Nagone Mako was an early bird. As a kunoichi, she had always been the first to wake up in the entire UTAU zone, doing her morning exercise before the sun was even up. So when the female android yawned lazily with her eyes half-lidded while the birds were already chirping happily, people would have a questioning look on their face. Later their mind would focus on a possible major cause of her 'transformation'; the one and only cross-dressing bully in the block. We could put that into later though; let's have our attention back to our fellow kunoichi.

Mako yawned and slumped on the dining table, blinking as she tried to register her surrounding. She rubbed her eyes; something seemed to be unusual this morning. The female android sighed in irritation, her eyes still closed.

"Ritsuu~ What's for breakfast?"

Silence greeted her in return and she blinked again in slight confusion. When she finally came into her full vision, she darted her eyes around the room, trying to find her daily visitor.

"Ritsu?"

XXXXX

"Ritsuu~ What's for breakfast? Yep! That's definitely the first thing she said."

A male android chuckled to himself as he skipped along the stony road. He couldn't visit his beloved hime today due to a certain circumstances; Vippers had sent him an urgent message, telling him to rush to his home country as soon as he could. So there he was, walking down a certain road on a little town somewhere in Korea.

The redhead had decided not to cross-dress this time; not to come home as the Namine Ritsu. He smiled bitterly as he crossed a small playground on his way, recalling on a certain memories about a young cross-dressing boy getting bullied by the older boys, and being laughed at by the girls.

"Oh, what a beautiful childhood I have."

He chuckled sarcastically and kicked on a stone in mild irritation. Ritsu stopped on his track as a small house was seen in the distance; the cold gaze he had worn the whole morning was softened a bit at the sight.

"AROOOO~!"

"What the—"

The male android covered his ears as a loud howl pierced through the air, cursing under his breath. His eyes widened in shock as he fell to the hard ground, tackled down by a small figure that rushed suddenly from the house. He whimpered a bit before smiling, petting on his attacker playfully. His smile only last for a while though, as it was replaced by another shocked expression when his palm met soft brown hair instead of wolf fur. He blinked.

"…eh? Who the hell are you—"

"Ritsu~!"

The redhead switched his gaze to the source of the voice, his face crunched in disgust as he saw another figure came to tackle him again. Without hesitation, he raised his boot in greeting, successfully hitting the new visitor on the face.

"Why hello, oji-san…"

The man clutched the red mark he got from the impact, staring at the red haired android with watery eyes. The android answered him with a cold gaze.

"How rude! What has happened to my cute little daughter~? You used to call my daddy as well~"

Ritsu didn't answer, his eyes twitched in irritation. He grabbed his 'uncle' by the collar and smiled sweetly at him.

"First~ You're not my father; you're only my caretaker~ Second~ I'm not even a girl~ So~~ STOP YOUR F***ING ACT AND TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON ALREADY, DAMMIT!"

He shouted at the other man's face, who pouted in return. The male android released his 'uncle' with a sigh, moving his grasp to his first attacker by the back of her hood, holding the small girl out like some kind of puppy.

"Who is she?"

The man gasped and stared at the android with a look of disbelief.

"How could you, Ritsu! You have used her for so many times and then you dump her just like that. Shame on you!"

A vein popped on the redhead's face and he grabbed his 'uncle' again roughly. Swallowing his fit of rage, he whispered darkly to the man.

"Look, I don't have time to play your game now. So tell me, nice and clear, old man. WHO. IS. SHE?"

"Oh, she is Miko; your childhood friend."

"Huh? Miko, as in Ooka Miko?"

"Bingo!"

"Stop lying already old geezer, the Ooka Miko I know is my—"

"Wolf, yes."

"…does she look like a wolf to—"

Ritsu was stopped mid-sentence as he saw a pair of wolf ears prickled on the girl's head; his 'uncle' gave him an I-told-you-so kind of look. His doubt was gone in an instant as a furry tail emerged from beneath the girl's long robe, though he was nowhere near a shock; he was used in seeing such 'inhuman' creature. A while later, he shrugged and held the little girl by her hand; ignoring his 'uncle' as he walked toward the house.

"Come on, Miko. Tomorrow, we'll be heading to your new home."

The girl nodded with a smile, clinging to her 'owner' happily.

XXXXX

"So, as I told you before, Ritsu is in Korea now."

"What for?"

"I don't know! Haven't I told you a hundred times before?"

"How could you don't know? You're the leader of the UTAU, aren't you?"

Teto smacked her face. She had been arguing with the stubborn kunoichi the whole day now. Sighing in defeat, she patted the other girl by the shoulder and whispered.

"Mako-chan, he'll be back by tomorrow, 'kay? So please, just please, calm down and wait until then."

Mako finally nodded and Teto threw her body to the couch in relief, clearly exhausted. The chimera glanced up a bit to see the kunoichi's face still filled with uneasiness. She sighed and sat back up, giving her friend an assuring smile.

"I tell you one; if he returns home with another girl in his hand, I'll give you a permission to cut him in half, Mako-chan."

XXXXX

Ritsu lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The little wolf-girl mimicked his action, letting her head rest on the male android's torso as her tail wiggled.

"Ritsu?"

"Yes, Miko?"

He stroked her hair like he always did when she was still a wolf. The wolf-girl didn't continue her words that Ritsu thought she was asleep, but he was proven to be wrong.

"Why are you a boy now?"

The male android chuckled as he heard the question.

"I've always been one, Miko."

"Is that why you don't smell like a girl?"

"Yes."

The girl stopped her waggling tail, seemingly thinking. A while later she asked again.

"Why are becoming like one now?"

"That is…because a certain someone told me to."

"A certain someone?"

Ritsu chuckled as his mind recalled on the image of his hime. He stroked the wolf-girl again gently.

"Yes. And guess what, you will be meeting her tomorrow. So go to sleep now, okay?"

Miko yawned in answer, nodding as she dozed off. Ritsu smiled as he stretched, moving the wolf-girl to a more comfortable position beside him. The male android slept peacefully that night, snuggled by a certain wolf-girl; little that he knew, the kunoichi waiting for him back in UTAU zone, would have her sword ready to greet him tomorrow as he arrived.

Run, Ritsu, run~! Mako will kill you~! *wail fists*

*cough* Anyway, this chapter is mostly to throw in Miko into the story, so I'm sorry if there's not that much of RitsuxMako moment. ^^;

Thanks for reading! And do review if you don't mind.

ENJOY! XDD