Hello.  This is Switch of NFT and there has been this story
idea that has been haunting me.  It started when I accidentally
posted a teaser to both the ronin ML and FFML2 which ran with
the header [Fanfic] [Ranma 1/2] [LEMON] [DARK] The Title is...
completely without going anywhere.  (And thank you to those
who did notice that it came out.)  This is NOT that teaser.

There was a ruckus awhile brought about by Shadow Dancer's
"Happi's Delight", which somewhat split the ML.  Afterward,
she asked for people who wanted to be on the pre-reader list
for the above fic, as per someone else's suggestion.  
Looking back on what I'd written for the earlier story
(which became a bit more of a dark lemon it was supposed to
be), I subscribed to the HDML while giving her a refurb-ed
copy.  She said that it was OK, and asked if I was to 
continue it.  After some thought, I agreed, somewhat.

So, the premise.  While not actually a lemon, or dark, I'm
posting this because it was a concept which could have been 
posted already, or might put someone else's mind into gear.
I myself am taking the low road, and pushing it into the
aforementioned dark lemon.  C&C is not necessary, but will
be welcomed.  Consider me warned.

And so:

One Man's Dream is Another's Undoing
Characters based upon designs in Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi
No discredit or disfavor is intended upon anyone.

        <Some of the following dialogues has been translated 
from Chinese, in the dialect used by the Amazons of the 
Joketsozuko village, with the help of the Jusenkyo guide.  Any 
dialogue by the Amazons has been translated to Japanese for
the benefits of those who follow the exploits of Ranma Saotome.>

        "Kiss of what?!"  Ranma said to the guide.
        "Kiss of death," he said in his pidgin voice, "is 
promise to chase to end of earth, and KILL!"  Ranma just
gulped.  She stopped suddenly.  "Where's Pop?"
        The Jusenkyo guide shielded his eyes and glanced about.
Then, he stared back the way they came.  He pointed.
        "Pop!"  the young woman ran back.
        "No!  Come back!  Is too dangerous!"  the guide 
shouted upwind.  He ran back;  they hadn't paid him, yet.

        Shampoo held aloft a bonbori and a curved sword.  She
had been running for a while, but the outsider was as swift
as she was strong.  Truly a fierce fighter, and she deserved
to die.  The true problem lay in the itchiness of her duty.
Any other day, she could have just chased the outsider and
killed her, outright.  Today, though...  nonethematter.  The
red-haired one will die, over, and over, and over....  She 
grinned ferally.
        They'd been caught surprised, though, as their quarry
came running through their ranks.  "POP!!"  She steeled herself 
as the girl in the gi just jumped from the top of one of the
Amazons to the other, oblivious to the terror they emanated.
The guide was huffing a distance back.
        She jumped up to meet her opponent, but only met with 
knee.  She fell on her back, wheezing.  When she opened her 
eyes, the guide was offering a hand.  He is hoping for 
absolution, she thought.  Fool, we will not kill a countryman 
for an outsider's folly.  She took the hand, and immediately 
gave chase, without thanking the plump man.

        The panda hung upside down from a low tree.  A figure
was standing below it.  "To think that I was planning to go
somewhere today," it spoke in fluent Japanese, "I wonder what
would have happened if I wasn't here, eh?"  A laugh.  

        Ranma ran as quick as she could, without noticing the
accosting women, who were all participants in the tournament.
"Where are you, old man?"  She couldn't, no matter what had
happened, just leave her father in the hands of madwomen.  
"If anything happened to you..."  Her fists clenched.  Then,
she turned past the large log, and saw the low tree, and the
panda.  "POP!"  she ran full tilt into the beaten path to the
tree.  A beaten path?  she thought too late.  From the lower
rooftops nearby, a group of three hefty women in tights came
down on her.  

        Back on the log, Shampoo waited with crossed arms.  A
close distance, the participants of the Annual Martial-Arts
Tournament (15-21 age bracket) needlessly fussed, and talked
torture.  A panda tied up in rope was unconscious nearby, 
while the plump guide paced worriedly, unable to light his
pipe.  
        An entourage made itself known, and they bowed down.
>From a hidden position, a diminuitive figure jumped up into
view.
        She approached the bowed Shampoo, and brought the 
walking stick she had quickly.
        No one moved.
        The crone nodded approval, and removed the staff from
its position merely inches from the back of the younger woman's
head.  She beckoned them all to stand.
        She spoke, with conviction.  "I know that you are here 
for two reasons.  One of them is the just awarding of the 
champion of today's tournament's victor:  Shampoo."  She raised 
a hand for her great-granddaughter, which was greeted by riotous 
applause.  
        "The other deals with the subsequent defeat of the 
intruder known as Ranma Saotome."  With the same amount of honor 
in the acknowledgement of the just victory of the leader's 
descendant, they merely kept quiet at the mention of the 
tresspassing foreigner who was similarly tied-up, gazes daggers.  
Little did they suspect, the elder mused.  
        She beckoned the guide, who was helpful enough to both 
provide the name of one who was about to die, and a substantial
amount of hot water.  "The outsider had defeated Shampoo in 
combat, and proper procedure is under the jurisdiction of our
tribal laws."  She hefted the kettle on the end of her staff.
        "Should the outsider be female, the defeated Amazon must 
be given the kiss of death, and killed without delay.  Which was
delayed by the efforts of most of the population gathered here."
The group looked ready to protest, but was silenced.  "However,"
she then upturned the kettle on the redhead, amidst gasps of 
onlookers, "should the outsider be male..."
        A sudden outburst from the crowd was again stilled, but
not before the rest of the statement was eaten up.  "And so, 
this Ranma Saotome must be wed to Shampoo."
        "A moment, Cologne," said the formidable-looking runner-
up.  She waited for an audience.  "We were about to voice a 
reason to the efforts of capturing the outsider," she was drowned
yet agian.
        "Silence!"  she wondered what had caused them to be so
unruly.  "Speak."
        "The outsider had defeated the champion of the tournament.
And the champion defeated all of us," she gestured to the crowd,
"and so, we share in the loss, and ask thereby," she pointed to
the black-haired young man, "to all be wed to the outsider."

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

Nggggh!  There.  It's done.  Bone-chilling, isn't it?  (Since the
speaker for the losers of the tournament was that hefty looking
"woman" who was last fighting Shampoo... brrrr....)  Wonder about 
the lemon that's coming out of it then....