A/N: Welcome to my Ranma 1/2 fanfic! I had started Home Field Advantage a while ago, but I felt the plot was weak, so I abandoned it. Lately, Ranma has crept back into my ever-fickle field of interests, so I salvaged the first story to make a new one. I hope you enjoy. Reviews really do help.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2.

Chapter 1

As with all legends involving unfathomable evil, this one begins in a history class.

Well, technically, not a history class. Mythology wasn't really history, was it? All those tales of ghosts and gods, heroes and hags; any ordinary person knew better than to take legends as fact. Then again, Saotome Ranma was by no means an ordinary person. He had met too many ghosts, gods, heroes, and hags, not to mention more than a few crazy girls, for anyone who knew him to consider him "ordinary". Heck, his life might as well have been myth, invented by some brilliant mind and recorded for the entertainment of generations to come.

Ranma might have been thinking these things, if only he had the energy to think at the moment. It was the last class of another long day at Furinkan High. Outside, the pleasant weather was busy taunting the prisoners inside the school walls. A gentle breeze whistled cheekily; clouds twisted and stretched lazily; distant urban Tokyo hummed merrily. Every once and a while, when the teacher turned his back on the class, half of the thirty or so heads of the students would slump down on the desks, glad for even a moment of rest. The others turned to look out the windows. Occasionally, someone sighed, but other than that the teacher's drone went on uninterrupted.

Maaaaaan, thought Ranma, I thought geometry was borin'. I haven't even listened to a word this guy's been sayin' and I know it's even more borin'.

In front of him, Hiroshi and Daisuke slumped in their seats, their slow breathing indicating they were in nap mode. Lazy bums, Ranma thought; at least he had the consideration to stay awake. He glanced to his right. Kuonji Ukyo's eyes were half-closed, face devoid of all care, hands playing with a pen and a pencil. Ranma didn't need to examine her very long to notice she was going through the motions of making okonomiyaki. That's Ucchan for ya. He turned to his left. Tendo Akane had her chin propped up in her palm, staring at the chalkboard with somewhat of a pout. Ranma quickly turned away from her to look at others. Yuka was trying valiantly to pay attention. Sayuri was having more success not paying attention. Makoto and Shikako seemed to be having a grouchy face competition. Behind Ranma, Gosunkugi Hikaru… was staring right back at him. The pig-tailed boy nearly jumped at the sudden eye contact, but soon relaxed. Gosunkugi's eyes were glassy and his face didn't react to the startled Ranma at all. Sighing quietly, Ranma turned back around. That's the second time this month Gosunkugi's fainted with his eyes open.

As he turned forward, he could swear he saw the teacher himself taking a peek at the outside world.

Dong, ding, ding, dong... the school bell system released the students from their prison. Almost immediately after, a crowd stampeded out the front doors of Furinkan High, laughing and shouting. Ranma walked out with Hiroshi and Daisuke, who were now wide awake. Akane, Ukyo, and her other friends followed, chatting excitedly amongst themselves.

"I can't believe it's next week!" Shikako was saying. "It seems like only the other day they announced it to us."

Akane nodded. "I know, right? It's not fair the way it crept up on us. We need more time to think about school dances."

Makoto grinned. "I wonder what the guys all think about this? Think they're looking forward to it?"

Ukyo snorted, prompting the other girls to giggle. Sayuri turned to the spatula-toting chef. "Ukyo, will you be going?"

Ukyo, who was used to just listening to the girls, occasionally adding a small comment or something funny, blushed a bit. "Probably not. I'm not really the dress-type, am I?"

"But you don't have to wear a dress, remember?" Yuka reminded her. "They said we could show up wearing anything we want, as long as it isn't too lewd."

"Yeah," agreed Sayuri, "I bet a lot of people will show up in jeans and t-shirts. Though personally I wouldn't be surprised if most choose more formal clothes. After all, it is a dance."

"Hmm." Ukyo's non-committal grunt seemed to satisfy the girls, though Akane tried to catch her eye to give her an encouraging smile.

Makoto swept the hair out of her face. "So what'll you be wearing, Akane?"

Now it was Akane's turn to blush. "Um, gee… I don't know. A dress, I guess…" She tried to picture herself at the dance, her dress modest and yet gorgeous. She would laugh with her friends here, drink some punch there, and maybe dance with a certain pig-tailed doofus later on…

While Akane was spacing out, they had reached the school gates. Makoto and Shikako waved goodbye, while an annoyed-looking Sayuri walked off propping up Yuka, who, it seems, had spent a great deal of energy trying to make sense out of the teacher's droning lecture. Meanwhile, Ranma was parting ways with his friends.

"So you promise to teach us that secret move, right?" Hiroshi asked.

"We'd love using it on a few of our… fellow pupils," added Daisuke, grinning wickedly.

Ranma smiled. "O' course. Soon. I'll see you guys later!" After he turned around and waited for Akane and Ukyo to catch up, Ranma deadpanned. "Geez, they're never gonna let up on me, are they? I've never even heard of the 'Vulcan death touch' …"

He, Akane, and Ukyo walked together for a while. Conversation turned to what they were going to do over the weekend. Akane declared that she would go shopping for a dress.

"Oh, boy," muttered Ranma. Akane closed her eyes, a vein twitching on her forehead. A second later, Ranma lay twitching in the pavement's newest crater. Putting away her mallet, Akane turned on him.

"What was that about?!" she demanded.

"I c-c-could ask you t-the same thing…" mumbled Pancake Ranma.

"I do wish you wouldn't do that so often, Akane," said Ukyo, looking back at her fiancé as the two girls walked on.

Akane huffed and ignored the other's words. "So, Ukyo, what are you planning for the weekend?"

Ukyo put on her thinking face. "Hmm… you know, I think I just might start preparing for the dance too."

"Really?" Ranma had recovered and caught up. "So you're coming to the dance, Ucchan? Awesome!"

Suddenly, Akane didn't feel so much like giving Ukyo an encouraging smile. "But I thought you said -"

"Do you think they'll let me set up shop in the gym?" mused Ukyo. "Or will I have to wait for the dancers to come to me outside?" She stopped walking for a moment to allow her two companions to get up from their facefaults.

Shortly after, Ukyo said goodbye and headed off to her apartment. Ranma and Akane walked the rest of the way home in a familiar yet uncomfortable silence.

That night, Akane sat in bed on her side, looking out the window at the starry sky. Ranma liked the idea of seeing Ukyo at the dance, she thought to herself moodily. Then again, he seems like he just sees her as an old friend. Maybe he just wanted her to come out of her shell a bit. Outside school, Ukyo was always bouncing with energy, an extrovert. In an academic setting, however, she seemed a bit uneasy. Sure, she took charge of that ghost hunt back when Kuno-senpai got possessed by that ancient boken, but other than that, she kind of hangs back. Anyway, Ranma probably just wanted to encourage her.

Akane paused, wrinkling her nose. Like Ranma could ever be that considerate.

Well, he is, when he wants to be, reminded another voice in her head.

Shut up, Akane told herself. That baka never changes. We never change.

This last thought startled her a bit. "We"? Well, to be honest, thinking of Ranma and herself as "we" was nothing new. Since the boy-girl had arrived in the Tendo household, barefoot, wet, and being forcibly carried by a panda, Akane's feelings for her father's best friend's son had changed dramatically. She liked to think Ranma felt the same way. I mean, he has given some signs… but maybe I've been misreading them… But I really don't know how else to take what he said at Ryugenzawa… Then again… ugh!

It was time to stop pouring over her colorful life and go to sleep. Before allowing her eyelids to close, Akane took once final look out the window. The wind moved the shades on the window softly, distorting the view of some of the stars. One of them seemed to glint. Then the shades returned to their normal position.

Hmm, thought the sleepy bluenette. I hope it's a good sign…

In the room he shared with his father, Ranma turned restlessly, eventually finding a point on the ceiling to stare at. Akane seems like she's really lookin' forward to that dance, he thought. I hope I didn't offend 'er too much. Speaking of "too much", he rubbed the sore spot on his head. But geez, Akane, ya didn't hafta hit me THAT hard! That tomboy'll never change… we'll ne-

Ranma stopped himself before his thoughts turned dangerous. Sighing, he rolled over and closed his eyes, just missing the glinting of a star that Akane saw through her shades.

At around the same time, Cologne and Happosai woke up simultaneously. Hundreds of years of experience told them something was wrong.

After scanning her room in the back of the Nekohanten, Cologne checked that Shampoo was sleeping peacefully on the other side of the bed and that she could hear Mousse's breathing in the other room. Happosai made sure his collection was intact.

Once the two elders each decided that whatever threat they sensed was not immediate, they both walked up to their respective windows and looked out over Furinkan. The relatively quiet area of Nerima had few lights on at this time of night. Trees rustled, a few cats growled. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then, unknowingly in sync, they tilted their heads up to the sky. A single star glinted in greeting.

The eyes of Cologne and Happosai narrowed. Something was definitely not right. What it could be, only Kami new.

In a distant part of Japan, thunder crackled softly.