Beauty And the Pig: A Fractured Fairy Tale
Part Three

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(Scene: same set as before, expect the armchair is looking rather damp. Sadie is gone and Hope is curled up in a corner of the couch playing with her Sailor Saturn doll.) Hope: *stabbing with the mini silence glaive* Take that you whinny little freaky! Ha! And there goes your egomaniac boyfriend! No more lame speeches! Whahahaha! (She continues to play adamantly with her doll. Sadie returns to the set, her hair is wet and tied into a ponytail and she's changed her nightgown. For some reason, the new one is mostly hidden behind digital black squares that follow her movements. Sadie raises an eyebrow at her sister's antics.) Sadie: You do know the camera is on, ne? (Hope jumps to her feet with a startled squawk and hides the doll behind her back, blushing. She turns to snap at her sister and her mouth falls open in shock. Sadie notices this and beams happily.) Sadie: Like my new Kuma Sutra nightie? Hope: Gah…*she moves closer to inspect the nightgown* Wow, would you look at that… (The camera view tilts wildly and slides down a few inches. This is followed by the heavy thump of a fallen body. The sisters look up.) Hope: I think you just gave the cameraman a nosebleed. Sadie: *shrugs* Won't be the first time. Now, on with the story! (Someone fixes the camera and there is the sound of a body being dragged away. Sadie starts to sit in the armchair but stops, finding it still wet. She joins her giggling sister on the couch and re-opens the book.)


Ranma accepted the rose from his father with some shock. "You mean, you actually found one?" He gently touched one velvety petal and was delighted at its softness. His sisters gathered around to 'ooh' and 'ahhh' and try to take it from him. "Of course I found one!" Genma drew himself up, "You doubted your father?" Ranma tripped Akane as she made a lunge for the blossom. "Well, duh. Besides, roses don't grow around here for miles." He casually sidestepped Nabiki's tackle and send her colliding in Kasumi who was trying to convince a robin to let her re-make its nest. Genma started to shake. "You…mean…you…sent me…to get…something that…can't…" he broke off, stammering his rage. Ranma nodded calmly and ducked down; Akane went sailing over him to join Nabiki and Kasumi in a pile. "Sure, I just wanted to make you sweat a little." He beamed brightly at his father and shook his skirt free of dust. Genma snarled, hands curling into fists. Remembering the promise he had made, he forced himself to be calm. "Well, you succeeded in that, my child. But I succeeded as well." He coughed lightly and waited for Ranma's reply, hoping he gave the right one. "Looks like you did. So, old man, where'd find it?" Ranma tilted the rose this way and that in the light, wondering whether it would look better in his hair or attached to his bodice. Though, given the fights he engaged in on a regular basis, the delicate flower might be safer in a vase on the windowsill. "I'm glad you asked," Genma said with a rather unpleasant grin, "For I had a talk with the owner of that rose and I mentioned you. It cough HE was quite delighted with what I had to say and wants to meet you." Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And what kind of man is his?" [A handsome prince, I hope,] He thought to himself. Though he would never admit it aloud to anyone, his greatest dream (besides becoming Miss Fairy-Tale Land) was to be the blushing groom to some handsome, noble prince. Or even a better-then-good-looking farm boy, anything to get away from his crook father and psychotic sisters. "Oh, well he's, ah, tall and, um, dark oh, and definitely mysterious," Genma stammered, hoping it would work. Ranma still looked suspicious and the older man fished around in his mind for any other appealing phrases. Nabiki took that moment to speak. "If his so great, otou-san, why didn't you mention us three?" She shoot Ranma a 'look', "The real girls." "I did," Genma said hastily, more to divert his other daughter's wrath then anything else, "He only wanted Ranma." Little stars and flowers appeared around his youngest eh…daughter's head. "Really?" Ranma gushed, eyes wide and sparkly, "Just me?!" Baby bunnies hopped out from under bushes, flowers sprung up randomly, little bird flitted about, and cherry blossoms (can't forget the cherry blossoms) drifted around on the breeze. The rest of his family started having coughing fits; words like "flame", "drama queen", and "girlie man" being heard randomly. Ranma scowled and wished baby bunnies had attack modes. Recovering from his fit, Genma handed Ranma a somewhat battered map. "Here is the way to his home, just follow the red line." Shaking the map free of cherry blossoms, Ranma followed the red line with his eyes. "Its in the forest? Jeez, pop, you must have really gotten lost to find this place." Genma scowled, deep wrinkles appearing like a mountain range on his face. "Watch yourself. You have two days to get there before…" he paused. "Before?" "Before your invite runs out." Genma finished quickly, "He's a very busy man." "Ah." Ranma answered, satisfied. "Welp, I better go get packed." He gleefully skipped into the house, chased by the jealous glares of his sisters. ~~~ Hope: *looking closely at Sadie's sleeve* My God, how _does_ he get into that position?!? ~~~ Akane was the first to free herself from the pile. "Otuo-san!! This is so not fair!! How come that fa...." a still floating cherry blossom was sucked into her open mouth and Kasumi had to save her from choking to death. After heaving a few breaths, and shooting a baleful glare at the sky, she continued, "How come Ranma gets to meet with some prince and we don't?" Genma favored his three most loved daughters with another less-than-pleasant grin, "He isn't exactly a prince…" He explained slowly. Soon, less-than-pleasant laughter filled the small yard. Except Kasumi's laugh, which was really pleasant; she was playing with the baby bunnies and not really listening. ~~End part three

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Sorry if it seems I'm making Kasumi overly stupid, I just like writing her has an airhead.