Ranma Saotome in
Everything Goes Martial Arts:
    Time Enough For Lust


  "Please! I beg of you! Tell me where my son is!" A middle aged
woman dressed in a blue, floral print kimono knelt in front of a
man. She bowed such that her head touched the floor, all pretense
of pride gone.
  "Come on, come on, dear friend. No need for this." The man in
the dark gi assured the prone woman. "I have already told you
that he and your husband have left for training. They did not
tell me where they intended to go, or for how long that they
meant to train. You are always welcome here. If you wish, you can
stay over night."
  The woman shuddered violently as giant sobs wracked her body.
"You don't seem to understand, Tendo-san! He is in great danger!
Please, if you have any idea, tell me, and I will go to find
them!"
  "I wouldn't be too worried about them, Saotome-obaasan. Ranma's
the best around. He and the old man can take on anythin'." The
red haired pig-tailed girl stated with conviction.
  "No! I cannot loose them! Forgive me Tendo-san, but I cannot
stay. I _must_ find them before it is too late."
  "What's the problem Oka..Obaasan? Do ya really think your
husband is that bad a sensei?" The red haired girl looked over
the shaking woman, concerned for the elder's health.
  "What makes you so concerned, Saotome-obaasan?" asked another
young girl whose black hair was cut in a page-boy style. 
  The shakes subsided slightly, and the woman rose from the
floor. She finally managed to control her emotions when she
responded, "Ranma has just reached his eighteenth year. Soon,
very soon, his heritage will find him. I must prepare him to meet
his destiny. My husband is unaware of either this and the Fate
that has Ranma in it's grasp."
  Her voice grew cold as she spoke, with her tears the only
betrayal of her inner pain. "In truth, I should have begun his
training years ago. If it was not for the actions of my husband
and my foolish agreement to his terms, my son would have had a
fighting chance at life." She wiped away her tears with a small
hankerchief that appeared out of the sleeve of her kimono.
  "Surely there must be a way. Could you train one of us
instead?" Akane volunteered, wanting to trash the bad guys. The
show Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon had affected Akane in a poor way.
  "There is no other way, unless..." Nodoka considered the four
girls intensely, debating their suitability.
  "No. There is no other way.  I must teach him the skills he
needs. I can not tell you what I would give to have him here,
safely." 

tbc...
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turbo@relex.com
Even the speedster must let time pass for things to grow.
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