Prologue two- Ranma's Departure

AN: I Can't accept that Ranma ½ takes place in only one year the anime which doesn't go as far as the manga by multiple books (at least 8) is about one hundred and eighty episodes long, as well as having two movies. For that alone to be in one year Ranma would need to be getting into a new adventure every other day, with the adventures being completed the next day. Since we all know some of the adventures take over a week I'm going to assume that the series takes place over three years. This takes place one year after Saffron so Ranma is twenty years old.

AN2: I know this is a long inner monologue at the front, but I tend to not like extremely long/a lot of flashbacks.

Five hours relative time before Diana's reactor explosion in another place…

A young man in a red Chinese shirt and black kung-fu pants was sitting on the roof of a local university. He was reading a paper that had his freshman English assignment on it. Next to the pigtailed youth, a rested pile of papers with the name Ranma Saotome on the top of the first page. "Let's see, an eight to ten page paper on my plans for the future…" he read aloud. He picked up the papers and a pen and started thinking while tapping the paper with the pen. My future, heh I think that this is the first time someone has actually ASKED me what my plans are. Everyone else had already decided what my future will be. Not that I have a lot of choices at present… at least with the current options breathing down my neck.

First option, marry Akane. I would be stuck running a poor rundown Dojo, a dojo that hasn't had a student in ten years. My life would be hell. I would be forced to eat that toxic waste that she calls cooking and used as a punching bag whenever she gets the slightest bit jealous. Why do I let her hit me anyway? Why don't I fight back? Oh that's right, if I did our worthless fathers would start whining and yelling about how I treat my fiancée, and my mother would start complaining about my manliness. Oh and can't forget that I would get blackmailed even worse by her sister Nabiki! That would be my life if I married her, nope not interested. Ranma's hand was unconsciously writing his thoughts down on the papers. His expression darkened as his thoughts continue, and how could I forget? I would be supporting the two pieces of crap that call themselves our fathers, the same fathers that would be living off of my blood, sweat, and tears.

My future with Ukyo wouldn't be much better. She is a cook first and a martial artist second. Her Ideal future with me would involve me helping to run her restaurant. I don't really think she knows how important my martial arts are to me. I can almost see it her forbidding me from going on training trips because she needs me in the restaurant, Her trying to stop me from fighting challengers, All that to live up to HER dreams. Not my ideal future.

I suppose that would be better than what would happen with Shampoo. SHE would drag me off to china to live as a third class citizen. I can see it now the elders crippling me so that I wouldn't be stronger than ninety-nine percent of their population. I would be expected to be a good little house husband, expected to do all the cooking, cleaning, and child rearing. My male children would probably be treated like mousse and/or suffer similar fates, while my female children would be forced into the Amazon traditions.

Kodatchi, her therapy is going well. She mainly 'keeps after me' to keep up appearances. Heh, the one that is thought of as the crazy one is friendlier to me than all my 'official' fiancées combined.

The pigtailed man's expression went full brooding as his thoughts continue, why are all these girls after me anyway? I know some are family honor and one is due to some archaic laws that have no place in any other society, but there has to be SOMEONE else that they can find to bother. I mean half of the world's population is guys. Locally there are… scratch that they're Kuno and the hoard… anyway there must be SOMEONE better than me out there for them.

On that note what do they REALLY think of me? Sometimes I feel like it's a contest and I'm the prize. I'm wondering if ANY of them love me for me. Do they? Do I love any of them? I guess that this is as good a time as any to think about these questions.

I have the most contact with Akane. She is my fiancée due to an agreement before I was born. I have NO idea why she hasn't requested the engagement be switched. Her claim is one of family honor. Does she love me? No I don't think so, how could she? She nether knows me or trusts me. How can she know me? We don't talk except to fight it has been that way since the beginning. I think she sees me as an object to own and control, she doesn't want to lose what is 'hers.' If she truly wanted to be my fiancée she would at least TRY to listen to my side of things before hitting me. In fact she seems to have this mentality that whatever happens is my fault… not that that's any different than anyone else around here. Ryoga is a perfect example, he pops up screaming for me to die and she tells me to stop 'picking on him.' I think I might have loved her once… then again she was also one of the few people to offer to be friends so it could have been just me latching onto the first nice person that I had met in years. If I had loved her I fell out of it due to the constant beatings, her lack of trust, and her temper. I am partially at fault with my foot in mouth disease, but she has gotten to the point that she loses her temper at the drop of a hat… literally.

*flashback*

"I'm home!" Ranma called out. He then walked into the Tendo house, brushing by a hat on a coat rack. The hat fell on the floor. "Oops ill get that." Ranma said as Akane walked into the room in time to see the hat fall.

"Ranma! How could you!" Akane screamed as she sent him into LEO.

*End flashback*

I have my problems, I know I do. I haven't worked through them because they have saved my life. My Moko tabasha is biased off my confidence if I take care of my cocky attitude I would die, because I would lose that attack, or at least much of the power behind it. She on the other hand is in denial about her anger problems. She is also in denial about me being a better martial artist. That's it! That's the problem! I let her hit me, so she thinks she is better than me. I have made up my mind she will not hit me again. Perhaps if I do this she will get the picture. She expects to be better than me, even though I have been in intense training for fourteen years of my life, and in intense battles against extremely strong opponents for four years of my life. All she had to deal with are the hoard and a Kuno that held back against her. THOSE stopped shortly after I got here. I have never seen her spar with anyone, run through katas, or even seek training. She hasn't even done her normal training since she has gotten into collage.

I'm glad I live in the dorms now. Although it makes her worse when I go to the dojo to visit, and train with, pops.

Ukyo I think I love… like a sister, NOT as a potential wife. She is after me because of honor, and that she has a crush on my six year old self. I don't think she loves me at all. A person doesn't go from trying to kill a person to loving them in a heartbeat.

Shampoo… I think I might actually hate her. I certainly don't trust her. She has made it perfectly clear that she CAN'T be trusted, with all those potions and spells. She claims to love me but she did that from the day I 'defeated' her, so I don't put much stock in those claims. She wants me as a trophy husband. The man who defeated Saffron would be a great ketch.

Honor… my honor, my clans honor, and my fiancées' honor they are all at stake in this. My family honor is shot. No matter what I do this is true. The Amazons have proven that their entire culture has none, with all the potions, blackmail, and sneak attacks. The deal with Ukyo's father never involved honor to begin with. He knew that there was an honor engagement already active long before he met my dad. He expected pops to dishonor one engagement for another.

I hate my life, multiple fiancées, psychotic rivals, friends who want me dead, who are also psychotic rivals, and parents who want to use me to fulfill THEIR dreams. Not a single one has ever cared about MY dreams.

What are my dreams? Do I have any? To be the best? No, that's my father's dream for me. To be a husband, then a father? No, at least not yet. Those are my mother's, my father's, and my fiancées' dreams. I don't have any dreams of my own do I? No, I was never allowed to develop them. The fat panda made sure of that.

Ranma looked at his watch and saw the time. "Crap, mom wanted to meet me at the dojo today if I don't hurry I'll be late," he said.

He looked at what he had written, and said, "Wow, eight pages exactly what I needed…"

(AN: not a coincidental number it was how many pages my paper draft was up to this point.)

Suddenly, a purple haired young woman glomps onto the pigtailed man's arm. "You take Shampoo on date, yes?" she said.

Before he could reply two shouts were heard.

"Ranma, for cheating on Akane prepare to die!" a man with a headband, yellow shirt, and brown drawstring pants yelled.

"Get away from my Shampoo, Ranma" a man with thick glasses and white robes screamed.

Ranma sighed, and tore his arm away from Shampoo. His expression went from brooding to anger, as he turned on the two. "SHUT UP!" he screamed. "MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MINDS!" Both attackers stopped in shock at this uncharacteristic show of temper. Ranma pointed at the white robed man, and shouted angrily, "Mousse yesterday you where angry that I was talking to Akane nicely for a change saying that I was cheating on Shampoo! And you!" Ranma pointed at the man with bandana, as he continued, "You where trying your damndest to break me and Akane up! Both of you are worse than Kuno! At least THAT delusional moron is consistent.

The two looked at each other in confusion. Both of them where thinking this is not how this normally goes.

Suddenly a young laughing woman in a leotard jumped by twirling a ribbon. She snags Ranma in passing and jumps away with him. Nobody noticed the smile on Ranma's face.

Half an hour later the no longer laughing woman released Ranma. He turned toward her, and said, "Thanks for the save Kodatchi. I could have handled them, but it would have made me late. Could you tone down the fake laugh though? I thought you dropped it after the therapy?

Kodachi smiled as she responded, "Sorry, but it's for both of our safeties that the wrecking crew thinks I'm crazy. You're lucky I was passing by and could give you an out."

"True, did you find the item I asked you to?"

"I found it in the Kuno family vaults, but are you really going to use it?" Kodachi asked nervously

"I'm seriously considering it, and all the crap that goes on every day only serves to make it a more attractive option. Do you realize you're the only true friend I have? Everyone else wants to kill or marry me. My parents just want to use me," Ranma responded with a sigh.

"I see, could you take me with you?" Kodachi asked.

"What? Why?" Ranma asked in surprise.

"I am in much the same boat in respect to friends as you. You are the only real one I have as well," Kodatchi responded.

"You do realize that it will probably be a one way dangerous trip, right?" he asked seriously.

"I am," she responded grimly.

"Okay then you hold onto it, but you should pack lightly, and keep your pack handy in case things get to the point where I can't handle it anymore," Ranma said.

"I was packed as soon as I realized what it did. You should go before you're late to you meeting," Kodachi said.

T- minus two hours until Diana's reactor explosion. Location: Tendo Dojo

Ranma arrived at the dojo at around the dojo's dinner time. "I'm starved," the martial artist complained.

He entered the dojo to see his parents sitting at the table.

"Son, we need to talk," Nodoka said seriously.

Ranma sat down across from her, and asked, "What's up mom?"

"I have decided that I have waited long enough for proof of your manliness, so I have decided to give you a choice. Ether marry, and have a child in a year, or commit seppuku in accordance with the contract that both you and your father signed. Since your father put our honor on this engagement you will be marring Akane," As she said this Genma looked smug.

"Mom, may I see the contract?" Ranma ground out.

"Son, what's the matter?" Nodoka asked confused.

"Just let me see it!" he snapped

"Fine, but it's not very manly to snap at your mother," Nodoka scolded him while handing him the contract.

Ranma looked at the contract, and then at his parents, looking back at the contract he roared, "I HAVE HAD IT! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I THINK OF YOU, YOUR ULTIMATUM, AND THIS DAMN CONTRACT!" He then proceeded to rip the contract to confetti, and then blasted the remains with a small moko tabasha.

Nodoka looked on in shock as Ranma destroyed the contract. She then glared at Ranma, and said, "That's it, I declare you unmanly, and you have dishonored our family. I'll get the seppuku ceremony ready."

"I refuse to honor a contract that I was tricked into finger painting on by a man with less honor than a common garden slug, and enforced by a pervert worse than Happosai. Since you love that damn contract so much more than your son, it's obvious that you don't deserve ANY child, as such I'm leaving the clan forever, and with it all debts associated with it."

"Son, think of what you're doing! Without a family name you will be kicked out of your collage, and unable to find a good job," His mother said, panicked at the thought of actually losing him.

"Look at the bright side, no fiancées, no seppuku contract, and the ability to decide what is right for my future. Congratulations your ultimatum cost you two your son, and your dreams." Ranma said with an edge in his voice, as he walked to the phone. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? It's me; could you bring 'it' to the park? Yes the situation has become intolerable, and I have had to leave my clan. I see, in about one hour? I'll be there," Ranma said into the phone. He then started to walk out the door. He paused just as he was about to leave, and said, "Oh, and IF I have any kids, you will never see them." With that he left the dojo and his shocked parents behind.

T minus five minutes until Diana's reactor explodes. Location: Nerima Park

Kodachi and Ranma where both standing in the park looking at a mirror, the mirror had writing around the edge of the frame, half of the mirror was reflective black and the other half was gleaming silver, it looked like a yin-yang symbol. Kodachi was wearing a practical shirt and pants combination, as well as a midsized pack on her back. "The mirror of exchange," Ranma said in awe. "It can grant almost any wish, but there is a cost. Ready Kodachi?"

"Yes Ranma," she replied.

"Mirror I wish that we could be sent someplace where I could use my skills to help protect others, and where I can find happiness," as the words left his lips he felt a wrenching sensation in his body, and a white globe sprang up around them. An instant later the globe disappeared leaving the mirror behind to drop to the grass unharmed.

T- minus zero to reactor explosion.

next time chapter one: Dropping in Under the Three Moons

Who are these people? or should we call them cushions?`