After his breakfast, Ranma went into the dojo hall which has been constructed after he became king. After going through his daily exercise routine, he still didn't feel any better.
"If I only had a sparring partner..." he murmured.
For lunch, he went back into his room. After gulping down the food, he walked to his window and looked outside.
He sighed. "Damn, is there really nothing else to do in this stupid castle?" he murmured to himself. Because of his royal status, he couldn't even ask Ukyo for a small sparring match...
Then he thought of something. There was something he could still do.
"I know," he grinned. "I'll go down to the treasure room... and take a look at my 'real' treasures."
Since Ranma was a small boy, he had been gathering all kind of stuff and put it in a small wooden box which he had always stored within his wardrobe. Since he became king, he decided to store it in an even more secure place: In the treasure room, where all of the royal gold and jewels were being kept. Over the years, many things were added to his collection, including the trophies of all the martial arts tournaments in which he had participated - and won.
It was really a long time ago since he took a look at his old collection, so he decided to go down into the treasure room.
He walked over to his bed and put his hand deep inside his pillow. When he pulled it out, he was grasping a large key ring with a total of thirteen keys hanging from it.
Humming to himself, he left his room, skipped down the stairway and entered the inner ward. He was just going to walk through the archway... when his gaze fell on the castle's main gate.
The draw bridge was wide open, even though he couldn't see anyone entering or leaving the castle.
He suppressed a groan. "That's what I get for employing those two as guards..." he grumbled.
He went to a small door next to the big gate and walked up the stairs to the small guardroom. Upon entering, he almost slipped on a gnawed-off bacon rind.
The room itself was a disaster. Everything was a mess, and two big, empty sake bottles were standing on the table, next to a Shogi board. The room reeked of booze. And on the floor, his two gate guards were lying while snoring loudly.
Ranma walked over to the nearest one and kicked him in the ribs. "Yo, Pops! Get up!"
But Genma Saotome, his adoptive father and current head of the Saotome Anything Goes Martial Arts School, just groaned and turned around in his sleep.
Ranma had enough. He grabbed a big bucket of water that was standing next to the door and poured its contents over his sleeping father's head.
Gurgling and spitting, the guard-turned-panda sat up and shook his head. After recognizing his adopted son / king, he pulled out a sign that read: 'Boy, have you no respect to your old father?'
"You're not my real father, remember?" Ranma grumbled darkly. "I wonder what he would think if he knew that I employed two slackers like you to guard his castle."
Genma's friend Soun, the father of Nabiki and Kasumi, was also getting up by now. "Don't be too harsh with us, Ranma," he said. "But guarding the gate all the time made us sooo tired... we just couldn't stay awake."
"Tired? Yeah, right! You drunk too much sake, did ya? Stupid question... the whole room is reeking of that stuff."
"Oh, I know, my boy!" Niagara falls were coming out of Soun's eyes. "But you know how it is: The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak! We just couldn't resist the temptation..."
"Well, then we just have to make sure there is no temptation, right? You have any more booze around here? Show me!"
Reluctantly, his panda father shuffled over to a cupboard and pulled out two more sake bottles.
Ranma pointed to the window. "Throw 'em out!" he commanded.
'Have some mercy, my boy," Genma-Panda signed. 'Where are we supposed to get more exquisite sake like this?'
"Nowhere, that's the point behind it. Now, out with them!"
Genma grumbled and walked over to the window. After looking pleadingly over his shoulder one last time, he sighed and threw the bottles out of the window. With two small splashes, they fell into the water of the castle's moat.
"Okay! Now I want you two to clean the room and pull up the drawbridge, got it?"
After realizing they had no choice, Genma and Soun reluctantly obeyed (but only after Genma poured some hot water over his head to turn back into a human).
When the room was clean and the drawbridge was closed, Ranma nodded. "Good work, boys! Now remember: If I ever find some sake or something similar within your room, you're fired! Got it? Now, I'm going to a secret place. Make sure no one follows me and only let the people enter the castle that are supposed to be in here."
"Whatever you say, Ranma!" Genma sighed.
After throwing his father and his companion a final glare, Ranma left the room.
Soun walked over to the window and looked down. A few bubbles were rising to the surface of the water, right where the bottles have sunk to the bottom.
"Too bad about the sake..." he mumbled.
Genma put up the Shogi board. "Come, Tendo! A little game will cheer us up!"
"Excellent idea, Saotome!"
They sat down at the table and began setting up the pieces.
Genma reached down into the boot of his uniform and pulled out a small bottle. "But first, let's have a small drink, Tendo!"
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Sun, 08 Oct 2006 10:43)
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