Once upon a time in Japan, there lived two little children. Of course there lived many other little children in Japan as well, but these two were special. Yes, these two were special, and their tale is timeless.

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Akane was a little girl with a very happy life. Her parents Soujiro and Kimiko Kamiya loved her very much- and she them. They lived in a small dojo in the Genshu Province near the Capitol City.

"Ryo-chan! You come back here!" A little girl with short , bouncy, dark blue hair clad in a dress covered in mud screeched, as she chased an equally filthy little boy with dark brown hair and a yellow bandana around the Kamiya courtyard.

"Not a chance Acchan! You'll just hit me with that big ugly mallet of yours!" The little boy replied as he blew her a raspberry only to be hit in the face with Akane's infamous mallet.

"HAHAHAHA! Gotcha Ryo-chan! And my mallet is NOT ugly!" Akane grinned as she helped her playmate up.

"Akane! It's time to come in!" Kimiko smiled at her playful daughter from the doorway of the Kamiya dojo. "It's time for your cooking lessons honey."

"Yes mommy! Bye Ryo- chan! See you tomorow!" Akane promptly dropped the neighboring boy back in the mud, bounding into the house. Entering the dojo, she was greeted by her dear servant.

"Akane Sweet-o!" The short old man latched onto Akane's muddy legs, hugging her in a FATHERLY way.

"Grampi Happi! I-" noticing two little boys staring at them from behind the dojo door, Akane stopped abruptly. "Grampi Happi? Who are they?" Her large brown eyes getting wide as she pointed to the 2 little boys.

"Oh!" Happosai cleared his throat and stood at attention. "Of course m'dear, where are my manners. Akane, meet Daisuke and Hiroshi. Daisuke and Hiroshi, meet Akane- the little lady of the house." He was rewarded with a little giggle from his favorite little girl. "They followed me home from a panty raid. Seems they want me to apprentice them. Orphans they say. Imagine that!"

"Oh Grampi Happi! How many times must daddy tell you not to steal panties! Don't we pay you enough to buy your own?" Little Akane wagged her finger at the old man who's eyes suddenly began to water.

"HEY! Don't pick of Master Happosai!" Daisuke, the taller of the two mousy boys with mousy brown hair and mousy squinty eyes cried.

"Yes! We think Master Happosai's work is very noble."

"And good!"

"Yea!" Akane face faulted at the two's conviction.

"So y'see Akane m'dear." Happosai beamed at his newly apprenticed .. apprentices. "Three against one! Now it's off to work m'boys." WIth that the three hentais stormed out of the room with a dignified huff.

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And so life was good for little Akane. But one day, when Akane was 7, Soujiro Kamiya died o f a heart attack, leaving Kimiko and Akane to care for themselves and the dojo all alone. Life became hard and though Grandfather Happosai and his two orphan apprentices stuck around, keeping house between panty raids- Akane no longer had time for play. But she was happy anyway, for she had people who loved her. She worked alongside her mother at a laundromat by day and an inn at night. And that was where they first met the rich widower Soun Tendo and his daughters Kasumi and Nabiki Tendo- at the inn.

To say the least Soun took an interest in Kimiko, as well as the Kamiya dojo- and they were married. Just like that, because Kimiko needed the money and Soun had the money. Kasumi, Nabiki were twins, both a year a older than Akane. But they were so very different. Kasumi was born with mental defects making her very slow, but very nice. Nabiki on the other hand, took after her father, who was conniving and cold, crying and laughing on demand. They craved money and fame.

While Kimiko was alive, the Tendos always treated Akane well, but when she died, they found themselves stuck with a daughter (or sister) that wasn't theirs. So akane joined Happosai, Daisuke and Hiroshi as servants to the household at the age of 10. While she was mistreated by her stepfamily, she was still happy because she still had people who loved her. Ryo-chan was always there, along with Grampi Happi and his two apprentices, but it was her mother's dying words that stayed with her and comforted her when her tears would finally flow.

"I love you Akane. I love you so very much. I want you to take care of you new family ok? Learn all you can, always be yourself, do your best, and never go against your beliefs. But more importantly, I want you to live a happy life. I am so sorry I was unable to take care of you. But remember, I will always love you. And i will be with you always."

And so they promised. And Akane always kept and believed in those promises.

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Now, on the other side of this story, was a little boy. A little boy with dark black hair always worn in a pigtail and deep gray blue eyes. A little boy born to be king.

"RANMA! YOU GET BACK HERE!"

"Noooooooooooo!" A flash of Ranma's favorite red shirt and he disappeared around the corner.

"Nodoka, let him be. He's my son- and I will not stand to see my son being disciplined." A very fat balding man, stood at the doorway of the throne room, covered in diamonds and silk, glaring at his wife.

"Genma... he pulled the servant girl's hair, tipped over your throne, painted the chickens and CUT MY FAVORITE DRESS TO PIECES!!!!" The outraged Queen Nodoka screeched at her husband. Her normally elegant demeanor was gone. Her long brown hair tangled and undone, and her dress in tatters. "Ranma needs to be disciplined!"

"He's a boy. Boys will be boys. So LET HIM BE." Genma roared back at her, his face red and puffy. "Besides," he added calming down. "No son of mine shall be forced to learn manners and etiquette. He will be king and is entitled to do whatever he wished. And no king of mine will be spanked like some common stable boy. Call out a whipping boy if you must. The only thing MY son will be disciplined in his martial arts. He will be the greatest martial artist, and a great king." With that, he turned and made his way out of the room, leaving his very dejected wife.

"How do you expect him to be a great king, if you spoil him rotten, Genma," she whispered after him.

And so for Ranma's story, there is not much to say. His father King Genma of the Genshu Province spoiled him rotten, while his mother could do nothing but look on in grief.

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So the two children grew, in two very opposite directions. Seven long years passed, until the day they were fated to meet.



Author's Notes: Yes I should be finishing my other stories- but I saw Cinderella yesterday and couldn't resist! Reviews bring in chapters!