A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

I know that best friend fics are stupid and overdone (and I agree with this sentiment, they are), but I got too annoyed with Ranma both never having anyone in his corner and never having anybody call him on his bullshit when appropriate. Hence the reason for Suzuki Nakamura. My goal for her throughout this fic is for her to be as a friend should be – supportive, trustworthy, and honest – because the closest things to friends that Ranma had were his enemies / rivals. Please be aware that because Suzuki is a close friend of Ranma's, she'll be more likely to take his side (even if he's in the wrong) during an argument. This also means that her opinions of the characters are influenced by the way that they treat her friend, so there might be some bashing.

This is not a romance-centric fic and at this point, I have no specific pairing in mind. However, if anybody has any suggestions, feel free to PM me. I can set up a poll once I have enough ships.

I also don't really feel like doing the whole last name-first name thing, but I'll try using the honorifics. Please don't maim me, and if I get something wrong, feel free to tell me. Politely.

WARNING: This prologue contains some Catholic ideology. If this offends you, please skip this part.

WARNING: In this prologue, I use 'his' as the inclusive masculine, as it is the grammatically correct way to refer generally to a singular subject. If that offends you, please skip this part.

DISCLAIMER: This is a fan-based work of fiction that features the characters from Ranma ½. Ranma ½ is the brainchild of Rumiko Takahashi and is not my property. Please support the official release.

Prologue – Friendship

"A true friend is hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget." – G. Randolf

In Greek, there are four loves. There is storge, which refers to an empathetic bond. This love is liking somebody through the fondness of familiarity, family, or friends so close that they have become family. Then there is philia, the love demonstrated by friendship – the bond existing between people who share common interests or activities. Eros comes from loving another in a romantic sense, and is often used to refer to liking somebody in a sexually. Lastly, there is agape. The Greeks refer to this as unconditional love or the love of God.

C.S. Lewis, in The Four Loves, which describes what love means in the Christian sense, writes that agape is the highest form of love and is the wellspring of all other forms of love. However, C.S. Lewis does not use the word agape. He instead uses the word charity, defined by the Church as willing the good for the other.

Agape, or charity, plays a large role in friendship. Take, for example, the qualities of a true friend. A true friend accepts and has patience for imperfections, acts in the best interest of his friends, is respectful of values, is a good listener, and is a safe person for his friends to let down their guard around. These traits are rare in people who act in their own self-interest.

An authentic friendship, therefore, is other-centered and reciprocal – the qualities of a good friend must be present in both participants for the relationship to be real.

In another universe, Ranma would had no support system, nobody taking his side for his own sake. This is not that universe. In this universe, Ranma Saotome had Suzuki Nakamura.