!!!�

Akane was annoyed as hell, here she was the 
winner for once and Ranma STILL went after
his little harem girls. He should be congratulating her!
She was his FIANCEE for pete�s sake!!!

�i..gt...tta.�

�What did you say?!�

�I have�ta call an ambulence.�
A subdued Ranma rushed to find the nearest phone,
trying not to panic.

{Akane�s not like this. There has to 
be a mistake or something. But ohmygod 
ohmygod Ukyo�s hurt so bad and she kept 
hitting Shampoo and wouldn�t stop...
and she was smiling....where�s the phone, oh
this is all my fault I should�ve stopped this.
Oh god it�s all my fault, I�m sorry!! I�M SORRY!!
Please....please don�t let Ucchan or Shampoo die.......
please.....}
 
Akane stared at the empty space that her 
fiancee had been formerly occupying.
She screamed in outrage.

�THIS ISN�T HOW IT�S SUPPOSED TO GO!!!�

(Clip to next part)

"Hope springs eternal in the Human breast: 
Man never is, but always to be blest."

-Alexander Pope

Readers and listeners praise my books;
You swear they're worse then beginner's.
Who cares? I always plan my dinners
To please the diners, not the cooks.

-Martial

In Difficult Ground, Keep moving. 
In Pressed Ground, Make stratagems.
In Death Ground, Fight.

-Sun Tzu "The Art of War"

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(It's rough but it's up!)


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