Um, hello all!  Erin Laue, here.  Until now, I have remained hidden and
 watched all of the goings on here on the FFML rather silently.  Today,
 however, I am finally sending out my first ever fanfic to you wonderful
 people.  :)  The main reason I have waited so long is because the fanfics that
 I am writing are involved and require many chapters, and I didn't want to post
 them until they were all finished.  Which is still how they are now.  Then, a
 few days ago, the idea for a short little fic came to me and I wrote it out.
 And, so, here it is.  I hope no one has already done something too similar to
 this.  Anyway, on with the fic...  Oh, and BTW, since this is my first time
 doing this, please don't be too harsh on me if I undermine some sort of FFML
 or fic posting protocol.  Thanks!

Authors note:  I consider myself a happy and cheerful person.  I like happy
 endings, and I think probably everything I write will by WAFFy.  I hope this
 brings some sort of happiness to you if you're feeling down.  :)  Oh, and I
 haven't had anyone preread this, so I'm sorry if there are any spelling or
 grammatical errors or such.

Disclaimer:  All these characters belong to the amazing Rumiko Takahashi and
 other respective owners.  I use them without permission and humbly beg her
 forgiveness.

Hey, It Could Have Happened
or
Chance Meeting
by Erin Laue

	Genma Saotome looked around at the wooded park.  It was teeming with people
 engaged in various forms of recreation.  The weather was sunny, and everyone
 seemed to be enjoying themselves.  *Ah,* he thought, *this is a perfect place
 for my son and I to camp.*  He looked down at his eight-year old boy who was
 currently busy chasing a grasshopper.  *My young son has worked hard at his
 training these passed few days,* Genma told himself.  *He deserves some time
 to play.  Meanwhile, I can find something to eat.*  The bulky man called his
 child over and they chose a place to make camp under a tree.  After dropping
 his backpack, the little martial artist ran off to have some fun while his
 father started looking for food.
The boy ran quickly all over the forested grounds, climbing trees, watching
 people and chasing animals.  After a while he came to a part of the park that
 was very dense in trees, and curiosity took over as he plunged in to see what
 he could find.  Nothing interesting popped out at him, however, and the
 youngster was about to turn back when suddenly he heard sounds coming from
 just ahead.  He continued on and soon the trees broke away into a little
 clearing.  At its center was a small girl with short hair, practicing hand
 chopping movements and kicking the air.  The boy watched the other child from
 behind a tree for a bit, and then frowned.  He left his tree and entered the
 clearing.
	"That�s not how you do it," he told the girl, who jumped with surprise at
 being disturbed.  "You should do your punches like this,"  the boy continued,
 getting in a fighting stance and letting out a fast, precise little punch.
 The young female�s surprise quickly melted into anger.  
	"My daddy teaches me martial arts," she pronounced haughtily, "and I can do
 it myself."  The small boy shrugged and sat down, looking about at the
 surroundings as children do.
	"What�s your name?" he asked, returning his gaze to the girl.  *She�s kinda
 cute,*  he thought to himself.  *That is, if girls could be cute, which
 they�re can't because I don�t like them.  Yuck!* he added.  The female child
 in question joined him on the ground, her short attention span allowing her to
 lose her animosity.
	"I�m Akane," she said, studying the boy next to her.  *He�s kinda cute,* her
 mind proclaimed.  *That is, if boys could be cute, which they�re can't because
 I don�t like them.  Eww!*  she reminded herself.  "What�s yours?" she
 questioned.
	"I�m Ranma Saotome!  I�m going to be the world�s best martial artist!"  he
 stated proudly.  Akane harrumphed.
	"You�ll have to train really hard to be that, �cuz you�ll have to beat me,"
 she warned.  
	"I am going to train hard!" Ranma replied emphatically.  "My pop even says
 we�re going to go to China!  I bet I�ll learn all sorts of things there."
 Suddenly the boy�s face fell sadly.  "But I won�t be able to see my mommy for
 a long time," he finished.  Akane frowned too.  The girl edged closer to Ranma
 and put her small hand on his shoulder.
	"I can�t see my mommy either," she whispered.  "I guess we kinda have a lot
 in common."  The young boy looked at her face and a smile returned to his
 lips.
	"You�re right.  From now on, let�s be friends!"  To make it official, Ranma
 searched around for something, and then finally pulled out an object out of
 the pocket of his gi bottoms.  He stretched his little hand toward her to
 reveal a gold-looking ring.  "I found this on the ground.  It�s too big, so it
 must have belonged to an old person.  You can have it.  It�s shiny."  Akane
 smiled and accepted the token or friendship, then dipped into her pockets and
 retrieved a pair of black wristbands.  
	"My dad said I should save these for when I got older, but if you really want
 to become the world�s best martial artist, then you can have them."  Ranma
 took them and tried the wristbands on, but the were too large and kept sliding
 off.  Akane giggled and he smiled.	
	"Thanks, Akane!  Well, I�d better try and find my pop now.  Maybe I�ll see
 you again!  Bye bye!"  Ranma said as he jumped up.  The boy waved at her and
 ran off in the direction from which he had come.  He was happy because now he
 knew that wherever he went, he would have a friend waiting for him.  Akane got
 up as well and headed back toward her own family.  She smiled as she fingered
 the ring in her pocket.  *He was actually kinda nice,* she thought.  *Not like
 that Kunou who won�t leave me alone�  I hope we do meet again.* 

* * *

More Author's Notes:  Well, there it is!  C+C are naturally welcome.  If
 anyone wishes it, I have an idea for an epilogue or following chapter of
 sorts.  It would take us to their present situations and add a bit more
 closure.  I, uh, would say more, but, um...  I don't know what to say.  I'd
 surely appreciate some encouraging feedback!  Thanks for reading.  :)

--  Erin, Unfortunate Victim of Spring of Drowned Finch
            Knight of the True Fiance