While everyone else was still up and awake, Genma and Soun still had to stay up and guard the castle gates.
After playing several rounds of Shogi, their old game quickly became boring.
Genma groaned. He was tired, and he missed his sake... "Hey, Tendo... let's play something else, okay?"
"Fine," old friend replied. "What do you have in mind?"
"How about a quick game of dice?"
"Fine with me!"
Soun took some dice and a dice box and they sat down at the table.
Soun started, rolling the dice over the wooden surface of the table.
When both dice stopped, the first one showed a four, and the second one... fell down on the floor, where it turned into a six.
"That doesn't count," Genma insisted. "You have to try again if it falls on the floor."
"Well, okay then..." Soun rolled the dice again, and this time, it stayed on the table. But, it once again turned out to be a six...
Genma grumbled. "Beginner's luck... now it's my turn." He started to regret suggesting this game... Barely any way to cheat...
After he threw the dice, the result was a three and a one.
Genma frowned. "Well, whatever..." he grumbled. "The game has just started..."
But, shortly after that, Soun was getting two sixes at once...
----
While the two guards were playing their game, three dark shapes were coming up the hill. They were making sure that no one would see them from the castle and stayed hidden within the bushes.
A dark-haired, pony-tailed girl stuck her head out of a big shrub near the castle gate. "All right, my followers... are you ready? Let's proceed with my ingenious plan..."
Another girl with shorter hair appeared next to her. "You sure that's a good idea, Kodachi? After all, most of our plan depends on pig-boy here..." And she threw the only male member of their group a dark glare.
Ryoga felt offended, but didn't complain. After all, he only joined Kodachi's little gang of thieves because of Akane. He had to make sure she was all right... He couldn't change her idea of being a thief, fine. At least he could protect her.
"I... I'll try to do my best, Akane," he said with determination.
"All right then, my loyal vassals..." the Black Rose grinned. "It is time to relieve my Ranma-darling from his heavy crown..."
The Black Rose Trio has used the past few weeks to get known by the inhabitants of Saotokyo by breaking into their houses and stealing everything that Kodachi wanted to claim as her own.
Because Kodachi's plans were to be a queen herself. Her Ranma-darling didn't want to marry her? Well then, she just had to relieve him of everything he owned. Kodachi firmly believed that only the rich people had the right to be of nobility. While she and her family had been rich once, the stupid lavish behavior of her brother and father has caused the Kuno family to slowly lose all of their wealth... and they had to live on the street.
Kodachi was furious with her brother and father and decided never to get near them again. Instead, she preferred to gather money at her own... even if it was an illegal way.
Akane met her some time after she started her career as a thief and agreed to join her. After Ranma became king and invited everyone of his old friends to live at the castle, she felt betrayed. Why should she bother to go after that jerk if he had Ukyo and her sisters? She was more than happy to leave him in his castle... Yes, Akane was certain that the crown on his head had turned Ranma even more cocky than he had been before.
Ryoga just came along because of Akane. The youngest Tendo sister had never shown any signs of returning his affections, but at least she tolerated him nearby.
The three thieves looked at the small window next to the big drawbridge... the guardroom's window.
"Okay, Ryoga... you know what to do. You got the sake?"
The bandana-clad boy nodded and raised a bottle. "Yup! I'm ready, Akane!"
"Then let's begin," Kodachi grinned. "Today... we will steal the king's crown!"
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Sat, 14 Oct 2006 11:22)
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