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			Hiding Behind Fear


			Chapter 1
			Old Wounds



     The postcard came on a drizzley spring day.  The message was short and 
to
the point, but to Kyouko it spoke volumes.  "Bringing Ranma from China," it
said.  Kyouko stared at the postcard and felt a wave of fear pass through 
her
body.
     "No," she whispered, "not yet.  They're too young."  If Genma Saotome 
was
bringing his son Ranma to the house, it could only mean that he was ready to
merge the two families.  As an obedient wife, Kyouko knew she had to abide 
by
the wishes Soun had stated in his will.  As a mother, she would do all in 
her
power to protect her girls from the martial arts.
     Kyouko sighed.  Best to tell the girls now so they would be prepared.  
She
stood up and went to Kasumi's room.  Her eldest daughter was on the phone
talking to a friend about a cute boy she'd met.  "Kasumi?" said Kyouko, 
getting
her daughters attention, "Will you please come downstairs?  We have 
something
important to discuss."
     Kyouko closed Kasumi's door and went to Nabiki's room.  As she'd 
expected,
her middle daughter was checking her stocks on the internet.  Kyouko let her
know she was needed downstairs and went to find Akane.
     Her youngest daughter wasn't in her room.  "Akane?"  Kyouko called,
checking the dojo, "Akane?  Where is that girl?"
     Akane jogged around the corner and through the gates into her front 
yard.
She wiped at her brow with a towel from around her neck.  She stopped by the 
koi
pond and went through her stretches.  She threw some weak punches in the 
air.
"Hiyah!  Hiyah!" she shouted.
     "There you go again, Akane,"  Nabiki stood behind her, arms crossed.  
"No
wonder the boys think you're so wierd."
     "They don't think I'm wierd," Akane said hotly.  "Do they?"
     Nabiki rolled her eyes.  She turned and walked towards the house.  
"This
may interest you," she called over her shoulder.

	**	**	**	**	**	**	**	**	**

     The three Tendo sisters kneeled at the table.  Kasumi was excited.  
Nabiki
was bored.  Akane was confused.
     "Mom?  What's wrong?"
     Kyouko cleared her throat.  "One of you will have a fiancee by the end 
of
the day," she said, explaining their father's wishes.
     Kasumi perked up at the mention of a boy.  "Really?  Is he cute?  I 
hope
he's older than me.  Younger men bore me."  She began to fantasize about the
mystery fiancee.  "I hope he's tall, and handsome, and..."
     Nabiki interrupted her.  "Just where will this fiancee and his father 
be
staying?"
     "They'll be moving into the guest room."
     Nabiki frowned.  That meant two more mouths to feed, and their 
resources
were already strained.  Her mother never seemed to worry about where their
finances were going to come from, she was too busy being overprotective of 
her
daughters.  That left Nabiki to scramble around, setting up plans to make 
more
money for the family.  <When Daddy was alive and teaching at the dojo, we 
always
had so much money,> she thought sadly.
     Akane thought about the implications of the Saotome's arrival.  <This 
boy
is a martial artist.  He is going to run the dojo.  I can finally learn 
martial
arts!>
     "I realize this news may be hard on you girls, but I must obey your
father's final wishes.  However, this situation does NOT mean that you girls
will be placed in any danger.  Ranma will run the dojo.  One of you will 
take
care of the house."
     Akane was about to protest when she heard the front door slide open.
     "It sounds like we have visitors," said Nabiki.
     "It must be Ranma!"  Kasumi hurried eagerly to the door.
     "Saotome-san, we've been waiting," said Kyouko as she followed Kasumi.
     Akane frowned and stood next to Nabiki, waiting for Ranma and his 
father
to be presented in the living room.  In a moment Kasumi and Kyouko came 
running
back into the room followed by a very large panda bear carrying a small
redheaded figure.  The panda set the redhead down in front of the terrified
family.
     "You wouldn't be...?" asked Kyouko nervously.
     The redhead looked sullenly at the floor.  "I'm Ranma Saotome," came a
high pitched voice.  "Sorry about this."
     "Oooh, he is cute," giggled Kasumi.
     Nabiki studied the person in front of her.  Her eyes narrowed.  
"Hmmm..."
she frowned.  She bent down and patted the large soft flesh on Ranma's 
chest.
"Ranma's not a boy, he's a girl," she announced.
     "Oh my."  Overwhelmed, Kyouko did the first thing she could think of.  
She
fainted.

	**	**	**	**	**	**	**	**	**

     Kyouko opened her eyes slowly.  Kneeling alogside her were her 
daughters,
Ranma, and the panda.  Kyouko put her hand to her pounding head.  She looked 
at
the sorrowful redheaded girl.  Dozens of thoughts flooded her mind.  Ranma 
was a
girl.  There would be no marriage.  There would be no one to run the dojo.  
Her
daughters would never know the dangers of martial arts.  Kyouko smiled.
     Kasumi looked at her mother's smile and frowned.  "This is all your 
fault,
mother.  Can't you tell the difference between a boy and a girl?"
     "I assumed Saotome-san's son was a boy."
     "Does this look like a boy to you, hmmm, mother?" asked Nabiki as she
squezzed Ranma's right breast for emphasis.
     "Please, I wish you'd stop that," said Ranma mournfully.
     "Stop it you two!"  said Akane.  "He, er, she is a guest!"  She put her
hand on Ranma's shoulder and smiled.  "Hi, I'm Akane.  You wanna be 
friends?"
     Ranma smiled for the first time since she'd entered the Tendo home.  
She
gave a slight nod.
     "Come on," said Akane.  "I'll show you around."
     The two girls walked outside.  Akane showed Ranma the koi pond and the
garden.  Ranma was impressed by the size of the yards.  Akane led Ranma to 
the
building behind the house.
     "And this rock path was built by my dad," Akane said.  She swept her 
hand
out, following the path towards the dojo.
     "Is that the dojo?" asked Ranma, taking the bait.
     Akane's face lit up with her smile.  "Yes!  Would you like to see it?"
     "Sure."
     Akane led the petite redhead into the dojo.  The floor of the dojo was
swept and polished.  The room shone from excessive cleaning.  There were no
scuff marks on the floor, no dents in the wall.  Barbells gathered cobwebs 
in
the corner.  Ranma stood in the center of the room, taking it all in.
     "Wow," she said.
     "You like it?" asked Akane.  "You study kempo, right?  Can you show 
me?"
     A slow smile spread across Ranma's face.

	**	**	**	**	**	**	**	**	**

     After grabbing a snack, Kasumi walked past the living room on the way 
to
her room.  She stopped, took a few steps back, and peered into the living 
room.
Kneeling at the table across from her mother was a strange looking man.  The 
man
was crying.  Kyouko looked upset.  Kasumi continued up the stairs and went 
to
Nabiki's room.
     "Hey, Nabiki, who'se that strange guy in the living room?"
     Nabiki looked up from her computer.  "Beats me."
     Kasumi shrugged and headed off to her room.
     Nabiki glanced at the clock.  <Better tell Akane she can take her bath 
now.>

	**	**	**	**	**	**	**	**	**


     Ranma went through a few kata's effortlessly while Akane watched with 
awe.
She finished the last excersize and turned to Akane with a smile.
     "That was great!  Do you think you could teach me?"
     Ranma smirked.  "Sure!"
     Akane crouched in a fighting stance.  "Ok, let's go!"
     "Hey, wait!  Um, do you know what you're doing?"
     Akane shrugged.  "Dad taught me some when I was little.  So, let's go!"
     Ranma sighed and took a defensive pose.  Akane threw a few weak punches
which Ranma dodged easily.  Frustrated, Akane continued her advance, backing
Ranma againt the wall.
     "What's wrong?  Attack me!"  Akane threw a hard, straight punch at 
Ranma's
face.  Surprised, Ranma jumped in the air and flipped over Akane's head.
Landing softly behind Akane, she began to giggle.  Akane smiled.  "You're 
pretty
good!"
     "That last punch of yours wasn't bad either.  Had a lot of power behind 
it."
     Akane's eyes lit up.  "So you'll teach me, then?"
     Ranma nodded.  "Some other time though."

	**	**	**	**	**	**	**	**	**

     Kyouko tried to process what she had been told.  Genma Saotome did have 
a
son, he would marry one of her daughters and run the dojo.
     "My son will carry on the legacy of the Saotome-Tendo Anything Goes 
School
of Martial Arts."
     "But Saotome-san, can he be an adequate leader of the school?"
     A pained look crossed Genma's face.  "He will be a strong leader!" he 
said
confidently.
     Kyouko sighed and bowed her head respectively.  "As you say, 
Saotome-san."
<My Soun, the arts took your life.  Will they take my daughters as well?>

				End Chapter 1



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