MAGICAL GUARDIAN RANMA!

PREREADING AND EDITING ASSISTANCE BY:

Howard Melton,

Lord Talon,

And some guy named Steve.

DISCLAIMER: 'Ranma ½' and all characters therein belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogagukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. This fanfict has been produced for my own enjoyment and to pass on without profit. Other characters that come into play in this fanfict may or may not be pulled from other sources (including other fanficts, RPGs, manga, anime, literature, or possibly even GASP American comic books!).

PROLOGUE:

Genma looked out across the sea from the railing of the ship that was taking him back to Japan. Another expense he hadn't planned on, but again the cost was much less due to Ranma's current state. When? When did things start going so terribly wrong? Was it at Jusenkyo?

The decision to find and train at Jusenkyo was definitely not one of Genma's better ideas, but the fact that the springs turned out to have real curses was more bad luck than anything else. Most of the training grounds Genma had taken Ranma to over the years had legends that were just that - legends with no current basis in reality other than historical curiosity. Even those whose legends were active had only amounted to a few interesting adventures and minor inconveniences at worst. Nothing a couple of martial artists couldn't handle when it came right down to it. The boy got to feel good about helping people out, and if Genma himself was enriched in any way, that was just a side benefit, right?

That the last cursed training ground on their planned route turned out to have the effect that it did was remarkably active was entirely unforeseen. Genma felt that he had really let Ranma down this time with his habit of just bulling ahead and damn the costs and advice. If only he had actually paid more attention to the guide, other than just enough to actually get to Jusenkyo...

The... incident... at Joketsuzoku was also a result of some poor decisions on his part. Eating the prize for the annual village tournament had not endeared him to any of the Chinese Amazons. Oh, they had spared him, for Ranma's sake if nothing else, but Genma was under no illusions that he held any respect in their eyes. About the only good they saw in him was his desire to find a cure for his son.

Leaving as he had, in the middle of the night with Ranma, wasn't likely to win over any of the Amazons either, but Genma couldn't allow the bonds that were forming between his son and Shampoo to strengthen! If Ranma was going to form ties with anyone, let it be one of the Tendo daughters! It would be a way to keep the pledge after all...

Perhaps the only way...

Tears of a father who deeply and truly regretted the actions that had cost his son so much poured unhindered down Genma's grief stricken face.

The Guide and the Amazons had called it an honor...

They had said that the Nyannichuan would have turned Ranma into a girl had Jusenkyo not found him worthy of a higher purpose...

DAMN THEM! A girl would have been much better than this!

Genma looked down at the sapphire lens clenched tightly in his fist.

"Don't worry Ranma... Surely one of the Tendo girls will be able to activate you and release you from your token..."

END PROLOGUE