Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, I do not claim any rights to any of the characters or concepts created or owned by Viz Video or Rumiko Takahashi. This is just the work of one fan to the others. The only characters or concepts that i claim are the ones I created or introduced. That said, I bring you:

The Annals of the Heroine Akane, and the Dreaded Demon King. A Tale of the Mirrorverse.

Chapter 0: A prologue, or a Tale told through the ages.

In this land, in this world, all knew of the story of the Demon Kings and the Heroes who rose up to oppose them. It was the way of this world, that every time a new Demon King would be raised up and crowned, the world would descend into war and depravity until a Hero was called by the Gods to lay them low and restore the balance of light and dark.

This was just the way of the world, generation after generation the two main races, the noble humans and the decadent demons would strive against each other, each unable to find common cause and peaceful coexistence. At times, there would be ages of peace until the eternal cycle would start once more. Most of the people of this world just accepted it, and hated those that were different from them.

They knew, in their hearts of hearts, that it was the way that the two supreme gods, the Gods of Light and Darkness, wanted this world. That they waged a divine war using the mortal pawns that resided below them. It just was the way of things.

The last Demon King, the great and terrible Genma had stolen one of the princesses of the ruling dynasty right from her bedchambers, sneaking in like a thief in the night and abducting her. The people wept and tore out their hair, certain that she had been defiled and devoured by the horrid beasts that dwelt in the Nightlands, the ancestral home of the Demons.

Yes, they wept for Nodoka but with no Hero, what could they do? And so time passed, and resentment grew among the humans until the rumors of a new heroine rising in the east started to be heard, and the people did rejoice, for the time of salvation and justice was nigh once more!

Then word came that the last Demon King had been overthrown, certainly slain at the hand of his own son, the newly crowned Demon King Ranma. A terrible and perverse being, they were sure, the humans who trembled at the mention of his name. But with the rising of a hero, they could at last hope for peace, as the lands of the Demons would be washed clean in purifying blood.

"Rejoice" they shouted "The time of war has come! Lift up your weapon, don your armor! We march to righteous war!"

And so the world turned, and fate ground onwards, the endless wheels crushing the fates and lives of the lesser like a mill grinding grain.

As she finished her tale, the short, buxom redhead Bard took a long drink from her mug, as she thanked the people who had listened to her tale. Coins were thrown into her hat, as she arranged the elaborate multi-colored skirts around herself, moving on to sing of love found and lost, of heroes and villains. She sang of peace and war, and when the night grew late and the fires started to get low, she took up her hat and put away her lyre and bowed to the last few that were listening before she moved to her spot by the hearth and made herself comfortable.

The traveling minstrel Robin had far to go in the next few days, if she was to see the new Heroine for herself with her own eyes. The tales needed to be told, after all, and they needed to be seen through from beginning to end. It was the least she could do, for those back at home that could not travel far afield as she could.

With that thought on her mind, she settled in and tucked her hat over her eyes, and let sleep claim her.

Elsewhere, a trio of sisters is also prepared to travel. The winds of fate had picked them up from their peaceful little backwater village, and cast them into the fires of the war that was inevitable at this point.

The oldest sister, the priestess Kasumi Tendo was said by many to be the very embodiment of the Goddess of Light, Akiko herself. A gentle soul that cared and nurtured others, she had always sought to guide her more outgoing and tumultuous younger sisters towards the correct path.

The middle sister, Nabiki Tendo was a curt and often hard spoken woman who could speak with a silver tongue when needed, and was adept at liberating every last coin through whatever means necessary from those that she deemed were unworthy of them.

The youngest sister, Akane Tendo, was the Heroine of legend, or she would be according to all the stories and prophecies. It was foretold that it was she who would bring an end to the wars, that she would lay low the Demon King and tame the wild lands of the Nightlands. A skilled swordswoman, and an apprentice magician she had been blessed by the Gods. Sadly, as was typical for those given such gifts, her weaknesses were rather… Pronounced. She had a fierce temper, and was quick to anger, and easily showed her displeasure towards those that transgressed. She was a surprisingly naive young woman, but she would insist that she was pure and innocent instead.

The Sisters Three, as Akane referred to them, had been preparing the last two days to set out, heading towards the Nightlands to confront their fates head on, as was befitting those chosen of the Gods.

Never had they truly questioned their fate, they were brought up not to, after all.

In the Demon King's castle, at the heart of the Nightlands, an unlikely pair sat and talked amongst themselves as they awaited word from their liege-lord and master.

The massive demon with the head of a fierce boar drank down another tankard of the vile black brew that was common among those that worshipped the Queen of the Night, the Goddess Kodachi. He looked to his companion who was curled up by the fire on the pelt of some monstrous bear. "I don't like it when the Master is not here, Xian Pu. What do we do if there is trouble?"

The feline centauroid sighed a long suffering sigh. "Ryoga, then we will take care of it. If it's something that can be settled quietly, I will take care of it. If it's something that needs to be broken, then I point you in the right direction and hope you don't get lost." She said, her tail flipping in a mischievous way as she stretched out all four paws on her lower body, her sleekly furred and panther headed upper body regarding him as she reached for her brush with one of her paw-like hands. She liked these times, when she could relax and just speak in Infernal, instead of struggling with that so-called common tongue of the humans. Honestly, she could never understand why they liked that inferior language so much!

Ryoga sighed and nodded as he reached over and poured another mug of the hot, steaming kafe that was so popular in these lands. "I don't get lost that often…" He said grumpily as he eyed his feline companion. A smirk curled his lips, exposing more of his tusks. "At least I don't get distracted by small moving things, kitten."

Xian Pu stilled, and gave him a deathly stare, her unblinking eyes boring into him. "Be careful, Ryoga, or I will see if that thick hide of yours would make a good scratching post."

He laughed as he tilted his head towards her "Whenever you want, Xian Pu. With the Master away, I could use the practice."

"You know, we could always go look for him… Just, you know, to make sure that he doesn't run into any trouble he can't handle…" Xian Pu said in a conspiratorial manner.

"We shouldn't…" He started.

"Has that ever stopped us before?" She countered.

He didn't have a good answer to that.

*A/N*

Yes, yes a new project. I decided I needed to do something a bit...Lighter. Or at least potentially less serious, one of the pieces hinted at in Natsume Explains Everything, actually.

I need to recharge before I tackle what could be a re-write of a story, since depression and a heavy psychological story are not a good pairing to trudge into.

And who doesn't love a high fantasy version of the Ranmaverse?

And yes, the rating IS in fact, correct.

I just want to make sure I have the proper...Room to wiggle, as it were.