Mariko/Ranma: how to start it?

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

This was just a vague oneshot idea that just came to me: what if, rather than falling in love with Kuno, Mariko somehow ended up falling for Ranma? But then I started wondering: exactly how might Ranma fall for her in the first place?

For those of you who don't know her, Mariko is a girl from before the Nodoka Appears storyline in both manga and anime. The head of the Martal Arts Cheerleading team of Seishun High, she gets on Ranma & Akane's bad side by beating the Furinkan Girl's Volleyball Team- she knocks out all the other girls bar Akane, then tries to take Akane out, only for her baton to be deflected by Ranma's thrown nut. Akane foolishly leaps up to confront her verbally, and while she's doing that the Seishun players take advantage and win the game. Afterwards, the humiliated Akane starts crying- which prompts Kuno to hug her and get punched skyward for his troubles. He lands on Mariko's head just seconds after she gives a spiel about how she doesn't have a boyfriend, and that's why she's so depressed, and gives her a bandaid for the bump he caused, thus leaving her with an instant infatuation.

So, how might fate twist itself to cause her to fall for Ranma instead? Before anyone says anything, I know that the chances of Ranma actually coming to return her feelings are as minute as the chances of Kasumi deciding to become a leatherclad biker whilst Nabiki takes a vow of poverty, but the way I see it, having her around, pressing her suite on Ranma, is going to make Akane even more furious than normal, more than likely enough so that she might actually dissolve the engagement. It's the possible permutations to the relationship web that intrest me here, not the precise matchup.

[Sunshine Temple]

The simplest way to have fate go for Ranma, is to have Ranma be the one to hug/comfort Akane afterwards.

That way it's Ranma that gets punched up and falls on Mariko.

I do like the idea of using her. Mariko is one of the secondary characters that doesn't get much play in fics.

And could be rather interesting.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

The problem with that idea is that Ranma, in both canons (I normally use the anime canon) knows all too well how Akane will react to his touch- in the anime version, he even snaps at Yuka/Sayuri (can never tell them apart) when she declares he should walk over, take her in her arms and tell her that he's there for her.

Then again, seeing as how in denial Akane's friends are about her nature (of course, the fact she never tells them her part in her quarrels with Ranma probably doesn't help, but that's another topic), the idea that said girl might decide to make Ranma act like a proper fiance and shove him at Akane, more than likely causing him to grope her as he "hugs" her and thus casting his fate in stone, doesn't seem that unbelievable.

Actually, now that I think about it, could Mariko (once she fell for Ranma) actually win Ranma's heart? It beats me how she could, but could she?