I don't own Ranma, I don't own the MGM grand hotel and casino, I don't own a Gundam. I'm

just a little bitty undergrad who owns . . . nothing. So please don't sue.

To my reviewers: Thanks, this is the most reviews I've ever gotten.

To answer your questions: No, I didn't know about Ryoga's girlfriend so the name thing is just a

coincidence. As for the pool turning you into your own sister, I never heard about that either. I remember the comments Nibiki made when Ranma's mother showed up, I just assumed she was

teasing (or extorting) poor Ranma. I hate to use the "I'm the author and I said so" line, but for this story it's one girl fits all.

Wait a minute . . . Ryoga gets a _Girlfriend??!!_ Poor girl

Chapter 2: What criteria are they using???

The next few weeks were the most interesting of Akari's life. The fathers of all the eligible young men in the village and beyond came by to speak to her parents, it appeared that rumors of her beauty had preceded her. She wasn't allowed to watch the interviews herself, but she would listen through the door to her bedroom. Mostly they were discussing matters of doweries and the "measurements" of the prospective grooms.

Akari found most of this to be incredibly boring. Her parents would arrange for her

dowery, and she didn't care how tall her husband was. There were advantages to being able to

wrap herself up in the arms of a large man and tuck her head under his chin, but there were good

things to be said for being able to look her mate in the eye without straining her neck. It didn't

matter.

When she had told her friends in town that her parents were searching for her husband

they were alarmed that she wasn't speaking to any of the interviewees herself. But she trusted her parents and knew they loved her and would select the best possible match for her.

Eventually, Akari got fed up listening to one old man after another saying such glowing

things about their offspring. Most of which was probably just sales pitch. Her interest did perk up when a couple of mothers from the nearby Amazon village came by on behalf of their sons, but everyone involved knew that Akari wasn't cut out to be an amazon. Her farm work kept her in

good shape, but she was no martial artist. But she was still flattered by the offer.

Before too long, she just relaxed and indulged in he favorite hobby, reading. Her family

wasn't wealth enough to own that many books, but what they had was enough for Akari. She

honestly hoped her new husbands family owned a library. So, leaving the matter of fiancees to

her loved ones, Akari relaxed into the world of the printed page.

Several days later:

'Finally,' Akari thought, her parents had just told her that her chosen fiancee was on his

way over and would be there within the hour. Akari squealed and dashed into her room to don

her finest festival dress. She wanted to look her best for this.

The next half hour was a flurry of anticipation, panic, pacing, and her mother chasing

around after her and trying to brush out a stray tangle in her hair. The entire house ground to a halt as soon as the sound of horses came into ear shot. Akari paused for a moment to collect

herself. She was about to meet the man she would spend the rest of her life with. She was

exciter, nervous, overjoyed, and terrified all at the same time. Her mother put a loving hand on

her shoulder.

"Are you ready dear?"

'Yesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesno.'

Out loud: "Yes mother, of course I am."

There was a polite knock on the door before the newest member of the family entered the

room. Akari had her eyes closed out of fear, her fears were justified.

'Roba!!!' She'd seen this man in town and had thought he was descended from a hog. He

was less than 5 feet tall and over 3 feet wide. His nose was larger than his mouth. Plus, he had a greasy skin that was vaguely reminiscent of several types of toad.

Akari just stood there slack jawed as her fiancee looked her over like a piece of meat. She

might well have not bothered with the gown, his eyes were looking right through it. She was

used to lustful glares from men, let's face it, she was a knockout, but this was the first time she had ever felt . . . dirty. Roba finished his inspection and turned to her father.

"Yes, this one will do. Shall we complete the transaction. I wish to begin enjoying my

new acquisition."

How could they do this?! He was a horrible man who was sure to treat her like brood

mare. He had no personality traits worth mentioning. And . . . and . . . and, and his parents were the richest in the region. Akari felt like slapping herself. Since she was an only child, her parents wanted a son-in-law that could provide for them in their old age.

There was no way Akari was going to take this laying down. There just HAD to be a way

out of this. If there was one word to describe Akari it would be inventive. She was a lot smarter than her soft spoken nature hinted at. Her wheels started turning on the most important challenge of her life.

To be continued

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next time we find out just how our heroine plans to dodge the

fiancee from hell.