These are the words of Hung Nguyen. I just have permission to post them and make it easier to read. Just want to give his stuff the recognition it deserves.

italics: Thoughts

(""): Chinese language

Chapter 11

The Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Battle

Part One

Akane watched with disdain as the Amazons and Ranma trained in the dojo, preparing for the upcoming match that was to take place tomorrow. For the last few days, Ranma had been putting the warrior girls through their paces, using himself as the target. She snorted in disgust at how he continued to dodge their strikes as they hurled clubs, hoops, and lashed out with their ribbons.

Hmpf! How does he expect them to get any better if he doesn't let them practice on him? Akane thought as she watched Ranma move with incredible agility and speed, evading each projectile and attack by mere centimeters. The fact that he was blind made the feats seem even more amazing.

Those girls don't stand a chance if all Ranma is going to do is dodge their attacks! Akane thought as she continued to observe that the Amazons were still unable to land a hit on their instructor, though they were only missing by scant centimeters.

By this time, Ranma was already reading the level of hostility and smugness coming from Akane as he continued to evade his sister Amazons. After another ten minutes of training, Ranma gracefully landed in-between Lilac and Perfume, catching the ends of their ribbons as both girls lashed forward with them. Each ribbon end was caught between his index and middle fingers. At the same time, Shampoo hurled a pair of clubs at her cousin's face, but Ranma simply deflected them, by flipping a ball on the floor, with the tip of his foot. The clubs bounced off and went flying off to the sides. He then gave slight nod and the girls relaxed in their stances.

"Well done, girls. Your teamwork is coming along very well. Take a rest for a few minutes." Ranma said as he released the ends of their ribbons.

The three girls nodded as they picked up towels to wipe the sweat from their foreheads. The last few days had been very grueling for them, as the Unseen Light fighter had put them through a series of training sessions that had been more intense then they had ever been through back in the village. The blind fighter would continually attack them, testing their reflexes and sixth senses. In class, Ranma would purposely throw something at their heads to catch them off-guard, say an eraser or pencil. At lunch, he would try to sneak their food away, making them more aware of their environment. He would attack them in their beds at night, testing their danger senses. As they worked at the dojo, the blind boy would challenge them to try to strike him, continually increasing the pace as they began to get closer to landing a blow. He had also been teaching them the Hidden Weapons style. Mousse had never taught anyone of his fighting style and shared the secret with no one. However, Ranma's senses had already discerned how the trick worked and wasn't above teaching the other Amazons. At this point, all three girls were now proficient at hiding their ribbons and a few clubs. Considering that they wore only skintight outfits and didn't leave any outlines of what they hid, that was a considerable achievement.

He then turned to Akane and said, "We'll be finished in about an hour, then the dojo is all yours."

"It's about time." Akane snorted. "Not that you've been doing very much training all week."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma asked in an annoyed tone.

"You're not making them any better by just dodging, you know." Akane sneered. "They won't stand a chance against Kodachi if all you do is avoid their attacks."

"Oh?" Ranma replied in a sarcastic tone. "And I suppose they would benefit by going through the kind of training that you go through every day?" Ranma had observed what Akane did to keep in shape, and it was nowhere near the caliber that even novice Amazon fighters underwent. "Breaking targets that neither hit back nor dodge is hardly a fitting benchmark to one's skills."

"What did you say?" Akane said, as her tone became a bit colder.

Ranma shrugged nonchalantly. "Kodachi isn't like those bricks and training dummies. She's not going to stand still and just give you opportunities to hit her. There is a reason why I dodge Shampoo and the others. Right now, I am dodging at twice the speed that I estimate Kodachi is capable of doing. The fact that Shampoo and the others are coming close to striking me is proof that they will be able to match her. If we were to just practice with inanimate objects like you, then we would lose in no time. Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics is primarily based on agility, coordination, strategy, and speed. Striking power means very little if one is not able to hit the target. You are far too concerned with increasing the power of your blows that you neglect all the other aspects of the battle. Then again, that's what I'd expect from an undisciplined amateur."

"Amateur?!" Akane said in a huff as she got ready to attack Ranma for that insult. At that moment, he chose to turn his back to her. Akane lunged with a straight punch to his head. However, in the next instant, she found herself flying through the air and landing hard on her face on the other side of the dojo.

Ranma shook his head and sighed. He sensed that attack coming a mile away. He shook his head and called out to Akane. "It also requires control and it is very obvious that you are seriously lacking in that department. Your temper will be your undoing every time."

Akane angrily got to her feet to attack Ranma again, but she soon found herself being glared at by three very irritated Amazons. Lilac, Shampoo, and Perfume all knew that Ranma could easily handle this uppity and ill-mannered girl, but they still took offense to her attacking their intended husband from behind. They were getting ready to pound Akane into the floor of the dojo when Ranma sensed the rise in hostilities and held up a hand.

"There will be no fighting." Ranma turned back to Akane. "As I said before, we shall be finished within an hour. Since this is our last night, we shall wrap up our training and leave. Afterwards, the dojo will be yours to use as you see fit. Until then, it would be best for everyone if you were to leave us alone."

"Bastard!" Akane spat out. "Why don't you just leave now? This dojo belongs to me and you have no right to be here!"

Ranma crossed his arms and addressed Akane in a patient, yet annoyed tone. "As I recall, this dojo was offered to us for use by your sister Nabiki, in return for a few favors. I have held up my end of the bargain. It had nothing to do with you and besides, you don't own this dojo, your father does."

"It's my legacy, MY heritage!" Akane said, her anger building.

"Then it is a DEAD legacy." Ranma said flatly. "This dojo is nothing more than a deadweight to this family and you're better off without it. If Nabiki has to earn income to maintain a dojo that has no students, then it is not worth the effort. And if you're the best student that this school has to offer, then we have really nothing to be concerned about."

"How dare you!" By referring the dojo as deadweight, Akane had seen it as an insult to both her family and her school. "The Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts is the finest in the world! I'll show you what a REAL martial artist can do! I challenge you!"

Ranma gave off a slight snort, then said, "Challenge? You're no challenge at all. Neither are you a real martial artist."

"ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!" Akane lunged at Ranma, but again found herself flying through the air. This time, she went out the front door and landed on the back lawn.

She got up and saw Ranma calmly closing the sliding door. Before it shut, he addressed her. "Be done in an hour."

The youngest Tendo daughter scowled, as she was about to stomp back into the dojo and pound that arrogant jerk into goo. That was when Nabiki came up.

"Forget it Akane. He's way beyond you in terms of skill, power, or anything to do with martial arts."

"Oooh, just you wait, I'll show him!" Akane spat out as she stomped toward the house.

Nabiki rolled her eyes and sighed. She called after her as she entered the house. "Give it a rest. They're going to be gone after tonight and that will be that." The middle daughter of Soun Tendo felt a bit of sadness as she mentioned this. She was really going to miss having him around. True to his word, Ranma had helped raise money for her family. He had used his extraordinary musical talents to set up small concerts. Then there was that recording studio that wanted to sign him up. He used his special senses to aid Nabiki in tough negotiations with other clients. Since he could tell when someone was hiding something or lying, Nabiki saved a bundle in avoiding bad deals and getting money from people who owed her. Of course, with Kuno constantly attacking Ranma, the betting pools also generated quite a tidy sum.

But now, he was leaving and Nabiki still couldn't figure out how to make him stay. The blind boy had kept himself at arm's length and the Tendo daughter had not learned much more about him. He wasn't very cooperative whenever she asked him about his past. As Nabiki contemplated on how she could glean more information about Ranma, the eldest Tendo sister also looked forlornly at the dojo from the kitchen window. Kasumi felt her heavy heart as she thought about Ranma leaving her home, probably never to return. In the few days that Ranma was here, Kasumi had experienced a sense of happiness and contentment that seemed to radiate from the unseeing martial artist. Ranma had long since forgiven her of her blunder and Kasumi had tried her best to make amends and get closer to him. However, like Nabiki, she too could not make any headway with him.

At the back of the dojo, Cologne finished with tying up Soun and Genma. Over the last week, the pair had made no less than fifty attempts to force Ranma into marriage with Akane. Tonight's attempt was probably their most desperate. As soon as Ranma had entered the Tendo compound, Akane's father had gone into this Demon Head attack and saying 'You will marry Akane!' but this direct approach was totally ineffective. Though the Demon Head could cow an inexperienced person into submission, Ranma's lack of sight made the technique absolutely useless. Genma had thought to use the diversion to sneak up from behind to knock Ranma out, but the Unseen Light Fighter simply grabbed his father and body-slammed him into Soun, knocking them both out.

As she made certain that the two conspirators were secured for the night, the aged matriarch's senses began to pick up a massive amount of ki being manipulated. She looked back to the dojo and nodded, recognizing the individual ki sources. Ranma was now putting the girls through their final training lessons.

Inside the dojo, each girl was wearing a blindfold, as her aura flared up. Ranma approached them and began stabbing at them with his staff. Using only their sixth senses and hearing, the Amazons swerved and dogged the strikes as they started to increase in speed and intensity.

"Use your sixth senses to FEEL danger. Let your other senses be your allies. Remember, your eyes are only for LOOKING, not for SEEING." The blind teenager instructed, as he helped his sister Amazons attain a new level of awareness. For the past week, not only had Ranma been training their physical skills, but also aided them in manipulating their ki to enhance their other senses, including their sense for danger. Given Kodachi's penchant for hiding unexpected surprises such as paralysis powder and poisons, having an early-warning system would be a great asset.

As the exercise began to pick up the pace, Ranma began deploying his Hidden Weapon techniques against them. Though their sixth senses could now detect the ki being used to make weapons emerge, they could not determine what kind of weapons he was using. Ranma wasn't expecting them to know as they still had their sight and would never be able to detect objects as he could with his seventh sense. Ranma first made a trio of throwing daggers to appear and threw them at Shampoo. His cousin sensed the danger and swerved to the right. The daggers imbedded themselves into the opposite wall. Ranma then threw a barrage of shurikens at Perfume. She also successfully evaded the danger. Then it was Lilac's turn as Ranma threw out a ribbon, hoping to ensnare her right leg.

Since this was not going to hurt her like the blades and the throwing stars, Ranma expected her not to be able to detect the danger and instead react to the sounds that his movements made. That was when he suddenly sensed something strange, being emitted from her as he lashed forward. Instead of swerving to the side to avoid it, the red-haired girl stomped down with her right foot, pinning down the ribbon firmly to the floor of the dojo.

Ranma was speechless. He began focusing his senses on her. The emission he had felt before was weak, almost below even his sensitivity. Try as he could, he couldn't sense it again.

Later at the Nekohanten...

("So, are they ready for the tournament tomorrow?") Cologne asked as the two sat at a table in the restaurant. The girls had all gone to bed early so that they could be well rested for tomorrow's tournament.

("They are as ready as they will ever be.") The blind fighter affirmed as he took a sip of his tea. ("I'd like to thank you, Cologne, for watching out for my father and his tricks.")

("It was my pleasure.") The three-hundred-year-old Amazon replied. As she thought back to when they left the Tendo Dojo, she couldn't believe just how pathetic Soun and his friend were. He had burst into tears and bawled about uniting the schools of the Anything Goes. At the same time, Genma went on and on about how his son had no honor and such. That was when they tried to bumrush Ranma, but were stopped in their tracks, literally. Cologne's knowledge of pressure points was only equaled by Ranma's and Jasmine's.

("What is wrong, Ranma?") Cologne noted that that the only user of the Unseen Light was deep in thought.

("It's Lilac.")

("What about her?")

Ranma paused for a long time before replying. ("I... detected something in her when I tested her sixth sense. She can sense danger as well as Shampo and Perfume, but the way she reacted... I'm not sure, but I think she MIGHT have a seventh sense.")

9"The seventh sense?") Cologne was quite surprised. She was one of the few Elders in the village that was even aware of the legendary extra sense that could detect objects, rather than just the ki of others. Koga had mentioned it to her and she was under the impression that a sighted person could never fully realize it since they were too dependent on their eyes.

Ranma nodded. ("I felt it only for a very brief moment. Maybe I just imagined it, though it did feel the same as I did when I first learned of it.")

("Why this is wonderful! Wouldn't it be grand if she really did learn to use the seventh sense?") Though Cologne did want to have her great-granddaughter with the same potential. Still, it was incredible to think that the Amazons could harness this ability.

Ranma shook his head. ("Let's not be too hasty. I said I only felt it for an instant. It felt like Master Koga's seventh sense at its most basic and fundamental levels and it was extremely weak. It could have been just a fluke.")

Cologne nodded, as she didn't want to get too ahead of herself. It could have been a fluke, but if it wasn't, then the Amazons could be lifted to greater glories if they could develop Ranma's extraordinary abilities. In any case, her great-granddaughter and her friends would do well enough by tomorrow. Seeing Ranma becoming accepted at Furinkan as well as Japanese society was also a reward in itself.

On a boat heading toward Japan, Jasmine smiled as she and her three friends, Honey, Silk, and Satin leaned on the railing. The healer was very anxious to meet up with her adopted son and see how he is doing. She had missed him terribly and couldn't wait to see him. Her three traveling companions were also eager to meet up with her son, but for more amorous reasons. They would arrive in Japan by tomorrow afternoon.

In Juuban, a certain woman was talking into a phone to a private detective.

"Yes, I understand Mr. Saeba. I know it's not much to go on, but I do wish to know the whereabouts of my son and husband. Genma keeps on sending letters, saying that the training is going well, but he never gives me any details. I can't help but feel that something is wrong."

The woman talked for a few minutes more before closing the deal and hanging up the phone. She then walked over to watch the sunset from her living room window and sighed.

"Ranma."

The next day...

Ranma and the Amazons woke early that morning and prepared for the match between Furinkan and St. Hebereke's gymnastics teams. The three girls and Cologne followed Ranma as he exited the restaurant to head toward St. Hebereke. Each girl was carrying a duffel bag filled with their outfits, weapons, and other equipment. They went around back to where Pepper was waiting for them with a minivan. The group put their luggage in the back and got into their seats. A moment later, they were on their way.

A few blocks away, a certain Master of Hidden Weapons was making his way toward the all-girls school where he had heard that Amazons were to be competing. Certain that his beloved Shampoo would be there, the near-blind Amazon named Mousse made a beeline toward the school for what was sure to be a joyful reunion, or so he thought.

At the St. Hebereke gymnasium, students from both schools were filling up the bleachers as they waited for the tournament to begin. On the sidelines, Nabiki and her flunkies were busy taking bets on the outcomes of the matches and who would face off against Kodachi. The mercenary Tendo felt a lump in her throat as she glimpsed Ranma and the Amazons pass by the main area and head toward their dressing room. Sitting in the stands near battle ring, were Akane and two of her friends. Though the youngest Tendo daughter couldn't care less who won the tournament, she still wanted to see exactly what Ranma had taught the Amazons.

Ranma and his team approached their dressing room and were about to go in when the blind boy's danger sense went off and his nose picked up something unusual.

"Hold it!" Ranma spread his arms in front of the group, motioning them to stop. He cautiously opened the door and his senses locked onto an object that was lying on a table.

Shampoo scooted to the side and looked over Ranma's shoulder. "What is wrong? It's just a bouquet of flowers."

Ranma shook his head. Though Shampoo and the others each had a heightened sixth sense, they could only detect immediate danger, such as an opponent attacking from behind. Ranma's sixth sense could also detect potential danger, such as hidden traps. He made a throwing spike appear and hurled it at the bouquet. As soon as it struck the flowers, a huge cloud of noxious fumes exploded from it as Ranma quickly shut the door. The three girls were shocked at what could have happened, had they gotten close to those flowers.

Ranma inhaled and caught the faint scent of the fumes from behind the door. "Don't worry. It smells like some kind of knockout gas or sleeping powder. It wasn't anything lethal but I have a feeling that Kodachi planted it there."

All three girls frowned and began thinking very dark thoughts about their opponent. She wasn't even willing to meet them on the battlefield and was already trying to knock them out of the running before the match even started. Ranma motioned for the girls to head toward a nearby restroom to change.

Outside of the gymnasium, Mousse trembled with anticipation, as he knew that Shampoo was close by. Oh how he longed to feel her in his arms again and express his love to his beautiful and proud warrior. It would make the long and hard journey to Japan worth it. Though he had been denied the chance to travel with Shampoo to study, Mousse still decided to follow his beloved. Unfortunately, his near-sightedness made him prone to lose his way and he had taken an unexpected trip through China before finally finding a boat to Japan.

Now he was finally close to his love and nothing would stop him now!

That was when the sprinklers on the lawn behind him turned on.

"Quack!" Mousse found himself buried beneath his own robes and hidden weapons as his Jusenkyo curse was activated. His thoughts turned dark as he mentally blamed Ranma for his predicament. Though he did enjoy being able to fly as a waterfowl, he had to avoid certain places where restaurants specialized in duck dishes. Several times he had almost been turned into someone else's meal. There were also duck hunters to watch out for. The curse was an inconvenience that he could do without.

"Oh look! A duck!"

"He's cute!"

Before Mousse knew it, he found himself picked up by a girl as several others crowded around him. It was then that a certain girl with her hair tied in an offside ponytail took him in her hands and smiled wickedly.

"Hmmm, I know just what to do with you."

In the gymnasium, the crowds were getting impatient as they waited for the tournament to begin. In the stands, Nabiki was conversing with her flunkies on the overall betting pools. After learning from her mistakes on the last time she placed odds against anyone from the Joketsuzoku, Nabiki had instead set up pools on who would face off against Kodachi in the final match. She had given even odds on Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume. Though her lieutenants had suggested to taking pictures of the girls during the match, Nabiki shook her head and vetoed the idea, remembering back to her conversation with Ranma. If she wanted to get closer to him, she would have to respect his wishes for the moment. Of course she winced at every time she thought about the potential income she would have gotten with such photos. The boys in the audience, especially from that pervert Kuno were eager to see those girls in their form-fitting leotards. The insane kendoist was already in the front row, waving around bouquets of flowers and shouting out cheers of encouragement and love to his Amazon beauties.

Of course, he also tried to hit on Akane, which she hit back, with her fist. Nabiki was totally disgusted at his blatant fickleness.

The audience became quiet as the announcer signaled the start of the tournament.

"Welcome to the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament between Furinkan High and St. Hebereke. Today promises to be an exciting event as the opposing teams will face off in a no-holds barred fight. Unlike previous tournaments held here at St. Hebereke, the challengers have not forfeited before the match and this school's team now has a chance to compete alongside their team leader, Kodachi 'the Black Rose' Kuno! This will be a battle that we won't soon forget!"

The crowds let off a thunderous cheer as the applause was deafening. When they calmed down, the announcer began introducing the challengers as the spotlight turned onto them making their way toward the center ring.

"Introducing, from Furinkan High, all the way from China and substituting for the regular team..."

Lilac darted up and did a triple reverse somersault in a layout position, landing perfectly on one side of the ring. The boys gave out wolf whistles and howls as the silver and gold leotard she wore with matching leg warmers accented her slim figure. The design rode high on her hips, baring her slender legs and made them seem even longer. She gracefully twirled a pair of clubs in one hand and waved with the other. Her red hair was bound in a long braid with a gold ribbon and she also wore a matching headband.

"Lilac..." The announcer introduced.

Shampoo was next as she also leapt to the ring in a lazy, half-pike twist with a double-reverse spin. Landing on Lilac's right, she took out a ribbon and twirled it gracefully around her. The boys in the crowds became spellbound at her pink and white leotard that had a Yin/Yang symbol embroidered in fine silk thread, above her left breast. Like Lilac's, her clothes were very form fitting and seemed as if it was painted on. The wolf whistles and howls became louder.

"Shampoo..."

Perfume made her entrance with a one-handed handspring and a quadruple somersault. She made a hoop appear out of nowhere and lazily spun it around her right wrist and held it above her after landing on the other side of Lilac. She was wearing a light blue leotard with black highlights. The design of the outfit revealed quite a bit of cleavage and made several of the male spectators faint from massive nosebleeds.

"And Perfume of the Chinese Amazons!" The announcer said, then paused as she was handed an additional sheet of paper. "Also, I would like to introduce their coach and fellow Amazon... Ranma Saotome!"

Now it was the girls who got an eyeful as Ranma suddenly leapt up high and did a quintuple somersault to land perfectly in front of his team. Bringing out his staff, he twirled it around in graceful motions, making it seem like a ballet, rather than a fighting kata.

The girls got one look at the handsome boy and his lean, muscular body and caused a roaring cheer that threatened to bring the roof down. Ranma wore a simple white T-shirt that showed off his well-developed physique and black pants.

"Oooh!"

"Aaah!"

"Sweet!"

"I'm in love!"

"Mmmm..."

Several girls started hearing the phrase 'buns of steel' in their heads for no apparent reason.

The crowd went on for a few minutes more, until the referee rang the bell, signaling that the opposing team was about to enter.

"And now, here comes St. Hebereke's own gymnastics team. Their leader is none other than the undefeated champion of Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics, Kodachi 'the Black Rose' Kuno!"

The girls of St. Hebereke were dressed in simple, yet functional navy blue leotards and each took a position at the other side of the ring. They counted nine in all. Trumpets began to sound as the spotlight swiveled upwards to a figure descending toward the ring on a swing. The Furinkan team groaned as they saw who was perched on that swing.

Kodachi Kuno was not dressed as her teammates. Her outfit was hardly practical for gymnastics as she wore an elaborate wedding dress, complete with ruffles, lace, and veil. Fireworks were going off to herald her arrival as she continued to descend. That was when the Furinkan team suddenly sensed danger as one of the fireworks came shooting toward the girls. They all reacted to their sixth senses and dodged the blast as the rocket slammed into the mat.

When the smoke cleared, Kodachi lightly dismounted from her swing and took an innocent look. "Oh my, however did that bomb get there?"

The three Amazon girls were giving her scowls while Ranma gave her a frown. He did not find it at all amusing.

"Well folks, it seems that Kodachi is in fine spirits today as always. And isn't she wearing a beautiful outfit?" The announcer commented.

As Kodachi gave Ranma a lustful look, her mind was full of fantasies of what she would do with him after she had dispatched those crude harridans that stood behind him. She just wanted to skip the wedding and go straight for the honeymoon. The vibes that Ranma received from her started to give him the willies.

In the stands, Kuno was deep in thought.

If Kodachi wins, then Ranma Saotome becomes my stepbrother. Then again... that would mean that the beautiful Akane and the three Amazons would become mine by default! With that in mind, he cried out to his sibling, "Smite them, my sister! For the first time in my life, I cheer for you!"

The referee signaled the gymnasts to go to their respective sides. Since Furinkan only had three members, while St. Hebereke had more than twenty, the tournament was to be a series of one-on-one elimination matches. Nine members of St. Hebereke's team would battle against the Amazons, and whoever was still standing would face off against Kodachi Kuno. If all three Amazons made it past their opponents, then each would have a chance at Kodachi.

The bell rang, signaling the start of the match as Shampoo was first up. She faced off against a girl with long black hair and armed with a rubber ball. Shampoo focused her mind at the task at hand as she held up two clubs.

"And now, the first match of the day as Shampoo of Furinkan faces off against Miyami Akagi of St. Hebereke!" The announcer said as she began her play-by-play.

Miyami wasted no time as she charged at her opponent by throwing up her ball, leaping up after it and spiking it down toward Shampoo.

"Akagi starts off with a viscous spike toward challenger Shampoo."

Shampoo executed a fancy backflip to avoid the ball, which was a good thing as the sphere exploded with tremendous force when it hit the mat.

"Challenger Shampoo evades the bomb ball with a backflip and moves away to get some fighting room!"

The purple-haired Amazon flipped back again, and rebounded off the ropes to propel herself toward her antagonist, as she descended from her leap. As Miyami touched down, Shampoo landed in front of her in a diving roll, then went into a forward handspring. She went over her foe, did a half-somersault, and brought both of her clubs down on Miyami's head.

WHAM!

Miyami went down like a sack of potatoes.

"An impressive move by Challenger Shampoo as she displays speed, coordination, and timing in knocking out her opponent! The first round goes to Furinkan!"

Shampoo waved fondly to her cousin as the referee held up her other arm. On the sidelines, Kodachi's eyes narrowed as she looked at Shampoo and the others.

Hmmm, this may not be as easy as I thought it would be. Those harridans may possess some considerable skills. However, that won't be able to defeat me! Just wait until I unleash the few surprises that I have in store for them! Ranma will be mine!

To be continued...

Who will face off against Kodachi in the final match? How will the Amazons be able to handle her? Find out next time in part two of the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Battle!

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