I don't own Ranma ½ or any of the other Animés in this story.

Chapter One

Making a Clean Break From the Past

            Tendo Soun wept bitterly as his little girl was set into the ground next to her mother.  He turned to his friend, Saotome Genma.  "I've failed them Genma."  He looked back to the graves.  "In the end, I couldn't help either one of them."

            Genma looked at Soun with a confused expression.  "What could you have done, Tendo?"  Soun stopped crying almost immediately.  "Your wife died of disease, an enemy you could not fight with your fists.  And Akane died at the hands of a god."

            Soun dwelled on his friend's words.  "Oyagi's right," A voice said.  Soun turned to it and was surprised to see Ranma looking into his eyes.  The young man's blue eyes were like ice.  It did not take a genius to realize Ranma was using the Soul of Ice to control his emotions.  "You did everything you could have.  You loved them like a husband and father should.  Now you must concentrate on what you have left."

            "What I have left?"  Soun asked.

            Ranma nodded.  "Nabiki and Kasumi."  Soun turned and beheld his crying children.  They were both kneeling at the graves.  "They need you to be their father; they need your support.  They don't need a ball of nerves; they don't need someone who blames himself."  Ranma turned from Soun and beheld the grave of his beloved.  "If anyone is to blame it is Saffron and me."

            "No," Genma shook his head.  "The blame is Saffron's and Saffron's alone.  You did everything you could have done to save her.  You killed a god, boy!  You pushed yourself beyond your limits.  It is a miracle that you survived."

            Ranma balled his hand into a fist and growled.  Just then Nabiki and Kasumi stepped up to him.  He bowed his head and said, "I'm sorry.  I…"

            Nabiki cut him off.  "Shut up Saotome."  Ranma looked up into the sad eyes of the Ice Queen and nearly lost control of the Soul of Ice.  "Just tell me…did you do everything you could have done to save her?"

            Ranma was slow in answering so Genma decided to answer for him.  "Of course he did!  He killed a god and destroyed a mountain!"

            Nabiki turned her gaze to Genma.  "Shut up.  I didn't ask you.  I asked Ranma."  She turned back to Ranma, who had his head bowed again.  "So Saotome, did you do everything you could to save her?"

            Then something happened that no one present thought they'd ever see.  Saotome Ranma, a man amongst men, cried.  There weren't a whole lot of tears, but it was the action itself that was shocking.  The Ranma that they had known before Saffron didn't cry.  But this Ranma did.  He looked up at Nabiki with his teary eyes.  "I've gone over the fight a million times in my head.  I've looked at it from every angle, every point of view.  I keep thinking I missing something.  That there's something I'm not seeing that would have given me the advantage I needed.  But for the life of me, I can't find it.  Saffron wasn't a martial artist.  He was a god.  He was just too god damned powerful.  In the end, I guess I did everything I could."

            Nabiki nodded.  She then threw her arms around Ranma and wept.  "That's all I wanted to know."  Kasumi and the rest soon joined them.

            Sailor Pluto looked at the Gates of Time and frowned.  For the life of her she could not understand it.  Something was affecting the Time Gates so much that the future was actually closed to her.  There was nothing but static.  But everything she looked into the past to find out what had caused the damage, she would come up empty.  Whatever was doing the damage either had some major power or had some major allies.  All in all, Pluto was stumped.  But she had to inform the others if something was to be done.

            "Very interesting," Washu said to herself.  She was looking at the readings her satellites had gathered and was impressed, to the say the least.  Whatever had come into this world in China earlier that week was powerful.  Powerful enough to take out anyone she know without breaking a sweat.  No that wasn't exactly right, she corrected herself.  She had no way of knowing how powerful Tenchi or Sunami really were.  Then again, she had no idea if this thing was showing all of its power.

            Ranma slammed his fist down on the table and cried out, "I ain't marrin' a Tendo, and that's final!"

            The Saotomes and Tendos all flinched at Ranma's outburst.  This was a side to him they had rarely seen.  Ranma was actually taking control of his life.  "It is a matter of honor boy!  You must marry a Tendo!"

            Ranma turned to his father.  If looks could kill Genma Saotome would have been six feet under.  "I will not put them in the same danger that Akane was put in."  His voice was low and his tone was serious.

            "You have no say in the matter boy!"  Genma yelled once again.

            Ranma decided to try another angle.  He turned to his mother.  "Okaasan, please understand, I can't marry a Tendo."

            Nodoka looked up at her manly son and smiled.  Ranma smiled as well, praying that his mother would be on his side.  "While I understand your reasons for not wanting to be engaged to a Tendo, your father is correct.  This is a matter of family honor.  You cannot turn it down."

            Ranma signed.  He turned and looked at Nabiki and Kasumi.  Neither one of them had said a word during the time the discussion had been going on.  He glanced at Soun out the corner of his eye.  It looked like he was in deep thought.  ("We've got him now!")  Genma thought in triumph.  ("There's nothing the boy values more than honor.")

            "If that is the way you fell, then I guess I have no choose."

            "Good.  Now who will it be?"  Genma asked.

            Ranma stood to his full height.  "Neither of them."

            "Nani?"  Nodoka cried out.

            "Have you no honor boy!"

            Ranma turned to his father and barely controlled his rage.  "You're a fine one to talk about honor, Oyagi!"  He turned and beheld the two girls near him before turning back to his father.  "I value honor very highly.  But I value life more!  I will not put them in any danger!"

            "Then you will have to commit seppuku," Nodoka reminded him.

            "I will not commit suicide for the mistakes of Oyagi!  I renounce the Saotome name and the dishonor that goes with it!  From this day forth I am Ranma and only Ranma!"

            "You can't do that boy!"  Genma yelled out.

            "You goin' stop me?  I'm sure you don't want me ta take this to the courts Oyagi!"  Without uttering another word Ranma got up and went upstairs.  A moment later he returned with his pack.  "I'm leavin'."

            Genma and Nodoka were still too stunned to say anything, so Nabiki spoke for them.  "Where will you go?"

            "A couple a friends a mine's already offered to let me stay with 'em.  So I'll stay with them for a while."  He gets up to leave.

            "I'll walk you out," Soun says. 

            "Ranma?" Soun starts once they are outside.

            "Yes Tendo-san?"

            "I want you to know that what you did back there was very brave.  And…and you'll always be welcome here."

            "Arigatou Tendo-san."

            "I have one thing to ask of you before you leave."  Ranma nods.  "Will you take up the Tendo name?"

            Ranma is shocked, to put it mildly.  "Nani?"

            Soun walks forward and gazes up to the sky.  "Ranma, I have no heir.  Akane was going to take over the dojo, but she's gone.  I want you to take up the Tendo name and become my heir."

            "Are you sure?"

            Soun turns back to Ranma.  He smiles and nods.  "I could think of no one better to be my heir.  To protect my daughters you threw away something that was very important to you."

            "Give me a day.  I've still got some stuff to do before I head to my friends' place."

            "Agreed.  I'll await your answer," Soun says.  He and Ranma exchange a bow before Ranma turns and leaves.

            Ukyo frowns as she looks outside.  "It was so nice out earlier."  She turns back to the grill.  "Then these clouds came out of no where."

            "Stuff like that seems to happen when I'm around," A voice says from the entrance.

            Ukyo smiles.  ("I know that voice!")  She turns to the door.  "Ranchan!"  She exclaims happily.

            "Hello Ucchan," Ranma says.  The emotionless tone and the lack of a smile are the most important things to Ukyo.

            "You hungry?"  Ranma sits down.  "Daijoubo Ranchan?"

            Ranma looks up at Ukyo.  "Ucchan what I'm about to say will probably make you hate me, but I have to say it."  He waits for a second.  "I'm leaving Nerima, probably forever, and I'm ending all of my engagements."

            Nearly two hours later Ranma enters the Nekohanten.  "Airen!"  Shampoo cries out as she leaps towards the young man (who is actually older than she is).  Ranma, however, does not react like he normally does.  Instead of having Shampoo latch onto himself, he moves to the side.  Shampoo crashes into a nearby table.  "Why Airen move?"  She asks.

            "'Cause I didn't want ya to jump on me," Ranma says in perfect Mandarin.

            "Husband can speak Mandarin?  Why didn't you tell me?"

            ("I don't have time for this,") He thought.  "Shampoo, I've come ta talk to the old ghoul."

            Just then, Cologne hopped onto the counter.  "And what do need, son-in-law?"

            "In private."

            Cologne eyed Ranma for a moment.  Then she nodded to Shampoo.  Shampoo took the hint and left.  "Now then, you were going to say?"

            "I'm leaving Nerima.  I want you to leave me alone.  Know that I will not marry Shampoo, and if you continue to push her onto me I will not be happy."

            "Is that a threat boy?"  Cologne asked.

            "I don't do threats, only promises," He said as he began to walk out of the café.

            "Know this, we will not stop.  You will marry Shampoo."

            Ranma frowned and turned back around.  "My patience is wearing thin.  If you continue I may not be as merciful as I have been in the past."

            Cologne smiled.  "I look forward to seeing you fight all out.  But you and I both know that you will not harm my great granddaughter or myself.  Or rather you can't.  You can't hit a girl.  And you can't beat me."

            Ranma's frown continued to show on his face.  Finally after a moment of sharing at Cologne he turned.  "Things change, child," He said as he left.

            "Child?"  Cologne wondered aloud.

            Ranma smiled as he looked at his new home.  ("You can tell Belldandy lives here.  This place practically screams out peace and happiness.")  Ranma slowly made his way up the stairs to the shrine.