Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma. I probably still won't by the time the story's finished, so I won't put up any more disclaimers.

"The wedding's off!" Genma and Soun yelled.

"What?!" Akane shouted.

"The wedding is off. You and Ranma aren't engaged anymore."

"What? Why?" Akane was almost disappointed that she couldn't marry Ranma anymore.

"The prophecy!" Akane was still confused. Genma and Soun were cleaning out the attic when they suddenly shouted, 'the wedding's off!'

~~ (2 minutes ago)

Genma and Soun sifted through the endless mess that inhabited the attic, searching for some more Anything Goes Martial Arts techniques to teach Ranma. They finally came across an aged scroll that said 'Anything Goes Martial Arts' and when they read its contents, they freaked out. It said:

If ever a Tendo marry an heir to the Anything Goes Martial Arts Dojo, no man will be safe from the threat that shall consume the world. The greatest evil imaginable will be unleashed the second they are wed.

Soun, being the chicken he is, called off the wedding.

~~

Ranma, haven't hearing the announcement, thought about his 'problems'. He couldn't imagine not being engaged to any of his fiancées. He didn't really love any of them, though. 'Except maybe Akane.' He thought. 'Whoa, where did that come from?'

As he entered the house, he heard Akane scream, "What?!"

"What's wrong?"

"Dad said the wedding is off."

Ranma stood, awestruck. After everything his dad (and Mr. Tendo) had done to make them fall in love, they suddenly decide that they shouldn't get married? 'This isn't fair! Akane was the only one I had a chance with, and I'm not even allowed to marry her?'

"What the heck is going on?"

Soun and Genma rushed downstairs with the scroll. "The prophecy! You just can't get married!"

"If we 'just can't get married,' why did you arrange this wedding anyways? Why couldn't you have announced this before I got used to the engagement? Before I fell in love-" Akane stuttered. Had she said that she fell in love with Ranma? Her cheeks turned crimson red. "I -I mean, I don't, uh, l- love Ranma! I j- just, um, I don't know!" She looked over at Ranma, who seemed extremely stunned.

'Does she really love me? Is she that upset over the announcement? Am I?'

"What kind of prophecy lets you change your mind about this so suddenly?" Ranma yelled.

"Read it yourself." Akane hastily took the aged scroll from her father. She muttered softly as she read. At first, she was frustrated, but as she kept reading, her eyes grew large.

"When was this written?" she asked tensely.

"Around 300 years ago."

Her eyes grew even larger.

"Is- is that possible?"

"Akane, what's going on? What does it say?" Ranma asked. She slowly handed the scroll him.

"I bet this is just some scheme one of Ranma's other fiancées made up for you to call off the wedding."

"You're right. How else is this possible?"

~~

(What the scroll says: ~)

If ever a Tendo marry an heir to the Anything Goes Martial Arts Dojo, no man will be safe from the threat that shall consume the world. The greatest evil imaginable will be unleashed the second they are wed. Not a single warrior in this world has enough power to stop it. Never can a woman from Tendo descent wed a man that may become an heir the Anything Goes Martial Arts Dojo, for this man will only bring chaos to everyone involved with him in any way. He will have strength rivaling the greatest fighter in the world, and his heart, many will wish to take.

Every Tendo woman has certain magic, and that magic keeps the world in balance, but once they marry the heir, their magic will be extinguished and the toil the Tendo family endured, ages ago, will be for nothing. ~ (There's more, but I don't want to write it.)

"Wait, but father, how would anyone know about the Tendo history?" Kasumi asked.

"That's what scares me most."

"What Tendo history?" Akane inquired.

"Oh, Akane," she heard her sisters sigh.

"What Tendo history?" she repeated firmly, impatiently expecting an answer.

"Ages ago," her father paused, "the world was in chaos. There were demons everywhere, torturing humans in any way possible. A man, with the greatest power conceivable, had to put a stop to this, but he couldn't kill every demon. He had a wife, the youngest of three daughters. She was a Tendo." He gulped. "She was also very powerful, and knew a little magic. She cast a spell that her magic would always be with the Tendo line. And she and her husband sacrificed themselves. H- her name was Akane."

"Youngest of three daughters? Tendo? Akane?" Akane mumbled. "What does that have to do with me? It's just a coincidence!"

Her father went on. "The man had to put a stop to this, because he believed he caused it. His 'aura,' when married with Akane's, opened a portal to the underworld. If it happens again, not even you two can stop it." He looked up at Ranma and Akane.

"How do you know Ranma has that aura? Maybe he's not the heir to the dojo! Besides, why did you keep this from me?"

"You, Akane, are her reincarnation, and if the time truly came, we couldn't let you sacrifice yourself again."

"If this was going to happen if we got married, why did you engage us?" Ranma asked.

"I've never realized you were _the_ heir."

"That's all? You're afraid of some prophecy coming true? What if I'm not _the_ heir? Then you ruined a perfectly happy couple, for 'safety's sake'!"

"You are the heir! Finish the scroll, boy!" Genma boomed.

Ranma read aloud. "The man who sacrificed himself will be reborn into a young and powerful martial artist. He will be pure of heart, and always willing to help, but he holds the future in his hands. Marrying a Tendo will destroy the world, but he will love her, even still."

Ranma read the scroll over again. At the bottom, there was one last line. 'He was a Saotome.' He bit his lip, hard enough to make it bleed. He had to give up Akane. This couldn't have been some trick. If even Kasumi and Nabiki knew about this, it had to be true!

A/N: Do you like it? Hate it? Tell me! Review, or I won't continue!