Ranma Saotome lay back, sat in his chair, alone in his house.  It
had been a long, boring day, with nothing to do but relax.  And that
wasn't something that Ranma was good at doing.
  His last case hadn't even been a challenge.  He was too damn good
at his job.  Just like everything else.
  He picked up the paper, and began to leaf through it, skimming
through the articles, trying to find something to relieve his
boredom.  As he did so, his mind wandered back through his life, and
how he'd come to be what he was today.

  He'd been brought up from a young age to be the best martial
artist ever.  His father had made sure of that.  Taking him away
from home on a perpetual training excursion, Genma Saotome did his
utmost to make Ranma the best there was.
  And that was how he met Ukyo.  His childhood friend, Ucchan.
Ranma could still remember the way she moved, the sound of her voice,
the touch of her gentle hands....
  ...and the reason why life seemed so melancholic and routine over
the last few years.
  Despite the twelve-year training trip, Ranma's life had been pretty
uneventful.  Ucchan ended up coming with them, after Genma arranged
for Ranma's engagement to her.  Ranma hadn't, of course, realised that
at the time, but that became a secondary concern as the two friends
grew to like, and then love each other.
  But, unlike many fantasy stories would have us believe, there are
no great crusades in the real world that need to be taken up.  At
least, not by a martial artist of the highest calibre.  Although
martial arts had been his life, Ranma found that the challenge soon
fell away as his skill increased.  He needed something more.
  And so, with Ucchan's help, he found it.
  He began to study Law.
  He learned a great deal over those years of study.  Three years to
learn enough about the nuances of Law to become a lawyer, and a
further four to become the best lawyer in Miami.  Learning the skill
to use reason rather than skill to win a fight was one of the hardest
things for Ranma to learn.  But once he had mastered the basic
technique, he took to the rest like a fish takes to water.
  It was, perhaps, a pity, that the logical arguments and reasonable
suggestions were something he could never heed himself.  Many of the
arguments he had had with Ucchan had started because of a careless
word from him, and had escalated as each sentence that came out of
his mouth just managed to dig him deeper.
  But making up was such bliss!
  In any case, he had enjoyed being a lawyer.  He prided himself that
he would always stand up against injustice.  The challenge of standing
up in front of a group of people he hadn't met before, and convince
them of the truth, was exhilarating.  To read between the lines, dig
for the facts, that was what he had lived for.  It was his life.
  Until Ucchan died.
  Everything didn't seem as exciting or as fascinating since then.
The world just didn't seem to hold any magic for him.  Twenty-seven
years of age, and already he was bored of life.  Not even martial
arts helped him out of his depression these days.  What good was it,
if it hadn't saved Ucchan?
  Sometimes, he thought he would give anything to just go away to
some faraway place, and forget it all, start over again.
  But what could capture the magic that Ucchan had given him?

  Dropping the paper, he looked over at a large catalogue that was
nearby.  Mishima Heavy Industries often sent such catalogues to
people who they felt would be interested in their products.  They
had recently taken to franchising; featuring other people's products
along with their inhouse stuff.  Ranma had ordered a few things from
them before, which meant he got the full catalogue from them now,
with the more exotic items listed.
  Idly flicking through it, he wondered what new gadget he could buy
and lose himself in, at least for a few days.  He'd spent tons of
money on stranger and stranger products, wondering if each one would
bring him the excitement, adventure, and above all, happiness, that
he craved.
  The catalogue easily opened to a page that he hadn't really looked
at before.
  The heading was bold and bright, and caught his eye immediately.
  It said: MAGICAL KINGDOM FOR SALE.
  Catching his initial surprise, he looked over the article
carefully.  Mishima Heavy Industries was known for its integrity and
always produced the goods.  This went for its franchises as well.
If it was listed here, it meant that they themselves had checked it
out, and were satisfied that the deal was good.
  He checked the price tag.  $1,000,000.
  Perhaps this was what he had been searching for....





                        NERIMA FOR SALE, SOLD!

            A Ranma 1/2 / Kingdom For Sale, Sold! Crossover

                        Not Quite Coming Soon




                             Terence Fergusson
                          -- Student of Advanced Murphodynamics
                          -- Stranded in an Anime-free College