Ranma walked into the courtyard for his routine morning practice. The sun was barely rising on the horizon, so there was peaceful atmosphere here. There were still a few servants moving about for the morning duties, but they were trained enough to keep their silence to not disturb the sleeping nobles and royalty. After being reprimanded a few times, Pops had to stop the early morning spars because of the noise.

After that, Genma got too lazy and stopped coming to the morning routine. There used to be some stuff with using the rocks for aerial combat practice, but that still caused too much noise. Not to mention when one of the rocks went out of his range and knocked a butler out cold. After that, he had to just stick with kata practice, at least until it was later in the day. Thus, the mornings tended to be pretty peaceful.

There was just one thing disturbing this serenity.

"You can come out now."

When nobody appeared, Ranma sighed and turned around to face the stalker who had been following him around for a week.

Makoto was hiding in a bush, even though the top of his head—and the entirety of his hat—was sticking out of the leaves. Two of the royal guards were trying to hide behind two trees just beyond the bush, but their bodies were only just barely covered by the tree trunks. No, that wasn't right. They weren't even trying to hide. If anything, they looked thoroughly amused.

Ranma's eye twitched. How do you deal with an amorous, sheltered kid? That was the question that was bothering Ranma the most right now. Usually, he would kick their asses, but this time was different. Even if Makoto wasn't an emperor, he was still just a kid and an untrained one to boot. He wasn't in the habit of picking on those weaker than himself, especially if they weren't really antagonizing him. Sure, one could mention the likes of Mousse, Kuno, and Gosunkugi, but they all started their fights one way or another, even if the latter one was very, very weak.

So how do you deal with him? Easy answer: you don't.

He slowly eased into his kata, following the practiced and familiar motions that had become almost instinctual. His arms and legs flowed from one movement to the next, his body twisting and turning to accommodate. It only took a couple of minutes before the world around him seemed to vanish as he got lost in the rhythm, his limbs gradually becoming a blur as he went faster and faster.

There was no clear form to it and each move differed greatly from each. That was because it was his own creation, a mixture of moves that he liked enough to take from the varying styles. For that very reason, it wasn't a very efficient kata. It transitioned from move to move with sometimes awkward positioning, which would make it very difficult for a practitioner who wasn't as flexible or as strong as he was. It was just as well; he had designed the kata for his own style, but even he had to admit, it wasn't a very good kata. It had many of the moves that he needed, but it wasn't pieced together well.

For all the complaints he had about Genma, the old man was a great teacher. He could create katas that even a beginner could at least starting practicing with. Some of his best and most frequently used katas came from his father. They were just simply too efficient, putting moves together that easily connected to one another.

Sure, Genma put him through suicidal and unproven training techniques, but that was because his old man was pretty much forced to be an inventor. He didn't quite realize it until a long time after he first met Happosai that the grandmaster had a strong training method. Mobs of women chasing his old man increased his running speed and stamina while the beatings raised his pain tolerance and endurance. Most of all, while the women would beat you to oblivion, they wouldn't kill you, making it one of the safest methods. Much safer than the Breaking Point technique that Ryoga used. There was just one cavat: you can't really use it on a child.

Ranma wouldn't have put it past his old man to use that method if he had been older, but he was definitely too young at a time. What mob of women would beat up an elementary school kid? Maybe a spanking at most, but that was hardly the life threatening situation that causes the trainee to exert themselves to their limit. So his Pops had to create methods from scratch or steal them from other schools.

Just because Ranma now understood why didn't make him think his father was any less stupid, though. His kata began to wind down as he came to the end. Taking a deep breath, he stood up straight as he stretched his body a bit.

Ranma blinked when he heard some noise from his audience. Makoto was clapping, having stood up from his hiding position. It took a moment before Makoto realized what he had done and quickly dropped back down into the bush.

"If you're gonna be here the whole time, you might as well come practice with me," Ranma said. He watched as Makoto slowly poked his head out of the bush. For someone who was an emperor, Makoto acted a bit like Tsubasa. In fact, if you put some make-up on him, get him a wig and a bunch of props to hide in, he could actually pull the look off. Though, puberty would probably change that.

Actually, now that he thought about it, Tsubasa and Konatsu were already past puberty, weren't they?

"As long as you don't harm him," the royal bodyguard said. Despite his joking manner, there was a clear and obvious threat in his words.

"Don't worry. Wasn't planning to even if you didn't say it." Ranma walked over to the bush and offered his hand. "Now come on. I'll teach you a basic kata."

Makoto shyly smiled and slowly took his hand. Though, there was a question on his mind.

"What's a kata?"

~o~

"You were right, Prime Minister. It worked just as you said it would." Makoto was looking pleased with himself as he stood in front of the portly Prime Minister. Said portly man smiled back.

"No, all the credit belongs to you. A wise emperor such as yourself knows when and who to seek help from."

"No, no, the credit belongs to you. You're the one who knows such useful advice."

"Your highness, I thank you for the praise."

"I…need help on another matter."

"I'm all ears."

~o~

Ranma stood in the plaza as the crowd shuffled and moved along around him. It was finally good to be out of the palace. There was nothing wrong with the place; it had good food and comfortable bedding, but it was getting pretty exhausting being cooped up in there. Not to mention that it got him away from that clingy emperor.

Ever since that declaration and the subsequent betrothal, Makoto had taken to following him around. Not just once or twice, but all the time.

It was pretty creepy. Not Kuno-creepy, but still not pleasant. He knew that he should be a bit more lenient; Makoto was just a kid after all, and it wasn't like the kid was doing anything perverted. Hell, he wasn't even splashing him with cold water, though Makoto tended to get pretty affectionate when he was in his female form. Still, it wasn't too bad, overall. However, the problem was that Makoto was always there.

Whenever the boy wasn't in class, he had taken to finding Ranma and following him around. He wasn't quite sure how the kid was always finding him, even when he was trying to hide. It had been a week since he first met Makoto, so it was starting to work on his nerves seeing his face every time he looked around. Thankfully, the Prime Minister offered him a chance to accompany the Imperial Guards on a patrol. Naturally, he took it. The official reason was that he would be observing their duties to better help come up with teaching plans. The real reason was that he would finally be able to see the city. Besides, even if he wasn't curious about the city, he wasn't going to reject a chance for some relief from Makoto.

And of course, there was Pops. The old man engaged him yet again, but it wasn't like Genma was actually expecting them to get married. If he didn't accept the Takamiya heiress, he sure as hell wasn't going to accept his son getting married to the ruler of some backwater nation. Nah, according to the old man, it was all a ruse. Just put up with it, get the dowry, and get out. Since this was a backwater country, it wasn't like they could chase the two all across the world like the Takamiya Conglomerate could. They could probably lose them after passing through a couple of countries.

He didn't really like this method—in fact, he wouldn't have used this if it had been a few months back—but the Takamiya heiress really did push him to the limits. At this point, he was desperate enough to get rid of that psycho that he was willing to try any method short of seriously hurting her, even if that method happened to be a bit unsavory.

The problem was that the dowry was huge. So huge, in fact, that it was impossible to transport it all out of the country with only their backpacks. If it was paper money, then it would be easier, but this was chests filled with jewelry and diamonds. Even with a carriage, they would have to leave a good third of it behind—not that either of them thought they could outrun their pursuers while in a carriage; the tracks and roads would make it way too easy to them to be discovered and chased down.

They had thought about shipping it out just a few days in advance of leaving, but smuggling that amount of loot, especially out of the palace, wasn't an easy task. There were more eyes and ears in the palace than either of the Saotome men were used to, and the mouths that accompanied those body parts wouldn't be idle. In fact, it was how they were kicked out of some temples and dojos in the past when he was much younger.

It wasn't like they had a bank account set up so that they could easily store it once they got it out, either, not that he expected them to be able to bank jewels and diamonds. That was the kind of thing that catches the attention of the international police and, through them, Takamiya. They would need to convert it to money, but the currency here looked like it would be worthless elsewhere since it was only just a bunch of roughly-made coins. Not to mention, it wasn't like they knew how to convert it to cash through the black markets anyways.

Still, there was a way to solve both problems. Nabiki would definitely be able to do something about it. All they had to do was ship to it all to Nabiki and then she could take care of it. Of course, finding a shipping route and all that was not going to be easy, and he would have to test it out first by sending a letter to the Tendo dojo. Problem was that if he did that, he was pretty sure it was going to be intercepted by the Takamiya Conglomerate and traced back. Though, it should be fine if he did it in a roundabout manner. Like sending the letter to Daisuke or Hiroshi and getting them to give it to Nabiki.

So all he had to do now was find a ship that could get to Japan. And from the looks of town, that ship certainly wasn't going to be a modern ship. That meant it would take months just for the letter to reach Nabiki. Still, it was better than nothing, and if he could get all the jewels out, he would be a free man. No more psycho heiress sending dive-bombing, giant spider-bots from cargo aircrafts. A shudder ran through him. He still remembered how many machine guns and rocket launchers they put on those things. She spent far more money trying to kill him than she did loaning them the money in the first place.

But it wasn't like she would have any claim over him once he paid back the debt, right? After all, she did went out of her way to prevent that by using her family's connections to cheat them out of their money. Though, they were able to detect and stop those ninja thieves after the first time.

"Ranma, it's almost time to go to the next patrol point."

To his side were two Imperial Guards, each properly dressed from head to toe in their uniform and helmet. They were two of the members from his class, the ones that he had been assigned to follow along on their patrol route. They were both carrying a blocky-looking automatic rifle.

He really didn't like guns, but it was to be expected that they would have them. They were the police, after all. In the hands of the proper authorities, it was as much for deterrence as it was for protection, especially with an assassin group lurking around.

"Ah, sorry 'bout that." He rubbed the back of his head.

"Don't worry, Ranma. This your first time out in the city?"

"Yeah, I only seen it once when I was on my way to the palace."

"We'll show you some good places to eat at then."

Ranma perked up at the mention of food. The palace's food was delicious, and he could practically ask them to make anything. Well, anything that was made for nobles in this country. However, the food was a bit too stiff and rigid, like it needed to always be made a certain way. It lacked that subtle indescribable touch that Kasumi always gave her food, even if it didn't stand up to the quality of the royal kitchen. And besides, something like okonomiyaki wasn't something that you would find served in any royal kitchen. Finding out about new types of food was one of the best things about traveling.

As they walked along the stone path, one of his escorts asked a question. "There's this rumor going around that you beat up a Rakshasa Demon. Is it true?"

"Oh, you mean the bald guy? Nah, it was more like he gave up. I mean, I did knock him around a bit, but it wasn't like it was a real fight."

"…what do you mean by 'knock him around a bit'?"

"I just ganged up on him with Pops before I found out that he wasn't one of the guys chasing after us. I felt a bit bad about it so I let him get some free shots off me, but he was too slow to hit the broadside of a barnyard. After that, he just kinda gave up." Ranma shrugged. "I wanted to fight more, but it's pointless if the guy's lost his will, y'know?"

"That's amazing."

Ranma puffed out his chest. "Yeah, well, it's not like I'd ever lose."

"You shouldn't say that. There are some crazy people that are on a whole different level, like General Esdeath and Grand General Budo."

"Oh, really? I wonder if I can get a spar with them."

The two guards looked at each with incredulousness before they burst out laughing. Ranma looked indignant at their mirth.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing." The guard wiped away a stray tear caused by his laughing. "You have to understand, Ranma, that Grand General Budo is a person who is worth ten thousand soldiers, and General Esdeath is the only one who can rival him."

"Yeah, well, I still think I can take them."

"Don't even joke about that. That's practically a death sentence," the guard said. "You're better off fighting a S-ranked Danger Beast."

"Where are they now?"

"General Esdeath is fighting a war with the Northern Tribes right now, but Grand General Budo is in the palace," the other guard said. "He's always training the Imperial Guards at the barracks."

"I'll go find him when I get back."

The guards shared a glance. That was not going to work out well. They liked the teenager enough that they didn't want to see him get hurt badly, and he would definitely be beaten within an inch of his life by Grand General Budo, especially with how arrogant he was acting. He wouldn't be killed, of course, but it still wouldn't be pretty.

Not to mention that the Prime Minister would have their heads. Before going out on this patrol, the Prime Minister had a strict conference with them. It mainly was about what route they would take, what they could show Ranma of the capital, and what they couldn't talk about. It wasn't strictly said, but they assumed that Ranma becoming a vegetable after a spar with Grand General Budo would probably raise the Prime Minister's ire.

A grin slowly formed on one of the guard's faces. "Why not make it an official challenge?"

The other guard's grin grew to match. "That way, even if you lose, you can still show off your skills, and maybe earn some money."

"I'm not gonna lose."

"Of course you won't. I believe in you," the guard lied. There was no doubt about it that the teenager was going to lose, but at least they could minimize the damage this way. By having the Emperor watch the match, Grand General Budo would at least refrain from beating him too badly. Or at the very least, the Emperor could stop the fight if it got out of hand. Either way, it would only put the boy out of commission for a few weeks at most, instead of a quarter of a year or worse. That was a big difference. Not to mention, the Prime Minister couldn't blame them if it happened this way. "Think about it. You can show everyone how good you are at martial arts. There is the rumor about the Rakshasa and the fact that you're teaching some of the Imperial Guards, but no one knows about your skills for sure."

"I don't know. It doesn't feel right."

"Oh? Are you afraid of little attention?"

"I ain't afraid of nothing!"

"Good. Then, it's a promise, okay? Go talk with your boss about it. He'll arrange it for you." The guard put a hand on Ranma's shoulder. The pigtailed martial artist was about to protest before the guard cut him off. "To celebrate, why don't we get some ice cream? There's a good shop right around the corner. My treat."

"Ice cream?" Ranma perked up, putting the previous matter out of his mind. As much as it wasn't really manly to eat ice cream, at least in his normal form, he supposed it was fine since he was in the company of the two guards. They were guys too, after all, and if they could eat it without being embarrassed, so could he.

~o~

The rest of the patrol went by without much happening. The thing about this city was that it had a strange vibe to it. The people around here were pretty downcast even as they went about their daily lives. A good portion of them had dark looks on their faces and a dull gait to their steps, even more so than what Ranma thought would be normal for workers who have to make their way home just before sundown. He had heard there was a recession, but this was pretty bad. Japan was in the middle of a recession too, yet it was nothing like this. It wasn't to say all of them were this way; there were still a few happy-go-lucky people walking around, but they were in the minority.

It seemed like another reason why people were afraid was because of an assassination group that was active in the capital. Night Raid, it was called. They didn't just target important people; they went after merchants, wealthy families, and even soldiers. One of the victims seemed to be their captain, a swordsman named Ogre.

Ranma had been shown pictures of the four known Night Raid members. They didn't really look that old at all, and one of them was even younger than he was. Still, he had fought enough to know that age and appearances didn't matter, not in a fight. Happosai and Cologne were as old as they come, while Hinako was deceptively young. They sometimes even had trump cards up their sleeves, like turning into an Asura.

"I'm never treating you to food again!" The guard was nearly on the verge of tears as he looked at his severely depleted pouch of coins.

"Hey! I held back."

"You call that holding back?!" He raised the pouch in front of Ranma's face. "It's halfway empty."

"Nah, it's…halfway full."

"Never again."

Ranma waved it off. It wasn't like he was expecting to get a free meal from that guy again in the first place. They walked along the patrol route as the guard continued to whine and rant about it. He was now on the subject of how Ranma was getting paid more so he should pay him back, not that Ranma was listening at all.

No, he was actually feeling a little uneasy. It was like the feeling he got when Gosunkugi started taking pictures of him, the ones that he always spotted and posed for. Except this time, when he looked in the direction that he thought it was coming from, he didn't see anybody that could be the cause. There was even one point where he felt it coming from a brick wall. Still, someone was watching him. It looked like he would have to initiate this if he wanted some peace.

"Why don't you two go back first? I got something I gotta do here," Ranma said as casually as he could.

The two guards exchanged a knowing look.

"Can't do that, Ranma. We're under orders."

"Guess it can't be helped. Let's take a detour." Ranma turned and headed into a nearby dark alleyway, ignoring the protest of the two guards. It was dank and smelled pretty badly, but he didn't mind. That was because he found who he was looking for at the dead end. Standing before the wall was a man in a trenchcoat with a very toothy smile. Oddly enough, there was a third eye on his forehead—no wait, it was just an eye accessory on a headband. The tips of blades were sticking out of the end of his trenchcoat's long sleeves.

"Wait, isn't that Zank the Beheader?!" Both guards had their rifles up in a flash, their training kicking in as they stepped in front of Ranma. However, Zank was off the wall and charging even as they fired, weaving through the waves of bullets as if they weren't there. His smile never faded and even widened maniacally to the limits of his face as the blades of his katars extended out of the arm sleeves of his trenchcoat.

"Don't move!" Zank instinctually froze at that shout before the sole of a black slipper slammed into his chest with enough force to rocket him back across the distance to the dead end. His back crashed into the wall with barely a grunt, but he was quick to land on his feet. His smile had slipped, but it grew again when he saw who it was. The pigtailed martial artist was standing casually in front of the two guards, his hands inside his pockets.

"You two stand back," Ranma said. "He's mine."

"Ranma, this isn't the time for chivalry. This man is dangerous," one of the guards said as he began to reload his rifle. The other guard took out a whistle and blew into it, sending out a loud, shrill noise to call for reinforcements. "He's a serial killer that's known for cutting off his victims' heads. Worse, he's a Teigu user. We need to work together."

"No, this is my fight." Ranma's gaze hardened on the trenchcoat-wearing man. "He was watching me for awhile now, so he's definitely after me. Don't know why, but I don't care. I'm gonna put him down."

"This is our business too. He's a criminal. If anything, it's not your business," the other guard said.

"That's why I didn't want to get you guys involved. But yeah, let me beat him up just for now. Trust me on this and step back. Don't want you two to get caught in the crossfire." When Ranma saw that both were reluctant, he said, "Don't worry. I'm the best."

Zank laughed loudly and freely, pulling the attention of all three back on the beheader. "I knew you were different. I saw it, I saw it. Hiding your skills so closely, so perfectly. The skills of an assassin. Happy, happy! You can't hide from my observation.

"Do you not see this Teigu on my forehead? It gives me five sights that—" Zank ducked his head as a foot crashed into the wall in the spot where his head used to be, shattering the brick and sending the fragments flying. One of the brick shards cut his cheek as he swung his blade, but the boy was gone. Instead, Ranma was crouching on top of the wall, looking down on him.

"That's pretty impressive. I didn't think you got it in you to dodge that," Ranma said.

Zank took a step away from the teenager. He had barely seen it coming. Even with his Teigu allowing him to see and predict the fighter's actions from the miniscule movements of his body, there was barely any time to avoid the attack at all. Before he could think any more, Ranma jumped off the wall. Zank stabbed one of his katars forward to skewer the boy in mid-air, but Ranma merely lifted his legs and landed on the tip of the blade. He barely raised his other arm to block the kick that followed, his arm aching under the impact. Ranma jumped off, landing lightly on his feet before charging into the Beheader's range.

Only through the power of his Teigu was Zank able to dodge each and every one of the punches and kicks that followed, though just barely. Still, the speed and amount were increasing rapidly. This was going to end badly at this rate. He needed a way to turn it into his favor, and he knew just the thing. His third eye activated its illusion ability.

Just as Ranma was about to throw another punch, he stopped. Where the murderer once was, Akane now stood there with wide eyes.

"Is that you, Ranma?"

Ranma shut his eyes tightly and shouted, "I ain't stupid!" He rammed his head forward, slamming into Akane's forehead with a headbutt. The illusion flickered out as Zank fell back, holding the spot on his stomach where Ranma's head struck him. The pigtailed martial artist opened his eyes with a glare. He was angry now. It didn't feel right to do that, but by closing his eyes, it made it easier. That didn't mean it didn't piss him off.

"You can't defeat me," Zank said as he readied his blades. "I can read your thoughts and predict your attacks by watching the miniscule movements of your body."

"Well, read this!" Ranma charged into the beheader's range again, but this time, Zank was ready. The killer could see the boy's arms rear back in order to launch a punch. The killer moved his blades into position to intercept Ranma's fists and slice them off.

"Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire!"

Ranma's arms vanished into a blur as hundreds of his punches landed on the serial killer. Too fast to see, too many to count, and too heavy to feel. Flesh yielded and bones broke under the brutal assault. Zank could barely move as the fists landed continuously and endlessly on his increasingly battered body. By the time the attack finished, the pain finally set in, overwhelming his senses. His eyes rolled into his head, and he fell backward, foaming at the mouth.

Ranma rolled his shoulders. It had been awhile since he used that move. It was probably overkill, but the guy pissed him off. Not to mention that he was a murderer. He probably deserved everything he got.

"That…that was amazing." The looks of adoration and wonder on the guards' faces made Ranma feel flustered. "You defeated a Teigu user!"

"Ah, I been meaning to ask. What's a Teigu?"

Both of them gaped at the teenager. "You mean you fought him without knowing?!"

"He didn't look hard. Sure, he's got some fancy tricks, but it wasn't like he ever had a chance. I didn't even have to use any of my stronger techniques."

"You might even be able to go against Grand General Budo on even terms." The guard said the next part under his breath. "…for a few minutes."

The teenager saved their lives, but Grand General Budo was still on a whole different level.

"So what's a Teigu?"

"Oh right. A Teigu is a special weapon created out of materials collected from Danger Beasts. Forty-eight of them were made back when the Empire was first created and…"

~o~

"I've heard that you've did a service to the Empire today. Zank the Beheader has been a thorn in our side for many months. Your achievement has not been ignored." There was a frosty expression on Emperor Makoto's face as he sat on his throne which was at a total contrast to his words. By his side, the Prime Minister stood carelessly, biting into the dried jerky in his hand.

The pigtailed martial artist, for his part, was fidgeting uncomfortably from that out of place expression on Makoto's face. It wasn't like it scared him, but it felt wrong. In all the time that he had known Makoto, he had mostly seen only the positive side of the Emperor. Not as unnerving as seeing Kasumi mad, but it still felt uncomfortable.

"It was nothing. That guy was pretty easy."

"Be that as it may, you still deserve a reward for your efforts." A thin smile pulled onto Makoto's face. "Let it not be said that the Empire fails to reward its subjects for their bravery."

"I guess…"

"As a reward for defeating the criminal Zank and retrieving the Teigu—doing unto the Empire this great service—I, Emperor Makoto, took the liberty of having all your possessions moved into my bedroom."

The room was silent as every servant and official in the room gawked. It was a few moments before the pandemonium set in.

"What?" Genma stumbled out of where he had been hiding behind a pillar.

"You did what?" Ranma looked lividly at Makoto, completely ignoring his father who rushed up to stand by him to state his protest.

The Prime Minister chuckled. It was the reason that the Emperor wanted Ranma out of the palace for the day. Capturing Zank was simply a convenient excuse for it. Seeing the flabbergasted looks on their faces had made it all worth it. Though, of course, he had been privy to all this knowledge right from the start, directly from the mouth of the young Emperor.

"Silence!" The command was heeded as the room quieted down. Makoto's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you wish to reject it?"

"Yep."

Makoto held in his panic and glanced at Honest. The Prime Minister nodded reassuringly. He turned back to Ranma. "What are your reasons?"

"You're going to splash me with water and do something perverted, aren't you?" Ranma shook his head. "Uh-uh. I may turn into a girl, but I'm still a guy on the inside."

"Ranma, I'm saddened that you think so poorly of me." Makoto gasped dramatically, peeking a glance at the Prime Minister. Honest, for his part, was holding back a grimace at the overdramatic acting, but he managed to nod his head anyways. "I never intended to do that. It's just so lonely that I wanted a friend to be around, someone who would treat me as a human being, and not simply as my lofty station would dictate."

"Er, well." Ranma fidgeted. "I guess that's fine—"

"Don't be stupid, boy!" Genma smacked his son's head. "Can't you see he's…"

A pouch full of coin fell to the floors with a loud clang, shuffling the coins noisily within.

"Pardon me," the Prime Minister said jovially as he reached down. "It seemed the tie holding up my coin purse broke. If some poor ruffian were to pick it up, I would have to take it back. Every single last coin. Because you know, coins are very valuable these days, especially to the commoners. If I couldn't get all the coins, then I would have to report the crime. Why, just the other day, I had to string up some purse stealers to wooden crosses as punishment."

Genma paled.

"There's an important saying: 'While someone might carry my coin purse for me, it's still mine.'"

"On second thought, son," Genma said, nervously gulping. "The Emperor needs a companion. Someone to show him the art."

"Uh, you okay, Pops?" Ranma examined Genma with a quirked eye.

"N-never better, boy!"

"Well, if you say so." Ranma shrugged his shoulders as he turned back to Makoto. "I guess it can't hurt."

Makoto smiled brightly.

The Prime Minister merely chuckled. Oh, how wrong he was.

~o~

The birds were chirping brightly as the morning sun rose beyond the horizon.

The moment that Ranma stepped into the courtyard to start his morning practice, Genma appeared in front of him. He grabbed his son's shoulders and leaned into despite Ranma's angry protests.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, old man?!"

Genma smelled the boy. Moving his head around like a dog, he sniffed at various places before he finally released his son and backed off.

"Good, you smell normal."

"What are you? A dog?!" Ranma lashed out with a kick, but Genma had already moved beyond his range. Despite his weight, Genma landed lightly on the tip of his toe.

"I don't think I need to tell you, boy, but don't be fooled by that child," Genma said. "He may be naïve, but the one behind him is far smarter than you."

Ranma was in front of Genma in that moment and punted him into the sky.

"I'd like to hear you say that again!" Ranma shouted at the disappearing form of his father. He smirked, more than a bit satisfied. Besides, what nonsense was Pops spouting now? Person behind Makoto? A ghost? The kid was always sitting on a throne so there was no one behind him. Even his bodyguards were always to the side or maybe a little farther off, but it couldn't really be considered behind.

Though, it wasn't like Pops made sense half the time. The only reason Genma really got back into fighting shape was because of all those killers and cops that the Takamiya heiress sent their way. That psycho rich girl. That...errr…

Now that he thought about it, he never did find out what the girl's first name was.

~o~

"Ah, your highness, how did the first night go?"

"It was fun, Prime Minister. We played a bunch of different games."

"Ah, were they of the sexual kind?"

"Hm? What's that?"

"…never mind."