**Okay this is the edited version. I guess I'll see if it's a little more
understandable. I only edited a few parts but we'll see how it goes, figuring that I took a few suggestions from the reviews I got. Some I just
left it the same, but hopefully it's a little better. K? ENJOY! ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I don't even own a funny phrase
for this disclaimer *sighs*

Here we go *wheee*

Ranma: Forever

Prologue

Akane Tendo should have considered herself lucky. What had happened to her in New York City when she visited happens to many other unfortunate women who end up dead. She escaped with her life.

She had only been gone a few hours from her group of fellow students, so they didn't think much of it when she came back, rather skittish and unnervingly quiet. They figured she was just a little dazed from getting lost in the strange city so foreign to her.

No questions were asked, even though they should have been, so Akane kept it all to herself. Her pride had been dealt a stinging blow, but she was still too proud to admit that such a vile man was able to force himself on her.

More trouble awaited her when she returned home to Japan. Weeks later she began having horrible bouts of morning sickness.

Eventually her fiancé, Ranma Saotome, caught onto the idea, and one morning found her alone and confronted her with his question. "Akane," Ranma started as he watched her carefully, "I know something's up. What gives? Why're you acting so weird all the time?"

She smiled a sad smile up at him. She'd made up her mind. Rather than admit her weakness, she was going to let Ranma go. It was for the best, she kept trying to remind herself. "Ranma, you don't have to marry me. You're free."

"What are you talking about, Akane?" Ranma asked, a nervous tension of unspoken feelings arising in his stomach. What was she trying to say? "We HAVE to get married! Pop and Tendo are forcing us to!" He was glad to have that excuse.

She shook her head. "I talked to them, and they understand. Ranma, I was promised to you as a pure fiancée. But I'm not. It would be dishonorable for you to be forced to marry a woman who wasn't true to you," she said, a tear running down her cheek.

"I'm not following," Ranma said, confused.

"Ranma no baka." Akane laughed bitterly. "I should have known you wouldn't. Ranma, how can I be pure if I'm pregnant?" At saying this, she choked on a sob.

Ranma staggered back. He felt as if someone had delivered a swift blow to his stomach. The first emotion that he felt after the shock was anger. "How the hell did that happen?!" He shouted at Akane. "I didn't know I pissed you off so much that you had to start sleeping around!"

"Ranma, it's not what you think-"

His glare cut her off. "And I'm sure YOU'D know what I'm thinking, wouldn't you, Akane?" He waited for her to answer. When she stayed silent, he spoke again. "That's what I thought!"

Akane watched her ex-fiancé leap onto the Tendo roof and disappear over the other side. "Ranma." She wiped a tear away. She knew that it would end like this. He would run off all angry and not listen to her. But then she knew that she wouldn't tell him the whole story, either. With a sigh, she turned and headed back inside. It was time for her to go. It would just be easier for everyone this way. She picked up the telephone and dialed a number. "Hello. Yes, yes. My name is Akane Tendo. I would like to reserve a plane ticket for the nearest time slot available," she paused, hearing what the person on the other line had to say. "Oh, I'd wish to have it be San Francisco, California. Yes, I've been accepted for citizenship there. I applied one year ago." That one year ago, when she had been seventeen, she had applied and by what she considered a miracle had passed the citizenship test. She had only really done it out of an anger streak. Akane had gotten tired of the events going on in the year of her engagement to Ranma. But she had forgotten that she had ever applied for the citizenship test, because things between her and Ranma had seemed to smooth out. It was only a shame that everything had turned out the way they did. She had to accept it. The voice in the phone broke through her thoughts. "Oh? Tomorrow morning? No, that's just fine! Thank you very much. Goodbye." She hung up the phone and headed upstairs to begin packing.

* * *

The morning started out beautiful and clear. It was a nice day, except for those in the Tendo household.

"Now, Akane, this is a surprise," Nabiki said with her deadpan expression. She leaned over to give her sister a hug. "I'll miss you, Sis. Take care of yourself, and don't forget to come back and visit. How else will I make any money without selling pictures of you?"

"There's still the pigtailed girl," Akane giggled, in spite of herself. "Take care, Nabiki." She looked around. "Where's Dad? I'm going to be leaving in a few minutes."

Kasumi and Saotome came out of the house. Kasumi came up to her sister and hugged her. "Father said not to worry about him. He wanted me to tell you goodbye for him."

'Oh,' Akane thought. 'This is how he's going to handle this.' "All right. Tell him I'll call him when I get there."

"Akane, are you sure you want to do this? If you stayed here, you and the baby would be guaranteed safety." Kasumi eyed her sister with worry. "I'm just so worried about you. You're going into a huge foreign country with no friends or family, and you're pregnant. Maybe if you just had the baby here, then you could go after-"

"Kasumi, my mind is made up. I'll be okay. If it gets too tough, I'll come back," Akane assured her sister. "Goodbye."

Saotome smiled sadly at Akane. "Aren't gonna forget me, are ya?" He wrapped her in an awkward hug.

"Mr. Saotome, I'm sorry," Akane whispered in his ear, "for all of the hurt I've caused to your family."

"No. Akane, I'm sorry, for not teaching Ranma to be more understanding," he whispered back. "I understand, though."

Akane looked up at Saotome thoughtfully. She certainly hadn't expected this type of reaction from Genma Saotome. Finally, she drew back from him and murmured, "Thank you, Mr. Saotome."

Just then, Ranma came back from where the taxi was parked outside the gate. "Hey, uh, the car's all packed now." He looked away as Akane looked at him.

"Thank you, Ranma," she said. Neither budged.

Nabiki cleared her throat. "We'll all be inside now," she said, motioning to the others to follow.

When they were alone, Ranma glanced nervously at Akane. "Well, this is it," he said.

"I suppose so," Akane replied. She looked away.

He held out an arm. "I can escort you if you'd like."

She looked back at him. "It's okay. I'm a big girl. But, if you don't mind, could you walk me?" It was silent until they reached the car. "Ranma, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

Ranma closed his eyes painfully. "So am I," he replied.

She extended a hand. "I guess this is goodbye."

"Yeah, I guess. goodbye," he agreed, shaking her hand. She was about to enter the backseat of the car when he called her name again. "Hey, Akane!"

"Ranma?" She had stopped in action. She was now halfway in the car. Somewhere inside she wished that she could have had the courage to throw herself into his arms and scream out the horrible truth to him, instead of forcing a smile and shaking his hand. But just the touch of his hand gave her a feeling of warmth and security.

"Take care of yourself," Ranma said, meaning so much more than just that. "If you ever need anything."

Akane smiled. "Thank you, Ranma," she said almost in a whisper. "Will you do me a favor?"

He nodded. "What, Akane?"

"Tell me, we're friends, right?" She closed her eyes, anticipating the final slap Ranma had to give her.

"Akane, why would you even ask that?" Ranma said softly. "Of course we're friends!"

"Friends." Akane echoed. "Then we'll be friends from a long distance."

Ranma shrugged, refusing to let his true feelings show. If there was one thing he and Akane were good at together, it was hiding their feelings from each other. "Yeah, that'll work. We'll keep in touch." He helped Akane in the seat, then walked over to the driver and paid Akane's fare. He gave the taxi a quick glance and then looked away, fearing that if he held Akane's gaze, she would see the tears he so fought to keep from crying.

In the car, Akane looked back to wave, but seeing him turn away, she burst into tears. She cried, knowing what this meant. It was the end of her life in Japan, and the beginning of a new life in America.

Author's note: Okay, what'd you think? My first chapter in my first fic (at least the first fanfic I didn't think sucked). Please let me know how you feel, BUT NO FLAMES! If you think I have something I need to work on, please say it nicer, okay? --See ya around! ^^

**Also, a couple things I wanted to touch, is a friend of mine (more specifically my fiancé, Frost-Dragon) and I believe that Genma would be pretty understanding. Just not to Ranma. Given this type of circumstance, this is how we believe everyone would act. Hopefully the changes I added find the story more appealing, but I wanted to keep most of the story line the same. Thanks, adios! -halliegirl

Ranma no baka- Ranma you idiot