DISCLAIMER :: I do not own Ranma Half or Hyperdimension Neptunia. Ranma Half belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and the Hyperdimension Neptunia series belongs to Compile Heart and Idea Factory.

Hyperdimension Half

Act I – Welcome to Gamindustri

Within the busy and ongoing passenger labyrinth known as Tokyo Station, the clock had just reached the 5 minute mark past noon. The bee swarms of departing and arriving travellers increased as the seconds passed. There wasn't any sign of the station becoming less busy from the looks of it. Most likely, a few trains would be delayed.

Such realities of a major train station in one of Japan's largest metropolitan cities made a certain black haired martial artist groan. In fact, he was seated against an indoor column adjacent to a nearby magazine stall.

Above him, the flashing signs of departures and rail terminals hung high as he carefully eyed his map while the seemingly endless flocks of people continued on. These very individuals, constantly busy with their inner thoughts of the challenges dealt with daily life, remained ignorant of what ran through this very martial artist's head.

He stands at a reigning height of 182 centimeters and he recently just turned 23. His name is Ranma Saotome. Or, at least his name was Saotome. He gave that name up a long time ago or so he claimed. He was all but a ronin at this very moment. Despite this, he preferred this way of life over the one he once led in Nerima.

Five years have passed since then. Five years ago, Ranma Saotome formally chose to disown himself from the Saotome line. Of course, he did it without anyone else's knowledge, considering the grief his family and potential in-laws would have given him. Especially his honor loving mother: Nodoka Saotome.

In a twist of irony, Ranma chose to live the very life Genma wanted him to avoid: one without any honor or conviction. He was willing to live honorlessly if it meant keeping his own freedom. He gave everything to his father. He sacrificed so much, more than how much his father claimed to have done so. His father did afterall sign a seppoku pact without his own consent. His involvement with the Jusenkyo Springs didn't help much either.

None of it mattered to the martial artist anymore. In fact, he simply went by Ranma. Not Ranma Saotome. Just Ranma. Albeit, when official documents were needed from him during travels, Nabiki Tendou secretly provided him enough documents with altered last family names. Having connections to Tokyo's social workers was one of the charms of being an infamous information shark, as Nabiki would have said.

Although he left Nerima completely without any notification towards the others and as to where he would go, Nabiki was among the few people who he had let in on his escape plan. Nabiki Tendou was notorious for her own reputation as Nerima's Ice Queen and the ward's local info shark. Why Ranma, who had been scammed by her so many times, would trust her with classified documents to help hide his identity would have been beyond the understanding of others.

In reality, Nabiki had sympathised with Ranma's plight. If anything, it was thanks to him that she managed to conjure up plenty of profit through the years. Ignoring his negative views towards her, he accepted the Ice Queen's help. Needless to say, it worked and her efforts have helped him out this entire time.

Kasumi Tendou, the middle sister of the Tendou family, agreed to keep Ranma's departure a secret from the rest. She has pushed Nabiki to provide him with extra cash to send when the situation called for it. He could only do so much to earn money on his own while on the road. It was thanks to the two of them that the majority of the Nerima ward was oblivious to his whereabouts.

Looking back at the five years he has been absent from Nerima, Ranma didn't miss it one bit. He didn't miss Akane the most specifically. Time after time, he always did what he could to be of help and usefulness to his so called fiancée. In the end, those efforts were vain and after that fateful failed wedding, the wild horse had enough of it. It wasn't his overly violent fiancée. He had enough of the Nerima Wrecking Crew's assortment of weirdos. In other words, the likes of Ryouga, Mousse and the Blue Blunder were the prime offenders to his eyes. He wasn't going to take any more crap, whether his rivals would wallow over it or not.

During the course of the past five years, Ranma wandered all over Japan while taking up different jobs and identities thanks to Nabiki's cover-up. Up until now, he was grateful that he hasn't run into Ryouga or any other travelling rival. Even if they were nearby, Ranma was unrecognizable by then. After he left Nerima, Ranma cut off his ponytail as symbol of his renewed self. Over the years, he let his hair grow up to his shoulders and bangs of his front hair have flattened as time went by.

(a/n: Think something like Gaius's hairstyle from Tales of Xillia for older Ranma)

The voice system in Tokyo Station called out, "Next train to Kyoto…Next train to Kyoto…passengers move to Gate…"

The announcement was muffled by the crowds' constant chatter but Ranma managed to get a good look at the gate number through the screen. It was almost time to leave. He only visited Tokyo that day for one of his secret meetings with Nabiki regarding further documents and potential jobs. With his situation, Ranma was hoping that he could save up enough and travel to America.

"Right," the martial artist muttered to himself, "Guess it's time to go."

"Are you sure that man saw him here?!"

"Of course, you foolish panda! The agents we hired couldn't have made a mistake!"

"He better be here then! Once I see him, I'll drag him back to Nerima and make him beg for forgiveness in front of his mother and all of us!"

The martial artist went pale. "Shit…are you serious? No way…no way…I've avoided them up until now, how did they find out!?"

Ranma could sense that the familiar voices were only a few meters away. The surrounding crowds of passengers obscured their view so the martial artist was safe for the time being. That would change soon and he needed to think.

"Did Nabiki sell me out? Nah…she'd gain nothing out of it. Hell, me going back to Nerima would make her life harder and she knows it. With Kasumi watching her, it'd be even more impossible. Nabiki has no reason to snitch as well. Then who…!?"

"…How Genma? It was a matter of luck." The first muffled voice from afar stated to the other, "To think the documents were in Nabiki's room. That girl…what has she been up to?!"

"It doesn't matter to me, Soun! Punish your daughter later! It's him we need back!"

"Hiding places were never her strongest point." Ranma cursed inside his head. The voices were getting closer. Soon, the crowds would no longer hinder the view of the two people Ranma despised the most. He had 10 seconds at max.

"I could create a ki blast…no…the damages would be too much and I could get in trouble on top of that…what do I do…squirm my way through the crowds!? I could just jump far from here but then they'd see me...Think!"

The very moment Ranma decided that it was curtains for his journey, a vague and dim azure orb surrounded him and…

"…He's not here!? We're near the train gate! How could he not be here!"

"Let's look further, Soun! We have Nabiki's documents. We'll track him down even to the ends of the earth."

His last fixed expression would soon hold no value or meaning…Literally.

The martial artist slowly fished himself back to consciousness. His eyelids felt heavy. It felt as if large bags were weighing them down. His head was in a state of seemingly endless spirals of vertigo and confusion. The last thing he remembered was hearing the two voices he dreaded. He would have been more disgusted to see their stingy expressions. No, stingy would be too kind to describe his father. Greedy was more like it.

The question remained: where was he? He sat up almost immediately and realized that he was inside a hotel room. "Am I still in Tokyo?"

He rushed to the window view adjacent to his bed. What he saw was far from Tokyo. The Wild Horse cussed to himself, "What the hell?"

On the window view was a seemingly fairy tale themed landscape. Rich and lush green grass plains surrounded the peculiar looking castles and cottages that blessed the city. There was a light amount of snowfall which was made evident by the frost that covered the window glass.

Ranma spoke, "Alright. I am definitely not in Tokyo anymore. Hell…I hate to say this…but am I still on Earth?"

Everything seemed different. Looking at the window view, he noticed that some of the businesses, stores and signs were written in Japanese while others were filled with English or French text. He knew for certain that he was far from Tokyo and possibly, from the world he knows.

"I must be imagining things," he said, pacing around the room, "Moments ago, the stupid panda and his just as crazy friend were inches from spotting me. Then suddenly, here I am. This has to be some stupid trick done by that old pervy fart."

Ranma took several more minutes to calm down. "This has to be a hotel room. I mean…there are hotel business cards on the desk next to me and those towels have the hotel's insignia…if this is a hotel room…then whose room is this?"

"Oh…you're awake! Thank goodness!"

The martial artist became alert. The room door opened slowly. A beautiful looking, blue-haired and red-eyed girl entered and faced him. She was wearing what seemed to be technological headphones, her outfit consisted of a black midriff with a ribbon placed behind her waste and above anything else, her expression was that of both bewilderment and curiosity.

He reassured her, "Ah, yes. I think I'm okay. How long was I asleep?"

The girl slowly answered, "Three days."

"Three days!? Are you being serious?!" Ranma widened his eyes. The idol stepped back upon the sound of his raised voice which intimidated her.

She cried out in surprise, "I'm sorry, I think I'll just-"

"Wait," he called on her calmly, "Sorry. I'll speak softer from now on. I just got a lot of things going on in my mind at the moment… I have so many questions I want answered. First off…where did you find me…and second off…where the heck am I?"

She stopped herself from sprinting out of hotel room. While her look of uneasiness remained, she did answer him, "You see, I was in the middle of my tour in Lowee's capital city, where you are right now. I just finished up a concert and you suddenly…well, you suddenly just fell down in front of me from the sky."

"Fell…from the sky?" Ranma repeated her description while dumbfounded, "…sounds like a cheesy fanfiction."

Ignoring that indirect and ironic nudge, she continued, "I called for help from Lowee's authorities. They said the nearest hospital in the capital was far from where I saw you fall. Your conditions were really serious too and you wouldn't have made it. So they had to settle for a nearby place of treatment. This hotel."

"Were my conditions that serious?" he questioned her. He looked down and realized that there were bandages around his chest. Ranma himself was superhuman by normal individual standards. He has fought plenty of powerful opponents in the past so it surprised him that a fall would cause him that much damage. "Guess it was a bad fall but damn…"

"I have another friend here: a nurse from Planeptune. She was the one who treated you. She happened to be staying inside this hotel so she managed to treat your wounds. I'm the one who paid for this extra hotel room. My friend's going to take you to Lowee's actual hospital later in order to check on your condition. So take it easy, mister." she reassured him softly.

"Wait a damn minute." Ranma blurted out, "Planeptune? Lowee? What the heck are you talking about?"

The blue haired girl remained confused, "Hm? I figured that you were a local from here or from Planeptune or Lastation…but…you really don't know where you are? Do you have amnesia perhaps?"

"My memory is completely a-okay, thank you very much." He sarcastically replied, "I'm serious. A few minutes ago I was in a train station inside Tokyo waiting for my train and now I'm here."

"Tokyo…what's that?" the girl asked. "I've never heard of such a place. Is it a city or a village in Planeptune's region or-"

Ranma cut her off, "What I'm saying is, I'm not from this world! Or at least I don't know where the hell I am! You haven't heard of Tokyo so clearly I'm probably nowhere near Earth!"

The blue haired beauty was taken aback by his outburst. She stepped back a bit and muttered, "And…you wouldn't doubt that this place isn't your homeworld?"

"Please. With all I've been through in my life, I'll believe anything at this point. Especially from someone who has never heard of Tokyo." He said bluntly.

Not knowing what else to do, the girl bowed slightly as if to apologize. She then suggested, "I'll tell you what. I'll take you to the capital's main Basilicom. Maybe you can get some answers from them."

"Basilicom?" Ranma's interrogative backchannel echoed the room.

The girl sighed hard, "Look…It'll all make sense. I'm sorry I can't make any sense of the situation for you right now. It's so sudden for me."

"Just cut the crap and tell me where I am, please." He insisted.

"If you say so. You're currently inside a hotel in Lowee's capital city. There are four main nations in the world we live in, Gamindustri. Lowee is one of them. The other three are Lastation, Planeptune and Leanbox. I'm from Leanbox by the way. I'm currently conducting an international music tour." She took a deep breath following that explanation. "I'm not much help when it comes to this. It's best if I take you to Lowee's Basilicom. It'll make much more sense."

"….tch…I have no idea if I can digest what you just told me…If you insist. I want a detailed explanation." He shrugged. "I never did get your name by the way. What is it?"

"Ah." She gasped. "Where are my manners? I'm very sorry. My name is 5pb! I'm the local idol and songstress from Leanbox. I'm currently doing an international concert tour around the various cities in Gamindustry."

"An idol?" Ranma replied, "So you're essentially a celebrity then."

"In Leanbox. I just started my international tour recently!" she downplayed it somewhat to avoid coming off as arrogant, "It's no big deal! I'm popular in Leanbox but I chose this tour to share my music with thousands of others! Singing is my passion afterall…"

"Is that so?" he said while tapping his fingers on the bed canopy. "My name's Ranma. Just…call me Ranma. Nothing else."

"It's…uhhh…nice to meet you, Mr. Ranma…" 5pb replied back.

"Let's just cut the chit chat." Ranma said, "I just want answers. So, this place…the Basilicom…what is it? A government building or what?"

5pb informed him, "Oh, not that. A Basilicom is an administrative building, however, it's also the home to this nation's goddess."

"Wait…goddess….goddess…did I hear you say that correctly? Did you actually say goddess?" Ranma scowled.

"Yes, a goddess." 5pb smiled, "You'll meet this nation's Oracle as well. She'll provide you with information in the situation that Lady Blanc is busy. Compa should be back in a few hours so after that, we'll go to the hospital."

"Compa? Who's she?" he asked.

"Ah, of course. Compa's the nurse who treated you. She's from Planeptune but she's in Lowee at the moment because of a medical convention downtown. You should be able to meet her in a few hours." She explained. "So, let's get going then."

"Gotcha." Ranma winced and followed the beautiful idol out of his hotel room.

"Tch…what a day. First, my trip to Kyoto's delayed by an hour. Second, crazy panda and his psycho best buddy came so close to finding me and now this…I better get some answers." He thought.

Ranma didn't put this into consideration: this world was to become new home. He would grow to cherish this new home and the people who live in it.

Hyperdimension Half, Act I - End

To be continued :: Hyperdimension Half, Act II – The Wild Horse and Lowee

Author's Notes ::

This is the first time I've uploaded a story to this site in a long while. I've been so busy these past few years. Of course, that isn't exactly the reason why I've discontinued my other stories. My Touhou / Hayate no Gotoku crossover felt badly written due to errors with the Touhou canon, I've lost interest with Infinite Stratos as a series and I am considering on rewriting my Rosenkreuzstilette x Ranma crossover.

Anyways, this is my first time doing a Neptunia fanfic…and I thought why not a crossover. I'm open to any reviewer suggestions as to how Ranma would get around the wacky life of Gamindustry and as to how the Nerima Wrecking Crew members (Ryouga, Mousse, Kuno) would be entangled in Gamindustri during their search for Ranma.

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this and please, leave a review.