Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any of the characters. This is simply a what-if situation. What if this had happened? Also, I would like to apologize to those that are waiting on me to work on "Evil Kasumi Returns" or "Ranma and the Outers" and "Primal Ranma." Although I've had many ideas for them lately. I'm just taking a slight break from them to work on some other ideas that won't get outta my head until I write them down.

For the next several days, Nabiki looked at Ranma's situation from every angle possible, and she came up with only four ways to satisfy the problem. The first was for Ranma to die, be it by himself, one of his rivals or some other way. The second was for him just let everything stay as it was. And the third was to marry a Tendo girl, as well as Kuonji and Shampoo. However that last option was not legal anywhere that she could find.

The last option was to get at least two of the girls to drop their claim on Ranma, but there again, Ukyo's dowry had already been taken, and she doubted that her father would give up on his dream and the Amazons weren't the kind to give up.

"Damn…" Nabiki muttered as she looked over everything one more time. "There's no way out of this… no loopholes, nothing." And what made everything worse, was that she found out though Shampoo that Cologne had a cup attuned to Ranma's ki, so she would see though a fake death. "Damn it all…"

"Any luck?" A voice asked from her window.

She didn't even have to look up to know who it was. "None and we can't fake your death either."

"Why not?" he asked though she dared not turn around to look in his eyes.

"Shampoo told me that Cologne has a cup that she somehow attuned to your ki. So no matter how good we fake it, she'll know it's a fake."

"Oh… then I guess I should get things ready…"

"NO!" She hissed at him. Standing up from her desk, she looked at him and nearly cried at the completely lost look he had. "I've taken on a saying that someone I know has. Nabiki Tendo never looses. I took this challenge and I'm not about to give up. Not yet. So you better not give up on me either."

"But… Nabiki…"

"Look, you've been living with us for some time, and I guess I took it for granted that you'd always be here." She let out a tired sigh, but continued anyway. "You're already like family to me, and I'm not about to let family take their own life. If there's no other way then you, Ukyo, Shampoo and I are going to all get married."

"What?" He asked with wide almost panicked eyes.

"Akane won't go for it, and I know that Kasumi would, but it'd be for honor only and she's already given up too much for this family."

"N-Nabiki… I…"

"You may not think I hold to honor, but I do. Plus," she said and smiled at him. "I know that you'd take care of me."

Ranma stared at her and gulped slowly. Looking away from her, he shook his head. "No… it wouldn't work."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah… Um… Shampoo and Cologne both want to go back to China… and I know you'd hate it there."

"If we made some concessions, I'm sure that Cologne would allow Shampoo to stay. Besides if shown to her that you'd rather die than dishonor the rest of us, then I'm positive she'd go for it." Nabiki was not too thrilled about the idea, but if it kept him alive, then she'd do it.

"Yea but I don't love them," he said simply.

"Ranma, we aren't talking about love here. This is the problem with arranged marriages, there is little to no love in them," she said tiredly and shrugged her shoulders.

"I… I'll think about it. But it's not fair to you, or to them to be stuck with me."

"And it's not fair for your life to be threatened because of the stupidity of your father."

He sighed, as he knew that he's lost this argument. "Ok, but I'm not happy about it."

"And you think we are?"

Again, he sighed and shook his head. "If you think you can get them to go for it…" he chuckled though there seemed to be an absence of humor to it. "It'll make mom happy as she wants me to have as many mistresses as I can…"

Nabiki shook her head. "Ranma how did you ever come out sane with parents like them?"

"Who says I am? I got who knows how many fiancée's, a mom that wants me to keep them all, a pop that is worthless for anything but the art, and even then it's kinda questionable. Then I've got a fiancée I thought was a boy but she's spent ten years tryin' to kill me an now... how longs it been?" he shook his head quickly. "Never mind I don't wanna know. But now she's tryin to marry me. The only person I've known longer than her is Ryoga... and he just wants to kill me…"

"Over the bread still?" She asked with a slight glint to her eyes.

"Naw, about his curse he…" he stopped short and grinned weakly at her.

"I thought so… but I could never get proof. You two can cover that story pretty well."

He wasn't sure what he should say, so he said the only thing that came to his mind, "Um... thanks…"

"No problem, this will be free… I think there's going to be an accident next time I see him."

"Um... that's not a good idea," he told her slightly worried.

She waved it off though, "Worried about me, there's no need."

"If you're sure…"

"I'm sure. Now I think you need to get to bed while I finish going over these things. I have one other option to check out." Tiredly she sat back down in her chair.

"Thanks Nabiki. I don't know how or if I can ever repay ya for this." With that said the greatest martial artist in Nerima stepped out her window and left the girl known as the Ice Queen to her thoughts.

'Damn him…' she thought wryly. 'Damn him for making me think he's family and damn me for getting attached to him.' With a sly grin, Nabiki went back to working though the problem that was Ranma and his fiancées.

It took longer for her to check out her last option than it took Ryoga to show up. Coming down the stairs to the dinner table, she saw Ranma sitting there with that vacant look in his eyes though he made a show of complaining about the pig. With a grin, Nabiki sat in her normal spot. "Akane, the way you act, you'd think you were in love with P-chan," she said with a grin.

"Huh… what?" Both Akane and Ranma asked while P-chan had a pleased look on his face.

"You know Akane, I think Shampoo has some of those instant boy packets… we could use one and turn P-chan into a boy…"

"What? No way!" Akane shouted causing p-chan to look crestfallen. "P-chan may be cute but no…"

With a sharks grin, Nabiki asked her, "Oh why not? He's seen you naked… and changing clothes… I bet you've even told him most if not all of your little secrets."

"Well um… yea…" Akane said while Ranma stayed deathly quiet.

"So what's the problem? He knows you better than I bet Ranma does. In fact… I bet you're closer to p-chan than you are to both Ranma and Ryoga."

"Well… yea… Ryoga's nice and he's not a pervert like Ranma… and Ryoga even likes my cooking…"

Ranma was about to say something but a look from Nabiki quieted him allowing the Ice Queen to continue. "I know what you mean. He doesn't insult you, taunt you, or hurt your feelings. It's almost like he knows all your secrets already."

"Well…" Akane was going to deny it, but it did sound strange and she had to wonder how he knew.

Ranma blinked and looked at the smirking pig in Akane's lap. And although Ranma's blood was boiling the pig was just eating it up that he was getting closer to Akane than he was.

Nabiki let out a sigh. "Wouldn't it be funny…"

"What?" Akane asked.

"With as close as Ryoga is getting to you, you'd think he was p-chan… he knows your secrets and…"

"What! No!" Akane shouted. "Ryoga's not a pervert like Ranma." That caused to smirk to fall off Ryoga's pig face. "How can you even suggest that Ryoga is p-chan? He's not like that; he's not a pervert or a jerk like Ranma."

"Hay!" The pigtailed martial artist protested.

"It's true… Ryoga's sweet and kind… and…" As she was talking, Akane looked at p-chan and saw a hopeful look in the pigs face. Just moments before that face changed into the face of Ryoga. "What?" She shouted as she was now holding a now very male… and very nude Ryoga.

"I'm sorry Akane… I spilt my tea… hay if p-chan got hit with hot water that means he does have a curse…"

"Ryoga…"

"Ah… Akane… I…"

Ranma blinked, and then looked to Nabiki. When she motioned him to back away, he did so quietly.

"Ryoga… you… PERVERT!" Akane screamed and drew out a mallet easily twice a large as anyone used on Ranma. "I"LL KILL YOU!" She shouted and brought the mallet down on Ryoga slamming him into the floor of the dining room.

"…ouch…" he said from the crater.

"I... I trusted you… I thought you were better than Ranma… I… I changed clothes in front of you… I hate you!"

"… but it's Ranma's fault…" he tried as he pulled himself out of the pit.

"HIS FAULT! How! Did he make you watch me change clothes… did he make you stay in my room… no he… he… AHHH! The baka tried to get you out of my room!"

"See… it's his fault…"

"SHUTUP!" Akane shouted and delivered a mallet-powered uppercut that sent Ryoga though the ceiling and out into the yard.

Weather it was thanks to Ryoga's training or his weight he did not travel all the way to the koi pond. "But Akane…"

"NO! I've had it with you… you lied to me… you used me… I hate you! I never want to see you again! Just go away and DIE for all I care!" Akane said in tears and then ran up to her room.

Ryoga just stayed transfixed at the spot that she had yelled at him. His world and heart had broken. Just a few moments ago, she had been saying how much she liked him… and now this...

"Here's your clothes." Nabiki said from the doorway. "I've been wondering why you kept a change of clothes in the furo. Now I guess I know."

"Nabiki… you… you…" Ryoga said as he stalked closer to her.

She was not worried tough as just beside her and hidden from Ryoga's view was Ranma, and she knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. So when Ryoga got close enough she slapped him. "Oh shut up."

"Wha…" He asked as the slap had not hurt, but it did get his attention.

"You're the bastard that screwed up. You hid your curse. -You- took advantage of her. YOU lied to her. -YOU- are the one at fault, not Ranma." But this time she was mad enough to kill, but she held herself at bay.

"What do you care… you sold pictures of her to Kunö and who knows how many others at school. Besides, it was Ranma's fault I got cursed."

Nabiki cooled her anger, crossed her arms in front of her and smiled dangerously. "Ryoga, there is a difference between pictures and being in the same room. And the pictures were of Akane working out, not in her underwear. And you have even slept in her room. You violated her trust. You're nothing but a sick perverted pig."

"I AM NOT!"

"Then what are you?"

"I… I'm a martial artist and…"

"No, you're not," The shorthaired girl replied stiffly.

"What?" Ryoga asked verbally and Ranma mentally.

"Ranma has always said that a martial artist protects the weak. When have you done that?"

"Well… when his strength was taken away from him…"

"Sure, just so you could have to thrill of killing him you sadistic bastard."

"Hay!"

"You're no martial artist… a martial artist protects the weak. When you first attacked Ranma did you know that several innocent bystanders were hurt because of you?"

"But…"

"Oh shut up." Nabiki replied coldly. "No you didn't know. Because you're too narrow minded, and pig headed to care. Even when my sister got in the way… you could've killed her if Ranma hadn't been trying to get her to safely… but did you care… oh no… you still tried to fight. Some martial artist, attacking when an innocent is in danger. And that wasn't the only time. So get out of here you pig, I don't want to see you around here again." As she spoke, she reached behind her trying to grab something.

Seeing her doing that, Ranma grabbed a bottle and quickly filled a glass before handing it to her, which Nabiki tossed on the cursed pig triggering his curse. Not even looking at him, she closed the door and tried to cool her anger.

"Ah… um… you know that won't help much. He's just gonna blame me for all this," Ranma told her lamely.

"I doubt it; I made sure he knew I had the information on him, as well as making it look like an accident." She tried to just wave it off, but truth be told, she rather enjoyed telling him off like that.

"Um, ok… if you're sure."

"I am…" she said with a smile then asked. "By the way, where are the fathers?"

He sighed heavily. "Out drinking, which means they're planning something."

"Don't worry about them Ranma, I'm sure I can stop whatever foolish plan they concoct."

Ranma smiled nervously at her. "If you think so, um… I'm not hungry so I'm gonna go to bed."

"Ok, but before you go to school tomorrow, we need to talk."

"Ok… ok…" He said tiredly and trudged upstairs.

Nabiki watched him go and sighed. "I promise I will find that answer for you…" Letting out another tired sigh, she made her way to the dinner table but it seemed too quiet. Quickly the two older Tendo daughters finished their dinner and went their separate ways.