Disclaimer: Ranma ½ Belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Media and all its affiliates. Persona and its affiliates belong to those wonderful guys at Atlus. Oh, and the opening of this prologue might resemble a fic that is already on. I give credit to that esteemed writer and I ask forgiveness for using the opening as part of my story. And I know you guys are tired of me saying this, but this is my first attempt at writing a Ranma/Persona Cross so I do apologize if I don't meet the expectations of you guys.

A/N: I have decided that Nekomata will be Ranma's Persona, a fusion of the cat spirit and his cursed form. Only his Nekomata's sexier than the normal Nekomata, and has red hair. And I intend for Ranma to have the same ability as Minato. There won't be any pairings yet for now, assuming you guys want me to continue this. And this will be an AU version of the game, with slight canon references, and I intend, hopefully for this fiction to provide a happy ending for all the characters. Oh, and Ranma will have a different way of summoning his Persona. He's going to summon them by card, just like the MC of Persona 4 did. I also would like to thank Demodragon for his part on editing this chapter, as well as becoming my official proof-reader and editor. Thanks DD!

Chapter 1: Departure

Pharos, or Death as he is better known looked on as his chosen one, Minato Arisato gave his life to stop the rogue Persona Users known as STREGA who seemed to be able to control the creatures known as Shadows in the labyrinth called Tartarus.

To tell the truth, Death was impressed by the young man's growth and his ability to grow close and inspire many people. He certainly felt that he did not choose wrongly, though he did feel a twinge of regret at the sadness that the apparent coma that the young man had suffered brought about hurt to many of the young man's comrades in an anti-Shadow organization better known as S.E.E.S or Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad.

"So… how did it go, Brother?" A soft female voice interrupted Death from his musings and slight guilt trip, and he looked to the side and smiled wistfully. The girl that approached him was in a little girl form, just as he took the form of a young boy. The girl was wearing what seemed to be a nice blue sundress and a small straw hat on her head, and her light brown hair fell to her shoulders.

Death just said. "Pretty well, I guess sister… the young man did extremely well in my opinion… though I must say that I feel somewhat awful that things had to end up like they did in the end. He deserved so much more and yet… he just lies there in that hospital bed, while his companions feel nothing but grief at his condition."

The little girl hugged him and said. "There is nothing you can do, brother… he has accepted the responsibility that is entailed by the contract… although if you wish, we can restart all over, and I intend to bring in a new player into this game. And I must say that the young man that I am interested in bringing in deserves better than what his current life."

Now Death was very interested at his sister's words. Fate or Destiny as she is called never really bothered too much about mortals but to observe them. For a mortal to invoke such a reaction from his normally aloof sister is special indeed. "Oh?" He said in a neutral tone. "I must admit sister, that this mortal must be special enough if you have taken an interest in him. Do you have his file on hand, I wonder?"

"Certainly brother… but a word of warning… the contents of his file is rather… unpleasant to say the least, so don't be surprised if you get mad. I almost blew my top at what happened to him, and my only regret is that I have to be content to watch for some time as his life plays out. Trust me brother, his life is not a bed of roses either."

Death nodded and said. "I shall keep your words in mind, sister. Could I see the file please?" He stretched out his hand and Fate gave him a plain manila folder and she said. "Mind you, that is a summarized version of his life, from his childhood to his current age."

Pharos only nodded as he opened the folder labelled 'Ranma Saotome' and began to read the contents. Halfway through the folder his body trembled with fury and his eyes hardened into cold merciless orbs. By the time he finished he gave the file back and then he said in a deadly tone. "You know, Fate… I rarely feel this way, but do you think we'll get into trouble if a certain panda cursed individual met with a lot of mishaps?"

Fate just looked at him grimly and said. "Now, now brother dear… while I might understand your logic in hurting the panda man, I think you have to get in line. There are many gods and goddesses in the multiverse that are, how should I say this, extremely pissed with what the fat fool has done to Ranma. First and foremost are Bast AND Sekhmet."

Pharos shivered at the thought of those two hell-bent on vengeance. He didn't envy Genma Saotome at all, after all… there usually won't be anything left to identify with when those two pissed goddesses are through.

In the Tendo Dojo, a certain panda cursed individual suddenly had a major sneezing fit as his danger senses went into overdrive. He didn't know what might have caused this feeling but he thought that it would be better for him NOT to find out what it was. Perhaps an extended training trip is in order. Deciding that was the most viable option, Genma began to pack his things. Maybe China was nice this time of the year.

Pharos then said. "So, what do you have in mind, sister? It seems that this young man that you have chosen to play for you is indeed interesting… perhaps a new set of game might be in order… we'll use our powers to turn back the clock to when everything started… and you can arrange for this Ranma to be moved over to Gekkoukan High where hopefully his Persona will be awakened."

Fate nodded and grinned and said. "Indeed… and I think I can manipulate his curse and the cat spirit to merge to become his Persona. This is going to be so much fun!"

"Alright then… let us begin sister… let's hope things don't turn out so bleak this time." Pharos said and his sister smiled, shaking her head.

"You know, for someone that represents the end of Life, you are such a softie, Pharos. But then again that's what I really like about you. Let us begin then…"

Both child like Elder beings stretched out their hands and chanted together, softly as first as magical leylines slowly formed on the floor into a magical circle with the symbols of the zodiac on the outer circle and the signs of the planets on the inside. Both of them focused their powers into the circle and their chanting grew louder and then they spoke out the final activation word in one unison and soon a blinding sphere of light surrounded both of them and it expanded, covering the whole earth for some time, before subsiding.

Both of them slumped slightly and then looked at each other for a moment, neither saying a word for some time.

Pharos looked at Fate for some time and then said. "It is done, then?"

Fate nodded and said. "Yes, brother it is. We are now currently a week before Minato Arisato arrives in Iwatodai, and that gives me some time to pull some strings with the Kirijo group to send a martial arts scholarship to Ranma Saotome, whom I expect will arrive with Minato."

Pharos nodded and then said. "Then let us proceed with the plan, sister… I grew fond of that boy and I wanted to give him a second chance of happiness. Hopefully with your chosen one by his side, things would be a little better this time around."

Fate just nodded and said. "Don't worry dear brother… everything is going to turn out just fine…" She winked at Pharos cheekily before fading out from view.

He looked at the spot where his sister used to be and just shook his head at her antics, and soon prepared to leave as well. There was no point in staying for the moment since the major players for the game are yet to arrive. He soon too faded from view.

Elsewhere...

"Hey, what is that you're reading?"

Mitsuru glanced up from the folder she was currently browsing as Akihiko entered the room. He tossed his gym bag to side of the doorway and made his way over to the table where she was seated.

"It's a report we just received from one of the branch offices in Tokyo. They have been investigating some ongoing abnormal activity in the Nerima Prefecture in order to determine if it is in any way linked to the Dark Hour."

"Really?" Akihiko raised an eyebrow as he reached for one of the other folders. "Any relation?"

"None," Mitsuru replied. "Though the headmaster thought it would be a good idea to review the report, regardless, in case there was something that could be useful."

"No way! Are these people for real?!"

Mitsuru looked up, startled at Akihikos sudden outburst. The folder he was currently holding was one of a number of background files of the Nerima residents that had been investigated as part of the report. Curiously, she picked up one of the remaining folders and flipped it open as Akihiko continued to read through the file of one Tatewaki Kuno. If this guy was really half as strong as this report made him out to be…

"I don't believe it," Mitsuru almost whispered.

"I know," Akihiko replied. "If this guy wasn't flagged as being delusional I'd say we should try and recruit him."

"No, I know this one," Mitsuru said. Akihiko moved to look over her shoulder and glance at the folder. "'Ten year training trip', yes, it is him! It's been six years since I last saw him."

Akihiko took a step back and looked at Mitsuru. She looked far more animated than she usually was; one might even go so far as to say excited. Quite a change from the calm and cool Honors student she usually showed the rest of the world. Shaking his head he turned his attention back to the folder in her hands.

"Ranma Saotome... Too bad his grades are so low; it looks like he's barely maintaining a passing GPA."

"Oh?" Mitsuru glanced up at the comment. "Why would his grades concern you? No, wait, I know. You'd like it if he could be transferred here so you could fight him."

"Wouldn't be much of a fight if any of this is real," Akihiko said, gesturing to the folder. "Still, my goal is to become stronger, and if this friend of yours is as good as it seems then I could definitely learn something from him. Still, I doubt they would even consider him for one of the sports scholarships with grades like that."

"Maybe," Mitsuru muttered as she looked through the pages, her eyes coming to rest on one in particular. "Then again, maybe not. It seems his school records show a lot of missed classes over the past ten years, some even spanning months."

"And he still managed to advance in spite of that?" Akihiko asked. Mitsuru didn't answer, instead taking out her cell phone with a small smile on her face. Akihiko soon found himself grinning as well. 'Oh, hell yeah, this is going to be good.'

A few days later, in the Tendo Dojo, Kasumi was just checking her family's mail when she stumbled upon something unusual. Mind you, that with the weirdness of Nerima, nothing should be able to faze the normally unflappable eldest Tendo sister, but this one did.

She quickly took the object in question and called out. "Ranma, you have a letter addressed to you!"

Ranma felt curious at this news, as he didn't remember having any friends that would know of his location. He quickly came out and said. "A letter for me, Kasumi? Who is it from?"

As usual, when it concerns Ranma, the Tendo gang quickly came out and crowded around, wanting to know about the letter as well.

"Well, it says here that it is from one Mitsuru Kirijo from the Kirijo Zaibatsu in Iwatodai," Kasumi said, eyes widening slightly as she read the name. Truth to be told, after the failed wedding incident, both Kasumi and to a certain extent Nabiki began to regard Ranma as a younger brother that they never had. And the talk around the marketplace did a great deal to keep her informed of the events in the world, since she seldom had time to sit and watch the news. For such a large organization to take an interest in Ranma...

Nabiki looked at Ranma and the letter with some interest. After all, the Kirijo Zaibatsu is a pretty well known and wealthy conglomerate in the town of Iwatodai. How such a strong financial group, and more importantly, the heir of the Kirijo group would know of Ranma is a mystery.

The most logical explanation was that the baka panda that called himself her father's old training buddy had somehow engaged Ranma again to some girl's family, probably for something as simple as money or food. It wasn't that strange since the fat panda had done the same with many girls before. Ukyo Kuonji and Kaori Daikoku were two such examples, though the Daikokus withdrew their claim.

Not to mention the other 'suitors' that the fat panda has engaged crawling out of the woodwork, it's been something of a common occurrence. What was most surprising was how Ranma reacted. Instead of yelling at his father, the cursed martial artist frowned in thought. "Mitsuru… Mitsuru… ahh," Ranma suddenly slammed his fist into his palm. "It's from Mitsu-chan. I wonder how she is able to find me after all this time."

As predicted, the madness that surrounds Nerima's resident Wild Horse erupted into being once more, and the trigger was the statement that he just uttered.

"My son is so manly!" That was the seppuku contract, manliness obsessed, katana wielding woman.

"HOW DARE YOU CHEAT ON MY BABY!!!?" There goes the Demon Head of the Tendo Waterworks.

"Boy! How dare you cheat on your fiancée like that! OH, how am I cursed with such a dishonourable son?" That was the hypocritical panda cursed lard bag.

Strange enough, Akane who was usually mallet happy when these things are concerned, did not react at first. She noticed the way that Ranma mentioned the other girl's name and she couldn't help but wonder who she was. It was as if her fiancé was remembering something that was nice from the past.

But before she could ask, Nabiki cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention. "Well, Ranma, aren't you going to read it? I personally am interested in finding out how you know this Mitsuru. After all, it's not everyday that the heir of one of richest conglomerates from the town of Iwatodai sends you a letter."

Soun turned and glared at Genma. "Saotome….. Is this one of your schemes again!?" The faint traces of the Demon Head forming, while Nodoka fingered the bundle in her hand, adding. "Yes, husband… I expect a satisfactory explanation for this."

Genma shook his head and said rather fearfully. "Now… now, old friend, No-chan… I swear to you that I do not know anything about this. Ask the boy! He should know better than me!"

All eyes then were fixed on Ranma expectantly, who scratched his head nervously for a moment before sighing. "Yeah, it's true. Let's go sit down in the living room and I'll tell all of you."

Once they were all seated, Ranma began. "I met Mitsu-chan during the ten year training trip. Back then I was around ten, a few months after that failed Neko-ken training…" He paused for a moment to glare daggers at his idiotic father, before continuing. "We wandered across this town, and we stayed for a while. Pops, as usual went sake hunting, leaving me on my own. That was when I met Mitsuru who was around three or four years older than me in the park, where I was practicing my katas. To cut the long story short, we became friends after that, though we kinda lost contact after that."

"So Ranma… this Mitsuru person is not another fiancée, is she?" Akane asked the question that everyone in the room wanted to know.

Ranma just shook his head and said. "Nope, she's not, 'Kane, unless Pops did some arranging while I wasn't looking…. You could say that she's a special childhood friend, rather than a fiancée… after all, if I remember correctly, she lost her mother at that age too, I think."

All the Tendo sisters nodded, and even Soun couldn't say anything bad about the Kirijo girl, seeing that they too had lost a mother and a beloved wife as well. Nabiki then said. "So, Saotome… what does the letter say anyway? And why did she send one to you right now?"

Ranma just shrugged and said. "I don't know, 'Biki…. May as well find out."

He slowly opened the envelope and then took out the letter, which also included a brochure and a map of some sort, and a train ticket to Iwatodai station. "Well here goes."

Dear Ranma,

How are you? It's me, Mitsuru. It's been a while since we last seen each other, so I do not know if you still remember me. You practically disappeared six years ago, and it took me a while to find you. Needless to say, I was surprised when I came across your name recently in one of the reports that came to us by from one of our branch offices. It seems the chaos that surrounds your life is still going strong… anyway; I won't go into the details about your life, since I think you can tell me more later.

The reason I am contacting you is that I think you need some change in environment. My family has a little pull within the Ministry of Education, so I was able to find about your grades. Obviously, the chaos in Furinkan and Nerima in general is one of the reasons why your grades are low, since you don't have time and space to study. Therefore I have managed to get you an opening in our second year high school on a sports scholarship. I hope to see you there soon.

Your friend,

Mitsuru Kirijo

P.S. I'm looking forward to seeing if you really have become the best martial artist in the world.

A silence fell across the room for a moment, and Nabiki broke it by saying. "Well…. That was unexpected. Who knew our resident jock had friends in such high places. I must admit, Ranma, I am rather jealous that you just got handed a scholarship to one of the top ranking schools in the nation."

"Oh my… how nice of your friend to do this for you Ranma..." Kasumi remarked, feeling happy for her unofficial little brother, and even Akane smiled softly. She knew that she liked Ranma a lot, though if she was to be honest to herself, she and Ranma had too many differences, and what they did have in common more often than not had her competing for recognition against his greater experience. The most that she could be is his best friend. Anything else and she would inevitably find herself fighting to get out of his shadow. That didn't mean that she wouldn't still mallet him for putting his foot in his mouth.

Ranma fell silent for a moment, and then slipped the letter; brochure and ticket back into the envelope before getting up and walked towards his room, and sat down to think. He did not know why this happened now, but he considered it a blessing and thanked any god that had allowed this to happen.

After the failed wedding fiasco, things went quiet for a moment, though he really felt angry at Ukyou, and the Amazons, not to mention the rest of the Nerima loonies for wrecking the wedding. He also felt angry at Nabiki for a while, though she apologized to him later. He couldn't and didn't blame her, since the beginning when she started taking photos of his female form. He knew of it of course, though he let it be, since he felt he needed to contribute some way and not freeload off the Tendos like his lazy father.

But then, everything returned normal, with an extra helping of chaos on the side, with the fiancées getting more and more aggressive by the day, and the rivals popping out of the woodwork. He got malleted and launched to the air due to Air Akane sometimes, because of Akane's frustration and him catching her at a bad time due to his 'foot-in-mouth' syndrome, though it was better now, due to Kasumi and Nabiki teaching him how to speak properly.

He started to pack, though his mind was on other things. On one hand, it would be good to go to Iwatodai and in a sense, have a new start on his life without the hassles and the insanity that surrounds him in Nerima. But on the other hand, he might miss the fiancées and rivals. As much as he disliked their bugging and attacking him, the members of the Nerima Wrecking Crew, including his loony mother and his lazy father are all he had. It took some time for him to decide, before he made up his mind on what he wanted to do.

When he went down, and Genma saw him, the portly bald man growled. "Now where do you think you are going, boy!?"

Ranma snorted. "Where else, Pops? I'm going over to Iwatodai to take up on that scholarship and finish my high school."

"Foolish boy! There is no need to go there! What does school has to do with martial arts anyway? You have managed so far without it haven't you?" Genma retorted.

"Ahem… if I may beg to differ." Nabiki coughed, catching their attention. "Education is very important, Uncle Genma…" She then tapped her head. "It is because of this, I managed to manage this household and keep it afloat, despite you and in a certain extent, Ranma freeloading off at our house." She then sent a glare towards her father. "Don't start that crap about they are guests again, Daddy. You don't know how much these two drained the family finances, not to mention the repair bills when Ranma's rivals and suitors decide to 'drop in' on us."

Soun started to cry again, and Nabiki palmed her face at the embarrassment of her family, before saying. "All I am trying to say is that, with enough education, not only is Ranma is able to get a college degree, which improves his standing in the community, it would help raise the family prestige. This is the modern times, uncle Genma… while it might be alright for you to get by during your time; it isn't enough to get by in these modern times. Think of it, would you want a country bumpkin, and someone that is uneducated to run the Dojo." The fact that having Ranma close to the heir of the Kirijo Conglomerate might eventually become a window of opportunity for Nabiki herself went unsaid, but then Nabiki was an undisputed master of finding opportunities in the chaos that was her home. "Auntie Nodoka, I think you might agree what I said just now, don't you?"

Genma was about to protest when he felt a sharp blade pressed against his neck. "I suggest you agree to Ranma's request, husband. What Nabiki said is correct… if he is uneducated, he won't attract many girls… and that makes him quite unmanly in my eyes. Would you like me to carry out the contract right now?" Nodoka said in a cool tone.

"Ahahaha… ju… just kidding, No-chan." Genma sweated. "I… I was worried about the boy getting soft that's all." He then breathed a sigh of relief when the pressure of the blade was lifted. "Fine… I'll allow you to go… but you had better not get soft when you come back, got that boy!? Consider this a training trip for you… I will test your skills when you return."

He then grabbed Soun who was blubbering about the schools not being joined. "Come on old friend, let's go and get some sake… don't worry about the boy. After all absence makes the heart grow fonder, eh?" When the two blunders left the house, Ranma looked at his mother and said. "Alright mom, I think you can drop the act, now that those two are not around."

Nodoka smiled as the Tendo sisters crowded round the table. "Indeed my son… Though it is so much fun to see your father squirm like that. Not that I intend to follow through on it, of course… I will never kill my own child… besides, from what the Tendo sisters have told me about you… you have proved yourself to be manly."

"Thanks mom…. I guess that's a big relief. It's a bit sad to leave you guys though…" Ranma said, smiling sadly at his family.

"Don't worry about us, baka..." Akane said good-naturedly with a slight growl. "Just make sure you come back safely after you finished your high school. Besides, neechan-tachi and I already know that we are not really compatible. And don't worry about the others… we'll tell them long after you have gone. And I think between me and Auntie Nodoka… and with my sisters we can keep the fathers in line."

"Yeah Saotome…" Nabiki added. "I'll make sure I'll rip off your dad and the rest of the Nerima psychos, and misdirect them should they ask for your whereabouts. And I'll make sure that Akari knows of this, and make sure she 'detains' your lost rival permanently."

Kasumi then went to the kitchen for a moment and then returned with a bento box. "Here you go, Ranma-kun… a bento for your journey. It's not much but it's the least I can do for you."

"Thank you… all of you." Ranma said as he gave each of the Tendo sisters a hug. "I'm going to miss all of you." He let them go after a while, and then turned to his mother. "Most of all, I think I am going to miss you the most, mother." He then gave her an affectionate hug, which she returned in earnest.

"Silly boy… of course you do. Don't worry about me, dear… just make sure you write as often as you can… and if you can could you perhaps introduce me to a future daughter-in-law of your own choosing?" Her eyes twinkled with amusement at the last part that she said, and she giggled in amusement as she heard her son groan. It was fun to tease her son like this!

Ranma chuckled nervously as he let his mother go. "Well mom… I will write often of course… though I make no promises on the last part, alright?" He sweat dropped slightly at the sight of his mother making a girlish pout and the Tendo sisters just raised their eyebrows at Nodoka's expression.

He then got up and then said. "Well I am off then… I will see you all again soon… when I return."

"Go, my son… we'll take care of everything here." Nodoka said which was followed by the Tendo sisters' unanimous nod.

Ranma nodded and hefted his pack and strode out of the Tendo home, casting one last wistful glance at the Tendo dojo, before making his way to the Nerima train station, and boarded the train, unaware that a new journey that will change his life awaits him in Iwatodai.

End of Chapter 1

Please Read and Review

A/N 2: Well, I am going to include the probable pairings in here, just in case you guys want me to continue this. There will be no pairings for Ken Amada… since he is too young, but these are the probable pairings. I'm sticking Junpei with Chidori as per canon. The rest though is up to you guys. But just a question, I'm making this an AU, but should I kill off Shinjiro Aragaki like the canon, or should I keep him alive? Please vote on this as well. One last thing, when you vote for any of the girls, I ask that you guys try and state the reason why you are voting for them, alright? Thanks.

Minato Arisato Pairings

Yukari Takeba

Fuuka Yamagishi

Mitsuru Kirijo

A.E.G.I.S

Yuko Nishiwaki (the sports club manager)

Chihiro Fushimi (the student council treasurer)

Ranma Saotome Pairings

Yukari Takeba

Fuuka Yamagishi

Mitsuru Kirijo

Yuko Nishiwaki (the sports club manager)

Chihiro Fushimi (The student council treasurer)

Akihiko Sanada Pairings

Mitsuru Kirijo

Yukari Takeba