《Phoenix Ascendant》


 1. Making Moves

    Phoenix Ascendant


    Book Five: Climb


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ve got everything?¡± Hana handed Ranko¡¯s camping backpack to her, looking her over with a matronly care.


    Ranko giggled, shouldering the backpack over her red Phoenix staff tee shirt. ¡°Mama, you¡¯re not selling the place. I¡¯m gonna be back in like, four hours for work. If I forgot something, I¡¯ll grab it then. Besides, I can¡¯t carry much more.¡±


    Akane put her arms around Ranko¡¯s shoulders from behind, resting her chin on the backpack. ¡°I can take something if I need to, you know. You¡¯re not a pack mule.¡±


    The redhead smiled, leaning back a little into her girlfriend¡¯s arms. ¡°I got it.¡± She knew she wasn¡¯t a guy anymore, but some things, she felt like she should be the one to handle.


    Hana looked the pair over. ¡°Now, Ranko, you¡¯re sure you want to do this? You know you¡¯re welcome to stay here as long as you want.¡±


    ¡°Let me check.¡± With a grin, she turned to look over her shoulder at Akane. ¡°What do you think, babe? Do you still want to keep me?¡±


    Akane giggled, picking up a canvas tote containing more of Ranko¡¯s clothes. ¡°Well, it¡¯s gonna be tight for space, but I suppose you are awfully cute.¡± She leaned forward, giving Ranko a kiss on her nose that made her scrunch up her face and blush.


    ¡°Come on, Ranko.¡± Akane reached down, taking her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    With a happy smile, Ranko nodded, turning and waving to Hana. ¡°See you tonight!¡±


    Hana nodded, but as Ranko got a step from the door, she spoke up. ¡°Hey, come here, kiddo.¡±


    Ranko turned around, and found herself enveloped in her adoptive mother¡¯s arms.


    ¡°I want you to know how incredibly proud of you I am. Don¡¯t you think for a second that this means you¡¯re off the hook with us, girl. Wherever you sleep at night, you¡¯re part of this family forever. If you ever need anything¡­¡±


    Ranko blushed, squeezing back before stepping out of the hug. ¡°I know, mom. Thanks. For everything.¡±


    Hana reached forward, tucking a strand of Ranko¡¯s flame-red hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear for her. ¡°You are so welcome, baby. Now, go on, get out of here. You¡¯re keeping Akane waiting.¡±


    With a blush, Ranko took her girlfriend¡¯s hand, and pushed her way through the glass door of the Phoenix Bar, the place she worked, and for the last ten months, had also called home. The place where she met her new family, her mother and all four of her sisters. But, really, also the place where she had discovered herself.


    She looked back at the door from the street, with a sigh that was equal parts happy and nostalgic.


    Akane gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°Are you okay, Ran-chan? Do you need a minute?¡±


    The redhead smiled, wiping a single tear with her free hand. ¡°I¡¯m good. Just¡­ this place really saved me, you know?¡±


    With another squeeze of her hand, Akane nodded. ¡°It did. I know it was the first time in a long time that you felt like you had somewhere you could really call home. It¡¯s okay to be a little sad. Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re happy to start something new, it means you¡¯re expected not to miss what you¡¯re leaving behind.¡± Over the last few months they¡¯d been dating, Akane had learned that it was pretty common to have to cue her girlfriend from time to time that she was allowed to feel feelings, after so many years of bottling them up. She didn¡¯t know how Hana had managed to break down the walls around Ranko¡¯s heart as much as she had, but she was glad of it. Without her efforts, Akane wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d be holding Ranko¡¯s hand at all right now.


    Ranko turned her back to the door, leaning into Akane¡¯s chest. ¡°Home is wherever you are.¡±


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    The pair started walking south, as their new shoebox of a furnished apartment was only a few blocks away. After nearly killing herself for three months studying, Akane had earned a partial scholarship to the local college, and between the funds that were left over after tuition and books, and Ranko¡¯s earnings singing at the Phoenix, they could just barely afford the place. Financially, it would have made a lot more sense for Akane to stay with her father and commute, and for Ranko to continue living rent-free above the bar, but that meant going back to seeing each other one night a week, maybe two. They¡¯d opted for broke and happy.


    Ranko blushed, stopping in front of a white wooden door with brass numerals affixed identifying the unit as number 206. The door, and the whole of the greenish hallway, badly needed a paint job, and the hall itself had something of a musty smell to it, but to Ranko, it may as well have been the Taj Mahal.


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m supposed to carry you across the threshold or something, but my hands are kinda full.¡±


    Akane shook her head with a giggle. ¡°You¡¯re a silly girl, you know. But I love you.¡± She pulled out her keychain, jingling with two silver keys and a little metal heart keychain, and selected one of them, slipping it into the deadbolt and turning it with a loud click.


    They stepped into their new home, a tiny apartment not much bigger than the one Ranko had just left. To their left, a tiny but decently-equipped kitchen with faded pink walls was situated behind a white half-wall that extended to the bottom of the kitchen counter, and there were two barstools on the living room side of it. A tiny square table, the top of which was covered in a white ceramic tile, was surrounded by four rickety pine chairs in the corner nearest the kitchen.


    The center of the room had a small couch against the wall, facing a blank wall covered in a light blue patterned wallpaper on the other side. A loose white cable dangled from a wall jack near the baseboard to connect a television. Two closed white doors on the right led to the bathroom and the bedroom.


    There was a small window facing the street, and there were boxes stacked to the windowsill, courtesy of Akane¡¯s father having helped her move her own things the day before. She¡¯d hated to have to lie to him about the cost of the apartment, but he¡¯d have known she couldn¡¯t afford it on her own. No one in the Tendo household, other than Nabiki, knew that Akane and Ranko were together, or even knew for sure that Ranko was alive. That was a conversation none of them were prepared to have.


    Ranko dropped her backpack on the couch. ¡°It¡¯s bigger than I expected.¡±


    With a laugh, Akane set the tote bags she was carrying down as well. Whereas Akane had brought an entire bedroom full of her things, nearly everything Ranko owned was clothing and it hadn¡¯t been a big deal to carry it all.


    Ranko pointed toward one of the two doors on the right, then the other. ¡°Which one¡¯s the bathroom?¡±


    Akane smiled. ¡°The one on the right.¡±


    Ranko pulled the door open, entering the tiny restroom. It wasn¡¯t that different in structure from the bathroom she had at the Phoenix; it was entirely possible the same floor plan was used for both buildings given their proximity to each other. There was a combination shower stall and bathtub with a hideous yellow shower curtain that matched the bath mat, and a little white sink embedded in the beige countertop atop a dark pressboard cabinet that concealed the pipes.


    Akane, meanwhile, picked Ranko¡¯s backpack up from the couch, carrying it into the floral-wallpapered bedroom and setting it on the bare mattress of the queen-sized bed. She unzipped the bag, pulling a few of Ranko¡¯s dresses out of it and laying them flat on the bed. Reaching into the open closet, she grabbed a few plastic coathangers and began to hang her girlfriend¡¯s clothes next to her own.


    Another door between the closet and the long white chest of drawers opened, and Ranko emerged, as the bathroom had access doors from both the bedroom and the living room.


    Akane managed a small smile, sitting on the mattress as Ranko took over putting away her clothes. She wished she¡¯d had time to take care of at least some of the things she wanted to improve before Ranko saw the place. She would have brought Ranko home to a castle if she could have, though. ¡°It¡¯s not much, I know. But we¡¯ll fix it up.¡±


    Ranko smiled. ¡°It¡¯s ours. Stop apologizing for it. Believe me, I¡¯ve had way worse.¡± She walked to the far wall, turning on a little brass lamp that sat on a little desk covered with peeling white paint and a few deep scratches in its surface.


    Walking back to the bed, she scooped out a handful of undergarments from the bottom of her backpack and stuffed them into one of the drawers in the chest. ¡°I¡¯ll take the right side, you take the left?¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°Works for me.¡±


    Ranko reached down into one of the pockets of her backpack, pulling out her compact Polaroid camera and smiling at it. ¡°Hey, Akane, c¡¯mere a second.¡±


    Akane scooted close to her on the bed, and Ranko held the camera out as far as her right arm would reach, pointing it toward herself. She wrapped her left arm around Akane¡¯s shoulders, leaning into her and nuzzling against her cheek as she pressed the button to snap a picture. The little film square ejected from the plastic cartridge and their image began to take shape.


    Ranko turned her head, kissing Akane on the cheek as she set down her camera, bringing her right arm around her girlfriend as well. ¡°We have to document the first day of forever.¡±

 2. The Second Verse

    ¡°You ignite, and you RISE!¡±


    Ranko waved to the crowd as they cheered, turning around and giving Shinji a high-five. Over the last six months, since Crash and Shinji wrote the music to pair with her lyrics, they¡¯d been performing the song just about every night. The bar patrons seemed to love it, and it was a little bit like the Dragonfire craft cocktail ¨C you could only get it at the Phoenix.


    Mei continued to fiddle with the audio equipment as Ranko hopped down off the stage, heading to the service bar, where there was a glass of soda waiting for her. ¡°Thanks, Izzi! Hey, did you get those boilermakers done for eighteen yet?¡±


    The middle of the five siblings of the Phoenix¡¯ little sisterhood gave Ranko a smile and nodded, adjusting her weight on the stool she occupied behind the dishwasher. ¡°I took them out to the table for ya.¡±


    Ranko shook her head with a smirk. ¡°Oh? And did you check with my niece about that?¡±


    With a blush, Izumi moved her hand to her abdomen. ¡°She¡¯s cooperating for the time being, but I promise I¡¯ll slow down if I need to.¡±


    The redhead swung around the service bar with a warm smile, giving Izumi¡¯s belly a gentle poke. ¡°Hey, you in there, don¡¯t go giving your mom a hard time, okay? That¡¯s Auntie Ranko¡¯s job!¡±


    Izumi threw a bar towel at her youngest sister with a giggle. ¡°Get out of here, you. I¡¯ve got work to do.¡±


    Ranko slipped through the blue saloon doors into the back room, giving her adoptive mother a hug around the shoulders as Hana flipped a cheeseburger on the flat top. ¡°You holding up okay back here, mama?¡±


    The taller woman nodded. ¡°Busy, but good. How¡¯s things up front?¡±


    Ranko hopped up, sitting on an empty spot on the countertop behind her mother. ¡°Oh, the usual. The bar¡¯s four deep right now, but Izzi¡¯s helping us catch up, and now that my set¡¯s over, Mei can pitch in too.¡±


    Hana smiled. ¡°I¡¯m gonna need you to do me a favor and have two birthdays this year, so we can start teaching you to tend bar too.¡±


    With a giggle, Ranko popped a fried pickle in her mouth. ¡°Aww, am I not growing up fast enough for ya, Mom? I mean, I only just got my own place this morning.¡±


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    ¡°Speaking of which, how is it?¡± Hana dropped a slice of cheese on the burger she was cooking with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s great! Needs a little work, but nothing we can¡¯t handle. Now that my walk to work isn¡¯t just a flight of stairs, I might have to start thinking about flat shoes more often, though.¡± Ranko blushed a bit. She had given Izzi an inch in terms of her costuming choices, and her sister had taken a mile.


    Hana nodded. ¡°That, or just keep the cute ones here and change when you get here. Do you girls have everything you need? Did Akane have enough kitchen stuff, things like that?¡±


    With a smirk, Ranko hopped back down off the counter. ¡°Yeah, Akane¡¯s¡­ not so much with the whole kitchen thing. There¡¯s a reason I¡¯ve been asking for lessons since we started dating. But we¡¯re not anything close to unpacked, so I don¡¯t really know what we¡¯re missing yet.¡±


    ¡°Well, let me know. Between all of us, we probably have some spares of most things you could need somewhere,¡± Hana said, finishing the plating of the cheeseburger she¡¯d been cooking with a pile of onion rings.


    Ranko scooped up the plate. ¡°Will do! Let me know if you need a break back here, okay? I can¡¯t do all of it yet, but I can hold the fort if you need a few minutes.¡±


    The elder woman shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re serving, you¡¯re singing, you¡¯re moving, and now you¡¯re wanting to cook, too? Baby, slow down. You¡¯re gonna wear yourself out.¡±


    Bumping the saloon door open with her butt, she smiled up at the staircase that led to the little upstairs apartment that had been her home these past ten months. ¡°I thought you wanted me to tend bar too? Besides, there¡¯s nothing I won¡¯t do for this place, or for you and the girls. You know that.¡±


    Yui leaned over to Mei, who was still working with her audio gear. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on? We need you on the floor. Did something break?¡±


    Mei jumped as if she was startled. Once she had processed that it had been Yui that spoke and not someone else, she pulled a cassette tape out of one of the pieces of her equipment, putting it in her pocket with a smirk. ¡°You saw nothing.¡±


    With a sigh and a shrug, Yui turned back for the bar. ¡°Whatever, just wrap it up already! We¡¯re dying out here!¡±


    In the alley behind the bar, Crash and Shinji lit their cigarettes, leaning on the exterior wall of the bar behind the dumpster. Shinji groaned. ¡°We gotta play something else, man. I mean, every night with this.¡±


    His fellow guitarist sighed. ¡°It¡¯s called having a hit, bro. Writing songs that people wanna hear every day is like, the whole point.¡±


    Shinji gave a little smirk, flicking the spent ash from the end of his cigarette. ¡°Don¡¯t people who do that tend to get, ya know, paid?¡±


    ¡°One thing at a time, Shin.¡±

 3. Dawn

    Ranko rolled out of bed with a quiet groan, looking up at the red digital numbers on the folding tray table that currently passed as her nightstand. Brushing her hair out of her face with her fingers, she stood, plodding barefoot to the window and looking out on the still-darkened city from her second-story perch. It was going to be a day.


    Carefully avoiding the few creaky boards she¡¯d identified in the flooring of her new bedroom, she crept out into the living room, hoping not to wake Akane. She pulled the door most of the way closed behind herself, looking over the state of her new apartment. Several of the boxes had been unpacked, but there were quite a few left to go, and the ones they¡¯d worked through already were still nested haphazardly on one corner of the couch, torn bubble wrap overflowing from them.


    After a quick pit stop in the restroom, Ranko walked into the kitchen, filling the tea kettle and the rice cooker with water and starting both. She willed the tea kettle to boil faster; after less than three hours of sleep, she needed caffeine, and she needed it now. She removed a plastic container of a light brown liquid from the refrigerator, pouring it into another pot and turning on the burner beneath it to reheat.


    Moments later, Ranko sat cross-legged on the ratty gray couch, holding a covered plastic cup full of tea and ice cubes. She looked up at the clothes hanger that dangled from the curtain rod over the living room window, sighing. She couldn¡¯t believe, after all this time, she was having this conversation with herself again. She couldn¡¯t believe Akane and Hana were going to make her go through with it. She¡¯d worked her butt off to earn the right, but now that she had gotten here, she didn¡¯t think she wanted it after all.


    As the rice cooker began to sing its little song, Ranko felt a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Nervous?¡±


    Looking up at Akane from her place on the couch, Ranko nodded and did her best to smile. ¡°Hey, you. Breakfast, such as it is, will be ready in a second.¡± She started to stand. ¡°What¡¯s your schedule today?¡±


    Akane pulled a sheet of paper from her pocket. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ public speaking at ten, calculus at one, and physics at 2:30. And then I have tryouts tonight, so I¡¯ll be home a little late and might just have to meet up with you at work. But nice try, Ranko. You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡±


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    Ranko scooped a bit of miso paste into each of two bowls of the reheated dashi, sighing. ¡°Terrified. Do I have to do this?¡±


    Akane wrapped her arms around her girlfriend¡¯s waist. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. But it won¡¯t be as bad as you think. None of the crazy people from home. Try to have some fun with it! You really never got that chance before. Don¡¯t worry about all the other junk. Nobody knows about the homeschool stuff or the¡­ other stuff, and they won¡¯t unless you tell them. Just go be a normal girl and enjoy yourself for a while. You deserve it. You¡¯ve earned it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready, Akane. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever be.¡±


    Akane kissed her on the temple from behind. ¡°Are you kidding, superstar? There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t handle. I believe in you. You¡¯re smart and pretty and talented and sweet and, well, just everything. You have absolutely, positively got this, love. Besides, it¡¯s just a year, and then you can have whatever you want.¡±


    The redhead turned, blushing as she looked over her girlfriend in her white jeans and pale blue T-shirt. Suddenly, she felt a little awkward about still being in her nightshirt. ¡°What if I already have everything I want? What if I just want to stay here, forever, with you?¡±  She cuddled into Akane¡¯s chest, holding on tight.


    With a smile, Akane kissed the shorter girl¡¯s forehead. ¡°Flattery won¡¯t get you out of this one, babe.¡±


    As Akane released her and scooped some of the rice from the white plastic appliance into a bowl, Ranko walked back into the living room, looking once more with dread over the red-and-white school uniform that hung from the curtain rod.


    Akane squeezed her shoulders from behind. ¡°C¡¯mon, Ranko. It¡¯s getting late. You need to eat and get dressed.¡±


    With a sigh, Ranko nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not nice to interrupt me while I¡¯m procrastinating.¡±

 4. First Period

    Ranko peered around the corner into a long hallway full of silver-colored lockers, as if she was worried there might be a dragon or something waiting for her instead of a few dozen high schoolers going about their first day of school. She could wear something twice as revealing in front of 200 grabby, drunken guys on stage and not flinch, but right now, wearing a red and white girls¡¯ high school uniform and needing to convince a bunch of kids that she belonged in it, she felt positively naked.


    Walking down the hallway, she listened as friends reconnected after the just-ended school break, catching up on family vacations, the latest with their dating lives, and the movies they¡¯d seen recently, but Ranko felt entirely alone amid the din of voices and the bustling slamming of metal locker doors. Clutching the handle of her black school bag in both hands in front of her, her eyes scanned the long corridor for a friendly face. The smell of fresh gray paint still lingered in the air. Even setting foot in a school again after over a year felt surreal ¨C beyond the fact that she was doing it as a girl now, it was almost as if she¡¯d been thrown back into a bizarre alternate version of her own past like in that weird old English TV show Nabiki liked with the old guy and the phone booth.


    Reaching into the pocket of her red skirt, grateful that unlike the Furinkan uniform she narrowly avoided, the Yusue ones even had such conveniences, she pulled out a small yellow printout and refreshed her memory of what room she was supposed to find for her first class. If the ascending numbers on the little brown placards hanging near the ceiling were any indication, she was almost there.


    She slipped into the indicated door, finding a desk in the back corner of the room by the window and taking a seat. Perhaps if she sat quietly enough, no one would notice her. Ideally, until next year sometime. The chalkboard was decorated with colorful hand-drawn flowers and a welcoming note identifying the room as Mrs. Tanaka¡¯s 11th grade English class. The walls were dotted with travel posters from other countries and postcards from far-flung destinations. Closest to Ranko¡¯s desk were a postcard from the Great Pyramids of Giza and a mockup of a street sign for Abbey Road.


    Ranko¡¯s new classmates had largely settled by the time their teacher entered the room, the girls in red pinafore skirts over white blouses with red bows at the collar like Ranko¡¯s, the boys in long-sleeved black shirts and matching slacks. A few of the guys had red jackets to wear over their shirts, but it seemed from the inconsistency of them that it was optional in the uniform code.


    The teacher was a young woman, not likely much older than Ayako, with thin-rimmed glasses and straight brown hair, wearing a yellow business suit that had seen better days. ¡°Hello, everyone,¡± she said in English. ¡°Welcome! We have a lot of new faces from last year. Why don¡¯t we go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves?¡± Ranko wasn¡¯t sure she quite understood everything she said, but as she watched how the other students reacted, she put the instruction together well enough.


    One by one, the students stood, giving their names and a fun fact or two about themselves. I¡¯m not here, you don¡¯t see me, Ranko thought. But, as the last of the other twenty or so other students in the room had finished, the teacher stood on her tiptoes to look across the room at her. ¡°And you, miss, in the corner,¡± she asked in Japanese.


    Ranko stood from the little wooden desk, unable to separate it from the blue plastic chair that was attached with an aluminum bar along the left side. She bit her lip nervously and cringed at the annoying scraping sound the desk made on the linoleum floor. Nearly all of her English speaking came in song form, and while she¡¯d managed to pass the written placement exams to catch up to eleventh grade in all the key subjects, she hadn¡¯t had much practice actually formulating and speaking sentences on the spot. ¡°Uh, Hello. I am Ranko Tendo. I have four sisters. I like to sing.¡±


    The teacher smiled, opening her brown leather briefcase and withdrawing her lesson plan. ¡°Welcome, Miss Tendo. Is that everyone?¡±


    Pulling out their thick green textbooks, the students followed along with Mrs. Tanaka¡¯s lecture, mostly covering transitive verbs. Compared to Japanese, English was just weird. Sure, Japanese had kanji to memorize, but at least you couldn¡¯t mispronounce anything and things followed relatively consistent rules. At least, once the work began, Ranko was able to focus on it and not worry so much about, well, existing.


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    When the bell rang announcing the end of her first class, a girl with short black hair and thick glasses walked over from the desk next to Ranko¡¯s. ¡°You have such pretty handwriting.¡± Ranko blushed; her penmanship had indeed improved quite a bit since becoming a girl full-time, though she wasn¡¯t sure if that was because of her transition, or whether it was that she was actually doing school work on a consistent basis for the first time in quite some time and getting more practice writing.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kumiko,¡± Ranko¡¯s classmate said. ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you.¡±


    Ranko managed a small smile, shaking her head amusedly. She didn¡¯t understand what the point of making everyone introduce themselves was if they were just going to introduce each other again afterward anyway. ¡°Yeah, you too.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you here before. Are you new to Yusae High?¡± The girl fidgeted nervously, and Ranko recognized the nerves in her eyes. Putting yourself out there was hard.


    Ranko nodded. ¡°First day. It¡¯s¡­ a lot.¡±


    WIth a smile, Kumiko nodded. ¡°Makes sense, then. You look scared out of your shoes.¡± She scooped her notebook and textbook into her hand, carefully inserting them into the pink leather messenger bag strapped across the back of her chair.


    Blushing, Ranko looked down at her yellow spiral notebook, having not yet started to pack up her things. ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±


    ¡°Just a little. But you¡¯ll be okay. We don¡¯t bite.¡± Kumiko giggled.


    Ranko gave a little chuckle. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a comfort. And I know, I just¡­ I don¡¯t have any friends or anything here, and it¡¯s just awkward, ya know? I¡¯ve been out of school for a long time and I¡¯m still trying to get used to it again.¡±


    Kumiko offered her a bright smile and her right hand. ¡°Well, you have a friend now, Ranko.¡±


    Ranko took it with a blush, giving it a little shake. ¡°Thanks, Kumiko.¡± She quickly dumped her belongings into her bag and stepped out into the hallway with Kumiko, who almost got knocked over immediately by a group of four guys in matching black uniforms running down the corridor.


    ¡°Damn jocks. They think they own the place, and most of the girls in it, too. I hate those guys,¡± Kumiko said, rolling her eyes. ¡°Between the basketball, baseball and soccer teams, and the cheerleaders and volleyball team on the girls¡¯ side, it¡¯s like this place has its own weird caste system or something.¡±


    Kumiko motioned her head to a tall, muscular guy walking down the hall. From the way the crowd parted for him, Ranko judged he had to be popular, and probably an upperclassman. He was handsome enough, with messy blonde hair and stubble to match. He kind of reminded Ranko of a younger Crash. ¡°That¡¯s Eiji Kanda. Captain of the school basketball team. Keep clear of him, Ranko. He¡¯s a total jerk, and everyone treats him like a king.¡± She spoke with a resentment that made Ranko wonder if she¡¯d ever dated Eiji and had a bad experience, or maybe just fantasized about it and was bitter that her infatuation had been unrequited.


    Ranko nodded, biting her tongue. She wanted to say that she¡¯d known a guy just like that in her last high school. That he¡¯d groped her and her girlfriend both to no end, and made Akane¡¯s life a living hell of daily combat for the right to make it to her first period class before the bell rang. That, a few months ago, she¡¯d almost died beating him in a fight for her own hand in marriage, having gambled it on the duel in order to save her girlfriend from the same cruel fate. She decided it was safer to keep the details to herself.


    ¡°Thanks for the warning, Kumiko.¡± Ranko faked a smile, instantly regretting that she and Akane had decided that Yusae was the better option than the all-girls¡¯ school a few blocks further away. The last thing she needed was some grabby, entitled guy in her life, especially if it was discovered that she was something of a local celebrity. She wondered how the teens would react if they knew she worked in a bar, and thought they could use her to get served alcohol while underage. It would be a shortcut to popularity, but she wouldn¡¯t dare risk Hana¡¯s bar license to get a few more kids sitting at her lunch table.


    A shrill beep from the recess-mounted white speakers of the public address system warned that the ten-minute class change period was half-over. ¡°Hey, Kumiko, do you know where room 119 is? It¡¯s my next class,¡± Ranko asked, looking at her crumpled yellow schedule slip.


    Ranko¡¯s new friend smiled excitedly. ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Nishi¡¯s class! History, right? Mine too! C¡¯mon, I¡¯ll walk you.¡±

 5. Polaroids and Schadenfreude

    ¡°So, just checking ¨C you know I hate you, right?¡±


    Yui giggled, shaking the square piece of celluloid that had just ejected from her camera with a plastic wobbling sound. The loose yellow sleeves of her blouse pillowed as her arm waved the photo, encouraging it to develop faster. ¡°Whatever. Just don¡¯t forget to smile while you do it.¡± She leveled the Polaroid at her sister again.


    ¡°Seriously, Yui.¡± Ranko forced a smile, holding her black school satchel in front of herself as another photo was taken. ¡°This is ridiculous.¡±


    With a smirk, Yui set the developing picture on the bar next to the others. ¡°Hey now, little sister. I gave up eight months of Sundays to get you ready for today. I don¡¯t remember ever saying there wouldn¡¯t be a price to pay.¡±


    Ranko groaned. She was right, she did owe Yui for all the work she put into tutoring her, but this might be a bridge too far. She turned to her side in her school uniform, smiling for yet another photo. ¡°Okay, have you had your fun now? I mean, you¡¯re making me feel like Hoshi over here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Ran-chan, honestly. Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Izumi tittered to herself, grabbing another lemon from the tray she was slicing behind the bar as Yui adjusted the red bow in her sister¡¯s hair and snapped another picture. ¡°Hoshi grew out of this stuff years ago.¡± Yui cackled at her sister¡¯s comment.


    With a playful glare, Ranko picked up a lime and tossed it gently in the direction of the stool on which Izzi was perched, making certain it could do her or her baby no actual harm. ¡°Oh. I see how it is. Okay, well that¡¯s two of you on my list, then. At least mama¡¯s not participating in this shitshow.¡±


    Before her sentence was even fully uttered, Hana emerged through the blue saloon doors, clutching the enormous pink teddy bear that was left onstage for Ranko some time ago under her arm. Ranko had left it in her old apartment upstairs, having had nowhere to put it in her new place. She felt ridiculous admitting it, but she did kind of miss cuddling it sometimes. She loved sleeping next to Akane and wouldn¡¯t trade it for the world, but the bear didn¡¯t snore and its feet were never cold.


    ¡°Oh, come on! Mooooom!¡± Ranko flung her hands to her sides in exasperation.


    Hana smiled, handing it to her. ¡°Aww, play along, Ranko. I didn¡¯t get to do this with any of your sisters, after all.¡±


    Ranko did manage to smile at that. As absurd as she felt -- and she did feel well and truly absurd ¨C she had to admit, she¡¯d missed this in the days since moving out. Just being with her family, being the little sister and the center of attention, joking around and teasing with the girls. For as new as it still was to Ranko, it felt like the kind of family she always saw on TV, where people came to each other with their problems, supported each other, and had fun with each other. It felt so natural, so normal, even though until last year, to Ranko, it had been anything but.


    She hoped Akane was handling the change to move away from her own sisters better than Ranko had. In fairness, Akane¡¯d had almost nineteen years to bond with Nabiki and Kasumi, and Ranko hadn¡¯t even had one with her sisters yet. She wondered if the difference made it easier or harder for Akane than it was for her, but however tight-knit the Tendo girls had been, she doubted any girl on the planet could feel as close to her sisters as Ranko did. At one point or another, in one way or another, all of them had saved her life at least once. Plus, most people just got stuck with the family they were born with, and she knew from first-hand experience that some of them sucked. Ranko had the good fortune of being able to choose hers, or at least, having been chosen by them. She never dreamed of finding a family when she wandered into the bar cold and hungry last November, but whatever gods and good spirits inhabited this world, Ranko thanked them daily that she had.


    Besides, selfish though it may have felt, there was a part of her that did enjoy anything she got to do with Hana that the other girls hadn¡¯t. It made her feel special, like she wasn¡¯t just the latest fixer-upper to roll off of the assembly line. She blushed at the thought ¨C was this what it felt like to have a sibling rivalry? To compete for their mother¡¯s attention? Plus, she felt terrible that Hana hadn¡¯t gotten that experience before, especially given that Ayako actually was her biological daughter, a fact that Ranko was still the only one of the five sisters to know.


    Squeezing the soft pink bear tight around its waist and smiling more earnestly than in the previous shots, Ranko posed for what turned out to be the last slide of film in the camera¡¯s cartridge. Yui waved it in the air, setting the camera down on the polyurethane bar top. ¡°Alright, I suppose we¡¯ve tormented you enough. For now.¡±


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    Ranko sighed with a smile, propping the bear up in a chair at one of the nearby tables. ¡°Thank goodness. I¡¯m gonna go get changed, then.¡±


    Hana smirked, leaning back against the bar counter. ¡°Not so fast, young lady. We still need to hear about everything. How was the day?¡±


    Ranko blushed, fidgeting with her hair with a bit of embarrassment. Family or no, she¡¯d been an adult coworker to these women for months, and it felt like a strange regression to now tell them about her first day at school. ¡°It was¡­ not bad, all things considered.¡± Of course, she wasn¡¯t about to tell them that the whole act of going to school and being a girl at the same time was warping her brain and challenging her confidence in ways she didn¡¯t previously know possible.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Hana tossed the empty vodka bottle from Yui¡¯s well, making a note to grab a replacement from the cabinet in the back. ¡°Make any new friends?¡±


    Smiling, Ranko nodded. ¡°There¡¯s this girl Kumiko, who¡¯s in three of my classes. She¡¯s kind of been showing me around a little bit. Timid as hell, but she¡¯s kind of fun, too, I think.¡±


    A little ¡°awwww¡± escaped Izumi¡¯s lips. ¡°You should bring her by sometime.¡± Ranko nodded in assent.


    ¡°And what about your classes? Do you like your teachers?¡± Yui flushed the soda gun into the steel sink to her left, ensuring the lines were clean.


    ¡°They were okay. My English teacher¡¯s nice enough. History and math are gonna be tough for me, but we kinda knew that going in. My Japanese teacher¡¯s kinda boring, I guess. My science teacher¡¯s a total nutball, doing these weird experiments and stuff in front of the class. Home skills is gonna be¡­ interesting. No chance I¡¯d have been able to do that without all the lessons you gave me in the kitchen, Mama. I¡¯d have burned half the school down.¡± At least whatever she produced would be something approaching edible; back at Furinkan, it was never the bell over the PA system that dismissed home skills class, but the smoke alarm whenever Akane tried to complete her assignments.


    To any of her sisters, this conversation was as normal a part of the first day of school as finding one¡¯s classrooms, but to Ranko, it was surreal to have a family that showed any interest in it whatsoever. She¡¯d never experienced that before. She wondered how much different her past school experience would have been if she hadn¡¯t felt as if she was dealing with it entirely alone. She might have almost given a damn if anyone had given her a reason to think of it as anything other than seven hours a day of involuntary captivity.


    ¡°What about clubs? Sports? Anything catching your eye?¡± Izumi twisted her wrist, spiral-cutting another orange with her paring knife. She giggled a bit, looking down at the oversized pink shirt covering her abdomen and within, the little girl that she and Kaito had conceived on their wedding night. ¡°Hey, you! Settle down in there! That tickles!¡±


    Ranko blushed. ¡°Izzi, you know I don¡¯t have time for that extra stuff! I¡¯ve got classes, the home school thing, plus work, the band, housework. I¡¯m beat as it is.¡± Besides, most of the classes were either based around stuff that didn¡¯t excite her much, like anime, or were gendered. The boys¡¯ clubs wouldn¡¯t have her. As for the girls¡¯ clubs, she didn¡¯t exactly have a lot in common with many of their members. Sports would be risky for the same reason martial arts were; the power of the Full Body Cat¡¯s Tongue had rendered her entirely too fragile to risk most physical pursuits.


    Hana frowned a little, crossing her arms over the Janis Joplin tee shirt she wore. ¡°If you find something that interests you, you should do it, Ranko. You only get this chance once. You¡¯ll have your whole life to work and do dishes. We can figure out the scheduling and stuff between us if we have to.¡±


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°I doubt anything¡¯s gonna catch my eye, but I¡¯ll let you know if I change my mind.¡±


    Yui smirked. ¡°So, anybody make a pass at you yet?¡± She began stacking highball glasses on the back bar behind her.


    ¡°Yui!¡± Ranko blushed furiously, hiding her face in her hands.


    ¡°Well? I know you¡¯re with Akane, you know you¡¯re with Akane, but they don¡¯t, and sometimes it¡¯s fun to get flirted with, after all.¡± The blonde grinned mischievously, pulling another Collins glass out of the dishwasher.


    Ranko shook her head, smiling and rolling her eyes. Her cheeks were still aflame. Yui hadn¡¯t been on a date in the entire time Ranko had known her. Ranko got the sense that she was living vicariously through her youngest sister, especially as she was the only one in the family besides Yui who had an interest in girls. ¡°Sorry to disappoint, but no, no two-timing to report today.¡±


    Ranko looked up at the clock behind Yui¡¯s head nervously. ¡°Now, can I please go get changed and help with prep? We open in 90 minutes!¡±


    Hana shook her head, handing Ranko back her school bag. ¡°Not a chance, missy. You sit your butt down right there, and you don¡¯t touch a single glass in this place until your homework is done. Let us know if you need any help.¡±


    Ranko smiled warmly. Having a family was a pain in the ass sometimes, but damn, it felt good to have people who cared whether or not she succeeded. If rules were the price of that, she was willing to make that trade.


    ¡°Yes, mama.¡±

 6. Follow the Bouncing Ball

    Akane walked down the picturesque sidewalk, her teal backpack slung over her shoulder. The last week-plus had been everything she could have hoped for the start of her collegiate experience. Her professors all seemed nice enough, the campus was gorgeous, and they didn¡¯t even have uniforms. Every sorority and athletic team had tried to recruit her. She was well on the way to establishing herself as ¨C dare she say it ¨C one of the popular girls. She took a deep breath, reveling in the smell of fresh-cut grass and possibility. Everything had been working out better than she could have dreamed.


    She looked down nervously at her cheap digital watch. Akane had told her girlfriend that everything would be fine, tried to reassure her, but deep down, she was worried about Ranko¡¯s first day at school. Ranko could handle herself for sure, but as terrified as she had been, just a few awkward interactions on her first day could have lasting social repercussions for her, and Akane wanted better than that for her this time around.


    Ranma had always been something of a curiosity back at Furinkan High, from his stubborn refusal to wear a school uniform to the bombshell dropping on his first day that he and Akane were engaged. Not to mention, he seemed to get awfully scarce whenever that cute, nameless pig-tailed girl showed up. He¡¯d always shrugged off his social status; back then, Ranma didn¡¯t really care what people thought of him. He played it off as bravado, but Akane had always known the truth; however little some of Ranma¡¯s schoolmates had thought of him, they thought more highly of him than Ranma thought of himself. Ranko, though, had opened herself up to the world. Her very existence was still far too vulnerable, too fragile, to go through that experience again. Akane wished she saw a payphone somewhere so she could check in on her, as she knew Ranko would be at work by now, but she was running late.


    She pulled open the glass double doors, the resonant sound of leather bouncing on rubber in a cavernous space indicating she had found her desired destination. Looking around and not seeing anyone with an air of authority about them, Akane peered in through the inner door. The gymnasium could have fit two of Furinkan¡¯s gym inside it; there was probably seating for ten thousand fans. Dozens of girls, several in the purple-and-blue team uniform but others not, were scattered across the floor, batting white balls back and forth over tall nets. One upperclasswoman in a blue and purple volleyball team uniform sat at a table shuffling papers, and Akane approached her.


    ¡°Um, hi. My name¡¯s Akane Tendo? I¡¯d like to try out for the team. I was team captain in my high school for three years running.¡±


    The girl at the folding table popped a bubble of chewing gum in her mouth contemplatively. ¡°Oh, yeah, Tendo! Fumiko said she met you in chemistry class. Sure, head over there to the first net. Look for jersey number eleven.¡± She pointed off to a volleyball net behind her, where several girls were taking turns bouncing white volleyballs high off their wrists.


    Akane did as the setter instructed, jogging across the gym floor and waving to the girl matching the description she was given. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m here to try out?¡±


    Number eleven, a short girl with a blonde bob cut that reminded Akane of Yui, waved excitedly. ¡°Sure! I¡¯m Asami, by the way. You can set your stuff down over there, and then let¡¯s see what you got!¡±


    Dropping her teal backpack in a pile with the other girls¡¯ belongings, Akane took a vacant spot in the rear, on the left side of the court. No sooner had she selected a position than a ball came flying at her. She clasped her fingers on both hands together, letting it strike her wrists and bounce high into the air. ¡°Coming your way!¡±


    A brunette wearing street clothes and thick glasses on Akane¡¯s side of the net turned too late, and the ball sailed right past her and out of bounds. One of the girls in uniform blew a whistle hanging around her neck. ¡°Sorry, Chiasa, I gotta pull you out. You just can¡¯t miss stuff like that.¡± Chiasa lowered her head, trudging off the court with slumped shoulders and an expression of utter disappointment.


    Akane cringed. The pressure to perform in this environment was a lot higher than her high school team. She tested the grip of her white sneakers on the court surface, watching the ball intently. She didn¡¯t care how hard it was; ¡°lose¡± was not a word in Akane Tendo¡¯s vocabulary.


    For a bit, she played the part of defensive specialist, focusing primarily on keeping the ball from hitting the ground in her territory and setting up her teammates-of-the-moment to strike. On the other end of the net, a girl in a gray tank top bumped the ball to another candidate on her left, who launched it high into the air just a meter or so behind the net. In front of Akane, a redhead in a blue school athletics tee shirt and black shorts ran forward to receive the spike, but her foot made contact with a slick spot on the court and she fell to her backside.


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    Her eyes widening, Akane darted forward, jumping toward the net and easily clearing her fallen teammate. Her opponent, a purple-haired girl with a black sweatshirt and a full mask of freckles,  spiked the ball in Akane¡¯s direction, but Akane was ready for it. Because she was already airborne, she couldn¡¯t dig under the ball for her teammates, so she had to take the shot. With a loud outburst that pretty closely resembled her martial arts kiai, Akane struck the ball in midair, reflecting the spike back at her opponent with even more velocity than it had originally come with. The ball struck the girl¡¯s midsection, and she fell with it to the court. A whistle from the girl wearing number eleven indicated that the point had been scored, and Akane walked up to the net. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡±


    The girl in the black sweatshirt stood, taking a step or two to walk off the shot. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good. Nice move!¡±


    After another twenty minutes of scrimmaging and more drills than Akane could count, she was approached by Fumiko, the girl she¡¯d met in chemistry the day before. The short blonde was all smiles, and the little star on her jersey next to the number four indicated she was the team captain. ¡°Akane, hey! You¡¯ve been looking good out there!¡±


    Akane blushed. ¡°Thanks, Fumiko. I¡¯m really hoping I can make the team. I play a ton of sports, but volleyball¡¯s my favorite.¡±


    With a grin, Fumiko motioned with her neck for Akane to follow her out of earshot of the other candidates. ¡°We¡¯re not officially announcing the full roster until next week, but¡­¡± She giggled. ¡°Practices are Wednesday nights.¡±


    Akane beamed. ¡°I made it? Really?¡±


    Fumiko rolled her eyes and nodded emphatically. ¡°Uh, yeah? You¡¯re freaking awesome, Akane.¡±


    Akane shouldered her bag. ¡°That¡¯s great! Thank you so much! I promise I won¡¯t let you down, Fumiko!¡±


    She headed toward the entrance of the gym, her backpack slung over her right shoulder, walking on clouds. She wished she¡¯d thought to bring a change of clothes, though; she¡¯d been working hard on the court for hours and she was drenched with sweat. She noticed a payphone in the lobby area of the gym and reached for a coin, but then took her hand out of her pocket. It would be better to tell Ranko in person, especially if her girlfriend hadn¡¯t had as good of a day as Akane had.


    Stopping at a waist-high water fountain to refresh herself, Akane paused at the sound of arguing coming around the corner. As the outer ring of rooms around the main gymnasium was nothing but bare white cinder block walls, the sound carried with an almost eerie echo.


    Swallowing the last of her water and wiping her chin, Akane crept a little closer to the sound. It sounded like someone might be in trouble. As she rounded the corner, she saw three girls, all in the volleyball team uniform, engaged in a dispute about something. Two of them blocked the entryway into the gym as if to deny passage to the third.


    The short, green-haired girl wearing number fourteen stomped her foot. ¡°Come on, you guys! I¡¯ve been on the team for two years now! Why are you doing this to me?¡±


    Number thirteen, whoever the brunette was, crossed her arms in the doorway. ¡°Look, Nanami, the team has already decided. It¡¯s just not gonna work, okay?¡±


    The girl with the green hair stomped her foot. ¡°But I was our second-leading scorer last year! I don¡¯t get it. Why are you doing this?!¡±


    The other girl in the doorway, wearing number one, scoffed. ¡°You want the truth, Nanami? Fine. You¡¯re a fucking weirdo, okay? Everybody saw you making out with Mitsuru at the sorority party last month. You can deny it all you want, but we know. And the rest of us, well, we don¡¯t wanna be taking showers and getting dressed with some freakazoid checking us out. You can find naked girls to stare at somewhere else.¡±


    Nanami growled, the sound reverberating through the concrete corridor. ¡°Really?! Because of a kiss?! Two years I was in that locker room with you, and I didn¡¯t touch you once! Didn¡¯t even look at you once, Reiko! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m attracted to every girl I see! Be reasonable!¡±


    Reiko, the taller girl, wearing jersey number one and sporting deep purple hair to match it, shrugged. ¡°The decision¡¯s final, Nanami.¡±


    With a frustrated groan, Nanami picked up her blue duffel bag. ¡°Like I would look at you anyway. Fucking horse-faced bitch.¡± She turned and stomped out of the glass door to the outside.

 7. What a Girl Needs

    Akane turned the key in the lock outside her little apartment, sighing quietly. Nearly everything about college was better than her high school experience, but night classes were for the birds. At least she didn¡¯t have much homework tonight. The first few days of class had been murder with assigned reading and getting things started for the year, plus there¡¯d been a lot of social things around campus she had been expected to do after the volleyball roster was formally announced, but things were finally starting to settle down and she was glad of the respite.


    She hoped Ranko had gotten off easy too; the poor thing had been killing herself between the bar, school, homework, housework, gigs outside the Phoenix with her band on occasion, and then also taking extra coursework through the agency that had helped her catch up to eleventh grade in most of her subjects. If she stayed on top of it and absolutely nothing went wrong, she had a razor-thin chance to catch up enough to graduate in one year, and Ranko was determined not to spend one more second in a girls¡¯ school uniform than she had to. Akane had suggested she slow down, take a few more classes after the school year ended, and free herself up some time to breathe once in a while, but Ranko wouldn¡¯t hear of it. If there was one thing she retained from her time as Ranma, it was her stubbornness.


    The cramped apartment was filled with a cacophony of insistent electrical beeping, as if everything in the place with a power cord was screaming for attention at once. Dropping her backpack on the little white dining table near the door, Akane walked first into the kitchen, switching off the burner under a large pot and lifting the lid. Even she, with her utter lack of culinary prowess, could tell that the pork was badly overdone. Leaving the pot lid off to vent some of the burning smell and turning off the timer on the stove, she walked next to the open closet door branching off from the bathroom, where their compact vertical washer and dryer were stacked. Both machines were flashing lights and chirping merrily, indicating that they were also finished with their tasks, and Akane pushed the cancel button on each to silence them. It wasn¡¯t like Ranko to let things go like this. This was starting to get weird.


    ¡°Hey, Ran-chan? You home, hon?¡±


    Akane nudged the slightly-ajar bedroom door open, hearing the sound of muffled music from within. She couldn¡¯t help smiling at the scene. She found her girlfriend nestled on the bed, piles of clean and half-folded laundry surrounding her. She wore her lavender sundress and a white floral half-apron. She never expected Ranko would actually wear that thing; Akane had bought it for her as a joke after Ranko had insisted she¡¯d handle the cooking in order to keep them both out of the hospital. Her hair was in the mussed remnants of a ponytail, and the headphones of her Walkman dangled loosely around her neck, still quietly emitting the last track of a Michael Jackson tape. A splayed-out English textbook and a yellow spiral notebook rested on her ankles, but Ranko herself was slumped over to her right on a pile of clean mismatched towels, quietly snoring.


    Akane smiled sweetly and carefully picked up the textbook, closing it and setting it on the desk against the far wall. As she reached for the stop button on the cassette player, Ranko stirred. ¡°Mmn? Akane? Oh, hey. How was your day? Dinner should be¡­ shit, what time is it?!¡± She rocketed up in the bed, adrenaline doing what no amount of caffeine could have for her awareness.


    Akane laughed. ¡°Easy, you. I¡¯m afraid dinner is a loss, but we¡¯ll figure something else out. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Ranko sighed, slumping back against the headboard distraughtly. ¡°Damn it! I¡¯m really sorry, Akane.¡± She shook her head, admonishing herself for her mistake.


    Akane sat on the edge of the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself! I know you¡¯re exhausted. You don¡¯t have to do everything around here, you know.¡± She reached for a towel to fold.


    ¡°Leave that. I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Ranko said, her voice hollow with disillusionment. She sat up and started to swivel her legs off the bed to stand, but Akane rested her hand on her thigh.


    ¡°Hey. I mean it. You¡¯re gonna run yourself ragged at this rate. Why are you so stressed about this stuff? I mean, school and work, I get all that, but, honestly, I could have done a load of laundry before practice tomorrow or something.¡±


    Ranko sighed, looking out the window to avert her eyes. ¡°How was your day?¡±


    Akane rolled her eyes, pursing her lips. ¡°Fine, but you¡¯re changing the subject.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t get it. Don¡¯t worry about it, Akane.¡± Ranko sat back, resting her back on the headboard and starting to straighten one of the towels that had come partway unfolded under her shoulder as she slept, looking for anything for her eyes to focus on except her girlfriend¡¯s face.


    Akane smiled reassuringly, reaching forward and tucking a wisp of Ranko¡¯s hair, which had largely escaped the black elastic that had once corralled it into a ponytail, behind her ear. ¡°Hey. Talk to me.¡±


    With another heavy sigh, Ranko tossed the crumpled towel to the bed beside her. ¡°I just¡­ I wanted everything to be perfect, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Chuckling softly, Akane patted her girlfriend¡¯s thigh. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that seems just a little unrealistic? I mean, I think things are going great. No complaints here!¡± She hopefully flashed an exaggerated grin.


    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± Ranko rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a frown and closing the notebook containing her English notes, another lock of hair flopping into her face.


    With a disarming smile, Akane leaned forward over Ranko¡¯s legs, brushed the curtain of hair aside with the backs of her fingers, and kissed her cheek. She couldn¡¯t get over just how cute Ranko had become. Even on days where she was an absolute mess. Most girls had to work to be cute, but for this unique creature that was always a spilled cup of tea from being a boy again, when she missed the mark, it was somehow all the more endearing.


    ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯m not going anywhere until I do.¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ I owe you better, is all.¡± Ranko shook her head in quiet exasperation. That wasn¡¯t really how she meant for it to come out, but she was still half-awake and wasn¡¯t feeling particularly articulate at the moment.


    Akane frowned a little, sitting up. Clearly, whatever this was, it was bothering Ranko more than she had originally thought. ¡°Why would you say that? You don¡¯t owe me anything, Ranko.¡±


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    Ranko nodded. ¡°Yes I do. More than I can ever give you.¡± There was a sadness, almost a remorse, in her voice that was beginning to worry Akane.


    Frowning slightly more, Akane stroked the untamed red mane still surrounding her beloved¡¯s face. ¡°If I am making you feel that way, I don¡¯t mean to, and I¡¯m sorry. I think you¡¯re doing great, Ran-chan. I mean it. You¡¯re amazing.¡±


    Ranko looked down. ¡°It¡¯s not about what I am. It¡¯s about what I¡¯m not.¡±


    Akane sat up, looking the redhead over with a mien of concern. She did not like this self-deprecating air coming from Ranko one bit. ¡°Ranko, you¡¯re scaring me. What do you think you could possibly be that I would rather have than you?¡±


    Ranko mumbled something under her breath, fidgeting with her hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Akane leaned closer.


    ¡°A guy.¡± Ranko sighed dejectedly.


    Akane shook her head sadly, reaching out and resting her hand on Ranko¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh, sweetheart, you don¡¯t have to¡­ I thought we were past this.¡±


    Ranko let her head fall back until it hit the white wooden headboard with a hollow bonk. ¡°I know. I just, I know how you dreamed about getting married, and everything being all great and perfect with your white wedding and your picket fence and your two-point-five kids and all that. Like what Izzi and Kaito had. You used to talk to Kasumi about it all the time. I¡¯m taking that away from you. Since we¡¯ve been living together, it just feels so much more real that this is¡­ that I¡¯m¡­  what you¡¯re stuck with instead. And like, just being here, even. You could have stayed at home with your family and had no worries at all, and instead you¡¯re here, broke as a joke, just ¡®cause I am. I love you to death and I¡¯m so grateful you¡¯re here with me. I just hate how much you have to sacrifice to be with me, is all.¡±


    Akane frowned, resting her hand comfortingly on the back of Ranko¡¯s. ¡°Is that what all this is about? Is that really what you think is important to me? Oh, Ranko, honey, no. All girls dream like that when they¡¯re little.¡± Akane cringed to herself as the words left her lips, realizing too late that she was speaking to a girl who hadn¡¯t. ¡°Like I told you months ago, none of that matters to me now. I want you. All that other stuff is great and nice, but I wouldn¡¯t trade being with you for it in a million years.¡±


    Ranko shook her head, fingering the silver dragon on her wrist that concealed the physical evidence of the worst defeat she¡¯d ever suffered. She knew Akane couldn¡¯t understand how guilty she felt for being happy, and knowing that her happiness came at a price Akane would pay every day they were together.


    Ranko sighed and tossed another towel aside despondently. ¡°I guess what I¡¯m trying to say is, if I can¡¯t ever be the boyfriend or husband you dreamed of, I wanna try and make it up to you and at least be the best wife I can, ya know?¡± The word felt foreign and uncomfortable on her tongue, and she blushed a little at the thought. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ll never be Kasumi, but¡­ I wanna take care of you. I¡¯m trying as hard as I can, Akane, I swear.  I just hate that you have to settle for less to be with me, and I really am sorry. I¡¯m gonna do my best to be worth it, I promise.¡±


    Akane pursed her lips, looking sincerely into her girlfriend¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ranko, I don¡¯t ever want you to apologize for who you are, ever again. Not to me, not to anyone. Even if I had all the magic and all the money in the world, I wouldn¡¯t change a single thing about you. You¡¯re everything I could ever want and more, just like you are. I love you so much, Ranko Tendo, and I¡¯m so proud of you.¡± She smiled sweetly at the reminder that Ranko had taken her name. Now that they were living together, it felt even more like they were a family.


    ¡°Besides¡­¡± Akane grinned mischievously, hoping to lighten the mood. ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be grateful. Think of all the hot, rich guys lined up around the bar every night who would love to date a cute little starlet like you, and you break all their hearts to stay with little ol¡¯ me.¡± She did her best to put on a cute, doe-eyed face, despite the effect being betrayed by her gray athletics tee shirt and denim shorts.


    Ranko¡¯s face flushed furiously, but she managed a coy little smile, playfully tossing a green dish towel at Akane¡¯s face. ¡°Their loss, I guess.¡±


    It broke Akane¡¯s heart just how incredible the young woman in her bed was, how much she¡¯d fought through to get to where she was right now, and how little she thought of herself in spite of it. She was kind, she was beautiful, she was considerate, and she was loyal. She was driven and she was fierce. Sure, she was a she, but all the things Akane had dreamed of in a partner, a companion? She had those qualities in abundance, and more besides. The last thing she deserved was to feel guilt for having made so many strides toward becoming the person she wanted to be. A person that Akane liked quite a bit better than the boy Ranko had once been, to boot. She had dragged herself out of the ruins of her old life to find some measure of happiness against all odds, and that was a feat to be celebrated, not regretted.


    It wasn¡¯t Ranko that owed her anything, she realized. This fragile girl was not the brash, egotistical jerk that had once inhabited the rearranged collection of cells that now sat before her, and it was long past time for her to stop living a full-time apology for the person Ranma Saotome had been a lifetime ago, or for having left him behind. This was a girl, a woman, who had given anything and everything she had for Akane for nearly a year, who had nearly given her very life for her twice in that span, and Akane had rewarded her with distance and trepidation. With fear. No, it was Akane who owed Ranko. She owed the young woman with whom she shared her life far more than she¡¯d allowed herself to give, based solely on the fact that the person who held her heart in their hands often did so with painted fingernails. In that moment, she felt no better than those mean girls that had kicked Nanami off the volleyball team.


    At least that, though, Akane could decide to change for her.


    As Ranko opened her mouth to say something else, Akane scooted a little further down the bed, toward Ranko¡¯s feet, ever so gently sliding her fingers down Ranko¡¯s right leg as she moved. It was the barest whisper of a touch, and Akane wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d have even felt it on her own skin, but she knew it was absolute torture for the girl with the curse of the Full-Body Cat¡¯s Tongue. That was precisely the point.


    Ranko shivered, biting her lip, and whatever she was about to say was lost to a quiet whimper. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s¡­ not fair, you know, shutting me up like that.¡±


    ¡°Who said anything about shutting you up?¡± Akane flashed her a wolfish grin. Gods, she was in love with that girl. What a fool she¡¯d been for letting Ranko doubt it for a second.


    ¡°Then, what would you call it?¡± Ranko looked down at her with a genuine curiosity.


    Akane leaned over, blowing gently on the exposed skin of Ranko¡¯s leg, and smiled with satisfaction as her girlfriend¡¯s breath caught in her throat and every fine little hair on her leg stood at attention. ¡°Saying I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, but you already said that. And that t¡­ tickles!¡± Ranko blushed, still squirming under Akane¡¯s attention. A little giggle broke its way through her melancholy.


    Akane reached up, lifting the white floral apron until it rested on Ranko¡¯s abdomen above her waistline. She smiled lovingly into the redhead¡¯s eyes as Ranko blinked, her eyes wide, trying to process what was happening to her. With two fingers, Akane gently pinched the hem of Ranko¡¯s lacy lavender sundress, sliding that agonizingly slowly up her lover¡¯s body as well, making sure she let it torment every millimeter of goosebump-dotted skin it traversed along its path.


    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s about time I said it another way, don¡¯t you?¡±

 8. Afterglow

    Ranko slipped out of bed, smiling at her still-sleeping girlfriend. When her bare feet touched the floor, her legs nearly buckled from exhaustion, causing a deep blush that no one saw in the pre-dawn still of their tiny second-story apartment. Akane had certainly taken her time getting comfortable with taking their relationship to a physical level, but once she had, she had been thorough.


    Back before the Cat¡¯s Tongue, she had never really had much curiosity about the new form bestowed to her by the Spring of Drowned Girl. Mostly, she had been too disgusted by it to be interested in exploring its intricacies. A part of her had secretly dreaded liking it all along, though she¡¯d never have admitted that to another living soul. It made her feel dirty to even consider it, especially since the incident with Mikado. Not long after that, the matriarch of the Amazon tribe had turned all of her nerves up to twenty-six on a scale of one to ten, though, and Ranko began to actively fear her feminine anatomy. Just an accidental brush in the right place was enough to nearly bring her to her knees and short-circuit her brain. She¡¯d long considered it a weakness to be kept secret and guarded against at all costs.


    Akane had confirmed that weakness beyond the shadow of a doubt, and exploited it. Blissfully. Enthusiastically. Repeatedly. She hadn¡¯t even given Ranko a chance to reciprocate her affections. Every time she¡¯d tried, Akane snatched away her mind and broke her resolve with the simplest touch, rendering her entirely helpless again. It was terrifying at first, the sensation that the whole of her nervous system was about to explode and being utterly powerless to stop it. Each time, the shockwaves thundering through her very being would only just barely start to subside before it started happening all over again. She had quickly lost count of the number of times she died and was brought back to life in her bedroom last night, but it certainly explained why she felt a little like a zombie now. She felt like she could crawl back into bed and not move for a month. Longer, if Akane were in it with her.


    The whole of the night was a blur, as if time had simultaneously sped up and stood still. Every second had felt like an eternity she never wanted to leave. However long the moment had lasted, nothing else had mattered while it did. She would need to come up with an excuse for why her math homework wasn¡¯t finished. The towels on the bed were definitely going to need to be washed again. She didn¡¯t even recall falling asleep, and thought that perhaps she¡¯d just blacked out at some point.


    Padding gingerly out into the kitchen to begin her day, Ranko beamed again. On the tiny little dining table she shared with her favorite tormentor rested a small cardboard box of assorted pastries from the little bakery around the corner, the one Ranko usually stopped at on her way to practice with her band when she walked there from the Phoenix. On the lid was scrawled a note in black marker: Don¡¯t worry about breakfast. Love you. A single, long-stemmed white rose lay unwrapped atop the cellophane window showcasing the baked goods within. Akane must have slipped out for them surreptitiously at some point after Ranko had fallen asleep. That said, Ranko was relatively certain that Godzilla could have destroyed half of Tokyo outside her bedroom window last night, and she would not have noticed a thing.


    She picked up the rose, brushing her nose delicately with it and smelling it with a blush and a smile. Even with all the admirers ¨C and dare she say, fans ¨C who had offered them at the Phoenix, it still felt so strange to receive flowers as a gift. It was such a silly girl thing. You couldn¡¯t do anything with them; they¡¯d just sit there until they died in a couple of days and you had to throw them out. It always seemed wasteful and impractical. Might as well give a girl a pickle; at least she could eat it. But now, this morning, she felt pretty, and loved, and not at all ashamed of being a silly girl who could smile silly smiles at silly girl things like flowers. Akane had called her that a lot last night. My silly girl. Just then, Ranko couldn¡¯t think of anything in the great vastness of the cosmos that she¡¯d rather be.


    No fancy dress Izumi had ever stuffed her in, nor compliment or catcall she¡¯d ever heard on stage, had ever come close to making her feel as feminine and beautiful as she did at that moment, holding the pale and fragile token of Akane¡¯s love, wearing nothing but a silver bracelet and a contented smile, her hair still matted from a long, fitful night. She dragged the petals of the rose across her bare forearm softly, closing her eyes and reminiscing of Akane¡¯s touch with a little shudder, sighing happily.


    She¡¯d always expected that if she ever allowed herself to experience physical pleasure as a girl, she would feel disgusting. Perverted. Wrong. Broken. Ashamed. Tainted. Despoiled. She felt none of those things now. What she did feel was a sense of serenity, as if Akane¡¯s assertion over her had superseded all of her other thoughts and worries and rendered them meaningless for a moment, insignificant trifles next to the sheer magnitude of her joy at being with Akane in heart, in mind, and now, at long last, in body. Her silly girl. Always. The thought filled every corner and cranny of her soul with a warm, soft glow, and she wanted to curl up in it and bask in its radiance forever.


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    She walked over to the couch, tucking the flower carefully into the slightly-open main compartment of Akane¡¯s teal backpack and zipping it closed. She hoped that Akane would discover it when she got to her first class, and understand its meaning. I love you too, silly girl, she thought to herself.


    As quietly as she could, Ranko crept into the bathroom and started the shower. Akane¡¯s thoughtful gesture with breakfast had spared her enough time to get cleaned up before school, and she was quite grateful for it after the previous night¡¯s activities. After checking carefully to make sure the water was a safe temperature, she stepped into the garish yellow combination bathtub and shower stall, biting her wrist gently to keep from yelping and waking Akane when the cold water struck her skin.


    She toweled off softly and slipped into her school uniform. With her every nerve still deliriously pleading for more of the enthralling effervescence that had caused her to need the bath in the first place, the act of washing herself had been an adventure, to say the least. Every cell of her skin cried out at her individually as the fabric slid into place, and her whole body radiated with a sort of background hum, like the physical equivalent of a calming white noise that was warm and good. All of the efforts she had undertaken to train her mind not to focus on the incessantly overwhelming sensory input the Full Body Cat¡¯s Tongue inflicted had been entirely, gloriously overpowered, and it was going to take her some time to get it back under control.


    Using the mirror mounted above the chest of drawers, Ranko tied her hair back in a ponytail with a red ribbon that matched the pinafore of her uniform. She beamed adoringly at the sleeping Akane over her shoulder in the mirror. It had never necessarily been the case that she had needed a physical aspect to the relationship to be happy with her, but she blushed at herself in the mirror with the realization that, now that she knew how mind-shatteringly incredible it could actually be, that might no longer be true.


    Still, she had always had a lingering worry in the back of her mind that as long as Akane was unwilling to take that step with her, their relationship was in some measure of jeopardy. At any point, Akane could have decided that she needed intimacy, and sought it from a more traditional partner. Those worries were gone from her mind now. All of the doubts she had, erased. How could she dispute that Akane wanted her, after she¡¯d so emphatically, so rapturously laid claim to her?


    Before last night, Ranko had always feared that Akane still considered some part of her to be damaged, as if she were something unclean that Akane couldn¡¯t bring herself to touch. Ranko had not doubted in some time that Akane loved her heart, and she¡¯d never had a shortage of people interested in her feminine body, but now, for the first time in her young life, she felt desirable as a complete person. She felt whole, as if Akane had taken her apart ever so gently, repaired something deep down inside her that was broken, and then spent all night lovingly rebuilding her one sublime moment at a time.


    With a smile at the little glass heart-shaped frame on her dresser that held the Polaroid they took together on their first day in the new apartment, Ranko made her way back into the main room of the tiny domicile. Her stomach growling, reminding her that she and her partner had never gotten around to replacing the dinner she burned nor cleaning up after it, she grabbed a glazed doughnut from the box on the table and scooped the strap of her black leather school bag onto her shoulder. She turned the doorknob slowly and slipped out the front door, careful to make as little noise as possible. Akane¡¯s first class wasn¡¯t until noon today, so there was no reason not to let her sleep in. She¡¯d had a long night too, after all.


    As she closed the apartment door behind herself and locked it with her key, she caught a glimpse of the grandfatherly man who lived in the apartment next door, collecting his morning newspaper in the corridor in a moss-green robe. She blushed bright red, giving him a small, sheepish wave with the hand that still held her confectionary breakfast. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Gao,¡± she squeaked mousily. Ranko scooted down the grayish-green hallway as quickly as she could without running, trying to avoid eye contact with the man. She hadn¡¯t formally met her new neighbor previously, but she had overheard him introduce himself to Akane the night before, the first of three times he¡¯d knocked on their door to complain about the noises coming from their bedroom. Ranko knew the polite thing would be to apologize to the old man, but if she were being honest with herself, she knew she wasn¡¯t remotely sorry for a thing that had taken place. She prayed Akane wasn¡¯t, either.


    Ranko slipped on the headphones attached to her Walkman and pressed play, singing along with it as she headed in the direction of her high school. It felt surreal and strange, walking down the sidewalk when she wasn¡¯t entirely sure if her feet were even still on the ground.


    ¡°Ooh, baby, do you know what that¡¯s worth? Ooh, heaven is a place on earth¡­¡±

 9. The Empty Locker

    Akane walked into the womens¡¯ volleyball locker room, looking around at her new surroundings. It was a small room, as it needed to accommodate only eighteen girls in total. There was a center wall bearing two banks of nine blue steel lockers each on each side, with long pine benches running along each side of the room between the lockers and the outer walls for changing shoes and such. Six shower stalls with wooden dividers painted in a dark pewter dominated the back wall. The cartoonish blue sorcerer that was the logo for their college and its mascot, the Mystics, was painted in a large purple circle on the floor at the entrance to the room. The place smelled of equal parts sweat, and the industrial cleaner that hadn¡¯t quite succeeded at getting rid of the sweat.


    As she took in her surroundings, Fumiko and another of her teammates she¡¯d not yet met walked in, both already dressed in their purple practice shorts and blue practice tee shirts bearing their last names and jersey numbers in large white vinyl lettering. ¡°Oh, hey, Akane!¡± Fumiko smiled. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s officially official! Welcome to the team! This is Haruki Oshima, our serving specialist.¡± Fumiko gestured to the redhead with the pixie cut to her immediate left, wearing number six.


    Akane gave a wave and a smile. ¡°Thanks so much! I guess I¡¯ll get settled in?¡± She lifted her gym bag for emphasis, looking around the room.


    Fumiko nodded. ¡°Sure thing! Your uniform and stuff is on the bench over there.¡± Fumiko pointed to a small pile of folded clothing on the pine bench on the far side, opposite an empty locker that was standing ajar, and Akane made her way to it, setting her bag down on the bench.


    There she found three sets of shirts and shorts: a purple set for home games and a blue set for away, and then a blue tee shirt with a pair of cotton purple shorts for practices. All bore the name TENDO and the number three. The captain¡¯s star would come soon enough, once Fumiko graduated, Akane committed to herself.


    She opened her blue duffel bag, beginning to fill her locker with deodorant, an extra change of clothes, and her shower gear, as well as a black wrist brace for the arm that Ryoga had nearly broken a few months ago. She¡¯d escaped serious injury then, but it still hurt from time to time, and Akane felt it better to protect it and spare herself further damage that could hurt her team down the line.


    Reiko, another of her teammates, stepped over the bench and sat down a half-meter away, starting to change her shoes. ¡°Hey, new girl! What¡¯s shakin¡¯?¡±


    Akane blushed, turning from her locker. ¡°Oh, hello. My name¡¯s Akane Tendo.¡± The girl looked familiar. ¡°New outside hitter. Good to meet you!¡±


    Reiko nodded, beginning to pull her purple-tinged hair back into a ponytail. ¡°Yeah, same to you,  Akane. Reiko Araki. Lookin¡¯ forward to playing with you. We¡¯ve heard good things from Fumiko, and a good chunk of the team¡¯s gonna be graduating this year, so we needed to get some younger blood on the roster.¡± She wore the number one. Always a good warning sign of a diva attitude, Akane thought with a smirk.


    ¡°I hope I don¡¯t let you down!¡± Akane pulled off her yellow tee shirt, bending down in her bra and skirt and grabbing her blue practice shirt and slipping it over her head. As she did, she overheard Reiko start a new conversation with the girl to her left.


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    ¡°Damn! Saki, girl, you look like hell.¡±


    Another of Akane¡¯s new teammates, who she could only assume was the aforementioned Saki, laughed off to Reiko¡¯s other side. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me. Satoshi kept me out all night at his party.¡± She shrugged dismissively with a little smirk and slightly bloodshot eyes, taking another sip from the paper coffee cup in her hand.


    Reiko shook her head, laughing. ¡°Yeah, but you can¡¯t be showing up to practice all hung over and stuff! Coach is gonna be pissed!¡±


    Saki waved her teammate off, popping her locker open. ¡°Look, you do what you do with Sadao, and me and Satoshi¡¯ll do our thing. I promise, a little bit of a headache isn¡¯t gonna keep me from kicking your ass in scrimmage today.¡± She peeled her gray tanktop off and threw it in the bottom of her locker, reaching for the blue practice shirt reading SHIRAISHI above the number thirteen that hung within.


    Akane blushed quietly to herself. She was also pretty tired from her activities last night, but she imagined it was nothing compared to what poor Ranko was probably enduring. Akane had been so nervous to try anything physical with her, and she hoped that Ranko really had understood that she just needed time to get used to the idea, and wasn¡¯t just saying so to deflect from some deeper concern.


    Akane shivered a little just thinking of how completely, gloriously, ethereally the girl she loved had fallen under her control, and she regretted having not made her move months ago. The indomitable warrior, with a heart of steel and a spine to match, had become putty in her hands in a matter of seconds. Akane marveled at the amount of trust Ranko must have placed in her, given how utterly and instantly she¡¯d allowed Akane to incapacitate her. If she¡¯d had Shampoo¡¯s phone number last night, Akane just might have called her and asked for the exact location of the Full-Body Cat¡¯s Tongue pressure point. She had to admit, from the outside looking in, it looked pretty damned appealing.


    So lost was she in her provocative daydream that she didn¡¯t realize she was being spoken to until she heard her name.


    ¡°Hey, Akane, you gonna finish getting dressed or what?¡± Reiko tapped her foot on the floor, smirking.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry!¡± Blushing both at having held up the team, and about the nature of the thoughts Reiko had interrupted, Akane slipped her purple practice shorts up her legs under the white pleated skirt she was wearing, before pulling the skirt itself off and folding it.


    Fumiko walked by, giggling with Saki about whatever she and her boyfriend had gotten up to. Reiko laughed, turning to Akane as they passed. ¡°So, what about you? I know you¡¯re new to the school. Are you seeing anybody yet, Akane?¡±


    Akane laid her folded skirt on the top shelf in her locker. She opened her mouth to answer, to tell them all about the incomparable woman she had moved in with. The beautiful local singer and songwriter with thousands of fans lining up around the block to see her every night. The exquisite creature she¡¯d just made love to for the first time not eighteen hours ago. As she did, she swung the door of the locker closed. The steel door rattled in place with a loud bang. The little gray engraved nameplate on the door still identified the locker as belonging to its previous occupant, one Nanami Ikehara, number fourteen.


    Nanami. The upperclasswoman that she¡¯d watched get kicked off the team for the crime of being in love with a girl. That was where she recognized Reiko and Saki from.


    Akane swallowed hard, hooking the shaft of her combination padlock into the twin metallic loops on the door and clicking it shut with a sigh.


    ¡°Not yet, no.¡±

 10. For the Record

    Ranko bounced gleefully between the tables in her favorite sparkly silver dress, giggling with her customers and dispensing drinks. She moved with more energy than the staff at the Phoenix had seen out of her in weeks. She¡¯d been burning the candle at both ends and microwaving it in the middle since the school year had started, and most days only the adrenaline of physically being on stage could perk her up. Hana had been considering cutting her work hours back for a while now; she couldn¡¯t stand how hard her youngest charge was pushing herself. She was incredibly proud of Ranko, but the pace the kid was keeping just wasn¡¯t sustainable at her young age.


    Crash and the rest of the band wouldn¡¯t be in for a bit yet, so Ranko¡¯s evening thus far had been largely constrained to cover songs from the karaoke machine and table service duties. Still, there was an unmistakable, exultant joy about her as she spun and weaved her way between the tables of her little domain.


    Hana smirked, bringing two fresh bottles of orange juice to replenish Yui¡¯s supply. She motioned to Ranko, singing to herself as she flitted between tables balancing plates on each arm. ¡°Gods, Yui, how much Red Bull did you give that kid?¡± She nestled the plastic jugs into the steel bin of ice ust below Yui¡¯s waist.


    The blonde bartender laughed, leaning back on the counter. ¡°I only know of one thing that puts a look like that on a girl¡¯s face, mama, and it ain¡¯t caffeine.¡±


    With that, Yui had accomplished something she previously thought unachievable ¨C she had made her boss and adoptive mother blush. ¡°Huh? Wait¡­ you don¡¯t think¡­¡±


    Yui nodded with a devious grin, affecting a mock dismay in her voice. ¡°Mama, I think our little girl¡¯s all grown up!¡± She laughed, leaning sideways into Hana¡¯s shoulder. ¡°500 yen says she and Akane can barely look at each other tonight. And it¡¯s about damn time, too. I don¡¯t know that I could have waited that long in Ranko¡¯s shoes.¡±


    Hana snickered. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re on!¡± Even as the bar¡¯s matriarch accepted the bet, privately, she hoped she¡¯d lose it. She and her youngest daughter had spoken many times in the past few months about Ranko¡¯s worries as it pertained to Akane, and now that the couple were living together, it was even more imperative to Hana to see the two happy and communicating well with each other. She¡¯d made it a point to leave the little apartment upstairs untouched for a while, just in case there was trouble in paradise and Ranko needed somewhere to escape to.


    Ranko buzzed by the bar top, scooping up three frozen cocktails with a curious and somewhat accusatory smirk on her face. ¡°Okay, what are you two cackling about back there?¡±


    Yui raised her hands innocently. ¡°Oh, nothing! Nothing at all. Carry on, little sister!¡± Hana couldn¡¯t keep a straight face, busting out laughing to the blonde¡¯s immediate left. Ranko spoke no words, but the radiant red color of her face as she shook her head had already all but confirmed Yui¡¯s suspicion.


    Mei popped out of the kitchen with a basket of onion rings, wearing a blue crushed velvet shirt under a black denim jumper. She handed the basket to Izumi at the secondary bar to pass back to a customer who was waiting for them. The little stool behind the service bar and dishwasher area had been Izumi¡¯s fairly constant station the last few weeks as her pregnancy advanced, and given the toll it was taking on her, Mei doubted she¡¯d be able to maintain that much longer either. She giggled, wondering idly if between Izumi¡¯s maternity, Mei¡¯s own class schedule in her fourth year of college, and Ranko¡¯s extra course load, the search would soon begin for a seventh member of the Phoenix staff to pick up the slack.


    ¡°Oh, Mei?¡± Hana turned to her as her blue-haired daughter began pushing her way back through the swinging door to the kitchen. ¡°A letter came for you today. I didn¡¯t open it; it¡¯s on my desk. I¡¯m sorry; I forgot to tell you.¡±


    Mei gasped excitedly. ¡°Really?! Omigods!¡± She quickly slammed through the blue saloon door, making a beeline for the closed office door on her right.


    Hana shrugged. ¡°Apparently everybody¡¯s got something interesting going on these days except me.¡±


    Yui laughed, handing a smoking orange Dragonfire cocktail across the bar to a young female reveler. ¡°Well, at least Izzi¡¯s is showing, so we don¡¯t have to guess there.¡± As she spoke, a loud squeal came from the back room. ¡°What the¡­?¡±


    Yui looked over her shoulder at the saloon door. She heard Mei¡¯s voice call back from Hana¡¯s office. ¡°YUI! Get in here, quick!¡±


    Shrugging, Yui looked up to the proprietress. ¡°Apparently, I am the Sister Whisperer today. You mind, mama?¡±


    Hana smirked, deftly spinning a steel cocktail shaker into her hands. ¡°I think I still remember my way around back here. Get going. Sounds important.¡±


    Yui walked behind the doors, making a quick right into Hana¡¯s eternally-cluttered office, where her sister was bouncing on her heels with as much energy as Ranko had been before, her electric blue pigtails bouncing this way and that behind her. ¡°Okay, what the heck is going on in here, Mei?¡±


    ¡°Shut the door, quick!¡± Mei waved a sheet of paper in front of her sister, who complied with her request.


    ¡°Mei, honey? Deep breath. What¡¯s all this about?¡±


    Mei handed her the paper, and watched Yui¡¯s eyes with an animated intent as they traversed from one paragraph to the next, widening as they came to terms with what the elder girl was reading. Mei waited, her whole being buzzing, waiting for her sister to get to the end of the third paragraph.


    When she did, Yui gasped and reached out, hugging her sister excitedly. ¡°Mei, my gods! Did you do this?! When?! How?! How are you even going to tell her?¡±


    The younger girl grinned proudly, nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything after the cat¡¯s out of the bag. Just let me know when you-know-who gets here, kay? She should be here for this.¡±


    Yui gave her another tight hug. ¡°You got it. And hey. I¡¯m proud of you, sis. This was awesome of you.¡±


    The pair returned to their stations, Mei pocketing the folded paper in her jumper. Yui shook her head with a truly elated smile as she put her arm around Hana, who was just garnishing a pair of margaritas with lime wedges and little paper umbrellas. ¡°Well, it¡¯s definitely a red-letter day around here!¡±


    Hana turned. ¡°What¡¯s going on, baby?¡±


    Yui gave a mischievous grin in response. ¡°You¡¯ll see. But one of your girls is having the best week of her life.¡±


    Ranko zoomed between two of her tables, spinning a large pizza on a metal tray over her head and humming happily, when she bumped into something and staggered back. Two arms flashed forward toward her; one caught the pizza tray in mid-air, the other wrapped tightly around her slender waist. ¡°Whoa, easy there, you!¡±


    With a giggle, Ranko shook her head, leaning back in the man¡¯s grip exaggeratedly as if she were slow dancing with him. ¡°Okay, I gotta ask. Is this why they call you Crash?¡±


    Her guitarist and friend grinned, steadying her on her feet and handing her back the pizza. ¡°Guilty as charged. We¡¯re gonna go get set up, alright?¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°You bet! See you in a few!¡± She darted back in the direction of booth one to deliver the nervous-looking couple their dinner. Ranko guessed it was their first date from the awkward interactions she¡¯d been witnessing, and she hoped for the poor girl¡¯s sake that the food gave her something to talk about and break the ice.


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    As she approached the front of the room, the front door opened to reveal Ranko¡¯s very tired-looking girlfriend. With a wave and a telling blush, Ranko passed her, dropping off the pizza and picking up a few empty plates before returning to the vestibule to greet her lover.


    ¡°Hey, beautiful. How¡¯s your night?¡± Akane smiled. There seemed to be something on her mind based on the look in her eyes, but Ranko was in far too good of a mood to think too much on it.


    The redhead blushed even more at the compliment. Looking into Akane¡¯s face, time seemed to stand still again. She thought, at that moment, she just might be the happiest girl on earth. ¡°Great! The guys just got here, we¡¯re gonna do our set in a minute. Perfect timing! How was your first practice?¡±


    Akane gave a little frown, but hid it quickly enough, she hoped. She smoothed the white pleated skirt she wore nervously. ¡°It was¡­ well, ya know. It was practice. Lots of running around, running the same play two hundred times. You know how it is. Lots of sweating.¡±


    Ranko blushed furiously. ¡°Well, at least that, I can relate to.¡±


    Shaking her head, Akane giggled with a deep blush of her own that put her guilt out of her mind for the moment. ¡°You¡¯re so bad, Ran-chan!¡±


    Hearing the first notes of Jacob¡¯s synthesizer testing the audio equipment, she gave Akane a soft little simper, biting her lip. Playing at being coy and sexy on stage was easy; it was all an act to get the crowd excited. Now that she actually meant it, it felt a lot more awkward, as if this new dimension to their relationship had changed everything in ways she didn¡¯t yet know how to navigate. She felt just like that poor girl at table one did, she bet.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Akane. I can¡¯t help it. I¡¯m just a silly girl, after all.¡±


    Yui smirked and motioned to the pair with a tilt of her head as she drained her cocktail shaker into a pair of margarita glasses. ¡°Check it out, mama?¡±


    Hana looked where she was directed and laughed, smiling broadly and giving a little nod. Without a word, she slid a five-hundred yen coin across the bar in front of her second-eldest daughter.


    Yui pocketed the money with a wide smile. ¡°Why, thank you for your generous contribution.¡± She really was happy for Ranko. The poor kid had gone through so much this past year, to say nothing of everything before, and she deserved all the happiness she was getting and more. She¡¯d worked her ass off for it, and Yui couldn¡¯t have been prouder of her.


    Sticking two fingers in her mouth, Yui made a shrill whistle to be heard over the din of instruments being tested and a full bar eating and talking. ¡°Mei!¡± She motioned to the door, where their youngest sister still stood twittering with her girlfriend.


    Mei nodded, motioning to Shinji from her seat at the audio mixing station. He approached with an affectionate smile, his bass guitar already strapped across his chest. ¡°Hey, Mei. What¡¯s up?¡±


    With an excited bounce, she waved him closer to the table so she could talk to him in some measure of secrecy, considering lowering her volume in the crowded bar wasn¡¯t much of an option if she wanted to be heard at all. ¡°Hey, Shin! I need you to do me a favor. Do Rise first tonight, okay?¡±


    The tall musician gave her a confused look. ¡°You want us to play the finale first? Seems kinda, I don¡¯t know, ass backwards? But, what the lady says, she gets.¡±


    Mei nodded with a mischievous grin, reaching across the table and taking a handful of his red button-down shirt. She pulled him gently down to her level, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°And don¡¯t you forget it, boyfriend.¡±


    Ranko hopped up onto the stage, picking up a small metal band from the hook on which it rested and placing it carefully over her hair, adjusting the plastic bit protruding halfway across her right cheek. She¡¯d been skeptical of the change at first, but she had come to appreciate that the wireless headset microphone Crash had bought her made a huge difference in terms of her mobility on the stage.


    Taking her spot at the front of the stage to a cheer from the crowd, Ranko waved happily. She couldn¡¯t wait to start singing. She was full of so much joy and she needed somewhere to put it. She inhaled deeply, preparing to belt out the first line of Forever Your Girl, which started on vocals before the music picked up. At the moment, that song somehow seemed appropriate to her. However, just before she opened her mouth, Shinji tapped her on the shoulder, whispering in her ear. She gave him a bewildered look, and the bassist could only shrug.


    She took a breath, trying to forcibly adjust her emotional state. The first verse of her original song was quite sad, and she was having a hard time tapping into that emotion at present.


    ¡°Alone, with no place left that you call home¡­¡±


    Watching the woman she loved move on the stage never got old for Akane, even if the songs themselves sometimes did. Tonight, as she leaned on the side wall of the bar, the tables all being packed to capacity, she was especially enraptured. Something about Ranko¡¯s entire demeanor had changed, and she had a suspicion why. She hoped she was right. Nothing in the world sounded better than being the reason Ranko smiled. So enthralled was she with her beloved¡¯s performance that she didn¡¯t notice Yui approach until the tall blonde¡¯s hand was on her shoulder.


    ¡°Hey. I need you to go backstage.¡±


    Akane turned. ¡°Huh? Is something wrong?¡± She was a bit annoyed at having been interrupted during the performance.


    Yui grinned. ¡°No. It¡¯s a surprise. Trust me.¡±


    Pushing through the crowd, Akane barely made it to the right side of the stage by the time Ranko pumped her fist in the air, the traditional way she¡¯d ended the song she had written earlier that year with Crash and Shinji¡¯s help.


    ¡°You ignite, and you RISE!¡±


    The crowd roared, and Mei grinned at Akane, who had taken a standing spot at the foot of the steps leading down from the stage. ¡°Excuse me a second?¡± Akane stepped back as Mei departed the little table that served as her deejay booth and ascended the three stairs. She was even more curious now. What were Ranko¡¯s sisters up to?


    Mei hurried across the stage until she stood next to Ranko, a handheld microphone in her left hand. ¡°What¡¯s up, Phoenix?! That was Rise, from our very own Ranko and the Dapper Dragons¡­¡±


    Ranko turned, watching Mei in befuddlement. This whole set was getting weird.


    Mei turned to face Ranko, an ecstatic grin on her face as she continued her sentence.


    ¡°... and, as of today, the latest single from Yokai Records!¡±


    At the base of the stairs, Akane gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.


    Ranko turned to her sister, her eyes about to bulge out of her head. ¡°WHAT?!¡± Her headset microphone was turned off already, but the crowd heard her without difficulty even over their elated screams.


    Mei reached into her pocket, producing the letter. ¡°You did it, little sister!¡±


    Ranko snatched it from her grip and read it over, her hands shaking. She could barely process the words, both from her own brain going ten thousand kilometers a minute, and because the crowd was still going absolutely berserk. ¡°Mei¡­ how?!¡±


    The blue-haired girl grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve been recording your performances and mailing them out to every record company I could find. I just knew somebody¡¯d bite eventually!¡±


    Ranko covered her mouth, a tear starting to form in the corner of her eye. It was real. She wasn¡¯t just a karaoke girl anymore. She was a real artist. Sure, the record label might have only offered a trial contract for a limited run of a thousand copies, but it didn¡¯t matter a bit to her.


    ¡°You¡­ you did that for me?¡±


    Mei grinned proudly. ¡°Yeah, well, what can I say? I¡¯m the cool sister.¡±


    Mei was absolutely ecstatic for Ranko. She¡¯d been working on this for months, since just a week or two after Rise debuted on the stage where she now stood. At first, she¡¯d planned to try and solicit music executives to come out and listen to her live, but after the experience Ranko¡¯d been through with Takao earlier that year, she¡¯d decided her tactic to get a contract in hand first was safer in that it wouldn¡¯t get her hopes up just to get her hurt again. She¡¯d been terrified that it would backfire, in that the labels might not be willing to work that way. Apparently, all it took was finding an A&R rep that was also a woman to understand her concerns.


    Beaming through her tears, Ranko wrapped her arms around her big sister, speaking quietly in her ear. ¡°Now, you¡¯re sure you didn¡¯t just do this because you¡¯re banging my bassist?¡±


    Mei giggled, blushing. She really hoped all of the microphones on the stage were off. ¡°I mean, it didn¡¯t exactly hurt your chances¡­¡±


    As Ranko laughed, she and Mei were slammed into from behind as Crash, Shinji, Jacob and Ken all rushed her, hugging her as a group.

 11. A Cheerful Disposition

    Striding down the west corridor of her high school carefully, protecting the little bundle in her arms, Ranko couldn¡¯t help but laugh to herself at the absurd juxtaposition of it all. She vividly remembered days when Akane would come out of her home skills class carrying something she¡¯d made, and the hallways would clear from the smell alone. She used to get so pissed about it. Back then, the boy she¡¯d once been would have laughed about how stupid it was that the girls were so invested in protecting what amounted to edible homework that had already been graded. And yet, just over a year later, here she stood shepherding a plastic tray of six muffins down the crowded, narrow concourse as if it were some sacred relic that was the key to saving the universe from a demon or something. What a difference a year had made. Here I am again, Akane, being a silly girl, she thought to herself with a blush and a little smile.


    Balancing the tray cautiously on one hand, she manipulated the little blue combination lock dangling from her locker door with the other, popping it open. She delicately cleared the top shelf of books and rested the tray in their place, exhaling in relief that they had survived this first leg of the journey home. She slid her chemistry book into her little black satchel for fifth period, before deciding to go ahead and take her trigonometry book for sixth as well. It would save her a trip back to the locker between classes, as her math class was on the opposite end of the campus. She stacked her remaining books in the bottom of the locker alongside her sneakers and her empty lunch bag.


    As she reached up to latch her locker closed, she felt someone approaching from behind. She turned, having to remind herself not to automatically drop into a defensive position. The last thing she wanted was people thinking she was the kind of girl who was always looking for a fight. In fact, she was still perfectly content to go about her time at Yusue High utterly invisible, with the exception of Kumiko. She¡¯d been a huge help in acclimating to the school¡¯s social structure, and not making Ranko feel like a total freak for eating alone every day.


    Fortunately, the two girls standing behind her didn¡¯t seem to be much of a threat, at least, not yet.


    ¡°Oh, hi!¡± The taller of the two girls, the one on the left, waved enthusiastically. Ranko wished they would tone it down just a hair. She was running on two hours of sleep again and the vending machine had been out of energy drinks today. ¡°You¡¯re Ranko, right? The transfer student?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± Ranko clicked her lock closed, spinning the dial to a random number before slinging the strap of her bag onto her shoulder.


    The shorter girl clapped her hands excitedly. ¡°Ohmigods, hi! We¡¯ve been looking for you, like, all day!¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡± Ranko wasn¡¯t sure whether she was intrigued, offended, both, or neither. Whatever they had to say, Ranko wished they would get it over with; their exuberance was starting to give her a headache.


    The taller girl grinned, pulling a folded sheet of green paper out of her yellow messenger bag. ¡°So, we were talking to your friend Kumiko, and she said you¡¯re a performer, right?¡±


    A published songwriter and vocalist, Ranko thought to herself proudly, even though it was only a couple of tapes that hadn¡¯t even been manufactured yet. ¡°You could say that, I guess. Why, what¡¯s up? I don¡¯t do birthday parties and stuff, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking.¡± She and her band actually did do party gigs on occasion, but she was not about to show up at an upperclassman¡¯s birthday party as the help. She¡¯d be socially doomed in a matter of seconds.


    The green handout was thrust into her hand. ¡°We were kind of hoping you¡¯d help us out! We¡¯re recruiting for the Yusue cheerleading squad!¡±


    Ranko¡¯s face turned as red as the ribbon in her hair. Mental note, she thought to herself, kill Kumiko later. ¡°Uh, listen girls, I appreciate you thinking of me and all, but I don¡¯t really do martial arts anymore.¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    The shorter cheerleader turned to her companion. ¡°What do martial arts have to do with cheerleading? That¡¯s weird.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s face flushed even further. She¡¯d never considered the possibility that maybe the whole martial-arts-in-every-sport thing was something regional. Honestly, the more she thought about it, the whole idea was probably cooked up by Principal Kuno, as nutty as that guy was, and he¡¯d somehow gotten the other local schools to participate. Still, though, her having misspoken there did not fluster half as much as the idea of having this conversation at all. There was being a girl, then there was being a high school student who was a girl, and then there was being a cheerleader. Even for someone who sang on stage in whatever chiffon fever dream Izumi came up with on a regular basis, cheerleading was a feminine bridge too far.


    Still, she knew how many other girls at the school would have loved to be recruited. If she were being honest with herself, given the way Kumiko stared awestruck at the cheerleaders as they walked the halls on game days, Ranko was surprised she¡¯d not asked for a tryout herself. Then again, confidence was not exactly Kumiko¡¯s brand when it came to the popular kids. In any case, the last thing Ranko wanted was to come off as rude to the queens of the school. And maybe, just maybe, she could admit to herself that she was a little flattered to have been asked.


    ¡°Girls, I don¡¯t really have time for extracurriculars right now. I¡¯m so busy with extra classes and work right now. Thanks for thinking of me, though! It really means a lot!¡± She tried to give them as sincere a smile as possible, even though between their proposition and their present vivacity, Ranko was more inclined to try and shoo them away with a squirt bottle full of holy water.


    The shorter girl whined. ¡°Aww, but Kumiko said you¡¯re really good! We only have one practice a week, plus games and stuff, but if you need to miss those once in a while it¡¯s okay. But we do a competition every year that¡¯s a dance performance, and Yusue hasn¡¯t won in¡­ well, basically, our lifetimes. As squad captain, I, Shiori Nagata, pledged I¡¯d lead the Lions to victory in the All-Tokyo Invitational before I graduated.¡± She made a determined pose, flexing her fist resolutely. ¡°But it¡¯s my senior year, and¡­ well, we really need you!¡±


    The second cheerleader nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Plus, it looks really good on college applications if you do some clubs and athletics and stuff.¡±


    Ranko scoffed a bit, under her breath. College. Now they were just being ridiculous. College was for smart girls like Akane and Mei and Izumi. She¡¯d be grateful if she graduated high school before she was old enough to retire, considering she was walking from a twelfth-grade class to an eleventh, with a tenth-grade math class to follow. She¡¯d be there to clap for Akane when she walked across the school auditorium with her diploma in her hand, but the only thing she ever expected to hold on stage was a microphone, and that suited her just fine.


    Shiori chimed in, filling the void left by Ranko¡¯s introspection. ¡°And, let¡¯s be honest, if you like to dance¡­¡±


    Ranko blushed. Come to think of it, she had read somewhere that Paula Abdul had been a cheerleader for a professional basketball team in the United States before she¡¯d been discovered for her choreography skills. Maybe there could be some value to doing it after all.


    She shook her head, more in response to her own thoughts than anything the cheerleaders had said. She couldn¡¯t believe that she was even having this conversation with herself. Not only was cheerleading totally a thing for silly girls, but as it was, she was already way too busy. She hadn¡¯t had a decent night¡¯s sleep in a week! Maybe that was why she was having this conversation with herself. Just sleep-deprived delirium. Apparently, exhaustion makes you brave, she thought to herself.


    Ranko folded the little green handout, stuffing it down into the side pocket of her black satchel. ¡°Look, I¡¯ll think about it, okay?¡±


    Both girls jumped excitedly, clapping their hands. Shiori squealed loudly, as if she were about to start a ride on a roller coaster. ¡°That¡¯s so great! We¡¯d love to perform with you! If you decide you want to try out, practices are Tuesdays right after school, out by the rugby field. Come by any time.¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure.¡± Even if Ranko were somehow convinced to help them win a dance competition, there was not enough caffeine in the known universe to get her to act like that, and if they hoped otherwise, they would be grievously disappointed.

 12. Rite of Passage

    Akane walked into her apartment, dropping her school bag by the door and kicking off her shoes with a sigh. She was glad it was the weekend; her first round of exams had been this week and she was desperate for a break from studying.


    The sink was still full of the dishes from breakfast, and the empty box from the bagels she¡¯d bought a few days ago still lay on the kitchen counter. Normally, Ranko would take care of those kinds of things when she got home from school, and while Akane wasn¡¯t necessarily upset that they hadn¡¯t been done, she was a little surprised. With a smirk, she wondered if Ranko was trying to reproduce the conditions Akane had found her in a few days prior, the first time they had made love. She certainly wouldn¡¯t blame her for trying. It had been a pretty awesome night.


    Not finding her live-in girlfriend in the living room or kitchen, she poked her head into the bedroom. ¡°Ran-chan, you in here?¡± A quiet groan came from the direction of the bed.


    ¡°Ranko?¡± Akane entered the bedroom cautiously, finding her beloved curled up atop the sheets on the unmade bed in an almost fetal position, still in the yellow nightshirt she¡¯d slept in the night before. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± She sat on the side of the bed, softly stroking the flame-red shock of hair splayed haphazardly atop her lover¡¯s head.


    ¡°Hey, Akane. I don¡¯t feel so good,¡± Ranko whimpered.


    Akane frowned, resting the back of her hand on Ranko¡¯s forehead to test for a fever and detecting none. ¡°What does it feel like? Do we need to call a doctor?¡±


    ¡°Remember that time at your dad¡¯s where you made potstickers and made me eat ¡®em all? It feels like that.¡± She tightened her knees against her chest, cringing.


    Sighing, Akane stroked her love¡¯s cheek comfortingly. She¡¯d really hoped for an inexpensive date night to celebrate the news about the Rise single, but it didn¡¯t seem as if her partner would be feeling up to it. She had to admit, as much as she didn¡¯t want Ranko to ever feel poorly, somehow, her being a little bit pathetic when she wasn¡¯t feeling well just reinforced how unlike the show-no-weakness facade she had worn as Ranma she had become. Moments like this, when Ranko allowed people to see her struggle and ask for help, were among the times Akane was the proudest of her.


    ¡°Did you eat something that disagreed with you? I mean, we ate together, and I feel fine.¡±


    Ranko sat up a little, grimacing. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, and it¡¯s not like, exactly the same. It¡¯s like, it hurts like that, but it¡¯s in the wrong place, and it comes and goes. It¡¯s weird.¡±


    Akane nodded, a small smile forming in the corners of her mouth. There¡¯s no way, is there? If it were any other girl, no question, but Ranko? ¡°Show me?¡±


    Ranko placed her hand on her lower abdomen, just below her navel. ¡°Here, mostly. It¡¯s been like this all day. I had to call out of school.¡±


    Akane¡¯s eyes widened and she blushed, trying not to let Ranko see it. ¡°I see.¡± She sat on the bed, wrapping the smaller girl in her arms gently. ¡°I know, baby. You¡¯re gonna be okay, I promise. I love you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried every stomach medicine in the cabinet, and nothing is touching it.¡± Ranko sighed. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I just haven¡¯t been able to move. Maybe we¡¯d better go ahead and call a doctor before the weekend.¡±


    Akane kissed her girlfriend¡¯s forehead, fighting her overwhelming urge to laugh at the poor girl¡¯s naivety. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary, sweetheart.¡±


    Ranko curled up closer, laying on her side and resting her head in her lover¡¯s lap, whimpering pitifully. ¡°How you figure, Akane? I feel like I¡¯m gonna die here.¡±


    Akane blushed, stroking Ranko¡¯s red hair soothingly. She couldn¡¯t believe it was going to fall to her to have to explain this to her former fiancee. ¡°Well, Ranko¡­¡± She swallowed hard. She knew what she was about to say would probably terrify the woman she loved more than a terminal diagnosis, and she wanted to approach it as gently as possible. ¡°I suspect this is perfectly normal, but maybe not for you. At least, not before now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get how you could possibly think this is normal. It almost feels like what Izumi describes when she¡­¡± Ranko stopped mid-sentence, her jaw falling open as if she¡¯d just witnessed a train crash in her bedroom. A pallor of shock and dread fell over her face as she sat up. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t think¡­¡±


    Akane leaned over to her, wrapping her arms around Ranko¡¯s shoulders gently and kissing her slightly clammy forehead again. She smiled as sincerely and reassuringly as possible, nodding her head slowly. ¡°Welcome to womanhood, my love.¡±


    Ranko pulled away a little and shook her head vigorously in denial. ¡°But¡­ that doesn¡¯t happen to me¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure if she was trying to convince Akane or herself, but she almost sounded defensive, as if she could talk her way out of it if she tried hard enough.


    With a shrug, Akane sighed a bit. ¡°It starts at different times for all girls, and that¡¯s before you take into account that you¡¯re not a typical girl, at least physically. Even if there was a normal for people with the Jusenkyo thing, almost none of them have stayed in one form as long as you have, I¡¯ll bet. So, the usual rules are kind of out the window here.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Oh. So, it¡¯s different ¡®cause I¡¯m weird, huh?¡± Ranko sighed.


    With a smile, Akane playfully nudged her girlfriend¡¯s shoulder with her fist. ¡°I prefer to think of you as magical.¡±


    ¡°That settles it, then. Go start the kettle, quick, before this shit kills me.¡± Ranko managed a weak smile, flushing. She¡¯d honestly almost forgotten that reverting to her masculine form was even an option, so long had it been since she¡¯d seriously considered doing it.


    Shaking her head no, Akane gave her a gentle poke on the nose and grinned. She really hoped to make the development feel positive, even though she knew from first-hand experience how overwhelming it could be, especially for someone to whom femininity itself was still a fairly new and imposing concept.


    ¡°Not a chance. You wanted to be a normal girl. Be careful what you wish for, baby.¡± Besides, however badly Ranko was hurting now, she knew the Full Body Cat¡¯s Tongue would make her transition back to her old male form probably hurt far worse than the cramps did, and that was before the psychological effect it would have on them both.


    Ranko groaned. She hated it when Akane was right. ¡°But, why now? After all this time? It¡¯s been over a year!¡±


    Akane blushed deeply, averting her eyes a little. ¡°Uh, that part might be my fault. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°How? Is this that weird girls sync up thing Mei is always talking about?¡± Ranko seemed genuinely confused. She had always considered what her body was now purported to be doing to be a dark magic at least as terrifying and unknowable as the curse that had given her this form in the first place. Akane didn¡¯t answer for a moment, searching for a delicate way to answer her question. Ranko¡¯s eyes widened suddenly with a thought, and Akane suspected she¡¯d figured it out on her own.


    ¡°Wait, do you think it¡¯s because we¡­¡± Ranko¡¯s face looked like it had been steamed, it flushed so quickly. Here she was, a once-invincible martial artist, who had survived a drug overdose, multiple fights and a thrill ride collapsing on her head in the last ten months alone, and in the end, she¡¯d been laid low by her girlfriend¡¯s tongue.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but maybe.¡± Akane shrugged. ¡°You hadn¡¯t really done anything like that before, right?¡± Ranko shook her head emphatically.


    If she were honest with herself, Akane¡¯s own world was rocked a little bit by the whole thing, too. Akane really hadn¡¯t been sure if Ranko¡¯s feminine body, unnaturally created as it had been, would ever function normally. She had admittedly been a little jealous for some time about the fact that Ranko didn¡¯t experience certain drawbacks of womanhood, but Akane felt awful for her now that she did.


    Not only was it an inconvenience that she¡¯d sincerely hoped her lover would be spared, but it meant that Ranko was also capable of other things that she decided it best not to even think about. Ranko was the bravest girl she¡¯d ever known, and she had come farther than anyone could have dreamed as a woman. Akane had no doubt that the moment Ranko should come to terms with the fact that it was now demonstrably physically possible for her to become pregnant, though, her girlfriend would hide under the covers and not come out for a month.


    ¡°Has there been¡­ anything else?¡± Akane wasn¡¯t sure whether she was doing Ranko a disservice by speaking vaguely, as she would need to understand what to expect in fairly short order, but at the moment, she decided that Ranko needed comfort more than she needed information. She had no doubt that Ranko understood what she meant, though, because her girlfriend¡¯s face shifted in color from red to almost green as she shook her head in the negative.


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably start tomorrow, then. It¡¯s normal for this part to come a day or so before.¡±


    ¡°What do I do, Akane?¡± Ranko sounded genuinely afraid. She had dreaded this day for years, and she felt no more prepared for it than she had the first time she¡¯d considered it.


    Akane smiled disarmingly, tucking Ranko¡¯s hair behind her ear. She searched her memory for the night that Kasumi first had this conversation with her, six years ago, when she had somehow made everything sound like everything was going to be okay. Especially when Akane was younger, Kasumi somehow had a way to take the fear out of everything with her gentle reassurance. It was like a superpower for her eldest sister. From the way Ranko had described their conversations, Hana had done similarly for her many times over the last year, and Akane was grateful for it. She had been through so much, most of it almost entirely alone, and Ranko deserved a mother as much as any other girl did.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, baby. I¡¯ll show you everything you need to know. It¡¯s a pain in the ass, don¡¯t get me wrong, but it¡¯s not especially complicated. I¡¯ve got plenty of supplies, so you¡¯ll be okay there, too. You might want to eventually try a few different things to see what¡¯s most comfortable for you; every girl is different that way. But there¡¯s no rush on that, and I¡¯ll help you when you¡¯re ready. You¡¯re not in this alone, Ranko. I¡¯ve got you.¡±


    Akane leaned forward, taking her girlfriend gingerly in her arms. ¡°I mean it, Ranko. I know it¡¯s scary, especially for you. But you¡¯re gonna be okay, I promise. I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡±


    Ranko nuzzled into Akane¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I love you.¡±


    Akane kissed her slightly-damp forehead. ¡°I love you too, silly girl.¡±


    The redhead cringed as she felt Akane¡¯s lips touch her sweat-slick skin. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m sorry. I know I¡¯m gross. I need to take a shower something terrible, I just didn¡¯t want it bad enough to get up to do it.¡±


    Akane put her fingers under her girlfriend¡¯s chin, lifting her face until their eyes met. ¡°You¡¯re not gross, Ranko. You¡¯re beautiful. And you¡¯re all mine.¡±


    Ranko melted into her arms a bit more, despite tensing briefly as another wave of discomfort passed. ¡°Forever.¡±


    Akane held her for a moment longer. ¡°So, why don¡¯t you go ahead and take that shower, and while you do, I¡¯m going to call Hana and tell her you¡¯re not going to be in today. After that, you and I are going to do the most important part of the sacred becoming-a-woman ceremony.¡±


    Ranko blinked, backing out of the hug and looking up at her with a befuddled expression. She¡¯d never heard of such a thing, but she half-expected that these types of things were done in secret covens that met in the woods under a full moon or something. Guys weren¡¯t meant to understand it, or maybe the girls just quietly disposed of the ones who stumbled onto their secrets.


    ¡°Does that involve taking me out back and putting me out of my misery,¡± Ranko asked almost hopefully.


    Akane giggled, playfully poking her love in the nose with her right index finger. ¡°No, silly girl. But it does involve all the chocolate fudge ice cream you can eat.¡±

 13. Sign of the Times

    Still in the red pinafore and white blouse of her school uniform, Ranko sat on a stool in the commercial kitchen of the bar that had once been her home, slicing celery sticks for the chicken wing baskets. With it being this close to opening, she couldn¡¯t believe her sisters and Hana hadn¡¯t shown up yet. Singing and serving she could handle, but not even she could run this whole place by herself, least of all on a Friday night.


    It felt so surreal to be alone in the Phoenix again. She hadn¡¯t been since she moved out of the little apartment upstairs almost six weeks ago, and she could scarcely believe how much things had changed for her just since then. Before, the times here before the girls came in had often felt melancholic and lonely, as if she were some piece of kitchen equipment that was stored there until it was time to use it again the next day. She spent so much time in solitude that she thought she¡¯d go crazy some mornings. But, now, there was a certain zen about it. Between school, the extra classes she was taking, trying to make it to Akane¡¯s volleyball games, keeping the house as best she could, her work at the Phoenix, and practices with her band, Ranko felt as if she never had any time to just sit with her thoughts anymore. She missed it a little, and she felt as if she had a huge backlog of things to work through in her brain when she could find the downtime to do it.


    She couldn¡¯t remember a time in her life when she had been this exhausted. Sure, training with her father had often worn her out, but a night or two of decent rest and she¡¯d be back to fighting form. But now, she felt like she could sleep for a week and barely scratch the surface. It wasn¡¯t even just that her body was tired; her mind was, too. There was still so much to learn and process every day for her, and that was even before she got to school or worked on one of the four homeschool courses she was taking to try to catch up academically.


    It wasn¡¯t helping matters that going to bed no longer necessarily meant going to sleep, but Ranko had absolutely no complaints about the other bedroom activity she and Akane had discovered. Some days she got out of bed more tired than she had been getting into it, but it was a trade she was happy to make. A Red Bull from the vending machine could replace a few hours of sleep, but nothing else on earth could make her feel the way Akane did when they were together. She was glad that Akane had started letting her return the favor, though Ranko regretted that the experience wasn¡¯t quite the same for her. Akane insisted that it was only the Cat¡¯s Tongue that differentiated the two, but Ranko had more than once found herself wondering if she was doing something wrong.


    Her tray of celery now processed into uniform five-centimeter stalks, she laid her chef¡¯s knife on the cutting board and slid the tray back on the counter with a sigh. The tempura batter was done, the garnishes for the drinks were ready, and the dredge for the wings, too. They had restocked the liquor in Yui¡¯s well last night after closing, so that was finished, too. She felt like she might be forgetting something, that she couldn¡¯t possibly have prepped the whole kitchen by herself in an hour, but as she looked around the room, she couldn¡¯t see anything she¡¯d missed. That almost worried her more.


    Her ever-present Walkman headphones in her ears with her back to the saloon door leading into the front of the house, Ranko played with her voice, practicing little runs in her higher registers.


    ¡°It must have been love, but it¡¯s ooo-OH-ver now¡­ it must have been goo-OO¨Cood, but I lost it somehow¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t hear the saloon door swing open behind her, and thus didn¡¯t notice that she was no longer alone in the kitchen until she was tapped on the small of her back. Grateful she¡¯d already put down her knife, she pulled her earphones down around her neck and swiveled the stool, coming face-to-face with the last member of her family she expected to find in the kitchen of the Phoenix an hour before opening.


    ¡°Hoshi? What are you doing here, kiddo?¡±


    Izumi¡¯s young son stood in the kitchen, still wearing the gray slacks and white shirt of his school uniform as well. He was all smiles. ¡°Hi, Auntie Ranko!¡±


    Ranko smiled, tousling his hair. ¡°Hey, buddy. It¡¯s good to see you! You liking school so far this year?¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fun. What about you?¡±


    Ranko blushed. Weird as it was to think of herself as an aunt, or think of herself as a junior in high school, it was weirder still to think about them both at the same time. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s good. Very different from what I¡¯m used to, but you know, I think it¡¯s gonna be okay.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure if she was fully convinced yet, but somehow, she didn¡¯t think her eight-year-old nephew was the appropriate person to confide the whole, ¡°being a girl in high school is weird¡± thing in.


    ¡°Seriously, little man. Where¡¯s your mom? Is everything okay?¡±


    Hoshi looked up at her with a sincere smile on his ever-so-slightly pudgy face. ¡°Auntie Ranko, would you do something for me?¡±


    Ranko swiveled around a bit on her stool, hopping to her feet and squatting down beside him, putting her arm around her nephew¡¯s back with a warm smile. She really loved that kid. She¡¯d never breathe a word of it to Akane, but sometimes, hanging out with Hoshi made her wish it were possible for the two of them to have a child of their own one day, at least until the logistics of how that would work in practice nearly triggered a panic attack.


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    ¡°For you, Hoshi? I would do absolutely anything. All you have to do is ask.¡±


    The little boy reached into the pocket of his gray uniform slacks, producing a small, transparent plastic box and handing it to her.


    Ranko flipped the little package over in her hands, and found herself staring into her own eyes. The cassette¡¯s cover art featured her posing in an alley - the one right behind the kitchen in which she now stood, in fact - with Crash, Shinji, Jacob and Ken all standing behind her in matching black leather jackets, white tee shirts and black jeans. Ranko herself was front and center in a pair of black boots with chunky heels, sunglasses, and her black pleated skirt under a deep purple crushed velvet tee shirt.


    She hadn¡¯t seen the finished product before now. She didn¡¯t know they were even produced yet. If she didn¡¯t recognize the people in the photograph, it would have looked like any other tape she¡¯d bought. She hadn¡¯t been sure what to expect, but now that she saw it, a sense of relief that it didn¡¯t look inferior or amateur came over her. It looked natural. It looked normal. It looked like she and her friends in the Dapper Dragons belonged on the cover of that cassette, as if being on the cover of an album was her rightful place in the universe.


    As Ranko wiped a tear from her eyes, Hoshi reached into his other pocket and produced a black marker. ¡°Would you sign it for me, auntie?¡±


    Ranko blushed, and she made no effort to hold back her soft tears of joy. ¡°Oh, Hoshi. Of course I will, honey.¡±


    Her hands shook as she removed the cellophane wrapper, leaving it on the counter. She pulled the insert out, unfolding it to reveal a few photos of the band at the Phoenix, taken the same day as the cover image had been, and a section on the inside including the lyrics to Rise. It listed Hana, Akane and all four of her sisters among the many special thanks mentions, credited Noboyuki ¡°Crash¡± Matsuyama and Shinji Yokota as co-composers, and under the songwriter heading, it listed her name. Her identity. Ranko Tendo. The woman she had sculpted, with a whole lot of help, out of clay she made by mixing the tears of a homeless, nameless girl with the ashes of Ranma Saotome¡¯s life. A work in progress to be sure, but one of her own making, and one that, for the first time in her life, she was truly proud of.


    Laying the glossy foldout on a clean spot on the kitchen counter, she uncapped the marker, and wrote over one of the photos of her on stage.


    Hoshi, any time somebody says that you can¡¯t do something, especially if it¡¯s you saying it, put in this tape and remember what your auntie did with the help of our family that loves us both. You are limitless and you are never, ever alone. Love, Ranko


    Hoshi read over her writing, struggling with one or two of the words. Ranko helped him slide it back into the cassette case, handing it to him. ¡°Thank you, Hoshi. It means the world to me that you would ask me to do that for you. You have no idea.¡± She squatted down again, giving him a tight hug. ¡°I love you so much, buddy.¡±


    She¡¯d signed napkins and receipts and stuff for people in the bar before, but this felt different. She felt like she actually had a reason this time that wasn¡¯t just horny guys thinking she was cute and hoping she¡¯d add her phone number. She¡¯d created something and put it into the world, and at least somebody thought it had some value. Before, she was a performer. Now? She was an artist.


    When she let him go, Hoshi took her hand and started pulling her toward the saloon doors. ¡°Buddy, hey, where are you taking me? I gotta make sure everything is done before your granny gets here, or she¡¯s gonna wring my neck!¡±


    Though she could have easily planted her feet and stopped him, Ranko giggled and let him pull her to, and then through, the swinging blue door. When she got to the other side, she did have to stop dead in her tracks, however.


    On her left, standing behind the bar at Yui¡¯s station, were Hana, Yui, Izumi and Mei. Izumi waved excitedly, motioning for Hoshi to take a place beside her. Hana looked her over, her face bursting with pride. Mei bounced excitedly. Yui just gave her a little nod and a smile, but Ranko knew her well enough to know that was her I¡¯m proud of you face she was wearing, insomuch as she had one.


    On her right, Akane smiled at her lovingly from the staff side of the service bar, giving her a moment to process what was happening. She wore Ranko¡¯s white floral dress; the one Akane had picked out for her girlfriend to wear the first night she¡¯d stayed with her at the Phoenix.


    On the other side of the counter, sitting on the top of one of the round tables with their feet in the seats of the chairs, Crash, Ken, Shin, Jacob and Ariel all waited, raising bottles of beer skyward at her appearance.


    To the left, closer to the front door, Ranko¡¯s eldest sister Ayako stood with her husband Kage. Turning from his conversation with Kage, Izumi¡¯s new husband Kaito waved to the songstress.


    Standing alone, leaning against the side wall, was Akane¡¯s older sister Nabiki, flashing a knowing little grin. Never in a million years did she think she¡¯d be doing this for the person she¡¯d once known as Ranma, but if it had been a Martian that made her sister smile like Ranko did, Nabiki would have greeted it with open arms, too.


    A little shriek of excitement came from the bespectacled girl in the school uniform matching Ranko¡¯s, seated at the patrons¡¯ side of the bar. Kumiko waved enthusiastically with both of her hands high in the air.


    Every person in the room held a cassette or CD and a marker in their hands.

 14. The Risen

    ¡°Aww, dammit!¡±


    Ranko pulled her silent headphones down from around her ears, letting them dangle around the back of her neck. She was really going to have to start remembering to replace the batteries more often. Still, the early October air was alive with a cool breeze, and the walk home from school would be pleasant enough even without Gloria Estefan in her eardrums.


    She turned the corner around the perimeter of the school grounds, waving to the old man that sold snacks from a little bicycle-drawn cart there. Today, he had roasted sweet potatoes, and the air carried a caramel-like aroma from the grill within. Ranko bet he made a killing off of her classmates, and she patronized his cart herself from time to time when she had the extra money, not that extra money had been a thing that had really happened much since moving in with Akane. They had chosen to be broke and happy, and they were getting exactly what they bargained for on both counts.


    She walked past a grassy little hill to her left. Just beyond it lay the school¡¯s several athletic fields, and she often saw the track team or the baseball team out there working out on her walk home, but really never paid attention to it, thanks to the distraction of her Walkman. At least, on the days when she remembered to change the stupid batteries.


    Today, though, there was music coming from the baseball field, and not the crappy standards junk the marching band always played. It sounded like a pop track. Screw it, she said to herself. If I can¡¯t listen to my music, I¡¯ll borrow yours. Ranko trekked up the little hill, walking in the grass closer to the field in the direction of home, in an effort to hear the song more clearly.


    Having returned to her thoughts, it took her a few seconds to process what song she was hearing. But she definitely recognized the lyrics.


    She had written them.


    Ranko gasped. She¡¯d never heard Rise outside of the Phoenix before; she hadn¡¯t even played her own copy of the tape at home. And here was some random somebody or other who bought it. Who paid actual money in a real-live store to enjoy it, with no promise of two-for-one drinks or anything else to incentivize it and no personal connection to her. Just because they loved the music she wrote.


    She had to know who it was. She had to see. Were they dancing? Was it someone who needed the message she¡¯d written it for, the story of her improbable journey from the broken and hungry thing Hana found on the sidewalk one day to the¡­ well, whatever she was now?


    Slipping through the gate bisecting a chain-link fence that leaned so far forward it could almost be stepped over, she followed the sound of her own voice around a small cinder block building used for storing the equipment that maintained the fields.


    Leaning forward onto another, taller chain-link fence intended to prevent baseballs from making it to the street, she watched through the grating. Beyond, the cheerleading squad moved in unison on the baseball outfield in time with the beat Crash and Shin had written for her. Good gods, their choreography is terrible, Ranko thought to herself. No wonder they hadn¡¯t won anything in ages. Still, she smiled proudly at the thought that someone would use her song as a rallying cry, even if it were just to score more baskets or runs or whatever the hell cheerleaders got points for when it wasn¡¯t landing punches and kicks.


    The song ended, with Ranko barely resisting the urge to throw her fist in the air as she did on stage when the last note was sung. She watched as one of the girls ran over to the portable boom box that lay in the grass and ejected the tape, merely a few meters away from where she stood. The diminutive cheerleader made eye contact with her, but Ranko said nothing, giving just a polite wave. The girl reached into the grass beside the radio, picking up the plastic case for the cassette and popping the tape into it. She snapped the case closed, looking down at the cover art.


    She blinked in recognition, snapping her head up hard enough to swing her green pigtails forward over her shoulders, and she turned her eyes back up toward Ranko.


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    Oh, shit, Ranko thought in the split second before the silent tension was shattered.


    ¡°Ohmigods, it¡¯s HER!¡±


    The gaggle of cheerleaders clustered around, clamoring to see what the commotion was about. Ranko watched as the girl who had shouted pointed at the cassette, then up at her. She seriously considered running, but there was no getting out of it now. They knew where to find her.


    Ranko recognized the taller of the two girls who had tried to recruit her at her locker. She gasped as she looked at the cassette, realizing who it was she had actually spoken to.


    The group waved up to the songstress, beckoning her to come down and join them. What the hell, she thought. They probably wanted an autograph or something. Akane wouldn¡¯t be home from school for a few hours yet and it was her night off, so she had a little time to kill, she guessed.


    She lifted the U-shaped latch on the unlocked fence gate, stepping through and closing it behind herself before approaching the tittering girls. ¡°Hey, everybody.¡± She was pretty sure she was somehow defying the laws of anatomy and blushing across her entire body at once. She hadn¡¯t really intended for her school life and her music to interact in any meaningful way.


    Shiori, who Ranko recognized as the squad captain from the encounter at her locker, stepped forward to speak for the group. ¡°It¡¯s really you, isn¡¯t it? You sang the song we¡¯re going to use at the competition?!¡±


    Ranko gave a little nod, smiling as she flushed even more. ¡°And wrote it. I can¡¯t believe you girls want to use it. I¡¯m flattered. I hope it¡¯s great for you.¡±


    ¡°Well, now you just have to join us!¡± The girls behind the captain cheered loudly, but then again, cheering was their expressed goal, so Ranko was glad they had at least some talent at that. They certainly couldn¡¯t dance their way out of a paper bag.


    Ranko waved her hands in front of herself. ¡°Whoa, easy there. Like I said, I don¡¯t have time for extracurricular stuff.¡±


    ¡°But, if we had a real, live celebrity in our group, performing the song for our routine live, we¡¯d win for sure. No one has ever done that, in the history of the All-Tokyo Invitational!¡±


    The redhead blushed yet again. ¡°I don¡¯t know about celebrity. I sing in a bar. My sister sent the record place a demo tape, and they said they¡¯d try a local trial run of a thousand or so. After my family and friends bought theirs, there¡¯s probably about 970 left.¡±


    Shiori stepped forward, a surprised and almost piteous expression on her face, like what Ranko would expect to see on someone who just found a hungry stray bunny in an alley. The cheerleader couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. ¡°You¡­ you really don¡¯t know, do you?¡±


    Ranko blinked. ¡°Know what?¡±


    ¡°I got this tape at All Bangers, the record store around the block.¡± The captain pointed in the general direction of the store.


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s where the label said they were gonna put the bulk of them for the test market. It¡¯s the biggest store around, and it¡¯s close to the Phoenix, so I guess they figured it was their best chance to move a few of them.¡± Ranko had made a point not to even walk by it since her family had procured copies of the tape and tipped her off to the fact that they¡¯d arrived. Signing copies for her family and her handful of friends was great, but she wasn¡¯t sure if she could bear the inevitability of seeing the culmination of her dreams tossed in the clearance bin.


    Again, the captain shook her head with a smile. ¡°No, Ranko. You¡¯re not listening to me. I got the last one. They sold out in half an hour. They turned about a hundred people away.¡±


    Ranko just looked at the cheerleader with a blank expression. She was relatively certain that there were words in her head somewhere, but they were not accessible at the moment. Every cell of her brain was so preoccupied with processing what Shiori had said that there was no power left to run her mouth, too. After what seemed like a month, but was probably closer to five seconds, she managed to squeak out a high-pitched ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. Go by the store and check for yourself if you don¡¯t believe me! They¡¯ve started a waiting list in case they get more in.¡± Shiori grinned. ¡°Ranko, I don¡¯t know how to else to tell you this, but you¡¯re a fucking pop star.¡±


    Ranko leaned back on the fence, for fear that if she didn¡¯t, the speed at which the world was spinning would throw her off into orbit somewhere.


    The captain stepped forward, putting her hand tentatively on the reeling redhead¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll ask one more time. Would you please teach us how to dance to the hottest new song in Tokyo?¡±

 15. Guess Whos Coming to Dinner

    With a proud smile, Ranko handed Akane a large black bowl containing still-steaming seasoned pork over a bed of long-grain rice. ¡°Dinner is served, love.¡±


    She took off the black vinyl apron she wore, hanging it on a nail she¡¯d put through the inside of the pantry door. She regretted that she couldn¡¯t wear something cuter on the nights Akane was home; the heavy work apron made her feel like a fishmonger. When she was dealing with hot water, the bane of her feminine existence, resistance to liquids was infinitely more important than appearances, though. A pretty girl in a black apron was still way cuter than a screaming boy in an ill-fitting, soaking wet dress. She couldn¡¯t help but blush every time she found herself regretting not being cuter for Akane. She¡¯d never pictured wanting to be cute for anyone, least of all the biggest tomboy she knew, but something about it felt right to her, especially lately. Akane had made her feel more feminine of late than anything Izumi had done to her, and a part of Ranko wanted her to enjoy the fruits of her efforts.


    Akane pulled a bit of pork free from the bowl of butadon with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth, leaning back in her chair with a quiet moan of contentment. ¡°Ranko, you are getting so good at this stuff. My  gods.¡±


    Ranko blushed, flashing a big smile. She had burned the hell out of the pork four times when learning the dish in her home studies class, but she had nailed it when it counted. Hana¡¯s tip to marinate the meat first so it had more moisture to protect it during the cooking process had made all the difference. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it. I mean, I¡¯ll never be Kasumi, but¡­¡±


    Akane swallowed awkwardly at the mention of her eldest sister¡¯s name, sitting up a little.  ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Ranko swallowed a piece of pork, looking her over, her chopsticks still dangling over her bowl and dripping with a bit of fragrant broth. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Looking down, Akane nodded. ¡°I, um, I¡¯m good, yeah.¡± She hid her face behind her black miso bowl.


    Setting down her own bowl with a louder  clink of ceramic on ceramic than she¡¯d intended, Ranko looked across their tiny dining room table at her. A flash of concern crossed her face. ¡°Seriously, Akane. What¡¯s this all about? Talk to me.¡±


    Akane tried to smile. ¡°So, I heard from Kasumi today.¡± She used her chopsticks to fidget with the rice in her bowl, mostly in the hopes of giving her eyes somewhere to go.


    Ranko smiled. She really did miss Akane¡¯s sisters. Kasumi more than Nabiki, admittedly. But Nabiki was the only one she¡¯d seen since leaving their home almost a year to the day ago. ¡°Yeah? How¡¯s she doing? Has Dr. Tofu finally worked up the nerve to ask her out yet?¡±


    Akane set her chopsticks down with a quiet sigh. ¡°She¡¯s good, Ran-chan. Real good. And, not yet.¡±


    Ranko sighed and nodded with understanding, resting her chopsticks along the rim of her bowl. ¡°And you haven¡¯t told her about us yet.¡±


    Akane reached over the table, taking Ranko¡¯s hand in her own and giving it a little squeeze. ¡°I can¡¯t. You know I can¡¯t. If I do, our fathers will find out, and who knows what happens after that?¡± She looked up at her beloved, a guilty expression painting her face.


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    ¡°We can¡¯t hide it from them forever. And I do want  forever  with you.¡± Ranko sighed, leaning down to the level of the table and resting her forehead on Akane¡¯s hand in hers.


    Nodding, Akane sighed heavily. ¡°I know, Ranko. I do too. But what happens then? Your dad shows up here, my dad¡­ who even knows what he¡¯ll do? For all we know, Happosai shows up on our doorstep.¡±


    Ranko sighed. ¡°I know. I¡¯m worried about that too, and I¡¯m perfectly okay never seeing Pop again. But¡­ I just¡­¡± She lifted her head slightly, kissing the back of Akane¡¯s hand.


    Akane reached over with her other hand, stroking Ranko¡¯s wavy hair down her back over her lavender dress. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°I thought the whole point of you taking the dojo from Pop was so we didn¡¯t have to sneak around anymore.¡± Ranko sighed sadly, nuzzling into Akane¡¯s hand on the table as her scalp was rubbed.


    ¡°I did that so they¡¯d stop waiting for Ranma to come home. But as for the fact that I¡¯m with a  woman  now ¨C any woman, let alone  you ¨C that¡¯s gonna be a whole other conversation for them.¡±


    ¡°And why do we care what they think again?¡± Ranko sat up, fidgeting with her hair idly.


    ¡°They¡¯re still my family, Ranko. I love them.¡± Akane shook her head. ¡°Your new family is supportive of us, but my dad¡­ You know how set in his ways he is. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°So, I guess I¡¯m not cooking for three, then. That¡¯s a bummer. I bet she¡¯d be really proud of me. You¡¯re going to cancel with Kasumi, then?¡± Ranko tried to sound chipper, but she really didn¡¯t do a very convincing job of it.


    ¡°Actually, baby, not exactly.¡± Akane smiled thinly, trying to put as gentle of a touch on the hammer about to fall on her lover as possible.


    ¡°So, how do you figure this is gonna happen, then?¡± Ranko looked over at her love sadly, not much caring that the special meal that she¡¯d spent a week learning to make was rapidly cooling.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hide here forever. They¡¯ll eventually suspect something¡¯s wrong and show up unannounced. So we need to let her come. You understand, right?¡±


    Ranko bit her lip sadly. ¡°So, what, I have to hide in the bedroom and not make any noise while Kasumi¡¯s here?¡±


    Akane cringed, squeezing her hand. ¡°It honestly might be easier if you weren¡¯t home at all. Maybe have dinner with your sisters or the guys in the band?¡±


    Ranko nodded slowly, pursing her lips. ¡°I get it.¡±


    Akane stood, sighing in frustration. ¡°Ranko, don¡¯t be like that! We may not like it, but you know this is what¡¯s best.¡±


    ¡°Do I?¡± Ranko sighed. She stood and walked over to their little refrigerator, opening and placing her bowl in it uncovered.. She¡¯d lost her appetite all of a sudden, but they really couldn¡¯t afford to be wasteful.


    ¡°I mean, I hope you do.¡± Akane walked around the table, trying to put her hand on Ranko¡¯s shoulder, but Ranko stepped out of her reach. ¡°I just want to do what¡¯s best for us. We don¡¯t need all that drama in our lives again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess not.¡± Ranko hung her head.  Why can¡¯t Akane see how proud I am to be with her? How could anyone even try to hide something as colossal as the way we feel about each other?


    Ranko turned her back to Akane, turning the sink on its coldest setting, pulling the sprayer nozzle out of its little socket at the back right corner of the sink, and beginning to rinse the pots from dinner.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Akane walked up behind her, putting her hands on her girlfriend¡¯s hips. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, Ranko. Please?¡±


    Ranko turned her head, putting on the biggest smile she could manage. Maybe Akane was right, but it broke her heart anyway. She had worked so hard to become the kind of person anyone could love, and harder still to earn Akane¡¯s love and trust. She wanted to shout it from the rooftops, and it killed her that no one in Akane¡¯s life except Nabiki knew about this amazing thing they had built together. But, Akane was doing what she thought was right, and probably didn¡¯t deserve her anger. She wasn¡¯t even sure if she was angry, but she was definitely hurt.


    She affected her voice into a higher register, trying to sound gentle and saccharine, just like Kasumi usually did. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not mad, Akane. I just want to make sure the house is spotless for  your guests. That¡¯s what a good partner does, right?¡±

 16. Following the Leader

    ¡°I can¡¯t freakin¡¯ believe you talked me into this, Akane.¡± Ranko¡¯s voice echoed around the corner from her bathroom as she adjusted her high ponytail in the mirror above the sink.


    Akane laughed dismissively from the bedroom, pulling a yellow tee shirt over her head to pair with her black jeans. ¡°It sure sounded like you had your mind made up before you ever told me about it.¡±


    Ranko came back into the bedroom in her new red-and-silver cheerleading uniform, a white lion silhouette embroidered across the front of the shell. ¡°Yeah, but you were supposed to talk me out of it and you didn¡¯t. And then mama telling me to miss work any nights there¡¯s events! You guys are no help at all!¡±


    Ranko was only half-kidding. She felt as if she couldn¡¯t refuse, knowing the girls were going to perform to Rise. She didn¡¯t have the time for the practices, let alone going to games and dancing for the boys on the basketball team. She really was worried she¡¯d overcommitted, but if she were being honest with herself, she knew she just wanted to perform more. It made her heart soar every time.


    Thinking of herself as one of the popular girls in school just made her face catch fire, though. Kumiko had actually called the cheerleaders ¡°princesses¡± a few weeks ago. She shook her head with a chortle under her breath. If there was ever any chance left for a return to her masculine form, the idea of being a ¡°princess¡± had ground it into unrecognizable dust. She looked herself over in the bedroom mirror with a devious little smirk. Boy, if Pop could see me now, she thought to herself with flushing cheeks.


    ¡°Well, next time be more specific in your requests if you want an excuse to get out of something!¡± Akane grinned as she put her arm around Ranko¡¯s shoulder, looking at their reflections in the mirror above the dresser. She reached down to the dresser, picking up a length of silver satin ribbon, about two centimeters wide, and starting to tie it in a bow around Ranko¡¯s ponytail.


    Ranko stood still, her face somehow finding an even deeper shade of red as Akane fidgeted with her. It was one thing for Izumi to have helped her get dressed and do her hair, because that was her big sister and her mentor in femininity. That was, well, as close to normal as anything that had happened throughout the course of her transition from Ranma to Ranko over the last year. Watching the contented smile on Akane¡¯s face as she did it was something else entirely. Compared to the way Akane could paralyze her on a whim with the slightest touch, a bow in her hair was a trivial thing, but it was just another sign of how much Akane was beginning to enjoy laying claim to her.


    Ranko looked herself over in the mirror, watching the way the red pleats gave way to silver ones beneath as her legs moved in the miniskirt she wore with the sleeveless shell top. It was significantly shorter than anything she¡¯d worn before, even on stage. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to even go out wearing this.¡±


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    Akane wrapped both of her arms around Ranko¡¯s waist from behind, gently kissing a bare spot where the chain holding the diamond star pendant Izumi had given her at the wedding lay. She felt the smaller girl¡¯s body go almost fully rigid in her arms as her breath caught in her throat. ¡°You focus on being taken out of it when we get home.¡±


    Ranko blushed even deeper, almost getting lightheaded from the amount of blood rushing to her face. ¡°You¡­ that¡¯s not fair, Akane.. You know I¡¯ll do¡­¡± She shivered mid-sentence with a quiet purr as Akane kissed her again. ¡°...just about anything you ask if you touch me like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Akane giggled, running two of her fingernails down the side of her girlfriend¡¯s neck and almost making her knees give out. ¡°I hadn¡¯t noticed.¡± She did have to admit, since having discovered the power to render her girlfriend utterly helpless to her with the slightest gentle touch, she had quite enjoyed taking advantage of it to torment her.


    The cheerleader whimpered, every cell of her hypersensitive skin screaming for more attention. ¡°Akane, if you don¡¯t stop that right now, neither one of us are making it to this basketball game.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. It¡¯s not my fault you¡¯re irresistible, though.¡± Akane grinned over her girlfriend¡¯s shoulder in the mirror.


    Ranko turned, wrapping her arms around her love¡¯s neck with a playful smirk. ¡°Typical jock. You think that just because you¡¯re the new star of the undefeated volleyball team, that you¡¯re just entitled to the cheerleaders, huh?¡±


    Akane leaned down slightly, as she had grown a few centimeters over the summer, kissing her on the lips. ¡°Not all of them, silly girl. Just this one.¡±


    Ranko smiled. ¡°Forever. Now, come on, you. We¡¯re gonna be late. I mean, I guess you don¡¯t have to come if you don¡¯t want to, but I¡¯m supposed to be there in a half hour, anyway.¡±


    Laughing, Akane took her hand. ¡°The person who used to call me an uncute tomboy is about to have her first event as a cheerleader. If you think I¡¯m missing this, you are out of your friggin¡¯ mind, girl.¡±


    Akane locked the door, starting the short walk toward the school gymnasium. Akane selected a slightly longer path, just so they could walk by the record store and smile at the poster for Rise with the SOLD OUT sign again.


    Akane smirked, pointing up at the poster in the closed store¡¯s front window. ¡°Would you just look at that chick? Gods, that girl is hot as hell. Can you even imagine how amazing it must be to date a girl like that? I mean, wow.¡±


    Ranko blushed until her face almost blended in with her uniform, tittering with her beloved. ¡°No. I guess you¡¯ll have to tell me sometime.¡±


    Akane put her arm around Ranko¡¯s shoulder, pulling her closer and kissing the top of her head, right above the bow she¡¯d decided needed to be there to finish off her outfit.


    ¡°Count on it.¡±

 17. Cheerbleeding

    The pair arrived at the door to the gymnasium, and Akane presented a few yen for her ticket. She walked with Ranko through the double-doors, motioning with her neck to the gathering of thirteen girls in identical uniforms to Ranko¡¯s near the center of the court. ¡°You better get going.¡±


    Ranko squeezed her hand, not taking another step. ¡°I¡­ Akane, why am I shaking?¡±


    Akane smiled. ¡°Oh, plenty of reasons. First, there¡¯s probably ten times as many people here as can fit in the Phoenix. Second, you¡¯re trying something new, and very out of your comfort zone. Three, you¡¯re not exactly bundled up for warmth.¡± She smiled a bit deviously, the blush forming on Ranko¡¯s cheeks having been entirely intentional on Akane¡¯s part. ¡°So, I get it. But you¡¯re gonna do great, so you don¡¯t have anything to worry about.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have done this, Akane. I don¡¯t belong here. This is too much.¡± Ranko stepped aside from the flow of foot traffic entering the gymnasium, but not advancing toward her squadmates. She wasn¡¯t sure what she wanted her life to be in school as a girl, but the idea of being popular, being in the elite social strata in the school like Kumiko said, having everyone¡¯s eyes on her, suddenly terrified her. She looked up at all the boys in the stands, and the ones on the court to boot. The second she stepped out there in that uniform, she would be in their sights whether she wanted to be or not.


    ¡°Hey. You look at me, Ranko.¡± Akane squeezed her hand tightly, waiting for the cheerleader to make eye contact before continuing. She spoke quietly, trying hard not to be overheard by anyone other than her partner. ¡°You are the best performer, and probably the best athlete, in this building right now. You know how to work a crowd. You are stunningly beautiful. You have absolutely got this.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t know how to be a princess, Akane.¡± Ranko¡¯s feet remained planted on the court in her white sneakers, and her eyes seemed to be searching for an exit that was physically only a few meters behind her.


    Akane laughed, feeling guilty for it after just a moment and trying to stop. ¡°Oh, gods, honey, is that what this is? Silly girl! All Kumiko meant was that people are gonna love you and respect you. People are gonna want to be your friend. People are going to want¡­ well, things that I¡¯m not inclined to share with them.¡± She smiled. ¡°But how is that any different than the Phoenix? You¡¯ve been handling that stuff for months. You were already a princess, Ranko. You just didn¡¯t know it.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you think so?¡± Between her uniform, her hair and her cheeks, Ranko was almost entirely red from head to toe.


    ¡°You bet. Now, Your Highness, you better get your butt over there with the other girls and show them how it¡¯s done.¡± Akane smiled reassuringly, letting go of her hand.


    With a resolute nod, Ranko started jogging toward the rest of her squad. She badly wanted a hug and a kiss from Akane before taking the court, but she knew the rules. Akane had asked her not to make it obvious that they were a couple around anyone besides the band and Ranko¡¯s family at the Phoenix. Technically, the hand-holding should have stopped at the door too, but they were Akane¡¯s rules and she apparently was allowed to break them when the situation called for it.


    To Ranko, though, it was just like the upcoming dinner with Kasumi. She hated it. She had transformed, at great effort and pain, from being the most miserable guy she knew to the happiest girl, and Akane had been a huge part of that. She wanted to sing love songs to that girl every night from the stage. Sure, some people would be upset about the idea of them being two girls in a relationship, but compared to everything else in her life, that level of gender weirdness was child¡¯s play to handle.


    ¡°Ranko! We weren¡¯t sure you were gonna show up! You¡¯re a couple minutes late. It¡¯s okay, though. Nerves always get us the first time. Well, maybe not so much for you, superstar.¡± Shiori, the team captain, tossed her two balls of red and silver tinsel. ¡°Here. These are yours.¡±


    Ranko looked at the crinkly balls of shiny paper quizzically, but held on to them as instructed.


    As the first timeout whistle was blown, Shiori led the squad onto the court and Ranko dutifully followed. She¡¯d barely had time to learn the choreography for a few of these little minute-long dances, and Shiori had agreed to simplify the program to just a few songs tonight because Ranko had joined so late.


    It was really strange for her to dance without singing, and even more so to do it in a group. It took her back to her time at Takao¡¯s with Hitomi and Emi. As with that experience, the choreography left a lot to be desired, and Ranko was a little embarrassed to be performing the dance as scripted. As a sign of respect for Shiori, though, she hadn¡¯t commented on it. She knew she¡¯d get the chance to suggest improvements soon enough.


    The timeout ended, and as the Yusue Lions basketball team retook the court, the cheerleaders whooped and waved their pom-poms to the crowd. Some performed a few freelance gymnastics moves as they made their exit. Ranko looked up into the stands, where Akane sat about halfway up the bleachers on the Yusue side. She was talking with another girl, a few years older than her. She waved, shaking her pom-pom intently in the air, but whether because she was in a conversation or because of her stupid rules, Akane didn¡¯t acknowledge her.


    Ranko noticed Kotone, the taller girl who had recruited her at her locker alongside Shiori, trying to do a high kick as she walked off the court. Well, I can do that, Ranko thought. She kicked her leg upward until her nose was touching her thigh. Kotone lowered her leg, shaking her head in Ranko¡¯s direction. Cringing, thinking she¡¯d done something wrong, Ranko lowered her leg, bowed her head and finished retreating to the sidelines.


    Good grief, that girl can move, Kotone thought to herself. I¡¯ll never be that good.


    Ranko stood in line with her squadmates, waiting for her cue to perform another of the mediocre dances she¡¯d rehearsed. As she turned her head back to look at Akane, who was still deep in conversation with the mystery girl, she heard a cheer swell up from the girls surrounding her. Shiori gave her a bit of a displeased glare for having missed the opportunity to celebrate a score for their team. Ranko supposed it was only fair; leading the cheering was presumably the point of the whole cheerleading thing.


    A jarring buzzer pierced the air, signaling halftime, and the two basketball teams retreated back to their locker rooms with the Yusue team holding an eight-point lead. Shiori whooped loudly, running out onto the court with the other cheerleaders forming a triangle behind her. ¡°Halftime is game time for cheerleaders¡±, she¡¯d told Ranko a few days earlier.


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    Unlike the little dances they¡¯d performed during the shorter breaks, the girls began to set up for a series of stunts. Kotone was picked up by one of the stockier girls, whose name Ranko had yet to learn, and after standing on her shoulders and cheering for a moment, she jumped off and fell backward, with two cheerleaders on either side catching her back as she fell and depositing her back onto her feet. Two lines of girls ran parallel in opposite directions, each girl performing a handspring or two as they passed the center of the formation. Ranko, for her part, was off to the side, alone, left to improvise a dance to the Japanese pop song that blared from the speakers. Shiori had forbidden her from participating in the stunts until she¡¯d had more practice, due to risk of injury, and Ranko could only laugh. With her martial arts training, she could outmove anybody on the squad with ease, but she¡¯d decided to play by Shiori¡¯s rules and not rock the boat too much.


    When the song ended, Ranko jumped up, extending her arms upward and kicking her legs back at the knees like her squadmates did, her eyes darting back up to the bleachers. This was the cheerleaders¡¯ big performance of the evening, so surely, Akane would be paying attention.


    Neither Akane nor the mystery girl were in their seats at all.


    Someone, however, did wave to Ranko, calling her name from the far left side of the stands, about halfway up, to get her attention. Ranko snapped her eyes in the direction of the sound to see a familiar face bounding down the steps between the plastic benches until she reached the waist-high barrier dividing the stands from the court. Ranko jogged over once the cheerleaders had fully left the court and broken formation.


    ¡°Aya! What are you doing here?¡± Ranko smiled warmly. At least someone cared.


    Ranko¡¯s eldest sister grinned. ¡°Oh, Kage¡¯s nephew is on the Shibuya team, and we try to make at least one of his games a year. But, forget me, what are you doing here? You didn¡¯t tell me you were going out for cheerleading!¡±


    Ranko blushed. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a¡­ recent development. My first day!¡±


    Ayako laughed. ¡°Well, you¡¯re looking great out there. I barely recognized you! Are you having fun?¡±


    The flushing of Ranko¡¯s face only worsened as she nodded, managing a smile. ¡°You know? It¡¯s silly stuff, but I am.¡±


    Ayako reached over the barrier, pulling Ranko into a hug about her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m glad. I know we haven¡¯t been in touch much, but Yui¡¯s been keeping me up to date. She¡¯s worried sick about you, not leaving yourself any time for fun or rest. Are you sure you¡¯re okay, Ran-chan?¡±


    Ranko nodded, turning her eyes back to the rest of her squad to see if she was needed. Mostly, it was about not letting the exhaustion and the disappointment at Akane¡¯s departure in her eyes betray her to her sister. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m good. Great. Busy, but great.¡±


    With a knowing smirk, Ayako nodded skeptically. ¡°If you say so. We¡¯re all proud as hell of you, kiddo. I hope you know that. You don¡¯t have to wear yourself out if you don¡¯t want to, though. How¡¯s your grades?¡±


    The cheerleader looked up with a blush and a sincere, proud smile. ¡°Mostly fours. I¡¯ve got one three right now in math, but Yui¡¯s helping me with some stuff. Math and I are¡­ not friends. I¡¯ve got a five in home skills right now, if you can believe that!¡± Ranko knew she had a hard time believing it herself.


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Ayako squeezed her again. She knew how hard Ranko had been working to catch up her schooling, and even mediocre marks in classes on her grade level were a minor miracle considering how far she¡¯d been behind a few months ago. ¡°Ranko, I mean it. You have no idea how proud I am of you.¡± Ayako made a mental note to tell Yui how proud of her she was, too, for all the work and effort she put into helping their youngest sister.


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Thanks, Aya. That means a lot to me.¡± She looked up at the empty spot in the bleachers at center court. ¡°I¡¯m glad somebody is.¡±


    With a look of concern, Ayako placed her hand on Ranko¡¯s bare shoulder. ¡°Ran-chan, is there anything you need to talk about?¡±


    A buzzer sounded, and Ranko snapped her eyes up. Saved by the bell. ¡°I gotta get back.¡± She reached over for another quick hug, and jogged over to rejoin her squadmates.


    The second half of the game went much as the first had, with Ranko going through the motions of the limited dances they¡¯d had time to teach her, and trying to seem excited when the Yusue team scored. Two of the songs they¡¯d danced to were ones she routinely sang onstage, and it almost killed her not to go snatch the microphone from the referee and sing rather than being one of fourteen cookie-cutter girls doing the same boring dance routine.


    At least Akane and the mystery girl were back in the stands. They¡¯d returned about a minute into the second half, hot dogs and sodas in hand. Well, that¡¯s good, Akane. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re focused on what¡¯s really important, she thought to herself. As she jogged off the court following her second timeout dance of the half, she didn¡¯t even bother waving anymore. There wasn¡¯t much point.


    Another piercing buzzer sounded to signal the end of the game, with Yusue having soundly defeated its opponent, the Shibuya Stars. Ranko¡¯s fellow cheerleaders crowded around their victorious gladiators, jumping up and down and whooping in celebration with them. Apparently this team was her school¡¯s rival or something, and everybody seemed super excited about it. Ranko didn¡¯t much feel like celebrating, between the fact that she just didn¡¯t particularly care if the sports teams won or lost, and the way Akane had so bitterly disappointed her.


    She looked up and saw Akane descending the steps with the mystery girl, heading toward the court where the cheerleaders and players were gathered. Ranko managed a smile; at least she was going to get an introduction after this girl monopolized her lover all game. Gathering her pom-poms and other belongings, she smiled and watched the girl lead Akane onto the court. Eiji, the basketball team captain, waved to the pair as they approached. ¡°Hey, Fumi! Who¡¯s your friend?¡±


    Fumiko grinned. ¡°Eiji, this is Akane. She¡¯s a freshman on our volleyball team. Akane, meet my little brother, Eiji.¡± Ranko froze. Of all the people Akane didn¡¯t want to know about their relationship, the volleyball team was at top of the list, right alongside their fathers.


    ¡°Hey, Akane.¡± Eiji gave a winning smile, offering her a little bow that she returned. Akane stole a quick glance over at Ranko, only for a half a second, but said nothing and made no other gesture. She had a guilty look in her eyes.


    Fumiko continued. ¡°I was just telling Akane here how you still haven¡¯t picked a date for the fall festival.¡±


    The young man blushed. ¡°Fumi! C¡¯mon, sis. You gotta stop putting me out there like that. I promise, I don¡¯t need your help to find a date if I want one!¡± He laughed, shaking his head and turning to Akane. ¡°Good to meet you, though, Akane. Really. Sorry about that.¡±


    Standing less than two meters away, Ranko could only growl under her breath and snatch her bag from the bench. Not only was she supposed to keep the fact that she and Akane were a couple a secret, but now she had to stand there and watch in silence while people tried to set her up with boys?


    Ranko slipped away from the group, walking back to the left side of the bleachers, where her sister rejoined her with a smile. ¡°Hey, Ran-chan. Great job out there. What¡¯s up?¡±


    The cheerleader looked up at her sister, with anything but cheer scrawled across her face. She spoke quietly, a defeated tone in her voice. ¡°Aya, could you and Kage please give me a lift home? I¡­ I gotta get out of here.¡±

 18. Bleeding Ink

    ¡°Miss Tendo?¡±


    Ranko looked up from her green notebook, fidgeting a bit in her plastic chair with a loud squeak as the aluminum legs of the attached desk scraped the floor. ¡°Huh?¡±


    Her science teacher put his hands on his khaki-clad hips. ¡°We¡¯re still waiting for your answer.¡±


    Blushing, Ranko shrugged. ¡°Uh¡­ Six?¡±


    Mr. Iwato sighed, shaking his head. ¡°It was a yes or no question, Miss Tendo. Clearly, you aren¡¯t paying attention. Go stand in the hall, please.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ yes, sir.¡± Sighing dejectedly as the rest of the class laughed at her, Ranko closed her notebook, stuffed it into her black satchel frustratedly, and departed the classroom.


    Ranko sighed, taking her place in the hallway next to the door. Mr. Iwato was right, she hadn¡¯t been paying attention, but in her defense, she spent most of her time with people familiar to her. She hadn¡¯t had too many chances to get used to answering to Miss Tendo as opposed to just Ranko; the last time she was in school, Miss Tendo meant Akane.


    She didn¡¯t feel much like a Tendo after last night. Ranko understood how hard of a situation Akane was in, but did she have to be so cold about it? Couldn¡¯t she at least acknowledge they were roommates? Friends, even? Hell, she¡¯d settle for cousins, like Kuno believed. When they were behind closed doors, Akane made her want to curl up inside her for warmth with the way she made Ranko feel. She was desperately in love with that girl, and the harder she fell for her, the harder it had become to hide it when they were out of the house, especially when Akane treated her like a complete stranger. That, at least, was new.


    She¡¯d narrowly avoided a fight when Akane got home by telling her that it had been a headache that caused her to leave early, and that she hadn¡¯t been able to find Akane in the crowd to tell her. She strongly doubted Akane believed her. It wasn¡¯t as if Akane didn¡¯t know how she¡¯d behaved, and she had to have known how likely it would be to hurt her.  But, at the least, she acknowledged that Ranko didn¡¯t want the fight, and the pair had gone to bed, back-to-back, in relative silence.


    She had to do something with the feelings. She¡¯d been biting her tongue for weeks, and it was breaking her. She was hesitant to go to her sisters for advice; lately, she¡¯d been careful not to air the couple¡¯s dirty laundry around them. She may not have been welcome with the Tendos, but at least Ranko could try not to get her own family at the Phoenix mad at Akane. She had to have somewhere that everyone she loved could be together in peace.


    At least she had Fred to talk to about things. She was grateful to Hana for having forced her to go, after the incident with Kuno and the overdose. She hated it at first; it felt invasive and punitive, but after the third session, Ranko had to come to begrudgingly accept that he really was just a nice guy that wanted to help, and he hadn¡¯t betrayed any of the secrets she¡¯d told him to Hana or anyone else as far as she could tell.


    Eventually Ranko had dropped discussion of the curse with him and just started calling herself a tomboy; the whole Jusenkyo thing was a fantasy she¡¯d made up as a coping mechanism, he had said at the time. At least he understood that being a girl was still hard for her sometimes. More pressingly, he knew how much it was breaking her heart that Akane hid her away like a skeleton in the closet. Fred had tried to make her feel better; he told her it might be more like Akane was hiding a treasure she was afraid to lose, but Ranko was living it, and she hadn¡¯t felt especially treasured last night.


    Her thoughts were interrupted as the bell signaling the end of class rang, and her classmates exited the room through the pine door to her right. Ranko waited, enduring the faceless jeers of the other students, waiting for the other girl that sat in the back row of the classroom to leave. Kumiko finally did emerge, and stopped to stand with her. ¡°Hey, Ran-chan. Are you okay? You were like, really out of it in there. Just nodding off again?¡±


    Ranko nodded sadly. ¡°Yeah, I guess I must¡¯ve.¡± She shouldered her bag with a sigh, walking in the direction of Kumiko¡¯s next class. Ranko herself had tenth-grade math as her last class of the day, and it was on the other end of the campus, but she could move quickly when she needed to.


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    Stepping out of the main flow of traffic, Kumiko spun her backpack off of one of her shoulders onto her hip, unzipping it and withdrawing an apple from it. She bit into it with a loud crunch as she pulled the zipper closed.


    ¡°Did you skip lunch again? You got an alien baby in there or something?¡± Ranko looked up at her with a smile, shaking her head amusedly. She was grateful to have something to talk about other than her own feelings. ¡°I never see you without a snack in your hand anymore.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kumiko swallowed the bit of fruit in her mouth. ¡°Something like that, yeah.¡± She frowned.


    ¡°Kumi, hey. What¡¯s the matter? I¡¯m sorry; I didn¡¯t mean to upset you.¡± Ranko turned to her, putting her hand on her friend¡¯s shoulder. Dammit. Eating isn¡¯t a thing girls like to talk about. I¡¯ve gotta remember that, she mentally admonished herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothin¡¯.¡± Kumiko sighed, trying to step past her, but Ranko planted her feet and locked her elbow, preventing her from making forward progress.


    ¡°Nuh-uh. Try again.¡± Ranko managed a reassuring smile, her stiff arm unyielding.


    Kumiko cringed, slumping her shoulders in defeat. ¡°It¡¯s just, there¡¯s this girl, she has a locker a few down from mine. And¡­¡± She swallowed hard, a bit of shame crossing her face. ¡°She¡¯s freaking huge, okay? And she¡­ she keeps taking my lunch money. It¡¯s stupid, I know.¡±


    Ranko bobbed her head with a confident grin. At least that was a problem she knew how to fix. Why didn¡¯t she ever get the easy ones? ¡°Tell you what. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll walk you to your locker, and we¡¯ll take care of this.¡±


    Kumiko waved her hands frantically. ¡°Oh, no, you can¡¯t! She¡¯s three times your size! She¡¯ll crush you! The last thing my social status needs is to be the girl who got the new cheerleader killed. Besides, it¡¯s not so bad; I just bring stuff to munch on from home, and I don¡¯t get my face pounded in.¡±


    Giving a confident smirk, Ranko put her arm around her friend¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Uh, excuse me? Resident school princess here, remember? Don¡¯t tell me what I can¡¯t handle.¡±


    Kumiko¡¯s frown gave way to a giggle, and she squeezed Ranko back, around her hips. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    Kumiko stretched her arms and back as they resumed walking. ¡°Hey, I saw you writing something in there. What was it?¡±


    Ranko shrugged, slumping a bit. So much for the welcome distraction from her own problems. ¡°Oh, ya know, tectonic plates and shit. Whatever Iwato was going on about.¡±


    The bespectacled girl to her left let out another little giggle. ¡°If it had been notes about the lecture, you would probably have known what the lecture was about.¡± She thought for a moment, perking up excitedly as an idea crossed her mind. ¡°You¡¯re writing another song, aren¡¯t you? Can I see?!¡±


    The redhead shook her head vigorously. ¡°No, no, nothing like that. Just¡­ putting some feelings on paper to get them out of my head, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Kumiko nodded. ¡°So, like a diary?¡±


    Shrugging, Ranko nodded. ¡°I guess?¡± The very idea of keeping a diary was such a girl thing, and she didn¡¯t know that she¡¯d ever be able to do it. She¡¯d told Fred as much, too, when her therapist had suggested she do it in their session last week. Plus, it created a vulnerability. If you didn¡¯t want people to find out what you were thinking, you shouldn¡¯t write it down somewhere for people to find. That just seemed dumb.


    Akane still kept a diary, as far as she knew, but however angry she was at her girlfriend, however much she was desperate to know what was going on in her head, she¡¯d refused to go looking for it. In their shoebox of an apartment, there weren¡¯t too many places it could be hidden, but even now, she respected Akane too much to do that to her.


    In reality, she was writing another song, but it was one she knew she¡¯d never sing. She could never get on stage and say the things she was writing. She could never hurt Akane like that, especially not publicly. She was just so angry, and she didn¡¯t know where to put it. She understood where Akane was coming from. It just hurt, knowing that she would never be welcome with Akane¡¯s family - a family that had been hers too, once - like Akane was with Hana and her sisters. Knowing that she¡¯d always have to listen to Akane¡¯s friends try to set her up with dates and bite her tongue. Knowing she¡¯d always have to skulk out of her own home via the fire escape like a cheating boyfriend whenever someone Akane knew came by. It made her feel dirty and cheap.


    She had worked so hard to get to a place where she didn¡¯t feel like being a girl, being with Akane, and then being both of those things at the same time was wrong anymore. She was so very tired of feeling like her life was wrong, especially the parts of it she loved the most. Most days, she was almost there. It was killing her that Akane couldn¡¯t get there too, especially since it felt like she had the easier path to get there. Ranko would have sung that girl a sweet love song from the stage every night if Akane would only allow it.


    The lyrics on the page in her bag were not a sweet love song, though.

 19. Aerodynamics

    Ranko sat in the grass, watching her squadmates practice. They still weren¡¯t letting her participate in stunts, and today wasn¡¯t a practice to work on choreography, so she didn¡¯t have much to do. She was supposed to be working on learning the various chants and cheers they did for the sundry sports and pep rallies, but she wasn¡¯t much in the mood. She was still somewhat lost in thought over Akane, and besides, the whole rah-rah thing was an effeminate bridge too far, even for a singer who lived in chunky heels and bodycon dresses of late. She cringed as she thought about it, realizing she couldn¡¯t remember the last time she¡¯d worn a pair of pants. Then, she cringed about that, realizing that even though she had been in exclusively skirts and dresses for weeks, it hadn¡¯t bothered her enough to notice at all.


    Popping a bubble she¡¯d blown with her watermelon-flavored gum, she watched as the pyramid of girls collapsed for the¡­ well, she¡¯d lost count of how many times. She couldn¡¯t believe they hadn¡¯t gotten one killed yet with the number of times the cheerleaders dropped each other on their heads. This time, though, where normally a heap of discombobulated prima donnas was hilarious, something was off. There was a loud yelp that came from somewhere at the bottom of the pile, and as the girls detangled, it became apparent that one of them wasn¡¯t getting up.


    ¡°Kotone, are you okay?¡± Shiori knelt beside the girl, who was fighting back tears.


    ¡°It¡¯s my ankle,¡± the crumpled brunette said. Shiori tried to help her to her feet, but the injured girl was unable to put weight on her leg at all. She and another of the cheerleaders, a shorter girl with purple pigtails named Tamiko, helped her to a nearby bench. There they began taking her shoe off to check on the extent of the damage.


    Shiori left Kotone in the care of the other cheerleader, walking over to the girl sitting alone in the grass. ¡°Hey, Ranko. So, it looks like we¡¯re a girl short. Ready to come off the bench?¡±


    The redhead popped up to her feet. ¡°If you want.¡± She motioned to the bench with her neck. ¡°Kotone gonna be okay?¡±


    ¡°Just a sprain, I think,¡± Shiori said with a hopeful glance back at the bench where the injured girl sat. ¡°You ever done stunts like this before? I never thought to ask.¡±


    Ranko stood, shrugging.  ¡°Something like.¡± The stuff she¡¯d done in her martial arts career would have turned these girls¡¯ hair white, and she was frankly a little resentful that they hadn¡¯t given her the chance to prove herself before benching her. The stunts and the cheers were the price she paid for the performing, and not her favorite part of the whole cheerleading thing at all, but if she was going to do it, the last thing she wanted was to look like the girl who couldn¡¯t cut it.


    ¡°Mind subbing in? You can take side base, it¡¯s easiest.¡± Shiori pointed to a spot where the girls had been building their formations.


    ¡°You mean the girl that gets stepped on? Sorry, I don¡¯t know the terms.¡±


    Shiori laughed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. ¡°I swear, we¡¯ve got to teach you some of the basics before the competition. But, basically, yeah.¡±


    Brushing the grass from the back of her skirt, Ranko smirked confidently. ¡°What do you call the girl that gets thrown up in the air?¡±


    ¡°The flier.¡± Shiori shook her head. Maybe recruiting this girl was a mistake after all. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing. ¡°But usually, fliers are the girls with the most stunt experience. It¡¯s dangerous if you aren¡¯t trained for it.¡±


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    ¡°Yeah? Let me try.¡± Ranko stretched her arms behind her head.


    Shiori sighed. If Ranko were going to be performing her song at the competition, they¡¯d have to get her front and center somehow. She supposed she¡¯d have to make some allowances. ¡°Alright, but let¡¯s take it slow.¡± She motioned one of the taller girls, a stocky blonde named Kou, over to join them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with something really basic. Kou¡¯s gonna lift you up and put you on her shoulders. She¡¯ll move her hands on your hips to let you know she¡¯s ready, and then you jump at the same time she lifts, to help her. You got that?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll take a whack at it.¡± Ranko cracked her knuckles. She hadn¡¯t gotten to train like this since back at the dojo. Maybe this is going to be fun after all.


    The blonde motioned her over. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± She put her hands on Ranko¡¯s hips, and the redhead blushed a little bit. Having another girl holding her from behind like that made her think of Akane, and for a split second, before Kou gave her the little warning bounce, Ranko felt as if she might be doing something wrong by letting another girl put her hands on her at all.


    Ranko jumped upward, and Kou barely had to do anything for her to clear the nearly two meters to Kou¡¯s shoulders. Kou took a firm grip of her ankles as Ranko stood atop her. ¡°Okay, now what?¡±


    Shiori smiled. Maybe she can be taught after all. ¡°Normally in this position, we just do some claps, chants, stuff like that. Then, to dismount, Kou will let go of your ankles, and you¡¯ll take her hands and she¡¯ll lift you down.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier if I just jumped down?¡± Ranko shrugged. She didn¡¯t understand why the girls made this so much more complicated than it needed to be.


    Kou laughed. ¡°That¡¯s a long way to just hop.¡±


    ¡°Let go of my ankles, I¡¯ll show ya.¡± Ranko¡¯s voice had taken on a tone with a little bit of sass in it.


    ¡°Your funeral.¡± Kou released Ranko¡¯s ankles from her grip, and as she did, Ranko popped up off of her shoulders, trying not to kick off too hard and hurt her. She tucked into a forward roll before uncurling and landing on her feet. ¡°See? No problem!¡±


    A chorus of whoas came from the other cheerleaders, who had assembled to watch the new girl get broken in.


    Shiori laughed, blushing. We¡¯re gonna win for sure. ¡°Okay, you didn¡¯t tell us you were a gymnast, too!¡±


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°Ya didn¡¯t ask. Wanna see some more?¡± The dozen girls assembled to the side whooped excitedly.


    Taking a few steps of a running start, Ranko dove forward into a handspring, then a second, and launched herself off the ground with her arms, tucking into a backward roll before landing on the roof of the equipment storage shed on one leg. She admonished herself not to take the instinctual kung fu crane form with her arms as she landed. From there, she hopped about a meter into the air, tucking her body tight into a ball and making three full forward rolls before landing softly on her feet, her knees bending slightly to absorb the shock. Still got it, she thought to herself with a wide grin.


    ¡°Holy hell,¡± a black-haired sophomore named Yori marveled.


    ¡°So,¡± Ranko asked, turning back toward Shiori. ¡°Did I get the job, captain?¡±


    Shiori¡¯s eyes were wide as saucers as she nodded in silence.


    ¡°How do you even do that, Ranko?¡± Yori walked over, looking over Ranko¡¯s legs as if searching for the bionic implants.


    Ranko turned to her, smiling brightly. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to teach you. All of you. If it¡¯s okay with our captain, that is.¡± She knew she didn¡¯t need to wait for an answer.


    Well, it¡¯s not exactly a dojo, Ranko thought to herself. But, such as it is, welcome to the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts. Class is in session, ladies.

 20. The Bully

    ¡°Gods, you should have seen it, Ranko! Milk all over the counter, the floor, my brother, everything. My mom wanted to yell at her so bad, but the dog just jumped down off the counter, plopped down and started licking the milk off the floor like it was her plan all along, and Mom just lost it.¡±


    Ranko giggled with her friend, shaking her head as she walked down the school corridor with Kumiko. ¡°And that¡¯s why I don¡¯t have a dog. I have enough work to do, just cleaning up after what the humans do!¡± Heads turned as they passed. The idea of a girl that was something of a geek hanging out with a cheerleader ¨C while she was in uniform, no less ¨C was unheard of to them. That was part of the point of Ranko choosing to wear her uniform today, in fact. Kumiko was in dire need of some social collateral, and Ranko had more than she wanted. She was happy to share.


    Kumiko nodded, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. ¡°So get a cat. They¡¯re way easier.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s whole body tensed up instantly, and her eyes darted to Kumiko¡¯s, a panicked tone rising in her voice. ¡°Uh-uh. Can¡¯t do cats. Nope! Nope nope nope. Can¡¯t even talk about ¡®em. They¡­ they freak me out really bad, Kumi.¡±


    Her friend giggled, putting her hands up defensively. ¡°Okay, forget I mentioned it!¡±


    Kumiko¡¯s laughter stopped suddenly, as did her steps. She looked forward, an intimidated expression casting its way across her face as she shrunk back.


    ¡°That her, Kumi?¡± Ranko gestured forward with her neck at an enormously tall young woman, easily two meters and maybe more. She was of stocky build with broad shoulders, and her face was sort of squashed like a pug¡¯s, the comparison emphasized by the choker chain she wore around her neck. Her ears were pierced with large surgical steel spikes, and she had a ring pierced through her nose as well. She wore thick black makeup on her eyes and lips.


    Kumiko nodded, saying nothing.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay, Kumi.¡± Ranko squeezed her hand. ¡°Just like we talked about. You got this. I¡¯ll handle everything from there. I promise, I won¡¯t let you get hurt.¡± Ranko cracked her knuckles as she walked, tightening the red ribbon holding her hair in its high ponytail. This is gonna be too easy.


    Kumiko walked up to her locker, spinning the combination lock until it clicked open. Ranko stood at the vacant locker to Kumiko¡¯s right, swinging the door open and pretending to look for something in it.


    ¡°Hey, Kumiko. I was beginning to worry that you weren¡¯t going to show up today.¡± The brutish girl approached from Kumiko¡¯s left, walking her fingers along the bank of lockers with a tapping noise as she approached. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want me to be hungry, would you?¡±


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    ¡°I¡­¡±  Kumiko swallowed hard. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,  Noriko. I just haven¡¯t been able to get to my locker today. I was running late.¡±


    The giant girl glowered with a mockingly pitiful aww. ¡°Well, that¡¯s terrible for you. But you¡¯re here now, so hand it over and I¡¯ll forgive you for being late this time.¡±


    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you leave her be?¡± Ranko leaned on the bank of lockers nonchalantly, peering around Kumiko at the bully. She knew she could take the girl in a fight; she was bigger than Ryoga but she doubted she was well-trained. As long as she didn¡¯t get a hit in, it would be easy. But if the ogre of a girl made contact, Ranko was relatively certain she wouldn¡¯t get up until tomorrow.


    ¡°Yeah?! What¡¯s it to you, pom-poms? Somehow, I don¡¯t think you wanna start anything you can¡¯t finish, so maybe you wanna think about keeping your airheaded nose out of other people¡¯s business.¡± Noriko glowered over Kumiko¡¯s shoulder, and Kumiko backed away, not wanting to be between the two of them any longer than necessary. It was amazing how little the effeminate school uniform did to mute the threatening posture the bully took.


    Ranko shrugged, pulling a 500-yen coin out of her bag and holding it up. ¡°I mean, I was just gonna offer to buy you lunch today so Kumi here could get some curry bread in peace. It¡¯s her favorite.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Noriko crossed her arms contemplatively. She¡¯d never had anyone volunteer to be bullied before. ¡°Well, okay. Kumiko, I guess you get a day off after all. But don¡¯t think you¡¯re getting out of paying me tomorrow.¡±


    Gotcha, Ranko thought with a satisfied smirk. ¡°Here ya go!¡± She flicked the coin with her thumb, sending it hurtling end-over-end in an arc over the tall girl¡¯s head. As she reached her hands up to catch it, Ranko slipped between Noriko¡¯s body and the bank of lockers with a metallic bang, emerging behind her where Kumiko awaited. Kumiko had seen her move her hands, but it had all happened far too quickly to have any chance to process what Ranko had done.


    With a sassy, satisfied smirk, Ranko reached up with her right hand, catching the coin over her shoulder without turning to look for it, or at the bully behind her. She cocked her waist to the side, putting her left fist on her hip. It was the sort of pose Ranko remembered the Furinkan cheerleaders doing whenever they¡¯d turned some sad sack boy down for a date, as if the posture itself said, because I¡¯m a cheerleader, that¡¯s why.


    ¡°On second thought, Kumi, we should go to Mr. Gojin¡¯s snack cart out front. He¡¯s got two-for-one octopus puffs on Wednesdays. My treat!¡± She giggled, putting her arm around Kumiko¡¯s shoulder and walking away from her friend¡¯s locker.


    ¡°You¡­ you BITCH! GET BACK HERE! I¡¯LL KILL YOU! YOU HEAR ME?!¡±


    Ranko never turned to look at her, and neither did Kumiko, but the chorus of laughter from the onlooking students had been the whole point. Nothing could put a bully in their place quite like humiliation. Kumiko giggled loudly. ¡°That was incredible. Thanks, Ran-chan.¡±


    Noriko flailed her massive arms to catch them, but she couldn¡¯t get close enough. The door to Kumiko¡¯s empty locker swiveled back and forth on its hinges with a loud metallic squeaking as the bully strained to free herself. The choker chain collar around her neck had been secured to the latch of the locker door with Kumiko¡¯s combination lock.

 21. Difficult Negotiations

    Hana sat at one of the round tables of her bar, poring over a nine-page document held together with a staple in the upper-left-hand corner. The youngest of her five daughters fidgeted in the chair next to her in a gray business suit consisting of a knee-length pencil skirt and matching blazer with an emerald green satin shirt, similar to the one she¡¯d worn for her initial evaluation for her grades last December. The first time she¡¯d been called Hana¡¯s daughter. Between her nerves and the itchy fabric of the skirt on her hypersensitive skin, Ranko was struggling to sit still, but she did her best not to let anyone see.


    As Hana read in silence, Ranko turned behind her to the only other table with anyone seated at it. The four members of her band sat around the table, looking around aimlessly. Nobody had made them dress up. Maybe none of them had fussy big sisters who insisted that they look professional for the meeting. Once Izumi finished her fashion design degree, she¡¯d have a slew of pretty models at her disposal, and maybe she wouldn¡¯t feel the need to dress her little sister up every chance she got. With a silent little chuckle under her breath, Ranko realized that she very much doubted it.


    ¡°You guys okay?¡±


    Shinji just shrugged, catching the hacky sack he threw into the air. ¡°Yeah, just bored.¡±


    Ranko grinned, motioning with her neck toward the bar, where her blue-haired older sister flitted around preparing for the night¡¯s service. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your girlfriend to make you a drink?¡±


    Ranko¡¯s bassist smirked. ¡°Because then I¡¯ll be buzzed, and still bored.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Ranko?¡± The young woman in the yellow blazer across the table from Ranko waited for her to turn back around in her seat. ¡°What are we thinking of the terms?¡±


    Blushing, Ranko smiled proudly at the matriarch of the Phoenix as she read the last page of the document. At least Izzi had dressed her in something appropriately uncomfortable, too. ¡°Like I said, my mother is serving as our agent. We¡¯re waiting for her thoughts.¡±


    Hana flipped back to the front page of the document, setting it down and standing. She turned to face Ranko and the band together. ¡°Okay. So, as best I can tell, this is looking pretty solid. You¡¯ll all get a small bonus as an advance today when the contract is signed, and Yokai will put out more of the cassette singles for Rise now.


    ¡°Their staff songwriters will offer you other songs, and if you like them, you can perform them and they¡¯ll be considered Dapper Dragons songs. Between those, and anything else you all write yourselves, the next nine songs you produce, plus Rise, will go on your first full-length album, which Yokai will produce and publish. You¡¯ll need to film a music video for Rise and at least four of the other songs. Yokai¡¯s got the equipment and the people to help with that. They get creative control of how the videos are done, but you will of course get input on how you want things.


    ¡°As for money, you get 2% each of the single and album sales, not counting the ones they already sold in the trial. Ranko, Crash and Shinji will get an extra 1% each because they¡¯ve got the writer credits. Yokai gets 10% of any fees you¡¯re paid for public performances that include the songs from the album for the next two years.¡±


    Crash nodded. ¡°Seems fair to me. Guys?¡±


    Jacob put his hand up. ¡°What about sales of guest of honor?¡±


    Hana blinked in confusion. ¡°Uh, what?¡±


    Crash leaned over to Jacob, and the pair whispered back and forth for a moment. When they finished, Jacob turned back to Hana, blushing. ¡°Sorry. Sales of merchandise.¡± The Australian was fairly conversational in Japanese, but less-common words still threw him sometimes.


    Hana smiled. ¡°Ah! Got it. They have the right to produce merchandise for the songs and use your logos, pictures, stuff like that. You get 10%, so 2% for each of you, of anything they sell. If you produce your own, they get 10% of that.¡±


    A round of shrugs and nods of assent came from the four young men around the table.


    The Yokai Records representative stood, adjusting her blazer over her white blouse. ¡°So, thoughts? Questions?¡±


    Crash gave a nonchalant grin. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Ranko saw right through it. He was over the moon to finally have a published song after all his years of practice and toil.


    Ken nodded, drumming on the table nervously with his fingers. ¡°Works for me.¡±


    Shinji slipped his hacky sack into the left pocket of his black leather jacket, leaning back a little in his chair. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll work.¡±


    Jacob nodded with a bob of his neon green fauxhawk, a little hesitant to speak again after his gaffe.


    Hana turned to her daughter, smiling down at her proudly. ¡°Then it¡¯s just down to you, baby. Are you ready?¡±


    Ranko smiled warmly up at the woman who had changed her life. Who had given her a job, purpose, a home, and the encouragement to allow herself to dream and then chase those dreams. Just ten months ago, she¡¯d been homeless, friendless and hungry, and now, she was a signature away from being a bona fide pop star. Ranko wondered if she¡¯d ever be able to do enough for her to show the depths of her gratitude. ¡°If you say it¡¯s fair, mom, I trust you.¡±


    Hana beamed with pride. It still made her happy that Ranko called her that. Not even mama like the other girls did, but mom. It was like Ranko wasn¡¯t just acknowledging that Hana behaved like a mother, but that she had replaced her biological mother entirely in her mind. Of course, Ranko had never known any other mother.


    ¡°Then, I suppose let¡¯s get some pens and make this thing official! Miss Uyehara?¡±


    The woman in the yellow blazer stood. ¡°Excellent!¡± She laid five copies of the nine-page document on the table, and each of the young men took one. Ranko picked up the last one, sitting down next to Crash, and the representative from the record company leaned over the chair to Ranko¡¯s left with her own copy of the contract. Each person signed their name and then passed the contract to the person on their left. There was a bit of a delay in the cadence when the contracts reached Ranko, however. Her hand quivered as she carefully wrote her name, as neatly as she could. Her penmanship still had a lot to be desired, and in her mind, that was a trait of guys who didn¡¯t care how things looked as long as the job got done. Something inside of her wanted this document to look like it had been a real girl who had signed it. Each time Ranko signed a copy of the document, there was a bright flash for a half-second followed by a click and a mechanical whir as Mei snapped another Polaroid from behind the bar.


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    The agent smiled, folding her copy of the contract once vertically and putting it in the inside pocket of her yellow blazer. ¡°Well, that does it! Welcome to the Yokai family!¡± She pulled a folder from her black leather attache case, opening it and producing five checks that she distributed to each of the band members. Ranko slipped hers into the narrow pocket on her right hip.


    Izumi made her way around the bar, quite slowly at seven months pregnant, carrying the camera. ¡°Okay, everybody, let¡¯s get a shot of the whole band!¡± The four young men and Ranko piled together, smiling and posing for the photo. Yui let out a little whoop, watching her sister and her friends celebrate their incredible accomplishment.


    Ranko¡¯s eyes moved between her three youngest sisters. They deserve to be a part of this, too. Their support, and their encouragement, made this happen. Hell, if Mei hadn¡¯t put that microphone in my hand, I doubt I¡¯d have ever set foot on that stage. Everyone in the world that had been a part of her journey to this moment was there.


    Nearly everyone, anyway. Ranko knew that Akane had an exam today she couldn¡¯t get out of, but with all the struggles between them lately, she really wished her girlfriend could have found a way to be there. Their relationship was a secret publicly, and Ranko was learning to deal with that, but here, in what was all but her family¡¯s home, she wanted the woman she loved by her side for one of the most important days of her life. There was an aching disappointment that just wouldn¡¯t go back in its box.


    ¡°Guys, you have fun. I gotta do¡­ I just need a minute.¡± Ranko slipped behind the bar as her bandmates waved and pushed through the saloon doors, making for the stairs on her right that led up to the tiny apartment that had been her home for most of the last ten months. She left the door open a crack, sitting on the foot of the bed with her arms around the enormous pink teddy bear she¡¯d left on the bed when she moved out.


    She had only been alone with her thoughts for a few minutes before Hana pushed open the door to the upstairs apartment. ¡°Baby, what¡¯s going on? Are you okay? You should be down there celebrating with the guys. This is everything you¡¯ve ever wanted.¡±


    Ranko scooted over on the bed and tossed the gray blazer she¡¯d already removed up toward the head of the bed to make room for Hana to sit next to her. ¡°I know, mama. And I am excited, really. I¡¯m just sad, too. Sometimes I wish I¡¯d never left here. Somehow, when I was here, everything just made more sense, ya know? Like there was always a box full of answers under the bed.¡±


    The matriarch of the Phoenix¡¯ little clan smiled. ¡°That¡¯s the sort of thing that happens when you¡¯re surrounded by older people who love you and can give you good advice. But you know you don¡¯t have to sleep here for that to happen, kiddo. Talk to me. What¡¯s going on? Is there trouble with you and Akane?¡± She put her arm around Ranko¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°No. And also yes.¡± Ranko sighed sadly. ¡°Mama, when I¡¯m alone with her, it¡¯s like magic. I¡¯ve never been so happy in my life. I love her more than I thought it was possible to love another person. She makes me feel pretty and loved and appreciated. She makes me want to be better all the time. Like what you and the girls do, but even more. When she touches me, oh my gods, Mom, it¡¯s indescribable. But, as soon as we go out the door, it¡¯s like I don¡¯t exist. She won¡¯t tell anyone about us, and she pretends like she doesn¡¯t even know me in front of her friends.¡±


    Hana nodded, rubbing her back. Yui had told her a little about this. ¡°How does that make you feel?¡±


    Her youngest charge looked up, her eyes welling. ¡°Disgusting. Wrong. Unwanted. I know she has everything to lose. I know she has every reason to do what she¡¯s doing, and I want to be so mad at her and I can¡¯t, because I know she¡¯s doing what she thinks she has to. We even agreed to it, back when we first started dating. But the closer we get, the prouder I am of her, and of us, and I don¡¯t care what people think anymore. I don¡¯t care if some people can¡¯t deal with it. All I want is to be hers, mom, and it¡¯s breaking my heart that she won¡¯t let me.¡±


    ¡°Have you told her all of this?¡± Hana squeezed her daughter¡¯s hand with her right hand, her left still draped over her shoulder.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯ve tried. I get so sad and I just walk away. I don¡¯t want to be angry with her. I don¡¯t want to fight with her. Like I said, she isn¡¯t doing anything wrong. She¡¯s doing what we agreed we¡¯d do from the beginning, and I don¡¯t feel like I have any right to complain. I just¡­ the more I¡¯m with her, the more I want. I¡¯ve tried everything, mom. I¡¯m working so hard. I¡¯ve tried cheerleading, learning to cook, taking care of the apartment, everything with the music. I barely even sleep anymore. Would you believe I¡¯m making fours and fives in all my classes except math? Me?! What more do I have to do to make her proud of me, mama?¡±


    Hana smiled, brushing a wisp of her daughter¡¯s bright red hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. ¡°I would believe it, actually. Your brains were never the problem, you just needed space to actually learn the stuff. I¡¯m thrilled that you were able to get back into school and experience a little of it before you graduate. As for the rest of it, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s proud of you, baby. I see it in her face. Maybe her issue isn¡¯t you, it¡¯s other people who are putting pressure on her?¡±


    Ranko sighed, leaning into Hana¡¯s body. ¡°What do I do, mom? How do I tell her that I know she¡¯s not wrong, but what she¡¯s doing doesn¡¯t feel right either, and not hurt her?¡±


    Patting her youngest daughter¡¯s hand, Hana sighed thoughtfully. ¡°One of the hardest lessons to accept about being in a relationship with someone is the fact that you¡¯re going to hurt each other. It¡¯s inevitable. Around the people you love, you let down all your defenses, so every time they do even the slightest thing wrong, it¡¯s going to cut a little deeper. Love is all about trusting them to do the right thing most of the time, and trusting them to listen when they don¡¯t and you need something to change. It¡¯s about knowing deep down that if a person really loves you, they are going to hurt you all the time, but trusting that they never mean to. If you can reach that point with her, then everything else that can go wrong is a misunderstanding that can be fixed with a little conversation. Let me ask you this, baby. Do you think Akane wants to hurt you?¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°No. Never.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to hurt her?¡±


    Again, Ranko shook her head, gently against her mother¡¯s body. ¡°I¡¯d rather die than hurt her, mama.¡±


    Hana nodded, stroking her daughter¡¯s hair soothingly. ¡°So, if you were to do something that hurt her, not meaning to, would you want her to tell you, so you could figure out how to stop? Or would you want her to keep it to herself and keep letting you hurt her?¡±


    Ranko managed a little smile of understanding. ¡°I¡¯d want her to tell me. And you¡¯re saying I should do the same.¡±


    Hana smiled, kissing the top of her daughter¡¯s head as it rested against her side under her arm. ¡°That¡¯s my girl.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Ranko sighed. ¡°How do I make sure that telling her doesn¡¯t hurt her? How do I let her know that no matter what happens, I love her and I don¡¯t ever want to lose her? I hate being her secret, but at least it¡¯s better than not being hers at all, you know?¡±


    The elder woman squeezed her daughter around the shoulders again. ¡°Maybe do something really special for her first? Show her that you¡¯re still happy with her, but that you need this one thing to get fixed?¡±


    Ranko gasped with the formation of an idea and sat up, giving her adoptive mother a tight hug. ¡°You¡¯re a genius, mama. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without you!¡±


    Hana smiled, pulling her daughter¡¯s head toward herself and kissing her on the forehead, not minding the chalky taste of Izumi¡¯s foundation souring her lips a little. ¡°And you¡¯ll never have to.¡±


    Standing, Ranko bounded down the stairs, looking for one of her sisters. ¡°Izzi! I need your help! We have a shopping emergency!¡±

 22. Under the Rug

    Careful not to knock over the precarious stack in the cabinet, Akane stowed the last of their skillets and closed the door. Washing the pans was the only time she really touched them. Pulling the door of the empty dishwasher closed, she looked around the kitchen for anything else that needed done. Fortunately, their apartment was pretty small, so there wasn¡¯t a lot of room for messes to accumulate.


    She¡¯d already swept the floor and taken the trash out, and she knew she was probably overthinking it, but she wanted everything to be perfect. Kasumi would never have let a soul set foot in their home if so much as a speck of dust lay unaccounted for, and Akane was determined to impress her.


    Seeing nothing further in need of attention in the kitchen, Akane moved into the bathroom. Ranko had just cleaned everything the day before, so there wasn¡¯t much to do here; Akane needed only to close the shower curtain, pick up the dirty towels from their morning showers, and put out a fresh roll of toilet paper. Akane sighed, realizing that if she had wanted to scrub the shower or the toilet down, she wouldn¡¯t even know where the chemicals and tools to do it were. She hadn¡¯t done it once since they moved in almost two months ago. That had been the sole dominion of the red-headed dynamo she had fallen in love with.


    She walked into the bedroom, tossing the few dirty towels in the hamper and setting about making the bed. She didn¡¯t need to change the sheets; Ranko had done that two days ago. It really was amazing how domestic she had become, considering her resistance to helping with chores back before it happened; back when she was Ranma. She wasn¡¯t interested in learning when Kasumi had tried to teach her, either, but as Ranko herself had told her last week, everything changed when you had someone you were doing it for.


    As much as she appreciated Ranko¡¯s efforts, Akane wished she would slow down. She didn¡¯t remember the last time her girlfriend had slept more than a few hours at once, other than the occasional night when Akane had all but bribed her into bed with the promise of wearing her out. As it was, they hadn¡¯t gone to bed together in more than a week; Ranko always needed to stay up and finish some homework, or Akane was asleep by the time she got home from work.


    She finished tucking the duvet around the pillows, looking around the room with a sigh. It was clean enough, she guessed. This part, though, she wasn¡¯t looking forward to.


    She walked over to the dresser, picking up a small glass photo frame and looking down into her own smiling face and that of Ranko¡¯s. Gods, she loved that girl. What she would have given to have realized it sooner. Then again, she¡¯d tried to be with Ranma before the Cat¡¯s Tongue, before she left the dojo and found her new life at the Phoenix, and she hadn¡¯t been the same person then. It was only because Ranko was a gentler, humbler, kinder person than Ranma had been that they worked together as well as they did, and that had been directly a result of her time with Hana and the girls. But, what a cost that progress had extracted for them both.


    Akane¡¯s family and Ranko were the two great loves in her life. So many nights they had sat down to dinner together at home, and Akane had taken for granted that it would always be that way, back when that was the last thing she would have wanted. Now, she¡¯d give anything to sit at the dinner table across from her father while holding her lover¡¯s hand at the same time, and it felt about as possible as walking to Jupiter.


    She¡¯d played the conversation out a thousand ways in her head. Dad, this is Ranko. No, not Ranma. Ranma died. This is a woman, and I love her. He¡¯d lose his mind. She remembered what Nabiki said the first time she¡¯d met Ranma. ¡°Akane, you don¡¯t like boys, and Ranma¡¯s half girl.¡± Not so much now, sis, Akane thought to herself.


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    Kasumi, remember when you tried to teach Ranma how to be a bride? Well, you¡¯ll never guess who she¡¯s with now¡­ Yeah, that wasn¡¯t going to work.


    Hey Dad, remember when you said you wanted me to spend the rest of my life with Ranma? Funny story¡­


    She couldn¡¯t find a path that didn¡¯t involve judgment and disappointment from her family. She thought she might be able to shoulder it; she¡¯d always been teased for being something of a tomboy and she¡¯d somewhat gotten used to it. It had only hurt so much coming from Ranma because of how badly she¡¯d always wanted him to see her as something more.


    But the last thing Ranko deserved was to be made to feel weird again. Put together wrong again. She¡¯d given up everything down to the roof over her head and her very name to earn the right to hold her head up high, and Akane was not about to take that from her just because she missed her sister and father. She knew how much it hurt Ranko to be hidden from her family, but the alternative would be so much worse, especially since if Akane¡¯s father knew where Ranko was, Ranko¡¯s father would find out in a matter of hours. Honestly, if Genma would just leave, she was relatively confident that her father and Kasumi would come to terms with it eventually, once they got over the initial shock of it all.


    Akane smirked, remembering the look on Mr. Saotome¡¯s face when she defeated him using Ranko¡¯s ultimate technique. Told him to keep his daughter¡¯s name out of his mouth. He¡¯d deserved worse for what he put Ranma through, but Akane couldn¡¯t help but feel a tiny measure of gratitude to him, because every terrible choice he made had helped bring Ranko to where she was now. To Jusenkyo, to the Phoenix, to Hana, and now, to her.


    Akane had always known that being with Ranko wasn¡¯t going to be easy. Being with a girl would be hard no matter what, and Ranko was anything but an ordinary girl. What Akane hadn¡¯t predicted was that in order to make it work, she herself would have to hurt the girl she loved. It was killing her, and she had no choice.


    Then, there was the matter of the volleyball team. Ranko hadn¡¯t said anything about it, but Akane knew the night of her first basketball game as a cheerleader had positively killed her. Why did Fumiko have to be there? All I wanted was to be there for Ranko, and I had to bite my tongue and could barely make eye contact all game long without it being noticed.


    Ranko had specifically been excited about the halftime performance, and she¡¯d missed it because her team captain had dragged her down to the concession stand for a freaking hot dog, of all things. What was I supposed to say? ¡°Sorry, my girlfriend that you don¡¯t know exists is dancing right now, and I want to stay?¡± She wished she''d had the courage to say something to Ranko about it afterward, but it was pretty clear when Ranko went home alone that she didn¡¯t want to talk about it, and Akane had felt too guilty to bring it up again.


    As much as she loved being on the team, she¡¯d have given it up for Ranko if it came to a choice. As long as she kept quiet, though, Akane would be eligible for an athletic scholarship next year, and that would mean enough money to live comfortably, without help from her family that was subject to their judgment about her choice of partner, and without Ranko having to kill herself the way she was. She could just sing for fun, and not have to worry about exhausting herself waiting tables. That said, she knew Ranko would carry that whole bar on her back regardless in order to support her sisters and Hana after all they had done for her.


    It was settled: the only way to make and keep her beloved happy in the long run was to keep her a secret. In the shadows, but safe.


    I¡¯m so sorry, baby. I love you. You¡¯ve protected me for years. Now it¡¯s my turn to protect you, even if it hurts. It¡¯s for your own good, I promise.


    She walked to the dresser, opening Ranko¡¯s underwear drawer and gently resting the heart-shaped frame in it. She slid the drawer closed with a heavy sigh, looking around the room for what else needed to go before her sister arrived.

 23. The Outside Looking In

    ¡°You got it, guys! Enjoy!¡± Ranko dropped off the large pizza in her hand on a little metal riser at the center of table seven with a warm customer service smile. ¡°Anything else you need?¡±


    Hearing none of the four young men at the table speak up, Ranko nodded and headed back toward the bar. The second her back was turned, the smile faded. Her customers didn¡¯t need to know it, but she was miserable tonight. All she could think about was Akane, and how she was probably sitting down to dinner right now with her eldest sister. In Ranko¡¯s home. While denying she existed and kicking her to the curb for the night. She felt like a puppy that had been put outside for breaking a rule they didn¡¯t yet understand.


    She wore the white floral dress Akane had picked for her the morning after she¡¯d spent the night at the Phoenix the first time. The first time Akane had called her cute. Ranko had just grabbed it as the first clean thing she reached in the closet, but now as she saw her reflection in the mirror behind the back bar, she wondered if she hadn¡¯t subconsciously chosen it for that very reason, as if she was letting her appearance quietly whisper the secret that Akane insisted she keep and hoping someone, anyone, heard it.


    Fortunately, it was a relatively slow night at the Phoenix, and Ranko didn¡¯t need to run quite as hard to keep up. She hadn¡¯t been sleeping, both because of her jam-packed schedule and her clouded emotions. Most nights, she didn¡¯t sleep long enough to dream at all, but last night, she¡¯d managed to do so, just enough to dream that Akane dumped her for Crash so she¡¯d have someone she could take home to her family.


    It was also fortuitous that it was a slow night because they were a sister short; the longer Izumi¡¯s pregnancy went on, the harder it was getting for her to make it through a shift. She was taking more and more nights off these days, at their mother¡¯s insistence, but it did make more work for Yui, Mei and Ranko. Hana herself was pitching in more of late to fill in the gaps, and while Ranko did miss hanging out with Izzi, it had been nice to work alongside her mother more of late. She did make a mental note that if she could ever find a few free hours, she needed to get over to Izzi and Kaito¡¯s apartment for a visit. She hadn¡¯t seen her nephew in weeks, and she missed him. Plus, Ranko could imagine that Hoshi might be feeling a little underappreciated with so much of his parents¡¯ focus on getting ready for the new baby.


    ¡°Hey, Yui-chan, can I get another one?¡± Ranko sat at one of the stools on the patrons¡¯ side of the bar, resting her elbows on the bar and her chin on her hands.


    Her blonde sister turned to her with a concerned expression while handing a young woman back her credit card. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you should. You¡¯re going to explode your heart or something.¡±


    Ranko sighed heavily. ¡°Would you rather I just get up on stage and take a nap? C¡¯mon, Yui.¡±


    Shaking her head in exasperation, Yui reached into the ice bin behind the counter and produced a narrow silver-and-blue can. ¡°Last one for tonight, okay?¡±


    Answering only with a shrug, Ranko snatched the energy drink on the counter, popping the tab open and downing half the can at once.


    ¡°Listen, little sister, I¡¯m really worried about you. You¡¯ve got to stop doing this to yourself, kiddo.¡± Yui frowned, suspiring softly. ¡°Something¡¯s gotta give.¡±


    Ranko nodded, still supporting her head in her right hand while her left continued to periodically tip the can of Red Bull toward her mouth. ¡°Yeah, I know. I probably shouldn¡¯t have started cheerleading. I thought it would be a chance to perform more, and honestly, I kind of hoped Akane would find it kinda hot. Not that she¡¯d notice.¡±


    Yui put her hands on the bar top, leaning on it a little. She wanted Ranko to see that she had her full attention. ¡°You have got to talk to her, girl. The longer you let this go, the angrier you¡¯re gonna get.¡±


    Shrugging and rolling her eyes, Ranko drained the last of the can and handed Yui the empty container. ¡°And say what? Akane, I think you should lose everything you ever wanted, because it¡¯s more important to me that you hold my hand when we¡¯re out? I can¡¯t ask that of her.¡± She hung her head, letting it fall into her hands. ¡°Maybe I should just let her go. It would be easier for her.¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Yui reached across the bar, placing her hand on Ranko¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°Come on now, you don¡¯t mean that. You girls are made for each other. And if the two of you can¡¯t make it, what chance do I have of finding somebody?¡±


    ¡°You just need to start writing your phone number on receipts whenever cute girls buy drinks.¡± Ranko managed a brief little giggle, sitting back a bit on her stool.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea, you know.¡± Yui smirked, rubbing her wrist through her sleeve. Her scars always seemed to itch a little when she thought about dating again. She hadn¡¯t been with anyone since Kimiko, all those years ago. She¡¯d just never been able to bring herself to do it. She wouldn¡¯t admit it to Ranko while she was struggling with Akane, but seeing how good their relationship had been the first few months was giving her the courage to finally think about trying again.


    As Yui spoke, an attractive brunette in a blue minidress sauntered up to the bar to Ranko¡¯s left. ¡°Hey! Can I get a Manhattan, please?¡± Ranko looked over at her with a little smirk, then up to Yui.


    Yui blushed a little, recognizing Ranko¡¯s unspoken suggestion. ¡°Uh, sure.¡± She picked up her bottle of vermouth and set a martini glass on the bar.


    As Yui worked, the brunette turned to Ranko. ¡°Hey, are you okay, hon? You haven¡¯t sung all night.¡±


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°Just got a lot going on, I guess.¡±


    The brunette nodded contemplatively. ¡°Yeah, you kinda look it, no offense. But the regulars do miss you when you¡¯re not up there. If something¡¯s bugging you, maybe getting it off your chest would help.¡±


    Ranko looked up at the empty stage. ¡°Yeah, maybe.¡± As she spoke, Yui handed the drink across the bar to the woman, who passed her credit card in return. Yui quickly swiped the card in the credit card imprinter on the counter, and Ranko straightened up on her stool, craning her neck over the bar to read it.


    ¡°So, Sakura, huh? That¡¯s a pretty name.¡± Ranko smiled coyly toward her sister.


    The brunette blushed. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Ranko slid off of her stool to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m Ranko, and that¡¯s my big sister Yui.¡± Ranko looked over the bar at her sister, whose face was the color of the maraschino cherry she¡¯d just dropped into the woman¡¯s drink.


    Sakura smiled at Ranko, and then at Yui, surprised though she was at the way this conversation had begun.


    The redhead left the two of them alone, walking over to the audio engineering table near the stage. With the bar shorthanded tonight, Mei was in the kitchen cooking, so Ranko was on her own for operating the equipment. She thought about doing a sappy love ballad, in the hopes of setting the mood for Yui, but her heart wasn¡¯t in it enough at the moment. Sakura¡¯s suggestion sounded pretty good, though. If something¡¯s bugging you, get it off your chest.


    Ranko popped in a tape, pressing play, and rushing around the table and up the stairs just as the first notes played, quickly snatching up her headset microphone as she passed its hook. The second her feet touched the stage, a small collection of whoops rose from the patronage, and more followed as awareness spread that she had taken her rightful place.


    At first, she just stood still on the stage as she sang. She really lacked the stamina to dance as the song demanded, but she¡¯d chosen it for its lyrics more than its beat.


    ¡°Lost in a dream, I don¡¯t know which way to go. Oh, let me say, if you are all that you seem, then baby, I¡¯m moving way too slow¡­¡±


    As more and more of the bar¡¯s crowd began to cheer and focus on the stage and the young girl holding court on it, Ranko felt herself start to perk up a bit more. The energy of an excited crowd had always done more to invigorate her than cans of caffeine and taurine ever could. She¡¯d been surviving on it for months now. Ranko placed her hands on her hips and began to rock them side to side.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been a fool before. Wouldn¡¯t like to get my love caught in the slamming door. How about some information, please?¡±


    Ranko bit her lip in the split second before the next line. She was singing to a woman that wasn¡¯t in the room, but serving notice to her nonetheless. Sooner or later, Akane was going to have to decide whether she loved her enough to take a risk. She had a message to send, and she needed to make sure at least someone received it, even if it were just a handful of random people trying to get a nightcap on an otherwise-boring Thursday night.


    The first note of the chorus dropped, and Ranko¡¯s body came alive on the stage.


    ¡°Straight up now, tell me, do you really wanna love me forever? Oh, uh-oh, or am I caught in a hit and run? Straight up now, tell me, is it gonna be you and me together? Oh, uh-oh, or are you just havin¡¯ fun?¡±

 24. An Empty Place

    Ranko slipped quietly through the front door into her apartment in the same white floral dress she had worn to work the night before, yawning as her eyes darted around the living room and kitchen. She suspected Akane had already left for class, but she didn¡¯t want to wake her if she hadn¡¯t. She felt like an idiot for not bringing her school uniform to work last night, and she needed to change and get to school in time for English class. She did not have the energy to stand in the hall all period if she got there late.


    Last night, Kasumi had come over for dinner with Akane, and Ranko had spent the night in her old room at the Phoenix after work. It still felt like home there, but she hadn¡¯t slept much regardless. She¡¯d started on an essay on Don Quixote for her homeschool humanities class when she got off work at 2:00 AM, and by the time she¡¯d crawled into bed at half past four, she was too upset and too caffeinated to sleep. She felt a little like Quixote, she¡¯d realized. Fighting every battle she could, wearing herself down to nothing, to try and win the favor of a woman who sometimes seemed to barely notice she was alive.


    She nudged the bedroom door, stalking carefully into the room, mindful of the squeaky boards in the floor. She found the room empty. The bed was unmade and an empty tea cup rested on Akane¡¯s nightstand. Ranko sighed and tried her best not to resent the possibility that she¡¯d be expected to tidy up her home after a night she hadn¡¯t been invited to spend in it.


    She reached into the closet, pulling her school uniform out. She didn¡¯t remember hanging it up after she changed last night; Akane must have done it for her. Ranko smiled, appreciating the little act of consideration Akane had shown. She slipped off her dress, tossing it into the laundry hamper and turning to the dresser for a clean set of undergarments. As she did, she stopped, noticing something wrong, and looking at the dresser in dismay.


    The little photo frame commemorating the couple¡¯s first night in their apartment was missing. Its outline was still faintly visible in the thin layer of dust that had accumulated in the last three days since Ranko had last wiped it down. Ranko got down on her hands and knees, checking under the dresser and the bed, worried it had somehow been knocked off onto the floor and broken. Not finding it, she stood again. She wouldn¡¯t have, would she?


    Ranko opened Akane¡¯s underwear drawer, the top one on the left, and found nothing out of the ordinary. Well, one thing out of the ordinary, she thought with a smirk as she plucked a pair of emerald green panties out of the drawer. Nice try, Akane, but these are mine. She opened her own underwear drawer to return the satin hipsters to their rightful place, and there, resting on a pillow of Ranko¡¯s underthings, lay the photo frame, face down.


    She staggered back and sat on her unkempt bed in nothing but her underwear, awash in her thoughts. Akane hadn¡¯t hung up her school dress to be nice, she realized. She¡¯d done it to hide her presence. Just like she¡¯d done when she hid their picture, the one little memento they¡¯d eked out of their nonexistent budget to declare the tiny apartment as their own and commemorate the start of their future. Stuffed in the underwear drawer like it was a teenage boy¡¯s dirty magazine.


    Was that all she was to Akane? Just some infatuation she was ashamed of? Did Akane not even miss her presence enough to put their things back out after Kasumi had left? She certainly hadn¡¯t showed up at the bar last night, and there was no chance Kasumi had stayed late enough to prevent it. If the Tendos kept roosters, Kasumi would have woken them with breakfast in bed every day before the sun rose.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    She turned hesitantly, looking at the back wall of the room. She knew what she expected to see, but she prayed she would be wrong.


    Ranko walked to the corner containing the folding tray table that served as her nightstand, right next to the window, placing her hand on the wall. Her fingertips slid over a tiny pinhole in the floral wallpaper, almost invisible at the center of a tulip. She traced a horizontal line about a half-meter to her left, finding another hole. Then, down a ways, another, and a fourth at the same height, directly below the first. She had to feel them, to prove to herself that their existence wasn¡¯t a dream in the first place. The four holes outlined a rectangle, where until sometime after she left for work last night, four red push pins had held up a poster announcing the limited release of a certain sold-out pop single. To Ranko, the little pocks in the wall may as well have been four puncture wounds in her heart.


    Ranko wiped her eyes. She didn¡¯t have time for this. She pulled on her school blouse, forgetting to change into clean undergarments. She tried to swallow back her anger, her hurt. Tried to remember everything she¡¯d told Hana about how she didn¡¯t want to blame Akane. She sat back on the bed, looking up at the empty place on the dresser.


    ¡°I love her, she loves me. I know that. She doesn¡¯t have a choice,¡± she begged herself out loud to believe as she slipped into her red pinafore. ¡°She wants me. She said so. She¡¯s doing what she thinks she has to. She¡­¡±


    Ranko shook her head, looking up at herself in the mirror, sniffling as she watched the reflection of a tear roll jaggedly down her cheek. Her voice lowered to somewhere between a whimper and a whisper as she recited aloud something Yui had taught her ages ago, in her first few days at the Phoenix. The last full night of Ranma Saotome¡¯s life.


    ¡°I am wanted. I have worth. I have people who care about me. I am wanted. I have worth. I have¡­¡±


    Her eyes fell back on the dresser, where the picture frame still mocked her from its rest in the center of her open underwear drawer. She decided not to return it to its proper place. She wanted to see how long it took Akane to remember. Ranko had to see that it was important to her, too. It was vindictive, it was petty, and try though she might, she couldn¡¯t will herself to care.


    Something had to give, and Ranko was down to one way left to get the point across to Akane. She¡¯d tried so many times to talk to her, and allowed guilt and empathy to blunt the words she needed to convey how it was killing her to exist as the skeleton in Akane¡¯s closet. It was going to hurt her ¨C hurt them both ¨C but she couldn¡¯t live this way anymore. She was going to have to break Akane¡¯s heart to make a place for herself in it. She hated it, but she¡¯d fought too hard to build herself into a real person again, and she could no longer bear the thought of people lining up around the block to celebrate her every night while the love of her life treated her as a stranger. She could not live as a ghost again. She would not. Not anymore.


    Ranko stood and gently closed the drawer containing the photo, her eyes lingering sadly for a moment on the drawer just below it where she kept her bras. I don¡¯t even think that could get through to her right now, she thought sadly to herself. This is the only way. I¡¯m sorry, Akane.


    She walked to the kitchen, her hands shaking as she reached for the beige telephone mounted to the wall and dialed a number on the white push buttons on the underside of the receiver. She leaned her backside on the wall near the front door, at the limit of the coiled beige cord¡¯s reach, as the electronic whirrs droned in her ear. A groggy-sounding masculine voice answered the call on the sixth ring.


    ¡°Do you have any earthly idea what time it is, girl,¡± the man groaned. It always weirded her out that he knew it was her calling; he had recently gotten one of those new machines that showed the number that was calling while the phone was ringing.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Crash, but I really need you. Tonight, as soon as school gets out, at the bar. Please?¡±

 25. An Agreement in Principal

    Ranko sat in a gray vinyl chair in the narrow lobby, one of four in a bank connected at the base. Her black school satchel rested on her lap. She tapped her foot on the gray industrial low-pile carpet, partly due to nerves, and partly to keep herself awake. She looked out the window across the hall at the closed door of her science classroom, where a quiz was currently taking place that she was missing. She hoped Mr. Iwato would let her make it up, but she doubted it. He was pretty strict about these sorts of things.


    ¡°Miss Tendo?¡± The receptionist called out to the lobby as if she expected any one of a hundred young women to answer, though Ranko was seated in the room alone. The redhead stood, shouldering her bag. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± She gave a polite bow.


    ¡°Right through there, second door on your left.¡± The receptionist gave a judgemental little tsk as Ranko walked past, adjusting her glasses.


    Ranko knocked twice on the indicated door and pushed it open, entering a large office space with a mahogany desk situated in the center of the room. Seated at it was a slender woman in her mid-forties with shoulder-length black hair, in a crisp blue blazer and skirt over a cream-colored blouse. She wore horn-rimmed glasses that reflected the fluorescent lights overhead, obscuring her ice-blue eyes from view. The wall behind her desk was covered with framed certificates showcasing the academic achievements of the office¡¯s occupant.


    ¡°Miss Tendo, come in.¡± The woman stood, motioning to one of the two chairs facing the opposite side of her desk.


    Ranko entered, bowing deeply. ¡°Hello, Miss Terada.¡± She spoke quietly, a shame and worry in her voice. She¡¯d had this experience before, but there were very different people on both sides of the desk back at Furinkan. She took the indicated seat, and the woman across from her sat as well.


    ¡°Ranko, I¡¯ve got to tell you, I¡¯ve been hearing some disturbing things from your teachers,¡± the principal began. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me, in your words, what¡¯s been going on?¡±


    Ranko lowered her head shamefully. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am. I promise, I¡¯m doing the best I can. I know I¡¯ve fallen asleep in class twice this week, but I won¡¯t let it happen again. I¡¯ll stand in the back of the room all period long if I have to.¡±


    The principal nodded. ¡°That commitment is good, but right now, I¡¯d like to talk to you about why you¡¯re falling asleep in class. What¡¯s going on, honey?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothin¡¯.¡± Ranko frowned. ¡°Just got a lot goin¡¯ on.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Like what?¡± The principal smiled disarmingly, offering her a candy from a small glass bowl on her desk.


    Ranko took a peppermint and popped it into her mouth with a nod of thanks. It made her think of Fred, bringing a weak, fleeting smile to her face. ¡°I¡¯m working nights, I¡¯m doing four homeschool classes to try and catch up to my grade level, I¡¯m doing cheerleading. It¡¯s just a lot.¡±


    The elder woman bobbed her head in acknowledgement. ¡°Anything else? How are things at home?¡±


    Ranko cringed. She¡¯d promised Akane she wouldn¡¯t talk about their relationship at school, but she didn¡¯t want to be caught lying to the principal. She decided to keep it vague. ¡°It¡¯s been hard lately. There¡¯s been¡­ lots of stress and stuff. Money, arguments, that sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°Do you have anyone to talk to about it?¡± The woman in the blue suit sat up in her chair, a look of genuine concern on her face.


    The redhead nodded. ¡°I have my mom, and my sisters. My therapist, too, when I can find time to go see him. And I mean, things aren¡¯t really bad, they just¡­ aren¡¯t good, either. Ya know? But it doesn¡¯t matter. I know I have to put that stuff aside when I come to school.¡±


    With a smile, Miss Terada reached over the desk, placing her hand on top of Ranko¡¯s. ¡°Your dedication is admirable. Not just to school, but to everything you¡¯re doing. But you¡¯re also just a kid, Ranko. It¡¯s okay to admit you can¡¯t do everything all at once. Even now, as nervous as I know you are from being in here, I¡¯d bet if I didn¡¯t say anything for a minute or two, you¡¯d be asleep in that chair. I asked your teachers, and they tell me you¡¯re a bright girl, but your grades are progressively slipping. They didn¡¯t say they¡¯re upset at you for struggling. They say they¡¯re worried about you. You can¡¯t keep doing this to yourself, honey.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice,¡± Ranko said with a hollow voice born of worn-out determination.


    ¡°Of course you do,¡± the principal replied. ¡°You could cut back on the homeschool classes, or drop cheerleading. I¡¯m guessing you can¡¯t quit your job, but maybe you could cut your hours back. You have options.¡±


    Ranko shook her head vigorously, wincing as the caffeine headache flared up. It was constant these days. ¡°I can¡¯t cut cheerleading and I can¡¯t cut back at work. People are counting on me. And if I drop the homeschool classes, I won¡¯t graduate this year.¡±


    ¡°So, worst case scenario, you stay with us another semester or two. I bet the cheerleading squad would love to have you back next year. Consider this: it doesn¡¯t matter if you cram your schedule full of extra classes if you fail the ones you¡¯re in here because you can¡¯t stay awake through a lecture or get your homework done on time.¡±


    Ranko rubbed her temples. The headache was getting really bad. She had some Tylenol in her bag, but she couldn¡¯t take it until she could get out of the office and get a drink. ¡°Are you telling me I have to drop something?¡±


    Miss Terada shook her head. ¡°Not yet. You¡¯re eighteen; you¡¯re almost a grown woman. So, for right now, this is just advice. But if you keep having problems, I¡¯m going to ask for a meeting with your mother. You strike me as the kind of girl who likes to handle her own problems, so I¡¯m giving you the chance to do that, but I¡¯m not going to stand by and watch you drown, either.¡±


    Nodding gently, Ranko gave a quiet sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, ma¡¯am. I just want to catch up, and make the people who care about me proud. I¡¯m¡­ not real used to having people be proud of me, and I don¡¯t want to screw it up.¡±


    The principal pursed her lips. ¡°Oh, Ranko, honey, I¡¯m sure your family and everyone will be proud of you regardless. In fact, I dare say they might be even more proud of you for admitting when you¡¯re in over your head and taking steps to protect yourself or ask for help. That¡¯s an even harder thing to do than pushing yourself until you drop, and it takes a bigger person to do it.¡±


    ¡°They just¡­¡± Ranko rolled her eyes, fixating her eyes on the model airplane on the principal¡¯s desk to avoid making eye contact. ¡°They think I¡¯m so great. Like, they tell me all the time that I¡¯m smart, and I¡¯m capable of anything I set my mind to, and all of that stuff. I¡¯ve never believed them. But I really wanted to. I want to live up to the person they think I am, because they¡¯ve invested so much in me, and taken a chance on me when they didn¡¯t have to, and I owe them that. I don¡¯t want to disappoint them. Any of them. All I¡¯ve ever been is a disappointment, and I don¡¯t wanna feel like that anymore.¡±


    Shaking her head, the principal patted Ranko¡¯s hand across the desk again. ¡°Ranko, sweetheart, I don¡¯t think you understand just how remarkable what you¡¯re doing is. According to your file, you were out of school for a year or more, and your placement exams put you barely eligible for high school classes. You don¡¯t get from where you were then to where you are now in that short amount of time without busting your butt, young lady, and that¡¯s an achievement to be very proud of. I¡¯ve been doing this longer than you¡¯ve been alive, and I¡¯ve never seen anybody come that far, that fast. I¡¯ll bet you if I did call your mother in here, she¡¯d say the same thing. You seem to be doing well socially, too, the incident with Noriko Showa last week notwithstanding.¡± She smirked. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t think she had it coming, just between you and me.¡±


    Miss Terada stood. ¡°I want you to make me a promise, Ranko. I want you to commit to me that you will take care of yourself, and trust that the people who care about you want to see you not just excelling, but being happy and healthy. Talk to them. You can even come talk to me if you need to. But please, don¡¯t push yourself so hard that you hurt yourself trying to help yourself.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, ma¡¯am.¡± She stood, and as she started to bow, the headache reached a crescendo and she wobbled a bit on her feet, steadying herself on the back of the chair she¡¯d just risen from. ¡°I need to get to class.¡±


    Shaking her head, the principal pulled out a notepad and started writing on it. ¡°No, I think you need to go see the school nurse.¡±


    Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Ranko managed to regain her balance. ¡°There¡¯s nothing she can do for me. It¡¯s just a headache, and I¡¯ve got medicine for that in my bag.¡±


    The principal handed her the note, addressed to the nurse. ¡°Maybe she can¡¯t help. But I¡¯d bet that an hour or two of sleep on the cot in the clinic might.¡±

 26. Check and Mate

    Akane sighed, sipping from her soda and plonking the empty glass onto the bartop as she pored over the figures in her notebook. It was a good thing the Phoenix gave her whatever she wanted for free, because she and Ranko were flat broke. The electricity she could handle, but rent would likely be a couple of days late until Ranko got paid. They might be living on chicken wings and tater tots at Ranko¡¯s work for the next week or so, but they¡¯d survive.


    She knew she could ask for money from her father, or even Nabiki, and that Ranko likely could get some help from Hana if push came to shove, but she really didn¡¯t want to take that approach unless they had absolutely no other choice. She was desperate to prove to both of their families that they could make it on their own, even if her own family would never know Ranko had been involved.


    ¡°You okay? You look like hell.¡± Yui snatched up Akane¡¯s empty glass, refilling it with the soda gun. Given how dejected Akane looked, the blonde bartender assumed that her youngest sister had finally spilled the beans about how she really felt. She hoped so, because it was really getting hard to watch Ranko slowly lose hope.


    Akane sighed. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m just¡­ everything¡¯s a lot, ya know?¡±


    Yui nodded. ¡°Yep. Adulting sucks. But hey, not everything¡¯s awful, huh? Ranko says your volleyball team¡¯s still undefeated?¡±


    The raven-haired girl managed a smile. ¡°Yep! We¡¯re 3-0 now.¡±


    ¡°Not bad, not bad.¡± The bartender grinned. ¡°Probably helps that you have your own cheerleader.¡± At least, as long as you don¡¯t keep fucking it up, Yui thought to herself.


    Akane smiled a bit more sincerely at that. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s great. I don''t know what I¡¯d do without her.¡± She wished Ranko would come to her games, but she understood why she hadn¡¯t. Akane hadn¡¯t exactly been the most eager to involve her with her volleyball team, and when she¡¯d gone to one of Ranko¡¯s cheerleading events, it didn¡¯t go particularly well. Not to mention, Ranko barely had time to eat dinner anymore, let alone sit for two hours and watch people bat a ball around.


    Yui nodded. So, she hasn¡¯t spoken up yet, she thought. Poor kid. I¡¯m gonna need to give her a kick in the ass again later. ¡°Your classes going okay?¡± She slammed a glass upside-down into her metal shaking tin, vigorously mixing a margarita over her shoulder as she waited for Akane¡¯s response.


    Akane nodded. ¡°Well enough, I guess. The amount of homework is ridiculous compared to high school, but it¡¯s still nothing compared to what Ranko¡¯s doing with her homeschool classes and everything. But seriously, if I ever get my hands on Isaac Newton, he and I are going to have a good long talk about this calculus nonsense.¡±


    With a smirk, Yui slid a fruity concoction over to the man standing to Akane¡¯s right, taking a bill from him and stuffing it into the cash register. ¡°Yeah, we kicked his ass out of here years ago. Freakin¡¯ jerk, with all the weird Greek letters and crap.¡±


    Akane scoffed. ¡°I know, right!? He wasn¡¯t even Greek!¡±


    Yui shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s all Greek to me. When Ranko gets to that, we¡¯re gonna have to ask Ayako to tutor her. I¡¯m tapping out as headmaster.¡± She handed a pair of lagers in frosted mugs over Akane¡¯s head to the tall blonde man standing behind her stool. ¡°So, if everything else is going okay, what¡¯s eating you?¡±


    Akane shrugged. ¡°Just the adulting stuff. Maybe I made a mistake doing this with Ran-chan so soon. We¡¯re being as careful as we can, and there just never seems to be enough money.¡±


    With a nod, Yui reached over the bar top and topped off Akane¡¯s soda glass with the fountain gun. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much how adulting works. And you can¡¯t find a job a couple hours a week to help out?¡±


    Sighing, Akane shook her head. ¡°I looked at a few, but with my class schedule, volleyball, and trying to get up here to see Ranko¡¯s shows, there¡¯s just not any blocks of time big enough.¡±


    Yui frowned a little. She¡¯d really hoped Akane would find a way to step up. Maybe Akane really was doing everything she could, but it was hard-wired in Yui to take her sister¡¯s side. She knew Ranko hadn¡¯t had a full night¡¯s sleep in more than a month because of all she was doing, and she¡¯d never complained once. More than once, she and her sisters had found the poor thing passed out somewhere or another between songs. She was really starting to worry about her.


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    ¡°Did Ranko¡¯s bonus not help you out?¡± Yui wiped the condensation from the countertop with a light blue bar towel, finally getting a moment where she wasn¡¯t pouring someone a frosted libation or another.


    ¡°Bonus?¡± Akane looked up. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Yui shrugged. ¡°You know, what she got from the record company when they agreed to do the full album. She didn¡¯t say how much it was, but it¡¯s something, at least.¡±


    Frowning, Akane set her glass down a little more forcefully than she meant to. ¡°I wasn¡¯t actually aware she¡¯d gotten one.¡±


    With a cringe, Yui nodded. ¡°Well, that, I guess you¡¯re gonna need to take up with her. That part¡¯s none of my business. I only know because Shinji used his to get Mei some new audio¡­ thingamajig that she can¡¯t stop raving about.¡±


    As she finished her sentence, Yui cringed again as her youngest sister approached the bar. ¡°Hey, Akane!¡± She reached out, wrapping her arms around Akane¡¯s shoulders from behind with a smile. At least here, she was allowed to do so if she was careful.


    Akane did not respond.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    Yui looked around nervously. She¡¯d not seen Akane¡¯s temper, but Ranko had told a few stories, and if they¡¯d been remotely accurate, she did not need that going off in the middle of her bar on a Saturday night. She tried to flash Ranko a back off glare, but her sister didn¡¯t notice it.


    ¡°Akane, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ranko frowned with concern.


    Akane looked up from her drink. ¡°Oh. Nothing, Ranko. I just¡­ I have a headache, and a lot of homework to do. I think I¡¯m going to head home early, if that¡¯s okay.¡±


    The redhead nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you feel so rough. Of course it¡¯s okay. Go get some rest. I¡¯ll be home as soon as I can. I love you.¡±


    Grunting to herself, Akane managed to squeak out a ¡°Yeah, love you too¡± as she rose to her feet, heading for the door.


    Ranko blinked, looking up to Yui. ¡°What was that all about?¡±


    Her sister put her hands up, palms out. ¡°I¡¯m staying out of this stuff. The two of you gotta work this out though, because it¡¯s starting to stress me out.¡±


    Nodding, the redhead leaned against the bar. ¡°Would you mind?¡±


    Yui sighed and reached into her ice bin, sliding a silver can across the bar to her. ¡°Given any more thought to what your principal said?¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Ranko slipped onto the stool her girlfriend had just vacated, smoothing her forest-green skirt and crossing her ankles. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe I should drop something. I know Mama would cut my hours back here if I asked, but with Izzi only working a few days a week now, we can¡¯t afford to be short anybody else. You and Mei are killing yourselves, and Mom too. I shouldn¡¯t have taken on cheerleading, but I¡¯m really starting to enjoy it.¡± She felt a pang of embarrassment at the admission. She hoped she¡¯d never see her father again, but if she did, a part of her hoped it would be when she was in her cheerleading uniform, because the very thought of it would shatter the man before she ever said a word to him.


    Yui nodded. ¡°Personally, I think you should drop some, maybe even all, of the homeschool stuff for now. It¡¯s eating as much of your time as your regular school, almost. Sure, it means you¡¯re in school a little longer, but there¡¯s no reason to really rush that. You¡¯re not planning on running off and leaving us, are you?¡±


    The younger girl shook her head as she swallowed a mouthful of the life-giving liquid in the narrow silver can. ¡°Never! You and me are gonna be running this place together when we¡¯re old and gray. Besides, I don¡¯t think college is in the cards for me. We can¡¯t afford it, even if I were smart enough.¡±


    Smacking the bartop loudly to get Ranko¡¯s attention, Yui growled a bit. ¡°Hey! We¡¯ve talked about that. I don¡¯t want to hear that kind of talk out of you, little sister. Besides, you do know that colleges don¡¯t just give the sports teams scholarships, right? They do them for cheerleaders, too, I think.¡±


    Ranko sighed, holding her head in her hands. ¡°It¡¯s true, though. I can¡¯t even keep my grades up in school now.¡± The bit about the scholarship opportunities was interesting, but if she couldn¡¯t get more than a three in tenth grade math, what chance did she have with the stuff Akane was doing? She¡¯d looked at Akane¡¯s homework a few nights ago, and forget knowing how to work the problems, she couldn¡¯t even figure out whether half of the symbols were letters, numbers, or something else entirely.


    ¡°Maybe, and I¡¯m just spitballing here, it¡¯s because you¡¯re unconscious in class half the time?¡± Yui passed a mug of beer over the counter to a tall gentleman in a red sport coat as she spoke.


    Hanging her head, Ranko nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll think about it. I gotta talk to Akane about it before I make any decisions, though.¡±


    Yui bit her lip. ¡°Speaking of talking to Akane¡­¡±


    Bobbing her head again, and finishing off the energy drink in her hand, Ranko looked down at her hands. ¡°I know. I¡¯ve gotta do something to get her attention. But she¡¯s not gonna like it.¡±

 27. All Those Secrets

    ¡°How could you, Ranko?!¡±


    The redhead turned so quickly that her red school pinafore almost caught on the corner of the metal bed frame. ¡°How could I what, Akane?! What are you even going on about?!¡± She¡¯d only been home from school for five minutes, and Akane had been loaded for bear the minute she walked in the door. They had not spoken since Akane left the Phoenix the night before, as she was already asleep when Ranko got home.


    ¡°You know how low on money we are, and you¡¯re hiding it? Were you ever going to tell me about the check from the record company? Don¡¯t try to deny it, Yui told me everything!¡±


    Ranko sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. ¡°Really, Akane? Everything we have going on, and this is what you¡¯re worried about?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Akane screeched. ¡°We need to pay bills. We¡¯re going to be late on a few things, and you had money hidden away we could have used to take care of them!¡±


    Shaking her head, the redhead sat on the foot of the bed that they shared. At least, when they slept together at all, but between their differing schedules, the increasing frequency of arguments, and Ranko generally not sleeping much at all, that hadn¡¯t happened in almost a week. She hadn¡¯t thought about that check or what she¡¯d planned to do with it for over a week now, and any hope she¡¯d had of her mother¡¯s advice working to save their relationship this pain had long soured for her.


    ¡°We¡¯ll manage. We always do.¡± Her voice dripped of a quiet resignation, as if she were accepting a reality she didn¡¯t want to admit.


    Akane growled. ¡°That¡¯s not the point and you know it! We wouldn¡¯t have had to worry about it at all if you¡¯d been honest with me!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t worried. I believed in you.¡± Ranko bit her lip. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to say just how much it hurt to have said that word in the past tense, and she hadn¡¯t even meant to until it was past her lips.


    ¡°But I was! Do you still have any left, at least?¡±


    Ranko shook her head, rolling her eyes. ¡°Nope. It¡¯s gone. Sorry.¡±


    Akane threw her hands up and dropped them to her hips with a loud scoff. ¡°Of course it is. Do I even want to know what you spent it on?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. It was something really stupid. I should have known better.¡± Ranko stood, starting to walk into the kitchen. She just needed to put a little space between herself and her girlfriend for a minute.


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m talking to you! Come back here!¡± Akane stormed into the living room after her.


    Ranko whirled, glaring. ¡°Oh, were you?! I¡¯m sorry, Akane. It¡¯s been so long since you tried talking to me, I must¡¯ve forgot what it sounded like.¡±


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    Akane glowered angrily. ¡°And what¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡±


    Ranko groaned, flopping onto the couch in frustration. ¡°You don¡¯t know half of what¡¯s going on in my life anymore.¡±


    ¡°Only because you don¡¯t tell me.¡± Akane walked closer, putting her hand on Ranko¡¯s shoulder, but as one of her fingers slid across the nape of Ranko¡¯s neck, Ranko pulled away quickly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Do what!? I was trying to be nice!¡± Akane stomped her foot angrily.


    ¡°That thing you do where you touch me like that when you don¡¯t want to hear what I have to say.¡± Ranko crossed her arms. ¡°It¡¯s not fair.¡±


    Akane sighed, sitting on the couch next to her. ¡°Look, Ranko, I don¡¯t want to fight with you. I just want to know we¡¯re being up front with each other. We can handle anything as long as there¡¯s no secrets between us.¡±


    Ranko rocketed to her feet. ¡°No secrets? No secrets?!¡± She stormed into the bedroom, and Akane heard a loud crash, as if something wooden had been flung across the room. Before Akane could stand to see what was the matter, Ranko reappeared in the doorframe, tossing something into her lap. ¡°You¡¯re right, Akane. We don¡¯t have secrets in this house.¡±


    Akane looked down into her hands at a heart-shaped photo frame containing a Polaroid of the two of them. The one she¡¯d forgotten to return to its rightful place almost a week ago. It had been in Ranko¡¯s underwear drawer ever since.


    ¡°You know that¡¯s different, Ranko.¡± Akane sighed heavily, resting the frame on the couch next to her. She couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d forgotten to put it back out. No wonder Ranko¡¯s so pissed. ¡°We don¡¯t need to keep secrets from each other.¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ I can¡¯t do this anymore.¡± Ranko bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears.


    ¡°Wait, Ranko, what are you saying?¡± Akane stood, approaching her cautiously.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand here and listen to you lecture me about secrets. I just¡­¡± Ranko swallowed hard, turning without finishing her sentence and walking back into the bedroom. She was honestly afraid of what she¡¯d say if she allowed herself to follow the thought to its conclusion, but she knew whatever it was, she wouldn¡¯t be able to take it back.


    Akane followed her, finding her stuffing a pink minidress into the gusseted main pocket of her black school satchel. The purple plastic shards of the clothes hanger it had been on when she ripped it from the closet lay scattered across the floor at her feet. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Ranko sniffled, not looking up from her task. The anger had faded from her voice, but what remained sounded empty, as if she had run out of emotions to spend. ¡°I¡¯m gonna stay at the bar tonight.¡±


    Her partner groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic. Come on. What am I supposed to do?¡±


    The redhead pulled on the little white knob of the second drawer on the right side of the dresser, and found it would not budge, its position on its rails having been disrupted by the forceful way she had ripped the one above it from its place. With a loud yell, she yanked harder, and the drawer dislodged from its rails entirely and flew backward onto the bed. She turned, snatching up a green bra that had fallen free of it onto the bed and stuffing it into her school bag.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Akane. Maybe call Kasumi and ask her for advice.¡± She shouldered her bulging black satchel. ¡°At least this time, when you tell her you¡¯re here alone, you won¡¯t be lying.¡±

 28. The Circle of Trust

    Akane sighed, looking over the wrecked state of the bedroom she shared with Ranko. Her girlfriend had really made a mess in her temper tantrum when she left.


    ¡°Stupid girl! How immature could she be?! Hiding money, throwing stuff around like that. She¡¯s being such a jerk! What¡¯s gotten into her lately, honestly?!¡±


    Akane stalked into the living room, snatching up the heart-shaped glass photo frame from where she left it on the couch and looking into the smiling eyes of her girlfriend and herself with a sad sigh. All she wanted was for them to work as a team, love and trust each other. How was that too much to ask of an adult? Sure, Ranko was still a high schooler, but that was a question of academics, not maturity. She was certainly managing responsibility in every other way, so why wouldn¡¯t she just communicate? She stalked back into the bedroom and returned the frame to its rightful place on the dresser.


    She walked to the far wall, picking up Ranko¡¯s underwear drawer from where it lay on the floor. A small triangular dent had been pressed into the drywall where it made contact. That¡¯ll ding the security deposit. Damn it, Ranko! The damage fell within the rectangle outlined by the pinholes from the Rise poster, so if she re-hung it, at least it would be hidden for the time being. Kasumi had become quite the home repair expert thanks to the damage Akane and Ranma had constantly inflicted to her family home, and Akane made a mental note to call her and ask for advice on how to patch the crater when she had a moment.


    She picked up a handful of Ranko¡¯s panties, carrying them and the drawer to the bed. Setting the empty drawer on the unmade bed, she began gently folding the small satiny garments and stacking them four high in the drawer. If someone told me a year ago that there would come a day that I would be standing in my college apartment going through Ranma¡¯s panties, she thought to herself with a frustrated and half-amused smirk. Heading back to the corner, she scooped up the remaining hipsters from the floor and began folding those as well.


    Akane carried the full drawer over to the dresser, sliding it into its place before turning to her bed. It hadn¡¯t been made in over a week, and Akane had assumed it had been because Ranko was too busy or too tired to do such things if they weren¡¯t strictly necessary. It hadn¡¯t occurred to her until just now that perhaps her girlfriend had just¡­ given up.


    She knew that keeping their secret had been wearing on Ranko somewhat, but she saw no reason for her to be so checked out of their relationship. She still smiled when Akane paid her attention, most of the time. The sex was still great, when they found time to have it. But there was definitely a spark in her eyes, and a determination regarding things like keeping house, that had been missing of late. Akane missed it, and not just because Ranko¡¯s cooking beat the hell out of the microwave dinners she¡¯d been subsisting on as they constituted the extent of her culinary skills.


    Akane righted the upside-down drawer on the bed, picking up Ranko¡¯s pink bra. It made her blush every time Akane mentioned it, but she knew it was Ranko¡¯s favorite. She wore it almost every time if she knew Akane had plans for her that evening. Akane smiled wistfully, remembering better nights than the one she found herself having, and missing them. Whatever was really going on with Ranko to cause this angry and almost vindictive behavior, she needed to get to the bottom of it and fix it, even if that meant forcing her to drop some classes or something. Akane had tasted what life with a happy, healthy Ranko could look like, and she was desperate to have it back.


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    She folded the pink bra in half, tucking one of the cups inside the other and placing it gently in the drawer before reaching for the white one with the black bow at the base of the cleavage that dangled off the edge of the bed. She folded that one as well, and then the black one with the white bow that had been its inverse twin. She reached for the yellow one, which had flown further across the bed than its companions, planting her hand on the middle of the bed to steady herself as she stretched across the mattress. As she did, she felt something hard tucked partway under the bunched-up blankets, where it must have come to rest after bouncing out of the drawer when it flipped over.


    That¡¯s weird, Akane thought, and she slipped her hand under the blanket, fishing around until her fingers came in contact with something solid, small, and square. She withdrew her hand, pulling out a small box, maybe four centimeters in all three dimensions, covered with a plush navy blue fabric and accented with a tiny white satin bow on the top opposite the hinges.


    What the hell? What else are you hiding, Ranko? Buying yourself jewelry now, too? Big superstar, even though we¡¯re broke as hell, huh? Let¡¯s just see what was worth paying rent late and having a huge fight for, shall we?


    She sat cross-legged on the bed, pulling the box open. The hinges made a little squeak for the first half of their journey, and then the lid suddenly popped the rest of the way open all at once, rocking the box backward in her hand just a bit.


    Resting in a groove in the beige padding at the bottom of the box was a thin silver ring. Its setting bore the tiniest sapphire Akane had ever seen; it almost looked like a piece of blue glitter more than a gemstone. The stone, if one could call it that, was in the shape of a heart, and two square diamond chips, equally miniscule, flanked it on each side. Its design wasn¡¯t that dissimilar from the silver dragon bracelet that was never absent from Ranko¡¯s left wrist except when she was bathing. Oh, this isn¡¯t so bad, Akane thought. Something this tiny couldn¡¯t have been terribly expensive at all.


    Akane had never seen her wear it, or any ring, for that matter. It wasn¡¯t the sort of gaudy bauble that girls typically bought when they were out to spoil themselves, and if she¡¯d been going for something to attract attention on stage, she¡¯d have gone for some cheaper costume piece with larger, fake stones that would be more easily seen at a distance by the crowd. It made no sense at all. If anything, it looked more like the sort of ring that...


    Akane gasped, dropping the box on the bed as if it had spontaneously shocked her.


    She¡¯d seen a similar style of jewelry on more than a few girls last year at Furinkan, usually the seniors with steady boyfriends who were about to go off to separate colleges. They called them promise rings. It was the kind of thing boys gave their girlfriends when they wanted to propose, but couldn¡¯t, often due to money, familial obligation, or for a variety of other reasons.


    Other reasons, for example, like the boy having suddenly and irrevocably become a girl.


    Akane gasped and bit her lip hard, picking the box back up and cradling it gently in her hands, tears welling in her eyes as she gazed down at the tiny little ring. Never before had a piece of jewelry that cheap looked so beautiful. She looked up at the ceiling, speaking aloud to the woman she would have given anything to still have in the room to hear her.


    ¡°My gods, I am such an idiot! Ranko, you shouldn¡¯t have done this, you silly girl. But I can¡¯t believe I yelled at you, and you were trying to¡­ gods, baby, I¡¯m so sorry...¡±

 29. The Last Straw

    Akane pushed through the glass door of the Phoenix, her eyes scanning through the evening crowd. She honestly wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d even find Ranko down here; she half-expected her girlfriend to be upstairs in her old room crying. Ranma had never been one to let anyone see him cry, but since her transition and with the encouragement of her sisters and Hana to let herself feel and work through things, she had been more than making up for lost time.


    Still, not two steps into the building, Akane knew exactly where to find her girlfriend, because Ranko¡¯s voice rained down on her from the twelve speakers mounted from the ceiling. Wearing the form-fitting pink bodycon dress she¡¯d snatched from the closet hours before, Ranko stalked the stage with her band behind her, running her hand tauntingly down Shinji¡¯s gray button-down shirt as he backed away from her and plucked at his bass guitar.


    ¡°He¡¯s a cold-hearted snake, oh! Look into his eyes! Uh-oh! He¡¯s been telling lies!¡±


    Akane winced. She hoped the song selection wasn¡¯t directed at her, but she knew Ranko had every right to be upset. She was so angry with herself for not anticipating that Ranko could have used the extra money, that hadn¡¯t been planned for in their budget, to do something so sweet. All that mattered to Akane at the moment was getting a few minutes alone with her girlfriend so she could apologize for making such a colossal fool of herself.


    The stage lighting flickered electric blue under the command of Ariel Wright, Jacob¡¯s friend from the exchange program. After designing the lighting for the first Rise performance, Ariel had been helping out more and more during the Dapper Dragons¡¯ shows, freeing Mei up to cover more traditional bar duties in Izumi¡¯s increasing absence.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one giving up the love anytime he needs it, but you turn your back, and then he¡¯s off and running with the crowd! You¡¯re the one to sacrifice anything to please him. Do you really think he thinks about you when he¡¯s out?¡±


    Akane sighed, leaning on the bar and waiting for Yui to get a moment. Before Ranko¡¯s sister could acknowledge her, though, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned, coming face-to-face with Fumiko Kanda, captain of her collegiate volleyball team. She was dressed in a black pleather miniskirt and a red tank top, and she was already more than a little tipsy judging by the look, and the smell, of her.


    ¡°Hey, Akane! I didn¡¯t know you hung out here! This place isn¡¯t half bad!¡± She raised her half-empty margarita, draining a good bit of it at once through a neon pink straw.


    ¡°Fumiko! Uh, hi! Yeah, I¡­ uh, I come here fairly often.¡± Akane looked around the room for a place to escape, finding none from her position pinned against the bar counter. This was the last place and the last time that she wanted to have to conceal her relationship with Ranko.


    Putting her arm around Akane¡¯s shoulder and teetering a bit, Fumiko pulled her away from the bar counter. ¡°C¡¯mon, you. Me and the girls have a table over here.¡± Akane tried to resist, but the drunk girl continued pulling at her neck forcefully. She looked nervously up at the stage, praying she could get away before Ranko finished her song.


    ¡°You could find somebody better, girl. He could only make you cry. You deserve somebody better, girl. He¡¯s co-cold as ice¡­¡±


    Akane sat at a round table next to four of her teammates, squirming in her chair. As the last notes of the song faded from the speakers, Saki raised her hand with a loud whoop, waving her empty glass in the air and rattling the ice insistently.


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    Moments later, in response to the girl¡¯s unspoken request for a refill, their waitress arrived at the table. ¡°Hello! Can I get you another round, girls?¡± It was then that Ranko¡¯s eyes fell on Akane, out partying with her friends just hours after they¡¯d had a fight, and doing it right in front of her, in the one place from which Ranko could not run.


    Akane¡¯s eyes went wide, and she shook her head pleadingly at Ranko, her face the picture of shame, silently begging her not to make a scene.


    Reiko slid an empty glass across the table obnoxiously. ¡°Man, the shervice here fuckin¡¯ sucks.¡±


    Glaring at Akane, Ranko put on her cheeriest customer service voice, entirely betrayed by the smoldering resentment in her eyes. ¡°Can I get you anything, miss?¡±


    Akane cringed and laughed nervously, trying to find any sort of way to downplay Ranko¡¯s obvious anger. ¡°Oh, no thank you, I don¡¯t want to bother you, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Venom dripping from her voice as she smiled, Ranko crossed her ankles and bent her knees mockingly, bowing her head and gripping the hem of her skirt. ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t worry about us, ma¡¯am. We live to serve.¡± As Akane gasped, she snatched her empty tray fumingly and stalked off, leaving Reiko¡¯s empty glass on the table.


    Fumiko scoffed, swinging her glass around so hard she almost hit Akane in the face with it. ¡°Ugh. What a bitch, right?!¡±


    Ranko burst through the blue saloon door, ignoring Mei¡¯s plea to stop as she charged through the kitchen and crashed her way into the back alley. She threw the steel door closed behind her as hard as she possibly could. With a guttural scream, she gripped the latch handlebar of the trash receptacle and began kicking it over and over, howling at the top of her lungs in her no-longer-repressible fury.


    ¡°Man, that dumpster¡¯s a right asshole, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    Ranko looked up as Crash walked around from behind her, half of a lit cigarette dangling from his fingers. ¡°You wanna talk about it, Ran-chan?¡±


    Looking down at the crater she¡¯d created in the trash receptacle with her foot, she growled. Next to the pink scuff that had rubbed off from her shoe, a dark brown spot marred a small corner of the cavity. Anyone else would have thought it just another splotch of rust on the ratty old dumpster, but Ranko knew better. That particular memento was left by the blood of the last person who had made her feel the level of rage she currently harbored, one Mikado Sanzenin.


    ¡°Tell me it¡¯s ready, Crash.¡±


    The guitarist waved his hands. ¡°Whoa! Down, girl! You don¡¯t wanna do that. Especially not when you¡¯re this pissed.¡±


    She whipped her head around to face him, the fire in her eyes almost turning the tears pooling in their corners to steam. ¡°Yeah. I do.¡±


    Crash took a long drag of his cigarette before offering it to her. She very nearly accepted, so great was her anger and anxiety.


    The guitarist sighed. A part of him, the part that was quite possibly Ranko¡¯s best friend, desperately wanted to talk her out of what she planned to do. What he¡¯d agreed to help her do. He knew that would make Ranko the happiest. But another part of him, the part he had never admitted to Ranko was still there after all this time, would have given anything for Ranko and Akane to call it quits right then, tonight, and for Ranko to need someone else to run to.


    ¡°It¡¯s not ready yet. A couple more days, tops. Jake just needs a little more practice on the synth solo in the bridge and we should be good to go.¡±


    Ranko snatched the dying butt of his cigarette out of her friend¡¯s hand, throwing it down into a dark puddle on the asphalt. ¡°Tell him to play it on a fucking kazoo if he has to. We¡¯re on in five.¡±

 30. Sneak

    Akane had tried three times to get up, but her inebriated teammates kept pulling her back, sometimes physically. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are we not cool enough for you,¡± Fumiko mewled drunkenly.


    ¡°Look, girls, I just need to go find our waitress, alright? I want some food.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll show up eventually,¡± Saki howled obnoxiously.


    As Akane frantically searched the room for Ranko from her seat, she heard the band begin taking their places on the stage and recalibrating their instruments. Ariel darted between the stage lamps, frantically adjusting the filters on them as if his setup for the evening had been disrupted by a last-minute change. Exhaling in relief, she sat back down. At least she¡¯d have a little time to work herself free of the girls while Ranko was on stage.


    And then, it began.


    She first heard Shinji¡¯s bass guitar, starting to play a solo that sounded like it should be the opening theme of a spy movie. Akane didn¡¯t recognize it, turning her chair to face the stage, her face a mixture of curiosity and worry.


    Behind the bar, Yui exhaled heavily. ¡°Well, shit.¡± She spun a double shot glass into her hand and reached for the bottle of tequila on the top shelf. Carrying it carefully, she stalked around the bar, leaving several patrons waiting in line for service. They groaned in their frustration as she passed. Yui snapped back. ¡°Hey, I haven¡¯t taken a break all week; so just give me five damn minutes, okay?!¡±


    Yui approached the volleyballers¡¯ table, placing the shot in front of Akane. ¡°Here. You¡¯re gonna want this.¡±


    Raiko groaned angrily, holding up her still-empty glass. ¡°Hey, where¡¯s ours?!¡±


    Saki slid her empty glass across the table so hard it almost fell off the edge at Yui¡¯s hip. ¡°Yeah! That other bitch never brought ¡®em!¡± Yui ignored them entirely.


    ¡°Yui! What¡¯s this? You know I don¡¯t drink!¡± Akane looked at the little glass of clear liquid incredulously as the music intensified.


    The blonde nodded with a knowing smirk, despite her very real concern. In the next four and a half minutes, there would either be healing or fireworks, and she had no idea which to expect. She had really hoped her little sister would have talked to her girlfriend before it came to this. ¡°Oh, give it a minute.¡±


    If the verse and a half I heard yesterday is any indication, you¡¯re gonna want the rest of the bottle. She should not be up there when she¡¯s this pissed.


    As she spoke, Ranko stepped up onto the stage, wearing a nearly floor-length black trench coat she¡¯d borrowed from Hana without explanation. She had the collar popped, hiding the majority of her face that wasn¡¯t already obscured by her dark sunglasses. She crept from one side of the stage to the other on her tiptoes, miming looking around every corner as if she feared being caught committing a crime.


    In a moment, the synthesizer and lead guitar joined the tune, and it morphed into more of a bubblegum pop beat, and Ranko took a deep breath, a tinge of fear cracking through her fury. I¡¯m sorry, Akane, she thought to herself. I¡¯ve tried to tell you, and I couldn¡¯t make you understand. This is the only way I know how. Please forgive me.


    She turned her eyes upward to the excited crowd, buzzing in anticipation of the impromptu premiere of the Dapper Dragons¡¯ second original song. She began to sing in a slightly nasal pop twang as her hips rocked slowly and suggestively, seeming to snap into place before reversing direction.


    ¡°You say you¡¯re not sorry that we¡¯re lovers, babe. Why¡¯d you hide me underneath the covers, babe? You tell me I don¡¯t have any flaws, but then, why¡¯s my stuff still locked up in your closet, then?¡± Ranko remembered the photo frame in the drawer, and her missing poster that she still hadn¡¯t even found, and spat her fury into the microphone. Take everything in here, and put it in there, right, Crash?


    ¡°You tell everybody that there¡¯s no one here, and lock the door and touch me and it sends me to the stratosphere.¡± Ranko made a show of biting her tongue suggestively at the last line. She silently thanked Mr. Iwato; she had really struggled to find a rhyme to end that verse until his earth science lecture last week. Each of the lines syncopated the first four notes, the remainder slithering out of her saucily in an almost burlesque rhythm. She traversed the stage from side to side, exaggerating the swaying of her hips as she walked. It was quite the juxtaposition, seeing her moving in such a provocative manner while wearing the least revealing costume imaginable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the need for this mystique. If I¡¯m so good for you, why do you sneak?¡± The last word was carried in the highest register Ranko could muster, and the crowd roared in appreciation of it.


    Akane watched, transfixed, biting her lip nervously. Ranko hadn¡¯t told her she was writing something new, and judging by the first few lines and the tone of the evening, Akane didn¡¯t expect she was going to love what she had to say. Any one of about a dozen words, had Ranko chosen to include them, would have sunk her right where she stood in front of most of the starting lineup of her volleyball team.


    Ranko held her finger over her lips in a ¡°shush¡± gesture, but not close enough to her face to impede the wireless headset microphone. She sang in a high-pitched pop princess voice, similar to what she¡¯d use when she was covering Paula Abdul or Madonna. She popped her shoulders back and forth in time with the lyrics, so quickly that the observer almost saw her body instantly move from one position to the next without going through the space between.


    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, don¡¯t get caught! You don¡¯t want anyone to know about this thing we¡¯ve got!¡± She clicked her tongue a bit to punctuate the end of the last word. ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, don¡¯t tell yet, and let ¡®em think it¡¯s just the temperature that makes you sweat!¡±


    Ranko made a show of wiping her brow with the back of her hand, fanning herself with her fingers. She pulled the pink elastic band out of her ponytail, shaking her head to let her flame-red cascade of hair fall loosely around her shoulders. She popped off her sunglasses, tossing them back over her shoulder to Ken at his drum set, and then, with a playful wink to the center of the crowd, she slid the trench coat down her arm and flung it to the side of the stage, revealing her pink bodycon minidress. Without the floor-length coat, the pink chunky heels she wore also came into clearer view. If she was trying to make a statement, she certainly had everyone¡¯s attention, and the first few words of the next verse were almost inaudible over the screaming fans voicing their approval.


    ¡°You act like you¡¯ve started hearing wedding bells.¡± Ranko placed her hand on her heart as if moved by some unseen gesture. ¡°Still, your friends try to hook you up with someone else. When they¡¯re next to you, it¡¯s like you don¡¯t know I¡¯m alive.¡± Her hand left her chest, and she extended her palm outward as if pushing someone away. ¡°The second that they look away, you push me into overdrive. I can¡¯t help it, falling underneath your spell. You¡¯re the best at kiss, and kiss, and never tell!¡± She shook her head side to side violently as she sang the last two words.


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    She covered her eyes with her hands, again leaving space for the little plastic boom of the microphone. ¡°We¡¯re living in a game of hide and seek.¡± Her hands moved into an almost exasperated shrug. ¡°If I¡¯m so good for you, why do you sneak?!¡±


    Reiko smirked, leaning over to the distraught-looking freshman stiffening in mortification at her table. ¡°Bitch can¡¯t bring out a drink to save her life, but she can damn sure sing, huh?¡±


    Running her right hand over every curve of her body, Ranko looked down at the crowd with a pouty expression as she swayed, thrashing her wavy hair back and forth on her shoulders with a pronounced sass. Not for all the money in the universe would a single person in the room other than Akane have believed for a millisecond that the creature holding court on the stage had ever been a man. Had Akane not been so utterly shaken by the lyrics, she might have almost been impressed with how convincing she had become. Ranko wasn¡¯t usually above adding a little sprinkle of sexiness into her performances, mostly because she liked the response it got out of the crowd, but this was something else entirely. She wanted to appear so desirable it hurt, and she was sparing no effort in doing so. As far as Akane was concerned, it was working.


    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, no one knows how many nights I¡¯ve lay here begging you to hold me close. Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, tell those lies, and don¡¯t admit the way my body leaves you hypnotized.¡±


    Ranko licked her lips gently. She tried not to let her eyes linger too long at once, but she was aware of Akane¡¯s every breath even as she danced. Every note, every motion was precisely calibrated to drip of weaponized lust and sharpened to a razor¡¯s edge. The catcalls from the crowd were almost unbearable for Akane to hear, but Ranko seemed to be encouraging them, as if she wanted a certain someone to know without a doubt that there was no shortage of folks who would be plenty proud if they had the chance to be with her. Standing behind her, Crash sighed, shaking his head as he strummed his guitar. He knew for certain how badly she was making some of the men in the room squirm, because he was one of them.


    Ranko closed her eyes, running her right hand down her neck and between her breasts toward her abdomen. She stopped just above her waist, but very few in the crowd, least of all the woman that was the subject of the song, had any doubt what she was implying.


    ¡°You made me your dirty little secret, then, you made me your dirty little freak again. I¡¯m a good girl; prim and proper innocence. They don¡¯t see your fingers creepin¡¯ up my dress.¡± Ranko slid her left hand up her leg, letting just the very tip of her thumb slide under her skirt, and the table of college guys at the front of the stage went berserk.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep quiet for you, baby, it¡¯s okay. Hold my breath so they don¡¯t hear you take my breath away. The way you touch my body makes me weak.¡± She let her shoulders and arms go limp for a split second to punctuate the line. ¡°If I¡¯m so good for you, why do you ssssssneak?!¡±


    Without turning her eyes from the stage, Yui smirked knowingly from her standing position a few meters away as she recognized the sound of an empty shot glass slamming to the table to her immediate left. Told ya, kiddo.


    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, hide your face, so no one figures out it¡¯s you touching my special place!¡± She covered her wide open mouth with her wide open right hand, flashing a look of surprise in her eyes and gasping audibly in the half-second between the lines as if her innocence had just been shattered by something entirely untoward.


    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, you¡¯re my dream! That¡¯s why I¡¯m buried in my pillow when you make me scream¡­¡± Ranko raised her eyes to the ceiling as she sang the last three words, affecting her voice to sound less like a pop singer on a stage, and more like she did when she was experiencing a particular form of blissful torture with which Akane had recently made her so well-acquainted.


    Akane wanted to crawl in a hole and die of humiliation. The singer¡¯s facial expression, meanwhile, changed to one of almost sadness. Akane hated to see Ranko look like that, but, at least she no longer looked like¡­ well, that.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to notice how it gets to me that you won¡¯t let them know you¡¯re sleeping next to me. Every heartbeat, I am under your command. What I¡¯d give if you¡¯d let them see you hold my hand. I¡¯m your candy, baby, drip me off your arm. Let them talk, babe, we ain¡¯t doin¡¯ nothin¡¯ wrong.¡± Ranko gave a little shrug as if pleading her case. ¡±You say you think I¡¯m perfect and unique, but if I¡¯m so good for you, why do you sneak?¡±


    Ranko dropped to her knees at the front edge of the stage. She had asked for what she wanted. Now, as both the music and her voice dropped into a key a third of an octave lower, she could only beg for what she needed.


    ¡°Speak, baby, speak, baby, tell them please, the way your whisper in my ear can put me on my knees. Speak, baby, speak, baby, say it¡¯s true that you¡¯re okay with people knowing I belong to you. Speak, baby, speak, baby, say you¡¯re mine, and send another little shiver up and down my spine. Speak, baby, speak, baby, say I¡¯m yours, and I don¡¯t have to be your lover just behind closed doors.¡±


    Rising back to her feet, Ranko took a deep breath. To everyone else in the crowd, it appeared as if she was gearing up for a big finish. Akane knew better. She¡¯d seen that expression on her lover¡¯s face many times over these last few months. Ranko was trying to hold herself back from crying.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done my best at playing mild and meek, but I¡¯m tired of these teardrops on my cheek. All I want is you beside me. All you want to do is hide me. Babe, if I¡¯m so good for you¡­¡±


    She held the last note for nearly three full seconds in the highest register she could manage before delivering the final four words in a quietly sorrowful lower octave. ¡°Why do you sneak?!¡±


    The musical outro ended with the same spy-like theme with which the track had begun, and the crowd began to roar their approval of the new song¡¯s unexpected debut. However, the girl on the stage wasn¡¯t quite done. Ranko had written the song in anger, but when she turned her head to look at Akane¡¯s gobsmacked face across the room, it wasn¡¯t anger she felt anymore. All that remained was regret and hurt. My gods. What have I done?


    A jagged black trickle slowly inked its way down her cheek from her right eye as she took one last quavering breath. Her eyes locked on Akane¡¯s in the center of the crowd, and everyone else in the building faded from her consciousness. She would finally say the words she¡¯d been searching for all this time. Here, surrounded by her friends, her family, and her fans, on the little wooden platform that was the foundation upon which she had built her entire new life, she had finally found the courage to do so.


    Her voice trembled softly as she sang with no musical accompaniment whatsoever over the still-cheering horde, delivering one final line that hadn¡¯t appeared on the lyric sheet she¡¯d given to Crash when she¡¯d asked him to compose the music.


    ¡°One day, you¡¯ll believe it¡¯s not a game to me. Maybe then, you won¡¯t be so ashamed of me.¡±


    ~~~ END BOOK FIVE ~~~

 31. The End of What Was

    Phoenix Ascendant


    Book Six: Glide


    Mei stood, walking the three steps from the foot of the bed to the door of the little apartment above the Phoenix and pulling it open a crack to see who was knocking.


    Akane frowned. This was already even worse than she¡¯d thought, and she thought it was pretty bad. Mei hadn¡¯t even acknowledged that Ranko was in the little upstairs apartment behind her, but Akane could clearly hear someone sobbing behind the door. She spoke softly, pleading with Mei with her eyes. ¡°Can I see her, Mei? Please?¡±


    Mei said nothing, but turned her head inward to look at the crying girl on the bed, before turning back to Akane. ¡°Alright. But be nice.¡± Her face dripped with worry, fearful of what she had just allowed into the room with her hysterical little sister as she stepped out of the path of the door.


    Ranko lay in the fetal position atop the purple duvet, curled up around the giant pink teddy bear she¡¯d left in the apartment when she moved out. It was hard to tell where the bear¡¯s fur ended and her pink minidress began. As Akane entered the room, Ranko started to sit up, her face absolutely melting with her ruined makeup.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t s¡­say it, Akane. I al¡­ ready know.¡± Ranko sniffled, trying to quell her crying enough to speak.


    Mei lingered in the open doorway. She knew the right thing to do was to give them space, but she wanted to make sure she wasn¡¯t needed, as she and her sister both expected she would be.


    ¡°Say what, Ranko?¡± Akane sat on the edge of the bed, resting her hand on Ranko¡¯s thigh. She spoke far more softly than either of the sisters expected her to.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come get my stuff in the morning.¡± Ranko pulled the bear into her lap, squeezing it tightly around its chest, getting a bit of liquefied foundation smudged into the soft fur on its back.


    Akane bit her lip. No wonder the poor thing was like this. ¡°Ranko, you don¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    ¡°I killed us. I hurt you and I embarrassed you and I hid things from you and I¡¯m s¡­ so sorry.¡± Crash had been right; the second the song ended, she had wished she could snatch the notes out of the air before they reached Akane¡¯s ears. Everything about the song, from the lyrics to the performance itself, was designed to cut deep. She had weaponized her art against the person she loved, and she doubted she¡¯d ever forgive herself for it. ¡°I never wanted to hurt you, Akane. I just wanted to make you understand how I felt, the only way I knew how. I ruined everything.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you think?¡± Akane rubbed Ranko¡¯s bare thigh gently in the space between the hem of her girlfriend¡¯s dress and her knee. ¡°Maybe you should hear me out before you jump to conclusions, huh?¡± Even with everything going on, Akane felt underdressed. She was still in the gray Minato University Athletics tee shirt and black jeans she¡¯d been wearing when the argument started in their apartment, and Ranko, her destroyed makeup notwithstanding, looked ready for a date in high society. She always was the pretty one, Akane thought to herself with only the slightest twinge of jealousy.


    Ranko sniffled, trying to calm down enough to listen, her nose dripping onto the back of the poor soiled stuffed bear. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯ll never sing it again, I swear. Never.¡±


    Akane forced a little smile. Ranko wasn¡¯t wrong that the performance had been a knife in her heart, but Akane knew she¡¯d deserved it. Ranko had tried to tell her so many times, given so many hints that she was unhappy, and Akane had ignored her pleas because they hadn¡¯t been what she wanted to hear. She¡¯d left Ranko no choice but to use the only method of communication that was uniquely hers in the relationship - the only one Akane couldn¡¯t run from, dismiss or shout down - and the songstress had done so with incredible efficacy. Besides, even Akane had to admit, as much as the lyrics and the feelings that inspired them had broken her heart, the song itself was catchy as hell. Had it been written by anyone else, about anyone else, she would have been singing it the whole walk home.


    ¡°Ranko, shhh¡­¡± Akane said nothing else for a moment, not wanting to give the songstress fuel to continue backpedaling until she was calmer. Only once she had gone a few seconds without sniffling did Akane continue.


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    ¡±I didn¡¯t come up here to ask you to leave, Ranko. I came up here to beg you to stay. And to say I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Mei, smiling a bit, stepped quietly out the door and closed it behind herself, satisfied she no longer needed to be at the ready to protect her sister from further emotional harm.


    Ranko turned her head, surprise in her eyes. The rest of her facial expression was largely unreadable, as she looked not unlike a melted wax figure under all of her ruined makeup. ¡°But I¡­ you didn¡¯t want anyone to know, and I¡­¡±


    Akane moved her hand from Ranko¡¯s thigh, taking Ranko¡¯s hand instead. ¡°I know. And I was wrong. Gods, was I wrong. I knew it was hard for you, but I had no idea it was hurting you this much. I wish you¡¯d have said something sooner. Baby, I¡¯m so, so sorry.¡±


    With a slow nod, Ranko wiped her eyes. ¡°I tried so many times. I wanted to tell you, but I knew how important it was to you, and I wanted to put you first.¡±


    Shaking her head with an half-amused smile forming in just the corner of her mouth, Akane squeezed the singer¡¯s manicured hand. ¡°Silly girl. You knew I wanted to keep us a secret, but you never asked why. I was trying to put you first. To keep you safe from people judging you. I mean, yeah, I didn¡¯t want to face the negativity either, it¡¯s true. It¡¯s gonna be hard, if we decide to let people know about us. But I could walk through hell itself unafraid if you¡¯re holding my hand.¡±


    Not to mention, if it weren¡¯t for that damned Cat¡¯s Tongue thing, in a fight between Ranko and any ancient demon of the underworld, she¡¯d bet on her lover every time. She still felt it silly that officially, she and not Ranko bore the title of master of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts. She¡¯d offered it to Ranko more than once, and had always been refused. You earned it, Ranko would always say. Something told her Ranko did sometimes want it, but not badly enough to out herself as the true master she was, or to have anything to do with the name Saotome again.


    ¡°Then¡­ you¡¯re not ashamed of me?¡±


    Akane shook her head, giving her a reassuring smile. ¡°I love you, Ranko. I was so focused on avoiding drama with my family, my friends, your dad, and everybody else back home that had a thing for you. I thought it was better to hide things from them. But you are the best thing that¡¯s ever happened to me. How could I ever be ashamed of someone so amazing, who has done so much, come so far, and touched so many people? Someone so talented, and so beautiful, as you? Who is working so hard to be everything she wants to be?¡±


    Looking up at her again, Ranko¡¯s eyes sparkled a bit, and not just from her tears. Her cheeks burned under the remnants of her foundation. ¡°The only thing I¡¯ve wanted to be all this time is yours.¡±


    Akane smiled happily, remembering what she had found hidden in Ranko¡¯s dresser drawer. She knew now exactly what Ranko hoped for their relationship, but thought it best not to bring it, or the money spent on it, up at the moment. Ranko would make it known when she was ready, and Akane committed herself to feigning surprise when she did.


    She squeezed Ranko¡¯s hand tightly, speaking softly. ¡°You already are, silly girl. You always will be, as long as you¡¯ll have me. And as long as we think it all through and you¡¯re sure it¡¯s what you want, I don¡¯t give a damn who knows it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean it, Akane? Really?¡± Ranko sat up a bit more, as if Akane was physically watching the girl¡¯s spirit returning to her body after a long absence.


    Akane stood, turning to face her girlfriend with a smile of pride. She leaned down, kissing Ranko on the top of her head, tucking a wisp of her lover¡¯s hair behind her ear for her before retaking the smaller girl¡¯s hand. ¡°You bet I do. No more sneaking.¡± Akane tittered lightly. ¡°Besides, I couldn¡¯t keep you a secret much longer even if I wanted to. You¡¯re getting to be too damned famous.¡±


    Ranko could only blush, simpering coyly. She¡¯d never considered that, and it made her even more self-conscious to realize that Akane was right.


    Pulling her hand to encourage her to stand, Akane smiled in relief. She was nervous as hell, but there were more important feelings to consider. ¡°Come on, princess. Let¡¯s go wash your face. I want to introduce my friends to the incredible woman I love.¡±

 32. Bumped, Set, and Spiked

    ¡°Yeah! Go, Akane!¡±


    Ranko stood, clapping enthusiastically and bouncing on her ankles as the white ball her girlfriend had struck sped past two brunettes in red jerseys and bounced off the rubber floor of the court. She wore a jewel tone purple crushed velvet shirt over the black pleated miniskirt she wore in the Rise poster, a matching purple ribbon in her hair. Minato Mystics colors. On more than one occasion, she¡¯d blushed as she realized that both her outfit and her actions were reminiscent of her training as a cheerleader. It might have been a little embarrassing that the once-unthinkable pastime had wormed its way into other areas of her life, but just then, she did not care in the slightest.


    She was so grateful to be in the stands. She¡¯d stayed away from Akane¡¯s previous three games, all victories, out of respect for Akane¡¯s wishes. Tonight, though, Akane had invited her specifically to come. Hana and the girls had rearranged the schedule to give her the night off. They would have accommodated just about anything to see the youngest girl in the family smile again, and it was a good thing. Akane had asked for her to be there, where she hadn¡¯t been welcome just a week before, and not for all the riches of heaven and earth would she have missed it.


    There was another reality that Ranko and Akane had discussed, which she hoped wouldn¡¯t come to pass. After the performance of Sneak, Akane had taken her downstairs to introduce them to the team, but the drunken girls had already left. After that, they had decided that, while they would not go out of their way to introduce Ranko to the volleyball team, they would not hide her anymore either. That meant, much to Ranko¡¯s sadness and Akane¡¯s worry, that any of her games could potentially be her last. Ranko prayed that Akane¡¯s excellence on the court would be enough to spare her Nanami Ikehara¡¯s fate, but Akane was prepared to accept it if it came to that. At least, she said she was. As overjoyed as Ranko was to be there supporting her love, she dreaded that her demand to be let out of the closet would cost Akane dearly in the end. She hoped Akane thought she was worth it.


    ¡°Man, can you believe that kid? She¡¯s incredible!¡± The older man in the row behind her, dressed in khakis and a green polo shirt, snapped pictures with an expensive-looking camera. With every breath, she had to resist the urge to swivel around in the bleachers and tell him that she was in love with the athlete he was marveling at, and the titan of the volleyball court was coming home with her. It may have been true that Ranko, at least, back when she was training every day, was a more physically gifted athlete than Akane, but when it came to actual sports, where things like knowing the rules and teamwork mattered, there was no match for Akane Tendo. Ranko could not have been prouder of her.


    As Ranko turned to look up at the man behind her, he stood excitedly, anticipating something exciting happening on the court. Ranko whirled just in time to watch the ball ricochet off of someone¡¯s forehead and fall to the floor just as Akane¡¯s feet did. A loud horn sounded, indicating that at a score of twenty-five to eight, the game had ended in favor of the Mystics.


    ¡°Can you believe that,¡± the man behind Ranko asked, turning to the woman to his left. ¡°That Tendo girl scored seven points by herself tonight. Seven!¡±


    Ranko coughed, saying something under her breath.


    ¡°What was that?¡± The man leaned forward, trying to hear her over the revelatory crowd.


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    ¡°Eight,¡± Ranko said with a wide grin, bursting with pride. She may not be announcing their relationship out loud, but she would be damned if she let someone undersell her lover¡¯s achievements. Ranko had been paying close attention. By the end of the game, she¡¯d almost figured out the rules.


    The man in the green polo shirt laughed. ¡°Well, I suppose you¡¯re right! Thank you, young lady!¡± He pulled out a notepad, scratching out a number and replacing it with a pencil he had tucked behind his ear.


    Ranko blushed, smiling. ¡°Happy to help.¡± She stood, making her way down the steps toward the court, waiting for Akane¡¯s team to finish their celebration. She leaned on the metal railing separating the bleachers from the sidelines, just hoping Akane would catch a glimpse of her before returning to the locker room to change.


    To Ranko¡¯s surprise, her girlfriend approached the railing, stretching her arm overhead to its full extent so she could just barely reach Ranko¡¯s hand. ¡°Hey, beautiful. You made it!¡±


    Ranko blushed furiously. Over the last year, she had mostly learned not to blush as much at being called a girl, or even a young lady, but hearing someone call her beautiful never failed to send the blood rushing to her face. Especially Akane. She often wondered if Akane did it on purpose, just because it made her uncomfortable in the best possible way.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have missed it for anything, Akane. I¡¯m so proud of you.¡±


    Akane grinned up at her. ¡°Yeah? Well, I¡¯m proud of you too. I love you.¡±


    Ranko opened her mouth to answer, but Akane was swept up by a group of her teammates and carried jubilantly in the direction of the locker room. The redhead leaned on the railing, watching her love being celebrated with a blissful smile. You deserve it, Akane. You¡¯re the best, she thought to herself as her love disappeared from view behind the double doors.


    Reiko and Saki lowered Akane to her feet in front of her locker, joining in with their teammates as they chanted Ten-do! Ten-do! Akane blushed, looking around at her teammates. ¡°Thanks, you guys.¡±


    Saki smirked, nudging Akane with her elbow. ¡°I guess, when you¡¯ve won four game MVPs in a row, you can finally get people out to watch your games, huh? We¡¯ve never seen anybody in the stands for you before, not even your family. That red-headed chick kinda looked familiar, though, didn¡¯t she?. She reminded me of that terrible waitress with the bitchy attitude from that little dive bar you hang at, come to think of it.¡±


    Akane swallowed hard. She could say nothing. She could laugh it off. She could call Ranko her cousin again. There were a thousand ways she could have deflected Saki¡¯s words. Akane chose to deploy none of them. She had given her word, and she would not go back on it even though she had every opportunity to do so. Besides, she would not let what Saki had said about Ranko stand unchallenged.


    ¡°Actually, Saki¡­¡± Akane whirled, looking her dead in the eyes and speaking over the girls chanting her name, a pointed offense in her voice. ¡°That woman¡¯s name is Ranko. She¡¯s a singer and songwriter. She¡¯s got that new song, Rise, on the radio.¡± And now, a second original song, which Akane declined to mention. Saki had been there for the ignoble premiere of Sneak, though Akane strongly doubted she remembered it. In fact, she very much hoped not.


    ¡°And you¡¯d better get used to seeing her around, because Ranko is my girlfriend.¡±


    The chanting immediately stopped, and a shocked silence fell over the locker room.

 33. The Swell Between the Storms

    Ranko carefully placed a steaming black bowl on the tiny square dining table in front of Akane, smiling widely. She wore a pastel blue dress, a recent gift from Mei, and the white lace half-apron Akane had bought her as a joke. Her hair was secured in a ponytail with a large white ribbon. She was desperate to make her lover smile and pulling out all the stops to do it.


    ¡°Dinner is served!¡±


    Akane looked up, smiling weakly at her girlfriend. Her voice was distant, as it had been most of the day. ¡°Thanks, Ran-chan. It smells great.¡± She picked up her lacquered chopsticks, searching idly for a carrot in the bowl.


    Ranko sighed, hanging her head. She couldn¡¯t bear the disappointment in her beloved¡¯s eyes. She¡¯d promised not to mention it anymore, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. The guilt was too much. ¡°Akane, I¡¯m so sorry. This is all my fault. I should have just kept my damned mouth shut.¡±


    The raven-haired woman stood, closing the distance to the kitchen in two steps, and taking both of Ranko¡¯s hands firmly in her own. ¡°No. Don¡¯t you dare do that, Ranko. I told you already, it¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s their fault. They¡¯re ignorant jerks, and if they can¡¯t get over that, then they don¡¯t deserve me anyway.¡±


    Ranko rested her forehead on Akane¡¯s shoulder, letting the taller girl¡¯s arms envelop her. Just the smell of her made everything seem safer and calmer, somehow. For all the joy she got out of being the center of attention on stage, sometimes, all she wanted to do was disappear entirely into Akane¡¯s embrace. ¡°But you were happy, and I ruined it for you.¡±


    Akane squeezed her gently. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t. I loved playing volleyball, sure. But I wasn¡¯t happy, because we were fighting all the time. You were hurting all the time. I couldn¡¯t tell people about the best parts of my day that I get to spend with you. It¡¯s not worth that, and it never really was.¡±


    ¡°How can I make it up to you?¡± Ranko traced a pattern on Akane¡¯s shirt with her finger. She wasn¡¯t trying to be sexy, just affectionate, but it stirred something in Akane nonetheless.


    Akane smiled, the first time all day she¡¯d done so sincerely. ¡°Just tell me you love me, and I¡¯ll be the happiest girl that ever lived.¡±


    Ranko cuddled closer to her. ¡°I do. Gods, Akane, I do.¡±


    Akane ran her finger up Ranko¡¯s neck to her chin, to get her attention, tilting her head upward so she could lean down and kiss her lips. ¡°Good. Because I need your help with something.¡±


    The redhead shuddered with a quiet purr, her voice softening under Akane¡¯s attention. Akane¡¯s touch always did that to her. ¡°I¡¯ll do anything for you. You know that.¡±


    Akane grinned. ¡°Well, I clearly know what you want to do, silly girl. But first, we need to talk for a minute.¡± Akane kept trailing her fingers up and down Ranko¡¯s neck and bare shoulder, however. She hoped that by splitting her attention a bit, it would calm her nerves. It was certainly calming Akane¡¯s. There was no hurt and no worry on earth that Ranko¡¯s presence couldn¡¯t take the edge off of at least somewhat.


    ¡°We need to plan a dinner party.¡±


    Ranko blushed; as it was, the dinner she¡¯d prepared for Akane was still getting cold on the table, but Ranko was not about to tell her to stop what she was doing to go eat. They had not been intimate much at all in the past weeks they had been fighting, and Ranko was starving for her attention. ¡°Yeah? Who are we¡­ mm¡­ having over?¡± She waited for Akane¡¯s hand to trace down her shoulder, turning her head and kissing the underside of Akane¡¯s wrist gently.


    ¡°My father and sisters.¡±


    Ranko snapped back from the entrancing caress and her wide eyes rocketed up to meet her girlfriend¡¯s. ¡°E¡­ excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You said you wanted to tell everyone about us. I figured it would be easier to do it on our terms and on our turf. So, we need to figure out how we wanna do this.¡± Akane gave a reassuring smile. ¡°We can do this, we just need a game plan.¡±


    Ranko sighed, pulling back and leaning against the kitchen counter. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that, Akane. I¡¯ve cost you enough already. I mean it.¡±


    Akane reached behind Ranko with both arms, scooping her up by her backside and sitting her on the kitchen countertop. It always made Ranko blush when Akane picked her up. It made her feel like such a girl. Akane had always been slightly stronger than Ranma¡¯s feminine form, but Akane had been weight training for volleyball while Ranko had not really had to lift anything heavier than a pizza in months.


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    Akane¡¯s eyes shined with contentment as she looked up into Ranko¡¯s. ¡°And what if I just want to show you off? You convinced me I could tell people about us, and now I don¡¯t want to stop.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t pull this off. Not in front of them. I¡¯m not good enough.¡± Ranko sighed.


    ¡°What are you talking about? You, my love, are perfect.¡± Akane played with her flame-red hair soothingly. ¡°What are you so afraid of?¡±


    Ranko looked down at her hands. ¡°Akane, I just¡­ I¡¯ll never be good enough. If I act like a guy, they¡¯ll think I¡¯m awkward and weird like they always did, and if I act like a girl, I won¡¯t be convincing enough. My cooking won¡¯t be as good as Kasumi¡¯s, or I¡¯ll screw up my makeup, or say something out of turn, or something. And even if it was, I¡¯d still be a girl. It won¡¯t be perfect, and perfect is the only thing they¡¯ll think is good enough for you. Hell, it¡¯s the only thing I think is good enough for you.¡±


    ¡°Well, first of all¡­¡± Akane kissed her on the nose. ¡°You don¡¯t have to convince them of anything. Unlike everybody else in your life, they know the truth about your past. So if anything, they¡¯ll be impressed as hell with how far you¡¯ve come. Besides, if cooking skill is a requirement for being a girl, then we have nothing to worry about, because you¡¯re definitely dating a boy.¡± She blushed coyly.


    ¡°And as for everything else, It¡¯s not your job to convince them to accept things. It¡¯s mine. I¡¯m the one that¡¯s disappointing them by not giving them what they want. You don¡¯t owe them anything anymore. We made sure of it. They already tried once to make me move on from you, with the thing with Kuno. But they are just going to have to come to terms with the fact that I have made my choice, and I chose you, beautiful. All you have to do is be the incredible person you are, however you want that to be, and I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    She really wasn¡¯t blowing smoke, either. That redheaded girl seated on her kitchen counter was everything she could have ever wanted in a partner, and even if Akane had been a boy, she suspected she¡¯d still feel the same way. The person who had once been her fiancee hadn¡¯t always been the best of men, but boy, did they make an amazing girl. She was loyal and kind, and giving, and smarter than she gave herself credit for, and talented, and formidable, and beautiful to boot.


    Ranko rolled her eyes. ¡°Akane, I mean it. That¡¯s your family. You can¡¯t just blow them off like the volleyball team if it doesn¡¯t go like we want it to. I know you¡¯re trying to do what I asked, but I¡¯m telling you, you don¡¯t have to. I won¡¯t be mad. I promise, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s too big of a risk for you. I don¡¯t want to cost you your family.¡± I¡¯m not worth it, not after what I did to you, Ranko thought. Akane had forgiven her for Sneak, but Ranko strongly doubted she would ever forgive herself.


    Akane pulled her closer, giving her love a soft kiss on her neck, just below her right ear. She spoke softly, as soothingly as she could manage given that she was pretty stressed about the whole thing, too. ¡°You¡¯re my family too, Ranko. And you always will be.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m serious, how do you expect me to think while you¡­¡± Ranko whined quietly, rolling her head to the side to give her lover easier access to her neck even as she protested.


    Akane laid her finger over Ranko¡¯s lips. ¡°Shh. We¡¯re gonna do this, babe. We¡¯ll figure it out. Together, you and me, like always. But you¡¯re going to do great.¡±


    Akane kissed the nape of her neck with open lips, an involuntary squeak arising from the hypnotized redhead. ¡°We¡¯re going to find you something nice and pretty to wear.¡°


    Ranko mewled desperately as Akane brushed her earlobe ever so delicately with her lips. Akane whispered in her ear, drinking deep of the power she held over the whimpering girl seated on her kitchen countertop. ¡°You¡¯re going to be a perfect little lady.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s hands gripped the edge of the countertop tightly, her body stiffening further with each passing second. The gentle movement of air from each of Akane¡¯s syllables on her cheek and ear was enough to make her shiver from her nose to her toes, and she needed something to reassure herself that she was still on solid ground.


    ¡°Everyone is going to be so impressed with my silly girl. You¡¯re going to make me so proud¡­¡± At that moment, Ranko would have done anything Akane had asked and more, so long as she didn¡¯t stop. No two things made Ranko more gloriously, blushingly off-balance than the thought of having to be convincing in new social situations as a girl, and when Akane touched her like that. Just then, Akane was happy to take advantage of both in order to sweep her girlfriend on her feet and give the dread a positive spin for her to focus on.


    Akane blew gently on Ranko¡¯s ear. The sudden change in temperature alone was enough to make Ranko¡¯s breath catch in her throat, and she felt the slight redhead tremble in her arms. She whispered in Ranko¡¯s ear without waiting for her girlfriend¡¯s pleading bleat to subside, the fingers of her left hand gingerly tracing a path down the side of the smaller girl¡¯s neck. ¡°And everyone¡¯s going to be so happy for me when we tell them that I love you, and that you¡¯re all mine.¡±


    If there had ever been intelligible words in Ranko¡¯s reply, they were lost the moment Akane¡¯s right hand disappeared under her skirt.

 34. Tough Love

    Akane leaned back in her chair, draining the last of a glass of soda with a smile. She missed being a part of the volleyball team, but it was good to have more free time to spend at the Phoenix with Ranko again. Plus ¨C and she felt only a little guilty for taking pleasure in it ¨C the Mystics had badly lost their first match without Akane, and their second was tonight. Judging by the few minutes she¡¯d caught on one of the televisions mounted above the bar, her former teammates were in for another whooping.


    ¡°Hey, cute stuff! C¡¯mere,¡± she called out from her seat.


    Shaking her head, Ranko walked slowly over to the VIP table closest to the stage. Her head was pounding, and she¡¯d lost track of how many energy drinks it had taken so far today to keep her upright. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight of Akane. ¡°You know, most people who call me that here get thrown out.¡±


    Akane grinned playfully. ¡°Most of the people who call you that wouldn¡¯t be waiting up for you when you got home afterward, either.¡±


    Ranko blushed, leaning in toward her girlfriend¡¯s ear. ¡°Promises, promises.¡±  She stood up straight. ¡°Can I get you something to eat?¡±


    Craning her neck to look behind Ranko at the empty service bar, Akane shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I know it¡¯s just you, Hana and Yui tonight, so there¡¯s really nobody to make it.¡± Mei had an exam in the morning, and Hana had insisted she take the night to study.


    The waitress looked down at her with a smirk of mock outrage, putting her fists on her hips where her blue jewel tone shirt met the waistband of her black calf-length skirt. ¡°Do you really think we can¡¯t make you a pizza or something? Mama¡¯s doing the bills, but I can go throw something in the oven for you.¡± Her mouth smiled, but her eyes were sunken, like two burned holes in a blanket. Normally, when she was that exhausted, it could be hidden somewhat with makeup, but Izumi and Mei hadn¡¯t been there to help her tonight. Ranko could pull it off well enough in a pinch, but sometimes it took two or three attempts to get it right and she hadn¡¯t had time to try between homework and the start of her shift.


    Akane laughed. ¡°Alright, alright, but only because you¡¯d likely just end up cooking when we got home anyway.¡±


    Ranko scrunched her nose with a smile, slipping through the blue saloon door into the back of the house. She walked to the brick pizza oven in the back corner of the kitchen, and knew even from several steps away that it was plenty hot enough to cook on. She could barely stand next to the thing most days, but Mei wasn¡¯t here, Hana was busy, and she¡¯d promised Akane. She could have used the regular oven like they used to, but the addition of the brick oven to their little kitchen over the summer made their best-selling food item come out so much better, and Akane deserved the best.


    Shaking away the cobwebs of the encroaching caffeine headache, she picked up a large pizza peel, laying it on the counter and beginning to pound out a ball of dough from a plastic container into a mostly round shape.


    She hummed to herself as she added a dollop of red sauce from a small plastic container with a ladle. She barely noticed that she¡¯d skipped a few notes in the tune she was carrying as she sprinkled a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese over the doughy disc. Ranko bent down and reached into an open bag under the counter, pulling out two large handfuls of pepperoni. As she rose, her equilibrium wobbled just for a moment, but she steadied herself on the counter with her elbow, distributing the toppings liberally over the cheese. Balance issues weren¡¯t something she had much experience with, but between the headaches and the heels, they¡¯d been more frequent of late.


    She picked up the pizza peel, turning and sliding the raw pie into the oven. Even though it was quite uncomfortable being that close to the open brick furnace with her ever-sensitive skin, she enjoyed using the giant wooden spatulas. It made her think of Ukyo.


    As she didn¡¯t have much going on at her other tables, Ranko decided to wait for the pizza to finish baking. In the new oven, a pizza only took about five minutes, so they were easy to overcook, and she wanted to make sure it came out perfectly. It wasn¡¯t for just anyone, after all.


    As she waited, Ranko ran through a checklist in her mind. When she got off work tonight, she still had three pages of math homework to finish, then a chapter of reading for her homeschool humanities course, and she had promised Kotone she¡¯d take a look at the choreography for next week¡¯s soccer game and see if she could punch it up. Oh, and Akane was out of clean socks, so she¡¯d need to throw in a load of laundry, too. Not too bad, compared to some nights, she thought with relief.


    Man, her head was killing her. Her face was almost numb, and the constant throbbing between her temples was a more consistent bass line than most of the songs she sang had. In fact, it was so bad that she hadn¡¯t been on stage at all yet tonight. The speakers were just too loud.


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    She watched as the cheese bubbled merrily atop Akane¡¯s dinner through the open brick arch that granted access to the cooking surface within. It was mesmerizing. Soothing. You could get lost in it if you let yourself. It was strange ¨C she thought she felt bubbles popping gently in her head, too, as if the blood throbbing in her temples was carbonated like a soda somehow. It had an almost hypnotic feel to it, enough so that she was willing to bear the radiant heat of the oven to watch it and ensure Akane¡¯s meal did not burn.


    Ranko forced herself to look away from the oven, leaning on the wall to her left as she stole a quick glance up to the digital clock on the side wall. Wait, was that an eight or a three? She blinked twice, looking again. Three. Okay. Just a few more minutes, Akane. In the time it took her to blink, somehow the clock on the wall had ticked forward to a new minute twice. Just another minute. It was almost¡­ almost¡­


    Akane sighed, closing her eyes. It was good to relax. Things were finally getting good again, after all the arguments and the volleyball drama and all the other bullshit. There was more trouble on the horizon when she told her family, and the money concerns were worse than ever, but she and Ranko were closer than ever for having walked through the fire and come out the other side. Tonight, she had no worries.


    At least, not until she heard the bloodcurdling scream coming from the kitchen.


    Akane rocketed out of her seat, running toward the gap between the main and service bars. Yui got to it first, and the two of them crashed through the saloon door together. They found Ranko sitting on the floor of the kitchen, tears welling in her eyes but not yet escaping them. Hana was already on her knees beside her, cradling her almost-catatonic youngest daughter in her arms. Akane vaulted the counter with ease, and gasped at what she saw. Bright red, angry blisters were already forming in both of her girlfriend¡¯s palms. The wooden pizza peel lay a half-meter away, broken lengthwise into three pieces, and the smells of burning cheese and burning flesh poisoned the air.


    ¡°What the hell happened?!¡± Akane knelt next to Hana, looking her lover over.


    Ranko was still shaking too badly to speak, so overwhelming was her agony. The bar¡¯s matriarch looked up at Akane, then at Yui, a desperate worry in her eyes. ¡°She just fell over on her feet and hit the damned oven! I couldn¡¯t catch her in time. She¡¯s damned lucky she didn¡¯t hit face-first!¡±


    Akane reached out, brushing Ranko¡¯s hair out of her eyes. Only she out of the three women tending to the girl she loved understood the nature of the Full-Body Cat¡¯s Tongue. Hana and Yui had burned themselves before to be sure, but neither could remotely fathom the agony Ranko was experiencing. Of all the sensations the Cat¡¯s Tongue amplified, temperature and pain were the worst. It was why there was a girl and not a boy sitting in Hana¡¯s arms in the first place right now.


    ¡°Yui, get some cold water?¡± Akane¡¯s eyes were locked on Ranko¡¯s. The redhead¡¯s pupils were wide and she shook as if she was in shock. As Hana cradled the redhead¡¯s shoulders, Akane just watched her, placing her hand on Ranko¡¯s leg gently. Come back to me, baby. I know it hurts. We¡¯ll fix it.


    Yui set a yellow plastic mop bucket on the floor at Ranko¡¯s feet, and Akane very gently manipulated her girlfriend¡¯s wrists, guiding her hands into the frigid water. The shock of the cold stirred her at least, but Ranko howled in pain as the icy liquid sizzled against her scorched palms.


    ¡°Shh, Ranko.¡± Akane winced, hurting on her lover¡¯s behalf. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ve got you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ranko spoke weakly, the throbbing pain from her hands competing with the thundering marching band in her skull for attention.


    Hana squeezed her youngest daughter tight around the shoulders from beside her, careful not to hurt her. ¡°Ranko, I love you, baby, but I¡¯m not asking anymore. Something¡¯s got to give, and I mean tonight. You¡¯ve got to let some things go. You could have killed yourself!¡±


    Ranko looked up at Akane, a pleading expression on her face. She couldn¡¯t fail. She owed them all too much. She couldn¡¯t bear to let them down.


    Yui spoke up first. ¡°I agree, Ranko. This has gone too far now.¡±


    Akane leaned forward and kissed Ranko¡¯s sweat-glazed forehead. ¡°It¡¯s okay, princess. You don¡¯t have to prove anything to any of us.¡±


    Ranko sighed, shaking her head. ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t stop. I just can¡¯t. I¡¯ve gotta graduate, and I¡¯ve gotta finish the choreography for the Invitational, and the band needs me, and I¡¯ve gotta¡­¡±


    Nodding, Hana gave her another determined squeeze. ¡°Okay, baby. If that¡¯s the way you want it.¡±


    Yui snapped her head to stare at her mother incredulously. She couldn¡¯t believe the woman that built their strange family from nothing with her own two hands, whose resolve was made of tempered steel, would cave so easily.


    But Hana continued.


    ¡°You can keep your classes. And your homeschool work. Cheerleading too. Housework, band practice, join the circus, whatever else you want.¡± She sighed heavily. This was going to hurt her at least as much as her daughter.


    ¡°But you will not work in this bar or step on that stage out there again.¡±

 35. Severance

    Ranko sat up, whirling on her backside, her mother¡¯s bombshell statement pumping her with a previously-inaccessible reserve of adrenaline. She wobbled a bit, the sudden hard spin making her dizzy. ¡°WHAT?! Mom, you can¡¯t do that! You just can¡¯t!¡± Even Akane gasped.


    Hana nodded. ¡°I can, and I will. You will always be welcome here anytime, Ranko. You¡¯ll always be my daughter, this will always be your home and your family, and we will always love you. That won¡¯t ever change, any more than it did when Ayako left. But you have to put something down. You have to. We¡¯ve warned you for months and you¡¯ve kept pushing, and look what happened. I can¡¯t make you drop classes or cut back on the other things you¡¯re doing, but this I can force, if you make me. Please don¡¯t.¡±


    The bar¡¯s owner frowned, wrapping her arms carefully around Ranko¡¯s shoulders again and giving her a squeeze. ¡°If I have to fire you to make you take care of yourself, sweetheart, it¡¯ll break my heart, but I will.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s tears would not come when her hands were burned to a crisp in the pizza oven, but now, they flowed without hesitation. ¡°Mama, please. You can¡¯t. This place is everything I am. You and the girls and the band and¡­ please!¡±


    Yui took Ranko firmly by the wrist as she gesticulated wildly, dropping the piece of white gauze on the floor. ¡°Hey, little sister. Do you mind? Trying to bandage you, here.¡±


    Hana nodded. ¡°I want you to stay, Ranko. We all do. More than you¡¯ll ever know. And if you want to stay, all you have to do is drop something else instead. What you drop is up to you.  But one way or the other, your load is getting lightened, right now. Tonight. Before it¡¯s too late and you really hurt yourself.¡±


    Akane looked down into her lover¡¯s eyes. Her heart broke for Ranko. She knew how hard she¡¯d tried, how hard she fought to stay on top of everything, and she knew how devastating it was to hear what Hana had said. But Ranko¡¯s mother was right. It was time for tough love.


    ¡°Ranko, why not drop the homeschool courses? You could always pick them back up in a few months if things settle down for you, or just do them later in regular school later instead.¡± Akane wished she could take her girlfriend by the hand, but Yui was still coating both of them in burn cream and bandaging them.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t! I won¡¯t graduate!¡±


    Sighing, Akane made herself smile for Ranko¡¯s sake. ¡°Sure you will. Just not yet. I¡¯ll get another semester or two of watching a cute cheerleader bounce around my apartment, and the people out there will keep getting to hear you sing. You¡¯ll still get to help your sisters, and you get reintroduced to the pillow you haven¡¯t seen in a week. Sounds like everybody wins to me.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Ranko looked down. The coursing adrenaline was doing battle with the overcaffeinated pulsing in her head, and it was very hard to concentrate. ¡°I don¡¯t want to let you down. Any of you. You¡¯ve all believed in me so much and I¡­¡± She winced, rubbing her temples. ¡°Nobody¡¯s ever put that kind of faith in me before, and I can¡¯t bear the thought of not living up to it. You all believed I could do it, and now if I don¡¯t follow through, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t believe so much the next time.  I¡¯ve never wanted to make people proud so bad in my life.¡±


    The redhead sniffled, scrunching her nose for want of an undamaged hand to wipe it. ¡°I¡¯m used to disappointing people just by living, and I feel like I¡¯m finally to a place where I know the people who felt that way about me were wrong. But¡­ if I fail now, you will all be disappointed and I will deserve it.¡±


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    Hana shook her head. ¡°Kiddo, you¡¯re not going to let me down. Never. I am so, so, so proud of you. You have no idea. You¡¯re incredible. But the hardest part of being incredible is knowing that even the most incredible people have limits. I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t graduate high school until you¡¯re my age, as long as you¡¯re healthy and happy. The only thing that will disappoint me is if you don¡¯t have as full and good of a life as you possibly can because you¡¯re wasting it killing yourself like this. You¡¯re doing everything, but you¡¯re enjoying nothing. Baby, the only one who expects all those things out of you is you. All I need from you is to see you smile once in a while again.¡±


    Yui finished taping the gauze around Ranko¡¯s left palm. ¡°The girls and I are proud of you too, little sister. Even when you¡¯re being an absolute blockhead. And another thing ¨C we know you can do any of the things you¡¯re doing. You¡¯ve proven that, and you¡¯ve done it on hard mode while you¡¯re juggling all this stuff. You have proven every single one of us who believed in you right, Ranko. You can do anything you set your mind to. You just can¡¯t do everything you set your mind to, all at the same time.¡±


    Akane smiled gently, leaning forward and kissing Ranko on the cheek. ¡°You know I will always be proud of you, silly girl. Absolutely, positively, always. But you have to know this can¡¯t continue, honey. I hardly ever get to see you, you don¡¯t sleep, and it¡¯s dangerous for you. So, if you¡¯re going to insist on putting me and everyone else first, then would you please do something important for me, and take better care of my favorite person in the world?¡±


    Ranko looked up at Hana pleadingly. ¡°And if I drop the homeschool classes, I can keep working here? I can keep singing? You promise?!¡±


    Hana nodded. ¡°As long as you¡¯re feeling better. Honestly, you¡¯re overworking yourself so much, I¡¯m not entirely sure you won¡¯t need to drop more than that, but it¡¯s a start and I¡¯ll take it. You¡¯re starting in a few days, though. Tonight, you¡¯re going to get some sleep, and you¡¯re going to take a few nights off to rest and let your hands heal.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to make me miss next Wednesday, are you?¡± Ranko looked up hopefully. They had a special event planned at the bar, and she¡¯d been working on her show set for over a week.


    Hana smiled. ¡°As long as you can hold a microphone, I¡¯ll let you do it. But I don¡¯t want to see you so much as try to pick up an empty glass in this place until then. Deal?¡±


    The bar owner¡¯s youngest daughter nodded weakly, looking over her uselessly mummified hands. She really didn¡¯t have a choice, even if she wanted to fight it. She knew she couldn¡¯t do much, if anything, with her hands wounded and bound, and Hana could have demanded nearly any concession from her and gotten it. Other than Akane, getting to stand on that stage and sing was the most important thing in her life. ¡°Deal.¡± She managed a weak smile. ¡°I¡¯d offer to shake on it, but¡­¡±


    Hana laughed, smiling widely. She was so glad she¡¯d finally gotten through to her daughter, and not had to break her heart. This is the hardest part about being a mom, I think.


    ¡°So, I guess I¡¯m just supposed to go home tonight?¡± Ranko tried to stand, but with her balance still off somewhat and without her hands to push off on, she struggled to find leverage to get off the floor.


    Akane stood, leaning down and bracing Ranko¡¯s arm as she helped her girlfriend to her feet. ¡°Better plan: why don¡¯t we sleep upstairs? It¡¯s a shorter walk.¡±


    Bobbing her head, Hana smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a marvelous idea, Akane.¡±


    Ranko leaned on her lover, yawning. Just the idea of going to bed was making her body start shutting down. ¡°Okay. Thanks, mama. Thanks, Yui.¡±


    Hana smiled, stepping forward and kissing her daughter on the forehead. ¡°Of course, baby. I¡¯m sorry I had to scare you like that. I just had to make you listen. Go rest now, okay?¡±


    Akane turned toward the stairs, letting Ranko lean on her, mindful of her wounded hands.


    ¡°Oh, Akane?¡± Hana reached out, putting her arm over Yui¡¯s shoulder. She wanted to make it very clear that what she said, she said with the consensus of Ranko¡¯s entire family.


    Still bracing Ranko, Akane turned her head to face the bar¡¯s matriarch. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°You know we all love you, right, kid?¡±


    Akane blushed furiously. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, I suppose I do.¡±


    Hana smiled. ¡°Good. Then you know I come from a place of love when I say, if you don¡¯t get off your ass and find a way to help that girl, you and I are going to have words pretty soon.¡±

 36. Movie Night

    ¡°Mm. This is the life, kiddo.¡± Izumi leaned back on the sofa with a quiet purr as her husband massaged her feet from his seat on the floor. At just about eight months pregnant, they were sore all the time these days, but Kaito had been taking excellent care of her. It was such a welcome difference from her first pregnancy with Hoshi.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It feels kind of weird.¡± Ranko sat in the center of Izumi¡¯s couch, sighing in exasperation. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Akane, in the far right seat, crammed a dumpling from the takeout container in her hand into it with a pair of chopsticks.


    Izumi smirked. ¡°Okay, clearly we missed an important subject in training.¡± She would likely never know why Ranko was raised largely like a tomboy, but she well understood that most of what her youngest sister knew about behaving as a girl, she¡¯d learned from Izumi and her sisters. ¡°This is what we call pampering, and it¡¯s master-level girl stuff.¡±


    Shrugging, Ranko dropped her bandaged hands back into her lap, resting them atop the green denim skirt Akane had helped her dress in before they¡¯d left the house. ¡°Mostly, it just feels like being helpless.¡± She could barely hear the television, but couldn¡¯t work the remote to turn up the volume. Too embarrassed to ask Akane to do it, she¡¯d played it off by saying they should leave it quiet so as not to wake Hoshi in the next room.


    Scoffing but smiling, Akane jammed another dumpling into her girlfriend¡¯s mouth. ¡°Well, next time, let¡¯s learn from this experience and maybe take care of ourselves so we don¡¯t do a nose-dive into a pizza oven, and then you can work your own chopsticks, ¡®kay?¡±


    Ranko nodded as she chewed. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know.¡± She¡¯d already contacted the homeschool agency and dropped all of her classes there as she¡¯d promised Hana, but she was still pretty miserable about it. She felt like a failure, and on top of it, she couldn¡¯t even rebound and do something else successfully because her hands were still pretty much useless.


    Kaito smirked up at Izumi, gesturing toward the center of the couch with his neck ever so slightly, an inquisitive look in his eyes. His wife smiled, giving him a little nod.


    ¡°One more day. That¡¯s it, and then I¡¯m going back to work and school, no matter what. I¡¯m not about to miss the party Wednesday nig¡­ Umm, Kaito, what are you¡­¡±


    Her sister¡¯s husband had scooted a half-meter to his right, and taken hold of Ranko¡¯s right ankle. There was a sudden, frigid, oily sensation on the bottom of her foot, followed by intense pressure, and¡­


    ¡°Ohmigods. What are you¡­¡±


    Izumi grinned as her husband massaged the strawberry-scented lotion into the bottom of Ranko¡¯s right foot with his thumbs, and tittered a bit as the redhead seated to her left proceeded to melt into the couch cushion. She loved that Kaito was such a good and giving guy, and he really had built such a close bond with her sisters, too.


    Akane shook her head, smiling a little deviously. She knew poor Ranko would be squirming to be sure, what with the Full-Body Cat¡¯s Tongue having to come to grips with both the chill of the lotion on her skin and the massage itself at once. Even though she knew Kaito had just created a monster and she would likely be on the hook for repeating this treatment, it did her good to see Ranko seem to be at peace for possibly the first time in months. She hated that it had taken second-degree burns and possibly getting fired by her mother to make it happen, though, and hoped Ranko would learn from this experience and take better care of herself. She picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks, pointing them in Ranko¡¯s direction. ¡°You want?¡±


    Ranko blushed furiously. It was one thing to be unable to take care of herself. It was entirely another to have a guy touching her, and in front of Akane no less. And entirely something else for it to feel fantastic. And being taken care of by both of them at the same time? She felt like one of those haughty Roman empresses with the servants with the grapes and the big fan. ¡°No¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m good¡­¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Not to be outdone by Ranko¡¯s people-pleaser brother-in-law, Akane deposited her chopsticks in the takeout container, setting it on the end table to her left and standing up. She walked around behind the couch, putting her hands on Ranko¡¯s shoulders under the neckline of her blue crushed velvet shirt and beginning to press against the largest of the knots in her muscles born from months of constant anxiety.


    ¡°I¡­ um¡­ okay.¡± Ranko blushed furiously, letting her neck go limp in Akane¡¯s hands.


    ¡°I told you, little sister. It does not suck.¡±


    The younger girl could only make a high-pitched whine of assent in reply to Izumi¡¯s statement of fact.


    Ranko lolled her head back against the couch, looking up into Akane¡¯s eyes. Silently, she mouthed I love you with a smile. She no longer cared in the slightest about the last few minutes of the movie they¡¯d been watching. If this ¨C and the things Akane did to her when they were alone ¨C was what being a girl was supposed to feel like, she regretted ever fighting back against it. It was worth every second she ever spent in a makeup chair, every step in uncomfortable shoes, all the awkward interactions, of it.  A new groan of appreciation rose from her as Kaito moved his attention to her other foot.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go getting any ideas down there, Kaito. This one¡¯s mine.¡± Akane giggled, taking a break from working Ranko¡¯s shoulders to reach over her head and poke her lover gently on the nose.


    As Akane withdrew her arm, Ranko nuzzled against her wrist with her cheek, unable as she was to respond physically with her hands. ¡°Always,¡± she mewled quietly.


    Kaito nodded with a hearty laugh. ¡°Noted. I¡¯m pretty happy with the one I¡¯ve got, anyway.¡± He smiled up at his wife and his unborn child. ¡°And I¡¯m already going to have to deal with two girls soon enough as it is. I can¡¯t handle three.¡±


    Izumi laughed loudly. ¡°You can¡¯t afford three, baby.¡±


    ¡°With the way you like to shop?¡± Kaito set Ranko¡¯s left foot down gently, standing with a laugh. ¡°I can barely afford one!¡±


    Izumi sat up slightly with a giggle, giving Ranko a gentle nudge with her elbow as Akane continued to work her shoulders. ¡°Hope you¡¯re taking notes over there, kid sister. That¡¯s how you know they¡¯re well-trained.¡±


    ¡°Mm-hmm, maybe later.¡± She was the most relaxed she¡¯d been in probably eight months, and she wasn¡¯t moving unless the apartment caught fire. Even then, it might be negotiable. She was already burned anyway.


    Akane¡¯s hands slowed to a stop as she became distracted by something she saw on the news broadcast that had begun after the movie they¡¯d been watching ended. Ranko diverted her eyes from the ceiling in time to see a picture of Akane on the screen, in her Mystics uniform. She recognized the reporter speaking at the sports anchor desk; it was the man who had sat behind her at the one volleyball game Ranko had been able to attend while Akane was still on the team.


    ¡°As the Mystics lose their third straight, this time putting up just an anemic six points, there are more questions than answers. The biggest one: Where is Akane Tendo? The freshman standout has now been away from the team for three weeks, and Coach Anada has offered no explanation. One thing we know for certain - if the Mystics don¡¯t turn this around fast, what looked like a championship-caliber team last month may not even make the tournament.¡±


    Kaito sighed, reaching for the remote. ¡°Sorry about that, Akane.¡±


    It took Akane a moment to answer. It was still really eating away at her to be off the team, but she was trying her hardest not to let it get to her, especially not in front of Ranko. Akane¡¯s girlfriend had been endlessly apologetic and regretful for forcing the issue, and Akane neither wanted to let her blame herself, nor let herself start to resent Ranko for it. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Their loss.¡±


    Akane felt the scratch of gauze on the back of her hand as Ranko laid her bandaged fingers atop it. Ranko said nothing, but she didn¡¯t have to. She knew that Ranko¡¯s heart was breaking for her, too, and that try though she had to talk Akane out of it, she feared the even bigger reckoning that was coming with her family.


    Mentally shelving her sadness and worry for the moment, Akane flashed a bright smile in Izumi¡¯s direction. ¡°What do we want to watch next?¡±

 37. The Witching Hour

    ¡°Alright, you ready? Brace.¡±


    Ranko took a deep breath, gritting her teeth and nodding. She scrunched her face and whimpered quietly as Akane pulled the purple fabric over the few remaining bandages on her right hand. She exhaled in relief as the velvet made its way up her forearm, almost to her elbow.


    ¡°Good job. Ready for the other one?¡±


    Ranko handed Akane her left hand. ¡°No, but do it anyway.¡± She managed to restrain herself to just a tiny squeak as Akane pulled the deep violet opera glove onto her girlfriend¡¯s almost-healed hand.


    ¡°There. All done.¡± Akane smiled, rubbing Ranko¡¯s right shoulder, giving her a different sensation to focus on for a moment before re-tying the black ribbon intended to hold the end of her sleeve in its puffed-up position halfway up her upper arm.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Ranko reached down on the bed, picking up her silver dragon bracelet. She didn¡¯t strictly need it, because the gloves covered her scar, but it was a comfort thing for her, and it had become something of a trademark. She clasped it into place over the wrist of the glove on her left hand.


    ¡°Well? How ridiculous do I look?¡± Ranko blushed, turning to the mirror that hung on the back of the closet door in her old apartment above the Phoenix. A part of her wanted to die of embarrassment at what she saw, but the ravenous look Akane had been giving her was giving her courage. If it made Akane smile, she could do damn near anything.


    Akane wrapped her arms around Ranko¡¯s waist. ¡°Enchanting.¡±


    Ranko smirked, rolling her eyes. ¡°Oh, ha-ha, Akane. Very funny.¡±


    Akane slid out from behind her to get a better look at the front of her lover¡¯s outfit, and as she did, her knee gently brushed the edge of the black petticoat peeking out from under Ranko¡¯s dress. The disturbance set the lace rippling around Ranko¡¯s bare legs, and the redhead forgot to breathe for half a second. ¡°That thing is gonna be a problem. I told Izzi it wouldn¡¯t work.¡±


    With a little tsk, Akane gave her girlfriend a gentle poke on the nose. ¡°Once the crowd is chanting your name, you won¡¯t even notice. When the music starts, you¡¯re in your own little world up there.¡± Akane could not be prouder of that girl. Just getting to be with someone of her popularity and charm was enough to make her the luckiest girl alive, but beyond that, she knew that eighteen months ago, Ranma Saotome would have done anything to avoid being put in something even half as adorable as what she was helping dress her lover in now. She had come such a long way.


    Ranko blushed even deeper, reading the look in Akane¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re really enjoying this, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re getting to be worse than Izzi.¡±


    ¡°Can you blame me?¡± Akane slipped her thumb under the neckline of the black-and-purple dress her girlfriend wore, pulling the silver-and-diamond star pendant she wore out from under it and letting it rest atop the tiny black bow that sat just below the neckline above her breasts. ¡°Izumi gets to put you in these outfits, but I¡¯m the one who gets to take you out of them.¡±


    Ranko started to laugh, but was reminded to think better of it with a little grunt. ¡°Well, you better bring a can opener for this corset, girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, a milestone in our relationship!¡± Akane tittered. ¡°Write down the date! Ranko Tendo, trusting me with a kitchen appliance.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t let it go to your head, blockhead.¡± Ranko flushed a little at the realization that she¡¯d picked up yet another expression from one of her sisters.


    Akane leaned over from a step away so as not to rumple Ranko¡¯s look for the stage, kissing her on the lips gently. ¡°Come on, beautiful.¡± She dropped a deep purple conical hat with a wide brim on her girlfriend¡¯s head, turning it so that the black bow on the brim was off-center just above her right eye.


    ¡°It¡¯s All Hallow¡¯s Eve, and the witching hour is upon us.¡± She scooped up the Polaroid laying on the bed, putting her left arm around her lover¡¯s back and pointing the lens toward them in her outstretched right hand.


    Downstairs on the stage, Mei smiled as the side door into the kitchen opened. It was normally blocked off with extra tables when they cleared the floor to make room for their larger concerts, but they¡¯d stored some of them upstairs in the corner of the apartment so Ranko could make it from the back room to the stage without having to push through the crowd. The pink tulle of Mei¡¯s tutu and the iridescent white chiffon butterfly wings strapped to her back both bounced with her excitement. ¡°Alright, ghouls and goblins, are you ready to be bewitched?¡±


    As the bar patrons howled with excitement, Akane squeezed Ranko¡¯s right wrist, avoiding her hands, still out of view of the crowd. ¡°Knock ¡®em dead, babe.¡±


    Ranko turned with a smirk. ¡°What¡¯s the point? It¡¯s Halloween. They¡¯ll just come back¡­¡± Tittering as she extended her arms like Frankenstein¡¯s monster for a second, she bounded toward the stage to the roar of a standing-room-only crowd.


    Raising her right fist in the trademark pose from the last note of Rise, Ranko strode the seven steps to the center of the stage, and Mei turned, tucking her fairy wand under her armpit. Mei pulled the headset microphone from her own head, struggling briefly to detangle it from one of her electric blue pigtails. She carefully wrapped it around Ranko¡¯s head from behind, leaving the headband against the back of her head rather than atop it so that it wouldn¡¯t interfere with the witch hat she wore.


    Ranko leaned forward, giving her sister a gentle hug, as closely as she could manage given her restrictive outfit.


    Mei flitted to the edge of the stage, descending the stairs. Akane, who had decided not to take a table tonight, but rather to stand to the side of the stage, gave Ranko¡¯s sister a high-five as she bounced off the last step. Mei took her position at the audio mixing table and began flipping switches and pushing buttons.


    Ranko stalked back and forth onstage in her purple chunky heels, clacking on the hollow platform. She gestured in greeting to the crowd, pointing out one or two regulars she recognized with a more personal wave, killing a few moments while Mei got set up.


    Getting a thumbs up from Mei, Ranko strode to her mark at the center of the stage. Crash and the boys weren¡¯t here for the show tonight, so it was all on her. The band hadn¡¯t been to the Phoenix in three weeks and Ranko was pretty sure she knew why, even though Crash would never admit it. He was still hiding from Akane after helping Ranko take her heart apart one note at a time from the very stage on which she now stood.


    The place was rocking for a Wednesday night. Even though Halloween wasn¡¯t as popular in Tokyo as it was in America, the concept seemed to pack the crowd in tonight. The costume party idea was genius on Izumi¡¯s part. The middle sister of the Phoenix clan sat perched on her stool behind the service bar in an oversized, purplish-black smock with a large red bow cocked on the side of her head, a broomstick leaning against the bar counter next to her. It was supposed to be something from the new Miyakazi anime that had dropped a few months back, but Ranko hadn¡¯t seen it yet.


    Ranko took a deep breath. The moment before she made the first sound on stage was always the most exciting. That was the moment with the most possibility. Potential energy, her science teacher called it. The moment where hundreds of people waited with bated breath to hear whatever she might have to say. In those moments, she felt more power than she ever had in a dojo. And it never got old.


    ¡°It¡¯s Halloween night, and ghosts and demons lurk around every corner. But don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll protect you!¡± Ranko grinned, putting up her fist again. ¡°My name¡¯s Ranko, and welcome to the Phoenix!¡±


    The crowd began to chant ¨C but this time, it wasn¡¯t her name. It was the way the world was beginning to know the girl on the stage. The single word that was rapidly curtailing her need to introduce herself on any stage she stepped on.


    ¡°RISE! RISE! RISE!¡±


    Not today, friends. Not without the boys. ¡°You know, guys, I had a problem not too long ago. Me and the person I love were having a little bit of a rough time. You might have heard about it.¡±


    The crowd roared. It had been a relatively quiet night at the Phoenix the day her second original song debuted, and just as she had promised Akane, she hadn¡¯t performed it since. In fact, this was her first time back on the stage at all since Sneak. But word had gotten around that there was a second song, and most of the regulars who hadn¡¯t been there that night couldn¡¯t wait to hear it. The ones who had been there couldn¡¯t wait to hear it again.


    Akane cringed slightly, but Ranko had warned her this was coming. It was all for the setup, she reminded herself.


    Ranko smiled, getting the reaction she hoped for from the bait and switch. ¡°So, I did what any poor, desperate girl would do. I asked for help.¡± She shivered a bit as the cold mist from the fog machine began to tickle her ankles, obscuring her feet from view and leaving a lingering miasma resting atop the stage.


    A bass drop pounded from the twelve overhead speakers and a high-energy dance beat began. She¡¯d not been able to find a version she liked of the old song she¡¯d chosen for her leadoff, so Jacob had mixed something up for her and pre-recorded it.


    Over the sustained whoops of the crowd, Ranko began.


    ¡°I told the witch doctor I was in love with you! I told the witch doctor I was in love with you! And then, the witch doctor, he told me what to do! He told me¡­¡±


    The stage lights shifted to a lime green, giving the smoke at her feet an almost evil, magical ambiance to it. It looked like something out of the villain scene of any number of Disney movies. The prerecorded synthesizer and bass tracks started thumping more rapidly from the speakers, and Ranko began to hop up and down with every syllable, waving upward to the ceiling with both her hands, encouraging the already-standing crowd to participate. With each jump, her petticoat carried a little more of the green-hued mist up around her body. The ceiling-mounted bank of lights facing the crowd sparked to life, panning over the room with little circles of light in various colors and giving the place the look of a night club.


    ¡°Oooh! Eeeh! Ooh, ah-ah! Ting, tang, walla-walla bing-bang! Oooh, eeeh! Oooh, ah-ahh, ting tang walla-walla bang bang!¡±


    Ranko swayed in the knee-high mist, moving her arms fluidly, scooping some of the smoke up in her cupped hands and letting it waft around her, gesturing as if she was casting a spell. To just about everyone in the crowd, she was doing some cute choreography to go along with her character. Her girlfriend, watching from stage left, shook her head with a laugh as she recognized most of the positions. That little minx had remixed the kata Akane did every morning to practice!


    ¡°I told the witch doctor you didn¡¯t love me true! I told the witch doctor you didn¡¯t love me nice! And then the witch doctor, he gave me this advice¡­¡±


    Again, the little witch on the stage began to bounce on her ankles, the black lace petticoat flaring out her dress as she danced.


    Just as Akane had promised, she didn¡¯t feel a thing.


    ¡°Oooh! Eeeh! Ooh, ah-ah! Ting, tang, walla-walla bing-bang! Oooh, eeeh! Oooh, ah-ahh, ting tang walla-walla bang bang!¡±


    As the little bridge she¡¯d had Jacob add began pounding from the speakers, Ranko walked the edge of the stage, putting her hand down at knee level so the fans closest to the stage could reach up and just barely touch her fingertips. ¡°Come on, Phoenix! Let¡¯s make some magic!¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    The stage lights changed from green to purple, instantly changing the color of the smoke at Ranko¡¯s feet. A spotlight flashed on, illuminating the right half of the bar¡¯s floor plan as Ranko pointed to the crowd on that side of the room. Understanding the cue, the revelers on that side of the bar joined her aloud as she sang the first half of the absurd chorus again.


    ¡°Ooh! Eeeeh! Ooh, ah-ah! Ting, tang, walla-walla bing-bang!¡±


    The spotlight swung left, illuminating the other half of the bar. Yui winced, the sudden bright light in her eyes almost making her mispour her vermouth. Almost. Ranko pointed to the spotlighted half of her crowd, playing them like another instrument in her band, and the crowd responded.


    ¡°Ooh, eeeeh! Ooh, ah-ahh, ting tang walla-walla bang bang!¡±


    The spotlight died, and Ranko pranced a lap around the stage, a playful skip in her step.


    ¡°My friend, the witch doctor, he taught me what to say. My friend, the witch doctor, he taught me what to do. I know that you¡¯ll be mine when I say this to you!¡±


    Almost no one in the crowd caught the subtle smile she flashed to the dark corner at the base of the stairs at stage left.


    ¡°Oh, baby¡­¡±


    The house lights came up about thirty percent, engaging the entire barroom at once. Ranko pointed out with both hands, as she hopped on her feet indicating both sides of the crowd should now sing as one. They responded in kind with her.


    ¡°Ooh! Eeeh! Ooh, ah-ah! Ting, tang, walla-walla bing-bang! Ooh, eeeh! Oooh, ah-ahh, ting tang walla-walla bang bang!¡±


    ¡°Ooh! Eeeh! Ooh, ah-ah! Ting, tang, walla-walla bing-bang! Ooh, eeeh! Oooh, ah-ahh, ting tang walla-walla bang bang!¡±


    The house lights dropped to total darkness, and Ranko reached down to her knees with her right hand, coaxing a wisp of smoke into her palm. All of the stage floor lighting dropped as well, until only a single orange-red lamp flickered from behind her. Its focused beam lent its color to only the little tuft of fog she had manipulated, making it look as if she were holding a little ball of flame in her velvet-gloved hand that just barely illuminated her face. She bent forward off the edge of the stage at the waist as far as she could manage in the corset she wore, holding the ¡°flame¡± toward the crowd in the upturned palm of her hand. She gave a coy smile and winked, and forcefully blew apart the ball of smoke in the direction of the crowd. As she did, the orange light went out immediately as if she had just blown out the last candle in the room.


    The crowd went berserk in the darkness. When the applause began to die down, Mei raised the stage lighting again.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got me feeling magical tonight, for sure! And when I¡¯m done with you, you¡¯re all going to be under my spell!¡± The crowd howled its approval.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± She rested her right elbow on her left palm, tapping her temple furtively with her gloved left index finger. ¡°Silly girl. What was that magic word again? I can never remember¡­¡± The heavy rock guitar of another song began as she spoke. Akane smiled warmly with every little nod to her that Ranko had worked into her performance.


    ¡°I heat up. I can¡¯t cool down. My situation goes round and round. Round and round, and round it goes¡­ where it stops, nobody knows.¡± She shrugged cutely, kicking up one of her heels.


    ¡°Every time you call my name, I heat up like a burning flame.¡± The stage lights flickered orange and red against the back wall and into the smoke at her feet, reminiscent of the programming for Rise.


    ¡°Burning flame, full of desire¡­ Kiss me, baby, let the fire get higher¡­¡±


    Ranko smiled excitedly, gesturing with an upstretched finger as if she¡¯d just remembered something important that she¡¯d forgotten.


    ¡°Abra, abracadabra! I wanna reach out and grab ya!¡±


    Back at the bar, Yui made a little urk sound, jerking backward as she whirled from the back bar with a fresh bottle of rum. Looking behind her, she saw that the little black velvet tail that dangled from the black bodysuit Izumi had stuffed her into had gotten caught on one of the cabinet doors. What a pain in the ass. I can¡¯t believe Izzi did this to me, and on my birthday, too. She wrinkled her nose. The whiskers her sister had attached to it with spirit gum itched like crazy. She had to admit, the little black cat ears on the headband she wore were kind of cute, though. The little bell on the red collar around her neck, not so much.


    ¡°You make me hot! You make me sigh. You make me laugh. You make me cry. Keep me burning for your love, with a touch of a velvet glove¡­¡± The witch onstage made a show of adjusting her elbow-length purple gloves, a last-minute addition to her costume to hide the nearly-healed burns on her hands.


    ¡°Here, kitty, kitty!¡±


    Yui whirled, her frustration at the ridiculous outfit impeding her work written all over her face. It faded almost immediately as she recognized the person calling for her attention. Hoping the dark setting and the cat makeup would hide her blush, she pulled off a smile. ¡°Sakura! Hi! Um, Manhattan, right?¡±


    The simpering brunette nodded. ¡°You remembered!¡± She contemplated sitting on one of the stools, but in the long mauve Renaissance-style gown she wore, there was no chance for sufficient dexterity to make the climb up to the seat.


    Yui flushed further still, looking down at her work to avert her eyes. ¡°Well, some people are more memorable than others.¡±


    ¡°I feel the magic in your caress. I feel magic when I touch your dress.¡± Ranko moved her hand up the puffed-out skirt of her costume, resting atop the petticoat she still couldn¡¯t believe Izumi had talked her into. ¡°Silk and satin, leather and lace. Black panties with an angel¡¯s face¡­¡±


    Yui set the drink on the counter in front of the maiden in the princess dress. ¡°There you go, hon. That¡¯s 350 yen?¡±


    Sakura handed her a folded 1000-yen bill that she¡¯d already had ready in her hand. ¡°Here you go, Yui.¡±


    Yui stammered. ¡°Uh, let me get you some change.¡± She turned to the cash register, opening it with a little ding. As she unfolded the bill to put it in the drawer, she noticed someone had defaced it with a marker. She pulled out 650 yen in coins, but when she turned to hand them back to Sakura, she was gone.


    What the hell, Yui thought. That¡¯ll screw my whole drawer up. She popped the drawer open manually, returning the coins to the register. As she did, she got a closer look at the bill Sakura had handed her, and what had been written on it.


    It was a telephone number.


    I heat up, I can¡¯t cool down. My situation goes round and round¡­¡±


    As the crowd roared and the house lights came back up enough to facilitate movement in the room, Ranko waved a couple of college guys away from the one table left in the room, to the immediate front right of the stage. There were no chairs around it and a reserved table tent sat in the middle of it. It was kind of a weird arrangement, and even Akane wasn¡¯t sure what they¡¯d planned for it.


    ¡°Okay! If you dressed up tonight, let me hear you make some noise!¡± A series of whoops came from the crowd.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s no fair. You guys are down there in the dark, and I can¡¯t see you! First things first¡­ where¡¯s my boys at?¡± A more masculine collection of cheers came from the crowd.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see you! Get your asses up here!¡±


    Mei locked in the light configuration for the next song, as it wouldn¡¯t be changing throughout the performance. She stood, walking to the edge of the stage and waving to show the line of costumed men where to go. She had to wave as high as she possibly could above her head to allow herself to be seen over the taller patrons. Akane stepped back into the shadows.


    A line of twenty or so costumed gentlemen formed at the base of the stairs, and a loud peal of thunder crackled from the speakers and rolled in an ominous echo. Mei threw a long, puffy object up toward her sister, who caught it in stride and rested it over her shoulder. ¡°Uh, oh, girls! Looks like a storm¡¯s coming in!¡±


    Ranko took two running steps and jumped, landing in a crouch on the top of the reserved table. She flicked her eyes level as she stood, pushing a button on the handle of the meter-long prop Mei had tossed her and popping the spring-loaded purple umbrella open over her shoulder. Mei began making a windmill with her arm at the base of the stairs to tell the men to begin ascending to the stage. The women still in the audience howled as the first notes came from the recorded music and, shortly thereafter, the headset microphone worn by the little witch standing on the tabletop at stage right.


    ¡°Humidity is rising. Barometer¡¯s getting low. According to all sources, the street¡¯s the place to go¡­¡±


    Ranko threw the umbrella up and forward with a twist of her wrist, letting it spin in the air as it slowly floated downward into the now female-majority crowd.


    ¡°¡®Cause tonight, for the first time, just about half-past ten¡­¡± Ranko looked down at her silver dragon bracelet as if it were a wristwatch, tapping it with her index finger as if encouraging it to go faster. ¡°For the first time in history, it¡¯s gonna start raining men!¡±


    At Mei¡¯s direction, the queued men ascended the steps three or four at a time, doing a little lap on the stage Ranko had vacated for them. Each got a few seconds to pose, dance, or whatever they wished to show off their costumes at center stage while Ranko narrated musically from the top of table four.


    ¡°It¡¯s raining men! Hallelujah, it¡¯s raining men! Amen! I¡¯m gonna go out. I¡¯m gonna let myself get absolutely soaking wet¡­¡±


    Akane laughed and shook her head as her girlfriend punctuated the last three words by snapping her head to the left and winking in the direction of the corner where she stood in the shadows. Oh, you dirty tease. I¡¯ll get you for that.


    Based on the varying levels of cheering as different men took center stage and did their little performances, Mei slowly began to filter them off of the stage until eventually only the three most popular ones remained.


    Mei now re-ascended the stairs onto the stage, bopping casually with her shoulders and hips as she approached the man on the far right, closest to where Ranko stood on the table. Mei gestured to him, and the man began to dance, playing with the prop magnifying glass he pulled from the pocket of the trench coat of his detective costume. He received a weak modicum of cheers from the women in the crowd, and Mei shook her head at him sadly.


    ¡°God bless Mother Nature! She¡¯s a single woman, too! She took off to heaven, and she did what she had to do! She brought every angel and rearranged the sky so that each and every woman could find the perfect guy¡­¡±


    Mei gestured to the man in the middle of the stage, the one in the all-black ninja costume. He pulled out his little plastic ninjato, swinging them around in a sad attempt at a kata. Ranko smirked as she sang. Oh, please pick that one. I can have some fun with that, she thought. But he received even less applause than the detective, and Mei moved on to the third man on the stage.


    ¡°Hear the thunder, don¡¯t you lose your head¡­ rip off the roof and stay in bed¡­¡±


    The man tipped the red hard hat back on his head, unbuckling the beige rubber knee-length coat he wore. As he opened it, he exposed to the crowd that he wasn¡¯t wearing a shirt under it, just a pair of red suspenders over his muscular chest that held up the beige pants of his firefighter outfit.


    Well that settles that, Ranko thought as the women at floor level howled their approval. Shit.


    Mei hustled the other two men off the stage, leaving the ¡°firefighter¡± on it alone.  Ranko shook her head. Well, you win, you get the prize, I guess.


    From a standstill, she performed an aerial cartwheel straight out of her cheerleading choreography, rotating head over heels sideways and landing back on the stage. She approached the remaining man, shimmying her hips as she approached. She never touched him, but she locked eyes with him, singing as she stalked forward, backing him toward the steps as if she were reclaiming her domain.


    She swayed no more than a half-meter in front of him, making eye contact with him as she sang. His eyes went wide and he stopped almost all of the freelance dancing he had been doing. Firefighter, my ass. I¡¯m melting this poor bastard myself.


    As the music built to one final chorus, Ranko kicked her right leg forward for momentum as she pushed off with her left, rotating two full times in the air and landing facing the man again, just as her first note was to begin.


    ¡°It¡¯s raining men! Hallelujah, it¡¯s raining men! Tall, blonde, dark and mean, rough and tough and strong and lean¡­¡±


    She took the man¡¯s hand, leading him the last two paces and giving him a gentle nudge toward the stairs, giving him the direction physically that her singing prevented verbally.


    As he descended to cheers from the crowd, the music ended, and Ranko waved to the now-reassembled revelers.


    From the back corner of the bar, leaning against the wall in the archway separating the kitchen from the back bar area, Hana smiled broadly. As she was working back-of-house, she wore no costume. That, and she seemed to be the only one who could consistently resist Izumi¡¯s pressure for such things. She was so glad Ranko made the right choice. It would have shattered Hana to take the stage away from her. Sure, it was great for business, but even if it never made her another yen, she¡¯d still be amazed at how much joy that little microphone and a few planks of wood had brought to that girl, who Hana had very much doubted was capable of such elation when they first met. In truth, she probably wasn¡¯t at the time, but Ranko had done a lot of healing under the wings of the Phoenix. Hana couldn¡¯t be prouder of her transformation, and she didn¡¯t know the half of its true extent.


    ¡°Now¡­¡± Ranko cocked her head, smirking. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d forget our girls, did you? Let¡¯s do this, ladies!¡±


    As Mei directed the costumed women onto the stage, Ranko stepped easily back onto the makeshift sub-stage atop table four, kicking the plastic reserved table tent to the floor.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, vogue! Let your body move to the music! Hey, hey, hey!¡±

 38. The Fight for Flight

    ¡°Good! Great job, Yori!¡±


    Ranko clapped her hands enthusiastically as the cheerleader jogged around to the back of the line, and Tamiko stepped up to take her place. Ranko held out her right arm, placing the back of her hand against Tamiko¡¯s belly and gently gripping her right forearm with her left hand. ¡°Okay, Tami, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Tamiko jumped upward, tucking herself into a ball. Ranko¡¯s hands gently guided her through the rotation of a front flip, ensuring she landed on her feet in the lush grass of the rugby field. ¡°Yes! You got this, girl!¡±


    Kotone stepped up next, looking nervous.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Ranko gave her a nod of reassurance and took her spotting position. ¡°One¡­ two¡­ three!¡±


    Kotone hopped slightly, flipping over awkwardly to her right. She crashed into Ranko, knees first, driving both of them to the ground in a heap. Ranko groaned quietly, writhing under the taller girl¡¯s weight until Kotone could get up.


    Still wincing badly, Ranko struggled to her hands and knees. ¡°Damn it! You had it before. I don¡¯t get it!¡±


    ¡°That was three hours ago, Ranko.¡± Kotone brushed grass from her bare knees. ¡°We¡¯re exhausted!¡±


    The redhead rolled to her side and sat on the grass. ¡°I know. Mastery isn¡¯t easy. It takes time. It takes getting your butt kicked. But it¡¯s gonna be worth it when you hold up that trophy in January.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can hold up my arms anymore,¡± an orange-haired girl named Tanda croaked from the back of the line.


    Ranko shook her head with a smirk. ¡°Alright, alright. We¡¯ll call it for the night, if it¡¯s okay with Shiori. Great work everybody!¡± A half-hearted whoop came from the girls as Shiori nodded wearily, and the line dispersed as everyone went to go collect their belongings.


    As most of the group went their separate ways, Ranko hopped up on the metal bleacher next to where Shiori¡¯s bag sat. ¡°This is gonna be harder than I thought.¡±


    Shiori sat on the bleacher next to her bag. ¡°Some of the things you¡¯re asking the girls to do are way beyond what they¡¯re used to. You¡¯re pushing them kind of hard.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, that¡¯s what it takes to win. They can¡¯t stop talking about some of the things I can do, but I only got there with thousands of hours of practice. We don¡¯t have that kind of time.¡±


    Shiori unzipped her duffel bag, pulling out a foil packet of pea chips and ripping it open. She popped one in her mouth and offered one to Ranko as well, who gratefully accepted. ¡°I get it, Ran-chan. But try not to forget, they¡¯re here for fun, too. And so are you.¡±


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    Ranko smirked, drinking from a bottle of water. ¡°I¡¯m here to perform. And to be the best at it I can. Speaking of which¡­¡± Ranko reached into the side pocket of her purple gym backpack, pulling out an unlabeled purple cassette in a clear plastic case. ¡°For you. Tell me what you think.¡±


    The cheerleading captain looked over the unlabeled cassette. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Draining the rest of her water bottle, Ranko gave a little grin. ¡°That, my friend, is the very first copy of the Rise dance mix. Courtesy of Dee-Jake.¡± She giggled a bit. ¡°I asked our synth player to remix the song, to get rid of some of the slow parts so we had something a little more high-energy, and to make it fit a few of the choreography ideas I had.¡±


    Shiori squealed, bouncing a little on her seat in the bleachers. ¡°See, this is why we love having you around! Seriously, you rock so hard! I can¡¯t wait to check it out.¡± She pulled open her bag to drop the tape in, and Ranko caught a glimpse of a small three-ring binder. Hand-pasted to its cover was a picture of a cheerleader, in a uniform Ranko didn¡¯t recognize.


    The redhead motioned to it with her head. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    Blushing, Shiori zipped her bag up. ¡°That is Mieko Suto.¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°Sorry. Not up on my cheerleading lore. Who¡¯s that?¡±


    The captain¡¯s eyes widened with an awestruck grin, a little dumbfounded that someone could possibly not know. ¡°Only the most amazing flyer in the history of the Invitational!¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Gotcha. Aaaaand, what¡¯s so great about her?¡± She reached forward, pulling another chip out of the bag and crunching down on it while waiting for a response.


    ¡°Mieko is the only cheerleader in the history of the Invitational to land a quadruple twist. She was on track to go to the Olympics for gymnastics back in ¡®84.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Ranko leaned back in the bleachers. ¡°How come she didn¡¯t?¡± She swigged from her water bottle as she awaited a reply.


    ¡°She got hurt.¡± Shiori sighed. ¡°After she landed the quad the first time, she tried to one-up herself and add a front layout, out of a toss. But she got disoriented in the air and missed her spot for the catch, and she ended up falling from some ten meters in the air, and shattered her leg. She never performed again.¡±


    Shaking her head, Ranko sat up a little. ¡°Damn. That sucks. Sometimes I forget how dangerous some of the stuff you girls do up there is.¡±


    Shiori laughed. ¡°What¡¯s this you girls business? You¡¯re one of us, you know, Ran-chan.¡±


    The redhead flushed a bit, brushing her hand through her hair to hide it as best she could. ¡°Yeah, I suppose I am.¡±


    The captain leaned back as well, resting her elbows on the bleacher bench behind her. ¡°I¡¯m sure you banged yourself up lots of times with all the aerials and stuff you can do.¡±


    Ranko frowned. Yeah, torture as training will do that to you. ¡°The¡­ um¡­ The guy who trained me didn¡¯t care much if I got hurt, as long as I learned.¡±


    Shiori nodded, turning her eyes to the few members of the squad she could still make out dragging themselves wearily over the hill toward their homes. ¡°Just be careful you don¡¯t make that same mistake.¡±

 39. The Same Old Thing

    ¡°You ignite, and you RISE!¡±


    Ranko pulled her fist down, waiting for the crowd to settle down. When finally they did, she turned and took the three steps down to the barroom floor, frowning a bit to not be greeted at the base of the stairs. She really missed it on the nights when Akane couldn¡¯t be here, but her girlfriend had a chemistry exam in the morning that she needed to stay home and study for.


    Ranko¡¯s bandmates disentangled from their instruments, waving to the crowd as they stepped down off the stage. Yui had pints of beer ready on the counter for Jacob, Ariel and Ken, as it was common for them to indulge in their vice to reward themselves after a set. Crash and Shin, however, typically preferred to go out back and smoke. Ranko rarely got the opportunity to relax like that because she usually had to immediately transition back into waitress mode, but the bar was pretty dead on this Monday evening, and Ranko barely had any tables to tend to. She could spare a few minutes to go hang out with the boys.


    Waving to Mei as she walked through the kitchen, Ranko pulled the steel door to the back alley open and exited. It was a little chilly for early November, and she was glad she¡¯d opted for a pair of black jeans and a cute pink sweater as opposed to a dress today. Being out here still gave her the willies sometimes, thinking about Mikado. Lately, it was also hard thinking about another meltdown she¡¯d had back there not too long ago.


    ¡°Hey, you.¡± Crash nudged her with his elbow. ¡°Good set.¡±


    Ranko nodded absently. ¡°Not bad, I guess. Not a lot of energy tonight.¡±


    Leaning against the dumpster, Shinji sighed heavily, but said nothing.


    ¡°Maybe we need a couple new cover songs? Find something a little fresher, more popular?¡± Ranko leaned back on the building wall. She kept meaning to try and find a couple of cheap plastic patio chairs to put back here for the guys, but hadn¡¯t gotten around to it yet.


    ¡°Or a new original one,¡± Shinji grumbled, flicking ashes aggressively from his cigarette.


    Nodding, Ranko gave a little sigh. ¡°I know. I¡¯ve been trying, Shin. It¡¯s just hard. Maybe the label will give us something soon, but Rise works so well because I wrote what I was feeling, and lately I¡¯ve been kind of running on empty emotionally. I promise, I¡¯ll write something soon.¡±


    The bassist growled something under his breath, tossing his cigarette butt to the asphalt at his feet, and pulling out another one to light from the half-empty pack protruding from the pocket of his blue denim jacket.


    ¡°Sorry?¡± Ranko looked up curiously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, man,¡± Crash pleaded. ¡°Just drop it, dude.¡±


    Shinji glared, tucking the unlit cigarette behind his ear. ¡°You already did write something, Ranko.¡±


    Crash rolled his eyes, throwing his spent cigarette away. ¡°Damn it, Shin.¡±


    The redhead sighed, hopping up and sitting on a pile of discarded wooden shipping pallets. ¡°Shinji, we¡¯ve talked about this. I¡¯m never performing that song again. I gave my word.¡±


    ¡°Well, you should have asked us first.¡± Shinji pushed off from the dumpster, striding angrily forward Ranko¡¯s seat. ¡°It¡¯s good, Ranko. It¡¯s really fucking good. You¡¯re being an idiot. I think it¡¯s better than Rise, and we need new songs to fill up this album for Yokai. It could be a real hit. You and Crash did a great job with it. So get your panties untwisted and let¡¯s go do this thing, already!¡±


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    Despite her defensiveness, Ranko couldn¡¯t help but feel her face flush. She knew it was just an expression, but just the concept that there existed on Earth a boy who knew she was wearing panties still felt a little weird to her. ¡°I can¡¯t, Shin. I can¡¯t hurt Akane like that again. I won¡¯t. I should never have performed it in the first place. I know that¡¯s not what you want to hear and I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s the way it is.¡±


    Shinji glowered, throwing his hands up and walking away a few steps. ¡°I swear, I don¡¯t understand girls sometimes. Mei does crazy, self-sabotaging shit like this all the time too.¡±


    Ranko gave a dark little chuckle. ¡°She is my big sister, Shin. I learned from the best.¡±


    Crash hopped up, taking a seat next to Ranko on the pallet stack, and it wobbled for a moment. ¡°Hey. I¡¯m not taking sides here, but just something I want you to think about, okay? When you wrote Sneak, you felt a certain kind of way, right? And I get it, you feel like those emotions are bottled up in the words somewhere. But you could sing it now, just to sing it. Couldn¡¯t you?¡±


    Ranko sighed. ¡°That¡¯s just the point, Crash. I don¡¯t feel that way anymore. I never should have in the first place.¡±


    The guitarist put his arm around Ranko¡¯s shoulder, realizing too late that he probably shouldn¡¯t have. ¡°You¡¯re not homeless anymore, but you still sing Rise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different, man. Rise doesn¡¯t hurt anybody. I should have listened to you from the beginning. Sneak was a mistake. I wrote it because I wanted to lash out at Akane. I don¡¯t feel that way anymore, and I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯m damn lucky she didn¡¯t dump me right there on the stage.¡± Ranko kicked her legs idly, dangling them off the stack of wooden pallets.


    ¡°What if somebody else feels that way?¡± Shinji, now having lit the second cigarette, walked over to Crash¡¯s side of the pallet stack.


    ¡°Huh? Why, is Mei keeping you two a secret? If so, she sucks at it. Everybody in the bar sees you two making out between sets.¡± Ranko smirked.


    The bassist sighed, leaning on the stack of wooden planks and taking a long drag of his cigarette. ¡°Let me ask you something, Ranko. Right before we did Sneak that night, we did Cold Hearted. Did you write that?¡±


    Crash smiled to himself. Hey, I think he¡¯s onto something.


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°Of course not. That¡¯s Paula Abdul!¡± She would tolerate no besmirchment of her hero in this alley.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you pick it to sing that night? We¡¯d never done it before.¡± Shinji leaned forward, physically cornering her a bit as he awaited his answer.


    Ranko blinked. She didn¡¯t understand where this was going. ¡°Because that¡¯s what I felt at the time, obviously.¡±


    Shinji smiled with the confidence of someone who had just proved his point. ¡°So, even though you didn¡¯t write Cold Hearted, you used it to give words to what you were feeling. You were able to use someone else¡¯s song to say what was in your own heart. Right?¡±


    Nodding, Ranko gave him a confused look. All of this is obvious, so why¡¯s Shin bringing it up? She shrugged in his direction. ¡°Yeah, but what¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°Do you honestly think you¡¯re the only girl who¡¯s ever been kept a secret? Do you really think there¡¯s no other gay couples out there? No couples where parents don¡¯t approve of the girl¡¯s boyfriend? Nobody that¡¯s being messed around on? What if they need Sneak to say what¡¯s in their hearts, the same way you needed Cold Hearted? The same way you¡¯re always saying you hope people can use Rise? When you create, Ranko, at some point it can¡¯t just be for you anymore. It¡¯s gotta be for them.¡±


    Ranko sighed. ¡°Even if I agreed with you, it doesn¡¯t matter. I gave Akane my word. I came so close to losing her once already. I can¡¯t risk it. I¡¯m sorry, guys.¡±

 40. Legacies

    Ranko rolled her eyes, throwing her hands up. ¡°Come on, Akane! Are you gonna spar, or what?¡±


    Akane shrugged in frustration, kicking at the grass with her bare right foot. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    The redhead groaned. ¡°How are you supposed to keep up your skills if you don¡¯t train?¡± True, Ranko hadn¡¯t been training either, but she could forget half of what she knew and still be a pretty gifted fighter. Plus, she wasn¡¯t anywhere near as invested in it as she once had been.


    Akane reached out, tucking the tip of her middle finger behind her thumb. She shook her wrist once to build momentum and flicked Ranko on the shoulder. Ranko yelped, rubbing her arm. ¡°Hey! That hurt!¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°Exactly. How am I supposed to spar with you when I know I¡¯ll hurt you?¡±


    Ranko dropped out of her fighting stance, putting her hands in her pockets with a furtive sigh. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to trust that I¡¯m good enough to defend myself and come at me anyway. I know the risks I¡¯m signing up for when I spar with you.¡±


    Akane scoffed lightly. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s rich, coming from you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± Ranko stepped forward defensively.


    With her fists on her hips, Akane leaned forward until her face was just centimeters from Ranko¡¯s. She put a mocking twinge in her voice as she responded. ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Hit. Girls.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Akane! We¡¯re both girls now. It¡¯s different.¡± Ranko stepped back.


    ¡°Is it, Ranko? Tell me. Why wouldn¡¯t you hit a girl before?¡± Akane crossed her arms.


    Ranko¡¯s face took on a thoughtful expression. ¡°Well, it ain¡¯t polite.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    The redhead shrugged, as if exasperated to have to explain so simple a concept. ¡°Because it ain¡¯t right for guys to hit girls, that¡¯s all.¡±


    She blushed a bit. It had never occurred to her before that when she accessed the thoughts and memories of her time as a boy, her speech patterns tended to change. She was more crass, used more slang. As a girl, she was generally more proper and eloquent. Gods help me, I¡¯m becoming a lady, she thought with a mental cringe.


    Akane stepped forward. ¡°And why not? Go on, Ranko. Say it.¡±


    Ranko thought for a moment, her mouth falling open with the mind-bending realization of what Akane was trying to make her understand. ¡°Because¡­ they¡¯re weaker.¡±


    ¡°And now? You are the weaker of us, because of the Cat¡¯s Tongue. But ask yourself - how does it feel to have someone refuse to spar with you because they think you¡¯re too weak to defend yourself?¡±


    Ranko let her legs fall out from under her and she plopped down into the grass. The epiphany had literally floored her. She¡¯d always considered what she was doing to be chivalry. Politeness. She¡¯d never considered that to Akane, it had felt like chauvinism. And now that she was on the receiving end, now that she¡¯d had her share of life experiences that had put her in the position of feeling lesser because she was now a woman, she was truly disgusted with herself.


    ¡°Akane, I¡­ I never realized that¡¯s how it felt. I never meant to insult you. Never. I thought I was doing it because I cared. I¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Akane offered Ranko a hand up to her feet and then wrapped her in a hug. ¡°I know. It¡¯s how you were trained. It¡¯s how that asshole panda raised you. I forgive you. But it¡¯s important that you understand. That¡¯s how it keeps happening, when we do what our parents taught us and don¡¯t ask ourselves whether it¡¯s right or not.¡±


    Ranko bobbed her head. ¡°You¡¯re right. I really am sorry, Akane. I never meant it like that, I swear.¡±


    Akane smiled disarmingly. ¡°I know, baby. You, of all guys, I was pretty sure would eventually figure out how it felt to be a girl.¡±


    With a sly smirk, Akane dropped into a tiger stance. ¡°Now, get your hands up. I don¡¯t wanna mess up that pretty face of yours.¡±


    For a few moments, the pair traded blows, Akane always pulling her punches at the last second to keep from hurting the woman she loved. She did finally land a solid one, and Ranko rubbed her arm with a wince, motioning for a break.


    ¡°You good?¡± Akane walked over gingerly.


    ¡°Sure. Stings a little, but it¡¯ll be okay in a minute.¡± Ranko gave her a smile. ¡°Nice one, sensei.¡±


    Akane smiled at the word. She couldn¡¯t deny, after all her training, after all the times she¡¯d been put down for being a girl and a martial artist at the same time, it felt good. ¡°You know, you¡¯re right, Ranko. I think I¡¯m gonna do it.¡±


    Ranko sat on a green rubber-coated steel bench in the little grassy patch behind their apartment building. Having no other gi to train in, she wore the red silk shirt and black gi pants that were once all but her uniform. Ranko smiled a little wistfully. ¡°I¡¯m glad. I¡¯m proud of you, you know.¡±


    Akane nodded, walking the two steps to the bench and putting her arm around Ranko¡¯s back. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be hard for you, though, isn¡¯t it?¡± Man, she wished Ranko would get rid of that outfit. It reminded them both too much of what she once was. When Ranko wore that shirt, Akane had to try hard to remember not to call her Ranma out of habit.


    ¡°It¡¯s not for me. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m fine, love.¡± Ranko leaned her cheek into Akane¡¯s hip, nuzzling her gently. It did bother her, but not in any way that would be Akane¡¯s responsibility to correct. ¡°I believe in you, sensei, and I would be honored to be your first disciple.¡±


    Akane pursed her lips quietly. Ranko didn¡¯t like to talk about it, but Akane knew how much she missed martial arts. She didn¡¯t want it to define her life like it used to, but she didn¡¯t even get to spar anymore, really. They both feared her skills would eventually atrophy from disuse. Akane had seriously considered giving it up as well, just so as not to have to do it in Ranko¡¯s face and remind her of what she lost, but Ranko would not hear of it. You worked just as hard for this as I did, and you shouldn¡¯t lose it just because something happened to me, she¡¯d always say. Akane admired how brave she¡¯d been when it came to letting it go, because it had once been such a huge part of her identity. Just like so many others Ranko¡¯d had to leave behind to become who she was now: the girl Akane loved.


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    Akane smiled. ¡°Then I guess the Minato chapter of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts is going to happen!¡±


    Ranko cringed. ¡°Could we please not use that name?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only one I¡¯m technically in charge of. And that, only because you don¡¯t want it.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ranko mused, ¡°but you¡¯re at least a master of the Tendo School. So you can use that. You can call it whatever else you want, too, just please let that name go.¡± Ranko looked up at her with a slight smile, her cheek still resting on Akane¡¯s hip. ¡°Besides, even if the school were mine, it would still be yours, because I am.¡±


    Akane nodded, thinking for a moment. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go with the Unified School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, then. Combine the schools like we always meant to.¡±


    The redhead looked down at her hands, sighing heavily with a resolved nod. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Ranko?¡± Akane sat on the bench next to her, rubbing her lover back gently through her sweaty silk shirt. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just¡­ not do that?¡± Ranko looked up, rolling her eyes at a duck that walked through the little park in search of bread crumbs and idly rubbing the raised etching of the dragon coiled around her left wrist.


    ¡°But, it¡¯s your legacy. It has to be honored even if the two schools merge.¡± Akane leaned over, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.


    ¡°I guess. You just¡­ you don¡¯t understand.¡± Ranko rubbed her arm idly where she¡¯d been punched, speaking in a sullen undertone.


    ¡°Ranko, baby, this is important to me. And I can tell it¡¯s important to you. If something about this is bothering you, I don¡¯t want to not hear about it until it¡¯s too late to do something about it. Please tell me?¡± Akane pursed her lips in worry. This is why I didn¡¯t do this before.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t my legacy, okay? It never was.¡± Ranko stood, pulling gently out of Akane¡¯s arms and pacing a bit in the grass. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like fifty generations of Saotomes passed this down or nothin¡¯. My pop learned it from the old freak, same as yours.¡±


    Akane nodded, loosening the belt of her gi slightly. ¡°But still, you trained hard for it, and you deserve that to be honored.¡±


    Ranko shook her head, raising her voice slightly and stomping her foot emphatically. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Nothing about it deserves to be honored, Akane! I mean, look at you. You learned from your dad, right? And you got to have a house, and a family, and friends, and school¡­ only one crazy arranged marriage to a jerk fiance¡­¡± Here, she did manage to crack a little smile. ¡°Balance, right? Isn¡¯t that what martial arts is supposed to be all about?


    ¡°And even though I did all that training, all that torture, for all those years, sure, maybe I know a couple more random, obscure techniques I¡¯ll never use, and that I could easily teach you, but am I that much better of a martial artist than you for it? Not really, no! And in trade, I had to give up my whole life. The training methods of the Saotome School killed the only student the school ever had, Akane!


    ¡°But, that¡¯s not gonna be how it goes with you. Starting now, you¡¯re gonna have students. And they¡¯re gonna have students. And they¡¯re gonna have students. And whatever you decide to do right now is gonna be at the root of that tree forever, and it¡¯s gonna have your¡­ our¡­ name on it. Please don¡¯t put that poison into it. Don¡¯t taint your legacy with that rot for my sake. Like you said, let¡¯s stop doing stuff just because our parents thought it was a good idea. I don¡¯t need it, and I don¡¯t want it. I¡¯m begging you. Just let it go, baby. Please.¡±


    Akane nodded with a smile, standing. She understood. She knew what she had to do. She raised her left palm to face Ranko¡¯s, slapping it with her right. ¡°C¡¯mere. Let me see you punch.¡±


    Ranko groaned dismissively, rolling her eyes. ¡°Really?¡±


    Akane snapped back sternly. ¡°Hey! Am I your sensei, or not? I said, let me see you punch!¡±


    Blinking, Ranko walked within range of her girlfriend, a curious look on her face. ¡°Umm, okay¡­¡±


    Ranko balled her right hand into a fist, throwing it half-heartedly at Akane¡¯s palm. At the last instant before their hands collided, Akane dropped her arm, letting the punch connect with her ribs. It was a glancing blow at maybe a quarter of Ranko¡¯s strength, but Akane crumpled to the ground with a loud groan as if she¡¯d been shot.


    ¡°Akane?! Are you okay? I didn¡¯t think I hit you that hard¡­¡± Ranko offered Akane a hand, which she took and got to her feet. She didn¡¯t appear injured in any way. This was really starting to get weird.


    Walking to a small patch of damp dirt a meter or so away, Akane picked up a mossy stick that had fallen from a nearby tree, scratching a few lines into the wet soil. Ranko craned her neck to see what she was doing, but couldn¡¯t really get a clear look.


    Finishing her work, Akane turned, bowing deeply to her girlfriend. ¡°I yield. You have defeated me. In accordance with tradition, the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts is yours. Here is the sign of my dojo.¡± She rose from the bow, motioning to the scratches in the dirt, the serious expression on her face replaced by one of love and support.


    Ranko shook her head in disbelief. ¡°Are you serious with this?¡± There was no way that could be classified as a real challenge. For one, she¡¯d never issued one, and for another, that was nowhere close to a real fight. Ranko knew that, because as sad as it made her to think about it, she knew she¡¯d never stand a chance of beating a fighter of Akane¡¯s caliber in a fair fight again. ¡°It¡¯s cute what you¡¯re trying to do, and all, but¡­¡±


    Akane held up her hand to hush her girlfriend. ¡°Ranko, I mean it. It¡¯s yours, as it always should have been. This shouldn¡¯t be my decision. We¡¯re a team, you and me, but this is from before our time together. Before Ranko¡¯s time. Deciding what to do with it isn¡¯t my place. It belongs to you by right. And now that it¡¯s yours, you can do whatever you want with it.¡± I won¡¯t erase your legacy, Ran¡­ Ranma. But you can, if that¡¯s really what you want.


    Ranko nodded, her eyes widening a bit with the sudden realization of what Akane was giving her the opportunity to do. She bit her lip, looking down at the damp patch of soil, a tear welling in the corner of her eye. ¡°You¡­ you mean it? You think?¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°Whatever you think is best, Ranko. I support you.¡±


    So, this is how it ends. Here, in a little strip of grass behind a parking lot, where Mr. Gao takes his dog out to do his business.


    Ranko reached out, taking Akane¡¯s hand for strength, and put her foot down on the little spot of dirt, just to the left of the topmost kanji her girlfriend had scratched into the earth. It may be mine to do, but we¡¯re still doing it together, Akane. For both of us. For our legacy.


    ¡°I¡­ Ranko Tendo, hereby¡­ disband the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts.¡±


    With a flick of her ankle, the word Saotome vanished into the dirt.

 41. The Princess and the King

    Ranko giggled, leaving her Japanese classroom flanked by three of the other girls in her class. Far from the shadows she¡¯d stayed in when she started at Yusue, lately, people couldn¡¯t wait to hang out with her, especially on the days when she wore her cheerleading uniform to school.


    That said, she was heading to lunch now, and she usually tried to eat with Kumiko. While it was great that everybody wanted to be seen around her now, Kumi had been there before, and when it was hard. In fact, Kumi had been the one that had talked her into the cheerleading thing in the first place.


    ¡°Girls, I gotta get going, but hit me up after fifth period. I¡¯ve gotta hear the rest of this story with Goshi.¡± Ranko waved, turning down a back hallway. It was a bit of a shortcut to the lunch room, and as her popularity on campus both as a cheerleader and a singer had grown, she¡¯d found the value of occasionally having a way to get from point A to point B without being stopped by hangers-on. She swore she¡¯d signed autographs for half the junior class by now.


    It was precisely because she thought she was alone in the hall that she jumped in surprise when she heard a voice behind her.


    ¡°Hey, Ranko?¡±


    The cheerleader swiveled on her heel so quickly that her pleated skirt flared out around her, and she came face-to-face with Eiji Kanda, captain of the basketball team, in his red game day uniform. Well, face-to-sternum, as Eiji had almost a half-meter height advantage.


    ¡°Eiji? What¡¯s up?¡± She was a little weirded out, considering he barely even talked to the cheerleaders at the basketball games themselves.


    ¡°Um, can I talk to you for a second?¡± The lanky boy looked absolutely petrified.


    Ranko blushed. ¡°I¡¯ve got somewhere I¡¯ve gotta be, but you can walk with me.¡±


    The basketballer shook his head. ¡°In private? Please?¡±


    The redhead¡¯s danger sense flared. In her experience, nothing good came of guys wanting to get her alone. ¡°I guess.¡±


    Eiji stepped to the side of the hallway, between two banks of lockers, and opened the door to an empty classroom, holding the door for her. Ranko entered, looking around and assessing her situation. The room was dark and Eiji hadn¡¯t turned on the lights. Fortunately, enough time spent in a bar lit for the stage had honed her night vision fairly well. She scanned the room, ensuring that they were, in fact, alone. That was a relief. She was pretty confident she could take Eiji if she had to. She just might need a stepladder.


    ¡°So, um¡­¡± Eiji fidgeted with his hands. ¡°I heard what happened from Fumiko. With your¡­ uh, girlfriend, and the volleyball team.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s back stiffened. After what had happened with the volleyball team, Ranko had continued biting her tongue at school about her relationship with Akane to avoid causing any further problems. She¡¯d not considered that Eiji had a direct way to get that information. Plus, starting the conversation by talking about how his family had been a party to hurting Akane was not a great way to earn her trust.


    ¡°Yeah? What, come to gloat?¡± Ranko¡¯s voice took on a sharp defensive tone.


    Eiji shook his head, smiling reassuringly and putting his open palms up to indicate he meant no offense. ¡°Nothing like that, no.¡±


    The cheerleader rolled her eyes. ¡°So what do you want, then? Just spit it out, man.¡± She was already worried Kumiko would be pissed that she wasn¡¯t in the lunchroom yet.


    ¡°I, uhh..¡± Eiji fidgeted with his hands. ¡°I need a favor, Ran-chan. A huge one. And I think it can help you, too.¡±


    Ranko glared. ¡°I don¡¯t need anything from you. What could you possibly do for me?¡±


    Eiji sat down on top of one of the desks in the first row of the classroom, lowering his voice. ¡°I can make sure nobody finds out about you and Akane around here.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and assuming I cared if people knew, why would you wanna help me after what your sister and her friends did to my girlfriend?¡± Ranko rested her fists on her hips defiantly.


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    ¡°Like I said, because I need your help.¡± Eiji sighed. There was no trace of arrogance in his face; it was not the demeanor of someone who was in a position to extort someone. The kid looked terrified.


    ¡°With what? Something on a high shelf you can¡¯t reach?¡± She smirked, looking up at his face even though he was seated and she was not.


    ¡°I just¡­ I need to be seen around with you, that¡¯s all.¡± Eiji blushed, looking down at his shoes.


    ¡°Dude, you¡¯re the king of the damned school already without having to cling to the new girl.¡± Ranko looked up at the clock, tapping her foot nervously.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Ranko.¡± Somehow, the giant of a boy seemed to shrink the longer they spoke. ¡°I need to be seen around with a girl, and the more popular, the better.¡±


    Ranko scoffed. ¡°Eiji, man, there¡¯s like a hundred or so girls on campus that have your picture on their nightstand. Isn¡¯t that enough people following you around? I don¡¯t get what you want with me, man.¡±


    Eiji nodded. ¡°It¡¯s less that I need to hang out with girls, and more that I need to hang out with a girl.¡±


    ¡°So ask one of ¡®em out, blockhead! Take your pick! What, you need help coming up with some pick up lines? What¡¯s your damage, dude?¡± Ranko was really getting frustrated, and Eiji cringed as her voice raised in volume.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to ask them out!¡± Eiji seemed to be getting frustrated ¨C or maybe even defensive. How dense is this girl?


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°Well, you certainly know enough about me to know I definitely ain¡¯t into you, so you looking for, what, recommendations? Maybe try Kou? She¡¯s a cheerleader too, and at least you won¡¯t trip over her.¡±


    Eiji hopped down from the desk, grabbing her by the shoulders. ¡°How are you not getting what I¡¯m telling you?!¡±


    The cheerleader¡¯s eyes widened and she ducked out of his grasp. ¡°Maybe because you aren¡¯t actually telling me? Just a thought.¡± What is wrong with this guy?


    The basketballer looked around the darkened room as if checking to make sure they were still alone in it. He lowered his voice to almost a whisper. ¡°Ranko, I don¡¯t want to date any of those girls, because I¡¯m gay.¡±


    ¡°Ex.. excuse me?¡± Ranko shook her head in disbelief. This guy had girls chasing him around the school like he was Akane back at Furinkan with boys. There was no damn way. That said ¨C she¡¯d always heard of the girls chasing Eiji, but now that she thought about it, she¡¯d never heard of any girls actually catching him.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Eiji sighed. ¡°Not the greatest thing in the world for people in my social position. Or yours either, for that matter. And I can¡¯t walk down the corridor without twenty girls sticking their phone numbers in my pocket. I can¡¯t deal with it anymore. It pisses my boyfriend off constantly. My family doesn¡¯t even know. Fumi¡¯s constantly trying to hook me up with girls. And I was thinking¡­ if people around the school thought you and me were dating, they wouldn¡¯t ask questions about either of us, or try to push us into relationships, either.¡±


    ¡°Whoawhoawhoa. Back up a second. You¡¯re saying you want me to date you? Are you actually out of your fucking mind? You must have a lack of oxygen to your brain, way up there!¡± Ranko took a full step back, halfway to the door.


    Eiji shook his head. ¡°Of course not. I know you¡¯re not into me like that, and I¡¯m not into you like that either. I just wanna pretend on campus. Hug in the hallway, maybe the occasional hand-holding, stuff like that. Just enough to give everybody the idea and get the gossips and the suitors off both our backs.¡±


    Ranko wasn¡¯t entirely sure why the room was spinning, but it was. He wanted people to think he was her¡­ boyfriend? That they were¡­ eugh! She couldn¡¯t even imagine it. Making eyes at a boy? Holding hands with a boy? What if he tried to kiss her? In front of people, no less? The last thing she needed in her life was another Mikado, even if the whole thing was a performance.


    ¡°Eiji, I don¡¯t know, man. I promise I won¡¯t tell anybody what you told me either way, but¡­ that¡¯s one hell of a favor, dude.¡± Ranko sighed, leaning on the wall.


    Eiji nodded. ¡°I understand. Would it help if I said I thought I might be able to help get Akane back on the team?¡±

 42. The Protege

    Ranko smiled, leaning back on the blue-and-yellow plaid blanket. It was such a perfect day. The November air was crisp but comfortable, the grass beneath the blanket was soft, and there wasn¡¯t a cloud in the sky ¨C hence the decision to set up the blanket beneath the shade of a cherry blossom tree in the common quad of Minato University.


    She was so proud of Akane today. After weeks of disappointment at her separation from the volleyball team, she¡¯d finally decided to try a new extracurricular activity ¨C but this one was very different. For one, Akane herself was leading it.


    Today was the first official class of the Minato chapter of the now-only remaining branch of the School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts.


    At first, Akane had offered to have Ranko teach, or at least assist, but she¡¯d refused. ¡°This isn¡¯t my thing anymore, baby, it¡¯s yours now,¡± she¡¯d said. If she wasn¡¯t the master, then Ranko was a student, and there was no one on Earth she¡¯d rather follow than Akane.


    No, today she was there in the only role she wanted ¨C that of supportive girlfriend. She¡¯d made it a point to dress the part, in her purple crushed velvet shirt and black pleated miniskirt. To Akane¡¯s surprise, Ranko had even put her hair up in twin pigtails with purple ribbons. She knew she shouldn¡¯t announce herself as Akane¡¯s girlfriend, but she wanted Akane to know that the redheaded girl watching from the picnic blanket in the shade was her own personal cheerleader nonetheless. And, admittedly, she couldn¡¯t help but notice the way it made Akane squirm when she put her hair up like that, and she kind of liked it.


    Akane stood in the grass, barefoot, shining in the sun in her cream-colored gi. Ranko had seen her like that a thousand times before. Sparred with her about that many times. Been concussed by her probably close to that many times. But she¡¯d never looked so beautiful, so strong, or so fierce in it as she did today, to Ranko¡¯s eyes. Gods, I love that girl.


    As three o¡¯clock struck, Ranko looked around, waiting for people to show up. She¡¯d helped Akane plaster the school with flyers advertising the first free lesson for a few days now, and was hopeful for a good turnout. For the first three or four minutes, there was no one at all. But one by one, seven boys made their way to the little grassy alcove in the quad. Not great, Ranko thought, but still a bigger class than Pop or Mr. Tendo ever managed. There were, to Ranko¡¯s surprise, no girls.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Akane bowed to the group of potential students after giving the stragglers a few minutes to arrive. ¡°Welcome! My name¡¯s Akane Tendo, and I¡¯ll be¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be shitting me.¡± One of the boys, a tall beanpole of a fellow with blonde hair and an earring in his right ear, rolled his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a kid. And a girl. What could you possibly teach us?¡±


    From her blanket, Ranko winced. Push back, Akane. You got this.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Akane glowered. ¡°I¡¯ve been training in the martial arts since I was four years old. I am a master of the School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts.¡± Ranko smiled proudly. It was such a relief to not hear the word Saotome. Suck on that, old man.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± A second boy, a redhead with freckles, shook his head. ¡°How many classes have you taught before?¡±


    Akane gulped. ¡°Um, this is actually my first public class.¡±


    The blonde boy chuckled. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what we thought. Just a fuckin¡¯ tomboy playing at being a fighter.¡±


    Ranko watched sadly as Akane shook with rage and embarrassment. It reminded her, quite painfully, of all the times she¡¯d said something all-too-similar, back in the days when Ranma Saotome was alive. She waited for Akane to do as she¡¯d always done back then, and clobber the guy into next week. He more than deserved it.


    But Akane swallowed it professionally, forced a smile, and continued. ¡°For our first lesson, I thought we¡¯d focus on blocking. It¡¯s important to be able to defend yourself, before you set out to attack someone else.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the redheaded boy said. ¡°So, cowering as a martial art. Great! I feel like a badass already.¡±


    Ranko growled. She could not stand this anymore. She could wipe the floor with all seven of those guys in a second if she had to, and so could Akane. But she knew Akane wouldn¡¯t do it. As the sensei, Akane had to appear unflappable. Serene. In command of herself.


    But only Akane had that responsibility.


    Putting on the widest, cutest stage smile she could manage, Ranko left her shady little picnic blanket and flitted herself down to where Akane stood with a little skip in her step. She took a place in line next to the blonde boy, and Akane¡¯s eyes bulged. What the hell is she up to?


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    Ranko put her hands to her sides, bowing formally to Akane. ¡°I am so sorry I¡¯m late, sensei. Cheerleading practice ran long. You know how it is.¡± Come on, kid, take the bait.


    ¡°Great,¡± the blonde groaned. ¡°So this is a martial art for little pigtailed girls. Forget this. I¡¯m outta here.¡±


    Checkmate, asshole, Ranko thought to herself. The fact that he¡¯d called her a pigtailed girl was just the icing on the cake.


    ¡°Well, I mean, I know I¡¯m just a girl and all, so between that and our silly obscure martial arts style nobody¡¯s ever heard of, you¡¯ll have no trouble at all beating me in a spar, right?¡± Ranko giggled.


    The blonde laughed, turning to his freckled friend. ¡°Friggin¡¯ pathetic. You wanna do this, or should I?¡±


    Ranko smirked cutely. ¡°Oh, no need to choose, boys. I¡¯d hate for one of you to feel left out.¡±


    Akane laughed quietly, shaking her head. Oh, Ranko, I love you. And boys¡­  are you in for it now.


    Ranko took a weak fighting stance, deliberately choosing a poor form. Almost immediately, the redheaded boy came at her with a wild high kick which Akane expected her to easily block.


    Instead, her girlfriend let out a terrified shriek, taking two steps back. ¡°Oh, no, mister guy, sir, please don¡¯t hurt me!¡± Ranko clasped her hands in front of herself, staring at him pleadingly. Come on, boys. Anybody else gonna join in, or are we ready to dance?


    The blonde boy laughed. ¡°What a fucking joke.¡±


    ¡°C¡­Can I try?¡± Ranko affected a nervous shudder.


    Again, the blonde laughed. ¡°Sure. This oughta be cute.¡±


    Ranko smirked, taking one running step from her relaxed standing position, leaping at the blonde. She spun backward into a kick, striking her opponent hard in the cheek. She pushed off of the blonde¡¯s face with her leg as she made contact, using the momentum of her strike to launch herself to the left. A flying punch sent the unsuspecting freckled boy to his back before Ranko¡¯s feet touched the ground again.


    ¡°Omigods!¡± Ranko giggled cutely as both boys writhed on the ground. ¡°Just lucky, I guess! Wanna try again?¡±


    Akane covered her face with her hand. She didn¡¯t want the rest of the class to see her laughing.


    The boys both clamored to their feet, and the blonde spoke first. ¡°Okay, you wanna play for real, huh? You got it, girlie!¡± He charged at her, and as he threw a hard punch at her face, she crouched under it, using her shoulder to carry his momentum in a fluid aikido motion and throw him over herself. Before he could land, she thrust her leg backward, kicking him in the small of his back and sending him flying another two meters.


    As Ranko focused on the redhead, another of the boys, a short twenty-something with black hair in a fauxhawk, ran at her from the side just out of her field of vision. Normally, Akane would warn her, but she just stood there, her arms crossed, enjoying the show. She¡¯s got this.


    Ranko didn¡¯t turn her head at all, staring down the redheaded challenger. ¡°Oh, excuse me, sir, I think you dropped something.¡± She jutted her elbow out to her right side, bracing her fist with the palm of her left hand to direct its force. It struck the running guy with the fauxhawk in his sternum at his full gallop, as he made no effort to defend himself because he thought he had the element of surprise.


    ¡°Here, let me pick it up for you!¡±


    As the boy with the fauxhawk collapsed to the ground gasping for breath, Ranko grabbed him by the scruff of his cut-off denim jacket, throwing him at the redhead and bowling them both over.


    Only now did Ranko take a true fighting stance, crouching low and cocking both of her arms in a deadly-looking form. Her arms were drawn tight, shaking with potential energy. ¡°Well? Who¡¯s next? Anybody?¡±


    The blonde hobbled back from the tree he¡¯d crashed into with a pained expression, doubled over and putting pressure on his sore back with his left hand. ¡°Good gods, that girl is ridiculous.¡±


    Ranko turned to face him with a wide grin, crossing her ankles and gripping the hem of her skirt. She bent her knees, giving the boy a deep curtsey as if she were a ballerina. ¡°Why, thank you, sir.¡±


    Girl power, bitches. Eat it.


    She straightened her legs, turning her eyes to her amused girlfriend. ¡°And if you think I¡¯m good¡­¡± The mocking sneer faded from Ranko¡¯s face, and a sincere smile of encouragement and respect took its place. ¡°Sensei Tendo taught me everything I know about being a true martial artist.¡±


    The four boys who hadn¡¯t fought Ranko rushed up to Akane. ¡°Please, how do we sign up? Will you teach us?!¡±


    Ranko looked at the back of her hand with a mock scoff, smiling over her outstretched fingers to Akane. Love you, baby. Now you take it from here. ¡°Sensei? May I please be excused? It seems you have a beginner¡¯s class to teach, and I have an emergency. I think I chipped a nail.¡±


    Akane could only laugh quietly to herself. ¡°Of course, Ranko.¡±


    Ranko bowed deeply. ¡°Thank you, sensei.¡±

 43. The Plunge

    Akane slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She found Ranko frantically trying to pull off the mint-green dress they¡¯d just bought for her yesterday. Laid out on the bed was the red Chinese shirt and the black gi pants that had been her second skin in her former life.


    ¡°What are you doing, silly girl?¡± Akane smiled, walking up to her and unzipping the back of the dress for her girlfriend.


    ¡°I thought maybe it would be easier if I wore my old clothes. Maybe if they saw me like I used to be¡­¡±


    Akane shook her head with an amused smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll make total sense considering you spent the last hour and a half doing your hair and makeup.¡±


    Ranko sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll take it off. I¡¯ve got a few minutes, right? Shit, what time is it? I need to check the sweet potatoes. I don¡¯t want to let anything burn. And I gotta¡­¡±


    She stopped speaking as Akane¡¯s hands gently rested on her bare shoulders. ¡°Shhh. Relax, baby. You¡¯re overthinking this stuff.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯ve gotta get all this done and get changed and figure out what I¡¯m gonna say and I¡­¡±


    Akane took the smaller girl¡¯s hands in her own, and she could feel them shaking. Sighing, Akane pulled the half-naked girl into her arms, holding her gently. ¡°Ranko, it¡¯s gonna be okay. You¡¯re gonna do great. I promise.¡±


    Ranko relaxed a little bit into her lover¡¯s arms, exhaling heavily. ¡°I¡¯m just so scared to embarrass you.¡±


    Akane pulled back a bit from the hug, taking Ranko¡¯s chin in her hand gently and leaning in to kiss her. ¡°You couldn¡¯t if you tried. Well¡­ maybe if you forget to get dressed again.¡± She giggled slightly, hoping Ranko would join her in a little levity to break the tension, but she did not. ¡°I mean it, silly girl. You are the most formidable person I know. You can absolutely handle impressing an old man and two girls.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best for you, Akane. I promise. I just hope it¡¯s good enough.¡± Ranko sighed, turning and looking at the dress and her old outfit that were both laid out on the perfectly-made bed. Ranko had been able to get at least a reasonable amount of rest most nights since dropping all of her homeschool classes, but she hadn¡¯t sat still in three days making sure everything in the little apartment was Kasumi-level spotless. She couldn¡¯t help it if they were upset that Akane had a girlfriend, or that her girlfriend used to be a boy, but she refused to let Akane¡¯s family think she was not a dutiful and devoted girlfriend, at least.


    Akane wrapped her arms around Ranko¡¯s waist from behind. ¡°The best is the only setting you have, Miss Tendo.¡±


    As she gently spoke, the quiet was splintered by the harsh chiming of their doorbell. Ranko had actually never heard it before, so she had no idea what it even sounded like until now. It almost made her jump out of her skin.


    ¡°Ohmigods, they¡¯re here. Akane what do I¡­¡±


    Akane leaned forward and kissed her forehead. ¡°Breathe, baby.¡±


    With that, Akane took a deep breath, steeling herself, and slipped out of the bedroom, quickly striding the five steps to their front door. ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡±


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    Unlatching the chain holding the door closed, she turned the doorknob and pulled it open. ¡°Dad! Kasumi! Nabiki! It¡¯s so good to see you!¡± She hadn¡¯t been home nearly as often as she¡¯d wanted to since leaving for college, owing to the fact that she couldn¡¯t bring the most important person in her life with her. She desperately hoped that tonight would begin to break that ice.


    ¡°Please, come in!¡± Akane stepped out of the doorway, the skirt of her yellow dress swirling around her ankles.


    Soun entered first. Akane almost didn¡¯t recognize him out of his brown gi, as he wore a pewter-colored polo shirt and a pair of black slacks. Akane opened her arms, and Soun leaned down to give her a tight hug. ¡°Oh, Akane! I¡¯ve missed you so much. It looks wonderful in here! You¡¯ve done a lot of work since we moved you in.¡±


    Kasumi entered next, in a blue floral dress with a wide white sash. ¡°My goodness! Akane, something smells wonderful! I¡¯ve got to say, I¡¯m really impressed!¡± She leaned in for a hug as well.


    Finally, Nabiki came into the room, in a green vest over a brown turtleneck, and a pair of black jeans. She closed the door behind her, leaning down to Akane and whispering in her ear as they hugged. ¡°Is she here?¡± Akane nodded surreptitiously.


    Akane walked around the circular folding table they¡¯d set up in the living room, their usual dining table not being large enough to seat five. She hoped to make a little small talk to break the ice before diving right into shattering her family¡¯s reality, but Kasumi looked down at the place settings on the holly-green tablecloth and then up at Akane with a knowing expression. ¡°Should we be expecting someone else?¡±


    Shit. That was quick. At least Ranko won¡¯t have to wait in there too long. Here we go.


    ¡°Well, Kasumi, I, uhh.¡± Akane wrung her hands. For as much time as she¡¯d been spending reassuring Ranko that everything would be alright, she¡¯d not thought much at all about her own performance tonight.


    ¡°That¡¯s actually one of the reasons I invited you over tonight. I have someone I¡¯d like you to meet.¡± Because you don¡¯t know her, even though you think you do.


    Kasumi grinned. ¡°I knew it! When I was here for dinner that day, you had a new slow cooker on the counter that I doubted you knew how to use, and there were two different bottles of shampoo in the bathroom. You¡¯ve got a roommate, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Akane sighed, chuckling a little nervously. ¡°Something like that, yeah, Kasumi.¡± All the fighting with Ranko over that night, and Kasumi figured it out anyway. Fuck, did I screw that up. But tonight, we fix it. I promise, baby.


    Soun smiled broadly. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. An essential part of the college experience, I say. And having someone to help with the bills and such will be nice, too. When do we get to meet her?¡±


    With a heavy gulp, Akane made herself smile. This is a good thing, we just gotta rip the band-aid off first. ¡°Right now. But first¡­ you might want to sit down.¡±


    Nabiki gave a devious grin. ¡°Ooh, intrigue!¡±


    Akane flashed her a glare. Don¡¯t make this harder than it has to be, please.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Akane walked to the bathroom door, walking in and closing it before opening the bedroom door. She wanted to make sure Ranko wasn¡¯t startled, especially if she was still dressing. She smiled, finding Ranko sitting somewhat calmly on the foot of the bed, back in her mint-colored dress, her red hair cascading in waves down her shoulders. The outermost edges were pulled back over the rest of her hair to keep it contained on the sides, and they were pinned back with a white satin ribbon. She¡¯d opted for silver heart dangle earrings, the star pendant Izumi had given her, and of course, her dragon bracelet.


    ¡°Is it time?¡± Ranko looked up, praying a meteor would crash to the earth just outside and delay what was about to happen.


    Her lover nodded, offering Ranko her hand. ¡°I¡¯ve got you, babe.¡±


    They made eye contact, and both of them took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Both of them spoke at once.

 44. Meet the Parents

    Akane gently turned the doorknob, pulling the door to the living room open. Soun stood, turning to face the door, and gasped as he saw the second woman exit the room. ¡°My gods! Is it¡­¡± He looked like he¡¯d seen a ghost, if ghosts wore mint-green cocktail dresses instead of white sheets.


    Kasumi squealed. ¡°Ranma! You¡¯re okay! We¡¯ve been so worried!¡± She rocketed out of her chair, running the few steps and wrapping her arms around the younger girl.


    Ranko relaxed a bit into the hug. She really had missed Kasumi. ¡°Hey, you. It¡¯s good to see you.¡± Wish I could have the last time you were here.


    Akane put her hand on Kasumi¡¯s shoulder to get her attention, causing the elder sister to look up from the hug. ¡°Um, not exactly.¡±


    Nabiki smirked, not getting up from her seat. ¡°Well, she certainly cleans up cute.¡±


    Kasumi broke the hug, and Akane took Ranko¡¯s hand again, leading her to the front of the room so their guests could see her while seated.


    ¡°Everyone, this¡­ is Ranko. Ranko Tendo.¡± Akane smiled brightly into her beloved¡¯s eyes.


    Ranko released Akane¡¯s hands, turning to face her girlfriend¡¯s family. Looking at them again after running out the way she did, she tried to repress the one feeling she hadn¡¯t told Akane about. Sure, she hadn¡¯t been able to hide the fear of seeing them again, facing their judgment on their relationship and on her transformation both, but the shame she felt at being in their presence again ¨C the presence of the only people outside Akane to know what she once was ¨C that, she still bore alone. ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you all, again.¡± She bowed deeply, staying in that position, vividly remembering the first time she met Akane¡¯s family. My name¡¯s Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this. She felt exactly that way again.


    Soun stood, walking up toward Ranko. ¡°Akane, you¡­ you do know this is Ranma, right?¡± He hadn¡¯t even spoken to the apartment¡¯s other occupant yet, even as Akane had to tap her on the back just to get her to rise from her bow.


    Akane smiled proudly, looking her girlfriend over. ¡°Not anymore, Dad. Not since the night she left home.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I have a new life now, Mr. Tendo.¡± Ranko looked down. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been easy. But I found some people who helped me out a lot, and they took care of me until Akane found me. Well, Nabiki first.¡±


    Soun whirled to look at his middle daughter. ¡°You knew about this?¡±


    Nabiki grinned. ¡°For almost a year now. Surprise, daddy!¡±


    Turning back to Ranko, he took a step closer, looking her over. Was the boy wearing¡­ makeup? Did he really have a bow in his hair? Oh, what poor Saotome would say if he saw this. ¡°Ranma, son, I have to say, this isn¡¯t what I expected from you.¡±


    Ranko cringed, but Akane stepped between her and her father. ¡°Don¡¯t call her that! Her name is Ranko, and she¡¯s nobody¡¯s son. Not anymore. That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to tell you, Dad. She¡¯s not a boy in a girl¡¯s body anymore. She¡¯s just a girl now.¡± She turned her eyes toward Ranko¡¯s, reading now the shame in her eyes with a sad sigh. ¡°And she¡¯s amazing.¡±


    Kasumi stood, walking over to Ranko with the motherly smile only she could manage. ¡°Well, I say she¡¯s just wonderful.¡± She bowed. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Ranko.¡±


    The redhead blushed. ¡°Thanks, Kasumi. Really.¡±


    Soun scratched his chin. ¡°Feminizing your name I suppose I understand, but why Tendo, and not Saotome?¡±


    Ranko blushed. She didn¡¯t think he was ready for the real reason yet, but she had one that was close enough. ¡°I wanted to leave that name behind, sir. I¡­ I don¡¯t want to be associated with him anymore. And besides, you and your daughters always made me feel like a part of your family, and I wanted to honor that.¡± And I¡¯m praying that you still feel that way now.


    She looked up to Soun. ¡°Look, Mr. Tendo, I know this is weird for you. For all of you. I¡¯ve had over a year to get used to it, and it¡¯s still weird to me every day, so I get it. But¡­ I got tired of everybody thinking I was put together wrong. The constant pity, people not knowing what to say to me. All I ever was to anybody was what I lost. I was a walking pile of expectations everybody had that I couldn¡¯t meet. I meant no disrespect when I left your house that night. I hope you knew that. I just couldn¡¯t live that way anymore, as a living, breathing disappointment. I¡¯m not asking you to understand it, just to accept it.


    ¡°I had to try to find something I could call normal, whatever that meant. And believe me, sir, I crawled through the dirt to do it. But, I found this incredible family, and they took care of me and gave me a job, and taught me so much. They made me who I am, and I¡¯ll forever be grateful for it. I¡¯m doing so much better, sir. I have a career, I have friends, I¡¯m doing well in school, and I have people who love and support me.¡± She looked up at Akane with a smile. ¡°I couldn¡¯t ask for anything else.¡±


    Soun nodded. It certainly was a lot to take in. But as he looked into the eyes of the beautiful, shy young woman in front of him, he knew that what she was saying was true. Whatever had become of Ranma, he wasn¡¯t in there anymore. ¡°Tell me, son. Are you happy?¡±


    Akane started to correct him again, but Ranko put up her hand. Ranko needed him to see her stand her own ground. ¡°Yes, sir. I truly am. More than I can ever remember being. But I respectfully ask that you please stop calling me that.¡± Daughter, I wouldn¡¯t mind.


    Soun nodded slowly. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll try.¡± His face was one of shock and discomfort. He didn¡¯t seem upset necessarily; it was more as if he¡¯d suddenly woken up in some sort of alternate universe and was still trying to come to grips with its rules.


    Ranko smiled sincerely. ¡°That¡¯s all I ask. Believe me, I know how hard it is to break habits like that. It even took Akane a little while to get completely used to me being like this.¡± And once finally she did, sir, she hasn¡¯t stopped having to scrape me off the ceiling a few times a week since.


    The Tendo patriarch turned to Akane. ¡°How could you have kept this from us for so long? From his¡­ her¡­ father? You had to know how worried we all were!¡±


    Akane sighed, bowing her head. ¡°I know, Dad. I¡¯m sorry I lied to you and hid her from you. All of you. We just didn¡¯t know how you¡¯d deal with all of this.¡± She looked over at the redhead standing to her left. ¡°Ranko is a lot different than the Ranma you remember, Dad. It¡¯s not just the dresses and stuff. She¡¯s¡­ She¡¯s been through a lot. She¡¯s a little bit fragile sometimes right now. I didn¡¯t want to see her get hurt, least of all by people I love.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Ranko blushed at the description, looking down at her hands.


    Kasumi smiled warmly. ¡°So, Ran¡­ko, you¡¯re in school again?¡±


    Ranko nodded, flushing. She much preferred to talk about her new life rather than the ashes of her old one. ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m a junior. Yui - that¡¯s one of my new sisters - helped me with a bunch of work to help me catch up on some classes I missed out on when I was traveling with Pop.¡±


    Soun nodded. ¡°And you¡¯re going to school¡­ as a girl? I remember that upset you so much, back at home.¡±


    Again, Ranko nodded. ¡°Yes, sir. Like Akane said, a lot has changed for me since then. It¡¯s far from perfect, but I¡¯m more comfortable in my skin now than I¡¯ve been since before China. You¡¯ll never believe this, but I¡¯m a cheerleader.¡±


    Nabiki groaned. ¡°Why the hell could you not have told me that when I was still in the business of selling pictures to Kuno? We¡¯d be having this conversation on my private island right now!¡±


    Kasumi reached out her hand for Ranko. ¡°Tell us all about this new family of yours.¡±


    Ranko smiled widely, taking the hand Akane¡¯s sister offered her. Them, she could talk about forever. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re just the best, Kasumi. There¡¯s Hana, she owns this little bar I work at called the Phoenix. She¡¯s like the mother none of us girls had. She¡¯s so wise, and caring. She seems to know what I¡¯m feeling before I do, and always knows how to deal with it. She listens. She¡¯s so, so strong, but she¡¯s so gentle, too. Like cotton wrapped around concrete. All us girls - there¡¯s five of us now, including me - ended up there at one time or another when we were down on our luck, and Hana took care of us.


    ¡°Then, there¡¯s Ayako - she lives out in Yokohama with her husband now. He works for some big media company somewhere. We don¡¯t see her much these days, so I don¡¯t really know her as well as I wish I did. And Yui, she¡¯s the manager and bartender. She¡¯s so great, Kasumi. She¡¯s smart as a whip, and hilarious, and she takes no crap off of anybody. She¡¯s been so protective of me, even when it¡¯s my own mistakes she¡¯s protecting me from.¡± She turned a bit to her left with a smile. ¡°Reminds me a lot of you, Nabiki, actually.¡±


    Ranko walked closer to Kasumi, taking the hand that was offered. ¡°Then, there¡¯s Izumi. Izzi, we call her. Gods, she¡¯s something else. Kasumi, you think you tried hard to get me in dresses, whoa boy. She¡¯s almost ready to graduate with a fashion design degree, and I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve been her living mannequin for a year now. She just got married - can you believe I pulled off being a freaking bridesmaid?! - and she¡¯s pregnant now. She has an older son, too. His name¡¯s Hoshi. He¡¯s almost nine now. Gods, I love that little guy.


    ¡°And then, there¡¯s Mei. She¡¯s so much fun, you guys. She¡¯s always cutting up with us, and she¡¯s so, so supportive. She¡¯s the reason I have a career now. She basically put me on her back and made it happen. I¡¯d kill for that girl.¡± In fact, I damn near did, once.


    ¡°Present company excluded, a girl couldn¡¯t ask for better sisters. I love them all so much.¡±


    Soun walked up to her again. He kept¡­ looking at her. Ranko wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it. It didn¡¯t feel disrespectful, or lecherous, or even disapproving. It was like he was looking for the zipper that he could open up and dump the real Ranma out of the costume, and not finding it.


    ¡°You work in a bar? Dressed like that, I presume?¡±


    Ranko blushed deeply. ¡°Not exactly. As a girl, yeah, but, a little less formal. You get the good stuff, Mr. Tendo.¡±


    ¡°Do I even want to know what you do there as a girl,¡± Soun asked, a judgmental tone in his voice.


    Akane gasped with an angry growl. ¡°Dad! Don¡¯t you dare assume that about her!¡±


    Ranko swallowed her disgust at the insinuation, and chased it with the shame she felt at how little he must have thought of her to suggest it. Her stomach turned at the idea that Soun thought she¡¯d lower herself to taking her clothes off for strangers. Admittedly, the first day she had walked into the Phoenix, she had been desperate enough that she wasn¡¯t entirely sure she could have said no if it came to that.


    Ranko straightened her posture, breathing through her hurt and trying to reply in a respectful manner. She remembered the serene way Akane had to act when her students talked down to her. ¡°I wait tables, and¡­ I sing. It¡¯s not much, but I¡¯m proud of it, and it pays the bills.¡± Most of the time. I promise, sir, I¡¯d sell my soul itself to take care of Akane. Don¡¯t worry.


    Akane nodded, stepping up behind Ranko. ¡°She¡¯s underselling herself, Dad. She¡¯s incredible on stage. She packs that place almost every night. She¡¯s got a published single already that she wrote by herself, and is working on a whole album with her band.¡± She reached around Ranko¡¯s hip, taking her hand. ¡°She¡¯s a star.¡± She¡¯s my star.


    The redhead blushed and started to say something, but a loud beep from the kitchen interrupted her. ¡°Oh, excuse me. I need to go check on that.¡± She slipped around the half-wall, looking over the various pans she had going in the little oven through its glass front.


    Kasumi blinked, speaking quietly to Akane. ¡°She cooks?¡±


    Smiling proudly, Akane bobbed her head, answering almost in a whisper. ¡°She cooks, she does laundry, she cleans, she goes to school and gets pretty decent grades, she works, she sings, she writes her music, she does her cheerleading. We had to make her drop some other things too, because she was working herself to the bone. She¡¯s just awesome. Kasumi, you¡¯d be so proud of her. I know I am.¡±


    ¡°I do have to say,¡± Soun said, an impressed tone in his voice, ¡°whatever you¡¯re doing in there smells wonderful, Ran¡­¡± He sighed.


    Ranko turned, having not heard the last half of his sentence. ¡°Akane, this is ready to come out of the oven. Would you mind?¡±


    Soun made a little grunt of acknowledgement as Ranko exited the narrow kitchen to make space for Akane. There really wasn¡¯t room for two people in the little alleyway between the counter and the stove, unless of course, one of them happened to be seated on the countertop. ¡°The Cat¡¯s Tongue?¡±


    With a smile, Ranko¡¯s ¡°roommate¡± slipped into the kitchen, putting on a pair of oven mitts and pulling the steaming dish onto the trivet on the counter. Ranko barely resisted the urge to kiss her as she passed.


    Ranko nodded. ¡°It never wore off. But I¡¯m careful, and people help where they can. The ones who know, anyway.¡± She bowed her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t been¡­ what I was before¡­ since last November, not even for a minute.¡± She couldn¡¯t bring herself to say the word boy, as if she were afraid to give him any alternative lens to see her through than the one with which she now presented herself.


    Nabiki smirked, having left her seat at the table and taken a place leaning on the wall within view of the kitchen. ¡°I gotta tell ya, Ranko, I¡¯m impressed. You¡¯ve done more to figure out this girl thing in a year than Akane has in nineteen.¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be anywhere close to where I am without Akane.¡± She¡¯s my everything.


    Kasumi looked around the little room as Akane closed the oven, a puzzled expression on her face. ¡°Ranko, just a quick question.¡± She pointed to the rightmost door on the east wall. ¡°I know that one¡¯s the bathroom, and the one next to it is Akane¡¯s bedroom; she showed it to me when I was here last time. So, where¡¯s yours?¡±

 45. The Tendo Girls

    Ranko blushed furiously. Here we go, Akane.


    Her eyes were panicked, searching in every corner of her mind to find the right words. She knew if she said the wrong thing right now, she¡¯d destroy Akane¡¯s family, and it was in no way her place. She inhaled to stammer something, but Akane walked into the room from the kitchen and took her hand gently. We¡¯ve got this, baby, she wordlessly willed her lover to believe.


    ¡°Actually, Kasumi¡­¡± Akane blushed as well. ¡°That¡¯s her bedroom, too.¡±


    The eldest Tendo girl sighed. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s sad. Everything else that¡¯s gotten better for you, sweetheart, and you¡¯re still sleeping on a bedroll on the floor?¡±


    Ranko flushed even redder, shaking her head.


    ¡°But¡­ there¡¯s only one bed in there.¡±


    Akane was watching the pieces fall into place in her sister¡¯s eyes in real-time, and she was running out of time to get ahead of it. She squeezed Ranko¡¯s hand tight. Whatever happens next, we do it together. ¡°And we share it.¡±


    Soun blinked. ¡°You what?!¡±


    Akane nodded, sighing at her father¡¯s reaction. ¡°Dad, Ranko isn¡¯t just my roommate. She¡¯s my girlfriend.¡±


    Ranko lowered her head, holding her breath. Just his initial reaction was enough to flood her heart with shame.


    Nabiki smirked, trying to inject a little levity into her sister¡¯s situation. ¡°I ask again. Why could this not have happened when I was selling pictures, sister dear?¡±


    Soun glowered at Ranko. ¡°So, let me make sure I understand this. You run out of my house in the middle of the night because you can¡¯t be with Akane as a girl. You, Akane, just about break Saotome¡¯s spirit to fight for the right to break your engagement. And now - now?! - you want to be together¡­ as two girls?¡± He growled angrily. ¡°What have you done to my baby girl, Ranma?!¡±


    Akane stomped her foot, her right hand in a fist at her hip even as her left squeezed Ranko¡¯s hand supportively. ¡°Her name is Ranko! And I love her!¡±


    Ranko bit her lip hard. She spoke with a hollow sadness. I can¡¯t fight back against Akane¡¯s father. It¡¯ll only make things worse. ¡°Akane, I, um¡­ I need to check on something. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She slipped her hand out of Akane¡¯s, walking to the bathroom door and entering it. Akane heard a second click after the door closed, confirming to her that Ranko had locked the door behind her.


    Akane glared at her father. ¡°How dare you, Dad?¡±


    The Tendo patriarch growled. ¡°How dare I? You¡¯re away at college living a lie, hiding things from me, doing gods know what with that¡­ that girl¡­ and I¡¯m supposed to just take it with a smile?!¡±


    ¡°That girl? That girl? I¡¯ll have you know, that girl is stronger than you¡¯ll ever know, Dad! She had to rebuild her whole life, all the way down to her name. She didn¡¯t ask for any of this. Did you know she lived on the street alone for two months?! You didn¡¯t, because you didn¡¯t care enough to ask. Do you know how much shame she¡¯s endured? How much stuff she¡¯s had to relearn just to survive? How hard every single thing has been for her since she¡¯s been out here? How alone she was? She¡¯s pushed herself to the brink of unspeakable things to try and become a person she could be proud of, and¡­¡±


    Akane sighed. ¡°... and a person she hoped you could be proud of. I promised her this would be okay, Dad! I told her that if she was herself, you¡¯d find a way to accept all of this. I gave her my word that she didn¡¯t have to hide her from the people we care about anymore. Hiding our relationship almost broke us. She doesn¡¯t want me to have to choose you or her. She wants me to have my family back, and she was willing to subject herself to whatever shame you threw at her to make it happen for me. But I¡¯m not willing to put her through that. Not after everything else she¡¯s had to deal with! All the times she fought for our family, for our dojo, for me, and this is how you treat her? I trusted you to be better than this! So I¡¯m telling you right now. You are going to respect that resilient, caring, sweet, wonderful woman in there, or I am going to ask you to leave our home and not come back. Have I made myself clear?!¡±


    Soun roared loudly enough that Ranko could hear him in the bedroom even through the closed doors and over her quiet crying. ¡°We tried to support him, when everything happened, and he ran away like a coward! A few months of hardship, and it broke him!¡±


    Akane stomped forward, her face red with anger. Her fingernails dug into her palms in tight fists at her waist. ¡°AND YOU¡¯VE BEEN RUNNING EVER SINCE MOM DIED!¡±


    Kasumi gasped, covering her mouth. ¡°Akane¡­¡±


    ¡°You just sit there in your gi everyday like you actually run classes anymore. You know I taught a class yesterday, Dad? Yeah. When¡¯s the last time you did? Huh? 1985? You hide from the world in that dojo all day playing shogi with that son of a bitch who ruined Ranko¡¯s life, and you were never there for us girls! If it hadn¡¯t been for Kasumi, we¡¯d all have ended up in the nuthouse! So yeah, Ranko ran. But she ran to something. She ran for something. You? You just run.¡± She pointed to the locked bedroom door. ¡°That girl in there is a warrior. And you¡¯re just a coward!¡±


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    Soun staggered back. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing from his youngest daughter.  ¡°But, Akane, how am I supposed to accept that he can take care of you? He certainly can¡¯t marry you like that! He¡¯s already run away once! If he wanted to be with you, he had responsibilities as a man to consider!¡±


    Akane snatched up an empty skillet from the kitchen counter, throwing it across the room at her father with a loud kiai. He barely ducked under it in time, and it bounced harmlessly off the back cushion of the threadbare gray couch. ¡°SHE is twice the man you¡¯ll EVER be!¡±


    Kasumi walked closer carefully, watching for further flying kitchen implements. She took Soun¡¯s hand gently. ¡°Father, perhaps we¡­¡±


    Soun¡¯s chest heaved with anger. With shame. I should have seen the signs. She was always a tomboy. Maybe I pushed her too hard into martial arts, and not enough into things like ballet. Maybe I could have done something before it came to this.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to stand here and listen to this anymore. I¡¯m leaving. Come on, girls.¡± He stalked to the door, and as he opened it, he turned around to realize that none of his daughters had moved from their places. ¡°Kasumi? Nabiki?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Daddy,¡± Nabiki said. ¡°But if you¡¯re going to reject them like this, you¡¯re going to do it on your own. We sisters have had to stand together without you for years, and we aren¡¯t about to stop now.¡±


    Kasumi sighed. ¡°Father, I would never disrespect you. But this is their home, and Ranko has tried so hard to impress you. She really has grown, Father. You have to be able to see that, if you let yourself. If Akane is happy, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s any of our business whether the person she loves is a boy or a girl. We¡¯ve known Ranko for years. We¡¯ve always known she¡¯s good and kind and decent. She has been a part of our family for a long time now. She was immature when she lived with us, but she¡¯s come so far since then. I don¡¯t think we should be pushing Ranko away. I think we should be incredibly proud of her. And of Akane, for supporting and protecting Ranko when none of us did, including Ranko¡¯s own father.¡±


    Soun growled. ¡°Fine. If that¡¯s the way you girls want it. I¡¯ll go home alone, then.¡± He stormed out the door, slamming it behind himself.


    By the time Akane could turn her back to the door, both of her sisters had their arms around her. ¡°Akane, honey, we¡¯re so sorry,¡± Kasumi stroked her hair. ¡°You did the right thing.¡±


    Nabiki squeezed tighter. ¡°I give you credit, little sister. We¡¯ve said that stuff between us for years, but that¡¯s the first time any of us had the stones to say it to him.¡±


    Akane squeezed back briefly, but then took a step out of the embrace. ¡°I need to go check on Ranko. She had to have heard some of that.¡±


    Kasumi nodded. ¡°Go. We¡¯ll be right here.¡±


    Akane reached above the door jamb, retrieving a straightened paper clip which she used to push open the lock through the little hole in the center of the doorknob. Slowly, she opened the bedroom door. ¡°Baby, I¡¯m so sorry. I don¡¯t understand why he¡¯s such a j¡­¡±


    The bedroom window was open, and there was no one in the room.


    ¡°Damn it! Ranko?¡± Akane stuck her head out the window, searching the ground around the foot of the fire escape. She saw no one but the stray orange tomcat that liked to hang out in the alley by the dumpsters. She knew Ranko couldn¡¯t have gone that way, or there would have been a hissing, feral martial artist in the alley as well. But then Akane turned her head, looking at the other direction the fire escape went, and nodding.


    A moment later, Akane stepped onto the roof of the little apartment building. There, amid a few confused pigeons and a crate of air conditioner spare parts, she found the love of her life, lying in the gravel of the rooftop, bawling in her brand-new mint dress.


    ¡°Ranko? Baby, it¡¯s okay¡­¡± Akane approached slowly.


    A weak reply came between the racking sobs coming from the red-headed girl on the rooftop. ¡°I should have pushed you away when I had the chance.¡± Sometimes, Ranko still hated being a girl. She didn¡¯t know if it was something biological, or just that she¡¯d learned to deal with her feelings more, but it seemed like all she did anymore was blush and cry.


    Akane gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. ¡°What?! Ranko, why would you even say that?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve ruined your life because I was selfish enough to want you for myself. And I knew it was going to happen. I knew if I let myself get close to you, I would tear your world apart again, and I did it anyway because I was too weak to resist. I¡¯m sorry. I should have been stronger, and spared you all of this. You deserve so much better.¡± Ranko sniffled, not looking up. She couldn¡¯t. It hurt too damn much.


    ¡°Look at me, Ranko.¡± Akane knelt on the gravel, wincing. The little rocks were sharp. She couldn¡¯t fathom how much it must have hurt Ranko to lay on them, or how great her internal agony was to have been able to drown out the physical discomfort she must be in. ¡°Hey. Please?¡±


    Ranko slowly rolled over to squint up at Akane against the backdrop of the setting sun.


    Akane reached down, brushing a wisp of hair out of her love¡¯s face. ¡°I need you to understand something, Ranko, so you listen good. I don¡¯t deserve better than you. You know how I know that? Because there is no one better than you. Nobody. You are the best person I¡¯ve ever met. And I don¡¯t want to spend one more second around one more person who cares so little about me that they can¡¯t see how much better my world is with you in it. Not even if it¡¯s my father.¡±


    Akane wiped a tear from Ranko¡¯s cheek, but there was little point; her whole face was soaked and her makeup was ruined. ¡°You could have tried to push me away, but you wouldn¡¯t have been able to. You know me. I don¡¯t like to lose, Ranko. I decide what I want and I go for it until I get it, no matter what. And I want you. I am absolutely, positively, insanely in love with you, and you could never have convinced me otherwise.¡±


    She reached down, burrowing her wrist into the tight ball Ranko had pulled herself into and finding her hand, giving it a squeeze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry he hurt you. I¡¯m so, so sorry I trusted him not to. You were so scared, and I pushed you. My sisters are downstairs still; at least they¡¯re on our side. Why don¡¯t you come back down with me, and let¡¯s have a nice visit with the part of my family that decided not to be total jerks? I¡¯m sure they¡¯d love to catch up.¡±


    Ranko sighed, nodding emptily. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Akane. I¡¯ve cost you everything.¡±


    Akane shook her head, wrapping her arms around Ranko as she sat up, holding on to her for dear life. ¡°Don¡¯t you even think about apologizing to me, Ranko. You did everything right. Please don¡¯t blame yourself for this. He did it. He¡¯s the only one doing anything wrong.¡±


    Akane stood up in her house slippers, gritting her teeth as the thin padding provided nearly no protection against the gravel of the rooftop on which she stood. She reached down, offering a hand and a reassuring smile to her beloved.


    ¡°Come on, little phoenix. Time to rise.¡±

 46. Rules of Engagement

    Ranko sat alone on the rooftop, hugging her knees. The mid-November air was starting to get chilly, especially this early in the morning, when dew still clung to the metal handrails she was leaning on. She made a mental note to check with Shiori and see if it was permitted to wear pants or something under her cheerleading uniform skirt, because she was freezing.


    She sighed, the fight from the night before flashing through her mind. According to Nabiki, she¡¯d missed the worst of it, but what Ranko had heard was plenty. Akane had been all but disowned by her father last night for the crime of loving the person he would have given anything to make her fall for just a short year ago.


    And it¡¯s all my fault. I should have just kept my damned mouth shut.


    She allowed herself to get so upset over an arrangement they¡¯d both agreed to. She could have just told her she was struggling. Cried more. Begged. Something. Anything. Instead, she¡¯d written that nasty, angry, mean-spirited, thrice-damned song. She thought for sure Sneak would have ended their lives together, but instead, it did maybe the only thing that could have hurt Ranko worse ¨C it brought her and Akane closer together than ever, just so she could have a front-row seat to watch every other part of Akane¡¯s life fall apart because Ranko had forced her hand. She had shamed Akane into taking a sledgehammer to her entire existence, and now Ranko could only watch helplessly as Akane gave her everything she asked for, and her whole world crumbled because of what she had unleashed.


    She was heartbroken for Akane. At least Nabiki and Kasumi had stayed, and hanging out with them had been wonderful. Kasumi had somehow even managed to salvage dinner after Ranko abandoned it when the fight got bad. But even as Akane had laughed with her sisters, and shared stories of the couple¡¯s exploits, Ranko had been able to see the sadness behind her eyes that her father wasn¡¯t there for her. It was a disappointment Ranko knew all too well, and one she¡¯d prayed in vain for months that Akane would be spared.


    Ranko blushed, to no one in particular, remembering Akane putting on the Rise cassette in and playing it for Kasumi and Nabiki while Ranko sat in awkward silence on the couch, as if it hadn¡¯t been her voice coming out of the little battery-operated radio. She thanked the gods that there was no recording of her second song to be found in the apartment, or as far as she knew, anywhere else. The sooner that cursed song fell out of memory, the better for everyone.


    At least she¡¯d made Kasumi proud. Akane had gone out of her way to give Ranko credit for every spotless surface, every meal she¡¯d made, the creative ways she¡¯d found to cook while minimizing her potential exposure to hot water, all of it. Akane had tried so hard to build Ranko up, and she really did appreciate it. As absurd as it felt, as far as it was from any ambition she had ever known in her former life, Ranko had been desperate to earn Kasumi¡¯s approval as a homemaker. She wanted at least someone in the Tendo household to know Akane was being well-cared for. That at least she was doing something right, even if in their eyes, the best she was capable of as a human being was managing to keep the bathroom clean.


    She couldn¡¯t have been more grateful to Nabiki for having kept her secret all this time. Had Akane¡¯s father found out about their relationship when it first began, before they lived together ¨C before they had fallen so completely in love with each other ¨C he could have smothered it in the cradle. Beyond that, he probably would have dragged Ranko¡¯s father to the Phoenix to retrieve her before she had a chance to become, for the first time, a person whose skin she could stand tall in. Ranko literally owed Nabiki her life, and she would not soon forget it.


    Ranko dreaded the inevitable fact that Akane¡¯s father had already told hers what had become of his child. He couldn¡¯t have done otherwise, especially coming home without his daughters. How else could he have explained that he left the house with two of his three daughters, and returned with none of his four? Not that Ranko expected he would ever consider her part of his family again, but she was with Akane to stay, whether he liked it or not.


    She supposed she would have to go back to looking over her shoulder for crazed pandas everywhere she went. It had been a welcome respite for the past year, but now that her father knew exactly where to find her, she suspected that the reckoning they were due was all but a matter of time away. Ranko wanted nothing in the world more than to be accepted by Akane¡¯s family, but if there was one thing she could be permitted to want just as badly, it was to never have to hear the name Saotome again.


    She stood, shouldering her bag and looking out over the quad, where her classmates were slowly filtering into the schoolyard. She had made up her mind.


    She was going to fix it. At least, as much of it as she could.


    Last time she¡¯d screwed up Akane¡¯s life, fixing it had literally almost killed her. This time, at least what she had to do wouldn¡¯t hurt physically. All it would cost her this time was her dignity, and that was a price she¡¯d learned to pay more times than she cared to count. Over the last year, she found herself wondering more than once whether she had some karmic credit card that worked on shame, given the number of times her pride had gone into the negatives and had to be built back up just to get back to zero.


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    Akane was worth it. She deserved no less.


    The cheerleader pulled open the roof access door and scampered down the twenty-two steps to the second floor. She needed only to follow the screeching of teenage girls to find her objective. Pinned against a locker stood the towering form of Eiji Kanda, in his basketball uniform, surrounded by some sixteen hopeful girls.


    Ranko swallowed hard. Just another performance. Just like I do on stage. But this one¡¯s not for applause, it¡¯s for Akane. For Akane, I can do anything.


    She stalked quickly toward the mob, affecting a fury in her approach. ¡°Eiji Kanda, there you are!¡±


    The girls stopped their clamoring for a moment and turned to see what new challenger had approached.


    Ranko pushed through the throng until she was next to him, forcefully grabbing his hand. It might as well have been the damned pizza oven, because every second holding his hand burned her, just on the inside. ¡°You were SUPPOSED to meet me for breakfast! You forgot AGAIN!¡± She turned to one of the girls in the crowd, shaking her head and gesturing to the basketballer with her free hand. ¡°I swear, these boys. They¡¯re cute and all, but you practically gotta keep ¡®em on a leash, right?!¡±


    Maintaining an iron grip on his hand, Ranko dragged Eiji out of the crowd, continuing to berate him. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you forgot me. I was sitting there for two hours, Eiji!¡± She could hear the gossip mill creaking to life behind her even as they walked.


    As soon as she had him out of earshot of the other girls, she pulled Eiji into the same disused classroom where they¡¯d spoken a few days earlier.


    ¡°Sheesh, Ranko, you didn¡¯t have to be so rough!¡± Eiji rubbed his wrist.


    The cheerleader smirked. ¡°I needed it to be convincing that I broke up with you if this conversation doesn¡¯t go the way I want it to.¡±


    Eiji shook his head. ¡°Wait a minute... Broke up? You said you didn¡¯t want to do this.¡±


    Ranko nodded with a shameful sigh. ¡°And I still don¡¯t. But¡­ I think maybe I have to.¡±


    She backed the giant boy against the blackboard. ¡°Okay, Kanda. Ground rules.¡± She cracked her knuckles. ¡°Number one, and I should hope I don¡¯t have to say it. No sex. Like, not at all. You don¡¯t touch me like that, I won¡¯t touch you like that. You don¡¯t try it. You don¡¯t ask about it. You don¡¯t talk about it. You don¡¯t answer questions about it. Don¡¯t even fucking imagine it.¡±


    Eiji nodded, blushing. He might be the only boy at Yusue High that would agree to that condition. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Rule two: Akane does not find out. Your sister doesn¡¯t find out. Anyone who knows them doesn¡¯t find out. Anyone who knows anyone who knows them doesn¡¯t find out. Ever.¡±


    Again, the basketballer nodded. ¡°Fumi doesn¡¯t really talk to anybody else from Yusue, so that should be doable as long as you don¡¯t slip up.¡±


    ¡°Rule three. No pictures. No evidence that this ever happened if I decide it was a mistake, any more than I already have.¡±


    Eiji smiled a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, but if we¡¯re at a school event or a game or something together or something, I might not be able to help it.¡±


    Ranko bobbed her head, her ponytail and the red ribbon that restrained it swishing over her shoulders. ¡°Speaking of which. Rule four. This happens at school and school functions only. No movies, no dinners, no going to each other¡¯s houses, zip.¡±


    Eiji swallowed hard. She¡¯s really thought this through. ¡°Uh, sure.¡±


    ¡°Rule five, and this one is important. The Phoenix is off-limits to you. You don¡¯t set foot in that place. Ever. It¡¯s mine. If someone invites you, you have a headache. If somebody is walking down the sidewalk with a receipt for a damned pizza in their pocket, you cross to the other side of the street. You are allergic to that bar. Got it?¡±


    With a sigh, Eiji nodded. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Ranko shook her head, pointing her finger up at him. Way up at him. ¡°I swear, Kanda, if you don¡¯t come through on your promise and get Akane back on that team, I will hand you to every one of those girls out there. One piece at a time. Do we have an understanding?¡±


    Eiji nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll start working on it tonight. I promise.¡± He reached down, taking Ranko¡¯s hand and giving it a little squeeze. ¡°Hey. Thank you for this, Ranko. Really.¡±


    She hated that he was so much taller than she was. She hated that he looked down on her. It made her feel so small and vulnerable. It reminded her of fears and feelings she¡¯d tried hard to bury since beating Mikado Sanzenin half to death behind the Phoenix. Her skin crawled, radiating from the surface where her palm was touching his. She felt nauseated just thinking about it.


    Eiji had led her halfway to the door out of the classroom when Ranko stopped him.


    ¡°Hey. One more thing: No fucking kissing.¡±

 47. Burn

    Ranko squinted into the bright lights surrounding the mirror with a heavy sigh. She¡¯d been in the chair for almost ninety minutes, and she was getting more than a little frustrated.


    ¡°Seriously, this is stupid.¡±


    The cosmetologist harrumphed, putting down her brush and putting her hands on her hips. ¡°Listen. Rise is a story about surviving hard times, and the director wants you to look a little rough in the video.¡±


    Ranko rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, Daiko, I know what the damn song¡¯s about. I wrote it. I¡¯m saying the makeup is stupid.¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± the makeup artist said exasperatedly. ¡°I know this is your first video shoot, so you don¡¯t understand. You just need to trust the process. We have a specific effect we¡¯re going for here.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Yeah, I get that. No argument. The part that¡¯s stupid is that you¡¯ve spent an hour and a half putting twenty thousand yen worth of makeup on my face to make it look like I¡¯m dirty. So, you know what else looks just like dirt? Fucking dirt. Like, I can go outside right now, get a handful of the stuff, rub it on my face in thirty seconds, and I¡¯m done. It¡¯s even free. Like, there¡¯s a whole planet full of the stuff out there. They just let you take it.¡±


    The blonde cosmetologist smirked. ¡°Well, fortunately, you¡¯re about done. Just try not to touch your face too much.¡±


    Ranko rolled her eyes with a shake of her head. ¡°Yeah. Definitely wouldn¡¯t want to smudge my dirt.¡± She hopped up from the chair, stretching her back. She strode across the soundstage, watching the activity surrounding her. There must have been seventy people there, between safety technicians, directors, cameramen, makeup people, scene dressers¡­ She was pretty sure there was one lady there who was just in charge of donuts.


    And they were all there for her.


    The label hadn¡¯t been kidding when they said they¡¯d provide everything that was needed for the video. They even had brand-new instruments for Crash and Shin, in a matching glossy black with a flame painted along the bottom edge. A new Yamaha DX7 synthesizer on a black stand awaited Jacob, too.


    The bass drum at the far back featured the band¡¯s updated logo, courtesy of the Yokai marketing department. It featured hot pink romaji characters spelling out Ranko¡¯s name in a thick script with slightly uneven strokes, as if they¡¯d been written in lipstick. The end of it was punctuated with the outline of a heart. It was an exact match of her signature, the way she usually wrote it when she signed autographs at the Phoenix. Underneath the large signature, white katakana starting under the a in her name spelled out and the Dapper Dragons in a thin, modern font in bright white against the black background, with thin white lines above and below.


    She liked that her signature looked so distinct that way; whether in kanji, hiragana or katakana, only the last character changed from when she used to write Ranma. She often regretted using the kanji for wild girl when selecting her new name, but she¡¯d been in a panic when Hana asked for her name all those months ago and she hadn¡¯t had time to think it through. Orchid girl was much prettier, but it was far too late to change it now. Of course, at the time she''d chosen it, she could not have fathomed how comfortable with feminine things like having a pretty name she would eventually become.


    On the platform against the back wall, the scenery people had constructed a facade that looked fairly convincingly like a dark, dingy city alleyway, all the way down to the lights in the shop windows and signs. It was a first-class operation, and Ranko couldn¡¯t believe she actually belonged there.


    ¡°It¡¯s kinda crazy, huh?¡± Ranko looked up as Crash put his arm around her shoulder. ¡°A long way from where we met, huh?¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll say. Hey, how come you get to saunter your ass in here at 11:00, when I had to be here at 8:30 for hair and makeup?¡±


    With a winning smile, Crash gave her a playful mock punch in the arm, being careful to be very gentle. She really didn¡¯t have much tolerance for pain, he¡¯d found. ¡°What can I say? Yuji thought I was cute enough already. Sorry you needed so much help.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll get you for that, Matsuyama.¡± She giggled, punching back at his arm, less gently.


    He smiled down into her eyes. ¡°Man, what did they do to your face?¡± He reached down with his hand, gently manipulating her chin to let her cheeks catch the light at different angles.


    Ranko blushed. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t fuck up my dirt, man! They spent, like, an hour on that shit!¡±


    The tall guitarist laughed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it!¡±


    ¡°Did Yuji tell you what we do next? Where is everybody?¡± Ranko rested her hands on her hips, at the waistband of the black studded miniskirt the costumer had dressed her in.


    Crash shook his head. ¡°They¡¯re still getting everything set up, I think. Shin¡¯s out back smoking, Jake went for a little walk. Dude¡¯s nervous as hell. And Ken¡­¡± His face took on a furtive tone. ¡°I haven¡¯t actually seen him yet today.¡±


    The redhead nodded. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll turn u¡­¡± The rest of her sentence was lost to a shriek as a few meters to her left, a column of flame erupted from the floor between two of the building facades in the mock cityscape. And then another. And then another. And then another. ¡°What the hell?!¡±


    ¡°Right, Nishida! Turn that one down twenty percent, and let¡¯s get another emitter going over here on the left side!¡± One of the technicians ran between the burning streaks of fire on the floor, reaching down and making adjustments to the little valves under the false floor.


    ¡°Crash¡­ they don¡¯t expect me to stand in that, do they?¡±


    Ranko¡¯s friend laughed. ¡°Well, you did write a song all about catching fire. I don¡¯t know what you expected.¡±


    The redhead shook her head, taking a step back, almost hiding behind his leather-clad arm. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Hey, relax! You¡¯ll be fine. They won¡¯t let it get close enough to burn you.¡± He laughed heartily. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a girl.¡±


    It¡¯s almost burning me from here, Crash, she thought to herself. She watched the flames in terror as the pyrotechnicians adjusted their output. She clutched onto Crash¡¯s arm, and he could feel her trembling through the sleeve of his leather jacket.


    As Ranko cowered behind her guitarist, she heard a familiar voice approaching from behind her. ¡°Man, it¡¯s looking really good in here.¡±


    Ranko turned, her eyes wide. ¡°Jake, did they tell you there was gonna be fucking fire?¡±


    The Australian shrugged, taking off his sunglasses and pocketing them in the breast pocket of his leather jacket. ¡°No, but it makes sense.¡±


    Crash craned his neck, looking around the bustle of the soundstage. ¡°Jake, you seen Ken?¡±


    Nodding, Jake tousled his hair a bit. ¡°Yeah, he was talking with Uyehara, the lady from the record label, over there somewhere.¡± He pointed in the general direction of the catering table, where the official donut lady had set up her wares.


    Ranko just watched the fire crackling from the floor. She couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of it. I can do this. I¡¯ve been through worse. Focus.


    Clad in a flamboyant pink polo shirt, a short, chubby man approached with a wide smile. ¡°There¡¯s our girl! How we feeling today, Ranko?¡±


    ¡°Hot.¡± Ranko released Crash¡¯s arm and forced herself to turn away from the flames erupting from the soundstage floor, making eye contact with Yuji Oe, the director the record label had assigned to produce the music video for Rise.


    Crash snickered, leaning over to Jacob and speaking quietly in English. ¡°You can say that again.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Yuji said, surveying the stage. ¡°Pyro¡¯s almost set, everybody seems good to go with costumes and makeup. As soon as the backup dancers show up, we¡¯re ready to get this thing going.¡±


    Grinning, Jacob looked up to Crash and raised his eyebrows. ¡°You hear that, buddy? More girls! This is gonna be great! C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go check out our new gear.¡± The musicians walked together toward the back of the stage.


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°Wait, Yuji, nobody told me anything about backup dancers.¡± Or fucking fire.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the director said with a shrug. ¡°The studio thought it needed a little more motion on screen. Love your band, but they kinda stand there like statues while they play.¡± A door clattered shut with a heavy bang a dozen or so meters behind Ranko, and Yuji looked up. ¡°Ah, here they are now!¡±


    Ranko turned her head, and froze in her tracks.


    She¡¯d know those mirrored sunglasses anywhere.

 48. Reflection

    ¡°Uh, Yuji? Can I talk to you? In private? Like¡­ right now?¡± The man in the mirrored sunglasses hadn¡¯t recognized her yet, but she wasn¡¯t quite ready to interact with Takao Tashima again just now. Or, ever.


    Yuji put his arm around Ranko¡¯s back, leading her toward the catering table. The bespectacled guardian of the donuts eyed the singer with a suspicion Ranko couldn¡¯t quite understand the reason for. ¡°Sure, Ranko. Shoot. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± She looked nervously over his shoulder at the door, where Takao stood flanked by two girls in matching black minidresses. ¡°I can¡¯t work with him, Yuji. Tashima. I just can¡¯t. I¡­ I won¡¯t.¡± Her teeth were gritted behind her maroon lipstick. She knew what was coming next. This was the part where she¡¯d be told to suck it up, deal with it, because that¡¯s the industry. It always happened this way, whenever she¡¯d tried to step foot outside the Phoenix with her music career.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Yuji didn¡¯t seem especially fazed by her statement. ¡°He screw up a shoot on you before?¡±


    Ranko gulped. You¡¯re going to make me say it, aren¡¯t you? In front of all these people?


    ¡°I¡­ I used to work for his agency.¡±


    Yuji nodded. ¡°Lots of the girls we work with on our shoots have. It¡¯s not a conflict or anything, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No. I can¡¯t. Yuji, he hit me. Please don¡¯t ask me to work with him again. Please.¡±


    Yuji scoffed. ¡°Why would he hit you? That doesn¡¯t sound like him at all.¡±


    ¡°Because most girls give him what he wants, and I wouldn¡¯t. He tried to¡­¡± Ranko looked down at her hands shamefully. At least the fire wasn¡¯t the scariest thing in the building anymore.


    Yuji¡¯s eyes widened with surprise, and he lowered his voice. ¡°You aren¡¯t saying he¡­¡±


    Ranko could only nod sadly. ¡°Crash saw the whole thing. Laid the bastard out, too, and Tashima fired us both on the spot.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± The director looked at his watch, exhaling heavily. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re going to have to reschedule the shoot.¡±


    Ranko looked up at him. ¡°What?!¡±


    Yuji smiled comfortingly. ¡°If our star says he doesn¡¯t work on the project, he doesn¡¯t work on the project.¡± He frowned. ¡°And I¡¯m going to have to call the label, and let them know we shouldn¡¯t work with him anymore at all.¡±


    Ranko blinked, her eyes almost the size of the donuts being distributed on the table behind her. ¡°You¡­ you mean it? You¡¯re not gonna make me do it?¡±


    The stubby little man in the pink shirt smiled reassuringly. ¡°Not a chance. There¡¯s way too much of that shit in this business, and I won¡¯t stand for it on my set. Not with my girls. I¡¯m gonna go fire his ass right now. And we¡¯ll need to find another agency to get us some dancers.¡±


    Ranko straightened her back. She felt a confidence rising in her again that mere moments ago had been utterly shattered. She¡¯d been able to stand her ground, and win, because she was a star. And she was finally working with people who respected her. She stole a glance over at the object of her vengeance and the two women accompanying him. I¡¯m not the only one who deserves respect, Takao.


    With a sinister grin, she looked up at the director. ¡°Actually, Yuji, about that¡­¡±


    A few moments later, the two girls standing alongside Takao Tashima squealed as a fierce-looking woman with flame-red hair cascading down her shoulders, dressed for battle from the battered leather jacket and the steel spikes on her black platform heels to the metal studs and buckles down the sides of her skirt and the dirt smeared across her face, approached.


    ¡°Omigods! Ranko!¡± Hitomi rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Ranko¡¯s neck. ¡°You look amazing!¡±


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    The starlet was almost tackled from the other side. ¡°They didn¡¯t tell us you were in this video too! Are you with a new agency?¡±


    Ranko smirked almost condescendingly, answering the girl while looking at the man who had yet to turn to face her. ¡°Actually, Emi¡­ it¡¯s my song. I wrote it. With Crash and the guys.¡±


    Only now did the smug mogul turn, and Ranko saw her reflection in his glasses, flanked by her two former coworkers. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s you.¡±


    Ranko nodded emphatically with a satisfied grin and an affectedly vapid giggle. ¡°Yep! Looks like I figured out the whole singing thing all by myself! Didn¡¯t even need any special lessons.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Takao gave a dismissive chuckle. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see how you handle the big leagues, I suppose. When I let the folks at Yokai know how hard you were to work with, girl, you¡¯ll never see another video except on television. You should have taken my offer when you had the chance.¡±


    ¡°Actually, funny story.¡± Ranko picked up a small handout from a nearby table. About the size of a postcard, one side had a smaller version of the poster photo for the Rise single in black-and-white, and the other listed some details for the shooting schedule.


    ¡°Yuji Oe and I were just talking, and well, it seems you don¡¯t have what it takes to make it around here. Or, really, in this industry at all.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? You still have no idea who you¡¯re talking to, do you?!¡± Takao shook his head in disbelief.


    Ranko looked down at the handout, picking up a red marker from the table and beginning to write on it, as if disinterested with him. ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯m talking to a creepy piece of shit who just got his ass fired by a cheerleader.¡± As she spoke, some thirty meters behind her, twin columns of flame blasted upward from the soundstage.


    ¡°You¡­ you can¡¯t do this! You¡¯re just a kid! You don¡¯t have any pull here!¡± Takao¡¯s face was turning redder by the second in his fury.


    ¡°Hey, Miss Tendo, we¡¯re just about ready to shoot, whenever you¡¯re ready,¡± came a shout from a twenty-something intern in a gray houndstooth skirt and matching blazer.


    ¡°Yeah, Sachiko, tell the guys to take a fifteen-minute break,¡± Ranko called in response, waving over her shoulder without turning her back on Takao. She smirked victoriously, glad that Takao got to witness her command bringing seventy professionals to a halt. Well, sixty-nine. There was no chance the enormous German woman lording over the donut table was stopping for anybody. That woman was scary.


    The intern rushed back to the cluster of gathered production staff awkwardly on heels that were not remotely suitable for moving at speed. ¡°You heard the boss! Smoke if ya got ¡®em!¡±


    Ranko finished writing on the little handout, looking up and taking a step forward to close the gap between them.


    ¡°You know, Takao¡­¡± She snapped her right arm forward toward his face at lightning speed, and he flinched, expecting to be punched again. Instead, Ranko snatched his mirrored sunglasses off of his face. ¡°It¡¯s been great catching up, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m gonna have to ask you to leave.¡± She put the sunglasses on her own face, clicking her tongue, shaking her head and affecting a wince with mock regret. ¡°This area¡¯s reserved for stars. You understand, right? Don¡¯t worry though, my buddy Bruce over there will be happy to help you find your car. Security?¡±


    A mountain of an American in a black T-shirt and dark sunglasses took a step forward, towering over Takao. ¡°Sir?¡±


    Takao shook in anger, growling loudly. ¡°You haven¡¯t heard the last of this! Hikari, Ami, come on, girls. We¡¯re leaving!¡±


    ¡°Oh, no no no, Takao.¡± Ranko beamed victoriously. ¡°You go. They stay. They work for me now.¡± As she spoke and the stunned girls flanking her squealed in excitement, she folded the paper she¡¯d been writing on in half.


    Ranko smirked, tipping the stolen sunglasses down on her nose so she could look over the rims of them at him. She wanted him to have to look her in the eyes for once. ¡°But, if you ever think you¡¯re ready to try getting into the music business for real, here¡¯s some private advice from someone who made it on her own.¡± She tucked her thumb between her index and middle fingers on her left hand, using it to slide the glasses back up her nose.


    She slipped the folded paper into the breast pocket of his sport coat, patting his jacket pocket hard enough to sting, and nodding to Bruce. The enormous man in the black shirt took Takao by the arm and led him out through the door as the two newest members of the Dapper Dragons shrieked and hugged Ranko around the neck again.


    As he walked to his car, cursing under his breath, Takao pulled the paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. Over her image, looking indomitable and ready for war in the shadow of the Phoenix surrounded by her friends, Ranko had written only six English words, the red marker leaping off the page in contrast with the black-and-white photo. She¡¯d signed it in exactly the same style as her name splashed in pink across the front of Ken¡¯s new bass drum.


    Takao: Die in a fire, fucker! ~ Ranko ??

 49. Too Close to the Fire

    ¡°Hitomi, thank you so much! You have no idea!¡±


    Ranko took her shoes back from the taller girl, blushing. Armed with a new reservoir of confidence after Yuji had supported her against Takao, she¡¯d told the director she didn¡¯t feel comfortable singing next to the open flames. Because they wanted the effect in the video, though, they¡¯d decided to cut in a few close-up shots of the fire flickering around ¡°her¡± legs, and Hitomi had volunteered to stand in for Ranko. Emi had offered, too, but her feet were too large for Ranko¡¯s chunky heels.


    Hitomi smiled warmly. ¡°Please. After getting us out from under that jerkwad Tashima, there¡¯s not much we wouldn¡¯t do to help you out.¡±


    Emi nodded emphatically. ¡°We really can¡¯t thank you enough, Ran-chan. I mean, you know how bad it was there.¡±


    Ranko gave a broad grin. ¡°I¡¯m so glad I was able to get you girls out of there. I¡¯ve been worried about you. I don¡¯t know how much work I¡¯ll have for you up front, but Yuji said the label can use you for other projects in between the stuff we do with the Dapper Dragons. Essentially, they just replaced Takao¡¯s agency with the actual talent behind it.¡±


    The now-barefoot Hitomi smirked. ¡°I bet that felt good, telling that piece of shit off like that!¡±


    Ranko smirked victoriously. ¡°Yeah, gotta say. Didn¡¯t suck. But anyway, to hell with that jerk. What have you girls been up to?¡±


    ¡°Not much,¡± Emi said with a groan. ¡°They still hadn¡¯t let us perform. We did one video shoot like this, and they cut all the shots of everything above my knees. What a waste of time.¡±


    Hitomi poked Ranko in the ribs gently with her elbow, tittering shrilly. ¡°How about you? The day you left, that Crash guy seemed pretty into you. Anything we should know about?¡±


    Ranko blushed, remembering the morning Crash had come onto her. The day he kissed her. Thank goodness he¡¯d given up on that dream. ¡°Not with him, no. But I am with somebody.¡± She smiled, her face flushing.


    ¡°Tell us, tell us!¡± Emi bounced on the wooden crate she¡¯d seated herself on. ¡°Who is he? What¡¯s he like? Does he have a brother?¡± Hitomi giggled with her roommate.


    Ranko sat on the crate next to Emi, starting to buckle her shoes back on. Flushing further, she looked down at her lap, tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear to have an excuse to hide her face with her hand. She spoke quietly, ensuring none of the bustling production staff heard her. ¡°She is amazing.¡±


    Hitomi blushed. ¡°She? This is getting better by the minute!¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°It¡¯s been tough, but I wouldn¡¯t trade it for the world. We just got our own little place, a couple months ago. And since then, just been singin¡¯, goin¡¯ to school, workin¡¯. You know how it is. Keep it between us though, ¡®kay?¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Emi grinned, biting into the jelly donut she¡¯d scored from the catering table. ¡°Dude, I freaking love your song, too. Seriously! I can¡¯t wait to hear your other stuff.¡±


    Ranko blushed. ¡°Our song. You girls are Dragons now, too! I¡¯m glad you like it. Getting it out there was¡­ a lot. Sorry to disappoint you, though; this is the only song we¡¯ve got right now.¡±


    ¡°Actually, Ranko,¡± came a feminine voice in reply from behind her. ¡°I was hoping to talk to you about that.¡±


    Ranko swiveled on the crate and looked up into the eyes of Amaya Uyehara, the record executive who had negotiated her contract back at the Phoenix. She wore an orange blazer over a black silk blouse and black slacks.


    The redhead swallowed hard. Something about this didn¡¯t feel right. ¡°Uh, sure thing, Miss Uyehara. What¡¯s up?¡±


    The woman in the orange blazer crossed her arms with a little smirk. ¡°So, as you know, we¡¯re trying to put together your album. We¡¯re finding that kind of difficult to do with just the one song.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯m working on it. Jacob got you the dance remix, right? That could be pretty cool to add.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± the executive said, ¡°but we¡¯re really hoping for another new song soon so we can keep production going. Do you have anything ready?¡±


    Ranko shook her head, sighing as she drooped her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am. Not yet.¡±


    Amaya nodded. ¡°I understand. In order to keep on pace for our deadlines, though, we¡¯re going to need something soon. I can give you about another week, and then I really need something, even if it¡¯s rough.¡±


    Ranko gulped. ¡°I¡­ sure. You got it.¡± She faked a confident smile, waving as the woman stalked off, her stiletto heels sounding like a ticking clock on the concrete floor as she stalked away.


    Emi put her arm around Ranko¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t sweat it! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll come up with something. You¡¯re pretty freakin¡¯ awesome, ya know. I have confidence in you!¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Yeah, well, that makes one of us, Emi.¡±


    ¡°She already did,¡± came a gravely male voice in response.


    The redhead looked up as her friend approached, sighing and shaking her head. ¡°Shin, no. We talked about this. I can¡¯t.¡±


    Hitomi put up her finger, a puzzled look on her face. ¡°Um, I feel like I¡¯m missing something?¡±


    Ranko shook her head emphatically, a nervous giggle in her voice. ¡°Nope! Nothing at all!¡±


    Shinji sighed, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. ¡°She wrote another song, and it¡¯s even better than Rise. Absolutely top-ten material. But it got her girlfriend¡¯s panties in a bunch, so now she won¡¯t sing it.¡±


    ¡°I gave her my word, Shinji. That means something to me. I¡¯ve hurt Akane so much already. I can¡¯t do that to her.¡± Ranko sighed, looking down at her hands. ¡°I won¡¯t risk my relationship with her. Not for anything. Not even this. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± her bassist said with a sigh, ¡°I suggest you pull another hit out of your ass, then. It sounds like we¡¯re about out of time.¡±


    Ranko nodded softly. ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out. Somehow.¡±


    Shinji nodded. ¡°You¡¯d better, and quick. Or we might not have a choice.¡±

 50. Mutiny

    ¡°One! Two! Stick it! Stick it! YES! Great job, Tamiko!¡± Ranko whooped loudly as her squadmate landed her double twist on the thick blue vinyl gymnastics mat. ¡°That¡¯s how we do it!¡±


    Ranko clapped her hands enthusiastically, turning to the next cheerleader in line. ¡°Okay, Ayame! Let¡¯s do this! Front handspring, back handspring, layout. Go!¡±


    Rolling her eyes, the blonde girl threw herself into a run, executing the stunts that Ranko prescribed. Ranko put up her hand for a high-five, but Ayame just jogged past her, returning to the back of the line.


    Ranko clapped her own hands instead. What¡¯s her problem? Shrugging it off, she turned back to the front of the line and tried to smile. ¡°Chinatsu! C¡¯mon, girl!¡±


    The diminutive brunette ran down the blue pathway to the mat, diving forward. She tucked into a ball, tumbling once before popping up with her shoulders and kicking with her legs, launching herself back to her feet.


    ¡°That¡¯s the way! You rock!¡± Ranko clapped, turning to the next girl in line. ¡°Come on, Kotone! You got this!¡± Please.


    Ranko watched nervously as the cheerleader ran at top speed toward the large blue tumble mat. She sprung forward, landing on her hands, twisting as she did and flipping backward off of her hands. A third flip brought Kotone back to her feet, and she bounced up into a double twist. The form was good enough, but she didn¡¯t have nearly enough rotation, and she landed hard on her shoulder on the padded mat, sinking into the vinyl-covered cushion with a creaking noise and a yelp.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±  Ranko sighed. ¡°How many times do I gotta tell you?! You¡¯ve gotta start your twist as soon as your feet leave the ground. You¡¯re waiting too long!¡±


    Kotone growled, crawling off the mat on her hands and knees. ¡°You know, Ranko, you do an awful lot of barking orders for someone who never practices stunts out here at all!¡±


    Yori grumbled. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve told us all what you want us doing during the routine. What are you gonna do?¡±


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°I thought you wanted me to sing. And I¡¯m working on something for the end of the routine.¡±


    ¡°So, what,¡± Kotone stomped away from the mat toward Ranko. ¡°You¡¯re just gonna stand there the whole time with your microphone and look pretty while we¡¯re all falling on our heads all the time?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t fall on your head if you took the time to practice!¡± Ranko sighed, picking up her water bottle from the grass and squirting some of its contents into her mouth.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Tanda shook her head, rolling her eyes as she brushed her orange ponytail out of her eyes. ¡°Like you do? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you do a stunt at practice in a month.¡±


    The redhead nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been working out on my own so I can focus on coaching during group practices. You wanna see something? Alright. Watch out.¡±


    Ranko stalked over to the beginning of the tumble track angrily. She took off running, moving at blinding speed as she flipped once¡­ twice¡­ three times, launching herself off the track and executing two mid-air twists, landing on her feet on the padded mat. As she did, she winced a bit, doubling over slightly as if her ribs were hurting her for some reason.


    ¡°There. See? I¡¯m trying to teach you girls how to do this stuff. I know you can. But we¡¯ve only got a few weeks until the competition. We¡¯re running out of time to get this stuff nailed!¡±


    Tanda scoffed. ¡°Like you even give a shit. The Invitational doesn¡¯t mean a damn thing to you. It¡¯s just another opportunity for you to have people fawn over you. You¡¯re a friggin¡¯ diva, you know that, Tendo?! The thing about being a cheerleader is that you¡¯re not supposed to expect all the cheers to be for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, please, Tanda. I want to win for you girls. I know how important it is to you.¡± Ranko sighed.


    Tanda threw up her hands in exasperation. ¡°Don¡¯t even start with that, Ranko. You¡¯re so full of shit, your eyes should be brown! You don¡¯t even give a damn when we perform at the games, other than when you¡¯re holding hands with Eiji Kanda like you¡¯re the friggin¡¯ queen of the world. And we¡¯re supposed to just follow you? Some of us have been doing this for six years, and you just show up and expect everybody to just bow down to you!¡±


    Yori growled. ¡°Right? And like, what¡¯s with this you girls shit? Like, are you not even part of the squad? It¡¯s supposed to be us, right? Not you.¡±


    ¡°I just¡­¡± Tanda shook her head. ¡°I just can¡¯t. I¡¯m done.¡± The orange-haired girl bent down, snatching up her gym bag from the ground and turned her back on Ranko, stomping back toward the school building.


    ¡°Tanda! Come on, be reasonable!¡± Ranko threw her hands in the air in frustration, letting them fall limply to her sides.


    Kotone shook her head, thrusting her palm up as Ranko opened her mouth to speak to her. ¡°Just don¡¯t. I¡¯ve heard enough out of you.¡± She walked toward the bleachers, picking up her bag and following after Tanda.


    ¡°Girls, come on! We can do this! Come back!¡± Ranko watched in horror as, one by one, ten of the eleven other girls turned on her and walked away, until only one remained.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Ranko sighed, plopping down onto her backside in the grass dejectedly. ¡°Why won¡¯t they listen?¡±


    The team captain shrugged in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ranko. I tried to warn you.¡±  With that, Shiori turned and followed after her teammates, leaving Ranko on the rugby field alone.

 51. Defying Gravity

    Shiori grumbled, climbing the grassy hill overlooking the rugby field, shielding her eyes from the setting sun. She felt like such an idiot. After the argument with Ranko, she had stormed off the field with her squadmates and left her bag behind. She really couldn¡¯t afford to lose the half hour she knew it would take for the round trip walk back to school to get it, but without her notes, she¡¯d never be able to study for the Chinese test she had the following morning.


    She replayed the events of the last few weeks in her head. She really did believe that Ranko was trying to help them, but her tactics were far too heavy-handed. She¡¯d pushed them harder than they¡¯d ever experienced before, and finally broken their spirits ¨C a hard thing to do to thirteen cheerleaders. Shiori knew Ranko¡¯s heart was in the right place, but she was too single-minded, and had held her squadmates to an absurd standard. Chinatsu¡¯s boyfriend had already broken up with her because she kept missing dates to stay at Ranko¡¯s double-length practices, and lately, the new girl had even been pressing for workouts before the performances on game nights.


    Ranko had such exacting expectations, and her choreography ideas were really solid. If Shiori thought they had any chance to pull off half the moves she¡¯d scripted, she¡¯d have had every confidence they¡¯d win the Invitational hands-down. But at the rate they were going, Ranko was more likely to get someone seriously hurt. The new girl had all but usurped Shiori¡¯s captaincy, demanding respect she hadn¡¯t yet earned, and the squad had just about had enough.


    She didn¡¯t want to, but she knew she had no choice: to keep the squad together, she was going to have to ask Ranko to leave. It was a shame; she was unquestionably the most talented gymnast among them even before her singing was factored in, but it didn¡¯t matter if the whole rest of the squad quit in protest. The sentiment Tanda had brought up was nearly universal among her squadmates ¨C Ranko was willing to push everyone but herself. She sighed, resigning herself to giving Ranko the bad news in the morning before her test.


    As dusk fell, Shiori reached her bag, right where she¡¯d left it on the grass a few meters from the equipment storage building in front of the bleachers. She picked up the duffel and her cheer binder that sat atop it, turning for home with a sigh. The evening had sucked, and the day to come was going to be worse. Sometimes, she regretted signing up for the responsibility of being squad captain.


    She stopped suddenly, her breath catching in her throat as she heard what sounded like a huge sack of potatoes hitting the ground. What the¡­ nobody¡¯s supposed to be out here this late.


    Shiori quickly darted behind the cinder-block outbuilding, hiding from whatever potential assailant might be lurking around the corner. None came, but she heard a few metallic bangs, followed by a moment of pregnant silence. And then, another slam of weight hit the ground, this time accompanied by a pained groan.


    Her bag strapped over her shoulder and her binder tucked under her arm, Shiori braved to peek around the corner. She saw the form of a girl about her size walk around the bleachers from behind, leaning on the steel handrail for support as if she¡¯d had the wind knocked out of her.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    As Shiori watched in silence, the figure rounded the handrail, jogging up the aluminum bleachers to the very top next to the press box overlooking the rugby field. The silhouette lifted both her arms in the air, bounced once off of her tiptoes, and leapt off of the back of the metal steps. A moment later, the air crackled with another loud thud.


    ¡°Ow, dammit!¡±


    Shiori blinked. She thought she recognized that voice. Was it¡­


    She quietly crept around the storage building, watching as once again, the figure of Ranko Tendo stumbled around the bleachers, leaning on them for support, and began to ascend them. Sticking to the shadows, Shiori snuck behind the concession stand to get a better view of the rear of the bleachers. By the time she reached her vantage point, Ranko had again made it to the top of the steps. This time, Ranko clamored from there up to the roof of the press box to get herself an extra few meters of height.


    She put her hands up in perfect gymnastic form, and jumped with a grunt of effort.


    Shiori could barely make out the individual rotations as Ranko twisted in the air, so fast was she moving. Only by tracking the flashes of the reflected stadium lighting glinting off of the silver bracelet on her squadmate¡¯s left wrist was she able to count them.


    One¡­ two¡­ three¡­


    Ranko¡¯s body continued to corkscrew in the air, but before she could complete her final rotation, she slammed hard, shoulder-first, into the blue practice mat that she¡¯d dragged behind the bleachers. She cried out in pain, and Shiori had to cover her mouth to keep from being heard as she gasped. Ranko lay stunned on the mat for a second or two, and then rolled off of it onto her backside, getting up with a cough.


    Almost doubled over, she started rounding the bleachers again.


    Shiori looked down at the binder she had tucked under her arm, its cover plastered with the photo of Mieko Suto at the 1984 All-Tokyo Invitational.


    She¡­ she can¡¯t be trying it. Can she? Is she crazy?


    Her eyes snapped up from the binder as she heard a sharp bellow of exertion from above her, and watched as the twisting redhead plummeted to the vinyl mat below, again counting the flashes of light reflecting off Ranko¡¯s bracelet.


    One¡­ two¡­ three¡­ four?!


    Ranko hit the mat on one knee, her momentum carrying her forward until her face slammed to the blue vinyl. She skittered forward on the mat, clearing its edge and falling the half-meter or so from its surface onto her back in the grass with a loud whimper, writhing weakly from the impact.


    Shiori gasped and started to step out of the shadow of the concession stand to offer assistance. Ranko was damn lucky she had forgotten her bag. There was no way anybody was getting up after that.


    Nevertheless, Shiori stopped in her tracks a few steps later as the silhouette of the slight girl somehow rolled over onto her hands and knees and rose, agonizingly slowly, using the edges of the bleachers as a ladder to claw her way to her feet as she coughed.


    Bracing her ribs, Ranko looked up to the top of the bleachers wearily, shaking her head as Shiori watched surreptitiously from the shadows. ¡°Fuck! Almost had it that time. Can¡¯t stop. Not yet. Those girls are gonna bring home that fucking trophy if I have to do it for them by myself.¡±

 52. Writers Block

    Ranko groaned, glaring at the tiny notebook in her palm as if it had insulted her somehow. ¡°Seriously! What the shit rhymes with orange?!¡± She tossed the Japanese to English dictionary to the side atop the thesaurus, reaching instead for the red hardcover rhyming dictionary on the far side of the bar.


    She flipped to the section for the letter O, groaning and slamming the book shut after a moment as she found no listing for the word she sought. She snatched the green pencil from behind her left ear angrily, throwing it at the mirror behind the bar in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m never going to get anything done in time.¡± She watched her reflection in the mirror as her head slumped into her hands.


    ¡°You think maybe you¡¯re forcing things a little too much?¡± Mei hopped up, sitting on the bartop with her pale legs dangling down next to Ranko. She idly picked up the dictionary, opening it to a random page near the beginning. ¡°Oh, hey, here¡¯s something. Aardvark. I bet you can work that in somewhere.¡±


    Ranko rubbed her temples with a groan. ¡°That¡¯s not funny, Mei. I¡¯ve only got a few days.¡±


    Mei smirked, turning to another random page. ¡°Snorkel?¡±


    ¡°Just stop. Please? This isn¡¯t helping.¡± Ranko groaned, letting her head drop to the bartop.


    Mei chose another page, smirking. She really hoped to make her sister laugh. ¡°Casserole. Definitely some potential there.¡±


    Ranko reached out, snatching the book out of her hands and slamming it to the polyurethane bar top. ¡°Seriously! How the hell am I supposed to do this?¡± Sighing, she tossed the notebook to the countertop in exasperation.


    She just had to come up with something.


    Not only had she ruined Akane¡¯s chances on the volleyball team, and destroyed Akane¡¯s family, but now, she had a choice ¨C she could break her word to Akane and record Sneak for the album, or she could risk everything she¡¯d built with the band. There was no third option she could see, and she¡¯d been searching for days already.


    The label would love Sneak. Ranko was sure of it. It was catchy, it was upbeat, and it was sexy. But it was also four and a half minutes of aural venom directed at the person she loved most in the world. She couldn¡¯t bear to make Akane suffer that humiliation again every time she walked by a radio. Her stomach turned at the thought of making Akane watch hundreds of people cheer her on every night for reopening that wound. She wouldn¡¯t.


    As it was, Ranko was having to pretend to be some douchebag¡¯s girlfriend behind Akane¡¯s back just to try and undo some of the damage she¡¯d done that night. She hadn¡¯t even told her sisters about that, and wasn¡¯t sure if she was going to. It was utterly degrading for her, but she didn¡¯t know what other choice she had.


    She still had no idea how she was going to fix things with Mr. Tendo, but it would probably involve going back to Nerima. Which meant facing¡­ him. Having to stand there and face the wilting shame of knowing Mr. Tendo didn¡¯t think she was good enough for Akane anymore because she wore dresses now was one thing. Having to look her father in the eyes and tell him that she wanted Akane to carry on the martial arts tradition instead, while she played the doting cheerleader girlfriend? To tell him that all she wanted in the world was to sing and to curl up in Akane¡¯s arms for the rest of her life? She¡¯d sooner go back to the Yokai studios and walk through that fire. But it would almost certainly have to be done to put things right for the woman she loved.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    And all because she sang that fucking song.


    She¡¯d kept it to herself for weeks. Even after she¡¯d had Crash compose the music, she was on the fence about whether she¡¯d ever bring herself to sing it. She¡¯d decided that if she did, it would be done in private or on a slow night, and in a much calmer way, where it could have started a discussion rather than dropped a bomb on their lives together.


    Instead, in a single moment of weakness and rage, brought on by an argument and unfortunate timing on the part of Akane¡¯s teammates, she had opened Pandora¡¯s box, and what she let out just wouldn¡¯t stop wreaking havoc on Akane¡¯s life. She would give anything to take back everything that happened that night. Crash told her she¡¯d regret it, and he couldn¡¯t have been more right. Akane had given her everything she demanded from the stage that night, and it had caused them both nothing but stress and pain.


    ¡°I screwed everything up, Mei.¡± Ranko buried her face in her hands, her voice muffled by them. ¡°And I can¡¯t undo any of it. I¡¯m such an idiot!¡±


    Mei shook her head. ¡°Uh-uh. Not happening, missy. You¡¯re not gonna talk about yourself like that. I won¡¯t allow it.¡±


    Ranko rolled her eyes. Not even if it¡¯s true? ¡°All I wanted was for Akane to let people see us. And now, everyone can see us, just in time to watch us fall apart, and the guys want to make me do it to her again. And again. And the only way I can save her is to come up with something else, right now, and all I can think about is how scared and sorry and tired of all of this I am.¡±


    ¡°What did Akane say about it? About releasing Sneak?¡± Mei scooted closer to Ranko on the countertop, pulling her knees under herself to sit cross-legged.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t talked to her about it. I can¡¯t. There¡¯s just no words for it. What am I supposed to say?¡± Ranko opened the little notebook again, speaking in a mocking tone as she ripped out the topmost page and crumpled it up angrily. ¡°Hey, Akane, remember that time I sang that song and humiliated you in front of your friends, and made you give up everything you cared about in your life for me? Wasn¡¯t that a great time? Remember how I promised I¡¯d never, ever do it to you again, so you didn¡¯t leave me, like I deserved? I¡¯m thinking it might be fun to do that to you every single day for the rest of our lives, do you mind?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you should say it, Ran-chan. But I do know that not talking to her about how you felt and what you were going through is what got you in this mess in the first place.¡± Mei fiddled with one of her pigtails, sighing. ¡°At least tell her what¡¯s going on. Maybe she¡¯ll surprise you. Maybe she¡¯ll have another idea.¡±


    Ranko shook her head, looking at the new blank page at the front of her notebook as if willing it to take form on its own. ¡°No. I¡¯m not going to ask her for that. I don¡¯t deserve her help with this. I got myself into this mess, and I¡¯ll get myself out. Somehow.¡±


    Mei sighed, sliding her backside off the counter and hopping to her feet on the customer side of the bar. ¡°You know, little sister, sometimes you really are hopeless.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± Ranko swiveled on her stool, tossing the empty notebook aside again.


    ¡°You have four sisters, a mother, four bandmates, friends at school, and a girlfriend who loves you more than all the stars in the sky.¡± Mei reached over the bar counter for the soda gun, pouring herself a glass of caramel-colored liquid and watching idly as the foam at the top of the glass began to slowly dissipate. ¡°One of these days, you¡¯re going to finally get it through that pretty little head of yours that you don¡¯t have to do all the hard stuff alone.¡±

 53. Captive Audience

    Ranko affected a giggle, leaning back in her chair. She remembered at the last second to cross her ankles, as otherwise the red-and-silver pleated skirt of her cheerleading uniform would have left little to the imagination, and in a cafeteria full of hundreds of high school boys, she decided that might not be the best thing. Decorations for the holidays had already been hung throughout the cafeteria, and the jolly atmosphere felt entirely out of place for how miserable she was.


    She looked up at Eiji, leaning on his calf as he sat on the table with his feet in his chair, telling a story about something or another he¡¯d done at basketball practice. Ranko was only half-listening, as she was only pretending to care. As unenjoyable as the experience of pretending to be his girlfriend had been for her, she had to admit that Eiji¡¯s plan was working; neither of them had been cornered by a potential suitor in the corridors all week. She wasn¡¯t sure it was worth it. The guy must have been popular for his looks, because he was actually pretty boring to talk to.


    As she smiled up at him - way up at him, since he already had a massive height advantage over her, and he was seated higher up than she was - she made a mental list of places she¡¯d rather be than sitting waist-high with the most athletic guy at school like she was the latest trophy he¡¯d won. He did that a lot - he wanted to go about his regular life as if nothing had changed, having his conversations and paying little mind to the fact that Ranko was there. She felt like a fashion accessory. She supposed it was better than him getting all grab-ass with her, though, because she doubted she¡¯d be cheering for many basketball victories in the near future if she had to break the star center¡¯s arm.


    He must have just remembered he was supposed to be playing a part, because halfway through his next sentence, he reached down and placed his hand on Ranko¡¯s shoulder. It took every scintilla of self-control she had not to visibly shudder, first at the unexpected sensation of being touched on her bare, hypersensitive skin, then at the thought of who was doing it. She was going to need to get herself a windbreaker or something to wear over the sleeveless shell of her uniform if this went on much longer, she thought. Not to mention, it was getting hard to be outside in her uniform with the temperature dropping. Last November, she was freezing outside every day in her once-favorite red Chinese shirt and gi pants, and now, she spent a few days a week in a sleeveless top and a skirt that had yet to introduce itself to her knees, and the slightest breeze made her want to run for cover.


    ¡°Oh, hey, Ei-chan! You having fun up there, cute stuff?¡± Ranko crinkled her nose at him, trying to be cute, but really, it just helped cover the nausea.


    ¡°Sure thing, hon. Just hanging out with the boys.¡± Eiji chuckled nervously. Ranko had definitely had to carry the performances when the two of them were seen together, because the poor boy couldn¡¯t act his way out of a paper bag.


    ¡°Well, I mean¡­¡± She smiled coyly up at him. He¡¯d mentioned that Hachiro and a few of the other boys on the basketball team were among those he was most concerned with convincing about their relationship, as at least one of them had some suspicions about his true preferences, so she tried to lay the performance on a little thicker around them. ¡°If you want to sit up there and talk sports and deprive me of cuddles when I¡¯m cold, who am I to stop you?¡±


    She was so glad Akane didn¡¯t know about this. Not only would she feel terrible if she knew what misery Ranko was putting her through for her benefit, but Ranko was pretty ashamed of the whole thing. Standing beside him in her cheerleading uniform, not really having much to offer the conversations he tended to get into but following him around everywhere, kind of made her feel like, well, exactly the sort of stereotype expectation that jocks had of girls. Being gay didn¡¯t necessarily make you any less of a misogynist, she guessed. She hoped Akane would understand her intentions. It¡¯s not cheating if the whole thing¡¯s a sham, right?


    ¡°Uh, sorry, Ranko, we¡¯re almost done, I¡­ I promise.¡± Eiji¡¯s stammering response would have been far more suited to a boy who was nervous because he actually was interested in dating her, but Ranko rolled her eyes. My gods, this guy¡¯s pathetic.


    ¡°Um, Eiji? I¡¯m gonna go¡­ say hey to my friends, okay?¡± He hadn¡¯t even let her out of his sight long enough for her to go get something to eat yet.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Ranko started to stand, but the towering athlete frowned down at her. ¡°Aww, don¡¯t leave yet, babe. I¡¯m just getting to the best part.¡±


    Babe? Well, that¡¯s my appetite gone. Eugh. You¡¯d better hurry up with your end of the deal, buddy.


    Ranko smiled brightly to the three junior boys to whom Eiji was speaking. She hoped that it sufficiently hid the gritting of her teeth. ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± Gag me with a fucking spoon.


    Looking across the cafeteria from the hostage situation she called a lunch, Ranko winced. Against the back wall, at a table at the outermost periphery of the crowd, her friend Kumiko sat alone at their usual table. Once or twice, Ranko thought she caught her stealing a glance across the room at the table where Eiji held court with his prize in tow. I¡¯m so sorry, Kumi, she thought to herself. I¡¯ll be back over there as soon as I can, I promise. I¡¯m only here for Akane, I swear.


    ¡°What about you, Ranko? What are you doing Sunday night?¡±


    Ranko snapped her eyes up at one of the boys who had been talking to Eiji when she heard her name. ¡°Huh? Oh, sorry. Spaced out there for a second. So, Sunday, I¡¯m super busy. It¡¯s actually my birthday.¡±


    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s great! Where¡¯s the party, and what should we wear?¡± The other two boys whooped crassly, and one of them replied with a snicker. ¡°More importantly, what will you be wearing?¡±


    ¡°Back off, guys. Can¡¯t you see she¡¯s with me?¡± Eiji shook his head, gripping the redhead¡¯s shoulder tightly for emphasis.


    ¡°Oh, right. Sorry, Eiji.¡± The tallest of his fellow basketballers grimaced at his faux pas.


    Ranko glowered. She already knew there would be no apology for her, just the alpha male of the pack whose territory had been threatened. It was times like these that she felt gross for having ever been a teenage boy.


    An agonizing minute or two later, the trio of boys sauntered off for a second helping of curry bread, and Ranko glared up at Eiji, speaking angrily but under her breath. ¡°I said I¡¯d be seen around the school with you. I didn¡¯t sign up to be kept prisoner, man.¡±


    Eiji nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you. Tomorrow I¡¯ll walk you to your home skills class and eat whatever you¡¯re cooking.¡±


    Gee, thanks, Ranko thought darkly. ¡°Yeah, sure. Sounds great.¡±  She sighed heavily. There had to be an end to this sham soon. ¡°Where are we with Akane and your sister?¡±


    Eiji sighed. ¡°Still working on it, I promise. I have a plan, I just need the opportunity to use it.¡±


    ¡°Well, hurry the hell up,¡± Ranko said with a groan. ¡°The season¡¯s gonna be over by the time you get off your butt at this rate.¡± And I¡¯m getting pretty friggin¡¯ tired of being your pet cheerleader while you string me along, buddy.


    Every instinct she had made her want to walk away from the whole thing right then. But she only had until Friday to come up with something for Yokai, and that almost certainly meant her bandmates would force the issue about giving them Sneak. She¡¯d have no choice but to talk to her soon. She needed to deliver a win for Akane, and fast. Plus, she really missed spending time with Kumiko.


    Ranko stood without waiting for him to take his hand off her shoulder. ¡°I gotta go.¡±


    Eiji sighed, sitting down. ¡°Look, Ranko, I¡¯m sorry if this is uncomfortable for you. I¡¯m doing my best here, but I have no idea what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    That makes two of us, Ranko thought. I also think you have no idea what you¡¯re doing.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s great. Just make sure we hear from your sister soon, or the Yusue power couple might be headed for a very public breakup.¡±


    Ranko shouldered her bag, only getting three steps away from him before the bell for fourth period rang.

 54. Sneaking Around

    Ranko sighed, her head in her hands. She¡¯d been trying to confine her attempts at writing a new song to the Phoenix, as Akane didn¡¯t know she¡¯d been given a deadline. That had been deliberate on Ranko¡¯s part. She was worried that just telling Akane would be enough to upset her, given that the only other song they had in their back pocket was the one she¡¯d sworn never to perform again. But now, she was out of time, and she sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the blank notebook that had been the bane of her existence all week.


    With a heavy sigh, she laid down on the bed, curling up around the giant pink teddy bear who had been sharing the bed with Ranko and Akane of late. After she¡¯d performed Sneak, the night she almost lost Akane, she¡¯d decided to go ahead and bring him home. She was embarrassed as hell to admit that she missed him, and Akane had teased her to no end about it, but she was going through a lot, and sometimes she just needed a hug when none from a human was available. I am turning into such a fucking girl, she thought with both an eye roll, and a smile.


    The dryer buzzed from the bathroom and Ranko stood, opening it carefully and jumping back. It was too hot in there to reach in for the towels just yet, but leaving it open allowed her to stand a half-meter or so away and bask in the ambient warmth. They hadn¡¯t been running the heat as high as they might have liked to in order to save a little money on the electric bill, and Ranko didn¡¯t have the heart to remind Akane that an extra degree or two of heat made a lot more difference to her than Akane might expect.


    Padding out to the kitchen, she checked on the slow cooker, enjoying its radiant heat for a moment as well as she stirred the teriyaki chicken that was marinating within. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a plastic jug from which she poured herself some orange juice in a tall, pink plastic cup, snapping the lid on it and carrying it back to the bedroom after returning the jug to its place. She sat cross-legged on the bed, resting her drink on the tray table that served as her nightstand and pulling the bear into her lap.


    As she did, she heard the heavy clack of the deadbolt turning at the front door and a slight whoosh of chillier air from the corridor outside as Akane returned home from class. ¡°Hey, Akane, I¡¯m in here,¡± Ranko called from the bed, and she smiled up at the bedroom door as her lover entered the room.


    ¡°You know,¡± Akane said with a smirk, ¡°I¡¯m starting to get jealous of that little guy. He spends more time in bed with you than I do these days.¡±


    Ranko blushed, rolling her eyes. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t try anything, would you, Ziggy?¡± She moved the bear over to Akane¡¯s side of the bed, standing and rounding the mattress to hug her girlfriend. It had taken months, but Akane had pestered her until she¡¯d finally given the bear a name. Stuffies need names, she¡¯d said. It¡¯s your sacred duty as a girl to name your stuffies, and it¡¯s not negotiable. Ranko decided to name him something a little more on the androgynous side, and David Bowie¡¯s stage name had provided just the thing.


    Akane giggled as she wrapped her arms around Ranko. ¡°He¡¯d better not, or he¡¯s sleeping on the couch from now on. You¡¯re mine, silly girl, and don¡¯t you forget it.¡±


    Ranko sighed, relaxing into her lover¡¯s arms. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it, Akane. I love you so much.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, Ran-chan.¡± Freeing herself from the embrace, Akane looked her girlfriend over. Some two hours after she would have gotten home from school, she was still in her uniform. Normally, she only forgot to change when she had too much on her mind and hadn¡¯t gotten around to it. Plus, she had to be cold in it.


    ¡°Love, is everything okay? You¡¯ve seemed kind of stressed lately.¡± Akane played with a strand of her lover¡¯s flame-red hair. She loved the way Ranko blushed when she fussed over her. She was really, really cute when she blushed.


    Ranko nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Akane. I just¡­ got a lot on my mind right now.¡±


    Akane scooted Ziggy over to Ranko¡¯s side of the bed, sitting where the bear had been with her legs outstretched and her back against the headboard. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Ranko walked closer, and Akane scooped her up and pulled her onto the bed, sitting the redhead across her lap so she could wrap her arms around her. ¡°Talk to me, beautiful. What¡¯s going on? How can I help?¡±


    Akane had been trying to make a habit lately of encouraging her to talk about what was on her mind. She¡¯d made the mistake of waiting for Ranko to come forward with her feelings on her own when they first moved in together, and that hadn¡¯t worked out especially well for anyone. She¡¯d even gone to Hana about it, and Ranko¡¯s mother had suggested that Akane proactively try and coax her to talk as often as she could. Even on the days where Ranko didn¡¯t have much to say, Akane hoped it would at least get her into the habit and reinforce to her that she was always welcome to speak up about how she felt or if she needed help. Plus, Hana had said, when Ranko was made to say there was nothing wrong, it gave the people who cared about her an opportunity to catch her lying.


    Flushed, Ranko just stammered for a minute. ¡°H¡­ hey!¡± Akane knew how to disarm her, for sure, but some of the ways they cuddled sometimes made her feel, as ridiculous as it seemed to her, like she was the girl in the relationship. She supposed they both were, but Akane sure seemed to make a point of giving her every opportunity to feel feminine, cute, and dare she say, sexy.


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go until you tell me what¡¯s going on, baby. And if that takes all night, hey, there are worse problems than being stuck in bed with a cutie like you on my lap.¡± Akane squeezed her tight.


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    ¡°I just¡­¡± Ranko sighed, leaning over and resting her cheek on Akane¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m trying to write a new song. The Yokai people are pushing hard for one, and I¡¯m just drawing a blank. Nothing¡¯s coming to me, and I¡¯m running out of time before the deadline they gave me.¡±


    Akane nodded, kissing the top of Ranko¡¯s head. ¡°What about Crash and the guys? Do they have any ideas?¡±


    Ranko sighed heavily. ¡°They have one idea, but I¡¯ve already told them no way.¡±


    ¡°Sneak, huh?¡± Akane squeezed her tighter. She knew the way her girlfriend reacted whenever she thought of that song and what the feelings behind it had nearly done to their relationship. Ranko didn¡¯t talk about it much, but the guilt was written all over her face.


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Yeah. But don¡¯t worry, I told them there was no chance. I gave you my word I¡¯d never sing it again.¡±


    Akane sighed, idly running her fingers over Ranko¡¯s neck. It wasn¡¯t enough to paralyze her, but she could feel the slighter girl relaxing in her arms as she traced a little figure eight on the back of Ranko¡¯s shoulder blades. ¡°You know, I appreciate that you¡¯ve kept your word. But do you ever think back to that night? You promised you¡¯d never sing it again, but you never actually asked me what I thought about it.¡±


    Ranko sat forward, sighing heavily. When it came to talking about that song, and everything it had done to them both, she didn¡¯t feel like she deserved Akane¡¯s gentle touch. She thought back to that night every day. A part of her almost wished that Akane would just hit her like she used to and make her feel like the air was clear, rather than continuing to remain in this state of constant guilt and regret. ¡°I didn¡¯t have to. I knew how much it hurt you that night, I know how much it¡¯s hurt you since, and I¡¯ll never forgive myself for it.¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°I understand where you¡¯re coming from, baby. I do. It¡¯s just a shame. It¡¯s a damn good song.¡±


    Ranko blinked, turning her head to look into Akane¡¯s eyes with a shocked countenance. ¡°You¡­ you liked it? I mean¡­ how?!¡±


    Closing her eyes with a sigh, Akane squeezed her beloved again, resting her forehead on Ranko¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ranko, I¡­ how do I say this? Sure, it hurt. But not for the reason you think. It didn¡¯t hurt because you shouldn¡¯t have said what you said. It hurt because you were right.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ranko turned to her with a puzzled expression.


    Akane nodded. ¡°It hurt like hell to hear you say those things, Ranko. I¡¯m not going to sit here and say it didn¡¯t. But the reason it hurt so much isn¡¯t because you said them. It was because I made you feel them with the way I treated you. I hurt you so much, for so long, and I didn¡¯t even notice how it was building up in you, and eventually all those feelings had to go somewhere.¡±


    ¡°So, let me get this straight,¡± Ranko said, watching Akane¡¯s eyes for signs of self-sacrificing deception. ¡°You¡¯re saying you want me to perform Sneak again? You want me to put it on the album?¡±


    With a sigh, Akane leaned forward until her forehead and Ranko¡¯s touched. ¡°I¡¯m not saying I want you to. But I do think you should.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Ranko pulled her head back to look at her, her eyes almost pleading with her to change her mind. ¡°If I do¡­ I¡¯ll have to sing it again. A lot. Like we do with Rise. I¡¯ll have to make a video. It¡¯ll be on the radio. You¡¯ll have to hear me hurt you like that all the time. You¡¯ll just be walking through the grocery store minding your own business, and then my voice will come out of nowhere and twist the knife in your back again. I don¡¯t think I could bear it.¡±


    Akane bounced her knee on the bed, jostling Ranko a little playfully on her lap to lighten the mood. ¡°You wanna know what goes through my head when I think about that night? The song, the fight we had, all of it?¡±


    Ranko bit her lip, looking down at her hands. ¡°That you¡¯re dating an awful person who hurt your feelings in front of 200 people and screwed up your whole life?¡±


    Shaking her head, Akane rested her finger across Ranko¡¯s lips. ¡°I don¡¯t think that at all, silly girl. And neither should you. Every time I think about that song, it reminds me that I have a job to do. It reminds me that I need to put your feelings first, just like you did for me. It reminds me that I need to take care of you, that I need to involve you in the decisions I make, and that if I don¡¯t, I might have to watch you suffer like that again. Every time I think about that night, it reminds me to be better. Every time I hear that song on the radio, I¡¯ll remember that I have to try harder. For you. So, if it gets popular¡­ I¡¯m okay with that. Maybe don¡¯t tell people in the album notes that you wrote it about me, but¡­¡± Akane managed a little chuckle.


    Ranko reached out, cupping Akane¡¯s cheek in her hand. ¡°Akane, please. I need you to be absolutely sure about this. I already let this genie out of its bottle once ¨C if I do this, there¡¯s no going back if you change your mind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you a deal,¡± Akane said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you to work tomorrow night. Sing it then, and if I can¡¯t deal with it, you¡¯ll know before you make the final decision.¡±


    Ranko nodded slowly. ¡°Okay. If you¡¯re sure. I¡¯ll have to let the guys know so they can practice it; they haven¡¯t played it in months.¡±


    She was utterly floored. Akane had solved her problem in seconds, just like Mei had said she would. But to hear that she wanted more of the song she¡¯d turned into a blunt-force weapon? To hear how completely Akane was willing to forgive her for that betrayal? To give Pandora her blessing to reopen the box that had unleashed such havoc on their lives?


    Somehow, it only made Ranko feel worse.

 55. Call Me Pandora

    ¡°All I want is you beside me. All you want to do is hide me. Babe, if I¡¯m so good for you, why do you sneak?!¡±


    The capacity crowd roared. After two months without being performed, the mysterious second original Dapper Dragons song had faded into almost an urban legend among the regulars, as if it had been a drunken collective fever dream of a handful of people. It seemed they couldn¡¯t fathom why Ranko hadn¡¯t wanted to sing that song again, because it was an instant hit. They didn¡¯t feel every note hollowing out her heart again like it was an ice-cream scoop.


    Ranko had been worried that the song wouldn¡¯t be as well received this time due to the changes in its performance. Firstly, she¡¯d removed the ad-libbed final line. It was too personal now, even if both girls were over what had happened, and at least one of them was definitely not. She¡¯d also toned down the choreography significantly, removing a good bit of the weaponized lust she¡¯d injected into her onstage movements in the first performance. Between no longer feeling the need to slap Akane in the face with her sexuality, and the fact that Akane¡¯s father had all but called Ranko a stripper in her own home a few weeks back, Ranko just didn¡¯t have the heart for it. Admittedly, a part of her had hoped the changes would make the song so unpopular as to not be worth putting on an album, but that was clearly not to be.


    It didn¡¯t seem that anyone minded. There were two hundred and seventeen people in the barroom that night. Two hundred and eight were cheering on their feet, a few were working behind the bar, and a few were in the bathrooms. Ranko only really cared about one. She turned her head to the VIP table off to stage left, to find Akane standing, and smiling, and clapping. Ranko smiled broadly at her. Permission granted, it seems. That was secondary, though ¨C Ranko¡¯s biggest concern was just that she hadn¡¯t hurt the woman she loved. Again.


    Ranko still felt terrible about it. She had all day, so much so that she hadn¡¯t really been able to concentrate much at school. Of course, for the Thursday before one¡¯s birthday, that was almost par for the course, but Ranko had been distracted with something else.


    As Ken, Shinji, Jake and Crash began descending the steps to exit the stage, Ranko remained alone. Ariel trained the spotlight on her ¨C whatever she was doing, clearly it was intentional.


    Everything that had gone wrong for them, for months, Ranko had long ago accepted was her fault. The tension between Akane and the band, the volleyball team, Akane¡¯s father, all of it, was because she¡¯d sung that gods-damned song. She¡¯d spent hours sharpening every word to inflict maximum damage, and now, despite receiving Akane¡¯s blessing, Ranko would give anything to be able to just put the genie back in the bottle.


    The conversation with Akane last night had brought all of the regret, all of the pain, and all of the disappointment in herself back to the surface. Made it raw again. Made it real again. It wasn¡¯t a background ache anymore, it was throbbing in her temples like a demon banging on the door of her skull trying to get out.


    That sensation, at least, Ranko knew a way to deal with. She had done it once before, to catastrophic effect. She could do it again, to try to heal things.


    If I can¡¯t stop the world from hearing how angry I was at her, then I am going to make damn sure they also hear how wrong I was. How sorry I am. I can¡¯t let those things go unchallenged, even if I¡¯m the idiot who said them in the first place.


    Tomorrow, her record label would not get the original song they demanded.


    They would get two.


    Ranko pulled up a round stool without a back to the center of the stage, looking out over the bar patrons. No music came from the speakers or from musicians behind her.


    She took off her headset microphone, opting instead for an old dynamic handheld. Just then, she didn¡¯t want to be a pop star. She wanted to be a girl in love. A girl who was so, so very sorry.


    ¡°Um, hey, everybody,¡± she said nervously into the microphone.


    The assemblage of customers looked up at the stage, a curiosity more than an excitement on their collective countenance. They¡¯d already been gobsmacked with the surprise performance of the legendary second song, but what was this?


    ¡°So, um, I know this is weird, but¡­ I have something I need to say. Something I should have said a long time ago to someone I love very much. I know there¡¯s no instruments or nothin¡¯, but¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I just really need this, so bear with me a minute?¡±


    Akane set down the slice of pizza she was about to bite into, looking up at the stage from the VIP table at stage left. What is she up to?


    The room fell silent. It sounded just like it had a year ago to the day, when Mei first handed Ranko a microphone and changed her life forever. The crowd did not know what to make of the sullen, sorrowful girl that was normally the vibrance of the stage, who had just moments ago brought the room to its feet with her rendition of Sneak.


    Ranko smoothed the green denim skirt she wore and sat on the stool, crossing her ankles. She reached into the pocket of her skirt, pulling out a folded piece of notebook paper she¡¯d torn from her English notebook this afternoon, covered front and packed with her handwriting. She held it in her hand without reading it, as if it were only there if she needed to check her notes. From her seat, Akane could see the paper shaking in her hand.


    She swallowed hard, looking up with regretful eyes off to her left. And in the silence, she began to sing, keeping time by tapping her foot on the hollow stage platform.


    ¡°Call me Pandora tonight. Can¡¯t seem to do anything right. I played with fire, and you¡¯re the one who¡¯s getting burned. What I¡¯d give to just go back to one heartbeat before I cracked, and tell the stupid girl I was the things I¡¯ve learned. But no, I broke off all the locks and I ripped open that damned box, and I said awful things that just can¡¯t be unsaid. Now you¡¯re hurting constantly, and I know it¡¯s because of me. I only wish that I was suffering instead.¡±


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    Akane blinked, biting her lip. Oh, my gods, baby¡­ no¡­ you don¡¯t have to¡­ Ranko¡­


    ¡°I was pretty close to biting off my tongue to keep from fighting. Didn¡¯t wanna say the things inside my head. I kept it all locked up inside until my heart had damn near died, and wasn¡¯t sure it didn¡¯t wish that it was dead. I took all those angry thoughts and stuffed them down inside that box, and they got nastier each second they were hid. I did my best at playing tough, but in the end, I had enough and let all hell break loose when I took off the lid.¡±


    Without music to occupy the time, Ranko saw no need to wait between verses, diving directly into the second without hesitation. She slid off the stool, putting her notes on it instead. Despite there being no musical accompaniment, the simple, almost jaunty coffeehouse tune was easy to pick up. By the time Ranko reached the second verse, which carried the same core rhythm as the chorus, the crowd was clapping along. There was a certain rawness and austerity to it, in stark contrast with the bombastic song she¡¯d just performed ¨C the one that had caused all this trouble in the first place. The genie she let out of the bottle and could not control. The hurt she¡¯d unwittingly unleashed, like the Greek legend of old.


    ¡°With my heartbeat racing faster, I ran straight into disaster trying to find a way to tell you how I feel. I let out what was contained, and nothing since has been the same. I hurt us both in ways I¡¯m not sure I can heal. When we had everything at stake, I went and made a huge mistake. I was mad and only thinking of myself. We could just have kept on livin¡¯. If I¡¯d known, what I¡¯d have given to have left that fucking box there on the shelf.¡±


    Wiping the corner of her eye, Ranko looked down at her feet. I¡¯m so sorry, Akane. I¡¯d give anything to take it all back.


    ¡°So, call me Pandora tonight. Can¡¯t seem to do a damned thing right. I played with fire, and you just keep on getting burned. What I¡¯d give to just go back to one heartbeat before I cracked, and make the broken girl I was see what I¡¯ve learned. Instead, I melted all the locks and I smashed open that damned box, and I said awful things I wish I didn¡¯t say. And now you¡¯re hurting constantly. I damn near ruined you and me. I don¡¯t know how, but you still loved me anyway.¡±


    Akane folded her hands, resting her elbows on the table and her mouth against her clasped fingers. She had to hide her face. Somehow, the pressure on her skin reminded her to keep her composure and sit still, because every cell in her body wanted to run up those three stairs onto the stage and hug that girl for dear life in the middle of her chorus.


    ¡°If I only knew someone who could undo the things I¡¯ve done, who could erase the things I said to you in spite, I¡¯d have them open up my heart ¨C it¡¯s way too late, but it¡¯s a start ¨C and fill it up with words to help me make it right. And I¡¯d reseal all of those locks and throw away that stupid box, bury it deep beneath this mountain of regret. Just maybe one day I¡¯ll forgive myself and somehow learn to live with it, but I can¡¯t really say it¡¯s happened yet.¡±


    From behind the service bar, Mei swayed with the undulating rhythm of her sister¡¯s apology, clapping her hands gently. She finally understood exactly how difficult it had been for Ranko the other night, fighting back against the pressure to sing Sneak again, and a part of Mei wanted to throttle her boyfriend for pushing her to face it when she wasn¡¯t ready.


    ¡°I should have known that I was wrong, not sang one word of that damned song, but I was desperate, scared, and blinded by my rage. All I did was take one look. I can¡¯t believe that¡¯s all it took to let the things I feared the most out of their cage. Wish I could say it¡¯s not my fault, but when I opened up that vault trying to make you understand and help me cope, I let the monsters in my head get out and threaten you instead. I swear that all that I was searching for was hope.¡±


    Hope. According to the myths she¡¯d learned in her aborted homeschool humanities class, the one thing that remained in the box after Pandora closed it. The one thing she and Akane still had after she¡¯d ruined everything else. Her voice quavered as she sang the final line, taking a moment between the verses to breathe and swallow back her tears.


    ¡°So, call me Pandora tonight, praying things somehow turn out right. I played with fire, and now, we both are getting burned. What I¡¯d give to just go back to one heartbeat before I cracked and show that stupid girl how quickly it all turned. Instead, I smashed open that box. I don¡¯t know why I couldn¡¯t talk. Why I just couldn¡¯t tell you what I had to say. And now, you¡¯re hurting constantly. I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re still with me, but I am grateful for it every single day.¡±


    Akane lowered her head, sniffling into her hands, her own tears dampening her fingertips. Oh, Ranko¡­ I could never have¡­ baby¡­ did you really think I wanted to leave?


    Picking up her notes and stealing a quick glance at them, Ranko leaned back toward the microphone for her final verse as she sat back down on her stool.


    ¡°I just couldn¡¯t keep it sealed, and once my feelings were revealed, all that they did was complicate and make things worse. I was so screwed up in the head, I didn¡¯t listen when they said I should have burned that page before I sang a verse. I know there¡¯s nothing I can say to make the things I did okay, enough I¡¯m sorries in the world to make it good. Guess I can only hope you know that if I could, I¡¯d make it so. If I could turn back time to fix it, babe, I would.¡±


    Akane had given her a second chance to be open with her feelings. She¡¯d given Ranko her trust again, somehow. Akane needed to know how much she appreciated it, and how seriously she took the responsibility.


    ¡°So this is Pandora tonight, doing my best to put things right. I played with fire, and everything almost got burned. And I just keep on thinking back to one heartbeat before I cracked, and how much better I feel now with all I¡¯ve learned. I think I finally can say it¡¯s time to throw that box away, and not keep everything I feel locked up inside. I just hope we can start again, and if we¡¯re lucky, maybe then, one day we¡¯ll say tonight¡¯s the night Pandora died.¡±


    Leaning on the side wall three meters behind Akane¡¯s table, Shinji turned to his bandmate and best friend. ¡°So, I¡¯ll get the beers, you get the notebook? Sounds like we¡¯ve got some more arranging to do.¡± He grinned, punching Crash¡¯s shoulder playfully.


    Crash didn¡¯t turn in response. His eyes hadn¡¯t left the stage since the moment his feet did. That poor kid. Gods, what we put her through.


    Akane stood, and ran to the steps of the stage as quickly as her feet would carry her.


    Ranko¡¯s thumb switched off the microphone and she let her left arm fall into her lap holding it. She doubled over on the stool, burying her face in her right hand, shaking as she bawled on the stage to the stunned silence of the crowd. Even without the microphone, Akane could hear a few intelligible words breaking through her sobs from the side of the stage.


    ¡°Baby, I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±

 56. The Ascent

    Ranko sat on the topmost row of the bleachers alone, hanging her head, Belinda Carlisle blasting in her headphones for company. She¡¯d expected some pushback from the girls after they had walked out of the last practice, but for none of them to show up was an absolute dagger in her heart. Had she run them all off in her zeal to get them into fighting form?


    All she¡¯d done was train the girls the way her father had trained her. Less the feral cats and the arranged marriages. Ranko managed a dark chuckle, wondering for a moment what Genma Saotome could have bargained for himself with the dowries of fourteen cheerleaders. Certainly more than a bowl of rice and two pickles, eh, Pop? That said, present situation notwithstanding, Ranko took pride in the fact that she was a lot more of a catch now than she was then. Of course, she was a girl, which was still somewhat problematic, but she was a cheerleader, a budding pop star, and she was a popular girl on the right track academically and socially. If only the person she loved more than life itself could actually marry her.


    Of course, Shiori had been right. The cheerleaders didn¡¯t sign up to be run through a martial arts training gauntlet. Neither had Ranko, but that was different. Those girls weren¡¯t trying to be indestructible paragons of mastery over self, they just wanted to do some cartwheels and wave some pom-poms and maybe get a scholarship to college or a top-tier boyfriend. Ranko wondered how hard the teams who actually won the Invitational trained, and how it compared to what she¡¯d put her squadmates through. It didn¡¯t really matter though, because the girls on those elite programs knew what they were getting into as well, she figured.


    She still hadn¡¯t quite nailed that quadruple twist trick the Suto girl made famous, but she was getting closer. The hardest part was keeping her orientation in the air while she was both flipping and twisting. The twisting and flipping she could pull off pretty consistently; it was the whole not landing on her face afterward thing she still struggled with somewhat.


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t even matter if she could nail a quintuple twist, because even if she could, she was still thirteen cheerleaders short of a squad.


    Or, so she thought.


    She perked up, hearing a familiar bassline break through the ballad in her headphones from behind her, and turned to find all thirteen of her squadmates standing behind her, and the dance remix of Rise playing on Shiori¡¯s boom box. She smiled broadly, taking her headphones off. ¡°Hi, everybody!¡± Ranko waved excitedly.


    Shiori gave Ranko a warm smile. True, she had been hours from kicking Ranko off the squad, but when Shiori saw the dedication that she was putting in on her own to being truly great, for the benefit of the squad, her opinion had changed entirely. It had taken her two days to convince the rest of the girls, but what she¡¯d seen couldn¡¯t be denied.


    ¡°Ranko,¡± Shiori asked, looking over her team. ¡°I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with us. No matter what.¡±


    The redhead nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± She was so grateful that the girls had come back, she might have even honored that request had the question been were you born a boy?


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    The captain squinted up at Ranko in the bleachers, the afternoon sun lingering in the sky just over her shoulder. ¡°Do you really think we can win the Invitational?¡±


    Ranko hurdled the handrail protecting the side of the bleachers, dropping the five meters or so to the ground and landing in a crouch. Standing, she gave her squadmates a confident grin.


    ¡°No, Shiori. I know we can. I believe in every single one of us.¡± Even myself, strangely enough.


    The captain clapped her hands sharply. ¡°Ladies! You heard her! Line up for drills! We¡¯ve got a trophy to win!¡± A chorus of enthusiastic whoops the likes of which only a squad of cheerleaders could produce rose from the group and they jogged off to form their lines. But unlike in the previous practice, where Ranko had spotted the girls, Shiori and Tamiko took the front of each line and started working with their less-athletically gifted squadmates directly.


    Rather than taking point, Ranko assumed a place in the back of Shiori¡¯s line, and when it was her turn, she let the squad captain guide her through a double front flip she could have done in her sleep. But the point wasn¡¯t the practice itself, it was to be part of the team.


    ¡°Great job, Ranko! That¡¯s how we win a meet, right there!¡± Shiori whooped loudly, clapping her hands as Ranko rolled off the mat in her sweat pants and long-sleeved tee shirt, running to the back of the line with an energy she hadn¡¯t felt in practice since she¡¯d joined the squad. For the first time, she actually felt like one of them.


    <hr>


    After two hours of drills and choreography practice for next week¡¯s soccer double-header, practice began to break up. The girls were just as energetic as they gathered their belongings as they had been when they arrived. It had been a great practice, and there was a positivity in the air that had been sorely lacking of late. Ranko couldn¡¯t have been happier about it, especially given how glum she¡¯d felt when she thought she¡¯d run off all of her squadmates.


    As the thirteen other cheerleaders began the trek back toward the school building, Ranko jogged over to the largest girl in the group. ¡°Hey, Kou? I know you¡¯re beat, but would you mind hanging back a few minutes?¡±


    Kou hung her head. ¡°Sure, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Ranko continued. ¡°I appreciate it. And I promise, it¡¯ll be worth the extra work. If we can pull this stunt off, we¡¯ve got the Invitational in the bag.¡±


    Ranko straddled the aluminum bench of the first row of bleachers. She realized it wasn¡¯t the most ladylike thing, but she didn¡¯t think anyone would mind, especially given that she was wearing sweats. She patted the bleacher in front of her, coaxing Kou to do the same opposite her.


    ¡°Okay. Here¡¯s what I¡¯m gonna do,¡± Ranko began. ¡°I¡¯m going to push my arms forward, like this.¡± She cocked both of her elbows back to her sides, placing her hands with her palms out toward Kou roughly level with her breasts. Making sure she had enough space, she rocketed both of her elbows forward until her arms were extended to their full length.


    ¡°Now, here¡¯s what I need you to do. I¡¯m going to come at you fast. I want you to do the same thing I just did, but I want you to hit my hands when our arms are only about half extended, and push me back as hard and as fast as you can. This is all about timing. Don¡¯t grab my hands. Flat palms only. Ready?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I guess. Why are we doing it this way exactly?¡±


    Ranko smirked nervously, looking up at the top row of the bleachers from which she¡¯d thrown herself a good hundred and fifty times over the course of the last two weeks. ¡°Because I¡¯m gonna need a shitload of air.¡±


    Ranko gripped the bleacher with her legs, cocking her arms back. ¡°Okay. Here we go. One... Two¡­¡± She launched her arms forward and Kou did the same, slapping Ranko¡¯s palms far too late. ¡°Nope, let¡¯s try again.¡±


    Kou fired her arms forward, instinctively grabbing Ranko¡¯s wrists.


    ¡°Don¡¯t grab. Whatever you do, don¡¯t grab me. Again.¡±

 57. Just One Candle

    ¡°Happy birthday to yooooooooouuuu¡­¡±


    Ranko blushed as her family serenaded her over the microphone-shaped cake sitting on table thirteen. She stood back almost half a meter, as nineteen candles gave off enough heat to make her a little uncomfortable, but as the song ended, she leaned down and blew them all out quickly, careful not to let her ponytail dangle too close to the flames.


    The family had decided not to close the bar down for her birthday tonight as they had last year, and Ranko was fine with that. Last year, she was a broken little thing and needed every ounce of reassurance and love she could get. Now? She had her problems to be sure, but she knew who she was, she knew where she belonged, and she had people who loved her. I am wanted, I have worth, and I have people who care about me, Yui had once taught her. It had taken a year, but most days, she believed that now, and that was progress to be proud of.


    Rather, the staff of the Phoenix Bar in the Minato district of Tokyo decided to throw a party in the middle of a Sunday afternoon, before the bar opened to the public. Because it was a weekend, Kaito, Hoshi, Ayako and Kage had all been able to come; Ranko almost never saw them during the week because they were all so busy. Akane was there too, a very welcome addition from last year, and she¡¯d invited Nabiki to come along. Kasumi had considered coming as well, but she hadn¡¯t had enough time to fully acclimate to all of Ranko¡¯s cover stories about her past, and she and Akane had ultimately decided it was safer to give it a little more time.


    Ranko¡¯s bandmates were there as well - all of them, including Ariel, Hitomi and Emi. Shiori and Kou from the cheerleading squad had come too. The only person Ranko had really hoped to see and didn¡¯t was Kumiko, but she understood why. She¡¯d had to all but ghost her best friend at school to keep up the ruse with Eiji, and it was absolutely killing her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t thank you all enough for coming,¡± Ranko said as Hana began distributing slices of chocolate cake.


    Shiori giggled. ¡°You had us at free pizza.¡±


    Kou laughed. ¡°Well, speaking as the girl who has to throw you in the air, maybe take it a little easy with that.¡±


    Standing a few meters back, leaning on the bar counter next to Yui, Akane knocked a bit of frosting around with a sigh on a purple paper plate with a plastic fork. Ranko had, after everything went south with her father and the volleyball team, suggested that as far as her schoolmates went, they should continue to keep their relationship hush-hush. It sounded like a great idea in practice. But now, as Akane watched the woman she loved tittering with her friends and sisters, radiant in her mint-colored dress, and had to constantly remind herself that she couldn¡¯t walk up and wrap her arms around her, kiss her until she gasped for air, and tell her how insanely proud of her she was, Akane hated the decision even if she understood it.


    Finally, she understood how Ranko had felt all that time. Akane had been dealing with it for almost twenty minutes, and she was already about to crack.


    As the cake was distributed, Ranko slid over between Shiori and Kou, putting one arm around each of their shoulders. ¡°Thank you girls so much for coming!¡± Her voice lowered to a whisper. ¡°Remember, my mom doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m dating Eiji, so let¡¯s keep that to ourselves, okay?¡± Please don¡¯t let Akane hear you say that shit.


    ¡°Watch out, everybody!¡± The saloon door swung open from the kitchen and Izumi entered, carrying two large baskets of various and sundry finger foods.


    Ranko gasped, running up to the bar. ¡°Girl, are you crazy?! You¡¯re like, gonna pop any second here. Maybe let one of us handle that?¡± She reached out, taking the baskets from her sister.


    Izumi flopped awkwardly onto her stool with a sigh. ¡°I, for one, can¡¯t say I¡¯m not ready for it to be over with.¡±


    With a bright giggle, Ranko dropped the baskets of onion rings and chicken wings on the bar counter within easy reach of all the party¡¯s attendees. ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t wanna share my birthday with the little bugger, so hold out a little longer, okay?¡±


    Izumi blushed. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, kiddo.¡±


    Ranko flitted over to Hitomi and Emi, putting one of her arms around each of them. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you girls are here.¡±


    Emi gave Ranko an uncomfortably tight hug around the neck. ¡°Us, too!¡±


    With a smirk, Ranko motioned to the paper bag under Hitomi¡¯s arm. ¡°Did you bring ¡®em?¡±


    Hitomi opened the bag to let Ranko peek inside with a nod. ¡°Did you?¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Mine¡¯s behind the counter. C¡¯mon.¡±


    Ducking under the bar for a plastic grocery bag she¡¯d wadded up, Ranko surreptitiously ducked out of her party and led the girls through the saloon doors and the kitchen, through the steel door to the back alley behind the Phoenix. Clearing a small patch of asphalt a good three meters from the building of leaves and debris with her foot, Ranko reached into the blue plastic bag, pulling out a thin white blouse and a green plaid microskirt. She dropped them in the clearing she created in a little clump. ¡°Girls?¡±


    Emi reached into the paper bag in her roommate¡¯s hand, pulling out an identical white shirt and plaid skirt. She walked closer to Ranko, tossing her old uniform on top of Ranko¡¯s. Hitomi followed, turning the bag upside down and dumping a third set onto the heap.


    Ranko looked over her new backup dancers. She was so happy that she¡¯d been able to free them from the hellhole she¡¯d met them in. They were both sweet kids, and if Ranko was being honest with herself, she needed this moment of catharsis as much as they did.


    ¡°Hitomi, wanna do the honors?¡± Ranko reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a small cardboard box and tossing it to the taller of her companions before taking a step back from the little heap.


    Hitomi smiled, looking down at the small pile of clothing. If one had combined what all three girls had worn at that awful place, there was maybe enough fabric there for a dress that wouldn¡¯t be entirely indecent on her. She slid the box open, pulling out a small wooden stick and dragging it against the long side of the box quickly with a flick of her wrist.


    ¡°So long, Takao, and fuck you.¡± Hitomi dropped the match.


    ¡°Yeah! Eat shit, Katsuo!¡± Emi whooped as their old uniforms began to ignite.


    Ranko walked up between the girls, putting one of her arms around each, and the three girls squealed together as the souvenirs from their shared trauma burned a few meters from their feet. ¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯s cold out here.¡± She led the pair inside, letting the fire burn itself out in the alley.


    As Ranko pushed through the saloon door to re-enter the main bar area, she thudded into something solid. ¡°Ugh! Dammit, Crash. I swear, dude!¡±


    The guitarist laughed, righting her on her feet. His eyes lingered a bit, and he blushed as he spoke. ¡°Sorry about that, birthday girl.¡±  Ranko didn¡¯t notice Akane watching over her shoulder, but if she had, she¡¯d have wondered why Akane had that look on her face like she used to get whenever Shampoo showed up at the dojo unannounced.


    ¡°Oh, here.¡± Crash handed Ranko a stack of four folded pages he had stashed in the inside breast pocket of his coat. ¡°We took a first whack at the music for Call Me Pandora, if you wanna check it out.¡±


    Ranko pointed to the scales of notes, shrugging. ¡°You do know you might as well have just handed me Egyptian hieroglyphics, right?¡±


    With a hearty laugh, Crash shook his head. ¡°Girl, you¡¯re hopeless. We gotta teach you some of this stuff.¡±


    Ranko waved as she walked away. ¡°Sure, when I get some free time, in like, 2023 or something.¡±


    She sidled up next to Akane, who had taken over one of the back booths in the back with Nabiki. ¡°How¡¯s things on the home front?¡±


    Nabiki shook her head. ¡°I was just telling Akane. No change. The dummy spent two years trying to force you two chuckleheads to fall in love, and now that you did, he¡¯s all bent out of shape.¡± She looked up at Ranko with a mischievous grin. ¡°I swear. Guys. They just make no damn sense. Right, Ranko?¡±


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    Ranko blushed, looking up at Akane with a mockingly disgusted smirk, sticking out her tongue. ¡°I know, right? Friggin¡¯ gross, too! Eugh!¡±


    Akane laughed heartily, but Ranko¡¯s face took on a serious expression as she asked a follow-up question to which she really didn¡¯t want the answer. ¡°And what about¡­ you-know-who?¡±


    ¡°Daddy told him everything. I don¡¯t really know what to make of it; he seems kind of sad, but he hasn¡¯t really talked about it. Of course, he also hasn¡¯t seen a tea kettle in two weeks, so he hasn¡¯t really said much of anything.¡±


    Ranko nodded solemnly. She supposed, as her notoriety grew, it was only a matter of time before her father found out the truth of what had become of his son. She¡¯d forced the issue herself, just another piece of fuel for the dumpster fire that had been Sneak. She was honestly surprised that he¡¯d known for two weeks and hadn¡¯t shown up, but she was glad he hadn¡¯t. As far as she was concerned, fifty years from now would be too soon to see him again.


    The redhead craned her neck around into the main bar area. ¡°Crap, I gotta get back out there. Thanks, Nabiki.¡±


    Ranko went to stand, but felt a tug on the side of her dress. ¡°Hey, get back here, you.¡± Noticing that the tall backs of the bar booths obscured them from view of the rest of the room, Akane leaned over and stole a quick kiss. As Ranko rose from the kiss, she gave the redhead a quick, sneaky swat on the backside. ¡°Now, scoot.¡±


    Ranko slipped out of the booth with a quiet yelp, walking over to another of the partygoers and dropping to her knees. ¡°Hey! What are you doing with my cookie?!¡±


    Hoshi turned around, grinning as he popped the rest of the chocolate chip cookie in his mouth, talking with his mouth full. ¡°Get your own, Auntie Ranko!¡±


    ¡°Get my own, huh? Get my own? I¡¯m gonna get you!¡± She waited until he swallowed to make sure he didn¡¯t choke before reaching out and grabbing the eight-year-old boy, pulling him into a hug and tickling his ribs as he squirmed and kicked. Ranko was careful to keep his legs shielded from her body, as even the child¡¯s kick could have put her on the floor in agony.


    ¡°So, you ready to be a big brother?¡±


    Hoshi shrugged. ¡°I guess. Mama says the baby¡¯s coming soon?¡±


    Nodding, Ranko smiled brightly. ¡°Yep! Probably before Christmas.¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t know how to be a brother?¡± Hoshi gave a furtive little expression.


    Ranko laughed, giving the child another little squeeze. ¡°Well, I¡¯d never been a sister before until last year, so I had to learn, too. And I didn¡¯t even get to be a big sister. I¡¯m the baby of the bunch. But here¡¯s what your mom and your aunties Yui, Mei and Ayako showed me: it¡¯s all about teaching them stuff, keeping them safe, and making sure they know, a hundred percent, every single day, no matter what, that someone loves them and is there for them. It¡¯s like having a best friend, but even better. When your sister comes, you gotta take good care of her and make sure she knows she can always count on you. But you also gotta remember that once she gets a little older, you¡¯re gonna be able to count on her, too. Forever.¡±


    The little boy blushed. ¡°I think I can do that, Auntie.¡±


    Ranko squeezed him tight, giving her nephew a kiss on the forehead. ¡°I know you can, buddy.¡±


    She motioned with her head as Mei carried a pair of round pans out of the kitchen. ¡°Looks like Auntie Mei¡¯s got a couple of fresh pizzas there, if you want some.¡±


    Hoshi nodded. ¡°I asked for one with shrimps.¡±


    Ranko let the boy go, rising to her feet. ¡°Well, you¡¯d better go get some before it¡¯s all gone, bud!¡± As the child ran off, Ranko made her way to another round table, slipping into a chair between Yui and Hana. ¡°Mama, thanks so much for doing this. I haven¡¯t gotten to spend as much time with the family with everything going on, and I¡¯ve missed this.¡±


    Hana nodded. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, sweetheart. Your sisters and I were just remembering this time last year, and how far you¡¯ve come since then. There just aren¡¯t words for how proud of you we are, baby girl.¡±


    Ranko blushed. ¡°You know what? I¡¯m actually pretty proud of me, too.¡±


    ¡°And modest, too!¡± Yui threw her arm around Ranko¡¯s neck, pulling her into a hug against her side a little roughly. The redhead tried not to wince as the metal rivets of Yui¡¯s denim jacket scraped roughly against her exposed skin on the back and side of her neck.


    ¡°She has every right to be proud of herself, Yui,¡± Ayako said with an admonishing glance. ¡°A career, thousands of fans, doing well in school¡­ On track to win the All-Tokyo Cheerleading Invitational, too, according to her friends over there.¡±


    Plus, you know, figuring out how to put on a bra and makeup, walking in heels, learning to cook, coming up with a whole new identity¡­ little stuff like that, Ranko thought to herself with a satisfied grin.


    ¡°I know she does, I¡¯m just busting her chops, Aya.¡± Yui grinned. ¡°She¡¯s a rock star. Literally. Well, pop, but close enough, I guess. But you¡¯re right. Our little sister¡¯s a badass. At least, when she keeps her arms out of the pizza oven.¡±


    Ranko rolled her eyes. ¡°You fall asleep in a 425-degree furnace one time, and they never let you live it down.¡±


    Yui nodded, but her smile became a little less mirthful and more sincere. ¡°Really, though. I mean it. You done good, kid sister. We¡¯re so glad you found us.¡±


    Ranko smiled brightly, turning to make sure she made eye contact with everyone at the table. ¡°So am I. Gods, so am I. I love you all so much, and I can¡¯t thank you enough for everything you¡¯ve done for me this last year.¡±


    Again, Yui smirked. ¡°Oh, when you¡¯re rich and famous from your music career, we¡¯ll think of ways.¡±


    Blushing, Ranko nodded. ¡°I promise, the first mansion after mine is yours, Yui. We¡¯ll make sure there¡¯s plenty of room for Sakura, too¡­¡± She smirked, tossing a coaster at her sister playfully.


    It was Yui¡¯s turn to blush. ¡°Listen here, you. I¡¯ll have you know, Sakura is a perfect lady and there is absolutely nothing untoward going on there that we are gonna talk about while Mama¡¯s at the table.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s half as good with your perfect lady as it is with Akane, we¡¯ll have to make sure the bedrooms in your new mansion are soundproofed.¡±


    Hana gasped with a broad smile. ¡°Ranko!¡±


    The birthday girl blushed. ¡°Sorry, mom.¡±


    Shaking her head, the family matriarch laughed heartily. ¡°Please, baby. I¡¯ve been in the bar business for thirty-two years. You gotta work harder than that to make me blush.¡±


    Yui smirked, raising and tilting her glass to her mother. ¡°Challenge accepted, mama.¡±


    Hana tipped her glass to the side. ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s waiting for your attention, Miss Popular.¡±


    Ranko blushed, turning and looking up at her girlfriend with a smile. ¡°Seems so.¡± She stood, and walked with Akane.


    ¡°C¡¯mere a minute.¡± Akane took her lover¡¯s hand, pulling her through the saloon door into the back area and nudging her up the stairs toward her old apartment.


    ¡°Um, Akane, don¡¯t get me wrong, I love where your head¡¯s at, but should we really do this with all those people downstairs?¡±


    Akane blushed furiously. ¡°Oh, you. Such a silly girl. Get your butt up there. I just want a minute.¡±


    Ranko climbed the steps, turning the doorknob and entering her old room, sitting exactly as she left it. She closed her eyes and breathed deep, just taking in the familiar smell of the place. She¡¯d always felt at home in the apartment she shared with Akane, but this was the place where she¡¯d learned what the words love and safety meant, and she¡¯d treasure that feeling every time she set foot in that tiny little room.


    ¡°Close your eyes a sec.¡± Akane smiled, nudging her to the foot of the bed.


    Doing as her lover asked, Ranko waited as she heard the oven door open and close. In a former life, she¡¯d be worried that Akane was about to try to force her to eat something she cooked, but thanks to the Cat¡¯s Tongue, if the oven had been on in the last hour or so, she¡¯d be able to feel it from where she sat. She heard two quiet clicks coming from the kitchen area, and then footsteps approaching her.


    ¡°Happy first birthday, Ranko Tendo.¡±


    The redhead opened her eyes, and Akane was holding a little pink cupcake. Sticking out of it was a single lit candle, white with colored wax splotches, in the shape of a numeral one. It was almost as big as the cupcake itself.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re nineteen today, but¡­ technically, this is your first birthday as the person you are now, and I just¡­ I felt like we should celebrate that, too. Maybe it was silly. I don¡¯t know.¡± Akane blushed deeply, almost embarrassed of her gesture now that she said it out loud.


    Ranko stood, smiling lovingly at Akane. She¡¯d thought about it throughout the day, remembering vividly burning her old identification card on the front-right burner of the stove that stood not four meters away a year ago . Remembering every thought and feeling that coursed through her head that night. The night she decided she¡¯d discovered who she wanted to be, and decided what she had to give up for it was worth it. It was the hardest, and best, decision she¡¯d ever made in her life.


    She leaned down, gently blowing out the candle.


    ¡°What did you wish for,¡± Akane asked with a warm smile.


    Ranko wrapped her arms around Akane¡¯s neck. ¡°Come here, and I¡¯ll show you.¡±

 58. The Hatchling

    Ranko hummed merrily to herself as she added a handful of paprika to the bag of flour she was preparing for the breading on the chicken tenders for the night¡¯s service. Still in her school uniform with a heavy black apron over it, she flitted to the other side of the room, darting into the walk-in cooler for the milk. She shivered visibly as she made her way back out. She hated going in that thing.


    ¡°Ranko, honey, would you mind grabbing me the celery?¡±


    Ranko sighed and rolled her eyes. She couldn¡¯t have asked before, so I only had to freeze my ass off once, she thought to herself, but she smiled brightly to her sister. ¡°Coming right up, Izzi!¡±


    She delivered the leafy green stalks to the counter where Izumi sat on her stool, and the elder girl began using a chef¡¯s knife to reduce them to little sticks to garnish the chicken wing baskets with.


    ¡°So, cheer¡¯s going better now? Are the girls improving at all?¡± Izumi munched on one of the celery sticks as she awaited Ranko¡¯s answer.


    ¡°They really are! Some of the moves are still tough for a few of them, but I¡¯m really hopeful they¡¯ll all be ready for the Invitational next month.¡± Ranko smiled proudly. She had done that. The brashest boy at Furinkan High had built a team of all-star cheerleaders, which she led in all but name.


    ¡°And what about you? Are you still planning on doing that big jump at the end?¡± Izumi sipped her tea, continuing to render the celery to a more manageable size.


    ¡°If I can land it. It¡¯s tough!¡± Ranko blushed. When she¡¯d joined the Yusue cheerleading squad, she¡¯d never imagined that she¡¯d find a stunt that would rival some of her best martial arts techniques in complexity.


    ¡°Well, you said the last girl to try it was supposed to go to the Olympics, so that¡¯s serious business! Maybe you¡¯ll get an invite too, if you can pull it off.¡± Izumi winced a little bit. ¡°Oof. Easy there, kiddo. Sorry you don¡¯t like vegetables.¡± She patted her midsection gently.


    ¡°Please, like I have time to go to the Olympics. I don¡¯t think I have time to watch it on TV.¡± She added two packets of yeast to the flour in the large dough mixer, turning it on.


    ¡°You also said that girl got seriously hurt trying it.¡± Izumi tapped the stainless steel countertop a bit nervously as she spoke.


    ¡°Yeah, but she wasn¡¯t¡­ somebody like me. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Nothing you can do in the air has ever scared me, and nothing ever will.


    ¡°No, she wasn¡¯t. She was better than you at this, because she could land it and you haven¡¯t yet.¡± Izumi sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, be careful. I know you feel a need to impress everyone all the time. I just don¡¯t want to see you getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll watch my butt up there. I promise, sis.¡± Ranko sealed up the container of flour, returning it to its place.


    Izumi slid gently off of her stool to her feet. ¡°Man, I gotta get off of this thing. My ass is going to sleep.¡±


    Ranko looked up at the clock and the calendar next to it. It was December 8th, so the exams that would wrap up the semester would be starting on Monday. Plus, she was due at the Yokai office to do the studio recordings for Sneak and Call Me Pandora on Wednesday after school. Even after dropping all of her homeschool classes, a decision she still regretted sometimes, some days there still just wasn¡¯t enough time. She vocalized through a yawn, stretching her arms in the air. ¡°What I¡¯d give if my ass could go to sleep for a few hours, and take the rest of me with it.¡±


    She looked at the bins for citrus garnishes, noticing that the lemons were a bit low. Back to the igloo I go, she thought with a sigh as she made her way into the walk-in cooler again.


    As she bent down for a fresh bag of fruit, she heard the hollow bonk of a plastic cup hitting something solid, and then the sound of liquid splashing on the floor.


    ¡°Um, Ranko, honey? Could you do me a favor and call Kaito for me, please?¡±


    Ranko stepped back out of the cooler with a smirk, the mesh bag of lemons over her shoulder. ¡°I know your husband¡¯s been waiting on you hand and foot for two months, Izzi, but I think I can handle cleaning up some spilled tea without him.¡±


    ¡°No, little sister. Really. Call him?¡±


    Ranko looked up. Izumi¡¯s plastic tumbler lay on its side on the counter, but nothing had spilled from it.


    The liquid on the floor had come from¡­ somewhere else.


    ¡°Is it¡­?¡± Ranko¡¯s eyes were wide as saucers as Izumi nodded.


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    Oh, shit. Ohshitohshitohshit. What do I¡­ Ranko looked around the kitchen frantically, her mind having completely drawn a blank of what she was doing.


    ¡°Ranko, baby, breathe. Get the phone.¡± Izumi leaned on the counter, biting her lip.


    Ranko raced to the back bar area in the front of the house, grabbing the cordless telephone from its charger and dialing frantically. ¡°Yes, Kaito Sando please? It¡¯s an emergency.¡± Ranko waited on hold, looking for something to wipe up the puddle with.


    The phone squawked to life. ¡°This is Sando. Who¡¯s speaking?¡±


    ¡°Kaito? Hey, um, you better get to the bar. Like, right now.¡±


    ¡°Is everything alright?!¡± came the urgent reply.


    ¡°I think the baby¡¯s coming! Here, Izzi wants to talk to you.¡± She handed the phone to her grasping sister.


    ¡°Kaito, my water just broke¡­ Yeah, it¡¯s just me and Ranko here right now¡­ Okay. See you soon! I love you!¡±  She pressed the Talk button to hang up the phone, handing it back to Ranko. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll please call the hospital, and then call mama.¡±


    ¡°How in the hell are you so calm about this?¡± Ranko paced the floor frantically, waiting for the hospital operator to pick up the phone.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done it before. And don¡¯t worry, we haven¡¯t gotten to the hard part yet. You¡¯ll likely see me screaming before it¡¯s over.¡±


    Ranko hoped not. ¡°Yes, hello?! We¡¯re at the Phoenix Bar, in Minato. My sister¡¯s in labor. Please send some help? Hurry!¡±


    ¡°... Okay. Thank you!¡± Ranko hung up the phone. ¡°They said the nearest ambulance is just a few minutes out, and it¡¯s on the way.¡±


    Izumi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. Now, mama?¡± She looked up at the clock, counting seconds under her breath.


    Ranko punched a few more digits into the handset, waiting until she heard her mother¡¯s voice on the fifth ring.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Hey, mom. It¡¯s Ranko. You mind coming in a little early today?¡±


    Ranko smiled up at her sister in response to whatever Hana had said on her end of the phone. ¡°No, the fryer isn¡¯t acting up again. I just thought you might like to come meet your granddaughter.¡±


    Ranko held the phone away from her ear, but from three meters away, Izumi could hear her mother¡¯s excited shriek come through the monaural little phone speaker.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to say she¡¯s on the way.¡± Ranko grinned. ¡°What can I do to help?¡±


    Izumi looked around, wincing and applying pressure to her abdomen with her hand. ¡°I need to lay down somewhere until the paramedics get here.¡±


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    Ranko turned her head and glanced at the staircase behind her. ¡°Do you think you can make it up the stairs to my old room?¡± Izumi shook her head in the negative.


    ¡°Okay, what if I grabbed a couple of the cushions from the booths and brought them in here?¡± Getting a nod from her sister, Ranko dashed into the front room and returned in a flash with three long red vinyl-covered cushions which she laid side-by-side to create a roughly square mat.


    ¡°Alright, c¡¯mere.¡± Ranko braced her arm, helping her sister move the two steps to the padding she¡¯d put down and slowly lowering her to the ground. ¡°Alright, now what? Is this where you do that weird breathing thing where you sound like you¡¯re about to sneeze?¡±


    Izumi managed a small laugh, shaking her head. Oh, that girl. Sometimes I wonder about you, kiddo. ¡°I don¡¯t knoooooooooooooww!¡± She looked up at the clock again. Shit, she thought to herself. Those are getting awfully close together already.


    Ranko knelt next to her sister, holding her hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Izzi. I¡¯ve got you.¡± I have no earthly idea what I¡¯m doing, but I¡¯m here. ¡°Smile, big sister. You¡¯re gonna meet your little girl soon.¡±


    ¡°Mm-hmmmm¡­¡± Izumi gritted her teeth, squeezing Ranko¡¯s hand tightly as another contraction hit. ¡°You¡¯re doing great, Ranko.¡±


    The redhead blushed furiously. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m the cheerleader, you¡¯re the lady having the baby. No switching jobs.¡± Please. Because, like, for real, no thank you. Ever since her body had started behaving like a typical woman¡¯s a few months ago, she¡¯d given it the occasional thought. Usually in the form of a nightmare. She¡¯d long ago come to the conclusion that, if she and Akane ever decided to try and start a family, it would probably involve a tea kettle, a lot of screaming, and a very awkward few minutes, and that it would almost certainly be Akane in Izumi¡¯s role. That would certainly be the way Ranko would want it, anyway, but dread of the unknown had a nasty habit of creeping into the corners of her mind sometimes. As much as she wanted to say not a chance in all hell, Ranko knew when it really came down to it, there was nothing she wouldn¡¯t do if Akane asked.


    She was pulled out of her spiraling thoughts by the crash of Izumi¡¯s husband barreling through the saloon door. ¡°Izzi? How we doing, love?¡± He knelt at her other side, across from Ranko.


    Izumi smiled brightly, even as her face glistened with sweat, trying in vain to find a more comfortable position on the makeshift mattress as Ranko braced her back. ¡°Kaito, you¡¯re here! Oh my gods, I love you! Contractions are just a few minutes apart. Holy shit, somebody¡¯s in a hurry to meet her daddy.¡±


    Kaito blushed. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to meet her either, but let¡¯s take care of mommy first, okay? Ranko, have you called the hospital?¡±


    The redhead nodded, her eyes widening as Izumi squeezed her hand hard. ¡°Right after I hung up with you. Based on when they told us, they should be here any second.¡± She smiled as she heard the rumble of a motorcycle coming to a stop outside the steel door leading to the back alley. ¡°And that¡¯ll be mama.¡±


    Hana burst through the back door, scanning the room and quickly finding the trio on the kitchen floor. ¡°There¡¯s my baby girl. Izzi, hi, honey.¡± She dropped to her knees, wiping the sweat from her daughter¡¯s brow.


    ¡°Hi, mama. I¡¯m having a baby.¡± Izumi grinned weakly.


    ¡°I can see that!¡± Hana laughed, wiping the corner of her eye. ¡°I love you, sweetheart. You got this.¡±


    ¡°Love you too, mama.¡± Izumi¡¯s eyes widened as another contraction hit her, squeezing Ranko and Kaito¡¯s hands tightly.


    The saloon door swung open again, and three paramedics in dark blue uniforms entered the kitchen, which was getting awfully crowded. ¡°Hello, everyone. We¡¯re with Tokyo Fire and Rescue. I understand somebody¡¯s having a baby?¡±


    ¡°Not it!¡± Ranko raised her free hand.


    ¡°Alright, and we are?¡± The paramedic scanned the room¡¯s occupants.


    ¡°Grandma,¡± Hana said, smiling into her daughter¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°D-dad,¡± Kaito stammered, as if he couldn¡¯t believe the word was coming out of his mouth.


    ¡°Auntie,¡± Ranko said, her face flushing.


    ¡°Okay,¡± the lead paramedic said. ¡°We need a little room to work, and it¡¯s a little tight in here, so could we maybe ask one or two of you to step out for a little bit so we can check mama out here?¡±


    Ranko stood. ¡°I¡¯ll go. Mom and Kaito should be here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ranko,¡± Hana called as her youngest daughter walked toward the saloon doors. As she pushed through the doors, she heard Izumi tell her mother, ¡°Mama, she did so great.¡±


    Ranko walked behind the service bar, washing her hands with cold water. Drying them with a light blue bar towel, Ranko sat at the far end of the bar counter, watching the door for signs of news.


    The door did bang open, but not the one Ranko was watching. She heard a panicked voice come from behind her as the sound of a motorcycle pulled away. ¡°Ranko? What¡¯s going on?! There¡¯s an ambulance outside!¡±


    Before she could turn to answer Yui, a noise somewhere between a scream and a roar came from the kitchen.


    ¡°Izzi?¡± Yui stalked closer, her platform heels clacking loudly on the hardwood floor.


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Yep. Mama, Kaito and the paramedics are in there with her. They said we can¡¯t go in right now.¡±


    Yui gave an excited little squeak, rushing over and straddling the stool next to Ranko¡¯s in her red jeans.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t help but notice the motorcycle leaving¡­¡± Ranko smiled.


    Yui shrugged. ¡°Yeah? So? Lots of people ride motorcycles.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Ranko grinned, hiding her face teasingly behind her soda glass. ¡°What kind does Sakura have again?¡±


    ¡°A Yamaha FZR six hun¡­ hey!¡± Yui blushed furiously, whacking Ranko gently in the shoulder with her little black clutch.


    Ow. Why does everybody hit me when they think something¡¯s funny? ¡°Gotcha.¡±


    Yui¡¯s face was the same color as her jeans. ¡°Listen here, you little shit¡­ just because I spent the night at her place doesn¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    Ranko interrupted her. ¡°Yes it does.¡±


    Yui hid her face in her hands, resting her elbows on the bar top and laughing into her palms. ¡°Okay, okay, yes, it does¡­¡±


    One of the junior paramedics came through the blue swinging door to stand behind the bar. ¡°Hi, auntie and¡­¡±


    Yui popped her head up and finished the medic¡¯s sentence for her with a wave. ¡°Other auntie.¡±


    ¡°Okay. So good news, you¡¯re gonna get to meet your niece soon! Very soon. We don¡¯t think we have time to get her to the hospital. The baby¡¯s coming now.¡±


    ¡°What can we do to help,¡± Ranko asked, rocketing up from her stool so quickly that Yui had to stabilize it to keep her from falling over.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got it, honey. Your mother and brother are helping. You can just hang out here, direct traffic and get excited!¡± The paramedic smiled. This was her favorite part of her job. She liked it way better than watching people clinging to life and oftentimes, not doing so successfully.


    The glass front door swung open again, this time admitting Crash and Jacob. ¡°Hey, Ranko,¡± Jacob said with a wave. ¡°What¡¯s goi¡­¡±


    Another agonized scream came from the kitchen.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Jacob looked up with confusion and worry.


    ¡°Izzi¡¯s baby¡¯s coming,¡± Ranko said with a grin. ¡°Welcome to the waiting room.¡±


    Jacob frowned playfully. ¡°But¡­ but that means my cheese sticks are in the delivery room.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, bud. Priorities.¡± Ranko laughed, rolling her eyes. Boys.


    There was another scream.


    And then another.


    ¡°One more, Izzi. One more big one and we¡¯re all done, baby. Come on, girl!¡± came Hana¡¯s urging voice from the kitchen. Yui¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t leave the door, but she reached to her right, grasping Ranko¡¯s hand and holding it tight.


    There was yet another scream, this one louder, and longer, than the rest. As it faded from the air, a new sound took its place. One that sounded distinctly like a baby crying.


    Yui leaned over excitedly, giving Ranko a tight hug. ¡°She did it!¡±


    Ranko blushed, grinning proudly. She hadn¡¯t done much, but she¡¯d gotten Izumi the help she needed, and that wasn¡¯t nothing. ¡°Yeah, she did.¡±


    A few moments later, Hana exited the kitchen, tears in her eyes, washing her hands in the sink behind the service bar.


    ¡°Well?!¡± Yui stared at her mother with urgency.


    Hana nodded, biting her lip as she wiped her hands with the towel. The dryer her hands got, the wetter her cheeks did. ¡°Ten fingers, ten toes.¡±


    ¡°Do we have a name,¡± Yui asked excitedly, her hand still braced against Ranko¡¯s back.


    Hana nodded again, her crying intensifying as she smiled at her girls. ¡°Mioko.¡±


    Ranko grinned. ¡°I love it. Welcome to the family, Mioko.¡±


    Sitting on the edge of the stage with a bottle of beer in his hand, Jacob leaned over to Crash. ¡°What¡¯s that mean, man,¡± he asked in English.


    Crash shrugged, answering in English. ¡°In Japanese, the same name can have lots of meanings, depending on how it¡¯s written. For this one, I¡¯d guess it¡¯s something like ¡®pretty guardian¡¯ or maybe ¡®fruit of the cherry tree¡¯?¡±


    Jacob shook his head, laughing. ¡°Well, I doubt Izumi named her kid after the girl Yui¡¯s bedding.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t understand you over there, Jacob Trimble,¡± Yui glowered, blushing furiously and replying in English as well.


    Hana smiled warmly up at the trapezoidal logo stenciled in red paint on the wall behind Jacob, answering in English, the closest thing to a family crest she and the girls she loved would ever have. ¡°It means ¡®beautiful daughter of the Phoenix¡¯.¡±

 59. Reinforcements

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, new girl! Pick up the pace!¡±


    Ranko clapped her hands sharply as she leaned on the bar counter, watching as the Phoenix¡¯ new part-time waitress sped to one of the booths in the back corner. The young woman dropped off a pair of smoking yellow cocktails with a harried smile.


    Getting the mix just right for the Dragonfire was a challenge, and even with all her practice, Mei wasn¡¯t perfect at it and didn¡¯t usually attempt it if she could help it. That said, Sakura had surprised Yui at the bar earlier that evening and convinced her to take a rare night off, so Mei was the only bartender in the building unless her mother decided to come forward from the kitchen.


    The black-haired girl wore green denim jeans under a sky blue tunic-style shirt and a pair of white cross-trainers. She might need to work on her wardrobe a little bit to be successful at a place like the Phoenix, Ranko thought with a blush and a smirk. She certainly understood how that felt. Where¡¯s Izumi when you need her?


    Mei rang the little hotel bell on the corner of the service bar. ¡°Runner for table twelve!¡±


    Ranko rolled her neck to look at the bell, but shrugged nonchalantly, not giving up her place. She still remembered her first night quite vividly, and the girls she now called sisters had given her no shortage of good-natured ribbing. Now that she wasn¡¯t the newest employee anymore, she was determined to enjoy every second of her newfound seniority, even if it would normally be only the one or two nights a week where Mei had night classes. The little bar couldn¡¯t afford to be short two service staff members on a busy night, especially around the holidays, and Izumi likely wouldn¡¯t be in for at least a month as she tended to her newborn daughter.


    With it being a Tuesday night and still early in the evening, the bar was half-empty, so it was the perfect time to start off training someone new and the girls could afford to take it a little easy. Friggin¡¯ mama, making me start on a Saturday night. Damn near wore me out, Ranko remembered with a grin.


    The newest waitress darted back to the counter, grabbing the basket of onion rings and darting off with it. Ranko hopped up, sitting on the service bar counter and crossing her ankles. She cupped her hands around her mouth to project her voice. ¡°That¡¯s table sixteen, blockhead!¡±


    The exasperated trainee corrected herself, delivering the appetizer correctly and then returning to the service bar. ¡°Okay! What next?¡±


    Ranko smirked a bit haughtily. ¡°I dunno. Maybe I¡¯ll go sing something. Mei, whaddya think?¡±


    The blue-haired girl nodded with an amused chuckle. She was already enjoying the show. ¡°Works for me. Do you wanna show the new kid what we do when you¡¯re on stage?¡±


    Ranko grinned, popping back down to her feet. ¡°Nah, you can. But first, c¡¯mere a sec, you.¡± Ranko motioned for the Phoenix¡¯ newest hire to follow as she swung her legs around to the employee side of the service bar and slid down to her feet. She pushed open the blue saloon door, holding it open as the new girl brushed past her closely enough to disrupt the flow of Ranko¡¯s red knee-length skirt around her legs.


    ¡°Okay, and what do I need back here?¡± The trainee looked around the narrow corridor in front of Hana¡¯s closed office door.


    ¡°Just this.¡± Ranko reached forward, grabbing a fistful of the girl¡¯s blue shirt and pushing her against the wall, forcefully kissing the slightly taller girl on the lips.


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    ¡°Ranko!¡± Akane blushed, putting her arms around her lover¡¯s waist as she broke the kiss. ¡°Should we really be doing this when we¡¯re working?¡±


    Grinning, Ranko shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I used to live here, remember? As long as it¡¯s not in front of the customers and we don¡¯t slow anything down, I don¡¯t think anyone will mind.¡±


    ¡°Am I¡­ doing okay? You¡¯ve been ¡­ kind of hard on me today.¡± Akane nervously furrowed her brow a bit. She¡¯d actually never had a real job before, and this was taking a bit of adjustment for her.


    Ranko giggled cutely, shaking her head. ¡°Silly girl. You¡¯re doing great. I¡¯m just messing with ya. I hope it isn¡¯t upsetting you, and if it is, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just been kind of fun bossing you around a little for a change, sensei.¡±


    Ranko hadn¡¯t said as much to Akane to avoid pressuring her, but she was thrilled that Akane had offered to come and help out. The girls badly needed the extra money. Plus, considering Akane spent most of her free nights at the Phoenix anyway, it just made sense to pitch in to give Ranko and her family a hand while there was a need, at least until Izumi could come back to work. Every pizza Akane carried to a table meant Ranko would be just a little less ragged when she got home from work.


    Beyond all of the practical reasoning, though, she felt like the move was Akane¡¯s way to make the equivalent gesture Ranko had when she chose her name. The second she joined the Phoenix¡¯ payroll, in Ranko¡¯s eyes, Akane had officially become a part of her new family. Not that Ranko was going to consider her a sister or anything, because that would make the nature of their relationship feel super weird.


    With a slightly devious smile, Akane leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Ranko¡¯s neck, whispering in her ear. ¡°Do your worst, then. Just bear in mind how helpless I can make you when we get home, if I decide I need to get you back for anything later.¡± She moved her head down slightly, sneaking a quick nibble on the nape of Ranko¡¯s neck for emphasis.


    Ranko¡¯s breath caught in her throat and she turned a brighter shade of red than her skirt, squeezing Akane tight until the shuddering subsided. ¡°How could I forget?¡±


    ¡°So, ummm¡­¡± Ranko swallowed, exhaling heavily as she tried to regain her composure after Akane¡¯s tease. ¡±Just stick with Mei while I¡¯m on stage. She¡¯ll make sure you know what¡¯s going on. We¡¯ve only got a few days to get you ready before the big night.¡±


    Ranko smiled. She was looking forward to doing another Christmas concert, this time without the do-or-die stress of catching up on the bills. Business had been fantastic over the last few months, and while Ranko always brushed it off when Hana said something, she knew it was in large part because of her singing, especially since the release of Rise. But, this year, she had a surprise for someone she cared about very much and she couldn¡¯t wait to unveil it next Monday night.


    ¡°Besides, the hardest part is figuring out where stuff is and the menu and everything, and you¡¯ve been here so much, you¡¯ve already got that part nailed.¡±


    ¡°I guess so, yeah. The one thing that sucks about this is I¡¯ll be busy when you¡¯re singing.¡± Akane sighed a little.


    ¡°First off, the orders typically stop when I¡¯m on stage. So it¡¯ll give you a few minutes to catch up if you need it, and if you¡¯re already on top of things, you can watch. And second, if you ever want a private concert, all you have to do is ask.¡± Ranko bit her lip sportively, giving her lover a sordid little wink.


    Akane blushed furiously. Yeah, our next-door neighbor is already well-acquainted with your ¡°concerts,¡± baby.


    Ranko crinkled her nose cutely at her girlfriend. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯d better get up there. Love you, baby! You got this!¡±


    Hana stepped out of the walk-in cooler and waved to the girls from the back of the kitchen. ¡°Akane, wanna come here for a second? I can show you how to work the deep fryer if you want.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± cried both Ranko and Akane in unison, giggling.

 60. Pretty Woman

    Sighing happily, Akane looked out over the water from a green metal bench, the reflections of Christmas lights and business signage dancing on the waves as a small pleasure craft disrupted the calm of the water¡¯s surface. She picked at the takeout container in her hand with a pair of chopsticks, smiling over at her date. Ranko had been kind of quiet since they¡¯d gotten out of the movie, and that generally meant she had something on her mind.


    ¡°Whatcha thinkin¡¯, beautiful?¡± Akane offered her a bite of her tempura, which Ranko opened her mouth for, blushing with her eyes closed.


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ much,¡± Ranko said, not waiting until she¡¯d swallowed to answer.


    ¡°What did you think of the movie?¡± Akane giggled. One of the great things about dating a girl was dragging her to all the chick flicks she wanted to see, even though sometimes it did make things awkward and often led to some interesting conversations when a topic Ranko didn¡¯t have much experience with came up. The movie they saw that night had just come out a few days ago. It was an American film, with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and it had taken a few months since its debut in the United States to get it subtitled and released in Japan.


    ¡°It was¡­ cute.¡± Ranko smiled softly but distantly, kicking her heels over the edge of the bench.


    Akane set down her takeout container, reaching over and pulling Ranko close to her on the bench. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s on your mind, Ranko?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s how they think of me?¡± Ranko looked down at her own dinner as Akane pinned her arms to her sides in the hug.


    Akane blinked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°Well, in the movie, the guy finds the girl on the street, right? And, like, she doesn¡¯t have any money and she¡¯s kind of dirty and doesn¡¯t know how to behave. Then everybody around sort of teaches her stuff and buys her things, and they get her all dressed pretty and teach her to be all girly and proper and everything. But even though she gets herself all cleaned up and stuff, people like the scummy lawyer guy still see her like she¡¯s the street girl they found and they either pity her or look down on her. I guess it just made me think about whether Mama and the girls still see me that way, ¡®cause that¡¯s basically me all the way down to the red hair. Like, do you think I¡¯m still just the stray they felt bad for and took in?¡±


    Damn, Akane thought to herself. I should have seen the similarities when I read the synopsis in the paper. We¡¯ll just pick the action movie next time. ¡°Oh, baby, no. I don¡¯t think they look at you that way at all. They¡¯re always saying how proud they are of you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ranko said thoughtfully, closing up her white takeout carton with it still a third full of udon. ¡°But like, are they proud of me for who I am, or just for how much better I am compared to where I started? Like, is it, Ranko is awesome, or is it more like, Oh, isn¡¯t she cute, she can put a bra on by herself, what trick should we teach her next?¡±


    Akane sighed, kissing Ranko¡¯s temple as she held the smaller girl in the chill of the mid-December night. ¡°A little of both, if I had to guess. Ranko, you¡¯re an incredible person. I know you don¡¯t think so sometimes. You tend to judge yourself by your lowest moments and your biggest mistakes. But you really are just an amazing human being, and a wonderful woman. And I, and your family, love you to pieces for it.


    ¡°Sure, there¡¯s an element of pride both in how far you¡¯ve come, and, I¡¯m sure, in themselves for how hard everybody worked to help you. They know they did a good thing when they took care of you, just like Yui did when Izumi came, and Ayako did when Yui came. But it¡¯s not just because they bought you some dresses and gave you a job, Ran-chan. It¡¯s because they correctly saw the person you were, buried underneath all the doubt and the hurt and the circumstances. They love the person you are, and they can also acknowledge how hard you¡¯ve had to work to get to where you are. And they¡¯re glad they were able to help the real you get to shine.¡± And so am I.


    Ranko smiled weakly. ¡°I can live with that, I guess. I just¡­ I don¡¯t always want to feel like a charity case, you know? I want to know for sure that people like me because they like having me around, not just ¡®cause they felt bad for me. Does that make sense?¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°Perfect sense. But I don¡¯t think they think about you that way anymore, if they ever even did. They¡¯ve got a lot of practice at this sort of thing. Do you think Yui and Ayako feel that way about Izzi and Mei?¡±


    Ranko shook her head emphatically. ¡°No way. They¡¯re sisters through and through.¡±


    Squeezing her hand, Akane smiled into her girlfriend¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m saying, I think you all are now. If I saw you and Yui together, and I didn¡¯t know you, I¡¯d think you¡¯ve been together as long as me and Nabiki.¡±


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    Ranko smiled with relief and hope, pulling her hand back and putting it in the pocket of her white peacoat. She really needed a pair of gloves for nights this cold. ¡°Really? You think so?¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°I know so. You¡¯re not a charity case, Ranko. You¡¯re just an awesome girl who people want to be around. Especially me.¡±


    With a warm smile, the redhead nuzzled against Akane¡¯s chest, both for affection and for warmth. Between money, Ranko¡¯s birthday, finals, and Mioko¡¯s birth, they hadn¡¯t had a date night in over a month, and Ranko had decided to brave a deep blue dress despite the weather just to look special for Akane. At least it was an ankle-length skirt, she thought as she tried to pin it around her legs with her calves to keep the cold air from invading under it as she cuddled her lover.


    ¡°You know¡­ I don¡¯t say it enough, Ranko, but, I¡¯m proud of you, too. Probably more than anybody.¡± Akane stroked her lover¡¯s cheek as Ranko rested against her chest, smiling down at her. ¡°I know more than anyone just how hard you¡¯ve worked, how far you¡¯ve come, and how much you were really dealing with, and I know a lot more about where you started. And I also know, better than anyone, just how beautiful and sweet and dedicated and loving you really are. You¡¯re an absolutely breathtaking girl, Ranko Tendo.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Ranko smiled, burrowing into Akane¡¯s coat a little bit against her chest. ¡°I love it when you use my whole name. It reminds me that I get to be yours.¡±


    Giggling, Akane kissed the top of her head, sniffling as a sudden breeze off the water threw a few loose strands of Ranko¡¯s hair into her nose. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s my name too. Who says I¡¯m not yours instead?¡±


    Ranko felt a flash of warmth return to her face as she flushed. You do, every time you touch me and turn my brain off until you decide you¡¯re done with me for the night, she thought to herself. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be yours, and you be mine. Seems like a fair trade.¡±


    Akane slipped her hand into Ranko¡¯s coat pocket with a smile, taking her cold fingers in her hand and gently shaking Ranko¡¯s hand without removing it from the warmth of the fleece jacket. ¡°You¡¯ve got a deal.¡±


    ¡°Akane, can I tell you something?¡± Ranko shivered slightly, almost certainly from the cold.


    Ranko¡¯s girlfriend smiled, stroking her lover¡¯s hair, vain though the effort was given the wind off the water. ¡°Of course, baby.¡±


    Ranko sighed happily. ¡°I¡¯m in love with you.¡±


    Giggling, Akane shook her head. ¡°I love you too, silly girl.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Ranko sat up for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m in love with you, Akane. It¡¯s different. Like, I love Yui. I love Mei. I¡¯d do anything for ¡®em. I¡¯ve loved you like that for a long time, too. But¡­¡± She sighed, closing her eyes for a second to collect her thoughts. ¡°Every second I¡¯m alive, I think about you. Every time I move my eyes on stage, I¡¯m looking for you. Everything I do, I try to think about whether it will make you happy, even if I get it wrong a lot. And I just, lately, with everything that¡¯s been happening, I¡¯ve been thinking about it a lot more, and well¡­ I just wanted you to know that. You love to make me sit through all these girly movies where the girl is making goo-goo eyes at somebody five minutes in, and I used to think it was so stupid, and that sort of crap just never happened in the real world. And now, I¡¯m that girl. You made me that girl. And however stupid it looked to me back then, right now I don¡¯t know how I could ever want anything more than I want to be that girl with you.¡±


    Akane blushed, trying to will the tear starting to form in the corner of her right eye to stay where it was, because it was too damned cold to have her face wet. Oh, Ranko¡­ and you tell people you never know what to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m that girl, too, Ranko.¡± Akane pulled her lover closer, wrapping her tightly in a hug. ¡°I¡¯m that girl, too.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll end up like the girl in the movie?¡± Ranko blushed a little, remembering Julia Roberts¡¯ character going back to her old apartment at the end of the film and finding that she couldn¡¯t function the way she used to anymore. That she was forever changed for the better and could accept no less. She imagined something similar would happen if she ever had to look her father in the eyes again.


    ¡°I sure hope not,¡± Akane said with a smirk. ¡°If you marry Richard Gere, it¡¯ll really piss me off.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡± Ranko smiled up deviously at her girlfriend. ¡°He¡¯s way too old. Eugh!¡± She stuck out her tongue, making an exaggerated face of disgust.


    Akane giggled, squeezing her lover tighter as the echoing horn of a small fishing boat carried over the water.


    I don¡¯t care what else happens anymore, Akane thought, rocking her girlfriend in her arms on that cold metal bench in the cutting December wind and watching another fishing boat making its way out of the little port. I don¡¯t care if I lose every friend I¡¯ve ever had. I don¡¯t care if I never speak to Dad again. If I never play sports. If I¡¯m broke every day until I die. No matter what happens, I¡¯ve made up my mind.


    Akane smiled, leaning down and kissing Ranko¡¯s temple with her ice-cold lips, holding her tight as the redhead shivered from both the cold and her touch.


    I am going to love this girl for the rest of my life.

 61. Performance, Anxiety

    ¡°Yeah! Go, Eiji!¡±


    Ranko kicked her right leg high in the air, shaking her red-and-silver pom-poms as the Yusue captain drove through the key and slipped around his defender for a dunk.


    She had been far more enthusiastic in the cheering part of her cheerleading of late. She suspected that most of it was the budding friendship and camaraderie she was forming with her squadmates; no longer did she dismiss cheerleaders outright as just vapid party girls who were only in it to get boys. Her efforts, so far all failures, to master the quadruple twist had demonstrated to her that cheerleaders had to have the same athletic ability as any gymnast and most martial artists; she¡¯d just always sold them short on account of the hair bows and the short skirts. If you can¡¯t beat ¡®em, join ¡®em, eh, Ranko?


    The closer her bond with the girls became, though, the worse she felt for lying to them. Ranko knew any one of them would have given a limb for a weekend with her boyfriend, and she could only giggle and tell one lie after another about their supposedly incredible dates. Plus, the lies were keeping her from spending much time with her new friends outside of school, because all it would take would be one of the girls uttering the name Eiji around Akane or her sisters, and it was game over for her plan. She wasn¡¯t even sure how Akane would react. Would she recognize that Ranko was making the sacrifice play to help her and fix the damage she¡¯d caused with Sneak, or would she think Ranko was two-timing on her like she had when Crash made a move on her? Better not to find out, Ranko thought. She was trying so hard to be more open and honest with Akane about things ¨C she¡¯d even written a whole song about it ¨C but there were some secrets that needed to stay buried for the time being.


    Beyond that, though, she was kind of starting to like Eiji, too. Not that way, of course, but he was, for the most part, a decent guy. He was a bit socially inept, honestly, and a little on the chauvinistic side. She suspected most of that might be his efforts to behave in a macho fashion to hide his true nature, though, because he generally didn¡¯t behave that way when they were alone. She almost felt bad for him. As much as it sucked not to be able to tell Kumiko and her friends on the squad everything about Akane, at least she didn¡¯t have to hide who she was at home around her family like he did. He is exactly the kind of person Shinji wanted me to release Sneak for, she thought to herself.


    She¡¯d been playing the part of doting girlfriend for nearly a month, and so far, he hadn¡¯t violated any of her rules or even come close to it. She was still sickened when he put his hands on her, but the thought of Akane¡¯s happiness when she got her athletic career back on track was enough to give her a legitimate reason to smile and giggle for the onlookers. She did wish he would hurry up with whatever he was planning, though; every time she¡¯d asked for an update about his progress with Fumiko, she¡¯d gotten some variation of I¡¯m still working on it, she doesn¡¯t want to talk about it, or the like.


    She was startled out of her thoughts by a loud buzzer blaring from the scoreboard.


    ¡°And that¡¯s it from Yusue High, where your Fighting Lions have just defeated the number-one seed Akara Knights by just one point! What a thriller, Lions fans!¡± The announcer sitting at the folding table at half-court jubilated into the metal microphone on the table as the Yusue basketball team celebrated near their goal.


    Ranko took a deep breath, letting it out quickly in a sigh of resolve. Now, for the real show.


    She ran the fifteen or so meters to where the team was celebrating, leaping toward the team captain, who caught her in the air as she affected a giggle. ¡°Oh, Ei-chan, you were just amazing tonight! Gods, I¡¯m just the luckiest girl at school to have you!¡±


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    Eiji wrapped his arms around her, spinning her around in a circle. ¡°We did it, babe! This should just about lock in our spot for the playoffs!¡±


    ¡°I know! I¡¯m so proud of you, Ei-chan! I¡¯ll be right here with you the whole way to the championship!¡± And there are not enough showers in the world to make me feel less gross about it.


    Eiji set her down, and she took his hand, dragging him away from his teammates and past the rest of the cheerleaders without taking her eyes off of him. She knew that if he was permitted to get into a conversation with other guys, she¡¯d be relegated to silent hip ornament as usual, and that defeated most of the purpose of being seen with him in the first place. Besides, she really didn¡¯t feel comfortable being close to some of the basketball players while wearing her cheerleading uniform. Some of the school athletes, she¡¯d found, tended to think that there was an unspoken rule that the athletes had the right to treat the cheerleaders however they wanted, and Ranko had enough trouble with one dork of a basketball player as it was.


    ¡°So, what are we doing to celebrate? Dinner? Arcade? Movie? I bet there¡¯s something really romantic playing this close to Christmas.¡± She let go of his hand, wrapping both of her arms around his elbow and hugging it to herself, resting her temple on the bare skin of his upper arm. It was sweaty, and it made her skin crawl, but she did her best to smile for the onlookers.


    ¡°I, uh¡­ I¡¯d love to hang out, Ranko, but I¡¯ve gotta get home. My mom needs me to do¡­ stuff.¡± Eiji blushed, scratching his head with his free hand.


    You gotta work on your acting skills, dude. I¡¯m carrying this performance alone over here. ¡°Well, okay then, but I expect a call before you go to bed just so I can say good night to you before I fall asleep. You know I¡¯ll wait up until I hear from you.¡±


    Eiji nodded. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss it for the world, cute stuff.¡± Gods, she¡¯s good at this. I almost wonder if she¡¯s starting to really¡­ no, no way, right?


    Any thought he may have had to that effect was dispelled as soon as Ranko led him to a side hallway where excess equipment for the volleyball team was stored on several large plastic carts.


    ¡°Seriously, dude? Your mom needs you to do some stuff? You gonna work with me on this or not?¡± Ranko placed her fists on her hips, trying to look stern and admonishing despite being half his size.


    ¡°Look, Ranko, you¡¯re the performer in this relationship. I¡¯m just a guy.¡± Eiji shrugged.


    Yeah? A guy? No shit? I knew there was a reason this whole dating thing wasn¡¯t working out. She chuckled darkly to herself. ¡°Well, we better get our stories straight, ¡®cause this is getting awkward, Ei-chan.¡±


    He sighed, tousling his still-sweaty blonde hair. ¡°You know, I hate it when you call me Ei-chan, right?¡±


    Ranko nodded, putting her overacted I am so in love grin back on. ¡°You know I hate it when you call me babe, right?¡±


    The redhead growled. ¡°I swear, Eiji, if you don¡¯t come thr¡­ ohmigods, really? Are you kidding?! I¡¯d love to come meet your parents over Christmas break!¡± She dove into his chest, tittering brightly and hugging him tightly, peeking around his torso until Tamiko and Yori had passed the little aisle in which she stood on their way to the locker room.


    Eiji shook his head, laughing as she let him go. ¡°I swear, I don¡¯t know how you turn that on and off like that. Are you, like, a psychopath or something? You give me whiplash sometimes.¡±


    Ranko sneered with a bob of her head, the shiny red and silver bow in her high ponytail somewhat belying the seriousness of her expression. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll see. Keep your promise and make this happen for Akane before the new year, or I¡¯ll give you more than that, Ei-chan.¡±

 62. Christmas Eve

    ¡°You will get a special little feelin¡¯ when you hear voices singing ¡®let¡¯s be jolly,¡¯ deck the halls with boughs of holly, whoa¡­¡±


    Akane smiled up at the stage, watching her love dance to the affection of three hundred strong. Nearly everyone at the Phoenix that night was there on a date; that was to be expected for Christmas Eve. Akane was the rare person who didn¡¯t need to beg off from work for the most romantic night of the year, because the person she wanted to spend the night with most was not fifteen meters from her, and she was radiant.


    Ranko strode the stage in a fur-lined velvet dress, in a bright Christmas red that almost perfectly matched her hair. White lines of soft fluff lined the bottom hem of the high-low pencil skirt that hung below her left knee, but just barely to the middle of her right thigh. The neckline followed a similar angle, such that her left shoulder was bare and her right was not. The capacity crowd was treated to the preferred art form of  three  of the Phoenix sisters, as not only were they getting Ranko¡¯s singing and Yui¡¯s cocktail creations as usual, but for the first time, Ranko strode the stage that night in a costume custom-made for her by up-and-coming fashion designer Izumi Sando. Ranko was lucky it had been finished in time; the last stitch had been added less than twelve hours before the birth of the youngest member of the Phoenix clan.


    She¡¯d accessorized the dress with a red Santa hat, her jingle-bell earrings from last year, a pair of red patent boots with platform heels that came to just below her knee, the star pendant that had been her bridesmaid gift from Izumi, and the silver dragon that was all but permanently coiled around her left wrist. Behind her, her bandmates held their stations in matching red sport coats over black slacks and white collarless shirts.


    ¡°Rockin¡¯ around the Christmas tree, have a happy holiday! Everyone dancing merrily in the new! Old! Fashioned!   Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!¡±


    The crowd erupted as Ranko took a little bow. Her eyes searched the crowd for the red-and-green long-sleeved dress that accentuated the love of her life, finding her between tables sixteen and twelve with a pair of pizzas in her hand.


    ¡°You know, everybody¡­¡± Ranko said, picking up a handheld microphone and switching off the belt pack for her headset. ¡°It¡¯s Christmas Eve. The most  romantic  night of the year. Who all is here with the one they love tonight? Come on, don¡¯t be shy, let¡¯s hear you!¡±


    A chorus of loud whoops rose from the crowd, and she smirked, looking to a booth in the front that was occupied by a man and a woman who didn¡¯t cheer. He was a regular, and she knew he tended to play along when she wanted to interact with the crowd. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay, buddy. We know how it is. You can cheer, it¡¯s cool.¡± She lowered her voice to a whisper in the microphone, putting her palm to the side of her mouth as if trying to keep the other side of the room from hearing her. ¡°We won¡¯t tell your wife, will we guys?¡±  Laughter and cheering filled the room.  ¡°Oh, crap!   Dude, she¡¯s over there, by the bar!   Quick! Hide!¡±


    As another rain of laughter showered her from the floor, Ranko leaned forward, pretending to listen for a response that never came.


    ¡°What? Your  sister?¡±   She laughed, shaking her head. ¡°Didn¡¯t see  that  one coming.¡± She gave an exaggerated nod, winking and flashing a skeptical smirk.


    ¡°Well,  some of us  couldn¡¯t get the night off for a date.¡± The crowd gave a little  awww,  but she continued.


    ¡°I know, right?! Who would  do   something like that to a cute girl like me, on  Christmas?¡±  A chorus of playful  booooos  came from the crowd as Crash began plucking out a jaunty tune on their instruments. Its playful nature sounded like it might have been a children¡¯s song once. All that changed when Shinji removed the strap of his bass guitar from his shoulder, bending down behind himself and picking up a shiny brass saxophone. The addition of its smooth tone gave the song an almost sultry lounge quality to it, and Ranko leaned into it, exaggerating her walk on the stage for maximum wiggle.


    ¡°I can only think of  one  guy. You know who I mean, don¡¯tcha?¡± She sauntered up to Crash, snatching the red Santa hat he wore off his head, making sure the microphone in her hand picked up the sound of her gasping.


    ¡°You¡¯re a mean one, Mister Grinch! You really are a heel! You¡¯re as cuddly as a cactus, you¡¯re as charming as an   eel,   Mister Grinch! You¡¯re a bad banana with a¡­¡±  She gave him a gentle shove, and he stumbled a step or two back before resuming his play.  ¡°...greasy black peel!¡± She added an almost overly affected rasp to her voice, as if she was a nightclub performer in the 1940s.


    Tossing Crash¡¯s Santa hat back toward him, she spun on her heels, stalking the length of the stage between Hitomi and Emi, who vocalized in harmony on their handheld microphones and swayed in perfect synchronization.


    Ranko approached Shinji, exaggerating every step. Each time she stepped forward, he stepped backward, maintaining his distance.


    ¡°You¡¯re a monster, Mister Grinch! Your heart¡¯s an empty hole! Your brain is full of   spiders;    you¡¯ve got   garlic    in your soul, Mister Grinch!¡±


    As Ranko picked up the empty microphone stand next to where Shinji had originally stood, Hitomi and Emi smiled to each other before making disgusted faces and turning their backs on each other as they sang.  ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t touch you with a¡­¡±


    Ranko held the microphone stand parallel with the stage, poking at Shinji with the narrow end like a lion tamer as he swayed with his saxophone.  ¡°Thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole!¡±


    Shooting a wink at Shinji, Ranko dropped the microphone stand and stalked down the steps to exit the stage, her backup dancers following her. She slithered her way over to the table with the man she¡¯d teased from the stage, leaning over the table and wagging a finger at him as Emi and Hitomi fanned out through the crowd, dancing near any guy they could find space next to.


    ¡°You¡¯re a   vile one,    Mister Grinch! You¡¯ve got   termites in your smile!¡±


    As the man at the table blushed, Ranko snapped her head back over her shoulder to look at the formally-dressed man at the table immediately behind her. He was there with a date, trying and failing not to be seen looking too hard at the teenager who was writhing a mere meter from where he sat. Ranko jabbed a finger in the air at him, prompting his date to laugh as she sang.


    ¡°You have all the tender sweetness of a   seasick crocodile!¡±  Ranko giggled a little as the middle-aged man¡¯s date emphatically nodded behind him.


    Ranko pointed at the man she was taunting, then turned back to the first man, her finger following her eyes.  ¡°And given the choice between the two of you¡­¡±


    From their positions in the crowd, Emi and Hitomi each reached the fourth octave as they answered the question in tandem.  ¡°I¡¯d take the seasick crocodile!¡±


    Ranko approached the table Akane had just served, where two college-age couples appeared to be on a double date. She motioned to the boy on her left.  ¡°You¡¯re a   foul one,    Mister Grinch! You¡¯re a nasty, wasty   skunk.¡±


    As Hitomi and Emi slowly made their way back toward the stage, stopping for a few seconds where they could, Ranko bent over the table, leaning on it with her elbow and resting her chin in her hand as she turned to the boy on the right.  ¡°Your heart is full of unwashed socks. Your soul is full of gunk, Mister Grinch.¡±


    Emi lifted her microphone as her foot hit the first step of the stage.  ¡°The three words that best describe you are as follows.¡±


    Hitomi passed the front of the stage, heading toward the steps.  ¡°And I quote¡­¡±


    As both girls sang the next three words, Ranko popped her hips from side to side with each as she leaned over the table.  ¡°Stink! Stank! Stunk!¡±  As it was the furthest table from the stage and she looked out into the center of the room over it, it appeared as if she was playing coyly with the crowd. Ranko, however, was acutely aware that Akane was standing right behind her as she moved, and Ranko knew without looking that she was making her girlfriend positively squirm.


    Waving to her blushing girlfriend as she turned, Ranko lifted her microphone as she made her way back to the stage.  ¡°You¡¯re a mean one¡­¡±


    Hitomi cocked her head to her partner on the stage.  ¡°You¡¯re a mean one¡­¡±


    Emi looked over her shoulder, mocking a gasp of shock and offense at her roommate.  ¡°You¡¯re a mean one¡­¡±


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    Ranko cleared the last step onto the stage, and as she stepped between the two girls, all three sang the final line together.  ¡°You¡¯re a mean one, Mister Grinch!¡±


    As the crowd roared, Ranko shrugged with a smirk of mock disgust. ¡°I know! What a  jerk,  right?¡±


    She laughed into the microphone in her hand. ¡°That¡¯s okay, though. Let me tell you a little secret: there¡¯s   nowhere    I¡¯d rather be than up here singing for you guys tonight.¡±  Ranko flashed a bright smile. She was serious, but there was more than one reason she felt that way.  This is where Akane is.


    Ranko glanced up at the still-blushing woman in the red-and-green dress. ¡°Besides, when you¡¯re with the right person, you don¡¯t really need a special day to feel romantic, do ya?¡± As she spoke, Shinji set his saxophone down and got reset with his bass guitar.


    Jacob¡¯s synthesizer sprang to life with the electronic approximation of choir bells, and Crash and Shinji¡¯s guitars began to sing in synchronization with a tune the audience didn¡¯t recognize. And in  this  bar, that could only mean one thing.


    As Akane turned to the stage with the same surprised realization that the rest of the crowd had, Ranko smiled, trying not to make direct eye contact with Akane but still face in her general direction.  ¡°This one¡¯s for you, baby.    Merry Christmas.¡±


    As the crowd thundered in excitement for what could only be another of Ranko¡¯s original songs, she spun the microphone on the palm of her left hand before singing the first note ¨C a trademark of hers that had been somewhat lost once she had switched primarily to the headset. With Ariel¡¯s flick of a few switches, a projection of snowflakes appeared on the back wall of the Phoenix behind the stage.


    ¡°Pretty sure there¡¯s people singing carols in the street, ¡®cause my heart is full of music every single time we meet! Every tree and rooftop¡¯s all aglow with colored light when I see their reflections    in your eyes   again tonight.¡±


    She hugged herself with her arms, still holding the microphone close enough to pick her voice up.  ¡°I could swear it¡¯s snowing even though I¡¯m safe and warm; I¡¯m not cold or scared when you¡¯re my shelter from the storm. My whole world is red and green, and never,   ever    blue.   It¡¯s Christmas every day that I¡¯m with you!¡±


    Flanking the songstress, Hitomi and Emi, in their green velvet dresses similar to the one Ranko had worn at her Christmas concert the year before, pranced the depth of the stage from front to back with her in perfectly synchronized model walks, heel-over toe. As the chorus began, they made exaggerated claps over their heads to encourage the crowd to help keep the rhythm as Ranko entered the chorus.


    ¡°There¡¯s a holly branch hung up on every door in fall, and even when it¡¯s springtime, I¡¯m out singin¡¯ Deck the Halls!¡±


    She bent down near the false fireplace at the back of the stage, holding her hands out for a moment as if warming them by the fire.  ¡°Cuddled up with eggnog by the fireplace in June, ¡®cause every night is Christmas Eve and   Santa¡¯s comin¡¯ soon!    Joy and love and laughter fill my heart the whole year through ¨C   It¡¯s Christmas every day that I¡¯m with you!¡±


    Her voice fluttered through the last line at the higher end of her range, giving it an almost angelic pop quality. She held the last  you  for a solid second and a half, injecting a three-note run downward to back off the note at the end.


    Akane watched from the front of the room, setting down her tray and slowly swaying on her feet. She had four tables that needed drinks refilled, and two more that still hadn¡¯t ordered. She didn¡¯t care in the slightest. She was  mesmerized.  Ranko had written her a song in anger and a song in regret, but never a  love song. She couldn¡¯t have asked for a better Christmas gift.


    ¡°Santa¡¯s brought me what I¡¯ve asked him for each day this year, cause every morning, I wake up, and baby,   you¡¯re still here!    I could swear I saw some stockings by the fireplace, or maybe this excitement¡¯s just because I   saw your face.¡±


    As she sang, Hitomi and Emi knelt on the stage under the Christmas tree they¡¯d constructed in the back right corner, making a show of unwrapping matching presents as they swayed and vocalizing into their headsets behind Ranko¡¯s second verse.


    ¡°Might as well be shiny baubles hanging from a tree, and underneath, a present wrapped up pretty just for me. Everything is sparkling and magical and new ¨C   It¡¯s Christmas every day that I¡¯m with you!¡±


    Ranko sat in front of the false fireplace, a flickering orange stage lamp providing the ¡°fire¡± that she sat by on the stage platform, crossing her legs at the knee and bopping back and forth on her backside as she sang the chorus.


    ¡°  Yeah!   There¡¯s a holly branch hung up on every door in fall, and even when it¡¯s springtime, I¡¯m out singin¡¯  Deck the Halls!  Cuddled up with eggnog by the fireplace in June, ¡®cause every night is Christmas Eve and   Santa¡¯s comin¡¯ soon!    Joy and love and laughter fill my heart the whole year through ¨C   It¡¯s Christmas every day that I¡¯m with you!¡±


    Emi and Hitomi each took one of her hands, pulling her to her feet, and Ranko put one arm around each of them, giving them a quick hug before the three forked off across the stage and Ranko continued to sing.


    ¡°Every night I lie awake and sleigh bells fill the air. I think there¡¯s reindeer on my roof, but right now, I don¡¯t care!  My calendar is always on December twenty-fifth, ¡®cause Christmas isn¡¯t just a day, but  who I spend it with!¡± As she sang, she stood in front of a calendar that hung on the back wall of the stage, tearing off pages one month at a time and throwing them over her shoulder onto the stage.


    ¡°Every step I take these days is under mistletoe, so I can feel your kisses almost everywhere I go. You can keep your Golden Week, Obon, and New Year¡¯s too! It¡¯s Christmas every day that I¡¯m with you!¡± As she delivered the end of the verse, she pulled the calendar, now containing only December¡¯s page, off the wall and tossed it to an excited-looking woman standing at the foot of the stage.


    Ranko sat on the edge of Ken¡¯s bass drum, crossing her red boots at the ankles and shooting him a smile.  ¡°There¡¯s a holly branch hung up on every door in fall, and even when it¡¯s springtime, I¡¯m out singin¡¯  Deck the Halls!  Cuddled up with eggnog by the fireplace in June, ¡®cause every night is Christmas Eve and   Santa¡¯s comin¡¯ soon!¡±


    Shinji leaned into the microphone on the stand in front of him, booming out a deep baritone  ¡°Ho, ho, ho!¡±


    ¡°Joy and love and laughter fill my heart the whole year through ¨C   It¡¯s Christmas every day that I¡¯m with you!


    ¡°I wished upon the Christmas star, and   baby, it came true   ¨C It¡¯s Christmas every   daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay¡­.  ¡±  Ranko inhaled deeply before resuming the line, cracking the fifth octave with the last four words of the chorus.  ¡°...that I¡¯m with you!¡±


    Ranko turned to Hitomi, gesturing to her with her right hand.  ¡°With you!¡±


    Hitomi held up her microphone, responding with an ascending  ¡°You-who-who!¡±


    Turning next to Emi, Ranko did the same, motioning to her with her open hand.  ¡°With you!¡±


    Emi responded just as Hitomi had:  ¡°You-who-who!¡±


    Ranko next faced forward, pointing outward to the crowd.  ¡°With you!¡±   A handful of the people in the crowd got the idea, with the same  ¡°You-who-who!¡±  Still gesturing to the crowd, Ranko called for an answer again.  ¡°With YOU!¡±   This time, the majority of the crowd responded,  ¡°You-who-who!¡±


    Wrapping both her hands around the microphone, Ranko raised her eyes to the ceiling, and closed them. She wanted to look straight into Akane¡¯s eyes as she delivered the final line in the fifth octave, but she dared not.


    ¡°It¡¯s Christmas every day that I¡¯m with you...¡±


    Ranko waved to the crowd as their approval blasted from every corner of the room. ¡°I¡¯m Ranko, and that¡¯s Crash, Shinji, Ken, Jacob, Hitomi, Emi, and Ariel.  Together, we are Ranko and the Dapper Dragons!  From all of us at the Phoenix,  merry Christmas,  happy new year, and we love you!¡±


    Ranko was the first off the stage, hoping to get to spend a few minutes with Akane after delivering her gift, but Akane wasn¡¯t at the edge of the stage yet. Ranko knew all too well how demanding the bar goers could be after one of her sets, though, so she wasn¡¯t worried about it. However, as she went to go looking for her love, she was tapped on the shoulder.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, hey, Crash. Great show. Really loved the way this one came toget¡­.  What¡¯s that?¡±


    Crash pulled out a large box that he¡¯d been trying, quite unsuccessfully, to hide behind himself. It was almost a meter long and maybe half that wide, wrapped in red paper with little printed Santa Claus cartoons all over it, and a large silver bow in the upper-right hand corner. ¡°This¡­ is for you. Merry Christmas, Ranko.¡±


    ¡°Crash, I¡­ You didn¡¯t have to do that!¡±


    The tall musician nodded. ¡°I do a lot of things I don¡¯t have to do. Now, you gonna open it, or what?¡±


    Ranko blinked, smiling. ¡°I mean, hell yeah? Let me see that thing.¡± She slipped her gel-coated silver fingernails under a seam in the paper, ripping it open to reveal a plain brown corrugated box.


    ¡°I know, not super exciting. Keep going.¡± Crash leaned against the back wall, watching his friend with an excited smile on his face.


    Ranko fought the box free of the remnants of the wrapping paper, popping three of the large copper staples holding the box closed through the cardboard, which lifted open slightly. She gently pushed the lid the rest of the way open, revealing a simplistic acoustic guitar. It was constructed of a light wood paneling and had a black shoulder strap attached, embroidered with a silver dragon not unlike the one that kept a permanent residence on her left wrist.


    ¡°Oh,  Crash¡­ ¡± Ranko pulled it out, looking it over.


    ¡°Lessons start after the new year. You¡¯re just too damned talented to just rely on me and Shin for music forever.¡±


    Ranko stood from her kneeling position, walking over and giving her friend a hug.  ¡°Thanks, Crash.¡±


    The guitarist - the more experienced one of the two, now - hugged her around her shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Ran-chan. Merry Christmas.¡±


    From the corner by the side door into the kitchen, Akane watched. She exhaled heavily, trying to let go of the feelings of jealousy she harbored. He¡¯s not going to see her tomorrow, so he had to give it to her tonight. He¡¯s totally not doing it tonight because it¡¯s Christmas Eve, right? Right? She smiled as she watched Ranko carefully pack her gift back in its box. There¡¯s no way she sees what he¡¯s doing. She¡¯s too damn trusting and naive. Silly girl.


    ¡°Ranko,¡± she said, stepping out of the shadows. ¡°That was  incredible.¡±


    Smiling excitedly, Ranko wrapped her arms around Akane¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Surprise! Did you like it?¡±


    Akane grinned.  I don¡¯t have anything to worry about. She¡¯s all mine, and she doesn¡¯t want it any other way. ¡°I loved it. Thank you, beautiful.¡± She smirked. ¡°Maybe next time you want to sing me a love song, though, don¡¯t put two other girls on the stage with you?¡±


    Ranko frowned a little. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Did I do something wrong?¡±


    With a laugh, Akane gave her a tight squeeze. ¡°No, baby. I¡¯m just teasing you.¡±

 63. A Christmas to Remember

    Akane smiled warmly from her place on Hana¡¯s loveseat, watching Ranko¡¯s newfound family interact with each other. They¡¯d finished exchanging gifts almost an hour ago, and everyone had gone off to their own conversations. Yui, Aya and Kage were standing over by the dining table, talking about something having to do with motorcycles. Izumi and Kaito stood over the little mechanical swing in the corner, emptying cartridge after cartridge of Polaroid film as they watched their newborn daughter sleep in the creaky little contraption Hana had given them. Mei and Hana were collaborating in the kitchen, preparing to bring out another round of desserts. Ranko sat cross-legged on the floor with Hoshi in the white floral dress Akane picked for her the first day they spent together in her new life, getting a very thorough lesson in superhero lore as Hoshi¡¯s new action figures did battle in the shadow of the Christmas tree.


    In a way, she was sad too; it was her first Christmas away from her own family. Sure, she could have gone home to see her sisters, but as long as her father wouldn¡¯t accept Ranko for who she was, she refused to do so. She would not abandon Ranko, not even for a day, because of her father¡¯s short-sightedness. Plus, she¡¯d never ask Ranko to stomach a Christmas dinner across the table from her own father as she was.


    She¡¯d never have imagined, two years ago, that it could be the last Christmas they all would spend together. She remembered that her father had partaken of a little too much holiday cheer, and was asking for some music. Akane, being ever the dutiful daughter, took it upon herself to throw a glass of water at the sullen boy sitting in the corner of the dining room by himself, grab the feminine form he changed into by her pigtail and drag her into her bedroom, where she stuffed the poor girl into a red dress to match the one Akane wore. The girl she¡¯d known then as Ranma sang with her and her sisters that night, and while there was no doubt she had an incredible voice, she hated every second of it, and it showed. It was almost impossible to believe now that she¡¯d chosen that once-dour person over her own father, and how thoroughly that angry redheaded girl had since embraced her new form and her vocal art. And yet, despite how everything felt completely upside-down, it also had never felt so right.


    Even though she wasn¡¯t interacting with anyone, though, she didn¡¯t feel left out. She watched as the lights on the tree slowly twinkled in and out, lost in her thoughts. This must have been what it had felt like for Ranko, once, when she first met her new family and decided to leave her old life behind. When she decided that this place, with these people, was where she belonged, and decided to trust that even though she felt a little like an outsider in their midst, it wouldn¡¯t last forever. That, in time, she would be as much a part of them as they were to each other.


    She and Ranko had been through so much these past few months, and there had been some touch-and-go times, but every time, they¡¯d found a way to work through it, to get stronger together, and solve whatever their problems were as a team. They¡¯d supported each other, loved each other, and kept each other honest, and it felt good. It felt warm, and safe, and right.


    It was time.


    Exhaling nervously, Akane stood and strode the few steps to the front of the tree, stepping carefully around the box containing the small television Hana had bought the pair for their apartment. The half-meter-long white stuffed unicorn Mei had given Ranko ¨C and that Ranko had yet to name, to Akane¡¯s great consternation ¨C rested atop it, its neck limply cocked to the side as if it were staring at the redheaded girl on the floor in disappointment for neglecting her sacred duty. She peered over to where Ranko sat on the floor with Hoshi. ¡°Ran-chan? Could you c¡¯mere a second?¡±


    Blushing, Ranko stood from her seat on the floor, dusting off her backside and taking the two steps to approach her. ¡°Sure, Akane. What¡¯s up?¡± Ranko leaned into her, giving her a little peck on the cheek.


    Akane blushed. ¡°I, um¡­ I have something for you. Ya know, for Christmas.¡±


    Ranko tittered a bit. ¡°You know we finished presents already, right? Were you still asleep over there?¡± She poked Akane¡¯s nose gently. After Ranko¡¯s gift of song, they had gone home and had a long night indeed, though Akane suspected Ranko was by far the more exhausted of the pair.


    ¡°No, I just¡­¡± Akane sighed. I wasn¡¯t sure I was gonna go through with it. ¡°Ranko, I¡­ it¡¯s like this, I¡­¡±


    The redhead slipped her left hand into Akane¡¯s right with a little giggle. ¡°Hey. Relax. Why do you look so nervous? Is everything okay?¡±


    Hana reached over, taking Mei¡¯s hand with her left hand and Ayako¡¯s with her right. Maybe Ranko couldn¡¯t put it all together yet, but the elder women in the room were no fools. Izumi watched over her shoulder, catching the swing with her hand to silence its movement but rocking the device manually with her arm to keep Mioko quiet and not disrupt the pair. Hoshi looked up from the floor curiously, seeming to lose a little interest in the exploits of Spider-man for the moment.


    Akane could not find words as she reached into her pocket with her left hand, pulling something small out of it. Her right hand turned Ranko¡¯s wrist until her palm was upturned, and she gently placed a small, unwrapped, four-centimeter-cubed blue velvet box into her hand.


    Ranko blinked. It looked familiar. Too familiar. ¡°Akane? What¡¯s¡­¡±


    Ranko pulled the box closer to herself and opened the hinged lid with a little creak. Inside, she found a silver ring with a thin coiled line etched around it, an infinitesimal sapphire mounted at its center flanked by four diamond chips.


    ¡°You¡­ you found it.¡± Ranko frowned a little.


    Akane nodded. ¡°The night of Sneak.¡±


    Ranko cringed. That hadn¡¯t exactly been the best night of their relationship. She¡¯d never known just how close they came to splitting up that night, and how effectively the little box she¡¯d hidden in the back of her underwear drawer had made Akane a promise that, at the time, Ranko herself could not find the words to say. It had saved them.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°You¡¯ve known all this time?¡±


    Akane just nodded, blushing a bit.


    ¡°But¡­ I bought this for you. Why are you¡­ Akane, I don¡¯t understand. You¡¯re scaring me.¡± Ranko looked desperately worried. Was Akane giving her back the gift she¡¯d never been given? Did finding it upset her? Did the fact that she hadn¡¯t ever found the courage to give it to Akane hurt her too much? Was she breaking up with her? Now? On Christmas?!


    ¡°No you didn¡¯t.¡± Akane smiled, reaching into the other pocket of her forest-green jeans and pulling out another blue velvet box, popping it open with one hand to reveal an identical ring. ¡°You bought this one.¡±


    Ranko blinked. ¡°Akane, I don¡¯t understand. What is¡­¡±


    Akane reached out, tucking a stray tuft of holly-red hair behind Ranko¡¯s ear with a loving gaze. ¡°Gods, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so clumsy at this.¡±


    Her face very nearly matched Ranko¡¯s hair, especially as she began to feel the eyes of Ranko¡¯s entire family falling upon her. ¡°Ranko, I¡­¡± She sighed quietly. ¡°I¡¯m gonna love you forever, you know that? I¡¯ve never felt safer or more at home than I do in your arms, and I don¡¯t ever want to leave them again. I don¡¯t know what we¡¯re supposed to call it, and I don¡¯t know what happens next, given everything, but¡­ I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you¡¯ll let me.¡±


    Ranko stood dumbfounded in front of the Christmas tree, limply holding the jewelry box in her hand. She was relatively certain words were being said. She might have even had some to respond with, once. But here? Now? She could only stand in silence for a moment and wait for the pieces of her shattered world to reorganize themselves into a new and more beautiful configuration.


    Gently plucking the box from Ranko¡¯s hand, Akane withdrew the tiny silver ring. It matched perfectly with the silver dragon coiled around Ranko¡¯s left wrist, all the way down to the sapphire. Ranko hadn¡¯t been conscious of it when she¡¯d chosen the original ring; she just had very limited experience with jewelry. Plus, it had been all she could afford at the time.


    The redhead watched in slow motion as Akane took her left hand, gently sliding the ring onto Ranko¡¯s third finger. Akane mouthed a silent prayer of thanks to the gods that it fit her properly; getting an accurate ring size on a girl who didn¡¯t wear jewelry, and doing it as a surprise, was a pretty challenging affair. In the end, Akane had brought the purple gloves from Ranko¡¯s Halloween costume to the jewelry store for an approximation.


    Ranko finally found words. They weren¡¯t the ones she wanted, but they were something. ¡°Akane? A... are you asking me what I think¡­¡±


    Hana wiped a tear from her eye. This was everything she¡¯d ever hoped for her youngest daughter.


    Akane nodded, smiling. A tear ran down her cheek, too, but she had no free hand to wipe it away, as she now held both of Ranko¡¯s hands in her own.


    ¡°Yeah, silly girl. I guess I am. What do you say? You wanna be my wife?¡±


    She giggled nervously at the absurdity of what she¡¯d just said and who she¡¯d just said it to, and yet, although it was crazy and impossible and wrong by most standards, it was also the most sane and solid and right thing she¡¯d ever felt in her life.


    Ranko sighed, her shoulders sagging. ¡°More than anything, Akane. But you know we can¡¯t.¡± She hadn¡¯t thought about the ring she¡¯d bought for almost two months. She¡¯d bought it as a way to soften the blow when she asked Akane to reveal their relationship, and once that happened, common sense had gotten the better of her. She knew there was no practical way to do what she would have asked Akane to do, and she¡¯d spent the last few months feeling foolish for having ever pretended it was possible.


    Unable to sit idly by as Ranko¡¯s fears derailed the moment, Yui scoffed, setting down her plate and taking a few steps out of the corner by the dining table. ¡°Says who?¡±


    The redhead turned to her older sister, frowning sadly. ¡°The government of Japan, for one?¡±


    Izumi smiled sweetly, still bouncing her newborn daughter in her swing gently. ¡°Ranko, honey, consider something. When Kaito and I got married, we signed a piece of paper and mailed it off to the government office. That took about two minutes. And sure, that made our marriage legally binding. But it was everything else - the vows, the rings, and the feelings, that made it a true commitment. And nobody can stop you from having any of that.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± Yui said, sitting on the spot on the loveseat Akane vacated. ¡°Where¡¯s the legal document that says you and me are sisters? There isn¡¯t one, anywhere. But gods help anybody who tries to tell me we¡¯re not. Family is about what you decide it is, kiddo.¡±


    Putting his arm around his wife¡¯s waist with a grin, Ayako¡¯s husband Kage smiled warmly. ¡°Exactly. A marriage isn¡¯t a paper. It¡¯s a promise.¡±


    Her face a shade redder than her hair, Ranko turned her eyes back up to Akane¡¯s. ¡°Well, that, I think I could do.¡±


    Blinking, Akane squeezed Ranko¡¯s hands. ¡°Baby, are you saying¡­¡±


    For a second, Ranko hesitated. She thought about the meaning of the word she was about to say. What it meant for her, and for Akane. Would Akane use the same word for herself or something different? Would this hurt them later? Would Akane¡¯s family tolerate it? What if Ranko¡¯s biological parents ever found out? Did either of them even care anymore?


    Most importantly, could she do this? Could the man among men that was once Ranma Saotome find a way to be¡­ a blushing bride? No. He could not. Not ever. He couldn¡¯t even consider it.


    Luckily for Ranko and Akane both, Ranma Saotome was long dead.


    Ranko leaned forward, pulling Akane¡¯s hands out of the way with her own before wrapping her arms around the taller girl¡¯s neck and interrupting her sentence with a kiss on the lips.


    ¡°Akane, I¡¯m saying I would love to be your wife.¡±


    ~~~ END BOOK SIX ~~~

 64. The One I Belong To

    Phoenix Ascendant


    Book VII: Swoop


    ¡°Repeat: I would like to schedule an appointment.¡±


    Ranko joined her classmates in reciting the English phrase. She always hated this part of class; learning somebody else¡¯s sentences didn¡¯t really seem to help much when she was there to learn how to make her own.


    That said, everyone was a little out of the routine after the holiday break, and perhaps it was a good thing that the first period of the day was starting off a little slow and easy.


    ¡°Good!¡± Miss Tanaka smiled. ¡°Repeat: How do I get to the library?¡±


    Ranko sighed, hollowly asking the ridiculous question alongside twenty of her classmates. She looked off to the desk at her right in the back row of the room sadly. Kumiko hadn¡¯t said a word to her all day. She really missed her friend, but things had been awkward with her for months. Ranko knew she hadn¡¯t been spending time with Kumi of late, but beyond that, she was relatively certain there was an element of good-old-fashioned jealousy at play.


    ¡°Repeat: What time does the show start?¡±


    Ranko rolled her eyes, not even participating this time. She just looked down at her hands,


    trying to make sense of everything. Lately, that made her smile more than just about anything else. She turned her left hand a bit, letting the light catch the silver band and the tiny little diamond chips. It hadn¡¯t been off of her hand other than in the shower since Christmas morning, and its twin had stayed on Akane¡¯s finger just as constantly. I¡¯m yours, Akane. Always. Any time I doubt it, all I have to do is look down.


    Of course, it had taken Izumi about twelve-point-six seconds to declare herself as her youngest sister¡¯s personal wedding planner. Ranko hadn¡¯t had the heart to tell her that her wedding, if they even did such a thing, would not likely be anything like Izumi¡¯s own had been. For one, there weren¡¯t really traditions for how to handle everything when there were two brides, no grooms and no official proceedings.


    She thought back to one of her earliest shopping trips with her sisters, where Izumi had told her what to expect when Ranko was the one trying on wedding dresses. How Ranko had laughed the idea off as impossible at the time. But now? She couldn¡¯t begin to fathom herself in some of the gowns she¡¯d seen in magazines and pictures, but then again, a lot of the last few months had been firmly in the I couldn¡¯t fathom it until it happened category. She doubted she¡¯d get away with a white satin tee shirt and comfortable pants, with some sensible shoes, as an option. But for Akane? She¡¯d wear anything. Say anything. As long as when the day ended, she knew that she was Akane¡¯s and Akane was hers, there was no hassle and no humiliation too great to bear.


    She and Akane hadn¡¯t discussed what they¡¯d want in a wedding much. As much as Ranko¡¯s sisters and Hana had presented the idea as essentially a normal wedding without the paperwork, neither girl had been sure that was what they wanted. Would they both be in wedding dresses? Who would they get to officiate, if an official wasn¡¯t needed or especially wanted? Would Akane¡¯s father even show up? Would Ranko¡¯s? Would the whole thing have to happen in secret? A big outdoor affair with flowers and cake and all the trimmings, or a fifteen-minute I do on the little stage at the Phoenix before one of Ranko¡¯s shows? There was way too much to figure out, and none of the usual rules applied to give them a head start.


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    Ranko had floated the idea, privately to Akane of course, that she could brave the kettle and suffer through the pain for a day to give Akane the opportunity to marry a man, but Akane would have none of it. The only value to it was legality, and legally, Ranma Saotome and Ranko Tendo were not the same people anyway. Beyond that, Akane didn¡¯t fall in love with the boy that was Ranma, but the woman that was Ranko, and that was who she wanted to marry regardless of any other awkwardness. And, there was of course the whole screaming in agony bit that Akane was keen to let her lover avoid as well.


    Even if they never got past this point, it was okay. Even if there never was a wedding, and it was just the two of them knowing they belonged with and to each other forever, that was enough for Ranko. Sure, it wasn¡¯t what normal, one-boy-one-girl couples had, but her relationship with Akane and the road they had taken to get there was anything but normal. And yet, however weird and wacky it had been, however many Chinese curses and ancient witches and arranged marriages and lucky encounters it had taken to get there, nothing could have felt more natural and right. By whatever combination of magic, music and mayhem it had taken, Ranko was exactly where she belonged now, and the twin silver bands on her and Akane¡¯s hands were all the proof of it she¡¯d ever need.


    Her daydreaming was briefly interrupted by the sound of her name coming from one of her female classmates in the row in front of her. ¡°Omigods, Ranko, is that a promise ring?!¡±


    Ranko blushed, nodding with a happy smile. ¡°Yeah,¡± she said dreamily, her heart soaring with the thought of it all.


    ¡°Repeat: What is the price of the¡­¡± Ms. Tanaka sighed as nearly the whole class swarmed Ranko¡¯s desk, ignoring her lesson entirely. ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    Questions came flying in from every direction faster than Ranko could even process them.


    ¡°When did it happen?¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡±


    ¡°Was his family there?¡±


    ¡°Was it on Christmas?¡±


    ¡°Did you tell your family yet?¡±


    ¡°Was it romantic?¡±


    ¡°When is the wedding?¡±


    ¡°Have you picked your bridesmaids yet?¡±


    ¡°Did he get down on one knee?¡±


    So overwhelmed was she with the clamor that it took Ranko just a moment too long to realize that her classmates were talking about a boy.


    Oh, fuck, she thought to herself with a soul-crushing realization. They still think I¡¯m with Eiji. They think this is¡­ that I am¡­ that we are¡­ oh my gods, what am I gonna do?


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like that, it¡¯s, well, um, uh¡­ guys, seriously, it¡¯s no big¡­ yeah¡­¡± Ranko stammered, but she couldn¡¯t piece together a cover story fast enough to stem the torrent of excited questions. With every passing second, Ranko felt the room spin a little more.


    ¡°You should get married at halftime of a basketball game so we can all be there!¡±


    ¡°The star player and the cheerleader, how perfect!¡±


    ¡°All hail, Yusue High¡¯s got a new queen!¡±


    Ranko stood slowly from her desk, backing away from the throng of girls. ¡°I¡­¡± She looked up at the teacher for any sort of help, panic in her eyes. Make them stop. Please. Start teaching. Dismiss us. Light the trash can on fire. Something. Anything. Please.


    ¡°M¡­ may I be excused?¡±


    Ranko grabbed her bag and ran out the door without waiting for the teacher¡¯s response. She covered her face with her hand, and her cheeks had almost a green pallor about her as if she was going to be sick.


    A brunette in the front row leaned over to her best friend with a snicker as Ranko brushed past. ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s safe to say we know why he proposed so fast¡­¡±

 65. Whispers

    Ranko steeled herself, looking at the door leading from her home skills classroom out into the hallway. Everyone else in her class had already left the room, but she still found herself searching for the courage to walk the halls. Mr. Iwato¡¯s fifth period science class was on the other end of the campus, so it was a pretty long walk. Most days, that wasn¡¯t a big deal at all.


    This wasn¡¯t most days.


    She took a deep breath, turned the doorknob, and pulled, stepping into the hall.


    ¡°Did you hear? Ranko and Eiji got engaged!¡±


    ¡°Her parents probably set the whole thing up.


    Eiji¡¯s family¡¯s pretty well off.¡±


    ¡°I bet it was on Christmas Eve. How romantic¡­¡±


    ¡°There she is! Shut up, shut up, she¡¯s coming!¡±


    ¡°Housa said she ran out of first period


    because she was getting sick.


    That can only mean one thing.¡±


    ¡°So soon. She really moved fast.


    After how hard we all tried.


    Wonder what she did to him?¡±


    ¡°The ring is tiny. I would have said no.¡±


    ¡°Whatever it was, can she do it to me next?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! Who are we all


    going to crush on now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, No doubt about it. There¡¯s no other


    explanation. She got pregnant.¡±


    ¡°I mean, she¡¯s half his height.


    That puts it, like, right in her face.


    You figure out the rest.¡±


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯s going to take his family name?¡±


    ¡°Fuck, do you think she heard me?¡±


    ¡°I hope they get married this spring.


    Spring weddings are so pretty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d never even seen her ask a guy out before.


    I kinda thought she might be gay.¡±


    ¡°You think she¡¯ll finish school?


    Or drop out to focus on bridal training?¡±


    ¡°500 yen says the baby¡¯s gonna be a girl.


    Any takers?¡±


    ¡°No way, man. She¡¯s too hot to be gay.


    The gods aren¡¯t that cruel.¡±


    ¡°You think she¡¯ll keep doing cheerleading?


    Now that she caught a stud, I mean?¡±


    ¡°I bet Ranko and Eiji¡¯s sister Fumiko are


    totally gonna be besties.¡±


    ¡°What a slut. They¡¯ve only been


    together what, two months?¡±


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    ¡°No chance. By the start of baseball season, she¡¯ll


    be what, six, seven months along? She couldn¡¯t


    possibly do stunts like that.¡±


    ¡°I heard she works in a bar. I bet she got him drunk.¡±


    ¡°Think she¡¯ll keep it?¡±


    ¡°Or maybe he got her drunk?


    Somebody was definitely drunk.¡±


    ¡°What if it¡¯s not even his? With girls like that,


    you never can tell.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to buy her lunch every day this week.


    Maybe she¡¯ll name the baby after me. You think?¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ cheerleaders, taking all the hot guys.


    Save some for us!¡±


    ¡°Man, this sucks. I was gonna ask


    her out next week. She¡¯s totally into me.¡±


    ¡°I saw them fighting in the cafeteria before break.


    I bet she got knocked up just to force


    him not to dump her.¡±


    ¡°You think they¡¯ll do a western style wedding?


    I bet Ranko could really rock a kimono.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no question. He barely even spoke to her most days.


    Guess her brain wasn''t really what he wanted, huh?¡±


    ¡°Do you think she cried?


    Do you think he did?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I doubt it. But that ass? That''s worth the headache."


    ¡°Do you think her parents know?


    Does she even have parents?


    They didn¡¯t come to parents¡¯ night.


    Maybe they were just embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°Do you know if she has a sister?¡±


    ¡°Typical. The jock and the ditzy, stuck-up bitch.


    Had to see this coming.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so much bigger than her.


    How does that even work?


    She¡¯s lucky it didn¡¯t come out her mouth.¡±


    ¡°So much for a singing career.


    No way she can tour with a baby.¡±


    ¡°Who knows, maybe it did!¡±


    ¡°It happened on Christmas?


    I guess Santa really did bring Eiji a ho, ho, ho.¡±


    ¡°I guess she made something Rise¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you she was easy.


    I slept with her twice before the school year started.


    Now do you believe me?¡±


    ¡°I mean, of course he moved fast to put a ring on her.


    Have you not seen her in her cheerleading uniform, man?¡±


    ¡°Fucking whore.¡±


    ¡°Eiji¡¯s so lucky. Those cookies she made in


    home skills last week? Oh my gods.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair! Eiji and I were going


    to be together any day, I was sure of it.


    But then some new girl with perfect


    tits shows up and¡­ eugh!¡±


    ¡°Figures. Spreads her legs and she gets


    whatever she wants.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s her cooking


    he¡¯s interested in.¡±


    ¡°The cheerleading squad is so screwed.


    She¡¯ll be trying to do flips and


    puking everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, how little must a girl


    respect herself to let a guy do that to


    her so soon in a relationship?¡±


    ¡°...tramp¡­¡±


    ¡°... slut ¡­¡±


    ¡°... gold-digger ¡­¡±


    ¡°... knocked-up¡­¡±


    ¡°... easy ¡­¡±


    ¡°... whore ¡­¡±


    ¡°... her life is over¡­¡±


    Ranko slammed and locked the door of the ladies¡¯ bathroom, slumping her back against it to shut the world out and sliding down until her backside reached the floor. She crammed her fingers in her ears and began to sob. She hadn¡¯t even made it halfway to Mr. Iwata¡¯s classroom yet.

 66. Unringing the Bell

    ¡°Fucking fix this, Kanda!¡±


    Ranko stalked furiously in a circle at center court of the otherwise empty gymnasium, glaring at the boy that the whole school thought was her fiance and - she wanted to puke just thinking about it - the father of her baby?


    ¡°Fix it?!¡± Eiji roared in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m not the idiot that showed up wearing an engagement ring you didn¡¯t bother to tell me about so we could get our stories straight!¡±


    Ranko sighed heavily. Yeah, I hate to admit it, but he¡¯s right. That was kinda stupid.


    ¡°Well, what the hell are we gonna do? Because, I don¡¯t know if you were planning on asking, but I¡¯m not exactly in a hurry to pop out your kid to keep up your little sham.¡± Ranko seriously needed to pace closer to a trash can, because the thought of being with him that way ¨C the countless graphic details of which were not remotely left to the imagination by the constant whispering on her periphery all day ¨C was turning her stomach again.  The last thing she needed was more people thinking her disgust was proof that she had ¡­ urk, there it was again.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Eiji said, slumping onto the lowermost bleacher of the gymnasium.


    ¡°I think we have a big fight in the cafeteria and break up. In front of everybody. Tomorrow. Shut them all up and go our separate ways and pretend this whole shitty plan never happened.¡± Ranko held her head in her hands. How could she have been so stupid? And right after she¡¯d promised to be more open about things with Akane, too. If she finds out about this¡­ If she thinks for a second that this was real¡­ she and I are done. She won¡¯t stand for it. I promised her after Crash I would never make her worry like this again, and I doubt she¡¯ll care that I did it for her.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Eiji scoffed. ¡°And I suppose you¡¯ll be giving me back your engagement ring, then?¡±


    Ranko gulped. There was no way she would part with that ring. That was proof she was Akane¡¯s. It was all she¡¯d wanted from the start. She could never. But she¡¯d been lulled into saying it was proof she belonged to Eiji. She supposed she could stop wearing it, but then¡­ she wouldn¡¯t be wearing it, and she had promised Akane she always would. And she always wanted to. There were a hundred times a day where she had to look at it and remind herself that it was real, that it wasn¡¯t a dream she would wake up from to find herself a miserable boy back in Nerima getting her head smashed in with the living room furniture by the woman she loved again.


    ¡°I could offer it and you could tell me to keep it. When we¡¯re fighting.¡± Ranko wrapped her hand around her finger, as if she worried Eiji would snatch it off of her finger right then and throw it away.


    ¡°Even if you did, it doesn¡¯t fix things. First, they¡¯ll still think you¡¯re pregnant. Second, it¡¯ll just mean a flood of suitors for us both. Worse than before, because everyone will know we¡¯re both single.¡± Eiji shrugged, rolling a basketball around on the floor with his foot.


    ¡°I am not single!¡± I will never be single again. I belong to Akane and she belongs to me and we are getting married and it¡¯s probably going to be her, me, my sisters and mama in the bar fifteen minutes before we open and Yui will have a beer in her hand the whole time and it won¡¯t be legal and it¡¯ll be weird and I don¡¯t give a single, solitary fuck because I belong to Akane and she belongs to me and nobody can take that away from me not ever. Her mind raced, and she held her head in her hands as she paced.


    ¡°You know that. I know that. Do you want them to know that?¡± Eiji sighed. ¡°I know I don¡¯t.¡±


    Ranko groaned loudly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I care anymore! For months now I¡¯ve been putting up with this bullshit, and you¡¯ve made me follow you around like a puppy dog while you showed me off to all your friends like I was a prize you won at the fucking arcade. I think you said maybe twenty words to me the whole time. I¡¯m sick to death of it, Eiji. If I really was your girlfriend, I¡¯d have dumped your ass weeks ago!¡±


    The basketballer nodded, lolling his head back in exasperation to stare at the ceiling. ¡°In retrospect, it might have been better if you had.¡±


    ¡°And even if we do break up, what am I supposed to do about the fact that you supposedly got me preg¡­ mm-mm, nope, can¡¯t say it.¡± Ranko swallowed hard, tasting bile at just the thought of the word.


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    Eiji sighed, shaking his head. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be as hard because you didn¡¯t confirm it. Girls have scares like that all the time. Fumi¡¯s had like four since she started college. Just, wait a week or two and then go in the bathroom and ask a few of the more popular girls if you can borrow some feminine¡­ stuff. That¡¯ll kill the rumor.¡±


    ¡°Um, ew? What good will that do, ya sicko?¡± Ranko still hadn¡¯t quite come to terms with the fact that her body now behaved more or less like those of other women, and the fact that it made her vulnerable to exactly what her classmates had thought had happened to her was in no way lost upon her at the moment.


    She¡¯s too stressed to even think. ¡°Well, I should think it would be obvious,¡± Eiji said. ¡°When you¡¯re pregnant, your body usually doesn¡¯t do¡­ that. So if you let people think you¡¯ve got that going on, they¡¯ll know you¡¯re not.¡±


    Huh, Ranko thought. Learn something new every day.


    ¡°Hey, Ranko? I know this didn¡¯t work out, and I¡¯m really sorry. I know it¡¯s gonna be hard for a while. I just want to say, I appreciate it. It really means a lot to me that you did this.¡±


    Ranko glowered. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m happy you¡¯re happy. Now, where¡¯s my payment? You¡¯ve been saying you could get Akane back on the volleyball team since October. It¡¯s January. She¡¯s not. What gives, dude?¡±


    Eiji grimaced harshly. He already knew she wasn¡¯t going to like what he had to say, and that was before all hell broke loose this morning epicentered on Ranko¡¯s English class. ¡°Um, well, about that¡­¡±


    ¡°Kanda, I know you¡¯re not about to tell me that you ruined my life with this bullshit scheme of yours and you can¡¯t even come through on your promise and get Akane reinstated on the team. I know you won¡¯t do something like that, because you¡¯re a good, sweet and decent guy who is really, really happy with the current configuration of his testicles.¡± Ranko fumed, glaring at him darkly.


    Eiji looked down. ¡°Ranko, I don¡¯t know how to tell you this, but I can¡¯t undo your girlfriend getting kicked off the squad, because she never was.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious with this right now?! You mean to tell me that I¡¯m supposed to believe that the love of my life has been moping around pretending to be off the team for months when secretly she¡¯s still on it? Are you high? And you¡¯re screwing with me about this now?!¡±


    Ranko cocked her fist, but Eiji covered his face with her hands. ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa!¡± He sighed. ¡°I spoke to Fumi over break about it. And yeah, after the team found out about you and her, she left the team. But Ranko¡­ she quit.¡±


    Blinking, Ranko pulled her fist back. ¡°Come again?!¡± She looked up at him incredulously.


    With a nod, Eiji stood. Yes, Ranko was his soon-to-be-ex-fake-fiance, but she really looked like she could use a hug. He felt it safer not to approach for one while she still had her triphammer fist cocked in his direction.


    ¡°Fumi said the team discussed it, and they gave her two conditions to stay on the team, and she refused and walked out.¡± Eiji shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s mind raced. Akane lied to her? All this time? Ranko thought back to the conversations, all the nights Akane had spent broken-hearted about it. ¡°I¡¯m not on the team anymore.¡± she¡¯d say. ¡°It wasn¡¯t going to work out,¡± or ¡°it¡¯s for the best,¡± sure. But Ranko could not remember a time that she actually said ¡°they kicked me off the team for being a lesbian.¡± Ranko had just assumed.


    It had all been for nothing. Months without Kumiko. Months of constant fear Akane would find out. Months of being paraded around by a guy with the personality of a wet dish rag. Months of being eye candy for basically every jock in the school. For nothing.


    ¡°It¡­ it¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s just end this tomorrow and we¡¯ll move on from there.¡± She sighed dejectedly. ¡°Thanks for trying, I guess.¡±


    Eiji nodded, putting his hand gently on her shoulder. ¡°I gave my word. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t help.¡±


    Ranko nodded, turning and starting to walk toward the door. When she reached the outer boundary of the court, she turned back to face Eiji.


    ¡°Hey, Eiji? Did Fumiko happen to tell you what the conditions they gave her were?¡± Ranko dreaded imagining what sorts of humiliating things they tried to threaten Akane with to make her walk away from something she loved so much. Her voice was barely a dejected whimper. What kinds of things would those bigots have come up with? Iron chastity belts and shit, with as medieval as their thinking was?


    Eiji winced. I¡¯ll tell you, but you¡¯re gonna wish I didn¡¯t. ¡°The first was that she shower and change separately from the other girls. That one, she agreed to.¡±


    Ranko grimaced, putting her hands on her hips. And the other was more degrading than that somehow? ¡°Yeah, and the one she didn¡¯t?¡±


    Eiji sighed, looking down at his hands to avoid having to see the expression on her face. ¡°They told her you couldn¡¯t come to the games anymore.¡±

 67. Strings

    ¡°Hey, you with me over there?¡± Crash tapped Ranko on the shoulder, pulling her thoughts back into the present as she sat on a stool in the empty barroom with her lead guitarist and best friend.


    Ranko looked up, nodding gently. She still wore her school uniform, though after the day she¡¯d had, she wished she could burn it. ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡±


    Sighing, Crash straddled the stool next to her at the bar. ¡°Anything you wanna talk about?¡±


    Not especially, Ranko thought darkly. Everybody else is doing plenty of talking about it. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Just had a really shitty day at school.¡±


    The young man nodded, reaching over the bar and helping himself to a bottled beer from the well. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t miss that shit. Nothing but backbiting, vain, full-of-themselves jerks that don¡¯t realize that for 90 percent of them, what they¡¯re doing now in their little cliques is the most exciting thing they¡¯ll ever do in their lives.¡± He spoke distantly, as if he had some bitterness of his own stashed away somewhere. ¡°So, when somebody gives you a hard time, you just remember that a couple years from now, you¡¯re going to be selling out stadiums, and they¡¯re going to be cleaning the bathrooms in ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think so, Crash?¡± She turned on her stool to face him. ¡°Are we that good, really? Or do we just beat listening to some fifty-year-old accountant butchering Madonna in here?¡± After the day she¡¯d had, she doubted just about everything.


    The blonde man took a long draught of his beer, looking her over. ¡°That depends. Do you want the truth? Or do you want to sit there and sulk?¡±


    Ranko shook her head with a sigh. ¡°The way you said that makes me think I don¡¯t want the truth, but go ahead and give it to me anyway.¡±


    ¡°Before you joined the band, when me and the guys were at Takao¡¯s before you got there, you know what we dreamed about? That, if we practiced really hard, maybe one day we would be good enough to get a gig where we could consistently play in a bar a couple nights a week. That was our ceiling.¡± He motioned with his hand up to the empty stage. ¡°That was what we thought would happen if the stars aligned just right, in a few years, maybe.¡±


    Crash set his beer down on the counter with a smile. ¡°And then, we met you. And all of a sudden, we¡¯ve got a record deal, and we¡¯re making videos and shit. Would you believe my little brother came home last night in a tee shirt with my face on it? That he bought, like, in the mall? Like, how the fuck does that happen to some half-drunk college dropout?¡± He picked the brown glass bottle up again, tilting its neck toward her. ¡°You made that happen, Ranko. That¡¯s the effect you have. Us guys in the band, we¡¯re okay. We¡¯re good enough for a dive bar. But with you? I¡¯m making room on my shelf for a Japan Record Award.¡±


    Ranko blushed, shaking her head. ¡°Oh, come on, now you¡¯re just blowing smoke up my skirt. There¡¯s no way I can do that.¡±


    Crash reached out, resting his hand on the back of hers, setting her face aflame. ¡°Ranko, I¡¯ve been around music my whole life. My dad was a guitarist in a band. My uncle played saxophone. I¡¯ve been in clubs since I could walk. And I¡¯m telling you, yes, you can. I¡¯ve seen countless two-bit hacks with no talent who thought they were superstars. I¡¯ve never known a superstar who thought they were a two-bit hack, until I met you. You¡¯re the real deal, girl. I believe in you. The guys believe in you, and so do your sisters, and everybody who comes into this bar.¡± He took his hand back, glowering jealously at the silver band around the third finger of the hand he uncovered. ¡°Akane does, too. We all do, except you.¡±


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    He slid off of his stool, offering his hand to her to help her get down from hers in her school dress. ¡°C¡¯mere.¡±


    Ranko took his hand, her face flushing as she lowered herself to her feet, and was led to the edge of the stage. Crash walked to the little curtained-off area in the back where their instruments were stored, producing the acoustic guitar he¡¯d bought Ranko for Christmas, and bringing it to her.


    ¡°You¡¯re an amazing singer. You¡¯re an amazing songwriter. Now, let¡¯s make you a musician.¡± Crash sat on her right as Ranko, still blushing nervously, strapped the guitar over her arm. He adjusted it, taking hold of her left hand and placing it on the frets of the guitar and positioning her fingers. ¡°Okay, now press down there. Take your other hand¡­¡± He snapped his fingers, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small plastic triangle. ¡°I forgot. You¡¯re a girl. Gotta protect those nails. Hold this.¡±


    Ranko took the pick, looking at it as if it were going to somehow transform into a spaceship.


    ¡°Okay, now, while you¡¯re holding the string down right here, stick your pick under the same string and flick it. The harder you flick it, the louder and fuller the sound. Make sure you keep the fingers on your left hand as flat on the strings as you can, so you don¡¯t catch your nails. If you start to play a lot, you¡¯ll probably wanna keep them a little short.¡±


    Ranko tried once, a flat sound not unlike a goose having a stroke croaking from her instrument. She frowned intensely.


    ¡°Hey, hey, it¡¯s no big deal, you just weren¡¯t holding this one tight enough. Here, try now.¡±


    Again, Ranko pulled the pick under the nickel cord, and a satisfying brrrrring vibrated through the hollow body of the guitar. ¡°Holy shit, Crash, I played a note!¡±


    ¡°You sure did! Try it again?¡± Crash grinned as she strummed the string, and again, the note sprung to life clear and full.


    ¡°Great job. Now, try this string here? And move this hand in just a little bit¡­ There ya go. Try that.¡±


    She pulled the pick across the newly-selected string, and the instrument emitted a higher-pitched note.


    ¡°Yes! Now go back to the first one?¡±


    Ranko played the note without any help placing her hands.


    ¡°Great! Again?¡±


    Ranko giggled as the notes flowed ¨C all two of them she knew, but she¡¯d take it. She needed this after the day she¡¯d had.


    ¡°Okay, now this one.¡± Crash moved her fingers to another string, looking down a bit. Everything in him wanted to put his arm around her, but he knew he shouldn¡¯t. ¡°Hit it?¡±


    Ranko plucked the string and a note somewhere between the first two pitches sprang forth.


    ¡°And now back to the first one more time?¡± He smiled proudly as she did as she was instructed.


    ¡°Okay, do you remember the sequence? The first one twice, then the second once, the first one twice again, the third, and then the first again. Try it.¡± Crash watched intently as she slowly, with almost a full second between each note, completed the sequence of seven notes correctly.


    ¡°I did it!¡± Ranko giggled, her eyes wide.


    ¡°Do you recognize it?¡± Crash grinned, letting it come to her.


    Ranko thought for a moment, idly plucking the first string a few times, letting her mind search for the rhythm she¡¯d played. She suddenly gasped in recognition, again playing the sequence of notes haltingly on the cheap little guitar, but this time singing along with each one with a tenuous timbre in her voice.


    ¡°Call¡­ me¡­ Pan¡­ do¡­ ra¡­ to¡­ night¡­¡±


    Crash clasped his hand around her shoulder. ¡°Yes! You got it, girl!¡±


    Ranko squealed with delight, swiveling on her backside and reaching over the guitar, pulling Crash into a tight hug. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this! I¡¯m playing music, Crash!¡±


    Crash hesitated a bit before putting his arms around her as well, sighing. ¡°You sure are! I¡¯m proud of you.¡± He released her and stood, taking a few steps away from the stage. ¡°I¡­ I should go. You keep practicing.¡±


    ¡°But we just got started.¡± Ranko sighed.


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry. I just¡­ I just remembered, I gotta¡­ do a thing.¡±


    Without waiting for her reply, Crash turned on his heel and pushed his way through the glass door and out onto the sidewalk.

 68. Disengagement

    Ranko took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as she looked over the teeming masses gathered in the school cafeteria. She wasn¡¯t sure how she was going to do what needed to happen next, but another three hours¡¯ worth of hearing the rumors and the whispers around every corner had given her a reservoir of anger she could use for the scene she had to play.


    What she was doing had to be loud, and visible. It had to be undeniable. She was only going to get one shot at it.


    Smoothing out the skirt of her cheerleading uniform - not that there was all that much of it to wrinkle - she clenched both her fists until her fuschia-lacquered fingernails bit into her palms, letting the pain of it build up in her. Use it.


    Growling under her breath, Ranko stormed out into the main cafeteria, stalking her way to the table near the center where the basketball team congregated. ¡°Eiji Kanda, I cannot believe you!¡±


    Heads started to turn from every direction to see what the commotion was about. For the first time in two days, it was what Ranko wanted.


    Eiji stood up, holding up his palms. ¡°Whoa, easy, Ranko! What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Good boy, play your part, Ranko thought. ¡°We¡¯ve been engaged what, a week?¡±


    Don¡¯t get sick, Ranko. Don¡¯t get sick. It¡¯s all an act. Five more minutes, and it¡¯s all over.


    ¡°I told you I wanted to wait until we were married! But you?! Trying to force me into bed with you already?! You fucking pervert!¡±


    That¡¯s about the worst thing you can call a guy, right, Akane?


    Eiji blinked, stammering as he reeled from her yelling. Nearly every eye in the cafeteria was on Ranko now. This is not what we rehearsed. ¡°Yeah, about that, I, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, honestly, Eiji! Did you seriously think I was going to let you put that tiny little thing in me anyway? Like, dude, come on, now, that¡¯s just sad!¡± A cavalcade of giggles set off around the room.


    ¡°And to top it off, you try to apologize by taking me to some shitty cut-rate sushi restaurant that got me so sick I can barely stand up straight, and then I have to listen to half the school saying you got me pregnant because I¡¯m puking my guts out through my Japanese quiz? And you sit here and laugh it up with your asshole friends while everybody¡¯s calling me a whore and you don¡¯t even stick up for me? Can you name even one person you told the truth to about everything they¡¯re saying about me?!¡± I know I can¡¯t.


    She whipped her head around to his cadre of shell-shocked teammates. ¡°Hey! Hachiro! You¡¯re his best friend. He¡¯s supposed to tell you everything. I bet he even let you think he was¡­¡± She shuddered. ¡°... getting physical with me. Didn¡¯t he?!¡±


    Hachiro could only nod.


    She swallowed hard, willing her breakfast to stay where she¡¯d put it. ¡°Thought so. And then, you didn''t even call to check on me last night?! Let me guess, a princess in one of your dumb video games needed saving, and so you ignored the girl in trouble that you had right here! Do you even care about me at all, or am I just some trophy you can put on your shelf next to all your other conquests?! Do you have any idea how disgusted I am with you right now?!¡± That part, at least, wasn¡¯t an act.


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    A chorus of giggles erupted from the hundreds of students surrounding Ranko. Yeah. Laugh at the boy for a change, bitches. This was all his idea. Besides, Eiji hadn¡¯t figured it out yet, but Ranko was actually trying to do him a favor. If she made him sound undesirable enough as a partner, he could still avoid being pursued as much without having to fake a relationship. And, of course, it was the best way she had been able to figure out to loudly deny the fact that the two had been together physically, and hopefully help bring an end to some of the other vicious rumors that had been floating around.


    Eiji flushed as even the basketball players started to look at him mockingly. Ranko wanted to be glad that, for the first time in their sham of a relationship, some of the shame of it was falling on his shoulders for a change. She¡¯d carried it exclusively for far too long. But, looking at him and watching his popularity recede in real time, she almost pitied him. Almost.


    ¡°Well, I, um¡­ Ranko, I¡­¡±


    Ratcheting back into her enraged voice, Ranko stomped her foot with a growl. ¡°And besides! You made me follow you around like a puppy everywhere, and never even listened to what I had to say. Like, if you want a girl to like you, maybe, I don¡¯t know, let her talk once in a while?! Show some interest in things that are important to her, or at least don¡¯t treat her like an idiot when you¡¯re talking about things she knows about too?¡±


    Eiji¡¯s friends laughed, but she turned on them as well. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t even, guys. You jocks just love having the cheerleaders at every game to jump around in our short skirts and tell you how great you are, but then you talk about your sports constantly and when we try to join the conversation, you treat us like we don¡¯t even understand them. Like, do you think we just sit there and do our hair while the game is going on? It¡¯s a miracle any of you insensitive, dismissive fucks can ever get a date!¡±


    Eiji put up his hand. ¡°But, Ranko, I¡­¡±


    Ranko growled loudly at him. Shut up. My turn. ¡°Eiji Kanda, you are, without a doubt, the worst boyfriend I have ever had!¡± Not that there was especially steep competition.


    ¡°I¡­ I just don¡¯t think this is going to work out!¡± She sighed. This was going to be the hardest part. She reached down, pulling the ring Akane gave her off of her finger and holding it up to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just can¡¯t do this anymore!¡±


    A chorus of gasps and chatter sprung up from all around them.


    Eiji nodded slowly. ¡°If that¡¯s really the way you feel about it, okay, Ranko. You should keep the ring, though. It looks good on you. And I really am sorry it didn¡¯t work out between us.¡± And he was, just not in the way it sounded to the hundreds of onlookers.


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Thank you. Goodbye, Eiji.¡±


    As Ranko turned to walk away from him, she heard chairs scraping across the floor as the rest of the basketball team slowly backed away from their eviscerated captain. Out of the corner of her eye, Ranko could have sworn she saw Kumiko smiling from their usual table where she currently sat alone. As soon as the dust settles, Kumi, I¡¯ll explain everything. Or, at least try to. Promise.


    She turned the corner into the hallway, leaning against the wall in a gap between two banks of lockers. She opened her left fist, the fingers of which were still locked tight around the most precious three grams of matter in her universe. She took the ring in her fingers, sliding it back onto her trembling left hand and exhaling slowly. Somehow, just seeing it on her hand again made her feel calmer. Safer, as if somehow normalcy and good and light was returning to the world.


    She strained to listen to some of the banter coming from the cafeteria. She couldn¡¯t make out much, but what she did hear sounded as if the message had been received. Hopefully, the new story would spread as quickly as the old one had, and by the end of the week, the popular cheerleader and singer with the cute red bow in her hair who was once a dour, unpopular boy named Ranma Saotome could walk through the halls without being called a slut again.


    Seated at the table closest to the lunch counter, a deviously excited grin cracked across the face of a giant of a senior boy with a black flat-top. ¡°You hear that, boys?¡±


    Saburo Kimura turned to his wrestling teammates, rubbing his palms together excitedly. ¡°Looks like Ranko Tendo¡¯s back on the menu. And with the way she just humiliated Kanda¡­ whoever gets with her is gonna be the new king of the school.¡±

 69. The Look Book

    Akane rapped three times on the second-story apartment door, waiting for a response. She¡¯d had the same song stuck in her head all day, and it was driving her crazy.


    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, hide your face, so no one figures out it¡¯s¡­¡±


    The door snapped open, and Akane swallowed the verse she was quietly singing with a nervous laugh. ¡°Hey, Izumi!¡±


    The brunette grinned, bouncing Mioto on her hip. ¡°Hey, Akane. C¡¯mon in.¡± She chuckled a bit. ¡°The kids are in the back room. Can I get you a drink or anything?¡±


    As Akane stepped into the entryway, she heard a familiar voice calling out from the living room. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it, I¡¯m gonna get you, you little bugger!¡± The sound of a child giggling followed the voice of the girl Akane loved more than anything in the world.


    Akane turned the corner, finding Ranko sitting on the couch in a pale yellow dress, hunched over a wired gray controller in almost the shape of a dog bone, intensely focused on the futuristic racing game on the television. Indeed, Hoshi¡¯s new Super Famicom had been a fairly constant presence on the Sando family television since Christmas.


    Ranko¡¯s nephew Hoshi sat on the floor, laughing. ¡°You¡¯re never gonna beat my time, Auntie!¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes I am! Get over there, you!¡± Ranko laughed determinedly, leaning left and right as she steered her little purple hover car on the screen as if her body could somehow lend a little extra centrifugal force to its turning radius.


    Akane watched for a moment in silence, smiling quietly to herself. These were the moments when she loved Ranko the most, when she wasn¡¯t trying so hard to be the perfect housewife, or the perfect singer, or the perfect student and cheerleader. When she let her guard down and allowed herself to just be a regular, happy person with a family and friends and a life that was finally, finally her own.


    After going unnoticed for a few moments, she shook her head with an amused smile. ¡°When you¡¯re done, Ran-chan?¡±


    Ranko looked up. ¡°Oh, hey, Akane! I didn¡¯t hear you come¡­ aw, crap!¡± Her momentary distraction had caused her to crash her vehicle, securing her loss.


    ¡°Woooo! I got you, Auntie!¡± Hoshi giggled, turning around and doing a little victory dance.


    ¡°Yeah, you sure did, buddy. I¡¯ll get you next time, though! Better keep practicing!¡± Ranko grabbed the boy, pulling him into a tight hug. ¡°I gotta go talk with your mom and Akane for a bit.¡±


    Hoshi nodded. ¡°Can I come?¡±


    Ranko looked up, making sure Akane and Izumi weren¡¯t looking, before making a grossed-out face and sticking her tongue out. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t wanna. Trust me on this one. It¡¯s weird girl stuff.¡± But after your mom and dad head out for their date tonight, me and Auntie Akane are gonna stay here and hang out with you, so we¡¯ll play some more in a little bit while she does some icky math homework.¡±


    Ranko stood, tousling his hair and walking to the little dinette table where Izumi and Akane sat. The table was buried in dozens of glossy magazines, mostly displaying photos of women in a sea of white. Akane held one of the magazines, pointing to a photo of a woman in a long white wedding gown covered in what looked to be pearls, with a long train coiled up on the floor around her feet. ¡°This one is amazing.¡±


    Ranko grabbed herself a can of soda from Izumi¡¯s refrigerator before pulling out one of her wooden dining chairs and sliding into it, looking over the photo. ¡°Yeah, Akane. You¡¯d look freakin¡¯ stunning in that.¡±


    Izumi giggled. ¡°She was thinking for you, blockhead.¡±


    Ranko sputtered, almost spitting her grape soda back into the can in her hand. ¡°Say what now?¡±


    Akane grinned devilishly. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Ranko? Don¡¯t you want to be pretty for me on our wedding day?¡±


    The redhead hid behind the back of the chair, flushing furiously. ¡°I mean, of course I do, but¡­¡± She risked a peek back up at the catalog, breathing a sigh of relief at the number under the photograph. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s no way we could afford something like that.¡±


    With a grin, Izumi shook her head. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry about that, little sister.¡± She bounced Mioko on the table gently, holding her by the hands carefully.


    ¡°Why not, Izzi? You got some rich uncle you¡¯ve been holding out on me?¡± Ranko smirked. She cocked her fist coolly and considered giving a playful nudge on her arm, but decided against it considering she was holding the baby.


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    ¡°Well, it was going to be a surprise, but¡­¡± Izumi smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to try and finish my fashion degree this semester. It¡¯s gonna be tough with the baby, but the biggest part is a masterwork project, where I have to design and make a really intricate outfit. So, I¡¯ve decided I¡¯m going to make your wedding dress myself. It¡¯ll be my gift to you, and I can take care of my class requirement at the same time.¡±


    Oh, shit, Ranko thought. She¡¯s gonna make me the girliest girl who ever girled, and I¡¯m gonna have no choice but to let her because she needs it for a grade. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ really generous of you, Izzi!¡±


    Izumi smiled, making a wide-eyed expression toward her daughter to keep her entertained. ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to it. Akane and I were just discussing some ideas.¡±


    ¡°And I suppose I wasn¡¯t going to get consulted?¡± Ranko rolled her eyes a bit.


    Akane smirked. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. We all know you¡¯d get married in a tee shirt and jeans if we let you, but you¡¯re just gonna have to suck it up and be fancy for me.¡±


    The redhead rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh, come on, I¡¯m not that bad. I¡¯d wear a dress.¡± She looked her fiancee over with a playful smicker. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re worth a little makeup.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you suppose, do you?¡± Akane laughed, but she did understand how difficult this was for Ranko. The reality of it was, over the last few months since they¡¯d moved in together, Ranko had been taking on more and more of the effeminate roles in their relationship. Between her school uniform, cheerleading and her stage work, she was almost always in skirts and dresses anymore, and Akane had largely had the freedom to spend most of her time in jeans and tee shirts as she usually preferred. If anything, Akane half-expected Izumi would try to put her in a tuxedo.


    Izumi looked up at her sister and her fiancee as Mioto began to fuss. ¡°Do you girls mind if I feed her while we talk?¡± Receiving no objection from either of her guests, she draped a thin blanket over her shoulder, pulling her daughter under it and adjusting her dress to expose her right breast to her under the drape.


    ¡°Ranko¡¯s right, though, Akane. You and I have talked about the wedding a bunch since Christmas, but we¡¯ve really not had much chance to ask Ranko what she wants. So, what do you think, little sister? What are the most important parts of the wedding to you? What do you want to wear, eat, where you want to have it, any of that stuff. If we figure out what things are most important to you and Akane, we can get a lot of the big stuff sorted out and the rest is just details.¡±


    Ranko blushed. Never in a million years had she considered that anyone would ask her that question. After months of getting used to the thought, she was a lot more comfortable with the idea of being a wife than she was with the idea of being a bride. ¡°I, um¡­¡± She looked up at Akane nervously.


    Akane reached over, taking Ranko¡¯s hand in her own. There was a little clack as their matching promise rings contacted each other, which never failed to get a blush out of Ranko. ¡°Hey. There¡¯s no wrong answers here, baby. Just talk to us.¡± She smiled, pulling a stubborn wisp of Ranko¡¯s hair behind her ear for her. ¡°Tell us how you want our special day to be, beautiful.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s face was as red as her hair. ¡°I¡­¡± She smiled contentedly. ¡°I want to call myself your wife at the end of it. Everything else is negotiable.¡±


    Shaking her head, Ranko¡¯s fiancee gave a little chuckle. ¡°I love you too. But, seriously. Think about it. I know you haven¡¯t dreamed about it as long as most girls do, but, try?¡±


    Ranko rested her forehead on the back of her chair, mostly to hide her face. She was glad that at least Izumi understood that she hadn¡¯t spent much of her childhood acting like a girl, even though none of her sisters had any idea why.


    ¡°I¡­ well, I thought we could do it at the Phoenix. It¡¯s home to me, it¡¯s got everything we need, and it would save a lot of money. Plus, the apartment upstairs is a great place to get ready and stuff.¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more. It¡¯s perfect. See? We just made our first wedding plan!¡±


    Ranko smirked. ¡°Somehow I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll all be that easy.¡± She thought for a moment, blushing as she smiled sweetly up at her fiancee. ¡°I want to sing.¡±


    Izumi bobbed her head. ¡°I kind of expected that, but performing¡¯s going to be awfully hard all  dressed up, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll change if I have to.¡± The redhead flushed, looking down and away. Some things were harder to say when you could see someone¡¯s reaction in real time. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m no good at saying what I feel sometimes. But singing what I feel¡­ that I can do.¡± She looked up to Akane, a sincerity in her eyes that, for the first time in the conversation, wasn¡¯t also tinged with fear. ¡°On that day, I don¡¯t want there to be any doubt about what I feel.¡±


    With a broad smile, Izumi jotted something down in a little notebook she pulled out from under one of the bridal magazines. ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll have to make sure to have all the Dragons, and plan time for you to rehearse.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°I¡¯d want them all there anyway. They¡¯re all my friends, and Akane¡¯s too. Obviously, I want Mom, all my sisters, and the kids there, and your sisters too, Akane.¡±


    Akane frowned, looking down at the table, responding in a glum voice. Her mood had changed entirely. ¡°Yeah, for sure.¡±


    Wincing, Ranko reached out, taking her lover¡¯s hand. ¡°Hey. I¡¯m sure your dad will come around in time. He might talk a lot of shit right now, but he wouldn¡¯t miss being there for you when it really counts.¡± I¡¯m going to make sure of it. I promise.


    Izumi patted her daughter on the back through the blanket. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can get Kaito¡¯s parents to watch Mioto for the day. I appreciate that you want everyone there, but babies can be pretty disruptive to events like that and it¡¯s just better for everyone I think. Plus, I want to be able to focus on you, little sister.¡±


    Oh, I¡¯m sure you do, Izumi. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±

 70. Fly

    ¡°Jump! Jumpjumpjump¡­ awww!¡±


    Ranko shook her head as Mario fell through the bottom of the screen, again. Hoshi growled, swinging the controller in the air hard enough to flop the cord off the carpet like a jump rope.


    ¡°Easy there, buddy, we¡¯ll get it. You might just need to start running a little sooner.¡± She sat up from her position on the floor with her back against the couch, ruffling his black hair playfully. ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°I know, I just¡­ grrr!¡± Hoshi glowered at the Game Over screen.


    ¡°Shh¡­ keep it down, dude. Your sister¡¯s sleeping and Akane¡¯s trying to study.¡± She motioned up to Izumi¡¯s dining room table, where her fiancee sat hunched over an economics textbook in a green sweater and a pair of jeans.


    Hoshi cringed, whispering. ¡°Sorry, Auntie.¡±


    Ranko glanced up at the clock on the wall, which read 8:00 PM. They had another few hours before Izumi and Kaito would be back from their date. ¡°You wanna switch back to the racing game for a bit?¡±


    ¡°F-Zero? Okay. But I get to go first,¡± Hoshi said as he reached for the console.


    Giggling quietly, Ranko shook her head. ¡°Alright, alright. If you insist.¡±


    Starting the game, Hoshi leaned his body into the first curve, then the second, willing the hover car on the screen to improve its turn radius, but it skittered off the track. ¡°Gaah! No! Get back over there!¡±


    Ranko winced as she heard the sound of stirring coming from the little white baby monitor that sat on the end table. ¡°Hoshi! Shh¡­¡± But it was too late, and a quiet whimper began emanating from the tinny plastic speaker.


    Akane started to slide her chair out with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m coming, Mioko.¡±


    Before she could rise from her seat, Akane felt a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Let me, baby? You gotta focus.¡±


    With a skeptical smirk, Akane looked up at her. ¡°You? No offense, Ranko, but do you have any idea what to do?¡±


    ¡°You already changed her and fed her, so she¡¯s probably just restless and wants attention.¡± Ranko shrugged as the crying from the monitor became more insistent.


    ¡°Alright. Give it a shot, I guess. Thanks.¡± Akane smiled, picking her highlighter back up as Ranko crept to the bedroom door and pushed it open quietly, not closing it behind her.


    She approached the side of the bassinet, rocking it gently with her hand. ¡°Hey there, kiddo. How¡¯s my favorite niece in the whole world, huh?¡±


    Squirming, Mioko seemed unfazed by her question.


    ¡°Hey. c¡¯mon, now, we gotta chill out a little bit, Mioko. Akane¡¯s trying to learn stupid math stuff right now.¡± She spoke in a soothing manner, gently rocking the white bassinet with her hand, but Mioko would not settle.


    Akane shook her head, hearing her lover¡¯s valiant but vain efforts over the baby monitor. I told her she couldn¡¯t do it. Silly girl. But at least she tried for me.


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    But then, the little plastic speaker began to make a different sound; a quiet melodic humming that Akane didn¡¯t quite recognize. It was soft and gentle, but had all the texture and sweetness of her fiancee¡¯s singing voice.


    A singing voice which soon followed.


    ¡°You¡¯re so full of promise, you¡¯ll burst at the seams¡­¡± Ranko made a cute face, poking the baby ever so gently on her nose and giggling as Mioko took hold of her index finger with both her hands. ¡°Girl, you¡¯re body¡¯s too small to contain all those dreams. The secrets to catching them cannot be found if you don¡¯t take the leap and you stay on the ground¡­¡±


    Akane turned in her chair, watching the speaker in silence, her mouth hanging open.


    ¡°I¡¯m already so proud of how far you will go. I will always be cheering for you from below. So don¡¯t ever settle. Always reach for more. If it¡¯s too high to reach, girl, then take off and soar¡­¡± She made a show of flattening her palm, miming a plane taking off from the cotton blanket with a little shooof sound.


    Akane crept silently to the door, leaning in the doorjamb and watching as Ranko swayed softly in front of the bassinet in her pastel yellow dress, holding the side of it so that it moved with her, and rocked in time with her quiet singing.


    ¡°Push off and go, baby, take to the air. With your feet off the ground, you can go anywhere. There¡¯s no rivers, no mountains, no boundaries or walls. When you¡¯re up in the clouds, there¡¯s no limits at all. Nothing¡¯s impossible if you just try. Close your eyes¡­ take a breath, jump¡­ and fly¡­¡± Though her notes were quiet, they maintained all of their power, and she ended the last word of the song she¡¯d written for her niece with a high run.


    The baby¡¯s cries quelled, and she lay still on her back, looking up at her aunt.


    ¡°Sometimes the days are a struggle, so fight. It¡¯s worth meeting the challenge to finally take flight. Push away all the meaningless, trivial things so there¡¯s plenty of space for you to spread your wings. Don¡¯t let them tell you what can not be done; you¡¯re too strong to be limited by anyone. If you are focused, you can¡¯t be denied. Gravity¡¯s one more rule that¡¯s meant to be defied¡­¡±


    Ranko switched back to humming the melody of her song for a moment as she felt the infant¡¯s grip start to loosen around her finger, continuing to rock the white bassinet gently.


    Akane watched in awed silence from the doorway. I knew she was good with Hoshi, but this? Gods, she¡¯s being so sweet. For the briefest of moments, Akane allowed herself to consider what it would be like if she and Ranko could find a way to have a child of their own, imagining them standing together looking down at their own baby as Ranko sang. Her mind¡¯s eye then wandered to the pregnancy portion of that exercise, and could not seem to decide whether it was imagining Akane carrying the baby, or her fiancee. Blushing at the very thought of Ranko doing that, she shook it out of her head. Better to just enjoy this, for now.


    ¡°Push off and go, baby, take to the air. With your feet off the ground, you can go anywhere. There¡¯s no rivers, no mountains, no boundaries or walls. When you¡¯re up in the clouds, there¡¯s no limits at all. Nothing¡¯s impossible if you just try. Close your eyes¡­ take a breath, jump¡­ and fly.¡±


    Mioko¡¯s eyes had fallen closed, and her hand slipped from Ranko¡¯s gently. The redhead gingerly removed her arm from the edge of the cradle where she¡¯d been rocking it, watching for a moment to make sure the movement didn¡¯t stir her and smiling when she was confident that her niece was asleep.


    From a step away, Ranko whispered the final line of her song.


    ¡°I promise you, girl, you belong in the sky. Close your eyes, take a breath, jump¡­ and fly.¡±


    Ranko turned toward the open door, stopping and turning a neon shade of red at the sight of Akane in the doorway. She dared not speak, creeping to the door as Akane stepped back to allow her passage, gently pulling the door shut behind her and holding her breath as she turned the doorknob as if willing it to make no sound.


    ¡°See? Not completely helpless.¡± Ranko whispered, smiling through her flushed cheeks.


    Akane wrapped her arms gently around the redheaded girl in the pale yellow dress. ¡°Do you know that you have never been more beautiful than you are right now?¡±


    ¡°Why,¡± Ranko asked, stifling a giggle while still so close to the nursery door. ¡°... because I finally got to sing to an audience that wasn¡¯t drunk?¡±

 71. Meet and Greet

    ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s all for me.¡±


    Ranko looked out the front window of All Bangers, a large record store a few blocks from the Phoenix. It was here that the majority of the Rise cassette singles from the trial run had sold out, and their new shipment had just arrived. A line stretching around the building waited just outside the glass front door, which was locked pending the start of their special release event.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it is!¡± Goji, the store manager, laughed, tousling his black hair. ¡°I hope we brought enough markers!¡±


    Ranko blushed, looking down at the ten fine-point silver markers lined up on the table in front of her next to a large pile of B5-sized black-and-white prints of the Rise single cover art. To the left, another large table contained stacks of Rise cassettes, as well as black tee shirts in a variety of sizes featuring the new pink Ranko and the Dapper Dragons logo. Two All Bangers employees, one of which Ranko shared her history class with, stood at the ready behind the merch tables to assist patrons with their selections. A third, a young blonde woman, waited at a white folding table with a cash box to handle the actual sales.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m about to do this,¡± she said, her face nearly the color of the blood-red lace dress she wore over a pair of black leggings. A matching red ribbon tied her hair back in a loose ponytail. Though it had taken her almost two hours, she¡¯d gotten her foundation, lipstick and eyeliner mostly the way she wanted them, entirely on her own. She felt ridiculous for how proud of herself she was, considering how normal it was for other girls her age ¨C but then again, she knew she still wasn¡¯t quite like other girls her age. It never failed to make her blush when she realized just how quickly that gap was narrowing of late.


    I¡­ I know there¡¯s always one or two hundred people in the Phoenix, but there must be two thousand people out there! Maybe more! All for¡­ me?


    Goji walked over to the door, placing his hand on the deadbolt. The first few people in the line outside seemed to perk up excitedly, seeing him preparing to open.


    ¡°Are you ready, Ranko?¡±


    She sat in the black metal folding chair behind her table, crossing her ankles under the black tablecloth. With a nervous chuckle and a grin, she nodded to the manager. ¡°As I¡¯m gonna be!¡±


    The manager turned the lock and opened the door, and the crowd began to pour into the store. For every fifty people who entered the door, maybe one peeled out of the line to go shop for something else, the rest filing into line to pass the merch tables. First, the line passed the table to purchase their cassettes and tee shirts, then to the cashier, and finally Ranko¡¯s table to be signed.


    At this rate, I¡¯m going to need to modify the Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire technique just to be able to sign all these things fast enough!


    She wrote as quickly as she could, smiling up at fan after fan. Some she recognized from the Phoenix or from school, others not. More than a few asked for a quick Polaroid snapshot with her, which the store manager was happy to snap while she posed. She wasn¡¯t sure she was comfortable with the number of guys who had put their arms over her shoulder, but she tried her best to smile through it. It¡¯s just for the picture. It¡¯s fine. Chill, Ranko. If you look pissed, they¡¯ll see it in the pictures.


    ¡°Damn shame about you and Eiji.¡±


    Ranko looked up, blinking, taking a moment to recognize Hachiro Murata from the Yusue basketball team out of his uniform. She felt bad about it, as he was both Eiji¡¯s best friend, and her fellow cheerleader Mizuki¡¯s boyfriend, but in fairness, Eiji hadn¡¯t exactly gone out of his way to make her encounters with his friends especially interactive. ¡°Yeah, it just wasn¡¯t meant to be, I guess.¡± She shrugged, taking the tee shirt he¡¯d purchased and signing it on the left breast area, just above the larger pink version of her signature that dominated her band¡¯s logo.


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    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Hachiro carefully took the folded shirt back, avoiding touching the area she¡¯d written on.


    ¡°Me? Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine. Better once the stupid rumors die down a little more.¡± Ranko shrugged, signing a cassette cover for the next person in line while Hachiro stood off to the side. ¡°Eiji doing alright?¡±


    Hachiro nodded. ¡°Yeah. He doesn¡¯t really talk much about his personal life lately.¡±


    Ranko nodded, holding her head still just long enough to snap a photo with a pair of young girls led to her table by their mother. ¡°I¡¯m glad he¡¯s doing good. He¡¯s a good enough guy, I guess, we just weren¡¯t really as compatible as we thought.¡± Probably the whole, ¡°he has boy parts¡± thing.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m gonna get out of here or I¡¯m gonna get run over. I¡¯ll see you at the game on Thursday?¡± Hachiro picked up his purchases, offering a wave.


    ¡°Sure! Take care, Hachiro!¡± Ranko waved back with her right hand even as her left signed another tee shirt.


    <hr>


    After the better part of an hour, she stood, stretching her back. The metal folding chair the store had given her was quite uncomfortable. She didn¡¯t stop signing, though, and the line appeared no shorter than it was when she first arrived. How many tapes did the store even get in? Sheesh! Still, it¡¯s worth it. The people¡­ my fans¡­ are having a good time. Holy crap, I can¡¯t believe I have fans. And this many? Besides, I need the money.


    As she returned to her chair, one of the store employees tapped her on the shoulder, handing an energy drink in a tall, narrow can over her back to her.


    ¡°Ohmigods, Sotaro. You¡¯re a lifesaver.¡± Ranko popped the can open, swigging from it quickly before standing for another photo. She set the can down, standing next to a large, stocky boy with a black flat top. He put his arm around her shoulder as the others had, pulling her close against his body.


    ¡°Um, hi.¡± She tried to smile as the photo was taken, but once the Polaroid camera ejected the photo, the titanic boy did not let her go.


    ¡°So, Ranko. I heard you and Eiji split up. Bummer. But I guess that means you¡¯re free to come to the movies with me tonight.¡±


    Ranko tried to slip free, but his grip on her shoulder was painfully tight. ¡°I, um, I¡¯m busy. And, like, who are you?¡±


    The boy smirked. ¡°How can you not know? My name is Saburo Kimura, grade twelve. Captain of the Yusue wrestling team, and your new boyfriend.¡± Ranko felt the fingers of his other hand tracing along the back of her skirt.


    ¡°Um, excuse me?¡± Ranko ducked under his arm, pulling away from him. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for a boyfriend right now. But, you know, thanks, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll see about that. Nobody says no to Saburo Kimura.¡± The muscular boy laughed, reaching for her shoulder again.


    ¡°Somebody just did, man. Back off.¡± Ranko growled, taking a further step clear.


    ¡°Hey! Leave her alone,¡± yelled the man next in line.


    Another woman a few steps further back in the line yelled, pointing to Saburo. ¡°Somebody get rid of that guy!¡±


    Goji approached behind Saburo, reaching up to put his hand on the wrestler¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go ahead and let Miss Tendo sign for some more people? Come on, now.¡±


    Saburo smirked darkly. ¡°See you soon, Ranko.¡±

 72. Grounded

    ¡°You ignite, and you RISE!¡±


    Ranko cheered loudly as all four of the girls falling through the air landed in synchronization in their basket catches, each caught by two of her squadmates. As the four fliers were deposited on their feet on the lush grass of the rugby field where they practiced most evenings, they turned to join the other eight girls, squealing excitedly and jumping up and down in celebration.


    ¡°Girls, that was fantastic! You nailed it!¡± Ranko clapped loudly. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you all! You have worked so hard, and you are absolutely going to kill it at the Invitational next week!¡± Kou, standing off to Ranko¡¯s right, sighed. She knew there was a but coming; Ranko had already warned her.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Shiori sidled up next to Ranko, grinning. ¡°When do we get to see you take Mieko Suto¡¯s crown?¡± She gave Ranko a gentle nudge in the ribs with her elbow. ¡°Or will all that twisting it upset the baby?¡±


    Ranko growled. ¡°I told you, that was just some stupid, vicious rumor. Eiji and I never even were together like that!¡± And wouldn¡¯t have been, not even if the survival of the human race depended on it.


    Shiori backed off, showing her empty palms. ¡°Whoa, easy, Miss Grumpy. I¡¯m just teasing! None of us really believe all that crap. Nobody who really knows you does. What¡¯s got you so upset all of a sudden?¡±


    Ranko sighed, sitting down on the bottommost aluminum bleacher. She picked up her water bottle, mostly for something to do with her hands, not opening it. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just really touchy about it still. The last week hasn¡¯t been super fun, with all of this going on. But, girls, I really gotta tell you something.¡±


    Yori gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. ¡°Oh gods, she really is pregnant. She¡¯s leaving the squad!¡± A few rumbles came from the other girls, but Ranko put up her hand and they died down quickly.


    Ranko frowned shamefully. ¡°Nothing like that, no. But¡­ Kou and I have been working on it since before Christmas, and¡­ I don¡¯t think I can do the quad. I¡¯m really sorry. I can do the triple at the end no problem, but¡­ I crash and burn every time I go for four.¡±


    She really did, too. In all her years of martial arts training, all of her dedication and focus and conditioning, she had never found a form or a move she couldn¡¯t do until now. It was killing her. But Hana and Izumi had been right, she needed to fess up to her limitations rather than push herself and get herself hurt.


    Admitting it positively agonized her, though. She¡¯d tried everything. She¡¯d thrown herself off of those bleachers at least a thousand times; there had been several nights at the Phoenix where she couldn¡¯t dance on stage because her ribs hurt so badly from the repeated crash landings. She¡¯d basically eaten nothing but miso and salad for two weeks, in the hopes that dropping a kilo or two would be enough to get her the extra quarter-second of air time she needed. It hadn¡¯t helped, and all it had done instead was make her about ready to kill somebody for a piece of chocolate, especially on days where she felt like she did today.


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    A wave of disappointed groans rose from the girls, but Shiori stepped up, putting her hand on Ranko¡¯s shoulder through her silver Yusue High Athletics tee shirt. ¡°Hey. It¡¯s okay. We know how hard you¡¯ve been trying. Maybe you¡¯ll get it in time for next year¡¯s Invitational, since you were so close already.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Ranko sighed, staring down into her hands. Not even the glint of the setting sun off the ring on her hand was enough to shake her out of her disappointment.  ¡°I wanted to make you girls proud. I wanted you to go to that meet next weekend feeling bulletproof. You¡¯ve all earned that, and I couldn¡¯t deliver it. I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s okay, though! I think we¡¯ve still got a great chance to win. Our whole routine is awesome and you all have come so far. I just¡­ I hate letting you down.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Ran-chan.¡± Shiori looked up at her squadmates. ¡°We¡¯re gonna win anyway, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    A smattering of claps and a single, sad woo came from one of the girls in the back.


    Shiori clapped her hands loudly, snapping everyone to attention. ¡°Hey! Are we cheerleaders or not? I want to see some energy! I said, we¡¯re gonna win anyway, aren¡¯t we?!¡±


    As a much more enthusiastic set of whoops showered Ranko from her squadmates, Shiori turned, offering Ranko her hand. ¡°Come on, girl. You got us ready. Every year but one, somebody¡¯s won the Invitational without hitting that jump, so there¡¯s no reason to think we can¡¯t do it this year. Don¡¯t let this get you down.¡±


    Ranko took her hand and stood. Shiori turned back to her squadmates. ¡°All of you, give me fifty back handsprings. Go!¡±


    While the girls groaned and began their exercises, Shiori led Ranko behind the bleachers where she had nearly broken her ribs more times than she could begin to count. ¡°Listen. I wanna talk to you for a second.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Sure! What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to say¡­ I¡¯m proud of you.¡± Shiori blushed. ¡°I know, I¡¯m not your mom or anything, so it¡¯s probably weird. But like, you had run all these girls off before Christmas. Even me. And sure, I got them to come back, but you¡¯ve kept them here. You learned from your mistakes, and you¡¯ve become a real part of the team, and a real friend. And not only have we been able to learn from you, but we¡¯ve been able to do it better because we aren¡¯t rolling our eyes every time you come up to talk to us. I know that learning a new way wasn¡¯t easy for you, and I know you never really felt like you fit in.¡±


    She giggled. ¡°We practically had to kidnap you in the middle of the night to even get you to try out for the squad. But, you¡¯ve earned your place here, Ranko. You¡¯re one of us now, and I hope that doesn¡¯t feel as gross to you as it looked like it might have when you started. Win or lose next week, all of us are better because of you, and I wanted to say thank you.¡±


    Ranko stepped forward, pulling her squad captain into a tight hug. ¡°No, Shiori, thank you, for giving me someplace around this school where I felt like I could belong.¡±

 73. Mending Fences

    It had not been Kumiko¡¯s day.


    Sighing, the bespectacled junior strode in frustration down the north corridor of Yusue High, carrying her textbooks in her arms. The bottom of her school bag had torn as she packed up in third period, and it had been unsalvageable. The cafeteria had been out of her favorite snacks at lunch, she¡¯d gotten a three in a history test she¡¯d studied for all week, and she hadn¡¯t been able to turn in her math homework because Wisp had coughed up hairballs on it while she slept. Damned cat.


    Mercifully, the school day was over, and nothing else could go wrong.


    At least, so she thought, until she saw the redheaded cheerleader leaning against her locker waiting for her.


    Great. Now I gotta deal with this diva, too? I suppose it was only a matter of time before she came crawling back, now that she¡¯s not with Eiji anymore.


    Rolling her eyes, Kumiko motioned to her locker with her elbows, her hands piled high with books. ¡°You mind?¡±


    Ranko reached out, taking the stack from her while her classmate manipulated the combination lock and popped open the steel door of her locker.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She took her belongings back, barely making eye contact.


    ¡°Hey, Kumi? Can we talk?¡± Ranko sighed. They¡¯d barely spoken in weeks, despite sharing three classes, and she desperately missed her friend.


    Scoffing, Kumiko adjusted her glasses. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Ranko? Finally run out of popular people to hang out with? How¡¯s the baby, by the way?¡± She slammed her locker shut, leaving all of her belongings in it.


    Ranko winced, nodding sadly. ¡°Yeah. I deserved that.¡± She turned, leaning her back against the bank of lockers dejectedly. ¡°Kumi, I wish I could explain everything that happened. It¡¯s a lot. But I promise, none of it was what it looked like. I¡¯ve been miserable.¡±


    Kumiko groaned. ¡°Oh, getting engaged to the hottest guy in school? Poor baby. How would anyone ever survive?!¡±


    Looking around to make sure no one was close enough to hear, Ranko leaned closer to Kumiko and spoke quietly. ¡°That was never real. I¡¯d never have married him. Not in a million, million years.¡±


    ¡°You sure looked pretty convincing to me,¡± Kumiko groaned, ¡°and everybody else, too.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°I had¡­ something I needed from him. I stayed with him to try to get it, and I never did.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Kumiko threaded her lock through the tabs in the steel door of her locker, snapping it closed. ¡°So, you were just pretending to fuck my dream guy right in front of me? Well, that¡¯s so much better. Thank you for sharing that heartfelt admission, Ranko.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m a jerk. I used him long after I knew we weren¡¯t going to work out.¡± As in, from the very first second. But at least it was mutual.


    Ranko let her head fall back against the locker behind her with a hollow thunk. ¡°Kumi¡­ I know this isn¡¯t what you wanna hear, but you should really give up on Eiji.¡± I wish I could tell you why.


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    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Kumiko glowered and started to walk away, groaning as Ranko followed. ¡°I know I¡¯ll never be cool enough to get with him. Thanks for reminding me, princess.¡±


    Shaking her head, Ranko sighed quietly. He¡¯s gay. Two words. That¡¯s all I¡¯d have to say, and this would all be over. But I gave my word. I won¡¯t out him, no matter what it costs me. More than anybody, I know the value of somebody keeping your secrets. Maybe I should just tell her I¡¯m gay? But then, she¡¯ll still waste her high school life fawning over him.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not you, Kumi. You¡¯re awesome. Any guy would be damn lucky to have you. It¡¯s him. He¡¯s¡­ not good for you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Ranko, the whole school heard the horrible way you insulted him when you two broke up. I¡¯ll take my chances, thanks.¡±


    Stepping in front of Kumiko and placing her hand on her friend¡¯s shoulder, Ranko continued. ¡°No, really. He treated me like shit, Kumi. He barely spoke to me, and when he did, he let his friends talk to me like I was a piece of meat. You had no idea how gross I felt just being around him and his friends. I had to practically climb up that freaking tree of a boy to even get him to make eye contact. He wanted to have a girl, but he didn¡¯t want to be with one, ya know? Not really. Eiji¡¯s all about Eiji. I know every girl in school wants to date him, but take it from the only girl you know who actually did: he¡¯s not good enough for you, girl.¡±


    Kumiko nodded slowly. ¡°If that¡¯s true, I¡¯m sorry. But, why didn¡¯t you just leave him if it sucked so much?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I needed something from him. But, besides that, you don¡¯t get it. I tried getting away from him. He couldn¡¯t stand me being out of his sight. Just about every day at lunch, I tried to come over to sit with you, and he stopped me, just so I could sit there and be bored while his friends stared at my chest and made perverted comments.¡± I hate that I¡¯m skewering the guy like this, but, I¡¯m not saying anything that isn¡¯t true. He did make me feel that way, and it beats the hell out of outing him, I guess.


    ¡°You know, he never even heard me sing? Not once.¡± Of course, the fact I banned him from the Phoenix probably didn¡¯t help his case there, but that information isn¡¯t especially helpful right now.


    Recoiling her head skeptically, Kumiko blinked. ¡°Like, how? You don¡¯t so much as walk through the hall without singing. Like, ever. It¡¯s who you are.¡±


    Ranko nodded with a sincere smile. ¡°My friend would know that, because you cared enough to pay attention. He didn¡¯t. That¡¯s the point, Kumi. I didn¡¯t feel like singing around him. What does that tell you?¡±


    Kumiko looked down. ¡°It was¡­ really that bad for you?¡±


    Bobbing her head emphatically, Ranko put her hands back on her friend¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re imagining, it was worse than that. You don¡¯t even know how many times I wished I¡¯d never met Eiji Kanda, And besides all that, I¡¯ve missed you every day. Kumi, I¡¯m so sorry. I never wanted this to come between us, and I should have realized how much it would hurt you to see me with him. I never, never wanted to hurt you. You¡¯re my first, and my best, friend in the whole school, and it¡¯s killing me not getting to hang out with you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?! Well, you know what I just realized?¡± There was a superior, almost arrogant tone in her voice.


    ¡°Hard to say?¡± Ranko cringed. Please don¡¯t say we can¡¯t be friends anymore.


    ¡°I suddenly have an overwhelming need for a chocolate milkshake.¡± Kumi grinned. ¡°And you¡¯re buying. C¡¯mon, girl, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± She reached forward, pulling Ranko into a tight hug. ¡°I missed you, too, Ranko.¡±

 74. A Bad Name

    Yui pulled down the last of the spare glasses from the bar countertop, wiping a damp spot where the condensation from a beer bottle had left a ring on the polyurethane surface. The night¡¯s patrons were a little on the lower-energy side, and drink sales hadn¡¯t been as good as they could have been. It might not have helped that the main attraction of the Phoenix had yet to take the stage, or even so much as delivered a pizza an hour into service. Ranko was in a mood, and she wanted to try something a little different tonight.


    Looking down at the floor behind the bar, Yui gave a little smirk. Her sister was such a tease with her fans sometimes, but she couldn¡¯t argue with the results. It was almost impossible to believe the bar had been in dire financial straits less than a year ago, but the firebrand with the microphone had single-handedly changed all of their fortunes. If she wanted a little latitude to something crazy once in a while, well, it had worked before.


    Taking one last glance down the length of the bar to make sure it was entirely clear of food, drink or debris, Yui slid her foot to the right, tapping it twice once it made contact with something. With a nod to Mei, the ambient music in the bar dropped to silence, and the ceiling mounted spotlights began to search the room as if looking for something. The unlit stage remained empty, but suddenly, the speakers roared to life with an angry-sounding feminine voice.


    ¡°Shot through the heart, and you¡¯re to blame! Darling, you give love a bad name!¡±


    As a furious rock guitar track began to pour from the speakers, the hidden redheaded girl lying on the floor behind the bar vaulted up onto the surface of the counter. She wore black jeans over black heeled boots, with a white lace knee-length skirt over top. The only other color she wore was the blood-red Phoenix staff tee shirt she¡¯d donned under a black leather jacket. Silver chain earrings dangled a few centimeters from each ear, she wore a black lace choker with a silver heart swinging from it, and her red hair was blown out a wavy cascade around her shoulders. Her black eyeliner, expertly applied just before service began by her youngest sister, gave her eyes an almost vampiric appearance.


    The audience went berserk.


    ¡°An angel¡¯s smile is what you sell! You promised me heaven, then put me through hell! Chains of love got a hold on me! When passion¡¯s a prison, you can¡¯t break free!¡±


    Ranko placed her hand on the thin column running from the bartop up to the ceiling, which carried the lines for the beer taps to the coolers in the back. She slid down the steel column slowly as she faced her roaring audience, her crimson fingernails almost leaving claw marks in it as she did.


    ¡°Whoaaaa! There¡¯s nowhere to run! No one can save me, the damage is done!¡±


    From the back of the room, leaning against the wall between the restroom doors, the bar¡¯s owner shook her head, laughing. She could not believe what she was seeing out of her youngest daughter, but something had gotten into her tonight.


    Ranko jumped as high into the air as she could from the counter, pumping her fist in the air as the chorus began.


    ¡°Shot through the heart, and you¡¯re to blame! You give love a bad name!¡±


    Ranko whirled on the bar top on one heel, bending down at the waist until she was singing less than a half-meter from Yui¡¯s face. Yui grinned, twisting her shoulders and singing along with her even though Ranko¡¯s headset wouldn¡¯t pick up her voice.


    ¡°I play my part, and you play your game! You give love a bad name!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, miss, could I get another¡­¡± A patron at one of the booths waved to his server, holding up an empty glass.


    ¡°Not now.¡± Akane¡¯s eyes were transfixed on the bar, and the temperature in the bar room seemed to have inexplicably gone up several degrees in the last seventy-five seconds.


    Putting her hands in the air, Ranko took two running steps along the length of the bar, launching herself forward. She planted her hands on the countertop, catapulting herself into a front handspring, twisting into a back handspring, and then vaulting across the gap between the two counters, landing in an almost catlike crouch with the fingers of her left hand and her right leg extended on the service bar.


    ¡°You paint your smile on your lips¡­¡± She curled her extended fingers like cat claws, showing off her crimson gel polish as she dragged her left hand across her face, her palm facing outward to the crowd. ¡°Blood-red nails on your fingertips¡­ A school girl¡¯s dream, you act so shy! Your very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye!¡±


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    Mei couldn¡¯t hear Yui over the music from her place at the audio booth, but she¡¯d had enough experience reading lips under the deafening roar of the eighteen thousand watts of sound the Phoenix¡¯ audio system could produce to know ¡°Holy fuck!¡± when she saw it.


    ¡°Whoaaaa! There¡¯s nowhere to run! No one can save me, the damage is done!¡±


    Ranko stalked heel-over-toe down the service bar, stretching her right hand out just enough that the people standing at the counter centimeters from her ankles could touch her fingers.


    ¡°Shot through the heart, and you¡¯re to blame! You give love a bad name! I play my part, and you play your game! You give love a bad name!¡±


    With a single running step, she kicked her right leg forward, hurling herself into the air, twisting twice vertically as she cleared the gap between the service counter and the main bar.


    ¡°Whooooooooooooa! Shot through the heart, and you¡¯re to blame! You give love a bad name! I play my part, and you play your game! You give love a bad name!¡±


    She pointed with both hands down to the crowd, waving her hands up to the ceiling and hopping on her ankles. As any regular to the Phoenix knew, this was the universal sign for you just got drafted to be backup singers. The occupants of the bar room roared into the chorus in response, Akane included.


    ¡°Shot through the heart, and you¡¯re to blame! You give love a bad name! I play my part, and you play your game! You give love a bad name!¡±


    Ranko bent down with her back to the crowd, generating no small amount of excitement from the bar¡¯s masculine clientele, and retrieved the handheld microphone that Yui used to announce last call at the end of the night from its charger on the wall. Turning it on, she tossed it down to her blonde sister behind the bar. It wasn¡¯t as if Yui could serve drinks with a cheerleader gone scream queen doing gymnastics on the bar top, after all.


    Ranko bent down at the waist again to get closer to Yui, jerking her shoulders sassily into the chorus. ¡°You give love!¡± She pointed a blood-red fingernail at her sister with a grin.


    Yui laughed, blushing as she pulling the microphone up to her lips. ¡°Whoa-oh, Whoa-oh-oh-oh-ohhhh! A bad name!¡± She stole a glance at the stool to her far left, where Sakura sat in a skin-tight blue dress. Her girlfriend made a show of fanning herself with a drink menu sultrily as she smiled at the bartender, enjoying watching her playing along with her little sister.


    ¡°Yeah, you give lo¨Coove¡­¡±  The redhead jumped, tucking into a ball and tumbling twice into the air before landing on the floor in the gap between the counters.


    ¡°... a bad name.¡±


    As the crowd roared, Ranko stalked into the room, and the crowd parted for her as she made her way to one of the booths against the back wall, crossing the path of the other server working the floor that evening as she did so. She shook her head, her hair bouncing on her shoulders as she laughed. She didn¡¯t think anybody saw it, but the half a heartbeat that elapsed while the two passed each other was just long enough for Akane to give her a sneaky, playful little swat on the backside. How am I supposed to walk around like a badass in here, when you¡¯re making me want to¡­ ooooh, I¡¯m gonna get you later, Akane¡­


    She sidled over to table thirteen, leaning down close enough to be heard over the sound system. ¡°Welcome to the Phoenix! What can I¡­¡± She sighed in recognition. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s you.¡±


    The burly wrestler smirked. ¡°Hey, Ranko. Told ya I¡¯d see you soon. I¡¯ll take a large shrimp pizza and your phone number.¡±


    Ranko stood, rolling her eyes and backing away from the table. ¡°Look, Kimura, I told you. I¡¯m not looking to date anybody, and certainly not somebody who¡¯s acting all creepy. Just back off, dude.¡±


    ¡°Not until I get your number. It¡¯ll be so much easier than having to chase you around town.¡± The mammoth teen leaned back, putting his feet up on the chair across from him under the table.


    ¡°I told you, jerk! It¡¯s not happening! Now leave me alone!¡± Ranko took another step away from the table, and her raised voice turned the heads of patrons at a few nearby tables.


    ¡°Oh, come on, baby. I¡¯m burning with desire over here!¡±


    As Ranko rolled her eyes, she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. She whirled, and was a split second from throwing a punch before recognizing her mother. ¡°Ranko, honey, can you help Mei in the kitchen for a second?¡±


    Ranko nodded, shooting an angry glare at Saburo. ¡°Sure thing, mom.¡±


    The redhead darted off, slipping into the kitchen. ¡°Hey, Mei. What¡¯s up?¡±


    Mei motioned to a stool. ¡°Sit down a sec?¡±


    Blinking, Ranko straddled the stool. ¡°Sure, whatcha need?¡±


    With a giggle, Mei shrugged, swallowing the last of a potato skin she was eating. ¡°Nothin¡¯. Mama and Akane just wanted you to hang out in here for a few minutes while they ran that asshole off for ya.¡±

 75. Opportunity Knocks

    ¡°My girl wants to party all the time, party all the time, party all the ti-ime¡­ bop bop bop¡­¡± Ranko danced around her kitchen, holding her spatula like a microphone with her Walkman blasting in her ears as she seared a pair of salmon filets on a flat iron. She wore a cream-colored shirt with long sleeves and an open collar exposing her shoulders, paired with a pink-and-black plaid pleated skirt, her hair held back with an off-white headband with a lace bow off to the left side. She¡¯d gone out of her way to be extra cute today, hoping to incentivize Akane to hurry and finish her sociology term paper. As she cooked, Akane was set up at the little desk in their bedroom, writing as quickly as possible.


    Still humming her tune, Ranko checked the filets. Not quite ready to flip. Skin¡¯s not quite crispy enough yet. Peeking over at the timer on the front of the rice cooker with a grin, she started pulling plates out of the cabinet. Timed it perfect. Hell yeah! Don¡¯t look now, but this girl¡¯s starting to figure this shit out! Eat your heart out, Kasumi!


    ¡°You never come home at night because you''re out romancing. I wish you''d bring some of your love home to m¡­ huh?¡± Ranko could have sworn she heard a banging sound. Pausing her tape player, she waited a moment, and heard it again, coming from the front door.


    Who would be knocking now? We haven¡¯t even started making any noise yet, Mr. Gao¡­


    Pulling off her headphones and letting them dangle around her neck, Ranko unlatched and pulled open the door. ¡°Hello?¡±


    Standing in her doorway was an older gentleman, perhaps in his fifties. He was slightly heavy-set, with salt-and-pepper hair hidden under a purple cap. He wore a gray tee shirt with the logo for Minato University on it; Akane had one just like it. He removed his cap, bowing. ¡°Hello. Is Akane Tendo home, please?¡±


    Ranko¡¯s brows furrowed. This is¡­ weird. Is everything okay?


    ¡°Yes, of course. Please, come in, sir.¡± She bowed politely, stepping clear of the door.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± the gentleman said as he entered, removing his hat and his shoes. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt your dinner.¡±


    Ranko waved her hand. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m sure everything will keep. Please, take a seat, and I¡¯ll go and get Akane.¡± One of these days, I swear, I am going to make a nice dinner and she¡¯s gonna get to eat it while it¡¯s still hot.


    As the man sat at their dining room table, Ranko gently knocked twice on the bedroom door, turning the knob and pushing into the room. ¡°Akane? There¡¯s, um, some guy here to see you?¡±


    The redhead¡¯s fiancee turned, a confused expression on her face. ¡°A guy?¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Older dude, wearing merch from your school?¡±


    Akane put her pencil down and stood, looking herself over in the mirror. Her green sweater and blue jeans looking fine enough, she followed Ranko out into the living room, blinking in recognition of the man sitting at her dining table.


    ¡°Coach Anada? What are you doing here?¡± Akane bowed, clearly a bit flustered with this unexpected visit.


    The gentleman stood, offering a polite bow. ¡°Akane. It¡¯s good to see you. How are you doing?¡±


    Ranko gulped. The guy from the volleyball team? What¡¯s he doing here? She still hadn¡¯t spoken to Akane at all about her escapade with Eiji, or the revelation that Akane had quit the team. She wasn¡¯t even sure she¡¯d believed Eiji, but he¡¯d made it clear there was nothing he could do, so Ranko had seen no need to bring it up and cause potential trouble.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ okay, Coach,¡± Akane said, skeptically. ¡°From what I¡¯ve been seeing on the news, you¡¯ve had better days.¡±


    Ranko turned off the kitchen equipment, trying to slither her way out of the room. Whatever was happening here, she doubted Akane wanted her around for it considering everything with the team had happened because of her. However, as Ranko was a step from entering the bedroom, Akane caught her wrist gently, taking her hand.


    Ranko smiled. Even now, after everything, she¡¯s standing with me. I love that girl so much.


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    The coach nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a rough couple¡¯a months, for sure. Not sure we¡¯ve even got a shot at the playoffs now. Of course, that happens when your best player quits part way through the season.¡±


    Akane winced. She knew she¡¯d have to tell the whole truth now, in front of Ranko. She¡¯d deliberately kept it to herself that she¡¯d quit; Ranko was feeling guilty enough as it was without knowing Akane had walked away to protect her.


    ¡°Yeah, Coach, it just wasn¡¯t working out, you know?¡± Akane sighed, looking up at Ranko with a bit of shame in her eyes. She was surprised to see Ranko didn¡¯t seem shocked.


    The coach nodded, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a piece of folded paper. He opened it, revealing several typed paragraphs.


    ¡°So, yesterday afternoon, I found this letter somebody slid under my office door. It¡¯s not signed. No idea who sent it. But it says some pretty disturbing things, Akane.¡± The coach handed it to her, and Akane¡¯s eyes widened further with each passing paragraph she read.


    ¡°Akane, I want you to know, I had no idea what was happening. I am absolutely sickened by what Reiko and Saki did to you. Fumiko told me you left the team, but she never told me why, and I never knew until I got this letter last night. I confronted her about it this morning, and she confirmed everything. Akane, I¡¯m so sorry. It was my responsibility to dig deeper into this. I should have known you were enjoying yourself too much to just walk away like that.¡± He bowed deeply to her.


    Akane looked up from the paper, seeing he was still in his bowed position, and returned his gesture. ¡°Really? Who would even send you this? After all this time?¡±


    Squeezing her fiancee¡¯s hand, Ranko smiled broadly. Eiji. You ran your own sister under the bus to keep your promise. You¡¯re a better guy than I thought.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m glad they did,¡± the coach replied. ¡°You should know, as of this afternoon, Reiko and Saki are off the team. I removed them myself. This is¡­ what they did to you is disgraceful, Akane. I wish you¡¯d come to me.¡±


    Akane gulped. ¡°But, you were already short a player without me! Without Reiko and Saki, you won¡¯t even have enough to field a team!¡±


    The coach nodded. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m really hoping you¡¯ll come back. I don¡¯t know that we¡¯ll have much of a chance this season, but if you do come back to the team, I will make it my personal mission to see to it that the school gives you a full scholarship next year.¡±


    Ranko gasped, covering her mouth with her free hand. I¡­ I did it. I can¡¯t believe I fucking did it.


    Scratching her chin, Akane made a furtive sound. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Coach. What about those rules the girls gave me?¡±


    Coach Anada shook his head. ¡°Absolutely not. That was absurd to begin with, and I won¡¯t allow it.¡± The coach turned a few degrees, to face Ranko. ¡°I presume you¡¯re Akane¡¯s girlfriend?¡±


    Ranko smiled warmly. Fiancee, but close enough. ¡°Yes, sir. My name is Ranko.¡±


    The coach bowed again. ¡°Miss, I want to apologize to you, too, for the way this all happened.¡±


    Ranko blushed. Hey, what¡¯s a little fake engagement, pregnancy rumor, and three months of social misery among friends, right? She released Akane¡¯s hand and returned his bow. ¡°I¡¯m just happy to see that you¡¯re committed to things changing now, sir. For Akane, and all the girls like us that come after.¡± She still struggled with the idea that she was part of ¡°girls¡± on occasion.


    Akane nodded. She¡¯d never have even considered returning without an apology for Ranko, but she was glad that she hadn¡¯t had to ask for it. It made what the coach was saying seem much more sincere. ¡°But, as long as Fumiko¡¯s captain, how do I know things won¡¯t be just as bad?¡±


    The coach shook his head. ¡°I strongly suggested that Fumiko step down from her captain position, and she graciously took my advice. While she wasn¡¯t the one that did this, she didn¡¯t stop it, and she didn¡¯t come to me with the truth about it, and that¡¯s not acceptable.¡±


    Akane blinked. ¡°Then who¡¯s captain now? Asami, I guess?¡±


    The coach smiled. ¡°We took a vote this afternoon, and the team decided to offer it to you, if you come back.¡±


    ¡°Me?!¡± Akane blushed. ¡°But I¡¯m just a freshman!¡±


    The coach nodded. ¡°And you¡¯re the most talented player on the team. But beyond that, you¡¯re the one who stood up for what she believed in. That merits respect.¡±


    Akane turned to look at Ranko hopefully, and without her having said a word, Ranko nodded emphatically.


    ¡°Do it, Akane. Go for it. Show them what you can really do, and I¡¯ll be behind you a thousand percent, like always.¡± Ranko wrapped her arms around Akane¡¯s left forearm, giving it a squeeze. This was so worth ruining dinner for.


    ¡°Okay, Coach! I¡¯m in!¡± Akane grinned excitedly.


    The coach smiled broadly. ¡°Akane, I can¡¯t tell you how glad I am to hear that. I still don¡¯t know how competitive we¡¯re going to be; I don¡¯t even know where we¡¯re going to get an outside hitter to replace Reiko. But we¡¯ll at least have our honor again.¡±


    The new team captain grinned. ¡°Actually, Coach¡­ I have an idea about that.¡±

 76. A Second Wind

    ¡°And I won¡¯t miss the way that you kiss me. We were never carved in stone¡­¡±


    The television blared in the tiny living room of Ranko and Akane¡¯s apartment, blasting her favorite music video channel at near the small set¡¯s maximum volume. Ranko had really enjoyed having the television since receiving it as a Christmas gift from Hana, even though she didn¡¯t have an awful lot of time to sit and watch it. It made for a better radio than her Walkman, and it didn¡¯t run on batteries she had to keep remembering to replace.


    She¡¯d already started dinner in the slow cooker, and both the washer and dryer churned merrily about their tasks as well. She¡¯d gotten the bed made, but had only just started on the kitchen. Akane had taken care of cleaning the bathroom last night. Ranko was really grateful that her lover was pitching in more with the chores, but a part of her almost wished she wouldn¡¯t; she wanted to take care of everything for Akane, even though her body and her schedule didn¡¯t always cooperate with those goals.


    ¡°And I¡¯ll tell myself I¡¯m over you, ¡®cause I¡¯m the king of wishful thinking¡­¡±


    Wearing a pair of yellow rubber gloves to keep the cold water from reaching her skin, Ranko continued working on clearing the dishes from breakfast. One plate at a time. I¡¯ve got this. She picked up a loofa on a short stick and set about removing the remnants of tamagoyaki from the topmost square cerulean bowl.


    I wish our bowls were red, so they matched our plates. It looks so disjointed on the table.


    She placed the first rinsed plate in the dishwasher, shaking her head and hiding half of her face with her rubber-clad right hand. Did I really just care about place settings? Who are you, Ranko? When did you become so domesticated?


    Half-tempted to try and use the Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire technique to speed up the process, she plodded through rinsing and loading the flatware as quickly as she could. I shouldn¡¯t do that; I broke a glass last time I tried.


    The television continued blasting the upbeat song, which she had really liked since hearing it in the Pretty Woman soundtrack when Akane took her to see it a few weeks ago. ¡°That you have made a hole in my heart, and now, I¡¯ve got to fool myself¡­¡±


    Ranko started the dishwasher just as the song ended, looking around as she peeled the rubber gloves from her hands and draped them over the handle of the oven to dry. What next, what next¡­ the floor, I guess.


    The aspirational synthesized brass of the next song poured from the little television speaker, and Ranko grinned weakly. But first, I need a minute.


    She flopped down onto the couch. She was exhausted. Between rehearsing the new song she¡¯d been working on with the band, the studio work for Sneak, work, homework, and frantic final preparations for her cheerleading competition, she was as tired as she¡¯d been before she lost an argument with the pizza oven and had to drop her homeschool courses.


    Ranko reached behind the end table, picking up the guitar Crash had bought her for Christmas and looping its strap over her neck. The repetitive and relatively simple core rhythm of the song made for great practice. Slipping the plastic pick from its place weaved between three of the strings, she tried to play along with just the notes of the chorus. She sang quietly along with the television and her guitar, trying to use the instrument with which she was most comfortable to hold her pitch.


    ¡°It¡¯s the final countdown¡­ whoaaa¡­ we¡¯re heading for Venus, and still we stand tall¡­¡±


    She knew she had no chance at the huge guitar solo that made up the bridge and didn¡¯t try, but she moved her fingers over the strings without plucking them, pretending as if she were.


    Re-engaging the strings as the familiar rhythm restarted, she cringed at a misplayed note, but only skipped two beats before catching back up with the song.


    Completing her very rough attempt to play along with only a few more missed notes, Ranko removed the guitar strap from her shoulder and returned her guitar to its place leaned against the wall with a heavy sigh as her thoughts returned to her chores. Today, not even the stream of upbeat music videos could keep her going. She¡¯d kill for an energy drink right about now, but Akane wouldn¡¯t let her buy them at home. If you¡¯re tired, sleep, she said. Like that was always an option. That said, she knew that if she spent another two or three minutes idle on that couch, Akane would come home to find her passed out there, still in her green nightshirt and a pair of white panties, and she wouldn¡¯t be finished with everything she¡¯d promised to have done by then.


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    ¡°That was The Final Countdown from Europe, and before that, King of Wishful Thinking, by Go West,¡± the host of the music video programming hour said, turning to his co-hostess with a grin. ¡°Man, King of Wishful Thinking is really storming up the charts, isn¡¯t it, Yoko?¡±


    The stunning brunette on the television turned to her cohort, adjusting her sunglasses and crossing her legs in the beach chair she sat in. ¡°It sure is, Isao! But we¡¯ve got another one that¡¯s really rising as well coming up next! This up-and-coming band out of Tokyo just came out of nowhere, and their first single just shows no sign of slowing down. Here¡¯s Rise, from Ranko and the Dapper Dragons, on Bangers on the Beach!¡±


    Ranko sat up like a rocket on the couch.


    ¡°Alone, with no place left that you call home¡­¡±


    The redhead sat mesmerized, watching a closeup shot of herself singing the first verse, her eyes wide. Is this really happening right now?


    Crash and everybody looked fierce, and she looked¡­ dirty, she noted with a laugh. That fucking dirt, man.


    ¡°Your heart still remembers the smoldering embers! The fire was in you all along!¡±


    Yuji had been right; cutting the shots of Hitomi¡¯s legs and the fire in had really been convincing.


    It was such a surreal experience. She¡¯d expected the video for Rise to look amateur somehow. She knew every little thing they¡¯d done to fake something for a shot, every camera trick and mistake that was made, and she¡¯d thoroughly been prepared for the video to look like something she shot with Kage¡¯s home movie camera, that would be embarrassing next to the production quality of the American videos. To her shock, it looked like it belonged, as if the song, and the band that produced it, had a rightful place among the hits of the day. She was still coming to terms with the fact that she sometimes got recognized at the grocery store, and here she and her friends were getting sandwiched between Europe and freaking Madonna, and not looking at all like they didn¡¯t deserve to be there.


    ¡°You have grown, but no one gets there on their own, and when you think that you¡¯re alone, it¡¯s the ones you love that are thinking of new ways to remind you¡­¡±


    She sang along with herself as she watched, and as she did, a brightness returned to her eyes. Sure, she was beat, and she was broke, and she still felt a little like somebody had taken a crowbar to her ribs from her last attempt at the quadruple twist. But she had also gotten Akane back on the volleyball team, and she had a plan for fixing some of the other things Sneak had broken, much as she was not looking forward to implementing it. She¡¯d gotten herself out from under Eiji, and was working on her sixth, seventh, and eighth new songs. She had the love of six sisters - her own four and Akane¡¯s two - and Hana as well. She grinned, looking down at her left hand. And I get to be Akane¡¯s forever. Whatever that looks like.


    ¡°Burn like a demon to earn what you¡¯re dreamin! The Phoenix inside never dies!¡±


    Even on the hard days ¨C even when the floor needed sweeping and she didn¡¯t have the energy to do it ¨C she was living her dream.


    ¡°You ignite, and you RISE,¡± she sang along with herself on the couch with a bright giggle.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotta tell you, Isao,¡± the hostess in the beach scene said on the television as the video ended. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see what else Ranko Tendo and her band put out. I just freaking love the energy that kid has. You can just tell, watching her sing, that she loves what she¡¯s doing.¡±


    Ranko blushed, kicking back on the couch with a satisfied sigh. It¡¯s happening. Somehow. I can¡¯t believe it.


    Her blissful daydream was interrupted by the sound of a key in the lock, and Ranko quickly hopped up and pressed the power button on the television, rushing over to the door. The second Akane stepped foot into the apartment, Ranko was on her, wrapping her arms around her fiancee.


    ¡°Whoa! What¡¯s all this about,¡± Akane asked, blushing as she returned the hug.


    Ranko nuzzled against Akane¡¯s shoulder, kissing the side of her neck. After a moment, she released the hug and pulled her hands to her chest, leaning into Akane¡¯s chest and letting her lover¡¯s arms envelop her. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ happy.¡±


    Squeezing her tight and rocking her a little, Akane smiled and kissed the top of her head. ¡°I¡¯m glad, baby. Do you have any idea how much I love you?¡±


    The redhead giggled. ¡°Enough to forgive me for not getting the floor swept before you got home?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Akane said, lifting the smaller girl off the ground with a smicker and sitting her on the dining table. ¡°That¡¯s an awfully serious infraction.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sensei,¡± Ranko said, lowering her eyes in mock shame, a playful twinkle still radiating from her eyes. ¡°Please don¡¯t be too harsh with me.¡±


    ¡°Miss Tendo, I¡¯m afraid I have no choice.¡± Akane picked the slender redhead up again, tossing her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carrying her toward the open bedroom door. ¡°I¡¯m clearly going to have to teach you a lesson.¡±

 77. Youre My Song

    With a yawn, Ranko¡¯s eyes blinked open. The room was far too bathed in sunlight to be seven o¡¯clock, and she hadn¡¯t heard the harsh buzzing of the cheap digital alarm clock on the nightstand ordering her to her feet. For half a heartbeat, she felt a sense of dread that she¡¯d overslept something important, but all concerns were laid to rest when she felt fingers gently stroking her hair. With a sleepy smile and a quiet purr of contentment, she nuzzled into her pillow, hugging Starlight closer against herself and letting her lover¡¯s gentle petting relax her.


    ¡°Good morning, beautiful.¡± Akane smiled down at her. She was sitting up in bed at her lover¡¯s side, her back to the headboard.


    Blushing, Ranko released her stuffed unicorn, rolling onto her back to smile up into Akane¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hi, baby¡­ what time is it?¡±


    With a soft smile, Akane shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Crash called and said that Ken had to do some work for his dad today, so they canceled band practice, and I figured you could use the extra rest.¡±


    The redhead nodded. ¡°And what have you been doing?¡±


    Akane blushed, running her fingers softly down the side of Ranko¡¯s neck. ¡°Just watching you. Thinking.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Ranko sat up, biting her lip gently, letting the blanket fall around her waist and exposing her nakedness. As the blanket moved, it bumped Ziggy off the bed, and the pink teddy bear slid down to the floor. ¡°Whatcha thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Mostly, how lucky I am.¡± Akane leaned over to her, propping Ranko¡¯s chin up with two fingers and kissing her. It was hard for Akane to see given how close she was, but Ranko¡¯s face had turned almost the color of her hair.


    Ranko scooted closer, resting her cheek against Akane¡¯s chest through her yellow nightshirt. She would have tried to hug Akane¡¯s torso, but the larger girl¡¯s arms enveloped her first. Instead, Ranko curled up against her body, tracing shapes gently on Akane¡¯s chest with her fingers. ¡°Do you know how much I love you? Like, really?¡±


    Akane leaned down, kissing her beloved on the top of the head. ¡°I do. But I never mind a chance to hear it again.¡±


    Ranko smiled softly, closing her eyes. She¡¯d been working on something in secret for a few days, and she wanted to make sure she remembered it properly. Confident that she had, her cheek still resting on Akane¡¯s breast, she broke the silence of the mid-morning still with her singing voice.


    ¡°Did you know the way time stops when our eyes meet? The way that everything else fades out of my mind? Did you know I hear your name in each heartbeat? That you¡¯re the one my soul was always meant to find?¡±


    Ranko¡¯s hand slid gently down Akane¡¯s chest as she nuzzled tighter into her love¡¯s arms. ¡°Did you know I¡¯ve never felt this way before? I didn¡¯t know that it was possible at all. Did you know, no matter how much I get, I want more? The more you raise me up, the harder that I fall¡­¡±


    Akane blushed. ¡°Ranko¡­ is that¡­ did you write¡­¡±


    The redhead reached up, laying her finger across Akane¡¯s lips and nodding, her cheek rubbing against Akane¡¯s body through her nightshirt.


    ¡°I hope you did, but if you didn¡¯t, I wanna tell you endlessly. Don¡¯t want a second to go by that you don¡¯t know you are the very best of me. Most people think my life is music. They hear me sing, and they¡¯re not wrong. But when they see the joy I feel up on that stage, I¡¯m just the singer. You¡¯re my song.¡±


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    Akane blushed, rocking her beloved in her arms as Ranko continued, her voice soft and quiet, almost tenuous, as if she were a little embarrassed to be singing for an audience of just one. In a crowd of hundreds, if one person didn¡¯t like a song, she didn¡¯t notice, but when she was singing a song to just the person she¡¯d written it for, she could see their reactions in real time, and that was daunting.


    There was a tenderness to her voice that was rarely seen on stage. She was not trying to entertain, but merely to tell the person she loved the way she felt in the most powerful way she could. Ranko tilted her head upward on Akane¡¯s chest, kissing her gently just under her chin.


    ¡°Did you know I¡¯m not the person that I was, and I have changed so many things inside of me? Did you know how proud I am of that because it made my arms a place that you could wanna be?¡±


    Ranko reached up, her hand softly stroking Akane¡¯s hair. ¡°Did you know that I feel safest when you¡¯re holding me? You are the shelter I can build my life beneath. Did you know that I can feel your love re-molding me? I need your presence like the very air I breathe.¡±


    Akane sighed happily, squeezing Ranko tighter in her arms for just a moment. My beautiful girl. I can¡¯t believe she¡­ you know what? Yes, I can. This is who she is now. And I get to keep her forever. She slipped her hand into Ranko¡¯s, and Ranko lifted it, kissing the back of it ever so gently.


    Ranko sat up, turning to face Akane, and taking the black-haired girl¡¯s hands in her own. Her eyes sparkled, her nakedness conferring no glitz, no glamor, no showy flair. It offered her nothing to hide herself behind, and there was a sincereness to it that needed no embellishment. She was not an artist, a pop star, an entertainer, or even a waitress right at that moment.


    She was just a girl in love.


    ¡°I hope you did, but if you didn¡¯t, I wanna tell you endlessly. Don¡¯t want a second to go by that you don¡¯t know you are the very best of me. Most people think my life is music. They hear me sing, and they¡¯re not wrong. But when they see the joy I feel up on that stage, I¡¯m just the singer. You¡¯re my song.¡±


    Akane took her by the shoulders, pulling her into a kiss, and Ranko whimpered gently into her lover¡¯s open mouth as the pair made contact. Akane¡¯s fingers traced lines up her spine, sending the redhead quaking in her arms. Still, Ranko looked up as their lips parted, her voice breaking slightly as Akane stroked her, and continued to sing.


    ¡°Did you¡­ know that ev¡­ rything is falling into place? That my life is finally starting¡­ to make sense? Did you know that my whole u¡­niverse is just your face?¡± Ranko rested her palm gently on Akane¡¯s cheek. ¡°I never dreamed I¡¯d find a love half this intense.¡±


    She leaned forward, parting her lips and kissing Akane softly, pulling back and singing mere centimeters from her face. ¡°Did you know the way I crave the sweetness of your lips? The way I ache for you each second I¡¯m alone?¡±


    Shivering as Akane¡¯s hand traced up her back, she closed her eyes, trying to maintain enough concentration to continue. ¡°Did you know that¡­ there¡¯s a magic in your f¡­ fingertips, and when you touch me, anywhere we are is home?¡±


    Ranko crawled forward, nuzzling into Akane¡¯s chest again as her lover stroked her back. ¡°I hope you did, but if you didn¡¯t, I wanna tell you endlessly. Don¡¯t want a second to go by that you don¡¯t know you are the very best of me. Most people think my life is music. They hear me sing, and they¡¯re not wrong. But when they see the joy I feel up on that stage, I¡¯m just the singer. You¡¯re my song.¡±


    Akane lowered her head as Ranko finished, kissing her fiancee softly on her bare right shoulder and eliciting a tiny little purr from her before whispering in her ear. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to marry you, beautiful.¡±


    As she felt Akane¡¯s fingers snaking their way up her right thigh, Ranko answered in a high-pitched tone that was somewhere between a whisper and a whine.


    ¡°I¡¯m already yours.¡±

 78. A Dowry of Words

    ¡°I know, can you believe it? A free day at the Ganawa Hot Springs Resort? I don¡¯t even remember entering this contest!¡± Genma Saotome couldn¡¯t believe his good luck, holding up the voucher he¡¯d received anonymously in the mail.


    ¡°Well, I wish I had, Saotome! Have a wonderful time!¡± Genma¡¯s best friend clapped him on the back, motioning to the sidewalk. ¡°You¡¯d better get going, or you¡¯ll miss your train!¡±


    ¡°Oh, crap!¡± Genma looked down at his watch. ¡°You¡¯re right, Tendo! I¡¯d better get a move on! See you tomorrow!¡± The balding man turned down the street, running at the maximum speed his aging body would carry him in the direction of the Nerima train station.


    From the rooftop across the street, a redheaded teenage girl in a white lace dress watched as the man she once called her father sprinted down the road. She waited until the gate to the Tendo yard was closed and the aging martial artist was out of view before hopping to the ground.


    Yeah, old man, get a move on. Have a great time, and try not to think too hard about the number of photos of your kid in a miniskirt I signed to raise the money to get rid of your ass for a day.


    She adjusted her ponytail, smoothing her dress and brushing a little dust from the rooftop off of her knees before taking a deep breath and ringing the bell.


    A moment later, Kasumi Tendo walked gingerly into the dining room, gently interrupting her father as he sat on his porch looking out onto the koi pond and the dojo beyond. ¡°Father? Someone is here to see you.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Yes!¡± Soun stood, chuckling a bit nervously. He wasn¡¯t expecting anyone, and he had no idea what it could be about. ¡°Please, Kasumi, send them in.¡±


    Nearly holding her breath, the young woman in the white lace dress entered the room where she¡¯d had breakfast every day for two years. She hadn¡¯t set foot in it since the day she ran out in the middle of the night and threw away everything she knew for the sliver of a scintilla of a hope that she might one day become half the woman that stood in that room now.


    ¡°Ranma. I¡­ didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡±


    Kasumi sighed. ¡°Father, her name is¡­¡±


    Ranko held up her hand, pleading with her eyes for Kasumi to stop.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Tendo.¡± Ranko bowed formally to the father of the woman she loved, awaiting his acknowledgement before rising.


    ¡°What brings you here? Is everything alright with Akane?¡± Soun sat back on the floor, crossing his legs.


    Ranko sighed, shaking her head. ¡°No, sir, it isn¡¯t.¡± She knelt on the floor a few meters away from him, bowing her head. ¡°Mr. Tendo, sir, I am here because Akane needs you.¡±


    ¡°Oho, is that so? She certainly didn¡¯t seem to need me very much when we spoke last. Besides, she has someone else taking care of her now, doesn¡¯t she, Ranma?¡±


    Ranko clenched her teeth, but allowed her eyes to show no anger. ¡°Sir¡­ I don¡¯t know how to say all this to you, so I¡¯m just going to try, okay? I¡¯m not here for me. If you want to call me by my old name, call me boy, call me son, hey, if it makes you feel better, I¡¯ll bear it. I¡¯ve heard a lot worse, from people I respect a whole lot less. I can take it. I can bear any shame you want to throw at me. The only thing I can¡¯t handle is watching the person I love more than life itself suffer for the crime of loving me. You can¡¯t hurt me worse than that, no matter how hard you try.¡±


    Ranko leaned forward, placing her hands, and then her forehead, on the floor, her ponytail coiling around her right cheek on the cypress flooring. ¡°I am here, Mr. Tendo, to beg you not to punish Akane for being the kind, caring, and loving person that you raised her to be. You made her a person that could see the best in everyone, sir, even¡­ even a freak like me. Don¡¯t hold that against her now, sir. Please.¡±


    Soun sighed. ¡°Please get up, Ran¡­¡± He sighed, not even sure how he wanted to finish his sentence.


    Ranko sat back up to her knees, but kept her head bowed. Like a proper bride, she thought to herself. ¡°Mr. Tendo¡­ I love Akane. I will bow and scrape and apologize for every other part of my life if it makes you feel better, but that, I am not sorry for, and I never will be. I know I¡¯m not what you dreamed of for Akane. Not anymore, at least. I know I don¡¯t deserve her. I know I¡¯ll probably never be who you want to see with her, and it breaks my heart, but I will learn to live with it.¡±


    She sighed heavily, looking down at the silver ring around the third finger of her left hand, letting it give her strength.


    ¡°Mr. Tendo, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m never going to be a guy again. It¡¯s just not going to happen for me, and¡­ I don¡¯t want it to anymore. I never in a thousand years thought I would say this, but¡­ I am becoming the woman I am meant to be. I am still learning what that means. I¡¯m still learning who I am a little bit every day, with Akane¡¯s and my new family¡¯s help. But I can say for absolute certain that I am a woman, and I belong with Akane. She asked me on Christmas to spend the rest of my life with her, and I said yes. It was the easiest decision I¡¯ve ever made.¡±


    Ranko sighed. ¡°I know you want Akane to have a husband one day that will protect her, and provide for her. That will be strong for her, and keep her safe, and make her proud. And¡­ I may be a girl now, but I can still do all of those things. I am going to fight for her every day for the rest of my life, sir. I still consider those things my responsibilities, and nothing about the fact I¡¯m wearing a dress while I say it is gonna change that. But¡­ there are things a person expects of a wife, too. Wives are expected to be dutiful and respectful. To take care of their partner and their home. To be nurturing and soft and supportive. I want to give Akane all of those things, too. She doesn¡¯t have to choose. I want you to know that I will give her the best of who I am. All of who I am. I promise.¡±


    "And what if she wants children? Have you considered that? You may say you can do everything else she''d expect of a husband, but that would be pretty difficult, even for you."


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    Ranko looked around the room desperately for an answer. That was the one question she''d dreaded. If Akane wanted it badly enough, she would bear the agony and try to change back just long enough, but she doubted Akane would ever allow it. Just then, her eyes fell on the silver dragon coiled around her left wrist, and her eyes lit up with the epiphany she''d been searching for these last three days.


    "My mother has five daughters, of which I am one, even though I wasn¡¯t born to her. She wanted to be a mother, and so she found children that needed her. She went and built herself a family with her own two hands. We could do the same, if we ever decide to."


    Soun sighed, standing and beginning to pace around the room. ¡°Ran¡­ko, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t care about you. Of course I do. I know you¡¯re a good person and I know you care about Akane. I do want to see you happy. But do you honestly think you can make her happy, like¡­ this?¡±


    Ranko looked up into his eyes, her own sparkling with tears of determination. She dared not move from her knees. ¡°If I can¡¯t, Mr. Tendo, I will die trying.¡±


    ¡°But what if you can¡¯t? If you knew, right now, that Akane would be happier one day without you, what would you do?¡± He hated having to be so blunt with the girl, but he just didn¡¯t think someone so young could see how bleak a future could be with such emptiness in it.


    ¡°If I knew that, sir¡­ If I really believed that she¡¯d be better off without me, I would leave and never look back. And I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever smile again so long as I lived.¡± Ranko shuddered at the thought of it.


    ¡°And how am I to know that, exactly? It¡¯s easy to say profound words when you come here to try and make peace, but what people do when they¡¯re faced with that choice is often very different.¡± Soun leaned on the sliding door, looking out over the pond contemplatively.


    Despite being out of his field of vision, Ranko stayed where she was, her head down. This was a time for calm formality, even though the emotions coursing through her were fire and ice both.


    ¡°Because I already did it once.¡±


    Soun turned. ¡°How do you mean?¡±


    Ranko looked up from her knees. ¡°When I left here that day, do you think I did it because I wanted to? Because I had any idea what I was going to do with myself? Where I was going to go? Sir, I left your home in disgrace so that Akane could move on, because she deserved so much better than to be chained to the wreckage of the person I used to be, and I knew she would never give up on me. She¡¯s too kind, too good, for that. She doesn¡¯t turn her back on people. So, I tried to do it for her. And you know what she did? She came and found me anyway. And even then, when I tried to push her away, for her own good, she wrapped her arms around me and she hasn¡¯t let go ever since.¡±


    The Tendo patriarch grumbled, sipping from a cup of tea that had long gone cold. ¡°And so, then,  how am I to know that you would stick it out, and do the hard thing for her sake, when you have to?


    Ranko bowed her head. ¡°Because I am here now.¡±


    ¡°Beg your pardon?¡± Soun set his teacup down. Her answer should have upset him, but rather, it intrigued him somewhat.


    The redheaded girl sighed heavily. She fought back her hurt, and her anger. She needed to speak to him rationally, even though what she had to say hollowed her out to her core. ¡°You made no secret of the fact you were disgusted with me when you came to see us. I have been through hell to become a person I could be proud of, a person worthy of Akane¡¯s love, and you looked at me like I was something dirty that corrupted her somehow.¡±


    She swallowed hard. She knew he expected a certain amount of masculinity out of her right now, and she dared not cry. ¡°I had hoped you could be the father that he never was for me, too. Like you used to be, before. I wanted to impress you, and make you proud of me, Mr. Tendo. I prepared for that day for weeks. I¡­ I wanted to earn the right to be called yo¡­ your daughter. And you made me feel cheap, and broken and¡­ wrong, and I was so hurt and so angry. It would have been easier for me to never see your face again than to have to relive how disappointed I was that day. But being without you is killing Akane, and so I swallowed my pride and came here for her, because she¡¯s too proud to ever do it for herself. She would never speak with you again if she thought it would make things easier for me, but I don¡¯t want that for her. For either of you. I care about you both far too much. So, if my pride is the price I have to pay to fix this for you both, please, take it.¡±


    With a heavy sigh, Soun walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. ¡°I was shocked with everything that you told me that day. Regardless of what I think about you having a relationship with Akane¡­ like this, you did a brave thing leaving here and making your own way like you did, and I was wrong to judge you so harshly for it. I truly am sorry for that, Ranko.¡±


    The redheaded girl shuddered a little, the force of her emotions quaking her spine from how hard she was fighting not to let them escape through her tear ducts. ¡°Apology accepted. Thank you.¡±


    Soun sighed. ¡°It would be such a hard life for her, having to keep you hidden.¡±


    Ranko allowed herself the smallest of smiles. ¡°Yes sir, we¡¯ve had our issues about that, for sure. But we¡¯ve come to an agreement together. I will stand behind her in the shadows, as long as I get to stand behind her at all.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± He shook his head, idly resetting the shogi board from the last game he had played with the father of the young woman who sat in his dining room. ¡°How would you even provide for her? You work in a bar.¡±


    ¡°My singing is starting to show potential, and I can always help her teach classes if she needs me to. But also, me and Akane¡­ we¡¯re a team. I don¡¯t know that I¡¯ll be able to do it by myself right away, or ever, but together, we can do anything.¡± That, she truly believed.


    He turned, his expression softening somewhat. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re asking me for. Tell me why I should let this happen, Ranko.¡±


    She looked down at her hands, closing her eyes. The fact that he had used her true name twice without hesitation gave her an injection of hope. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I ended up a boy, or a girl, or a mouse, or a basketball. I am going to love your daughter until the sun burns out, sir. I am going to live every breath for her. I am going to put her first, always. I am going to make her proud. I am going to treat her with kindness and honor and respect. I am going to support her, care for her, and protect her for the rest of my life.


    ¡°And, respectfully, Mr. Tendo, I¡¯m going to do it whether you say I can or not. You can hate me and disrespect me forever for it if you want, and it will break my heart, but I will accept it. All I came here to say is that Akane is going to love me for the rest of her life, too, no matter what you say. The world is going to make that hard enough for her without her own father turning his back on her, too. I can¡¯t be the man you say she needs. That¡¯s true. But I¡¯m with her every day, and right now, I can tell you that the man she needs in her life is you, and you¡¯re letting her down.¡±


    Soun took a step closer, looking over the woman asking for his daughter¡¯s hand. There was a gentle sincerity to her, and a softness that he did not quite recognize, but the same resolve he would have expected from Ranma Saotome still burned within her. What was it the girl had said about that woman that ran the bar she worked at? Cotton wrapped around concrete?


    ¡°And you really think you can do all of the things you said?¡±


    Ranko lowered her hands and her forehead to the floor again.


    ¡°I swear it, sir. On my honor, as a Tendo.¡±

 79. King of the Castle

    Ranko held both her arms up in front of her, her palms facing forward and elbows bent, her hips and knees sliding her left and right on the red vinyl mat in time with the music blaring from every direction at once. Just behind her on her left and right, Shiori and Tamiko bounced on their ankles, waving upward to coax the three thousand or so people on the home bleachers to their feet.


    ¡°Woo-hooo!¡± came a cry from the speakers, and as it did, Tanda and Yori both peeled off from behind Shiori and Tamiko and launched into double handsprings down the middle of the V formation the Yusue cheerleaders made with Ranko at its point closest to the crowd.


    Etsuko and Kou paired at the middle of the formation, catapulting Ayame into the air for a double layout as the music commanded the crowd. ¡°Celebrate good times, come on!¡±


    Ranko turned to her right, facing Shiori, and she and the captain danced in place, letting their hips do most of the work. As they did, Tamiko remained on her left alone, and the remaining cheerleaders in the V formation went, one by one, across the formation performing handsprings as they traded sides, dancing in place when it wasn¡¯t their turn to move.


    ¡°There¡¯s a party goin¡¯ on right here! A dedication to last throughout the years! So bring your good times, and your laughter too! We¡¯re gonna celebrate and party with you! C¡¯mon now!¡±


    Ranko turned to face Tamiko, dancing with her as she had with the squad captain. At the back of the formation, Kou launched Mizuki into the air in synchronization with Aoi lifting Chinatsu, and both of the flyers danced for a moment in place on the shoulders of their bases before dismounting in single twists followed by a layout to the ground.


    Yori and Aoi, the frontmost girls of the V formation behind Shiori and Tamiko, peeled into the middle of the formation and began approaching the back of the V in parallel back handsprings. As they did, Kou and Etsuko again launched Ayame, and Yori and Chinatsu flung Mizuki across the back of the formation, each of them performing a double tuck as they passed in the air to be caught by the opposite pair of bases from the ones that threw them, passing in the air over Yori and Aoi¡¯s handsprings.


    ¡°Everyone, around the world, come on!¡±


    Tamiko and Shiori threw themselves into chains of back handsprings, diagonally into the back of the V to cross in the middle of the formation. As they began, Ranko bent forward at the waist, touching her hands to the mat. Springing upward, she launched herself backward, completing two back handsprings of her own before firing herself high into the air, twisting thrice as Tamiko and Shiori passed under her.


    ¡°Celebrate good times, come on!¡±


    All fourteen girls jumped up, throwing their arms into the air in synchronization as the music ended, and the Yusue home crowd on the bleachers erupted. The girls clumped together, hugging and bouncing on their ankles for a moment before clearing the mat to make way for the final wrestling match of the evening.


    An enormous blonde boy in a black singlet emblazoned with a green cobra strode to the mat, and from the Yusue side, Saburo Kimura clamored out to meet him to the cheers of the Yusue crowd.


    ¡°Wooooo! Let¡¯s go, Saburo!¡± Shiori and Tanda waved their pom-poms emphatically as Ranko looked away, rolling her eyes. With any luck, that kid¡¯ll just, I don¡¯t know, eat him or something, she thought to herself.


    It was not to be, however. Not thirty seconds into the match, Saburo dropped to his knees, getting a grip on the larger boy¡¯s ankles and rolling him to the ground. In a matter of moments, Saburo finished wrapping him and pinning him to the mat for the victory.


    ¡°Kimura wins again! He¡¯s still undefeated! And that¡¯ll be enough to win the meet for Yusue,¡± the announcer enthused through the public address system to the adulation of the home crowd and thirteen of the fourteen cheerleaders.


    Tamiko nudged Ranko with her elbow, drawing her attention. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the matter with you? Trouble in paradise again?¡±


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    Ranko turned. ¡°Huh? What are you on about, Tami? I¡¯m just¡­ tired, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Tamiko said with a grin, ¡°whatever he did, I¡¯m sure you two will work it out.¡±


    Shaking her head, Ranko stuffed her pom-poms into her silver gym bag. ¡°Tamiko, I literally have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°You know, you and Saburo?¡± Tami shook her head. ¡°I know you didn¡¯t bother to tell us, but half the school already knows. Well, half the cool ones, anyway. You suck at keeping secrets, girl.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Ranko whirled. ¡°People are saying I¡¯m with him?!¡±


    Yori nodded, pulling the red-and-silver bow out of her hair and letting down her ponytail. ¡°Oh, yeah. He¡¯s been telling everybody who will listen about all your romantic dates. Makin¡¯ me kinda jealous, honestly.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ okay. That¡¯s it. I¡¯m gonna fucking kill him.¡±


    Ranko glared, but Tamiko put her arm around her before she could stalk off. ¡°Hey. It¡¯s probably just a misunderstanding. He probably didn¡¯t know you wanted to keep it quiet. It happens sometimes.¡±


    ¡°No, Tami,¡± Ranko growled. ¡°I¡¯ve never dated him, and I never would. He¡¯s been following me around everywhere creeping on me, and I¡¯ve had about enough of it! Disgusting fucking¡­ Eugh!¡±


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Yori said. ¡°Somebody¡¯s pissed¡­¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Ran-chan. Let¡¯s go get changed. There¡¯s nothing you can do about it tonight.¡± Tamiko put her arm around her fuming squadmate¡¯s shoulder, pulling her gently toward the locker room where most of their fellow cheerleaders had already retired. Most of the fans in attendance had already begun streaming out of the gymnasium through a pair of double doors at the far end of the building.


    She sat on the wooden bench in the locker room, almost out of breath from anger alone. First I had to go through all that bullshit with Eiji, and now¡­ fuck, I hate boys sometimes! She started to untie her shoes, still growling under her breath to herself.


    ¡°Ah, dammit. I forgot the squad binder.¡± Shiori started to pull her shirt on.


    Ranko stood. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll get it. I¡¯m still dressed, and¡­ I kinda need to walk this off.¡±


    With a wave of acknowledgement from Shiori, the redhead pushed her way back into the nearly empty gymnasium, bending down and searching around the bench area for the white binder Shiori was almost never without. She found it just as a voice called out to her from behind, setting her skin crawling.


    ¡°Hey, Ranko! Looking good out there tonight, babe!¡±


    Ranko whirled, fire in her eyes. ¡°You! How fucking DARE you tell people we were¡­¡±


    Saburo smirked, laughing. ¡°Aw, don¡¯t be upset. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s not gonna happen. I just gave the chatterboxes a little bit of a head start.¡±


    ¡°Alright. That¡¯s it!¡± Ranko dropped into a forward aikido stance. He¡¯s a wrestler. He¡¯s all about momentum. I can use that. ¡°Come on, you fucking pig. We¡¯re gonna end this shit right now!¡±


    ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    Ranko turned to see Mr. Jibara, the wrestling coach, rushing toward her. ¡°I know you weren¡¯t thinking about starting a fight on school property, Miss Tendo!¡±


    ¡°But, you don¡¯t understand, he¡­¡± Ranko snapped her eyes back to her would-be opponent.


    ¡°Whatever he said, there¡¯s no reason to fight! Let it go!¡± The coach was almost upon them.


    ¡°I told you, Ranko,¡± Saburo sneered quietly. ¡°I¡¯m the king of this castle. I do whatever the hell I want around here, and I get whatever I want. Better get used to it, honey.¡±


    ¡°Come on, get back to your locker room.¡± The coach pulled at Ranko until she released her stance, still glaring over her shoulder at Saburo as she was led toward the double doors. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, Tendo. I just saved your life, kid.¡±

 80. Girls Like Us

    Akane sat nervously, fidgeting as she looked over the menu. She¡¯d deliberately chosen a table at the far edge of the little sushi restaurant across the street from her college campus, hoping to be out of earshot of most of the patrons for the conversation she hoped would take place.


    Maybe she should have worn a dress instead of jeans. Come off more approachable. She was going to, but Ranko had stopped her. You need to project strength, and that doesn¡¯t work for you when you go soft. You gotta be a badass today, she¡¯d told her. Save the cute for me. Easy for Ranko to say, considering her fiancee was less than two days from an athletic competition she¡¯d killed herself training for since September, and was going to do it in a pleated miniskirt and a glittery hair bow.


    Akane looked down at her watch, sighing. Ten minutes late. She was afraid of this. She¡¯s not coming. I made a total ass of myself, didn¡¯t I? She waved for her waiter, preparing to ask for her check to pay for the cup of tea that still sat full on the table in front of her, when she noticed a bright green ponytail bobbing its way between the tables toward her. Akane waved hopefully, catching the eye of the college junior.


    It took a few moments more for her to make it through the lunch-rush crowd between full tables, but eventually, Nanami Ikehara made her way to the chair opposite Akane. Figures. She wore a dress.


    Akane smiled brightly. She came. There¡¯s a chance. She stood, offering a polite bow. ¡°Hi, Nanami. I¡¯m so glad to finally meet you.¡±


    The junior bowed in response, a little skeptically. ¡°Yeah, you too, Akane.¡±


    Both sat, and Nanami picked up her menu, glancing at it with one eye still focused on the freshman who had invited her to lunch out of the blue with no context whatsoever. She didn¡¯t even know how the girl had gotten her phone number, but she had seen on the sports minute on the news that Akane had previously been on the Mystics volleyball team, so it might have come from there somehow. It was weird to be sure, but free sushi was free sushi. Hope she knows I¡¯m seeing someone, Nanami thought.


    ¡°So, I don¡¯t mean to sound rude or anything, but¡­ why am I here, exactly?¡± Nanami nodded in thanks as the server handed her a cup of tea while she was speaking.


    Akane gulped. So much for the small talk. ¡°I wanted to talk to you about volleyball.¡±


    The green-haired girl scoffed. ¡°Why? Volleyball doesn¡¯t exist anymore, as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡±


    With a nod, Akane tried her best to say with her eyes what she didn¡¯t want to say out loud in a crowd this size. ¡°I know why you left the squad, Nanami. I was there that day, when Reiko and Saki told you.¡±


    Akane¡¯s lunch companion bristled. ¡°Yeah? And even if you did, what business is it of yours?¡±


    Lowering her voice, Akane leaned forward a bit. ¡°Because they did it to me, too, for the same reason. Well, essentially.¡±


    Nanami nodded, her posture loosening a little. ¡°That sucks, Tendo. Sorry ¡®bout that. I haven¡¯t really been watching, but I heard you were pretty good.¡±


    Blushing a bit, Akane smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the same about you.¡±


    The girl with the green hair smirked, a little confidence returning to her face. ¡°Second-leading scorer on the team two years running.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you like to make it three?¡± Akane shot a glance to their server as he made eye contact, giving him a slight shake of her head to encourage him not to approach yet.


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    ¡°You kidding? Fuck those girls. I hope they don¡¯t win another game.¡± Nanami sipped on her tea, sighing. Her eyes appeared more full of hurt than anger. ¡°Besides, if they booted you too, where are you coming from with this?¡±


    Akane sighed. ¡°Coach Anada found out what happened. He apparently never knew. I have no idea who tipped him off, but it had to have been one of the other girls on the team. No one else could have known. He kicked Reiko and Saki off the squad, and invited me back. Made me captain, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Well, hooray for you, I guess.¡± Nanami shook her head. ¡°Glad to see he finally could be bothered to give a shit.¡±


    ¡°Nanami, come back to the team with me.¡± Akane folded her hands in front of her, hoping it looked more like a position of relaxation and not one of begging, though she wasn¡¯t sure it really was.


    The elder girl shook her head. ¡°What¡¯s the point? They¡¯re just gonna get their asses kicked anyway, and they deserve it. Every one of those girls went along with what happened. I was better than them before, and I don¡¯t feel the need to prove it now. I don¡¯t owe them anything, and I damn sure don¡¯t need to crawl back to them.¡±


    Akane bit her lip, nodding. ¡°That¡¯s a fair position to take, and I felt the same way too, when Coach first asked me. But here¡¯s the thing. You know those girls. Most of them are afraid of their own shadows, at least when it comes to losing their scholarships. Sure, I wish they¡¯d stood up, but I at least understand their position. Hell, I knew what happened to you, and I joined the squad and kept my mouth shut about¡­ stuff, for a while, because I wanted to be part of the team. So, I guess hate me along with them if you want. But I¡¯m not going back to help them, and I¡¯m not going back to beg forgiveness, because I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, and neither did you.¡±


    The server, who could wait no longer given the crowded room, approached the table. ¡°Hey, girls, can I put something in for you?¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°Please! Let me do a unagi roll, and a vegetable tempura for the table?¡± And then go away?


    Nanami smirked. ¡°Let me get an ikura and a spider, please.¡± She closed her menu, handing it up to him. If that girl¡¯s gonna waste my time like this, she can pay for it.


    As the server sped away, Akane continued. ¡°I¡¯m going back there to show them that girls like us don¡¯t back down, and we aren¡¯t going anywhere. I¡¯m going back because nobody gets to tell me I can¡¯t have what I want.¡±


    ¡°Well, congratulations, you can go show them how noble it is to be part of a losing team. They have no hope. What does that have to do with me, Tendo?¡±


    Akane thought quietly for a moment. ¡°First, they¡¯re not eliminated from the playoffs yet. It¡¯s gonna be an uphill fight for sure, but there¡¯s still a chance. With me, a better chance. With both of us? I¡¯m pretty sure of it. We can do this, Nanami.¡±


    The green-haired girl sat quietly for a moment, and Akane sat back with her tea, giving her the space to think.


    ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±


    Akane blinked. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°The reason you left the team. What¡¯s her name?¡±


    Akane blushed, looking down at her hands. Her left one, in particular. ¡°Ranko.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Nanami nodded in thanks to the server as the tempura appetizer was delivered. ¡°And what does Ranko think about all this?¡±


    ¡°She¡­¡± Chuckling, Akane took a piece of the fried sweet potato to buy a second to think about how to answer. She was broken-hearted when they ran me off, and honestly, I think she¡¯s just relieved not to feel guilty about it anymore.


    Swallowing, she continued. ¡°She¡¯s proud of me. She supports me.¡±


    With a nod, Nanami pressed. ¡°And she thinks you should go back to a team who treated you like that, with your tail between your legs? She¡¯s proud of that?¡±


    Akane sighed. I don¡¯t know that she necessarily wanted me to go back to the team or anything, but she¡¯s glad I¡¯m in a better place now. She knew it was eating me up, even when I tried to hide it.


    ¡°She thinks the girls were wrong, but other than Saki and Reiko, figures they were mostly just too scared to speak up. I mean, one of them had to tip off Coach, and even she won¡¯t come forward and say who she was. She wants me to show them what courage looks like.¡±


    Nanami waved a battered bit of lotus root in the air with her chopsticks as she spoke. ¡°Courage, huh? What, to show them that girls like us don¡¯t know when we¡¯re beat?¡±


    Akane didn¡¯t break eye contact with Nanami even as the server placed her sushi roll in front of her.


    ¡°To show them that girls like us can be champions.¡±

 81. A Requiem in Blue

    ¡°Whoa!¡±


    Ranko looked up in awe at the massive arena to which she and her thirteen squadmates, led by their sponsor chaperone, were headed, walking from the bus that had delivered them from the parking lot of Yusue High. Like all of her squadmates, Ranko wore her red-and-silver cheerleading uniform, with a long black vinyl jacket with the school¡¯s logo on the front. It was almost as long as her skirt, and she had it zipped up in the middle, not that it did much to protect her from the January chill with her legs exposed. Her hair was up in a high ponytail with a sparkly red-and-silver bow clipped into it, and Akane had even helped her do a presentable job at makeup. Her fingernails were painted in alternating red and silver, and she carried a silver duffel bag over her shoulder. The school had even bought all of the girls matching silver sneakers.


    She was the picture of school spirit.


    She felt absolutely ridiculous.


    There had to have been thousands of people milling around. There were vans parked out front with television cameras mounted on their roofs, a gathering of food trucks and carts, here and there a little wooden shelter set up selling souvenir tee shirts and other memorabilia.


    Fans of every description darted here and there. Parents took pictures with individual cheerleaders on Polaroid cameras, and some with more professional-looking equipment. A squad of some thirty girls in matching purple leotards marched by like a regimented army. Upbeat, instrumental music blared from public address speakers mounted atop the light fixture poles. It was like a carnival, a concert, and a sporting event all had a mutant baby that just came out as a muddled flurry of activity.


    ¡°Are you ready, Ranko?¡± Kotone sidled over next to her, nudging her gently. ¡°We¡¯re counting on you today.¡±


    Ranko nodded glumly. ¡°As I¡¯m gonna be.¡± She was still very frustrated with herself that she¡¯d been unable to land the daunting quadruple twist; even after she¡¯d told the squad she couldn¡¯t, she¡¯d kept trying, but if anything, her attempts were becoming even less successful as doubt and frustration set in.


    ¡°Hey. We¡¯ve got this. You taught us well. We¡¯re gonna kick ass, Tendo.¡± Kotone grinned confidently.


    ¡°Yeah. I guess we are.¡± Ranko managed a small smile as well, but she stopped walking mid-sentence. ¡°Do you smell that?¡±


    Kotone nodded. ¡°Yeah, the food carts and stuff here are always crazy good. But I wouldn¡¯t eat too much before you start doing a bunch of flips in the air. They¡¯ll be here after.¡±


    No, Ranko thought. That¡¯s a smell I¡¯d know anywhere.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll catch up with you girls in the locker room. Just give me a few minutes.¡± Ranko jogged off in the direction of the food carts.


    Well, I warned her. Gods, I hope she doesn¡¯t puke, Kotone thought as she jogged to catch up with her squadmates.


    Ranko¡¯s eyes darted from one cart to the next until she found a tiny two-wheeled stand nestled in the very back between a takoyaki cart and a boba tea vendor. Smiling excitedly, she lowered her head, slipping into the line, and waiting for her turn. As she approached the counter a moment later, the chef called out to her with her back to the order window. ¡°I¡¯ll be right with you, sugar, just finishing this up. What can I get for ya?¡±


    Ranko grinned. ¡°A large seafood, extra sauce, all the way, and a hug?¡±


    The brunette in the blue chef¡¯s coat gasped, whirling around. ¡°R¡­ Ran-chan?! Ohmigods, it¡¯s you! But¡­ what are you doing here, of all places?¡±


    Ranko blushed, unzipping her jacket and opening it to reveal her Yusue cheerleading uniform. ¡°Surprise.¡±


    Ukyo Kuonji gasped, dropping her large spatula on the floor of her cart with a loud clang. ¡°Shut. Up. No way! You? A cheerleader?!¡±


    Flushing until her face was almost the color of her uniform, Ranko nodded. ¡°Yeah. A lot¡¯s happened.¡± Ranko looked behind her, seeing that no further line had formed. ¡°You got a few minutes?¡±


    Ukyo scoffed. ¡°Are you kidding? One sec.¡± The wooden shutters in the order window closed and Ranko could hear them latch closed, and a moment later, the side door of the cart creaked open and Ukyo ran the four steps around the cart, wrapping her arms tightly around the cheerleader.


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    ¡°I¡¯ve been so worried about you! I asked the Tendos, and none of them seemed to know where you went. Nabiki was a little sketchy, though. I thought she might be hiding something. Then again, it¡¯s Nabiki, so¡­¡±


    Ranko giggled. ¡°Yeah, she does that. But yeah, Nabiki¡¯s known for a while now. But I asked everyone to keep it quiet. It¡¯s¡­ kinda hard to start over when everybody from your old life knows where to find you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ukyo said, putting her arm around the redhead¡¯s shoulder, ¡°but I¡¯m not everybody. I¡¯m me! You should have reached out to me, Ranma.¡±


    Ranko winced, looking down. ¡°Um, Ukyo? I, um¡­¡± She bit her lip, a bit embarrassed. ¡°My, um¡­ my name¡¯s not Ranma anymore. I go by Ranko now.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Nice! You took the name of the girl that did that Rise song on the radio! Now if anyone asks around, they¡¯ll find her instead of you. Great thinking, Ran-chan!¡± She started walking in the direction of a shaded blue bench within view of her cart, pulling Ranko along by her shoulders.


    Again, the redhead blushed. ¡°Yeah, uh, funny story about that¡­¡±


    In the moment of silence that followed, Ukyo made a skeptical face, looking her over. ¡°Nuh-uh. It couldn¡¯t be. Not you. Not Mister Don¡¯t Look at Me, I Don¡¯t Exist. I don¡¯t buy it for a second.¡±


    Blushing, Ranko looked down at the ground. Three hundred strangers, she could do this in front of no problem, but one of her best friends? ¡°Alone¡­ with no place left that you call home¡­¡±


    Ukyo gasped, covering her hands with a giggle. ¡°No. Fucking. Way. Who are you? What have you done with my Ranma?¡±


    He died, Ukyo. I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the same person anymore, Uk-chan. I¡¯m¡­¡± She looked down at her hands, a crisp breeze giving her a shiver under her miniscule skirt to punctuate the vulnerability she felt. ¡°I¡¯m a girl now. Like, for real. I have a new family and everything. I¡¯ve changed. Started over.¡± And even though you might not think so, I¡¯m so much better off for it.


    ¡°New family? What, like, you got adopted?¡± Ukyo chuckled. ¡°What are you, twelve?¡±


    Ranko blushed. ¡°Not exactly like that, no. It¡¯s this awesome family that runs the bar I sing at. The Phoenix, in Minato. You should come by sometime! I¡¯ve got a mom now, and four sisters, a nephew and a niece. It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s really great, Ukyo. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m happy. Most days, anyway.¡±


    Holy shit, she¡¯s not playing. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s something, Ranma. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m glad for you.¡±


    ¡°Ranko. Please.¡± Ranko looked down, ashamed to have to correct her. It made her feel like she was disappointing her friend to not be what she wanted her to be.


    ¡°Right. Sorry. Ranko.¡± The name felt awkward and strange on her tongue. ¡°You heard from Akane at all? I heard she moved out this way for school.¡±


    Ranko gulped. This, she¡¯s not gonna like.


    ¡°Yeah, uh, I see her a lot, actually¡­¡± Ranko chuckled nervously.


    ¡°Oh yeah? How¡¯s she doing?¡± Ukyo smiled, not entirely cordially, fiddling with the end of her ponytail as she sat on the bench, leaving room for Ranko next to her.


    ¡°She, um¡­¡± Ranko blushed, sitting next to her friend. ¡°She¡¯s good, Uk-chan. Real good.¡± As she spoke, she fidgeted idly with her hands. It took a moment, but Ukyo finally noticed the silver ring around the third finger of her left hand.


    ¡°You¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡±


    Ranko nodded, frowning a little bit. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re together again, Ukyo. It¡¯s not the same, but it¡¯s good. It¡¯s better than it was. Way better. We¡­ We¡¯re good together. Please don¡¯t be upset.¡±


    Ukyo sighed, her shoulders drooping. ¡°Great. So you¡¯re back to getting clobbered every fifteen minutes. You deserve better than that.¡±


    The redhead shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not like that anymore. We¡­ We talk. Usually. She¡¯s good to me, Ukyo. I swear she is. She¡­ how do I say this? She takes care of me. She lets me feel safe. That¡¯s not easy for me these days, with¡­ everything. I¡¯m sorry. I know that¡¯s not what you wanted to hear.¡±


    A booming voice echoed from the speakers that had been playing the inspirational instrumental music. ¡°All competitors, you must be checked in with your squads in fifteen minutes. Repeat, all competitors, check in with your squads in the next fifteen minutes.¡±


    Ranko stood. ¡°I guess that¡¯s me!¡± She blushed, giggling a little bit. ¡°Wish me luck, I guess?¡± She adjusted her ponytail, straightening the bow in it.


    The woman in blue sighed heavily. ¡°There¡¯s really no way back for you, is there? Back to¡­ what you were.¡±


    Ranko bit her lip. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, Ukyo. And¡­¡± She sighed quietly.


    Ukyo looked up. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Blushing, the redhead looked down at her hands. At Akane¡¯s ring.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want one anymore if I could get it. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m happy with who I am.¡±

 82. The Shadow Always Tracks You Down

    ¡°There you are. You ready, Ranko?¡± Shiori smiled up at her squadmate as she entered the designated ready room for the Yusue Lions cheerleading squad. Four squads had already performed, and the captain was getting a little worried their star singer and gymnast wasn¡¯t going to show up. The arena was a maze, and after talking with Ukyo, she¡¯d had a hard time finding their designated locker room.


    The room was a chaotic frenzy of makeup, hair products, stretches, and enthusiastic cheers. It was as if the room where Ranko got ready for Izumi¡¯s wedding had been injected with a twelve-pack of her favorite energy drink as thirteen cheerleaders scrambled to make their final preparations. It was not lost on Ranko that the room looked more like a theater dressing room than a locker room, and that somewhat annoyed her, given the athletic nature of what she was there to do.


    ¡°I guess so, yeah.¡± She looked herself over in one of the many wall-mounted mirrors, ensuring that the few tears that welled in her eyes while she talked to Ukyo hadn¡¯t marred Akane¡¯s cosmetic handiwork, not that she¡¯d have been able to do much about it if it had.


    ¡°Is your mom here, Tamiko?¡± Shiori flitted over to check on the youngest member of the squad, just a freshman. ¡°You said you weren¡¯t sure if she could get off of work.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I saw her just before I came in.¡± Tamiko grinned. ¡°What about you, Ranko? Is any of your family coming?¡±


    Ranko frowned. It was a Saturday afternoon, so preparation for a busy night at the Phoenix would already be well under way. Akane had said she would come, but Ranko hadn¡¯t seen her. Granted, there were too many people out there to see everyone coming in, and it was probably for the best that Akane hadn¡¯t run into Ukyo. Ranko wondered if Ukyo herself would come in to watch, but knew that she probably couldn¡¯t leave her cart for that long.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Tami. Probably not.¡±


    ¡°Shi¡¯ri, how much time do we have,¡± Yori called out from the stool where she was touching up her eyeliner.


    The captain whirled. ¡°We¡¯re going last, so you¡¯ve got another few minutes.¡±


    The double-doors into their combination locker room and salon swung open, and a woman in a purple and white nylon jumpsuit entered. ¡°Hello, girls, this is the Yusue squad, right? I¡¯m looking for Ranko Tendo?¡± As the door slowly squeaked closed, the announcer¡¯s voice summoned the fifth squad of the meet to the mat to perform.


    The redhead in the back corner raised her hand. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am?¡±


    The woman held up a contraption with a collection of wires. ¡°I understand they¡¯re planning on having you use a microphone during the competition?¡±


    Ranko blushed. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m gonna sing, if I can do it and still do stunts. We brought a copy of our music with the vocals pre-recorded too, just in case.¡±


    The woman nodded, and motioned Ranko to join her on a wooden bench that ran through the center of the room. ¡°This is called a lavalier.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°And what exactly does a lava lamp do?¡±


    With a chuckle, the blonde in the jumpsuit shook her head. ¡°Lavalier. It¡¯s a wireless microphone, but you wear it on your body. Here, I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    She clipped a heavy box about the size of a cassette case to the back of Ranko¡¯s skirt. ¡°Here, run this wire up your shirt and clip it up there by your neck.¡±


    Ranko did as she was told. ¡°Okay, now what?¡±


    The woman shrugged. ¡°See if you can move in it okay?¡±


    Seeing nowhere that wasn¡¯t a flurry of activity, Ranko hopped up on the bench, shooing Mizuki off of her seat for a second. On the bench that was no more than a half-meter wide, Ranko performed two back handsprings as if she were on a balance beam, but on the second one, the large pack fell off of the back of her skirt, almost tangling her in the cord before she could stop her motion.


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    ¡°Drat. It looks like we¡¯re not going to be able to do this. I¡¯m sorry.¡± The woman sighed, putting her hand out for the device.


    A chorus of disappointed awwwws rose from Ranko¡¯s squadmates.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be okay, girls. We have the backup tape.¡± Shiori smiled, but she knew between that and the quadruple twist, the Yusue squad had now lost both of its secret weapons.


    Ranko looked up and saw the worry in her captain¡¯s eyes, sighing and turning back to the event organizer. ¡°You know what? Screw this. You got any duct tape?¡±


    A few moments later, Ranko sat hunched over on the bench trying to protect her modesty somewhat without her shirt on as the woman in the jumpsuit affixed the equipment to her back just under her bra strap. Ranko rolled her shoulders, and she could feel the tape pulling on her skin with every slight motion. It was like having a grabby octopus that had wriggled under her bra strap and dug its claws in, or at least, it would have been if octopuses had claws, she thought to herself.


    ¡°Okay. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going anywhere, but remember, you won¡¯t be able to get to the off switch, so the second they turn up your audio, whatever you say is broadcasting to the speakers. So be careful.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± She carefully pulled her red and silver sleeveless cheerleading shell back on just as another organizer in a matching athletic jumpsuit poked her head into the room. ¡°Okay, Yusue, you¡¯re on deck. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get you to the staging area.¡±


    Trailing behind her squadmates, Ranko was led to a darkened area off to the left side of the performance area. From where she stood, she could see the squad that was performing, but not the audience. She¡¯d hoped to scan the crowd for Akane¡¯s face.


    The twenty-one girls performing sprung effortlessly around the mat, seemingly flawless in flight as they twisted and flipped to Technotronic¡¯s Pump Up the Jam. At one point, of the nearly two dozen girls on the blue foam mat, Ranko did not think any of them were touching the ground. Holy shit. We¡¯re so screwed.


    Shiori must have seen the look on Ranko¡¯s face, because she walked over and squeezed the redhead¡¯s hand. ¡°Hey. We¡¯ve got the only pop star in the competition. We got this, girl.¡±


    The song ended with a thundering bass drop and the sound of the crowd was unlike anything Ranko had ever heard. As the performers cartwheeled off the mat in their black and yellow leotards, one of the backstage organizers motioned the Yusue squad forward. They had not yet taken the mat, but it was the first time Ranko had gotten a look at the audience in the arena where they¡¯d be performing. She had expected a gymnasium, maybe a little larger than the one where Akane had her volleyball games. This was practically a stadium. There had to be six or seven thousand people or more in the seats, and they were all roaring.


    The voice of the announcer boomed over the sound system. ¡°That was last year¡¯s champions, the Minato Academy Archers! And it¡¯s gonna be awfully tough to top that score! Holy cow, a 9.41!¡±


    Shiori winced. ¡°Shit!¡±


    The crowd continued to show its appreciation for the reigning champions, chanting the name of their school.


    ¡°MI-NA-TO! MI-NA-TO! MI-NA-TO!¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes darted around the crowd frantically. Her breath quickened, and her palms began to sweat.


    ¡°MI-NA-TO! MI-NA-TO! MI-NA-TO!¡±


    She had performed for crowds of as many as four hundred at the Phoenix. Maybe as many as twice that at one of the Dapper Dragons¡¯ outdoor gigs. But nothing like this.


    ¡°MI-NA-TO! MI-NA-TO! MI-NA-TO!¡±


    Only one other time in her life had she been the center of attention in an arena this size.


    ¡°MI-NA-DO! MI-NA-DO! MI-NA-DO!¡±


    Only one other time had she had this many people staring. Watching. Waiting to see what she would do. Slavering ravenously to see her defeated.


    ¡°MI-KA-TO! MI-KA-TO! MI-KA-TO!¡±


    Ranko felt a chill over her skin. She felt exposed. Bare. Vulnerable. Cold, as if she were suddenly surrounded by ice. The pleated red-and-silver miniskirt and the cheerleading shell did not protect her enough to face what barreled through her mind. Plate mail armor would not have.


    ¡°MI-KA-DO! MI-KA-DO! MI-KA-DO!¡±


    ¡°Ranko, are you okay?! You¡¯re white as a ghost!¡± Shiori placed her hand on Ranko¡¯s shoulder, but before the redhead could respond, the announcer¡¯s voice boomed overhead again.


    ¡°AND NOW, our final squad of the competition! Please welcome the Yusue High Fighting Lions!¡±

 83. Phoenix in Flight

    As her squadmates whooped and tumbled out onto the mat and waved to the capacity crowd in the arena, Ranko followed trepidatiously. Her hands were shaking. Her eyes darted around through the audience. Looking for comfort. Looking for danger.


    She took her mark at the front left of the mat, looking back at Shiori. Her eyes were a chasm of panic. Focus, Ranko. He¡¯s not here. Dial in.


    Someone off to her left held up a white posterboard sign encouraging one of her squadmates, probably Tamiko¡¯s parents. The sudden flash of white made Ranko snap her head to the side, her eyes wide. Her knees bent a little, as if preparing to jump out of the way. Her breathing quickened, and she almost jumped out of her shoes when the first beat of her own song thundered from the sound system in the large auditorium.


    With a two-minute time limit on their performance, Ranko and Jacob had needed to cut down the song to just a few of its verses, opting for the strongest ones. An almost liquid baseline oozed from the speakers, and the digitized voices Jacob added to the start of the track announced to the audience what to expect.


    ¡°You ignite and you¡­ You ignite and you¡­ You ignite and you RISE! RISE! Ri-ri-ri-ri-RISE!¡±


    The audience roared in recognition as Ranko opened her mouth to sing, her voice quavering as her eyes frantically searched the sea of faces. Watching for the attack. Waiting for the sneers. The laughter. The malice.


    ¡°S¡­ somehow, the shadows always track you down¡­¡±


    She barely avoided flinching as Tamiko and Yori crossed in front of her doing chains of handsprings in opposite directions.


    Near the very back of the arena, Akane turned to the woman in the seat to her left. ¡°Oh, no¡­ Something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Kou and Shiori lifted Mizuki, launching her forward through the air. She perfectly executed a double tuck into a layout, falling into a basket catch executed by Kotone and Tanda.


    Two long tables ran across the front of the mat. The one on the left sat three judges, a man and two women. The one to the right was home to two male commentators that were relaying the events for a radio broadcast. Ranko could hear the commentators between the notes of her songs.


    ¡°The Lions are off to a strong start here, but the singer, Tendo, seems to have just a little bit of the jitters¡­¡±


    Ranko swallowed hard, spinning on her heel in synchronization with Yasuko on the other side of the mat. ¡°And then, something s¡­ stirs in you again¡­¡±


    Breathe. Breathe.


    Shaking her head, she started into a run, executing a front handspring into a back handspring, launching herself off her hands and spinning twice in the air. As she landed, she instinctively pulled her left ankle back to allow it to slide frictionlessly into the landing on the ice.


    But there was no ice.


    Ranko stumbled, catching herself. It took everything in her power not to curse under her breath, remembering at the last possible instant that she was wearing a hot microphone.


    What the hell is wrong with her, Shiori thought from her position standing atop the hands of Kou and Kotone. She¡¯s blowing everything!


    The color commentator cringed, turning to his partner, his microphone with the logo of his radio station wrapped around the handle in his right hand. ¡°Ooh, and Tendo can¡¯t stick the landing on that twist, and that¡¯s a mandatory half-point deduction. Those are the sorts of mistakes you just can¡¯t afford to make if you¡¯re trying to keep pace with the Archers we just saw, especially not on the easy stuff.¡±


    Akane stood from her seat in the back of the arena, cupping her hands around her mouth and shouting at the top of her lungs. ¡°WE LOVE YOU, RANKO!¡±


    The redhead¡¯s eyes snapped up and looked for the sound. Her eyes fell on the very back row of the arena, off to stage left. There stood Akane, the love of her life, wearing a black tee shirt with bold pink writing across the front of it ¨C Ranko¡¯s signature. One of the new Ranko and the Dapper Dragons merchandise products the label had just released.


    To Akane¡¯s left sat Hana.


    And Ayako.


    And Yui.


    And Izumi.


    And Mei.


    They had all come. In matching shirts, even!


    Ranko¡¯s eyes sparkled in recognition of her family, and in an instant, the last year and a half rocketed through her mind. The time at the library when Hana first called Ranko her daughter. The late nights sitting on her bed above the Phoenix eating popcorn and talking with Yui. Standing up for Mei. Shopping trips with Izumi. Warm hugs and protective cuddles from Akane.


    Her mind crashed back into the present, the cobwebs clearing. Whatever doubts she had, whatever fears lurked in the dark corners of the auditorium, they were gone. Mikado could not get her here. Nothing could.


    Her family was with her. Akane was with her.


    She was invincible.


    ¡°Dust off your hands, take a breath, take a stand and admit that you might have been wrong! Your heart still remembers the smoldering embers! THE FIRE WAS IN YOU ALL ALONG!¡±


    Ranko¡¯s posture straightened and she roared into the chorus of Rise with the widest smile imaginable. Each time she screamed the name of the song that was making her famous, another of her squadmates was launched into the air, performing a double twist. As soon as the flying girl was caught, she and the two cheerleaders that caught her ran to the end of the line so they could keep the chain going in a cascade from the right side of the mat to the left.


    As at the Phoenix, the crowd joined in echoing the name of the song. But it was not two hundred people. It was seven thousand, two hundred and four. It was deafening. It was all-encompassing.


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    They were hers.


    No longer was the teeming audience a threat, like it had been that day with the Golden Pair. They had come to be amazed, and amazing a crowd was both Ranko¡¯s specialty and her passion. They were an army at her back now, reveling at her command, and their every breath empowered her even further to do what she did best.


    ¡°RISE like a dragon and RISE from the agony! RISE, and rekindle the flame!¡±


    She grinned up into the back of the auditorium, seeing Hana hop excitedly on her ankles with the music, thrusting her fist into the air and joining the chant. You rock it, mama. This is for you.


    Standing in a line, Tanda, Mizuki and Yori all performed deadfalls onto their backs. As Ranko continued the chorus, they lifted their legs, kicking in unison and launching themselves off of their shoulders and back onto their feet.


    ¡°Whoa,¡± the color commentator said, turning to his companion. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s come over Tendo here, but she¡¯s like a girl possessed out there now! Is it enough to make up for the previous mistakes, though?¡±


    ¡°When life turns to ashes, you go get the matches, and SEAR AWAY ALL OF THE SHAME!¡±


    Ranko leapt into the air, tucking into a ball and flipping backward onto her feet. She couldn¡¯t do terribly complex stunts while needing to maintain her singing. Each of her movements had an almost violent snap to them, as if she was exerting even more energy than was necessary to increase their speed, precision, and power.


    ¡°BURN like a demon and EARN what you¡¯re dreaming!¡±


    She extended her right arm, pointing to the back row at stage left and its six occupants. Even over the din, she could hear all of her sisters, her mother, and Akane squealing at the acknowledgement. She delivered the line in less of a singing voice, and more of a defiant scream.


    ¡°THE PHOENIX INSIDE NEVER DIES!¡±


    Kotone, Tanda and Mizuki all were catapulted into the air at once, performing double layouts in perfect time with the final usage of the song¡¯s title in the chorus.


    ¡°You ignite, and you RISE!¡±


    Shiori, Tamiko and Yori all ran toward Ranko in a single-file line diagonally across the mat, with about two meters of space between them. Shiori dropped into a tuck roll on the mat just in time for Ranko to handspring over her, landing between her and Tamiko. Tamiko then also rolled as Ranko¡¯s second handspring cleared her, and then her third vaulted her over Yori and into a double twist to her feet.


    ¡°You were lonely and scared, and nowhere near prepared! There were lessons you needed to learn! But now, it¡¯s your mission to start reignition. Your heart is just waiting to BURN!¡±


    As before, each time Ranko uttered the name of the song, backed by the chants of some thirteen thousand raucous onlookers, another girl was launched into the air to execute a double tuck. First, Aoi and Moriko tossed and caught Ayame. Then, Tanda and Koe tossed Kotone. Then, Mizuki and Yori tossed Shiori. Each time a girl was caught, she lay flat on her back between her two catchers on the mat.


    ¡°RISE like a dragon and RISE from the agony! RISE, and rekindle the flame!¡±


    With each of the hardest notes of the second line, one of the girls that had flown in the previous line took the hands of the two catchers, and was flung forward into a front handspring.


    ¡°When life turns to ashes, you go get the matches and sear away all of the shame!¡±


    Two lines of six cheerleaders formed a V formation centered on Ranko, each executing a double back handspring in perfect synchronization. Only Kou stood still, a few meters behind Ranko.


    ¡°Burn like a demon, and earn what you¡¯re dreaming!¡±


    Twelve of the cheerleaders split off into four groups of three, two on either side of Kou in the center. Ranko herself jogged to the back of the formation, behind Kou.


    ¡°The PHOENIX INSIDE never dies!¡±


    As the pre-recorded echoes of the last line poured from the speakers, each was punctuated by a girl being lifted to a standing position atop two of her squadmates and thrusting her fist into the air.


    Kotone straddled the palms of Tamiko and Yori. ¡°Never dies!¡±


    Shiori was lifted atop Aoi and Ayame. ¡°Never dies!¡±


    Tanda next rose up into the palms of Moriko and Mizuki. ¡°Never dies!¡±


    Finally, Chinatsu was propelled to her feet in the arms of Etsuko and Momoe. ¡°Never dies!¡±


    As the four pyramids were created, a loud grunt of exertion was broadcast through the arena through Ranko¡¯s microphone as she threw herself into a dead run toward Kou from the back of the formation. She sprung forward after five steps, twisting her front handspring into a violent back handspring, and then another, at dizzying speed. Each explosive motion was precisely calculated to build momentum and velocity. Potential energy, right, Mr. Iwata? Or is this kinetic? Whatever.


    They¡¯re not going to see me lose. Not today. It¡¯s time to see a phoenix fly.


    She launched herself off of her legs as she completed her third handspring, twisting once and clearing Kou¡¯s head while upside down in the air. Kou cocked her elbows back, as they had practiced so many nights on the bleachers, and Ranko did as well. As soon as their hands connected, both girls pushed outward with all the force they could bring to bear, and Ranko was launched an additional six meters into the air as she flew over Kou¡¯s head.


    In the crowd, Akane gasped as she watched Ranko twist her body in a corkscrew motion once.


    Twice.


    As Ranko spun into her third twist, Shiori watched nervously from her perch above her squadmates. Okay, Ranko. You nailed it, girl. Straighten it out, straighten it out¡­


    But Ranko¡¯s motion did not stop.


    Oh, no, Shiori thought, her eyes widening in horror. That crazy girl! She¡¯s trying to¡­¡±


    Ranko smiled. She could sense that there was plenty of space under her feet to attempt a landing. But then, she realized that the audience was upside-down, and the table where the judges sat was getting awfully close.


    Four.


    Shiori¡¯s mouth hung open as she watched her squadmate plummet head-first toward the mat without a catcher. Oh, gods¡­ Ranko¡­


    With a last desperate effort, Ranko flung her legs forward, trying to get enough rotation to at least try and land on her backside as opposed to her face. She felt her left foot strike the cushioned mat, and as her momentum carried her forward and her ankle gave way, she bent her right knee and planted her right foot as hard as she could into the vinyl mat. Her head came to a stop less than a meter from the edge of the judge¡¯s table.


    The crowd went berserk.


    The color commentator shot out of his chair. ¡°Did she just¡­ Holy mother of miso, folks! Ranko Tendo just landed a quadruple twist with a front layout! The stunt that ended the legendary career of Mieko Suto! We¡¯ve just seen history, cheer fans!¡±


    One of the judges looked down at Ranko with an expression somewhere between awe and terror.


    I know the feeling, lady, Ranko thought. I thought I was gonna eat it there, too.


    Still, she flashed the judge a smile, pushing off with only her planted right foot to a mostly standing position from the crouch she had landed in and thrusting her right fist into the air.


    As the last word of the song left her lips, all four of the girls atop their pyramids were launched into synchronized double twists and caught by their bases.


    ¡°YOU IGNITE, AND YOU RISE!¡±

 84. On Solid Ground

    ¡°Was that the thing she was trying to¡­ did she¡­?¡±


    Ayako leaned over to her sister, hugging her and beaming. She remembered most of the stunts from her brief time as a cheerleader, back before she left her adopted parents¡¯ house and moved into the Phoenix. ¡°Yeah. Izzi! She nailed it! And then some! Holy fuck!¡±


    Hana tried to say something to Akane, but she was not heard. The raven-haired girl was on her feet and screaming as loud as she could, but then again, so was most of the arena.


    Ranko remained frozen in her position, leaning forward on her right leg with her fist in the air, until she was sure all of the judges had locked in their scoring. Her elated teammates rushed her, and Ranko swiveled on her right heel to face them. Shiori ran toward her to hug her, and Ranko took a step toward her.


    As she did, Ranko¡¯s left leg buckled under her and she collapsed to the mat.


    Akane gasped, covering her mouth. She turned to her left to say something, but the seat next to her was empty. Hana had already cleared the first four rows on her way down the steps.


    The crowd grew quiet as Ranko lay crumpled on the blue vinyl mat, but Shiori and Kou quickly reached her, lifting her up. Ranko put one arm around each of their shoulders, Kou having to stoop somewhat to allow it, and they helped her off the mat without Ranko putting any weight on her left leg. Once the girls had her back on her feet, the crowd resumed their revelry, and then their disjointed voices formed a single chorus.


    ¡°RISE! RISE! RISE! RISE! RISE!¡±


    ¡°Do you know how freaking crazy you are?! You could have killed yourself!¡± Shiori would have punched the redhead leaning on her for support, if she wasn¡¯t so damned happy.


    ¡°Save some strength, Captain,¡± Ranko said with a smile that concealed a grimace. ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to carry the trophy back to the bus.¡±


    The girls flanked Ranko as they helped her back to the dressing room designated for their team. When they arrived, there was already a man in a purple jumpsuit waiting on the bench where Ranko had tested her microphone. ¡°Let¡¯s get her over here and sit her down?¡± The man stood, making room for Kou and Shiori to place Ranko on the wooden bench.


    ¡°Hi, Ranko, I¡¯m Dr. Hakada, and I¡¯m gonna take a look at your leg, okay? Can you tell me what happened?¡± The man adjusted his glasses before beginning to unlace Ranko¡¯s sneaker.


    ¡°I felt my ankle pop when I landed,¡± Ranko said, wincing a bit as the elderly man worked on removing her shoe.


    From just outside the heavy double doors, Ranko thought she heard a voice she recognized, but with the crowd noise, it was hard to be certain. But then she heard it a second time, louder, and there was no doubt.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re the queen of England, that¡¯s my daughter in there, now, MOVE!¡±


    The doors burst open and a browbeaten security guard in a black uniform sullenly pulled them closed behind Hana as she stalked to the bench where her daughter sat.


    ¡°Ranko, baby, what happened? Are you alright?¡± Hana knelt next to the doctor, looking the redhead over.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m Dr. Hakada, with the Invitational. I¡¯m checking your daughter out right now, if you¡¯ll give me just a moment.¡± The elder gentleman smiled, and pulled Ranko¡¯s shoe off, punctuated by a yelp from the cheerleader.


    Ranko almost didn¡¯t care what the doctor was doing, though. She smiled over his shoulder at Hana, a look of pride and exuberance on her face. ¡°I did it, mama!¡±


    Hana grinned, reaching over the crouched medic and taking her daughter¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯re damn right you did, baby. It was incredible. They¡¯re still going crazy out there.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    All thirteen of her squadmates stood in a semicircle in near silence, giving the doctor space to work. No one worked on getting out of their uniforms. There was no celebration, only concern.


    ¡°Okay, Ranko?¡± The doctor looked up at her from his knees, holding her socked foot in his hands. ¡°I¡¯m gonna check your ankle out, okay, honey? Just tell me if anything hurts.¡±


    Ranko nodded, reaching out over his shoulder and taking Hana¡¯s hand as the doctor flexed her foot backward. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s not so bad¡­¡±


    The doctor put pressure on the side of her ankle, rotating her foot. ¡°Ow! That¡­ okay, that hurts!¡±


    The clinician placed his hand on the sole of her foot. ¡°Can you push against my hand, honey?¡±


    Ranko did as she was told, gritting her teeth, and his arm cocked back a few centimeters.


    ¡°Okay. Great job. So it looks like just a sprain, nothing too serious. Try to rest it for a couple of days, and you should be just fine. Let¡¯s get it wrapped up for you.¡± He unzipped the black bag on the floor, digging around for a bandage.


    Only now did Ranko¡¯s squadmates begin to celebrate, whooping and clapping Ranko on her shoulder as the doctor wove the long cloth bandage around her foot.


    ¡°Do you think we have a chance,¡± Tamiko asked, looking up at the monitor mounted on the far wall. Under each of the judges, a blue box awaited for their score to appear, but they had not rendered yet.


    Yori nodded. ¡°They¡¯d be crazy not to give us extra points. Can you believe Ranko pulled that off? Holy shit!¡±


    The first number popped up, and Shiori gasped. ¡°Girls! Girls!¡±


    Nine point five.


    The standing cheerleaders took each other¡¯s hands, holding their collective breath as the second number appeared under the middle judge.


    Nine point four.


    A chorus of squeals rose from the girls, clenching each other¡¯s hands tighter as the third number appeared.


    Nine point five.


    The average, 9.467, flashed on the screen. From outside the doors, the girls could hear the crowd erupt.


    ¡°And there you have it, cheer fans! Our 1990 All-Tokyo Cheerleading Invitational champions, the Yusue High Fighting Lions!¡±


    The little room devolved into chaos. The girls hugged, jumped and screamed. The contents of a water bottle were sprayed through the air via its sports nozzle.


    Hana laughed, taking it in as she knelt at her daughter¡¯s side. ¡°Do you have any idea how proud of you I am, Ranko?¡±


    Tanda walked over to the bench, bending down and giving Ranko a hug from behind. ¡°You did it! Just like you promised!¡±


    Ranko beamed as a woman in a purple jumpsuit matching the doctor¡¯s entered through the double doors, a clipboard in hand. She stopped Yori, motioning to the clipboard, and Yori nodded, pointing to Shiori. The woman walked over to the squad captain, and showed her the clipboard. She handed it, and a pen, to Shiori, who wrote something on it and handed it back.


    ¡°Mom, would you mind telling Akane and the girls I¡¯m okay? And thanks for coming. You don¡¯t even know how much it meant to me that you were all here.¡± Ranko beamed at her mother.


    ¡°You got it, baby. You enjoy this. You worked hard for it.¡± Hana stood, bending down and kissing her daughter on the forehead before heading to the door.


    The woman with the clipboard motioned to the assembled girls. ¡°Okay, girls, ready to go get your trophy?¡± A chorus of elated whoooos came from the cheerleaders.


    All fourteen of them.


    Shiori leaned down, offering Ranko her arm. ¡°C¡¯mon, you.¡± Ranko gripped it and pulled herself to a standing position, gingerly following her back down the narrow hallway to the waiting area at the side of the stage. It felt so much different this time than just a few moments before, when Ranko nearly had a panic attack standing in this very spot.


    A man in a green suit and matching tie strode to the podium that had been set up at the center of the arena, where the dance mat had been moved aside. ¡°Presenting, your 1990 All-Tokyo Cheerleading Invitational champions, the Yusue High Fighting Lions! Accepting the trophy on their behalf, squad captain Shiori Nagata!¡±


    As he spoke, the woman with the clipboard ran out to the podium, whispering in the man¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Oh. Excuse me!¡± The man laughed. ¡°Co-captains, Shiori Nagata, and Ranko Tendo!¡±


    Ranko looked up at Shiori. ¡°What?!¡±


    Shiori squeezed the redhead around the waist, still supporting her weight. ¡°You earned it. And next year when I¡¯m gone, the squad¡¯ll be yours. Now, c¡¯mon, champ.¡±

 85. We Are the Champions

    ¡°¡®Cause the love shack is a little old place where we can get togethe-ee-ee-er!¡±


    Ranko chuckled, shaking her head and watching Shiori and Kotone leaning into one of the dynamic microphones together on the Phoenix stage. The two girls were barely upright, they were laughing so hard through their karaoke performance.


    Ranko herself, meanwhile, danced in place atop a wooden bar stool on the left of the stage, another microphone in her hand. She wore the mint green dress from her birthday party. Akane had planned to take her shopping for a new outfit for tonight¡¯s victory party, but they¡¯d decided to postpone their shopping trip until Ranko was no longer using crutches for her sprained ankle.


    ¡°Huggin¡¯ and a-kissin¡¯, dancin¡¯ and a-lovin¡¯! Wearin¡¯ next to nothin¡¯, cause it¡¯s hot as an oven!¡±


    ¡°Woooooooooooo!!¡± Somehow, nine cheerleaders managed to make the bar seem louder than it did with a full Saturday night crowd.


    Akane bopped down the aisle between two rows of tables in a pink sweater and Ranko¡¯s black  knee-length pleated skirt, dropping a pizza off in front of Mizuki and Etsuko. ¡°There ya go, guys!¡±


    Tamiko swayed with the music in Yori¡¯s lap, the couple giggling together.


    Aoi and Tanda laughed heartily, squeezing in together around another microphone at the far corner of the stage. ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang on the door, baby!¡±


    Ranko thumped the microphone twice on her hand. ¡°Knock a little louder, sugar!¡±


    Hana swayed with the music, watching her youngest daughter with a satisfied smile. Gods, it was so good to see her so happy. She¡¯d won something, and done so in such impressive fashion, but beyond that, she could see that Ranko was proud of herself. Not only had she performed the impossible stunt, but she¡¯d also led the squad in all but name, and earned their trust and respect along the way.


    The old barkeep couldn¡¯t have been prouder of her.


    The song ended, and Ranko stood, grabbing her crutch from where it leaned on the wall behind her. With her ankle wrapped in an elastic bandage and wearing sensible tennis shoes, she didn¡¯t really need it anymore, but Hana had insisted she keep it at hand just in case her ankle started getting sore.


    Shiori walked slowly with her to the VIP table, as it was closest to the stage steps, staying alongside her co-captain until she was seated before joining her and Kotone at the table. Within moments, a round of sodas and a pizza was delivered by the Phoenix¡¯ newest hire, who flashed a soft, knowing smile at the redhead in the green dress. Shiori blinked, looking up just as Akane set the pizza down on the table. She could have sworn she saw something familiar.


    A celebratory shout rose from the back corner, by the VIP table, as Momoe and Moriko watched Kou score a bullseye on one of the two dart boards on the wall.


    Kotone hopped to her feet with the familiar thump of a bass riff, whooping and motioning to Ayame and Tanda. ¡°C¡¯mon!¡± She ran back up the stairs onto the stage, and the three girls began performing the dance associated with Thriller in unison as Chinatsu began to sing it.


    Shiori, finding herself alone at the table with Ranko, scooted closer to her. The music was loud enough that, if she spoke quietly, no one else would hear her.


    ¡°Hey, Ran-chan¡­ can I, um¡­ can I ask you something? You don¡¯t have to answer if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Ranko nodded, still chewing a bite of pizza. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡±


    How do I approach this¡­ Maybe I shouldn¡¯t ask, but¡­ I¡¯ve gotta know.


    ¡°So, you and Saburo, you aren¡¯t really¡­¡±


    Shaking her head vigorously as she swallowed, Ranko groaned. ¡°Not a chance. What a creep! Speaking of which¡­ if you don¡¯t have plans Friday night, you might want to come by. Got a little surprise planned.¡±


    With a smirk, Shiori leaned in closer still. ¡°Man, your love life sucks lately, between Saburo saying all that stuff, and¡­ I mean, it must have been a bummer, having Eiji move on to another girl like that! And so soon!¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Ranko¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°Whoawhoawhoa¡­ I told you, we can¡¯t talk about him here. I¡¯ll get in trouble with my mom! But¡­ what do you mean?¡±


    Shiori grinned. Your mother doesn¡¯t let you date, but you wrote Sneak¡­ sure, Ranko. ¡°Well, it seems like he¡¯s been making moves on our waitress¡­ since she¡¯s wearing the same exact ring he gave you, and all¡­¡±


    Ranko coughed, sputtering soda through her nose. Ohhhhh, shit! I didn¡¯t think to tell her to take it off¡­ what am I gonna¡­


    ¡°Unless, of course¡­¡± Shiori gave her co-captain a knowing wink. ¡°... he never gave it to you in the first place.¡±


    Ranko flushed instantly, and Shiori had all the confirmation she needed. ¡°I knew it! So, all that with Eiji¡­¡±


    The redhead nodded. ¡°It was all a cover. Me and Akane are getting married in July. Please don¡¯t tell anyone. We¡¯ve decided to keep it quiet ¨C my record label thinks it¡¯ll be bad for sales if word gets out that I¡¯m¡­ not into boys.¡±


    ¡°So, Sneak was¡­ about her?¡±


    Again, Ranko nodded. ¡°Yeah. I really wanted to come out, have her tell her family and stuff, but once we tried, it caused all manners of hell for both of us - but especially her - and I¡¯ve been trying to put the genie back in the bottle ever since. And it all would have been fine, except my dumb ass forgot to take the ring off when we came back from Christmas.¡±


    Shiori giggled, shaking her head. ¡°Goofball. And I presume she doesn¡¯t know about Eiji?¡±


    Ranko blushed, covering her face with her hands. ¡°No, and I will positively die of embarrassment if she finds out, especially the whole thing where everybody thought I was¡­ y¡¯know¡­ ¡°


    Shaking her head with a laugh, Shiori swallowed a bite of pizza. ¡°Yeah, I suppose if you¡¯d managed to get pregnant with a girl, that¡¯d be a neat trick. You¡¯d certainly be famous for more than the quadruple twist!¡±


    Ranko flushed even further. Just the sound of that word was enough to make her uncomfortable. ¡°Shiori, you¡¯re gonna get me killed¡­¡±  She sighed quietly. How to say this without telling more lies to my friends?


    ¡°I was talking with Eiji one day, and he said he really hated the way that girls chased him all over school. He really didn¡¯t want to deal with it anymore, and he mentioned he wished he could pretend he had a girlfriend so people would leave him alone. Well, turns out I had a great reason to pretend I had a boyfriend, so we decided we could help each other. I¡¯m really sorry for not letting you girls in on it all, I just¡­ I was embarrassed, ya know?¡±


    Shiori nodded, sipping at her soda. ¡°But you didn¡¯t let Akane or your family in on it either? Why not?¡±


    Ranko turned her eyes away in embarrassment from where her lover was carrying a basket of onion rings to Ayame and Etsuko at one of the other tables. ¡°I¡­ I felt stupid for doing it. I felt like I was doing something wrong and I was ashamed. I don¡¯t think Akane would have like, thought I was two-timing or anything, ¡®cause she knows I really don¡¯t dig boys. But, I felt kind of gross about the whole thing. And then, once all the rumors started after Christmas, I could barely look anybody in the face about it. The things they said about me¡­ I¡¯ll never unhear some of that shit.¡±


    Shiori put her arm around Ranko¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey. It¡¯s cool. I¡¯m kind of bummed you didn¡¯t feel safe telling me before now, but¡­ it¡¯s all good. Your secret¡¯s safe with me as long as you want it to be, not that the other girls would mind. You aren¡¯t the first girl on our squad to swing that way and I doubt you¡¯ll be the last. They¡¯re cool with Aoi and Ishii, and nobody¡¯s outed Tami and Yori in more than a year that they¡¯ve been together.¡± The cheerleader blushed a bit. ¡°And¡­ I mean, I¡¯m all for boys and all, but, get a couple drinks in me and put me in a hot tub with a cute girl, and¡­ stranger things have happened.¡±


    Ranko blushed. Oh, I promise, Shiori, if you got me in a hot tub, you would be pretty freaking weirded out by what happened¡­


    She looked around the room at her squad. Her friends. Shiori¡¯s right. They trusted me. I should trust them. She raised her hand, waving in the direction of the bar.


    With a sweet smile, Akane approached the VIP table as Thriller ended. This is so ass backwards from how it normally works in here, Ranko, but I¡¯ll take it. ¡°Hey, Ranko! Can I get you anything?¡±


    Ranko looked up at Tamiko, who was laughing cutely after kissing Yori on the nose. The smaller girl was still in Tami¡¯s lap with her arms wrapped around her neck. Saying nothing, the redhead lifted her eyes to her lover with a hopeful, questioning expression on her face.


    With a gentle grin, Akane gave a little nod. Go ahead, baby. If you trust them, I do.


    Ranko simpered softly, leaning her weight on the table and standing up. ¡°You can get me one of these.¡± She wrapped her arms around her lover¡¯s neck and pulled her into a kiss, to a chorus of shocked whoops from her squadmates.


    ¡°Hey, girls?¡± Ranko turned to the room, taking Akane¡¯s hand. ¡°I want you all to meet my fiancee.¡±

 86. Secondhand Style

    Ranko tittered loudly as Akane pulled her into the crosswalk by her hand. ¡°Hey! Where are you even taking me?¡±


    Akane smirked back at her as they reached the opposite sidewalk. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯ll see.¡± She could feel her fiancee¡¯s hand trembling slightly. It was a chilly early February morning and the Cat¡¯s Tongue offered Ranko no reprieve from the cold, even in her white peacoat and long-sleeved blue dress.


    Having little choice, Ranko followed along as she was led down the sidewalk, craning her neck to look in every shop window as she tried to guess what Akane had planned for her. Her hopes soared when they passed a fantastic-smelling sidewalk cafe, but Akane led her past it without slowing. Three doors down, though, Akane opened a glass door, setting off a little electric chime to alert the proprietors that they had customers.


    Ranko looked around in a bit of confusion.The place looked like it might have been a clothing store once, but it looked as if the whole store was having laundry day. Nearly nothing was on hangers, and there were piles of clothes on tables everywhere, some folded, some not. Along the far wall, piles of purses and shoes with orange zip ties connecting like pairs were heaped onto tables and metal shelves. There was a slight musty smell to the place, and it was jammed so full that if there were any employees present, Ranko could not find them.


    ¡°Akane¡­ what is this place?¡±


    The larger girl shook her head, wrapping her arms around Ranko and rubbing her back vigorously to help her warm up. ¡°It¡¯s a store, silly.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like any store Izzi ever took me to¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because Izzi took you to fancy places. This is a second-hand shop. It¡¯s a little less organized and you¡¯re getting stuff that maybe didn¡¯t fit somebody anymore or whatever, but it¡¯s a great way to get a bunch of stuff for cheap.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you wanted me to get a new dress. What do I need a bunch of stuff for?¡± Ranko blushed. This was sounding like a much bigger commitment than she¡¯d agreed to a few days ago, before she¡¯d sprained her ankle at the Invitational.


    Akane shook her head. ¡°Come on, Ranko. You know you only have like 20 outfits, right? You need options, girl.¡±


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°If you say so. What am I looking for?¡± As with every shopping trip her sister had taken her on, she smiled nervously as she awaited the exacting parameters for her search according to whatever occasion or need the outfit was being purchased for.


    Akane shook her head, smiling broadly. ¡°That part¡¯s the surprise.¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Ranko shaked her head with an amused scoff. ¡°Baby, how am I supposed to pick something out if I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m looking for?¡±


    Squeezing her hand, Akane flashed her a reassuring grin. ¡°You¡¯ve been doing this a while now. You know what sorts of things you like.¡± Akane squeezed her hand. ¡°Pretty much everything you have is either hand-me-downs or stuff Izzi picked for you. You have maybe two outfits you picked for yourself. I want you to have what you want.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s crimson face darted around the room. The mounds of clothing had become much more intimidating all of a sudden. ¡°Sure, but like, am I looking for a dress, or a shirt, or, what?¡±


    Scanning the room to ensure no one could see them in the corner of the cluttered store, Akane leaned in and gave her love a kiss on her cheek. ¡°Whatever. You. Want. Anything you¡¯d look cute in. Anything you think would be comfortable. I don¡¯t care what it is. I want you to get whatever will make you feel good about yourself, whether it¡¯s one thing or twenty.¡±


    ¡°But, like, is this for work, or a date night, or¡­ Akane, I¡¯m confused. I don¡¯t know where to start.¡±


    Akane sighed gently, lacing her fingers between Ranko¡¯s. ¡°Gods, how do I say this¡­¡± She looked around the room for a moment as if the words she wanted were hidden between the pounds of second-hand clothes. When she resumed speaking, her voice was lowered to nearly a whisper.


    ¡°Ranko, I know you¡¯re used to people doing this for you. Telling you what to wear. What to be. It¡¯s been so long since you¡¯ve let yourself just want something. I want you to be able to get excited about it. It¡¯s like when we¡¯re talking to Izzi about the wedding, and you keep saying whatever Akane wants to anything. You¡¯re allowed to have wants, too, baby.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. I just¡­¡± Ranko¡¯s face flushed, and she bit her lip a bit, turning her eyes from her love ashamedly.


    Akane bobbed her head softly in understanding. ¡°You think it¡¯s weird to want this kind of stuff, don¡¯t you? Like, dresses, stuff for your hair, wedding stuff, things like that.¡±


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    Ranko nodded, saying nothing.


    Akane shook her head, squeezing Ranko¡¯s hand again. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for that, baby. You¡¯re a girl. You¡¯re allowed to like feminine things. You¡¯re allowed to take pride in yourself. It¡¯s not weird, and there¡¯s no reason to be ashamed of it. It¡¯s perfectly normal for you to have things you like, that you like how they look on you, how they feel on you, all of that. I told you ages ago, if you want to be cute, get cute things. If you want to be a little more tomboyish, then get those kinds of things. Or, have some of each so you can wear whatever you¡¯re in the mood for.¡± Akane gently stroked the back of Ranko¡¯s still-chilled cheek with her fingertips. ¡°I want you to be your own girl, whatever that means.¡±


    Ranko took a step closer, hugging Akane a bit nervously. ¡°What if I feel safer just being your girl?¡±


    With a chuckle, Akane kissed her cheek again. ¡°You always will be, beautiful, but the happier you make yourself, the happier you can make me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well, what do you think would be good?¡± Ranko grinned, hanging on to her arm.


    Akane shook her head, gesturing as if locking her lips and throwing away the key. ¡°The whole point is for you to pick. I¡¯ll be right here.¡± She gave her lover a little nudge forward on her backside.


    Ranko blushed, standing amid the racks and looking around, an overwhelmed sigh escaping her lips. This is so much easier when somebody else picks, even when I don¡¯t always like what they pick.


    She first made her way to a table piled high with what looked like pants, but they seemed to be made of the wrong material; they were somewhat stretchy. She held a green pair up to Akane, shrugging. ¡°These pants are weird.¡±


    Giggling, Akane shook her head. ¡°They¡¯re leggings. You wear them under skirts to keep your legs warm.¡±


    Ranko blinked. That¡¯s an option? She picked up two black pairs and a white one in addition to the green she already held, checking the sizes to ensure they would all work for her.


    Akane motioned her over. ¡°Here, let me be your shopping cart, so you have your hands free to look around.¡±


    Blushing, Ranko handed her selections off and began to look at a rack of dresses. She flipped through the outfits tentatively, pulling out a red dress she liked. She checked the tag, finding it to be the wrong size and returning it to the rack. She next pulled down a black Chinese-style dress with a red and orange flame pattern running up the right side. Finding the size to her liking, she smiled a bit, holding it up to Akane for approval. ¡°You like?¡±


    ¡°If you do.¡± Akane smirked. Not getting out of it that easy, babe.


    A search of two racks of tee shirts turned up nothing Ranko found interesting. Akane watched intently, smiling as her fiancee experienced the freedom to define a style for herself for nearly the first time.


    With a tittering grin, Ranko looked back at Akane as she leaned over a table full of assorted garments. ¡°You¡¯re sure you won¡¯t tell me if you like something or not?¡±


    Akane shook her head. ¡°Nope. You¡¯re on your own, love.¡±


    Smickering devilishly, Ranko picked something up from the table, walking over to Akane and holding it up with one finger. ¡°Definitely no opinion of me in this, then?¡±


    Akane blushed furiously, her eyes widening at the incredibly short pink skirt Ranko dangled in front of her. She shook her head vigorously, but the redness of her cheeks confirmed Ranko¡¯s victory.


    ¡°You sure? I mean, if you don¡¯t think I¡¯d be cute in it, I don¡¯t have to get it¡­¡± The redhead winked playfully at Akane.


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± Akane looked down, her cheeks afire. ¡°... If you want it¡­¡±


    With a smirk, Ranko tossed the miniscule garment over Akane¡¯s shoulder, patting it gently and returning to the racks. Gotcha, girlfriend. She glanced over at a shelf on the wall, sighing and turning away from it before feeling Akane¡¯s hand on her shoulder.


    She turned to face Akane, who gestured back to the shelf with her neck. ¡°You¡¯re allowed to look at anything you want. Nobody¡¯s telling you not to look at pants if you want to.¡±


    ¡°But, you said I should pick out cute things?¡±


    Akane shook her head. ¡°I said, pick out things you like. Go ahead. Everybody needs some stuff like that. Hell, I¡¯ve seen Izumi in jeans.¡±


    Blushing again, Ranko nodded. ¡°I guess. If you¡¯re sure it¡¯s okay.¡± She selected a pair of blue jeans in her size, adding them to the pile in Akane¡¯s hands. ¡°That¡¯s probably too much, isn¡¯t it?¡± Akane had not shared the budget for their little adventure.


    ¡°I think one or two more things would be okay.¡± Akane smiled. It might hurt a little come the end of the week, but watching Ranko getting to take care of herself this way was worth a few tight days.


    Ranko¡¯s eyes fell on a dowel stretched horizontally between two shelving units, on which a variety of hair bands and other accessories hung. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± She unbuckled a red leather bracelet with several studded spikes encircling it, trying it on her right wrist opposite her silver dragon. I could use this soon enough.


    Shaking her head with a smile and a laugh, Akane motioned to the register. ¡°C¡¯mon, gorgeous, let¡¯s get out of here.¡±

 87. Not Yours, Dont Touch

    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, don¡¯t get caught! We don¡¯t want anything to know about this thing we¡¯ve got!¡±


    As Ranko and her backup dancers thrashed on the stage, Naoko Tsuda watched from her stool in the corner, her back against the service bar. The high schooler snapped a photo with her little Nikon camera, grumbling to herself. How dare that girl with the blue hair sit her way back here, when the VIP table was right next to the stage and would have provided a better camera angle. At least no one was sitting at it, so the fact that it was directly in her line of sight to the stage was not too terribly frustrating.


    As the editor of the Yusue High Gazette, she prided herself on getting the story, no matter what. So, when Ranko Tendo, hero of the All-Tokyo Cheerleading Invitational and local pop starlet, invited her to come to the Phoenix tonight for an interview to talk about her record-setting performance that won the school its first Invitational title in 30 years, she jumped at the chance.


    Of course, Naoko didn¡¯t much care about the cheerleading thing, and she suspected that most of her readers didn¡¯t either. Almost no juicy tidbit of gossip about the popular cliques went unnoticed and unwritten in her weekly editorial column in the Gazette. It was just now, in quiet whispers over the last few days, starting to get around that Ranko Tendo was dating wrestling captain Saburo Kimura in secret, and Naoko was going to get to the bottom of it tonight. She still hadn¡¯t forgiven herself for missing the early warning signs of the Ranko-Eiji engagement and near-immediate breakup that had been all the school could talk about for the last few weeks.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to notice how it gets to me that you won¡¯t let them know you¡¯re sleepin¡¯ next to me¡­¡±


    Ranko¡¯s sultry sass dripped from the speakers as a giant of a teenager pushed through the glass front door of the Phoenix, looking around for a place to sit, but the bar was packed from one end to the other. As he craned his neck, a server with electric blue pigtails approached him at the hostess stand with a beaming smile. ¡°Hello, sir. You¡¯re Saburo Kimura, right?¡±


    The tall boy smirked, tousling his black flat top and adjusting his jacket. ¡°Yeah, I am. Ranko Tendo asked me to be here tonight.¡± Good to see people know me around here. I told her, everyone¡¯s gonna know my name. The fact that it was embroidered on the left breast of his wrestling jacket did not occur to him in the slightest.


    The blue-haired girl nodded. ¡°Right on! Welcome to the Phoenix! I spoke with Ranko earlier, and she asked me to reserve the VIP table for you tonight. Right this way, I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    I knew she¡¯d come around once she saw how popular being with me would make her, Saburo thought with a sneer as he was led to the round table at front stage left. Mei removed the reserved sign from the table, pulling out a chair for him.


    ¡°Ranko said she wanted to buy you a drink. What are you having?¡± Mei smirked, nodding at his request for a diet soda and speeding off. Should¡¯ve ordered something stronger, kid. You¡¯re gonna need it.


    ¡°All I want is you beside me. All you want to do is hide me. Babe, if I¡¯m so good for you, why do you sneak?!¡±


    Naoko sat up on her stool, snapping photo after photo. He comes to Tendo¡¯s shows, and she puts him in VIP? And it¡¯s right in my sightline? Oh, bless you, freaky blue-haired waitress girl! You just made my month.


    ¡°Um, Yui?¡± Akane leaned over the bar, dropping off a pair of empty margarita glasses. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the guy me and Hana threw out for harassing Ranko a few weeks ago?¡±


    The blonde nodded. ¡°Mmm-hmm. And he¡¯s been harassing Ranko ever since.¡± She reached over the bar, handing a flaming yellow Dragonfire to a young woman in a flight attendant uniform.


    ¡°What?! Why didn¡¯t anybody tell me? I¡¯ll kill him!¡± Akane whirled, clenching her fists. ¡°And what the shit is Mei doing sitting him in VIP?¡± That¡¯s my spot!


    Yui reached over the bar, grabbing Akane by the shoulder. ¡°Whoa, easy there, kiddo. Ranko swore us all to secrecy so you didn¡¯t fly off the handle. And before you say anything about communication, I promise, this isn¡¯t one of her famous ¡®I didn¡¯t tell anybody I¡¯m gonna do the thing because I knew they would tell me how dumb it would be¡¯ things. Mei and I have been in on it from the beginning, and we made sure of it. She¡¯s got this under control. Let her handle it.¡± Trust me, girl. You haven¡¯t been here all week for rehearsals. ¡°Take a seat a minute.¡±


    Ranko nodded down to Mei from the stage with a smirk as Akane climbed onto a barstool. She smoothed the black flame-patterned dress she wore, leaning over to Hitomi and Emi and speaking quietly with them for a moment before taking off her headset and handing it to Hitomi, who put it on herself. Emi grabbed another headset from the charger behind Ken¡¯s drum set, and Ranko picked up a handheld dynamic microphone. These are always better when it¡¯s personal, she thought. She did not disconnect the charging cable, as it was plenty long enough to extend the full depth of the stage.


    Ranko walked over to the edge of the stage, looking down to the wrestler with a huge smile, waving cutely with just her fingers. ¡°This one¡¯s for you, Saburo!¡± She hadn¡¯t turned her microphone on yet, so only the wrestler heard her. The boy with the flat top sat up at his table, preening like a peacock as he awaited the song his soon-to-be-girlfriend had dedicated to him.


    An oily, almost childish bounce sprang from Jacob and Crash¡¯s instruments, and Hitomi and Emi, in their matching black minidresses, each placed both of their hands on Ranko¡¯s body, with Hitomi standing on the left stroking her ribs and stomach and Emi crouched down, her hands exploring Ranko¡¯s left leg.


    ¡°Um, Yui, what in the actual frozen fuck is happening here,¡± Akane asked, stiffening on her stool.


    Yui clapped a double shot of tequila on the bar top next to her sister¡¯s lover, clinking her own shot glass against it before draining the one in her hand. ¡°Oh, would you just relax? I swear, Akane, sometimes the stick up your ass has a stick up its ass. Trust me, kiddo, you¡¯re gonna enjoy this.¡±


    Hitomi and Emi sang a taunting rhythm as their hands swirled around Ranko, who only looked down at the pair as if they were an annoyance. ¡°Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­¡±


    Ranko pushed both of them aside with stiff arms and they fell to the stage on their backs in perfect synchronization. ¡°Nuh-uh!¡±


    The backup singers rolled onto their stomachs on the stage, kicking their feet behind themselves in time with their jeering. ¡°Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­¡±


    Ranko snapped her head back at the VIP table where the interloper in her midst sat, her wavy unbound hair flying behind her as an audio sample of a bullwhip being cracked split through the speakers. ¡°Not yours!¡±


    The twin backup singers took to the two front corners of the stage, hopping on their toes and motioning to the crowd, which was already buzzing. There was only one thing it could mean when something came out of those speakers that they hadn¡¯t heard before, and whatever new song was coming, Ranko¡¯s backup dancers were recruiting her a chorus. The whole of the crowd ¨C save one very confused boy at the VIP table ¨C joined in as they repeated the taunt.


    ¡°Na, na-na, na¡­ Na, na-naaa¡­¡±


    Ranko winked, looking over her shoulder and wagging her right index finger. ¡°Nuh-uh!¡±


    ¡°Na, na-na, na¡­ Na, na-naaa¡­¡±


    Ranko turned, shaking her head at the VIP table with a pitying expression, raising her pitch in an almost sing-song tone as if she were chastising a toddler that had gotten into something he shouldn¡¯t. ¡°Not yours!¡±


    Akane blinked. ¡°Oh. Oh, shit. She¡¯s gonna¡­¡± If there was anyone in the world who knew what it felt like to be taken down from that stage, it was Akane Tendo.


    Smirking, Yui clinked the shot glass that still sat on the bar in front of Akane with a second of her own. ¡°Now you got it. Welcome to the other side of Sneak, little sister. The side you get when she doesn¡¯t love you.¡±


    Ranko cocked her head to the side as if considering Saburo, raising her microphone and beginning to sing. The verse rocketed from her lips at a breakneck tempo. She affected a little bit of a valley girl twinge in her voice, throwing her best exaggerated cheerleader smile.


    ¡°I guess you think that if you follow me around, then I¡¯ll give in to you. I probably should tell you straight - I¡¯m really not that into you. The way you chase me everywhere is gettin¡¯ kinda scary, so I¡¯m here to send the message to you clearly, and in stereo.¡±


    As Hitomi and Emi made an almost church-like choral aria behind her, Ranko continued. ¡°You must see how I look and think that I¡¯m a perfect angel, ¡®cause you didn¡¯t seem concerned that when I¡¯m mad, I¡¯m fucking dangerous.¡± The last three words boomed from the speakers as Shinji roared them in harmony with her in the first octave, giving an almost demonic undertone to them.


    ¡°You wanna be the guy for me? Oh, man, you must be joking. If I feel your fingers on my ass again, they¡¯ll wind up broken.¡±


    The boy at the VIP table slid down a little bit in his chair as the crowd laughed, bouncing in place as the house lights bathed them in swirling dots of every color. At the bar, Akane exhaled heavily, resisting the urge to launch herself at the young man based on Ranko¡¯s lyrical accusation alone.


    Now, Ranko returned to more of a sing-song voice, snapping her hips left and right with each beat. ¡°I know that you want me, boy, I un¡­ der¡­ stand. But I¡¯m gonna have to ask you, boy, to watch¡­ your¡­ hands!¡±


    Hitomi and Emi approached her together, and Ranko whipped her body around to face them, swinging the microphone through the air in a wide arc as the bullwhip sample cracked through the speakers again. Both of them fell flat to their backs on the stage in perfect synchronization. ¡°You should know by now that isn¡¯t so polite... to¡­ do. Keep your fingers off of things that don¡¯t belong¡­ to¡­ you!¡±


    Ranko pursed her lips, shaking her head mockingly at the boy at the VIP table. ¡°Boy, I never really liked you that much¡­¡±


    Hitomi ran up behind Ranko on her left, reaching her side and thrusting her palm out in front of the redhead as if defending her from Saburo. ¡°Not yours!¡±


    Emi made the same motion from Ranko¡¯s right side. ¡°Don¡¯t touch!¡±


    Hitomi and Emi rushed to the corners of the stage, making huge upward waves with their arms to the crowd. ¡°Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­¡±


    Ranko unplugged the charging cable from the microphone in her hand. ¡°Nuh-uh!¡±


    Her backup singers frantically motioned to the crowd, riling them into a frenzy. Ranko had been clear; she wanted the taunting sound to rain down on her tormentor from everywhere.


    ¡°Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­¡±


    Sliding the charging cable through her hands until she had about a meter and a half of slack, she threw her arm forward and flicked her wrist back, snapping the cable mere centimeters over the heads of the audience as the sound of the bullwhip crackled again from the speakers. ¡°Not yours!¡±


    Ranko snickered with an evil grin, dropping into her second spoken verse as she tossed the cable aside.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to set the record straight, and maybe I¡¯ll get through to you, ¡®cause it¡¯s painfully obvious you don¡¯t know who you¡¯re talking to. You think that you¡¯ll just show up at my club, and get my kisses, but you¡¯re just the kind of guy who tries to hit the floor¡­ and misses.¡± Again, Shinji harmonized with the last two words, adding his thundering bass to her sassy alto as the crowd laughed.


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    ¡°I honestly can say I¡¯ve never met someone more lame than you. It¡¯s pretty sad when Super Mario has way more game than you!¡±


    An audio sample of the boing sound made synonymous with a jump in one of Hoshi¡¯s favorite video games bounced out of the speakers.


    ¡°I think that you should take a beat. Examine your priorities.¡±


    Emi cupped her hands one in front of the other facing Ranko, miming the act of pointing a video camera at her.


    Ranko posed for the invisible camera. ¡°Go buy a bigger TV if you¡¯re trying to see more of me!¡±


    Akane stood on the footrests of her stool, screaming at the top of her lungs and throwing her fists in the air. Get him, baby!


    Ranko stalked down the middle of the stage toward Jacob and Ken, wiggling with every step as Hitomi and Emi rejoined her at her sides. ¡°I know that you want me, boy, I understand. But I¡¯m gonna have to ask you, boy, to watch your hands!¡± Here, all three girls sang, snapping their heads around in unison as the sound of the whip sparked through the speakers again. Looking back over their shoulders, they all placed their right hands on their backsides, writhing sensually.


    ¡°You should know by now that isn¡¯t so polite to do. Keep your fingers off of things that don¡¯t belong to you!¡±


    Hitomi and Emi both bent over the edge of the stage, staring directly at Saburo and singing as one, wagging their fingers at him. ¡°No, she really never liked you that much!¡±


    Ranko thrust her palm out between them. ¡°Not yours. Don¡¯t touch!¡±


    Akane pounded the shot and slammed the empty glass on the bar, howling in concert with Yui. ¡°Yeaaaaaah!¡±


    Saburo looked like he wanted to get up from his table, but at nine in the evening on a Friday, the place was too packed to move. Plus, it had become pretty clear who Ranko had written the song about, and the wall of patrons surrounding his table just to watch him squirm had become impenetrable.


    Ranko, Hitomi, and Emi all waved upward to the crowd, who merrily joined in on their taunting. ¡°Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ nuh uh! Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ Not yours! Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ nuh uh! Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ Not yours!¡±


    Spinning her microphone in her hand, Ranko slid her hands down the front of her dress seductively, careful not to get the spikes of her new red leather bracelet caught on the fabric. ¡°I understand your thinking, dude. You¡¯re digging my aesthetic, but your problem is your vibe is coming off as just...¡±


    All three girls sang together, cocking their heads dismissively at the table to stage left. ¡°...pathetic.¡±


    A roar came from the booth closest to the stage, as Shiori, Tamiko, Yori and Aoi stood on the benches, howling in laughter thrown in the direction of the wrestling captain.


    Ranko turned, swatting her own backside as she spoke over her shoulder. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed that you¡¯re hand¡¯s under the table. I¡¯m too hot for you to handle. Should¡¯ve read the warning label.¡±


    Ranko giggled mockingly as she spoke the next line of the verse, punctuating her words with a dismissive wave of her hand. ¡°The fact you even think you¡¯re in my league is just adorable. I¡¯ve seen you at your best, and boy, your best is fucking horrible!¡± Shinji again punctuated the last two words for her in his booming bass.


    ¡°So, think about the way you act, and maybe re-evaluate. You can¡¯t get with me for a second, let alone a second date!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit!¡± Akane whooped loudly, having entirely forgotten she was an employee. At that point, she was just a fan who was there to watch the girl on stage annihilate some clown who had no idea what he¡¯d gotten himself into. The bastard would have been better off if Akane had just punched him. That would have healed in time. This, there was no coming back from. She and Yui would have to pull up the floorboards and bury that kid where he sat.


    ¡°I know that you want me, boy, I understand! But I¡¯m gonna have to ask you, boy, to watch¡­ your¡­ hands!¡±


    Ranko stopped singing for a moment, letting Hitomi and Emi continue. ¡°You should know by now that isn¡¯t so polite to do! Keep your fingers off of things that don¡¯t belong to you!¡±


    The redhead smirked, shaking her head with her nose crinkled in disgust. ¡°Yeah, nobody really likes you that much. Not yours! Don¡¯t touch!¡±


    Ranko closed her eyes, biting her lip cutely and swaying by herself at center stage as Hitomi and Emi criss-crossed in front of the stage, heel over toe with a bounce in their step, riling the crowd back up. ¡°Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ nuh uh! Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ Not yours!¡±


    The redhead grinned darkly. This was where things really got fun.


    ¡°You thought that if you spread some lies, I¡¯d play your little scene? Well, you¡¯re in my castle now, and on this stage¡­¡± Hitomi and Emi bowed from either side of her as Ranko mimed a regal curtsey, her palms upturned. ¡°All hail the queen.¡±


    The crowd went berserk.


    Akane jumped so hard on her stool that she nearly fell off of it, cackling euphorically. You tell ¡®em, baby!


    Watching from the side kitchen door, Hana shook her head, laughing. That¡¯s my girl.


    Ranko offered a hand in Saburo¡¯s direction in mock concern. ¡°Hey, are you okay? You¡¯re looking like your confidence is laggin¡¯. Guess that¡¯s the price you pay when losers try to dance with Dragons!¡± Shinji and Crash both backed her as she spat the name of her band at her tormentor.


    ¡°Dude, I don¡¯t know what went through your head.¡± Ranko shrugged, shaking her head, affecting a high-pitched, nasal tone as she inferred his words. ¡°She¡¯s hot, I¡¯m gonna date her?¡± She allowed herself a single beat to laugh. ¡°Boy, my RISE was meteoric.¡± As she sang the name of her first hit, the entire band roared it just as they did during the chorus of that song, Ranko throwing her right fist in the air. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll leave you in a crater.¡± She flared her hands out from in front of her, miming an explosion as Shinji echoed the last word a beat behind her as if it were reverberating outward from the point of impact.


    Ranko rolled her eyes mockingly. ¡°Your lines are tired and laughable. ¡®I¡¯m burning with desire?¡¯¡± Ranko hopped up onto one of the box speakers on the edge of the stage, spreading her arms like wings as she looked down at her oppressor, her left arm bent at the elbow to return the microphone to a place near her mouth. ¡±Bitch, you¡¯re talking to a Phoenix! I was FUCKING BORN IN FIRE!¡± An audio sample of a screeching bird of prey pealed through the speaker beneath her feet, screaming over the roar of the crowd.


    Akane could barely hear herself scream, dancing in place on her stool. Rest in peace, Sneak. Almost two whole months as her biggest hit. It was a good run.


    The wrestler had nearly entirely slid under the table by the time Ranko finished the jump back down to stage level. She snapped her head back around to her aggressor¡¯s table as the bullwhip sample crackled overhead, wagging her finger again. ¡°I see you tryin¡¯ to sneak away. I see you mouthing curses. But you¡¯re not going anywhere - we¡¯ve still got two more verses!¡± She threw two fingers in the air, wiggling them and winking behind them with a goofy smile like an anime idol. The entire building was electric.


    Ranko wiggled back and forth in place, whirling her arms around herself like a belly dancer, biting her lip and giggling playfully as her backup singers carried the callback for her, bringing the crowd with them. ¡°Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ nuh uh! Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ Not yours! Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ nuh uh! Na, na-na, na.. Na, na-naaa¡­ Not yours!¡± The last two words were screamed by the four cheerleaders in the corner, loud enough to be heard distinctly over the rest of the crowd.


    From her stool at the bar, Naoko snapped a few more photos between verses, rushing to try and jot down as many of the lyrics as she could. Tendo buries wrestling captain from stage for lying about relationship? This is gonna be a bigger headline than¡­ I don¡¯t even know! What are the odds that this happens on the night I happen to be here? Clearly, the gods favor good journalism!


    The redhead smirked evilly. Unlike Sneak, which she¡¯d spent the better part of three months agonizing about, this time, she had no doubt whatsoever about the threat she was about to issue. She issued the fifth verse of her song staring straight at Saburo¡¯s table. She wanted to leave no doubt about whom she was speaking.


    ¡°You think that this is bad? Just wait, ¡®cause here¡¯s something for you to know: As soon as I get down from here, I¡¯m heading to the studio. I¡¯m gonna drop a master for this crazy bangin¡¯ track I wrote, and tell ¡®em how I came up here and crammed it down some loser¡¯s throat!¡±


    As Hitomi and Emi laughed and gesticulated at Saburo, Ranko continued. ¡°And once it¡¯s on that record, no one ever will forget it. I¡¯d sign your copy for you, if you weren¡¯t too broke to get it!¡±


    ¡°Oooooh!¡± came the jeers from the crowd.


    ¡°You could have just accepted no, and moved on to some other bitch, but now? Your gravestone¡¯s gonna say, here lies that asshole Ranko ditched!¡±


    Akane could barely contain herself. In all the times she¡¯d seen Ranko nearly break someone in half with her martial arts skill, she¡¯d never seen so thorough a disassembly of another human being as was being performed on the stage by the woman she loved. There was a seductive violence to her performance. It was like staring into a fire and feeling strangely compelled to see how it would feel to stick her fingers into the flame. Akane did not think she had ever been so aroused in her life.


    All three of the women on stage took turns walking by the front left corner of the stage, turning up their noses and shunning the lone occupant of the closest table with their hands as they sang the chorus together one last time. ¡°I know that you want me, boy, I understand, but I¡¯m gonna have to ask you, boy, to¡­¡±


    Ranko thrust her microphone forward toward the crowd, and two hundred and thirty-two voices responded. ¡°WATCH! YOUR! HANDS!¡± She gestured with an upturned palm to the crowd while shrugging at Saburo, as if to encourage him to listen to the obvious thing that everyone was telling him.


    ¡°You should know by now that isn¡¯t so polite to do, and it¡¯s time you realized I don¡¯t belong to you!¡±


    Ranko scoffed at the ever-shrinking young man. ¡°No one¡¯s ever gonna like you that much.¡±


    As they did in the first chorus, Hitomi and Emi flanked the lead vocalist, shielding her with their outstretched arms. Emi cocked her head toward Ranko. ¡°Not yours!¡±


    Hitomi snapped her head back to Ranko from the opposite side. ¡°Don¡¯t touch!¡±


    Ranko looked down at her wrist, tapping the silver bracelet on her left arm as if it were a watch. ¡°I¡¯ve wasted enough time on you. I¡¯ll say this in conclusion: I think it¡¯s probably time for you to give up this delusion. Whoever winds up next to me is gonna treat me properly. But you think just ¡®cause you¡¯re a guy, I¡¯m gonna be your property.¡±


    Hitomi and Emi huddled around Shinji and Crash, mocking as if they were spreading some insidious rumor in secret. Ranko gestured to her four bandmates with a grin. ¡°I know you wanna notch your belt, and tell the boys I dated you, but didn¡¯t think to ask me first, so I¡­¡±


    Hitomi, Emi, Shinji and Crash all sang together with her. ¡°... humiliated you.¡± Emi and Hitomi both mimed laughing hysterically at the boy that was the subject of the song, not that they needed to fake it much.


    As they did, Ranko tossed the microphone into the air, spinning around once on her heel and catching it with her right hand. ¡°I¡¯m with someone who¡¯s good for me, and treats me like an equal.¡± While she didn¡¯t raise her hand, Akane noticed her fiddling with the ring on her left third finger.


    Hitomi turned her back to Saburo. ¡°She told you once.¡±


    Emi turned as well. ¡°So back off, boy¡­¡±


    Ranko smirked. ¡°... or I¡¯ll go write the sequel.¡±


    Hitomi and Emi peeled off to their sides of the stage, riling the crowd to one final jeer. ¡°Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ nuh uh! Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ Not yours! Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ nuh uh! Na, na-na, na... Na, na-naaa¡­ Not yours!¡±


    The two girls flanking Ranko snapped their heads to the left. ¡°Dude, she¡¯s never gonna like you that much!¡±


    With a lusty sneer, Ranko stared through the boy in the athletic jacket as he tried to hide his face behind his soda glass, whispering sultrily into the dynamic microphone in her hand as the music behind her ended. ¡°Not yours. Don¡¯t touch.¡±


    Ranko whipped her arm to the side as the bullwhip sample crackled through the speakers one last time, casting the microphone forward like a dart. It struck the shatterproof pint glass in Saburo¡¯s hand, cracking it cleanly in half and exploding the caramel-colored beverage down the front of his shirt and onto the table. He shrieked as the ice-cold liquid made contact with his chest and dripped from the table onto the crotch of his white pants, and the still-hot microphone landed on the table in front of him with a satisfying thump that echoed through the bar before spinning slowly to a stop.


    The crowd just kept chanting. ¡°Not! Yours! Not! Yours!¡± Ranko did not bow, but stood at center stage, raising her arms in satisfied victory.


    Mei leaned over the wrestler¡¯s table with a huge customer service smile, making no effort to contain the spilled soda. ¡°Can I get you anything else tonight, sugar?¡±


    Saburo stood, his shirt and pants soaked, and the crowd parted for him as he sprinted out of the bar. As he did, the sound of Ranko¡¯s laughter, picked up through Hitomi¡¯s headset, bombarded him from all directions. ¡°Saburo Kimura, everybody! Don¡¯t forget his name!¡±


    Between Ranko¡¯s laughter and the vociferous jeering from the crowd, Saburo had no chance to hear the furious clicking of Naoko¡¯s camera.

 88. Backwards in Heels

    ¡°Right this way, Miss Tendo?¡±


    Ranko followed the young intern, the sound of her short black heels carrying through the tile hallway of the sixth-floor office. ¡°Did I miss much?¡±


    The young man shook his head. ¡°Of course not. They were waiting for you.¡±


    Nice, Ranko thought as she was led into a boardroom with a long conference table, around which eleven of the twelve seats were already occupied. This whole ¡°being important¡± thing is taking some getting used to. ¡°Hi, everybody. Sorry I¡¯m late.¡±


    Crash reached over, pushing the empty wheeled chair next to him out for her. ¡°C¡¯mere, you. Let¡¯s do this thing.¡± The redhead slid into the empty chair, smiling brightly to Crash.


    Man, I wish she¡¯d stop wearing that red dress, Crash thought to himself with a brief flush he did his best to contain. Gods, she¡¯s engaged, you massive asshole. Just stop. Look somewhere else.


    ¡°Okay! Now that we¡¯re all here, we can get started.¡± A young blonde woman in a navy blue business suit stood at the far end of the table, walking over to a large easel containing a number of poster-sized cards. She pulled the first card off the easel, setting it aside to reveal a black title card that read Yokai Records Internal - Music Video Storyboard - Sneak.


    ¡°So, we think we¡¯re just about ready to film,¡± the young woman began, ¡°but we wanted to go over the shots with you and get any last-minute comments. The general idea is, we¡¯re going to be switching back-and-forth between two scenes: Ranko¡¯s boyfriend out in public, with Ranko looking ignored, and the two of them alone, where he¡¯s being more affectionate with her. Guji, you mind?¡±


    An intern in the back of the room pushed a button on a remote control, and speakers all throughout the ceiling of the elongated boardroom began emitting the studio recording of Sneak that Ranko and her bandmates had made a few weeks before.


    Ranko tried to look up at the storyboards, but she couldn¡¯t ignore the churning in her stomach. Of course they would think it was written about a guy. When I sing it on stage, I¡¯m just dancing, but, they¡¯re going to want me to¡­ with¡­ oh my gods. Maybe it won¡¯t be so bad. Breathe. You¡¯re catastrophizing, Ranko. You faked it with Eiji and made it work. It¡¯ll be okay.


    Her voice poured silkily from the eight recess-mount speakers in the drop ceiling. ¡°You say we¡¯re not sorry that we¡¯re lovers, babe. Why¡¯d you hide me underneath the covers, babe?¡± The next card was exposed, revealing a cartoon-like drawing of a bed, shot from the foot of it facing the headboard. A rugged-looking man with no shirt on sat on one side, leaning against the headboard, and to his left, a red-haired girl in a pink negligee. As the room spun a bit, Ranko caught a glimpse of one of the other people seated around the table, a stocky-looking young man in a black T-shirt under a black sport coat. He looked exactly like the man in the picture. She snapped her eyes away. They want me to¡­ with¡­ I don¡¯t even know his name!


    ¡°You tell everybody that there¡¯s no one here, and lock the door and touch me, and it sends me to the stratosphere.¡±


    The next card flipped, and it showed the red-haired girl leaning against the wall next to a brown wooden door, in the same pink outfit, with one of her feet flat against the wall and her knee extended. The shirtless boy¡¯s left hand was dangerously close to her right breast, and his right held both of the girl¡¯s wrists against the wall.


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    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, don¡¯t get caught! You don¡¯t want anyone to know about this thing we¡¯ve got!¡±


    The next card revealed the boy, out in a park somewhere, laughing with two other guys and a woman. In the background, the redheaded girl could be seen alone, in a high school uniform, a dejected look on her face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it, falling underneath your spell. You¡¯re the best at kiss, and kiss, and never tell.¡±


    Another card was tossed to the floor, and the one beneath it showed the girl in the high school uniform and the boy in his athletic T-shirt, wrapped in an embrace, their lips locked together. The redhead¡¯s left foot was popped up in the air behind her, as if she were really into what was happening.


    Ranko felt Crash¡¯s hand rested reassuringly on her back. Until she did, she hadn¡¯t realized just how hard her body was shaking. She looked around the room, and caught a glimpse of Ken, giving her a fairly admonishing stare. What¡¯s his problem? Not like he¡¯s gotta¡­ eugh!


    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, no one knows how many nights I¡¯ve lay here begging you to hold me close¡­¡±


    With another flip of the cards, the easel revealed the bed again, this time with the couple laying on the bed atop the covers, and both of the boy¡¯s hands were exploring the pink nightie the girl was wearing.


    ¡°You made me your dirty little secret, then, you made me your dirty little freak again¡­¡±


    ¡°Whoa, I¡­¡± Everyone turned to look at Ranko as she rocketed out of her chair, and the intern clicked the remote control to pause the music. Ranko dared not even look at the next card that was about to be revealed.


    ¡°Yes, Ranko?¡± The presenter looked up. ¡°We¡¯re happy to take questions.¡±


    Just tell them. Ranko, just tell them. She looked down at her left hand. I¡¯m engaged. To a girl. I can¡¯t let a guy touch me like that, and have it on TV everywhere. Not to mention, if somebody touches me like that, I won¡¯t be able to stop what happens. The Cat¡¯s Tongue doesn¡¯t know it¡¯s an act. Her hands were quivering.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Please excuse me for a moment.¡±


    Slamming into the boardroom door with her shoulder, she burst her way out into the hallway.


    Crash sighed, standing. ¡°Just a minute, everybody.¡± He followed her into the hall, finding her standing in front of the third-story window looking out over the city. Her hands gripped the window frame, and Crash couldn¡¯t decide if it looked more like she was trying to steady herself, or climb out of the window. He approached carefully, placing his hand on her back again. ¡°Hey.¡±


    Ranko turned to look up at him, her face full of a quiet, resigned terror, as if she dreaded what was about to happen to her, but knew there was no way to avoid it. ¡°I can¡¯t do this, Crash.¡±


    ¡°Hey, sure you can! Sure, it¡¯ll be a little weird, but you¡¯re a great actress. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re gonna let him, you know, do anything, not really.¡± He rubbed her back reassuringly through that damnable red dress, hoping to at least still some of her trembling.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. You remember how I reacted when we¡­ when you¡­¡±


    Crash nodded, smiling with the memory of a moment that had been much better for him than her. ¡°When I kissed you.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. And now, with this¡­ they¡¯re gonna expect me to¡­ in front of everybody, and on TV, and¡­¡±


    Sighing, Crash pulled her into a right hug without waiting for her to find the end of her sentence, his hands firmly rubbing her back through the silk of that red dress. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out, Ranko. I promise.¡±

 89. The Closet on Stage Left

    Ranko sat on the edge of the Phoenix stage, looking out at the seven members of her band at the two tables closest to it. Behind them, Yui and Mei continued their pre-opening prep work at the twin bar counters. In that moment, she¡¯d have gladly chosen slicing lemons and stacking glasses over facing down the reality that haunted her now.


    ¡°Guys, I¡¯ve made a decision,¡± Ranko said, intently playing with her promise ring to keep from making eye contact. ¡°Looking at the plans for the Sneak video, I just realized, I can¡¯t do this. Not like they want me to, and so I really don¡¯t have a choice. Tomorrow, I¡¯m going to talk to Yuji and the label people, and I¡¯m gonna tell them the truth about me and Akane. I thought you guys deserved to know first.¡±


    Crash sat up in his seat, a mien of concern painting his face. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s the best idea, Ran-chan?¡±


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°Not at all. But I don¡¯t know what else I can do. I¡­ I have my reasons, but I can¡¯t just act like that with some random guy. And¡­ I mean, the whole point of Sneak was that I didn¡¯t want to hide anymore. I¡¯m gonna marry Akane, and I don¡¯t want to have to keep pretending like that¡¯s a thing that¡¯s not gonna happen.¡±


    Ken sipped at the bottle of beer in his hand. ¡°And what does Akane say about this?¡±


    Shaking her head, Ranko sighed. ¡°I haven¡¯t talked to her about it yet. That¡¯ll be tonight after the show. But she¡¯ll back me. She always does.¡± That¡¯s one of the reasons I won¡¯t betray her like this.


    With a groan, Shinji tossed a half-eaten onion ring back into the little plastic basket in front of him. ¡°And, in what fantasy land is this going to solve your problem?¡±


    Crash shook his head, opening his beer and tossing the bottle cap onto the table dejectedly. ¡°Dude, take it easy.¡±


    Shin stood, walking around the round table and approaching Ranko. ¡°No, seriously, tell me. What do you think is going to happen? You¡¯re going to go the suits, profess your undying love for a girl, and then, what? They¡¯re gonna decide that you don¡¯t have to make a video for the hottest track on our album? They¡¯re going to tell you that you can shoot it with a girl instead? I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Crash stood, slamming his beer to the table. ¡°Shin! Really?! Why do you gotta be such an asshole sometimes?¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t get it, do you, Crash? This is our careers here. All of us. Everything we¡¯ve worked for, dreamed for, all this time. This album is our one shot to do something that¡¯s gonna put us all on the map. And we¡¯re seriously considering throwing it away because Miss Priss here can¡¯t keep who she¡¯s fucking to herself for fifteen damned minutes?¡±


    Jake groaned, rubbing his temples. ¡°Really, Shin?¡±


    The bassist turned back to the stage. ¡°This is a job, Ranko. There¡¯s gonna be parts of it you don¡¯t like. It¡¯s the career you chose. You brought us all along with you, and now we¡¯re in this together. And if that means you¡¯ve gotta spend a half a day pretending to be interested in an actor, well, guess what? He¡¯s an actor. That¡¯s his job, and right now, it¡¯s yours, too. When you go home, hey, you wanna have your girlfriend cram half the broom closet between your legs, that¡¯s your business, but out here in the real world, you¡¯re gonna need to take one for the team.¡±


    Emi turned to look at her roommate, a disgusted look on her face.


    Shinji heard footsteps approaching behind him, turning as Mei approached from the service bar. ¡°Hey, babe, just a minute. We¡¯re in the middle of someth¡­¡±


    His sentence abruptly ended when Mei¡¯s palm smashed into his cheek. ¡°How fucking dare you speak to her that way? After everything she¡¯s been through for you all?! I thought you were her friend!¡±


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    Ranko cringed. Oh, Mei. Please don¡¯t. I don¡¯t want this to cost you and Shin your relationship¡­


    Shinji glared down at his girlfriend. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m out of here, man. You guys figure it out, and let me know what you decide. You and Miss Teenage Angst 1991 have a great time.¡± He grabbed his backpack, stalking his way toward the front door of the bar.


    With a sigh, Ranko put her hand on Mei¡¯s forearm gently. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that, sis. I can handle him.¡±


    Mei whirled to face Ranko. ¡°He can handle himself. He shouldn¡¯t be talking to any woman like that, but especially not my sister, and especially not his friend.¡± She gave Ranko a quick hug before stalking back to the service bar to resume her prep work.


    Scratching his head, Crash looked back to the door. ¡°I¡¯d better go see if I can catch him.¡±


    Ken stood, walking over and leaning on the edge of the stage next to Ranko. ¡°Hey. You okay?¡±


    The redhead slid her back down the edge of the stage until her backside was on the floor. ¡°Not really, no. I don¡¯t know what to do anymore, Ken.¡±


    ¡°So, I know you don¡¯t want to hear this, but¡­¡± Ken sighed. His eyes were clouded with guilt and sadness. ¡°How much attention do you pay to the crowd when you¡¯re on stage?¡±


    ¡°A lot. I try to engage them as much as I can.¡± Ranko looked up at him from her seat on the floor. What a weird thing to ask. You¡¯re sitting right there when I do it, dude.


    ¡°Sure. And what have you noticed about the audience when you sing Sneak, or Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch?¡± The black-haired boy sat next to the band¡¯s vocalist on the floor.


    The redhead shook her head. ¡°They go crazy at all the sexy parts. I get it. What¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± Ken put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. ¡°... who tends to go the craziest?¡±


    ¡°Well, the guys, of course.¡± Ranko looked up at him with a mystified expression. Seriously, what are you playing at, Ken?


    ¡°Sure. The sexiness of a song like Sneak, and bluntly, of a girl like you, is going to attract a lot of attention and excitement. But what happens if that dies? What happens if, all of a sudden, all those guys knew you were off the market because you¡¯re into girls, or even just that you¡¯re engaged? The fantasy dies. We both know you¡¯re never going to be with any of those guys, and they know it deep down, too. But, the fantasy is what sells, and so, to keep the engine running, you need to keep up the illusion. Shin¡¯s being a total douche, but he¡¯s not wrong, Ranko.¡±


    The vocalist looked down at her engagement ring. I was supposed to be able to tell the truth. I was supposed to just get to live. ¡°So, if I want the band to succeed¡­¡±


    Ken nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta sell it. To everybody. I know it¡¯s hard, and I know it¡¯s not fair, but it¡¯s reality.¡±


    ¡°I just¡­¡± Ranko sighed heavily. ¡°I¡¯m so tired of hiding who I am. I¡¯m only here in the first place because I was tired of being ashamed of myself, and now it feels like it¡¯s never gonna end.¡±


    The drummer clapped his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Believe me, I know.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Please. You¡¯re heir to some accounting empire, and you get to sit in the dark at the back of the stage and not have anyone staring at you. What¡¯s so hard about that? Besides, you¡¯ve always been an introvert. What do you have to hide?¡±


    Ken chuckled, shaking his head and draining the last of his beer into his mouth to buy himself a second to decide how to answer. ¡°Ask my boyfriend.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s head snapped up to meet his eyes. ¡°What?! Ken, you¡¯re¡­ how come you never told us? We¡¯re your friends, dude! You know we¡¯d have your back!¡±


    Nodding with a heavy sigh, Ken lay back on the stage next to his band¡¯s vocalist. ¡°Like I said. Sometimes, you gotta sell it.¡±

 90. About a Boy

    Ranko looked up from her seat on the couch with a nervous smile, hearing a key in the lock. She hugged Starlight close to her chest, waiting for her lover to enter their little shoebox of an apartment.


    ¡°Hey, babe. Didn¡¯t expect you to be here tonight. Don¡¯t you have a show?¡± Akane set her bag down on the floor by the front door, kicking off her shoes.


    ¡°Yeah, the band was¡­ unavailable, so we canceled.¡± Ranko sighed, setting her stuffed unicorn on the couch next to her and sitting up.


    Akane looked over with concern. She rarely found Ranko sitting idle; if she wasn¡¯t doing housework or cooking or working on homework, she¡¯d at least have the TV or her Walkman on. ¡°Hey, is everything okay?¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°No. I¡­ Can I talk to you about something?¡± She looked down, a shame in her eyes that worried Akane greatly. The elder girl closed the gap and sat on the couch to Ranko¡¯s left, turning at the waist to face her.


    ¡°Of course, love. What¡¯s going on?¡± Akane put her arm over Ranko¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Well, Akane, it¡¯s like¡­ you promise you won¡¯t get mad?¡± The redhead sighed heavily, clutching at her unicorn again as if she were trying to hide behind it.


    The black-haired girl leaned forward, kissing Ranko on the forehead. ¡°Whatever¡¯s going on, it¡¯s better for us both if we talk about it. I promise, I¡¯ve got your back, baby. Always.¡±


    Ranko nodded, managing a smile. ¡°I know, Akane. You always do. Even when it¡¯s hard. I never should have doubted it.¡± She looked down at her hands, fidgeting with her ring even as her arms were still wrapped around the white stuffed animal in her hands.


    Akane tried not to smile; she knew whatever was bothering Ranko was serious business. Still, she couldn¡¯t help a certain level of amusement and contentment at the sight of the person who was once a lump of emotionless iron called Ranma Saotome, sitting on the couch in a yellow sundress with a matching ribbon in her hair, cuddling a stuffed unicorn for comfort. Even when she¡¯s sad, she¡¯s adorable.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s like this. I told you I had to go down to Yokai the other day for the Sneak video storyboards, right? Well¡­ they want me to¡­ do things. Things I¡¯m not comfortable with.¡±


    Akane sat up, her concern becoming much more focused. ¡°Did you talk to the director about it, like you did with Rise? I¡¯m sure he¡¯d listen.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, Akane. It¡¯s¡­ I mean, you know what Sneak is about, and well, they want to¡­¡± She pulled up her knees to her chest, sandwiching her stuffed companion between her knees and her breasts. ¡°... they want me to let a boy¡­ touch me. Like, a lot.¡±


    Akane¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You don¡¯t mean like the thing with Tashima, right?¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s for the video. They hired an actor. And like, I get it, it¡¯s all an act, a performance. And like, almost the whole song is about sexy stuff. But, Akane¡­ it¡¯s a guy. I don¡¯t even know his name, and they want me to sit in a bed with him, wearing damn near nothing, and he¡¯s gonna put his hands on me, and¡­ What if I¡­ react? You know, with the Cat¡¯s Tongue? I won¡¯t be able to help myself. And it¡¯s gonna be in front of everybody, and the cameras, and¡­¡±


    Akane wrapped her arms around the redhead tightly. ¡°Oh, baby, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Ranko squeezed back, smooshing Starlight between their four breasts. ¡°I knew I should never have given them that fucking song. All it¡¯s ever done is ruin our lives.¡±


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    ¡°And there¡¯s no way out of it?¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just too much of the song. It¡¯s like the point of the song. But when I wrote it, I was talking about feeling that way with you, not with some¡­ boy! I wanted to tell the Yokai people all about you, Akane, I swear I did. I wanted to stand up and show them my ring and tell them I¡¯m yours and nobody else gets to come near me. I promise I did. But the guys in the band won¡¯t let me. They say it¡¯s not marketable for me to be¡­¡± She swallowed hard at the thought of using a word that felt strangely inappropriate to describe her relationship with a woman. ¡°... gay. I think Mei and Shin might have broken up over it today. She hit him. He was being really cruel.¡±


    Akane sighed. ¡°That¡¯s a tough one, Ranko. I mean, you could always refuse. But I don¡¯t know what that would mean, either.¡± She took her fiancee¡¯s hand, squeezing it tight.


    ¡°There¡¯s another option, but I would never consider it without your blessing.¡± Ranko looked up to her, even more shame in her eyes than before. ¡°Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so bad if it were with someone I at least knew. Someone I trust.¡±


    Sighing, Akane let go of Ranko¡¯s hand, her shoulders drooping. ¡°You¡¯re talking about Crash.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°He¡¯s my best friend, and I feel safe around him. But I know it would make it even weirder for you.¡±


    Akane let herself fall back into the couch, exhaling heavily. ¡°Ranko, honey¡­ are you sure that¡¯s a good thing to do with Crash? Given, you know, how he feels?¡±


    With a deep blush, Ranko shook her head. ¡°Oh, Crash hasn¡¯t been into me like that for months. Not since he kissed me that time and I told him to stop.¡±


    ¡°Ranko¡­ baby, what are we going to do with you?¡± Akane shook her head, laughing a bit. ¡°You are just the most clueless little thing sometimes, aren¡¯t you? That boy¡¯s got it bad for you still. Maybe even worse than before. Anyone can see it, and the only thing keeping him from making a move on you is these.¡± She lifted her hand, jiggling the ring on her finger that was the twin of Ranko¡¯s.


    Ranko sat back, a stunned look on her face. ¡°No. It couldn¡¯t be. Not after all this time. He¡¯s just my friend. I swear, Akane! He¡¯s just my friend.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s fiancee nodded, still smiling weakly with amusement. ¡°Oh, I know he is. But I promise you, he wishes he wasn¡¯t.¡±


    The songstress slumped defeatedly, scooping her unicorn back up off the floor where it had fallen. ¡°Then you won¡¯t want me to ask him, I guess.¡±


    Akane bit her lip, reading the fear in her lover¡¯s eyes. I can tell her to go get groped by a stranger, or I can let the guy that¡¯s been carrying a torch for her for over a year have free rein and feed his ambitions. There¡¯s no way to win this one.


    ¡°And you couldn¡¯t ask one of the other guys in the band?¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t feel as close or as safe with any of them, especially Shin. I thought about it, but it just made me sick to my stomach.¡± Maybe Ken? No way. He¡¯d never agree to it. He¡¯s too shy for his own shadow.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Akane furrowed her brow, stroking her temple. ¡°If we only knew a gay guy we could ask. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t feel so invasive if you knew there was no chance they meant anything.¡±


    Ranko averted her eyes immediately, swallowing hard. Oh, we do. But¡­ I couldn¡¯t. Not after everything. I can¡¯t get involved with Eiji again. And even if I did, I¡¯d have to tell her, and she¡¯d never forgive me for what I did with him. It was worth it, but¡­ no, I can¡¯t. Besides, he¡¯s a shit actor.


    Hell, maybe Ukyo could¡­ nah, no way. Akane would never be comfortable with her touching me like that, even if she could pull it off. Besides, I¡¯d have to tell Akane I saw her again, and that would just upset her.


    ¡°Akane, I don¡¯t know what to do. I¡¯m really scared.¡±


    Wrapping her arms tight around her lover and pulling her over into her lap, Akane sighed, kissing Ranko¡¯s bare shoulder from behind. ¡°I don¡¯t know, baby. I¡¯ve got to think about this one. But we¡¯ll come up with something together, I promise.¡±

 91. Nothing

    Ranko exhaled nervously, stepping up to the microphone stand on the plywood platform that made up her kingdom. It felt too empty tonight. Hitomi and Emi both were needed at the Yokai studio to work on a music video for another artist. Shinji hadn¡¯t showed up, either, and they¡¯d not spoken since he walked out on their band meeting two days ago. Mei hadn¡¯t heard from him, either, not that she much cared to after his outburst.


    At least one part of Ranko¡¯s world felt like it was returning to normal ¨C for the first time since early December, Izumi stood behind the service bar, looking as radiant as ever in a shiny silver cocktail dress. And that¡¯s tame compared to what she¡¯s gonna stuff me in for the wedding. Gods help me.


    Because all three of Ranko¡¯s youngest sisters were working, Akane had the night off, but Ranko had asked her to come in anyway, and she¡¯d taken her usual place at the VIP table. She really needed Akane close right now, and she¡¯d been saving the song she was about to sing for just such a moment.


    ¡°You guys ready to hear something new?¡± Ranko willed herself to smile, waving to the crowd. She may not have shown much excitement, but the crowd certainly did, roaring in approval as Jacob¡¯s synthesizer came to life with a slow ballad. The songstress blushed, looking down at the black Mary Jane shoes she¡¯d paired with her black pleated skirt and a blue crushed velvet tee.


    Ranko balled her left fist loosely and held it fingers-down, rubbing the back of it in three circular motions with her fingers as she looked off to her left.


    Akane blushed. She¡¯d learned that gesture from Nanami, whose girlfriend Mitsuru had a hearing disability. It was the Japanese Sign Language representation of I love you. Ranko had picked up on it immediately as a way to acknowledge Akane discreetly from the stage. She began singing with no musical accompaniment.


    ¡°You just got home from a long, long day, and you wanna let off steam. It¡¯s my fault. I should be ready, but I was lost in a daydream. I could open up my closet, pick out something for our date, but the more I think about it, you know what really would be great?¡±


    Crash¡¯s guitar and Ken¡¯s bass drum joined the rhythm, which nearly doubled in intensity as Ranko reached out, snatching the microphone stand and pulling it closer to herself, trying to will herself to come to life with the music. I may feel like shit, but damn it, I wrote this for Akane, and I¡¯m going to show it to her properly, Ranko thought to herself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s skip our dinner plans! I don¡¯t need red wine.¡± Ranko waved her hand dismissively, as if pushing something away. ¡°Just a blanket and some popcorn and your arms will do just fine.¡±


    She twirled a loose strand of her flame-red hair around her finger. ¡°Let¡¯s watch old movies, and you can play with my hair. There¡¯s no dress code for our living room, and if there is, I just don¡¯t care!¡±


    She made a skeptical face, shaking her head. ¡°Tonight, Cinderella¡­ is saying no to the baaa¡­ aaa¡­ aaa¡­ aall¡­¡± Turning to Akane with a soft, loving expression, her voice took on a hauntingly quiet tone. ¡°Because I¡¯d rather stay right here with you tonight, wearing nothing at all.¡± Her voice climbed halfway through the fifth octave as she uttered the final three words of the chorus.


    Akane blushed. She remembered more than one evening where this exact conversation had taken place between herself and her lover. Of course, the nature of Ranko¡¯s skin condition had all but given Akane romantic superpowers, and rarely was there a time where her redheaded soulmate would choose literally anything else other than the feel of Akane¡¯s fingers on her flesh.


    ¡°I could put on that white sundress, the one you like on me.¡±


    The one you dressed me in on our first day together, remember, baby, she thought to herself. The one I was wearing the day you asked me to be your wife?


    ¡°There¡¯s that dark blue denim skirt that doesn¡¯t reach down to my knees.¡± Ranko giggled, using her fingers to mark a line about halfway down her thigh with a smirk.


    ¡°We could go more formal, break out my bridesmaid¡¯s gown, just in case you wanna show me off at all the hottest joints in town¡­¡± The crowd roared, acknowledging that they were in one right now.


    Izumi smirked up at her sister. Oh, like you¡¯d willingly wear that again, Izumi mused. You should know better than to sing about fashion on a night I¡¯m working, kiddo.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re planning. Making me pick¡¯s not fair. You can dress me up if you wanna¡­¡± Ranko winked her left eye with a devious grin, turning her head off toward the VIP table. ¡°... but you don¡¯t have to take me anywhere¡­¡±


    Blushing, Akane grinned as a devious thought crossed her mind. Oh, challenge accepted, lover girl. You¡¯re lucky it¡¯s not a school night, because you won¡¯t be sleeping much.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting for this all week long, and baby, I have too, but there¡¯s nothing in my closet that looks as good on me as you¡­ so let¡¯s skip our dinner plans! I don¡¯t need red wine! Just a blanket and some popcorn and your arms will do just fine.¡± Ranko let the microphone stand support itself, crossing her arms over her chest and hugging herself as she swayed.


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    ¡°Let¡¯s watch old movies, and you can play with my hair. There¡¯s no dress code for our living room, and if there is, I just don¡¯t care! Tonight Cinderella¡¯s saying no to the baa-aaa-aaa-aaall, because I¡¯d rather be right here with you tonight, wearing nothing at all¡­¡±


    Swaying her hips, Ranko looked back at the half of her band that had showed up for tonight¡¯s performance, swallowing hard as her eyes fell on Crash. She noticed that his eyes were not on the crowd, but on her.


    Does he always do that? I can¡¯t ever tell, ¡®cause he¡¯s always behind me. Is that normal? Is it just ¡®cause I¡¯m singing, or ¡®cause I¡¯m in front of him? Or, does he just wanna stare at my ass? Does he really still feel that way about me like Akane said? Gods, I hope not. He¡¯s too good a guy to have to suffer like that, waiting for something he¡¯s never gonna get.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got all these outfits from all my nights on stage. My sister told me all the magazines say that they¡¯re the latest rage.¡± Izumi laughed, giving Ranko a cheer and holding up the bottle of vodka she was pouring from.


    ¡°Wore this one for Halloween¡­¡± Here, the crowd whooped, remembering the corset-and-petticoat witch outfit she¡¯d donned for their party that night. ¡°And here¡¯s my Christmas dress. This green outfit from my birthday party¡¯s fine enough, I guess.¡±


    Ranko bit her lip, bending her knees and rolling her hips teasingly. ¡°My little pink dress is perfect to break your concentration. The way it fits me doesn¡¯t leave a lot to the imagination.¡±


    Akane blushed again. No. No it does not, Ran-chan, she thought with a quiet giggle.


    ¡°And here¡¯s my leather jacket from when I first sang Rise, but tonight the only thing that I want on me is your eyes.¡± The audience howled in approval at the mention of her biggest hit, though judging by the reception it had been receiving, Sneak would soon be taking that crown ¨C and that only if Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch didn¡¯t beat out both of them. As the bridge began, Ranko glanced back to Crash with a hard swallow.


    Thinking about Sneak had just brought her impossible choice back to the forefront of her mind. A stranger, or the mayor of the friend zone? Who am I gonna have to submit myself to? Akane still hadn¡¯t come up with a better answer, and they were running out of time.


    She was snapped out of her thoughts by the synthesizer changing keys, reminding her to finish the song she¡¯d started.


    ¡°I could do an old tee shirt, a worn-out pair of jeans. But I can¡¯t wait for laundry day, ¡®cause you know what that means¡­¡±


    She willed herself into another bright smile. I¡¯m sorry, Akane. I love you, and you deserve better than this performance. I just can¡¯t get out of my own head tonight.


    Akane bit her lip, trying not to visibly cringe. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with her, but she¡¯s not right up there tonight.


    ¡°We get to order some takeout, open our own red wine. I get to lay here on a blanket getting some of your quality time. Turn off the movie, and you can play with my hair¡­¡±


    Ranko slid her fingers up her leg, lifting the hem of her skirt ever so slightly to the adulation of most of the male contingent of her audience, and a few of the girls too, Akane among them. ¡°There¡¯s a dress code for our bedroom, and baby, I¡¯m already there. Tonight Cinderella¡¯s saying no to the baa-aaa-aaa-aall, because I¡¯d rather be right here with you tonight, wearing nothing at all.¡±


    The crowd roared in its approval, but Ranko barely managed a bow before turning back to her bandmates. ¡°You guys wanna go ahead and take ten?¡±


    Crash nodded, starting to lift his guitar over his head to unstrap it from his chest. ¡°Great set, Ran-chan. They loved it.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. I sucked. Sorry, guys. I¡¯m just gonna throw out a cover or two, I guess.¡± Ranko sighed, shaking her head. She could barely even make eye contact with Crash as he left the stage with Jake and Ken.


    Sighing as she realized Ranko wasn¡¯t going to come down from the stage after the song, Akane slipped out of her chair and walked over to the bar, slipping behind the counter. She blinked with surprise, looking up at Yui. ¡°Um¡­ Yui? What are you wearing?¡±


    The blonde blushed, hiding her face a bit. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans, a loose black tee shirt, and a black men¡¯s sports coat. ¡°What do you mean? This is perfectly fine, Akane.¡±


    Tapping her fingers on the bar counter, Akane just offered her soon-to-be-sister-in-law a skeptical smirk. ¡°Uh-huh. What happened?¡±


    Yui¡¯s face was neon red. ¡°I¡­ um¡­ I was over at Sakura¡¯s, okay? And we were messing around, and my dress got¡­ well, it just needed to be washed, and I didn¡¯t have any other clothes over there. Her stuff doesn¡¯t fit me, but an old boyfriend of hers left this in her closet.¡±


    Laughing, Akane put her arm around Yui¡¯s waist. ¡°Well, you look great. But you¡¯d better be careful. You might almost pass as a¡­¡± Akane¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of her head, and she gasped audibly, never finishing her sentence.


    ¡°Um, sis? You okay?¡± Yui waved her hand in front of Akane¡¯s face. ¡°Hellooo?¡±


    Akane whirled, darting the few feet over to the service bar and grabbing Izumi by the wrist. ¡°Izzi, c¡¯mere, quick!¡±


    The brunette gave her sister a confused shrug as she was dragged into the back room. ¡°Okay, Akane, what¡¯s all this about?¡±


    Akane grinned, standing on her tiptoes to peek over Izumi¡¯s shoulder and make sure they weren¡¯t followed into the kitchen. ¡°Izzi, I need a favor, and it¡¯s gonna be tough, but if anyone can do it, it¡¯s you¡­¡±

 92. Rebound

    ¡°And that¡¯s another point for the Minato Mystics!¡± The public address announcer may as well have given up, for the crowd noise in the Minato gym was deafening.


    Akane ran to the center of the Minato side of the court, offering a high-five to outside striker Nanami Ikehara. The two had combined for eighteen of Minato¡¯s twenty-three points so far in this set as their absolute drubbing of the Ginza Giants continued. Both girls had been talents in their own right, but together, they were formidable, and in their first game back on the court, they both had something to prove.


    Ranko¡¯s cheers subsided in the third row of the bleachers, sitting back down to watch the game. In the ensuing time out while Ginza made a substitution, she stole a glance down at the Minato cheerleaders, dancing and performing individual stunts much as her own squad did. She blushed intensely, finding herself wishing she could be down there with them. After all the times she¡¯d had to run up to Eiji after a score or a big win and pretend to be his biggest fan, she¡¯d have given anything to get to do it for the person she truly felt that way about.


    It was the first time in her life that she found herself wishing she could go to college. Maybe if I¡¯d kept the homeschool classes, I could have done it, but now, it¡¯s another year at Yusue no matter what. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have let Mom and Akane talk me out of them. Besides, she knew her grades and the huge gaps in her educational records gave her no realistic chance to get into a school, even if by some miracle she and Akane found a way to afford one.


    No, her career, if she were to have one, would have to be on a different stage. With six songs turned in to the studio and a seventh on the way, her debut album was almost ready to release. Who knew what would happen next, but what was that Yui always said? Worry about the next right step, not the one after that.


    Still, she wondered with a devious smirk to herself. I wonder if we could find a Minato cheerleader who graduated and get a hold of her old uniform. Somehow, I don¡¯t think Akane would hate it if I did.


    Her mischievous thoughts were interrupted by the resumption of play, and she whooped loudly as Akane executed a dig to save what would otherwise have been a Ginza point. Maybe you should¡¯ve let them have that one, though, Akane. That looked like it hurt, and at some point, you gotta feel bad for ¡®em. They¡¯re getting destroyed out there.


    She leapt to her feet as Akane launched a set upward off of Takara¡¯s bump. Nanami took flight, leaping until the top of the net was at her waist. She looked to the middle of the court, cocking her arm back, and two of the Ginza girls in white jerseys and kelly green shorts stepped back to receive the spike. Smirking, Nanami instead drove the ball almost straight downward into the open space the girls created, and the whistle blew to signal yet another point.


    With another passing high-five for Akane, Nanami jogged to the back of the court and prepared to serve, rotating Akane to position three and Mari up to position one. She jumped and swatted the ball forward to her left, over Mari¡¯s head, but it was a low serve and the Giants were on it immediately. The blonde wearing number eight launched herself high into the air, swatting the ball toward Mari. She tried to dig under it, but the incoming force was too great, and the ball ricocheted off to the left out of bounds as the whistle blew.


    ¡°The Ginza squad may be down, but they haven¡¯t given up yet. That was Minako Aino with an incredible spike off the serve for the Giants, and we¡¯re at twenty-four to four in favor of the Mystics!¡± There was a smattering of cheers for the Ginza girls, mostly from friends and family in the stands, because the home crowd was a sea of purple, Ranko included.


    ¡°Damn!¡± Nanami rotated again, pulling Akane into the backcourt. Akane ran over to her, clapping her hands and giving her a pat on the back. ¡°Shake it off, Nanami.¡± She took her position, calling forward to Mari. ¡°Short memory, Mari! Focus on the next one! You got this, girl!¡±


    Ranko smiled, cheering in encouragement. She was so proud of Akane, not only for her skill on the court, but how she had stepped into the situation, recruited Nanami back to the team, and not only commanded respect among the girls who had stood by while both girls had been shunned, but led them. I had no idea she was this good at that side of things. I should have asked her for help when I was teaching the Yusue girls.


    She and Nanami seemed to be building a good friendship, though, and Ranko was glad to see it. While Ranko had Kumi and several of her squadmates she counted as friends, Akane really hadn¡¯t hit it off with too many people since starting her career at Minato University. We should have her and her girlfriend over for dinner sometime, Ranko thought. And, hey, it¡¯ll be the first time we don¡¯t have to hold our breath that somebody¡¯s gonna freak out ¡®cause Akane¡¯s with a girl. Maybe somebody will actually eat something I cook before it gets cold for once!


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The serve from number eight on the Ginza squad rocketed over the net, and Akane had to run backward to catch it, bumping it over her shoulder toward the net. Noticing that Aino had been slow to return to a spot near the net, Nanami gave the ball just the slightest nudge in the air to alter its trajectory, dropping it limply in front of the net for another Minato point and the end of the set.


    Akane turned as the girls ran back to their benches, looking up into the third row of the bleachers and shaking her left hand as if it stung from the impact. Making eye contact, Ranko cringed. Yeah, that must have hurt, baby, that ball was coming in fast. But then Akane smiled, and made a limp fist with her left hand, holding it palm downward and rubbing the back of it with the fingers of her right in a circular motion. Ranko blushed, hugging herself with a smile around the purple velvet shirt she¡¯d paired with her black pleated skirt. It had become her de facto cheerleading outfit for Akane¡¯s sporting endeavors.


    I love you too, baby. Gods, I love you, too.


    Ranko stood, making her way for the closest concession stand. She¡¯d been screaming all game long, and she needed some water. As she reached the fourth position in line, she heard a voice she recognized all too well calling her name, and looked up with a reserved smile.


    ¡°Hey, Eiji.¡±


    The giant of a boy ruffled his hair nervously. ¡°Akane¡¯s looking good out there.¡±


    With a much broader smile, Ranko nodded dreamily. ¡°Yeah, she is.¡± Biting her lip, taking a moment to ensure she wanted to broach the subject, she lowered her voice. ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Eiji gave a small nod, smirking with a quiet chuckle. ¡°What can I say, I gave my girlfriend my word, right?¡±


    Blushing, Ranko stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him. Unlike all the times she¡¯d practically tackled him with exaggerated embraces at school or basketball games, there was a soft sincerity to it. ¡°Thank you, Eiji.¡±


    He put a nervous arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze in return. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.. I¡¯m just sorry it took so long, and that things got so crazy.¡±


    A masculine voice came from over Ranko¡¯s shoulder as they embraced. ¡°Hey, Ei-chan, who¡¯s this?¡±


    Ranko turned as a short, slender boy with black hair and frosted tips, about Shinji¡¯s age, walked up behind the pair. She let Eiji go, looking over the newcomer as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.


    With a warm smile, Eiji turned to the shorter boy. ¡°This is Ranko Tendo.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± The boy offered a polite bow. ¡°Good to finally put a face to a name. I¡¯m Orochi Matsuda.¡±


    She didn¡¯t need to ask for more details; Eiji had often mentioned his boyfriend¡¯s name. Stepping out of line to continue the conversation before returning his bow, Ranko offered a curious smile. ¡°Ei-chan, huh?¡±


    Eiji blushed. ¡°What can I say? I guess it stuck.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad things are good for you two.¡± Ranko smiled back at the court, watching to make sure she wasn¡¯t missing the start of the next set. ¡°I was a little worried, after everything.¡±


    Orochi crinkled his nose and shook his head with a smirk. ¡°Nah, it¡¯ll take more than a pregnant cheerleader to get rid of me.¡±


    The cheerleader clicked her tongue. ¡°And here I thought we were gonna be friends, Orochi.¡±


    ¡°So, then it¡¯s a bad time to ask for your autograph?¡± The elder boy laughed. ¡°What can I say, you can¡¯t be a deejay these days and not be spinning Rise.¡±


    Ranko grinned. ¡°Oh, just wait. There¡¯s three or four better party tracks on our album already. You should come to the Phoenix sometime; that¡¯s where all the new stuff gets dropped.¡±


    Orochi rolled his eyes with a grin. ¡°I would, but see, my boyfriend is banned from the place. Makes date nights kinda awkward.¡±


    With a giggle, Ranko nodded and turned to Eiji. ¡°Well, as long as you don¡¯t mention anything about our little misadventure, I hereby rescind your banishment.¡± She reached up toward him, shaking her head as she laughed. ¡°I¡¯d do the whole tap you on both shoulders thing, Eiji, but I can¡¯t freakin¡¯ reach ¡®em!¡±


    A horn sounded behind her, coming from the direction of the court. Ranko whirled her head to face it. ¡°I¡¯d better get back there. I don¡¯t wanna miss one second of this game.¡±


    Eiji smiled as she hurried excitedly back toward her seat, speaking under his breath as she disappeared from view. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t, Ranko. Enjoy it. You earned it.¡±

 93. A Sheep in Wolfs Clothing

    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s true, they might not know me everywhere I go, but I¡¯m the hottest thing to hit one bar in Tokyo¡­¡± Ranko grinned, singing under her breath as she waited in the corridor. Oooh. I like that line. This one¡¯s coming together.


    Ranko¡¯s eyes popped up as the door opened, and she gave Izumi a little wave. ¡°Heya, sis! What¡¯s up?¡±


    Izumi smiled, stepping out of the doorway to admit her sister. ¡°Hey, Ran-chan, just grab a seat, I¡¯m finishing something up. Give me like, ten minutes?¡±


    With a nod, Ranko kicked her shoes off, making her way to the dining table and sitting down. She reached down, popping open her school bag and pulling out her math workbook. Let¡¯s see if I can get some of this bullshit done while I wait. She scratched at her shoulder, popping the book open to chapter fourteen. Her school uniform shirt was so itchy on her skin. Most days she could tune it out, but Akane had overridden the dulling of her senses again last night, and it was always tougher for her to ignore the daily annoyances of the Full-Body Cat¡¯s Tongue after such an event. She dared not tell Akane, though. The last thing she wanted was for her fiancee to stop.


    She had no idea why she sat in her sister¡¯s apartment; when she woke this morning, Akane had already left their home and Ranko had found a note taped to the tea kettle telling her to meet her at Izumi¡¯s after school. She guessed Akane was running late, though. Izumi, meanwhile, had darted into her bedroom as soon as Ranko entered and closed the door behind her.


    ¡°Okay. Problem #53. If 3y + x = 27, and y = 8, find x.¡± She picked up her pencil, chuckling to herself as she circled the letter. It¡¯s right there, next to the equals sign. See, Ranko? Math is easy.


    Ranko stood, walking over to the fridge and grabbing herself a can of grape soda before returning to her seat. She wished they could get this stuff at the Phoenix, but their distributor for soda didn¡¯t carry it.


    #54. Prove Theorem 14.3 from the textbook. Okay. Let¡¯s see. She picked up her pencil and began to write.


    Given: The textbook has proofs for all the theorems in the appendix. Then: Theorem 14.3 has a proof and so it must be true.


    I¡¯m a damned genius. Eat that, Mr. Okuda.


    Hearing the bedroom door unstick from its jamb, Ranko lifted her head and put her pencil down as Izumi exited, followed by a young man a few centimeters shorter than her, and probably close to Ranko¡¯s age. He wore a black loose-fitting tee shirt and a pair of black slacks, and some brown dress shoes. His black hair was slicked back with hair gel, and his sunken eyes and five-o-clock shadow gave the appearance that he¡¯d had a rough couple of days.


    Ummm, okay? What the hell, Izzi?


    ¡°Ranko, honey, I¡¯d like you to meet my friend, Aki. Aki, this is my little sister, Ranko.¡±


    The boy bowed, and Ranko returned the gesture politely, but her eyes stayed locked on her sister with an interrogatory expression. Okay, love you, Izumi, but I¡¯m pretty curious what you¡¯re doing with a guy that much younger than you, in your bedroom, while your husband¡¯s not home.


    ¡°Good to meet you, Aki.¡± Ranko looked over the boy skeptically. There was something familiar about him that she couldn¡¯t quite place. Maybe one of their regulars from the Phoenix?


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Aki lifted his left hand, offering it to Ranko for a handshake, and Ranko caught a metallic glint on it. Wait, dude¡¯s married and he¡¯s hanging out in my sister¡¯s bedroom? Izumi, what the hell¡¯s gotten into you?


    Ranko offered her hand as well, remembering to do so with a limp wrist like a lady. As she did, she caught a closer look at the ring on Aki¡¯s left hand.


    It was exactly like hers.


    ¡°A¡­ Akane?!¡±


    The ¡°boy¡± giggled, nodding. ¡°Boy, did we get you good, Ranko!¡±


    Ranko turned to her sister with an exasperated, wild-eyed look. ¡°What the fuck, Izzi? I thought you were screwing around on Kaito over here! Halloween¡¯s over, you know!¡±


    Akane nodded, grinning. ¡°Izumi¡¯s a freaking wizard with makeup and clothes and stuff. And if I can fool you, baby, I can fool anyone.¡±


    Ranko blushed furiously. Akane, I don¡¯t know how to tell you this, but you know I find you cuter as a girl, right? Like, I¡¯m into girls. Really. ¡°And why exactly would you want to fool anybody into thinking you¡¯re a guy?¡±


    Smirking, Akane closed the distance between herself and her lover, putting her hand on Ranko¡¯s shoulder and physically turning her so that Ranko¡¯s back was to her. As Ranko behind herself in confusion, Akane pulled her close, holding her lover¡¯s body against her own and dragging her fingers up Ranko¡¯s arm and teasing her neck.


    The redhead quaked in Akane¡¯s arms, a fog forming in her eyes as she rolled her head back onto Akane¡¯s chest to allow her easier access.. ¡°A¡­ Akane, what are you¡­ Izumi is¡­right¡­  mmm¡­ baby¡­ why¡­¡±


    Izumi blushed as her sister made a quiet little squeak as Akane leaned down and kissed her ear. But while Ranko rigidly awaited some whispered explanation of why she was being so blissfully tortured in her sister¡¯s dining room, what she heard instead was Akane¡¯s singing voice.


    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, hide your face, so no one figures out it¡¯s you touching my special place¡­¡±


    Giggling almost mindlessly, Ranko purred into Akane¡¯s touch. It was so weird to think about Sneak without worrying about the upcoming video shoot. Akane hadn¡¯t given her a decision about Crash yet, but for her to have delayed this long, Ranko knew she was going to say no. That meant she would have to submit to being touched just like this by a stranger, unless they could find another boy somewhere¡­


    Ranko gasped, rocketing out of Akane¡¯s arms and shaking the cobwebs from her mind. ¡°You aren¡¯t serious¡­¡±


    Izumi sighed in relief. ¡°I¡¯m glad you figured it out, baby sister, because I was about to have to tell you two to get a room.¡± She affectedly fanned her face with her hand, giggling.


    ¡°Baby,¡± Akane said, reaching out for Ranko¡¯s hand with a smirk. ¡°It¡¯s like I said. If I can fool you, I can fool them. And yeah, I wouldn¡¯t say being in a music video is my lifelong dream, but if it gets you through this in a way you¡¯re comfortable with, I¡¯m glad to try. Plus, you won¡¯t have to worry about acting like it¡¯s driving you crazy, will ya?¡±


    ¡°But¡­ what if they catch you?!¡± Ranko didn¡¯t take her hand, pacing in the kitchen instead and trying to make sense of some very confusing feelings she was having at the moment.


    ¡°Then you¡¯re outed, which you wanted to do anyway. And besides¡­¡± Akane smirked, cornering Ranko against the kitchen counter and wrapping her arms around her. ¡°Who better to sing Sneak to in the video than the person you wrote it for?¡±


    Ranko blushed, but couldn¡¯t escape, as she was pinned in the corner of the L-shaped kitchen. ¡°That¡¯s not funny, ya know.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon. Let me give it a try. Maybe it¡¯ll be fun.¡± Akane grinned devilishly, picking her lover up and sitting her on Izumi¡¯s kitchen counter. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Ranko? Don¡¯t you want a handsome man to come and sweep you off your feet?¡±

 94. The Way You Touch Me

    ¡°It¡¯s not too late, Akane. We could totally just go home and say we got abducted by aliens or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Akane said as she wrapped her arms around her lover in the courtyard leading into the Yokai recording studio. ¡°Where¡¯s my brave girl?¡± Akane smirked, giving her a warm smile and a wink.


    Izumi had done an even better job on Akane¡¯s disguise this morning than she had in the trial run a few days ago. She wore a green polo shirt over a pair of khaki slacks and the same brown mens¡¯ dress shoes she¡¯d tried on a few days prior. If Ranko didn¡¯t already know who it was under all that makeup ¨C and no small amount of stretch bandages and duct tape ¨C poor ¡°Aki¡± would have been punched in the face three times already, with as many times as ¡°he¡± had grabbed at Ranko since they left Izumi¡¯s apartment at too-damn-early-o-clock that morning.


    ¡°I can do it if you can.¡± Ranko smiled up into her lover¡¯s eyes, the only part of her that was still recognizable. It was so weird seeing her made up like¡­ a boy. But Akane seemed to be enjoying herself. She was even more flirty than usual, and couldn¡¯t keep her hands off of Ranko. The redhead thought maybe it was just an effort to desensitize each other somewhat before she had to do it in front of people, but part of Ranko wondered if there wasn¡¯t a part of Akane that was just enjoying being able to flirt and tease without the judgemental stares they spent so much of their relationship trying to avoid.


    ¡°C¡¯mere, you.¡± Akane pulled her closer, kissing Ranko softly with open lips, holding her in the embrace until one of Ranko¡¯s heels popped up off the ground.


    As weird as it was to look into a boy¡¯s face and feel the way Akane made her feel, Ranko¡¯s desire to be pulled into a kiss in the middle of the street without worrying who was watching, like any other girl could, was the whole reason she¡¯d written Sneak in the first place. Even if the methods they had to use to make it happen had been beyond extreme, Akane had been right the other day.


    It does feel kind of nice to be swept off your feet sometimes.


    Exhaling heavily to summon her courage as she was finally released, Ranko squeezed her lover¡¯s hand. ¡°So, we¡¯re doing this?¡±


    Akane nodded, beaming with excitement. ¡°Lead the way, princess.¡±


    Blushing, Ranko turned to lead her disguised fiancee through the building, trying not to squeak too loudly in the cavernous main hall when Akane playfully swatted her on the backside with a smack that echoed far more loudly than she¡¯d expected. She emerged through the back door onto the back soundstage lot, the same one where the Rise video was shot. There, she made eye contact first with Crash, who was standing on the back lot finishing a cigarette, and he could do naught but laugh and shake his head. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be shitting me.¡±


    ¡°Crash, this is my fiancee, Aki.¡± Ranko giggled as Akane gave a nervous smile.


    He laughed, shaking his head. ¡°And you two nutters really think you can pull this off around sixty industry professionals?¡± Crash rolled his eyes, tossing his cigarette butt away. ¡°Ranko, you¡¯re an even crazier chick than I gave you credit for.¡±


    Ranko smirked confidently. I convinced a whole-ass high school I was dating the basketball captain for almost four months, buddy. You don¡¯t know how good I really am. Yet.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take our chances.¡± Ranko grinned, waving as Shinji approached. She was really glad he¡¯d showed up at all; things were still pretty touchy between the two of them. He wasn¡¯t taking her phone calls, so she¡¯d had to tell the others about Akane¡¯s plan yesterday without him and trust Crash to relay the details to him. Judging by how pissed her bassist looked, he¡¯d gotten the message.


    ¡°This. This is your master plan? Are you psychotic?¡± Shin groaned, throwing his hands up in the air. ¡°I cannot believe I hitched my wagon to this insanity. It¡¯ll never work.¡±


    Ranko grimaced, leaning into him. ¡°It¡¯ll work a lot better if you shut the hell up right now and stop raising suspicion.¡±


    She shot up straight as she saw a short, chubby man in a loud tropical-print button-down shirt approaching. ¡°Hi, Yuji!¡± Ranko gave him a bright smile and an emphatic wave. After his not only getting rid of Takao for her, but giving her the opportunity to be the one to tell him, Ranko loved that guy.


    ¡°Hey there, star! How we doing? Who¡¯s this?¡± He looked up at Akane, and Ranko could see him building a scene in his head.


    Ranko squeezed Akane¡¯s hand, both out of love and to provide a little boost of courage. ¡°Yuji, this is my fiance, Aki. Aki, this is Yuji Oe, our director.¡±


    The heavy-set man blinked in surprise. ¡°Good to meet you, Aki, but I didn¡¯t know you were engaged, Ranko.¡±


    Ranko nodded enthusiastically. ¡°It just happened over Christmas. Isn¡¯t he just the most romantic?¡± Ranko threw herself at Akane¡¯s chest, snuggling into her with an air of absolute, unadulterated joy as Akane wrapped her in her arms. She could feel Akane¡¯s promise ring, which she wore on a silver chain around her neck to maintain her disguise, rubbing against her cheek through her shirt, and she nuzzled softly against it in wordless acknowledgement. This is so much easier than trying to play this game with Eiji.


    ¡°And, Aki, I understand you¡¯re going to be our male actor for the video today?¡± Yuji rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The studio had tipped him off that there was going to be a last-minute cast change, but he was starting to understand why. He¡¯s a good-lookin¡¯ kid, and you can¡¯t deny he¡¯s got chemistry with Ranko.


    Ranko nodded, giggling up at Akane, who seemed somewhat lost for words. Akane wasn¡¯t especially worried about her voice itself; Izumi had taken care of that. ¡°Just scream into a pillow for two hours the night before, and your voice will drop an octave or two,¡± she¡¯d said, and it had certainly worked. Akane just didn¡¯t really know what to say.


    Don¡¯t worry, Akane. This is where I¡¯m at my best.  ¡°I understand all about professional distance and stuff, but I gave Aki my word, no other man will touch me like that but him. I know people think I¡¯m this rebellious punker from my songs, but really? I¡¯m a good girl and I don¡¯t want to do anything untoward.¡±


    Akane desperately fought not to shake her head. Good gods, Ranko. Laying it on a little thick, aren¡¯t we? But man, is it fucking adorable to watch.


    ¡°Well, alright,¡± Yuji said. ¡°Let¡¯s get you into costuming and makeup, Ranko. As for you, Aki, I guess all you need to do is take your shirt off.¡±


    Akane¡¯s face began to crack into one of panic, but Ranko sprung forward and shook her head vigorously. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend that, Yuji. Aki¡¯s definitely the rebel between us, and he¡¯s got tattoos on his chest that would make a sailor blush. You¡¯d spend so much money trying to cover them with makeup or your computer mumbo-jumbo that you¡¯re much better off to agree with me that he¡¯s sexy as hell just like that, and call it a day.¡±


    With a chuckle, Yuji shook his head. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not the director, Ranko? Okay. He stays like he is. Aki, make yourself comfortable, while we get your girl all prettied up for you, alright?¡±


    Akane grinned. ¡°Gladly.¡±


    Ranko dove into Akane¡¯s chest again, squeezing her tight around her belly and kicking one of her yellow heels up behind her. ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can, handsome. I love you so much!¡±


    A few meters away, Ranko¡¯s drummer just moved his pointed index finger from Ranko to Akane and back, his jaw hanging open in disbelief. ¡°Is that really¡­¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Crash nodded slowly. ¡°Not a fucking word, Ken.¡± He smiled, watching as Ranko practically skipped through the backlot after Yuji, her yellow sundress flouncing a bit in the breeze. My gods, that girl is incredible.


    Some thirty minutes later, Ranko bounced out of the makeup trailer, wearing a thin baby pink nightgown. She padded back to the group in a pair of white fuzzy slippers to spare her bare feet the discomfort of the backlot¡¯s asphalt.


    Akane sat up on the bed they¡¯d set up on the soundstage in the main building, waving to Ranko from atop its pastel green duvet as she approached. ¡°Hey there, gorgeous.¡±


    Ranko kicked off her slippers, getting a three-step running start and leaping onto the bed, curling up in Akane¡¯s arms with a giggle just as they would at home. ¡°Hi!¡± There are sixty-six people watching us right now. One hundred and thirty-two eyes. And I get to show them all how much I love you. Just for today.


    Laughing, Akane hugged her close. ¡°They are letting you keep that outfit when you leave today, right?¡±


    Blushing, Ranko tittered quietly, burrowing gently into Akane¡¯s tightly-bound chest. ¡°Well, they are making us shoot a video on Valentine¡¯s Day, so I figure they owe me one. I¡¯ll see what I can do, lover boy.¡±


    Yuji began consulting with the camera crew, describing the shot he wanted, but Ranko did not wait. They probably weren¡¯t going to use it, but she didn¡¯t care. For a week and a half, the studio had made her live in a constant state of panic about being groped by some random dude, and karma had repaid her with a mighty gift. She was determined to squeeze every bit of fun she could out of it.


    She pushed Akane backward onto her backside on the bed, crawling after her sultrily on her hands and knees across the king-sized mattress. Each time Ranko reached forward with her hands, Akane playfully scooted back. Akane thought she was just fooling around, until Ranko opened her mouth, still giving languid chase around the mattress.


    ¡°You say you¡¯re not sorry that we¡¯re lovers, babe. Why¡¯d you hide me underneath the covers, babe?¡±


    Yuji threw his clipboard into the air with a shrug and a laugh. ¡°Fuck it, roll tape, I guess.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Um, Aki?¡± The director held up a finger to get Akane¡¯s attention as they filmed the next scene, in which Akane had backed Ranko up against a wall. The songstress still wore the pink nightgown, and she was struggling to catch her breath.


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± Akane turned, still holding Ranko¡¯s wrists over her head against the plywood facade.


    ¡°I get that you¡¯re trying to be realistic with her and all, but¡­¡± Yuji blushed a bit. ¡°You do know she still has to be able to sing, right?¡±


    Ranko flushed, hiding her face behind her forearm. Hey, it¡¯s not my fault that she¡¯s driving me absolutely crazy. This scene was your idea, buddy.


    ¡°Um, sorry?¡± Akane growled her reply, her strained vocal chords giving her words a gravely tone that far better suited her current appearance than her usual voice would have.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s just take five?¡± Yuji shrugged, laughing as he tossed his clipboard on a folding canvas chair. I swear, working with teenagers is gonna turn me gray before I¡¯m 40.


    Ranko blushed and lowered her chin shyly as Akane turned her eyes back toward her restrained fiancee. ¡°If we¡¯re on a break, you could let me go, ya know.¡±


    Akane nodded thoughtfully, tightening her grip on both of Ranko¡¯s wrists with just her left hand. ¡°I could, it¡¯s true.¡± She flashed Ranko a devilish grin that sent such a shiver up the redhead¡¯s spine that even Akane could feel it through her wrists. After nearly and hour and a half of teasing, and the rush of getting to be in Akane¡¯s arms without feeling the need to hide it, every square millimeter of Ranko¡¯s skin was screaming for attention, and Akane knew it without a shadow of a doubt.


    ¡°Well, mister, if you¡¯re not going to let me go, at least kiss me.¡± Ranko bit her lip cutely, looking up at her lover with a hopeful expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Smickering, Akane poked her future wife gently on the nose with her free hand. ¡°Yuji said I need to let you cool down a little.¡±


    Ranko whined softly, stomping her bare foot in protest against the carpeted floor of the set. ¡°That¡¯s not fair! How am I supposed to cool down when you¡¯re here with me?¡±


    With a shrug, Akane slid the index finger of her free left hand from the neckline of Ranko¡¯s nightdress up her neck to her chin. ¡°I could leave if you prefer¡­¡±


    Ranko¡¯s breath caught in her throat as Akane¡¯s finger passed over it. ¡°Don¡¯t you¡­ f¡­ fucking dare, boyfriend.¡±


    Sighing sadly, Crash leaned on one of the unused camera tripods, watching the pair interact from thirteen meters away. He only looked up when he felt Jacob¡¯s hand thump down forcefully on his shoulder. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up, Jake?¡±


    Jacob motioned to the two flirtatious girls under the bright studio lights. ¡°Why do you keep staring like that, man? You¡¯re just torturing yourself.¡±


    Crash nodded distantly. ¡°I know. I really don¡¯t have a chance, do I?¡±


    ¡°Bro, she¡¯s getting married. I know you don¡¯t get much chance to see them together up close like this very often, but¡­ the ring really should¡¯ve been enough to get the point across, don¡¯t ya think?¡± The Australian scratched his scalp, careful not to disrupt the gel holding his green mohawk in place.


    Crash sighed, rubbing his temples with his right hand. ¡°Yeah, I know. Just, how do you move on from someone like that?¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, mate.¡± Jacob rolled his eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t even date her. You kissed her once, like, a year ago. Just be her friend. Maybe once you stop going all googly-eyed for Ranko every time you¡¯re at the bar, you¡¯ll notice somebody that¡¯s right for you and you can stop chasing ghosts. You¡¯re about to drop an album, too, man. The birds¡¯ll be lining up if you let ¡®em.¡±


    <hr>


    Ranko leaned against a tree, watching from some fifteen meters away as Akane spoke to an extra, a teenage girl wearing the same generic high school uniform as Ranko now did. The songstress had been glad to change; two and a half hours of merciless torture at the hands of her ¡°boyfriend¡± had left her in need of clean clothes whether the scene called for them or not. Akane had changed into a boys¡¯ school uniform, and fortunately been able to do so without disrupting her disguise too much.


    She knew Akane was just making small talk, as she wore no microphone and nothing she said would be picked up on camera, but she still wondered what was being said. Was it about her? It almost hurt not knowing, not being within arm¡¯s reach of her lover after how close they¡¯d been all day. It made it require no acting at all to convey the appropriate emotion for the portion of the song she was singing.


    ¡°When they¡¯re next to you, it¡¯s like you don¡¯t know I¡¯m alive. The second that they look away, you send me into overdrive. I can¡¯t help it, falling underneath your spell. You¡¯re the best at kiss, and kiss, and never tell¡­¡±


    She absolutely ached to be in Akane¡¯s arms. She wondered if singing the song at a faster tempo would hasten it, but she reminded herself that Yuji would just demand another take of this agonizingly distant shot. You don¡¯t understand, Yuji. This is the one day I get to be hers and not have to hide it. I don¡¯t want to waste a second of it. And on Valentine¡¯s Day, to boot.


    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, no one knows how many nights I¡¯ve lay here begging you to hold me close¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Ranko held the dynamic microphone in her hand with a pronounced sass, dancing in front of her band as they played the bridge of the song. She was dressed in her third costume of the day, a red microdress that was a bit showy for her tastes even by her stage standards. She might not have agreed to wear it even if she was performing the scene with Crash, but as long as she was with Akane, she felt like she could be sexy and safe at the same time. Akane had changed again too, this time back into the polo shirt and slacks she¡¯d worn when they first arrived. She danced on the ¡°stage¡± set just behind Ranko, who grinded her backside against her lover as she sang lustily into the handheld microphone.


    ¡°You made me your dirty little secret, then, you made me your dirty little freak again¡­¡±


    Akane tried not to blush, ignoring the cameras and just trying to focus on being natural with Ranko in the moment. It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m not a boy for real, Ranko¡­ She grinned, allowing herself a split second to think ahead to the surprise she had planned for her fiancee later in the evening. I can¡¯t wait, baby. Gods, I love you, Ranko.


    Jacob was fairly certain camera D caught Crash cringing and rolling his eyes at the couple at least once during the band¡¯s playthrough of the song. He hoped they wouldn¡¯t use that shot.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m buried in my pillow when you make me scream!¡± Ranko turned to face her beloved, wrapping one leg and one arm around Akane and singing the line practically in her ear as she hooked the red stiletto heel she wore behind Akane¡¯s knee to rest her leg¡¯s weight on the back of the larger girl¡¯s calf.


    ¡°Aaaaand, cut! Great job, everybody. Love that take!¡± Yuji applauded as an intern ran in front of the camera, slamming the clapper shut to indicate a pause in the filming. ¡°Ranko, next we¡¯re going to move to the¡­ ummm, Ranko?¡±


    By the time the intern with the clapper had cleared the camera¡¯s view, the lead vocalist of the Dapper Dragons had already melted into her fiancee¡¯s arms again, whimpering quietly into a kiss with ¡°him.¡± Whatever the director was saying, Ranko didn¡¯t hear a thing.

 95. Canceled

    Ranko swung her arm high at her side, holding ¡°Aki¡¯s¡± hand in hers and giggling as their enjoined hands swooshed through the skirt of her yellow cotton dress as it flapped gently in the breeze. She was stunned and ecstatic that Akane¡¯s plan had worked, and Ranko couldn¡¯t wait to get her home and reward her for her heroism. She just wished she didn¡¯t have to work tonight, but she¡¯d been planning her Valentine¡¯s Day concert for two weeks, and it was going to be a great show. She was looking forward to singing Nothing for her again, and this time giving Akane the quality of performance she deserved.


    ¡°I¡¯m really proud of you, you know that?¡± Akane squeezed her hand, smiling at her through her masculine makeup job. ¡°It was great to get to see what you do there up close. I loved getting to be a part of it with you.¡±


    Ranko blushed, smiling over at her lover, nearly unrecognizable though she was in the green tee shirt and khakis she wore and still fully transformed into a young boy with the aid of Izumi¡¯s makeup and hair skills and a half a roll of strategically-placed bandages and duct tape. ¡°I¡¯m proud to make you proud of me.¡±


    Akane reached out for the brass handle of the glass front door of the Phoenix, but Ranko gasped, noticing a bright green sign taped to the inside window.


    ¡°Tonight¡¯s show is canceled? What the hell?!¡±


    Ranko tore the door out of Akane¡¯s hand in a sudden frenzy, throwing it open so hard she almost hit Akane with it. ¡°Mom? Where are you?!¡±


    Hana peeked out from over the blue saloon doors as she slipped one of her arms into the sleeve of her leather jacket. ¡°Oh, hey, baby! How¡¯d the shoot go? Hi, Akane. Or, should I say, Aki?¡± She grinned, pushing her way into the main bar area.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, mama?! The sign says the show tonight¡¯s canceled?!¡± Ranko set her purse down on the table, rushing toward the bar.


    Akane cleared her throat, grinning. ¡°Um, Ran-chan? That might be my doing, actually.¡±


    Ranko whirled. ¡°What?! Akane, what do you mean? We can¡¯t just shut down on a holiday!¡±


    Hana shrugged. ¡°Well, in fairness, baby girl, you¡¯ve worked every weekend and holiday for a year and a half, other than the ones where you were in the hospital. I figured you¡¯d probably earned one off. But Akane suggested it.¡±


    Akane nodded to Izumi, who bent down behind her position at the service bar, pulling a large box out from under the counter. It was nearly a half-meter wide and close to that across, and maybe half that deep, wrapped in a shiny white glossy paper with a silver bow on top.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Ranko stepped closer, looking at the box curiously.


    ¡°Happy Valentine¡¯s Day, baby.¡± Akane stepped forward, hugging her around the chest from behind and kissing her cheek. ¡°Go on, go open it.¡±


    Ranko approached the huge box cautiously, almost as if she worried that there might be a snake in it. She tore open the paper, finding a thin, plain white cardboard box within and opening it. She pulled aside a piece of white tissue paper, and gasped, her eyes the size of saucers.


    ¡°Oh, Akane, it¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s beautiful.¡± Her face was afire. How the hell does she think I¡¯m gonna pull this off?


    Akane smiled suavely. ¡°It will be, once you¡¯re in it.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ when would I even have an occasion to wear something like this?¡± She looked up at ¡°him,¡± mystified and a little relieved that the box¡¯s contents would likely just remain in the back of her closet next to every other ridiculous thing Izumi had dressed her in.


    ¡°Right now. Go get changed.¡± Akane grinned.


    ¡°But what¡­ how¡­ huh?¡± Ranko blushed, looking up at Akane, befuddled. This was all happening so fast. Here she was, half an hour from getting on stage, and now it was one surprise after the other from the person that anyone outside of the room in which she stood would swear was her boyfriend.


    Akane smiled, walking closer. ¡°Every date I¡¯ve taken you on for a year, it¡¯s been big crowds and dark movie theaters, so nobody could see two girls holding hands. Well, with what Izumi did¡­ let¡¯s just say I¡¯m seizing an opportunity.¡± She reached down for Ranko¡¯s left hand, picking it up and kissing the back of it softly. ¡°You are a star, and you deserve to shine like one. Tonight, Ranko, you hide for no one. You hide from no one. Do you understand me?¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The redhead¡¯s face burned as her hand was kissed, looking up into the transformed face of her lover with a little giggle. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Whatever she had planned, clearly she meant it.


    Izumi reached out, taking Ranko¡¯s other hand with an amused smile. ¡°C¡¯mon, baby sister. Let¡¯s get you ready for this strapping gentleman, shall we?¡±


    <hr>


    Some twenty minutes later, Akane had returned to the barroom. She¡¯d slipped off into the downstairs restroom to change clothes herself. Having retained the masculine slicked-back hairstyle and makeup job Izumi had performed on her earlier that morning, she now sported a crisp white dress shirt with a sky-blue necktie, black dress pants and a matching suit coat, all but the tie on loan from Izumi¡¯s husband. She grinned at the approving nod she received from her future mother-in-law as she took a seat at the barkeep¡¯s table.


    ¡°I gotta tell you, Hana, I really appreciate you having done this for us. I know it can¡¯t be easy to cancel a big show on a holiday like this. I can only imagine how much money those bring in.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s mother shook her head. ¡°Honestly? I don¡¯t talk about it with her much because it weirds her out sometimes, but most nights, we do more business in Dapper Dragons tee shirts and stuff alone than we used to do in drinks before she got here. We¡¯re fine, and she deserves a break. She¡¯s more than ea¡­¡±


    Hana slowly rose from her chair without finishing her thought, her jaw falling open at the sight of something over Akane¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh, my gods¡­¡±


    Akane stood and turned, following Hana¡¯s line of sight to the saloon doors, where Ranko stood. She wore an ankle-length sparkly gown in a pale sky blue that matched Akane¡¯s necktie, which tapered snugly at her waist like a corset and flared out around her hips. It had puffy elbow-length sleeves and a white rosette resting at the center of the neckline. Akane had included a pair of sparkly silver five-centimeter stiletto heels, and she¡¯d even been considerate enough to pack a white satin slip, knowing that the scratchy organza of the gown¡¯s skirt would otherwise be torturously uncomfortable on her lover¡¯s hypersensitive skin. Izumi, who had obviously been in on this devious plan from the start, had given her sister¡¯s hair a quick blow out and loaned her a glittery silver clutch and a pair of dainty diamond earrings. These, she wore in addition to her silver dragon bracelet, her star necklace, and her silver sapphire promise ring. Her face could have boiled a kettle, so flushed was she.


    ¡°Ranko, I¡­ um¡­ you¡­¡± Akane laughed nervously, fidgeting with her hands.


    Izumi leaned into her sister, careful not to crinkle her dress. ¡°I told you she¡¯d be speechless. I¡¯m surprised her nose isn¡¯t bleeding.¡± She reached back, grabbing Ranko by the elbow as she tried to retreat back behind the saloon door into the kitchen area. ¡°Nuh-uh. No hiding. You better get used to it, Ranko. You¡¯re gonna be a bride in a couple months, remember?¡±


    A low whistle came from the main bar as Yui hopped up and sat on the counter. ¡°Damn, girl. Just¡­ wow.¡±


    Blushing deeper still, Ranko stepped into the room and turned away from her family, facing the mirrored back wall of the bar. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you got me to wear something this over the top, Akane. I look like a¡­¡±


    Ranko felt her lover¡¯s arms slip around her waist from behind her, squeezing her tight and swaying with her slightly. ¡°Say it,¡± Akane said softly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I feel ridiculous.¡±


    Akane squeezed her again. ¡°You aren¡¯t ridiculous. You aren¡¯t playing at anything. That¡¯s really you in the mirror, and it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s so much better than okay, Ranko. I know what you¡¯re thinking, baby. Now, say it. Embrace it.¡± She gave her lover a soft kiss on her temple. I know it¡¯s a leap for you, but you¡¯re allowed to take pleasure in being beautiful, just the same as any other woman would.


    The redhead turned, her face aglow, reaching up and wrapping her arms around Akane¡¯s neck. ¡°I look like¡­ a princess.¡±


    Akane kissed her forehead gently, careful not to muss either of their delicate makeup jobs. ¡°If the glass slipper fits, Your Highness.¡± She turned to the tall blonde behind the bar. ¡°Yui, would you, please?¡±


    Nodding, Yui hopped down off the counter, reaching down into the beer cooler under the bar and producing a small, clear plastic box. Akane walked to the counter, popping it open. ¡°Give me your hand, Ranko?¡±


    Trembling, the bedazzled girl did as she was told, and watched with wide eyes as Akane withdrew something from the plastic carton. Stretching the white elastic band beneath it to the diameter of Ranko¡¯s arm, she slid a delicate corsage made of baby¡¯s breath and three white roses onto Ranko¡¯s right wrist.


    ¡°There. Perfection.¡± Akane smiled down at her, lifting her hand and kissing the back of it. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    Ranko shrugged, her face still ablaze. She looked around at her family, as if expecting them to be laughing at her. No one was, though Izumi wished she¡¯d thought to bring her camera. ¡°I mean, I think so, but¡­ what are we even doing?¡±


    Shaking her head, Akane pulled her gently toward the door by the hand she already held. ¡°That, my love, is a surprise.¡±

 96. Fireworks

    ¡°Akane, what is this place?¡± Ranko looked up at a posh three-story building from across the street, in the harbor corridor of the Minato district. She¡¯d walked by the building every day on the way to school, but had never paid it much attention. She saw several other couples, dressed as formally as she and her date, coming and going.


    ¡°It¡¯s a restaurant. Well, sort of. C¡¯mon, you¡¯ll see.¡± Akane took her hand, looking left and right before leading her into the crosswalk and across the street to the marble building.


    Opening the door for her, Akane smiled as Ranko trundled her dress through the brass doors and approached the maitre¡¯d stand. There¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to get into a place like this on Valentine¡¯s Day. They¡¯ve probably been booked for tonight since November. But, it¡¯s really sweet of you to try, Akane, Ranko thought to herself.


    ¡°Reservation for Tendo, please?¡± Akane waved to the tuxedoed man, who glanced down at his reservation book. ¡°Yes, sir, right this way, please. Miss?¡±


    Following, Ranko looked up at her date incredulously. How in the¡­ Akane, what did you do?


    The maitre¡¯d led the pair to a small table in a secluded corner of a large dining area, dressed with a white tablecloth with a vase containing three red roses as a centerpiece and set with pink china. The dining room itself was carpeted wall-to-wall in a regal red, and a grand staircase with red carpeting and brass handrails led up to the second floor and whatever lay beyond. The man in the tuxedo pulled a chair out. It took Ranko a moment to realize it was meant for her, and that the restaurant¡¯s host wasn¡¯t just planning on sitting with them while they ordered. Blushing, she carefully slid her dress under the table and lifted her feet gingerly off the floor as the host slid her chair back under the table with her in it.


    ¡°Please, look over your menus, and Henri will be over shortly to take your orders.¡± The maitre¡¯d gave a flourish, returning to his stand.


    ¡°Akane, how are you doing all this? How are you even affording all of this?¡± Ranko¡¯s face was afire, dreading to even look at the prices on the menu.


    The ¡°man¡± sitting across from her grinned. ¡°I got all of my students to pay for three months of classes up front.¡± And a little help from Nabiki, but let¡¯s not worry about that right now.


    Ranko blinked. ¡°Is this really what we should be using that money on, though?¡±


    With a smirk, Akane sipped from the glass of spring water in front of her. ¡°The way I figure it, the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts made you a girl, so it might as well contribute to finishing what it started.¡±


    Giggling, Ranko sipped from her own water glass. Oh, Pop, if you could see me now and know what all your precious training has turned me into¡­  ¡°But, how did you even get reservations for a place like this at the last minute? I mean, you¡¯ve only known about Aki since Monday.¡±


    Akane grinned, saluting her with a tip of her water glass. ¡°You can thank Kage for that one. His movie industry connections were able to pull some strings for us.¡± She motioned to the leather-bound menu resting on the table in front of Ranko. ¡°Do you know what you want to eat?¡±


    Somehow flushing further, the redhead in the blue ball gown shook her head. ¡°Akane, I don¡¯t know what half the words on this thing even mean.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s no problem, baby. Just ask the waiter, and they¡¯ll bring stuff out and show it to you.¡± At least, that¡¯s what they told me on the phone.


    <hr>


    Ranko sat back in her chair, longingly eyeing the last bite of raspberry cheesecake on the pink china plate in front of her. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do it. I gotta tap out. Oh my gods, that was amazing.¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°Well, then, let¡¯s go, shall we?¡± ¡®He¡¯ stood, making sure the amount of money in the tray was sufficient to cover the bill - Ranko dared not even look to try to guess the total - and pulled Ranko¡¯s chair out for her before offering a hand.


    Ranko nodded, slipping her corsaged hand into Akane¡¯s and standing carefully. ¡°It¡¯s been an absolutely amazing night. I can¡¯t thank you enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh-uh.¡± Akane grinned, squeezing her hand. ¡°We¡¯re not done yet, young lady.¡± Akane led her not to the front door from which they¡¯d entered, but toward the grand staircase, which Ranko eyed a bit nervously.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. Take it nice and slow, and lean on me if you have to.¡± Akane held her left hand tightly as Ranko carefully lifted the hem of her dress and tentatively took one step after the next. The higher she got, the more sure she was that she heard music coming from the second floor, and when she reached the top of the staircase, she realized why.


    The large room was mostly devoid of furniture other than a border of small tables around its periphery and a small stage along the back wall. No one occupied the stage, but Ranko did notice a young man in a sport coat working the audio equipment in a small booth similar to Mei¡¯s at the Phoenix.


    In the large, open center of the room, some sixty couples in formal attire were joined in embraces, slow dancing to the ballad crooning its way through the sound system - which, Ranko had to admit, put the equipment at the Phoenix to shame.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Akane. Am I supposed to sing? I didn¡¯t rehearse anything.¡±


    Shaking her head, Akane turned to her. ¡°No, silly girl. You¡¯re going to dance.¡± The taller girl in the black suit pulled her gently onto the dance floor, turning and wrapping her arms around Ranko¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Akane, I¡­ I don¡¯t know how to dance like this, especially not¡­¡± Ranko didn¡¯t need to finish her sentence for Akane to know it would have ended with ¡°as a girl.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, baby. Let¡¯s start really basic. Put your arms up around my neck, okay? There you go. Now, just sway with me. I¡¯ll move, and you pay attention to which way I¡¯m going and come with me. Don¡¯t lift your feet super high off the floor, and you won¡¯t have to worry about stepping on me.¡± Akane grinned, sighing contentedly as her lover¡¯s body coiled around her own. ¡°Thatta girl. It¡¯s no different from martial arts; just feel my movements and mirror them.¡±


    Akane stepped forward, smiling as Ranko intuitively moved her left foot backward to make space for her. Ranko next followed her a step to the left, shuffling her foot alongside the brown men¡¯s loafer Akane had borrowed from Kaito. ¡°See? You got it.¡±


    Ranko pulled herself closer, resting her cheek on Akane¡¯s chest as she swayed with her to the soft ballad. ¡°Akane, I love you.¡±


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Not stopping the pattern she was leading the couple in, Akane lowered her head and kissed the top of Ranko¡¯s hair. ¡°I love you too, princess.¡± She turned, pulling Ranko with her and motioning discreetly with her elbow at a group of three couples, who all seemed to be looking their way. ¡°See those people over there?¡±


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Ranko¡¯s voice was dreamy and distant. As far as she was concerned, there was no one else in the room besides herself and Akane.


    ¡°They¡¯re watching you.¡± Akane took one of her hands off of Ranko¡¯s waist, softly stroking her hair as they swayed in unison.


    Ranko looked up to her. ¡°Why? Am I doing something wrong?¡±


    With a soft smile, Akane shook her head. ¡°Not at all, silly girl. You¡¯re just beautiful. I can¡¯t tell you how glad I am I got to show you off tonight. I¡¯m so proud I get to be with you, do you know that?¡±


    Blushing, Ranko hid her face in Akane¡¯s chest, careful not to burrow too deeply against the undoubtedly uncomfortable bindings that restrained her breasts beneath her dress shirt. ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. I¡¯m just a cheerleader who¡¯s barely passing math.¡±


    Akane shook her head again. ¡°You are a superstar, Ranko Tendo, and I¡¯m not going to stop telling you until you come to terms with that. But even if you weren¡¯t, even if you¡¯d never set foot on a stage or in a recording studio, you¡¯re the best thing that¡¯s ever happened to me.¡±


    As the song ended, Akane stilled herself, holding Ranko as she also stopped swaying, but the redhead¡¯s cheek did not leave Akane¡¯s chest, and she squeezed even tighter into her lover.


    ¡°Akane, this has been the best night of my life.¡±


    The ¡°boy¡± holding Ranko smiled with a contented sigh. ¡°Me too, baby. Me, too.¡±


    Pulling back so she could see Ranko¡¯s face, Akane motioned with her head toward the other side of the room. ¡°C¡¯mere. I want to show you something.¡± Akane took Ranko¡¯s hand, leading her from the dance floor toward one of the doors at the back of the room. She pushed one open, holding it for Ranko and watching to ensure her dress did not snag on it as she stepped out onto a small unoccupied balcony overlooking the harbor. A small wrought-iron table and a pair of matching chairs sat off to one corner of the balcony.


    Ranko stepped to the edge of the balcony, leaning over the waist-high marble wall and looking out on the water. She watched as a few pleasure craft darted here and there, the reflections of the city lights waving gently in the inky surface of the dark water. ¡°It¡¯s so pretty out here.¡±


    Akane nodded, picking up one of the wrought iron chairs quietly, her eyes not leaving the girl in the sky-blue ball gown. ¡°Yeah. It really is.¡±


    Silently, as Ranko¡¯s back was turned, Akane slipped the chair under the handle of the door they¡¯d passed through, blocking it from turning and ensuring their privacy continued. Satisfied with its position, Akane walked to the marble railing, leaning on it next to her lover just as a red firework exploded in the sky over the water.


    Ranko reached out, wrapping both of her arms around Akane¡¯s right arm, squeezing it and nuzzling her cheek against the sleeve of Kaito¡¯s suit coat. ¡°Is all of this really real?¡±


    Akane laughed. ¡°What do you mean, silly girl?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m here, and you¡¯re here, and you made me all pretty, and we didn¡¯t have to hide from anybody, and¡­ like, do I really get to spend the rest of my life with you? With my family? Making music with my friends? I keep thinking I¡¯m gonna wake up back on the floor in your dad¡¯s guest room. If this is a dream, I don¡¯t ever want to wake up.¡±


    Akane grinned. ¡°It¡¯s real, Ranko. You¡¯re real. I¡¯m real. We¡¯re real. I¡¯ve never been so sure of anything in my whole life.¡± She lowered her head, resting her forehead on the top of Ranko¡¯s head as the redhead snuggled her arm. ¡°I did want to talk to you about that, though.¡±


    Ranko released ¡®his¡¯ arm, turning from the fireworks to face Akane. ¡°Sure. Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Well, sort of.¡± Akane blushed, raising her hand to fidget nervously with her hair before remembering that it was all but shellacked to her head. ¡°I kinda screwed something up a little bit, and I want to fix it.¡±


    The redhead shook her head. ¡°If it¡¯s about tonight, no you didn¡¯t. Everything¡¯s been so far beyond perfect. Like a fairytale.¡±


    Akane bit her lip. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s about Christmas.¡±


    Ranko blinked. ¡°You didn¡¯t screw anything up. You asked me to marry you, silly.¡± She couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to say silly girl, given Akane¡¯s current appearance. ¡°You aren¡¯t regretting it, are you? Now that you know what an expensive date I can be?¡± She giggled, reaching for Akane¡¯s hand to give it a squeeze.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing, though. I didn¡¯t. Not really.¡± Akane sighed, looking out at the water as a pink and white heart blossomed in fire in the sky. ¡°I gave you a promise ring. And that¡¯s not the same as being engaged. It¡¯s basically a promise to get engaged when we can. But, at the time, I thought that was all we were ever going to get to have. It wasn¡¯t possible to do anything else.¡±


    ¡°Akane, don¡¯t be silly. We¡¯re planning a wedding. It¡¯s the same thing to me. I¡¯m gonna get to be your wife and I don¡¯t care what anybody calls it from now until then.¡± Ranko smiled reassuringly to her lover. ¡°You didn¡¯t mess anything up. Not ever. You¡¯re just perfect, my love. Everything is.¡±


    Ranko looked up with a smile as an orange starburst bloomed in the night sky, its twin rising to meet it in the reflection oscillating lazily in the waves below. ¡°Besides. Even if you did want to change it, what could you do now? It¡¯s not like you can go back to Christmas.¡± She blinked, turning slowly as she felt Akane¡¯s hand sinking toward the ground as she held it. What the¡­


    Her eyes fell on Akane, resplendent in the black suit that made her the picture of a dashing young gentleman. She was smiling. She was radiant.


    She was down on one knee.


    ¡°Akane, what are¡­¡±


    Akane¡¯s left hand emerged from the pocket of Kaito¡¯s suit coat, producing a small object that scintillated with pink and yellow sparks, the small heart-shaped diamond mounted to its top refracting the light from the pair of fireworks that crackled through the night sky above her.


    ¡°Ranko Tendo, will you marry me?¡±


    Ranko covered her gasping mouth with both of her hands. Her nostrils flooded with the sweet fragrance of the white roses strapped to the back of her wrist, bringing her a welcome recollection of the rose Akane had given her after the first night they¡¯d made love. For a moment, she could only nod, but she did so emphatically, eventually lowering her hands to reveal an exuberant smile. ¡°Akane, I will marry you right now, right this second, on this balcony, if I can find a way. I will marry you over and over every single day for the rest of my life if you want.¡±


    Another flash of white light boomed from the sky, granting Ranko the first good look she¡¯d gotten at the ring in Akane¡¯s hand. The heart-shaped diamond solitaire was set in a silver ring, and some sort of scrollwork had been etched around the full length of the band. Something seemed to be inscribed on the inside of the band as well, but in the darkness, she couldn¡¯t make out what.


    Akane reached out with trembling hands, pulling the promise ring, the twin of the one that still hung from a silver chain around her neck under her shirt, from Ranko¡¯s left ring finger and moving it to the same finger on her right hand. She started to slide the diamond onto Ranko¡¯s hand, but Ranko interrupted her. ¡°What does it say? I can¡¯t see it.¡±


    Akane held it up for her just as a trio of white and green explosions lit up the night sky, and Ranko was able to get a quick enough glance to see that the scrollwork around the outer band was composed of three parallel lines. Dotted on and between the lines around the entire band were tiny musical notes.


    ¡°Oh, Akane, it¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    As the grand finale of the fireworks show began splitting the air with its screeching and booming excess, Ranko was able to glimpse the three words etched into the inside back of the band in English, where the ring would rest in her first knuckle. She covered her mouth with another incredulous gasp.


    The band read, ¡°you¡¯re my song.¡±


    Before Ranko could say another word to react, Akane had slipped the diamond onto her finger and kissed the back of her left hand.

 97. Your Better is Blessed

    Ranko made a wide sweeping motion with the stick in her hand, dragging it across the floor in an arc before pulling it closer to herself with both hands. She was humming to herself, her eyes halfway closed and still lost in her daydream. She couldn¡¯t get the night before out of her mind. It had all been so¡­ magical.


    It wasn¡¯t that Akane had been pretending to be a boy, and that was the only part of it that still felt a little weird to her. It really didn¡¯t feel strange at the time, but now, the thought that she could be so happy about a date that, to all the world, looked like it had been between herself and a strapping young man was a lot for her to process. Especially since that ¡°man¡± had gotten down on one knee and asked her to marry ¡°him,¡± and she had said yes without a second¡¯s hesitation.


    Never, in a million years, if Akane had come to her and said, ¡°I will dress up like a guy and take you for a date,¡± would she have gone along with it. Never, in a million years, if Akane had shown her that blue ball gown on a store rack, would she have even tried it on. Never, in a million years, would she have agreed to go slow dancing in a fancy club on Valentine¡¯s Day in front of hundreds of people. Never, in a million years, would she have asked for a diamond solitaire on her hand, just like any other girl who was in love and about to be married.


    And now that it had all somehow happened anyway, never, in a million years, would she trade it for anything else in the world.


    Akane always made her feel special. Always made her feel joy inside and out. But having had a whole day with her - even costumed as she had been - where she could feel Akane pull her into her arms and kiss her and not care who was watching was a whole new level of bliss. She hated how much of herself Akane¡¯d had to hide to make it happen, but for about eighteen hours yesterday ¨C  from the cameras of the video shoot, to the dress and the way Izumi helped her get ready at the Phoenix, to the men in tuxedos waiting on her every need at dinner, to the dancing, to the proposal, to the way Akane had doted on her emotionally and physically at home until they passed out in each other¡¯s arms ¨C Ranko had felt like the most important person on the planet. She suspected that had been Akane¡¯s goal, and she was unfathomably amazed with how completely she had achieved it.


    If there was one thing Ranko was sad about, it was that she was awfully young to have already completed what couldn¡¯t possibly not be the best night she¡¯d ever experience in her lifetime. That, and how sore her body was, but after hours of physical torment followed by hours of unimaginable romance, she had needed everything she got and then some, and she could grant no pity for her self-inflicted exhaustion.


    While Akane studied for her upcoming economics exam in the bedroom, Ranko moved her arms around in a wide circle in the kitchen, waltzing with the mop, that pretty love song they¡¯d danced to right after they¡¯d come in from the balcony last night playing on repeat in her head. She could still feel Akane¡¯s hands on her shoulders. Akane¡¯s breath on her neck. Her heart had never felt so full in all her life. Yui had always told her to recite that mantra out loud on the bad days ¨C I am wanted, I have worth, and I have people who care about me. Her sister had never told her just how completely and utterly satisfied all three of those conditions could be on the good days. I am desired, I am treasured, and I have someone who loves me more than all the world. And Akane is gonna have all of those things, too. I¡¯ll make sure of it. Always. It¡¯s my duty as her wife.


    She sang quietly, giggling as she bent forward and dipped the mop gently over the edge of the countertop in her arms, as Akane had done to her the night before. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s not worth fighting for. I can¡¯t help it, there¡¯s nothing I want more. You know it¡¯s true. Everything I do, I do it f¡­¡±


    She was snapped out of her daydream by a rapping at the door. Blushing, she straightened herself, propping the mop in the corner and looking at her reflection in the glass door of the microwave. Her loose-hanging hair was only just beginning to escape the white headband with the little lace bow that held it out of her face, shaken loose by her chores and her dancing, but not bad enough to be concerned about. She smoothed the peach-colored sundress she wore, and started to untie the white lace apron from around her waist before thinking better of it. Eh, screw it. I look like a housewife. Today, I¡¯m not ashamed of that in the least. I am going to be Akane¡¯s wife, and there is nothing I could ever be prouder of than that.


    Needing no effort to summon a bright smile on her face, she turned the knob of the front door and pulled it open. ¡°Hello, and welc¡­¡± Her mouth fell open as her sentence died in her throat.


    The aging man in the corridor, perhaps sensing her sudden dread, smiled, offering a slight bow. ¡°Hello, Ranko.¡±


    ¡°Mis¡­ mister Tendo. Please, please, come in.¡± Ranko¡¯s mind raced as she stepped clear of the doorway to admit him, trying frantically to reconfigure her thoughts for her new situation. Okay, snap out of lovesick girl mode, back into strong-enough-to-be-a-husband, ready-to-fight mode. Come on, Ranko. Focus!


    Soun Tendo kicked his shoes off at the door, stepping into the little apartment. Ranko watched him cautiously, trying to get a read on him. Did he come to argue again? To fight? To say he¡¯s sorry?


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Please, watch your step, sir. I was just mopping the floor, and it¡¯s still slippery.¡± Ranko lowered her eyes respectfully. She stood, silently, waiting for him to speak. Waiting to learn what type of conversation was about to be sprung on her in the middle of the evening on a Friday night.


    ¡°Princess? Who was that at the¡­¡± Akane emerged from the bedroom in a gray Minato University Athletics Department tee shirt and a pair of denim cut-off shorts, her eyes widening as she made eye contact with her father. ¡°Dad? What are you doing here?¡±


    Soun nodded. ¡°Hello, Akane.¡± His voice was quiet and reserved.


    Ranko blushed shyly at being called princess in front of her reluctant future father-in-law, but otherwise remained silent. What do I even do? What do I even say, beyond what I already did? Was it enough? Was it too much? Slow down, brain!


    With a quiet sigh, Soun nodded his head as if building resolve for a difficult endeavor. ¡°Akane¡­¡± He shook his head, thinking better of how he was about to begin his sentence. ¡°Girls¡­¡±


    Ranko beamed, still not lifting her eyes. He called me a girl. He called me by my name.


    After a moment to recollect his thoughts, Soun continued. ¡°I came here tonight to say something I should have said the last time I was here. Something I should have said a hundred times since, and this old man couldn¡¯t figure out how to say.¡±


    He raised his eyes to his youngest daughter. ¡°When you told me that you wanted to be with a woman ¨C not that it was the person I knew as Ranma, just, any woman, I was hurt. I was confused, and I was afraid for you. For what it would mean for your life. I was afraid that no one person could ever love someone else enough to make up for everything difficult that could come from all this. That a person couldn¡¯t possibly be special enough, good enough for you that I, as your father, could allow you to walk that hard road for them.¡±


    Akane opened her mouth to speak, but Soun raised his hand to encourage her to stop. ¡°I always believed that what it meant to be strong was to decide who and what you were, and stand by it, no matter what. That, no matter what the world threw at you, the important thing was to plant your feet and never move, never shift, never waver. To stand your ground, never admit defeat, never change your perspective. That it was cowardice to choose a new path ¨C an easier path, a safer path, no matter how much you might want to. No matter how much better it was for you.¡±


    He turned to his left, reaching out his right arm and placing his hand on Ranko¡¯s shoulder. She lifted her eyes to meet his, and he could feel her trembling as a tiny drop of water lingered in the corner of her eye debating whether or not to attempt an escape.


    ¡°On both counts, I could not have been more wrong.¡±


    Akane rushed forward, wrapping her arms tightly around her father. She found no words, but buried her head in his orange polo shirt, feeling the piece of herself she¡¯d traded for Ranko¡¯s pride that October day flooding back into its rightful place in her heart.


    Ranko¡¯s face exploded into the broadest smile that would fit on her face. I did it. I¡¯m sorry it took so long, Akane, but I finally fixed the last part of you I broke that night on stage. She stole a quick glance down at the tiny heart-shaped diamond that sparkled brightly on the third finger of her left hand. I am finally worthy of being your wife.


    Akane clung to her father tightly as he put his arm around her shoulders. ¡°Dad, I missed you so much. I love you.¡±


    Soun sighed contently, and Akane could feel his body relax. ¡°I love you too. I¡¯m so happy to have my daughters back.¡± He looked up, over Akane¡¯s shoulder, at the other woman in the room.


    ¡°All four of them.¡±


    Ranko gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. ¡°You¡­ you mean it? Really?¡±


    Soun tapped Akane on the shoulder, lifting his arm to release her from the hug. Akane stepped back, wiping her eyes as her father took a step forward, reaching for Ranko.


    Ranko closed her eyes, sighing happily as she was pulled into the tall man¡¯s embrace. She did not speak. She did not move. She just allowed herself to be enveloped in his welcoming arms, letting the warmth and the tranquility of it wash over her.


    The Tendo patriarch held the redheaded girl for nearly two minutes in silence before releasing his grip on her. ¡°In any case. I know I¡¯m intruding on you girls tonight, but¡­¡± He looked down into Ranko¡¯s eyes. ¡°I was recently reminded by someone far wiser than I am that my first responsibility is to my girls, and I couldn¡¯t wait any longer to thank her for her advice.¡±


    Akane blinked. ¡°Ranko¡­ did you¡­¡±


    The redhead spoke up tentatively. ¡°I¡­ I was about to start some pork dumplings. Would you care to¡­¡± Her sentence trailed off before she reached the telltale rise in inflection indicating the end of a question.


    Akane smiled, making eye contact with her lover and nodding her head reassuringly. ¡°Go ahead,¡± she silently mouthed.


    Ranko blushed, speaking softly through her bright smile in her most tentative, demure voice. ¡°Would you like to join us for dinner, father?"


    ~~~ END BOOK SEVEN ~~~

 98. Dark Clouds

    Phoenix Ascendant


    Book VIII: Plummet


    With a sickening snap, the sandbag standing in for the head of the vaguely human-shaped wooden figure fell to the floor in time with a peal of thunder. The old martial artist sighed, drawing back his fist as he surveyed the decapitated dummy. It looked like training was over for today, but the short walk back to the house would not be pleasant in the storm.


    He walked over to the shrine at the end of the training hall, sitting cross-legged on the floor and closing his eyes. It was the Tendos¡¯ shrine, but as he didn¡¯t have his own, it would have to do. He breathed deeply of the petrichor wafting its way through the open dojo door, letting it calm his thoughts.


    It had been a day like any other. He¡¯d woken, eaten his fill of Kasumi¡¯s cooking, and played a round of shogi with Tendo. The master was still traveling, so he¡¯d not been called upon to assist in a raid on the girls¡¯ locker room of the local high school. He decided he¡¯d spend his day walking around the shopping district. He didn¡¯t have much money to spend, but it was fun to watch the people go about their day. Sometimes, just to mess with folks, he¡¯d splash himself with water and chase them around in his panda form.


    Normally, he¡¯d see people on the park benches feeding the birds. People gathered around the little street food stands for a quick bite. Maybe a well-dressed woman giggling as she darted from a department store with two full bags and her husband¡¯s credit card.


    Today, though, had not been a normal day. Instead, the main strip of stores in the little shopping plaza was clogged with a single queue, stretching out the door of a shop he had never set foot in and blocking off the doors to several of the establishments nearby. Either there must have been a sale on or something popular must have gotten restocked, he thought, to get people that riled up. Huge speakers blared a catchy pop song at the shoppers as they waited to enter the building, and something sounded distantly familiar about it.


    Curiosity got the better of him, and he approached the shop. He didn¡¯t want to ask any of the people in line what was happening; that would make him look uninformed. A true martial artist had to always appear in command of the situation, he always said. He craned his neck, and as a pair of girls in Furinkan high school uniforms exited the building, the line lurched forward. Between the heads and shoulders, he caught a brief glimpse of a poster in the shop window. It featured four young men ¨C three Japanese, one American, maybe ¨C standing in an alley flanking a woman in a leather jacket. She looked fierce. She looked powerful. She looked, he was disgusted to admit, pretty.


    She looked exactly like Genma Saotome¡¯s son.


    Genma had already known what Ranma was up to. Soun had told him. But it was one thing to hear about it, and another to see it. To see people lined up around the block to partake in his family¡¯s shame. Watching them drop their hard-earned yen to marvel at his boy, his legacy, dolled up in a pleated miniskirt and looking like a harlot as he sang about overcoming difficulty.  As if the boy had any idea what he was talking about. Difficulty was to be overcome by standing and facing it, not running away in the middle of the night. Not by abandoning your responsibilities and your family.


    Perhaps what bothered him the most about the picture wasn¡¯t the outfit or the makeup. It wasn¡¯t the four leather-clad men surrounding him, as if they were preparing to fight Ranma¡¯s battles for him. It wasn¡¯t even the fact that it was the cover of a disgusting pop single.


    It was the smile.


    Genma could bear his son taking on any shame, any hurt, to survive and win against impossible odds. He himself had done so more times than he could count. But to do all of this ¨C and enjoy it? Even for an honorless fool like Ranma, there were limits.


    That was even before he considered whatever he was playing at with Akane. Absolutely disgraceful, trying to do that as a girl. He¡¯ll ruin that poor girl¡¯s life as badly as he has his own. If he wanted her, he had his chance, and he didn¡¯t move on it.


    At least, if Ranma was dead-set on singing, he seemed to be fairly decent at it, judging by the queues at the record store and the plays of that inane Sneak song on the radio. That should make him some pretty good money, and I¡¯ll be in the lap of luxury once he realizes how foolish this nonsense with Akane is - or Akane does. Plus, it¡¯ll make him incredibly valuable to someone as a bride. We¡¯ll just see how much you like being a cute girl when I find you a wealthy husband, Ranma.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    His thoughts were interrupted by the high-pitched metallic grating sound behind him, and he exploded to his feet, turning and assuming a defensive fighting stance. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±


    A slender silhouette stood in the doorway, seeming not to notice the downpour. Accompanied by a rolling crash of thunder, the sky behind the figure glowed white for a fraction of a second, the lightning¡¯s spark lingering a moment longer on the nearly meter-long steel object in the interloper¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Genma Saotome.¡± The figure¡¯s voice spoke flatly and calmly, punctuated by another crack of thunder that rattled the dojo walls. ¡°Finally.¡±


    The old man froze on his feet. He had made many enemies over the years. People he had cheated at shogi, stolen food from, or otherwise wronged in service of Master Happosai. Perhaps the occasional jilted suitor to whom he¡¯d traded Ranma¡¯s hand for some trifle he needed at some moment or another. They had caught up to him from time to time, and he had either dealt with them, or fled. Standing and facing your problems was honorable, but so was a well-considered strategic retreat. Run now, and live to run another day, he always said. But there was one person he¡¯d betrayed who he feared above all others.


    That selfsame woman took a step forward, raindrops pattering rhythmically to the cypress floorboards as they dripped from her sodden kimono and from the tip of the unsheathed katana she wielded in her right hand. You¡¯re not getting away from me this time, she thought darkly as she tightened her grip around the hilt of the blade.


    ¡°I am only going to ask you this once, so please consider your answer carefully,¡± she said icily, taking another step forward into the light and revealing her face to the man she had not seen in some fourteen years. She was still just as pretty as she was terrifying.


    ¡±Where is my son?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Nodoka! It¡¯s¡­ so good to see you!¡± The martial artist¡¯s eyes darted around the dojo. There was no escape in the rain, not without her seeing the truth of the curse he still carried from Jusenkyo. ¡°You¡¯re as beautiful as ever!¡±


    ¡°Flattery will get you nowhere, Genma.¡± Ranma¡¯s mother stepped into the dojo, swinging her sword a safe distance from herself and her husband to shake some of the rain from it. The intimidation factor didn¡¯t hurt, either.


    ¡°What brings you to this part of town? It¡¯s so good to see you! Why didn¡¯t you send a postcard so I could make sure to have things ready for you?¡± Genma backed up nervously, but he was running out of dojo.


    The Saotome matriarch closed the distance slowly, her piercing brown eyes watching his every breath for sign of an attack or a deception. ¡°Oh, you mean warn you, so you could run away again? I¡¯ve been looking for you both for years, Genma. You¡¯ve made me miss out on Ranma¡¯s whole life. Now that he¡¯s going to come of age in a few months, I¡¯m not waiting any longer. I want to see this man among men you promised me when you stole my child from me so long ago, and he¡¯d better be worth you costing me my son¡¯s entire childhood.¡±


    Genma swallowed hard with an audible gulp. ¡°Well, you see, Nodoka, he, uh¡­ He doesn¡¯t live here anymore. He¡¯s gotten his own place. He¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s doing great! Just fantastic!¡± He thought back to the queue surrounding the record store. ¡°He¡¯s even doing well in his¡­ career!¡±  Just buy time. We¡¯ll figure something out.


    ¡°I see. Where does he live, then? I¡¯ll go visit him right now.¡±


    Genma waved his hands frantically. ¡°You can¡¯t! He¡¯s¡­ very busy. He¡¯s almost never home. I¡¯ll have to arrange it for you.¡± Just as soon as I haul ass.


    ¡°See that you do, Genma. And no more funny business. No more excuses. I want my son. You have two weeks.¡±


    Peering at the entrance to the dojo through the downpour from the kitchen window, Soun Tendo waited as the telephone in his hand emitted a series of electronic rings. During the third such tone, he heard a click, followed by his now second-youngest daughter¡¯s voice. ¡°Hello, Tendo residence!¡±


    ¡°Akane¡­¡± the Tendo patriarch said grimly, his eyes still locked on the dojo entrance to watch for the slender woman to emerge.


    ¡°There¡¯s something you and Ranko need to know.¡±

 99. This Day Couldnt Get Worse

    ¡°Dude, back off!¡± Ranko growled at the black-haired upperclassman, pulling her school bag free of his grasp and clutching it against the red pinafore of her school uniform. ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not looking for a boyfriend!¡± She rocked backward as the sea of students changing classes buffeted her on either side as they pushed onward through the corridor. Her voice echoed in the long hallway, even over the din of hundreds of her schoolmates traversing between fourth and fifth period.


    ¡°Still too broken up over Eiji and Saburo, huh? I give it a week, tops. Girls like you don¡¯t really mind changing guys like you change your socks.¡± The short, slightly chubby boy turned his face away, scoffing at her with a dismissive wave of his hand. He smelled slightly of body odor and processed sugar.


    ¡°If I¡¯m so gross, how come you want me so bad, Hajime?!¡± The cheerleader¡¯s glare could have melted steel.


    The boy looked back over his left shoulder with an expression that was somewhere between desire and pity, adjusting the weight of his yellow backpack on his right shoulder. ¡°I said you were easy, not that you¡¯re unfuckable.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it! I¡¯ve had about enough of you jerks!¡± Ranko glowered, setting her feet as if preparing for a charge, but she felt a hand come to rest gently on her shoulder.


    ¡°Ran-chan, he¡¯s not worth it. C¡¯mon, you¡¯re gonna be late for science. Again.¡±


    Nodding, Ranko shouldered the strap of her satchel, relaxing her stance in response to her friend¡¯s soothing voice. ¡°You¡¯re right, Kumi. Let¡¯s go.¡± Shaking her head, her twin pigtails bouncing on her shoulders, she turned her back on Hajime and began walking alongside her friend in the direction of Mr. Iwato¡¯s classroom.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it, Kumi! You¡¯d think after word got around what I did to Saburo, they¡¯d stop, but it¡¯s like it just keeps getting worse. Why can¡¯t I get it through their heads that I don¡¯t want to date these assholes?¡± From her time before the Phoenix, she knew what it felt like to feel unwanted, but being wanted in the wrong ways, by the wrong people, sometimes felt even more shameful and disgusting.


    Ranko rubbed her sternum gently with her palm. She constantly had her hand there these days. To Kumiko and everyone else, it appeared as if she was dealing with a bad case of heartburn. In reality, Ranko just needed to feel the diamond of her engagement ring dig ever so slightly into her skin from the necklace where it hung between her breasts. It had become an almost autonomic response when she felt stressed or upset to look for her ring. It brought her peace, as thoughts of Akane nearly always did.


    Now that she wore her promise ring on her right hand, she could do so openly and everyone at school thought it was, as she¡¯d told them, just because she liked the ring they all thought Eiji had given her. Her diamond, however, remained concealed on the silver flower chain Akane had given her after Valentine¡¯s Day. She wasn¡¯t about to make the mistake of letting her schoolmates see an engagement ring and make assumptions again.


    Ranko¡¯s friend shrugged with a smirk. ¡°Maybe they think you¡¯re just too cute to resist?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not funny, ya know.¡± Ranko did manage a tiny chuckle, though. ¡°Not wrong, but not funny.¡± I¡¯ve worked my ass off to get there, and I deserve to give myself credit for it.


    ¡°Do you work tonight? If not, you wanna hang?¡± Kumiko popped the bubble gum in her mouth as the pair dodged a girl in a marching band uniform who was running to her next class with a hard black plastic case that had to contain a tuba strapped to her back.


    Ranko sighed. ¡°I wish I could. I¡¯m off, but I¡¯ve got so much homework and chores and shit to do. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m bothering to study for Okuda¡¯s test; I don¡¯t have a prayer to pass it anyway, but I guess I¡¯m gonna try.¡± At least Akane would be at her classes most of the night; Ranko was in a fairly foul mood and could really use a little alone time, especially since one of their favorite pastimes was off the table for the next few days due to the frustrating complications of being a girl.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    As much as she loved Akane, the all-wedding, all-the-time thing was really starting to overwhelm her. She was still barely used to being a girl, and all the flowers and cakes and everything was just too much sometimes. She must have had a thousand pictures of hairstyles shoved in her face, and at least twice that many dresses, between Akane and Izumi. To make matters worse, Kasumi had come by for dinner earlier in the week, and now she was getting in on the ¡°let¡¯s make a fairytale wedding¡± action, too. I might suck as a bride, but at least I impressed her with the furikake salmon I made, Ranko thought. She knew the day was coming when Kasumi and Izzi would combine forces on the wedding planning front, and she was not looking forward to it at all. Give those two an hour together, and I¡¯ll be the first girl in history to drown in taffeta.


    She¡¯d tried earlier in the morning to get a start on writing a song for the wedding as she promised, but had really struggled with it. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t have enough to say, it was that there was too much. Her head just got flooded with it, and what came out on the page was an incoherent, sappy mess. She¡¯d thrown four or five drafts away, and felt no closer to anything usable.


    Mrs. Tanaka, her English teacher, had thus far been so helpful in polishing her lyrics, though the early draft of Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch had certainly made for an awkward conversation. She dared not even ask her to look at one of the other songs she was working on, as Ranko wasn¡¯t even entirely sure that even Akane would approve of it without blushing. I need to remember to thank her in the album notes, Ranko noted to herself. But, she hadn¡¯t been as helpful as coming up with ideas from scratch, just in finding good rhymes and helping with pronunciation, so she wasn¡¯t really in a position to help just yet. Besides, I¡¯m still pissed at her, Ranko thought to herself. How are you gonna make us write a term paper on a famous writer in English, and say Madonna doesn¡¯t count? You don¡¯t see Hemingway selling out stadiums, do ya?


    Between the wedding stress, the constant parade of jerks in the halls, the English term paper and the mediocre grade she¡¯d received on her history term paper, it just hadn¡¯t been Ranko¡¯s day. At least she had Kumiko, though. Of all the crap she had to suffer as a result of the Eiji debacle, the months spent without her friend had been the worst of it.


    ¡°Yeah, that sucks, Ran-chan.¡± Kumiko sighed as she spoke, pulling Ranko¡¯s focus back into the present. ¡°And I¡¯d invite you over to my place, but you said you¡¯re allergic to my cat.¡±


    Ranko nodded, her face flushing as the pair approached the door to Mr. Iwato¡¯s second-floor science classroom. ¡°Yeah, me and cats¡­ not friends. Sorry. Nothing personal.¡±


    Smiling, Kumiko squeezed her friend around her shoulders. ¡°Just keep your chin up, okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try. It¡¯s not like my day is gonna get much worse.¡±


    <hr>


    Ranko sighed, dropping her school bag on the floor in the corner of her dining room, kicking off her black shoes. Before she could start studying for her geometry test, she¡¯d need to start dinner, get at least one load of laundry going, and knock out at least a couple pages of reading for her book report in Japanese class.


    At least she¡¯d have the place to herself for a few hours, as Tuesdays were Akane¡¯s late economics class and she wouldn¡¯t be home until at least seven o¡¯clock. As much as she loved Akane, when she really needed to focus and stay motivated, she often preferred to do it alone. Spending time with the love of her life was too tempting of a procrastination method when it was readily available.


    The redhead pulled the long, thin silver chain she wore around her neck from under her pinafore, unclasping it and slipping her diamond engagement ring free of it. She sighed in relief as she returned the engraved band to its rightful place on her left hand, letting it bring her the first smile she¡¯d worn in hours. There. Now I feel whole again. She turned to head to the bedroom to change clothes, as her Yusue school uniform needed to go into the laundry as well. However, as she reached for the bedroom doorknob, it was pulled away from her as the door opened from inside.


    Ranko gasped in surprise. ¡°What the?!¡± She jumped back instinctively and was halfway into a defensive kempo stance when she recognized her fiancee in the doorway in a green blouse over blue jeans. ¡°Akane, what are you doing here?! You¡¯re supposed to be in class, silly girl! Did you oversleep?¡±


    Akane looked down sadly, shaking her head.


    ¡°Sit down, baby. We need to talk.¡±

 100. We Need to Talk

    ¡°Akane, you¡¯re scaring me.¡±


    The elder girl of the couple nodded quietly. ¡°I know, Ranko. Just sit.¡± Akane took the far corner of the living room couch, letting Ranko slide onto it to her left, still in her school uniform. If Ranko was afraid before, the fact that Akane did not reassure her that nothing was wrong certainly did not help.


    ¡°I, um¡­ I don¡¯t know how to start with this.¡± Akane swallowed hard, fidgeting with her promise ring.


    Ranko offered her hand across the couch to her lover. ¡°Did I do something wrong? If I did, I¡¯m sorry. Just please tell me what it is, so I can fix it? I promise I won¡¯t be mad.¡±


    Akane bit her lip, but took Ranko¡¯s hand with a gentle squeeze. ¡°No, princess, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Nothing at all.¡± But I have to break your heart anyway. ¡°I, um¡­ I got a call from my dad.¡±


    Ranko smiled a bit, trying to remain hopeful. ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s he up to? We could have him and your sisters over for dinner this weekend if you want. I¡¯ll make whatever you ask for.¡±


    ¡°Ranko¡­¡± Akane swallowed hard. She knew what the next words to come out of her mouth would do to the woman she loved, and it broke her heart to have to be the one to do it. ¡°Your mother is in town.¡±


    The redhead scoffed. ¡°Of course she is! She¡¯s at the bar six days a week, silly girl. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s had a vacation since the sixties! Is that really what you¡¯re freaking me out about right now?¡± She started to shake her head in exasperation.


    ¡°No, Ranko. Your other mother.¡±


    Ranko froze immediately, turning her eyes upward at her fiancee. Akane watched in helpless horror as every scintilla of life and spirit drained out of them, replaced with an unending ocean of despair. She said nothing, but the redhead¡¯s face read as if she¡¯d just been hit with a board. And the board had been haunted.


    Akane squeezed Ranko¡¯s hand, trying to fill the silence with reassurance as best she could. She¡¯d only heard Ranko tell stories about why her biological mother scared her so much, but she understood how badly it did. ¡°Tell me what I can do to help. What are you thinking right now, sweetheart?¡±


    If she¡¯s coming, he¡¯ll come. And if he comes, forget whatever she does. It won¡¯t matter if she kills me, because my life will already be over. Ranko looked down at her engagement ring, which minutes before had been a source of light and joy in an otherwise dark day. Now, it symbolized everything she had to lose. All she¡¯d have to somehow find a way to protect.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to¡­¡± Ranko¡¯s eyes darted around the room, as if she expected every poster on the wall, every piece of furniture, every item on the coffee table and every cooking implement in the kitchen to either start blinking out of existence or attacking her.


    Please, gods. I¡¯m begging you. I¡¯m finally happy. I don¡¯t want to run again. I can¡¯t. I¡¯ve worked too hard. Why won¡¯t you leave me alone?


    Ranko was snapped back into the present by Akane rubbing the back of her hand. ¡°Talk to me, baby. We¡¯re gonna get through this together.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I mean,¡± Ranko said, licking her suddenly dry lips, ¡°there¡¯s only one reason I can think of why she would be showing up now. I¡¯m almost twenty. About to officially come of age, and all that. And I¡¯m sure she wants to inspect her man among men. And when she doesn¡¯t find one¡­¡±


    Ranko sighed quietly, thinking back to when the Phoenix Pill was first destroyed. How she begged Genma to take her home and introduce her to her mother. She couldn¡¯t explain her need at the time, but now, after so long in Hana¡¯s care, she understood what it meant to have a woman put her arms around her and see and support her as a daughter. Of course, that had been when her father told her the truth about the real reason they¡¯d hidden from her for so long: a crazy oath he¡¯d made Nodoka to turn her into some paragon of masculine prowess on pain of both of their lives for failure. At least back then, she could have made the case that she was a girl against her will. But now, as she was making preparations to be a bride?


    Akane suspired sadly with a quiet nod. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not that. Maybe she¡¯s heard your music and just wants to meet her celebrity daughter.¡±


    Rolling her eyes with a shake of her head, Ranko looked down at her hands. ¡°How would she even know it was me? No, this has got to be it.¡±


    ¡°Why not just go back for a day, change back for a day, meet her and get it over with,¡± Akane puzzled. ¡°I mean, it would suck, with the Cat¡¯s Tongue and all, but wouldn¡¯t that solve your problem?¡±


    Ranko bit her bottom lip, her pigtails almost dangling into Akane¡¯s hand with how low she hung her head. Her voice was empty and distant. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Akane.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. We¡¯ve talked about this, Ranko. This is the part where you make me understand by explaining things. Come on. I can¡¯t help you if you don¡¯t let me in.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that it hurts, Akane,¡± Ranko said in barely a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s that I¡¯m scared.¡±


    Still holding Ranko¡¯s hand with her right hand, Akane gently stroked her partner¡¯s cheek with the back of her left. ¡°Scared of what, princess?¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°That. That right there.¡± Ranko sighed. ¡°Akane, I don¡¯t know if you know this, but I haven¡¯t changed back even one time since I left your dad¡¯s. Not even for a second. I¡¯ve been so careful. And even then, it took months before I stopped seeing¡­ that other face¡­ every night in my dreams. Over time, I accepted that the boy part of my life is over, and once I did, it made it easier to find happiness like this. But fuck, it¡¯s been hard. After a year and a half of not seeing his face in the mirror, I can walk out of the house in a girls¡¯ school uniform and matching pigtails and come home to do the laundry and smile and blush while you call me princess, and not feel like a total pervert and fraud who¡¯s embarrassed with myself every minute of the day. And I¡¯m afraid that if I ever let it happen again, even for a second, I¡¯m gonna see his eyes in the mirror again and they¡¯re gonna judge the hell out of me for what I¡¯ve become. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯d be because of emotions or hormones or whatever, but I¡¯m worried it¡¯ll make me hate everything about myself I¡¯ve worked so hard to change. Like resetting everything, starting over, only worse. I don¡¯t even want to imagine the possibility. I don¡¯t want to think about any other life than the one where I cook you a nice dinner before I go sing in that bar with my friends and laugh with my sisters, and you buy me flowers and carry me into the bedroom and tell me how pretty I am as you make love to me. That¡¯s the only version of me I am willing to allow to exist.¡±


    Akane nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah, I can see where you¡¯re coming from there, but I¡¯d be here to remind you how amazing my wife-to-be is. And I mean, it¡¯s only for a day, right? It couldn¡¯t be that bad, could it?¡±


    The songstress groaned. ¡°Only for a day. Sure. And what happens if it goes well? What happens if she wants to come over for dinner every Thursday? What happens if she wants to come to a show? What happens if she wants to come to the wedding?! And every time she decides to drop in, I¡¯ve gotta shove my career, my marriage, my family, my whole life in a box and hide it under the bed like it¡¯s a dirty magazine I have to be ashamed of. I don¡¯t want it, Akane! I¡¯m¡­¡± She looked back down at her hands. ¡°I¡¯m so fucking tired of living ashamed. I¡¯m a singer, I¡¯m a cheerleader, I¡¯m a sister, I¡¯m a daughter, and I¡¯m gonna be your wife, and damn it, I¡¯m proud of all of it and I don¡¯t want to waste a minute pretending I¡¯m not.¡±


    The redhead looked up, a new worry in her eyes. ¡°And that¡¯s just if it goes perfectly, because the first time I screw it up, the first time I answer the door in a dress, that¡¯s it. Out comes the katana and it¡¯s curtains.¡±


    ¡°Do you really believe all that crap your dad fed you, Ranko? Do you really think she¡¯d hurt you like that, just because you¡¯re a girl now? I find it hard to believe any mother would.¡±  Akane cringed to herself as she felt how much Ranko¡¯s hand was beginning to quake in hers.


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised, Akane. For some of these people, honor and tradition and all that stuff runs deep. We¡¯re talking, bring-a-sword-to-the-grocery-store stuff here. She ain¡¯t right in the head. She couldn¡¯t have been, considering she married Pop.¡±


    The black-haired girl nodded. ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t agree to that stupid deal, your father did. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s just gonna fight you. She wouldn¡¯t stand a chance if she did, especially against both of us. So, what are we afraid of?¡± Akane squeezed her beloved¡¯s hand hopefully.


    ¡°It¡¯s not her I¡¯m afraid of. It¡¯s him.¡± The last word could not have come out of the songstress¡¯ mouth with more bile if she had vomited while she said it. ¡°She knows where he is now. She¡¯ll never stop coming until she sees me. The old me.¡± She couldn¡¯t bear to call herself a boy. ¡°He¡¯ll have no choice but to chase me until I give him what he wants, and he¡¯ll destroy everything he touches.¡± The younger girl¡¯s voice was hollow, devoid of all emotion, as if her heart had been torn out and her body had yet to realize it.


    Akane shook her head. ¡°We¡¯ve been prepared for the possibility he would show up ever since we told my family. We¡¯re ready for it. We¡¯ve got this, babe.¡±


    Ranko stomped to her feet in her ire. ¡°You don¡¯t get it, Akane! This is different! Before, he had no reason to really mess with me. Sure, he could have showed up, made things awkward, but he had nothing to gain from it. As long as your dad let him stay at the house, as long as I¡¯m not in anybody¡¯s way, ignoring me was the smart move for him. But now? Now he has to act.¡± She walked to the kitchen counter, leaning on it from the living room side with her back to Akane. ¡°The only way he can save his life is to destroy mine.¡±


    Akane stood, walking behind her partner and hugging her gently from behind. ¡°Hey. Come on. What¡¯s the worst he could do? Come at you with a kettle? Yeah, it¡¯d suck, and I mean, I hear you about worrying how it would feel to change back, but we can fix it just as fast as he does it. That¡¯s hardly your life being ruined.¡± While it broke her heart to see Ranko so dejected, at least she had returned to showing any feeling at all.


    ¡°Yeah?!¡± Ranko turned, frustration building to near-aggression even as she remained in Akane¡¯s arms. ¡°And what happens if he does that in front of my family? While I¡¯m on stage? If he tells them what I used to be? If he tells the label? Hell, if he tells a reporter?! I¡¯ve worked my ass off for almost two years to put the past behind me, and he can ruin it all before I can blink!¡±


    Akane squeezed her tight, rubbing her back vigorously in encouragement. ¡°No, he can¡¯t. We¡¯re not going to let him. You¡¯re not fighting this alone anymore, baby. You¡¯ve got me, and your family, and my family, too. We¡¯ll tell the girls what to look for to make sure he doesn¡¯t get into the Phoenix, for starters.¡±


    Ranko swallowed hard, burying her face in Akane¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be the freak again.¡±


    She bit her lip hard, trying not to let herself start a flow of tears she knew she¡¯d be unable to stop. She knew nearly immediately that it would be a losing battle. ¡°He¡¯s going to tear it all down, Akane. Everything I made. Everything we made.¡±


    Moving her arms up to brace the back of Ranko¡¯s head against her shoulder, Akane rocked her fiancee gently in her arms. ¡±No, he won¡¯t. I won¡¯t allow it.¡± She placed a soft kiss on Ranko¡¯s temple, still enveloping the smaller girl in her embrace. ¡°Just let him try to fuck with my wife.¡±

 101. Breakdown

    Kumiko sighed, watching the cheerleader to her right warily as they walked down the crowded hall to Mr. Nishi¡¯s second period history class. She half-expected the redheaded girl to explode and take out half the campus at any second. She couldn¡¯t seem to get Ranko to talk about it, but something had her best friend in a foul and volatile mood for going on three days now. Maybe it was the terrible grade she got on her math test, being made to stand in the hall for showing up late yesterday, or just feminine physiology taking its toll, but whatever was causing it, Ranko had been walking on the edge of a knife all week. Judging by her bloodshot, sunken eyes and her yawning, she hadn¡¯t slept worth a damn in days either, which couldn¡¯t be helping. It was worryingly reminiscent of the way she dragged herself through school earlier in the year, before she burned her hands at work just before Halloween.


    ¡°Hey, Ran-chan?¡± Tamiko sidled up to her friend, waving politely to Kumiko. ¡°You good? We didn¡¯t see you at practice yesterday.¡±


    Ranko shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°Yeah, sorry. Wasn¡¯t feeling real good.¡±


    Her fellow cheerleader nodded in concern. ¡°You good now, though? We need ya for the judo match tomorrow night.¡±


    The redhead shook her head, her braid almost whipping Kumiko in the face. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on me, Tami. Please tell Shiori I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ I just don¡¯t think I can make it.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Tamiko bobbed her head softly in worried acknowledgement. ¡°I¡¯ll let her know. You take care of you, huh? Let me know if there¡¯s anything I can do.¡±


    Ranko chuckled darkly. Feel like killing a panda? ¡°Yeah, will do, Tami. Thanks.¡± Her voice was devoid of all emotion, but there was a tinge of venom around the edge of her bluntness, a hidden threat that if the box she was desperately trying to keep sealed was opened, no one would like what came out. Ranko waved half-heartedly as her friend darted off in the direction of her art class.


    ¡°So, I was thinking. If you don¡¯t have work until later, maybe ice cream? My treat?¡± Kumiko smiled hopefully, desperate to pull her friend out of her funk.


    Ranko glowered. ¡°It is not physically possible for me to give less of a fuck about ice cream right now. Like, I might actually give negative fucks about it. Literal negafucks.¡±


    Kumiko frowned. ¡°Sheesh, Ranko, you don¡¯t gotta be so mean about it.¡± She lowered her eyes, falling a step or two behind her friend on their journey to room 218. ¡°I wish you¡¯d talk to me about what¡¯s going on with you. I know something¡¯s up, and I can¡¯t help you if you won¡¯t let me.¡±


    It¡¯s not you. I¡¯m not letting anyone in. Ranko sighed, remembering the events of the previous evening. A family had come into the bar to celebrate their college-age son¡¯s birthday, and the second the birthday boy used the word father to describe the elder gentleman in the group. Ranko slammed their pizza down on the table so hard that the cherry table top broke off of its base and they¡¯d had to comp the whole party¡¯s meal.


    Yui tried to pull her aside to talk to her, Mei too, but Ranko had kept them at arm¡¯s length. I can¡¯t have you involved in this, she¡¯d thought to herself at the time. Anybody who gets too close to this ¨C to me ¨C is gonna get hurt. Better to keep you safe.


    Izumi had already been giving her crap for the fact she hadn¡¯t worn a dress in three days, opting for conservative, boring jeans-and-tee-shirts outfits. Beyond that, she¡¯d put her hair back in the basic braid she used to wear, taken out her earrings, and hadn¡¯t worn a lick of makeup. About the only feminine thing she still wore was her engagement ring. It was as if everything Izumi had taught her over the last seventeen months had been completely erased overnight. Indeed, if it weren¡¯t a requirement, she wouldn¡¯t even be wearing the pinafore skirt of her school uniform, and she dared not flout the uniform policy at Yusue the way she routinely had at Furinkan. She had too much to lose if she were made to stand in the hall again right now.


    ¡°Hey, Ranko! I¡¯m talking to you, ya know!¡±


    Ranko looked up. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m sorry, Kumi. I just got a lot on my what the¡­ fuck! Get that away from me!¡± She physically jumped back, glaring at the purple-haired freshman girl walking down the hall in the opposite direction. The bewildered girl had no idea why the adorable panda backpack her boyfriend gave her for Christmas would bother the upperclasswoman so much, but she thought it best to just keep moving and not cause any further trouble.


    ¡°Ranko, seriously, are you okay?¡± Kumiko looked her friend over with ever-increasing concern. ¡°You¡¯re really being kind of a jerk lately, and it¡¯s not like you.¡±


    Ranko had nearly finished preparing an excuse when she heard a male voice over her shoulder. ¡°You should listen to your friend. You¡¯re never gonna land another boyfriend if you keep being such a bitch, no matter how much you put out.¡± Her spine bolted straight up as she felt the boy swat her hard on the backside through her red pinafore skirt.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t b¡­¡±


    Kumiko¡¯s admonishment of the boy fell to silence as Ranko whirled, grabbing the short blonde boy by the collar of his white uniform shirt. With a feral scream, she lifted him off his feet and drove him backward a meter and a half until his back slammed into the upper row of steel lockers with a hollow bang. Having dropped her school bag on the floor in the middle of the hallway, Ranko clocked the boy across the nose with a closed left fist, and she was certain she felt his nose break under her knuckles. She cocked her fist back again, holding it over him menacingly. A trickle of blood began forming down one side of his nose where her engagement ring had punctured his skin. Her eyes were wild with rage. ¡°Fucking call me a slut again! Go on! DO IT!¡±


    Kumiko pushed through the first ring of students that had begun forming around the fight, cautiously resting her hand on Ranko¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°Ranko, stop! You¡¯re gonna get in trouble! We gotta get you out of here!¡±


    Screaming primally in the boy¡¯s face, Ranko pulled her right arm back and threw the young pervert¡¯s body back into the bank of lockers with a loud slam as she released his shirt.


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    He crumpled to the floor, scrambling quickly to his feet and shielding his mangled and bleeding nose from the view of the assembled students with one hand. ¡°Crazy bitch!¡± He darted off back down the hallway in the direction he¡¯d come from, pushing through the crowd. His green book bag remained on the floor where he¡¯d been snatched off of his feet.


    Shouldering Ranko¡¯s school satchel on the arm opposite her own bag, Kumiko pulled at Ranko¡¯s wrist. ¡°C¡¯mon, before the teachers get here.¡± Still vibrating in her rage, Ranko allowed herself to be led across the hall into a large closet full of cleaning supplies and tools. Kumiko closed and locked the door behind the pair, and Ranko slumped down onto a large gray plastic paint bucket, her body weight slamming into the drywall behind it with a loud, hollow thud as she did.


    Kumiko dropped both her bag and Ranko¡¯s on the floor, rotating her shoulder in a windmill motion with a grimace. What the hell do you have in that thing, bricks? ¡°Okay, I¡¯m not playing anymore, Ranko. Spill it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna talk about it.¡± Ranko glowered, pulling her braided ponytail free of the steel shelving unit behind her that it was getting caught on.


    ¡°I get that, but, no offense, Ran-chan, once you hulk out on somebody on the way to history class so bad that the freaking science fair champion has to pull you off, it¡¯s kinda past the point of being optional.¡±


    Ranko looked down at her hands. ¡°It¡¯s too much. Nobody will understand. It¡¯s best if you just steer clear of me for a while. I¡¯m fucking radioactive, and I¡¯m gonna hurt anyone who gets too close. Nobody gets it! I¡¯m trying to keep you safe from me!¡± And what¡¯s coming for me, she thought in terror.


    Shaking her head as the electronic buzz of the class bell sounded through every recessed speaker in the drop ceiling, Kumiko chuckled darkly. ¡°Well, it seems I¡¯m spending the next hour locked in a broom closet with you one way or the other, so you might as well talk to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡­ It¡¯s my dad, okay?!¡± Ranko shook her head, trying to shake loose some of the cobwebs in her mind that caffeine, exhaustion and anxiety had deposited. It¡¯s getting hard to keep what bullshit I¡¯ve told who straight again. ¡°He doesn¡¯t approve of my life, and he¡¯s trying to fuck up everything about it. I don¡¯t want the people I care about anywhere around me when it happens.¡±


    Pulling up another paint bucket, Kumiko sat opposite her friend in the narrow closet. ¡°What¡¯s not to like about your life? You¡¯re a celebrity, an athlete, and a champion. What more does he want you to have?¡±


    A dick, Ranko¡¯s mind spat at her. ¡°I work in a bar. I make money dancing. I¡¯m a cheerleader. Everything with Akane. All of it. The better something is for me, the more he hates it.¡±


    Kumiko shook her head. ¡°Okay, that makes no sense. Like, why would your father have an issue with you having a roommate?¡±


    Fuck, Ranko thought. I forgot she didn¡¯t know. Oh well, I was going to have to tell her before the wedding anyway. She shook her head. ¡°Akane¡¯s¡­ not just my roommate, Kumi.¡±


    She reached down into the collar of her white uniform shirt, pulling the dainty silver rope chain around her neck out of it to reveal the silver diamond solitaire ring dangling from it. ¡°She¡¯s my everything. She¡¯s my whole world, Kumi.¡±


    And I¡¯m going to fight like hell for her. Even if it destroys me in the process.


    Kumiko gasped, covering her mouth with both of her hands. ¡°Oh my gods, really?! All those times I¡¯ve been to the Phoenix and she¡¯s waited on me, that was¡­ your girlfriend? And you never said anything?! How did I not peg that about you? I¡¯m normally so good at that, too! So, like, you like boys and girls?¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°Nope. Just girls. Well, just the one girl, anyway.¡± She managed to crack the faintest hint of a smile, already knowing what follow-up question she was about to receive.


    ¡°But then¡­ the whole thing with Eiji¡­¡± Ranko could see the pieces of the truth forming in the mystified girl¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Yep. It was never real. It was all a sham to hide the truth about myself from everybody.¡± And the truth about him, but we don¡¯t need to get into that. ¡°Everything else I said about the experience is a hundred percent true, though. He wanted to pretend to date me so the girls would leave him alone, and it suited my purposes, too. It was never Eiji that gave me the ring in the first place, it was always Akane. But I forgot to take it off, and things got out of hand.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ the ring is¡­ you and Akane are¡­¡±


    Ranko nodded, managing the tiniest crack of a smile. ¡°We¡¯re getting married in July. I¡¯m so sorry I wasn¡¯t honest with you about it, Kumi. I should have told you from the beginning. I wanted to, but I was too scared.¡±


    Please don¡¯t hate me. Please. I can¡¯t take anything else falling apart right now.


    Kumiko stood from her paint bucket, looking down at Ranko judgmentally. ¡°Honestly?! I can¡¯t fucking believe you!¡±


    The redhead lowered her head, nodding in acknowledgement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡­¡±


    Kumiko cringed, realizing her joke hadn¡¯t landed the way she¡¯d intended it, and cut Ranko off before she could continue. ¡°If you¡¯re getting married in four months, I want to know where the fuck my wedding invitation is!¡± She cracked a wide smile.


    Ranko waved her hands defensively, a smile cracking through the ashen expression on her face. ¡°We haven¡¯t sent ¡®em yet, but you¡¯re getting one, I promise! You can¡¯t fucking scare me like that, Kumi!¡±


    Kumiko cocked her head cutely with a grin. ¡°Seriously, though. I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re with somebody that makes you happy. You deserve to be, and I¡¯m so sorry everything else makes it hard.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, until my asshole pop wrecks it all.¡± Her smile vanished as Ranko dejectedly tossed a paintbrush from the shelf behind her into a utility sink on the opposite wall with a loud clatter. ¡°Like, what the hell am I supposed to do when he shows up and stomps my whole life into the fucking dirt?!¡±


    The younger girl stood, stretching her back. Those paint buckets weren¡¯t especially comfortable. ¡°So, my best friend has this thing she tells people about days like this.¡±


    Ranko looked up. ¡°Yeah? Anything good? What¡¯d she say?¡±


    Kumiko smiled supportively, closing the distance between herself and her friend and placing her hand on Ranko¡¯s shoulder, waiting to speak until Ranko¡¯s eyes met her own.


    ¡°You ignite, and you rise.¡±

 102. The Other Bride

    Izumi flipped through yet another bridal fashion magazine, her legs crossed in front of her on the mauve loveseat. She was grateful not to have to be at the center of the whirlwind this time, after her own recent marriage, but she''d forgotten since Ayako¡¯s wedding just how boring this part of the process could be. Still, she reminded herself, it would ramp up quickly enough, especially when one took into account the fact that the wedding she was currently coordinating had two brides to contend with. Further complicating matters, one of them had been awfully resistant to working on the wedding of late, and Izumi wasn''t entirely sure why.


    Hearing the scraping of curtain rings on an aluminum rod, Izumi quickly tossed the magazine onto the loveseat and looked up as a clerk led Akane out of one of the fitting rooms. Akane wore a calf-length white dress with short lace sleeves, laced in the front like a corset with a long length of ribbon. The skirt lay flat, almost flaccid against her legs without an underlying petticoat, as there was no such material built into the dress itself. Izumi tried her best to smile, but she could see in Akane¡¯s eyes that her future sister was as disappointed with the outfit as she had been with the last ten she¡¯d tried on.


    ¡°That one¡¯s not bad, Ak¡­¡±


    ¡°I hate it!¡± Akane sighed, throwing her hands up in exasperation at her reflection in all three of the mirrors that surrounded her. ¡°Why does everything cute have to be so damned expensive?! Like, simple I don¡¯t even mind, but even the basic stuff I like is too much to even bother trying on, ¡®cause I know it¡¯s never gonna happen!¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Izumi said with a frown, sitting up on the loveseat. ¡°We¡¯ll find something. We¡¯ve got plenty of time. I promise, honey, I won¡¯t let you marry my sister looking anything other than your best.¡±


    Akane nodded with a quiet sigh, walking toward the loveseat. ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯ve got your hands full with her dress, for your school project and everything. And I know she hasn¡¯t been making that very easy on you lately.¡±


    With a tentative smile, Izumi patted the empty leather seat next to her, and gave the clerk a glance that clearly implied she should think about being somewhere else for a little while. Akane sat carefully, not wanting to damage the wedding dress she had yet to change out of.


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that. I¡¯ve been dragging Ranko kicking and screaming into cuteness for almost two years now. This is nothing I haven¡¯t handled with her a hundred times already.¡± Izumi gave a confident smirk, but it faded somewhat as she noticed the tortured expression starting to form on Akane¡¯s countenance.


    ¡°Izzi, about that. This isn¡¯t her normal tomboy stuff.¡± It felt so strange to call the person she¡¯d once known as Ranma a tomboy, especially since she was in dresses a lot more often than Akane herself of late, but she didn¡¯t know how else to describe the amount of cajoling it normally took to get her to engage in certain feminine activities. ¡°Ranko¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s not okay. I¡¯m really worried about her.¡± Akane looked down at her hands, fidgeting with her promise ring against the backdrop of the white satin dress she wore. She wasn¡¯t sure how much Ranko wanted her sisters to know about the situation with her parents, but judging by how volatile her fiancee had been since receiving the news that her mother was in town, she felt that they deserved to know at least something.


    Pursing her lips, Izumi nodded. ¡°I know. It¡¯s not just clothes and stuff. In a lot of ways, it¡¯s like she¡¯s back to being the girl we first met. She won¡¯t talk, she won¡¯t laugh, and she barely even wants to sing. She¡¯s snapping at me and the girls, even the occasional customer. I don¡¯t know what happened, and she¡¯s made it pretty clear she doesn¡¯t want to talk about it. Are¡­ you two are okay, right? You¡¯re not fighting or anything?¡±


    Akane sighed. ¡°Izzi¡­ I hate to ask, because I know she¡¯s been pretty private about some stuff, but¡­ How much do you and the family know about her biological parents?¡± I hope I¡¯m not betraying you, Ranko, but they need to know at least something if it¡¯s going to affect you like this. They¡¯ve more than earned the right to be trusted, she thought furtively.


    Izumi¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Not much. She changes the subject every time we ask. We know she and her father don¡¯t get along, and that he wasn¡¯t exactly father of the century. She told us that her dad raised her as a tomboy because he wanted her to take over his family business, and that he was really abusive to her. She said she basically doesn¡¯t know her mother.¡±


    Alright, Akane thought. So, at least no outright lies, just some holes in the story you could drive a truck through. I can work with that.


    ¡°Right. Well¡­ we learned a few days ago that Ranko¡¯s biological parents are trying to make contact with her again. She¡¯s terrified of what that could mean for her and the new life she¡¯s built here, with me and with you all. I think she¡¯s distancing herself so nobody sees her fall, and she expects to, despite my best efforts to convince her that we¡¯re all gonna help look out for her.¡±


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    Akane ran her fingers through her hair, gripping a handful of it between her fingers for a second in anguish. ¡°Dealing with her father is¡­ it reminds her of a part of her past she isn¡¯t proud of, and it hurts her to have to relive it, especially when she compares it with how much happier she is now. She doesn¡¯t even want to remember it, and that¡¯s part of the reason she doesn¡¯t like to talk about it. And honestly, it¡¯s a part of her past that she doesn¡¯t want us to see, because I think she¡¯s just crazy enough to believe that we¡¯d think less of her for it.¡± You girls especially.


    Izumi bit her lip with a sad nod, waving the clerk away as she tried to approach again. ¡°I was worried it would be something like that. But you¡¯re absolutely right, we will look out for her and support her. Hell, mama¡¯s wanted a crack at her dad for something like a year and a half now. But, it doesn¡¯t explain why she¡¯s regressing so much in every other way. The sadness, the anger, all that I get, but why push back on wedding stuff or singing? Hell, she hasn¡¯t even put her hair up since the night you proposed.¡± Izumi managed a small smile. ¡°The second time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure ¨C I can¡¯t get her to talk to me either ¨C but I have a pretty good guess.¡± Akane stood, motioning to her future sister. ¡°C¡¯mere, help me out of this thing.¡±


    The two young women disappeared behind the curtain of the fitting room, and Izumi began loosening the various zippers and ties holding the dress in place. ¡°I just don¡¯t get it, Akane. Like, doesn¡¯t she know we¡¯re here to help her? Why is she so intent on pushing us away?¡±


    Akane continued her thought. ¡°I... How do I say this? Part of the reason that Ranko hates her dad is that every time Ranko¡¯s managed to get something good going in her life, he¡¯s showed up and wrecked it. Pulled her out of a school, moved her to another city, separated her from people she cares about, or worse. He doesn¡¯t ever care how much it hurts her when he does it, as long as he gets what he wants.¡±


    She looked up at herself in the wedding gown with a forlorn expression in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about this a lot the last few days, because believe me, it¡¯s driving me insane that she won¡¯t let me in on this one either, and I have a guess. You know how, like, when a typhoon¡¯s coming, you sometimes take your most valuable, fragile things and pack them away to keep them safe? I think that¡¯s what Ranko¡¯s doing with, well, everything that matters to her, including all of us. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s pushing us away, Izzi. I think she¡¯s putting us away, for safe keeping, until the danger passes. And doing it because she can¡¯t bear to lose us or see us get hurt.¡±


    Izumi pulled the two sides of the dress open to make it easier for Akane to step out of it. ¡°Gods. The poor kid! Typical Ranko, though, choosing to hurt herself more rather than let any of us get down in the mud with her. But then, what can we do to help her if she won¡¯t let us help?¡±


    Akane slipped the dress to the floor, beginning to pull her pink tee shirt back on as Izumi returned the dress to its hanger. ¡°Try to give her space, and don¡¯t push her on things if you don¡¯t have to. I honestly¡­ I haven¡¯t seen her like this in a long time. She¡¯s scaring me, too, Izzi. Don¡¯t ask her a bunch of questions; as it is, I think I¡¯ve probably said more than she¡¯d have wanted me to. I¡¯ll encourage her to open up more to you, Hana and the girls. You deserve that. But Ranko¡­ there¡¯s a part of her deep down where she keeps the things that hurt her the most, that she doesn¡¯t let anybody see. Even me, most of the time. She doesn¡¯t want people to pity her. Even now, after all this time, a part of her thinks your family still sees her as a homeless runaway. I swear, I don¡¯t know how that girl manages to have way too much pride and none at all at the same time, but she does.¡±


    Izumi put her arm around Akane¡¯s shoulders as the bride-to-be pulled her skirt back into place. ¡°What do we do if her dad shows up? Kick him out of the bar?¡±


    Frowning, Akane turned to face Izumi after pulling the curtain open to the brightly-lit bridal shop beyond. ¡°Don¡¯t try to confront him. He¡¯s not like the clown she wrote Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch about. More like Ryo¡­ the guy who attacked her at the carnival last year. He¡¯s really dangerous, Izumi. I¡¯m not even sure Ranko could take him. Not these days, anyway. Get me. Ranko if you absolutely have to, but me first if you can. But absolutely do not let your mom or your sisters stand off with him. Ranko would never forgive herself if he hurt one of you.¡±


    Catching a glimpse of the pair exiting the changing booth, the insistent sales clerk approached with a hopeful expression. ¡°So, have we made our decision? When is the big day, anyway? I¡¯ll be happy to help wrap¡­¡± Seeing the glare in Izumi¡¯s eyes over Akane¡¯s shoulder, the clerk froze in her tracks.


    The bride bit her lip, speaking emptily without making eye contact. ¡°At this point, I¡¯m not sure I know anymore.¡± Getting the hint that Akane wasn¡¯t in a shopping, or at least a buying, mood, the clerk nodded with a little harrumph and stormed off to find a new customer to chase.


    ¡°Hey, Akane¡­¡± Izumi waited to continue until her companion had turned to face her. ¡°I want you to know, you¡¯re family too. I can see the way this is wearing on you, and¡­ we¡¯re all here to help you while you help her, too. You don¡¯t have to do this alone, either.¡±


    The younger girl placed her hand on Izumi¡¯s forearm with a weak smile. ¡°Thanks, Izzi. I¡¯ll be alright, I think. It¡¯s just breaking my heart not to be able to fix this for her. I promised her I¡¯d protect her, but I¡¯m not sure I can save her from this one. And she really needs saving.¡± Akane looked down at the cheap digital watch on her wrist. ¡°She should be getting out of school in a few minutes. We should get heading to your place, and when she gets there, I¡¯ll try to get her to open up a little bit and we¡¯ll come up with a plan together. I don¡¯t know that she¡¯s gonna be in much of a mood to look at fabric samples, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Izumi said, ¡°but first, bubble tea. We both could use the pick-me-up, I think.¡±

 103. We All Fall Down

    Akane rocketed off the couch as the front door of her apartment opened, not bothering to shut off the movie that was playing on their little television. Neither she nor Izumi, who still sat on the couch to her right, had been paying much attention to it, anyway. ¡°Ranko! Thank the gods! We¡¯ve been worried sick! You were supposed to meet us at Izzi¡¯s hours ago!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I must¡¯ve forgot,¡± Ranko replied hollowly as she dropped her school satchel on the floor by the front door, kicking off her shoes and flinging them both forcefully off her feet against the wall.


    Not so much as an apology? She¡¯s even worse off than I thought. ¡°Where have you been?¡±


    ¡°Walkin¡¯.¡± Ranko sighed, dissatisfied with her answer, but in the presence of her sister, she didn¡¯t want to admit that she¡¯d been scouting out the area in her paranoia, expecting her father to leap out behind every bush and rock she passed at any moment. She wanted to be alone when he did.


    I can¡¯t bear to have them see what he¡¯s going to do to me. What he¡¯s gonna say. How worthless he¡¯s going to make me feel. How hard he¡¯s going to try to ruin me. Her mind had been taunting her with her own terror on repeat all afternoon since pummeling that grabby boy in the corridor at school, probably before.


    Izumi stood, smoothing out her ivory-colored dress. ¡°Ranko, honey, what can we do for you? Akane told me a little bit about what¡¯s going on.¡±


    The redhead whirled to face her fiancee, the skirt of her red school uniform pinafore wrapping around her knees as she bellowed her retort. ¡°Why would you do that, Akane?! You knew I didn¡¯t want to get them involved!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mad at her, Ranko. I pressed.¡± Izumi stepped closer to her sister. ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep us at arm¡¯s length, little sister. Whatever you have to go through, we can do it together like we always do.¡±


    ¡°No. We can¡¯t. Not this time, Izumi. This¡­ you don¡¯t understand. None of you do, and I don¡¯t want you to! I don¡¯t want you getting hurt, and I don¡¯t want you seeing me get hurt. It¡¯s my problem. I¡¯ll deal with it!¡± Somehow. ¡°Save your pity for someone who wants it!¡± Ranko sighed, walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.


    Izumi turned to look at Akane, who was staring nervously at the bathroom door. ¡°Would it be best if I just left for now?¡±


    Akane cringed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ maybe? I really don¡¯t know what she needs right now.¡±


    With a nod, Izumi walked over to Akane, giving her a tight squeeze and speaking under her breath. ¡°Call me if you need me. I can be back here in fifteen minutes.¡± Picking up her purse, she called out loudly over the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. ¡°Ranko, honey, I¡¯m heading home! I love you!¡±


    ¡°Night,¡± came the dejected reply from behind the bathroom door as the water stopped. By the time Ranko exited the restroom, Izumi had departed, but Akane was standing at the door ready to receive her.


    ¡°So, I was thinking,¡± Akane said gently, following her lover into the bedroom. ¡°How do you feel about Chinese delivery tonight? It¡¯s kinda late, and I figured you might not want to cook.¡±


    Ranko strode to their bedroom window, staring out into the dark and starting to open the window to climb out onto the fire escape. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Whatever you want. I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Her voice was as empty as her eyes had been.


    ¡°Did you eat before you came home? You¡¯re always starving when you get off of school.¡± Akane stepped closer, watching her closely for any opening, any way to reach her.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Baby, talk to me. Did something happen at school? Or is it just¡­ everything else?¡± Akane approached closer as Ranko stood looking out the window, placing her hand on her lover¡¯s back.


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    Ranko whirled, her eyes aflame. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just leave me the fuck alone?!¡±


    Akane gasped, retreating a few steps. ¡°Ranko¡­ I¡­ because I love you! I¡¯m worried about you! We all are!¡±


    The redhead stomped forward, growling. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll worry about me. I¡¯ll deal with it. I always do!¡± She turned back to the window, her back turning to Akane, and slammed both of her palms hard against the wooden frame on either side of the window. The glass rumbled lowly in its metal groove.


    Akane shook her head. ¡°No. We will deal with it, together! Please, talk to me! Baby, you¡¯re really scaring me!¡± She rushed forward, reaching out for Ranko¡¯s shoulder.


    As Akane¡¯s hand made contact, Ranko roared furiously, exploding off the wall to face the older girl and, throwing her left fist forward at her in a wild punch. ¡°I SAID BACK OFF!¡±


    Akane¡¯s hand flew up on instinct, catching her lover¡¯s fist a few centimeters before it struck her face. ¡°And I said NO!¡±


    Ranko tried to pull away, but Akane took a firm grip on her left wrist. With her right hand, Ranko swung wild again, and Akane needed but tilt her head to avoid the blow. The momentum of it carried Ranko¡¯s body forward until her shoulder slammed into Akane¡¯s chest, and Akane threw her left arm around her fiancee¡¯s back, holding the redhead tight against her body.


    ¡°Let me go! LET ME GO!¡± Ranko tried to swing her fist downward onto Akane¡¯s right breast, but Akane had her arm pinned down at the elbow, so she could get no real force behind it.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you let me go?!¡± Ranko tried to pound on Akane¡¯s chest again, but her arms were still mostly immobilized. Akane could feel the slight girl in her grasp shaking, her voice quavering.


    ¡°Because I made you a promise. I¡¯m never going to let you go. Never. Never.¡±


    With a primal scream, Ranko summoned all the strength she had left to pound at Akane¡¯s sternum once more, but months of holding microphones while Akane trained a park-turned-dojo full of students had left Akane with a distinct strength advantage, and Ranko could barely fight her grasp enough to make contact with her chest. As the echo of her roar died from the air, though, her hand clutched a fistful of Akane¡¯s pink tee shirt, and Akane could feel the rage in her breath changing to something else.


    Akane released Ranko¡¯s wrist, wrapping both of her arms tightly around the smaller girl instead. ¡°I¡¯m not ever going to let you go, Ranko. You¡¯re my everything. Forever. No matter what. You don¡¯t have to do this alone, my love. You don¡¯t have to do anything alone ever again. When it comes to problems, baby, there is no you, and there is no me. There¡¯s only us, Ranko. Only us.¡±


    Finally, the dam broke, and as Ranko quaked in Akane¡¯s arms, her screaming gave way to a furious, anguished wail that she largely muffled against Akane¡¯s shoulder. Her legs started to buckle, and Akane held her tightly and slowly lowered with her until both girls were on their knees. Akane could barely maintain her grasp on her fiancee¡¯s body with how forcefully Ranko convulsed with her racking sobs.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got you, baby. I¡¯ve got you. I¡¯m here. I love you. I always will. Let it out, baby girl.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going to dest¡­roy everything¡­ again¡­ every time I¡­ have someth¡­ he¡­¡±


    Akane rubbed her lover¡¯s back, shaking her head. ¡°No, baby. He¡¯s not going to destroy anything.¡± Akane let her go long enough to cradle Ranko¡¯s chin in both of her hands and force her to make eye contact. ¡°Look at me. Listen to me. We¡¯re going to fight, together, for what¡¯s ours. He can¡¯t stop us. He can¡¯t stop you. He can¡¯t take away everything you¡¯ve learned. Everything you¡¯ve become.¡±


    ¡°He always¡­ ruins¡­ why can¡¯t he just¡­ let me¡­¡±


    Akane leaned forward, kissing Ranko¡¯s cheek, the taste of salty tears on her lips. She pulled Ranko back into a hug, gripping the straps of Ranko¡¯s red school uniform pinafore with both hands behind her back so she could not pull away. ¡°You don¡¯t belong to him. His son is dead. His family is dead. His school is dead. You¡¯re not Ranma anymore. You are Ranko Tendo. You¡¯re the woman I love. You are strong and brave and beautiful and formidable and loved and there is nothing he can do that¡¯s going to take any of that away from you. You are going to be my wife in a few months, and not a damned thing on earth is going to stop us from making that happen. Do you understand me, Ranko? Nothing. He¡¯s not going to get to tear your life down, honey. We won¡¯t let him. I won¡¯t let him. I swear it.¡±


    ¡°Akane, what am I go¡­ gonna d¡­ do?¡± Ranko sputtered, her breathing having become so erratic from crying that the drip from her sinuses had been sniffled back until it pooled at the back of her throat.


    Akane frowned as her chin rested on Ranko¡¯s shoulder, grateful that her beloved could not see it. ¡°We are going to come up with a plan. But first, you are gonna talk to somebody.¡±

 104. Let it Go

    ¡°You¡¯re sure you don¡¯t want me to come with you? You don¡¯t have to do this alone, you know.¡± Akane rubbed Ranko¡¯s back reassuringly through her fluffy white sweater.


    The cotton enveloping the whole of the young singer¡¯s torso transmitted a gentle stimulation across her sensitive skin that felt like the shirt itself was giving Ranko a hug. She was glad of it, even though the March day was a little too warm for such an outfit. The realities of laundry day had forced her to wear a skirt, but she¡¯d paired it with a set of black leggings so as to still feel somewhat protected against the world. Her hair was still in the braided pigtail that had been a staple of her former life, but she¡¯d clipped a barrette with a yellow bow into the end of it. I¡¯m trying, at least, she thought as she remembered its presence.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Akane. Thanks.¡± Ranko held up her backpack. ¡°And I¡¯m not alone.¡±


    Akane nodded, cracking a smile and motioning to a sidewalk cafe with her own backpack dangling from her shoulder, shielding her eyes against the mid-afternoon sun. ¡°Okay, then. I¡¯ll be right over there studying when you¡¯re done, beautiful.¡±


    Ranko blushed, recoiling with a bit of a coy expression. While the specter of her biological parents loomed over her every waking moment, she hadn¡¯t felt especially feminine, but Akane¡¯s constant barrage of endearing words to that effect were still managing to hit home. ¡°It¡¯s so weird, hearing you say things like that while I¡¯m¡­ you know, with everything going on and me feeling like this.¡±


    ¡°Well.¡± Akane set her bag down on the sidewalk, pulling Ranko into a hug with a toothy grin. ¡°you¡¯d better get used to it, my beautiful, amazing, cute, sweet, silly, sexy little princess.¡±


    ¡°Akane¡­¡± Ranko buried her face in Akane¡¯s shoulder to hide her flushing cheeks, and the tiny smile she felt guilty for allowing to cross them. She had much more to get off of her chest, but the good cry of the night before had helped her regulate her emotions at least somewhat.


    ¡°You and your friend had better get a move on, or you¡¯re gonna be late.¡± Akane kissed her fiancee on the forehead with a gentle pat on her backside. ¡°I love you. And hey, don¡¯t hold back in there.¡±


    Ranko nodded as she was released from Akane¡¯s embrace. Her eyes scanned the little plaza warily. ¡°I love you too, Akane. Be careful out here. He could show up any time.¡±


    With a reassuring smile, Akane shouldered her backpack again. ¡°I¡¯ll be just fine. I¡¯ve beaten him before, remember? Now, you get your pretty little ass in there, Mrs. Tendo.¡±


    Shaking her head with a quiet little laugh as she turned toward the office building, Ranko called behind her. ¡°Not yet! You still gotta make an honest woman out of me!¡± The flicker of mirth in her heart evaporated as soon as her hand made contact with the silver bar handle of the frosted glass door marked Suite 117, however. Taking a deep breath, she summoned the courage to pull it open and step inside the cramped little waiting room.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Ranko said to the slender receptionist over the laminate counter that served as his desk, blushing a bit. One of the previous times she¡¯d been in this office, Akane had pointed out that the young man was making eyes at her, and now, seeing him was pretty awkward for Ranko. Especially when she was there alone. She didn¡¯t see it in him, but as Akane and Yui were always pointing out to her, when it came to boys, she never did. ¡°Hi. I¡¯m Ranko Tendo? I have an appointment for 1:30?¡±


    The man looked up from his computer screen with a smile, adjusting his black-rimmed glasses. ¡°Yes, I know who you are, Ranko.¡± He motioned to the Rise CD case on the desk next to his Discman, which bore her signature in black marker on the cover art from her last visit.


    Blushing again, Ranko rolled her eyes and laughed at herself. ¡°Right. Duh. Sorry.¡± Sometimes I think Yui¡¯s right. Maybe I should dye my hair blonde. Thank the gods there¡¯s nobody else in here who heard that, she thought as her eyes surveyed the empty waiting room.


    The receptionist grinned. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re used to people being a little nervous in here. Go on in, he¡¯s ready for ya.¡±


    Pulling her backpack back up onto her shoulders despite its minimal weight, Ranko nodded and walked to the second door on the right, turning the doorknob and pulling it open.


    ¡°Well, hello there, Ranko! We haven¡¯t seen you in a while,¡± came the greeting from the middle-aged man standing in the center of the room. ¡°Come on in.¡±


    Nodding and trepidatiously biting her lip, Ranko made her way to the black vinyl couch at the back of the room and sat down, setting her backpack on the floor at her feet. She cringed slightly as it made a creaking sound not unlike a fart. ¡°Sorry, Fred.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s therapist shook his head with a disarming smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He grabbed one of the padded wooden chairs in front of his desk, turning it backward and straddling it facing her. ¡°So, what¡¯s up? When Akane called and made the appointment, she said it was something of an emergency.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s¡­¡± Ranko took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s a lot.¡±


    Fred motioned to the black plush pig on the other end of the couch from her. ¡°If you need somebody to hug while you talk, Hugo¡¯s there.¡±


    Blushing brightly, Ranko reached down to her backpack and began to unzip it. Yeah, don¡¯t think I¡¯m gonna be snuggling something that reminds me of Ryoga, but, thanks. ¡°I, um¡­¡± She reached into her bulging pack, withdrawing a white plush unicorn from it. ¡°I¡­ brought my own friend, if that¡¯s okay.¡±


    Fred grinned. ¡°Of course it¡¯s okay! She¡¯s adorable! What¡¯s her name?¡±


    Ranko hid her face behind the fluffy plush creature. How does he manage to make me feel even more like a girl than Akane does sometimes? Freaking psychologist mind powers, or something, she thought to herself. ¡°Her name is Starlight.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Fred smiled broadly, giving a wave to the stuffed equine in Ranko¡¯s lap. ¡°Well! It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Starlight! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to come support Ranko!¡±


    Bowing her head to avoid his eyes, Ranko took one of the unicorn¡¯s front legs in her fingers, moving it up and down to make the toy wave to him. If this embarrasses me so much, why do I do it? Is it weird that it helps sometimes? Maybe he knows it helps and that¡¯s why he encourages it? Or, maybe he¡¯s just weird. Maybe I¡¯m just weird. I don¡¯t know anymore. Maybe I just need to stop worrying about what¡¯s weird, and just do what feels right to do?


    The young doctor leaned forward on the back of the chair he was straddling. ¡°So, what¡¯s got you so stressed, Ranko?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± The songstress curled her knees up on the couch, pulling her unicorn closer on her lap. ¡°I told you about my pop, how he¡­ wanted me to be a boy, and how I had to run away, all that stuff, right? And, like, how my mom basically wants to kill me and him both because I¡¯m a girl?¡±


    Fred nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve talked about it, sure.¡± Not entirely sure I believed all of it, but¡­


    ¡°Well¡­ they¡¯re coming. My mother is looking for me, and she¡¯s gotten her hooks into my pop. So, like, the only way he can save his skin is if he comes and gets me, and¡­¡± She trailed off, squeezing Starlight against her chest.


    ¡°How do you feel about seeing them again?¡± Fred rubbed his chin thoughtfully, giving her time to formulate a response.


    ¡°Terrified. I have no idea what my mom will think of¡­ well, who I am. But I doubt it¡¯ll be good. And Pop¡­ if I ever see him again, it¡¯ll be too soon. He just¡­ every time my mom comes looking for me, he¡¯s dragged me out of my whole world and made me start over. And Fred, I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve worked too damned hard for this. For my singing, my friends, my school, my family, Akane¡­ all of it. It¡­¡± She looked to Fred to save her by picking up the conversation, but her therapist waited quietly, leaving the silence looming for her to fill.


    Ranko buried her face in Starlight¡¯s back, pulling her knees up into her chest. ¡°It¡¯s my life, and I earned it, and I want it!¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Ranko.¡± Fred stood, walking back around his desk and grabbing a peppermint from the candy dish on his credenza. ¡°Who made you a singer?¡±


    ¡°Mei did. We¡¯ve talked about this.¡± Ranko looked up from Starlight¡¯s back. Does this dude not keep notes?


    ¡°Mei recognized that you were a singer. But who made you a singer? Who writes all those songs? Who does the choreography? Who makes the performances happen every night?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    The therapist nodded. ¡°Who taught the lowest-ranked cheerleading squad in the city enough gymnastics skills to win their first championship in your lifetime?¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Fred popped another candy in his mouth, continuing to speak as he sucked on it. ¡°And, your family. When they took you in, did they know anything about your parents? Or was it just because of who you were?¡±


    Ranko looked down at her hands. ¡°Just me.¡± I think.


    ¡°Who did Akane fall in love with? Who is she going to marry?¡± Fred grinned as Ranko¡¯s face glowed, and she hid behind Starlight again.


    ¡°She¡¯s gonna marry me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Fred walked over to the couch with the candy dish in his hand, offering it to Ranko. As she popped a peppermint in her mouth, Fred continued. ¡°So I think it¡¯s safe to say that this is in fact your life, and not your parents¡¯. So, what makes you think they have any right to come and disrupt it?¡±


    Ranko sighed, putting Starlight down on the couch and turning to put her feet back on the floor. ¡°It¡¯s not that, Fred. They just¡­ there¡¯s things people don¡¯t know about me. Things I¡¯ve told you, and you didn¡¯t believe, but they¡¯re true. Like how I¡­¡± She swallowed hard. ¡°... used to be a boy. And if that gets out to my family, or to my fans, or my school¡­ it¡¯ll ruin everything for me. One sentence, one thermos of hot water, and I¡¯m done for. I¡¯m watching around every corner waiting for him to show up and once he does, I don¡¯t know what happens, but my life doesn¡¯t look the same on the other side of it. I want to run, but at the same time, I want to dig my heels in and tell him that he can¡¯t ruin what I¡¯ve made for myself.¡±


    ¡°I think both courses of action have merit. But think about this. If you run, you¡¯d leave everything behind, right? That¡¯s what you¡¯re afraid of?¡± Fred crunched down on the peppermint that had nearly finished dissolving on his tongue.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±  Ranko scooped Starlight up again. I feel so silly, but he was right. Having her here does help.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what you¡¯re afraid of happening if he does all of this stuff. So at least if you stand your ground, you have a chance of keeping the things that are important to you. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± Ranko sighed sadly. ¡°At least they wouldn¡¯t think less of me. They¡¯d just¡­ miss me.¡± She sighed, flopping her hands to her sides, and Starlight slid off the couch onto the floor.


    ¡°What if you told them these things yourself? In your time, in your way? Haven¡¯t they earned your honesty by now¡¯?¡± Fred sat in the black leather chair behind his mahogany desk, popping his neck with his hands.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. It¡¯s like, I want them to know. At least, I think I do. I mean, I don¡¯t want them to ask me about it all the time. Part of me wants them to understand, and wants to be honest with them, but a bigger part of me just wants as much of my world as possible to be places where nobody thinks I¡¯m weird or asks questions or treats me different because they know what I used to be. But if I told them now, they¡¯d probably just be mad at me for lying to them all this time. By the time I knew I could trust them with the truth, it was too late for me to tell them and not feel like I¡¯d be hurting them because I didn¡¯t trust them with it until now.¡± She pulled her knees back up into her chest and lay across the sofa, rolling over on the couch until she was facing into its back with her back turned to Fred. ¡°I screwed that all up, too, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Hey now, we don¡¯t blame ourselves in here, remember?¡± Fred stood and walked over to the couch, tapping her on the shoulder. When she looked up from the back of the couch, he handed the stuffed unicorn he¡¯d picked up from the floor down to her. ¡°Tell her, Starlight.¡±


    Ranko took her plush from him, but did not roll over; rather, she just curled up around the unicorn tightly. ¡°I just¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do and I¡¯m so angry and scared, and I don¡¯t want to be around any of the people I care about right now. I don¡¯t want him to hurt them, and I don¡¯t want them to hear the things he¡¯s going to say to me. I¡­ I can¡¯t bear to have them watch him break me down like that. If they ever find out the truth, I want it to come from me, not from him. Not like that. And I don¡¯t want to be seen as the freak again. I¡¯ve worked so fucking hard not to be the freak anymore, man! So I ran them all off, and once they were all as far away as I can push them, I¡¯m just sitting here lonely and scared, and I feel like I gotta do it all by myself. And, like, I don¡¯t know what to do with these feelings except yell and scream at the people I love and wait for the hammer to fall. And I don¡¯t wanna be that girl, either. I don¡¯t want to be shitty to the people I love, but I can¡¯t stand letting this hurt them or change what they think about me.¡±


    She rolled over onto her back on the couch, looking up at her kindly advisor. ¡°What do I do with it all, Fred?¡±


    The therapist nodded. ¡°That¡¯s an excellent question to be asking, Ranko. I wonder, what do songwriters usually do with feelings they need to find a way to get off their chests?¡±

 105. Calicodependence

    Akane pushed the front door of her apartment shut, hanging her backpack on the inside half of the doorknob and rubbing her eyes. Seriously, next time I try to schedule a class at eight in the morning, somebody should just stab me and put me out of my misery. She hadn¡¯t even had time for breakfast, not that she¡¯d have asked Ranko to cook. The poor thing still hadn¡¯t slept more than an hour or two at a time since finding out her mother was in town, and on the rare occasion that she had managed to sleep at all, she¡¯d nearly always had nightmares.


    Akane was starving after skipping breakfast, but the idea of a nap sounded far more appealing than food at the moment. She¡¯d stayed up half the night with Ranko, and a sociology exam on short sleep was nobody¡¯s idea of a good time. After kicking off her shoes, she pushed the bedroom door open, flopping down onto her mattress with a groan. Hello, pillow. I have missed you.


    She rolled onto her side, not even bothering to change out of the seafoam green dress she¡¯d worn to class, but just as her eyes started to close, she noticed that the bedroom window was still open.


    Dammit, Ranko, you need to be more careful about this if you¡¯re gonna practice in the morning. We could get robbed, not that we really have anything to steal. Ranko hadn¡¯t even come down yet when Akane left for class; Akane had been forced to yell her goodbyes up from the window as she left. Akane stood, grumbling as she closed the window. Turning back to the bed, she had one knee on the mattress before she noticed something laying on the opposite side of the mattress that shouldn¡¯t have been there.


    Ranko¡¯s school uniform? But that can¡¯t be, she should be in second period by now. What the¡­


    Akane looked back at the window she¡¯d just closed. Oh, Ranko, baby. Please tell me you didn¡¯t skip school so you could break more pieces of wood.


    She slid a pair of slippers on her feet, reopening the window and climbing out onto the fire escape. Ascending the twenty steps to the rooftop, Akane peered around the whirring air conditioners and drab green electrical junction boxes. ¡°Ranko? Baby, you up here?¡±


    She approached the far corner of the roof, but before she could reach it, something darted out at her legs. She started to jump back, but she felt something soft and furry rub across her ankle. Akane glanced down to find the orange alley cat she often saw hanging out by the dumpsters, weaving slowly between her legs with a gentle purr.


    ¡°Hey, little guy. We¡¯ve talked about this, you know. You can¡¯t hang out up here, buddy. One of these days you¡¯re gonna catch my girl up here, and then you¡¯re gonna be really confused by your new playmate. Go on, go catch a mouse or something.¡± She bent down, giving the cat a brief scratch behind its ear, and it darted off in the direction of the fire escape.


    Akane turned the corner, quickly discovering that her prediction had already come to pass. Curled up on a wooden pallet in the center of a sunbeam, Ranko idly licked at the back of her left hand. She wore a black compression tank top and a pair of matching black shorts.


    Oh, baby, what are we gonna do with you?


    Akane shook her head, sighing with an amused smirk. ¡°Alright, here, kitty, kitty¡­¡±


    Ranko looked up at her contemplatively. ¡°Mrao.¡± After a moment, she resumed licking her hand, clearly uninterested in what the silly human had to say.


    Akane closed the few steps, kneeling next to her lover on the wooden slats, speaking soothingly and softly. ¡°Hey, pretty girl.¡± She gently pulled a loose strand of Ranko¡¯s hair behind her ear, gently stroking the side of her head. Ranko purred quietly, leaning into her hand.


    ¡°Yeah, I love you, too.¡±


    Ranko craned her head around, gently licking at Akane¡¯s palm.


    ¡°I already had a bath today, but thank you. You¡¯re being such a good helper, aren¡¯t you?¡± Akane giggled. She felt terrible for laughing at what she was sure was a traumatic experience for her fiancee, but she had to admit, Ranko was absolutely adorable in this state, when she wasn¡¯t tearing somebody to shreds.


    ¡°What did that mean old tomcat do to you, baby?¡± Akane smiled, running her hand down the length of Ranko¡¯s back.


    ¡°Mraaawoow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Akane giggled. ¡°And then what?¡±


    ¡°Mew. Mraow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what he said. Are you sure?¡± Akane cocked her head at her love skeptically.


    ¡°Mraaaaoww!¡±


    ¡°Alright, if you say so.¡±


    Laughing, Akane offered her hand down to her lover. ¡°Come on, wanna go back inside?¡±


    Ranko eyed her hand, raising to her hands and knees. She crawled a half-step forward, headbutting her girlfriend¡¯s hand playfully.


    ¡°Yes, okay, okay, I¡¯ll pet you, silly girl. But come on, let¡¯s go inside where it¡¯s comfortable.¡± She patted her thighs with her palms. ¡°C¡¯mere, you.¡±


    Ranko pounced from all fours at Akane¡¯s torso, and the larger girl caught her such that Ranko was seated on her right forearm, curled up and resting her cheek against Akane¡¯s chest. As Akane turned toward the fire escape, she could feel her lover¡¯s body vibrate slightly with the low rumble of a purr.


    ¡°I know, we just wanted to be carried, huh? I bet that gravel doesn¡¯t feel too good on your hands, does it?¡± Akane spoke in a cutesy voice, carrying her lover down the steps.


    Akane pulled the window open with her left hand, bending down a little bit. ¡°Okay, kitty, inside.¡±


    Ranko slid down her forearm onto her hands and knees on the bedroom floor, pouncing up onto the bed. ¡°Mrraaaow.¡±


    Akane followed Ranko through the window, closing it behind her, and sat on the bed. As soon as her heels were up on the mattress, Ranko was curled up in her lap, purring gently.


    I gotta admit, this is kind of fun. Part of me feels like I should just tackle her and hold her until she snaps out of this, but this is the most carefree I¡¯ve seen her in almost two weeks, and the second she¡¯s back in her right mind, she¡¯ll be right back in all that misery. Maybe it¡¯s better if I don¡¯t rush it?


    She looked around the room for something to stimulate them both, grinning as her eyes fell on the TV tray that served as Ranko¡¯s nightstand. She reached over, picking up the length of red satin ribbon Ranko had put her hair up in for school a few days before.


    As weird as it is, maybe giving her mind a little time off is the best thing for her right now. I hope I¡¯m doing the right thing for you, baby. I hope somewhere, deep down, this is fun for you.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s this?¡± Akane dangled the ribbon teasingly in front of her lover¡¯s face, and Ranko blinked as she saw it. She watched it as Akane bounced it a few times, before swinging her hand out with lightning-fast reflexes and snatching at it. She managed to almost close her fingers around it, but Akane pulled it back at the last possible moment. ¡°Come on, get it!¡±


    Ranko leapt forward with her wrists, enthusiastically pouncing on the end of the ribbon as Akane snaked it across the mattress. She pinned it, but Akane pulled it out from under her hands. ¡°Uh-oh, you let it get away! Some hunter you are. Come on, you can do it¡­¡± Akane giggled, leading her lover in circles around the bed with the bit of ribbon.


    Thatta girl. Just play. Let go. Relax. If you¡¯re purring, at least it lets me know you¡¯re happy.


    As Akane got lost in her thoughts for a moment, Ranko caught the ribbon, pulling at it. Akane tossed the other end of it in the air, and it landed right across her lover¡¯s face between her eyes. Ranko plopped to her side, rolling over on her back and playing with the little satin strand.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Oh, you did it! You slayed the vicious, sinister murder ribbon! Good girl!¡± Akane tittered loudly, watching as Ranko flailed in an attempt to manipulate the ribbon off her face without her fingers before finally shaking her head to throw it off.


    Akane slid one of her legs under the duvet cover, moving her foot back and forth. Ranko rolled back onto her hands and knees, pouncing on the moving bulge in the blanket and taking hold of Akane¡¯s ankle through it.


    ¡°Oh, no! I¡¯ve been captured by the ferocious wildcat! Whatever will I do?!¡± Akane giggled as Ranko laid down on her right side, resting her cheek on her prize and softly purring.


    Akane reached down, ever so softly stroking Ranko¡¯s neck behind her ear. Her lover purred far more loudly, rubbing her cheek forcefully against Akane¡¯s thigh.


    ¡°Yeah, that feels good, doesn¡¯t it, baby? I know it does. You haven¡¯t been a kitty since you¡¯ve had the Cat¡¯s Tongue, have you? Do we like that, sweet girl? I know, every spot is that spot now, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Beats the hell out of doing your English quiz, huh, baby?


    Sitting up a bit more, Akane began slowly running the fingers of her other hand up and down Ranko¡¯s back through her tank top. Ranko rolled back onto her hands and knees, lowering her head by bending her elbows and arching her back up into Akane¡¯s hands, her head still cocked to the side to allow her girlfriend access to her neck as well.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just like the best thing ever, isn¡¯t it? Does that just feel so good? Are we just the happiest little kitty in the whole wide world today?¡±


    ¡°Mraaaaaaaaaaaaooow.¡±


    ¡°I know! Tell me all about it, baby girl. I love you, you know. You¡¯re such a pretty girl, aren¡¯t you? I can tell you all kinds of sweet things, and you can¡¯t deny them or push back on them right now, can you?¡± Akane moved her hand down, softly stroking under Ranko¡¯s chin and lifting her head up with her hand.


    ¡°You can¡¯t fight me when I tell you that you¡¯re the most beautiful girl who¡¯s ever lived. You¡¯re just the most perfect, wonderful thing the gods ever made, and I am so, so lucky I get to keep you for myself. Did you know that, precious? Do you know how sweet you are? How proud of you I am? How absolutely amazed I am by you every single day?¡±


    Who knows, maybe it¡¯ll sink in more when she¡¯s like this.


    Ranko¡¯s purr was nearly a roar, and she flailed back and forth between Akane¡¯s left and right hands, not sure which set of scratches to lean into and wiggling indecisively between them.


    ¡°Aww, we just don¡¯t know which end is up, do we?¡± Akane laughed, watching the love of her life squirm between her hands.


    Surrendering to her sensory overload, the redhead flopped over on her side against Akane¡¯s leg, still purring loudly. As she did, Akane noticed another rumble, this one coming from Ranko¡¯s abdomen rather than her throat.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, kitten? Is somebody hungry?¡±


    ¡°Mrraaaaooowwwww.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too. Let¡¯s go see what we can find in the kitchen.¡± Akane slid down onto her feet. ¡°C¡¯mon, kitty!¡±


    Ranko pounced down onto the floor on all fours, padding along after her.


    Akane opened the pantry. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ here we go!¡± She pulled out a large silver foil bag.


    Before Akane could turn from the pantry, she felt Ranko leaning her body weight into her. Purring softly, Ranko dragged the entire length of her torso slowly across Akane¡¯s knee.


    ¡°Aww, I know, sweetheart. I love you too.¡± Akane reached down, running her hand tenderly through her partner¡¯s hair, down to her neck, and along the length of her spine. ¡°C¡¯mere, you¡­¡±


    She sat in one of the wooden chairs at the dining table, tearing open the bag. Ranko dropped her backside to the ground, her hands and knees still on the floor.


    Giggling, Akane pulled a strip of salmon jerky out of the bag, offering it down to her. ¡°Look at you, waiting so pretty¡­¡±


    Ranko snatched it in her teeth, laying down on the floor and tearing into it as Akane nibbled on a piece of her own.


    By the time Akane finished chewing, Ranko had resumed her position, waiting for another strip of jerky. ¡°Is that good stuff? Yeah, we¡¯re lucky we had some snacks in the cabinet, because I¡¯m not sure even a kitty would eat something I cooked.¡± Blushing, Akane happily handed another strip of jerky down to her with an exuberant laugh. ¡°There you go, cutie.¡±


    After repeating this exercise a few more times, Akane grinned, tearing a piece just three centimeters long off of the end of one of the strips, resting it in her palm and lowering her hand. I wonder¡­


    Ranko approached on all fours, lowering her head, and tentatively scooping the little square of dried fish off of Akane¡¯s hand with her tongue.


    Akane giggled. ¡°Hey, that tickles!¡±


    Still, she offered Ranko another bite the same way. Akane blushed as her hand was tickled again with Ranko¡¯s nose and tongue. ¡°Such a good girl, being so gentle¡­¡± Akane softly ran her right hand down the side of Ranko¡¯s scalp, stroking her lover¡¯s hair as she chewed.


    The fourth piece offered in this manner was sniffed, but not taken, and Ranko headbutted Akane¡¯s hand instead.


    ¡°Are we full? Alrighty, then¡­¡± Akane popped the last piece in her mouth, resealing the bag and standing to return it to the pantry.


    Akane walked to the bedroom, her fiancee plodding along on the floor behind her. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ anything else we can find to entertain a human kitty for a while?¡± Her eyes scanned the room for ideas, smirking devilishly as they fell on something Ranko had left on the top of their shared dresser after her show two nights ago.


    Oh, I shouldn¡¯t. She blushed, smiling down at Ranko. But I¡¯m gonna. This is what you get for not putting away your things, cutie.


    She snatched up the small object, patting her hip. ¡°Come on, baby.¡± Akane led her girlfriend back out into the living room, sitting on the couch and patting the spot next to her. ¡°Up?¡± Ranko pounced up onto the couch, plopping hard on the cushion and nuzzling her cheek against Akane¡¯s forearm with a quiet purr.


    Akane rubbed her partner under her chin, and Ranko stretched her neck out to allow her better access. When she did, Akane reached around her, clipping the black lace choker Mei had given Ranko for her birthday around her neck. ¡°There we go. So pretty.¡± Akane giggled wildly, poking at the little silver heart that dangled from it with her finger. Ranko butted hard into Akane¡¯s hand with her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, princess. Just be glad I¡¯m not getting out your bell earrings from Christmas.¡±


    Ranko curled up on the couch, resting her head and shoulder on Akane¡¯s lap, purring quietly.


    ¡°Oh, you just wanna snuggle for a while? Alright, we can do that.¡± Akane picked up the remote control, clicking the television on, and running her hand idly down Ranko¡¯s back. The redhead purred louder, nuzzling into her leg forcefully.


    ¡°Oh, I know. Oh, my goodness. Does that feel just so good? Is that just the best thing in the whole wide world? That¡¯s it¡­ Just relax, baby. Thatta girl.¡±


    <hr>


    Some fifteen minutes later, Ranko blinked hard in confusion. Where the¡­ how did I get here? I¡¯m supposed to be in school! I don¡¯t even remember coming in from the roof.


    Her eyes fell on the television, which was showing a rerun of one of Akane¡¯s favorite movies. She felt a hand resting on her back, smiling warmly at the feel of it.


    Huh? What happened? This feels¡­ I feel better than I have all week. Like I got a really good sleep and a really good massage at the same time.


    She turned her head gently on Akane¡¯s lap, looking up at her. I guess we fell asleep watching TV? But why don¡¯t I remember it? Was I really that exhausted?


    As soon as she felt Ranko stir, Akane opened her eyes, blinking the sleep from them. ¡°Oh, crap. I¡¯m sorry, cutie, I didn¡¯t mean to nod off on you.¡± Her hand started tracing a line up and down Ranko¡¯s back again. ¡°Purring kitties can do that to you, can¡¯t they?¡± She giggled quietly.


    Kitty? Purring? What? I was training, and the last thing I remember was that damn cat jumping out at my legs¡­ did I¡­ oh, shit. The freaking Cat Fist. Ranko blushed deeply into Akane¡¯s thigh as the possibilities of what could have transpired over the last few hours started pouring into her mind.


    What could I have done while I was like this? What did she do with me all that time?


    Her thoughts were interrupted by the increasingly euphoric sensation of Akane¡¯s fingers running up and down her back. Gods, what she¡¯s doing feels so good¡­ I don¡¯t even remember the last time I felt this relaxed.


    Akane reached over with her right hand, gently running it down Ranko¡¯s chin and neck. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry, kitten. I¡¯m not gonna stop loving on you until you¡¯re ready to give me my human fiancee back.¡±


    Ranko bit her lip, smiling involuntarily as she basked in her hypersensitive skin¡¯s reaction to her fiancee¡¯s touch, willing herself as hard as she could to avoid shivering. There¡¯s only one thing to do.


    She lifted her head off of Akane¡¯s lap, making eye contact with her.


    ¡°What is it, princess?¡± Akane smiled lovingly down at her beloved, both of her hands still exploring her ever-sensitive skin.


    ¡°Meow?¡±

 106. Freak

    ¡°Lean back a second, honey?¡±


    Ranko rolled her head back on the edge of the bed, bracing herself with her arms and closing her eyes as she felt every individual bristle of Izumi¡¯s makeup brush tickling their corners.


    ¡°Man, it¡¯s strange seeing you look like this, looking all evil and stuff. Definitely not the Ranko I¡¯m used to.¡± Izumi smirked, adding another little curl into the corner of Ranko¡¯s left eyebrow.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make up for it at the wedding when you turn me into freaking Blushing Bridal Barbie,¡± Ranko said flatly, trying not to roll her eyes and disrupt Izumi¡¯s work. ¡°I know it¡¯s weird for you, but this ain¡¯t exactly bubblegum pop idol night, Iz.¡±


    Izumi nodded, adding some dark reddish-black coloring around the bottoms of her sister¡¯s eye sockets from a mixture of compounds she had combined on the back of her left hand. ¡°I know, and I¡¯ll hold you to that, I promise. Every spike and stud on this outfit is another little bow I¡¯m adding to your wedding dress, baby sister.¡± She giggled as Ranko growled lowly. ¡°Just promise me you¡¯re gonna go out there and process of all this, so you can be the sweet, happy Ranko I know again, okay? I miss her.¡±


    Ranko nodded sadly. ¡°I miss her too, Izzi. I¡¯m gonna try.¡±


    She stood, clenching her hands into fists, the black leather fingerless gloves Shinji had loaned her creaking slightly. ¡°But first¡­ I gotta get rid of this venom in my heart. I can¡¯t let any of you guys close until I get myself right, and deal with that son of a bitch once and for all.¡±


    Izumi nodded, knowing full well what Ranko planned. She stepped forward, tentatively plotting out an angle at which she could hug her little sister without encountering the metal spikes that protruded from nearly every part of her black leather outfit. ¡°Do what you have to do. And if it¡¯s not enough, please remember we¡¯re all here for you. Akane, Mama and all of us girls. I know you don¡¯t like to talk about it, and you¡¯re probably tired of hearing us say it, but we¡¯re all ready and willing to help if you tell us how, Ranko. Please don¡¯t hurt yourself again trying to be iron girl or whatever.¡±


    Izumi curled a wisp of Ranko¡¯s loose hair around her finger. ¡°I don¡¯t know everything he did to you, honey, but whatever it was, I¡¯m glad it brought you to us. You¡¯ve made all of us better, Ranko, and we love you. No matter what.¡±


    Ranko bit her lip, resting her head on Izumi¡¯s shoulder, leaning over carefully to avoid impaling her older sister on her outfit. ¡°I love you too, Izzi. I just¡­ I¡¯ve worked too hard for what I have for it to be fucked with like this.¡±


    ¡°If he wants to mess with you, baby sister, he¡¯s gonna have to come through all of us.¡± She squeezed Ranko around the shoulders again. ¡°Now, what say we get you downstairs and see if you can¡¯t blow out some speakers with this screaming fit you¡¯re calling a song?¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be right down, Iz. Please tell the guys to get ready. And hey. Thanks.¡±


    Izumi smiled a little sadly. ¡°Anytime, Ran-chan.¡± She exited the little apartment, closing the door behind her. That girl should be neck-deep in floral arrangements, not fighting for her life. How dare that jerk mess with her now of all times?


    Ranko turned to face the mirror on the back of the closet door in the upstairs apartment that had once been her home, sighing at herself. Other than her blown-out hair and makeup, she barely even looked like a girl in the black leather outfit. She looked more like the result of a Hell¡¯s Angel and a porcupine having loved each other very much. But tonight, she didn¡¯t need to be cute. There was time enough for cute when the danger had passed. Right now, she wanted to be ready for battle. She wanted to look, and feel, dangerous. Maybe if she could convince everyone else in the bar, she could make herself believe she was invincible, like she used to before the Cat¡¯s Tongue stole it all away.


    ¡°My name is Ranko Tendo,¡± she said to her reflection with eyes of steel, balling her left hand into a fist and punching at her right palm forcefully in front of her chest. ¡°I am wanted. I have worth. I have people who love me. And I am done running. So, you know what? Do your worst, Pop. I¡¯m fucking ready.¡±


    She started to turn from the mirror, but something caught her eye in it. She raised her hand to her neck, her fingers landing on the little silver heart that dangled from the black lace and ribbon choker that Mei had given her for her birthday last November. That¡¯s weird. I don¡¯t remember putting this on. How could¡­ She started to retrace her day. She¡¯d gotten up, went up to the roof to practice for a few minutes, and¡­


    Her face caught flame. And then, the Cat Fist. While I was in cat mode, Akane must have¡­ you little shit! With as angry and stressed as she was, it was exactly the light-hearted moment she needed, and she laughed heartily at her reflection. The lace choker had no business mingling with any other part of her outfit, which was all leather, steel, and aggression. She reached behind her neck to unclasp it, but stopped. You know what? No. It made me smile, and he doesn¡¯t get to take that from me, too. It stays. I¡¯ll see how long it takes Akane to notice I never took it off.


    Ranko sighed. She really wished Akane could be here tonight. It was going to be a hard one for her. Unfortunately, with mid-March came the start of finals season at both girls¡¯ schools, and if Akane was to get into the prestigious second-year medical program she¡¯d applied to, she had to nail the exam she was taking at that exact moment. She silently prayed Akane was having a better night than she was about to.


    Laughing again at her fiancee¡¯s gambit, she opened the door, exiting what was once her apartment and heading downstairs. With a wave to her mother at the pizza oven, Ranko made her way out into the main bar area, where Ariel¡¯s final testing of the audio levels was nearly completed.


    She scanned the crowd vigilantly, as she had every night for the past week and a half, looking for the dreaded familiar face that haunted her nightmares on the rare occasion that she managed to sleep. Ranko looked up to Yui as she lined four shot glasses up on the bar, filling each of them with top-shelf tequila for a cadre of well-dressed women seated in a row on the barstools.


    ¡°Oi, Yui-chan¡­ gimme one of those?¡± She hated drinking most days, and rarely even accepted when Yui offered to let her try new recipes she was working on, but tonight, her nerves were on fire above and beyond the Cat¡¯s Tongue pressure point that made every one of the spikes driven through her jacket and pants feel like claws gnashing at her skin whenever they touched. She wanted the pain. It made her sharp. It kept her angry.


    Tonight, she was going to issue a challenge. The intended recipient would not hear it, but that was of little consequence. Tonight, she was going to plant her flag deep into the foundation of her world, claim it as her own, and dare anyone foolish enough to try to come and take it from her.


    Yui shook her head with an admonishing pursing of her lips. ¡°Now, now, Ranko, you know I¡¯m not allowed to serve booze to anyone under twenty, little sister.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°I know. I shouldn¡¯t have asked. Sorry, Yui. I¡¯m just kind of a wreck tonight.¡±


    Smirking, Yui bobbed her head again. ¡°Yeah, I know. You¡¯ve been making us all kind of wrecks lately.¡± She spun a shot glass in her hand, sliding it onto the bar with a flair as she tossed the bottle of tequila in her hand over her shoulder. She caught it in her left hand right over the glass, filling it exactly to the brim with the aid of the attached pour spout and cutting the flow off with a little bounce of the bottle.


    The singer opened her mouth to apologize, but Yui spoke over her. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m so frazzled right now that I totally miscounted the number of shots I was supposed to pour. Boy, I sure hope that extra one doesn¡¯t disappear.¡± She grinned impishly at her sister before turning her back, fiddling with the cash register needlessly.


    ¡°Oh, I know. That would be a tragedy,¡± Ranko said with a stifled laugh as she poured the liquid down her throat. Grimacing and shuddering through the bitter taste, the redhead deposited the empty shot glass in the sanitizer and made her way to the stage while the liquid courage still flowed through her.


    Shinji clapped the band¡¯s vocalist on her back through her leather jacket as she ascended the steps. ¡°You ready, kid?¡± They hadn¡¯t been on the best of terms of late, but if there was one thing Shin could relate to her about, it was being pissed off behind a microphone. Beyond that, though, his reasons for excitement weren¡¯t entirely selfless. The song Ranko had written wasn¡¯t her best, but it was pretty good - good enough to get radio airplay if she edited a few of the more colorful lines - and it was the ninth and final original song they¡¯d committed to Yokai to get their first album published. They were due in the studio to record it in the morning, and then the manufacturing process for the cassettes, records and CDs could get under way. Even if the screaming fit Ranko was about to throw was not his favorite thing to perform, in a sense, it was the song he¡¯d been waiting for his whole life.


    ¡°As I¡¯m gonna be.¡± She was glad she encouraged Emi and Hitomi to take the night off. Tonight, she wanted to be the only voice on the stage. Her message to the object of her hatred, unlikely as it ever was to reach him, needed to come from her and her alone. For a second, she wished her father would walk into the bar right then, sit down and order a drink, and serve himself up to be roasted the way Saburo had with Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch. She thought better of it, realizing that if he ever did, she¡¯d probably be unable to stop herself from jumping down from the stage in the middle of her refrain to punch him in the mouth.


    Shinji put down his bass guitar, swapping it out for another electric guitar similar to Crash¡¯s. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s shake this place!¡± He looked over at Crash, and as they made eye contact, they nodded once, twice, and on the third beat, both began extracting an almost heavy-metal rhythm from their instruments. If Ranko was going to get this angry, they were going to give her a soundtrack to match.


    All eating and drinking in the bar stopped, and every head turned to the stage. This wasn¡¯t uncommon when Ranko sang, and it really wasn¡¯t uncommon when it became clear she was going to sing something new, but when it sounded like the bar¡¯s sound system itself was furious with something, the bargoers¡¯ curiosity was more than piqued.


    Ranko closed her eyes, picturing her father¡¯s face, searing the image into her mind¡¯s eye with the fire of her hatred. Her disappointment. Her fear. Her rage.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    This one¡¯s for you, Pop.


    She grabbed the handheld microphone on its stand, tilting the whole stand toward her on its base, and began to all but scream with the beat.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m not what you wanted! I¡¯ll never make you proud! I can see in your face you¡¯re haunted by the way that I work a crowd!¡±


    The crowd whooped, but Ranko did not care. Tonight, she was singing for an audience of one.


    ¡°I know you hate my behavior; think that I¡¯m gonna bring you shame. But you just wanna play the savior so you can force me to play your game! Drives you nuts that I¡¯m a pop star, when you wanted a fucking clone. You want me to leave this dive bar. I want you to LEAVE ME ALONE!¡±


    She took the microphone in both hands, lifting both microphone and stand off the ground. She almost looked prepared to wield the stand as a weapon.


    She did not dance. Dancing was for pop songs. Dancing was for performances. This was not a performance.


    This was a declaration of war.


    ¡°I know you think I¡¯m a FREAK, because I¡¯m NOT LIKE YOU, and I¡¯m not wasting ONE MORE SECOND asking what you¡¯d do! I¡¯m doing it my way! I¡¯m blazing a trail! I¡¯m gonna be the one to own it, even if I fail! Don¡¯t need your permission; I really don¡¯t care! Why would I walk in your footsteps when they lead NOWHERE?!¡±


    Her chest heaved, and she wasn¡¯t sure if it was from anger, or just having spent her air supply bellowing the first refrain. But she couldn¡¯t rest. Not yet. She was just getting started. She¡¯d been waiting to say some of these things since she was seven years old, and tonight, no one on Earth could convince her to do otherwise.


    ¡°You taught me to run and cower every time that the fight got tough. Now, you can¡¯t believe my power! But, you still tell me I¡¯m not enough. You said I should hide my feelings; certain things just should not be faced. Now, I do a bit more healing with every lie of yours I erase!¡±


    Ranko smirked, a sliver of amusement breaking through her rage. Here you go, Fred, she mused in the split second between lines. This was your idea. Let¡¯s give you credit where credit¡¯s due.


    ¡°All of your supposed lessons turned out to be just a fucking joke! My therapist will need a thousand sessions to fix all of the shit you broke!¡±


    The twin electric guitars screamed back into the chorus, and Ranko kicked at the air like she were knocking down a door, violence in her eyes. The audience cheered, but a few of the regulars turned to look around at their fellow patrons with almost concerned expressions on their faces. This was not the cheery, bubbly pop princess that signed autographs with little hearts on everyone¡¯s credit card receipts. This was something else entirely, and the crowd wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of it.


    Behind the service bar, Mei ducked under Izumi¡¯s arm, squeezing her sister around the ribs. It prevented the brunette from working, but neither sister much cared at the moment. ¡°Tell me she¡¯s gonna be okay, Izzi? She¡¯s scaring me.¡±


    Izumi kissed her sister on the top of her head, between her twin pigtails. ¡°We¡¯re gonna make her be okay, Mei. All of us. We¡¯re not going to stop until she¡¯s okay again. It¡¯s what this family does.¡± Izumi looked over Mei¡¯s shoulder at Yui, despair in her eyes on her youngest sister¡¯s behalf, and the pair exchanged resolute nods of commitment.


    ¡°I know you think I¡¯m a FREAK, and yeah, it¡¯s probably true, but every single thing I HATE in me came STRAIGHT FROM YOU! Man, I gave you a chance, but now it¡¯s finally my turn! I¡¯ve still got a lot of stuff I¡¯ve gotta go unlearn!¡±


    She packed her lungs, and Ariel instinctively slid the gain down slightly on her microphone. They¡¯d nearly blown the speakers on this line in rehearsals, and she hadn''t been performing with half as much energy and vitriol then.


    ¡°So, GET OUT OF MY FACE! Yeah, I¡¯m DRAWING THE LINE! You¡¯ve already WASTED YOUR LIFE, AND YOU CAN¡¯T! HAVE! MINE!¡±


    Ranko quaked, gripping the microphone with white knuckles. Watching her from his seated position at the back of the stage with great concern, Ken wasn¡¯t entirely sure if she was going to sing the third verse through it, or start smashing things with the weighted metal base. Sneak and Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch were angry songs. Ken knew what she looked like singing angry songs. This was something different. This was pure, unadulterated, unfiltered, seething fury.


    Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for the third verse. She¡¯d been hesitant to include this one, risky as it was, but she was fairly confident she¡¯d been vague enough to safely say what she needed to say the most. The true reason her father would never accept the person she was or the life she¡¯d built.


    ¡°You hate that I¡¯m not a good girl. I¡¯ll never be some submissive toy. But I¡¯m here to tell the whole world: you¡¯re still pissed that I¡¯m not a boy! I can¡¯t be the son you hoped for. I know it¡¯s tearing you apart! All that I can say is, COPE MORE, ¡®cause this GIRL¡¯s a fucking WORK OF ART!¡±


    More than half the crowd, including the majority of the men, roared at her acknowledgement of her feminine self. None of them had any idea what she truly meant, or how truly heartbroken she was by it all. With that line, it had become undeniable that it was her father she was singing about, and more than a few of them had their own share of parental rejection in their past. They understood her hurt.


    ¡°You think I¡¯ll bow down to you, man; always wanted me to think I¡¯m less. But I can do so much more than you can, and I can do it in a cocktail dress!¡±


    Leaving no time for applause, she roared into the next refrain. Her enraged vociferation nearly managed to drown out both guitars despite their audio levels being maxed out on Ariel¡¯s board.


    ¡°I know you think I¡¯m a FREAK because I don¡¯t want you here, but I don¡¯t need another dose of POISON in my ear! Calling me worthless. Saying I¡¯m a disgrace. Telling me to be respectful and to learn my place. I won¡¯t say that I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t apologize for REFUSING TO BE EVERYTHING THAT I DESPISE!¡±


    Honestly, Pop, Ranko thought to herself in the mere seconds before the fourth verse began. I¡¯m honestly surprised I haven¡¯t seen you long before now, and this is why. A bowl of rice and two pickles? For a fucking rock star? Fuck you forever, old man.


    ¡°I know that you¡¯re disappointed. You think that you¡¯ve been betrayed, just ¡®cause I won¡¯t be exploited. I¡¯m not a trinket for you to trade! You think I¡¯ll be your big ticket, marry me off to some wealthy guy. Let me tell you where you can stick it - and here¡¯s a spoiler: it AIN¡¯T YOUR EYE!¡±


    She blinked hard. Ariel had adjusted the overhead stage lights before the show, and one of them kept catching her in the corner of her right eye. She swore to herself that it was the reason that water kept running from it unbidden.


    ¡°You just wanna hitch your wagon to a star that drives the masses wild. Think I¡¯ll want YOU when I¡¯m a DRAGON? YOU DIDN¡¯T EVEN WANT ME AS YOUR CHILD!¡±


    Between the soreness of her throat after three minutes of yelling at the top of her lungs and the way she quivered with explosive indignation, her voice warbled a bit unevenly as she bellowed the final few refrains. Angry tears rolled down her cheeks, blending with the red eyeliner Izumi had used to give her the warrior look she sought. To the audience, it seemed as if the girl on the stage was crying tears of blood, and she honestly felt like she might be.


    ¡°I know you think I¡¯m a FREAK! That¡¯s why you treat me like TRASH! You BURNED ME UP, but surprise, asshole! I ROSE FROM THE ASH! You wanna fight for me now, but I am not afraid! I¡¯ve worked too damned hard at cleaning up this mess you made! And the further I go now, the more that I find, the only way that I move forward¡¯s LEAVING YOU BEHIND!¡±


    Off behind the empty VIP table, in the corner by the entrance to the restrooms where the pool table used to be, six wooden tables were piled atop each other to make room for more standing patrons. It was normal on big show nights, even though it blocked off most access to the side door between the back of the room and the kitchen. Standing behind the tables alone, out of view of the three hundred customers, her three daughters working the bar, and the teenager spitting her heart out in the back of her bar, Hana quietly wept.


    I swear to all the gods in the sky, baby girl. Give me five minutes with that motherfucker. I¡¯ll choke the life out of him myself. I¡¯m so sorry I didn¡¯t find you sooner, honey. I¡¯m so sorry you had to live through that. You deserve so much more, little star.


    ¡°I know you think I¡¯m a freak, but you¡¯re the one that¡¯s to blame! All I did was shape the iron you threw in the flame! I¡¯m not like anyone else. Not made of porcelain or gold, but everything I love in life came ¡®cause I broke your mold! I¡¯M NOT ASHAMED OF MYSELF! I¡¯VE GOT NO REASON TO HIDE! You stole everything else good from me, BUT NOT MY PRIDE!¡±


    Yui whooped behind the bar, holding up a shot glass in salute before draining it down her gullet. You¡¯re damn right, Ranko. You fight, girl. You fight like hell, and we¡¯ve got your back.


    ¡°I know you think I¡¯m a FREAK, and all my fans think it too! The only difference is, they love me - why the hell can¡¯t YOU?!¡±


    Ranko dug her heels into the stage as if expecting a charge. This far, asshole. No further. I will not yield.


    ¡°This is just who I am. There¡¯s no regret, and no guilt. The only NORMAL life I¡¯ve ever known¡¯s the one I¡¯ve built! I¡¯m standing my ground! I¡¯m gonna live life out loud!¡±


    She threw her right fist in the air, as she would normally end Rise with. You ignite, and you rise, Kumiko. You¡¯re right. Your friend¡¯s pretty smart sometimes, when she manages to get out of her own way.


    ¡°And if that makes me a FREAK, this FREAK IS FUCKING PROUD!¡±


    Ranko glared out at the crowd, as if any one of them could have been Genma Saotome in disguise. Not since the fight in the alley with Mikado had she felt such an all-encompassing rancor. Such a perfect, crystalline hate. Sometimes, her heart barely had room for Akane in it anymore, so full was it with an oily, toxic sludge of malice and contempt. It terrified her. It had to stop.


    ¡°I KNOW YOU THINK I¡¯M A FREAK, and I guess that¡¯s how I¡¯ll stay! PUT YOURSELF OUT OF MY MISERY AND GO AWAY!¡±


    Any trace of her singing voice was gone. All she could do was scream in desperate defiance of the demons in her head.


    Her body shaking like a bowstring ready to release, she lifted the microphone stand horizontally over her head with both hands, throwing it downward to the stage platform at her feet with a guttural roar. The loud thump of the hot microphone hitting the floor, followed by the ear-splitting screech of feedback as it rolled toward the speakers, pierced the bar room until Ariel cut the sound from his mixing board. About seventy percent of the crowd cheered loudly for the new song¡¯s debut. The other thirty percent looked around the room at each other in horror, trying to contextualize the emotional breakdown they¡¯d just witnessed.


    Ranko did not bow to the crowd. She turned her back to the bar, facing her bandmates and friends. As the fire in her eyes gave way to the waterfalls, her best friend slung his guitar to his back in one fluid motion and rushed forward. The vocalist tripped on an audio cable, utterly spent of any remaining scintilla of energy. Crash caught her as she fell, holding her limp body tightly in his arms as she cried.

 107. Sizzle

    ¡°So, this is the place, huh?¡±


    The young woman pulled open the heavy glass door, on which a large firebird in a trapezoid was painted in red paint that had just begun to peel. Immediately, the thundering rhythm of pop music slammed into her eardrums, and the heavy bassline was almost overwhelming. She was quite impressed at how effectively the brick walls of the building managed to prevent the sound from escaping out to the sidewalk beyond. She wondered if that also had the effect of making it louder inside, because it was almost more than she could tolerate.


    The brunette was clad in a pair of kelly green denim jeans and a navy blue sweater. Dress casual, her friend had told her. It¡¯s a party bar; you¡¯re coming to a concert. Take the damn night off. She hoped this was what Ranko had in mind, as she wasn¡¯t used to this sort of thing. Though she was covered from wrists to ankles, she felt positively naked without an oversized okonomiyaki peel strapped to her back.


    Ukyo surveyed the room tentatively. Nearly every table and standing space was packed full, and the room was dark save for the colored lights spinning their way around from the ceiling in time with the music. She chastised herself for her foolish expectation; at her place or the ramen joint Shampoo used to run, the staff would just run up to you and get you settled the second you walked in the door. In the chaos of this place, she was relatively certain she could have walked in with a giraffe on a leash and it would take the staff a half an hour to notice.


    She wished Ranko would come out and say hello. She felt so out of her element, and she could use a friend to guide her through the unfamiliar environment. In the meantime, she closed her eyes, trying to let the music distract her from the rest of the claustrophobic scene. She hadn¡¯t heard the song before, but whoever the bar had gotten to sing tonight was really good. After only a few seconds, she was able to pick up on the simple call-and-response that the rest of the bar¡¯s patrons seemed to be clued into, and the next time the crowd was summoned to sing along, Ukyo joined them.


    ¡°Na, na-na, na, na, na-na, not yours!¡±


    Feeling a bit more centered, Ukyo opened her eyes and scanned the crowd, focusing on anyone who seemed to be standing and moving around. She knew Ranko waited tables, so that was the most likely place to find her. She saw one really short girl with bright blue pigtails carrying a tray full of drinks, and another server that, for a split second before she disappeared into the crowd, Ukyo could have sworn looked just like Akane.


    ¡°You think that this is bad? Just wait, ¡®cause here¡¯s something for you to know: As soon as I get down from here, I¡¯m headin¡¯ to the studio.¡±


    Ukyo sighed. What¡¯s the point of inviting me if you¡¯re not gonna notice I¡¯m here, Ranko? She began to push her way tentatively through the crowd. She hoped to at least get a better view of the stage, and hopefully find an empty table.


    ¡°And once it¡¯s on that record, no one ever will forget it. I¡¯d sign your copy for ya, if you weren¡¯t too broke to get it!¡±


    The blue-haired girl buzzed by again, carrying a steaming pizza high above her head. It ain¡¯t okonomiyaki, but I gotta say, it doesn¡¯t smell half bad, Ukyo thought. She spied an empty table near the stage; it seemed to have a sign on it indicating it was reserved, but at least there was room around it to stand. She headed in its direction, slicing through the crowd arduously.


    ¡°You could have just accepted no, and moved on to some other bitch, but now? Your gravestone¡¯s gonna say, here lies that asshole Ranko ditched!¡±


    Ukyo¡¯s eyes snapped up to the stage. Wait, Ranko? Sure enough, she hadn¡¯t recognized her friend from the entrance of the bar, but the girl in the black jeans, red tee shirt and black leather jacket roaring into the microphone was indeed the person that until a few weeks ago, she had known as Ranma Saotome. Well, I¡¯ll be a son of a bitch. She really does sing.


    ¡°Well, well, look what the cat dragged in.¡±


    Ukyo whirled, finding herself face-to-face with the girl who had for over a year been her primary rival for Ranma¡¯s affection. The one who won, Ukyo thought, only a little sadly. Ran-chan¡¯s happy, and I guess that¡¯s all that matters in the end.


    ¡°Akane.¡±


    The server looked Ukyo over, hoping it didn¡¯t come off too judgmentally. ¡°Hi! Ranko told me she ran into you at the cheerleading thing. How¡¯ve you been?¡±


    Ukyo crossed her arms across her chest, suddenly finding herself wishing she¡¯d not left her spatula at home. ¡°I¡¯m good, Akane. Ranko says you¡¯re good, too. But¡­ are we good? You and me?¡± Somehow, I don¡¯t think Ran-chan invited me here to fuck up her fiancee, but that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t if I have to.


    ¡°Ukyo, I¡­¡± Akane¡¯s eyes snapped back at the stage as the sound of a whip snapping sparked from the speakers, followed by the deep thump that accompanied the hot mic drop that was now the signature way Ranko ended Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get you a table.¡±


    Akane led her former rival to the empty VIP table in the corner closest to the stage, and Ukyo slipped into a chair facing the stage. Akane set her serving tray down and took a seat as well, with her back to it. For this, I think the girls won¡¯t mind me taking my break a few minutes early.


    Akane sighed quietly, summoning her nerves. ¡°Look, Ukyo. I know you had feelings for Ranma, before. Maybe you still do, I don¡¯t know. And¡­ speaking as someone who lost her for months, who didn¡¯t even know if she was alive, I get it. I do. I know I¡¯d be broken-hearted if I was sitting here right now, and it was your ring Ranko was wearing and not mine. She misses you, and she wants to be your friend. I support it, as long as you understand that she¡¯s made her choice. She¡¯s going to be my wife in a few months. Please don¡¯t make things any more complicated for her than they already are.¡± I have my hands full keeping an eye on Crash as it is.


    Ukyo nodded solemnly. ¡°I know. I only got to talk to her briefly, but¡­ there was a light in her eyes I never saw before, and, as much as I hate to admit it, I¡¯m pretty sure a good chunk of it was you. I want her to be happy, and if she says she trusts you, I¡¯ll try to trust you, too. So, I¡¯ll make this agreement with you, Akane. I won¡¯t flirt with her - not intentionally, anyway. I¡¯ll be her friend, and I¡¯ll keep her secrets about her past. I¡¯ll show up and cry at your wedding.¡±


    Ukyo brushed her beribboned ponytail back over her shoulder. She folded her hands and laced her fingers matter-of-factly, sitting forward with a lean over the table to make the seriousness of her statement plain. ¡°And in return, you need to understand that if I ever see that girl cry, even one time, because you hurt her, hit her, cheated on her, or betrayed her, all bets are off, and there is nowhere on this earth you will be able to hide from me.¡±


    Akane reached her hand across the table with a relieved smile. ¡°You¡¯ve got a deal.¡±


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    Ukyo extended her arm and gave Akane¡¯s hand a little shake, trying not to glare too jealously at the ring on her left hand that matched the one she¡¯d seen on Ranko¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s so weird, seeing her up there like¡­ that. Like, what happened to her?¡±


    Akane smiled broadly. ¡°Ukyo, I don¡¯t know if you can fully understand from just one conversation how much different she is than the person you knew. It¡¯s not like she changed her name, bought a couple dresses, and that was that. She¡¯s fundamentally not the same human being anymore. The things that make her happy, the things that scare her, the things she wants¡­ sometimes I have a hard time remembering that the person who used to be Ranma is even in there somewhere. And I can tell she¡¯s trying as hard as she can to forget.¡± Especially these days.


    ¡°How do you deal with it?¡± Ukyo smiled up over Akane¡¯s shoulder as Ranko waved to her from the stage, in the middle of some song about sneaking somewhere that the brunette hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to.


    Akane beamed, swiveling in her chair a bit to look up at her prize. Despite how empty her heart had been since learning her biological parents had taken a renewed interest in her, Ranko almost always found a way to smile somehow when she set foot on that stage. It did Akane good to see a little bit of happiness in her lover¡¯s eyes, as it had been so rare of late. ¡°I try to let her lead. She¡¯s exploring uncharted territory every day, and sometimes, the best thing I can do is follow her around and marvel with her as she discovers something new about herself. She¡¯s making her whole life up as she goes along, and it¡¯s¡­¡± Akane chuckled. ¡°Ukyo, it¡¯s fucking adorable.¡±


    Ukyo¡¯s attention was drawn back to the stage as a stunningly high note poured through the speakers, emitted from the person who had once been her fiancee, a lifetime ago.


    ¡°If I¡¯m so good for you, why do you sneak?¡±


    Ranko waved to the crowd from the stage as the song ended, flanked by both of her backup singers. ¡°Hope everybody¡¯s having fun tonight! We¡¯re gonna take a quick break, because I¡¯m pretty sure Jake¡¯s gonna die if we don¡¯t get a beer in him. See you soon, Phoenix!¡±


    Ukyo motioned to the stage with her neck, trying her best to give Akane a disarming smile. ¡°Go. See your girl.¡±


    Nodding, Akane stood, darting toward the steps at the edge of the stage. As soon as Ranko¡¯s feet touched the hardwood barroom floor, Akane¡¯s arms were around her partner. Akane felt a little guilty, conscious that she might be acting just a little more showy about her affection than usual in order to rub it in Ukyo¡¯s face. She quickly forgave herself on the basis that Ranko could use the extra attention anyway of late.


    Akane wasn¡¯t wrong, given the emotional tempest that lurked just under the spritely facade her songstress fiancee was doing her best to present. Ranko knew she¡¯d weirded the crowd out pretty badly the other day with her first performance of Freak, and she didn¡¯t need her fans starting to really get worried about her. She had her hands full dealing with her hovering family as it was. It felt nice, seeing how hard everyone was trying to help her, but the happiest she¡¯d been since finding out Nodoka was in town was when she could forget it for a few hours without someone bringing up how scared or stressed she must be.


    ¡°I see Ukyo made it! Are you two playing nice?¡± Ranko smiled hopefully at her fiancee.


    Akane nodded with a grin. ¡°So far. She says I¡¯m not allowed to hurt you.¡±


    Squeezing her lover tight, Ranko leaned into Akane¡¯s ear and spoke as quietly as she could and still hope to be heard over the Michael Jackson song that pounded from the speakers during the band¡¯s break. ¡°Not even if I ask really nice?¡±


    ¡°Ranko!¡± Akane gasped and gave her a playful, ever-so-gentle swat on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re so bad!¡±


    Biting her lip, Ranko cracked a coy smile. ¡°Mm. Just like that, Akane!¡±


    ¡°You little shit, I¡¯m gonna get you!¡± Akane giggled, putting her arm around Ranko and leading her toward the VIP table as the remainder of the Dapper Dragons began descending the steps.


    ¡°Uk-chan! You made it!¡± The brunette chef stood as Ranko pulled her into a tight hug. ¡°What do you think? I mean, it¡¯s not the fanciest bar in the world, but it¡¯s home. Did you catch any songs?¡±


    ¡°Here and there.¡± Ukyo turned her eyes to Ranko¡¯s companion as the three took their seats around the VIP table. ¡°Me and Akane were having a chat.¡±


    ¡°Well, stick around, and I¡¯ll bust out some of my favorites for you. We just did a pretty full set, but around here, nobody seems to mind if I repeat the greatest hits.¡± Holy fuck, Ranko thought to herself. I actually have hits. Plural.


    ¡±Gods, it¡¯s crazy to see you in here! Like, old world meets new world, ya know?¡± Ranko beamed, looking around at every beer ad and bar stool in the place proudly, as if they were treasured heirlooms and souvenirs of a life well-lived.


    Ukyo smiled, fully understanding the look in her former fiancee¡¯s eyes. She¡¯d had to reboot everything in her life before, too, and she knew how big a deal it was to be able to take pride in even the littlest things again. There was a certain demeanor about her that Ukyo recognized. When a person had paid for every centimeter of ground they¡¯d gained in blood and tears, they just looked at things with a different measure of appreciation and gravitas.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s really good to see you this happy, Ran-chan. Ranko. I gotta get used to that! But seriously. If there¡¯s anybody who deserved a chance to start over¡­¡±


    ¡°I have my good days and bad,¡± Ranko said wistfully. The last few, not so great. ¡°But this place? These girls? Music? Things with Akane?¡± Ranko flushed brightly, looking down at the table a bit and fiddling idly with the red ribbon in her hair. ¡°... Other things? It couldn¡¯t be better, Ukyo. It¡¯s everything I could have wanted, and I never even knew I wanted most of it. Stuff I would never have even dared to dream.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t be happier for you, Ranko. Really. But hold that thought a second?¡± Ukyo stood, looking around the crowded room as people took advantage of the band¡¯s break to order drinks or change their vantage point of the stage. ¡°Where the hell is the bathroom in this place, anyway?¡± Finally spying the restroom sign just beyond the stage in the direction Ranko pointed, Ukyo hurried in its direction, trying to beat the throng of revelers who apparently had the same idea for how to spend the band¡¯s break.


    She was just a few steps from the door with the feminine icon on it when something slammed hard into her left side, knocking her off her feet. She yelped as her hip hit the floor with a loud thwack, and she looked up into the bright stage lighting, shielding her eyes with her hand in an effort to better make out what had upended her. ¡°What the hell?!¡±


    As her eyes adjusted to the light, she could make out the figure of a tall blonde man offering a hand down to her. ¡°Shit, I¡¯m really sorry! Are you okay,¡± the man asked with a smile.


    Blushing, Ukyo took the hand that was offered, letting herself be pulled to her feet. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alright, just¡­ watch where you¡¯re going, okay?¡± She corralled a few strands of hair that had been knocked free of the white ribbon restraining her ponytail and tucked them behind her ear.


    ¡°I saw you hanging with Akane and Ranko in VIP. Friend of the family or something?¡± He tousled his hair nervously.


    ¡°You could say that.¡± Ukyo smiled up at the young man, brushing off her jeans. ¡°Me and Ran-chan go way back. Name¡¯s Ukyo. Ukyo Kuonji.¡±


    With a grin, the guitarist nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to bump into you, Ukyo Kuonji. My friends call me Crash.¡± He blushed a little bit. ¡°So I guess if I don¡¯t give you any other name, you¡¯ll have no choice but to be my friend.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, Crash,¡± the brunette replied with a nod and a shy, simpering smile.


    ¡°Are you seeing this, Ranko?¡± Ranko looked up from the basket of chicken tenders she¡¯d just set about devouring as Akane nudged her with her elbow.


    The redhead turned, watching as Ukyo and Crash took turns laughing and blushing out of earshot. Gasping, her head rocketed back around to face Akane with her jaw hanging open. ¡°No fucking way! You don¡¯t think¡­?¡±


    Akane flashed a satisfied smirk. Gods, I hope so. Two birds with one stone.

 108. It Doesnt Add Up

    ¡°Forty-two.¡±


    Ayako shook her head, sighing in frustration. ¡°No, honey. It¡¯s nineteen. See, we subtract x from both sides, and¡­¡±


    Ranko shrugged, crossing her arms over the chest of her purple dress. What do you expect, Aya, making me come in early on a Sunday to do math? And when Akane¡¯s got an important volleyball game I could be at instead? ¡°Nabiki says 42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything. Well, this is part of everything.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to take this seriously, little sister?¡± Ayako tossed her pencil in the air with an exasperated laugh. ¡°You¡¯ve got to pass this class, unless you want to be cheerleading at Yusue until you¡¯re forty.¡±


    ¡°Forty-two,¡± Ranko said with a little giggle. ¡°Honestly, Aya, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to take it serious, I just don¡¯t get it at all. Like, I was having a hard enough time with numbers and then they went and put letters in there too, just to fuck with me. Next year, if they try to make me divide by the kanji for squirrel, I swear, Ayako, I¡¯m out.¡±


    ¡°Alright, look. Let¡¯s go back to the beginning.¡± Ayako took a sip from her soda through a plastic straw, careful not to let the condensation from the glass make contact with Ranko¡¯s homework. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ve got an idea.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eldest sister disappeared into the Phoenix kitchen, returning to the round VIP table with a large tray of lemons for the night¡¯s service and a handful of styrofoam takeout containers.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna cut garnishes? I mean, that seems more productive than this, but I don¡¯t get how it¡¯s s¡¯posedta make me pass math.¡± Ranko shrugged, putting her feet up on the empty chair between herself and Ayako as her sister retook her seat.


    Ayako set the tray on the seat of one of the chairs, hiding it under the table. She picked up a handful of lemons, throwing some of them into one of the takeout containers and closing it in her lap, out of Ranko¡¯s view. Placing the styrofoam container and four lemons on the table, she tapped Ranko¡¯s foot to get her attention. ¡°Okay. So, you know you¡¯ve got four lemons right here. You see that?¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°I suck at math, Aya, but I can count¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay. Now.¡± Ayako shook the container, letting it make a little tumbling noise. ¡°So, we know there¡¯s some lemons in this box, but we don¡¯t know how many. Right?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Great. So if you know you have ten lemons total, how many are in the box?¡± Ayako smiled hopefully. Please get this, honey. I can¡¯t dumb it down any more for you.


    ¡°Six. Duh!¡± Ranko laughed. ¡°When are you gonna get to the hard stuff?¡±


    With a wide smile, Ayako offered a high-five to her little sister. ¡°Yes! Now, walk me through it. How¡¯d you figure it out?¡±


    Ranko scoffed dismissively. ¡°Well, if I know I have ten lemons, and I know about these four here¡­¡± She reached over the table, picking them up and taking them off the table. ¡°Then there has to be six in the box. Right? What am I missing here?¡±


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    Grinning, Akayo nodded. ¡°Nothing. That¡¯s exactly right. Now, watch.¡± Using one of her fingernails, Ayako scratched two perpendicular diagonal lines into the lid of the styrofoam box. ¡°There. Now this box is x.¡±


    She picked up her pencil, writing x + 4 = 10 on a blank page in Ranko¡¯s notebook. ¡°So, you knew you had ten lemons.¡± She pointed at the 10 with the tip of the pencil. ¡°You knew about four of them, so we can remove that from the table, and from the total.¡± She wrote a -4 on each side of the equality sign. ¡°Now, the four on the table are gone¡­¡± She scratched out the two numerals on the left side of the equation. ¡°... and there¡¯s four less that could be in the box, too. So what are we left with?¡± She scratched out the + 4 and the - 4 from the left side of the equation indicating they had canceled each other out.


    Ranko sat up, her eyes widening. ¡°X equals six.¡±


    ¡°There you go! See, honey, it¡¯s not magic! It¡¯s just using symbols to describe common sense.¡± Ayako grinned, picking up another styrofoam container and etching another cross into its lid. She pulled it under the table, putting a few fruits in it and returning it to the tabletop, before picking up the box that had already been there and adjusting the number of fruits in it as well.


    ¡°Okay. So if we have two boxes with the same number of lemons, and you have 8 total lemons, how many are in each box?¡±


    ¡°Four. You just take half the numbers, and that¡¯s it. Easy!¡± Ranko smiled as Ayako wrote the equivalent 2x = 8 formula in the notebook and walked through the division that matched Ranko¡¯s logic.


    ¡°Are you girls just about done with my ingredients?¡± A laugh came from behind the counter, and Ayako looked up with a grin. ¡°Not right now, mama! We¡¯re making progress over here!¡±


    ¡°Okay, Ranko, now what about this?¡± Ayako put three more lemons on the table, leaving the boxes unchanged. ¡°Now you¡¯ve got 11 lemons. What would you do?¡±


    Ranko beamed, relieved to be starting to understand. ¡°Well, first I¡¯d get rid of the three, and then be back to just the bo¡­¡± She was interrupted by a loud buzzing coming from the kitchen.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Hana called out as she scrubbed the inside of Yui¡¯s well. ¡°Could one of you girls get that? It¡¯s probably just the beer keg guy, but I¡¯m up to my elbows in suds.¡±


    Ranko stood, grinning at Ayako gratefully. ¡°I got it, Mom.¡±


    Hana nodded, tossing the scrub brush back in the sink and wiping her brow with her forearm. ¡°Thanks, baby.¡±


    Pushing through the blue saloon doors, Ranko hummed to herself as she approached the steel door leading out through the back of the kitchen into the alleyway. She pushed the door open, finding no one in the alley at all.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    She stepped through the door into the alley, craning her neck to look around for whomever might have rung the doorbell. A prank? Did somebody get lost? She frowned at the sight of the square wooden table still leaning against the dumpster, the one she¡¯d broken a few days prior in front of a customer in a fit of despair. I really gotta get better control of myself. I still can¡¯t believe I did that. Freakin¡¯ stupid.


    ¡°Hello?!¡± Ranko held her skirt down as a gust of wind whistled past her, tickling her bare legs. But it wasn¡¯t the sudden chill of the air that made her freeze, it was the gravely masculine voice that came from behind a pile of empty plastic soda pallets over her left shoulder. One that was all too familiar. One she¡¯d heard in her nightmares every night for weeks.


    ¡°Hello, Ranma.¡±

 109. Ambushed

    ¡°I was wondering when you were gonna find your balls and show up, old man. Seriously? Ringing the doorbell and running? What are you, eight?¡± Despite her cocky exterior, Ranko¡¯s heart pounded in her chest as her eyes scanned the alleyway for options. What am I gonna do? Mom and Ayako are in there right now!


    ¡°Ranma, my boy, we need to talk.¡± The figure of Genma Saotome emerged from behind the pallets, and he tightened the belt of his ivory gi as he approached her.


    ¡°Newsflash, asshole! Do I look like a boy to you? You ain¡¯t shit to me anymore! Get the hell out of here, man! I don¡¯t want you around me or my family!¡± Ranko dug her heels into the gravel beneath her feet, her eyes keenly watching her father¡¯s every breath for a telegraphed attack.


    ¡°Your family?¡± Genma laughed. ¡°I¡¯m your father, boy. I¡¯m your family.¡±


    Ranko scoffed, taking a step back as he approached her. ¡°Father? Please. Sperm donor, at best! You have no idea what family means, old man. No clue at all!¡±


    Letting her insult go for the moment, Genma continued closing the distance between himself and his child. ¡°I presume you¡¯ve heard by now that your mother¡¯s looking for you.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s muscles shook with tension. Though she did not assume a fighting stance, every cell in her body was prepared to spring into action if necessary. She stepped forward, icily spitting her response as she pointed back toward the building. ¡°My mother¡¯s right inside that door. Where she¡¯s always been, because she didn¡¯t fucking abandon me!¡±


    ¡°Abandon?¡± Genma laughed, slipping his hands into the pockets of his gi pants. ¡°Pretty strong words, considering you¡¯re the one who ran away like a coward. Like a girl.¡±


    Ranko scoffed. ¡°I do everything like a girl now, man. And I¡¯ve never been happier. You say that shit like it¡¯s supposed to be an insult, and I guess it used to feel like one, before I knew better. But you know what? I¡¯m proud of doing things like a girl. I like doing things like a girl. I sing like a girl. I dance like a girl. I dress like a girl. I talk like a girl. I fight like a girl. I think like a girl. I am loved like a girl.¡±


    Her sinister smile widened slightly as the discomfort evident on his face grew. A part of her almost wished she¡¯d known in advance that he¡¯d pick that Sunday to show up. She might have put on makeup or a cuter dress, just to drive the knife a little deeper into his heart.


    ¡°And let me tell you something else, old man. Damn near everybody in my life is a girl, and there¡¯s not a single one of them that doesn¡¯t have their shit together more than you do. That isn¡¯t stronger, and smarter, and more capable. Happier. Better. If being a girl means being like them, and being a guy means being like you, well, then it¡¯s the easiest choice I¡¯ve ever made. If you¡¯re what a guy is supposed to be, and Hana is what a woman is supposed to be, Jusenkyo should have a waiting list four fucking years long!¡± It felt strange to even refer to Hana by her name; she hadn¡¯t been anything other than Mom to Ranko in months, but given that Nodoka Saotome was an unseen part of the conversation, she felt it important to clarify exactly whom it was she idolized. She wanted to leave no doubt.


    ¡°Yes, I can see that you think that way, boy. These women have tamed you, I suppose. Such a shame, how far you¡¯ve fallen. I¡¯ve seen you in the newspaper. The way you dress, the way you¡­ perform like that. It¡¯s disgusting. Shameful.¡± Genma shook his head. ¡°Certainly nothing no son of mine would do.¡±


    ¡°Look at that, Genma.¡° She spat his name out at him as if it were acid burning her tongue. ¡°Nineteen and a half years, and we finally agree on something, because I am no anything of yours. Not your son, not your daughter, not your student. Not nothin¡¯. Not anymore. I¡¯m your complete fucking stranger, man!¡± Not yours. Don¡¯t touch.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand you, Ranma. You wanted to be the greatest martial artist who ever lived. Heir to both Schools of Anything-Goes Martial Arts. A man among men. You were so close! What happened?!¡± Genma shrugged in exasperation, sitting on one of the plastic patio chairs Ranko had placed out in the alley last month for Crash and Shinji¡¯s smoke breaks.


    The teen¡¯s glare grew even icier. ¡°You happened. You and your training. And now, Ranma Saotome is dead, and the last thought that went through his head was that he wanted to die. To be free of you. To make room for me. And now? People chant my name every day, and I know it¡¯s killing you that it''s not Saotome they¡¯re screaming. It¡¯s the name of the family I¡¯m going to marry into. The family that has honor. The family that actually wants me - the me that I am now, not the one I¡¯ve spent the last two years running from. That ain¡¯t ever gonna be you. Your whole miserable bloodline is over, old man! Thousands of years of Saotomes, and it¡¯s all going to end because of you! So hurry up and die alone, and leave me be!¡±


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    ¡°How can you¡­¡± Genma shook his head in disbelief. What have they done to you, boy? ¡°How could you possibly say you¡¯re happy like¡­ that?¡± He motioned with his hand to her dress. ¡°This is nothing like you! Did you hit your head or something? What¡¯s gotten into you?!¡±


    Ranko glared, shivering from the ice in her veins. How dare you even think what I am now is less than what I was then. How fucking dare you. ¡°This is what I am. You know we tried everything we could to reverse what that Amazon bitch did to me. This was all there was ever going to be for me. I could choose to be miserable about it forever, or I could decide to try to make the best of it for myself. Relearn everything. Start over. Find a way to live. And along the way, the hardest thing I¡¯ve had to learn wasn¡¯t how to put on makeup or make potstickers. It was coming to grips with the fact that basically everything you ever taught me about life was wrong, and figuring out how to dump it all out of my head somehow. That¡¯s what you don¡¯t get. You¡¯ll never understand it. I¡¯m not just different than I used to be, man. I¡¯m better. So much better. Better than Ranma. Better than you. If you brought me the Spring of Drowned Man in a jar right now, I¡¯d dump it out in the fucking street.¡±


    She fiddled idly with the silver bracelet that concealed the scar on her left wrist. ¡°Ranma followed your example, and so he deserved to be erased from all existence. The woman I am today is better than any man that a man like you could have ever made me, and I¡¯m getting better all the time, to boot. I know it disgusts you. Good! If I had any doubt left I was doing the right thing, seeing how much it¡¯s killing you is all the proof I need that it is! Why can¡¯t you just deal with it? I. Am. A. Woman. Everything¡¯s perfect. Everything¡¯s normal. Everything works.¡± Even a few things I wish didn¡¯t, a few days a month. ¡°I¡¯m not a freak anymore, man. I¡¯m just a girl. Why can¡¯t you just let me have that?! Just let me go!¡±


    ¡°You should know me better than that, boy. We¡¯ve got ourselves a problem, and I¡¯m not leaving until you agree to come back with me and help me deal with your mother. You¡¯ve had your fun, but it¡¯s time to man up and face your responsibilities now.¡± Genma leaned back in the plastic chair, the back of his head gently bonking into the red brick wall.


    ¡°You do realize how dumb you sound asking me to man up, right? Like, even if I could go back - and I can¡¯t - why would I? I¡¯m happy like this. I know you can¡¯t understand. I¡¯m not asking you to. I don¡¯t need your understanding. I only need that from people I actually respect. Your wife doesn¡¯t know where to find me. She wouldn¡¯t recognize me if she saw me, and you can¡¯t tell her who I am without admitting how spectacularly you failed when you put me in this position in the first place.¡± Ranko leaned on the brick wall of the building, crossing her arms and ankles confidently. ¡°From where I¡¯m standing, you¡¯re lookin¡¯ pretty fucked, old man. If I were you, I¡¯d get the hell out of town and never look back!¡±


    ¡°You know it¡¯s not that simple, Ranma. She¡¯ll come for you, too, eventually. It¡¯s not just me. I¡¯m trying to help you, boy.¡± The singer¡¯s father stood, reaching for her shoulder. ¡°Come home, and we can deal with this together. Maybe you can even come back here after, if you insist.¡±


    Ranko stepped aside, dodging his hand. Her calm facade finally gave way to the roiling disgust that churned in her guts like bad sushi. ¡°That¡¯s NOT my name, and I¡¯m NOT a boy! Don¡¯t you understand me? Ranma Saotome is dead! He¡¯s DEAD! He¡¯s never coming back, ever! Not for you, not for some bitch I don¡¯t even know, NOBODY! And, besides, I am home! The only real home I¡¯ve ever known! This is my life! I have everything I want right here!¡±


    I am wanted. I have worth. I have people who love me. I am wanted. I have worth. I have people who love me.


    ¡°You and I are done! For good! Goodbye, old man!¡±


    Ranko started to turn her back, but Genma roared after her. ¡°I said you¡¯re coming back with me, Ranma! Don¡¯t make me force you, for both our sakes! I¡¯ll fight you if I have to, and you know you can¡¯t win! Not like that!¡±


    He reached for her shoulder again, but Ranko spun, swatting his hand away. Using the momentum from her spin, she propelled herself up off the loose gravel that blanketed the alleyway, continuing her rotation into a roundhouse kick that struck her father across the cheek and sent him sprawling into the broken cherry table that lay on its side near the dumpster. The aging martial artist¡¯s body snapped the square tabletop cleanly in half. Genma slumped to the ground on his stomach between the two pieces of wood as they rattled to a stop with a hollow clatter that echoed between the buildings that made up the alleyway.


    The young woman stood over him as he rolled over onto his back, her eyes aflame. ¡°My name¡­ is¡­ RANKO! TENDO! I am the youngest daughter of Hana Takahashi! I am a disciple of the one and only School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, under Master Akane Tendo!¡±


    Every cell in her body tensed to its maximum, quivering with potential energy and compounded fury, awaiting only the slightest excuse to explode. Ranko dropped into the krav maga active fighting stance, raising both of her arms in front of herself with bent elbows and open palms. She pulled her left foot behind her right, bending her knees with her heels off the ground. It was the most aggressive martial art style she knew, and by assuming that particular stance, she made her mind perfectly clear to the man who had once been her sensei. Who had once been her father.


    She was prepared to kill.


    ¡°AND I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE!¡±

 110. A Blessing and a Curse

    Genma Saotome stood, brushing off his gi as he assumed an aikido stance. ¡°Very well. If that¡¯s the way you want it, boy. I¡¯ll drag you back to reality by that ridiculous ribbon in your hair.¡±


    Gotta catch me first, you miserable old fuck, Ranko thought to herself, her mind racing with possible strategies. Can¡¯t let him hit me. Gotta end this quick.


    With a bloodcurdling kiai, Ranko raised her leg for a front kick, pulling her leg back at the last instant. Her father stepped forward to catch her ankle, but it was not where she¡¯d telegraphed her feint. Snapping her leg upward at the knee without her foot touching the ground again, she struck him firmly on the chin, staggering him back.


    ¡°I see you haven¡¯t completely forgotten everything I taught you, Ranma.¡± Genma rubbed his chin smugly. ¡°Not a half-bad kick.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just lucky I¡¯m not wearing heels, asshole!¡± Ranko retook her krav maga stance. ¡°Come on, then! Come get you some more!¡±


    Laughing condescendingly, Genma launched a high punch at Ranko¡¯s face. She dodged it, but only just, rising from the crouch she¡¯d taken to duck his fist with a punch of her own fired at his rib cage. She felt it connect. Now, to press the advantage. Don¡¯t think. Don¡¯t take time to think. It makes you slow. Just move.


    Ranko shot her fist up into his ribs again. This is for laughing at me when Mikado kissed me.


    Another punch, this one with her left hand, hit him in the kidney area. This is for selling me off to Ukyo.


    Her left fist crashed into the bridge of her father¡¯s nose. This is for making things weird with me and Akane all that time. As she pulled her hand back for another strike, she noticed that her attack had torn a little puncture in his skin, courtesy of the diamond solitaire ring that she¡¯d been proposed to with in a fancy ball gown under the fireworks on Valentine¡¯s Day by her doting fiancee.


    She cocked her hand back for another punch. This is for Jusenkyo.


    But her hand was blocked, and Genma snatched her by the wrist, throwing her down to the ground and barring her arm behind her back. He ground her chest into the gravel, and Ranko yelped loudly as each pebble and grain of rock and concrete dust tore at her dress and scraped across any and every patch of exposed skin.


    ¡°Give it up, boy. You know you can¡¯t beat me. You¡¯ve gone soft.¡± Genma thrust her downward by her arm, slamming the girl who would be his daughter hard to the asphalt.


    Ranko coughed, dragging herself to her hands and knees. I don¡¯t understand! The Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire technique¡­ didn¡¯t work? He blocked it? How?! Her elbows quivered with effort as she pushed herself back to her feet, still coughing in a vain effort to expel the gravel dust from her lungs as she retook her stance.


    Can¡¯t stop, no matter how much it hurts. I¡¯m fighting for my life.


    ¡°Well, look at you! You got up! That¡¯s more than I expected from you, little girl.¡± Genma assumed a kempo stance. ¡°Let¡¯s see you do it again!¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you just leave. Me. ALONE?!¡± Ranko kicked up at his shoulder, striking a glancing blow. The thousands of microabrasions from the gravel, amplified a thousandfold by the Full Body Cat¡¯s Tongue, made her feel like her skin was going to tear off of her bones every time she moved. She tried to put the pain out of her mind, but it distracted her enough to make her hesitate for just an instant. While she was still off balance from standing on just her right leg, Genma swatted her left leg out of the way and drove downward with another hammer fist to her right eye, the impact of which drove her to her knees.


    ¡°Just give up, boy! You know you can¡¯t take a hit, and you don¡¯t even have the spirit for fighting anymore. Those women have made you weak, and you know it. Your defeat is inevitable. All you¡¯re doing is making me hurt you more!¡±


    Using Crash¡¯s plastic patio chair for support, Ranko clamored to her feet again. ¡°Those women taught me more about how to fight for myself than you ever did.¡±


    Before she could fully re-establish her balance, her former sensei stepped forward, slugging Ranko hard in her ribcage. Sputtering, she crumpled onto the plastic chair, snapping it into several jagged white shards.


    ¡°You insolent, ungrateful, pathetic little girl! You don¡¯t know how good you had it! All you had to do was focus on martial arts, and everything would have been fine! Instead, you became¡­ whatever the hell this is. I am disgusted. Give up, and if you¡¯re lucky, maybe there¡¯s still time for me to make something of you before you¡¯re ruined entirely!"


    Genma laughed mockingly as Ranko dragged herself to her feet. Her eyes were watering and she was nearly doubled over, bracing her ribs. The maddening thing was that knew there was no real damage, but the sheer agony of it radiated throughout her body as if she¡¯d been shot by a grapeshot cannon full of razor blades at point-blank range, incapacitating her nonetheless.


    At least he called me a girl. That¡¯s progress, I guess.


    ¡°Is that all you got, old man?¡± Ranko coughed, pulling her left hand back up into ready position, her right still bracing her abdomen. ¡°I¡¯ve had cramps that hurt worse. I can do this all day.¡±


    I don¡¯t think I can do it for another two minutes. Do I run? Fuck! I can¡¯t! Not with Mom and Aya inside with nobody to look after them.


    ¡°Is that so? Well, show me! Let me see the great and powerful woman you say you are!¡± Genma laughed, not even bothering to reassume a stance.


    Ranko roared, running forward at him as hard as she could, trying to let adrenaline and rage evict the pain from her mind. ¡°I FUCKING HATE YOU!¡±


    Her father reached out to grapple her for an aikido throw, but Ranko ducked under his grasp, throwing her shoulder into his chest at top speed like a linebacker and slamming him back against the metal dumpster with a hollow, metallic thwump. Before he could react, she was raining blows down onto his sternum with both fists. The unhinged shriek that came from her throat contained no intelligible words, nor was it a battle kiai.


    Don¡¯t think. Just move. No thinking. Thinking makes you slow. Slow makes you lose. But her mind was a cacophony like a crowded subway station on a Monday morning, with thousands of indistinct fears and strategies and grievances and pains vying to be heard and becoming a muddled, unintelligible, inescapable noise.


    She drove her fist down into her father¡¯s chest with the force of a bag of hammers. Her mind flashed to a few nights ago, screaming Freak at her terrified fans on the Phoenix stage. You tried to take my singing away from me!


    The enraged redhead jackhammered downward onto his face with her left fist, catching him across the nose. She remembered Shiori and Tamiko, hugging her on the bench in the locker room moments after she and her fellow cheerleaders had won the All-Tokyo Cheerleading Invitational. You tried to take my friends from me!


    Her right fist caught him in the ribs, and Genma rocked on his feet against the dumpster. Trying to call yourself my family. You piece of shit. You don¡¯t know what family is. Neither did I, until I came here. And you tried to take that away from me, too. Tried to take them away from me.


    You can¡¯t have them, you son of a bitch.


    You don¡¯t deserve to breathe the same fucking air as them.


    She fired another punch downward at his throat, seeking to end the fight while she still could, but before it could connect, she felt her father¡¯s fist slam into her right eye again from above. She had not been fast enough. The Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire technique had failed her a second time when she needed it most. Her eye watering, she stumbled backward nearly a meter and crashed head-first against the brick wall of the Phoenix with an anguished cry.


    Why won¡¯t it work? Why can¡¯t I do it? I need it! Am I¡­ am I going to lose? Am I really going to lose everything? To him? Again?


    Before she could push her back away from the wall, Genma was on her. He grabbed her by the neckline of her lavender dress, ripping it slightly in his fist as he rocketed his arm forward and slammed her spine against the wall again. And again.


    ¡°Give it up! I don¡¯t want to hurt you! I just want you to do what¡¯s best for both of us!¡± Genma pulled her a quarter-meter away from the wall, launching his elbow back to full extension and driving her head and torso backward onto the gritty red bricks again.


    Ranko cried out in agony. Her vision on the right side was getting blurrier by the second. Moving hurt. Thinking hurt. The pain alarms going off from every tiny cut and bruise overwhelmed her mind to the exclusion of any ability to focus. Weeks of poor sleep and worry left her sapped of energy. She¡¯d already lost the battle to keep from audibly acknowledging her pain, and she was desperately fighting for the one patch of ground she still had not lost, even as she knew she was defeated.


    I don¡¯t care how bad it hurts. Nothing would satisfy him more than making the little girl cry. I won¡¯t give it to him. I¡¯ll claw my own fucking eyes out first.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Genma slammed her limp body into the brick wall again. ¡°You are such an embarrassment. Absolutely pathe¡­ urk!¡±


    Ranko was dragged to the ground on her right side against the wall, feeling her father¡¯s grasp on her dress loosen as both combatants slammed to the gravel. She blinked up into the early afternoon sun at a tall silhouette she could barely make out with one watery working eye. The woman still held her fist cocked in the air as she widened her feet, bellowing at the interloper in the alleyway.


    ¡°TAKE YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!¡±


    Her glare locked on Genma¡¯s prone form, Hana reached down and forward for her little girl. ¡°Come here, Ranko.¡± The redhead took her mother¡¯s hand, and between the barkeep¡¯s support and the wall, she was able to scramble wearily back to her feet.


    Genma kick-flipped to his feet, chuckling darkly as Hana pulled Ranko behind herself. ¡°Now, there¡¯s a true martial artist, cowering behind an old woman.¡±


    Hana bristled, putting her arm out defensively between her daughter and her attacker. ¡°Ranko, is that¡­¡±


    Hana¡¯s daughter nodded shamefully with a few quiet coughs as she braced herself against the wall and rubbed at her swelling right eye, unseen though it was behind Hana¡¯s back. She answered in a weak, gravely voice. ¡°Yeah, mom. That¡¯s the piece of shit that calls himself my father.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ho, ho,¡± Hana laughed grimly, shaking her head and clenching her fist again. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting a long time for a lick at you, you honorless, heartless, thoughtless, soulless son of a bitch! After everything you put that poor girl through! Have you no shame, showing up here to disrupt the life she¡¯s made in spite of you?! How DARE you?¡±


    ¡°That poor girl?! Ha! You really have no idea who that is, do you?! All this time, and she still hasn¡¯t told you the truth?!¡± Genma laughed, placing his hands on his hips. ¡°Let me help you out, lady.¡±


    No, Ranko thought, her mind racing. Please, no. Not like this, Pop. Anything but this. She begged her body to move, to find some last hidden reserve of strength, but whether by pain, exhaustion or terror, she stood frozen behind the owner of the Phoenix. The woman who had snatched her out of hell itself. She opened her mouth to speak, and no sound would come.


    Hana growled deeply. She did not leave the interloper space to speak. ¡°I know exactly who she is! Her name is Ranko Tendo, and she¡¯s an incredible young woman! She¡¯s a star singer! She¡¯s a high school senior and a champion athlete! She¡¯s a loyal friend! She¡¯s a loving and supportive aunt and sister! She¡¯s about to be the wife of someone she loves more than all the world! And she¡¯s the most perfect daughter a parent could ever hope for!


    ¡°YOU haven¡¯t been here to hold her when she cries. YOU haven¡¯t been here to help her get back into school. YOU weren¡¯t here last year when she almost died in her sister¡¯s arms in that parking lot across the street! YOU didn¡¯t sit in a hospital room for four days praying she¡¯d wake up after she risked her life and put her body between danger and a helpless little boy! YOU haven¡¯t watched her stand on that stage in there and sing her heart out with joy. YOU haven¡¯t seen her fight like hell for the things she wants and the people she believes in. YOU haven¡¯t been here to see her grow, and learn, and blossom, and thrive. To see her rise. So, mister, don¡¯t you fucking dare stand there and tell me I don¡¯t know my daughter! She¡¯s stronger, braver, smarter and kinder than you could ever know! I am in fucking awe of that girl every single day of my life!¡±


    She turned to glance down at her battered baby girl. ¡°You don¡¯t know how lucky you were to have her, and how thoroughly you squandered the blessing you had. This is how great she is in spite of having no decent parents until she turned eighteen. Imagine how much further along she¡¯d be if she¡¯d had the love and support she deserved growing up? Not only can you not have her, you self-righteous, self-centered, arrogant, misogynistic pigfucker, you don¡¯t DESERVE her!


    ¡°So, I don¡¯t give a shit what lies you want to tell me! I don¡¯t care what you think you could ever know about the person she is, or was, because I¡¯ve seen that kid damn near literally kill herself trying to build a life better than what you tried to force her into, and she¡¯s done it with a smile on her face and a song in her heart every step of the way! And I¡¯ll be damned if I let a loser like you make it even the smallest bit harder for her than you already have!¡±


    Ranko blinked with her one working eye. Wow, Mom.


    She stood just a little straighter somehow, turning to watch her father¡¯s face contort. A single thought rocketed unbidden through her brain, sending a shockwave through her consciousness like a freight train crashing through a dynamite factory. It nearly knocked her off of her feet, not that it would have taken much in her current condition.


    He can¡¯t¡­ he can¡¯t hurt me anymore.


    Her eyes widened as her mind roared with the epiphany rattling around in her ringing skull. Her jaw creaked open slightly, popping as it hung loose in her thunderstruck realization.


    He can hit me. He can insult me. He can embarrass me. But he can¡¯t hurt me. He can¡¯t take away my friends. My family. The band. Akane. Because they¡¯ll fight for me. Because they won¡¯t let him. Because I¡¯m as important to them as they are to me. Because they¡¯re not just a part of me; I¡¯m a part of them. Because it doesn¡¯t matter where he wants to drag me off to if they won¡¯t let me go.


    Ranko took a step forward to her mother¡¯s side. All the intrusive thoughts that rampaged through her head, all the doubts, all the fears, all the anguish and rage and shame, imploded into a single point of light in the back of her mind, as if a black hole swallowed it all and then somehow collapsed into itself and became a star. A single, all-encompassing, limpid truth burning with the heat of a thousand suns at the center of an otherwise serene void.


    I am wanted. I have worth. I have people who care about me.


    An overwhelming sense of tranquility washed over her, even as her heart pounded in her chest.


    I am wanted. I have worth. I have people who care about me.


    She removed her hand from her aching abdomen, her face erupting into the best smile she could manage with half of her face paralyzed by the swelling.


    I am wanted. I have worth. I have people who care about me.


    There was nothing else. Nothing else was needed. She had been saying it all this time, whenever she doubted herself or had a bad day. But now, the missing key ingredient was finally present.


    She actually believed it. She finally understood what it really meant.


    ¡°Get out of my way, lady!¡± Genma took a charging step forward, swiping at Hana with his open hand to push her aside.


    The world seemed to shift into slow motion. Ranko should have been angry. She should have been terrified. She should have been screaming in agony.


    She was not.


    I am wanted. I have worth. I have people who care about me. That¡¯s it. That¡¯s all I need. That¡¯s all I want.


    She smiled grimly in crystalline understanding as her father moved within arm¡¯s reach. She knew what she had to do, and her mind had finally quieted enough to allow her to do it.


    Don¡¯t think. Just move.


    Ranko ducked under her mother¡¯s arm and stepped between Genma and Hana, and her arms flew forward at lightning speed. Her father had no time to even notice her step toward him before the torrent of blows began raining down on his chest. She pressed after him, driving him backward with one blindingly fast punch after another. By the time the old man¡¯s back struck the open dumpster, she had struck him at least two hundred times.


    Chestnuts roasting in an open fire? Ha! Pandas roasting in the heart of a fucking phoenix!


    ¡°I. Have. Had. Enough. Of. YOU!¡± Ranko uppercutted him once more in the chin, letting the unfathomable inertia her left fist had accumulated drive through his jaw rather than snapping her wrist back for another strike. She felt his bone pulverize under her knuckles as her father¡¯s feet left the ground and he fell backward, hitting the edge of the dumpster at waist height and careening headfirst into the receptacle with a hollow thwam that reverberated through the steel sides of the fetid enclosure.


    Before Ranko could blink, Hana slammed the dumpster lid closed, pulling up the steel bar to latch it. ¡°Do you think that¡¯ll hold him?¡±


    With a shrill utterance that started as a kiai and ended as a pained yelp, Ranko spun her body with a velocity and torque only the first cheerleader in almost a decade to land a quadruple twist could muster, extending her left leg. The force of her kick bent the steel bar backward until it bit into the thick black rubber lid, lodging it tightly into place.


    Ranko turned her head to answer as her rotation came to a stop, but before she could say another word, Hana¡¯s hands gripped her shoulders tightly. She was glad of it, as the forceful spinning with her head ringing as it was had made her pretty dizzy. Hana turned her daughter¡¯s body this way and that to inspect the damage, gingerly brushing Ranko¡¯s disheveled hair out of her swollen face.. ¡°Oh, baby girl, I¡¯m so sorry I didn¡¯t come out sooner. Gods, look at you. Are you going to be okay? Do I need to take you to the hospital? Can I¡­¡±


    Hana¡¯s voice trailed off as her daughter threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around her mother¡¯s neck. Countless trickles of blood from the myriad scrapes and cuts on her forearms disappeared into the black of the barkeep¡¯s Ranko and the Dapper Dragons tee shirt. She squeezed like she was going to fall off the world. Like Hana was the only thing standing between her and oblivion. For a moment, she had been. Ranko¡¯s body shook weakly against her chest; whether it was from the pain, the adrenaline, the sobs of relief that had begun to pour from her eyes and rack her bruised body, or some combination of the three, Hana did not know.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got you, baby. You¡¯re safe, Ranko. Let it out, honey. Nobody¡¯s ever going to take you away from us. Nobody¡¯s gonna let him hurt you, ever again, baby girl. Nobody¡¯s ever going to come between our family. No matter what, little star. No matter what. I promise.¡±


    Only four intelligible words broke through the teenager¡¯s relieved wailing as Ranko fell limp in her guardian¡¯s arms.


    ¡°I love you, mom.¡±

 111. Bouncing Back

    Akane leaned to her left, gripping the toes of her outstretched left leg and extending herself as far as she could on the floor. She looked out over the fans assembling in the bleachers. Most of them were clad in gold and white in support of the home team, but there was the occasional small cluster of purple and blue shirts identifying a group of Minato University supporters. If you were here, Ranko, our side would still be louder than them. When you decided to become a cheerleader, you weren¡¯t screwing around, baby. Sadly, Ranko¡¯d had to go into work early, as Ayako was going to help tutor her for her upcoming math exam that would determine whether or not she¡¯d advance to her senior year of high school. As much as Akane wanted her fiancee with her, as she had been for nearly every match since Akane returned to the volleyball team, she knew Ranko had made the right choice.


    That¡¯s okay, princess, Akane thought. We¡¯re gonna win this one, and then we¡¯ll be in the tournament. You¡¯ll be here when we win it all, just like I was for you. I promise.


    Akane stood from the rubber gym floor, jogging over to Nanami. The green-haired star outside hitter she¡¯d recruited to rejoin the team with her smiled up into the stands, rubbing the back of her left fist in a circular motion.


    ¡°Oh, good, she came?¡±


    Nanami turned with a bright grin and a nod. ¡°I finally convinced her! I don¡¯t see yours anywhere, though.¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°Finals. You know how it is.¡± She motioned to Nanami¡¯s torso. Nanami and Akane were the last two members of the Mystics on the court for warmups; their teammates were already back in the locker room getting into their uniforms. ¡°You about ready to head in and get ready?¡±


    Flashing a few more signs to her girlfriend in the stands, Nanami turned toward the visitors¡¯ locker room. ¡°Sure.¡± The pair walked side-by side until a young, diminutive brunette wearing the home team¡¯s uniform jogged over and waved to Akane urgently. ¡°Omigods, you¡¯re a Ranko fan too?¡±


    Blushing with a little laugh, Akane looked down at her shirt, which bore her fiancee¡¯s pink romaji signature, the logo for Ranko and the Dapper Dragons. ¡°Yeah, I think you could probably say that.¡± She shyly brushed a wisp of hair out of her eyes, reminding herself to put on a headband when she got changed. She¡¯d needed to get a hair cut for a few weeks now, but she hadn¡¯t had time. She hadn¡¯t let Ranko out of her sight while the threat of her father loomed, and only Hana¡¯s promise to look after her had allowed Akane not to skip the pivotal volleyball match.


    Nanami waved, her eyes shining knowingly. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve got your hands full. I¡¯ll see you inside, Akane.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so crazy! I can¡¯t wait for her full album to come out! She¡¯s so fucking good! I¡¯ve only heard Rise and Sneak on the radio, but I bet there¡¯s gonna be so many other good ones on there!¡± The blonde volleyballer tittered wildly.


    Akane blushed, remembering the first morning Ranko had sung You¡¯re My Song for her in bed. She smiled softly as she thought of Ranko¡¯s diamond engagement ring, in which the song¡¯s title had been engraved. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re probably gonna love it.¡± A part of her considered bragging that her Discman in the visitors¡¯ locker room currently contained a pre-release copy of Ranko¡¯s first CD that the Yokai team had sent her for approval, but thought that might make the girl try to mug her for it.


    The volleyballer bounced on her heels in excitement with a little squeak. ¡°I¡¯d give anything to see one of her shows sometime. I¡¯ve heard she¡¯s even better live! I wonder if she¡¯s ever gonna go on tour! Have you ever seen her live before?¡±


    Akane laughed. Oh, baby. What I¡¯d give if you were here. You¡¯d be hiding under the bleachers from this one.


    ¡°You, uh¡­ you could say that, yeah! I, um¡­ I actually work part-time in the bar she performs at!¡± Akane grinned proudly, fidgeting with the tiny silver-and-sapphire ring on her left hand with her thumb.


    ¡°No shit? Shut. Up. You¡¯re so lucky! I¡¯d work there for free just to get an autograph! So, you¡¯ve, like, gotten to talk to Ranko before? No freaking way!¡± The blonde looked like she was about to bounce out of her shoes.


    ¡°As a matter of fact,¡± Akane said with a satisfied smile, ¡°I was with her all last night.¡± I wouldn¡¯t exactly call it ¡°talking,¡± but she was definitely making a lot of noise¡­


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The blonde grabbed Akane¡¯s forearm excitedly. ¡°You gotta tell me everything! What¡¯s she like? Is she awesome? I really hope she¡¯s awesome! So many stars are total jerks to their fans. But I bet she¡¯s awesome. She just sounds like she¡¯s awesome.¡±


    Shaking her head, Akane laughed loudly. This chick might be more obsessed with Ranko than I am, and I¡¯m gonna marry her. ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s pretty awesome. But, hey, I gotta go get changed, alright?¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°And there you have it, Mystics fans!¡± The radio announcer could barely sit still at his table at center court as he shouted exuberantly into his silver desk microphone, having already loosened his deep purple tie. ¡°It was a nail-biter, but by just one set, the Minato Mystics have done the impossible ¨C winning twelve straight matches to climb out of the cellar, and now, to the collegiate volleyball championship tournament! We¡¯ve just seen history! Another absolutely dominant match from Nanami Ikehara and new squad captain, freshman Akane Tendo!¡±


    Akane ran at Nanami full-tilt as the ball bounced out of the court, the girls slamming into each other with an excited hug. ¡°We did it, Nani! Holy shit!¡±


    The green-haired girl waved smugly over Akane¡¯s shoulder at the dejected Yokohama Unicorns squad, whom the loss had just eliminated from the regional championship tournament to be held two weeks from Saturday. ¡°Take care, ladies! Have a great night!¡±


    Akane pulled back, giving Nanami a bit of an admonishing look. ¡°Hey. We can be happy we won, but let¡¯s not be bad sports, okay? They played hard, too.¡±


    Nanami¡¯s smile faded, looking up to her friend a bit guiltily. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. Sorry. I just¡­ After, ya know, what happened, I didn¡¯t think I was ever gonna get to feel like this again.¡±


    Nodding, Akane put her arm around Nanami¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I get it, but at least some of those girls have gotta be seniors. For them, they won¡¯t. Let¡¯s not make it harder on them. C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s get showered and get outta here. I can¡¯t wait to get to the Phoenix and tell Ranko the good news.¡±


    Nanami grinned. ¡°Speaking of which, is Ranko¡¯s mom still gonna hook us up?¡±


    Akane shrugged. ¡°She hasn¡¯t said otherwise. Last I heard, if we won tonight, she was gonna throw us a party next week sometime.¡± She blushed a bit at the thought of Ranko waiting tables for her teammates at a celebration of the volleyball team¡¯s accomplishments. Not for all the money in the world would either of them have believed it possible after Reiko, Fumiko and Saki had helped trigger the first angry performance of Sneak.


    Akane suddenly stopped walking, her head turned toward the home team¡¯s bench. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll catch up with you, okay?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were in a hurry to get out of here! Make up your damn mind, Tendo!¡± Nanami shook her head with an incredulous laugh, her green pigtails swaying over her shoulders. I swear, that girl.


    Quietly approaching the home team¡¯s bench, Akane sighed at the lone member of the Unicorns squad still in the gymnasium. She sat hunched over on the bench, a gold-colored gym towel draped over her head like a hood to hide her tears.


    ¡°Hey. Mind if I sit down?¡±


    The distraught blonde looked up, nodding. Her voice was barely a whisper. ¡°Sure. Congratulations. Good game.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you too. Sorry your season had to end like this.¡± Akane frowned. It was harder to celebrate a victory when she had to watch the agony of their opponents¡¯ defeat up close like this, especially in the eyes of a girl who had been so excited just a few hours earlier.


    The Yokohama freshman shrugged, replying in a hollow, dejected monotone. ¡°It happens, I guess. Good luck in the tournament.¡±


    Akane spied a discarded scorebook on the floor, walking over and picking it up. A search of the surrounding area quickly turned up a pen on the scorekeeper¡¯s table. Armed with both, she returned to the metal bench, sitting gently next to the blonde. ¡°What¡¯s your name, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Natsuko,¡± the girl replied between sniffles.


    ¡°Okay, Natsuko. My name¡¯s Akane. Good to meet you!¡± She smiled warmly. ¡°Now, here¡¯s what I want you to do.¡± Akane started jotting down a note on an empty score sheet, ripping. it out and folding it in half when she was finished. ¡°In the Minato district, down by the harbor, there¡¯s a little bar called the Phoenix. Two-story red brick building, red sign out front. Can¡¯t miss it.¡± Unless your name is Ryoga.


    Akane offered her the paper. ¡°Come on a Friday night. You¡¯re gonna look for a server with blue hair. Her name¡¯s Mei. Give her this, and she¡¯ll know you¡¯re my friend and sit you in the VIP section for Ranko¡¯s show. We¡¯ll make sure you get to meet her after. I bet we can get her to sign something for you, too. Sound good?¡±


    Natsuko looked up, blinking the tears from her green eyes as she took the folded note with a trembling hand. ¡°You¡­ you mean it?! You¡¯d do that for me?! But¡­ why?!¡± The sadness was almost entirely gone from her eyes already.


    Akane blushed. ¡°Well, like I said, I know Ranko pretty well.¡± She fidgeted with her promise ring with her thumb as she spoke. ¡°And, how excited and happy you were during warmups when you saw my shirt? I happen to know that making people feel that way is the whole reason Ranko does what she does. I think she¡¯ll be honored to meet you, Natsuko.¡±

 112. Crutches

    ¡°Might as well give in and come to grips with your fate! Once you heard the bass drop, it was already too late!¡±


    Akane sang along with Ranko¡¯s voice in her headphones, a skip in her step as she walked down the sidewalk from the train station. Under her leadership, her team had just completed one of the most improbable comebacks in recent collegiate volleyball history to secure a berth in the championship tournament weekend. Ranko¡¯s new album was days from release, and judging by the advance copy in her portable CD player, it was fantastic. In less than two weeks, the school year would be over, and she and Ranko would have a whole month together to work on the wedding. After performing Freak and having two more sessions with Fred (and Starlight), Ranko had finally started to tiptoe her way out of the depression that had consumed them both for most of the last few weeks.


    It was a good day.


    With a wide grin, Akane placed her hand on the brass bar that served as the handle of the Phoenix¡¯s glass door. She pulled, blinking in confusion when the latch did not open. What the? Hana almost always has the door unlocked for us by now. Oh, well. I¡¯ll try the back.


    Akane hummed through the bridge of the song in her ears, turning up her CD player¡¯s volume to drown out the sound of the garbage truck in the alley repeatedly shaking the dumpster in the air with a large steel cranelike arm. They seemed to be having trouble getting the dumpster¡¯s lid to dislodge and empty its rancid contents into the back of the truck. She grabbed the doorknob of the steel door that led into the back of the Phoenix¡¯s kitchen, turning it, but the latch would not engage on the employee entrance either.


    Alright, this is weird. Surprise party? I guess they could have been listening to the game on the radio and heard we won. Grinning cockily, Akane pulled her keys out of her pocket, opening the door as silently as she could. You think you¡¯re gonna surprise me, Ranko? No chance. I¡¯m gonna get you instead, silly girl.


    Stopping her music as she entered, she looked around the kitchen, finding no one. Akane peered carefully behind every door and counter, also peeking up the narrow stairway that led to the apartment that had been Ranko¡¯s home once. Makes sense. More fun to hide in the main bar, anyway.


    Akane crept to the blue saloon door, peeking over it with an expectant smirk. She held her breath, ready to jump out at anyone who sought to surprise her. To her shock, she saw Ranko sitting in plain sight at one of the tables, flanked by Ayako and Hana. Okay, I¡¯ll bite, Ranko. What the hell are y¡­


    Ayako sat back in her seat, giving Akane her first clear view of her lover¡¯s face from her position hidden behind the half-door.


    Ranko¡¯s lavender dress was torn around the neckline, and her right eye was swollen shut.


    All color drained instantly from Akane¡¯s face at the sight of her battered fiancee. Her breath abandoned her lungs as if she¡¯d been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. No! Not now! Not when I couldn¡¯t be here to protect her! Fuck! Fuck! I¡¯m so sorry, baby! I¡¯m gonna make it right. I¡¯m gonna make it right, right fucking now. Just you wait, Ranko. I¡¯ll find him, and I¡¯m going to end this for you once and for all.


    The raven-haired girl spun on her heel and stormed back through the kitchen, throwing the steel door to the alley open hard enough to loosen it slightly on its hinges.


    ¡°Aya, baby,¡± Hana said quietly, looking up at the saloon door suspiciously as Ranko looked up. ¡°Stay here with your sister a minute.¡±


    Hana crept warily through the blue slatted door. Finding no one in the kitchen, she took the handle of a large, sturdy wok in hand, brandishing it as she crept carefully out the back door and looked around.


    I could have sworn I heard¡­


    Noting that the dumpster was now open and empty, Hana redoubled her caution, stalking ever so slowly around to the front of the building. There, she found Akane, still in her black Ranko and the Dapper Dragons tee shirt and a pair of red gym shorts, pacing furiously by the bus stop. Her daughter¡¯s fiancee likely would have been sitting on the provided wooden bench, were it not scattered in olive green splinters over nearly a square meter around her feet.


    Hana lowered the cast-iron cookware in her hand, approaching cautiously. The last time she saw a look like that in someone¡¯s eyes had been when her youngest daughter had nearly killed a figure skater in the same back alley. She didn¡¯t claim the slightest understanding of all of the martial arts challenge-honor mumbo-jumbo Ranko and the people she knew from her past all seemed to be into, but she knew danger when she saw it, and Akane¡¯s eyes looked like those of a feral, rabid animal. The girl¡¯s body was moving, but anything resembling a soul was entirely absent from her berserk, distant stare.


    ¡°Akane, honey?¡±


    Akane whirled to face her future wife¡¯s mother, her face contorted in rage, guilt and hatred all at once. ¡°WHERE IS HE?! I¡¯M GONNA FUCKING KILL HIM!¡±


    Hana spoke softly, making no sudden moves. She set her wok down on top of a public mailbox near the sidewalk, approaching ever so carefully. She held her hands up non-threateningly as if she were preparing to approach a starving tiger. ¡°He¡¯s gone, baby. Ranko took care of it.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You tell her, Hana! That son of a bitch isn¡¯t going to see the FUCKING SUN RISE! I promise her. You tell her for me!¡± She turned to face in a random direction, down the street away from Hana. She roared at the top of her lungs, spittle flying from her mouth in her fury, paying no attention to the passers-by on the sidewalk who had stopped to stare in some combination of trepidation and morbid curiosity. ¡°YOU HEAR ME, SAOTOME?! FACE ME! I¡¯M GONNA TEAR YOUR FUCKING HEART OUT!¡±


    Hana sighed, stopping her approach just out of arm¡¯s reach. She doubted Akane would deliberately hurt her, but she had little hope that the seething teen was even fully conscious at the moment. She kept her voice soft and soothing, in stark contrast with the volcanic tempest brewing in her future daughter¡¯s eyes. ¡°Akane, sweetheart, I want you to listen to me now. She¡¯s okay. She¡¯s banged up pretty good, but she¡¯s alright. Physically, at least. Come on, baby. Come inside.¡±


    Akane shook her head forcefully, the red headband holding her hair in place sliding down around her neck. ¡°No. I won¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t look at her like that. Not while I know the cocksucker that did it to her is still walking around breathing! I¡¯m gonna fucking END him, Hana! I¡¯m gonna bring Ranko his FUCKING HEAD in a box!¡±


    A green-and-silver bus slowed in the street, pulling up to the metal signpost indicating its proscribed stop. As its pneumatic brakes hissed, the driver pulled the handle on her right toward herself, swinging the double-hinged door open to the roar of Akane¡¯s vengeance. Not a second later, she pulled the door lever closed again and accelerated out of the intersection as the confused riders behind her shared concerned glances at each other. Fucking nope, the driver thought as she made the right turn toward her next stop. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with that crazy chick, but they don¡¯t pay my ass enough to deal with it.


    Hana sighed. I know the feeling, kid. ¡°Akane, I need you to listen to me now, honey. I know you want to rip Ranko¡¯s fa¡­¡± Hana couldn¡¯t stomach letting the word past her lips. Her daughter¡¯s assailant didn¡¯t deserve it. ¡°... that man¡¯s lungs out through his asshole, and believe you me, girl, you better make sure I¡¯m there with you if you do. But right now, he¡¯s not here, and he doesn¡¯t need your attention. Ranko does.¡±


    Akane¡¯s pacing stopped, but her face still seethed with venom as she stared at the barkeep that had saved her lover¡¯s life. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s got you and the girls. I¡¯ve got work to do.¡± She glared in the general direction of her father¡¯s home, despite it being kilometers away. ¡°He dies tonight. I swear it.¡±


    Swallowing hard, Hana took a step forward while Akane¡¯s eyes were averted, putting her hand firmly on the girl¡¯s shoulder. She knew it was a risk, but she had to break through to her. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, Akane! I forbid it!¡±


    Akane snapped her gaze back to the taller woman, and Hana had to summon all of her courage not to back away from the threat roiling in the teen martial artist¡¯s eyes. ¡°Look. I care about you. I do. I know you¡¯re Ranko¡¯s mother. But with all possible respect, who the fuck do you think you are to forbid me to do anything?¡±


    This time, Hana¡¯s voice rose to meet Akane¡¯s. ¡°Like you said, I¡¯m Ranko¡¯s mother. And for the last two hours, I¡¯ve tried to hold my little girl, but I can¡¯t, because she can¡¯t stand to be touched anywhere! I¡¯ve tried to take her to the hospital, get her some medicine, an ice pack, something. Anything. She won¡¯t let me. All she is asking for is you. So, put aside your anger! It¡¯ll be there when you need it, I promise. Right now, my daughter needs you. Akane, your wife needs you! And, so help me gods, I will get her what she needs, even if I have to drag your little ass back into that bar myself.¡±


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    ¡°I¡­¡± Akane¡¯s eyes began to glimmer with just the smallest shred of humanity beginning to return to them, but the only emotion visible in them was shame. ¡°I can¡¯t look at her like that. I can¡¯t face her! I was supposed to protect her! I fucking promised her, and because I wanted to go play in a fucking volleyball game, he¡­¡±


    Hana nodded. ¡°I know, baby. I know. I was scrubbing a gods-damned sink not twenty meters away while it was happening, and I didn¡¯t notice it until it was too late either. But we can be here for her now. We can pick her up, together.¡±


    The barkeep took one more step forward, grabbing Akane around the back of the neck firmly with both hands and pulling her close. She knew grappling at Akane was dangerous in her current state, but that nothing but human contact was going to cut through the inferno in Akane¡¯s soul. ¡°You listen to me, girl. We¡¯re going to go back in there together, you and me. When we¡¯re in there with her, we¡¯re fucking titanium. Both of us. We¡¯re her two crutches until she¡¯s back on her feet physically and emotionally, and we don¡¯t break, and we don¡¯t bend, and we don¡¯t slip for a second, or she falls.¡±


    Akane felt a tear drip onto her shoulder from the eyes of the taller woman.


    ¡°But out here, where she can¡¯t see us, we can admit to each other that seeing her hurt like this is killing us, too.¡±


    Akane buried her face in Hana¡¯s shoulder, muffling an anguished wail as her lover¡¯s mother engulfed her in her arms.


    <hr>


    ¡°Akane? Is that you?¡± Ranko was fairly certain the silhouette entering the darkened, empty barroom was her fiancee, but her vision was still a bit blurry in the one eye she could still see out of. Most of the house lights were off, as her probable concussion was making her quite sensitive to bright lights.


    Akane forced herself to smile despite her tear-reddened eyes. ¡°Yeah, Ranko. It¡¯s me.¡±


    Ranko groaned loudly, sitting up a bit on the padded bench from her lean against the side wall. ¡°Did you win?¡±


    Shaking her head, Akane couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Yeah, we did, princess. But, you can barely sit up, and you¡¯re concerned about my volleyball game?¡±


    Ranko nodded, very gingerly. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you. I wish I could have been there.¡±


    Akane bit her lip grimly, surveying the damage her battered lover¡¯s father had done. ¡°I bet you do, baby.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this?¡± Ranko gestured to her bruised, swollen face slowly, cracking the tiniest of smiles. ¡°This is just from the algebra lesson.¡±


    The older girl couldn¡¯t help but chuckle quietly. ¡°Yeah, I think I had a few math classes that did that to me, too, come to think of it.¡± She slid gingerly into the seat opposite Ranko in the corner booth. ¡°Do you¡­ want to talk about what happened?¡±


    Ranko grinned weakly, pride in her eyes. The sight was off-putting to Akane, considering only the left side of Ranko¡¯s face seemed to move. ¡°Mom cold-cocked his ass. You shoulda seen her, Akane. Laid him flat!¡±


    Her fiancee laughed heartily, stifling it as she saw Ranko recoil from the loud noise. ¡°I bet she enjoyed that.¡± Akane reached across the table and ever so gently rested her fingertips on the back of Ranko¡¯s hand. She looked down at the diamond engagement ring on Ranko¡¯s third finger, still smeared with a tiny reddish-brown splotch left behind from her father¡¯s blood. After checking over her shoulder to ensure Hana and Ayako were still over by the bar, she lowered her voice to barely a whisper. ¡°What have you told them? Did he say anything?¡±


    Ranko shook her head almost imperceptibly slowly, speaking under her breath. ¡°Nothing they didn¡¯t already know. He raised me as a boy, I ran away and took your name, and he wanted to force me to come home with him.¡±


    ¡°But, you beat him?¡± Akane¡¯s eyes still traversed her lover¡¯s body, continuing to assess all the injuries she¡¯d have to help her fiancee heal from. The ones she could see, anyway.


    ¡°Barely, but yeah.¡± Ranko leaned back again with a quiet grunt, fear and relief vying for dominance in her unfocused stare. ¡°He had me, Akane. If it hadn¡¯t been for Mom¡­¡± The redhead trailed off. She honestly didn¡¯t know what would have happened, but she was grateful to have not found out.


    Akane sighed sadly, stroking the back of Ranko¡¯s hand softly with her fingertips. ¡°I know, beautiful. I¡¯m so, so sorry I wasn¡¯t here. I should have been.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about beautiful, Akane. I haven¡¯t seen a mirror, but if I look half as bad as I feel¡­¡± She tentatively probed at her swollen eye, wincing at her own touch and inhaling sharply through her clenched teeth.


    With a soft pat on the back of her hand, Akane smiled as widely as she could manage into Ranko¡¯s swollen face. ¡°You will always be my beautiful girl, Ranko. And you¡¯re going to be my wife.¡±


    Ranko nodded, barely perceptibly. ¡°You¡¯re damn right I am. We fought for us, and we won.¡± By the hair of my chinny-chin-chin, but who¡¯s counting? ¡°I think I get it now, what you¡¯ve all been saying. Like, he tried to tell Mama the truth about me, and she just¡­ it wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t want to hear it, it was like it didn¡¯t matter. Like, there was nothing he could¡¯ve said that would have made her think different about me or made them want me less. You should have heard the things she said about me, Akane. Nobody but you¡¯s ever had my back like that.¡±


    Akane patted her future wife¡¯s hand gently again. ¡°It¡¯s called unconditional love, baby, and it breaks my heart that you didn¡¯t know what it meant until now. I¡¯m glad you finally see it, Ranko. We¡¯re a family, all of us. A real one. You, me, my dad and sisters, your mom and sisters. You can¡¯t get rid of us that easily. I¡¯ve been trying to tell you that all along.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that,¡± Ranko mewled weakly. ¡°I¡¯m just glad it¡¯s over with him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, for now, but¡­¡± Akane growled. ¡°It¡¯s not over for me, Ranko. Not yet. I¡¯m gonna snap him in half for what he did to you. I swear. As soon as you¡¯re back on your feet, I¡¯m gonna go to my dad¡¯s and I¡¯m gonna¡­¡±


    The redhead put up an open hand. ¡°Just stop, baby? Forget him.¡±


    ¡°How the hell am I supposed to forget it?! He hurt you. You¡¯re my whole world, and he hurt you! I promised you I¡¯d protect you, and I wasn¡¯t here when it mattered. At the very least, I¡¯m going to avenge you.¡± Akane balled her fists, her fury returning. I let him hurt you. I promised you I¡¯d protect you, and I failed. Some martial arts master I turned out to be.


    ¡°Akane, do you want to hurt him because you¡¯re mad at him, or because you¡¯re mad at yourself?¡±


    Akane blinked. ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ranko leaned back in the booth, gingerly resting her battered head against the back of the bench with a little grunt. ¡°I love you. I love that you want to look out for me like this. It¡¯s really sweet, and you have no idea how special it makes me feel. But I don¡¯t want you to blame yourself for this, Akane. It¡¯s not your fault, just like it wasn¡¯t mine, or Mom¡¯s.¡±


    She reached out her left hand, taking Akane¡¯s in her own again and giving it a weak squeeze. ¡°I didn¡¯t fight him today because I wanted him dead. I fought him because I wanted him gone. And he¡¯s gone. If he ever comes back, if he causes trouble for us again, by all means, put him through the fucking floorboards. But every minute you spend thinking about hurting him is another minute he¡¯s fucking with our lives. It¡¯s another minute he gets what he wants.¡±


    Ranko managed a sneer, on the half of her face that still moved correctly, anyway. ¡°You want to hurt him? I mean, really hurt him where it counts? Don¡¯t hit him. That shit heals. He knows how to deal with that.¡± She reached out for Akane¡¯s hand. ¡°Marry me, instead. Make me your bride. Keep making me the happiest girl and wife who ever lived. He¡¯ll hate it. It¡¯ll haunt him every day forever.¡±


    Akane nodded slowly, a small simper creeping across her face at her lover¡¯s words. When did you get so chill, Ranko? Perhaps the empty shot glasses on the table in front of her fiancee had at least a little to do with it. Hana did say she had to resort to extreme measures because she was in so much pain, and after the whole thing with Kuno, it makes sense she wouldn¡¯t want to use strong medicine.


    ¡°I¡­ I can do that, Ranko.¡±


    ¡°Did he say anything about your mom? Your birth mom, I mean?¡± Akane dipped a white paper napkin into a glass of ice water that sat unclaimed on the lacquered cherry table, ever so carefully wiping the blood from her betrothed¡¯s diamond solitaire engagement ring.


    Ranko frowned, shaking her head softly in the negative. ¡°Ooh.¡± She stabilized her head in her hands, wincing sharply. ¡°Maybe I shouldn''t do that right now.¡±


    Akane nodded, clenching her left hand into a fist under the table. ¡°Well, if she shows up, we¡¯ll be ready for her. All of us.¡±


    Ranko rubbed her temples with a quiet whimper. ¡°One problem at a time, babe.¡±

 113. Sunrise

    As she sat on the gravel rooftop of her apartment building, Ranko leaned back against the humming air conditioning unit, watching the sun rise over the Minato district of Tokyo. Akane wouldn¡¯t be awake for at least another hour or two, so it was a good opportunity to get some time to herself. She hadn¡¯t had much in the last few days, what with Akane hovering over her trying to take care of her every waking moment.


    She looked over the wooden plank of dark lacquered cherry she¡¯d recovered from the alleyway behind the Phoenix. It had once been about half of a tabletop she¡¯d broken off of its legs in her anxiety about having to face her father, and then had been reduced to its current size just a few days prior by her having driven his face through it. Even broken as it was, it was roughly rectangular in shape, almost three quarters of a meter long in one dimension and half that in the other. That¡¯s okay, she mused. You can turn something broken into something beautiful if you show it a little bit of love. I mean, hell, my existence is proof of that.


    She smiled down at her reflection in the lacquer finish, messy bed hair, fading black eye and all. I won, she thought to herself. I stood my ground, and I won. I had help, and I got my ass kicked but good, but that¡¯s okay. I won. I¡¯m free.


    I¡¯m wanted, I have worth, and I have people who care about me.


    She covered her bare legs in the pastel yellow bed sheet she¡¯d wrapped the plank in a few nights after the attack, when she¡¯d brought it home and hidden it behind some empty plastic storage containers their landlord kept up on the roof. It was a bit chilly to be outside in just a long nightshirt and a pair of emerald green panties, but Ranko had dared not make noise getting dressed and risk waking Akane. She laid the large board over her covered lap, picking up the flat-head screwdriver that lay on the rooftop beside her left leg. Not the perfect tool for the job, but it¡¯ll do, Ranko thought.


    Hunching over the board, Ranko took the screwdriver in her left hand and began to press it into the surface of the wood. It was hard going to punch through the lacquer finish, thick as it was to protect the wood from spilled drinks in a restaurant environment. She smiled in satisfaction as her first scratch, almost twelve centimeters in length, eventually exposed bare wood underneath. This is gonna work, I think. Little bit rough, but that¡¯s okay. She continued scratching over the same line, deepening the gouge she¡¯d made until the entire head of the screwdriver could disappear in it before starting a new line that crossed the first.


    She hummed to herself as she continued carving the first of several planned marks into the surface of the board. Ranko smiled up at the rising sun, cherishing the new day. Another day that she got to wake up and be Ranko Tendo, wife-to-be of Akane Tendo and lead vocalist of Ranko and the Dapper Dragons. A waitress. A high school senior, if just barely, thanks to Ayako¡¯s tutoring. A cheerleader. A daughter. A sister. A friend.


    A woman.


    It wasn¡¯t a lot, but it was hers. She¡¯d fought bitterly for all of it. It was a life she had built brick by agonizing brick, and the greatest threat it had ever faced had now passed. For now, at least.


    Still carrying the tune in her soft, quiet humming, Ranko swayed gently on her backside on the rooftop, continuing to carve large, intricate characters into the board in her lap. In time, the humming gave way to singing, a song she never intended another soul to hear. She¡¯d written private songs just for Akane before, though her fiancee had eventually convinced her to let Yokai put You¡¯re My Song on their album after all so they¡¯d have a proper studio recording of it to dance to at the wedding. This one, though, Ranko had written for herself and herself alone.


    Her quiet, solitary, broken little victory dance.


    ¡°There was a time when all I wanted was to make you proud. And I would try, and not ask why, to do the things you said I should, and not to do the things that weren¡¯t allowed.¡±


    She carefully brushed the wood shavings from the board, leaning down and blowing little splinters free of the grooves she had carved into it. It doesn¡¯t look half bad, she thought with a satisfied smile as she began etching another kanji character into the dark wood plank.


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    ¡°There was a time when I thought you were a hero. I wanted to be just like you, but looking back, I realize you just don¡¯t look that good at all from here, though.¡±


    Ranko smiled at a red bird that landed on the railing in front of her. It curiously eyed the newcomer, unaccustomed as it was to encountering humans that also landed on rooftops to greet the rising sun with song. Ranko couldn¡¯t tell if it looked offended by the interloper, or impressed by her.


    ¡°There was a time when I thought you knew what¡¯s best for me. For all those years, I hid my tears to show you I was big and strong, but you ignored and minimized the rest of me.¡±


    Her voice was calm and quiet, soft and baleful, but content. It acknowledged the hurts of the past, but not in an anguished way, rather, like one might look at an old scar and remember the hurt without suffering it anew.


    ¡°There was a time when I thought you worth impressing. I gave my all, and still felt small, because the stronger I became, the more you thought that I needed oppressing.¡±


    As she brushed the shavings from the second twelve-centimeter tall character she¡¯d etched into the board in her lap, her voice grew a bit louder and fuller. More confident. Stronger.


    ¡°But that was then, and this is now, and all the tears I cried for all those years are drying up somehow. I knew I couldn¡¯t run to you, so I ran to the door. So, I¡¯m sorry. You can¡¯t hurt me anymore.¡±


    Her humming resumed between the verses of her quiet lament as her screwdriver scratched in time with it, careful to maintain a consistent depth to her carvings. This was a gift, and it was meant to last, and so it was extra important that it be as perfect as she could possibly make it.


    ¡°Now is the time that I¡¯m becoming who I¡¯m meant to be. It should have been you now and then to tell me I was doing right. You didn¡¯t, and it almost meant the end of me.¡±


    She blinked up into the red-orange sunlight, looking down from the rooftop at the surrounding buildings. She could just barely make out the silhouette of her high school¡¯s bell tower in the distance. She¡¯d need to start getting ready for one of the waning days of her junior year of school soon, and she planned on making Akane a nice breakfast if her fiancee got up in time. Ranko was fairly certain Akane would try to prevent her from cooking, battered as she still was. She¡¯d all but kept Ranko in bubble wrap for the last few days since the fight with her father. She¡¯d already missed one of the final cheerleading performances of the school year as it was.


    ¡°Now is the time for me to unlearn all your worst mistakes: the parts of you I was subjected to that punished me each time I failed or faltered. Do you know how much work that takes?¡±


    Ranko gently brushed a lock of her messy bed-mussed hair behind her ear, careful to avoid grazing her still-bruised right eye socket. It still hurt like hell to the touch. So did most of her, if she were being honest with herself, much though she tried to act tough around Akane and her family. For the first time since before Sneak, she¡¯d had to turn down Akane¡¯s offer of intimacy the night before last, as she was still too sore from the fight to enjoy herself.


    As the wind stubbornly undid her efforts to corral her hair, she made a mental note to put it up or wear a headband when next she came up to the rooftop to work on her project again. The breeze did feel nice on her skin, though. Today, the cool wind tickling her face and her bare forearms made her feel a little like she was flying. Or, maybe, she mused, this is just what it feels like to be free.


    ¡°Now is the time for me to build a new foundation. And every day, I find a way to ensure the person I become is far beyond your small imagination.¡±


    Leaning on the air conditioner she¡¯d been sitting with her back to for support, Ranko rose from her seated position, looking over her work with pride. It¡¯s a long way from done, but I like how it¡¯s coming out, she thought to herself.


    ¡°Now is the time for me to finally make the choice. I¡¯ve figured out that every doubt and angry thing I say inside my head about myself, I hear in your voice.¡±


    Wiping away the shavings from the fourth large character she¡¯d carved with the corner of the sheet, she carefully wrapped the board again. It was getting late, and she knew she needed to get back downstairs before Akane discovered her missing. She returned the wrapped plank to its hiding place behind the gray plastic storage containers on the corner of the rooftop, tucking the screwdriver behind it out of sight.


    ¡°¡®Cause that was then, and this is now. And all the tears I cried for all those years are drying up somehow. I knew I couldn¡¯t run to you, so I ran to the door. So, I¡¯m sorry. You can¡¯t hurt me anymore.¡±


    Ranko padded gingerly to the fire escape, the larger rocks of the gravel rooftop poking through the thin soles of her house slippers. She leaned on the cold metal railing to steal one last glance at the rising sun before making her way downstairs to start breakfast for the woman she loved. The woman who would be her wife.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want you. It¡¯s just, I really needed more. And so, I¡¯m sorry. You can¡¯t hurt me anymore.¡±

 114. For Richer or Poorer

    Akane rubbed her eyes, looking over the grid of numbers scribbled in the notebook in front of her. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t getting any better; in fact, with every new thing she remembered, it got worse.


    So, we¡¯ve got rings, flowers, my dress, a cake, and invitations. We should probably at least pitch in for the food. Don¡¯t need a DJ ¨C marrying a pop star has its advantages! What else am I missing? Photographers? Maybe we can skip that. Buy a couple of those cheap disposables, put one on every table and let people take their own pictures, and get them developed after. Somehow, I don¡¯t imagine Ranko¡¯s going to want a lot of pictures anyway, which is a damn shame. Fuck. Decorations. She wrote another number on the grid, tapping at her solar-powered Casio calculator.


    Akane growled in frustration, hearing the bedroom door open as she did. She looked up from the little study desk as Ranko entered the room in her Yusue school uniform, leaning down and wrapping her arms around Akane.


    ¡°Hey beautiful. How was your day?¡±


    Akane blushed, brushing her too-long bangs out of her eyes. I really gotta get this cut. She twisted her back a bit to face the door as her fiancee entered the room. ¡°Hey! That¡¯s my line! How was school?¡±


    Turning to slide between the desk and the chair, Ranko sat on Akane¡¯s lap, dangling her legs off to Akane¡¯s right and wrapping her arms around her fiancee¡¯s neck, crossing her ankles. ¡°So, guess what?¡±


    Giggling, Akane wrapped her arms around Ranko¡¯s waist to support her. ¡°I don¡¯t know, baby. What?¡±


    Leaning into Akane¡¯s chest, Ranko lay one hand gently on her sternum, leaning up and kissing her partner on the cheek. ¡°I love you.¡±


    With a nod, Akane squeezed her a little tighter. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good, because I love you, too. What¡¯s got you in such a good mood?¡±


    I sent Pop packing, and now I can just focus on being your wife, that¡¯s what. ¡°You. That¡¯s all. Just you. Getting to be yours forever.¡± Ranko motioned with her head to the budget sheet Akane had been struggling with when she walked in. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m so expensive.¡±


    Shaking her head, Akane managed a bit of a smile. ¡°It¡¯s not you, baby. It¡¯s just, weddings. There¡¯s a thousand things, and none of them are cheap. Honestly, you¡¯re way cheaper than most brides ¨C you were able to get us a free venue, maybe food, music, and your dress! I don¡¯t know how we¡¯d do it without all that help.¡± She sighed with a hard swallow. ¡°If I¡¯m being honest, I don¡¯t know how we¡¯re gonna do it as it is. There¡¯s just too much going out and not enough coming in.¡±


    Ranko frowned. Akane, I knew you shouldn¡¯t have spent all that money on Valentine¡¯s Day. It was the best night of my life, but I hate seeing you this stressed, she thought to herself. ¡°What can I do to help? I¡¯d do another signing, but after Saturday, I¡¯m not sure there will be enough demand to do that around here for a while. Everybody¡¯s gonna have one who wants one.¡±


    ¡°I put up some more flyers around school looking for another couple of students,¡± Akane said hopefully. ¡°No bites yet, but fingers crossed.¡±


    Ranko nodded, snuggling her love in apology. ¡°My next check from Yokai won¡¯t be for like three months. Before the wedding, but not soon enough to really help us unless we just need some extra for after. I¡¯m sorry, Akane.¡±


    Akane rested her head on Ranko¡¯s shoulder, rocking her on her lap gently. ¡°I could ask my dad to help us. I know you don¡¯t want me to, but¡­¡±


    The redhead shook her head. ¡°Baby, we talked about this. I know he¡¯s cool with me now, but I can¡¯t have my first act as your spouse be a failure to meet my responsibilities in his eyes. Not now.¡± She always had a hard time saying the word wife when thinking about Soun; the promises she¡¯d made him about being both a husband and a wife to Akane still rang clearly in her mind. I gave my word, on my honor, as a Tendo, that I¡¯d take care of her. I can¡¯t break that. Not after he finally accepted me.


    Reaching behind her girlfriend to the desk for her can of orange soda, Akane swigged from it thoughtfully. ¡°I get it. I don¡¯t agree with it, but you¡¯re entitled to your position.¡± It¡¯s about the only thing you¡¯ve said you wanted for the wedding so far, so I can¡¯t really take it from you. ¡°But, it¡¯s leaving us pretty thin on options.¡±


    ¡°I could go back to six nights a week at work for a while? Won¡¯t be much, but it might help a little, at least?¡± Ranko looked up at Akane pleadingly.


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am.¡± Akane smiled, poking her nose. ¡°No more pizza oven nose dives for you. You¡¯re pushing yourself too hard as it is, and ever since we got engaged, you¡¯ve been even more little miss domestic around here. I swear, if I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d think you were pregnant with the way you¡¯re nesting.¡±


    Blushing deeply, Ranko hid her face in Akane¡¯s shirt with a giggle. ¡°If I was, one of us would have a lot of explaining to do.¡± She traced a line on Akane¡¯s shirt with her index finger. ¡°Is it a bad thing that I want to be the perfect wife for you?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Akane spoke a bit sharply, shocking her fiancee out of her playfulness. ¡°We¡¯ve talked about this. You don¡¯t have to be anything other than you already are to be perfect. Do you understand me? I love you just the way you are, and I¡¯m gonna marry you just the way you are.¡±


    Ranko smirked playfully. ¡°Oh, so you mean, I wouldn¡¯t be a better wife, if, say, I learned how to make fudge brownies today?¡±


    Laughing, Akane bounced Ranko gently in her lap. ¡°Home skills?¡±


    The singer nodded, laughing and holding on tighter as Akane¡¯s lap rocked under her. ¡°There¡¯s a tray on the counter.¡±


    ¡°I swear, girl,¡± Akane said with a grin. ¡°If your cooking gets any better, I¡¯m gonna be big as a house by the wedding.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Ranko looked up at her sincerely, resting her head on Akane¡¯s tee shirt. ¡°You¡¯re not a house, baby. You¡¯re just home.¡±


    Sighing happily, Akane squeezed her lover tight, kissing the top of her head. ¡°Ranko, I don¡¯t know what I did to deserve you.¡±


    The redhead shook her head. ¡°You deserve way better, but you¡¯re not getting rid of me, so you¡¯re just gonna have to deal with it, I guess.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes widened and she emitted a high-pitched yelp as Akane swatted her hard on the backside. ¡°Hey! That hurts, you know!¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°Well, you deserved it. I won¡¯t have anyone talk about my wife that way. Not even you.¡±


    Smiling gently, Ranko looked back over at the notebook on the desk. ¡°So, about this. Is there anything we can cut back on?¡±


    With a sad groan, Akane shook her head. ¡°Not really. You¡¯re already not getting half the wedding you deserve.¡±


    Ranko turned, twisting at the waist on Akane¡¯s lap in order to look her in the eyes. ¡°Hey. We¡¯ve talked about this, Akane. I don¡¯t know how to be a bride. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll even be missing. If you want, you can say you¡¯ll be mine forever right here, and I¡¯ll say I¡¯ll be yours, and that¡¯s all I need. As far as I¡¯m concerned, I¡¯m already your wife in my heart. I don¡¯t need anything fancy to make it real.¡± Especially not the damn dress Izumi wants to make me wear.


    Akane played with a strand of her lover¡¯s hair, sighing thoughtfully. ¡°No. We¡¯re going to get married. Somehow.¡± She blushed a bit. ¡°Sorry, baby, but you¡¯re not getting out of this one. You are going to put on a pretty dress and you are going to have people fawning over you all day like the princess you are, and there¡¯s just no way around it for you. After everything you¡¯ve gone through to master being a girl, you deserve to be shown off like that. You¡¯ve earned the fairy tale, whether you want it or not.¡±


    As she spoke, Akane slipped her hand down under the front of Ranko¡¯s school uniform. The redhead purred quietly at her touch, but rather than teasing her as Ranko hoped, Akane pulled the schoolgirl¡¯s silver necklace out from under her uniform blouse, unclasping the necklace. Ranko held her left hand out limply, turning bright red as Akane slipped her diamond engagement ring back onto her third finger.


    ¡°You¡¯re all the reward I need, Akane.¡± Ranko leaned forward, cupping Akane¡¯s cheek in her hand and kissing her lips softly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in the whole wide world I could want more. How we get there doesn¡¯t matter to me, really. I just want it to be real. I want to hear you introduce me to people as your wife. I want to know I¡¯m never, ever going to have to take another breath without you. I want everyone in our lives to know there¡¯s no coming between us. I don¡¯t want to be you and me anymore, separate. I just wanna be us.¡± She smiled, nuzzling into Akane¡¯s chest with her cheek again.


    ¡°I¡¯m so proud I get to call myself Ranko Tendo. I worked hard for that name and everything it means to me.¡± Ranko dragged the backs of two of her fingers down Akane¡¯s cheek. ¡°But, Mrs. Akane Tendo sounds so much better.¡±


    Akane blushed, giggling at Ranko¡¯s touch. ¡°But that¡¯ll be my name. How would people tell us apart?¡±


    Ranko purred against her chest. ¡°That¡¯s the point. We won¡¯t be apart, ever again.¡±


    Kissing Ranko¡¯s forehead with a smile, Akane laughed loudly. ¡°Look at you, with all the sweet words. You should write lyrics for a living or something.¡±


    I wish, Akane. I¡¯ve been trying for two months to write a song for the wedding, and I¡¯ve still got squat. Nothing will ever be good enough. Ranko sighed quietly, saying nothing.


    Akane¡¯s eyes widened a bit. ¡°Hey, why did you and the guys stop booking shows outside the Phoenix? You were doing a few here and there for a while, before Rise. I bet you could make a lot more money for a show than you used to, now that you¡¯re more famous and you have more of your own songs.¡±


    Ranko shrugged, sitting up a bit in Akane¡¯s lap. ¡°Time, mostly. People almost never came to us. Crash was banging down people¡¯s doors. Kaz did a lot of that too, before he left the band. We just haven¡¯t had the time to put ourselves out there like that with recording new songs and shows so many nights a week. I wouldn¡¯t even know what would be fair for us to charge anymore.¡± She chuckled silently, rolling her eyes with a goofy smile and reddening cheeks. ¡°We aren¡¯t exactly business geniuses, baby. About the best marketing technique I know about this gig is that the shorter my skirts get, the more tickets we seem to sell ¨C and we¡¯ve pretty much reached the limit on that before you¡¯re gonna start hitting people in the audience for looking at me.¡±


    Akane nodded, but she seemed to still be wrestling with something in her head. ¡°Is there anyone who could help you with that? Your mom, maybe?¡±


    Ranko crinkled her nose and shook her head. ¡°Naah. Mom¡¯s good at running bars, but she hates that business crap. She¡¯s handing as much of it off to Yui as she can already. She negotiated our album contract, but basically she just looked at it and said as far as I can tell, you¡¯re not getting screwed. She¡¯s not a ruthless shark, like¡­¡± The redhead¡¯s eyes widened with a little gasp of realization. ¡°You don¡¯t think¡­¡±


    Ranko¡¯s fiancee grinned. She knew exactly who Ranko meant. ¡°You¡¯re a genius, baby! I can ask her! Worst she can say is no.¡± Akane squeezed her fiancee tight, and Ranko rested her head back on Akane¡¯s breast. ¡°See? When we work together, we can figure anything out. We¡¯re unstoppable, you and me.¡±


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Ranko purred softly into her love¡¯s shirt, nuzzling her cheek gently against the hard spot in the center of Akane¡¯s chest where the two cups of her bra met under her shirt. After all she¡¯d been through, after all she¡¯d feared and fought for with her father, she knew better than to take the simple act of cuddling in Akane¡¯s arms for granted. However hard it had been, she¡¯d never been more grateful. Fate had let her keep the things that mattered to her the most.


    Akane rubbed the redhead¡¯s back gently through her school uniform pinafore. ¡°Hey, you got quiet all of a sudden. Is everything okay, princess?¡±


    Nodding softly, Ranko leaned up, kissing Akane¡¯s neck with her open lips before whispering into her ear. ¡°Akane?¡±


    Biting her lip and shivering a bit, Akane let out a quiet whimper. ¡°Yes, love?¡±


    The redhead ran her finger gently down Akane¡¯s neck. ¡°Make me yours?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, silly girl, that¡¯s kind of the whole point of planning a wedd¡­ oh. You mean like¡­¡± Akane¡¯s cheeks went dark crimson.


    Ranko nodded earnestly, her finger still exploring Akane¡¯s shoulder as she glanced over at their unmade bed. ¡°Please?¡±

 115. The Rainbow Sorority

    ¡°Shit! Oww!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a baby,¡± Izumi mumbled without moving her lips.


    ¡°Well, quit stickin¡¯ me, then!¡± Ranko jumped as another straight pin punched through the white fabric around her waist and pricked ever-so-slightly into her hypersensitive skin.


    Izumi took another pin from her mouth, folding a bit of material over on itself and pinning it into place, tightening the shimmering shell of what would eventually become Ranko¡¯s wedding dress around her sister¡¯s ribcage. ¡°Look, do you want it to fit right or not? We¡¯re almost done, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Urk! You and I have very different definitions of fitting right, Izzi!¡± Ranko held her arms up to allow her sister to work around her torso.


    Izumi shook her head, rolling her eyes playfully with a little tsk. ¡°I swear, girl, every time you complain, I¡¯m gonna take it down another centimeter.¡±


    The redhead whined loudly. ¡°Aww, you suck, Izzi!¡±


    Giggling, Izumi began untying the two-centimeter-wide white ribbon that cinched the shell closed around her sister¡¯s chest, starting to free the younger girl from her makeshift satin prison. ¡°Love you too, little sister.¡±


    Breathing deep as her seamstress sister pulled the white material away from her torso, Ranko reached for the yellow sheath dress that lay spread on the queen-sized bed. Izumi waved as her sister slipped the dress over her head. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go check on the girls while you get dressed, ¡®kay?¡±


    ¡°Mm-hmm!¡± Ranko finished slipping on her dress and pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail, using the pair of yellow lacquered chopsticks she pulled from her mouth to pin it in place.


    Ranko emerged from Izumi¡¯s bedroom into a flurry of feminine chaos in the little apartment. Izumi leaned over the couch, waving with an exaggerated smile at her infant daughter, who beamed toothlessly as she was bounced in Kasumi¡¯s arms. Mei and Ayako huddled with Akane at the kitchen counter over several small trays of h''orderves. At the dining table, Yui and Nabiki laughed together, rolling their eyes at a picture in one of Izumi¡¯s bridal magazines.


    The redhead smiled, her eyes darting from one little cluster of women to the next. This is my family. It¡¯s crazy, it¡¯s different, and it¡¯s mine.  Ranko walked up behind her fiancee, standing on her tiptoes to rest her chin on Akane¡¯s shoulder as she wrapped her arms around the taller girl¡¯s waist and snuggled into her soft pink tee shirt. ¡°Hey, you.¡±


    Akane purred as she was hugged, leaning her head back. ¡°Hey yourself, beautiful. Izzi get you all set?¡± She picked up a small square of pink-frosted cake from one of the trays, turning in Ranko¡¯s arms to face her and holding it up to her face. ¡°Here, try this, babe.¡±


    Ranko blushed as she opened her mouth to accept the sample, getting a bit of pink frosting smudged on the corner of her mouth, and nodded in response to Akane¡¯s question.


    ¡°Whatcha think, sweetheart? You like that one, or the first one, better? Kasumi said she¡¯d make whichever one we like most.¡± Akane giggled, scrunching her nose as she removed the bit of frosting from Ranko¡¯s lip with her finger and licked it clean.


    Swallowing, the redhead shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s really good! Not sure it¡¯s gonna matter too much to me, though.¡± She winked, sticking her pink-coated tongue out playfully at her middle sister with a silly expression. ¡°I don¡¯t think Izzi¡¯s leaving me enough room in that dress to expand my lungs, let alone my stomach.¡±


    Izumi shook her head with a grin, walking through the kitchen with Mioko on her hip on the way to her bedroom. ¡°What did I tell you about complaining? You want to be pretty for Akane, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Ranko blushed furiously, suddenly finding the food trays far more interesting than making eye contact with anyone. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I guess I do.¡±


    ¡°Of course she does,¡± Kasumi said, beaming at the teen with a charmed expression, as if she were watching baby kittens play. ¡°Ranko¡¯s gonna be just beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Kasuuuumi¡­¡± Ranko flushed deeper still, trying unsuccessfully to hide in Akane¡¯s shoulder.


    Nabiki started rapping gently on her soda glass with a chopstick. Yui almost immediately followed suit with her half-empty beer bottle, filling the little apartment with a repetitive, shrill clinking.


    ¡°What¡¯s with all the banging?¡± Ranko winced, rubbed her eardrum with her index finger. ¡°Do you, like, need a refill or something? You could just ask, ya know! There are, like, four waitresses and bartenders in the kitchen right now. Just sayin¡¯.¡±


    Nabiki scoffed, rolling her eyes with a chuckle. ¡°Honestly, Ranko, do we need to teach you everything?¡±


    ¡°What?! Is it s¡¯pos¡¯ta mean something? I don¡¯t get it.¡± Ranko looked at Yui in confusion, but her sister was far too amused with Ranko¡¯s deer-in-headlights expression to help her.


    It was Ranko¡¯s bride who did, reaching down and resting her palm on the redhead¡¯s cheek and turning her head gently toward herself. ¡°It means they want me to kiss you, silly girl.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Really? Well, shit, in that case¡­¡± Ranko twinkled lovingly into her fiancee¡¯s eyes as she reached behind her head, pulling the chopsticks out of her hair and shaking her head to let it fall in loose red waves around her shoulders. She reached around Akane¡¯s back, tapping the juice glass in her fiancee¡¯s hand with the pair of sticks.


    ¡°Come here, you.¡± Laughing contently, Akane stepped forward, her lips meeting her fiancee¡¯s to the giggles and cheers of several of their combined six sisters.


    Ranko purred contently as the kiss ended, craning her neck and looking around the apartment. ¡°Hey, where¡¯d Hoshi get to?¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Yui finished a swallow of beer, tilting the bottle toward Ranko. ¡°Oh, Kaito took him to the arcade. They headed for the hills the second Nabs and Kasumi showed up. Kaito said something about not wanting to drown in estrogen.¡±


    Nabiki flashed Ranko a playfully sadistic sneer. ¡°Fortunately, none of us girls have anything to worry about.¡±


    Ranko hid her face in her hand. I knew I was going to regret letting Akane get them all together. Hell, I¡¯m gonna get my ass kicked.


    ¡°Do you mind?¡± Mei nudged Akane gently with a smile. ¡°As adorable as it is to watch you and my little sister necking all day, you¡¯re blockin¡¯ the snacks, girl!¡±


    Ayako leaned over Nabiki¡¯s shoulder at the dining table, picking up the catalog she¡¯d been looking at. ¡°You still looking for something for Akane?¡±


    The brunette nodded. ¡°Finding something she likes isn¡¯t the problem, it¡¯s finding something in the budget. We¡¯re working on it.¡±


    Ranko sighed quietly. She wished she could find a way to convince Izumi to craft Akane¡¯s wedding attire rather than her own. Akane cared a lot more about it than she did, it seemed, and would likely have been far more appreciative of the effort and attention. The only problem was, the only thing Akane cared about more than looking amazing at the wedding was making sure Ranko did.


    ¡°Lemme see that a second?¡± Akane reached around her middle sister, taking the catalog from Ayako and flipping back a few pages to a section more focused on bridesmaid dresses. She walked back toward the hall, handing the glossy booklet to Izumi as she returned from putting Mioko down in the nursery, pointing down to one of the pictures. ¡°We¡¯re thinking this one.¡±


    Izumi grinned. ¡°It¡¯s cute! I love it. Wait¡­ we? Don¡¯t tell me you actually got Ranko to give an opinion on something?¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Akane said, nudging the flushing redhead in the shoulder. ¡°She picked it out.¡±


    Ranko shook her head emphatically, smiling coyly as she waved her hands defensively in front of her face. ¡°I deny everything. No idea what she¡¯s talking about!¡±


    The couple¡¯s de facto wedding planner smirked. ¡°Uh-huh. Likely story. I just knew there was a bride in there somewhere¡­¡± Izzi poked gently at Ranko¡¯s forehead. ¡°Oh, this is cool,¡± she said, returning her eyes to the catalog. The dress was a pastel mint green from the waist up, with a modest square neckline and sheer full sleeves running down to the wrist, cinching around the midriff with a boned corset look. Three pink flowers rested in a cluster just above the left breast. From the waist down, the green faded into an off-white organza skirt that fluffed down to about the knees. Surrounding the larger picture, several smaller ones of a similar dress were arranged. ¡°Looks like it comes in a bunch of different colors. So we just need to pick one, decide on the final bridesmaid count, and we can work on getting them ordered, and then we just need to start talking about maids of honor and if they¡¯re gonna be in anything different.¡±


    Ranko hugged Akane gently, resting her head gently on her future wife¡¯s collarbone. ¡°You wanna just tell them now?¡±


    Akane turned her head, kissing Ranko on the forehead. ¡°If you do, princess. Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°If it helps, I¡¯m happy to step out,¡± Nabiki declared. ¡°Frilly dresses, not really my thing.¡±


    Ranko smirked at Akane¡¯s sister. ¡°Oh, not a chance, Nabiki. If I don¡¯t get out of it, neither do you.¡±


    The brunette scoffed, but her eyes betrayed a warmth that her scowl failed to fully hide. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s fair, little sister. After all, I¡¯m not the idiot who decided to get married.¡±


    Akane giggled, poking Ranko¡¯s nose again. ¡°Twice.¡±


    Mei bounced on her heels with a little squeak, scrunching her arms up against her chest with her hands balled into fists. ¡°Well, whatever you¡¯re gonna tell us, tell us, already! No holdin¡¯ out on us, either!¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Ranko began, smiling around the room at all of the women. ¡°Me an¡¯ Akane have been talking, and there¡¯s a lot that goes into this. Like, what does a maid of honor do when there¡¯s two of ¡®em? Also, it¡¯s not really fair, since I¡¯ve got four sisters and she only has two. I wasn¡¯t about to try to pick my two favorites, and she didn¡¯t really want to add two more girls just to say the sides were balanced.¡± Much though Hitomi and Emi would have loved it if she had. ¡°Tradition¡¯s got us pretty screwed there. But then, we figured, nothin¡¯ else about this thing is traditional, so why did this have to be?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t follow, Ranko,¡± Kasumi said, leaning gently on the frame of the archway between the nursery and the kitchen. ¡°Are you saying you don¡¯t intend to have bridesmaids at all?¡±


    Akane turned to her sister, shaking her head with a loving smile. ¡°No, Kasumi. We¡¯re saying we want all of you to stand with us, as equals. No maids of honor, and no sides. We¡¯re all gonna be one family, so there¡¯s no reason to split things up between Ranko¡¯s sisters and mine. You¡¯re all special to both of us, and we couldn¡¯t dream of getting married without all of the women who helped make us who we are.¡±


    Izumi stepped between the brides, putting one of her arms around each of them. ¡°I friggin¡¯ love it, girls. Brilliant. Now, we just gotta pick a color, figure out everybody¡¯s sizes, and we can get these dresses ordered.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ranko said. ¡°What if we didn¡¯t pick a color, either?¡±


    ¡°Um, Ranko, honey,¡± Izumi said, grinning and patting her sister on the top of the head in mock condescension. ¡°If there wasn¡¯t a color, they¡¯d just be, like, invisible. You get how that doesn¡¯t really work for clothes, right?¡±


    Ranko lowered her face into her palm. ¡°I mean, no shit, Izzi. I mean, what if we didn¡¯t pick one color? It comes in six colors, right? There¡¯s six of you girls. What if we just did the whole rainbow?¡±


    Izumi¡¯s eyes sparkled, and she ruffled her sister¡¯s wavy hair with her hand. ¡°That¡¯s fantastic! Ranko, you are a friggin¡¯ genius!¡±


    Mei tittered and popped up her hand. ¡°Dibs on blue!¡±


    Kasumi stood on her tiptoes, peering over Izumi¡¯s shoulder at the catalog, still holding Mioko against her hip. ¡°Oh, that light purple one is so pretty¡­¡±


    Ayako swallowed a bite of cake, almost choking on it to get her words out before all the desirable choices were gone. ¡°Red, all the way!¡±


    Izumi had said nothing, but she¡¯d already written her name on the catalog next to the picture of the green dress.


    Yui smirked at Nabiki. ¡°Guess that leaves us, kiddo.¡±


    ¡°As the blonde, I¡¯d think yellow would be the natural choice for you,¡± Nabiki said, sipping at her soda nonchalantly.


    The tall blonde nodded. ¡°That works for me. So, yellow for me, orange for you?¡±


    Nabiki nodded, her brown bob tickling her shoulders that were left bare by her orange halter top. ¡°Guess so, sure.¡±


    Ranko blinked as Izumi finished jotting down the girls¡¯ choices. ¡°That seemed¡­ surprisingly easy. I feel like there¡¯s another shoe about to drop. What am I missing?¡± Izumi turned to her sister with a wide, toothy grin. ¡°We still gotta talk about what to do with mama.¡±

 116. Phoenix Rising

    ¡°Akane, be careful!¡±


    The singer¡¯s fiancee giggled, taking another tentative step on the rooftop of the two-story building. She led Ranko, teetering forward on a pair of red patent heels with her eyes closed, forward by the hand. ¡°I promise, I¡¯m not going to throw you off the roof, silly girl.¡±


    A cool April breeze brushed through the layers of red organza around Ranko¡¯s knees, causing her to shiver slightly. Ranko could hear the din of people - a lot of people - and the distinctive bassline that could have only been Rise.


    ¡°Almost there, baby, a couple more steps¡­¡± Akane led her to a corner of the building behind a rusty handrail that hadn¡¯t been maintained in far too long. ¡°There. Open your eyes.¡±


    Ranko did as she was bidden, and the first thing that caught her eye was the spotlights. There were four, oscillating back and forth and projecting swaying beams of white light from the ground up into the night sky. But then, her eyes fell to the sidewalk surrounding the Phoenix. She stood atop the building she¡¯d all but crawled into, half-starved and devoid of anything resembling pride, just eighteen months ago. How different it felt tonight.


    The front half of the building was surrounded. The sea of people stretched around the building¡¯s frontage and all through the street. Ranko caught a glimpse of flashing colored lights, and turned to notice two police cars blocking off the street to car traffic. Another pair of police cruisers blocked the road on the opposite side, cordoning off two whole blocks in each direction directly in front of the bar. Parked just behind the police cars, inside the blocked-off space, were a trio of TV news vans with their broadcast antennas extended and ready.


    Stretching some twenty meters wide, a temporary platform had been erected in what would normally have been the far lane of traffic. Steel trusses climbed nine meters above the platform, supporting a vast array of suspended stage lights and speakers. Somebody must¡¯ve run one hell of an extension cord, Ranko thought with a silly smirk. The platform itself was dotted with speakers, amplifiers, video cameras, and a set of instruments awaiting their masters. A huge black cloth backdrop had been hung from the rear truss, displaying the Ranko and the Dapper Dragons logo. Ranko¡¯s pink signature alone had to be thirteen meters wide. The songstress couldn¡¯t help but savor the observation that the backdrop completely eclipsed the building behind it, effectively erasing the dojo that had turned her away all those months ago from the street for the evening.


    Off to the left side, in the middle of the Phoenix¡¯ side of the street, a large trailer bearing a portable structure was parked without its towing vehicle. A lit sign hanging from the structure¡¯s roof indicated that it was a merchandise stall. The line to reach the open side of the stall and browse the selections over its counter had to have been at least a hundred people long.


    A square of folding tables some ten meters across had been assembled to the right side of the party space, and ten frantic workers poured drinks as fast as their hands could move for revelers on all sides of it, routinely running back to the larger table at the center of the square for a fresh bottle. Ranko could just barely make out the shape of the tall, lithe blonde that stalked between the workers, encouraging them and animatedly correcting any mistakes the temporary bartenders made. You tell ¡®em, Yui, Ranko thought with pride in her big sister.


    ¡°Akane¡­¡± Ranko looked up at her beloved, her eyes welling.


    Akane nodded, putting her arm around Ranko¡¯s shoulder. The singer was shaking with nerves, and her knees were weak. ¡°I know, baby. But you¡¯re going to need to get used to it.¡± She hooked her fingers under Ranko¡¯s chin, turning her lover¡¯s head until they made eye contact. ¡°This is going to be normal for you pretty soon.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ could never feel normal.¡± Ranko¡¯s heart was racing, and she wasn¡¯t sure if it was due to anxiety, excitement, or both. ¡°How do I even¡­¡±


    Akane smiled reassuringly. ¡°You know how you told me once that the stage in the Phoenix is your home, and when you¡¯re there, you feel like you can do anything?¡± She turned her eyes down to the stage that had been constructed in the street below. ¡°Tonight, that¡¯s your stage. And so is every stage you ever step on for the rest of your life. You aren¡¯t trespassing, Ranko. You aren¡¯t pretending. This is for you. This is where you belong, with bright lights showing you off and thousands of people chanting your name. Go take what¡¯s yours.¡± Akane¡¯s smile faded slightly. ¡°All I ask is that while you do, you never forget that you¡¯re mine.¡±


    Ranko reached down for Akane¡¯s hands with both of hers. ¡°Akane, I could never. I could never, ever have gotten here without you, and I never want to go anywhere else without you again. You¡¯re my song, remember?¡±


    Akane nodded, a tentative, hopeful smile returning to her lips. She leaned over the pair¡¯s joined hands, kissing her future wife on the forehead, the taste of the singer¡¯s foundation lingering on her lips. ¡°Then I guess you¡¯d best get your butt down there and sing it, princess.¡±


    Ranko took a deep breath and squeezed Akane¡¯s hands tightly. ¡°I think I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Akane nodded with a wide smile. ¡°I know you are, baby. Let¡¯s do this. Together.¡± Releasing one of Ranko¡¯s hands, she led her by the other away from the edge of the rooftop, to the door leading to the stairway back down into the building.


    Emerging in the common room of the bar¡¯s bottom floor, Ranko looked around at her assembled team of musicians and supporters. Hana, Ayako, Izumi and Mei were all huddled behind the service bar, sussing out their final plans for the evening once the show began. Shinji sat on the stage with Ken, conversing with Amaya Uyehara, the representative from the Yokai Records team. Seated at one of the round tables near the front of the room, Yuji Oe and a cadre of camera operators and producers discussed the best camera angles for filming various parts of the show. Jacob and Ariel peered out the front window at the assembling crowd, marveling at it together in English. Emi leaned over Jacob¡¯s back, trying to see as well, and Hitomi paced nervously alone in the far corner.


    As the first to make eye contact with Ranko, Crash slid his backside off of the table he sat on the top of, between Nabiki and Ukyo¡¯s chairs. ¡°Hey everybody?¡±


    As the conversations stopped and all eyes followed Crash¡¯s to the blue saloon doors, where Ranko stood with Akane at her side, Crash approached the vocalist he¡¯d recruited to join his band. In his wildest dreams, he hoped tonight would come, but never did he predict it would be this soon. He raised his arm to her, holding out a dynamic microphone that he knew she wouldn¡¯t need; all the equipment for the performance was already set up and tested outside.


    ¡°Hey, Ran-chan. You ready to go make history?¡±


    Ranko took the microphone, holding it in both of her hands as she looked over her family and friends, a warm smile on her lips and a tear forming in her eyes. ¡°I just want to say¡­ Tonight couldn¡¯t have happened without every single one of you. I can¡¯t even find the words to tell you all how grateful I am.¡±


    From his seat on the stage, Shinji cupped his hands around his mouth and called out. ¡°Well, you¡¯re the lyricist, so if you don¡¯t have any words, we¡¯re all fucked!¡± The group laughed, Ranko included.


    Ranko looked down nostalgically at the microphone in her hand. It¡¯s really all come to this. I can¡¯t believe this is how it started, and this is where we are. Raising her eyes to her supporters, she spun the microphone in her left hand in her trademark style.


    ¡°Dragons, everything we¡¯ve worked for starts tonight. Are you ready?!¡±


    Still standing right in front of her, Crash nodded. ¡°Hell yeah, I am.¡±


    Shinji whooped from the stage, and to his right, Ken called out, ¡°We got this, guys!¡±


    Emi took Hitomi¡¯s hand, giving it a supportive squeeze. ¡°You bet your ass, Ranko!¡±


    Jacob and Ariel shared a high-five, and Jacob screeched excitedly. ¡°World domination, baby!¡±


    Ranko nodded resolutely, smiling to her friends. ¡°Then let¡¯s go make some magic.¡±


    A collective whoop rose from the group of musicians as they began to filter toward the door, but Ranko stood still, watching them head out into the throng one by one. After the other seven members of her band had all made their way through the glass door, Ranko started to step forward, but she was stopped by a palm pressing against her sternum to hold her in place. She looked up at its owner with a nervous smile.


    Hana cupped her daughter¡¯s face in her hands, smiling down at her as if she were walking on clouds. Ranko could only remember two other times she¡¯d seen her normally-stoic mother look like that: when Akane first proposed to her at Christmas, and the day Mioko was born.


    ¡°Girl, do you have any idea how fucking proud of you I am?¡±


    As Akane looked on with a joyful smile, Ranko reached forward and pulled her mother into her arms. ¡°Mama, thank you so much. For everything. All of this is because of you. Because you took a chance on me.¡±


    Hana kissed the top of Ranko¡¯s head through her blown-out red hair, wrapping her arms around her back as well. ¡°I love you, kid. No matter how big a star you become, don¡¯t you ever forget it.¡±


    Akane wiped a tear. See, Mr. Saotome? This is the family she always deserved. This is why she didn¡¯t choose you.


    ¡°I love you too, mom. Always.¡± Ranko released her mother from the hug. ¡°Now, I better stop this, because if I fuck up my makeup crying, Izumi¡¯s gonna hang me from that truss out there.¡±


    Ranko walked to the door, stopping just in front of it. She put her hand on the brass bar that served as the door handle, smiling back at the two women who had, more than anyone, shaped her new life. She took a deep breath and turned her eyes back to the door. As she started to push, Akane¡¯s voice called to her. ¡°Ranko, wait!¡±


    Ranko turned just in time to collide with Akane¡¯s body, as the love of her life had run to her and nearly tackled her. Before she could process what was happening, Akane¡¯s arms were around her and her lips were locked with the singer¡¯s.


    She blushed as Akane released her from the kiss, and Akane giggled at the dumbstruck expression on the singer¡¯s face. ¡°For luck.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need luck.¡± Ranko grinned, starting to push the door open. ¡°I have you.¡±


    The sidewalk itself shook under Ranko¡¯s feet with the pounding of the massive speakers that ringed the cordoned-off party area. I feel bad for anybody who¡¯s trying to sleep within 10 blocks of this place, Ranko thought as she strode through the crowd in her fire-engine-red dress. Two crowd control personnel flanked her to keep the most aggressive of the attention-seekers at bay. As she walked toward the stage and people started to recognize her, the cheering began to build and, slowly, a gap opened in the sea of humanity to allow her passage to the stage. The cacophony of thousands of voices began to organize itself into but one.


    ¡°RAN-KO! RAN-KO! RAN-KO!¡±


    Blushing, Ranko waved to the crowd as she made her way to the steel platform on which her friends were already preparing their final instrument checks. As she ascended the steps, the chanting devolved back into a deafening roar.


    With trembling fingers, she picked up the headset microphone that awaited her atop Jacob¡¯s synthesizer and pulled it over her hair, adjusting the microphone boom to rest exactly where she wanted it. Giving Crash a little nod as she swallowed the last of the butterflies in her stomach, she turned to face the huge crowd with an enormous smile and an enthusiastic wave.


    ¡°How we doing tonight, everybody?!¡±


    Not waiting for the screaming to die down, Ranko continued. ¡°My name¡¯s Ranko Tendo. These are my friends, Crash, Shinji, Jacob, Ken, Emi, Hitomi and Ariel. We call ourselves Ranko and the Dapper Dragons.¡± She looked back over her shoulder with a grin at her band. ¡°We¡¯re dropping our first album tonight! It¡¯s called Phoenix Rising, from Yokai Records. Maybe you¡¯ve heard of it?¡±


    The partygoers roared, and many hundreds of them held the cassettes and compact discs they¡¯d already purchased from the merch stand up in the air.


    Ranko laughed. ¡°Great! Well, then I guess you can all go home and listen to it, and I can take the night off! Cool?¡± She giggled as a chorus of laughs and playful boos surrounded her. ¡°Well, you¡¯d better be careful when you put that CD in! It just might get you!¡± She closed her eyes and bowed her head, standing perfectly still at the center of the stage with her arms crossed at the wrists over her chest.


    Shinji leaned forward into his microphone, bellowing out a deep, almost demonic cackle, and Hitomi crossed in front of Ranko in a red skater dress. She sang out at the low end of her range, waving to someone she knew in the crowd.


    ¡°Whoa-oh-oh! Uh-oh! Look out, look out! Whoa-oh-oh! Uh-oh! She¡¯s gonna make you shout!¡±


    A short burst of six notes rose from the synthesizer before falling back into silence. Emi crossed in front of Hitomi in her matching skater dress, and they shared a high five as Emi¡¯s higher-pitched voice took over for her roommate¡¯s. ¡°Whoa-oh-oh! Uh-oh! Beware the flow! Whoa-oh-oh! Uh-oh! Turn off the radio!¡±


    As Shinji¡¯s demonic laughter shook the stage under her feet and the rest of the band joined in the main rhythm of the song, Ranko opened her eyes with a dark, almost malicious smile, made all the more devilish by the red accents Izumi had painted around her lips and eyes. She took four steps forward to the front of the stage, packing her lungs as full of air as she could for the rapid-fire lyrics to come.


    ¡°It¡¯s the legendary lyricist, the Phoenix rose, here to shake your body from your hair down to your toes! The beat starts in your ears, and flows down your spine; works your way into your hips until it makes you mine!¡±


    Hitomi and Emi snapped their bodies jerkily this way and that as if they were moving involuntarily, and true to her word, the 170-beat-per-minute dance track made it almost impossible to stand still for anyone in the crowd either. Ranko herself stalked between her backup dancers, waving her fingers at them as if casting a spell on them and animating them through some dark musical necromancy.


    ¡°Oozes down into your heart, and it infects your soul until your whole, entire body starts to lose control. ¡®Cause the second you start hearing my hypnotic groove, you¡¯ll forget how to think, and you can only move!¡±


    Ranko flung her arms forcefully to either side, her fingers opening wide as if releasing Hitomi and Emi from her unseen grasp. The two girls¡¯ movements became far less robotic and both donned broad smiles. They continued the same basic dance moves much more fluidly, as if the power over them had faded, but they were now enjoying what they were doing far too much to stop.


    Ranko waved dismissively with her hand at the absolutely electrified crowd. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy! Everyone knows you can¡¯t help but lose it when your system¡¯s overridden by the sound of music! It¡¯s not your fault! Nobody can maintain their focus when they¡¯re sucked into the Dragon-style hocus-pocus!¡±


    Without taking her eyes off the crowd, Ranko gestured to her band behind her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know why you¡¯re surprised that you¡¯re completely transfixed and absolutely mesmerized by the track that we mixed. With Ranko on the mic, Crash strummin¡¯, Ken, drummin¡¯, Shin and Jacob dropping bombs back there? You should¡¯ve seen it coming!¡±


    The crowd roared in appreciation as Ranko acknowledged her musician friends as Emi¡¯s voice called out to the crowd in warning. ¡°Whoa-oh-oh, uh-oh! Beware the flow!¡±


    Hitomi¡¯s lower pitch countered as she gestured wildly to the crowd, waving her arms as if trying to warn them of impending danger. ¡°Whoa-oh-oh, uh-oh! Turn off the radio!¡±


    Ranko¡¯s dark, sinister smile returned, and she stalked heel-over-toe unblinkingly toward the front of the stage. Every movement was calculated and deliberate, in juxtaposition with Hitomi and Emi¡¯s wilder flailing to the dance beat.


    ¡°You can¡¯t help but dance! There¡¯s no time to rest! There¡¯s a siren on the mic that¡¯s making you possessed! There¡¯s nowhere to hide! Nowhere to go!¡±


    Shinji¡¯s booming bass harmonized with Ranko¡¯s high-pitched pop princess-twinged voice as they slid further and further down the musical scale. ¡°No escaping from the demon in your ra-a-di-o!¡±


    As the title of the song sluiced from her tongue, five pyrotechnic cannons belched columns of flame upward from the top of the trusses, and all of the stage lighting shifted from white to a hellish red that complemented the devil-inspired dresses of all three female performers.


    Again, Shinji¡¯s booming, villainous laughter crackled through the speakers as Ranko dove straight into the second verse, grateful for the few seconds¡¯ pause Crash had left between them. Singing this fast was hard, and she could barely dance while maintaining the pace.


    ¡°There¡¯s another verse coming, so I¡¯m back from hell to put your shakin¡¯ butt right back under my spell. There¡¯s a slither in my rhythm, shipped in straight from Hades, heating all the boys up¡­¡±


    Ranko turned her head to the left, winking with a devious grin to her fiancee in the wings of the temporary stage while Hitomi and Emi harmonized the phrase she¡¯d snuck into the lyrics to acknowledge the true object of her desires.


    ¡°... and most of the ladies!¡±


    ¡°Damn, girlfriend¡¯s pulling no punches out there!¡± Ukyo leaned into Akane in the wings at the side of stage left, grinning. ¡°I had no idea she was this good.¡±


    As a chorus of predominantly feminine whoops rose from the audience, Ranko continued.


    ¡°So, don¡¯t call a doctor! Don¡¯t call a priest! You¡¯re a thrall to the rhythm and can¡¯t be released! All that¡¯s left is to surrender and profess your devotion as you¡¯re lyrically commanded to perpetual motion!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Ukyo¡­¡± Akane giggled. ¡°You have no idea.¡± She gestured her head in the direction of the guitarist to Ranko¡¯s left. ¡°How¡¯s things with you and Crash?¡±


    The brunette blushed, hiding her face with her hand coyly. ¡°Pretty good, so far. He¡¯s a sweet guy.¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Grinning, Akane gave a little nod. ¡°Yeah, I guess he really is.¡± Even when he wouldn¡¯t give up on Ranko, he was always decent and respectful about it. Far cry from guys like Kuno or Saburo. Gotta give him credit where credit¡¯s due.


    Ranko smiled broadly, watching her song having the exact effect for which it was intended. The four blocks of cordoned-off street had already morphed from road to concert, and now they had become an all-out dance party.


    ¡°I¡¯m a psycho on the microphone, vile and evil! With a rhythm this insidious, it¡¯s gotta be illegal! As long as you can hear me, then you¡¯re mine for the taking. Now, my devilish revelry¡¯s got your skeleton shaking!¡±


    Her cadence could only be more a spoken rap than singing at the speed with which she fired volleys of lyrics at her fans. Her lungs burned for a break, a chance to fill with air again, but Ranko¡¯s relentless verse had not quite yet neared its end.


    ¡°Your muscles take over, your mind¡¯s deactivated as this tricksy singing pixie makes you totally captivated. Might as well give in and come to grips with your fate; once you heard the bass drop, it was already too late!¡±


    As Ranko¡¯s chest heaved, Emi¡¯s warning again showered the audience, albeit far too late. ¡°Whoa-oh-oh, uh-oh! Beware the flow!¡±


    Hitomi shook her head, flailing her arms at Emi as if trying to convince her to stop what she was doing. ¡°Whoa-oh-oh, uh-oh! Turn off the radio!¡±


    Rocketing to the front of the stage, Ranko kicked her leg out to the left, leaning to her right and rocking back and forth at the hips. Hitomi and Emi flanked her from just behind, forming a chevron behind her as the three danced in perfect synchronization.


    ¡°You can¡¯t help but dance! There¡¯s no time to rest! There¡¯s a siren on the mic that¡¯s making you possessed! There¡¯s nowhere to hide! Nowhere to go! No escaping from the¡­¡±


    This time, she trailed off, letting Shinji¡¯s gravelly bass voice finish the line as it crept lower and lower in pitch with each note. ¡°DEMON in your ra-a-di-o!¡±


    Ranko turned her back to the crowd, gyrating slowly despite the high-energy dance beat. The effect was seductive, but in practicality, the bit of choreography had been designed to allow the singer a moment to pack her lungs with air for the final half-verse, which was even faster than the rest had been. She closed her eyes, breathing in all the air she could hold in her lungs through her nose, holding her breath for a few seconds and letting it out. She¡¯d learned the technique to quickly regulate her breathing and recover from a blow to the ribs, although she doubted anything would be kicking her tonight except the bass that quaked the whole of the platform underneath her feet at least once a second. She repeated the steps a few more times in the couple of seconds of rest afforded to her by the musical bridge.


    She turned, her wavy red hair flouncing over her left shoulder as she whipped her head around with a self-satisfied grin. She was proud of the rest of the verses, but when she wrote this one, she¡¯d just been showing off. She was especially impressed with herself for having written it without Mrs. Tanaka¡¯s help, because she strongly doubted her English teacher would have approved of what she was about to vocalize. She rocked on the balls of her feet, holding her hands outward at waist level as she danced as much as she dared during the coming volley of vocals.


    ¡°You¡¯re not ready for me, boy! I¡¯m strange and exotic! Diabolically, chaotically, hypnotically erotic! Even if you don¡¯t wanna be dancin¡¯, well, you¡¯re forced to be, so cower to my power of seductive sonic sorcery! You know you¡¯re totally enchanted, so give in to my hex! You ain¡¯t gettin¡¯ with me¡­¡± She snapped her head to the left, grinning just offstage at the one person at the party for whom that statement was false. ¡°... and so it¡¯s better than sex!¡±


    She pointed at the back of the crowd, where people still stood in line waiting to buy their own Phoenix Rising cassettes and compact discs. A few had even purchased the album on vinyl. ¡°Even the wallflowers over there, bored and listless, will be crawling to the floor, screaming out¡­¡±


    Hitomi and Emi both bowed at the waists, extending their arms over their heads and lowering them toward Ranko in mock worship. As they sang the final two words without Ranko, so too did a smattering of people in the crowd who had already listened to the song on their portable music players and knew what was coming.


    ¡°Yes, mistress!¡±


    Ukyo blinked up at Akane. You¡­ you¡¯re okay with her doing that out there? Damn. You really have come a long way in trusting her¡­


    With no pause after the last verse, Ranko launched herself directly into the final chorus.


    ¡°You can¡¯t help but dance! There¡¯s no time to rest! There¡¯s a siren on the mic that¡¯s makin¡¯ you possessed! There¡¯s nowhere to hide! Nowhere to go! No escaping from the demon in your ra-a-di-o!¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes narrowed sinisterly as she reached out with her right hand to the crowd, clenching her fingers around an invisible ball as if ripping the souls right out of her audience¡¯s chests.


    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve got you, I ain¡¯t ever gonna let you go! No escaping from the demon in your ra-a-di-o!¡±


    A hard bass drop nearly blew out the giant speakers hanging overhead as the high-energy dance beat ended, and only Shinji¡¯s hellish cackle punctuated the song¡¯s ending. That, and the absolute eruption of the thousands of people that filled the block in front of the Phoenix.


    Ranko waved to the crowd with her left hand as she carefully mopped sweat from her brow with her right. That song had been hard to rehearse, but gods, it was harder to do when she was putting show-level energy behind it. Fortunately, she¡¯d planned herself a little respite in the set list ¨C physically, at least.


    ¡°Whew! We¡¯re done, right? Or do you guys want more?¡±


    Again, the crowd, who seemed nowhere near as tired out as she was, enthusiastically began chanting her name again.


    Ranko laughed, waving to them. ¡°Okay, okay. But we¡¯re gonna slow it down a little, if that¡¯s alright with you guys.¡±


    She turned as Crash approached her from behind, carrying a wooden stool and what appeared to be a half-meter long representation of a firebird in flight, with a round hole eight centimeters in diameter punched through its chest.


    Ranko perched herself on the stool, crossing her ankles as Crash helped her slide the black strap of the phoenix-styled guitar the label had procured for her stage performances over her neck. She looked up at her friend and musical mentor nervously, and he gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°You got this.¡±


    Crash stepped back as the stage lights faded, leaving only a pair of spotlights trained on her stool. He flashed a winning smile, giving a little wave to the brunette that stood with Akane at stage left as he took his mark. The remainder of her bandmates sipped from bottles of water, enjoying their break as Ranko took a deep breath, pulling her pick out of its little pocket on the back of the guitar. Here goes nothing. Never done this on stage before.


    Ranko began plucking a simple melody out on her new guitar, only a few chords in a repeating pattern. Jimi Hendrix I ain¡¯t, but it sounds pretty, she thought to herself with a blush. And for this song, that¡¯s all she needed. So much so, in fact, that none of her bandmates joined her with their own instruments - this song was Ranko¡¯s, and hers alone.


    ¡°Did you know the way time stops when our eyes meet? The way that everything else fades out of mind? Did you know I hear your name in each heartbeat? That you¡¯re the one my soul was always meant to find?¡±


    Ranko smiled warmly up at the crowd, many of whom were waving their lighters in the air.


    <hr>


    ¡°The Phoenix inside never dies! Hey, Minato! You¡¯ve been great! Thanks for coming out, and enjoy the album! Good night!¡± Ranko waved, speaking over her four bandmates echoing the never dies line.


    She leapt upward nearly a full meter off the stage, thrusting her right fist in the air. ¡°YOU IGNITE AND YOU RISE!¡±


    Before her feet landed back on the stage, all the lights facing it blinked out, leaving Ranko and her bandmates in total darkness other than the faintest hint of moonlight.


    ¡°Gods, how does she¡­ I¡¯m tired just from standing here watching her!¡±


    Akane laughed in Ukyo¡¯s direction. ¡°She does it because she loves it.¡± Akane did wish they had thought to add seating on the side of the stage for the pair of band partners that chose to be backstage. Ken never formally brought his boyfriend to shows, though the band had made it clear he was welcome to. As far as Akane knew, no one in the band had ever met him or even knew his name, though she hoped he at least was out in the audience somewhere.


    Ranko had already sung seven of the nine songs on the Phoenix Rising album; after Demon in Your Radio and You¡¯re My Song, there was Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch, followed by Call Me Pandora and Freak. They¡¯d decided not to perform Fly; what amounted to a lullaby didn¡¯t seem to suit a high-energy concert. After a quick costume change into a white bodycon dress, Ranko and her band had performed Nothing, and now, Rise was coming to an end.


    The crowd chanted furiously in the dark in response to what they considered to be a premature end to the concert. ¡°RAN-KO! RAN-KO! RAN-KO!¡±


    Ukyo blinked at Akane, a confused expression on her face. ¡°Why aren¡¯t they coming off the stage?¡±


    With a grin, Akane turned to her friend and former rival as a jaunty spy-themed tune started spilling from Shinji¡¯s bass guitar and the crowd went berserk. ¡°Because they¡¯re not quite done.¡±


    The stage lights all sparked back to life at once, and within seemingly the same microsecond, Ranko¡¯s voice was already sliding sultrily from the speakers.


    ¡°You say you¡¯re not sorry that we¡¯re lovers, babe. Why¡¯d you hide me underneath the covers, babe? You tell me I don¡¯t have any flaws, but then, why¡¯s my stuff still locked up in your closet, then? You tell everybody that there¡¯s no one here, and lock the door and touch me, and it sends me to the stratosphere! I don¡¯t understand the need for this mystique. If I¡¯m so good for you, why do you sneak?!¡±


    The band repeated the few bars between the first verse and the first refrain, extending the space and giving Ranko a few moments to speak to the crowd. ¡°Oh, come on, now. You guys didn¡¯t really think I was gonna sneak out of here like that on you, didja?!¡±


    Ranko placed her hands on her hips as the crowd roared, Hitomi and Emi echoing the movement on either side of her as they rocked side to side in their tight costumes. All three girls sang as one.


    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, don¡¯t get caught! You don¡¯t want anyone to know about this thing we¡¯ve got! Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, don¡¯t tell yet, because it isn¡¯t just the temperature that makes you sweat!¡± A significant percentage of the audience sang the refrain along with the three girls on stage.


    Ranko bit her finger in mock nervousness, giving a sad, blank valley girl look in the direction of Crash as Emi and Hitomi huddled around him. They danced in place, but acted largely as if the three were engaged in a conversation to which Ranko had not been invited.


    ¡°You tell me you¡¯ve started hearin¡¯ wedding bells. Still, your friends try to hook you up with someone else. When they¡¯re next to you, it¡¯s like you don¡¯t know I¡¯m alive. The second that they look away¡­¡±


    Ranko slid her hand provocatively down the front of her dress. ¡°... you send me into overdrive! I can¡¯t help it, fallin¡¯ underneath your spell. You¡¯re the best at kiss, and kiss, and never tell.¡±


    Hitomi and Emi both covered their eyes, and Ranko crept behind one of the large box speakers on the stage. ¡°We¡¯re living in a game of hide and seek. If I¡¯m so good for you, why do you sneak?!¡±


    The songstress wrapped her arms around herself, letting her hands explore her own body through her tight white dress. While seeking to appear seductive, she was careful not to accidentally tease herself to the point that she could not actually sing ¨C a lesson a handsome ¡°boy¡± named ¡°Aki¡± had so expertly taught her a few weeks ago at the Yokai recording studio on Valentine¡¯s Day. Right before ¡°he¡± had asked Ranko to be ¡°his¡± wife.


    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, no one knows how many nights I¡¯ve lay here beggin¡¯ you to hold me close! Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, tell those lies, and don¡¯t admit the way my body leaves you hypnotized!¡±


    Ukyo blinked, turning incredulously to Akane. ¡°Is that really¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you. She¡¯s not the same person you knew anymore.¡± Akane giggled, a wolfish smicker lingering on her face. ¡°She¡¯s a fuckin¡¯ fox.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Ukyo blushed, her mouth hanging open. ¡°You¡¯re really okay with her singing like¡­ that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, honey, just wait.¡± Smirking at Ukyo, she sang along with her lover behind the stage curtain, grabbing the hem of her skirt and swishing it playfully. ¡°You made me your dirty little secret, then, you made me your dirty little freak again¡­¡±


    Ranko covered her mouth as if she were shocked and offended by something Hitomi had said to her. ¡°I¡¯m a good girl, prim and proper innocence! They don¡¯t see your fingers creepin¡¯ up my dress.¡± Ranko¡¯s fingers ever so slowly walked up her bare thigh, lifting the hem of her dress no more than about a centimeter, but it was plenty enough for the boys in the audience to lose their minds.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep quiet for you, baby, it¡¯s okay. Hold my breath so they don¡¯t hear you take my breath away. The way you move my body makes me weak. If I¡¯m so good for you, why do you sneak?!¡±


    ¡°Good gods!¡± Ukyo¡¯s face was redder than the first costume Ranko had worn on stage that night. ¡°She¡¯s a dirty little thing now, isn¡¯t she?¡± Where the hell was this when I had a shot with her?!


    Ukyo¡¯s eyes widened even more mid-sentence as Ranko continued. ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, hide your face, so no one figures out it¡¯s you touchin¡¯ my special place!¡±


    The brunette stopped speaking just in time to hear Ranko purr seductively into the microphone alongside the refrain¡¯s last line. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m buried in my pillow when you make me scream¡­¡±


    Akane giggled. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Ukyo? Is it gettin¡¯ to ya? Come on, it¡¯s not that big a deal¡­¡± Tough shit, girlie. Suck it up. She¡¯s hot, she¡¯s talented, and she¡¯s all mine.


    ¡°Just¡­ wow.¡± The look on Ukyo¡¯s face was definitely somewhere between shock and arousal.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to notice how it gets to me that you don¡¯t let them know you¡¯re sleepin¡¯ next to me. Every heartbeat, I am under your command. What I¡¯d give if you¡¯d let them see you hold my hand. I¡¯m your candy, baby, drip me off your arm. Let them talk, babe, we ain¡¯t doin¡¯ nothin¡¯ wrong! You say you think I¡¯m perfect and unique¡­ if I¡¯m so good for you, why do you sneak?!¡±


    ¡°Please tell me she¡¯s almost done.¡± Ukyo¡¯s face was aflame. Ranko had performed the song the night she first met Crash, but she¡¯d been talking with Akane through it and hadn¡¯t really paid attention to the performance. Now, she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of it. I can¡¯t take much more of this, though. Not if Akane expects me to behave.


    Akane nodded. ¡°Almost.¡± With a little smirk, she turned her eyes back to the stage. Just one more bit.


    ¡°Speak, baby, speak, baby, tell them, please, the way your whisper in my ear can put me on my knees! Speak, baby, speak, baby, say it¡¯s true that you¡¯re okay with people knowing I belong to you! Speak, baby, speak, baby, say you¡¯re mine, and send another little shiver up and down my spine! Speak, baby, speak, baby, say I¡¯m yours, and I don¡¯t have to be your lover just behind closed doors¡­¡±


    As Hitomi and Emi¡¯s hands whirled around Ranko¡¯s body, Ukyo bit her tongue hard. I could hit one of them over the head. Take their spot. Nobody¡¯d ever notice. Nope! Can¡¯t think like that. Bad, Ukyo! You promised. And besides, you¡¯re with Crash. And he¡¯s great! He¡¯s not Ranma, but then again, clearly, neither is whoever the hell that is up there.


    ¡°There, see? That wasn¡¯t so bad!¡± Akane snickered mockingly in Ukyo¡¯s direction. ¡°No need to get all hot and bothered!¡± She turned back to the stage to sing along with the coda. ¡°I¡¯ve done my best at pla¡­¡± She stopped mid-word, a confused look on her face as Ranko¡¯s voice did not join hers as expected.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Ukyo took a step forward, concerned for Akane¡¯s sudden dismay despite the torment she¡¯d inflicted these last few minutes.


    Akane watched the stage with wide eyes. Why isn¡¯t the band wrapping up? What the heck are you doing, Ranko?


    Ranko stalked a wide circle in the stage as the last few bars of music repeated, the crowd beginning to murmur with the expectation that something may be up. Anyone who had listened to the album or been to a show at the Phoenix in the last few months knew the song should have ended by now. As she crossed stage left, she dropped a devious wink in the direction of the two women backstage.  Cycling back around to the front of the stage, Ranko giggled coyly, biting her lip and blushing a bit, playing it up for her audience as they cheered.


    ¡°Whaaaaaaat? Don¡¯t tell me, you guys want to know what happened next, or something?¡±


    The crowd exploded in a deafening roar of cheers and applause.


    Akane gulped. ¡°Oh, shit.¡±


    Ukyo chuckled, putting her arm around Akane¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Akane? Now you¡¯re looking a little nervous¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m fine,¡± Akane whimpered in a high-pitched whine, reminding herself to breathe. What the hell is that little minx up to now?


    ¡°Well, okay. If you insiiiist.¡± Ranko giggled as she held out her left hand, and Emi and Hitomi both began inspecting the back of it intently as Ranko began to sing over the din of cheering revelers.


    ¡°Not sure how you think we¡¯re gonna hide this thing when I suddenly start showing off your ring.¡±


    Akane nodded, exhaling heavily in relief. Okay. She¡¯s being good. Good girl, Ranko. This is fine.


    Hitomi grabbed Ranko¡¯s left wrist, and Emi her right, pulling them both behind her back. Ranko winced a bit, as they were rougher than she might have liked, but it worked for the line. ¡°Hold me down, ¡®cause it¡¯s gettin¡¯ hard to explain all these claw marks dug into the mattress frame.¡±


    Akane covered her mouth. On second thought, bad girl. Very bad girl.


    Ranko shook her head as her backup dancers released her arms, affecting a sultry purr in her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t think our love''s a secret anymore. I know they can hear me screaming from next door!¡± She grinned playfully. Sorry, not sorry, Mr. Gao.


    Ukyo giggled, punching her fellow band girlfriend teasingly in the shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I thought it was no big deal, Akane!¡± The audience certainly seemed to think it was, though, devolving into bedlam in excitement over Sneak¡¯s even saucier surprise fifth verse.


    Her face neon red, Akane could only cover it with her palms to hide from Ukyo¡¯s good-natured ribbing. Oh, Ranko, baby, light of my life, I love you, and I¡¯m gonna murder you.


    An audio sample of a high-pitched squeaking noise played through the speakers. Ranko glanced back at Akane with a devilish smile that her blushing fiancee did not see through her hands, covering her eyes with them as she still was in flustered mortification. ¡°And every time we make the headboard creak, it gets a bit more obvious we sneak!¡±


    The crowd was absolutely rabid, screaming so loudly that Ariel had to adjust the speaker volume slightly for the last two lines of the newly-minted verse to be audible.


    Ranko spread out the fingers of her left hand across her navel, and she rolled her hips provocatively in time with the music, Hitomi and Emi following suit. She knew that if anyone looked closely enough, they¡¯d catch the light refracting off of the diamond solitaire dazzling on her left third finger, and at that moment, she did not care in the slightest. All the world was hers, and she was determined to enjoy it fearlessly, if only for an instant.


    ¡°Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, lock the doors, but I¡¯m pretty sure the word is gettin¡¯ out I¡¯m yours! Sneak, baby, sneak, baby, hey, we tried, but what you do to me is way too good for me to hide!¡±


    Akane¡¯s face had gone from red to blue and back to red again in the span of approximately thirty seconds.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done my best at playing mild and meek, but I¡¯m tired of these teardrops on my cheek. All I want is you beside me. All you want to do is hide me!¡±


    Ranko waved to the crowd enthusiastically with both hands. ¡°That¡¯s our show! Good night everybody! We love you!¡±


    She snapped her head over her shoulder in time with her two backup dancers, and all three of them placed their open palms on their left hips, harmonizing one final line as the lights of the stage blinked out and some ten thousand voices roared as one.


    ¡°If I¡¯m so good for you, why do you sneak?!¡±

 117. Still Not Yours

    ¡°Oh! And that¡¯s a pin for Izanagi Tsutsumi, and another win for the Shibuya Stars! The Lions still have a four-match advantage, so they¡¯re taking the tournament, but individual championships are still very much at stake here with one match to go!¡± The announcer whooped excitedly into his microphone, doing his best to rile the crowd of exhausted parents and students. The tournament had run long, and it was after ten at night.


    Even the Yusue cheerleaders were running on fumes, and they only performed every few minutes between matches.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to take a short break here, wrestling fans, but when we come back, it¡¯s our last match and our top weight class! Will the city champion be Shibuya¡¯s Hiroyuki Nagakawa, or Yusue¡¯s Saburo Kimura? Stay tuned, and we¡¯ll find out!¡±


    Ranko rolled her eyes at the sound of her former stalker¡¯s name, but she rose from her folding chair alongside Tamiko and Yori. I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re gonna make me dance for that son of a bitch. At least it¡¯s the last match. I¡¯ll never have to see this clown again after tonight.


    Shiori walked back from the audio booth, shaking her pom-poms in mocking excitement in Saburo¡¯s direction as he stretched by the Yusue bench. ¡°You got this, Saburo! Whoooo!¡± She kicked her leg high in the air.


    From his stretched position on the rubber gym floor, Saburo flashed the cheer captain a wolfish grin. Yeah, I know, you want me. They all do.


    ¡°Go, Saburo! Get him, baby!¡± came an over-excited yell from a blonde woman in her late forties in the fourth row of the bleachers, and Saburo hung his head, groaning. You¡¯re embarrassing me in front of the girls, Mom. Sheesh, take a pill already.


    Ranko sauntered disinterestedly to her position to start the final planned performance, a team dance to Step by Step from the New Kids on the Block. She wasn¡¯t a huge fan of this boy band craze the United States was falling into, and it wasn¡¯t really her style in terms of songs to cover at the Phoenix, but they usually made for decent choreography at least, especially for multiple dancers.


    Shiori waved the girls in, and her thirteen fellow cheerleaders huddled around her. ¡°Okay, ladies! This is it! For me and the other seniors, this is our last dance before graduation. Let¡¯s leave it all out there!¡± At that, Ranko couldn¡¯t help but find a reserve of energy and excitement, whooping alongside her squadmates. Shiori had been a good friend the last few months, and Ranko really was going to miss her next school year. Not to mention, her departure would leave Ranko as the heir apparent to the squad captaincy, and she had no idea what she was going to do with it.


    Still, Shiori couldn¡¯t help but notice the redhead glaring over at the hulking wrestler completing his pre-match stretches. She grinned, nudging Ranko with one of her pom-poms. ¡°Hey, star! You with us over there?¡±


    Ranko snapped her eyes back to Shiori. ¡°Yeah. I just¡­ I know we¡¯re supposed to want him to win ¡®cause he¡¯s from our school and all, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But you think he deserves to get his ass kicked?¡± Tanda flashed her a little smirk, giving Shiori a knowing nod.


    Ranko cringed, but nodded. ¡°Is that bad?¡±


    Shiori rubbed her chin. ¡°I mean, actively cheering for our own school to lose wouldn¡¯t be a good look for a cheerleading squad. A squad captain who allowed that to happen would probably be in a lot of trouble.¡±


    The redhead nodded. ¡°Yeah, I know. I guess I can act excited one more ti¡­¡± She stopped mid-sentence as Shiori raised her hand to pause her.


    ¡°If he choked on his own, though, I don¡¯t think they could blame us.¡± Shiori grinned deviously, motioning with two fingers to Suzume in the audio booth.


    ¡°Dude¡¯s undefeated. He never ch¡­¡± Ranko¡¯s words audibly caught in her throat at a familiar sound raining down on her from the gym¡¯s sound system.


    ¡°Na, na-na, na, na, na-na, nuh-uh!¡±


    Ranko blinked at Shiori with wide eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! We can¡¯t perform this at school!¡±


    Her co-captain shrugged, grinning. ¡°I graduate next week. What are they gonna do, kick me off the squad?¡± She poked at Ranko with her pom-pom. ¡°Fuck ¡®em. Let¡¯s do this, girls, one last time!¡±


    In the fifth row of the bleachers, a girl with short black hair covered her grinning mouth with both of her hands, her eyes wide with surprise. Her left hand bore an identical ring to the one on Ranko¡¯s right. Holy shit, babe, Akane thought with a sadistic chuckle. You¡¯re gonna do it to him again?


    As the girls whooped and ran to their positions, Saburo turned his head, still sprawled out on the gym floor mid-stretch. You can¡¯t be fucking serious¡­


    ¡°Na, na-na, na, na, na-na, not yours!¡±


    Ranko gave him a little wave, wiggling her fingers cutely with an exaggerated pop-idol wink as she took her position. She¡¯d been a little suspicious when Shiori had put together choreography for the song a few weeks ago at practice, but her friend had explained it away as something they were doing just for fun, in celebration of Ranko¡¯s devastation of the lecherous prick from the stage of the Phoenix.


    As she took her position at the front of the formation, Ranko beamed at the audience¡¯s reaction to recognizing Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch. She wondered how many of them knew the original subject of the song sat on the rubber gym floor not eight meters from her, but it was nice to have her stuff recognized either way. She felt a little awkward that she was front-and-center in the group¡¯s choreography so often of late, but Shiori had convinced her that it made sense when they were performing to one of Ranko¡¯s songs. ¡°Who else would lead that,¡± her co-captain had said, and Ranko couldn¡¯t really dispute her reasoning. Mostly, she was keen to prevent another situation where her squadmates thought she was trying to be above the rest of the group, as that had nearly cost her their friendship once before.


    ¡°You think that if you follow me around, then I¡¯ll give in to you. I probably should tell you straight: I¡¯m really not that into you! The way you chase me everywhere is gettin¡¯ kinda scary, so I¡¯m here to send the message to you clearly, and in stereo!¡±


    Ranko tossed her pom-poms to the ground, placing her right hand on her hip, popping her body back and forth at the waist as she rotated, trying to make eye contact with as many members of the audience as possible as she moved. However little energy she¡¯d had a few moments before, the earnest excitement of her fans was always a shot in her arm.


    ¡°You must see how I look and think that I¡¯m a perfect angel, ¡®cause you didn¡¯t seem concerned that when I¡¯m mad, I¡¯m really dangerous!¡±


    At least she used the radio-safe version, Ranko thought as she flashed a cute smile, framing her chin with her hands at the perfect angel line.


    Ranko bent at the waist, running her hand slowly up her bare leg toward the hem of her skirt, biting her tongue provocatively.


    ¡°You wanna be the guy for me? Oh, man, you must be joking! If I feel your fingers on my dress again, they¡¯ll wind up broken!¡±


    The girls behind her formed two parallel lines of six cheerleaders each, a meter apart, with Kou joining the two at the back. As they swished their pom-poms in the corridor they created, Ranko turned, bopping on her heels as she stalked down the path between the two lines.


    ¡°I know that you want me, boy, I understand!¡± Ranko reached to her left, pushing Yori gently in the chest with a limp wrist. Yori fell backward into a backflip, separating herself from the line.


    ¡°But I¡¯m gonna have to ask you, boy¡­¡± Taking a few more steps through the aisle the girls created, she reached to her right, pushing Tamiko back the same way. Tamiko also responded with a backflip out of the line.


    Three more steps placed Ranko between Aoi and Tanda, who both leaned in and reached for her shoulders.


    ¡°... to watch your hands!¡±


    She spun to face the crowd, reaching out with both arms, and the girls on either side of her launched into back twists. It was hard not to grin, what with essentially the whole of the student body in attendance singing along with her chorus. And on his turf, too.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    The remaining girls in the lines fell into a triangle formation behind Ranko, each placing their left hands on their hips and their right hands in the air, holding up their index finger in synchronization with their incoming captain. With each of the staccato notes of her chorus, the girls popped their hips to one side and then the other, their outstretched fingers wagging admonishingly as well.


    ¡°You should know by now that isn¡¯t so polite. To. Do. Keep your fingers off of things that don¡¯t belong. To. You!¡±


    The four girls who had flipped out of the formation picked up long poles adorned with gymnast ribbons from the floor closest to the Yusue bench and formed a wide square around the group. Kou stepped back, and the other eight cheerleaders huddled around Ranko in a tight circle, obscuring her from the view of the crowd.


    ¡°Boy, I never really liked you that much¡­¡±


    Ranko threw her hands straight up in the air, and all eight girls surrounding Ranko launched themselves into backflips away from her like a flower blooming, each executing a double twist in mid-air. Ranko gave a dismissive smirk and a spritely shrug to the crowd as she was left alone.


    ¡°Not yours! Don¡¯t touch!¡±


    Aoi, Tanda, Tamiko and Yori spun the white poles they held over their shoulders at the corners of the formation, twirling the red ribbons streaming from them around their bodies as the sound of a bullwhip crackled through the aging gym sound system.


    ¡°I understand your thinking, dude! You¡¯re diggin¡¯ my aesthetic, but the problem is, your vibe is coming off as just pathetic. Yeah, don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know you¡¯re trying, boy, but you¡¯re not able. I¡¯m too hot for you to handle; should¡¯ve read the warning label!¡±


    It was small comfort to Saburo that they had shortened the song for the performance and omitted a few of the more venomous verses. He remained transfixed in horror on the gymnasium floor as the fourteen most popular girls in school drove another nail into the coffin of his social status with each movement of their hips. Thank the gods I¡¯m graduating, and I can get the hell out of this school.


    ¡°The fact you even think you¡¯re in my league is just adorable. I¡¯ve seen you at your best, and boy, your best is freakin¡¯ horrible. So, think about the way you act, and maybe re-evaluate. You can¡¯t get with me for a second, let alone a second date!¡±


    As the other ten girls ringed them in a series of cartwheels, Ranko, Tamiko, Yori and Aoi formed a line, all of them miming a laugh and waving dismissively with the backs of their right hands at the last line. It was a nice, subtle touch in the choreography on Shiori¡¯s part, Ranko thought, having the sentiment highlighted by the four girls on the squad that no boy would ever get to date.


    Aoi split off to join her squadmates behind the trio of Tamiko, Ranko, and Yori, all of whom turned to their left and placed both their palms on their midriffs, swaying their hips lithely with deeply bent knees, their eyes closed.


    ¡°I know that you want me, boy, I understand. But I¡¯m gonna have to ask you, boy, to¡­¡±


    The three girls extended their left arms toward the crowd, palms raised in a stop gesture. Behind them, the other eleven cheerleaders simultaneously launched into back handsprings with a single twist.


    The audience were on their feet, shaking their fists. Ranko¡¯s own voice coming from the speakers was drowned out by the three thousand or so occupants of the beige plastic bleachers.


    ¡°WATCH! YOUR! HANDS!¡±


    Tamiko reached forward toward Ranko¡¯s back, and the redhead made a show of turning to swat her hand away gently.


    ¡°You should know by now that isn¡¯t so polite to do.¡±


    Ranko spun back to her right, swatting one of Yori¡¯s hands away as well.


    ¡°Keep your fingers off of things that don¡¯t belong to you!¡±


    Ranko crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head with a smirk as Tamiko and Yori both mimed slinking away from her in disgrace.


    ¡°Yeah, nobody really likes you that much!¡±


    The eleven cheerleaders who had done the back handsprings all placed their right hands on their hips and extended their left hands in the air.


    ¡°Not yours!¡±


    They brought their left arms down, extending them in front of themselves in the same stop gesture.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch!¡±


    The girls formed two circles of seven cheerleaders each that intersected like a Venn diagram, skipping in line as each of the two circles rotated independently.


    ¡°Na, na-na, na, na, na-na, nuh-uh! Na, na-na, na, na, na-na, Not yours! Na, na-na, na, na, na-na, nuh-uh! Na, na-na, na, na, na-na, Not yours!¡±


    Ranko smirked darkly, remembering the last time she encountered Saburo in this building. What he¡¯d said to her. The reason she¡¯d written the next verse to begin with.


    ¡°You thought that if you spread some lies, I¡¯d play your little scene?¡±


    Ranko ran a few steps forward, breaking her assigned position in the choreography. She rested her chin on her fist, looking right down at Saburo on the floor and beaming victoriously. I¡¯m coming to take what¡¯s yours, asshole.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re in my castle now, and on this stage? All hail the queen.¡±


    From less than a meter away, Ranko stared down at her former stalker as she undulated her hips. The other cheerleaders maintained their positions, dancing in place, but they could certainly forgive their co-captain for wanting to savor this part.


    Ugh, Nozomi Kimura mused as the song continued. What kind of jerk would do something like that to a poor girl? And why does that cheerleader seem so interested in involving my Saburo?


    ¡°Hey, are you okay? You¡¯re looking like your confidence is laggin¡¯. Guess that¡¯s the price you pay when losers try to dance with Dragons!¡±


    Ranko jogged back over to her place at the head of the formation, her eyes opening wide as she covered her open mouth with her hand. All the other cheerleaders placed their left hands on their hearts, reaching out toward her in a semicircle behind her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what went through your head. She¡¯s hot, I¡¯m gonna date her!¡±


    The girls rushed in, the semicircle now almost completely surrounding Ranko with the girls all within arms¡¯ reach.


    ¡°Boy, my Rise was meteoric. Now?¡±


    All thirteen of Ranko¡¯s squadmates stiffened, dead-falling onto their backs like dominoes away from her as Ranko crouched, punching the ground in a superhero landing pose.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you in a crater.¡±


    As her fellow cheerleaders kickflipped back to their feet, Ranko made an exaggerated roll of her eyes, shaking her head exasperatedly.


    ¡°Your lines are tired and laughable. I¡¯m burning with desire?¡±


    Ranko felt a pair of strong hands grip her by the hips, lifting her from behind until she stood on Kou¡¯s shoulders. She extended her arms wide as Kou braced Ranko¡¯s ankles with her hands.


    ¡°Boy, you¡¯re talking to a Phoenix girl, and I was born in fire!¡±


    She launched herself into the air off of Kou¡¯s shoulders in a triple twist, landing in the basket catch of Shiori and Etsuko.


    As Ranko, Kou, Shiori and Etsuko disentangled from the stunt, the other ten cheerleaders looped around behind them, forming a semicircle again. Each turned their bodies sideways, facing into the center of the circle. The girls facing left had their right hands on their hips, and vice-versa for the girls facing right.


    ¡°Dude, she¡¯s never gonna like you that much!¡±


    Shiori, Etsuko and Kou huddled behind Ranko, crouching somewhat to allow the other ten cheerleaders¡¯ arms to reach over their shoulders. All thirteen girls extended their arms to the crowd, their palms raised in the stop gesture as if protecting their new captain as Ranko crossed her arms cockily.


    ¡°Not yours! Don¡¯t touch!¡±


    The girls giggled and performed little ad-hoc kicks and flips as they exited the gymnasium floor toward their seats. Shiori ran up to Ranko, draping her arm over the smaller girl¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Now, that was fucking fun.¡±


    Shiori led her co-captain to the folding chair where she¡¯d been sitting, pulling out a small square package and a marker from the silver nylon gym bag strapped to the back of her seat.


    ¡°C¡¯mere, Ran-chan. This is gonna be great.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°FUCK!¡±


    With a roar, Saburo flipped the long wooden bench in the Yusue locker room over to its side on the umber tile floor. For all four years of his high school wrestling career, he¡¯d been undefeated, and now he¡¯d lost his senior championship match by pin in the first fifteen seconds. Fucking bitch got in my head, that¡¯s all. She had to have done that shit on purpose!


    ¡°Hey! Take it easy, Kimura! You lost. It happens. Suck it up, man!¡± Coach Jibara clapped the wrestler on the shoulder. ¡°If it¡¯ll cheer you up, a cute girl came by a few minutes ago and dropped off a present for you. I left it at your locker.¡±


    Saburo sighed, hanging his head with a dejected nod as he lumbered to the last locker on the east wall. True to the coach¡¯s word, a small red gift bag with silver tissue paper poking out of the top lay on the floor in front of his locker door.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡±


    Saburo sat on the bench, fishing down in the bottom of the bag with his hand until he felt a plastic square, just a few millimeters thick and about fifteen centimeters to a side. He pulled it out, and as soon as his eyes fell on it, he groaned dejectedly, throwing it forcefully back in the bag atop the tissue paper.


    Staring up at him were the eyes of Ranko Tendo, on the cover of the CD for her first album, Phoenix Rising. Written in marker under her smiling face were just a few words:


    Happy graduation! I¡¯ll never forget you, Saburo! ~ Ranko ??

 118. Steam

    Ranko stepped out of her bedroom, blushing at the three women who awaited her in her living room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it took so long, girls. I¡¯m still not the best at the whole makeup thing.¡± She nervously smoothed the hot pink sleeveless bodycon dress she wore, mindful of the slit that seemed, by her standards, indecently high on her right hip. When she¡¯d first worn it, the night she debuted the nuclear warhead she called Sneak, she wanted to look painfully sexy, but now, it just made her a little nervous. Carrying the sparkly silver stiletto heels she intended to wear, she strode gingerly forward, shivering with every step courtesy of the nylon stockings Akane had quite devilishly suggested specifically because it would torment her ever so gently with every movement she made.


    Akane, who had been leaning against the living room side of the kitchen counter in her yellow skater dress and matching headband, stepped forward to meet her future wife. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t take so long if you¡¯d let me help you more, silly girl.¡± She poked playfully at the silver heart dangling from the black choker Ranko had been wearing more and more of late.


    Ranko nodded, brushing a strand of her loose, wavy hair out of her eyes to reveal her silver earrings. ¡°I know, but I¡¯m never gonna get better if I don¡¯t practice. Do I look okay?¡±


    With a grin, Akane wrapped her arms around her lover¡¯s back, pulling her into a soft kiss, tasting her strawberry lip gloss. ¡°You, my lover, look amazing. Doesn¡¯t she, girls?¡±


    Yui turned her head, opening her eyes. ¡°Sorry, Akane, I was distracted. What?¡±


    Giggling, Sakura gave Yui a little swat on her shoulder with her black clutch. ¡°She was asking if Ranko looks cute. And, yes, she does. Now, get back over here and get back to being distracted.¡± She wiggled a bit on Yui¡¯s lap, her slight movements causing the sparkling sequins of the sapphire cocktail dress she wore to scintillate as she pulled her girlfriend back into the kiss Akane had interrupted.


    ¡°So, we did as we were told. We got all dolled up. Now, do we get to find out where you¡¯re taking us?¡± Ranko giggled nervously, looking up at her fiancee over her shoulder as Akane wrapped her arms around her waist from behind.


    Sakura stood, turning and offering a hand up to her girlfriend. ¡°Oh, I think we can keep the surprise a little bit longer.¡± She reached her hand back over her head, wrapping it seductively around Yui¡¯s neck and eliciting a quiet purr from the tall blonde. ¡°Unless everyone would rather stay here.¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Yui pulled down at the hem of the black-and-white double-breasted coat she wore over her black pleather pants with a little laugh. ¡°C¡¯mon now, baby. There¡¯ll be plenty of time for that after.¡±


    Sakura looked back at her girlfriend with a pouty expression. ¡°Awwww. So, not during, then?¡±


    Akane giggled, gesturing toward Ranko as she slithered toward the door ever so slightly stiffly, the stockings already driving the poor girl crazy. ¡°Not if you want to hear yourselves think around this one.¡±


    Ranko gasped, whirling with a scandalized expression on her rapidly reddening face. ¡°Akane!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Akane grinned, catching up to Ranko just in front of the door and running two fingers gently across her bare back between the straps of her dress and speaking over her quiet whine.  ¡°You¡¯re a vocalist. It stands to reason that you¡¯d be¡­ vocal.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes flared. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m gonna get you for that!¡±


    Ranko tried to affect an irritated expression, but Akane saw right through it. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll see, babe.¡± Akane turned to Ranko¡¯s sister and her date. ¡°Are we about ready?¡±


    Seeing Yui¡¯s nod, Ranko leaned her back on the wall and pulled on her heels, wrapping her arms around Akane¡¯s forearm. She¡¯d never told Akane the reason, but Ranko loved wearing heels around her. As much as they got uncomfortable after a while, they often gave Ranko a height advantage over Akane, given her fiancee¡¯s preference for flat shoes. It was one of the only things she occasionally missed about being a boy these days, and only when she wasn¡¯t wanting to be the one that felt small. Sometimes, it was nice to be able to envelop Akane in her arms, and other times, all she wanted in the world was to disappear into Akane¡¯s embrace forever.


    <hr>


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Ranko marveled at the large, dark-colored free-standing building. Club music pounded throughout the doors and spilled out onto the sidewalk beyond. Ranko found herself being ushered with Akane into the back of a queue some twenty people deep leading up to the blacked-out double doors, where a man in a black suit checked ID cards with a flashlight. A large yellow and blue neon sign mounted on the wall outside the building¡¯s second floor identified the place as Steam, and occasional puffs of water vapor vented into a light mist from behind the copper gears that spun in the corner of the establishment¡¯s logo.


    Sakura leaned down to her friend, grinning. ¡°It¡¯s me and Yui¡¯s favorite date spot. It¡¯s a really great club.¡±


    ¡°If you wanted to go to a club, why not just hit the Phoenix?¡± Ranko frowned slightly. She felt as if she were betraying Hana somehow by patronizing another bar, and was more than a little surprised at Yui that she would do so.


    ¡°One, because you all work there, so you don¡¯t feel like you can let loose. Two, because your mother is always there, so you really don¡¯t feel like you can let loose. And three¡­ well, you¡¯ll see.¡± Sakura smirked deviously, and Akane gave Ranko a your guess is as good as mine shrug.


    As they approached the bouncer, Ranko pulled her identification card out of her purse. Over a year later, she still smiled just as broadly at the sight of it as she had the first day - maybe more so now, after all she¡¯d just been through to defend her new identity from her father¡¯s machinations. The tall, dark-skinned man flashed his light at her card, then up at Ranko with a hopeful expression on his face.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not the Ranko Tendo, are you,¡± he asked incredulously.


    Sakura¡¯s arm reached over Ranko¡¯s shoulder from behind, holding out a folded 5000-yen bill. ¡°No, she¡¯s not. She¡¯s just a regular girl looking to have a good time and not be bothered.¡±


    The man snatched the bill out of Sakura¡¯s hand centimeters from Ranko¡¯s flabbergasted face, slipping it into his pocket before affixing a red paper wristband around Ranko¡¯s right arm, indicating her as being underage to drink. ¡°Right. Of course. My mistake. Right this way, miss.¡±


    Ranko looked back at Sakura incredulously as she stepped into the building, waiting in the entryway until her companions had all joined her. The place was massive, easily four or five times the size of the Phoenix, and it somehow seemed even bigger inside than it did from the exterior. There were three standalone wraparound bars positioned throughout the dance floor, each with three attractive women wearing matching neon green dresses working at them. A currently-empty circular stage jutted out from the back wall, but the place was not hurting for music. The bass thumping from the overhead speakers shook Ranko¡¯s ribs so much that it almost took the place of her heartbeat. A thin water vapor hung in the air, and pink and red laser beams darted through the mist overhead, making the place look a little like a Star Wars gunfight had broken out in the middle of a nightclub.


    ¡°Whoa!¡±


    ¡°Pretty rad, huh?¡± Yui nudged her little sister with her elbow. ¡°Notice anything else interesting?¡±


    Ranko¡¯s wide eyes scanned the room again. Everything was interesting. Her social life had essentially been nonexistent; every day not spent doing cheerleading or homework was pretty much the province of the Phoenix and her band, so a place like the club she stood in was absolutely mind-blowing to her. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s incredible.¡±


    ¡°Sure, kiddo. And you¡¯re gonna be packing places ten times this size any day now. But what about the people?¡± Yui grinned back to Sakura, waiting for her oblivious sister to pick up on what she was hinting at, but it was Akane who caught on first.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°The people here¡­ they¡¯re all¡­ girls!¡±


    Sakura giggled, holding up the strawberry daiquiri she¡¯d already procured herself. ¡°Ding ding ding! Hey, she got it! That¡¯s to be expected though, what with it being ladies¡¯ night at the best gay club in Tokyo.¡±


    Ranko spun to look at her, her eyes nearly bulging out of her skull. ¡°The what?!¡±


    Yui nodded, steadying Ranko with a hand on her shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s right, little sister. Everybody here¡¯s like us. So, you and Akane can be yourselves here.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Ranko swallowed hard. ¡°The Yokai people said they don¡¯t want me to be public with¡­¡± The redhead cringed, looking up at her fiancee, not wanting to admit that it was her she was referring to.


    Sakura smiled, sipping at her drink through a neon green bendy straw. ¡°That¡¯s the beautiful thing about this place. In order for anyone to say they saw you at a gay bar, they¡¯d have to admit that they were at a gay bar. So, mutually assured destruction means everybody keeps everybody else¡¯s secrets!¡±


    Yui turned to her girlfriend, grinning. ¡°Well, now that you¡¯ve got your hostess-with-the-mostest duties out of the way, are you gonna shut the fuck up and dance with me?!¡±


    Setting her empty glass on the tray of a passing staff member, Sakura wrapped her arms around Yui¡¯s neck. The laser lights refracting every which way off of the sequins of her sapphire dress made it almost hurt to look at her. ¡°I thought you¡¯d never ask, babe.¡±


    Ranko blinked as the pair flitted off to the dance floor holding hands, turning to Akane. ¡°So, um¡­ what do we do?¡±


    Akane pointed to Ranko¡¯s older sister and her girlfriend. ¡°I mean, it looks like we dance.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Ranko looked around the room nervously. There were so many people. ¡°You¡¯re sure this is okay?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Ran-chan?¡± Akane snickered. ¡°Take you off of your own stage, and you forget how to dance?¡±


    Sheesh, Ranko. Get the stick out of your butt. Gods know you need to let off some steam, after everything that¡¯s happened. Akane bit her lip coyly. ¡°You once said you¡¯d do anything for me. Did you mean it?¡±


    Blushing, Ranko nodded. Somehow, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to like where this is going. ¡°Absolutely anything.¡±


    Akane reached out, flicking the little silver heart that swayed from Ranko¡¯s choker. ¡°Good. Then what I want you to do is loosen up. Have fun. I want you to make every single girl in here jealous that I¡¯m the one who gets to take you home tonight. Can you do that for me, princess?¡±


    As she spoke, a snare drum riff and a high-pitched run from a female singer pounded through the speakers with the beginning of a new song. Whether it was the music or Akane¡¯s directive, Ranko seemed to come to life, placing her hand on Akane¡¯s chest between her shoulder and her right breast, slithering her body toward her lover. The more she moved, the more Akane could see the effect her dress and her stockings were having on her sensitive skin evidenced in her girlfriend¡¯s eyes, and Ranko¡¯s desirous gaze followed Akane¡¯s eyes everywhere as she moved.


    ¡°Someday! Ooh, someday! The one you gave away will be the only one you¡¯re wishing for¡­¡±


    Akane pulled Ranko close, swaying with her, the scents of Ranko¡¯s strawberry lip gloss and her own perfume blending as her future wife¡¯s body slid along her own. It was intoxicating. ¡°That¡¯s my girl,¡± she whispered hoarsely over the music.


    For Ranko, it was a different experience than on Valentine¡¯s Day, for certain. For starters, Ranko felt less like she was playing at being some high-society socialite, and more like, well, herself. Akane obviously was getting to be more herself, too, without having to pretend to be a boy. But while that night had been more romantic, and Ranko wouldn¡¯t have traded it for all the world, this was just¡­ fun. She didn¡¯t remember the last time her mind wasn¡¯t full to bursting with expectations and responsibilities, reminders to herself to look or behave a certain way, and constant worries about the task or the fight around the corner.


    She was out in public, with the woman she loved. She had fought desperately for the right to own her own life, and she had won. She owed no one anything. Whatever she wanted, right now, in this moment, could happen.


    She was free.


    Ranko turned her back to Akane, taking her partner¡¯s wrists and wrapping them around her waist like the sleeves of a jacket she¡¯d taken off. She leaned her body back into Akane¡¯s, keeping as much of herself in physical contact with Akane¡¯s as possible as she moved. Every millimeter of her skin screamed for attention. Every breath that carried Akane¡¯s perfume into her lungs filled her with not just the air she needed to live, but with life itself.


    ¡°Baby, how could you ever believe that another could replace me, the one and only?¡±


    As the song ended, Ranko lingered in Akane¡¯s arms, not willing to break contact with her just yet. She turned her head to the side, flicking her hair out of Akane¡¯s face and looking back over her shoulder at her. ¡°I love you, Akane Tendo.¡±


    Akane answered not with words, but with her lips. Ranko whimpered quietly into her fiancee¡¯s mouth as she was kissed, not sure whether she didn¡¯t care that people were watching, or that she was excited by the fact that they were.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look now, but I think they¡¯ve gotten the idea of this place.¡± Yui threw her arm around Sakura¡¯s sweat-glistened shoulders as the couple returned from the far side of the dance floor, slamming a shot back into her throat with her free hand.


    ¡°Having fun, little sister?¡± Yui smiled at Ranko, not expecting an answer. The youngest member of the Phoenix clan was still working to catch her breath, and Akane wasn¡¯t entirely certain if it was her dancing or her kissing that had winded her so.


    ¡°Thank you girls so much for tonight,¡± Akane said, her hand still resting softly on Ranko¡¯s backside. ¡°You have no idea how much we both needed this.¡±


    Ranko opened her mouth to concur, but a loud, deep demonic cackle thundered from the speakers and a roar arose from the revelers all around her.


    ¡°Oh, shit.¡± Ranko blushed, looking around. Are they expecting me to¡­


    Akane snapped her fiancee out of her panic by firmly grasping her right wrist, spinning Ranko around and pulling her close as Hitomi¡¯s low-pitched run rained down on them from all directions at once. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s one of my favorite songs! Dance with me, girl!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the legendary lyricist, the Phoenix rose, here to shake your body from your hair down to your toes!¡±


    Yui and Sakura stepped closer, forming a triangle around Ranko with Akane as they moved. If Ranko was to be recognized in the dance club, her own song would have been the perfect opportunity, and the girls instinctively sought to shield her from the eyes of the revelers without disrupting her fun by hiding her away in a dark booth somewhere. True to the lyrics, the already-jumping crowd was electrified under Ranko¡¯s command to dance.


    Ranko closed her eyes, dancing with herself joyfully in her own little corner of heaven as Akane, Yui and Sakura surrounded her. Is this really how my music makes other people feel? Is this why they love it so much?


    ¡°There¡¯s another verse coming, so I¡¯m back from hell to put your shakin¡¯ butt right back under my spell. There¡¯s a slither in my rhythm, shipped in straight from Hades, heatin¡¯ all the boys up¡­¡±


    Ranko¡¯s face caught fire as nearly every one of the twelve hundred or so women on the expansive blue dance floor, including all three of her companions, shouted the same five words in a single ebullient voice: ¡°And most of the ladies!¡±  Ranko opened her eyes just in time to catch Akane¡¯s wink as she passed in front of her, making way for Sakura to slide into her place.


    ¡°You can¡¯t help but dance! There¡¯s no time to rest! There¡¯s a siren on the mic that¡¯s makin¡¯ you possessed! There¡¯s nowhere to hide! Nowhere to go! No escaping from the demon in your ra-a-di-o!¡±


    Ranko continued swaying, but her eyes began to wander over the crowd. She was not on stage. No one other than her three companions and the bouncer Sakura had greased knew she was even in the building. But even without her involvement, every one of the women in that bar was having the time of her life, and her music was the reason why. A tear formed in the corner of her eye. Is this¡­ is this really happening all over? Are people really just¡­ playing my songs, on their own, without me there to perform them? Are people who have never been to the Phoenix, or met me at all, having fun like this just because they like the songs I wrote? Did I really do all of this?


    She was snapped out of her thoughts by the feel of Akane¡¯s firm hand on her backside, and she purred as Akane¡¯s right arm draped around her waist from behind. Akane sang along with the lyrics in their author¡¯s ear, albeit with a few slight modifications.


    ¡°I¡¯m not ready for you, girl. You¡¯re strange and exotic. Diabolically, chaotically, hypnotically erotic.¡±


    Ranko giggled as Akane moved with her, blushing at Akane¡¯s hijacking of her own words to compliment her. She smickered impishly with a devilish thought. That¡¯s okay, Akane. Wanna make me blush? Okay. Two can play that game. I¡¯ll get you back¡­ right¡­ about¡­


    ¡°Even the wallflowers over there, bored and listless, will be crawling on the floor, screaming out¡­¡±


    Ranko spun around at lightning speed, wrapping her arms tightly around Akane¡¯s neck and whispering breathily in her ear, echoing the same words that flooded the room in her voice. The same words that one thousand, two hundred and sixty-eight partying women screamed at the top of their lungs all around them.


    ¡°Yes, mistress.¡±

 119. Shark in the Water

    Shinji tossed the packet of paper in his hand forward onto the mahogany boardroom table with a disgusted groan. ¡°Seriously?!¡±


    Ken sighed, clapping Shin on the shoulder through his black sport coat. ¡°Hey. It¡¯s not really that much worse than the last one.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?!¡± Shinji picked the packet back up, turning to the third page and pointing at a paragraph, holding the paper up to Ken. ¡°They want to cut our percentage of merch in half.¡±


    With a nod, Crash flipped to the fifth page of the packet. ¡°This is saying we have to come up with another ten songs in nine months, and we can¡¯t hold back any songs we don¡¯t want to publish!¡±


    Jacob pointed to the last paragraph of the third page. ¡°And this says the money is split up the same as it was last time, between us. No mention of Emi or Hitomi at all.¡± The girls hadn¡¯t even been invited to the negotiation meeting that the label had called, but Jacob was not about to let his friends¡¯ contributions go unrewarded, either.


    Watching as her bandmates fretted with an amused smirk, Ranko sat in her seat at the center of the boardroom. Unlike the previous negotiation, where Izumi had crammed her into an itchy business suit that made her feel like she was a stuffy lawyer¡¯s Take Your Daughter to Work Day companion, today she wore a simple beige cardigan over a red and black plaid miniskirt with a beige felt beret keeping her hair largely in place. I''m an artist, and I''m gonna dress like one, she''d decided. She hadn¡¯t even opened her copy of the draft contract.


    ¡°How are you so chill about this, Ranko?¡± Crash nudged her with his elbow. They hadn¡¯t had much opportunity to talk since the album release party, and he was still fairly concerned about his friend after the breakdown she¡¯d had during the first performance of Freak. ¡°Are you okay? You seem kinda¡­ zoned out.¡±


    Ranko nodded, beaming confidently. ¡°I¡¯m just fine, Crash. And we¡¯re all good. Nothing to worry about.¡±


    Shinji growled loudly, throwing the paper aside. ¡°I say we walk out. Get a better deal somewhere else. This is horseshit! After all the good press we¡¯ve had with the first album? How the fuck are you not pissed as hell about this, Ranko?! It¡¯s like you don¡¯t even ca¡­¡±


    He cut off his thought as Amaya Uyehara pulled open the double doors, stalking into the room in her bright yellow skirt suit. ¡°Have we had a chance to look things over,¡± she asked smugly. ¡°If so, let¡¯s go ahead and get things signed, and you¡¯ll officially be making a second album!¡± She gave an almost condescending smirk, sliding cheap plastic ballpoint pens across the table to each of them. She hadn¡¯t even bothered closing the boardroom doors behind her; there was nothing further to discuss.


    Crash looked up in confusion at the sound of loud clacking approaching down the tiled hallway. He leaned over to Ranko, speaking under his breath. ¡°What fresh hell is this?¡±


    Ranko grinned victoriously, putting her arm around her friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That, Crash, is our secret weapon.¡±


    The Yokai representative turned in time to see a slender young brunette in a gray pinstripe skirt suit and a cream-colored blouse stride confidently into the room. Her black patent heels gave an intimidating clack with every step. She held a brown leather attache case in her left hand, and a white paper cup from the coffee shop around the corner in her right.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss, but this is a private meeting,¡± Amaya began. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to ask you to¡­¡±


    The brunette dropped her bag on the table, lifting her hand to shush the A&R representative. Her presence was commanding, despite the record executive¡¯s nearly fourteen-year age advantage.


    ¡°Nabiki Tendo, representing Ranko and the Dapper Dragons.¡± She smirked sanguinely. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a few¡­ amendments¡­ to your terms, I think.¡±


    The band¡¯s lead singer grinned excitedly. Oh, are you in for it now, Amaya¡­


    Nabiki pulled out her own copy of the contract, which Ranko had given her the night before. ¡°Based on the fact that the Rise single outsold everything else in your catalog by thirty-eight percent last quarter, and the Phoenix Rising album is shaping up to be your best launch ever, I think my clients have earned themselves some more favorable terms, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Amaya scoffed dismissively. ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly have numbers like that. None of our sales figures for last quarter have even been reported to our stockholders yet.¡±


    Nabiki nodded. Checkmate. ¡°Well, luckily for me, and my friends here, your assistant is remarkably helpful, especially when she thinks she¡¯s talking to someone from Rolling Stone. Oh, speaking of which¡­¡± She extended her arm, offering the paper cup to her negotiating adversary. ¡°Half-caff, almond milk, two sugars, and a hint of cinnamon, right?¡±


    As the incredulous woman reached out tentatively for the paper cup she¡¯d rested on the table, Nabiki popped open her attache case, pulling out stacks of paper with colorful graphs and charts all over them. ¡°It¡¯s probably best for you to assume that I know everything you do, and some more besides. It¡¯ll make this go much faster for all of us.¡±


    Shinji glanced over at Ranko, his eyes wide. How the hell did you¡­


    Ranko smirked winningly. Gods, she¡¯s good.


    Amaya sat in one of the tall-backed leather chairs, a bit rocked by this new development. She was certainly going to have to have a talk with Sachiko when she got back to her desk. ¡°So, then, Miss Tendo, what did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°For starters,¡± Nabiki began, sliding into the empty chair next to Ranko, ¡°you won¡¯t be signing the artists individually. We¡¯ve set up a corporation, and that entity will be the party to all external contracts moving forward. That leaves our artists the flexibility to negotiate revenue share amongst themselves as people join or leave the group, such as the two backup singers I¡¯ve noticed you conveniently omitted entirely despite their voices appearing on three of the tracks on Phoenix Rising. So, instead of doling out three percent of net to each of the four artists with a bonus percent for composition and songwriting credits, how¡¯s about we go ahead and make that an even twenty-five, and the band can divvy it up as they see fit?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-five?! None of our artists have a rev share anything close to that!¡± Amaya slammed her palm on the table. Damn it, Sachiko. You¡¯re liable to get us both fired, screwing up like this.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Nabiki nodded. ¡°None of your artists have the kind of following that the Dragons do, either. Distribution and retail pre-orders for Phoenix Rising were over half a million copies all over Japan and Southeast Asia in the first three days alone. Face it, Miss Uyehara. Yokai needs the Dragons more than the Dragons need Yokai.¡±


    Ranko sputtered, covering her mouth to avoid spitting a mouthful of water on the mahogany boardroom table. Five hundred thousand copies?! She¡¯s got to be making that number up. But, why isn¡¯t Amaya correcting her, then? Holy mother of¡­


    Amaya swallowed hard. ¡°Let¡¯s table that for the moment. What else do you have?¡± Maybe I can give ground there if the other demands aren¡¯t too bad, and save at least a little face with the boss and the bean counters.


    Nabiki continued. ¡°The band will commit to delivering ten songs in the next nine months, plus relevant radio edits or other alternative versions as needed, but which songs they submit will be entirely up to them. If they have songs in their catalog that they choose to retain for live-only performances, they may do so, so long as they meet their ten-song commitment.¡±


    ¡°Ten songs in nine months, with them holding songs back? That seems kind of unrealistic, don¡¯t you think? What assurances do we get that they¡¯ll be able to meet this obligation?¡± Amaya leaned back in her chair, looking forward to watching Nabiki squirm.


    ¡°Because they already have four of them composed.¡± Nabiki winked to Ranko, having read the lyrics for two of them just the other night when they planned their strategy in Ranko and Akane¡¯s apartment.


    Amaya sighed heavily. ¡°Fine. Agreed.¡±


    Crash looked over at Shinji, his eyes wide. He said nothing, but his shock was evident. Not only did she know everything we¡¯d have a problem with, she¡¯s raking this lady over the coals for it! Way to go, Ranko!


    Shinji nodded his silent agreement with Crash¡¯s shock. Maybe I underestimated you after all, kid.


    ¡°Oh, speaking of songs not on albums¡­¡± Nabiki smiled. ¡°I noticed this provision here about holiday-themed songs. Checking into it, it looks like you¡¯re planning on releasing a compilation album of holiday songs from a variety of artists in the Yokai stable, and Every Day is Christmas is planned to be one of those songs, correct?¡±


    The executive nodded. ¡°Of course. It didn¡¯t make sense to include a Christmas song on a regular album.¡±


    Folding her hands and lacing her fingers with a smug expression, Nabiki bobbed her head. ¡°On this, we agree. However, given the relative sales numbers and radio plays between the Dragons and the other bands slated for inclusion, we believe it¡¯s in Yokai¡¯s best interest to feature Every Day is Christmas as the anchor track, including featuring Ranko prominently on the cover art. Simply put, her presence sells your stuff. Of course, you¡¯ll be providing the group double the compensation the other contributing artists will receive, for graciously helping you sell the album. This will boost the profiles of the other artists in the Yokai family, ultimately making more money for you in the long term.¡±


    Damn, Jacob thought with an impressed nod. We didn¡¯t even think of that one. This chick¡¯s good!


    Amaya bobbed her head slowly. ¡°Fine, but they perform at least two live shows with the other artists next Christmas through our production company.¡±


    ¡°One,¡± Nabiki said, ¡°and in a venue no more than 90 minutes¡¯ travel from here.¡±


    I¡¯m getting my ass kicked here by this¡­ kid, Amaya thought with dismay. ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°One other detail on creative control: Miss Tendo and the band members will need right of refusal over any staff or cast involved in the production of their albums or videos. If they don¡¯t like an actor or director, they don¡¯t work with them. Call it the Takao Tashima Clause, if you like. We credit Yokai for dealing with him quickly when his transgressions were reported, but we can¡¯t leave it to chance that the band will not be exposed to some similarly unsavory individuals, or that they will continue to receive as sympathetic an ear as Mr. Oe gave Ranko on Rise if they are.¡±


    ¡°That one, we can more than agree to. We were all sickened when we heard what Tashima had done, and we would never put one of our artists in that situation knowingly. In fact, Ranko, on behalf of the Yokai Record Company, we¡¯d like to formally apologize for that encounter.¡±


    Ranko nodded gratefully, speaking up for the first time in about ten minutes. ¡°Apology accepted. Thank you for looking out for me, and for us, Amaya. Truly. And, thanks for what you did for Emi and Hitomi, bringing them on as house talent to get them out from under that prick.¡±


    Nabiki jotted down a few notes as to what was agreed. ¡°Excellent. Now, for live performances. We¡¯re fine with all of the terms as it pertains to revenue share of Yokai versus cover songs, but we¡¯ll need to carve out Dragons original songs not licensed to Yokai as well. As a show of good faith, we¡¯ll give you an extra two percent of revenue from these shows, provided you make Yokai marketing and promotional resources available as needed to help the band book and sell out the shows.¡±


    Amaya nodded. ¡°I can work with that.¡±


    ¡°Fantastic! Don¡¯t worry, Miss Uyehara. We¡¯re almost finished. As it pertains to merchandise sales, it looks like you¡¯ve lowered the band¡¯s percentage of apparel and other merchandise by fifty percent. Given our now well-established agreement that a smaller piece of a larger pie benefits you, I¡¯m certain that this was just a clerical error, and you actually meant to increase their percentage by half over the original contract, correct?¡±


    Amaya rolled her eyes, staring down into her palms. I am going to murder Sachiko. Choke the life out of her with my own two hands. ¡°Of course,¡± she croaked. ¡°Our mistake.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± Nabiki scratched out a few more notes. ¡°So, then, we¡¯re back to album share. Our number is twenty-five percent. Do we have an agreement?¡±


    Amaya shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t do it. Fifteen.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t even get the new band members paid. Twenty-two.¡± Nabiki folded her hands expectantly.


    Amaya groaned. ¡°Eighteen, and that¡¯s the best I can do!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Nabiki pulled out a folder from her attache case. ¡°Because, I¡¯ve got offers for twenty-two and up from three other record labels in town who would love to snatch these guys out from under you. Of course, Miss Tendo and the gentlemen have greatly enjoyed their experience working with Yokai, and they¡¯re very hopeful to come to an equitable arrangement to stay with you. Call it a show of appreciation and loyalty for all the company has done to help them get launched.¡±


    Ranko blinked. You what?! When the hell did you have time to do that?


    Amaya lowered her head in defeat. ¡°I can do twenty percent. One yen more, and my boss is going to decorate the halls with my guts.¡± If he isn¡¯t already.


    Nabiki stood, bowing politely. ¡°I believe we have a deal.¡±


    Amaya reciprocated the gesture. ¡°I¡¯ll have Sachiko send you over an updated contract for signatures.¡± If I don¡¯t fire her first, anyway.


    ¡°Outstanding. We look forward to signing it, and working with Yokai for many successful albums to come.¡± Nabiki smiled, and Amaya blustered out the double doors into the hall, slamming them closed behind her.


    ¡°You were fucking incredible, Nabiki! You¡¯re amazing!¡± Ranko stood, wrapping her arms around her sister and giving her a tight squeeze. ¡°Thank you so much!¡±


    Shinji looked over with a satisfied grin. ¡°Not bad, Nabiki. Not bad at all! But, out of curiosity, who were the other labels? Maybe we should have at least considered their offers.¡±


    Smirking arrogantly, Nabiki slid the manila folder over to him. ¡°See for yourself.¡± It must have contained forty pages of paper. He opened the folder, beginning to flip through the pages, his eyes widening a bit more with each.


    They were all black-and-white photocopies of a ramen takeout menu.

 120. Making a Splash

    Ranko crossed her ankles as they dangled off the edge of the gray concrete planter, holding her napkin-wrapped ice cream cone in both of her hands. ¡°Where to next?¡±


    Giggling, Akane reached out with a napkin in her hand. ¡°Um, baby, you¡¯ve got a little¡­¡± She squeezed Ranko¡¯s nose gently with the paper, wiping away the bit of chocolate ice cream that rested on its tip.


    Ranko blushed, leaning into Akane¡¯s chest with her shoulder as another group of shoppers scuttled past them on their way to the next store in the mall on a leisurely Sunday afternoon. ¡°You always take such good care of me.¡±


    ¡°And I always will, beautiful.¡± Akane smiled brightly at the woman she was just a few short months from marrying. Sometimes, the very concept still boggled her mind, and she wasn¡¯t sure if it was more because she was marrying a woman, or because of the specific woman it was.


    The redhead smiled almost intoxicatedly, looking around to ensure no one was in earshot before turning her eyes back to Akane. ¡°Have I told you today how much I love you?¡±


    Akane grinned, wrapping her right arm over the smaller girl, her left holding her pineapple ice cream as far away from their bodies as possible so that the rapidly-melting yellow treat didn¡¯t drip onto either of them. ¡°If I say no, will you tell me again?¡±


    Tittering, Ranko reached up at lightning speed, poking Akane¡¯s nose with her ice cream cone. ¡°Boop! Gotcha!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Akane picked up another brown paper napkin, cleaning the frozen concoction from her nose. Her face was no longer brown, but it was turning red. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get you back for that!¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh! I¡¯m too fast!¡± Ranko laughed heartily, sitting up in case she needed to dart away.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Akane deadpanned. ¡°You about ready?¡±


    Ranko popped her backside off of the planter and slid down to her feet, brushing the concrete dust from the back of her blue denim skirt. ¡°Whenever you are.¡± She looked around at the signs mounted to the archways above most of the shops in the little mall. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start.¡±


    Akane pointed to a shop with a large bay window. A mannequin was propped up in it, wearing a tee shirt, black board shorts and a neon green cap, its arm posed around a surfboard. ¡°That seems like as good a place as any.¡±


    Her fiancee nodded. ¡°Makes sense to me. This is¡­¡± She exhaled heavily. ¡°Pressure.¡±


    ¡°Oh, stop.¡± Akane tossed the remnants of her ice cream cone in a nearby trash can. ¡°You have to make my fiancee look pretty. There¡¯s, like, no easier job on the planet. Besides, you dress for the stage all the time. You should be used to it by now.¡±


    Ranko blushed timidly. ¡°Yeah, but this is¡­¡± She looked up at the string bikini on the mannequin next to the plastic man holding the surfboard. ¡°...different. I don¡¯t have to, like¡­¡± She motioned to the mannequin with her hand.


    Giggling, Akane shook her head. ¡°We can probably find something a little more conservative for you. But remember¡­¡± Akane poked her girlfriend¡¯s still-cold nose. ¡°They do want you looking sexy out there.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Ranko hid her face in her palms. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be, like, on TV! Live! So many people will be watching!¡±


    ¡°Simple solution, I guess.¡± Akane grinned, draping her arm around her lover¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Just look straight into the camera, smile real big, and tell all the boys that no matter how much they¡¯re drooling, they can¡¯t have you, because you¡¯re mine.¡±


    Ranko nodded quietly, looking down at her diamond engagement ring. What I¡¯d give to be able to, Akane. There¡¯s nothing I¡¯d rather do. But the guys forbid it, and the label would, too.  Her eyes snapped back up to meet Akane¡¯s as the taller girl squeezed her right hand, pulling Ranko toward the store¡¯s open glass double doors.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, you. Let¡¯s find you something cute.¡± Akane led Ranko to the middle of the store, letting her hand go, but the redhead stayed frozen at her side like a deer in headlights. ¡°Well, go on, silly girl. Go pick something.¡± Watching her lover¡¯s reaction, Akane rolled her eyes with a little smirk. Every time I think she¡¯s gone full girl, something like this trips her up. It¡¯s adorable.


    ¡°Nuh-uh.¡± Ranko hugged Akane¡¯s forearm tight with both of her arms. ¡°I changed my mind. I don¡¯t wanna do the show.¡±


    Laughing, Akane rolled her eyes and let her forehead drop onto her lover¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ranko, come on, now. Listen to yourself. You got invited to do a live interview and debut a song live on Bangers on the Beach, and you want to back out because you have to wear a bathing suit?¡±


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± The redhead nodded meekly, her cheek nuzzling against the sleeve of Akane¡¯s shirt.


    ¡°Well,¡± Akane said, ¡°I¡¯m not letting you throw an opportunity like that away. So if you don¡¯t pick something, I will.¡± She pointed to a mannequin a few meters away, decked out in a hot pink string bikini with a yellow mesh cover-up draped over its shoulders. ¡°There. We¡¯ll go with that.¡±


    ¡°Akane, that¡¯s¡­¡± Ranko¡¯s face was afire. ¡°I¡¯m wearing more than that under my clothes right now!¡±


    ¡°Nope. Too late. I¡¯m gonna go buy it right now.¡± Akane raised her hand in the direction of the sales clerk.


    ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯ll pick something!¡± Ranko squeezed Akane¡¯s arm tighter, looking up at her, her wide blue eyes pleading for mercy.


    Grinning, Akane waved off the clerk with her free arm. ¡°Good girl. Go on. I¡¯ll be right behind you. If you tell me what you want, I can help you look.¡±


    Ranko released Akane¡¯s arm, slowly rotating to look around at the mannequins before pointing to one. ¡°Would it be okay if I got one of the ones that are just one piece, like that one?¡±


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Akane rolled her eyes with a laugh. ¡°Aww, don¡¯t wanna show off the goods too much, huh? Yeah, I think that¡¯ll be fine if that¡¯s what you want. Any idea what color you want?¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°No clue. Guess we¡¯ll just have to look around.¡±


    Akane picked up a hanger. ¡°Ooh, this is cute!¡± She turned to show Ranko, holding it up in front of her torso.


    Ranko looked down at the outfit. It was green, and only barely a one-piece; the top and bottom were connected only by small black rings on either hip. The bottom was striped in black to look like the rind of a watermelon, and the top was printed with watermelon slices.


    Ranko crinkled her nose, shaking her head. ¡°Naaah.¡±


    Returning the rejected swimsuit to the higher of the two racks mounted to the display island in the middle of the store, Akane pulled another one off the lower rack, a bright yellow one-piece covered with thick black diagonal stripes. ¡°What about this?¡±


    Ranko turned to look at it, giggling. ¡°That depends. Am I s¡¯pos¡¯ta be a bumblebee, or a traffic sign?¡± Her eyes shot upward from the outfit in Akane¡¯s hand, and she smiled a bit. ¡°What about that?¡±


    Akane turned, looking up at the mannequin that stood atop the display, peering over the twin racks. It was modeling a black one-piece suit with two-centimeter wide shoulder straps. From the modest breast line down, it was plain black, but a tangle of pink hibiscus flowers and green vines draped down the shoulder straps, across the neckline and down around the left armpit. The back was open from the bra line up, but the two shoulder straps were connected with criss-crossing straps in the same swimsuit material.


    She turned back to Ranko, scrunching up her face a little with a smicker and nodding emphatically. ¡°I think it¡¯ll look fantastic on our bedroom floor.¡±


    ¡°Akane!¡± Ranko blushed with a coy smile, gave her girlfriend a gentle whack on the shoulder with her small black purse. ¡°You¡¯re such a pervert sometimes!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Akane smirked mockingly. ¡°Calling me a pervert? That¡¯s a new one for you, little miss dirty little freak again.¡±


    Ranko pulled her behind the display rack and into a hug, speaking in a hushed tone. ¡°I am what you made me, and that¡¯s a¡­¡±


    Akane dragged her index finger softly from the neckline of Ranko¡¯s blue crushed velvet tee shirt up her neck. She traced a path around the front of the white lace choker her girlfriend wore before continuing her upward trek until her gentle fingertip reached her lover¡¯s chin. She beamed proudly, satisfied with her work as Ranko¡¯s breath caught and her sentence died in mid-air. ¡°Shhh.¡±


    Her point made, Akane set about scouring the racks for the swimsuit Ranko had chosen in the appropriate size, leaving her fiancee to stand behind the rack alone and catch her breath. ¡°Oh, look, babe, they have matching skirts for it, so you can change it up between the song and the interview. You want?¡±


    Ranko nodded, her face not yet having returned to its usual shade. Akane pulled the matching black above-knee yoke skirt, emblazoned with more of the hibiscus pattern snaking down the left side of the black spandex garment, down from the rack as well and draped it over her arm.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, you.¡± Akane grabbed a white wide-brimmed straw hat with a pink silk hibiscus flower poking out from the pale yellow ribbon around its crown, plopping it onto Ranko¡¯s head. ¡°Let¡¯s get going before you change your mind.¡±


    Ranko followed, fretting silently and rocking on her heels with crimson cheeks as Akane handed the swimsuit, skirt, and hat to the young man working the register and paid for the items. Only after they had exited the store, a pastel pink paper tote bag with white twine handles swinging from Ranko¡¯s left hand, did she speak again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Akane. I had no idea it was gonna be so expensive.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worth it, babe. And besides, like I said, this is a huge opportunity for you. It would be crazy to mess it up to save a few yen.¡± Akane smiled reassuringly.


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Yeah, I know, but money¡¯s already so tight with the wedding, and¡­¡±


    Akane stopped short, turning and laying her index finger vertically across Ranko¡¯s strawberry-glossed lips. ¡°Hush. If I say you¡¯re worth it, it¡¯s because you¡¯re worth it. Now, are you going to stop apologizing, or do I need to march you into a lingerie store next just so I can watch you squirm?¡± She could physically feel the heat radiating from Ranko¡¯s face.


    Ranko nodded, casting her eyes down a little as Akane removed her finger from her face. Akane chuckled to herself, her own face flushing slightly. She shook her head slightly as they resumed walking. Gotta say, almost wish she¡¯d have fought me on that one. The lingerie store sounded kinda fun.


    ¡°Well, thank you,¡± Ranko said quietly, glancing down at her feet as they walked. She still felt bad, but Akane was right; it had been a need, not a want. A business expense, Nabiki would¡¯ve called it.


    ¡°You¡¯re so welcome, Ran¡­¡± Noting that her lover was no longer beside her, Akane looked back over her shoulder, trying to determine what had made Ranko stop walking a few steps behind her. She trod back to the toy store window Ranko was staring into. ¡°Whatcha lookin¡¯ at, babe?¡±


    Ranko didn¡¯t answer, not wanting to give Akane any encouragement to spend more money than she already had. She¡¯d just begun to turn away, but Akane followed her eyes, beaming warmly as she guessed what almost certainly had been the thing that caught Ranko¡¯s attention.


    ¡°It¡¯s really cute! We should get it!¡± Akane threw her arm over Ranko¡¯s shoulder, starting to pull her toward the store¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Akane! We can¡¯t! We just talked about the money thing. We¡¯ve already spent way too much today!¡± Ranko planted her feet.


    Shaking her head, Akane turned to face Ranko, taking both of the songstress¡¯ hands in her own and letting the bag containing the swimsuit dangle on Ranko¡¯s wrist next to her silver dragon bracelet. ¡°My girl ¨C my actual, real-life girl, the one and only Ranko Tendo ¨C picked out a stuffy she likes, for herself, and you think we¡¯re leaving without it? You¡¯re out of your freakin¡¯ mind, missy. I¡¯ll sell my damn shoes if I have to.¡±


    Moments later, the pair walked out of the toy shop, the bag containing Ranko¡¯s new swimsuit now swinging from Akane¡¯s wrist. Ranko walked alongside her, cradling a half-meter wide red-and-orange plush phoenix against her chest with both hands.


    ¡°Come on, Burny. Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Akane giggled. ¡°I love it!¡± She tilted her head in the direction of a drink cart in the aisle between the rows of shops. ¡°I¡¯m gonna grab a drink. You want anything?¡±


    Ranko shook her head, sitting on another planter to wait. She blushed yet again as she sat alone, speaking quietly as she stared down at her new companion in her arms. ¡°I know, it¡¯s silly, but¡­ you¡¯re a phoenix. I had to have you. It¡¯s ¡®cause, you know, I work at the Phoenix, and the album¡¯s called Phoenix Rising, and all that. You understand, right? It¡¯s totally not that I wanted another stuffy ¡®cause I¡¯m a total friggin¡¯ chick now, and¡­ oh gods, yes it is.¡±


    Akane returned from the beverage cart, walking up to Ranko with a plastic cup of iced tea in her left hand. Her right was balled up in a loose fist at her side. ¡°Getting to know your new friend?¡±


    Ranko turned over her left shoulder. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s greaAAAAAAHHH!!¡± She rocketed off the planter, Burny under her left arm, flailing her right frantically behind her back. Akane shook her hand, letting the ice water drip from her fingers as she watched Ranko squirm, trying to dislodge the ice cube Akane had slipped down the back of her shirt and into her bra strap.


    ¡°Get it out! G¡­ get it out! Get it ouuuuuuuut!¡± Her voice quavered as she yelped for aid, the frigid sensation gripping the whole of her body courtesy of the Full Body Cat¡¯s Tongue.


    Akane giggled loudly, shaking her head in the negative. ¡°I told you I¡¯d get you back!¡±

 121. A Dutiful Bride

    Akane rubbed her temples, closing her eyes for a moment. The words on the page were starting to run together. Yawning, she reached forward, bringing the can of acrid-smelling energy drink to her lips with a shaking hand. I don¡¯t know how Ranko drinks this shit, she thought, swallowing a mouthful with a grimace. Nap in a can? More like crap in a can.


    Her final term paper of her freshman year of college was due tomorrow afternoon, and between studying for all of her other exams, the assignment had been pushed off to the last minute. The last minute had arrived, and Akane was exhausted. It was just after two in the morning, and she was still about three pages short of the minimum the professor had required for the assignment. She glared at the pencil that lay on her notebook, willing it to leap up and continue writing on its own while she rested. It did not.


    She was shocked out of her torpor by the sound of the front door opening, whirling in the creaky wooden chair to spy her future wife entering the apartment. Ranko hung her little black purse on a nail behind the door, kicking off her shoes at the door and carrying them into the bedroom. The redhead gave a small frown at the sight of Akane still seated at the little study desk in the corner of their room.


    ¡°You¡¯re still fighting with that, Akane?¡± Ranko sighed, tossing her black platform heels into the closet as she walked past, on the way to wrap Akane in a supportive hug from behind.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Akane leaned back into Ranko¡¯s arms, resting the back of her head between the singer¡¯s breasts. ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m beat. But it¡¯s gotta get done. I shouldn¡¯t have put it off this long.¡±


    Ranko frowned, stroking her partner¡¯s hair softly with her fingers. ¡°What can I do to help?¡±


    Akane chuckled, shaking her head gently even as the back of it rested in Ranko¡¯s bosom. ¡°Not much, honestly, unless you think you can learn enough about all the Renaissance painters to write this essay in the next few hours.¡± Cracking the tiniest of smiles, Akane tilted her head back to look up. ¡°Just go to bed, princess. You had a show tonight; you must be exhausted, and you¡¯ve got school in the morning. I¡¯ll move out to the table so you can turn the lights out.¡±


    Akane started to gather her writing materials, but Ranko leaned down, kissing her fiancee on the nape of her neck. ¡°When¡¯s the last time you took a break? Have you eaten anything?¡±


    Akane shrugged. ¡°Three, maybe four hours ago, and no. I lost track of time working on this crap.¡±


    With a nod and a supportive smile, Ranko reached down for her hand. ¡°Come on. Staring at the desk isn¡¯t getting it done any faster. Time for a break. Let¡¯s get you some dinner and a rest.¡±


    Akane shook her head. ¡°I really should stay at it, and you don¡¯t need to be cooking at 2:30 in the morning. I¡¯m not going to ask that of you.¡±


    Ranko pulled at her arm gently, encouraging her fiancee to stand until she did. ¡°Then it¡¯s a good thing I offered. C¡¯mere, you. You¡¯d say the same thing to me if I was the one working all night.¡± Having done so through most of the early part of the school year ¨C thankfully, less the offer to cook ¨C Ranko was quite confident in her assessment. She pulled Akane out to the living room, leading her to the couch. ¡°Now, you sit right here, and I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She leaned down as Akane plopped down onto her backside, parting Akane¡¯s bangs with her fingers and kissing her on the forehead. Akane closed her eyes, breathing deep of her. Just the scent of the redheaded girl that had once been Ranma Saotome was enough to put her in a better state of mind.


    ¡°I love you,¡± Akane called as Ranko flitted to the kitchen, pulling her black vinyl apron on over the yellow skater dress she¡¯d worn on stage. Ranko wanted to make extra sure not to get anything on the dress; it was Akane¡¯s.


    ¡°I love you too, Akane. Give me just a few minutes!¡± Ranko looked around the kitchen. What can I get going fast, where I don¡¯t have to stay in here and watch it?


    She spied the white plastic rice cooker on the kitchen countertop next to the refrigerator. Okay, first things first, let¡¯s get you going. She poured a few cups of dry rice and some cold water into the device, closing it and pressing a few buttons. Popping the refrigerator door open, she stuck her head in, shivering a bit with the sudden rush of cold on her bare legs. Let¡¯s see¡­ chicken will take too long, breakfast stuff like takoyaki needs too much attention¡­ She spied a pair of salmon filets wrapped in white butcher¡¯s paper on the second shelf. Perfect! Here, fishy, fishy¡­


    Ranko pulled out the fish, unwrapping the filets and reaching into the cabinet beneath the kitchen counter for a cookie sheet. Spreading a tiny bit of olive oil on the pan to prevent the fish from sticking, she lay the filets on the pan skin side down. Humming the song she¡¯d been practicing for Saturday¡¯s television appearance to herself, she quickly drizzled the fish in a bit more olive oil, teriyaki sauce from a half-empty glass bottle she¡¯d withdrawn from the fridge, and a pinch of salt each. She pushed a few buttons on the stove, beginning the preheat process and sliding the pan onto the top oven rack. Over a year of cooking, she¡¯d gotten fairly good at adjusting the timing of things so she could put the food in the oven without waiting for the preheating process to finish, so as not to have to stick her head in a hot oven and endure the blast of heat that was so uncomfortable on her fragile skin.


    She hadn¡¯t wanted to admit it to Akane ¨C not that her perceptive fiancee hadn¡¯t picked up on it easily anyway ¨C just how utterly terrified she was at the prospect of singing on television in less than thirty-six hours. Plus, there would be an interview - what if she said the wrong thing? What if they trapped her into giving away too much?


    Her humming gave way to quiet singing. Practicing was the one thing she could do to make herself more ready.


    ¡°Don¡¯t jiggle the antenna or adjust your set! Though I¡¯m the best you¡¯ve ever seen, you ain¡¯t seen nothin¡¯ yet!¡±


    Pushing a few buttons on the microwave to set a seventeen minute timer and hanging her apron back on the nail in the pantry door, Ranko walked back through the living room on her way to the bathroom. ¡°Almost done, my love.¡±


    Akane blushed with a weary smile as Ranko disappeared into the bathroom. My gods, that girl is incredible. I can¡¯t believe I get to spend the rest of my life with her.


    The redhead returned in just a moment, carrying a small white tube that tapered into a wedge at one end and came to a round spout at its base. She stood in front of Akane, crossing her ankles and bending her legs as she lowered herself into a cross-legged seated position on the floor at her fiancee¡¯s feet. Ranko unscrewed the deep violet cap of the tube, squirting some of the lavender-scented lotion into the palm of her hand. It always made her a little sad to look down at her hands and not see her engagement rings - the sapphire promise ring Akane had given her at Christmas and the diamond solitaire Aki had given her on Valentine¡¯s Day - but she¡¯d left them on the bathroom counter to spare them from getting caked with the lotion.


    Akane watched her lover shiver ever so slightly as the sudden introduction of the cold, slimy liquid to her palms triggered the ¡°skin condition¡± that had changed Ranko¡¯s life forever. It had been intended as extortion and punishment so long ago, and had instead been the catalyst that turned the brash, abrasive boy that Ranma had been a lifetime ago into the budding young lady who now sat smiling at Akane¡¯s feet in her girlfriend¡¯s yellow skater dress. Akane chuckled quietly to herself, imagining not for the first time what Shampoo¡¯s grandmother would think if she knew that her master plan to force Ranma to be her ¡°son-in-law¡± had instead made her into a sweet, caring, and content young woman who was about to be a bride. Didn¡¯t quite work out as you planned, did it, you old ghoul? But hey, thanks. I owe you one. You gave us everything we ever wanted, and then some.


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    Smiling with a little purr, Akane reached down and stroked Ranko¡¯s hair. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that, you kn¡­ mmm.¡± She closed her eyes, leaning back on the couch as Ranko finished rubbing her hands together to warm the lotion and began working it into the soles of Akane¡¯s feet.


    Ranko nodded with a bright smile, not that Akane saw it. ¡°I know I don¡¯t have to. But I want to. I always want to take care of you, Akane. You should know that by now.¡± She sighed happily. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in the world that makes me happier than making you smile or making your day easier.¡±


    Whimpering softly as her body relaxed under Ranko¡¯s efforts, Akane opened her eyes to smile down at the girl sitting on the floor. ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait another three months to marry you.¡±


    Ranko leaned forward, kissing the bare skin of Akane¡¯s left calf, just below where the hem of her green denim skirt lay. She rested her chin on Akane¡¯s knee, looking up at her with a smile. ¡°In that case, I do.¡±


    Giggling quietly, Akane shook her head with a tired, playful smile. ¡°I think there¡¯s a little more to it than that.¡±


    ¡°Only because you want there to be, Akane. I told you before.¡± Ranko kissed her leg again, pressing both thumbs firmly into a knot on the sole of Akane¡¯s left foot to begin loosening it. ¡°I¡¯m already yours. As far as I¡¯m concerned, I¡¯ve been yours for a long time now.¡±


    Akane flashed her a goofy grin, running her fingers through Ranko¡¯s wavy hair as she massaged her feet. ¡°I¡¯m yours too, you know. I always will be. But we should still do it right. You¡¯re way too pretty not to get a chance to be a bride.¡±


    Ranko blushed deeply, lowering her face until her forehead rested on Akane¡¯s leg to hide it from her view. ¡°Akane¡­¡± It still felt so strange for her to smile at being called pretty; to take it as a compliment and not as a reason to be on her guard. She never really used to want to be pretty as a girl unless it served her ends. She usually preferred to be invisible. But now? She wanted to shine. For her. She wanted to make Akane proud to have her on her arm. Sometimes, it was just still hard for her to admit it.


    Akane beamed lovingly at the woman who held her heart, as well as her feet, in her hands. ¡°I know I say this all the time, but sometimes, I just don¡¯t know what I did to deserve you.¡±


    Ranko smiled, using her fuchsia-manicured thumbs to knead in opposite directions away from the knot¡¯s center to encourage it to dissipate into the surrounding muscle tissue. ¡°You gave me a chance when no one else would.¡± She kissed Akane¡¯s knee again, nuzzling her leg with her cheek even as her hands continued the massage. ¡°You saw the person I could be ¨C the person I was trying to be ¨C and not the disaster I was, and you never judge me for the parts I¡¯m still working on getting right. You put what was broken in me back together better than it was before.¡±


    Akane purred quietly as Ranko kissed her leg softly again, this time a bit above her knee, and Ranko continued. ¡°You didn¡¯t care how far I¡¯d fallen, and you picked me up, time and time again. You support me, you take care of me, and you protect me. Even from myself, sometimes.¡±


    The redhead switched her hands to Akane¡¯s right foot, and her lips followed to Akane¡¯s right thigh as well. ¡°You make me laugh. You make me smile. You make me¡­well, you know.¡± She giggled deviously, blushing bright red and letting Akane fill in the rest of her salacious thought. ¡°You make me feel safe, and warm, and special.¡±


    She looked down, away from Akane¡¯s eyes as she replenished the lotion in her hands from the white tube, finding a new knot in Akane¡¯s right foot to work on. ¡°You make me feel¡­ pretty. And cute. And sexy. And¡­ you make me feel like it¡¯s okay to want to feel like that around you.¡± She beamed brightly up at Akane, her eyes sparkling with adoration. ¡°To feel like that for you.¡±


    Ranko nuzzled her cheek gently against Akane¡¯s thigh, acutely aware of every tiny little hair on both her skin and Akane¡¯s. ¡°And I am so thoroughly, completely, utterly, insanely in love with you. Sometimes I look at you, and I feel like my heart¡¯s gonna explode because it¡¯s so full.¡±


    Akane sat up and reached down with a loving smile, cupping Ranko¡¯s chin in her left hand and turning her lover¡¯s head up to face her. ¡°Ranko Tendo, did you know that you are going to be the most amazing wife anyone¡¯s ever had?¡±


    Ranko nodded, bobbing her chin in Akane¡¯s palm. ¡°I¡¯m damn sure gonna try, Akane. You deserve no less.¡±


    She tittered cutely, breaking eye contact as her hands began kneading the outer edges of Akane¡¯s left foot. ¡°And one day, I¡¯m gonna be all rich and stuff from music, and you can just spend every day shopping and drinking little fruity cocktails with umbrellas in ¡®em by a pool somewhere.¡± She traced a little heart on Akane¡¯s thigh with a lotion-slick finger. ¡°Until I come home from the studio, in the shortest little skirt I can find, and I curl up right next to you in your beach lounger. I¡¯ll forget I¡¯m a famous singer, and I¡¯ll just be yours to do whatever you want to with all night.¡±


    Akane blushed, stroking Ranko¡¯s cheek with the backs of her fingers. ¡°You¡¯d better be careful, girlfriend. Talking like that is gonna get dinner burned and my paper turned in late if you keep going.¡±


    Ranko grinned up at her, nudging her cheek firmly into Akane¡¯s hand. It was almost cat-like, Akane thought, but she dared not say those words. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Akane. I¡¯ll still be here when your paper is done.¡± With a little giggle, Ranko turned her head enough to kiss the palm of Akane¡¯s hand. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t keep teasing, though. You still have to go look at all those paintings of naked girls in your art history book, and I don¡¯t want you getting too distracted.¡±


    With a loving smile, Akane stroked her cheek again. ¡°Nothing like that will ever be as beautiful as you, Ranko. I love you so much.¡±


    Ranko kissed the hand that bore Akane¡¯s promise ring once more, hopping to her feet as the microwave timer beeped. ¡°I love you too, Akane. Always. Now, let¡¯s get you some dinner.¡±


    Akane stood, following Ranko toward the kitchen, but before the redhead could turn into the narrow aisle formed by the two sides of the kitchen counter where their stove was, Akane tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, you want me to get that out for you?¡±


    Ranko smiled, washing the lotion off her hands with what was, to her, ice-cold water in the sink. ¡°I can do it, but if you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± She always appreciated that, despite Akane¡¯s utter lack of culinary prowess, she was willing to do what she could to help and mitigate the numerous challenges the Cat¡¯s Tongue caused her in the kitchen.


    Slipping on a pair of pink oven mitts styled to look like pigs, Akane opened the oven door and pulled out the aluminum cookie sheet. ¡°This smells fantastic.¡± She rested the metal pan on the stovetop, turning off the oven and tossing her oven mitts aside as she closed the oven door.


    Ranko stepped back into the kitchen as she dried her hands with a red dish towel, having taken a few steps back out of the kitchen while the oven door was open and radiating its heat. ¡°I hope so. It¡¯s not much, just what I could throw together real quick.¡±


    Akane wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, lifting her up and sitting her on the kitchen counter. She brushed the curtain of red hair away from her beloved¡¯s right eye, ignoring the merry tune that began to chirp from the rice cooker on the counter behind her. ¡°It¡¯s perfect. And so are you.¡±


    Akane smiled, feeling the whole of her future wife¡¯s body quiver as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss the side of Ranko¡¯s neck.

 122. Bangers on the Beach

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Japan? I¡¯m Yoko Umori, that¡¯s my co-host, Isao Nakatani, and this is Bangers on the Beach!¡± A few meters behind them, some three hundred people in beachwear whooped loudly, their backs to the gentle waves lapping up against the shoreline.


    Ranko swallowed in dread, standing behind the cameraman in her new black swimsuit, skirt and wide-brimmed hat, waiting for his signal. She bounced on the balls of her feet with nervous energy. Holy shit, okay, this is happening. Fuck, I wish Akane could have been here. I could really use a hug right about now. It¡¯s okay, Ranko. We¡¯re good. We got this.


    ¡°Hey, Ranko!¡± A barefooted male intern in board shorts and a red tank top with shaggy bleach-blond hair jogged up to her in the sand. ¡°Director needs you to lose the hat. Sorry.¡±


    She cringed, turning to the well-tanned young man. ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s awfully bright out here.¡±


    The runner nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the problem. It makes your face one huge shadow, and the camera won¡¯t be able to see you.¡±


    Nodding, Ranko took her white wide-brimmed hat off, tossing it into the blue canvas folding chair behind her. Immediately, she felt the sun begin pounding down on her bare shoulders, and sweat drops beginning to form on her forehead. At least the production¡¯s staff cosmetologist had used waterproof makeup when he¡¯d gotten her ready, so it wouldn¡¯t run in the heat.


    The shapely brunette co-host in the cerulean bikini crossed her legs in her dark blue lounge chair, turning her head to her partner across the empty chair between them. ¡°We¡¯ve got a fantastic show for ya today! We¡¯re gonna do a countdown of our top twenty summertime jams and buzz through the latest news from the music world. But, first, let¡¯s welcome our musical guest! Her new debut album, Phoenix Rising, is going crazy on the airwaves and at the record store. Give it up for Ranko Tendo, lead vocalist of Ranko and the Dapper Dragons!¡±


    The director gave Ranko a little wave, and she walked out as she¡¯d been instructed, slipping in behind the three chairs and waving to the cheering crowd that stood in the background of the set before taking the middle seat between the two hosts. She prayed she wasn¡¯t blushing too terribly.


    ¡°RAN-KO! RAN-KO!¡± came the chant from the crowd, until the shirtless man in the green bathing suit seated to Ranko¡¯s right began to speak. ¡°So, Ranko! Welcome to Bangers on the Beach! It¡¯s great to have you out!¡±


    The redhead flashed him a winning smile, crossing her ankles. She lay her left hand in her lap, covering it with her right. Try to look casual. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to be here, Isao!¡± I watch these people every week while I fold Akane¡¯s laundry. How the hell am I on a first-name basis with them? What is even happening to my life right now?


    The show¡¯s hostess smiled widely in Ranko¡¯s direction. ¡°You¡¯ve had quite the Rise lately, haven¡¯t you?¡± The crowd laughed behind her at her wordplay. ¡±Three songs on your debut album have cracked the top ten in radio plays, and the new CD is flying off the shelves. And you¡¯re not even out of high school yet! How does it feel?¡±


    Ranko fidgeted in her blue lounge chair slightly. Dammit, now I know I¡¯m blushing. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s honestly just incredible. Like, I can¡¯t even believe I¡¯m sitting here right now. But it¡¯s been like that from the beginning. Every week, there¡¯s a new ¡®that¡¯ll never happen to me¡¯ moment that happens, and I just want my head to stop spinning long enough to even get through a song sometimes! I¡¯m just a regular girl, ya know?¡± And you have no idea what it took to get there. ¡°Like, I¡¯m the wrong kid to be in this fairy tale, I think, but I¡¯m so grateful for it.¡±


    Isao sat up in his chair a bit, letting out a small, constrained laugh. ¡°Well, you¡¯re making it look easy, that¡¯s for sure!¡±


    Yoko nodded. ¡°It hasn¡¯t always been easy, though, has it? The story you tell in Rise¡­ that¡¯s all true, isn¡¯t it? You kinda had a rough go of it for a minute there, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Ranko nodded, trying her best to smile through it. ¡°You could say that, yeah. I, um¡­¡± She exhaled heavily, trying to get her breathing under control.


    The hostess reached over the gap between their chairs, placing her hand on the back of Ranko¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s okay, honey, take your time.¡±


    Staring up at the television mounted on the wall above the back booths of the Phoenix, Akane winced and sucked air in through her nervously-clenched teeth. ¡°Pull it together, Ranko. You got this.¡±


    ¡°I, uh,¡± Ranko continued, trying to focus on the story and not the feelings. ¡°Yeah, I was sleeping in a park by the subway station for a couple of months last year. No money, just the clothes on my back. Couldn¡¯t get a job, wasn¡¯t in school, just sort of, nowhere to go and all day to get there, ya know?¡±


    Isao nodded. ¡°But you sure managed to get yourself turned around, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°Myself? Not even close. But I had some incredible people who helped. They gave me a job, a home, and a purpose. They wouldn¡¯t give up on me, and they taught me how to stop giving up on myself. They let me be a part of their family when I had nobody. And I just want to say something, if I can, in front of the whole country. Mama Hana, Yui, Izzi, Mei, Aya ¨C and Akane ¨C everybody back home at the Phoenix ¨C thank you. You changed my whole world when you didn¡¯t have to, and I owe you everything. I love you all.¡±


    Hana squeezed Akane¡¯s shoulder, standing behind her daughter¡¯s seated fiancee as she watched the assembled beachgoers cheer behind Ranko on the television. ¡°We love you too, little star.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Yoko continued, ¡°how¡¯d you get from there, to here? And so fast?¡±


    Ranko blushed. ¡°You can thank my sister Mei for that one. The Phoenix is - well, was, I guess - a karaoke bar. We were having a slow night, I was waiting tables, and Mei comes and drops a microphone in my hand like I even know which end of it to sing into. I thought I was being hazed, ¡®cause I was the new girl, right? Next thing I know, I¡¯m covering ten, fifteen songs a night, getting invited to join my friend Crash¡¯s band, and in my spare time, trying to figure out what to do with all these overwhelming feelings and all the gratitude and everything.¡±


    ¡°And that became Rise,¡± Isao said in an understanding tone.


    Ranko nodded, adjusting her pink-framed sunglasses as they slid slightly down her sunscreen-slick nose before folding her hands in her lap again. ¡°Yep! And Mei started sending recordings to every record label she could find until she got a hit, and the rest is history, I guess.¡±


    Yoko smiled. ¡°And what a history it was! Your second song, Sneak, was an even bigger hit on the radio than Rise. Take us through how that one happened?¡±


    Cringing internally, Ranko nodded, recalling the answer she¡¯d rehearsed in case her second, and third, songs came up. ¡°Well,¡± Ranko said with a blush. ¡°Not long after I started singing at the Phoenix, I¡­ met someone. We kept our relationship a secret for a while, ¡®cause everything was such a mess for me and all. It was the right move, but I wanted to tell everyone who would listen how crazy in love I was, and finally, Sneak was how I asked for it. But it wasn¡¯t the right way to ask, and it caused all kinds of problems, and so Call Me Pandora was me just trying to say how sorry I was.¡±


    With an understanding nod and an interested, tell me more expression on her face, Yoko prodded. ¡°And, did he forgive you?¡±


    Ranko cracked a smile, brushing off the hostess¡¯ assumption that her partner was male. I wasn¡¯t supposed to do this, and Amaya¡¯s gonna have a stroke, but I don¡¯t care. She moved her right hand from where it lay covering her left in her lap and held up the back of her left hand to the camera, letting the sunlight sparkle as it refracted in the small princess-cut diamond mounted on the scrollwork silver band around her third finger. ¡°I think so.¡±


    Akane gasped audibly, covering her mouth with both of her hands as Ranko¡¯s sisters whooped excitedly around her. Oooh, the label¡¯s not gonna be too happy about that, babe. But I love you, too.


    ¡°How exciting!¡± Yoko tittered stiltedly. The hell?! They didn¡¯t tell me about that one in the pre-show meeting! ¡°When¡¯s the big day?¡±


    ¡°This summer,¡± Ranko said into the camera, beaming proudly. There, Akane. I told the world. On live television. I told them I¡¯m yours. Forever. They can¡¯t take that away from us now.


    Isao chimed in, seeing an opportunity to divert from the curveball Ranko had thrown the hosts. ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s going to be a busy summer for you indeed, isn¡¯t it, Ranko? I understand you have some more news to share today?¡±


    Ranko nodded, glancing off beyond Isao to her right, where Crash and her bandmates were finalizing the preparation of their instruments on the weathered wooden platform that served as the show¡¯s live music stage. She turned back to the camera, beaming ecstatically. ¡°Yep! I¡¯m proud to announce that, early next year, my friends and I will be releasing our second full studio album! The new contract with Yokai Records was just signed last week, and we¡¯re already in the studio recording the first few songs!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Yoko jumped in her seat in affected shock. ¡°Already? Your first album hasn¡¯t been out a month yet! That¡¯s amazing, especially considering some people thought you were gonna be a one-hit wonder with Rise!¡±


    Ranko giggled, scrunching her nose and shaking her head. ¡°You ain¡¯t gettin¡¯ rid of me and the boys that easy! Hey, speaking of which, you wanna hear something from the new record?¡±


    Isao clapped his hands excitedly as the assembled beachgoers behind their chairs roared in their enthusiasm. ¡°I know I do!¡±


    The camera zoomed in on Yoko¡¯s face as Ranko hopped out of her chair out of view, jogging over to the platform where Crash and the others waited, all of them dressed for the beach. Man, it must be absolutely killing Shin to not be wearing all black leather, but he¡¯d roast like a potato out here in it, she thought with a grin. Emi and Hitomi rushed to the edge of the stage, squealing excitedly in their matching red bikinis as they hugged her together.


    ¡°We¡¯ve gotta take a quick break to pay some bills, but when we come back, it¡¯s Ranko and the Dapper Dragons with the worldwide debut of the first song on their second album!¡± Yoko waved to the camera until the red light atop it blinked out.


    ¡°Aaaand, we¡¯re in commercial! 60 seconds!¡± came a yell from the balding middle-aged producer.


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    ¡°You did great,¡± Crash said quietly as Ranko got her microphone situated more comfortably around her loose ponytail.


    ¡°Thanks, bud. I was scared shitless.¡± Ranko grinned, turning to face the front of the stage and waving to the crowd that had moved over from behind the interview seats, joining the significant crowd that had eschewed being within earshot of the interview for a better view of the performance. There had to be, conservatively, two thousand people buzzing with excitement on the hot white sand surrounding her and her friends.


    ¡°Is it always gonna be huge like this, Crash? With all these people?¡± Ranko beamed at her audience, trying to make eye contact and wave to as many of them as she could in the minute before the live telecast resumed.


    The guitarist smirked, taking his mark. ¡°Nope. It¡¯s gonna get bigger. Way bigger. And quick. Buckle up, kid.¡±


    The hostess, now standing near the stage, waved to camera one. ¡°Hey, everybody! We¡¯re back for more Bangers on the Beach! Today¡¯s musical guests are Ranko and the Dapper Dragons, and they¡¯re back for more, too! Here¡¯s the first song on their newly-announced second studio album: Back for More!¡± Yoko cheered into the camera as red lights flickered on atop each of the other two cameras facing the stage, and the one facing her panned up to center on Ranko.


    Ken struck the rim of his snare drum sharply with his twin wooden sticks. ¡°One! Two!¡±


    Jacob¡¯s synthesizer began blasting a staccato electronic tone, dancing up and down the scales rapidly for the first two bars of the song. Shinji and Crash¡¯s guitars joined him as he repeated the same rhythm again, building the composition with a soaring, exciting frisson. Ken kicked the bass drum into the tune, laying a thumping floor under the rhythm.


    This left only one instrument remaining to be activated. Ranko switched on the small battery pack clipped to the back of the black skirt she wore over her floral swimsuit and immediately launched herself into the first verse.


    ¡°After the last time, you thought that I was done with you? The thing about it is, I¡¯m having way too damn much fun with you! Everyone relaxed, thought I was makin¡¯ my exit...¡±


    She turned on the stage, stomping forward in her fuchsia flip-flops and exploding her arms into the air threateningly. Hitomi and Emi both jumped like startled cats, leaping back nearly half a meter.


    ¡°... but now I¡¯m back like a jump scare, when nobody expects it!¡±


    Ranko turned back to face the crowd, shaking her head and shrugging with an expression of disbelief on her face. ¡°Come on, did you really think I¡¯d walk away from my band when everything I ever wanted¡¯s in the palm of my hand? Thought I pushed it to the limit, but there¡¯s just no chance¡­¡±


    Ranko bent low at the waist, leaning to her right with one hand on her hip and one on the wooden platform, dragging her left foot on the stage behind her. Her motions were echoed to perfection by Hitomi and Emi, flanking her on either side from just behind.


    ¡°... I¡¯m gonna go another minute without making you dance!¡±


    Hitomi and Emi stood, fanning themselves with their hands as if they were overheated. Given the blazing sun overhead, even under the partial shade provided by the trusses and other stage equipment above, it didn¡¯t require much acting on their part.


    ¡°People drop from hot flashes when the Phoenix starts to sing, but baby, rising from the ashes? That¡¯s kinda my thing!¡± Ranko snatched off her sunglasses and winked cutely to the audience, which roared to life around her.


    Ranko and her backup dancers extended their arms forward, palms outstretched in a stop gesture as they rolled their hips in perfect synchronization.


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the channel! Don¡¯t touch the dial!¡± Ranko lowered her hand, pointing down at her feet. ¡°I¡¯ve decided that I¡¯m gonna stick around for a while!¡±


    The redhead raised both of her arms over her head, crossing her wrists, letting her body wiggle across its entire length. ¡°Don¡¯t jiggle the antenna, or adjust your set. Though I¡¯m the best you¡¯ve ever seen, you ain¡¯t seen nothin¡¯ yet!¡±


    Ranko¡¯s backup dancers both raised their hands to the sky as if trying to hold up the mesh shade that comprised the roof of the amphitheater. As Ranko sang, they lowered their hands in unison until they were pointing down at the stage itself.


    ¡°Gonna make you hit the ceiling when you hit the floor¡­¡±


    Ranko stretched her arms out wide as the stage lights turned a deep crimson, focusing on and highlighting the four musicians behind her.


    ¡°We are Ranko and the Dragons, and we¡¯re BACK FOR MORE!¡±


    Hitomi belted between the verses in her higher range as she walked across the front of the stage. ¡°Ooooh, yeah! Watch your back!¡±


    Emi crossed behind her from the opposite direction, and the roommates high-fived as if Hitomi were passing the baton. Emi sang in a lower octave as she crossed to stage right, where Hitomi had begun. ¡°Oooh, yeah, babe, Ranko¡¯s back!¡±


    Ranko beamed, sliding to her mark on her feet to begin the history lesson that comprised her second verse, not that anyone in the riotous crowd in front of her needed a recap of her first album.


    ¡°After sneaking, after freaking, after flying and rising, that we¡¯d drop a second record shouldn¡¯t really be surprising. Shoulda known that it was coming, though you didn¡¯t know when. Nobody else could do it better, so we¡­¡±


    All seven band members sang at once. ¡°DID IT AGAIN!¡±


    Ranko crossed her ankles, bending her knees and holding up the hem of the flouncy black lycra swimsuit skirt, curtseying like a ballerina. ¡°I can¡¯t keep following directions and behaving like a lady, though! Instead, you get the resurrection of the¡­¡±


    She released her skirt, throwing her right hand in the air with her index and pinkie fingers extended. Hitomi and Emi did the same as the music paused, permitting the next few words to be sung by both Ranko and Shinji as they were in the chorus of the song they referenced.


    ¡°... demon in your ra-a-di-o!¡±


    Ranko rested her chin cutely in her hand, turning to face her left side to the crowd. ¡°You might think nothing much of me, but best not judge!¡±


    Hitomi reached her hand out toward Ranko¡¯s chest, but Ranko slapped it away. ¡°Still not yours¡­¡±


    Ranko leaned backward and Emi wrapped her arms around the redhead¡¯s shoulders, exploring the front of Ranko¡¯s swimsuit with her hands.


    ¡°... but if you¡¯re nice, I¡¯ll letcha touch.¡±


    The audience went berserk.


    ¡°DON¡¯T change the channel! DON¡¯T touch the dial! I¡¯ve decided that I¡¯m gonna stick around for a while! Don¡¯t jiggle the antenna, or adjust your set!¡±


    Hitomi smiled lovingly at her friend, the wayward red-headed vocalist that had plucked her from Takao Tashima¡¯s hellhole of a talent agency and placed her on the world stage. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s the best you¡¯ve ever seen¡­¡±


    Emi shook her head, waving her hand downward dismissively at the audience. ¡°You ain¡¯t seen nothin¡¯ yet!¡±


    Hitomi harmonized in the high fourth octave with Ken, singing into the microphone mounted over his drum set. ¡°Gonna make you hit the ceiling¡­¡±


    Emi and Shinji responded to the callback in a lower octave. ¡°... when you hit the floor¡­¡±


    Ranko spread her legs into a solid stance, thrusting her right fist into the air in her customary pose from the end of Rise. ¡°We are Ranko and the Dragons, and we¡¯re¡­¡±


    All seven musicians finished the line as one. ¡°BACK FOR MORE!¡±


    Ranko giggled into the microphone suspended from the metal band over her ears. ¡°What about you, Habushiura Beach? Are you ready for more?!¡±


    Taking the crowd¡¯s thundering roar as an answer in the affirmative, Ranko shook her head, holding a finger up to her lips.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be silenced, and I can¡¯t be sanitized. Started in the Phoenix, and now every club¡¯s been franchised. The haters might¡¯ve tried it, but there¡¯s just no stoppin¡¯ me takin¡¯ over every dance floor, like it¡¯s Monopoly!¡±


    Ranko set her feet in a wide stance, holding up her arms as if holding an invisible table over her head. ¡°And now that I¡¯ve got everybody out of their seats¡­¡±


    She threw her arms forward as if casting the phantom object in her hands out into the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m droppin¡¯ houses on ¡®em, like the Wicked Witch of the Beats!¡±


    Ranko shrugged her shoulders to the crowd, holding her hands up at her sides in a welp sort of gesture. ¡°So I hate to disappoint the folks who hoped we departed, but they¡¯d better get comfy¡­¡±


    Hitomi and Emi joined her in the last five words of the verse, huddling into her with their shoulders from either side. ¡°... ¡®cause we¡¯re just getting started!¡±


    Launching directly into the song¡¯s last verse, Ranko cupped her hands together in front of her chest, as if holding a butterfly she¡¯d captured. ¡°Started off small, and we exploded like Chernobyl.¡± She flung her hands apart as if the ball she was holding had exploded like a hand grenade.


    She gestured to the crowd with both of her hands. ¡°Big in Japan, but now, this band is going¡­¡±


    Shinji¡¯s voice boomed out with a bass tone that rumbled the speakers. ¡°... global!¡±


    Ranko shook her head with a smirk. ¡°You thought I¡¯d be content to pay my rent and stay home, but now¡­¡±


    She held up her closed right hand. ¡°I¡¯m gunnin¡¯ for London, and Paris, and Rome.¡± She popped up a finger with each capital she listed, touching each newly raised finger with the index finger of her left hand as if counting them off.


    ¡°People talk about, Ranko? She only plays in bars.¡± The redhead scoffed at the idea. ¡°Give me a rocket, and I¡¯ll rock it all the way to freakin¡¯ Mars!¡±


    Ranko made a gesture of a plane taking off with her palm.


    ¡°We¡¯re inviting everyone, in every club, in every nation, ¡®cause if we didn¡¯t, well, it wouldn¡¯t be¡­¡±


    Crash and Shinji bellowed the last two words of the line. Shin, in particular, had waited a long time to say them. ¡°... world domination!¡±


    Again, the three girls extended their arms in stop motions to the crowd. ¡°DON¡¯T change the channel! DON¡¯T touch the dial! I¡¯ve decided that I¡¯m gonna stick around for a while! DON¡¯T jiggle the antenna, or adjust your set! I¡¯m the best you¡¯ve ever seen¡­¡±


    Ranko pointed out to the crowd to call for their participation. Hanging from the trusses above the stage, out of view of the cameras, two large screens flashed a prompt to the crowd, telling them what to do for the live television performance. They responded to their instructions enthusiastically, singing along with Ranko.


    ¡°YOU AIN¡¯T SEEN NOTHIN¡¯ YET!¡±


    Ranko waved to the crowd, a winning smile on her lips and in her eyes. ¡°Gonna make you hit the ceiling when you hit the floor!¡±


    The entire band joined into the last line of the final chorus. ¡°We are Ranko and the Dragons, and we¡¯re back for more!¡±


    Jacob¡¯s synthesizer danced playfully down the scale, leading to the final coda, which Ranko sang alone with no musical accompaniment at all.


    ¡°So when they¡¯re linin¡¯ up around the club and record store, it¡¯s ¡®cause we¡¯re Ranko and the Dragons, and we¡¯re BACK FOR MORE!¡±


    Ranko raised both her arms to the crowd as a huge bass hit punctuated the end of the song, and the audience began chanting her name. They didn¡¯t stop until long after the producer had cut to commercial.

 123. The Stars Burn

    ¡°Okay, sweetheart, ready? One¡­ two¡­¡±


    ¡°YEAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWCH! Fuck fuckfuck owwww!¡± Ranko¡¯s scream fell into a quiet whimper as Akane peeled the black swimsuit off of lover¡¯s ankles, tossing it to the floor.


    ¡°You were supposed to wear the hat we bought you, silly girl.¡± Akane shook her head, smiling into the bright-red face of her lover.


    ¡°They said I had to take it off,¡± Ranko grumped, holding her arms out away from her sides as she stood nude in the girls¡¯ shared bedroom. ¡°Stupid TV stuff. If they say it¡¯s for an hour-long live show, they shouldn¡¯t keep you there for four friggin¡¯ hours!¡±


    Akane laughed, looking her beet-red lover over skeptically, sitting on the bed and propping her chin on her fist. ¡°Just four hours? You sure? I seem to recall you being gone a lot longer than that!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Ranko blushed, not that Akane could tell behind the girl¡¯s severe sunburn. ¡°Those people came all the way out to the beach to see us perform, and I couldn¡¯t just let ¡®em get the one song, so me and the guys did a couple more for ¡®em after the TV crew left.¡±


    Akane nodded, beaming with a wide grin. She just knew it had to be something like that. She adored Ranko for a million reasons, of which her devotion to her fans was but one. But she doubted that was all, and she tapped her foot, looking over the songstress disbelievingly.


    Ranko sighed, slumping her shoulders, yelping when her arms made contact with her torso and sticking them back out. ¡°Okay, okay, and then I stayed and signed a bunch of autographs for people,¡± she mumbled defeatedly. ¡°Ya happy?¡±


    Akane laughed, her face flushing a bit herself as she shook her head. ¡°And you couldn¡¯t put your hat back on for that, at least?¡±


    ¡°I was busy!¡± Ranko glared, more frustrated at herself than Akane.


    ¡°Wait a minute, didn¡¯t we buy you some sunscreen, too?¡± Akane popped a potato chip into her mouth, wishing it were popcorn. This show was hilarious, though she hated to laugh at Ranko¡¯s discomfort. She couldn¡¯t imagine a head-to-toe sunburn with the Full Body Cat¡¯s Tongue on top of it was an especially pleasant experience.


    ¡°It comes off when you sweat! It was freakin¡¯ hot out there, Akane!¡± The redhead mewled quietly, looking at herself in the mirror. It looked as if she was still wearing her swimsuit, save that the outline of it was now her normal skin tone and everything outside it was almost the color of her hair.


    Akane stood, swallowing another potato chip. ¡°And you couldn¡¯t just put more on?¡±


    The red-haired, and currently red-skinned, girl stomped her foot. ¡°I. Was. Busy!¡±


    Akane laughed, leaning over carefully and kissing the top of Ranko¡¯s hair, mindful not to touch her anywhere else. ¡°Oh, baby, what are we gonna do with you?¡±


    Ranko shook both of her fists at waist height, stomping her foot again with a high-pitched whimper. ¡°Look, Izumi says every girl gets ten days a year where she gets to be a pathetic, whiny little bitch with no questions asked. Well, I¡¯m a girl now, and I¡¯ve got nineteen years¡¯ worth of little bitch points saved up, so I¡¯m cashin¡¯ one in! Fuck, this hurts!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Let me help you. Just stay there a second.¡± Still laughing under her breath, Akane slipped into the bathroom, returning a moment later carrying a tall bottle with a pump nozzle on its top. She set it, and her promise ring, on top of the dresser.


    ¡°First things first, let¡¯s make sure we don¡¯t get any of this gunk in your hair.¡± Akane ever so gently scooped Ranko¡¯s hair into her hand, pulling it up into a loose, messy bun atop her head and securing it with a yellow elastic. Satisfied with her work, she curled her fingers around the pump and pushed down, and a blob of viscous, bright green slime plopped into her palm with a flatulent flrrp sound.


    ¡°Okay, love. Where does it hurt the worst?¡± Akane started rubbing her hands together, spreading the gel on both of her palms.


    ¡°Umm.. Yes?¡± Ranko looked up at her with plaintive doe eyes.


    Akane shook her head again. ¡°Silly question. Alright. Here we go, then.¡± She gently placed her hand on Ranko¡¯s right shoulder, smearing the aloe vera over her skin. Akane could feel the residual heat radiating from her lover¡¯s body even through the cooling gel.


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    ¡°Yeeeeeoooooooooooooowww! Akane! You were s¡¯posta warm it up first! That¡¯s cold!¡±


    Ranko¡¯s fiancee couldn¡¯t help but giggle. ¡°I did warm it up, silly girl! C¡¯mon, I thought you were a rough, tough martial artist. You can handle a little goop on your back, can¡¯t you?¡± Akane rubbed an itch on her nose with her forearm before filling her hands with another squirt of the aloe compound.


    Ranko grumbled, shivering through Akane slathering her neck and breasts with the green slime. ¡°What if right now I just wanna be a really cute pop star instead, and cuddle until I feel better? Aw, crap! Cuddling will hurt, too!¡± She started to cross her arms over her chest in disgust before thinking better of it.


    Akane smiled, kissing her through her hair on the side of her head. ¡°Then I¡¯m gonna love the hell out of that girl, too.¡± She ever so gently dabbed Ranko¡¯s cheeks, nose and forehead with the cooling gel, spreading a thin layer over most of her face.


    ¡°Almost done, sweetheart.¡± Pulling the bottle of gel down from the dresser, Akane sat on the floor, beginning to coat Ranko¡¯s left leg in the sickly green sludge.


    Ranko crinkled her nose, bleating woefully at her emerald-glazed nude reflection in the mirror. ¡°I look like the Grinch fell in the Spring of Drowned Girl!¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Akane said as she rose to her feet, wiping her hands off on a tee shirt she¡¯d taken from the top of the dirty clothes hamper. ¡°I still say you¡¯re beautiful. Without a doubt, the sexiest ninja turtle ever.¡±


    ¡°Turtle, huh?¡± Ranko cracked a weak smile even through her discomfort. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get you for that!¡± She reached toward Akane with her left arm, squeaking piteously before her elbow could be fully extended. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get you for that¡­ later!¡±


    As Akane laughed at her lover¡¯s plight, Ranko looked around the room quizzically. ¡°Now what do I do? I can¡¯t sit on anything, or I¡¯ll get it all slimy!¡±


    ¡°Hold that thought.¡± Akane bounded to the bathroom, pulling open the linen closet. She returned a few moments later with a white cotton sheet, draping it over the yellow duvet cover of their bed. ¡°Here. This has a stain on it and I was gonna get rid of it anyway, but it¡¯ll do the job for now.¡±


    Ranko took a stiff step toward the bed, not bending at the knees or the elbows. ¡°I gotta walk like a zombie. Braaaains!¡± She giggled, but her laughter cut off when she felt herself unexpectedly leave her feet. Akane carried the nude smaller girl to the bed, laying her atop the stained white sheet ever so gently.


    As she was laid on her back, Ranko looked up at Akane with bright, bashful eyes. She said nothing, but the expression on her face spoke volumes even through the glistening green veneer that covered most of her skin. You¡¯re so good to me, Akane. You literally sweep me off my feet. I love you so much.


    Beaming, Akane took off her tee shirt, which had become fairly besmirched with aloe as she carried Ranko to the bed. She wiped the residual goop from her hands with it, tossing it in the hamper. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Akane disappeared into the living room in just her bra and shorts, returning a moment later carrying their small television. ¡°Here, let¡¯s set this up for you in here.¡± She shoved the bottle of aloe aside, setting the TV set on the dresser and running the cord to the wall socket. She also reached over the bed, pulling the chain dangling from the ceiling fan to activate it, pulling the television remote out of her pocket and setting it on the bed in front of Ranko.


    ¡°Anything else I can get you, baby? Drink, anything?¡± Akane sat on the edge of the bed, ever so gently stroking her partner¡¯s hair. She had every expectation that her scalp might be sunburned as well.


    Ranko reached out with both hands, opening and closing them imploringly with a pleading mien. ¡°Cuddle?¡±


    ¡°I wish I could, princess,¡± Akane said softly. ¡°But the last thing you need right now is my body heat touching you. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She whined pathetically, looking over at the chair in front of the couple¡¯s shared desk. ¡°This friggin¡¯ sucks. I can¡¯t even cuddle Starlight! I¡¯ll get her all gross! At least this junk would have washed off of you.¡±


    Akane stood, walking to the desk and scooping the stuffed unicorn up in her arms. ¡°Hang on. I¡¯ve got an idea.¡±


    Ranko tried to crane her neck to see where Akane was taking her plush friend as she exited the bedroom door, but it required entirely too much movement, and she consigned herself to waiting impatiently for her fiancee to return, focusing instead on trying in vain to find a comfortable position to lie in.


    A moment later, Akane returned from the kitchen, handing Ranko¡¯s stuffed unicorn down to her. It had been completely mummified in plastic cling wrap, protecting its white mane from the green goo spackled over every millimeter of Ranko¡¯s skin.


    Ranko flushed under the coating of aloe gel, and she was far more acutely aware of the temperature change in her cheeks than usual. She took the cocooned unicorn in her arms, squeezing it gently to herself. ¡°Thanks, Akane. But, won¡¯t she stuffocate?¡±


    Giggling, Akane shook her head with a wide grin. It¡¯s not fair. How is somebody who wasn¡¯t even a girl until last year this fucking adorable?


    ¡°No, silly girl. Stuffies can go up to a week without breathing in extreme circumstances, like when their favorite girls don¡¯t feel good and need to be snuggled. Didn¡¯t Izumi teach you anything?¡±


    Ranko smiled weakly, curling up around her plasticized plush. ¡°I guess we must¡¯ve missed that chapter in girl school.¡±


    Akane laughed, sitting back on the edge of the bed and smiling down at her fiancee. ¡°Well, then I guess you¡¯re lucky you¡¯ve got me to help, huh?¡±


    The verdant redhead smiled sincerely, reaching out weakly for Akane¡¯s hand. ¡°Oh, Akane, believe me, I know how lucky I am to have you. I think about it every day.¡±

 124. The Comeback

    ¡°De-FENSE! You got this, Akane! C¡¯mon, Nanami! You can do it!¡±


    Ranko had cheered her heart out for Akane and the collegiate volleyball team from the fourth row of the gymnasium bleachers, but despite her best motivational efforts, things weren¡¯t looking good. The Minato Mystics had handily won their first match of the sixteen-team single elimination tournament, and squeaked by their second-round challengers. With less than three hours¡¯ rest, Akane¡¯s team now faced their semifinal opponents, who¡¯d had a bye and didn¡¯t have to play in the first round. Despite Akane and Nanami¡¯s heroics, the exhausted Minato squad had been overmatched all game.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ranko whooped loudly as Nanami nudged the ball just barely over the net, dropping it in front of the opposing middle blocker to the rubber floor of the gymnasium court.


    The crowd hushed as Nanami¡¯s serve sailed over the net, redirected by a bump from the Asakusa libero. The Bears¡¯ setter raised her arms to set the ball for her outside striker, and Akane turned to her left. ¡°It¡¯s coming to you, Fumi!¡± But the setter launched the ball upward at a wide angle, and instead of the girl to Akane¡¯s left as she expected, it was the player behind the setter that spiked the ball downward and to the right. Having not turned quickly enough to notice the misdirection, Akane yelped as the speeding white ball struck her hard in the right cheek, sending her sprawling to the court as the referee whistled another volley for the Asakusa Bears.


    ¡°Oh, shit!¡± Ranko stood, watching with concern until her lover scrambled back to her feet, rubbing her cheek. That looked like it hurt. ¡°Shake it off, Akane!¡± She bounced on her heels in her purple crushed velvet shirt and black pleated skirt, her de facto Mystics cheerleading outfit. She¡¯d even put her hair up in two pigtails, just because she enjoyed the way it made Akane blush every time she made eye contact with her lover in the stands between volleys.


    Akane backpedaled as the ensuing serve flew overhead, ducking at the last moment to allow Haruki to bump it over her head from behind. Akane set it high, and Nanami sprung toward it, swatting it out of the air. A redheaded girl on the Asakusa team received the spike with a hard bump that launched the ball back over to the Minato side of the net. Fumiko dug under it, bumping it backward over her shoulder high across the court. Akane jumped toward the net, smacking the ball in the direction of a blonde Asakusa player in the back row wearing number four.


    The blonde struck the ball furiously and it ricocheted deep into the Mystics¡¯ backcourt. Nanami backpedaled as Asami ran toward the point of impact. As Nanami prepared to redirect the ball, Asami crashed into her legs, and the pair collapsed in a heap as the winning point bounced through the back of the Mystics¡¯ side of the court.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Nanami pounded on the rubber floor as the Asukusa team loudly celebrated their advancement to the finals. Akane hung her head, holding her temples in her hands.


    Oh, no. I¡¯m so sorry, baby. Ranko sighed as the much larger Asukusa contingent of the crowd roared in celebration. She covered her mouth with her hands, watching helplessly as Akane¡¯s disappointment took hold on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Nanami.¡± Asami cringed, clamoring to her feet and putting some distance between herself and the furious green-haired girl who still sat on the court.


    ¡°Oh, whatever.¡± Nanami shook her head in disgust as she climbed to a standing position. Basic gap discipline. Friggin¡¯ idiot.


    Sighing, Akane led her teammates around the net to congratulate the victors, heartbroken though she was. We were so close!


    The game was over, but Ranko cheered loudly anyway. I¡¯m still proud of you, Akane. They only got this far because you and Nanami put them on your backs, and Nanami was only there because of you.


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    ¡°Come on, girls,¡± Akane said dejectedly after they had finished paying their respects to their vanquishers. ¡°Let¡¯s head in.¡± She put her arm around Nanami¡¯s shoulder as the group slowly made their exit from the court.


    Ranko slinked from her seat, tossing the trash from her snacks and drink in a receptacle on her way out of the gym. She circled around to the back hallway connecting the gym lobby to the visitors¡¯ locker room, putting her back to the gray cinder block wall and sliding down until her backside hit the white linoleum floor. I¡¯m gonna be right here for you as soon as you come out, Akane.


    ¡°FUCK!¡± Nanami punched the open door of the locker she was using, sending it swinging closed with a loud slam.


    ¡°Hey! Take it easy, Ikehara,¡± Coach Anada said as he entered the locker room. ¡°Come on, bring it in, girls.¡± Akane and her sixteen teammates huddled around the middle-aged man, the ones in front squatting or sitting down to allow the rear row to see him as well.


    ¡°Listen. I know this isn¡¯t the outcome we wanted. I know you¡¯re disappointed right now. But I couldn¡¯t be prouder of you girls. The way you turned this season around? The way you rallied around each other? You should all be proud of yourselves, too. No, we didn¡¯t make it all the way like we hoped, but you all proved a hell of a lot about yourselves over the last few months. Come on, give it up for yourselves.¡±


    A weak smattering of whooo sounds arose from the assembled athletes.


    ¡°And, hey, listen,¡± the coach continued. ¡°Our captain¡¯s returning next year, and a good many of you are, too. We¡¯re gonna be ready to pick up right where we left off, and in 1992, it¡¯s gonna be our turn! Right?!¡±


    Again, a half-hearted cheer arose from a few of the dejected young women.


    The coach sighed. Clearly, there¡¯s no cheering them up right now. ¡°Alright, well, let me get out of here so you girls can get changed, I guess.¡± He picked up his clipboard, pushing through the door into the hallway and stalking past Ranko.


    As the coach passed, Ranko scampered back up to her feet. She¡¯d almost fallen asleep waiting. It had been a stressful, and busy, few weeks. Years, really, if she allowed herself to really think about it.


    Akane followed Fumiko timidly to her locker, waiting to speak until after the former captain sat down and started to unlace her shoes.


    ¡°Fumi, I just want to say I¡¯m really sorry. I really hoped we¡¯d get you a championship before you graduated.¡±


    Fumiko looked up at Akane as she pulled the black elastic out of her hair and released her ponytail with a shake of her head. She sighed, shrugging. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have even been in the tournament to begin with. You and Nani made that happen. You led your ass off, girl. The squad¡¯s in good hands next year.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± Akane blushed, clasping her hands in front of herself and bowing slightly in apology. ¡°I¡¯ll try not to let you down, Fumi. With the whole captaincy thing, I just felt like I owed it to you to get you a win, and I couldn¡¯t get it done.¡±


    The blonde set her shoes on the wooden bench, standing. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that. Quit beating yourself up! We already talked about the captain thing. That was months ago, and it was my fault, not yours.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just¡­¡± Akane sighed. ¡°I wish I knew how it all happened. I still feel like I stole something from you, and especially not knowing who tipped Coach off about Saki and Reiko, and whether whoever it was will still be on the team next year, it just¡­ I don¡¯t know, it just still feels weird.¡±


    Fumiko chuckled, rolling her eyes and shaking her head with a dark smirk. ¡°Oh, Akane. She still hasn¡¯t told you?¡±


    Akane blinked. ¡°Who? Told me what?¡± She scratched her head curiously. ¡°What are you talking about, Fumiko?!¡±


    The former captain put her arm around the shoulders of Akane¡¯s sweat-drenched purple jersey, pulling her friend out of earshot of the other girls that were still changing out of their uniforms. Kid¡¯s tougher than Eiji, anyway. Dumb lunk didn¡¯t make it a month.


    ¡°Akane, honey¡­ We need to talk about your girlfriend.¡±

 125. Failure to Launch

    Grumbling to herself, Akane clicked at the television remote, flipping through the channels for something to watch.  I don¡¯t want to get into a movie,  she thought with a sigh.  I¡¯ll have to turn it off part way through.  She looked down at the black digital watch on her left wrist with a quiet groan, rolling her eyes in frustration.  Hopefully, anyway.


    Ignoring the rumbling in her stomach, Akane settled on a sitcom, tossing the remote down on the couch next to her. She leaned back on the couch, using Ranko¡¯s stuffed bear Ziggy as a pillow.  What the hell is taking her so long?!


    Ranko sighed, poking at her hair with a comb in the bathroom mirror and starting to spritz it with a bit more hair spray. She looked down at the can, shaking it with a disappointed sigh, and tossing into the porcelain bathroom trash can with a hollow  clink.  Better not light a match in here,  she thought with a half-suppressed laugh.  With half a can of that stuff in the air, this place¡¯ll go up like Nagasaki.


    Oh, dammit! Now the other side¡¯s uneven! Ranko frantically picked at the right side of her slightly-curled half-blown-out hair, trying to get it to match her left. I knew I should¡¯ve just gone for the pigtails. Not as pretty, but at least it¡¯d have made her blush. She sighed in despair, looking up at the clock on the bathroom wall above the medicine cabinet. And it would have been done a half-hour ago.


    ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t help,¡±  came a shout from the living room couch through the locked bathroom door as Ranko began gently swishing a mascara brush through her right eyelash.


    ¡°I wanna get it myself,¡±   Ranko called back through the door, but she¡¯d been startled by Akane¡¯s voice and  jumped slightly, resulting in an uneven application of the cosmetic. ¡°  Shit,¡± she mouthed silently as she wiped her mistake away with a wad of toilet paper and set about trying again.


    ¡°Alright, just, hurry up!¡±   Akane sighed, swiveling on her backside to face the giant pink plush bear whose arm she was using as a headrest as she waited on the sofa.  ¡°Honestly, Ziggy,¡±  she said quietly with a sardonic chuckle,  ¡°I bet   you    could get ready faster.¡±


    The bear did not respond.


    Throwing her mascara tube in the sink with frustration after having finally gotten it close enough to how she wanted it on the fourth try, Ranko reached blindly for her eyeliner pencil while still fiddling with her hair a bit, hoping to make final adjustments before the hair spray fully set. She knocked the pencil to the floor with her fingertips, having misjudged its distance from her hand.  ¡°Urggghh,¡±  she grumbled anxiously, bending down for it and setting to work on her left eye.


    Akane looked out the living room window at the lights of the shops and restaurants in the alley below, which had been on for at least an hour as darkness fell on the warm April evening. She stood, ignoring the television with which she¡¯d already gotten bored, leaning on the wall and watching people scurry between the businesses as they disembarked from the city bus.  See? At least   some    people managed to make it out of their apartments tonight.


    Ranko growled loudly in self-rebuke.  Fuck!    That was the   lip    pencil, not the   eye    pencil! You¡¯d think they¡¯d label these damn things better. Guess I gotta do that over again, too.


    Ranko couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the state of the bathroom counter. The entire surface looked like a typhoon had hit it; cosmetics of every type and description having been haphazardly tossed aside in her urgency to finish getting ready. She found herself wishing they had space in their little apartment for a dedicated vanity, where she could sit as she worked, better organize her growing cosmetic collection for storage, and have proper lighting for applying the various mystifying lotions and potions that had slowly infiltrated her life. Her cheeks turned a bright crimson with the realization.  It¡¯s not ¡®cause I like it,  she tried to reassure herself.  It¡¯s practical. I¡¯m a performer. I have to take all this crap seriously whether I want to or not. It¡¯s part of the job. Plus, I¡¯m accumulating so much of this shit, the counter¡¯s just buried all the time.


    ¡°Are you at least almost done in the bathroom? I gotta pee!¡±  Akane¡¯s muffled voice reached her fiancee¡¯s ears through the hollow bathroom door.


    ¡°Almost,¡±   Ranko called out exasperatedly.  ¡°Five more minutes, maybe?¡±   She stifled a yelp as she plucked a stubborn hair from her eyebrow with a pair of tweezers.  Screw it, that¡¯s gonna have to be good enough. What next, what next¡­ lip stuff. Right. She reached for the small red tube, popping the cap off and twisting it at its base.


    Akane¡¯s mouth grumbled in concert with her stomach, and she looked down at her watch again as she paced the living room floor.  Two hours. I told her to get dressed for dinner   two freakin¡¯ hours    ago. This is getting ridiculous. All she had to do was throw on a shirt and a skirt!


    ¡°Okay,¡±   Ranko called as she retreated to the bedroom, locking the door between the bedroom and bathroom.  ¡°Bathroom¡¯s yours!¡±  She darted over to her dresser, opening a small wooden trinket box carved with a pair of interlocking hearts and dumping its sparkling contents out on the chipping white paint of the chest of drawers¡¯ top surface.


    How did I get to a place where I needed a friggin¡¯ jewelry box? Like, I had one pair of stud earrings a year ago, and even that was just ¡®cause Izzi didn¡¯t tell me she was planning on getting my ears pierced until they came at me with that stupid hole puncher gun at the mall.


    Ranko frenziedly dug through the pile of tangled earrings, sorting them out into the eight unique pairs and looking them over.  Do I go with the cute, playful ones, or the fancier ones?  She groaned, holding up different options against her ears in the mirror.  This might be the thing I miss most about being a guy. Basically no decisions when you wanna go somewhere.. Shirt, pants, out the door. Easy. Usually the same shirt and pants every day, too.


    She opted for a pair of sterling silver leverbacks adorned with tiny sapphire hearts. They used to be Mei¡¯s, but she handed them down to her younger sister after noticing how well they matched the promise ring Akane had given her at Christmas. She opened one of the latches, sticking herself with a quiet squeak before finding the permanent hole in her right earlobe and sliding the earring¡¯s post through it.


    ¡°You¡¯re killing me in there, Ranko!¡±   The door between the bathroom and the living room creaked open loudly as Akane moved back toward the kitchen.  Maybe I should find a snack,  Akane thought with a sigh.  At this rate, I¡¯m gonna be taking her out for   breakfast.


    She¡¯d still not told Ranko that Fumiko had spilled the beans about how Akane¡¯s return to the Minato Mystics volleyball team had been orchestrated - what she¡¯d put herself through with Eiji, the engagement and pregnancy rumors that had swirled around Ranko¡¯s high school in January, all of it.  Certainly explains why she was able to pull off the whole Aki thing so well on Valentine¡¯s Day, Akane thought with a dark, quiet chuckle.


    It had been an awkward train ride home from the volleyball tournament, and an awkward few days since. Every time she looked at Ranko, she felt a roiling mixture of emotions. There was resentment and disgust at her having played around with Fumiko¡¯s younger brother. There was appreciation for how doting and sweet Ranko was being, trying to blunt the pain of the volleyball loss. There was worry and hurt over the fact Ranko had, even now that it was all over, never told her what she had done. There was gratitude and pride for Ranko having taken such an extreme risk to make Akane happy. There was a desire not to say anything and give Ranko something else to worry about, when she was finally living a little again and wasn¡¯t constantly a nervous wreck thinking about the fact that Nodoka Saotome was still showing up to her father¡¯s home once or twice a week looking for her. Fortunately, she¡¯d been able to play off her distant behavior as sadness over the volleyball team, so Ranko didn¡¯t seem to suspect anything.


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    She wanted to be mad. Furious. After all, it sounded an  awful  lot like cheating, until she reminded herself that there was all but zero chance Ranko had actually felt any real attraction to Fumiko¡¯s younger brother. She hoped that Fumiko was right, and that he¡¯d had none toward her, either. The more she thought about it, though, the more she felt terrible that Ranko had suffered through so much, for so long, to right a wrong she¡¯d never really been the one to commit in the first place. They¡¯d decided together to let their relationship out of the closet after  Sneak  , and so it had never been Ranko¡¯s responsibility alone to undo the fallout from their disclosure. Even if she had been two-timing then, there was absolutely no doubt that Ranko was in love with her  now.


    Given how much she¡¯d put herself out there to help reconcile Akane and her father, though, it was no surprise to her that Ranko would have made such a brazen sacrifice to try and give her everything she wanted ¨C even before having checked whether it really even was what Akane wanted. The gambit had been incredibly dumb, and she¡¯d have done anything in her power to talk Ranko out of it. Then again, the fact she¡¯d have tried to talk the silly girl out of it was almost certainly the reason Ranko had never told her she was doing it. She had no trouble believing it when Fumiko told her. Doing something dumb and dangerous to make Akane happy could not have been more typical of her fiancee.


    It was stupid, it was reckless, it was a betrayal, and it was¡­ kind of sweet, in Ranko¡¯s backwards-ass brain. All that time, she was tolerating all of that, on top of everything else we had going on, and she never said a word. She never complained, and she never let me see it. I¡¯m guessing she didn¡¯t go to her sisters either, or it would have gotten back to me. Sometimes I forget how strong and selfless that girl really is, even when she¡¯s doing something she knows will hurt me, she does it to try and help me. Strong, selfless, and so, so stupid.


    Akane was desperately worried that Ranko could have subjected herself to a¡­  physical¡­  relationship with Eiji in furtherance of her scheme. Fumiko said her brother had sworn they didn¡¯t even kiss, but Akane doubted he¡¯d have admitted it to his sister if they had. After what she had been through with Takao, the thought that Ranko could have actually  slept with a boy  to give her a spot on a sports team - that it was a very real possibility given how desperate she had been to make things right after  Sneak - turned her stomach like gas station sushi. She doubted Ranko would ever admit it if she had, and Akane couldn¡¯t ask without letting on that she knew.


    Ranko bleated quietly in harried vexation as she fastened the earring¡¯s mate into the opening in her left earlobe.  ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Akane. I¡¯m going as fast as I can!¡±


    Her exclamation snapped Akane back into the moment.  Stop thinking about that now, Akane. We¡¯re going on a date. We planned this more than a week ago, and if I¡¯d canceled, she¡¯d have known something was up. Fuck, I need to either talk to her about it, or let it go. I can¡¯t just let shit be weird forever.


    Buzzing around the bedroom frantically, Ranko stopped for a moment to check the mirror, running through her appearance in her mind.  What else, what else.. Earrings. check. Rings¡­  Ranko looked down at her hands with a bright smile.  Check and check. Dress? Check. Hair? Check. Bracelet? Check. Makeup? As good as it¡¯s gonna get.


    As she reached for the doorknob, she caught a glimpse of her silver star necklace, her bridesmaid¡¯s gift from Izumi.  Shit, we completely forgot we need to get presents for the girls. And we¡¯re gonna need six of them. Oh well, one more thing we can¡¯t afford to stick on Akane¡¯s list.


    As she considered it, her hand raised to her neck, noting that not only was the little star pendant not dangling from her throat, nothing else was, either.  Necklace! Duh.  She started to reach for the pendant, but thought better of it, pulling open her dresser drawer.  I think she¡¯ll like this better. She withdrew a white lace choker with a silver dangle in the shape of the outline of a heart, an artifact remaining in her collection from her first Christmas concert, and clasped it around her neck.


    She checked herself over in the mirror one last time, taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly with a proud smile.  Not bad, Ranko. Not perfect, but not bad.


    Akane¡¯s head snapped around at the sound of the bedroom door opening.  ¡°It¡¯s about ti¡­¡±


    Ranko nodded as Akane¡¯s voice trailed off mid-syllable, looking down at her stockinged feet under the knee-length silver shimmery dress she¡¯d been gifted by Izumi in celebration of her being invited to join the Dapper Dragons. ¡°I know, Akane. I¡¯m  really   sorry. I just, we don¡¯t get to go out much lately, and I really wanted to be extra  special  for you. But we can go now.¡±


    Akane stepped forward slowly, studying her intently with every motion.


    The songstress stammered to fill the silence. ¡°I  knew  it, you¡¯re mad. I should have just thrown on something quick. I really am sorry, Akane.¡± Ranko hung her head, but Akane tilted her chin up with a gentle hand.


    ¡°You¡­  are absolutely, positively  stunning.¡±  All of Akane¡¯s frustration and conflicted thoughts about Eiji evaporated from her mind the second she saw the vision of the woman that was to be her bride.


    Ranko felt all the blood in her body rush to her face, but she smiled hopefully.  ¡°Really?  I did okay? I think I messed up the foundation a little, and I just couldn¡¯t get my hair to sit right on the left. But I tried.¡± In reality, she¡¯d gone far beyond the level of skill she¡¯d obtained over seventeen months of preparing herself for the stage on regular nights at the Phoenix; Izumi still got her ready for the bigger shows. Akane could easily recognize that she had pushed her limits with her makeup in particular, and smiled appreciatively with the realization that she had done so  for her.


    She could worry about Eiji tomorrow. Tonight, that girl was all hers, and that felt like all that mattered.


    Ranko turned her head to the side, pulling back her hair. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if I picked the right earrings. Do you think I sh¡­¡±


    The songstress¡¯ words were stifled mid-thought as Akane¡¯s lips rushed into contact with her own. She emitted a muffled mewl as she granted Akane¡¯s tongue entrance to her mouth.


    ¡°Akane,¡±   Ranko said with her face aflame after her lover finally released her from the kiss. ¡°We gotta get going! I already made us  super  late.¡±


    The larger girl waved her off. ¡°It¡¯s no use. The restaurant closes in twenty minutes.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, dammit!   I¡¯m so sorry, Akane! You really wanted to go somewhere nice, and I  blew it!¡±  Ranko slumped back against the wall, letting her head thump against the drywall. ¡°And now we gotta figure something else out for dinner, besides!¡±


    Shaking her head, Akane smiled desirously. ¡°We¡¯ll order some Chinese for delivery. It¡¯ll be fine, honest.¡± Her appetites had shifted dramatically in the last few moments anyway.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s  not fine!   I screwed up your  whole night.   All you wanted was a nice date together and I messed the whole thing up. I should have known how long all this junk takes me, and realized I didn¡¯t have time.¡± Ranko sighed sadly. ¡°What a  waste   of a perfectly good night. I¡¯m  really  sorry, Akane.¡±


    ¡°Stop apologizing, Ranko. Please?¡±  At least, apologizing for tonight, anyway?  Akane stroked her hand across her partner¡¯s powdered cheek, smiling as she felt her fiancee shiver ever so slightly under her whisper-soft grazing touch. ¡°And it  wasn¡¯t  a waste.¡±


    ¡°How you figure? I spent  all afternoon  gettin¡¯ into all this getup!¡± Ranko tried to pull away, clearly frustrated with herself.


    Akane leaned forward, catching Ranko¡¯s right hand as it waved her off, and pinning it to the wall between the bedroom and bathroom doors. The redhead quaked as she felt the most tender of kisses along the nape of her neck, Akane¡¯s lips straddling the white lace band around her throat. Ranko¡¯s left hand joined her right, held tightly against the wall by the young martial artist she was set to marry.


    ¡°And now,¡±  she whispered mere centimeters from Ranko¡¯s right ear,  ¡°I¡¯m gonna spend   all night    getting you   out of it again.¡±

 126. I Know You From Somewhere

    ¡°Phew! I forgot how hard this is!¡± Ranko slumped onto the first vacant bar stool she¡¯d seen in an hour, tossing her empty corkboard tray weakly on the polyurethane countertop behind her. With Hana taking the evening off with a head cold and Izumi¡¯s inability to get a babysitter for the evening, Mei was stuck mostly in the kitchen and only Yui was available to tend bar, so the songstress had been pressed back into table service alongside her fiancee for the evening.


    Smirking, Akane walked past her beloved, maintaining eye contact as she surreptitiously dragged her fingers softly across both of Ranko¡¯s bare knees. ¡°I told you, you should¡¯ve worn flats tonight. One of these days, you¡¯re gonna learn to listen to me.¡±


    Ranko hung her head playfully. ¡°I know, I know.¡± She tugged down at the hem of her dress, Akane¡¯s touch having drawn her attention to how much of herself was exposed, but it proved a fruitless effort. She could not stretch fabric that was not there.


    ¡°Oi! Ranko! You comin¡¯ or what?¡± Shinji gesticulated impatiently from the stage as Crash strapped his guitar back around his chest after his smoke break.


    Whining quietly in mourning for her lost respite, she slid down off of the brown vinyl seat and made her way up to the stage, dropping off a few extra napkins for a young woman who had spilled her soda on the way. She hurriedly donned her headset microphone. ¡°Sorry, guys. Busy night.¡±


    ¡°Um, Ranko,¡± Crash said, pointing with a smile. ¡°You kinda messed your hair up a little with your mic.¡±


    ¡°Aw, crap. Thanks, bud.¡± She blushed as she clawed the black hair elastic and the wide red satin ribbon out of her ponytail in one motion, corralling the escaped bits of her flame-red hair and re-binding it with both. ¡°Better?¡±


    Crash nodded. ¡°Close enough for government work.¡±


    Shinji tapped on the back of his left wrist, where his watch would be if he wore one.


    ¡°What¡¯s your deal, Shin? Got a hot date?¡± Crash smirked at his friend. ¡°We¡¯re here ¡®til midnight whether we play a song now, or two minutes from now.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t like standin¡¯ around, is all.¡± Shinji glanced up to the bar, where his ex-girlfriend was passing out pizzas as quickly as the oven in the back could produce them.


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s play.¡± She switched on her headset, stepping forward on the stage. Her stage.


    ¡°Alone, with no place left that you call home, nobody waiting by the phone¡­¡±


    Akane glanced up quickly in her frenzied rush to deliver a basket of chicken wings to table four, nodding in acknowledgement of the two college-age boys waiting for a set. ¡°Be right with you, guys! Sorry! Crazy night!¡±


    A moment later, the steaming hot pepperoni and pineapple pie having been dropped off at its destination, the young server returned to the hostess stand, standing on her tiptoes and scanning the barroom for a vacant table. ¡°Sorry about the wait, you guys. We¡¯re a little short-handed tonight.¡±


    The boy with the reddish-brown hair waved her off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry ab¡­ wait. Akane, is that you?!¡± Before she could answer, his companion turned his attention away in surprise from the drink menu that was painted on the wall in the small waiting area. ¡°No shit? It is you! How you doing, girl? We haven¡¯t seen you since graduation!¡±


    Akane blushed with a smile, tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear. ¡°Hiroshi! Daisuke! What are you guys doing here? I thought you were going to school up in Sendai!¡±


    Daisuke nodded. ¡°Came home on break, and everybody said this was the place to check out, if you could get in. Looks like they weren¡¯t kidding! This place is jumpin¡¯! You got anything opening up in the next few minutes, you think?


    Akane chuckled to herself. Oh, my friend, you should see it when we¡¯re really busy. But, with a smile, she decided she¡¯d make an exception to the bar¡¯s unwritten rule for Ranko¡¯s two best friends from Furinkan High, back when she used to go by Ranma. ¡°You know what? You guys haven¡¯t gotten to see the show. How¡¯s about I put you up at the VIP table? You¡¯ll have the best view in the house.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Hiroshi¡¯s mouth popped open in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯d do that for us?¡±


    Akane smiled brightly. ¡°Of course! We¡¯re old friends, after all!¡± She bubbled inside with second-hand excitement for her fiancee as she led the pair to the small round table at front stage left. ¡°You guys get settled and we¡¯ll get you some drinks in just a sec, ¡®kay?¡±


    Daisuke looked up from the menu. ¡°Are you gonna be our server? We¡¯d love to catch up if you can! I mean, I know the place is packed and all, so it¡¯s cool if you don¡¯t have much time to chat.¡±


    The waitress smiled deviously, turning her eyes up to vision prowling the stage in the pink bodycon dress. ¡°Sorry, boys, but not tonight. One of the best perks of sitting in VIP is that the star herself waits on ya.¡±


    ¡°No shit?¡± Daisuke sat up in his seat. ¡°We¡¯re gonna get to meet Ranko Ten¡­ wait a minute! Is she¡­?¡±


    Akane nods, blushing. Relax, it¡¯s okay, we have a cover story for this sort of thing. ¡°She¡¯s my cousin. She got me this job after graduation.¡±


    ¡°You ignite, and you RISE!¡±


    ¡°Man, this is great,¡± Hiroshi enthused, taking in his view from the VIP table.


    Akane smirked. ¡°Only the best for you guys.¡± She glanced up to the stage behind her for a second as Ranko lowered her fist, waiting to see whether she intended to come down or start another song. Her answer came quickly from Crash and Shinji¡¯s twin electric guitars.


    ¡°You just got home from a long, long day. You wanna let off steam. It¡¯s my fault, I should be ready, but I was lost in a daydream¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Akane?¡± Hiroshi waved to her as she started to turn toward another of her tables in need of attention. ¡°You haven¡¯t¡­ heard from Ranma, have you? He just sort of disappeared.¡±


    He¡¯s gone forever, Hiroshi. And at the same time, he¡¯s a hell of a lot closer than you think. She shook her head, trying not to smile. ¡°Nope. Sorry. Haven¡¯t seen him since, like, September before last.¡± I got the new and improved version. But, best not to go with the whole ¡°he died¡± line; I¡¯d hate to spoil their night. Ranko will want them to have a good time.


    ¡°Aww, that¡¯s a bummer. I hoped maybe you knew how to get a hold of him. Worth a try, anyway.¡± Hiroshi picked up the laminated menu sheet again, a slightly sullen look in his eyes.


    Akane gave a little nod. ¡°If I ever see him again, I¡¯ll let him know, but I¡¯m not holding my breath.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got all these outfits from all my nights on stage. My sister says all the magazines say they¡¯re the latest rage¡­¡± Ranko looked down quizzically. Who the heck is Akane sitting in VIP, she wondered furtively, as her fiancee¡¯s shoulders blocked both of the boys¡¯ faces from view.


    As Akane scooted up to the bar, Mei leaned over to her, having just brought out a pizza for a guest who was seated at the counter. ¡°VIP, huh? Friends of yours?¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°Yeah. They were best friends with¡­¡± Her face flushed at the words she was about to use to describe the starlet in the pink dress that commanded the stage behind her. ¡°... an ex-boyfriend of mine, back in high school.¡±


    Mei bobbed her head in acknowledgement. ¡°I guess you got them in the divorce, then.¡±


    ¡°I could do an old tee-shirt, a worn-out pair of jeans, but I can¡¯t wait for laundry day, ¡®cause you know what that means¡­¡±


    With a chuckle and a shrug, Akane turned back to the stage. ¡°Guess so.¡± She sped to the steps of the stage as her lover crooned the final chorus of Nothing, waiting for Ranko as she descended the three stairs to the barroom floor.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Hey, Akane! Those guys you sat up front, I could swear, they look just like¡­¡±


    Grinning, Akane gave a nod. ¡°It is! It¡¯s them! I didn¡¯t tell them anything about you, or about us, though. It¡¯s up to you how you wanna handle that. Went with the cousin story.¡±


    The songstress grinned. ¡°We tell them nothing.¡± Getting a nod from Akane in reply, she flounced down to the VIP table, pulling out a chair and sliding into it. ¡°Hi, guys!¡± It¡¯s good to see you two, she mused. I¡¯ve missed you.


    Daisuke waved, dumbstruck by the young woman sitting across from him. ¡°Um¡­ hi.¡±


    ¡°First time at the Phoenix? You guys are gonna love it here. Drinks are out of this world, and you can¡¯t find a better pizza in Tokyo.¡± Ranko gave a boastful smile in Hiroshi¡¯s direction. ¡°Music doesn¡¯t suck either, according to most folks, anyway.¡± She giggled a little at her own attempt at humor. ¡°So, Akane says you¡¯re old friends of hers. My name¡¯s Ranko. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°Dai¡­ Daisuke!¡± The boy sitting on the right side of the table had spit his name out as if he¡¯d sneezed it.


    ¡°I¡¯m Hiroshi,¡± the boy on the left said with a shy wave.


    ¡°Well, Daisuke and Hiroshi, you guys hungry? Let¡¯s get you something started, and maybe if you¡¯re really nice, I¡¯ll sign a couple CDs for ya before you head out.¡± Ranko flashed Daisuke a cute little wink. It was fun to play around with her friends a bit. Even now, it was still a thrill to her that there was so little of Ranma remaining in her that even the people he had been closest to couldn¡¯t find a trace of it unless she allowed them to.


    Hiroshi pointed to his selection on the menu. ¡°I¡¯ll do a basket of chicken tenders and onion rings, and a soda.¡± Ranko nodded, turning her attention to Daisuke.


    ¡°Um, let me get a sausage and pineapple pizza, please?¡± Daisuke smiled up at the redhead somewhat vacantly.


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want anything else? We have green peppers, they just aren¡¯t on the menu. We haven¡¯t gotten new ones printed since we added ¡®em.¡± Ranko smiled brightly at her friend.


    ¡°Ho¡­ how did you know I like green peppers on pizza?¡± Daisuke flushed, marveling at the young singer leaning over their table. What is it with this girl?


    Ranko blushed with a nervous giggle. Whoops. ¡°Well, ya know, when you¡¯ve been doing this as long as I have, you sorta develop a sense for these things!¡±


    A few moments later, Ranko sidled up to the bar to bring Mei her erstwhile friends¡¯ orders, leaning down to Akane as she enjoyed the first few minutes of her break on a bar stool. ¡°You think they suspect anything,¡± Ranko asked under her breath while Mei headed back to the kitchen.


    ¡°Oh, not a chance, babe,¡± Akane said, tittering restrainedly. ¡°You should go talk to them. Catch up. You know, carefully.¡±


    Ranko nodded, making her way back to the boys¡¯ table, their drinks in hand. ¡°You guys mind if I sit and hang out with you for a minute?¡±


    ¡°A¡­are you kidding? Please,¡± Daisuke stammered, and Ranko slipped into the chair to his left.


    ¡°You boys from around here?¡± Ranko grinned, obviously knowing the answer.


    Hiroshi grinned. I¡¯d better answer. I think Dai¡¯s broken. ¡°No¡­ We¡¯re from Nerima, and we¡¯re just finishing up our freshman years at Sendai Science Academy now. Daisuke¡¯s going for chemistry, and I¡¯m there for electrical engineering.¡±


    I¡¯m so glad you guys are doing good. ¡°Ooh, smarty pants then! Me, it¡¯s all I can do to get through math class, but¡­¡± She motions her head to the stage. ¡°At least I found somethin¡¯ I¡¯m good at.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding,¡± Daisuke mused incredulously. ¡°You can¡¯t walk ten meters on our campus without hearing Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch!¡±


    ¡°No shit?¡± Ranko blushed coyly. ¡°I¡¯m still having a hard time coming to terms with anybody having heard my stuff outside my little watering hole here.¡±


    Sipping at the soda his former friend had delivered, Hiroshi shook his head in amusement. ¡°Miss Tendo, I don¡¯t know how you could possibly doubt it. You¡¯re incredible.¡±


    The songstress grinned. ¡°We¡¯re sitting in a dive bar, boys. You don¡¯t have to be so formal. It¡¯s Ranko.¡± She brushed her hair aside with a proud smile. I want you to know who I am now, guys. Even if you don¡¯t know who I was.


    Daisuke¡¯s face was still aflame, but he sat forward in his chair. ¡°So, you¡¯re related to Akane, huh? That¡¯s cool! We went to high school with her and her old boyfriend.¡±


    It was Ranko¡¯s turn to blush. Related? Not for a couple months yet, officially. She fidgeted idly with the diamond ring on her left hand as she spoke. ¡°Yeah, we go way back. Isn¡¯t she great? And - old boyfriend? You¡¯re talking about Ranma, right?¡±


    Hiroshi lit up. ¡°You knew him? He was one of our best friends, and we haven¡¯t heard from him in almost two years.¡±


    I¡¯m sorry, guys. He died. But¡­ just this once, we can be gentle about that, since you were some of the only people who cared about him.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s¡­ He left town. Cut off contact with everybody. I think he might¡¯ve gone back to China? But he¡¯s happy. I promise. I bet he misses you guys something terrible.¡±


    Hiroshi smiled sadly. ¡°I hope so. He was great.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes glistened wistfully. ¡°The last time I saw him, he couldn¡¯t stop telling me about his friends from school. So, I think he loved you guys, too.¡± I¡¯m getting too emotional. It¡¯ll give me away. ¡°I¡­ um, I think your pizza¡¯s ready. Let me go check.¡± She stood, darting to the bar without giving them time to respond.


    Mei, pitching in at the service bar while there was a lull in food orders, nudged Akane¡¯s arm across the countertop before making a subtle motion in the direction of the VIP table. ¡°Hey, Akane, you do know the one on the left has been checking you out since he got here, right?¡±


    Akane blushed, averting her eyes as her fiancee giggled wildly beside her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Akane? Can¡¯t stand a little attention?¡± Ranko giggled.


    Oh, you wanna play like that, babe? Alright. Akane turned, putting her arm over Ranko¡¯s shoulder with a playfully sadistic snicker as the songstress sipped at the soda Mei handed her. ¡°Hey, Ranko, you do know the one on the right is checking you out, right?¡±


    ¡°Nuh uh! No way!¡± Ranko flushed deeply. They¡¯re my friends! They¡¯re not supposed to think of me like¡­ that! Then again, Crash did. And at least Crash is Ranko¡¯s friend. They were Ranma¡¯s.


    ¡°No, honey,¡± Mei said with a smirk. ¡°He¡¯s staring at your ass right now.¡±


    Ranko scoffed, her cheeks aflame. ¡°Daisuke? Not a chance. If anything, he¡¯s into you, Akane. Always has been.¡± Even though she knew had no reason to doubt Mei¡¯s assertion, she really wanted one. What is it with all my friends wanting to sleep with me? Man, it makes shit awkward as hell sometimes!


    Akane scrunched her nose with a loud sniffle, affecting her voice to sound as if she were on the verge of tears. ¡°A plain Jane like me? What chance do I have against a pop star with perfect tits and a great ass? Why can¡¯t you save at least a few boys for the rest of us, Ranko?¡±  Her resentful act was betrayed by the mirth in her eyes.


    Ranko hid her face furtively from her fiancee as Mei slid her youngest sister a glass of soda across the countertop. ¡°Oh, stop, Akane. You¡¯re hot too, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± Akane sounded hopeful, a devious spark in her eyes. She didn¡¯t deny she¡¯s a hottie. Good. But now, for some fun. Wanna play around with boys like Eiji, do ya? Let¡¯s just see.


    ¡°Of course, love!¡± Ranko lifted her glass, sipping at her drink.


    ¡°Well, in that case¡­¡± Akane turned on her stool and put her arms around Ranko again as the redhead snagged the newly-vacated stool to Akane¡¯s right, speaking in a hushed tone. She idly flicked the little silver heart dangling from the black lace ribbon around her beloved¡¯s throat. ¡°If Hiroshi likes me, and Daisuke likes you¡­ what do you think, babe? Should we take them home with us tonight?¡±


    Akane nearly fell off of her stool laughing as Ranko sputtered, spraying soda out of her mouth. ¡°Are you out of your fuckin¡¯ mind,¡± Ranko gasped, caramel-colored liquid still dripping out of her nose.


    ¡°Thanks, Ranko.¡± Mei groaned, wiping soda from her forearms with a bar towel as Ranko cringed and muttered an apology.


    ¡°Gotcha!¡± Akane cackled. ¡°You should have seen your face!¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Ranko giggled quietly, wiping her nose with her forearm. ¡°You think that¡¯s funny, huh? I bet you¡¯d actually be really upset if I cheated on you with a boy.¡± And let¡¯s pray you never find out that technically, I already did.


    Akane¡¯s brow furrowed a bit. Suddenly, her joke seemed a bit less funny. Does she know that I know? Gods, I gotta talk to her about this. It¡¯s eating me up every time I think about it.


    Yui laughed mischievously as she slid over next to Mei, wiping down the droplets on the countertop from Ranko¡¯s outburst. ¡°You know, little sister, it doesn¡¯t count as cheating if you let her watch.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± Mei growled, wiping a second volley of soda from her cheeks as Ranko coughed violently and Akane giggled, hiding her flushed cheeks behind her hands.

 127. Dirty Laundry

    Ranko hummed to herself as she stood in her bedroom closet, pulling her silver dress out of the laundry basket and slipping it onto a hanger. She clipped it to the wooden dowel running across the length of their small closet. We¡¯re running out of room in here. Maybe I should start keeping some of my stage-only stuff upstairs at the bar. She blushed at the sight of that gods-forsaken maid uniform that Izumi had tried to stuff her into the night she first met Takao Tashima. Thank the gods I won that argument, she thought grimly.


    She reached behind herself for Akane¡¯s yellow skater dress, but felt a hand in the basket instead. Ranko turned, smiling up at her fiancee. ¡°Hey, Akane. Almost done. How was your orientation?¡±


    The raven-haired girl smiled, starting to fold a tee shirt. ¡°It was good. It¡¯s gonna be busy, though. Woof. Between clinicals, labs and lectures, I¡¯m gonna be working hours like you used to for a while.¡±


    Ranko snatched the shirt out of her lover¡¯s hands. ¡°Then you¡¯d better rest while you can.¡± She smiled supportively. ¡°We knew it was gonna be tough when you chose this program, but I know you can do it. And I¡¯ll do everything I can to help you!¡±


    Tossing the folded shirt in the third drawer from the top on the right side, Ranko wrapped her arms around her future wife. ¡°And you are just going to be the best damn chiropractor ever. Eat your heart out, Dr. Tofu!¡± She blushes coyly, running her finger down Akane¡¯s forearm. ¡°You can adjust me anytime, baby.¡±


    Akane nodded, but didn¡¯t seem to respond to Ranko¡¯s teasing, despite the fact that her fiancee was wearing her favorite of Ranko¡¯s dresses: the white embroidered one she¡¯d worn on Christmas morning when Akane first proposed. ¡°I hope so. I figure, knowing how the joints and stuff work will not just let me help people recover after a fight, but, given the way Dr. Tofu hurt people whenever Kasumi came by, I¡¯m thinking it¡¯s possible to turn it into a martial art. And if the dojo doesn¡¯t make good money, I can always practice like Dr. Tofu does.¡±


    Ranko laughed softly with a shake of her head. ¡°Anything-Goes Alternative Medicine. Only you, Akane. But if anybody can do it, you can, sensei! And besides, by the time you graduate, me and the boys are gonna have you living in the lap of luxury anyway, girlfriend.¡±


    The older girl looked down at her hands. ¡°I met my lab partner today.¡±


    Her partner smiled, clipping her black pleated skirt to a skirt hanger. ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s she like?¡±


    ¡°His name is Sho.¡±


    Ranko hung the white plastic hanger up on the rod, turning out of the closet to face her. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a boy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s really nice.¡± Akane smiled nervously. She hadn¡¯t really spent much time around boys so far in her collegiate career, and she¡¯d been more than a little worried all afternoon that Ranko¡¯s insecurities would rear their head at the idea.


    Ranko nodded resolutely, turning her eyes back to the laundry. She picked up the mint green dress she¡¯d bought to re-introduce herself to Akane¡¯s father, frowning at the tiny hole in the bottom of the skirt that was torn in it when she¡¯d thrown herself to the gravel rooftop at Soun¡¯s rejection of her. ¡°I see.¡±


    Akane sighed, her shoulder slumping. ¡°I just knew it was going to upset you. I¡¯m not gonna do anything, Ranko!¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± Ranko shook her head, turning to hang the dress on the closet rod. ¡°He¡¯s gonna have to have his hands, like, all over you, all the time. It just weirds me out.¡±


    Akane chuckled darkly. Oh, that¡¯s rich. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t imagine what that would feel like. I guess I should ask Eiji.¡±


    Ranko froze halfway through lifting the dress to its place on the rod.


    ¡°Yeah, Ranko. I know.¡± Akane stood with a heavy sigh, trying to let her frustration at Ranko¡¯s jealousy go before carrying it into a very different conversation. She walked to the closet, where her fiancee had yet to turn her panicked face out of the darkness. ¡°I know everything. At least, I hope I do.¡±


    ¡°Akane, I¡­ I can explain.¡± She felt Akane¡¯s hand on her shoulder, and it only made her quake in fear all the more. ¡°I¡­ I did it for you, Akane. I swear.¡±


    Akane grabbed her songstress fiancee about the shoulders, physically turning her to face forward. Her lover¡¯s face was contorted into a miasma of terror and shame.


    ¡°Akane, I¡­ please¡­¡±


    The slender redhead grunted with the force at which Akane pulled her into a hug. ¡°Ranko, I know.¡±


    Akane felt a tear land on the side of her neck.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not mad?¡±


    Akane extended her arms enough to look her fiancee in the eyes. ¡°I know you did it for me. I know why. I know it worked. Am I mad? I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m a little bit hurt, and I have a whole lot of questions. Would it be okay if we talk about it?¡±


    Ranko sniffled, nodding silently, and Akane took her hand, leading her out to the living room sofa. The pair sat down, with Ranko to her fiancee¡¯s left, and Akane draped her arm over the smaller girl¡¯s shoulder, pulling her close.


    ¡°So, you know you¡¯re a massive dummy, right?¡± Akane shook her head, her face somewhere between a goofy smile and a concerned frown. ¡°You could have gotten yourself hurt, really bad.¡±


    Ranko swallowed, her shame painted across every centimeter of her face. ¡°I didn¡¯t care. All I could think about was how bad Sneak fucked things up for you, and I¡¯d have done anything to fix it. I¡¯d have laid down and died to fix it for you, Akane.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s my point, silly girl,¡± Akane said with a sigh. ¡°Do you really think getting to play a third of a volleyball season mattered as much to me as making sure you don¡¯t get hurt, Ranko? Do you really not realize that you are the most important thing in my life? And you always, always will be.¡± She picked up Ranko¡¯s left hand, holding it in front of her fiancee¡¯s face to indicate her custom-engraved diamond engagement ring. ¡°That¡¯s what this is for. To remind you that you are the most precious thing in my universe. There¡¯s nothing - nothing - I would trade your safety or happiness for, and I need to know, right now, that you understand that. I can¡¯t live every day worried that you¡¯re going to go step into something dangerous on some half-cocked scheme and get yourself hurt. I¡¯d never forgive myself.¡±


    ¡°I can take care of myself, Akane.¡± Ranko sighed, burrowing more tightly against her lover¡¯s body. ¡°And I have a responsibility to take care of you, too. I promised your father, and I promised you. You aren¡¯t ever, ever, ever going to hurt again, not for one second, if I can take the hit for you. That¡¯s the husband part of my job.¡±


    Akane groaned. ¡°You don¡¯t get it, do you? You don¡¯t have to be a husband, Ranko! You¡¯re a girl! What if he¡¯d tried to¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t bear to say it out loud.


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    Ranko snorted darkly. ¡°Ask Mikado how trying that shit with me works out.¡±


    Akane grabbed her girlfriend by the shoulders, shaking her forcefully. Ranko¡¯s eyes widened in shock and worry as she watched an urgency and a dread crossing the countenance of the woman she was set to marry.


    ¡°Ranko! You aren¡¯t listening to me! This is serious! You can not - you CANNOT - risk yourself like that again for me! NEVER! I won¡¯t survive it if something happens to you! This isn¡¯t fucking Kuno up every morning in the schoolyard anymore. This is real life and there are real consequences. Stuff that could mess you up forever! You can¡¯t de¡­¡± A sadness crawled across her face, and she could not bring herself to embarrass the woman she loved with what she was about to say.


    She did not have to.


    ¡°I can¡¯t defend myself. Not like I used to, anyway.¡± Ranko sighed sadly. ¡°I remember the way you reacted when Pop and I fought. That¡¯s what this is, isn¡¯t it? I struggle with trained martial artists, but nobody in that school would have a chance against me.¡±


    Akane nodded slowly. ¡°That¡¯s part of it. But, there¡¯s other ways this could have gone south, too.¡±


    Ranko scoffed. ¡°Oh, believe me, I know. After you proposed at Christmas¡­¡±


    Akane put her hand up to silence her lover. ¡°I know what happened, where the whole school thought you were¡­ pregnant. And, I¡¯m sure that was terrible, but imagine how much worse it would have been if¡­¡± She swallowed hard. ¡°... if you actually were.¡±


    I can¡¯t believe these words are going to come out of my mouth. I can¡¯t believe I have to ask her this. But I have to know.


    ¡°Ranko, honey, please, please, please tell me you didn¡¯t sleep with him.¡±


    The smaller girl¡¯s face crinkled in disgust. ¡°Eww! No way! I never even let him kiss me!¡±


    Akane squeezed both of her lover¡¯s hands so tightly that her rings bit painfully into her second and fourth fingers. ¡°Ranko, listen to me. If¡­ something happened, I would understand if you were ashamed of it, or you didn¡¯t want to talk about it. But if it did, I need to know. I have to have absolutely no doubt in my mind that you didn¡¯t¡­ put yourself through that for my benefit. I promise, I¡¯ll try not to be mad. But if he¡­ touched you like that, baby, you¡¯ve got to be honest with me and tell me.¡±


    Ranko looked up at her, her face a mixture of disgust and hurt. ¡°Do¡­ do you really think I¡¯d let a boy do that to me? I¡¯m yours, Akane. Yours and yours alone.¡±


    The black-haired girl nodded softly. ¡°I¡­ yes. I do. Not because I think you¡¯re a cheater or a tramp or anything, or because you¡¯d want to do it at all, but because I know you love me so damn much that you¡¯d do any stupid thing, make any ridiculous sacrifice, to give me what you think I want. Without so much as talking to me about it first. And there¡¯s nothing in the whole world I want or need enough to risk you for it.¡±


    Ranko thought for a moment, and nodded softly in an abashed resignation. ¡°I wish I could say you were wrong, but¡­ I¡¯m not sure I can. I mean, I thought about it with fucking Tashima. Thank the heavens for Yui on that one. I want to believe I¡¯d have said no if it came down to that, but I can¡¯t swear to you, a hundred percent, that I would have.¡± She squeezed Akane¡¯s hands back, just as tightly.


    ¡°But I can promise you now. My body, my heart, and my soul are yours. My everything is yours, Akane. And, I swear to you, on my honor, and on our love, I didn¡¯t let him touch me more than a hug, and I didn¡¯t touch him like that either. And if another living soul besides you ever tries, he better hope he¡¯s faster than the Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire technique, because I won¡¯t ever give myself to anyone but you.¡±


    ¡°If you promise, Ranko, I believe you. I trust you. But, I have to ask. You¡¯re not¡­¡± Akane scoffed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to look into your face and ask you this. But¡­ have you ever been curious about what it would be like with a boy?¡±


    Ranko blushed. ¡°I guess, with everything, that¡¯s a fair question. And, yeah. For a little while, right after the Cat¡¯s Tongue thing happened. The first time I washed myself¡­ down there, I damn near drowned myself in the bathtub with the way it overwhelmed me. And, knowin¡¯ I was gonna be stuck as a girl, I wondered if I¡¯d eventually¡­ have to. I thought for sure Pop would sell me off to the first guy with a pulse and a checkbook. But thinkin¡¯ about it just made me sick, and scared. It made me think about Mikado a lot.¡± She reached up to the back of the couch, pulling Starlight down from her perch on the top cushion. She curled back up against Akane¡¯s torso, pulling her knees into her chest around her stuffed unicorn. Just the memory of that time in her life made her feel fragile and small, and she needed the strength imbued by both her lover¡¯s embrace and her favorite plush friend.


    ¡°You are all I am ever going to need, Akane.¡±


    Kissing the top of her red hair, Akane squeezed her tight. ¡°I love you too, silly girl.¡± She sighed quietly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me, sweetheart? Like, after it was all over? Or even when the rumors were happening, and I could have helped you? Or at least, ask your sisters for help?¡±


    ¡°Because I was ashamed. And I thought you¡¯d be disgusted with me.¡± The shuddering girl in Akane¡¯s arms pulled herself even tighter into a ball. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinkin¡¯ right. After Sneak, I was¡­ Akane, I was so fucking scared I was gonna lose you. I thought I deserved to lose you. It messed somethin¡¯ up in my brain. And when he asked, I said no at first. But after the way your dad treated me that night, and the way you had to throw him out, I just had to make it better for you. Every time I saw that hurt in your eyes and I knew I put it there, it just broke me inside, Akane. I¡¯d have done anything to make it go away. Anything.¡±


    She looked up into Akane¡¯s eyes, her cheek still resting on her lover¡¯s gray Minato University Athletics tee shirt. ¡°And once it was done, after we talked about Sneak, after Call Me Pandora, and after you asked me to marry you, I knew I needed to be more open with you about everything. I wanted to tell you, so bad, and I knew I should, but I was just so fucking ashamed of myself. Gods, when the school started talking about me like that, I wanted to run to you so bad. I wanted to quit school and hide in your arms forever. But then, all I could think about is, every dirty thing they thought about me, if you knew what I did¡­ you might think that way about me, too. And I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of it, so I kept my mouth shut.¡±


    Akane swept a lock of red hair out of her lover¡¯s eyes with an incredulous grin. ¡°Ranko, you are brave and beautiful and selfless and kind, and holy fuck, you¡¯re a dummy sometimes. But I love you, I respect you, and I trust you. And I forgive you. What you did was incredibly stupid. But it was also incredibly sweet. I don¡¯t think less of you for this. Please don¡¯t spend one minute thinking I do. But please, please, don¡¯t spend one minute thinking about doing something like this to the woman I love ever again, either.¡±


    Ranko nodded, rubbing her cheek against Akane¡¯s chest as she did. ¡°I promise, Akane. And I¡¯m so, so sorry.¡±


    Akane kissed the top of her betrothed¡¯s head again. ¡°Apology accepted. But, princess, is there anything else I¡¯m gonna find out about one day? Whatever it is, we can work through it together, but we¡¯ve gotta be honest about it with each other. Let¡¯s put it all on the table right now.¡±


    The singer shook her head, smiling weakly up at the love of her life. The love that had survived Eiji. That had survived Kuno. That had survived Takao. That had survived Sneak. That had survived Jusenkyo itself.


    ¡°No more secrets, Akane. There¡¯s nothing left that¡¯s just mine. It¡¯s all yours. I¡¯m all yours. Forever.¡±

 128. The Moment of Truth

    ¡°Class today, huh? I¡¯m surprised, with school on break.¡± Ranko pulled her other leg back through the window, stepping into the apartment from the fire escape. Her black sports top and shorts were drenched with sweat.


    Akane nodded, tightening the belt of her gi. ¡°Every class means a little more cash for the wedding.¡± She motioned to the window. ¡°You know, if you really want to practice, you could come to the classes with me. You are always invited.¡±


    Ranko smiled. ¡°Yeah, I know, but it hardly seems fair to anybody who would spar with me or anything. And, like¡­¡± The redhead smiled softly, letting her thought go unspoken.


    ¡°Hey, what were you gonna say? No clamming up on me now, girlfriend.¡± Akane smiled reassuringly.


    ¡°Enjoy that while it lasts, Akane. You¡¯re not gonna be able to call me that much longer.¡± A little trill of laughter escaped her lips.


    Akane smirked. ¡°Nice deflection, missy. You think just because I can¡¯t think about anything except marrying you most days, you¡¯ll distract me from my question. Now, what were you thinking?¡±


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s dumb. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± The sensei stepped forward, putting an arm around Ranko. ¡°I mean it, babe. What¡¯s going on in there?¡± She tapped ever so gently on Ranko¡¯s forehead. ¡°If it¡¯s dumb, we¡¯ll laugh at it together, but I want to know what¡¯s on your mind, always.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s like this.¡± Ranko slipped out of Akane¡¯s grasp, sitting on the edge of their still-unmade bed. ¡°Like, back at your dad¡¯s, it was always, Ranma¡¯s gonna do the dojo, Ranma¡¯s gonna win the fight, Ranma¡¯s gonna win the martial arts basket weaving or whatever crazy shit you dragged me into that week.¡±


    Akane sat next to her. ¡°And you think, because you¡¯re not Ranma anymore, you don¡¯t deserve to win?¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°Not that. But like¡­¡± Ranko motioned up to the wall, where the poster for the Rise single hung next to the window. ¡°I am winning, just at the things I care about now. But, the thing is, Akane¡­ every time people said Ranma¡¯s gonna win something, they ignored the fact that you were right there, too. You were fighting right alongside me every step of the way, and you never got any credit for it, not even from me. And now, it¡¯s like, sure. I know I''m still a pretty decent martial artist. I know I could come to your class and probably shine as bright as you do. I¡¯ll always support you, and if you ever need my help with those kids, all you ever have to do is ask and I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    She swiveled at the waist, resting her hand gently on Akane¡¯s cheek. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to. I get plenty of spotlight in my day job, Akane. I¡¯m good. I want this to be a way that you get to be the star, and I¡¯m the one in the crowd cheering you on, and being so, so proud of you. You do it for me when I¡¯m on stage, and it makes me feel so loved and supported, and I wanna do the same for you about something that means as much to you as music does to me. And besides, I don¡¯t want your students to see me as your equal. I want them to see you as having no equal, the best there ever was, and I don¡¯t ever want you standing in front of your students wondering if it should be me up there instead of you.¡±


    Ranko smiled excitedly. ¡°In fact¡­ Wait here a minute. Close your eyes.¡±


    Akane blushed, doing as she was told. ¡°Okay¡­ this is kind of weird, but sure.¡± She heard the window slide open and footsteps on the metal grating of the landing as they ascended the fire escape. She wondered how long she¡¯d be left sitting there, but just a few moments later, she heard the footfalls returning the way they came, the sound of wood bumping glass, and the window closing.


    ¡°So, I was gonna save this for your birthday, but I think you should have it now. You can open your eyes, sensei.¡± Ranko smiled, and Akane opened her eyes to find her holding a large plank of dark cherry wood.


    ¡°You got me¡­ a board?¡± Akane giggled. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s certainly unexpected.¡±


    Ranko handed her the half-tabletop she¡¯d squirreled away on the rooftop more than a month ago. ¡°Turn it over.¡±


    Blushing, Akane did as her fiancee bade her, and she gasped aloud, letting the board rest on her lap.


    Meticulously hand-carved into the lacquered cherry wood surface were a series of large kanji traversing vertically down the center. A smaller line of characters ran horizontally along the bottom.


    ¡°Well, read it.¡± Ranko grinned, beaming as she leaned on the dresser.


    Akane slid her fingers along the intricately carved characters, noticing that Ranko had re-filled them with lacquer to protect them from the elements.


    ¡°School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts. Master Akane Tendo.¡± She could almost see her reflection in the lacquer finish. ¡°Wait¡­ you made this?¡±


    The redhead¡¯s cheeks flushed as she nodded. ¡°Can¡¯t very well have a dojo without a dojo sign, can ya, now?¡± Ranko giggled, but her laugh was cut off as Akane darted across the room and pulled her into a tight bear hug.


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    ¡°You are just the best, do you know that, Ranko? The best. Thank you so much.. It¡¯s just perfect.¡±


    Ranko smiled, kissing Akane on the cheek as she was hugged. ¡°You¡¯re perfect, sensei. And now it¡¯s right there, for everybody to see. The school is yours. And no Saotome name anywhere to be found, just like it should be.¡±


    Akane cringed. Oh, princess, I wish you hadn''t brought that up when we were having such a nice moment.


    ¡°Ranko, honey, speaking of which...¡±


    She released her lover from the hug, walking back to the edge of the bed and sitting down before patting the space next to her. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to give you space, time to deal with everything and all, but¡­ Nodoka has been to my dad¡¯s house like four times since you fought your dad.¡± At Ranko¡¯s request, she¡¯d stopped referring to Genma Saotome¡¯s wife as Ranko¡¯s mother; that was an honorific that, in Ranko¡¯s mind, was reserved for the woman who had actually treated her like her child.


    ¡°Your dad hasn¡¯t been back to the house since the fight, and Kasumi¡¯s running out of excuses before she just moves herself into the living room and waits for you to show up. I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯ve got to figure out a way to deal with her. I think we¡¯ve pushed it off as long as we can.¡±


    Ranko nodded, sitting on the bed where she was summoned and cuddling against Akane¡¯s chest under the larger girl¡¯s armpit. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about that a lot the last few days, actually.¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°Me too. So, I¡¯m thinking we catch a train, out to somewhere far away. Maybe Okinawa or something. Make a weekend out of it. We get Nabiki to find us some pictures of you¡­ the old you, and we include them with a postcard and mail it to my dad¡¯s. Then she thinks you¡¯re out there, and she goes away to find you. It¡¯s a little thin, but it gets her out of our hair.¡±


    Shaking her head, Ranko sat up to face her fiancee. ¡°I¡¯ve got a different idea.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Akane turned on the bed. ¡°Whatcha thinking, superstar?¡± She schemes with the best of ¡®em; whatever she¡¯s cooked up is gonna be great.


    ¡°What if¡­ and just hear me out, here, Akane¡­ we told her the truth?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Akane put her finger up in the air. ¡°One minute here. Are we forgetting something? Aren¡¯t you the one that¡¯s always saying she¡¯d try to literally murder you if she found out you were a girl? I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, Ranko, I¡¯m loving the new up front and honest girl thing you¡¯re doing after Eiji, but how is this a good plan?¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°It¡¯s risky, I know. But, Akane¡­¡± She sighed, looking down at her hands. ¡°If we tell her some lie, send her on some wild goose chase for a while, she¡¯ll eventually be back. She¡¯s not going to give up, and I¡¯m constantly gonna be looking over my shoulder for when that day¡¯s gonna come. And¡­¡±


    Ranko pulled her legs up onto the bed, sitting cross-legged and reaching behind her on the bed for Burny. She squeezed the soft plush phoenix tightly to her chest as she spoke.


    ¡°When I was worried that Pop was coming, I pushed you away ¨C you, my sisters and Mom, my friends, the band, everybody ¨C because I didn¡¯t want you all to be around me when the hammer came down. I didn¡¯t like how that felt. Losing all of you is what scares me the most in the whole world ¨C way more than some crazy lady with a sword ever could. And when I marry you, when I promise you I¡¯m gonna be with you every day for the rest of forever, I want to know that I¡¯m not a knock on the door away from feeling like that again. From pushing you away again. I don¡¯t like the person I am when I¡¯m not in your arms, Akane.¡±


    She looked up into Akane¡¯s eyes, her emotions liquefying in the corners of her own. ¡°I want to spend every day that I get to be your wife looking forward at what amazing things we¡¯re going to do together, and not backward at what other bullshit from my past is gonna try to come trip us up. Like, I¡¯ve been thinking a lot the last few days about how glad I am you found out about me and Eiji, because now I don¡¯t panic every time I think about ¡®what happens if she finds out one day and it comes out of left field and tries to hurt us¡¯ anymore. It used to be almost every day at least once, and it makes me feel like you and me are safer ¡®cause it¡¯s done. Like, it¡¯s one less thing that can jump out of the bushes and get us when we aren¡¯t ready for it.¡±


    She sat up, looking resolutely into Akane¡¯s eyes, although Burny was probably stuffocating with how tightly she squeezed him for support. She might be facing her fear, but she was no less fearful of it. ¡°I want to resolve this now. If she¡¯s going to accept me, great, I get two moms. If she doesn¡¯t, then we have the fight now, and we win, just like we did with Pop. But either way, on the day I marry you, I want to make sure we don¡¯t have a reason to be afraid of anything. I want to be one-hundred-percent all yours and never spend another second worrying somebody is going to try to take me away from you again.¡±


    Ranko sighed quietly, resting her chin on her stuffed firebird. ¡°I know, it¡¯s probably reckless and stupid, but¡­ I don¡¯t wanna run anymore, Akane. I don¡¯t wanna hide anymore. I am proud of my life with you, with my family, and the band. I didn¡¯t do nothin¡¯ wrong, and I shouldn¡¯t have to run. I¡¯m so fucking tired of running.¡±


    Akane ran her hand down the side of Ranko¡¯s head, brushing a wisp of hair out of her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s stupid, Ranko. I think you¡¯re the bravest woman I¡¯ve ever met. If you¡¯re ready to fight for us, baby, then we stand our ground and we fight, together. I¡¯m right there with you to the end.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not brave. I¡¯m terrified, Akane. I¡¯m scared out of my fucking mind.¡± Ranko cuddled against her again. ¡°I¡¯m only doin¡¯ this ¡®cause the thought of losing you scares me even more than that damn sword.¡±


    Akane wrapped her arms tightly around her future wife. ¡°You¡¯re afraid, and you¡¯re facing what you¡¯re afraid of anyway because what you want is on the other side of it. I don¡¯t care what you call it. I say that¡¯s courage, Ranko, and I¡¯m so damned proud of you for it.¡±


    Ranko nodded, looking up at her fiancee. ¡°Okay. Tell your sisters.¡± She sat up, wiping the beads of water from the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°Tell them I¡¯m ready to face her.¡±

 129. Come What Mei

    Ranko bounced on her backside, her ankles crossed as they dangled off the round tabletop. She wore a sleek black knee-length dress with puffed sleeves and a long pearl necklace, both on loan from her sister. She didn¡¯t really have much in the way of her own clothing for dressing up, unless one counted the things she had for the stage, and most of that had hardly seemed appropriate for today. The colored crowd lights spun over an empty dance floor, Little Fluffy Clouds pounding out of the twelve Electro-Voice speakers hanging from the Phoenix ceiling.


    Yui whooped loudly, bopping out from behind the bar and handing out shots to her mother, her three oldest sisters, Sakura and Akane. Ranko hadn¡¯t really been in the mood to drink, despite her mother approving of it for both her youngest daughter and her still-underage fiancee at the private party. She¡¯d told Yui she had a bit of a headache, but Akane knew the truth: Ranko was on watch for trouble. She said she was ready for whatever would come out of her past, and while Akane was proud as hell of her for being willing to face it, she also knew her future wife hadn¡¯t been sleeping again.


    ¡°Can you believe it?! My baby sister is a college graduate?! When did I get so fucking old?!¡± Yui laughed, downing her shot of top-shelf tequila and wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her orange blazer.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Mei said with a blush as she slammed her own empty shot glass to the table. ¡°Not the baby anymore. You still get to do this one more time.¡± She motioned with a smile at the black-clad redhead bopping on the tabletop to her left.


    Ranko waved her hands with a smirk. ¡°Yeah, fat chance. I¡¯ll be lucky if I make it to high school graduation, let alone college.¡± She uncrossed her ankles, wrapping her legs around the black-haired girl walking past the table and pulling her close with them. ¡°You can do one when your first sister-in-law graduates, how ¡®bout that?¡±


    Akane turned in Ranko¡¯s grasp, rolling her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve told you, Ranko. You could do it if you wanted to. You¡¯re plenty smart enough, silly girl.¡±


    The redhead tossed a paper coaster like a shuriken, catching Ayako in the shoulder with it. ¡°I don¡¯t think my math tutor would agree on that one, babe. And even if I¡¯m smart enough, I¡¯m certainly not rich enough. But it¡¯s cool. I don¡¯t need a diploma, just a microphone. Save all the smartypants crap for you and the girls.¡±


    Hana gave her youngest daughter a little tsk. ¡°It¡¯s never a bad idea to have a backup plan, Ranko. Singing is wonderful, but it might not last forever.¡±


    Ranko shrugged with a whaddya gonna do smile. ¡°Then I guess I¡¯d better just make a shitload of money as fast as I can, huh?¡±


    ¡°Mmmm. That sounds nice.¡± Akane scrunched her nose, poking Ranko on the tip of hers with a giggle. ¡°I always wanted to marry somebody rich.¡±


    ¡°Then you better run while you still can, Akane!¡± Ranko tittered as Akane leaned into her for a hug.


    Akane leaned up, meeting the redhead perched on table twelve in a kiss as she bent forward. ¡°Oh, no, no, no. You¡¯re not getting rid of me that easily, Ran-chan. You¡¯ll try anything to get out of putting on that wedding dress, wontcha?¡±


    Ranko shrugged again with the most fulsome laugh her future wife had heard from her in days. ¡°Hey, can¡¯t blame a girl for trying!¡± She waved to the guest of honor as she darted from one group of her friends to another. ¡°Oi! Mei! Whaddya want me to sing for ya?¡±


    The youngest of Ranko¡¯s elder sisters approached with a warm smile. It was downright unsettling to see her in a semi-formal teal dress and with her hair in a light curl around her shoulders, rather than her trademark denim jumpers and pigtails. ¡°I want you to sing not a damned thing. It¡¯s your night off, Ranko. You¡¯re here to be my sister, not the entertainment.¡±


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    ¡°Hang on. Night off? What¡¯s that?!¡± Ranko giggled, squeezing Akane tight around the waist of her kelly green empire dress with both her arms and her legs.


    Izumi laughed, handing Ranko a fresh glass of soda. ¡°It¡¯s what a certain someone is going to have in a few weeks when we throw her a bridal shower.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ say what now?¡± Ranko blinked in surprise and more than a little dread. ¡°You know, Izzi, I remember yours, and I think I¡¯m good. I don¡¯t need any more kiss-the-half-naked-guy games, thankyouverymuch.¡±


    Ranko and Akane¡¯s de facto wedding planner flushed, nodding softly. ¡°I agree. It would be weird to do some of the usual bridal shower stuff. You and Akane are a special couple and you need a special event.¡± She threw her arm over Ranko¡¯s shoulder with a devious smirk. ¡°Which is why I put Yui and Sakura in charge of it.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s face fell into her palm, blushing further by the second. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Yui cackled in the singer¡¯s direction. ¡°I told you I was gonna have fun with you before all this was over, little sister. But don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t leave Akane out of her fair share of embarrassment. We¡¯ve already got Nabiki working on it with us.¡±


    ¡°You little shit!¡± Akane giggled, swatting at Yui with her purse as Sakura squeezed her girlfriend around the neck from behind.


    ¡°Could be worse, Ranko.¡± Yui leaned over the table, putting her arm around her sister¡¯s back as she flanked her from the opposite side as Izumi. ¡°We coulda let Kasumi give you a nice, traditional girly-girl time. Matching kimonos, the whole nine. At least our way¡¯s gonna be fun.¡±


    Leaving Yui to torment her sister further, Sakura slid over to the next table, grabbing a seat next to Mei and smoothing the skirt of her yellow pencil skirt. ¡°So¡­ any thought to what you¡¯re gonna do next?¡±


    The new graduate shrugged. ¡°Taking that one day at a time. For now, I¡¯m perfectly happy right here, helping Mama and Yui with things. I¡¯m still not sure what, if anything, I¡¯m gonna want to branch out into from there. I¡¯ve thought about teaching, social work, medicine, who knows? But today, I¡¯m majoring in drinking.¡± She held up her Dragonfire cocktail for emphasis.


    ¡°And only barely passing!¡± Ayako cackled. ¡°Here, some more homework for you.¡± She placed another shot of tequila on the table in front of her sister.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Ranko slipped off of the tabletop, careful of her skirt, and made for the kitchen. Akane frowned. It was the fifth time she¡¯d left the party to take a walk around the bar in two hours. She wished Ranko would at least let her come along. Akane knew what her soon-to-be-wife feared finding in the alleys around the little bar she called home, and she did not want Ranko facing it alone if it came to pass. Ranko had been spending a lot of time alone over the last few days. While Akane was still watching her closely to ensure she didn¡¯t seem to spiral too badly, she was trying to give Ranko space to work through her thoughts. She couldn¡¯t imagine what would go through anyone¡¯s mind to essentially meet their mother for the first time in twenty years, let alone a mother-daughter relationship as complex and deadly as Nodoka¡¯s and Ranko¡¯s had the potential to be.


    As Ranko disappeared from view, Akane put her arm around her bride¡¯s mother. ¡°Hana, can I talk to you a minute?¡±


    The Phoenix¡¯s matriarch turned, a half-empty beer in her hand. She wore the gray blazer and slacks she¡¯d had on the day she took Ranko to register for school - the only semi-formal outfit the old barkeep owned, despite Izumi¡¯s desperate pleas to get her in a dress for the upcoming wedding. ¡°Sure, honey, what¡¯s up?¡±


    Akane bit her lip, watching to make sure Ranko wasn¡¯t returning yet. ¡°So, I wanted to give you a heads up. That other shoe we¡¯ve been waiting to drop? It¡¯s happening any day now. That¡¯s why Ranko¡¯s been so on edge the last couple of days. If some weird lady shows up with a sword strapped to her back, come get me, alright? Nobody else - especially not Ranko. You can not let her in a room with Ranko when I¡¯m not here.¡± I will not allow her to take another beating because I wasn¡¯t here to protect her.


    Hana nodded. ¡°Easy enough to agree to; I¡¯m not letting someone that walks in here with a freaking sword near any of my girls. Not after what that prick did to Ranko last month.¡±


    ¡°I know, Hana. That¡¯s the smartest possible move. That¡¯s why I said I need to be the one to deal with her.¡± Akane nodded resolutely.


    Hana put her arm around Akane¡¯s shoulder with a reassuring smile. ¡°And who says you aren¡¯t one of my girls? Just let that bitch try to fuck with any of you on my watch.¡±

 130. Celestial Navigation

    I just know they¡¯re avoiding me. What the heck is wrong with this quirky family, anyway?! They¡¯re always so dodgy, like they¡¯re hiding something. And what family can support a pet panda on a martial artist¡¯s income, anyway? What did these strange people do to my boy?


    Pushing through the half-open gate into the yard between the Tendo home and the dojo outbuilding, Nodoka Saotome looked around for any sign of her husband or her son. She found not only no sign of the two men, but no one at all. ¡°Hello?! Is anyone here? The gate was open!¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. No, I understand where you¡¯re coming from, Armand.¡± A lithe young woman in denim overalls and a green sweater gave Nodoka a little wave as she stepped out through the open sliding door from the kitchen. She held up one finger in the just a minute gesture as she spoke into the wireless telephone pinned to her ear with her shoulder. The tips of her brown bob were caught between the phone and her arm.


    Nodoka sighed, smoothing her yellow floral kimono and watching the noonday sun sparkle off the koi pond half-heartedly as she waited. After all this time, I¡¯m finally going to see my Ranma again. I¡¯m finally going to see what¡¯s become of him. I won¡¯t be denied this time, she resolved as one of the large orange fish flopped out of the water momentarily.


    ¡°Look, I get it. You¡¯ve never done a celebrity endorsement before. But think about it, man. Your business does radio repair. My client literally has a hit song called Demon in Your Radio. I mean, even you have to be able to see the tie-in opportunities here, buddy. An appearance in even a radio ad would be a huge win for you, and pretty affordable too, if you get on it quick before her sales numbers go public.¡±


    Not wanting to eavesdrop further on the telephone conversation, Nodoka crept into the dojo, her eyes tracking around every corner and crevice for any evidence that her son was there, or indeed, ever had been. The building¡¯s interior was incredibly sparse even by dojo standards, and finding nothing of consequence to interact with, she took a kneeling position on the floor in front of the Tendo family shrine to await the young woman who had greeted her in the yard.


    Is this where my boy trained? Is this where Genma taught him? Where are you, Ranma? Where are you, Genma? What are you hiding from me?


    A moment later, the girl¡¯s silhouette appeared in the door frame of the dojo. ¡°Sounds good, Armand. I knew you¡¯d see things my way. I¡¯ll have my people get with your people, and we¡¯ll send over our terms. Better start planning your Caribbean vacation with all the extra sales you¡¯re about to make. Uh-huh. Take care.¡±


    Pushing the Talk button to disengage the white cordless telephone and slipping it into her right pocket, Nabiki¡¯s gaze fell on the woman whose very appearance had been the boulder sending ripples through her family¡¯s pond for weeks. ¡°Sorry about that. Business waits for no one.¡±


    Nodoka nodded as she stood, adjusting the long bundle strapped to her back. ¡°Of course. I didn¡¯t mean to intrude. I was just hoping my husband had returned with news of Ranma. I told him he had two weeks, and that was over a month ago. I need answers. Please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mrs. Saotome, but we haven¡¯t seen Mr. Saotome in weeks.¡± Nabiki sneered in sadistic pleasure. Wonder how long it takes to swim back from whatever island they dump the trash from downtown on.


    ¡°I see.¡± Nodoka sighed. ¡°Is there a reason no one will tell me where my son is? Genma, I understand. He¡¯s always been something of a coward.¡±


    Nabiki laughed. ¡°Yeah, you can say that again. I honestly don¡¯t know that we¡¯ll see much more of him around here, Mrs. Saotome. He¡¯s kind of persona non grata here these days.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Nodoka reached out, resting her hand supplicantly on Nabiki¡¯s wrist. ¡°You know him, don¡¯t you? My Ranma?  Everyone acts as if they know something, and no one will share anything. Where is he? Tell me about him? Anything at all? Please?¡±


    With an intimidated sigh, Nabiki nodded. ¡°Yeah, I know him. He¡¯s certainly¡­ something else. Ranma¡¯s¡­ special. Truly. Definitely not what meets the eye. But we love him, and we¡¯re super proud of what he became.¡± Or at least, the girl she is now.


    ¡°Tell me more?¡± Nodoka gripped the girl¡¯s wrist pleadingly. ¡°Is he strong? Handsome? Smart? Brave?¡±


    Nabiki pulled her arm back gently. ¡°Look, Mrs. Saotome. The situation with Ranma is¡­ complicated. It¡¯s really not my story to tell; my family doesn¡¯t really want me getting involved. Things tend to get violent. But, you seem like a nice lady, and so, between you and me, I could definitely help you¡­¡± She flashed a shrewd smirk. ¡°For a price.¡±


    Nodoka growled a bit under her breath. Cheeky girl, taking advantage of a mother¡¯s desperation! Still, no one else has offered to help, bribe or not.


    She reached into her purse, withdrawing two 5,000-yen bills. ¡°This is all the money I have on me.¡± Nodoka closed her yellow shoulder bag and proffered the bills to the enterprising tween. ¡°Now, where is my boy? I¡¯ve been about as patient as I can manage.¡± Almost nineteen years is long enough to wait.


    Nabiki stuffed the bills into the pocket on the left hip of her blue denim overalls. Thank you for your generous contribution to your daughter¡¯s wedding fund, Mrs. Saotome.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Nabiki said, leaning toward her and speaking in a hushed tone. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear this from me, but¡­ In the Minato district of Tokyo, there¡¯s a little bar called the Phoenix, right by the water. Two-story red brick building; you can¡¯t miss it. My sister Akane works there. Go before they open and ask for her. She should be there by about three in the afternoon. Don¡¯t talk to anybody else. If anyone knows where Ranma is, she will. They used to date.¡± And now? Well, about that¡­


    The Saotome matriarch stepped back and bowed deeply at the waist. The sword strapped to her back nearly bonked Nabiki on the head. ¡°Thank you so much for your help, Miss Tendo! This is my first real lead on where to find my son in years, and you have no idea how much I appreciate it!¡±


    Nabiki respectfully returned the bow. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t mention it. Good luck!¡±


    Nodoka gathered herself and started to head for the dojo door, but Nabiki¡¯s voice called her back. It had lost its sinister edge, and there was a soft, almost hopefulness to it. ¡°Hey, Mrs. Saotome?¡±


    Ranma¡¯s mother turned, calling back over her shoulder. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Nabiki swallowed hard. ¡°Look, it¡¯s not my place to say anything, but¡­ Ranma¡¯s been through a lot these last few years. Like, a lot. You may not like everything you hear, but if I can respectfully ask you to, please try and keep an open mind. The kid could really do with a bit of grace.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t follow,¡± Nodoka said, a pallor of concern crossing her face. ¡°Is something wrong with my son?¡± The strap holding the Saotome family katana to her back felt a little itchier all of a sudden.


    ¡°Not wrong, no,¡± Nabiki said, cringing and wishing she¡¯d kept her mouth shut. ¡°Just, it¡¯s a bit of a story. Try to be understanding, is all. Please.¡±


    ¡°... Very well.¡± Nodoka turned back for the gate, a mystified expression on her face. What is that girl on about? One can only guess. But at least I have a bread crumb to follow. I¡¯ll see you soon, son.


    As soon as the woman¡¯s shadow had disappeared from view, Nabiki pressed the Talk button on her cordless phone again, punching a few buttons. A familiar voice answered on the second ring.


    ¡°Hello? Tendo residence.¡±


    Nabiki suspired heavily. Her sisters¡¯ plan was in motion now, ready or not. ¡°Hey, Akane. Your message has been delivered. Fingers crossed.¡± She pulled the two bills she¡¯d collected from Nodoka from her pocket. ¡°Oh, and by the way, hon. Your wedding invitations are on me.¡±

 131. Ghosts

    Ranko closed her eyes, sighing softly and leaning her head back against Akane¡¯s chest. It felt so good to have her fiancee¡¯s arms around her, especially when things were scary. The circle they made around her waist felt like a suit of armor, offering protection from anything the world dared throw at her.


    Over the last few days since making the decision to confront her biological mother, it had been a constant struggle for Ranko not to return to some of the self-destructive behaviors she¡¯d engaged in before her father had come to try to upend her life. Before she and her true mother had sent him packing, hopefully for good. But Akane would not allow it.


    Since they¡¯d had the conversation and made up their minds to face the Nodoka problem head-on, Ranko¡¯s fiancee had barely let her be alone for a minute. The days of their school break had largely been filled with cuddles, daydreams about the wedding, and as many dates and activities out of the house as they could afford. Anything Akane could think of to engage her mind and prevent her from spiraling in despair while waiting for the other shoe to drop, she had done. Ranko¡¯s gratitude to her knew no bounds, and her love for the black-haired girl who held her around the waist somehow seemed to grow by the second.


    ¡°As adorable as you girls are, would you mind?¡± Hana tapped her foot behind the pair, holding a large pizza on an aluminum pan over her head and motioning to the blue saloon doors beyond leading from the kitchen into the barroom proper.


    Blushing, Ranko nodded as Akane released her black-corseted waist. ¡°Sorry, mom.¡±


    Hana shook her head with a warm smile. ¡°Oh, by all means, snuggle, just get out of the damn way when you do it!¡±


    ¡°You heard the boss, Ranko,¡± Akane said over Ranko¡¯s shoulder with a bright giggle as she re-engaged her in the narrow space where the stairs up to the second floor apartment began. ¡°Just following directions.¡±


    Ranko swiveled in her lover¡¯s arms, throwing her own arms around Akane¡¯s neck. ¡°Akane, I¡­¡± She sighed quietly. ¡°You¡¯re my everything. You know that? I don¡¯t deserve you.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Akane said, cupping Ranko¡¯s cheek in her hand. ¡°We don¡¯t talk like that. I love you too, but you¡¯re everything I need, sweetheart.¡± The anticipatory din coming from the bar room continued growing. ¡°It sounds like some other people need you, too.¡± She took her fiancee¡¯s hand, leading her through the swinging blue door to present her to her ever-ravenous fandom.


    <hr>


    ¡°I know you think I¡¯m a freak, and I guess that¡¯s how I¡¯ll stay. Put yourself out of my misery and go away!¡±


    Akane clapped along with the rest of the audience from the VIP table, much though she would prefer never to hear that song again. It broke her heart far more than Sneak ever had. She fidgeted in her seat in discomfort as the band began disentangling themselves from their instruments, looking up when she heard the chair to her left scrape on the floor as it was pulled out from under the table.


    ¡°Mind if I join ya?¡±


    Akane nodded, gesturing an offer with her hand and a smile. ¡°Hey! This is apparently the designated band girlfriend table, so you belong here just as much as I do, Ukyo.¡±


    The brunette slid into the chair, crossing her legs at the knees in her black jeans. ¡°Gotta say, band girlfriend is never how I pictured myself.¡±


    ¡°Me neither,¡± Akane said, smiling up at Ranko as the songstress adjusted her headset. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t suck.¡±


    Ukyo sipped at her drink, waving to Crash as he unstrapped his guitar from around his shoulder. ¡°Is she gonna do the new one she¡¯s been working on? Crash told me a little about it.¡±


    Akane shrugged. ¡°I think so. She¡¯s acting kinda weird, and I wouldn¡¯t put it past her to throw me a curveball up there again.¡± She still hadn¡¯t gotten over being gobsmacked by the additional verse of Sneak that had been born the night of the Phoenix Rising album release.


    Of course, she knew the real reason Ranko was upset - less than an hour ago, Nabiki had called with revelation that Nodoka Saotome now knew where to find them. The object of Ranko¡¯s dread would be there any day now. She¡¯d asked for the fight, but Akane wasn¡¯t entirely sure Ranko was ready for it now that the die was cast. There was no turning back now.


    The brunette chef nodded. ¡°You know who you¡¯re talking about, right? When has she ever not been weird? But, she¡¯s got a lot going on right now. I¡¯m not surprised that her head¡¯s a little bit of a mess.¡± She saluted Akane with a tip of her beer bottle. ¡°I gotta hand it to you, Akane. I was skeptical when she told me she was with you, but you really have been there for her lately. You¡¯ve been everything she said you were. You¡¯ve impressed me, and that¡¯s not easy.¡±


    Ranko gave Crash a nudge toward the steps as the audience¡¯s applause began to die down. ¡°Go on, you,¡± she said with a weak smile. ¡°Go see your girl. I gotta do this next one alone.¡± As the four musicians began descending the steps off of the stage, Ranko pulled a wooden stool to center stage. Before sitting on it, she walked behind Ken¡¯s drum set, retrieving her phoenix-styled guitar.


    The singer looked over in the direction of the VIP table, rubbing the back of her left hand in a circle with her right palm with a smile that looked as if she didn¡¯t mean it but really wanted to.


    ¡°Hey everybody,¡± she said into her headset microphone as she carefully mounted the stool so as not to give the front row more of a show than she intended under the maroon skirt she¡¯d borrowed from her fiancee. ¡°So, I know you¡¯re looking for a party, and I promise, after this I¡¯m gonna throw some good stuff your way. But¡­ you guys mind listening to something I¡¯ve been thinkin¡¯ about a lot lately first?¡±


    The crowd, despite the bar being only about two-thirds full, came to life with curiosity at the new song that was seemingly about to begin as Ranko strapped her guitar over her neck. The singer closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to center her emotions, largely sitting still and eschewing any grand gestures as she plucked a slow, simple melody on the six strings running through the heart of the wooden phoenix in her lap.


    Crash wrapped Ukyo in his arms as she stood to meet him, picking her up in a hug with a playful growl. As he sat at the VIP table alongside Ukyo, Ranko looked out at the crowd, still testing out the tuning of her guitar. Akane bit her lip, looking up at her lover supportively. She knew exactly what was coming, and how hard it was for her soon-to-be wife to bare her sadness and worry in front of her fans who she would always rather entertain with a rousing run of Demon in Your Radio or Sneak. In a rare move, Ranko had let her see the lyrics to her new song before its first performance, and Akane had even been present when she¡¯d worked on some of the music on her guitar.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    She was hiding it better than she had in the run-up to the confrontation with her father, but Ranko had been a wreck at the looming prospect of facing Nodoka. Akane was proud of her for putting Fred¡¯s advice to work again, expressing her fears and frustrations through song rather than lashing out at the world, and at herself, as she had done in dread of the first of her twin duels with her past.


    What I¡¯d give if I could take it from you, baby, Akane thought grimly. If I could take her somewhere, alone, and tell her everything, knowing you¡¯d be safe, I¡¯d do it in a heartbeat. I know that¡¯s not what you want, but, gods, I¡¯m so ready to see you start running toward our future instead of running from your past. If anyone deserves it, Ranko, you do.


    Satisfied with the tuning of her instrument, Ranko began to pick at the strings of her guitar, settling the crowd back down as a mournful tune flooded from the heart of the wooden bird of flame in the songstress¡¯ lap.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want this hurt I¡¯m feeling. I don¡¯t want all this regret. They say forgiveness leads to healing, but all I want is to forget. They say nightmares make you stronger, if they¡¯re fought and if they¡¯re faced, but I can¡¯t fight them any longer. Why can¡¯t they just be erased?¡±


    Ukyo leaned back into Crash¡¯s chest, and the guitarist wrapped his arms around her. ¡°The poor thing. She¡¯s really messed up, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Crash nodded, his chin resting atop her head with one loop of the white ribbon holding back her ponytail coming to rest on either side of his face. ¡°Yeah, sundrop. She is. But she¡¯ll be okay. She¡¯s got all of us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be reminded of the life I left behind, but it¡¯s still trying to find me everywhere I go. What happens next if I don¡¯t do what it expects? What comes next, if I reject it and say no?¡±


    Leaning on the back bar with her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and arms folded over her leather-clad chest, Hana watched her daughter¡¯s acoustic performance intently. What happens next is, we fight, little star. Together. One more time. I¡¯ll be ready this time, I promise.


    Ranko lowered her eyes. There was a shame in even thinking about a person that could try to call herself Ranko¡¯s mother while making eye contact with Hana. On her best day, Nodoka Saotome could never be half the mother to her that Hana had despite her having had no obligation whatsoever to do so.


    ¡°I¡¯m so tired of these memories. I want to put down all this weight. What¡¯s the point of losing everything you love if you still carry what you hate? I just want the life I¡¯m building. All I want is to be free¡­¡±


    Ranko played through the last few bars of the music a second time on her guitar, giving herself a moment to steel her composure and steady her voice.


    ¡°What do I have to do before the past is finally through? Why won¡¯t these ghosts just let me be?¡±


    Akane folded her hands in front of her face, lacing her fingers together and resting her nose on her thumbs as her elbows sat on the table. Don¡¯t let her see you cry. She¡¯ll lose it up there. Gotta be strong for her.


    Ranko¡¯s strumming at the guitar became more forceful, more confident, as if there was more of a defiance than a tentativeness building in her.


    ¡°I found a way to win the game. I finally found where I belong. So, why do I feel all of this shame? Why do the things that I¡¯ve done right feel so damned wrong? Why do I feel the need to hide all of the progress that I¡¯ve made? I think I deserve a bit of hard-earned pride, so why am I so damned afraid? I have gone through too much pain to find a way to break these chains, to try explaining all the things I¡¯ve said and done. I¡¯ve worked too hard to define a life that finally is mine, and so this time, I don¡¯t think I should have to run.¡±


    Akane looked up as Ukyo rubbed her back supportively. ¡°Hey. She¡¯s gonna be okay,¡± the young chef said to the singer¡¯s betrothed. ¡°You know that, right? I mean, you know her better than anybody. You know how tough she is.¡±


    Akane nodded. Yeah, I do, Ukyo, she thought to herself. But I also know how afraid and how frazzled she is. She¡¯s just so exhausted and empty.


    ¡°I¡¯m so tired of these memories. I want to put down all this weight. What¡¯s the point of losing everything you love if you still carry what you hate? I just want the life I¡¯m building. All I want is to be free! What do I have to do before the past is finally through? Why won¡¯t these ghosts just let me be?¡±


    Mei looked up at Yui as her older sister braced her around the shoulders. ¡°Yui, what¡¯s got her so afraid now? I thought she dealt with her dad already.¡±


    Yui squeezed her blue-haired sister and roommate tighter. ¡°Whatever it is, we¡¯re not gonna let her go through it alone. Not this time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve earned the right to not be daunted by my sordid history, and I¡¯m so tired of being haunted by the girl I used to be. I long ago let go and said goodbye to everything I was before. Why won¡¯t the world just let it die? I¡¯m not that dumb kid anymore! I¡¯ve kept running from my past, but even now, it¡¯s gaining fast, and it somehow still casts its shadow on my heart. There¡¯s nothing more that I can do to bury everything I knew. Now my whole world¡¯s brand new, so where is my fresh start?¡±


    Izumi slipped her head between her sisters and draped one arm around each of their backs. ¡°So, we¡¯re in agreement, then?¡± She glanced furtively up at her youngest sister with a quiet sigh. She should be at a bridal shower, not fighting tears on stage again.


    Hana nodded resolutely to her daughters. ¡°Damn straight we are, girls. We¡¯re gonna rally around her, and gods help anyone who tries to fuck with her on our watch this time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so tired of these memories. I want to put down all this weight. What¡¯s the point of losing everything you love if you still carry what you hate? I just want the life I¡¯m building. All I want is to be free! What do I have to do before the past is finally through? Why won¡¯t these ghosts just let me be?!¡±


    Ranko¡¯s hands shook on the guitar¡¯s neck, and Crash sat up slightly as a tear rolled down her cheek, carrying a little trickle of purplish eyeliner with it as it streaked downward toward the neckline of her borrowed yellow skater dress. Bring it home, girl. Just a few more seconds.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want sadness and anger, and I don¡¯t want sympathy. I just want to live life moving forward.¡±


    Ranko looked down at Akane, biting her tongue behind pursed lips as she repeated the bar of music again.


    I just want to be yours, Akane, she thought wistfully. All yours, and just yours. You shouldn¡¯t have to share me with all of this bullshit. You deserve all of me, and then some, and I¡¯ve got to find a way to put all this crap behind me. We¡¯re going to fight for our life together. And, somehow, we¡¯re gonna win. I swear it.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t these ghosts just let me be?!¡±

 132. First Contact

    ¡°Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!¡±


    While she knew her cheers alone were no substitute for three hundred screaming bargoers, Akane did her best to make her soon-to-be wife and her friends feel appreciated as they stepped on the little stage that had been Ranko¡¯s home for the last year and a half.


    Ranko herself blushed, waving down from the stage at her fiancee sitting alone at the VIP table. Other than Yui and Hana doing their prep work behind the bar, no one else was in the room this early, not that Ranko could easily tell. The seating portion of the room was quite dark other than the back light at the main bar and a few rays of sunlight shining in through the glass front door. Ariel dangled precariously from an aluminum ladder in the middle of the room making adjustments to the lighting mounted to the trusses in the ceiling.


    ¡°Oh, stop, we ain¡¯t even done anything yet, Akane.¡± The songstress laughed nervously from the stage. According to Nabiki, the confrontation she dreaded could walk in the front door any day or any minute now, but she couldn¡¯t just pace the floor and wait for it. The show had to go on.


    Ranko¡¯s girlfriend rolled her eyes. ¡°Like you have to sing to be amazing to me.¡±


    Blushing, Ranko spun back to Shinji and Jacob. ¡°You guys ready?¡± Ranko giggled as her twin pigtails tickled the backs of her shoulder blades, exposed as they were in the red spaghetti-strapped camisole she had paired with her favorite black pleated skirt. Jacob answered with his fingers, beginning the first rehearsal of the third new song for Ranko¡¯s second album with a soaring electric rhythm emitted from his synthesizer.


    Turning back to the crowd of one, and squinting as Ariel turned a white stage light right into her face, Ranko began to sing into her handheld microphone. She hadn¡¯t worked out the choreography for the new song yet, having only heard the music Jacob had written for it once before, so her motions were limited to a light swaying of her hips to keep time.


    ¡°Can¡¯t afford a mega-mansion on what I make in rhyme, but my one-bedroom apartment¡¯s rent is paid on time. I don¡¯t have the latest fashions from the boutiques on Rodeo, but I¡¯m cute in anything I wear, so I think that¡¯s okay, though! I might not be booking private planes to go have lunch in Paris, but I order what I want right here and never get embarrassed. Yeah, I¡¯m still working my ass off, tryin¡¯ hard to make that dough, but I just couldn¡¯t be prouder of the way I do it, though!¡±


    Akane chuckled darkly. Oh, you have no idea, Ranko. With all of her fiancee¡¯s other worries, Akane hadn¡¯t shared with her just how thoroughly strained their finances continued to be as they finished up planning for their wedding just a few short weeks away. Fortunately, the strains of the clinicals she¡¯d soon be working as part of the second year of her degree program at Minato University would keep her busy enough that she¡¯d have an excuse to skip date nights for a while. Unfortunately, however, she knew how badly Ranko needed the distraction right now.


    ¡°Not sayin¡¯ everything is perfect. Still not top of the chart. But I¡¯m proud of where I am, and it¡¯s a damn good start. I¡¯ve still got a lot of work to do. That¡¯s fine with me! I may not be where I¡¯m going, but I¡¯m right where I wanna be!¡±


    And she was. She was truly happy in her life. And try though she had to hide it, Akane knew just how terrified Ranko was, because any day - any second - now, she would have to fight for it again. Their message had been delivered; she was ready to come face-to-face with the most distant, most dangerous part of her past. Well, not ready, but as ready as she was going to get.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a giant entourage a thousand strong, but I¡¯ve got someone I love who rocks me all night long!¡± Ranko blew a kiss to Akane as she sang the line, eliciting a blush from her fiancee.


    ¡°Guess the crowds up in America still haven¡¯t heard of me, but I¡¯m wanted, I have worth, and I have people who love me! Sure, it¡¯s true, they might not know me everywhere I go, but I¡¯m the hottest thing to hit one bar in Tokyo. Yeah, you won¡¯t hear me on TV, because my lyrics ain¡¯t the cleanest, but you¡¯ll always catch me Fridays, spittin¡¯ fire at the Phoenix!¡±


    Yui smiled warmly, tossing the empty tequila bottle she¡¯d replaced into the trash after draining the last of the bottle into a shot glass. With a loud whoop, she slammed the last shot of the bottle back. After all this time, she still remembers the mantra I taught her. Good. I¡¯m glad it helps her.


    Ranko took a few flouncing steps and kicked into a spin, trying out potential moves for the eventual performance. ¡°Not sayin¡¯ everything is perfect. Still not top of the chart. But I¡¯m proud of where I am, and it¡¯s a damn good start. I¡¯ve still got a lot of work to do. That¡¯s fine with me! I may not be where I¡¯m going, but I¡¯m right where I wanna be!¡±


    Still shielding her eyes from Ariel¡¯s adjustments to the lighting, Ranko didn¡¯t notice the front door of the bar opening, admitting a middle-aged brunette in a mint-green floral kimono. A meter-long bundle wrapped in a blue cloth was strapped over her shoulder.


    Mei caught a glimpse of her as she replaced nearly-empty salt shakers on the tables, striding up to her with a smile and a wave. ¡°Hi there! Welcome to the Phoenix! We¡¯re closed right now, but we¡¯ll be open at six if you want to come back!¡±


    As she spoke, the singing voice raining down from the singers became more of a spoken rap over the bridge of the new song in development.


    ¡°The path that other people took to get here¡¯s not the same, and it don¡¯t make me wish for different, ¡®cause I¡¯m really not ashamed of it. I got up on that stage one night, and people started noticing, and now I get the masses shakin¡¯ asses every time I sing. I¡¯ll probably never be so famous that Madonna¡¯s gonna bow to me, but everyone I care about is really fucking proud of me.¡±


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    The woman in the kimono gasped. Such language, in public. And from a girl, to boot! What must her parents think? She looked up at Mei hopefully. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Akane Tendo?¡±


    Mei nodded, pointing to the VIP table. ¡°She¡¯s working with the talent right now, but I¡¯ll let her know you¡¯re here. Wanna grab a seat?¡± Mei turned toward the VIP table, stopping after a step and whirling again. ¡°Oh, I forgot. Can I tell her who¡¯s asking?¡±


    The woman in the kimono nodded with a little bow. ¡°Nodoka Saotome. And thank you.¡±


    Returning to her singing voice, watching with some concern as Mei approached the VIP table, Ranko continued with the rehearsal of her third verse.


    ¡°If you knew me way back then, you¡¯d think it really was surprising that the shattered girl I was somehow got up, and I¡¯m still rising. Like a Phoenix, all my ashes sparked to life and now I¡¯m burning. Sure, I¡¯m still a work in progress. I¡¯m still young, and I¡¯m still learning. I¡¯d forgotten how to dream when I was broken and defeated. Looking back, I realize that I have everything I needed. Yeah, I¡¯m getting some momentum going, baby! What a feeling! I¡¯ve just barely left the ground, and I am nowhere near my ceiling!¡±


    Mei leaned over Akane¡¯s shoulder, speaking close to her ear over her wife-to-be¡¯s celebratory voice blasting through eighteen thousand watts of Electro-Voice speakers. ¡°There¡¯s a Nodoka Saotome here to see you?¡±


    Akane¡¯s face went ashen white. Here we go, baby. Ready or not. ¡°Um¡­ Thanks, Mei. Tell her I¡¯ll be with her in just a minute.¡± Breathe, Akane. Breathe. It¡¯s gonna be okay. Time to be strong. For Ranko.


    Ranko popped her hips to the side, crouching and rolling her shoulders. It was a move she picked up from Paula Abdul¡¯s music videos. ¡°Not sayin¡¯ everything is perfect. Still not top of the chart. But I¡¯m proud of where I am, and it¡¯s a damn good start. I¡¯ve still got a lot of work to do. That¡¯s fine with me! I may not be where I¡¯m going, but I¡¯m right where I wanna be!¡±


    Akane stood, turning her back to the stage, looking her ivory dress over in the mirrored wall behind the bar. Gotta make a good impression. I suspect I¡¯m up for inspection, too. She tentatively strode to the front of the room, where the woman who had given birth to her partner sat at table eleven. She hesitated to call her Ranko¡¯s mother; that was an honor she had yet to earn, and one reserved for Hana in any case. She swallowed a mouthful of saliva and dread. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Saotome. I¡¯m Akane.¡± She bowed deeply, in part to hide the worry etched on her face for a moment.


    Nodoka stood, offering her a little bow in return. ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you, Akane. I hope I¡¯m not intruding on your work, but your sister Nabiki told me I might find you here, and that you might know something about my son, Ranma? I¡¯ve been searching for him for ages. Please, could you help me?¡±


    Ariel turned off the light he was working on, allowing Ranko the first clear view she¡¯d had of the bar room. She saw Akane talking with a woman she didn¡¯t recognize, but yet, she knew.


    I¡¯m kinda surprised how much she looks like me, she thought with a hard swallow. I figured I probably looked more like the girl that drowned at Jusenkyo.


    Ranko sighed heavily. Here goes everything. Please accept me. Or at least, ignore me. Just don¡¯t break everything I¡¯ve built. Please. Please.


    Suddenly, the last line of Right Where I Wanna Be meant so much more, and she belted it out with a conviction that sought to bolster her own flagging confidence.


    ¡°All my broken pieces fit together perfectly! No, I¡¯m still not where I¡¯m going, but I¡¯m right where I wanna be!¡±


    Akane nodded in response to Nodoka¡¯s question. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. We have a lot to talk about, but¡­ we can¡¯t really do it here where I work. And where Ranko¡¯s family is. Can I please bring you back to my apartment? It¡¯s only a few blocks from here.¡±


    Crash clapped Ranko on the shoulder with his hand. ¡°I think it¡¯s coming out pretty good!¡±


    Ranko nodded absently, her eyes still locked on the two women conversing in the front of the bar. ¡°Yeah. Just¡­ gimme a minute, Crash, ¡®kay?¡± She smoothed the black skirt she wore, slowly making her way down the three steps to the bar floor with a trepidatious trudge like she had been summoned to the principal¡¯s office.


    In hell.


    Nodoka nodded hopefully, bending down and gathering the long blue cloth-wrapped bundle from the red vinyl bench she¡¯d occupied in the little two-seater booth. ¡°As you wish. Just, please, I need answers. I can¡¯t handle any more misdirection.¡±


    Akane bobbed her head, buying time until Ranko joined them, and gave a knowing, concerned glance up to her as her fiancee approached.


    Ranko bowed deeply to¡­ her mother. She almost dared not even imagine it, after all this time. ¡°Mrs. Saotome. It¡¯s¡­ an honor to meet you.¡± Again. ¡°My name is Ranko. Ranko Tendo. I¡¯m Akane¡¯s¡­ roommate.¡± One bomb at a time.


    The elder Saotome returned the singer¡¯s bow. ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you too, Ranko. Akane and I were just about to head to her apartment to talk. Will you be joining us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Ranko nodded, her eyes rapidly vacillating between hope and terror.


    Nodoka turned to the door, and Akane let her get a few steps ahead before reaching out and squeezing Ranko¡¯s hand tightly.


    ¡°I love you. Whatever happens next, remember that. You¡¯re not in this alone.¡±

 133. Paragon

    ¡°Please, come in.¡± Akane turned her key in the lock, stepping into the tiny apartment she shared with her fiancee and holding the door open for Ranko¡¯s mother, with Ranko following behind. As Akane closed the door, Ranko shot her a terrified glance, and Akane rubbed her forearm reassuringly.


    Ranko motioned to the couch. ¡°Please, Mrs. Saotome, have a seat?¡± Trust me, lady, you¡¯re gonna wanna be sitting down for this.


    The elder woman sat on the couch, resting her cloth-wrapped katana against the end table. She looked around the small apartment, searching for photos, men¡¯s clothing, anything that would indicate the presence of one Ranma Saotome.


    ¡°May I get you some tea or anything, ma¡¯am?¡± Ranko smiled saccharinely, desperate to hide her nervousness.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Nodoka said. ¡°I appreciate your hospitality, but I would really like to skip the formalities. I just want to know when I can see my son.¡±


    About two years ago, Ranko thought with a soft sigh.


    Akane sat on their battered old secondhand couch opposite Ranko¡¯s mother, and Ranko pulled a wooden chair from the dining table into the middle of the living room, sitting on it facing the couch. The positioning made her feel somewhat like an item in an auction house that was being put on show and evaluated, but she supposed that wasn¡¯t entirely untrue.


    Akane closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly as she folded her hands in the lap of her green skirt. ¡°Mrs. Saotome, this is kind of a long story, and some of it is gonna be pretty hard to wrap your head around at first. But I swear to you, everything Ranko and I are going to tell you is one hundred percent true.¡±


    Nodoka¡¯s glance followed between the two of them, the curiosity in her eyes starting to give way to urgency. ¡°Okay, girls, you¡¯re starting to worry me a little bit. Do you know where Ranma is, or don¡¯t you?¡±


    Ranko bit her lip, her eyes glossed over a bit. She needed to stay focused on the conversation, but her mind kept wanting to wander back into her past. I haven¡¯t even thought about it in so long.


    ¡°So, your husband, as you know, took Ranma all over, visiting as many schools and training grounds as he could to try to gather new martial arts techniques,¡± Akane began. ¡°That included a few outside of Japan, mostly in China. Ranma became every bit the martial arts master your husband wanted him to be. By the time he was sixteen, he was virtually unbeatable.¡±


    Nodoka nodded. ¡°I should hope so, if Genma made him spend his entire childhood doing it.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°It was really hard for¡­ him. And then, a little over four years ago, they went to this training ground in China called Jusenkyo.¡± Just saying the word made her a little sick to her stomach. ¡°The training ground isn¡¯t like normal dojos. It¡¯s basically just this big field of different pools of water, and each one has a different curse on it.¡±


    ¡°A curse? Oh, come, now. Girls, I don¡¯t have time to play these games with you. Where is Ranma?¡± Nodoka sat up on the couch, and Ranko stiffened, her eyes locking on the katana leaning against the unfinished pine end table.


    Akane lifted her hand gently. ¡°As we promised, everything we¡¯re saying is true. I know it¡¯s a lot. If I were sitting where you are, I probably wouldn¡¯t believe it either. But please, listen to us.¡±


    As her biological mother settled on the couch, Ranko took a deep breath and continued. ¡°The thing about these cursed springs is, all of ¡®em have had some sort of creature drown in them at one point or another. And the way the curse works is, if someone else falls in the spring, they¡­ turn into¡­ whatever drowned there. And, well, both Ranma and his father fell into one.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be absurd, girl. I just saw my husband a few weeks ago, and he looks every bit the balding fool he did fifteen years ago. He didn¡¯t turn into anything at all.¡± Nodoka glared. ¡°I¡¯ve had about enough of this nonsense.¡±


    Akane sighed, not allowing the woman¡¯s exasperation to derail the explanation even as Ranko seemed to be getting more anxious with each rejection of the truth. ¡°By the time Mr. Saotome and Ranma came to my house, both of them had already been cursed. The way Jusenkyo works is, if you get wet with cold water, you¡­ change¡­ into whatever drowned in the individual spring you fell into. Hot water reverses it back to normal. That¡¯s why Mr. Saotome is still able to look normal, but if you splash him with a little cold water, you¡¯ll find a big-ass panda bear standing where he used to be.¡±


    ¡°And my Ranma? You say he got one of these¡­ curses, too?¡± Nodoka looked up at Akane, terror flashing across her eyes. ¡°Assuming I believed you - and I don¡¯t - what does he¡­¡±


    Ranko looked down in chagrin. Me, mom. He turns into me. For the first time in over a year, she was forced to confront the circumstances that had made her what she was. For the first time in over a year, she felt true shame at the thought of the woman she was. ¡°A human girl.¡±


    ¡°So my son can become¡­ a girl? Come now, that¡¯s ridiculous.¡± Nodoka shook her head.


    Akane balled her hands up into fists in her lap. ¡°I promise, it¡¯s not. I¡¯ve seen it myself, more times than I can count.¡±


    Nodoka scoffed. ¡°Even if it were true, you said hot water will just undo it. So, I don¡¯t understand the need for all the secrecy.¡±


    Akane shook her head. ¡°First, it¡¯s important that you know, Mr. Saotome told Ranma for years that if you ever found out about his curse, you would¡­¡± She motioned nervously to the bundled sword propped up next to the couch. ¡°He said that Ranma had to become, in your words, a man among men, and that anything other than that would result in both of their deaths. So, once Ranma was stuck spending part of his time as a girl, they didn¡¯t think they¡¯d ever satisfy that condition in your eyes. So, every time you got close to finding them, they ran, until they came to my father¡¯s house, where Ranma and I were engaged to be married by our fathers with the hopes that it would merge the Saotome and Tendo schools of Anything-Goes Martial Arts.¡±


    Nodoka gasped quietly. ¡°So, it was you that was going to marry him. Your sister wouldn¡¯t give me the details.¡±


    And I still am, Akane thought with a smile up at her fiancee. Just not even close to the way you think.


    ¡°Yes. And for the better part of a year, Ranma and I were engaged, and he dealt with the curse as best he could. It was¡­ awkward, to say the least. Ranma didn¡¯t really have a lot of social experience growing up. He never even got to finish school. He wasn¡¯t a very nice boy.¡± She¡¯d already had to catch herself two or three times to remind herself to refer to the woman sitting across the living room from her as a boy named Ranma, and not spill the beans before they were ready.


    ¡°Akane,¡± Nodoka said, scooting closer to her on the couch, and putting her hand out. ¡°I¡¯m begging you. Please, I need to know why Ranma isn¡¯t the one telling me all of this. And why you keep referring to him in the past tense.¡±


    Ranko bit her lip. I could just tell her that he died. It might be easier. But it¡¯s not the truth, and Pop would just undercut me first chance he got anyway.


    ¡°He¡¯s afraid to, because of the agreement you and his father made. Because you¡¯ll think of him as less of a man, and¡­ punish him.¡± A lot less of a man. Like, one hundred percent less, she thought as she nervously fiddled with one of the beribboned pigtails she still wore from her interrupted rehearsal of Right Where I Wanna Be. Right now, at this moment, where she wanted to be was just about anywhere else.


    Nodoka rolled her eyes, shaking her head. ¡°My expectation was that my son would become a paragon. Someone who stood head and shoulders above his peers. Who was strong and capable, and commanded the respect of everyone. If he sometimes has to take a hot shower to do that, I can probably learn to live with that. Now, will you take me to him? Please, I just want to see him. It¡¯s been so long.¡± Nodoka looked up at Ranko pleadingly.


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t.¡± Ranko sighed. ¡°So¡­¡± She mentally recited the condensed version of the truth that she and Akane had agreed to, in order to not introduce possibilities that they weren¡¯t willing to accept.


    ¡°About two years ago, Ranma was¡­ attacked by a Chinese¡­ well, I guess you could call her a witch, or maybe just a martial artist and shaman, I¡¯m not sure. It happened because his father dragged him all over China with training, and it ended up that Ranma¡¯s hand in marriage got promised to an Amazon woman in addition to Akane here, and a few other people his father all but sold him to. In any case, this Amazon witch did something to Ranma, that¡­ broke his curse. Just, not how you¡¯d think.¡±


    Ranko swallowed hard, watching Nodoka¡¯s breath hang on her every word. She couldn¡¯t decide whether to lock her eyes on her mother¡¯s face or the Saotome family sword. ¡°And after that, the next time Ranma changed into his girl form¡­¡±


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    Ranko looked down at her shaking hands, biting her lip as she searched for the strength to continue, but Akane spared her. ¡°There was no viable way of going back.¡±


    Nodoka rocked back on the couch, her eyes wide. ¡°So you mean to tell me that my Ranma, my only son¡­¡±


    Akane nodded gently, resting her hand on Nodoka¡¯s in an effort to comfort the reeling woman and finishing her sentence for her. ¡°... has been living as a woman full-time for the last two years.¡±


    Ranko looked away, shame in her eyes. She¡¯s making me feel grosser about this than I have in ages. I¡¯m so much better now than I ever was then. Why can¡¯t you accept that? Why can¡¯t you accept me?


    Nodoka rocked back in her seat. It took her a moment to breathe normally again. ¡°It¡­ It can¡¯t be. It¡¯s impossible. This is all crazy talk! Enough of this nonsense. You girls are wasting my time!¡± She stood, turning on Akane with a furious glare and reaching behind her with her left hand for her sword. ¡±Where is my son?!¡±


    Akane took the elder woman¡¯s right hand in both of hers, trying to be comforting even as both girls¡¯ eyes were locked on the weapon in her hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mrs. Saotome. The boy you knew doesn¡¯t exist anymore. Not like he was, anyway. I know it¡¯s a shock. Please, take a moment.¡±


    Ranko looked away, a tear running down her cheek. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m not what you wanted, mom. I didn¡¯t ask for this. I just made the best of the hand I was dealt. Please don¡¯t hold it against me.


    ¡°It¡­ can¡¯t be true. It just can¡¯t! I don¡¯t understand why you would say these things to torment a desperate mother,¡± Nodoka cried disconsolately as she sat back on the center seat of the threadbare gray couch.


    ¡°It is, Mrs. Saotome. I know it sounds beyond impossible and crazy, and I know how nuts we must look telling you this. But every word of it is true. I know it¡¯s not what you want to hear, and I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t introduce you to your son, but the best thing I can say is that your daughter is¡­¡± Ranko bit her lip, looking up at Akane and forcing a smile through her gentle tears. ¡°Your daughter¡¯s life is everything she ever dared to dream, and so much more.¡±


    ¡°If this is all true, why wouldn¡¯t Genma tell me these things?¡± Nodoka¡¯s brow furrowed until her eyebrows almost touched.


    ¡°He¡¯s afraid of you. Of that sword. And¡­¡± Ranko looked away, but continued speaking. ¡°He all but abandoned Ranma after the curse was permanent. Long before, really, but, the only time he¡¯s seen her in the last year and a half, he ambushed her and beat her bloody. He¡¯s all but dead to her now.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Nodoka took back her hand, covering her mouth with both of her hands and rubbing the bridge of her nose with her fingertips, exhaling heavily, trying to come to terms with all she¡¯d been told. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that my Ranma is a woman, and¡­ even as a woman, you say Ranma is¡­ okay?¡±


    Ranko steeled herself, standing and walking the four steps to the couch, kneeling in front of her mother on the floor. ¡°She¡¯s so much better than okay. I swear to you on my life, Mrs. Saotome. Your child is happier than she has ever been. She found a family that took her in and loves her. She¡¯s going back to school. She didn¡¯t ask for any of this, but she¡¯s worked her heart out to try to learn what it is to be a woman, and to try to find a way to be at peace with it all. She¡¯s come so far. You have no idea how hard it¡¯s been for her, but she¡¯s learning to love the person she is now. She¡¯s becoming successful, doing what she loves. For the first time in her life, she¡¯s got a life she¡¯s proud of. A life she¡¯s always hoped deep down you could be proud of one day, too.¡±


    She is wanted, she has worth, and she has people who care about her.


    Ranko looked up with a smile, not at Nodoka, but to the young woman on her right. ¡°She is madly in love with someone who treasures and protects her, who treats her like gold, and who knows the truth of her past and doesn¡¯t judge her for it. Who always has her back, even when it¡¯s dangerous to. Who makes her feel whole, after so long spent feeling like half a person.¡±


    Nodoka looked Ranko over, missing Akane¡¯s furious blushing, and the expression on her face changed, as if she had just noticed something she¡¯d missed before. She reached out, cupping Ranko¡¯s tear-slicked cheek in her right hand, looking piercingly into the eyes of the redheaded girl in the pigtails and the pleated miniskirt that knelt at her feet. A hopeful recognition cracked her steel countenance.


    ¡°It¡­ it¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ranko smiled in tentative relief, nodding softly. ¡°Yes.¡± Ranko wiped her eyes, reaching a hand out to her mother with wet fingertips. ¡°Hi. My name¡¯s Ranko Tendo. It¡¯s good to finally meet you.¡±


    Nodoka took her child¡¯s hand gently, looking her over in thoughtful evaluation. She blushed, swooping a stray strand of Ranko¡¯s hair out of her face with her fingers. ¡°Gods, you¡¯re so pretty.¡±


    Ranko blushed deeply, but couldn¡¯t help but smile again through her sniffles. ¡°Well, if I had to get stuck being a girl, at least I¡¯m lucky I got to be a cute one, I guess.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s mother took both of her child¡¯s hands in her own, looking her over like she was evaluating her purchase at a cattle auction. She blinked in surprise as she turned the redhead¡¯s left hand over to inspect what she felt poking her fingers. ¡°Wait, is that¡­ an engagement ring?¡±


    Blushing, Ranko nodded. ¡°Yeah, it is.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ this curse made you¡­ interested in men, too?¡± Nodoka looked at her with an air of disgust.


    Akane stood, walking behind Ranko and putting her hand on her lover¡¯s shoulder. Ranko reached up, resting her hand on Akane¡¯s. ¡°Not exactly,¡± Akane said. It was her turn to blush.


    The Saotome matriarch blinked, taking a moment to put things together. ¡°So, you two are¡­¡±


    Ranko smiled, nodding, her face afire. ¡°Yeah. Pop and Mr. Tendo put us together, with the whole arranged marriage thing. We hated it for a while, but well, I guess we grew on each other. I know, we can¡¯t get married officially like this, but¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°Akane makes me happy. She takes care of me. She understands how hard things are for me. She¡¯s had my back more than anyone will ever know, and I love her more than all the stars in the sky. And all I want is to be with her forever.¡± Ranko leaned into her lover¡¯s hand with her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m excited that I get to be her wife.¡±


    And that, I won¡¯t apologize for. Not ever.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Nodoka sighed, letting Ranko¡¯s hand go. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to feel about all this. On one hand, I want my son, and on the other hand¡­¡±


    Ranko shook her head softly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the singer said, ever so demurely, ¡°... for everything. For what happened to me, for hiding from you, for all of it. The last thing I ever wanted was to disappoint you. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m not¡­ everything you want me to be. I didn¡¯t ask for any of this. I¡¯m just trying to make the best out of the situation. I didn¡¯t get a choice in whether or not to be a girl. The only choice I got was whether to spend the rest of my life being pissed and miserable about it, or try to figure out how to be the best girl I could. A normal girl. A happy girl. I know I¡¯m not what you want me to be, but I¡¯m working really hard to be everything I want to be, and I hope that counts for something.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Nodoka stood, walking around her kneeling child to pace in the empty space between the couch and the cheap particle board shelving unit that held their little television set. ¡°Tell me, then, Ranma. How are you a paragon? In what ways are you a¡­ woman among women?¡±


    Ranko winced at the use of her former name, swallowing hard. I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just a girl.


    Akane stepped behind Ranko as she turned on her knees to face Nodoka, leaning forward over her with a closed fist of warning. Akane came off a bit more aggressively than Ranko would have liked. Ranko assumed it was in large part because she still felt so guilty about the way Genma had beaten her when her fiancee wasn¡¯t there to help. Ranko didn¡¯t want to introduce any more tension into the room, but she didn¡¯t necessarily hate the idea of Akane being so protective of her, especially as scared as she was.


    ¡°You have no idea how incredible your daughter is, Mrs. Saotome! You couldn¡¯t possibly! She¡¯s kind, and talented, and beautiful, and¡­¡±


    Nodoka sighed, cutting Akane off with a raised palm. ¡°My child is a woman now.¡± The sentence left a bad taste in her mouth. ¡°If I am to accept that, I am going to need to see that she is the most perfect woman possible. You¡¯re going to need to impress me, Ranma.¡±


    The redhead mumbled something under her breath.


    Nodoka perked up. ¡°What was that?¡±


    Ranko rose from her knees, rocking back a bit to brace herself against Akane for support. ¡°I said, please don¡¯t call me that.¡±


    The elder woman scoffed, rolling her eyes. ¡°Child, I gave you that name.¡±


    ¡°No. You didn¡¯t.¡± Ranko stood, steeling her spine despite knowing that Akane¡¯s comforting hand on the small of her back was the only thing keeping her from falling apart. ¡°You gave that name to a boy who died two years ago. A boy who wouldn¡¯t have passed your dumb test in a million years even without the curse. He was dumb, and brash, and cruel, and arrogant, and mean. He was a great fighter, but a terrible person. He was going nowhere in his life, and couldn¡¯t wait to get there. He was everything his father made him, and I¡¯m ashamed he used to be me. You didn¡¯t know him, so you don¡¯t get to judge me when I tell you how happy I am to be rid of him!¡±


    At least he stands up for himself. That¡¯s something. ¡°I suppose you expect me to call you Ranko, then?¡±


    Ranko crossed her arms, digging her fingernails into her palms to give her something to focus on besides her desire to scream. ¡°If you expect me to answer, yes.¡±


    Nodoka nodded, walking past the women to the end table and strapping the Saotome family katana back around her shoulder. ¡°Very well, Ranko. Your evaluation starts now.¡±


    ~~~ END BOOK EIGHT ~~~

 134. Senior Year

    Phoenix Ascendant


    Book Nine: Soar


    ¡°Gods, I¡¯ve missed you!¡± Ranko giggled brightly, squeezing her friend tight as she spun her around in an excited hug, Kumiko''s feet flailing in the air behind her.


    Kumiko blushed as she was returned to her feet, smoothing her red school pinafore. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you too, Ran-chan! What have you been up to? Wedding stuff? You¡¯ve gotta tell me everything!¡±


    ¡°Ey, Ranko! See you at practice Thursday!¡± Yori waved enthusiastically as she strode to her first period class. ¡°Repeat All-Tokyo Invitational champs, here we come!¡±


    Ranko smiled, tucking a wisp of flame-red hair behind her ear. She remembered tiptoeing down this same vocational high school corridor on the first day of school a year ago, feeling utterly alone. She¡¯d half-expected a dragon, a lecher, or maybe even a lecherous dragon to be lurking behind every locker and classroom door. She¡¯d stared with sadness and jealousy as everyone else reunited with their friends after the school break, and felt as if she would forever be an alien presence on the outside looking into their world. But now, she felt like she belonged. People were excited to see her, and she had people she was excited to see.


    I am wanted, I have worth, and I have people who care about me. And it feels fucking great.


    ¡°Let me see your schedule!¡± Kumiko pulled out a yellow slip of folded paper. ¡°I¡¯ve got art first period, then English and Japanese, lunch, science, precalculus, and home skills. You?¡±


    Ranko handed over her own schedule with a blushing smile. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re gonna have English, science, and math together! Cool!¡±


    She was a little bummed Akane had talked her out of taking another year of home skills, especially now that she knew she could have taken it alongside Kumiko. The soon-to-be-wed senior had pleaded with Akane. I¡¯ve got so much catching up to do on this whole learning how to girl thing. I need the practice, she¡¯d argued, but Akane had put her foot down and insisted Ranko use both of her senior electives on things she was actually passionate about for herself. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you need to know about cooking that your mom can¡¯t teach you, and nothing about sewing Izumi can¡¯t, if you really want to know,¡± Ranko¡¯s future wife had argued, and she had won.


    Kumiko looked up from Ranko¡¯s schedule sheet with a skeptical smirk. ¡°Music and dance classes? Really? Couldn¡¯t you like, teach those? Talk about bird courses.¡±


    Ranko blushed further; she had known her friend would call her out for her choice of electives. Well, I am a Phoenix, after all!" She laughed softly. "And, like, I can¡¯t actually read notes and stuff, and that seems like it might be useful in my career choice, ya know? As for dance, they said they had to take an athletics class to graduate, and I wanted something easy. Besides, volleyball¡¯s Akane¡¯s thing, and gymnastics¡­ no.¡± Last thing I need is to end up in a competition against Kodachi or anyone she trained with her dirty tricks. No thanks.


    ¡°I have to suffer through two math classes to graduate this year, Kumi. If they¡¯d have offered Advanced Napping, I¡¯d have signed up.¡±


    Kumiko giggled. ¡°I took that last year! They just called it geography.¡±


    ¡°Have you picked an extracurricular club yet,¡± Ranko asked, nudging her gently with her elbow.


    The bespectacled girl shrugged. ¡°Probably just gonna do manga club again, I guess. It¡¯s pretty chill.¡±


    Waving to Aoi as she passed, Ranko scoffed at her suggestion. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were super bored there last year?¡±


    Her brunette friend nodded, a little sadly. For a girl who aspired to draw manga for a living, her fellow club members were far too casual and did not have much to offer her at all. ¡°Yeah. Nobody there¡¯s as into it as me, so it kinda feels like I¡¯m talking to myself, ya know? But what else am I gonna do? I¡¯m not into most of the other interest clubs, and the athletics clubs don¡¯t want me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ranko said with a grin. Gotcha. ¡°I definitely can¡¯t think of any athletics clubs where your best friend is the squad captain and would do everything she could to get you ready. Completely drawing a blank.¡±


    Kumiko blushed furiously. ¡°Cheerleading?! Me? Are you out of your mind, Ranko? I¡¯m nowhere near pretty enough for that!¡±


    Ranko rolled her eyes at her friend¡¯s dismissal. I was a boy three years ago. You¡¯re doin¡¯ fine, Kumi. ¡°Bullshit. You told me last year how much you wanted to do it. We¡¯ve lost a bunch of the girls from last year ¡®cause they graduated, and we need all the help we can get out there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d just embarrass you.¡± Kumiko averted her eyes shyly, blushing as she fidgeted with her hair.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Ranko said, clapping her hand on her friend¡¯s shoulder over the strap of Kumiko¡¯s messenger bag. ¡°You couldn¡¯t embarrass me if you tried, Kumi. You¡¯ve been there for me through so much crap. You don¡¯t have to do this for my sake. It¡¯s an offer, not a request. But if you want it, and you¡¯re willing to work for it, I¡¯d be glad to help you make it happen. I feel like I owe it to ya.¡±


    Her friend turned with a hopeful smile. ¡°Well, I guess it could help me find a boyfriend¡­¡± Her grin grew more devious as she leaned in close to Ranko, lowering her voice to just above a whisper. ¡°And at least this year, I know I¡¯m not competing with you for boys¡­¡±


    Ranko giggled, throwing her arm over the shorter girl¡¯s other shoulder and pulling her into a side-hug. As she moved, she caught a shimmer of light off of the custom-engraved diamond solitaire she now proudly wore on her left hand. Let them see. Let them gawk. I don¡¯t care. I belong to someone, forever.


    The redhead looked up as they walked, gesturing to the classroom door on her left. ¡°This is me.¡±


    Kumiko nodded with a grin. ¡°Yep! Have fun! See you next period!¡± With an excited wave, the brunette skipped down the hallway, dodging the crush of oncoming students. The girl looked like she could fly, and it gave Ranko a warm and happy sensation all over. I was able to do that for my friend. This feels awesome. It¡¯s like what happens to my fans, but way more personal.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Before she could turn the doorknob, she was rushed by Naoko Tsuda, editor of the Yusue High Gazette. Ranko knew her all too well - she had weaponized her classmate¡¯s nose for gossip to help lay ruin to Saburo Kimura¡¯s social status the night she deployed a six-minute tactical musical warhead called Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch.


    ¡°Ranko! Hold up! Our readers have to know! You announced on Bangers on the Beach that you¡¯re engaged?! Again?! And you said you were with the boy for a long time - ever since before Sneak! Is it true? Were you two-timing on Eiji Kanda all last year?! We need answers, girl!¡± She thrust a portable tape recorder in the cheerleader¡¯s face.


    Ranko grinned confidently, shaking her head. Thanks, Akane, for warning me this was gonna happen, and helping me come up with a cover story. I owe you for this. For everything.


    ¡°Actually, Naoko, not at all. See, I mentioned in the interview that Sneak caused a lot of trouble in my relationship with Aki. Well, it got so bad, we actually split up for a few months, and that¡¯s when I started to date Eiji. But right around the time I started to realize I wasn¡¯t happy with Eiji anymore, Aki told me he was willing to try again. I couldn¡¯t say yes fast enough, and now? I¡¯m gonna get to be his wife!¡± She emitted an excited squeal and held out her left hand in case the teenage journalist wanted a picture of her ring, even though the word his still sat on her tongue like a stray piece of hair she couldn¡¯t get rid of.


    ¡°I see.¡± Naoko turned off the tape recorder, obviously nonplussed with Ranko¡¯s utterly unjuicy explanation. ¡°Well, congrats, I guess.¡±


    Ranko giggled. ¡°Thanks, Naoko!¡±


    With a satisfied smirk and a little wave, the redhead turned the doorknob, entering a smallish classroom that was not quite set up like her usual ones. Instead of rows of desks, there were twenty or so blue plastic chairs arranged in a pair of concentric semicircles, dotted with empty black metal music stands. Along the back wall were strewn a variety of instruments, ranging from tubas and trumpets to a xylophone, a number of precariously-stacked drums of various sizes, and a rack of oboes and bassoons. Most of them were in varying states of relative disrepair from their constant use by untrained hands. Ranko couldn¡¯t identify most of the instruments other than the ones her friends in the Dapper Dragons played, and her eyes lingered on the reed instruments with some measure of mystified curiosity. So they have flutes, baby flutes, big black flutes, bigger, blacker flutes, super chonky black flutes¡­ and a saxophone! Oh, hey, I knew that one! Shin has one!


    As she marveled over the collection of instruments, Ranko became aware of a murmur behind her. She suspected she knew why, and blushed before she ever turned around, but when she did, she¡¯d put on her brightest cheerleader smile. ¡°Um, hi.¡±


    Fifteen of her new classmates stared at her, going silent almost immediately as she spoke. Most of them looked like they might be freshmen or sophomores, as they were several years Ranko¡¯s junior. Finally, one of the braver girls, a freshman near the front of the gaggle, stepped forward. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Ranko Tendo, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The shade of Ranko¡¯s face perfectly matched the deep red pinafore she wore. She was still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that anybody was excited to meet her, but it was becoming more and more difficult to deny it. Just the day before, she¡¯d stopped by a grocery store on the way to work to pick up some more jalape?os for Yui¡¯s signature Dragonfire cocktail, and had to pose for photos three separate times before she could check out. Why do these people haul cameras around everywhere, anyway? That seems so inconvenient.


    Still, she nodded proudly. ¡°That¡¯s me!¡± While she didn¡¯t fathom why everyone else thought being Ranko Tendo was so special, to her, it was everything. There was no part of her life, down to her name, that she hadn¡¯t had to meticulously and arduously craft for herself with her own two hands. Every single thing about herself ¨C every interest, every mannerism, every friendship and family relationship ¨C she had earned, and that, she was damned proud of.


    A collective squeal rose from the aggregated class, the majority of which were younger girls. The one who had spoken first hopped on the balls of her feet with boundless excitement. ¡°I heard you went here! I begged my mom to let me come to this school hoping I¡¯d get to meet you! You¡¯re so awesome!¡±


    Ranko¡¯s face warmed as she smiled and rolled her eyes. I need to just start carrying CDs in my school bag so I can have stuff to sign and hand out, I guess. This is getting ridiculous. ¡°I don¡¯t know about all that, but I¡¯m glad you like my stuff. What¡¯s your favorite of my songs?¡±


    All but three or four of her new classmates shouted out in response. She heard a few call out Rise, a couple mentioned You¡¯re My Song, one brought up Demon in Your Radio, and four of the kids -- including all three boys in the room ¨C said Sneak. One shy-looking girl in the back even named Fly. Ranko sighed in relief that she hadn¡¯t heard Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch or Freak; kids that age shouldn¡¯t be able to relate to the messages of those songs, she thought.


    ¡°Are you gonna sing for us,¡± one of the boys in the back of the throng yelled.


    Ranko blushed. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a music class, so probably at some point.¡± She looked around at the expectant faces staring her way. ¡°Oh, you meant now? I mean, I guess I can¡­¡±


    She set down her black school satchel, blushing and playing with her red-beribboned ponytail as the class swarmed closer to listen. ¡°What do you want to hear? I heard a bunch of my stuff mentioned, or would you rather hear something new I¡¯m working on?¡±


    The kids whooped in jubilation at the concept of a new song, and Ranko flushed further. ¡°Okay, but it¡¯s still super rough, so don¡¯t judge, okay?¡± She cleared her throat, smiling and beginning to sing with nothing but the chattering of excited kids to back her.


    ¡°It¡¯s Saturday, I wanna go to the mall. I can¡¯t pay; ain¡¯t got no money at all. So I¡¯ll stay right here and wait for your call. I don¡¯t even mind. I¡¯m having a good time. My friends go hit all the trendiest stores. I say no, still gotta finish these chores. That¡¯s cool though, because I get to be yours. Way too much to do, but I¡¯m doing it for you¡­¡±


    She looked up as the classroom door opened and a middle-aged man with receding black hair and thick glasses strode into the room. She hesitated before continuing, but he nodded with an encouraging smile, standing quietly behind his desk and setting down the books he was carrying.


    ¡°Some days aren¡¯t so perfect. Some days aren¡¯t much fun. But even if I come in last, it feels like I just won. A lot of people see my life and think I¡¯d wanna run, but I wouldn¡¯t trade a second here with you to anyone. Everything might suck, but I just say whatever! Ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ I won¡¯t love to do if we do it together.¡±


    She glanced down at her left hand again, beaming with joy. I might have to lie about some things, Akane, but I¡¯m not pretending anymore. I am your girl for the rest of my life, no matter what my psycho egg donor wants to think about it.


    Ranko flashed her eyes back to the assembled children and the now rapt instructor, finishing the chorus to her still-in-development song for which she¡¯d only written the one verse so far.


    ¡°And it doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s hard, I hope it lasts forever, ¡®cause my worst day with you is still the best day ever!¡±

 135. Animal Control

    ¡°Honestly, Daddy. You¡¯d think you were in a fight with a demon or something.¡± Nabiki smirked, sitting alongside her father¡¯s tatami mat on the floor.


    Soun groaned. ¡°Well, when you get to be my age, something simple like sweeping the sidewalk will hurt your back, too! Have pity on an old man, Nabiki.¡±


    Nabiki waved her hand dismissively, sipping at her tea. ¡°Oh, no, Daddy. By the time I¡¯m your age, I¡¯ll have plenty of servants to handle those kinds of things. With me getting a cut of everything Ranko does now? I¡¯m gonna be sitting pretty by the time I¡¯m thirty.¡±


    As she spoke, Nabiki¡¯s elder sister stepped into the room. ¡°Alright, Father. I just spoke with Dr. Tofu, and he said he will be here just as soon as he can to fix you right up! In the meantime, can I get you an ice pack or anything?¡±


    The Tendo patriarch nodded. ¡°Oh, Kasumi, thank you. Yes, some ice and some aspirin would be lovely.¡±


    With a smile and a nod, Kasumi flitted back toward the bedroom door. ¡°Of course. Right away, Father.¡± She stepped into the large bathroom on the first floor, opening the medicine cabinet and withdrawing the bottle of aspirin. She took four pills out of the childproof bottle and clenched them in her fist. As she turned to exit the bathroom, however, she heard the sound of movement as someone splashed into the bathtub through the open window. With a shriek, she dropped the pills, whirling to face the sound. Oh no! An intruder! And with Father unable to fight, what are Nabiki and I going to do?


    Rising from the steaming water came the figure of Genma Saotome, groaning in some combination of relief and pain. He stood in the bathing tub, wrapping himself around the waist with a fluffy sky-blue towel. ¡°Hello, Kasumi,¡± he said with a low growl, without moving his mouth. Upon closer inspection, the eldest of Soun Tendo¡¯s daughters noticed that their erstwhile houseguest¡¯s jaw appeared to be wired shut.


    ¡°Mr. Saotome! I¡­ didn¡¯t expect to see you back here.¡± Kasumi backed up slowly.


    ¡°Why not,¡± he grumbled through clenched teeth. ¡°I live here.¡±


    Kasumi emitted a little hmmph, snatching the bottle of aspirin back into her hand from the tile countertop. ¡°Please get dressed. I must tend to Father.¡± She stepped out of the bathroom, delivering the medication to Soun.


    ¡°Did you get lost, Kasumi?¡± Nabiki smirked, flipping through a manga book idly at her father¡¯s bedside.


    ¡°No,¡± she said, sounding somewhat flustered. ¡°Mr. Saotome is here.¡±


    Nabiki put her book aside, standing. ¡°Oh, is he, now?¡± There was an angry look about her. Son of a bitch thinks he can just stroll back in here after what he did to Ranko? Oh, no no no.


    ¡°Nabiki,¡± Soun moaned from his bed. ¡°Please try to remember, he is my oldest friend.¡±


    The second-oldest of Soun Tendo¡¯s daughters shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn who he is. You know Akane and Ranko won¡¯t set foot in this house as long as he¡¯s here, and I don¡¯t blame them. What does that say about your support of Ranko if you continue to cover for someone who tried to kidnap her and beat the snot out of her? I know you¡¯ve never had the spine to stand up for your daughters to your master, but Panda Boy? Surely you can find the strength to deal with him for your girls¡¯ sake, Daddy.¡±


    Soun signed, groaning as he tried to roll over on his bed to face his daughter. ¡°While we may not agree with his choices, Ranko is his daughter, and he has a right as her father to treat her as he sees fit. It¡¯s not up to us to interfere.¡±


    Kasumi stomped her foot hard on the wooden floor, startling Soun. ¡°No, Father.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, Kasumi?¡± Soun tried to sit up, groaning and collapsing back to his bed. Where has this defiant streak come from?


    Kasumi shook her head. I¡¯m sorry, Father, for disrespecting you, but someone has to say it.


    ¡°Ranko is not his daughter. He has never accepted her, and any right he had to her, he gave up a long time ago. He doesn¡¯t deserve her. And besides, you told Ranko she could call you Father, didn¡¯t you? Will you not stand up for her? Even against a friend? You promised Mother that you would protect your daughters, and that includes Ranko now.¡±


    Soun sighed, lowering his head back to the mat on the floor. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy, Kasumi. Saotome and I, we¡¯ve known each other for decades. We¡¯re like brothers. Inseparable. You understand, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Nabiki nodded with a smirk. ¡°Oh, absolutely.¡± She turned to Kasumi. ¡°Daddy¡¯s right. Siblings do have a responsibility to stand up for each other, always.¡±


    Kasumi gasped. ¡°Nabiki Tendo! I¡¯m surprised at you, taking his si¡­¡± She stopped talking as Nabiki¡¯s dark grin turned to their father and the younger sibling crossed her arms across her khaki vest. Oh. This is one of those things you do where you outsmart everybody. Okay, little sister. I¡¯ll play along.


    ¡°Thank you, Nabiki. I¡¯m glad someone still sees sense around here.¡± Soun grinned from his bedroll. Dodged a bullet there. ¡°You always were the practical one, honey.¡±


    Nabiki leaned against the back wall of the bedroom at Kasumi¡¯s side. ¡°So, you agree. Good. In that case, Daddy, you should know that Kasumi and I are going to follow your example, and stick by our sisters. As I¡¯m sure you know, I¡¯ve been covering most of the bills here for months, and one of my main revenue streams these days is the music career of my little sister Ranko. So, as long as that prick of a panda is under this roof, I won¡¯t spend another yen of her money to support his freeloading ass while he plans his next abuse of her. So, if he stays, I hope you have another plan for income, because the bank is closed.¡±


    The eldest Tendo girl nodded. ¡°Exactly. And I will¡­ I will¡­ I will stop cooking! Mother always said that you can¡¯t cook without love, and¡­ I do not love that man! Not after what he did to poor Ranko! I won¡¯t make him so much as a rice ball! And¡­ I won¡¯t do his laundry, either!¡±


    Nabiki chuckled. ¡°Well, look at you living dangerously, big sister Kasumi.¡±


    ¡°Hmmph!¡± Kasumi put her hands on her hips defiantly, the look somewhat betrayed by the frilly white apron she wore with the little ducklings embroidered across the chest. ¡°I know, it¡¯s not very proper, Father, and I¡¯m truly sorry, but I have to put my foot down! For Ranko¡¯s sake, and Akane¡¯s!¡±


    The younger girl laughed. ¡°Look out, Daddy. We¡¯ve got a badass over here!¡± She held her palms up in the air with a shake of her head and a smile. She¡¯s adorable, but she¡¯s trying to play tough, and it¡¯s just not in her blood.


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    ¡°But, girls,¡± Soun pleaded, sitting up only slightly. ¡°I can¡¯t just throw him out! I just can¡¯t face him and do that. Not after all we¡¯ve been through together.¡±


    Kasumi nodded resolutely. ¡°Then I will tell him.¡±


    Nabiki grinned up at her sister. ¡°Makes sense to me. I mean, you practically are the head of household around here anyway.¡± She put her arm around Kasumi¡¯s shoulders. ¡°C¡¯mon. I¡¯ll back you up.¡± As they walked down the hall, Nabiki whispered under her breath, hoping her words were out of her father¡¯s earshot. ¡°While we¡¯re at it, you think we could get rid of the freaky old man, too?¡±


    The pair entered the kitchen, finding Ranko¡¯s father in his trademark beige gi, raiding the refrigerator.


    ¡°So, Mr. Saotome,¡± Kasumi began, folding her hands nervously at her waist. ¡°We need to talk about Ranko.¡±


    The aging martial artist turned with a sigh, having not found anything he could easily consume with his still-shattered jaw. ¡°What makes you think I want to talk about that ungrateful boy,¡± he growled through his unmoving mouth.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Kasumi swallowed hard, circling around the kitchen toward the sink. Confrontation was a lot harder when it wasn¡¯t imaginary. ¡°We don¡¯t approve of the way you treated her.¡± Basically, ever since she was born.


    The old man shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s my son, and it¡¯s my business how I deal with him.¡±


    With a heavy sigh and a deep eye roll, Nabiki groaned. ¡°You just refuse to get it, don¡¯t you? You really expect us to sit by while you attack our sister?¡±


    Genma scoffed. ¡°Akane wasn¡¯t even there. I deliberately waited to talk to Ranma until she wasn¡¯t around to make sure she wouldn¡¯t be involved.¡± Because she¡¯d probably have kicked my ass again.


    Nabiki smirked maliciously. ¡°No, Saotome. Our other sister. I¡¯d hoped her having broken your jaw would have prevented at least some of the poisonous bullshit from leaking out of your mouth, but I guess a girl can only be so lucky.¡±


    Kasumi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Ranko and Akane will be getting married in July, and she is going to be a part of our family. And that¡¯s going to be a problem as long as they can¡¯t come here to visit without having to deal with you.¡±


    Getting married in July, huh? That should be interesting, Ranma. Genma started to rub his chin, but stopped as he realized it hurt quite badly to do so.


    ¡°Ranma can¡¯t get married like that. You know it. Not unless I find him a husband, which I suppose I could do, now that I think of it. He is pretty famous now, after all¡­¡±


    The eldest of Soun Tendo¡¯s daughters stomped her foot on the wooden floor again, clenching her apron in two tight fists her sides. ¡°Stop calling her that! She is a woman now, her name is Ranko, and she is not yours anymore!¡±


    Nabiki hopped up and rested her backside on the kitchen counter, crossing her ankles with a confident expression. ¡°So here¡¯s the deal, panda man. You¡¯ve already kicked the can with Nodoka down the road as long as you can. She¡¯ll be showing up again any day now. And when she does, if you¡¯re still here, we¡¯re gonna tell her everything. The curses, how you treated Ranko, all of it. We¡¯re done covering for you.¡±


    Nabiki glared up at her youngest sister¡¯s tormentor with a matter-of-fact, no-nonsense apathy in her eyes that made her position clear. It was her business face, and when she wore it, whoever she was looking at tended not to have much chance to get their way. ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d pack your shit while you still have your balls.¡±


    Kasumi nodded in assent. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Saotome, but we can¡¯t have you stay here anymore. You have forced us to choose, and we choose Ranko and Akane.¡±


    Genma scoffed dismissively, his eye roll displaying what emotion his pulverized jaw could not. ¡°You can¡¯t do that even if you wanted to. This is your father¡¯s house, Kasumi, not yours.¡±


    Nabiki laughed loudly, sipping at a can of orange soda. ¡°Please. Kasumi¡¯s been the head of this household since she was fourteen, and everybody knows it, even Daddy.¡±


    His confident glare morphed into one of worry. ¡°Where is your father? I¡¯ll deal with this with him. Tendo? Where are you?¡±


    Kasumi stepped between the old man and the door separating the kitchen and dining room, blocking his path. ¡°I really am sorry, Mr. Saotome, but the decision is final. You need to go. Today. Please get your things.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ you¡¯re serious, aren¡¯t you?¡± He swallowed hard. What am I gonna do?


    Kasumi nodded firmly, planting her feet. Don¡¯t let his sad face shake you. Be strong, Kasumi. For Ranko. Like Mother would, if she was fighting for one of us girls. She put one hand on the door jamb, blocking the path with her arm. ¡°Unlike some people, we Tendos stand up for our family.¡±


    He swallowed as hard as he could with his maimed mouth. ¡°If that¡¯s the way you want it. I¡¯ll get my stuff.¡± Fuck. This is bad, but I don¡¯t need to let it show. I¡¯ll camp out for a day or two, and Tendo will cave. He always does.


    Akane¡¯s eldest sister stepped out of the doorway to allow him to pass, watching him intently as he entered the guest room he once shared with Ranma and began to stuff his meager belongings into his traveling rucksack. As he gathered his few outfits, Genma glared at the dresses his son had left in their shared closet when he¡¯d fled the Tendo residence a year and a half ago. You did this to me, you stupid girl. This is all your fault.


    He rolled his bedroll tightly and strapped it to the top of his large brown travel backpack, shouldering its weight with a grunt. ¡°Alright, I guess I¡¯ll be off, then.¡±


    Nabiki nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out.¡± Mostly, to make sure you don¡¯t pocket anything on the way out the door. She escorted him through the dining room and out the sliding side door into the yard. ¡°Goodbye,¡± she spat at him as he skulked toward the front gate. And good riddance.


    As the aging martial artist opened the gate in the outer wall, he came face to face with Dr. Tofu Ono. The chiropractor looked up at him with a smile. ¡°Mr. Saotome! How are you?¡±


    The brunette standing on the porch crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°Genma was just leaving, Doctor. Daddy¡¯s in here,¡± Nabiki called out.


    With a baleful expression, Genma Saotome slinked out the gate and started trudging along the sidewalk.


    Nabiki led the young chiropractor into the house, grinning broadly when her eyes met her sister¡¯s. ¡°Kasumi, you were amazing! Damn, girl!¡±


    The doctor gulped at the sight of the object of his desire. ¡°K¡­ Kasumi!¡± His eyes glazed over, and he dropped his black leather bag on the floor reflexively.


    Kasumi blushed, allowing the tinges of a prideful smile to tease up the corners of her lips. I did it. I stood my ground, for my family. It was scary, and I had to be a little rude and forceful, but I did it. Mother, you¡¯d be so proud of me.


    As Nabiki dragged Dr. Tofu into her father¡¯s room by the belt of his black gi, her tiny smile widened into a confident grin. I can go after what I want after all. I am strong enough.


    Kasumi slipped into the bedroom behind the doctor and her sister, waiting silently behind the young clinician for a break in his examination before interrupting him with a tap on his shoulder. ¡°Um, Doctor Tofu?¡±


    Soun lifted his head from his pillow when his daughter entered the room, a look of panic on his face. ¡°Oh, no¡­¡±


    ¡°Y¡­yes?¡± The doctor stood and turned his head to his left, and as soon as he did, Kasumi¡¯s lips made contact with his.


    From just over a block away, Genma could have sworn he heard his boyhood friend scream.

 136. A Woman Among Women

    Ranko sat at a little round table at her favorite sidewalk cafe, fidgeting with her menu as she stared at the empty white wrought-iron chair across from her. As good a seat to sit in judgment from as any, she thought darkly.


    Nodoka - Ranko refused to think of her as her mother - had asked Ranko to pick the restaurant for their first getting to know you lunch. She¡¯d chosen the little sandwich shop because it was close, it was cheap, the food was good, and it was wide open to the outside. If necessary, it would be easier to run.


    Nodoka had suggested that they meet at 12:30. Ranko had been sitting there since 11:03. She dared not be late.


    She¡¯d worn a light, airy pink dress and her white wide-brimmed hat with the pink ribbon around its crown that she¡¯d purchased along with her bathing suit for her Bangers on the Beach appearance a few weeks back. Silver heart earrings dangled from her earlobes, and her hair was pulled back into a bouncy ponytail with a pink ribbon. Izumi¡¯s bridesmaid gift, the silver star pendant with the diamond in its center, lay between the tops of her breasts. And, of course, she was never without the pair of engagement rings Akane had given her.


    Perhaps the part of her ensemble commanding the majority of her attention was the silver guardian dragon that slumbered as always around her left wrist, hiding from the world the shameful secret that had put her in this position in the first place. She was tempted to remove the bracelet, just this once, to allow Nodoka to see the scar of what had ultimately been her son¡¯s mortal wound, though it had taken him nearly eight more months to die after receiving it. For the moment, she needed her constant companion to lend her its strength, and so it stayed. In a sense, seeing both her diamond solitaire and her dragon bracelet on her left hand - the side of her body where her heart was - reinforced to her that wherever she went, whatever danger she faced, Akane, her true mother, and her sisters were with all her. Even when, as now, she sat by herself, she was never truly alone. Not anymore.


    Where the fuck is she? Is it even time yet? Fuck, I need to buy a watch. Fuck, I need to check my makeup. Fuck, I need to quit fidgeting. Fuck, I need to quit saying fuck.


    She needed everything to go perfectly today. She didn¡¯t know what Nodoka had meant by an evaluation the other day. There had been a fair amount of debate between Ranko and Akane as to whether her intent was to see how masculine Ranko still was, or to see how feminine she had become. Akane¡¯s suggestion had been to go with jeans, a nice blouse and skip the makeup, but Ranko had ultimately made the decision on her own. ¡°If she¡¯s going to judge me, she¡¯s gonna judge me on the person I am, not the mask I put on for her,¡± she¡¯d said, and Akane whole-heartedly supported her decision. In fact, Akane had even helped her with her makeup and the application of the pink gel polish coating her fingernails.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t wear a hat at a restaurant, you know. It¡¯s rude.¡±


    Ranko swallowed, looking up at the visage of dread itself as Nodoka walked up behind her, rested her ever-present bundle against the edge of the table, and took her seat.


    Her ass isn¡¯t even in the chair yet, and I¡¯m already screwing up. She snatched her hat off immediately, perching it on her knee under the table. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± she said with a defeatedly hollow voice.


    ¡°There. That¡¯s better. Now I can see you.¡± Nodoka smiled tentatively. ¡°Have you been waiting long?¡±


    I thought they were gonna kick me out if I sat here ten more minutes and didn¡¯t order anything, she thought, but Ranko smiled brightly and shook her head in the negative. ¡°Not at all.¡±


    Ranko picked up the menu, holding it in front of her face. She knew what she intended to order an hour ago; she only wished to hide her face. Making eye contact with Nodoka - seeing those brown eyes that some dark corner of her mind remembered looking down at her as an infant - back before the person reflected in them was a her, was like staring her own ghost in the face. There was something profoundly unsettling about it, and that was before the inherent threat the woman posed to her current life was taken into account.


    ¡°So, Ranma, what¡¯s good here? I¡¯m in the mood for a good soup.¡± Nodoka perused the menu, allowing herself to glance over it at the girl who would call herself her daughter.


    She received no reply.


    ¡°Ranma? I¡¯m talking to you. Are you not paying attention?¡± Nodoka waved her hand over the top of the redhead¡¯s menu board, but the teen''s eyes did not move from the menu. She ignored her mother entirely.


    Nope. Try again, lady. Ranma¡¯s not here right now.


    Nodoka sighed, placing her menu on the table. You win this round, kid, she thought. She¡¯s tougher than I thought. She cleared her throat loudly. ¡°Ranko, I asked you a question.¡±


    At the sound of her true name, Ranko dropped her menu to her lap immediately with a scintillating stage smile. ¡°Oh, yes, of course! The wanpaku sandwich is my favorite, and if you get a bowl of zosui alongside? To die for.¡±


    Nodoka nodded. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have to try that, then.¡± She set the menu on the table horizontally, crossing her arms on the table and looking over her child. Or, what remained of him. To Ranko, it felt less like the prideful gaze of a mother, and more like red-hot scrutiny of every micrometer of her form, every breath, and every slight mannerism.


    ¡°You¡¯re very pretty today,¡± Nodoka said, sipping at the water glass that had already been waiting for her upon her arrival.


    Ranko blushed, setting her own menu down as well. ¡°Thank you, very much. I might have gone a little overboard for a sandwich, but¡­¡± I still think it¡¯s crazy how much I look like her. Even more so than my boy form did. I always thought I probably got my looks from the girl that drowned at Jusenkyo, but¡­ I guess something about your genetics survives the curse after all. That¡¯s neat, I guess.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Nodoka set her glass down. ¡°It¡¯s never inappropriate for a lady to take pride in herself.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t always do it. I¡¯m still learning some of the finer skills, but Akane and my sisters help me a lot, especially when I¡¯m gonna perform.¡± So, I played it right, then. Another point for me. With the hat thing, the score¡¯s two to one. Your move, Nodoka.


    It was so surreal for Nodoka to hear her only child talk about her sisters. Plural. Then again, she¡¯d just complimented her son for how ladylike he was dressed, so perhaps her preconceptions were already out the window for this conversation.


    ¡°Your¡­ sisters.¡± The word felt alien on Nodoka¡¯s tongue. ¡°Tell me about them?¡±


    Before Ranko could answer, their waitress approached. ¡°Hi, good afternoon and welcome to Sato-kun¡¯s! Do we know what we¡¯re having today?¡±


    Ranko nodded, but waited for the elder woman to order first. Deference. Be a good girl, Ranko. Just like when you went to see Akane¡¯s dad.


    Nodoka smiled up at the server. ¡°We¡¯d like two of the wanpaku sandwiches, and two bowls of zosui. I¡¯ll have an oolong tea, please, and she¡¯ll have¡­ Ranko, what would you like?¡±


    The redhead smiled warmly at the unprompted use of her name. ¡°Just some more water when you have a second, please, and thank you.¡± The last thing I need is caffeine giving me the jitters right now. I¡¯ve got enough of my own. She handed the pair of menus up to the server with a silently-mouthed thank you.


    Ranko waited until the server had gone back to her counter with the ticket to respond to her mother¡¯s question, but when she did, there was love pouring from her eyes.


    ¡°My sisters are¡­ gods, how do you even¡­ They¡¯re not just my sisters. They¡¯re my friends, and they¡¯re my heroes. The things they¡¯ve gone through and come out stronger for it gave me hope when I had none. And like, the whole family is all about picking up broken girls and putting them back together again. I can¡¯t even describe how much they¡¯ve done to be there for me, to take care of me, to pick me up when I fell down¡­ I can¡¯t even fathom how you pay off a debt that big, but they never ask for anything except love. As I¡¯ve built my new life, my new personality, I¡¯ve tried to incorporate things I¡¯ve learned from each of them. Izumi¡¯s style, Yui¡¯s strength, Mei¡¯s playfulness, Aya¡¯s wisdom. The best things in me came from them, and from Mama.¡± She did not shy away from using the honorific to describe Hana in her present company. She wanted Nodoka to know in no uncertain terms that mother was a designation that she had not earned.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­ mama?¡± Nodoka coughed on her tea a bit.


    Ranko nodded with a smile. Three for me, one for you. ¡°Her name is Hana. She owns the bar I work at, the Phoenix. She¡¯s like nobody else I¡¯ve ever met. She¡¯s fierce and strong, and so gentle too. She doesn¡¯t just listen, she squeezes your hurts out of you like a tube of toothpaste so you can¡¯t hold anything back. She just refuses to abide sadness and worry and she fights like he¡­ like crazy to protect me and my sisters, even from ourselves sometimes. Most of the times, if I¡¯m being honest with myself. She¡¯s forgiving and kind and so, so, generous. She took me in when I had nothing, and gave me everything I could have ever dreamed and so much more.¡± She¡¯s everything you and Pop weren¡¯t.


    Nodoka bobbed her head in acknowledgement. ¡°It sounds like you were very lucky to find them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Ranko said after finishing chewing her mouthful of breadstick. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I did to make the gods decide to drop me on their doorstep, but it changed everything for me. Without them, I¡¯d probably still be homeless.¡± And Nabiki would have never found me. Akane would have never found me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry? Did you say homeless?¡± Nodoka sat up bolt-straight in her seat. Genma Saotome, what did you do to this poor kid? Girl or no, she¡¯s still your¡­ our¡­ child.


    Ranko nodded sadly, a wave of shame crossing her face like a passing shadow. ¡°So, Akane and I told you about the whole thing with how I can¡¯t¡­ change back anymore.¡± She fidgeted with the bracelet on her left wrist again as she spoke. ¡°For six months, I tried everything, looking for a way to fix it. Everything from acupuncture to witches to martial arts, to medicines and lotions and potions and whatever else I could get my hands on. And I got to a dark place for a couple months. A real dark place. A place I didn¡¯t think I was gonna ever make it out of.¡±


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    She bit her lip. Don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry. Yes, crying is feminine, but it¡¯s also weakness. Feminine is good. Weakness is bad. Why is this so damn hard to figure out what she wants? Why couldn¡¯t this test come with instructions?!


    ¡°I was ashamed of myself. Ashamed of what Pop thought, what Akane might think, what you might think, if you ever found out about me. Everybody saw me not as the person I was, but as the empty wrapper of the person I used to be, thrown away because nobody wanted it anymore. I¡­ I hated myself. I hated my face, I hated my body, I hated my voice, I hated my name. I lost count of the number of nights I fell asleep hoping I¡¯d never wake up, and was disappointed the next morning when I did.¡±


    She sighed, tossing her unbitten breadstick back into the basket at the center of the table. She was rapidly losing her appetite anyway. ¡°Eventually, I just¡­ ran. I know, it was a cowardly thing to do. Believe me, I¡¯ve heard it from Pop already. Violently. I just couldn¡¯t have them look at me like that anymore. Like I was broken. Like I was put together wrong. I already felt it inside, I didn¡¯t need them reinforcing it, ya know? And I don¡¯t think they were even doing it on purpose to hurt me. Well, Pop was, probably. I just didn¡¯t care what happened to me anymore. I left the Tendos¡¯ with a few thousand borrowed yen and the clothes on my back, and slept in a park for a couple¡¯a months while I was looking for work. I might have lasted, maybe another week. If I¡¯d have spent my eighteenth birthday alone in that park in the cold¡­¡±


    She trailed off. She doubted Nodoka wanted to hear much more of it, and she didn¡¯t especially want to relive it, either. She dreaded to think about what her life would have become if she had not wandered into that bar. If she were being truly honest with either of the women sitting at that table, she very much doubted she¡¯d still be alive without the Phoenix and the formidable women who ran it.


    Ranko looked up at the sensation of touch on her hand, and found Nodoka¡¯s hand cupping hers on the table.


    ¡°But you¡¯re here now. You¡¯re good now.¡± Nodoka tried to smile. Why can¡¯t I say it? Why can¡¯t I just tell him¡­ tell her¡­ that I was wrong to have ever let Genma take her? Everything she¡¯s been through is my fault.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ranko sat up in her seat, pulling a smile back onto her face. ¡°And what a difference it¡¯s been. It¡¯s been a crazy ride to get here. You¡¯d have laughed your head off at me, probably, just watching me trying to figure out how to put on a bra and stuff. I was so pathetic when I got here. I think Izumi might have thought I was raised by actual cavemen.¡±


    Nodoka managed a weak smile. ¡°Or panda bears, if you and Akane are to be believed.¡± She nodded her thanks at their server as the bowls of soup were delivered. ¡°So¡­¡± She was desperate to change the subject. The thought of her child - of any child - contemplating suicide alone in a city park had shaken her to the core of her being. ¡±You said you¡¯re in high school?¡± Nodoka furrowed her brow inquisitively. ¡°At your age? I¡¯m surprised to hear that.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Yep! I started my senior year of high school this week. We¡¯re the Yusue Lions.¡± She grinned, making a cute little clawing motion in the air between them with her fingers ¨C something she¡¯d picked up from Shiori during one of their last routines together a few weeks back.


    She rolled her eyes, lowering her spoon in her hand until it clinked against her bowl as she swallowed. ¡°My gods, you weren¡¯t kidding about that soup. It¡¯s terrific!¡±


    Blushing, Ranko nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t do it quite as good at home yet, but I¡¯m trying. I feel like it needs a little more sweet somehow, but adding sugar just makes it weird.¡±


    Nodoka shrugged. ¡°Have you tried using soy milk? I think that¡¯s what they¡¯ve got going on here, since the menu said it¡¯s an option for people with dairy allergies.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You are a fucking genius! I¡¯ve gotta try that!¡±


    Nodoka snapped her eyes up disapprovingly. ¡°Watch your language, young lady.¡±


    Shit. My bad. Three to¡­ or was it four to¡­ I don¡¯t know. Keeping score is stupid. If she hasn¡¯t stabbed me yet, I guess I¡¯m doing good enough.


    Ranko looked down, blushing. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m sorry. Music industry, it kinda comes with the territory.¡±


    The elder woman chuckled, shaking her head with a slight roll of her eyes. ¡°Yes, I suppose I do forget, you could do a lot worse, having spent your teenage years in a bar seven days a week.¡±


    The teen motioned to Nodoka¡¯s now-empty bowl. ¡°You finished with that?¡± Her mother nodded, somewhat curious as to why she would ask. Ranko gathered the spoons, nesting the bowls into each other and placing all of the spoons in the top bowl before covering the stack with a napkin and placing it on the edge of the table.


    ¡°Ranko, you do know they have servers here, right?¡± Nodoka fidgeted with her as-yet-unused chopsticks as she watched her child¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°I do, yes.¡± Ranko frowned slightly. ¡°And I¡¯m also a waitress, and so I know how much easier people doing little things like this makes the job for them. Every couple seconds you can save them matters.¡± Right on cue, their server approached, taking the stack of dishes in one hand with a grateful smile after dropping off the pair of sandwiches.


    She¡¯s considerate. That¡¯s something. Good. Nodoka beamed, dare she believe it, proudly?  ¡°So¡­ school?¡±


    Ranko clapped her hands, admonishing herself for having lost track of the conversation. ¡°Yes! School. Sorry. You were asking why I¡¯m behind. Well, Pop¡­ let¡¯s just say the only school he was interested in was his dojo. I missed a lot of school when I was younger, and it just made me further and further behind, and neither of us much cared, ya know? Nobody asks for your report card when you¡¯re punching them in the face, so it didn¡¯t seem all that important.¡± She grinned, amused with her own joke.


    ¡°I missed four whole terms of school after¡­ ya know.¡± She motioned to her body, hoping Nodoka would get the hint. ¡°And when I tried to get back in, I was just comically behind. But my sisters helped me a lot, and I busted my butt trying to catch up. I basically did a year and a half¡¯s worth of school on my own at the bar before getting into Yusue last year. I¡¯d hoped to graduate in one year, but¡­¡± Ranko glanced down at the tiny, almost imperceptible burn scar that still remained on the edge of her right palm. ¡°I was pushing myself a little too hard and had to slow down.¡±


    Shit. I shouldn¡¯t have said that. Is she going to think I was too weak to continue?


    She scrambled to resume speaking before Nodoka could take control of the conversation. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to slow down or nothin¡¯! I was telling everybody I was fine, but my mom and Akane basically forced me to give some stuff up. But, now I¡¯m almost done.¡±


    Nodoka nodded. ¡°Any favorite subjects?¡± She bit into her sandwich as she waited for a reply.


    ¡°Definitely not math! My English teacher last year was great. She helped me with some of my song lyrics. As for this year¡­¡± She blushed deeply.


    ¡°Well? Go on¡­¡± Nodoka sipped at her tea, amused.


    Ranko beamed joyfully. ¡°I¡¯m in a music class. It¡¯s only been a few days, so it¡¯s too soon to say what I think of the teacher or anything, but just¡­ getting to learn how to read music, so it isn¡¯t like looking at Viking runes or something when we write our songs. I want to understand it all. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s weird, since I¡¯m just the singer and as long as I know the words, I¡¯m good. But it¡¯s like¡­ I don¡¯t know, a crazy obsession or something.¡± We won¡¯t talk about the dance class right now. Still figuring that one out.


    The Saotome matriarch shook her head, swallowing a bite of her sandwich. ¡°It¡¯s called passion, and it¡¯s admirable. So, what about after high school? Have you picked out a college yet?¡±


    Oh, she¡¯s not gonna like this, Ranko thought grimly. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it a lot, and I just don¡¯t think college is in the cards for me. Akane and I can¡¯t really afford it while she¡¯s in school too, and no decent school would accept me with my grades. Plus, they don¡¯t really have degrees in singing and dancing.¡±


    Nodoka nodded with a judgmental hmm. ¡°They do, actually. While I see your other points, though, I can¡¯t say I approve of this, Ranko.¡±


    Ranko sipped at her glass of water, buying herself a moment to try to cool her emotions. She was losing her patience more quickly than she imagined. This weighed-and-measured shit is getting old, lady. Where were you to help when it could have made a difference? I¡¯m doing this on my own, and I don¡¯t see you writing a check, so maybe take it easy on the disappointed Mary Poppins face over there.


    ¡°Lucky thing I didn¡¯t ask you to, then.¡±


    Impertinent brat! You can¡¯t speak to your mother that way! Nodoka sat up straighter, taking a moment to pull her emotions back under control. Set a good example, Nodoka.


    ¡°Still, you need a backup plan. Music doesn¡¯t last forever.¡± Nodoka pursed her lips in frustration. She can¡¯t be this flippant about her future! What am I thinking? Stop it, Nodoka. Don¡¯t get too invested. You¡¯re almost acting as if you¡¯ve made up your mind about her.


    ¡°It does if you make sure to not suck at it,¡± Ranko said with a confident scoff.


    The Saotome matriarch shook her head, her eyes rolling. ¡°We really are going to have to work on your language, little miss. And I¡¯ve not heard any of your music other than the song you were rehearsing in the bar the other day, and it was¡­ not bad.¡±


    Not bad? Not bad?! Oh, fuck you, lady.


    ¡°Oh, that reminds me!¡± Ranko pulled her purse from where it hung on the back of her chair, unzipping it and pulling out a shrink-wrapped compact disc. She offered it across the table with both hands, putting on her best stage-fake-smile. ¡°Here. So you can hear more.¡± She smirked darkly. Watch my language, huh? ¡°I think you¡¯re really going to enjoy track seven.¡±


    Nodoka flipped the jewel case over, reading the track list on the back. ¡°...Freak?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ranko said with a slightly sadistic snicker. ¡°It¡¯s one of my favorites. I wrote it for Pop.¡± But it might as well have been about you, too.


    ¡°Speaking of your father,¡± Nodoka said with a glower. ¡°I gather you two aren¡¯t speaking much these days.¡±


    Ranko rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair exasperatedly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen him once in two years, and I had to break his jaw that time. I hope I never see him again. I hope they put his a¨C his butt in a zoo.¡±


    Her mother cracked the smallest hint of a smile in satisfaction. At least she¡¯s trying. ¡°So your martial arts training is complete, then?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Ranko looked down dejectedly. Gotta get me where it hurts, huh? ¡°That¡¯s pretty much off the table for me now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t forget all of that training just because you don¡¯t use it every day. You may be a little rusty, but¡­¡±


    Ranko cut her off with a wave of her hand. ¡°No. You don¡¯t get it. The thing that¡­ well, left me stuck like this? It screwed up my skin. So, like, the slightest touch of anything can hurt like you wouldn¡¯t believe. It makes it awfully hard to last in a fight. I¡¯m pretty good until I get hit, but I get wiped out pretty quick if somebody¡¯s actually fast enough to hit me.¡±


    She¡¯d really hoped not to have to face the reality of her diminished fighting abilities this soon in her conversations with Nodoka. Fighting prowess, maybe more than anything else, was what her father had promised the woman when he tore her young son from her arms. Now, it was a girl with a bow in her hair, one that could barely hold her own in a fight against far inferior martial artists, that had to tell her how utterly she missed that mark now.


    Nodoka nodded, rocking back in her wrought-iron chair and lowering her eyes. ¡°I see.¡±


    It can¡¯t be. Not after everything. Not after I gave you up for it.


    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t ask for this, alright?!¡± Ranko¡¯s back stiffened. ¡°I used to be unbeatable, before all this.¡±


    ¡°No one said you did, child. It¡¯s just¡­ disheartening.¡± Nodoka sighed, putting down her nearly-finished sandwich.


    Exhaling slowly and heavily, Ranko placed a handful of bills in the little plastic tray with the check. Can¡¯t really afford to be eating out right now, but I¡¯m not about to ask her to pay and make her think I can¡¯t.


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ Live in my life long enough, you get used to disheartening.¡±

 137. Nights in White Satin

    This is nice, Ranko thought as she chewed the last bite of her chicken tempura. We haven¡¯t done this in a long time. It used to creep me out so much before, and now I can¡¯t believe how much I¡¯ve missed it.


    ¡°You about done, little sister?¡± Izumi tossed her chopsticks into her empty udon bowl, looking around at the signs of all the various shops surrounding the food court of the Shibuya shopping mall. ¡°We¡¯ve got more to look at!¡±


    Ranko stood, picking up a white paper sack containing the dress she¡¯d already purchased. A wisp of the baby pink material poked out of the top of the little bag, and Ranko blushed at the thought of it. Akane¡¯s gonna lose her mind when she sees me in that. She shivered with a coy little grin, almost feeling her fiancee¡¯s hands on her body in her imagination.


    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±


    Izumi smiled, tossing the trash from their lunch into a nearby receptacle. ¡°I wanted to swing you by the florist quick, and then we have one other stop that¡¯s a surprise, unless you see something you want to look at along the way.¡±


    Ranko strapped the silver chain of her little black purse across the front of her blue crushed velvet shirt. Not sure what use I¡¯m gonna be in a florist shop, Izzi. Hope the other errand is something that makes more sense to me, but why won¡¯t you talk about it?


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± the redhead said with a confident smile that she was entirely faking.


    Izumi squeezed her sister¡¯s hand as they walked south through the mall, a peal of thunder from the storm outside echoing a bit through the cavernous building. ¡°So. Two months until the big day! You getting nervous yet?¡±


    ¡°Every time you try to stick me in that dress, a little more so, yeah.¡± Ranko frowned a little bit as she walked, her hand enjoined with her sister¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m s¡¯posed to be nervous, though. I know I want to marry Akane. There¡¯s not a doubt in my head about it. So, why am I scared shitless? I¡¯m almost mad at myself for it. Like I¡¯m doing something wrong, ¡®cause my brain isn¡¯t supposed to be saying anything that isn¡¯t full speed ahead, you know?¡±


    Ranko¡¯s older sister giggled brightly. ¡°Oh, no, honey. That¡¯s perfectly normal for a bride. Probably boys, too, but they don¡¯t ever admit it.¡±


    Because boys are taught not to admit they feel anything, Ranko thought grimly.


    ¡°Seriously, though,¡± Izumi continued with a reassuring smile. ¡°You¡¯re nervous because you care so much. You want everything to be perfect, because you know you¡¯re only gonna do this once with the person of your dreams. And, I mean, even if you¡¯re a hundred and ten percent sure about what you¡¯re doing, decisions that are forever are always gonna be a little bit scary. I bet Akane¡¯s nervous, too.¡±


    The younger girl laughed. ¡°Are you kidding? I¡¯m not sure Akane gets scared of anything anymore. She¡¯s¡­ just so strong, Izzi. I¡¯d have fallen apart a hundred times this year alone without her.¡± When did I stop being the strong one emotionally? It¡¯s almost like she¡¯s become the boy in our relationship. She blushed at the intrusive thought.


    Izumi shook her head, pulling Ranko after her as she turned right toward the flower shop. ¡°I promise, she does. That¡¯s what a partnership is all about, taking turns being strong for each other when your partner needs you to be, even when you¡¯re faking it for their sake sometimes. And sometimes one of us has a rough patch, like you did with your father, and your partner has to steel their spine a little bit to help you get through it. I mean, when I was pregnant with Mioko, Kaito was¡­ gods, he was so perfect. I knew it was running him ragged, especially when I couldn¡¯t do much to help around the house or with Hoshi, but he did it and never complained. And now, things are settling down, I¡¯m getting into a routine with Mioko, and I can take care of him more again when he needs me to. It¡¯s all about give and take. One day, Akane¡¯s gonna have to deal with something, and you¡¯re gonna be there for her, too, right?¡±


    Ranko nodded emphatically. ¡°I¡¯d lay down and die for her if she needed me to.¡±


    The brunette smiled. ¡°See? So she didn¡¯t do anything for you that you wouldn¡¯t do for her. That¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to be. It¡¯s just called being a family. It¡¯s not transactional. Nobody¡¯s keeping score to see who owes who. If you¡¯re doing it right, it¡¯s not that she helps you with your problems and you help her with hers, it¡¯s that all of your problems and all of hers are team problems that you solve together, and it doesn¡¯t matter which one of your lives the thing came from to start with. Sorry, I feel like I said that weird, but does it make sense?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Thanks, Iz.¡± Ranko looked up at a brightly-colored wooden sign hanging from a chain in front of a sweet-smelling storefront. ¡°This it?¡±


    Her sister and wedding planner smiled. ¡°Mm-hmm. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s pick you something pretty.¡± She stepped through the open door, inhaling deeply through her nose with a happy sigh. ¡°It always smells so good in here.¡±


    Ranko blushed, her eyes scanning the room and slowly taking in the overflowing baskets of flora crammed in every available space. ¡°Yeah, I guess it does. So, what are we after?¡±


    ¡°Well, we need bouquets flowers for the bridesmaids, and for at least one of the brides¡­¡± Izumi giggled, nudging Ranko with her forearm. ¡°Maybe something for decoration around the tables and stuff, if we have any money left over in the budget.¡±


    Ranko blushed at the idea of a bridal bouquet. She remembered, a little over a year ago, having caught Izumi¡¯s bouquet, her abject terror at the Western superstition that the woman who caught it would be the next to get married, and how much Yui had teased her and Akane when it had happened. Now, there she stood, the tradition fulfilled, and she couldn¡¯t have been happier about it. I swear, I¡¯m just gonna cram these flowers right up your ass in front of Sakura. See who¡¯s smirking then, big sister.


    ¡°See anything you like, Ran-chan?¡± Izumi smiled softly, looking over a display of get-well baskets on the far wall.


    Ranko shrugged, giving Izumi a mystified look that Izumi recognized - she had seen it on many a shopping trip with her youngest sister. ¡°Izzi, do you honestly think I recognize any of these, beyond those are blue ones and those are yellow ones?¡±


    Izumi giggled, wrapping her arms around Ranko¡¯s left forearm. ¡°Oh, Ranko, honey, whatever are we going to do with you, girl?¡± She smiled warmly. ¡°So, you don¡¯t have a set color scheme, so you could do pretty much whatever you want. Classic white, any color¡­ Red could be cute, ¡®cause of your hair. What do you think?¡±


    Ranko blushed. ¡°I bet this is kind of a silly idea, but what if me and Akane each had flowers in our things that match our own sisters¡¯ dresses? Like, having sides, but a lot more subtle. So Akane would have purple and orange for Kasumi and Nabiki, and I¡¯d have blue, red, yellow and green for the four of you. And maybe some white in both of them, for ourselves, and then each of you can have your own color of the same flowers in your own bouquets, so people can tell what it¡¯s supposed to mean?¡±


    The bride¡¯s elder sister rubbed her chin. ¡°The colors clash a little bit together, but if we get a little creative about mixing lights and darks, I think we could pull it off! Are you planning on throwing your bouquet?¡±


    The young bride blushed, having only just thought about it herself. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I thought I was supposed to, but if you¡¯re only supposed to throw it to the girls, and there¡¯s two of them, that could get weird. Why?¡±


    Izumi picked up a large glass vase. ¡°So, hear me out. What if we bound your bouquet and Akane¡¯s both with just a simple ribbon, so they¡¯re easy to take apart, and then at the altar, you and her both undo them and put your flowers together in the vase? So, like, your bouquet represents your family and hers does hers, and then once they¡¯re in the vase, your families are blended together?¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh, Izzi, I love that! Gotta run it past Akane, but I think it¡¯s great, and I bet she will, too!¡±


    The brunette nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ve got some flowers to pick! For white, do you want to go with daisies, or roses? Petunias, maybe?¡±


    Ranko blushed with a blissful sigh, remembering the white rose Akane gave her the morning after the first time they made love. ¡°Roses are classic, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Izumi nodded, jotting something on a little notepad with a stubby little pencil she still had in her purse from a mini-golf outing with Hoshi last month. ¡°Check! Now, red. Normally we¡¯d do roses there, but that¡¯s taken. Stuff like tulips come in just about every color, so that gives us some options.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°What¡¯s a tulip look like?¡± Ranko blushed as Izumi pulled a red flower from a vase on a nearby shelf to demonstrate. ¡°Okay,¡± Ranko continued. ¡°If that is an option for lots of things, let¡¯s come back to it, but it¡¯s really pretty in red.¡±


    Stepping to the opposite wall, Ranko pulled a long stem with a cone-shaped orange flower atop it from a vase. ¡°What¡¯s this called?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a calla lily, and it¡¯s gorgeous. Is that Nabiki¡¯s flower?¡± Izumi grinned. She¡¯s doing better at this than I thought she would.


    The bride nodded in reply. ¡°I think so! If Akane likes it, of course.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep saying that, Ranko. We know your wife gets a vote, baby sister.¡± Izumi shook her head. ¡°I swear, you¡¯re a mess, kiddo, but you¡¯re our mess, and we love you.¡±


    Ranko smiled warmly. ¡°Love you too, sis. Yellow?¡±


    ¡°For yellow, it doesn¡¯t get more classic than a daisy. Plus, I know Yui likes them.¡± Izumi pulled two from a nearby vase to go with the calla lily and a few white roses, starting to build an example bouquet in the vase in her hand. ¡°Green¡¯s kind of tough, but¡­¡± She pulled a stem bearing a large fluffy ball of petals from a vase. ¡°Hydrangeas work well for that. And they¡¯re kind of flat compared to some of the taller flowers, so it kind of looks like a grassy field they¡¯re growing in.¡±


    A nod and a smile came in response from the bride-to-be. ¡°Done and done. Blue? What¡¯s that one that looks like a flower¡­ stick?¡±


    Izumi walked over to the opposite wall, reading the sign as she withdrew a shaft of flora. ¡°Delphinium. That works, if we get some lighter shades.¡± She added it to her notepad, and slipped a few of the stalks into the vase. ¡°What do we want that¡¯s purple?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t violet a kind of flower, and not just the color?¡± Look at me, knowing artsy girl shit!


    Ranko¡¯s bridal planner smiled. ¡°Yes, but Kasumi¡¯s dress is much lighter in color, so we probably want to stick to something a little lighter, especially since the orange we picked is kind of dark. Maybe a lavender?¡± She picked up a sprig of the aromatic plant, holding it up for her sister¡¯s approval.


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°Not really a fan. Looks too much like the blue one. What about this?¡± She pulled a large pinkish flower with a bright green sprig from a jar, smelling it with a happy sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s called freesia. You like it?¡± Izumi smiled happily. She¡¯s actually starting to get into this.


    The redhead nodded. ¡°It smells pretty, too. So if we use this, then we¡¯re back to using red for tulips, and we¡¯re done?¡±


    Izumi nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll want some baby¡¯s breath and stuff, too. Just filler things. Nothing to stress over.¡± She pushed her notepad back into her purse with a bright grin. ¡°I think we¡¯re all set here until we talk to your lovely bride, then. Next stop?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Ranko slipped through the open door ahead of her sister. ¡°You¡¯re really not gonna tell me where we¡¯re going, are you?¡±


    The elder woman shook her head with a devious smirk. ¡°Look, you¡¯ve never planned a wedding, so you¡¯re just gonna have to trust me, little sister.¡±


    Chuckling, Ranko adjusted the strap of her purse across her body with an amusedly exasperated shake of her head. ¡°Alright, Obi-Wan. You lead, I follow.¡±


    Over her sister¡¯s giggles, Izumi rolled her eyes. ¡°Mei finally got you to watch that crap, huh?¡±


    The redhead shook her head. ¡°Kumiko. She can¡¯t get enough of that stuff. And I¡¯m pretty sure she wants to marry that Luke guy.¡± Wonder if he¡¯s as gay as her last crush.


    Ranko held up her hand to shield her face as the pair walked by a bustling record store, hoping not to attract the attention of any of its clientele. It was always awkward walking by a store and seeing her own face staring back at her at five times its normal size from a poster in the window. The cardboard standees were the worst. She blushed, remembering the first time she¡¯d seen one, and how Akane had pretended to make out with it, just to make her blush until she wanted to crawl under the display and hide. Hana had suggested getting one to advertise her shows at the Phoenix, but at least so far, Ranko had been able to talk her out of it.


    So focused was Ranko on hiding her face and just following behind Izumi¡¯s heels that she didn¡¯t notice they¡¯d entered one of the storefronts on the other side of the plaza until her sister stopped walking.


    ¡°Okay. Time for some wedding essentials.¡± Izumi tittered, nudging her sister in the shoulder. Ranko looked up, and found herself in a well-lit store dotted with hot pink displays and mannequins in every direction, surrounded by every manner of¡­ interesting lingerie. It was unlike any store she¡¯d ever set foot in.


    ¡°What the shit?! Izzi, what are you trying to play at here?!¡±


    Izumi laughed loudly, putting her arm around her trepidatious sister¡¯s back. ¡°We¡¯ve been so focused on getting you ready for your wedding day, but the wedding night is just as important. Maybe more so.¡±


    Ranko felt lightheaded with all the blood in her body having rushed to her face. ¡°What do¡­ how do¡­ what¡­ ahhh¡­¡±


    Izumi cackled at her flustered little sister. ¡°It¡¯s simple. The objective here is to pick the thing that will stay on the shortest possible amount of time once Akane sees it. Ideally, something in white, for our blushing bride.¡±


    The blushing part, at least, Ranko had down pat.


    ¡°Well, this is cute.¡± Izumi pointed to a white lace¡­ something¡­ hanging from a nearby silver display rack.


    ¡°Iz, I wouldn¡¯t even know how to put that on. Like, where does it even go?¡± The redhead all but hid behind her big sister. Even after having been a girl for almost exactly two years, she felt like a pervert just for looking at the displays, let alone being expected to bring something from them home.


    Izumi giggled. ¡°The floor, I think, honey.¡±


    Ranko picked up a shimmery sheer negligee, holding it up in front of herself. ¡°Like, what¡¯s the point of this? Might as well not wear anythi¡­¡± She was utterly mortified to even be standing in such a store, but if there was one thing that could have amplified her shame, she¡¯d just heard it.


    The distinctive snap of a camera.


    ¡°Oh my gods! It¡¯s really you, isn¡¯t it? Ranko Tendo! I can¡¯t believe it!¡± An ebullient twenty-something woman pointed through the glass window at the front of the store to Ranko¡¯s two-meter-high face in the window of the record store on the opposite side of the mall. Next to it hung a second poster featuring the Phoenix Rising album cover, which itself featured four waist-up photos of Ranko in different outfits against different colored backgrounds, representing the themes of Rise, Sneak, Demon in Your Radio and Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch.


    Ranko sighed in defeat. That makes two of us, lady. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re seeing me here, either.


    ¡°Oh, um, hello.¡± Please keep your fucking voice down, before one nut job becomes a hundred and traps me in the damn kinky bra store. She was convinced that her body was frantically producing more blood, just to have additional supply to pump to her face.


    ¡°Are you¡­¡± The enthusiastic fan covered her mouth. ¡°Are you shopping for your wedding?! We heard all about it on Bangers on the Beach! He¡¯s such a lucky boy, you know.¡±


    Izumi smirked at the young woman. ¡°Oh, you really have no idea.¡±


    ¡°Could I maybe¡­ get a picture with you?¡± The green-haired woman bounced nervously on her heels, her flowy ivory skirt billowing around her knees.


    The songstress sighed resolutely. ¡°Tell you what. I¡¯ll take a picture with you, and I¡¯ll sign a poster for you, if we can go across the aisle to do it.¡± She held up the nearly non-existent garment still in her hand. ¡°I¡¯m a singer, not an underwear model, ya know?¡± Her face was neon red.


    The fan jumped up and down, clapping her hands. ¡°This is great! Thank you so much! And yeah, you¡¯re right. Nobody needs to see that. Your husband should be the only one to see you in something like that.¡±


    Izumi smirked at her cringing sister at the mention of a husband. ¡°You do know, if you go over in front of a record store and start signing shit, you¡¯ll be there for at least an hour, right?¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Ranko waved over her shoulder as her fan dragged her by the left wrist, her fingers hooked inside Ranko¡¯s silver dragon bracelet, toward a gaggle of screaming music store shoppers in the aisle between the shops who had clearly noticed the commotion.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do,¡± Izumi called after her starlet little sister.


    ¡°Pick something cute out for Kaito!¡± Ranko snickered, throwing up a pair of fingers as the cameras surrounding her began to flash.

 138. Taking the Reins

    Ranko stalked through the Yusue High School gymnasium, trying to keep her head on a swivel. In every direction, there was activity that required her attention. On her left, a group of girls in mismatched gym attire chanted and clapped their hands at the direction of Tamiko. On her right, a sophomore girl with bleached-white pigtails crumpled to the ground as her attempt at a single twist utterly failed. Ranko¡¯s eyes lingered until Tanda picked the girl up and ascertained that she was okay. She snapped her head forward, her twin pigtails whipping herself in the face, just in time to catch a junior careening in her direction in a handspring that had gone horribly wrong. ¡°Whoa, easy, there.¡±


    She sighed heavily, righting the girl on her feet. Somehow, I gotta pick four of these girls and get them ready to compete. Gods help me. What do I do, Shiori? Her friend and former captain had graduated, and now was on the cheerleading squad for Akane¡¯s college. Ranko hoped she¡¯d get to see her at some of her wife-to-be¡¯s volleyball matches, as she really did miss her - and she still needed to hand off Shiori¡¯s wedding invitation.


    In Chinatsu, Shiori and Kotone, the Yusue cheerleading squad had lost three of its four best fliers after Ranko herself, and their best base, Kou, had also graduated. Ranko knew she didn¡¯t necessarily need to replace those positions one-for-one with new recruits, as there might be an opportunity for one of the squad veterans to step up. Tanda and Aoi, she thought, could be decent enough fliers. Their gymnastics skills had improved considerably in their training for last year¡¯s All-Tokyo Cheerleading Invitational and after.


    And then, there was the matter of the clumsy brunette working off by herself. Every time she tried a stunt, she had to catch her glasses before they fell off of her face. Kumiko was her best friend besides Crash, but athletically, that girl was a hot mess. Bolstering herself with a deep breath, Ranko strode up to her struggling friend. ¡°Hey, Kumi. How¡¯s it coming?¡±


    Kumiko sighed in despair, wiping her brow with the sleeve of her silver tee shirt. ¡°This is never gonna work. I¡¯m such a klutz.¡±


    Ranko frowned. I¡¯m gonna do everything I can to help you make it, Kumi. ¡°For starters, try taking your glasses off. I¡¯ll hold them a sec. If you make the squad, you might want to think about some contacts.¡±


    ¡°Do those work when you¡¯re doing sports,¡± Kumiko asked as she handed the bluish-green rounded frames off to her friend.


    The squad captain nodded. ¡°Oh, yeah. Etsuko and Aoi both wear ¡®em.¡± Ranko¡¯s arms flashed forward and grabbed Kumiko by the hips suddenly, pulling her back out of the way as another girl fumbled toward them from a failed forward roll. ¡°Look out!¡±


    Ranko laughed as Ayame chased after the bumbling blonde, waving her arms frantically. ¡°Hey! Kayo! Get back here!¡±


    I have to remember, Ranko thought to herself. I have to judge on potential, not skill. None of them are gonna be as good as the girls who trained with us all last year. It¡¯s my job to pick the ones I think I can get there by January.


    Ranko nudged Kumiko gently. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go work with Tamiko on the cheers? It¡¯ll be a little easier until you get your bearings.¡± She walked over to the nearby bleacher, picking up a small green backpack. ¡°I¡¯m gonna put your glasses in your purse, ¡®kay?¡±


    Kumiko nodded as she jogged away. ¡°Thanks, Ran-chan!¡±


    Ranko strode over to another of her squadmates, who was teaching a basic dance sequence to a group of nine eager candidates. ¡°How¡¯s it going, Yori? Anybody showing promise?¡±


    With a nod, Yori motioned to a green-haired girl with dark skin and piercing blue eyes who seemed far more into the dance than her competition. ¡°That one. Her name¡¯s¡­¡± She checked the clipboard that rested in a gray plastic folding chair a step away. ¡°Rin Matsubara.¡±


    Ranko watched the girl Yori singled out for a moment. Not bad. Might even give Hitomi a run for her money. She smiled up at her fellow cheerleader. ¡°Keep on ¡®em, girl!¡±


    With a wave, Ranko made for the next group of tryouts, ducking under a girl that launched out of a double handspring into a double twist. ¡°Whoa! Watch out!¡± She giggled, sidling up to Etsuko. ¡°Etsie, how we feeling? Anybody good?¡±


    The smaller girl pointed behind Ranko. ¡°That one, Shika. She can move.¡±


    Ranko turned, motioning to the slender platinum-haired girl behind her with a thumb over her shoulder. ¡°The one who almost took my head off just there?¡±


    Etsuko nodded. ¡°Not her fault you walked through the middle of her stunt. But yeah, she¡¯s got what it takes to fly, I think. Hey! Shika! C¡¯mere!¡±


    The lithe candidate jogged up to the pair. ¡°Yes, upperclassman?¡±


    ¡°Show the captain a double twist.¡± She grinned, crossing her arms atop the Yusue High Athletics logo emblazoned across her chest.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± The eager sophomore immediately leapt backward into a double handspring, punctuating it with a double twist and landing in a gymnast¡¯s pose with her arms in the air. ¡°Is that good, upperclassman? I¡¯m working on a triple, but I can¡¯t quite land it yet.¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Etsuko grinned, motioning to Ranko. ¡°You¡¯re talking to one of the only two girls in Invitational history to land a quadruple twist.¡±


    ¡°No SHIT?!¡± Shika¡¯s brown eyes were as wide as saucers. ¡°But¡­ how?¡±


    Ranko shook her head with a small scoff. ¡°Bruises, kid. Lots of bruises. Keep up the good work, okay? I gotta make my rounds.¡± With a wave, she crossed the gymnasium again, back to where Tamiko had a semicircle of girls practicing a choreographed cheer. ¡°Any winners over here, Tami-chan?¡±


    Her friend grinned. ¡°That one on the end, Kayo. Not the best gymnast in the world, but she¡¯s all spunk. She¡¯s gonna be fun, I think.¡±


    ¡°What do you think, Kayo?¡± Ranko beamed in her direction. ¡°Do you think you have what it takes to cheer our basketball team to victory?¡±


    ¡°Yes MA¡¯AM! I¡¯m READY!¡± The diminutive blonde punched her fist in the air, putting her other hand on her hip like she was about to transform into a magical girl and fight evil by moonlight.


    Ranko giggled. ¡°Ooo-kay, then. Keep at it!¡± Woooow. Somebody get that girl a chill pill.


    <hr>


    Ranko stood in front of the assembled forty or so tryout candidates, all of whom knelt or sat on the rubber gym floor in front of her. Off to Ranko¡¯s left, the other nine returning cheerleaders waited in their uniforms for their captain to make the announcement. Ranko sighed heavily. For all but four of these girls, she was going to have to break their hearts, and she hated it.


    ¡°Okay. If I call your name, please join your new squadmates over there. Our newest Yusue Fighting Lions cheerleaders are¡­¡±


    Ranko glanced down at her clipboard before raising her eyes to a green-haired girl in the back who looked like she was about to quake out of her skin. ¡°Rin Matsubara!¡±


    The girl squealed, bouncing off the floor and skipping to the assembled cheerleaders, who took turns hugging her in congratulations.


    ¡°Kayo Morimoto!¡±


    ¡°OMIGODOMIGODOMIGOOOOOOOD!¡± The bleach-blonde jumped up and down in place for several seconds until Ranko had to motion her toward the group.


    ¡°Shika Fukita!¡±


    With a satisfied smirk, the silver-haired sophomore rocked back from her knees to her feet, joining her new squadmates with a series of high-fives.


    Fuck, Ranko, I hope you know what you¡¯re doing. It¡¯s all on you if this goes south. None of the other girls picked her, and they only went along with this because they trust you.


    She smiled down at the girl sitting front-and-center of the cheerleading hopefuls. ¡°Kumiko Ikawa!¡±


    Kumiko rocketed to her feet, running not toward the line of cheerleaders, but forward, hugging Ranko tight. ¡°Ran-chan, thank you so much! I won¡¯t let you down!¡±


    Ranko squeezed her back. ¡°I know. I won¡¯t let you. Now, shoo.¡± She beamed with a little shake of her head as Kumiko ran off to her right.


    ¡°For the rest of you,¡± she said, addressing the disappointed thirty-some girls still seated. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is it. We¡¯ve got your names written down, and should anything happen and we need to add someone, we¡¯ll call a few of you back. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯d take every one of you if I could. You all tried your butts off today.¡± She bowed deeply to the group, guilt riddling her face as the dejected girls stood and shuffled their way toward the exits.


    Once the group had cleared, Ranko¡¯s squadmates, including the four new ones, took the center space that had been vacated and sat.


    Ranko blushed. My first speech as captain. Better channel my inner Shiori. ¡°Well, this is it. Kumiko, Rin, Shika, Kayo¡­ welcome. We¡¯re proud to have you. You may have heard, we did something kind of cool last year.¡± She walked to the chair behind her, lifting a red Yusue Lions plush throw blanket to reveal the first place trophy from last year¡¯s All-Tokyo Cheerleading Invitational. As she did, a loud chorus of cheers came from the girls, and Ranko picked the trophy up, carefully handing it to Kumiko. ¡°Pass it around. I want you all to know what it feels like to hold it.¡±


    As the trophy made its way around the thirteen cheerleaders, Ranko continued. ¡°Winning that thing¡­ I¡¯m not gonna lie, it felt pretty great. Those of you who were here last year know how much work it took to earn that trophy. Those of you who weren¡¯t, well, you¡¯re about to find out. You¡¯ve gotta bring it to every practice, every performance, every time.¡± She blushed. ¡°It¡¯s a little bit like being a pop star. Even when you don¡¯t feel like you¡¯re at your best, the show has to go on and people gotta be into it, you know?¡±


    A chorus of cheers rose from the girls at Ranko¡¯s acknowledgement of her career.


    Aoi handed the trophy back up to Ranko after it had passed through all fourteen girls¡¯ hands, and Ranko covered it with the blanket again. ¡°And now that you¡¯ve felt what it¡¯s like to have a trophy like that in your hands, I want you to forget it exists. The squad that won that trophy last year doesn¡¯t exist anymore. Four of them are off to college. We¡¯re a brand-new squad, and it¡¯s a brand-new year, and we can¡¯t pretend that just because our school won last year, it¡¯s a given that we will again this year. We¡¯ve gotta work just as hard, and be just as hungry and just as humble, or somebody else is gonna get one of those in January instead of us.¡±


    The returning cheerleaders nodded in agreement.


    ¡°So,¡± Ranko continued. ¡°Here¡¯s what we¡¯re gonna do. We¡¯re gonna work our asses off. We¡¯re gonna put on one hell of a show. We¡¯re gonna win ourselves another one of those trophies, ¡®cause that one¡¯s been lookin¡¯ awful lonely in the display case in the main office.¡±


    She looked down into Tanda¡¯s worried eyes. Ranko could see the concern on her face. It had been she who originally pushed back against the dictatorial training regimen that had almost gotten Ranko kicked off of the squad the year before. She smiled disarmingly at her orange-haired squadmate.


    ¡°And, most importantly¡­ we¡¯re gonna have a shitload of fun doing it.¡±

 139. As You Like It

    Ukyo gave a reassuring smile to the short blue-haired girl she was working with. ¡°You¡¯ve just about got it! Add just a little sugar, and the yeast¡¯ll eat it up and the okonomiyaki comes out so much fluffier.¡±


    With a blush, Mei reached the burnt-orange plastic scoop back into the sugar bag, pulling out a heaping amount of fine white crystals. ¡°Like this?¡±


    The okonomiyaki chef laughed. ¡°Oh, gods, maybe a quarter of that, unless you want to make a sheet of candy instead.¡±


    Mei shook her head and complied before dumping the aluminum bowl¡¯s contents into her stand mixer. ¡°I thought you were supposed to use baking powder instead of yeast.¡±


    Ukyo nodded approvingly as Mei jotted down a note, not wanting to miss any detail of her lesson. ¡°Baking powder¡¯s easier to work with, sure. When you master the technique, though, you can get the same effect with yeast, and it comes out so much lighter!¡±


    She reached out quickly, catching Mei¡¯s hand just before she turned the mixer on. ¡°Here, let me show you something.¡± With a wink, Ukyo pulled one of the two beaters off of the industrial mixer, replacing it with a dough hook. ¡°This helps the dough get a really great consistency, because it doesn¡¯t get a chance to set fully in the flour while it¡¯s mixing.¡±


    The blue-haired girl blinked in surprise. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone do that before!¡±


    Crash¡¯s girlfriend giggled. ¡°I sure hope not! That¡¯s the Ucchan¡¯s secret technique!¡± And I hope your mixer can do it, because I broke three trying to find one that did¡­


    ¡°Whatcha doin¡¯?¡± Ranko peeked back into the kitchen, emerging from the staircase leading down from the upstairs apartment that had once been her home but now served mostly as her stage dressing room. She wore her mint-green party dress, her hair tied back in a wide matching ribbon, and a pair of white ankle boots with a minimal heel.


    Mei beamed, brushing flour from her black apron. ¡°Ukyo¡¯s teaching me how to make okonomiyaki!¡±


    ¡°What?! She¡¯s sharing her secret recipe?! I wanna see!¡± Ranko started to bound closer, but Akane grabbed her by the ponytail as she entered the back room from the bar. ¡°Nuh-uh, missy. You¡¯re still banned from the pizza oven, remember?¡±


    The redhead whirled. ¡°Akane, you blockhead! You don¡¯t even make okonomiyaki in a pizza oven!¡±


    Scoffing, the brunette in the navy blue vest tossed her white-beribboned ponytail over her shoulder. ¡°Ranko, honey, when you¡¯ve been doing it as long as I have, you can make perfect okonomiyaki in a freakin¡¯ coffeepot.¡±


    The Phoenix¡¯ resident songstress wrapped her arms around Akane¡¯s shoulders with a coy smile. ¡°And anyway, at least I¡¯m allowed in the food prep area at all, Akane! I can work that damn thing! It was just the one time, and I haven¡¯t been anywhere near that worn out in a while. I¡¯m fine!¡± She looked up at Akane, batting her mascaraed eyelashes cutely. ¡°And don¡¯t you want your wife to know how to make you amazing food, Akane? Consider it bridal training.¡±


    I cannot believe I just said those words, and I¡¯m not looking for something to be sick in. What have you done to me, Akane? And why do I love it so damned much?!


    Chuckling, Akane shook her head as she returned Ranko¡¯s hug. ¡°Silly girl. Alright, alright. But no lessons until after your set. Can¡¯t keep the paying customers waiting!¡±


    ¡°Always trying to keep me on track.¡± Ranko giggled, burying her cheek in Akane¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What would I ever do without you?¡±


    The singer¡¯s betrothed rocked her gently in her arms. ¡°You¡¯re never gonna have to find out, Ranko. Never. And besides, you¡¯re everything I need, too.¡±


    Mei giggled, having just finished sliding a raw shrimp okonomiyaki into the brick pizza oven with a wooden pizza peel. ¡°Okay, okay, you two are makin¡¯ me gag over here with all the mushy stuff.¡±


    Ignoring her sister, Ranko kissed her lover¡¯s cheek. ¡°I know, but you make me want to be more. You just¡­¡± She blushed, the spark of an idea brightening her eyes. ¡°You know what? C¡¯mere. Ukyo, you should come too!¡± Ranko stepped out of the hug, taking Akane by the hand. ¡°Mom! Akane¡¯s taking her break!¡±


    ¡°Sounds good, honey,¡± came Hana¡¯s response from the back office as Ranko led her fiancee out into the main bar room.


    ¡°Babe, if I¡¯m on break, why are you taking me into the literal room where I work, goofball?¡± Akane giggled as she was dragged between Yui and Izumi at their respective stations and into the packed Saturday night crowd.


    ¡°Because,¡± Ranko said, dragging her toward the stage. ¡°You¡¯ve been so amazing to me, even when¡­ especially when everything¡¯s hard, and I just¡­ I wanna say thank you. I know lately I¡¯ve been kind of hard to love, and you¡¯ve fought so hard for me, and¡­¡± She sighed with an affectionate smicker, pulling out a chair at the VIP table facing the stage. ¡°Just shut up and sit down? It¡¯s a lot easier to tell you stuff like this from up there.¡± She flashed a quick grin to Ukyo, who slid into the chair to Akane¡¯s left to watch her boyfriend - and the girl who was once the boy she¡¯d tried to marry - play.


    Ranko bounded up the steps to the stage, poking Shinji on the shoulder as he connected his bass guitar to the amplifier system. ¡°Hey, Shin. I wanna do the new one.¡±


    ¡°Is that one even ready?¡± Shinji craned his neck around the stage, receiving thumbs up gestures from Crash, Jacob and Ken. ¡°Alright. If you¡¯re sure, Ran-chan.¡± He removed his bass guitar from his shoulder, unplugging it and replacing it with his red electric guitar.


    The redhead nodded as she slipped her wireless headset on over her ponytail, careful not to disturb the verdant ribbon in it. She sidled over to her guitarist and best friend with a playful grin. ¡°You ready, buddy?¡±


    Crash grinned nervously, pulling off his black leather jacket and tossing it to the corner behind Ken and his drum set. It seemed warmer in the bar than usual for some reason. ¡°As I¡¯m gonna be. And hey, thanks for this, Ranko.¡±


    With a nod of acknowledgement, Ranko walked to the front of the stage, waving to the audience that began roaring the second she made eye contact with them. ¡°What¡¯s up, everybody? You wanna hear something brand-new? Come on, whaddya say? Where my Firebirds at?!¡±


    The full bar roared, both in excitement for a new song debut, and in acknowledgement of Ranko having called them by name. She¡¯d taken to using the term Firebirds to describe the band¡¯s admirers; it felt less weird to her somehow than saying my fans. The whole idea of fans was still a concept she was struggling to accept, despite how frequent their intrusions into her daily life were becoming. Fred called it impostor syndrome, whatever the hell that meant.


    Coaxed to life in Crash¡¯s practiced hands, his electric guitar began emanating a power ballad that would have been right at home on a Foreigner album. It had a slightly dated vibe, the sort of thing that had been popular a few years back, and it only sounded more so when Jacob¡¯s synthesizer joined the party.


    The lead vocalist looked over in the direction of the VIP table, rubbing the back of her left fist in a circle with a soft smile and adoring eyes.


    ¡°Why does she always do that,¡± Ukyo asked. ¡°Is there something wrong with her hand?¡±


    Akane beamed as she returned the gesture, her eyes focused up at her bride. ¡°It means I love you.¡±


    Ranko closed her eyes and began to sing with a bright smile filled with wonder and love, largely standing still and eschewing any grand choreography.


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    ¡°When I met you, I was a mess, and it made total sense to me that you¡¯d be unimpressed. And ever since, I¡¯ve tried to grow, hoping I could find a way to be someone you¡¯d wanna know. You took my hand. I don¡¯t know why. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever understand it, but I¡¯m damn sure gonna try.¡±


    Ukyo swayed happily in her chair in time with the music. ¡°Oh, this one¡¯s pretty.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes took on a concerned expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you think you see, but I¡¯m terrified that one day, you¡¯ll find out it¡¯s not in me.¡±


    Akane lowered her head a bit. Oh, honey, not this again, she thought with a quiet sigh. It broke Akane¡¯s heart that Ranko still struggled so much to accept that she was actually deserving of love, whether from her future wife, her family, or from the screaming multitudes that just wanted to hear her sing.


    Ranko¡¯s voice rose from the quiet defeat she had portrayed the verse with, into something more confident and powerful. ¡°So, I¡¯m gonna climb every mountain. I¡¯m gonna walk on the moon. When I come back, maybe I¡¯ll feel like I deserve to be in this room. I¡¯ll become a superhero. I¡¯m gonna take to the skies. Then, maybe I won¡¯t feel so weak when I see myself in your eyes.¡±


    Ukyo looked behind her at the array of lighters that were beginning to wave in the air behind her with a chuckle. ¡°She really has ¡®em eating out of her hand, huh?¡±


    Akane did not respond, transfixed as she was.


    ¡°And when it all is through, and I¡¯ve done all that I can do¡­¡± Ranko folded her hands over her heart. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be a little closer to believing that I¡¯m worthy of you.¡±


    Crash stepped forward until he was next to Ranko, eliciting a few whoops from the crowd as he joined her in singing the new song¡¯s title into a headset microphone of his own. He then poured himself into a soaring guitar solo lasting a full thirty seconds. Ukyo raised both of her arms, whooping loudly for her boyfriend as Akane looked on, beaming with happiness for her friend. Ranko gestured toward her guitarist with an awed expression and open palms, encouraging the crowd to adulate her best friend during his performance. They happily granted her unspoken request.


    Ukyo blinked in confusion tinged with concern as Ranko smiled up at her boyfriend, a look of calming reassurance on her face. Wait. His face¡­ I¡¯ve never seen Crash look nervous on stage before. What¡¯s going on here?


    Crash and Ranko leaned into each other, both of them making eye contact with the women they loved at the VIP table. Crash put his arm around Ranko¡¯s shoulder, and to the shock of everyone in the bar - not the least of which the two young women seated at stage left - Crash began to sing alone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that you expect it, don¡¯t think it would do much good, but I¡¯d arm-wrestle a dragon if you asked, just to prove I would.¡±


    The crowd roared in approval, almost drowning Ranko out as she took back the lead. ¡°When you¡¯re with me, I feel strong, like I could challenge the gods. I had luck enough to find you, so I think I like my odds!¡±


    Crash smiled down at his friend, hoping the crowd didn¡¯t see how badly his hands were shaking as he finished the shared verse. ¡°I¡¯ll take any reckless gamble. I¡¯ll do any daring deed! There is nothing I won¡¯t risk to know I¡¯m everything you need!¡±


    Crash grinned, his confidence growing as Ranko ducked out from under his arm and joined him in harmony. ¡°So, I¡¯m gonna jump over a building. I¡¯m gonna run a million miles, if that¡¯s all it takes to feel like I¡¯ve earned just one of your smiles. I¡¯m gonna fly on up to space. I¡¯m gonna capture you a star. Then I¡¯ll wish on it, and hope it makes me half of what you are.¡± At the last five words, Crash dropped his voice into the lowest register he could manage, though still not quite as deep as Shinji could get. Ranko, however, carried the words into a run high in the fourth octave, highlighting the differences between their two voices rather than continuing to blend them into one.


    Ranko fell silent, and Crash continued the refrain alone in his throaty baritone. ¡°And when it all is through, and I¡¯ve done all that I can do, I¡¯m gonna be a little closer to believing that I¡¯m¡­¡±


    The Dapper Dragons¡¯ lead vocalist rejoined him in belting out the song¡¯s title. ¡°... worthy of you.¡± Crash¡¯s voice trailed off after about a second, but Ranko carried the last note for another two, transitioning it into another high run.


    Ranko nudged her friend and motioned with her head toward the VIP table. Go get her, buddy. You deserve this. Blushing slightly, Crash took a step forward as Ranko took a step back. His eyes locked on Ukyo with a hopeful smile as he began to croon to his girlfriend alone, his voice bolstered by a greater tone of confidence.


    ¡°So I¡¯m gonna wander every desert. I¡¯m gonna sail every sea. All I¡¯m searching for¡¯s a reason you¡¯d be proud to be with me! I¡¯ll explore a deep, dark jungle, search the depths of every cave. Sure, I¡¯m scared, but you fill my heart up enough to make me brave! I¡¯m gonna go on an adventure. I¡¯m gonna cast away my fears. Gonna earn my place beside you, if it takes a thousand years!¡±


    Ranko smiled a bit wistfully, watching as her guitarist¡¯s gaze remained focused directly on Ukyo. She generally tried her best not to be too jealous of the fact that he had the luxury of not having to be vague and circumspect about the object of his affection, but just then, it was a little harder for her. Akane had been her rock, especially lately, and Ranko wished she could pull that girl up on stage and marry her right that second, just to show everyone in the room - everyone in the world - how much she appreciated Akane¡¯s love and support.


    The crowd cheered loudly for the guitarist getting his moment in the vocal spotlight. Ranko¡¯s smile brightened, looking up at Crash proudly. He doesn¡¯t get anywhere near enough credit for how far the band has come, she thought. It wasn¡¯t just me. I was just the pretty face.


    I¡¯m glad they¡¯re both happy, Akane thought to herself as she glanced over at Ukyo. And I¡¯m really glad they¡¯re both happy with someone other than my girl!


    As Crash¡¯s fingers picked away at the bridge, Ranko bumped him, motioning to the rapt young okonomiyaki chef at the VIP table, and the ear-to-ear grin she wore. His eyes locked in on Ukyo, becoming so focused on her that Ranko had to give him another gentle tap to remind him that it was his line.


    ¡°There is so much I¡¯m reaching for. You always say that I¡¯m enough, but you deserve much more.¡±


    Resting her hand over her heart, Ranko took the next line. ¡°Now this impossible romance makes me desperate not to get complacent, waste my chance.¡±


    The bandmates turned to face each other, and Crash continued, ¡°Don¡¯t ever want to leave your side, but if I screw it all up anyway¡­¡±


    Ranko loudly belted the last few words of the line together with her friend. ¡°I need to know I tried!¡± She then continued, ¡°And when it all is through¡­¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ve done all that I can do,¡± Crash contributed in response, his eyes smiling down at Ukyo. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be a little closer to believing that I¡¯m¡­¡±


    Again, Ranko¡¯s stratospheric alto joined him only for the last three words of the verse, her fawning eyes never far from Akane without locking on her directly as she swayed on the stage. ¡°...worthy of you.¡±


    She bit her lip gently, smiling down in the general direction of her fiancee as all four musical instruments came to rest. ¡°So, I promise you, it¡¯s true¡­¡±


    Crash rested his hand on his heart as he sang directly to Ukyo, finally having his fingers free of his guitar for long enough to do so. ¡°... the only thing I wanna do¡­¡±


    Ranko locked her gaze up at her duet partner as the pair sang together, even though she was staring into his left ear. Look at me, at least sometimes, Crash. We gotta get used to selling the idea that we¡¯re singing about each other, dude. That¡¯s how duets work.


    ¡°... is be a little closer to believing that I¡¯m worthy of you.¡±


    Crash made fists with both of his hands, clutching them close to his chest over the guitar hanging across his torso as he sang in his baritone timbre. ¡°Of youuuu!¡±


    If Crash¡¯s voice swept the floor, Ranko¡¯s cracked the ceiling, eking halfway through the fifth octave with a high run to complement his singular low note. ¡°Of youuuu-hooo, HOO-oo-ooo-OOOH!¡±


    The friends joined hands, Crash¡¯s left to Ranko¡¯s right. Let¡¯s finish it together, buddy, Ranko mused as she smiled into her friend and bandmate¡¯s eyes. And, gods, please don¡¯t let Akane think this means I¡¯m into him, like she did before.


    ¡°Worthy of¡­ you¡­¡±


    As the crowd cheered, Ranko and Crash gave each other a tight hug before turning and waving to the women for whom they¡¯d co-written the song.


    Akane made a limp fist with her left hand, rubbing it in a circle with her right as she smiled up at the stage.


    Ukyo did, too.

 140. Show and Tell

    Ranko walked down the unfamiliar corridor, adjusting the weight of the awkwardly-shaped case strapped over her right shoulder. The clacking of her black heeled boots echoed in the cavernous space. She checked the green note in her hand. Room 118. Where the hell is¡­ Okay, there¡¯s 111, 113, 115¡­ crap, the even numbers must be on the other side of the cafeteria.


    She turned, heading back down the alien hallway. Everything seemed too empty, and too small. It had been ages since she¡¯d been in a school like this, and if she were being honest with herself, about the only parts of it she remembered was getting into fights with the other boys. Just thinking of herself as a boy felt foreign and strange, as if she were remembering a dream that was fading from memory a little more with each second she was awake.


    She was jostled from her nostalgia by the voice of a man in his late twenties, wearing a brown suit that was a bit too big for him. It was almost threadbare in places, and it was certainly too old for him to have been its original owner. ¡°Can I help you? Visitors really aren¡¯t supposed to be wandering the halls like this.¡±


    Ranko looked down at the paper in her hand, giving him a disarming smile. ¡°Yeah, please. I¡¯m looking for room 118? Mrs. Gazawa¡¯s class?¡±


    The young man shook his head with a smile. ¡°Of course. I should have known. C¡¯mon, I¡¯ll walk you.¡± He motioned Ranko forward. ¡°So, pardon me if I¡¯m being impolite, but you seem a little¡­ young to be one of our mothers.¡±


    The redhead¡¯s face flushed instantly, and she gave him an emphatic head shake in the negative. Mother? Yeah, no thanks. No babies for this girl, thankyouverymuch. I may be okay with being a girl now, but that¡¯s a bridge too far. Three bridges, a sailboat, and a jumbo jet too far. Maybe if Akane ever asked really nice, I could try to make her a mother, but¡­ She cringed a bit at the thought with a flush the young man did not notice.


    ¡°Well, here you go.¡± The young teacher gestured toward a pine door with the number 118 stenciled on it in white paint. ¡°Have fun.¡±


    Ranko nodded her thanks with softly flushed cheeks. She turned the doorknob and pushed into the classroom, shooting a warm smile to the young black-haired teacher with a nervous bow toward her third-grade class. A murmur of excitement arose from the children as Ranko sat in the rolling office chair the instructor motioned to at the front of the class, smoothing the knee-length black skirt she wore and crossing her ankles.


    Mrs. Gazawa stood, gesturing with her slender hands for her class to quiet down. ¡°Friends, as you may have noticed, we have a very special guest joining us today for our Wednesday career profile! Hoshi, would you like to come up and introduce her?¡±


    Ranko¡¯s nephew bounded out of his little desk toward the front of the room, diving into her with a tight hug. The force of his impact almost knocked the oblong black case she was opening out of her lap.


    ¡°Oof! Hey, buddy! Good to see you.¡± Ranko kissed the top of Hoshi¡¯s head as he turned to face his classmates.


    ¡°Everybody,¡± Hoshi said, blushing deeply. He definitely wasn¡¯t the extrovert in the family. ¡°This is my Auntie Ranko. She¡¯s a really famous singer!¡± He motioned down to the black Ranko and the Dapper Dragons tee shirt he wore. ¡°And she¡¯s a hero, too. She saved me last year when a carnival ride fell down on me, remember?¡± He smiled up adoringly at the redhead as the class clapped respectfully for their guest. ¡°Thanks for coming, Auntie. I¡¯m not sure anybody believed me that we¡¯re related.¡±


    Ranko shook her head with a smile, giving him a squeeze around his shoulders. ¡°Go grab your seat, little man.¡± As Hoshi headed for his desk, Ranko waved to the collection of children - and to the young teacher, who seemed to be losing the battle for professional decorum to triumph over her own desire to go full fangirl.


    ¡°Well, everybody, it¡¯s so good to meet you! Like Hoshi said, I¡¯m Ranko Tendo. Hoshi¡¯s mom is my big sister. And I guess you¡¯ve heard I like to sing?¡± She blushed. ¡°Does anybody have any questions for me?¡± At least a dozen hands shot up.


    ¡°Oh, my goodness! I¡¯ll see if I can get to everybody. Let¡¯s start with you, honey.¡± She motioned to a blonde girl in the front row, who stood with a smile.


    ¡°Hi!¡± The little girl waved. ¡°Is it hard to be a singer?¡±


    Ranko laughed. ¡°Starting with the hard ones, huh? What¡¯s your name, sweetheart?¡±


    ¡°Chuko,¡± she said with a little giggle.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s nice to meet you, Chuko!¡± Ranko bowed her head slightly, still struggling with the zippers around her guitar case. ¡°So, being a singer¡¯s not hard. I mean, I bet all of us in here like to sing, right? It¡¯s super fun! But doing it as a job? That can be hard, sure. Being on stage, signing autographs, all that stuff looks like it comes natural, but it doesn¡¯t. It takes lots and lots and lots of practice to get the songs just right, get the dance steps just right, things like that.


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    ¡°Most singers start off singing other people¡¯s songs, like I did, but eventually, singers usually want to start writing their own, and that¡¯s a lot of work too. You¡¯ve gotta know not just your part with the words, but everybody else¡¯s too, if you want to get the music to sound good. I¡¯m really lucky; my best friend Crash helps me a lot with that part.¡± She finally extracted her instrument from the black nylon case, setting it aside. ¡°In fact, he bought me this guitar and taught me how to play it.¡±


    She blushed again, fidgeting with her hair to help hide it. Why am I more nervous in front of thirty kids than ten thousand Firebirds?


    ¡°Really, though ¨C just about everything you could do for a job is hard somehow. It either takes a lot of practice, or a lot of school, or a lot of working to get really strong. Like, Mrs. Gazawa back there. She has to think up what she¡¯s gonna teach every day, get the homework ready, check everybody¡¯s work, stuff like that. My sister, Hoshi¡¯s mom, makes amazing dresses that take days and days to get perfect, and my other sister Yui has to know hundreds of recipes for different things people like to drink, so she can make them right there on the spot if they want something special. There¡¯s a lot of behind the scenes work in any job if you wanna really do it well. The important thing is to pick something you love to do so much that you don¡¯t mind doing all that work, or messing up a thousand times, because of how good it feels that thousand-and-first time when you finally get it right. That¡¯s how you figure out what you wanna do for the rest of your life.¡±


    As the class sensed she was finishing with her answer, several hands shot up again, and she called on a little boy sitting to Hoshi¡¯s left. He stood with a nervous, meek smile. ¡°How did you save Hoshi, when the ride fell down?¡±


    Ranko rubbed her chin. I really don¡¯t remember most of it, after I hit my head, but I¡¯ll try, kid.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s not really a lot to tell. I heard the ride making all kinds of noise, and then I looked up and I saw it was starting to fall down. There wasn¡¯t really time to get out from under it, so I just sort of grabbed Hoshi and jumped in a hole, and covered him up so nothing hit him. Then we just had to wait for the firefighters to come get us.¡±


    ¡°Whoa! Did it hurt?¡± The young boy¡¯s eyes widened like he¡¯d just met Spider-man.


    ¡°Honestly?¡± Ranko smiled. ¡°Probably, but I don¡¯t remember.¡± She made a fist and knocked gently on the side of her head. ¡°I broke my head. I was dizzy for almost a month! But my mom and my sisters, and even Hoshi, helped take care of me until I felt better.¡±


    A really shy-looking girl in the back row was called on next, and as she stood, Ranko watched in real time as every drop of blood in her body pooled in her cheeks. She did not immediately speak.


    Ranko smiled disarmingly, even as some of the girl¡¯s classmates snickered at her nerves. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay. We all get shy sometimes. Take your time, honey. Let¡¯s be cool, everybody, okay?¡±


    Eventually, the girl spoke, and when she did, it was Ranko¡¯s turn to squirm and want to hide. ¡°As a singer, do you get a lot of attention from boys?¡±


    Ranko¡¯s head dropped into her hand. ¡°Whoa boy. Wasn¡¯t expecting that one.¡± She laughed nervously. ¡°But, um, yeah. All the time. It can be fun sometimes, but it can be annoying sometimes, too. Like, I had to write a whole song one time to get this one guy to stop chasing me around.¡± And now everybody knows his name, just like he wanted.


    The little girl giggled. ¡°Do you have a boyfriend now?¡±


    Ranko looked around the classroom for something to hide behind. Hoshi started to turn in his chair, but his aunt shot him a glare, reminding him with her eyes what they¡¯d talked about last night ¨C that Hoshi¡¯s soon-to-be-Auntie Akane was a secret that his classmates didn¡¯t need to know about, because not everyone understood how two girls could love each other as much as she and Akane did. Hell, Ranko was still shocked sometimes by how effectively they¡¯d made it work so far, especially given how much more difficult her burgeoning fame was making things of late.


    You told the world you were engaged, Ranko. There was a reason everybody said not to. You gotta live with the consequences now.


    ¡°I, um¡­ Yeah, I do. His name is Aki, and he¡¯s, like, really handsome, and so sweet. He loves me so much, I can barely stand it! We¡¯re getting married really soon!¡± Gods help me.


    Most of the girls in the room giggled in excitement at her answer. Better pick on a boy, and change the subject, quick. She motioned to a young man with bright orange hair in the second row, who stood with a smile.


    ¡°Who¡¯s your favorite singer? That isn¡¯t you, I mean?¡±


    The redhead grinned. An easy one. Thank you, gods.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s gotta be Paula Abdul. I try really hard to learn from her! She does amazing choreog ¨C she makes up really cool dance moves. I used to sing her stuff all the time before I had more of my own.¡±


    The still-standing boy nodded. ¡°Do you think she¡¯s heard your music?¡±


    Ranko blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear. ¡°Oh my gods, if she listened to my stuff? I¡¯d probably just die.¡± She glanced up at the clock on the wall. Only a few minutes left in the period.


    ¡°Hey, would you guys like it if I sang you a song? And after that, I¡¯ve got thirty autographed CDs in my bag there, if anyone would like one!¡± She smiled warmly at the cheering class, and gave a knowing grin to the disappointed-looking teacher in the back of the room. ¡°Hoshi already has one, of course, so there¡¯s one extra, just in case.¡± The young woman in the back of the room clapped her hands quietly in excitement and beamed as if Ranko had just made her week.


    As she adjusted her guitar in her lap, the children settled quietly, and not another breath could be heard as she started plucking at the strings.


    ¡°Did you know the way time stops when our eyes meet? The way that everything else fades out of my mind?¡±

 141. Chasing the Dream

    ¡°Owww! Dammit! I¡¯m never gonna get this crap!¡±


    Wiping away a strand of flame-red hair stuck to her face with sweat, Ranko tossed her water bottle to her companion, who was still sitting up from her prone position in the grass of the Yusue High School rugby field. ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t get discouraged. This isn¡¯t gonna happen in a day, you know. We all fall sometimes. Even me.¡±


    Her dejected trainee caught the plastic sports bottle, squirting some of its contents into her mouth. ¡°Ran-chan, we should just face it. Some girls aren¡¯t built for this sort of thing, and, well, I¡¯ve got just about enough gymnastic skill to run the manga club. No matter how many nights you work with me after school like this, it¡¯s not gonna get any better. You know it. You should¡¯ve picked somebody else.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe you¡¯re right.¡± Ranko sighed quietly, walking back to the bleachers where she¡¯d left her bulging red gym bag. ¡°I mean, if you want to quit, I¡¯d understand.¡± Without turning back to face Kumiko and revealing her insidious grin, she unzipped the bag, pulling a large, oblong black object from it.


    Take the bait, Kumi. Come on. I know you can do this. I know you want it. Fight for it.


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± Ranko¡¯s friend clamored to her feet, dusting bits of grass off of her green pleated skirt with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s not that I wanna quit! I don¡¯t! I¡¯m just hopeless.¡±


    Ranko nodded as she sat on the first step of the bleachers, leaning back on the bench above it. ¡°It¡¯s up to you, Kumi. I fully believe you can do this, a thousand percent. It¡¯s only been a couple of days. The gymnastics part is always the hardest to get started with.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? I mean, that, and the cheering, and the dancing¡­ I think I might have managed to put the outfit on right?¡± Kumiko groaned. ¡°I should just let it go, and give you back all of this time. I¡¯m sure Akane¡¯s going crazy with the wedding right around the corner and you spending all your afternoons up here with me.¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°Hey, now. I promised I¡¯d help you, and I will, for as long as you want it. I  knew what I was getting myself into when I made that promise, and so did Akane. Don¡¯t you dare quit for my sake. But I¡¯m not going to ask you to do something you don¡¯t want to do. So, you know what? Forget it. Let¡¯s just hang out instead.¡± As she spoke, Ranko reached up to her right, swatting at the second button from the right on the portable stereo she¡¯d brought, and the cassette heads engaged with a quiet click.


    Kumiko¡¯s hands flopped to her sides in defeat. ¡°I mean, I can¡¯t flip, I can barely cheer. I don¡¯t know what the hell you were thinking when you picked me, Ran-chan. Everybody¡¯s gonna think you¡¯re cr¡­ wait a minute! Is that Dream-Color Chaser?! She grinned, listening more closely as an upbeat trill of synthesized brass and a fast, hammering drumbeat bounced from Ranko¡¯s radio. ¡°From Metal Armor Dragonar? I didn¡¯t think you were into mecha shows!¡±


    Ranko just nodded, still relaxing on the bleachers without talking over the music. I¡¯m not, but I know you, of all people, can¡¯t resist an anime. You¡¯ve gotta know this.


    The brunette laughed, almost involuntarily swaying her hips in time with the energetic synthesizer. ¡°I friggin¡¯ love this song! I just can¡¯t help but move to it!¡± Her exhaustion seemed to fade from her eyes as the upbeat music took hold of her body.


    Kumiko¡¯s friend and fellow cheerleader smirked confidently. Yeah, that¡¯s why I picked it, dummy. Ranko pushed her hands off her bare knees and stood, her lycra shorts sticking slightly to the aluminum bench as she rose, and closed the distance to her giggling friend in a few quick steps.


    After watching Kumiko flail about for another few beats, Ranko began bopping along with the rhythm exactly as her friend was, mirroring every one of her simplistic moves precisely. Kumiko looked to her left, watching with wide awestruck eyes as Ranko flawlessly - and nearly instantly - picked up a move set that she herself was making up on the spot.


    After twenty seconds of dancing in synchronization with her friend, Ranko made a wide gesture toward herself with one arm as she moved, beckoning wordlessly for Kumiko to watch as she began to add to the impromptu choreography Kumiko had begun. She stuck out her left arm, locking her elbow and extending her palm forward, slowing the popping of her hips to match every other thump of the heavy, high-energy bass. She rocked her palm back and forth in half-circles extended away from her body, as she imagined one might do with the steering wheel of a car. She repeated this pattern for several seconds until Kumiko got the hint and aped her movements. The brunette laughed heartily, loving every second of sharing this element of her favorite pastime with her best friend.


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    Bolstered by a series of three rapidly ascending beats from the synthesized trumpet, Ranko swung her arm across her chest, bending it at the elbow. She then rotated her shoulder so that her hand was pointed upward, raising her hand to the sky with an open palm and spread fingers in a pose similar to the ones found on the covers of any number of Kumiko¡¯s magical girl manga serials. This position, Kumiko had no trouble at all mimicking, and Ranko gave her a quick nod of acknowledgement as she did so successfully.


    Slowly drawing a wide spiral in the air over her head with her hand as she lowered it, as if spinning an invisible gymnastic ribbon, the squad captain smiled brightly at her friend. She moved slowly and deliberately, giving Kumiko plenty of time to follow along. Her left fist came to rest on her hip, and her right rose to join it on the other. She kicked forward a half-step on bouncy toes and raised heels, alternating which foot bore the majority of her weight with every pop of her hips as if to emphasize each heavy hit from the electronic brass. As she did, she swiveled slightly at the waist to face whichever of her feet bore her weight at the moment.


    It took Kumiko a moment to fully follow Ranko¡¯s lead, but she eventually did, a scintillating smile on her face.


    Yes! She¡¯s doing it! Now, can we level it up a little bit? Watch me, Kumi!


    Beaming, Ranko swung her right arm until it was extended fully from her side toward Kumiko, swaying her hand at the wrist every two beats until Kumiko duplicated her posture. Her feet never stopped moving, even though they never left the ground.


    Good. Now¡­ Ranko curled her fingers on her extended hand toward herself repeatedly. Bring it back to me. Come on, Kumi! See the pattern! You can do it¡­


    After a few beats of not having received further guidance, Kumiko understood, and swung her left arm toward Ranko, mirroring the gesture she¡¯d already done to her right side. With a joyful grin of pride, Ranko followed suit four beats later.


    Yes! You got it! Now back to you¡­ Her weight still alternating on the balls of her feet with every other beat, Ranko again extended her right arm to Kumiko as she lowered her left. This time, Kumiko immediately understood what to do, continuing the cascade to her right, and then redirecting the chain back toward Ranko with her left arm a second and a half later.


    Okay. Now, let¡¯s go back to the beginning. Are you paying attention? Remember how we started? Ranko threw her hand forward again and as the next chorus began, and as she rotated her arm as she did before, first at the wrist, then left, then up, and then thrust upward to the sky, Kumiko followed in lockstep with her without the need for delays to comprehend the next move.


    Hell yeah! She¡¯s doing so great! Ranko beamed at her friend. I¡¯m so proud of you, Kumi! But I can¡¯t complicate this too much - she needs to finish without falling. She¡¯s not gonna get any confidence if she wipes out at the end.


    The redhead raised her left arm skyward again. Every time she kicked her weight to the right, her head and her hand moved to the left, and vice-versa. Just a few more seconds, Kumi. You got this¡­


    As the song built to its end, Ranko¡¯s hand came to rest above her head, her skyward palm shadowed by the first two of her fingers curled over it. Kumiko shadowed her movement a quarter-second later as the song faded to silence on Ranko¡¯s little portable cassette player.


    The captain turned to face her new recruit so quickly that her ponytail whipped over her right shoulder. Her face was aglow, and not just because it was glistening with sweat in the mid-May sun. ¡°That was amazing! Now, was that fun or what?!¡±


    Kumiko nodded, a little short of breath from her exertion, but her eyes sparkled as she did.


    Ranko draped her right arm over her friend¡¯s shoulder, giving her a tight squeeze. ¡°I told ya you can do it! You just gotta let loose and have fun! Don¡¯t let yourself overthink it!¡±


    The nascent confidence fading somewhat from her eyes, Kumiko shook her head as she worked to catch her breath. ¡°I mean, that was great! But it was one song, Ran-chan. No big deal.¡±


    Right on cue, Ranko¡¯s radio began to play the second song on the mix tape its owner had prepared, and the high-pitched lyrics of Miraiha Lovers, the opening song from Mobile Police Patlabor, broke the silence and drew a bright smile from Kumiko.


    Ranko motioned toward herself, encouraging Kumiko to rise from her doubled-over posture with an enthusiastic smile as her hips began to sway again. She cringed playfully. ¡°Yeah, but¡­ was it really just the one, though?¡±


    Kumiko rolled her eyes, grinning as the new, upbeat song began working its way into her spine. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get you for this, Tendo.¡±


    With a smirk and a giggle, Ranko kicked off the grass, spinning once on her toe with the grace of a ballerina, her arms whirling around her torso.


    ¡°Gotta keep up with me first, Ikawa! Now, move!¡±

 142. Hot Like Lava

    ¡°You guys, I¡­ wow. Thank you. This is so sweet.¡±


    Ranko blushed, backing up a few steps until her shoulders touched the pewter-colored cinder block wall of the store behind her. So much for sunglasses making it hard to recognize me.


    ¡°Ran-KO! Ran-KO! Ran-KO! Ran-KO!¡±


    She waved with both hands to the forty or so fans who had gathered around her. ¡°Seriously, guys, thank you so much, but, umm, I¡¯m supposed to meet somebody in a few minutes! Can I just, like, sign something quick for you or something? Please?¡±


    Come on, guys. I love you too, but you¡¯re gonna make me late.


    A few of the fans dispersed at her request, but a cadre of twenty or so Firebirds remained surrounding her, whooping and shouting questions at her.


    Guys, seriously, this is starting to freak me out a little bit. She tried to step back, but the crush of fans and the concrete wall behind her offered her nowhere to go. She reached into her black shoulder bag, pulling out a fine-point gold marker and waving it above her head. ¡°Come on, who wants something signed?¡±


    Ranko began frantically writing her name on anything that was thrust in front of her, hoping to dispel the remaining crowd. Ranko shook her head in stunned confusion, more of an edge in her voice than she intended as she looked up at the man holding out the next article awaiting an autograph. ¡°Seriously? A freakin¡¯ Rise poster? Do you just, like, carry this around town in case you ever ran into me?¡±


    The tall, lanky man in the blue sport coat shrugged. ¡°I heard you live around here, so I figured, you never know.¡±


    Fuck, am I gonna need to hire a bodyguard or something? ¡®Cause, like, I can take these clowns easy, but I don¡¯t think the label will be too cool with me kickin¡¯ the shit out of fans if they get a little too creepy. She blushed deeply, not sharing the invasive thought behind her sweet smile with anyone. Who am I kidding? I don¡¯t need to hire a bodyguard for myself. I¡¯m about to marry one.


    With the last of her rabid admirers finally sated, Ranko looked up at the wrought-iron clock pole in the middle of the open-air shopping center¡¯s central aisle. ¡°Fuck! I¡¯m definitely gonna be late!¡±


    Adjusting her bag on her shoulder, she rushed toward the little cafe where she was supposed to have been twenty minutes ago. If I run, it¡¯ll attract more attention. I¡¯ll get stopped again. She settled for a brisk walk, keeping her hands at her side to keep the breeze from giving any passers-by a glimpse of the pastel pink panties she wore under her flowing white dress. It was her favorite, the one Akane picked out the first night she¡¯d spent the night. The one she wore on Christmas, when Akane had proposed to her. Wearing it felt like Akane was with her, like she was wrapped in an embroidered hug and a suit of lace armor all at once.


    As she approached her destination a sharp, admonishing voice came from one of the outdoor tables at the cafe.


    ¡°You¡¯re thirty minutes late, girl.¡±


    The redhead bit her tongue so hard it almost bled. I want her to see me as a girl, but every time she says the word, it¡¯s like she¡¯s stabbing me with it. Ranko turned, cringing as she bowed in apology to her biological mother. ¡°I know. I¡¯m so, so sorry! I got¡­ held up.¡± She reached for the handle to the gate into the open-air patio, but Nodoka waved her off. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I¡¯ve already finished my coffee and paid the check. We¡¯ll just move on.¡±


    Damn it. And I was really looking forward to lunch, too. I¡¯m starving. ¡°Oh¡­ okay.¡± She opened the gate anyway, holding it for Nodoka as she exited and standing awkwardly with it still in her hand as her mother¡­ inspected her. Ranko had checked her appearance at least a dozen times in the mirror, but now, she expected she was being judged on every hair that might be slightly out of place.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the sunglasses? It¡¯s not bright out here.¡± Nodoka pursed her lips, shaking her head in disappointment. ¡°You know it¡¯s rude to wear those when you¡¯re talking to people, right?¡±


    But¡­ if I don¡¯t¡­


    Ranko sighed rebelliously, rolling her eyes as she pulled her pink-framed glasses off and pushed them into her black purse. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    The irritated woman clicked her tongue. ¡°No, I suppose that will do for now.¡± Adjusting the weight of the long bundle strapped across her back, she turned toward the long row of shops. ¡°Come along, Ranma.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Ranko crossed her arms defiantly across her chest. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of stuff I¡¯ll bend on, but you are not going to call me by that name. We talked about this already. It¡¯s not up for debate. If you want me to believe I have any hope of you accepting me, you¡¯ve gotta start there.¡±


    Nodoka turned, shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s a habit. It¡¯ll take some getting used to.¡±


    The redhead scoffed. ¡°Habit, my ass. You haven¡¯t even seen me in over fifteen years! The only habit you have is forgetting I exist, and leaving Pop to ruin my whole damn life while you went and watched soap operas or some shit.¡±


    The harshness faded from the woman¡¯s face, replaced with a tinge of vulnerability and hurt. ¡°Child, I never forgot you. Not for a second. I¡¯ve regretted letting your father take you every single day since it happened. Don¡¯t you ever doubt that, girl.¡±


    The teenager leaned on the window of the cafe¡¯s dining room, giving her mother a look that was more inquisitory than accusatory. ¡°Do¡­ do you actually love me at all?¡±


    Nodoka sighed, drooping her head in shame. ¡°I love my son. As for this¡­¡± She gestured to her daughter. ¡°... little girl? I suppose I¡­ I¡¯m trying.¡±


    Ranko stepped forward, planting her feet. ¡°Then say my fucking name.¡±


    The brunette in the kimono sighed in defeat. ¡°Your name is Ranko Sao¡­¡±


    ¡°Tendo!¡± Ranko glared, shouting over the rest of the word. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever call me by that poisonous name again. Besides¡­¡± She sneered darkly. ¡°Isn¡¯t it all proper and traditional to use a woman¡¯s married name to refer to her?¡±


    ¡°It is when she¡¯s married.¡± Nodoka sighed, crossing her arms gruffly. ¡°But, very well. Ranko Tendo, then.¡±


    A collection of gasps rose out of the previously muddled din of conversation in the alleyway. ¡°Wait, Ranko Tendo is here?!¡± In seconds, another flood of humanity swept between Ranko and her mother, backing the singer up against the cafe window. Receipts, baseball caps, and even napkins from the cafe were thrust forward at her; anything that could be written on with a marker, she saw it. Ranko half-expected the young mother in the back of the throng to hand her baby up to be signed.


    ¡°Guys! Whoa, whoa!¡± Ranko hopped up, balancing on the wrought-iron fence surrounding the cafe¡¯s outdoor patio and motioning downward with open palms to try and tamp down their excitement. ¡°Look, I¡¯m hanging out with someone right now, and I was already late ¡®cause I was signing autographs, so I need you to chill, alright?¡±


    She looked up at the clock in the alley. 1:00. Plenty of time. ¡°Okay, look, I¡¯ll tell you what. If you guys can give me a little space, I¡¯ll come back here at say, 5:30, and I¡¯ll sign whatever you want, take pictures, all that good stuff. But I need a few hours, okay? Please?¡±


    From the far side of the alley, where she had been flushed clear by the mob, Nodoka rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Perhaps she¡¯s more famous than I thought. And some people do seem to like her. She cracked a guilty smile. And, however much I hate to admit it, she¡¯s kind of impressing me, too. She¡¯s her own woman, but she¡¯s still got that Saotome fight in her.


    As the hopeful crowd began to disperse, two young men stepped forward, offering Ranko their hands to help her down from her perch on the fence. She didn¡¯t need the assistance, but in her loose-flowing dress, she thought it might be better to accept it anyway. Besides, she didn¡¯t want to be rude. She offered each of them one of her hands with a blush and was softly lowered until her white leather flats contacted the sidewalk.


    ¡°Thanks, guys. See you in a few hours, okay?¡± She looked back at the cafe, and noticed a few of the employees standing in the aisles between rows of tables watching the commotion through the window. ¡°Oh, can somebody please go warn the staff about what''s about to happen to them?¡±


    Finally free of the second throng of admirers, Ranko plodded back to rejoin her mother. ¡°Sorry about that. Occupational hazard.¡±


    Nodoka nodded as she walked alongside the girl who was once her son, in no small measure of awe of her notoriety. ¡°Does that sort of thing happen often?¡±


    Ranko blushed deeply, fidgeting with her white-ribboned ponytail. Her celebrity status was still hard for her to come to terms with, but ever since the album release and her television appearance, it seemed to be increasing every day. She sometimes wondered if she¡¯d ever go to the grocery store in peace again, and she dared not send Akane alone for fear she would bring home bathroom cleanser instead of table salt.


    ¡°It¡¯s starting to, yeah. Like, I don¡¯t even know what to do with it. I¡¯m just a regular girl, you know? It¡¯s still just so crazy to me that, like, people want me to sign stuff or whatever. Like, who gives a shit, you¡¯ve got a greasy pizza receipt that I wrote my name on. But it makes ¡®em happy, so I try, ya know?¡±


    Nodoka laughed. ¡°You, my dear, are anything but a regular girl.¡±


    My dear? Ranko blinked. Who are you, and what have you done with psycho sword lady?


    ¡°So, um, where are we going?¡± Ranko looked up at her mother nervously, her head on a swivel as she walked. Nodoka hadn¡¯t offered to let her put her sunglasses back on, though Ranko thought perhaps she might permit it now that she¡¯d seen the consequences of her daughter being recognized.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t decided yet,¡± Nodoka said with a smirk that was somewhere between devious and judgmental. ¡°I thought we might have something of a girls¡¯ day.¡±


    Ranko swallowed hard, following along. If this was Izzi or Akane saying that, it would be cool. I might almost be excited, fucked as it is to admit it. But from her? Why do I get the feeling this is another one of her stupid tests?


    ¡°So, like, shopping, or¡­?¡±


    The woman in the kimono turned. ¡°Oh, that wouldn¡¯t be fair to do to you. I know you¡¯re still trying to save money for your wedding, and all.¡± There was a little more sincerity in her voice, but a slight tinge of skepticism remained behind her eyes. ¡°And, speaking of which, don¡¯t worry about money - whatever we do today, I¡¯ll pay for.¡±


    Ranko nodded with a nervous smile. Well, that¡¯s at least one less thing to worry about, but what do you have up that kimono sleeve, lady?


    ¡°In fact¡­ since you¡¯ve been saving for so long, it¡¯s probably been a while since you¡¯ve really treated yourself, yes?¡± Nodoka smiled, a bit more warmth in her expression.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Um... I guess?¡± Ranko¡¯s nerves were apparent in her voice.


    Nodoka gestured with her neck at an open door to her right, and Ranko immediately recognized the acrid smell of acetone. ¡°Come on. You probably need to get most of this stuff done before the wedding, anyhow, right?¡±


    Oh, no. Come on! Not this. Not freaking girly-girl final boss shit. Just¡­ come on!


    ¡°Uh, sh¡ªsure! Right!¡± Ranko looked around frantically, desperately hoping a mob of fans would sweep her clear out to the parking lot, but none arrived. I¡¯ve never done this without Izumi or Akane coaching me through it. I¡¯m so screwed.


    Ranko walked with some trepidation into the little salon. It seemed to only go halfway as far back into the building as the previous shops she¡¯d peered into, as if the back half of the shop was hidden behind the storefront she saw.


    ¡°Um, hi,¡± Ranko said nervously to the black-haired, middle-aged woman at the front desk. ¡°I¡¯m here to, like, get my nails painted?¡±


    Nodoka waved her off, shooing her away from the reception desk. ¡°Nonsense. Give her the whole works.¡±


    The whole¡­ what the hell does that even mean? ¡°Um, yay?¡± Help.


    The woman in the kimono shook her head. ¡°Honestly, child. You would think you¡¯d be used to this, with as much time as you spend on stage. You¡¯ve probably spent more time in a makeup chair than I have, and I¡¯m twice your age.¡±


    Yeah, well, I guess the stylists know a lost cause when they see one, lady.


    ¡°Sure. Most¡¯a the time it¡¯s just my sisters doing this for me, though - I usually can¡¯t afford professional stuff unless¡­ work pays for it.¡± It felt safer than saying the record label in a room full of young women who might swarm her in the middle of their facials. ¡°I guess, where do we start?¡±


    The receptionist led Ranko to a black vinyl chair, motioning for her to take a seat. ¡°We¡¯ll start with washing your hair, and then we¡¯ll give it a style, color, whatever you want.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes widened in fear when she saw the steam rising from the sink next to her. ¡°I um, uh, I don¡¯t need it washed! I just did it this morning! Thanks, though!¡±


    Nodoka sat in a red vinyl waiting chair across from her daughter, picking up a style book. ¡°Do you have any thoughts on what style you¡¯d like?¡±


    I¡¯d like the ¡°let¡¯s do literally anything else¡± style, please and thank you. ¡°Not really. I¡­ wasn¡¯t exactly planning on doing this when I left the house. Aren¡¯t you gonna get anything done? I thought this was a girls¡¯ day together.¡±


    Her mother waved her off with a quiet smile. ¡°Oh, no, honey. Don¡¯t be silly. I¡¯m content to just relax and watch.¡±


    Yeah, you just wanna watch me suffer alone. Thanks. Appreciate you there, ¡°mom.¡±


    Ranko slowly pulled the white ribbon and the elastic out of her hair. ¡°I definitely want to keep it long. Izumi¡¯s got a plan for how we¡¯re gonna do it for the wedding, and I like being able to put it up in ponytails and pigtails and stuff.¡±


    Nodoka scoffed. ¡°Aren¡¯t pigtails a little juvenile for a woman of almost twenty?¡±


    The redhead chuckled, a bit of a salacious smirk on her lips. Yeah, well¡­ if you felt for one second what putting it up like that makes Akane wanna do to me, you wouldn¡¯t hesitate either. ¡°Well, performing, ya know. You gotta have the flexibility to do all kinda stuff, depending on the look you¡¯re going for.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Ranko¡¯s mother said with a shrug. ¡°I can¡¯t begin to imagine what all it must take, handling everything required to perform on stage.¡±


    Maybe because you rock a style that went out of fashion in the Edo period, Ranko thought with a dark smirk. Just a thought?


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely a lot. I definitely had to learn all this stuff on hard mode, but¡­¡± Ranko smiled blissfully, despite her clear anxiety about her upcoming salon experience. ¡°When I¡¯m up there, and they¡¯re chanting my name, and it feels like everybody wants me, everybody likes me, everybody¡¯s proud of me¡­ It¡¯s worth all of it and more. There¡¯s no feeling like it in the world.¡±


    And it¡¯s everything you never gave me.


    As she spoke, a young technician approached her chair, pushing a wheeled tray with a small basket mounted underneath. ¡°Hey there miss! Suki¡¯s still wrapping up with another client, so I figured we¡¯d get started on other stuff first.¡± She slid the tray to Ranko¡¯s left side, picking up her left hand and placing it on the tray. ¡°Oh, honey, your ring is so adorable!¡±


    Ranko beamed with a deep blush. ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    The tech pulled out a bottle of nail polish remover, applying some of the acrid liquid to a cotton ball. ¡°You just relax. We¡¯re gonna make your nails all pretty!¡±


    Nodding with a tentative smile, Ranko relaxed her hand. I¡¯ve had this done before, a couple of times. This isn¡¯t so bad.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re getting married? When¡¯s the big day?¡± The excitable technician giggled as she ran over Ranko¡¯s fingers with an emery board.


    ¡°July sixth. It¡¯s so close! Omigods, I¡¯m so nervous.¡± Ranko¡¯s face was afire. It always was when she thought about the idea of being a bride. Being a wife, she was confident she could handle, but the act of getting there still terrified her. She tried to focus on the hyperactive butterflies in her stomach, and not the constant watchful eye of Nodoka Saotome evaluating her every breath.


    The tech gave her a dismissive wave with a grin. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll do fine. I mean, they¡¯re only gonna ask you one question, and I¡¯m pretty sure you already know the answer, right?¡±


    Unable to stifle her giggle, Ranko nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been studying for that test for a while now.¡±


    <hr>


    Ranko relaxed back into the chair, exhausted from all of the poking and prodding. Her hands and feet had been massaged with a lotion that smelled strongly of lavender, and all twenty of her digits sparkled with a glittery hot pink polish. While the hairstylist had advised her that any complex style she did now would be lost by the wedding anyway, she¡¯d done a quick trim to shape some of the wilder bits of flaming-red hair. She was grateful for how talkative the technicians working on her had been; it had left nearly no room for conversation with Nodoka, who still sat in her chair thumbing idly through a magazine.


    ¡°Okay! Well, that was great! Are we ready to go?¡± Ranko started to pop up from the chair, but the matronly woman who seemed to run the place shook her head. ¡°Oh, not yet, honey. We¡¯ve got one more thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But you did the hair, and you did the nails, and that¡¯s the thing, right?¡± She looked up, confusion and a little worry in her eyes.


    The salon owner motioned for her to rise, gesturing her toward a white slatted wood door leading to the back half of the facility. ¡°Sure, but we¡¯ve still got the wax to do.¡±


    ¡°The¡­ excuse me? What¡¯s that?¡± Ranko sat up nervously.


    A quiet tsk came from behind the magazine in front of her mother¡¯s face.


    ¡°Oh, sweetheart, it¡¯s super easy. It gets rid of all the hairs on your legs, under your arms, stuff like that. It¡¯s so much easier than shaving.¡± The woman smiled disarmingly under her salt-and-pepper cowl of permed hair.


    Man, not having to shave would be great. I¡¯ve only done it a few times, but Akane¡¯s had to hold me down and mix lidocaine from the pet store into the shaving cream every time. If there¡¯s an easier way¡­


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds awesome! Let¡¯s go!¡± With a wide grin, Ranko hopped down from her chair. ¡°Back in a bit,¡± she emoted to her mother as she passed.


    She followed the woman¡¯s lead down a narrow hallway plastered with posters for various beauty products interspersed with notes to the employees about various procedures. Ranko followed her gesture into the second open door on her right, where a beige vinyl-covered table not unlike the one in Dr. Tofu¡¯s office dominated the small room. A small cart of fluffy white towels and a device that looked not unlike a slow cooker stood to the right, and behind it, a lithe woman with comely European features and shoulder-length hair so blonde it was almost white waited.


    As the door shut behind her, Ranko stepped cautiously to the table and hopped up onto it. ¡°Hey. My name¡¯s Ranko. I understand you¡¯re gonna do¡­ something?¡±


    The young technician waved sheepishly, answering in broken Japanese. ¡°Hi. I Janet. I do wax now please?¡±


    Ranko smiled happily. How much different she felt now than when those three American jerks first wandered into the Phoenix and made her feel stupid for getting their orders wrong. With bright eyes, she answered confidently. ¡°Is English easier for you?¡±


    Blushing, the blonde replied in English. ¡°Oh, very much so. Thank you. If you¡¯re sure you don¡¯t mind.¡± She opened the lid of the slow cooker thing, and Ranko began to feel a bit of radiant heat from it which she watched out of the corner of her eye with no small measure of concern.


    The redhead shook her head, her own cheeks flushing slightly. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s cool. I¡­ write a lot in English. I actually do a lot of¡­ wait, whatareyoudo...¡±


    Before the question could be finished, the technician applied a wooden paddle of molten pink goo to Ranko¡¯s left forearm. It smelled like strawberries. Ranko could not fathom how it did not smell like burned flesh. Her eyes rocketed to the ceiling with a loud yelp.


    ¡°GetitoffgetitoffgetitOFF!¡± Ranko wailed in Japanese, forgetting she¡¯d committed to speak English for the benefit of her torturer.


    ¡°I will, one more second,¡± came a reply in English as a strip of paper was applied to the puddle of hellfire pooling on Ranko¡¯s arm.


    And then, she pulled the paper back. Ranko tried to pull her arm back from the searing, slicing, ripping agony as she felt each individual follicle of hair explode its contents, yielding to the hardening lava that had been spread across her skin.


    ¡°What the FUCK?!¡± Ranko cradled her scalded arm, looking at the woman as if she was preparing to fight her.


    ¡°See? It¡¯s quick, and it¡¯s all done.¡± The woman in the pink scrubs smiled proudly through her English reply.


    Easy for you to say! I¡¯ll be feeling that all day! Her eyes aflame, Ranko¡¯s body quaked as her Cat¡¯s Tongue nerves tried in vain to make some sense of the cacophony of torturous signals they were processing.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get the other side of your arm?¡± Janet reached for the paddle again, and Ranko¡¯s eyes snapped to it as if it were the sickle of the grim reaper himself.


    ¡°Do you need me to stop,¡± the svelte American asked with some measure of concern.


    Gods, yes. Nodoka had to know this would be hard for me. She just had to understand. That fucking¡­ ugh! She did this just to make me suffer. It¡¯s a test. There¡¯s no other explanation.


    She looked up at the dread paddle again, nodding resolutely. You¡¯re not gonna beat me today, bitch. No matter how much it hurts.


    ¡°Do what you have to do.¡±


    Shuddering and trying her best to stifle her cries through eleven more strips of wax, Ranko found herself fairly incapable of conversation. Her flesh was almost the color of her hair, and she felt as if she were being boiled alive and skinned alive at the same time. She looked up wearily at Janet with eyes like a beaten mule¡¯s, starting to swing her shaking legs cautiously off the table. ¡°Thank the gods that¡¯s over,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°Almost,¡± the technician said in English with a soft smile. ¡°You¡¯re doing great.¡±


    ¡°Almost?! You¡¯ve done every centimeter of my arms and legs! There¡¯s nothing left,¡± Ranko pleaded desperately.


    Janet motioned her back to the table. ¡°Would you mind lifting your dress for a minute?¡±


    ¡°Why would I¡­¡±


    Where else is there even hair to¡­ oh. Oh, fuck. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her skull. She¡¯s gonna¡­ down there? Ranko swallowed hard.


    ¡°Come on, honey, you want to be all cute for your wedding night, don¡¯t you?¡±


    <hr>


    Fifteen minutes later, Ranko trudged defeatedly through the narrow hallway and back into the salon proper, where Nodoka looked up, beaming proudly. ¡°All done, dear?¡±


    I am going to kill you, Ranko spat at her mother in her mind. I am going to physically rip your soul out through your eye sockets. Slowly. With chopsticks.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Ranko said, managing a weak facade of a smile behind her roiling fury. As she walked, she adjusted the silver bracelet adorning her left wrist, but try though she might, she could not get it to cover both the angry scar left on her skin from the Phoenix Pill incident and the angry red bite marks on the underside of her arm.


    At least I didn¡¯t give her the satisfaction of hearing me scream.


    ¡°What would you like to do next,¡± Nodoka asked with a bright, chipper voice, having already paid for Ranko¡¯s abuse at the hands of the collection of buzzing technicians.


    Watch the light fade from your eyes, Ranko thought with a venomous glare. ¡°I think I should call it a night. I promised those people I¡¯d go back to the cafe and sign autographs soon. But I think, if we do something again, it¡¯s my turn to pick.¡±


    The Saotome matriarch nodded. ¡°That seems fair. Any idea what you might like?¡±


    Ranko grinned. She knew there was one thing she could do where Nodoka would feel almost as uncomfortable as Ranko had just been. ¡°I¡¯d love it if you¡¯d come see me sing.¡±


    The middle-aged brunette to Ranko¡¯s right nodded. ¡°I sort of figured that was what you¡¯d say, but, a deal¡¯s a deal.¡±


    ¡°Next Friday, then. I go on at 7:30. I¡¯ll have Akane save you a spot up front.¡± Ranko sneered. And she¡¯s gonna sit with you the whole time, to make sure you behave.


    ¡°Very well, Ranko. I shall be there, though I don¡¯t know that I¡¯ll be in my element very much.¡± Nodoka adjusted the weight of the cylindrical blue cloth-wrapped burden slung over her right arm.


    Ranko smirked victoriously. One more thing, lady. You¡¯re gonna be in my castle now, and I¡¯m not playing by your rules anymore.


    She motioned to the elder woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°And the Phoenix has a strict no weapons policy, so if you wanna see the show, leave the damn sword at home.¡±

 143. Take Me Out to the Ball Game

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Masahiko!¡±


    Ranko jumped up in the air, kicking above her head. She laughed to herself as Yusue High¡¯s third baseman approached the plate. I remember when I used to laugh at Shiori for giving a damn if we scored. Gods, look at me. I¡¯ve been assimilated. But I have to set an example for the new girls.


    ¡°LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡±


    Ranko blinked at Kayo, by far the most enthusiastic of her new recruits. On second thought, good grief, girl. I mean, there¡¯s cheering, and then there¡¯s¡­ whatever the hell that was. Take a breath, kid. Or a Valium. Or both.


    The freshman turned to the crowd seated behind the left outfield, jumping up and down, waving her pom-poms almost desperately at the capacity crowd of the little municipal stadium, some eight thousand. ¡°Come on! Get loud!¡± She didn¡¯t even notice the crack of the bat behind her.


    ¡°Yeah! Great hit!¡± Ranko waved her pom-poms in the direction of home plate, but she cringed a mere quarter-second later as she noticed the trajectory of the ball.


    Oh, shit.


    She turned to her left, grabbing Kayo by the back collar of her uniform and pulling her down to the red clay of the warning track half a heartbeat before the ball sailed past her and bounced off the brick wall, at just about the height where the back of her head had just been. Ranko scrambled to her feet, pulling the dumbstruck girl out of the way before the Shibuya Stars left fielder could arrive to scoop up the ball. He threw it back toward the catcher, but it was too late - the Yusue runners on second and third had both scored, giving Yusue the lead and, since it was the bottom of the ninth inning, the win.


    The remainder of the cheerleaders whooped and performed little kicks and flips in celebration as the baseball team gathered at mid-field to trade high-fives and shake hands in good sportsmanship with their vanquished opponents.


    ¡°Thanks, Ranko,¡± Kayo squeaked as she brushed the red clay off her knees, her embarrassment evident on her face.


    ¡°No problem. You¡¯re doing great, Kayo. You just gotta pay attention, is all.¡± Ranko grinned in excitement. ¡°C¡¯mon. Now we gotta go set up for the real show.¡±


    The public address system crackled to life. ¡°And there¡¯s your final, with the Yusue Lions defeating the Shibuya Stars five runs to four! Don¡¯t forget, Lions fans! Stick around for a special performance from local recording artists Ranko and the Dapper Dragons, and the Yusue Lions cheerleaders!¡± A cheer that might well have rivaled the one celebrating the winning run rose from the crowd as a few of the groundskeeping staff began wheeling a round red platform into position over the pitcher¡¯s mound.


    Ranko waved to the crowd as she jogged to the center of the field, making eye contact with Jacob as he wheeled his keyboard stand out onto the grass. ¡°Hey, bud! Ready to rock?¡±


    The green-haired musician chuckled, looking his band¡¯s lead vocalist over. ¡°Damn, girl. And I thought you dressed skimpy on stage normally.¡±


    The redhead blushed, looking over her cheerleading uniform. She waved him off with the back of her hand. ¡°Oh, shut the fuck up, Trimble. Not my fault your girl¡¯s on another continent and you¡¯re hard up, man. I know you can¡¯t help but stare, but¡­¡±


    Jacob laughed, carrying his instrument up the four steps to the two-meter high platform. ¡°Whatever. You got your girls ready for this?¡±


    Ranko scoffed. ¡°Are you kidding?! I trained ¡®em! These girls can shake it with the best of ¡®em!¡±


    Ken put his arm around Ranko from behind, having not yet ascended to the portable stage. ¡°Good, ¡®cause they¡¯re about to.¡±


    The cheerleader blushed up at her friend. ¡°Thanks, Ken. Love you too, man. Now, go get ready! We gotta do this!¡±


    From the stage, Shinji looked down at the band¡¯s diminutive drummer with a smirk. ¡°Yeah, Ken. Get your scrawny ass up here already.¡±


    ¡°And you!¡± Ranko pointed up at Shinji with a wide smile. ¡°Eyes off the merchandise!¡± She held out her arms as if trying to block his view of the thirteen cheerleaders who were amassing behind her, for whom she bore responsibility as their captain.


    ¡°Please,¡± the dour boy deadpanned. ¡°Like I¡¯d want to be with a cheerleader. That¡¯s me, all pep and spunk. You should know me better than that.¡±


    Crash tousled his friend¡¯s hair from behind. ¡°We do know you, Shinji, and so we know you wanna get with just about anything that moves.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Not anything that moves!¡± Shinji blushed, a rare splash of color on an otherwise nearly constantly monochromatic young man. Ranko could have sworn he wore makeup just to make himself more pale and gaunt-looking. ¡°Just, anything that moves like that!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡± Ranko motioned behind her in the direction of her squadmates with a playful sneer. ¡°Not yours. Don¡¯t touch.¡±


    ¡°Ran-chan, you gonna change?¡± Crash peered down at the cheerleader from his perch on the stage.


    The vocalist wrinkled her nose, shaking her head. ¡°Nah. This is a school function, so I should look like part of the squad. Speaking of which, I gotta go get them ready. You got this?¡±


    Receiving a thumbs-up from Crash, Ranko trotted back to rejoin her squadmates. ¡°How we feeling, girls?¡±


    Kumiko blushed at her friend. ¡°Nervous as hell. I¡­ I don¡¯t think I can do this, Ranko, I don¡¯t wanna embarrass you if I mess up.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t mess up, new kid,¡± Tanda said with a jocular sneer.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Ranko stepped closer to the young brunette, putting a reassuring arm over her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ve been practicing this for over a week. You do it perfect every time. You got this, Kumi.¡±


    Kumiko shook her head emphatically. ¡°That was on a rugby field with just us. This is¡­ it¡¯s performing for thousands of people with an actual pop star! I can¡¯t! There¡¯s no way!¡± She waved both hands in front of her desperately.


    Ranko reached forward, pulling her friend into a tight hug. ¡°Hey. Remember Dream-Color Chaser? Stop worrying so much about Ranko¡¯s a pop star, already! Just come have fun and dance with me and our friends. Can you do that, Kumi?¡±


    Brushing her auburn hair out of her face shyly, Kumiko gave a meek nod. ¡°I think so.¡±


    As Ranko addressed her nervous charges, Aoi jogged up to her, a small black bundle in her hand. ¡°Crash said you might want this.¡± She handed the jumbled wire to the squad captain, and helped Ranko clip the battery pack to the headset to the back of her pleated red-and-silver skirt. After having to uncomfortably duct tape the device to her back at the All-Tokyo Invitational nearly six months ago, Crash had helped her rig a locking clasp to the battery pack for her own headset so that it could survive gymnastics maneuvers.


    The fourteen young women gathered into a cluster at the front of the stage, and as they did, the din of hundreds of conversations in the stands ended almost immediately at the introduction of a playful beat emitted from Jacob¡¯s synthesizer. The crowd was taken a bit off-guard by it, because there was no singer on the little round stage.


    The fourteen girls formed a triangle pointed toward the front of the stage, with rows of one, two, two, four, and five cheerleaders -- the middle row missing its middle position to leave a hollow in the center of the triangle -- and began to snap into perfectly synchronized motion, their pom-poms alternating between shaken in the air and propped on their hips as girls popped their bodies left and right to the music. Tanda, with her bright orange hair, took point on the pyramid, with the hope that at a distance, the crowd would mistake her for Ranko.


    As they danced through the lengthy intro, the chevron of girls moved forward as a group ten or so meters from the stage. As the beat began to settle into a different rhythm, Tamiko and Yori stepped forward from the second row. Dropping their pom-poms on the grass, each of them took Tanda by one of her arms, and together they lifted her into a standing position on their shoulders at the front of the triangle. Bending her knees, Tanda launched herself upward from her perch into a double twist, and as she launched herself through the air, Tamiko and Yori separated by a step to their left and right, respectively.


    Under the girl still twisting in the air, the second girl in the fourth row ran forward to the front of the triangle, and the crowd began to rumble in its approval, for this was the only one of the fourteen girls with that telltale red hair. Tami and Yori closed the gap, basket-catching Tanda and depositing her between them. Tanda stepped back through the missing spot in the third row to replace Ranko in the fourth, as the squad¡¯s captain turned to her left.


    Ranko, flanked by her thirteen squadmates performing identical choreography, pushed downward to her left, with her pom-poms, bending at the waist as if digging with a shovel. Every time she pulled her arms back, she stepped to the left with a pop of her hips, almost like she was pulling herself along with a rope. With each step, the entire triangle began to rotate around the stage like the spoke of a wheel with the stage as its hub.


    The girls behind Ranko - except the rightmost three in the back row - moved left as well. As she did, she began to sing, her pop princess affectation on full display. Her song was light, bouncy, and almost playful, a far cry from another she¡¯d started writing a few days ago.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°When we started out, everyone said we were delirious. No one thought we even had a chance to get this serious. Everyone who knew us thought we¡¯d call it quits pretty quick!¡±


    The triangle of young women had orbited a full ninety degrees around the stage, now pointed in the direction of the left outfield rather than the right. Mizuki, Kayo and Ayame, the three girls that had not moved with the triangle from the back row, stayed in position, forming a new, smaller triangle with Ayame in front.


    ¡°They all thought we¡¯d both get hurt, it would be tragic. The sparks between us should have burned, but they made magic! And now they can¡¯t believe it¡¯s looking like this thing¡¯s gonna stick!¡±


    The triangle of cheerleaders continued popping their hips and pulling themselves to their left along invisible ropes, this time leaving Rin and Moriko from the fifth row and Tanda from the fourth behind to form another chevron of girls pointing toward the left outfield.


    ¡°Pretty sure I know exactly how you feel! There¡¯s just one more thing I need from you to seal the deal¡­¡±


    As her rotating triangle pointed to third base, Ranko held out her left hand, her right on her right hip. Still holding her pom-poms, she stared at her left hand intently as she wiggled the rest of her body. Both the seven remaining girls behind her, and the two trios the squad had deposited as it had made its way widdershins around the little round stage that still stood without a lead performer, mimicked her movements.


    ¡°Gimme that ring, ring, ring! Come on, put it on my finger! That ring, ring, ring! I¡¯ll be your own personal singer! I want that thing to remind me every day that I¡¯m yours!¡±


    From the back of Ranko¡¯s triangle, Aoi, Etsuko and Shika huddled together, with Aoi holding out her left pom-pom. Shika and Etsuko looked down at it, pulling their pom-poms up to their chins and wiggling around her as if squealing in excitement. In the outfield, Tanda and Ayame did the same with their smaller groups.


    Yori, Tamiko, Kumiko and Momoe remained behind Ranko, continuing to dance with her in a chevron pattern, flanking her similarly to how Hitomi and Emi often did.


    ¡°Gimme that ring, ring, ring, and I won¡¯t take it off, never! That ring, ring, ring, so they know I¡¯m yours forever! Don¡¯t want you to be the thing I¡¯m hiding from the world anymore!¡±


    The five remaining girls continued moving counter-clockwise around the stage until Ranko faced first base as the infectious pop beat continued behind them. The song had not been written originally with a repetition of the first chorus, but they¡¯d added one to the performance in order to give the choreography time to develop before the start of the second verse. When designing the dance and stage blocking, Ranko had wanted to ensure that no matter where someone was seated, they¡¯d get a good show ¨C she¡¯d never performed while surrounded in all directions by the crowd before.


    ¡°Gimme that ring, ring, ring! Come on, put it on my finger, that ring, ring, ring! I¡¯ll be your own personal singer! I want that thing to remind me every day that I¡¯m yours! Gimme that ring, ring, ring, and I won¡¯t take it off, never! That ring, ring, ring, so they know I¡¯m yours forever! Don¡¯t want you to be the thing I¡¯m hiding from the world anymore!¡±


    Leaving Kumiko, Yori and Momoe to form a fourth triangle and completing the almost compass rose effect around the stage, Ranko and Tamiko jogged the last few meters to the original starting point of their orbit around the stage, between Yori¡¯s triangle and Ayame¡¯s. Ranko performed a single back handspring, launching into a single twist, and landing on the grass in a full split. Off of two handsprings, Tamiko propelled herself into a double twist over Ranko¡¯s head, landing on her feet behind Ranko and facing her. Ranko stood and turned her back to the crowd, running at Tamiko before turning into another double handspring. She fired herself off of her hands, catapulting herself up at Tamiko. Much as Kou had done with Ranko at the Invitational, Tamiko boosted her higher in mid-air as she passed. Ranko executed a triple twist, landing facing right field in a superhero crouch on the stage between Shinji and Crash.


    Not waiting for the crowd¡¯s thundering roar to die down as Tamiko jogged back to the right to join the triangle her girlfriend led, Ranko popped up to her feet, letting her twin pigtails fly behind her as she snapped her head to the side.


    ¡°As we¡¯ve gotten close, we¡¯ve had our challenges without a doubt. But we¡¯ve always talked it through together, got it sorted out; forgiven and forgotten all the stupid stuff in our past.¡±


    As she sang, Ranko rocked her hips back and forth sassily, placing her left hand ¨C still holding its sparkly red and silver pom-pom ¨C on Crash¡¯s chest. She stepped forward thrice, gently herding him backward to the middle of the round stage closer to Jacob and Ken.


    ¡°When we disagree, it¡¯s like we¡¯re takin¡¯ turns at being wrong. Everytime we do and work it out, we¡¯re gettin¡¯ twice as strong. That¡¯s the way I know this crazy thing we have¡¯s gonna last!¡±


    Ranko stepped forward to the edge of the stage, this time using her right arm on Shinji¡¯s chest, reaching over his bass guitar and pushing him backward to join the rest of the band and clear the outer third of the stage in all directions for her to move.


    ¡°I knew long ago my answer would be yes! But if you wanna know, my love, just ask, don¡¯t guess!¡±


    The lone cheerleader on the stage stalked to her right along the newly-cleared edge of the stage. She¡¯d dropped her pom-poms at Shinji¡¯s feet, so she was now able to look at the fingers of her outstretched left hand, and the diamond sparkling on her hand that indicated Akane had already granted the song¡¯s request.


    Twice. With a third, and final, ring to come in just a matter of days.


    Her ever-present silver bracelet swung ever so slightly on her wrist as she rocked her backside in time with the syncopated chorus. From their positions on the grass, the other thirteen cheerleaders mimicked her movements.


    ¡°Gimme that ring, ring, ring! Come on, put it on my finger! That ring, ring, ring! I¡¯ll be your own personal singer! I want that thing to remind me every day that I¡¯m yours! Gimme that ring, ring, ring, and I won¡¯t take it off! Never! That ring, ring, ring, so they know I¡¯m yours forever! I don¡¯t wanna be the thing you¡¯re hiding from the world anymore!¡±


    Ranko turned her back to the crowd behind home plate, swaying her ass slowly at them.


    ¡°Everybody said that I was way too wild and crazy.¡±


    She twisted at the waist, facing toward them and covering her mouth as if her face was shocked by what her backside was doing.


    ¡°Everybody said that I could never be a lady! No one thought that they could tame me, but you went and you tried!¡±


    The vocalist turned fully to the audience, shimmying with her arms in the air as if she were dancing in a tight crowd.


    ¡°Party every night, and always makin¡¯ trouble at the bar. Wouldn¡¯t let a soul get close, but baby, here you are. You made me a girlfriend somehow, now, come make me a bride!¡±


    Thirty-two days, Ranko thought with a smile in the fraction of a second between lines as she again stared at her engagement ring on her outstretched hand. Thirty-two days until forever, Akane.


    ¡°I know this is nothing close to what we planned, but I won¡¯t care at all when I look at my hand!¡±


    Ranko hopped once on her toes, then jumped upward, tucking into a single backflip and landing on her feet in the same spot. All thirteen of her squadmates, in their own positions, did the same, and Ranko smiled proudly down at Kumiko as she stuck the landing. As she sang the chorus, her hips rocked almost violently between each utterance of the word ring, as if her backside was the clapper hanging in the center of a bell.


    ¡°Gimme that ring, ring, ring! Come on, put it on my finger! That ring, ring, ring! I¡¯ll be your own personal singer! I want that thing to remind me every day that I¡¯m yours! Gimme that ring, ring, ring, and I won¡¯t take it off! Never! That ring, ring, ring, so they know I¡¯m yours forever! Don¡¯t want us to be the thing we¡¯re hiding from the world anymore!¡±


    Ranko all but skipped ninety degrees in an arc around the stage to face the crowd on the third base line, continuing the same dance through the modified refrain for those who had yet to see it.


    ¡°Gimme that ring, ring, ring! Tell everyone I¡¯m taken! That ring, ring, ring, so nobody¡¯s mistaken! Show me you¡¯re not fakin¡¯ when you tell me I¡¯m the girl of your dreams!¡±


    Orbiting her band a bit more until she faced right field, Ranko fanned her face with her hands as if she were flushed by a great surprise, as she¡¯d seen women do when they won those stupid beauty contests Izumi loved to watch on TV.


    ¡°Gimme that ring, ring, ring, and babe, I¡¯ll let you bask in me! Ring, ring, ring, but you gotta get to askin¡¯ me! If I don¡¯t know it¡¯s everlasting, gonna burst at the seams!¡±


    She stalked around the stage, trying to affect a swaying walk even without the benefit of her usual chunky heels to force the movement. Sneakers are great for gymnastics, but they kinda suck for shakin¡¯ ass. Ranko waved to the crowd with a bright smile as she finished the refrains to close the song, her fellow cheerleaders rocking side-to-side at their hips much as Ranko had done in the previous one.


    ¡°Gimme that ring, ring, ring! I know that you¡¯re not gaming me! Ring, ring, ring, come on, and get to claiming me! Ring, ring, ring! I¡¯m tired of going steady! Ring, ring, ring! Oh, baby, I¡¯m so ready!¡±


    Her orbit around the stage ended, Ranko turned toward her band, walking a few steps until she was within arm¡¯s reach of Shinji and Crash. She reached out with both arms, grabbing each of them by the shirts and pulling them forward half a step as if adding even more force to her demand. As the boys stopped playing their instruments and put their hands up in surrender, she turned her head to the left, looking over her shoulder at the crowd.


    ¡°Gimme that ring!¡±


    The synthesizer slammed once more in time with Ken¡¯s thundering bass run, and the audience¡¯s roar was deafening. Down on the grass, the remaining cheerleaders kicked their legs up and waved their pom-poms as they normally did after a performance at a sporting event.


    Under Jacob¡¯s command, the synthesizer roared back to life with a heavily-digitized beat as Ranko whirled to face the crowd, beaming with joy at the successful debut of Ring, Ring, Ring. As for the second song, the choreography had been easy to teach the cheerleaders, as Ranko and nine of her squadmates had won a trophy dancing to the same song not even six months ago.


    ¡°You ignite, and you¡­ You ignite, and you¡­ You ignite, and you RISE! RISE! Ri-ri-ri-ri-RISE!¡±

 144. Quadruple Impact

    ¡°Right?! Can you believe she actually said that?!¡± Ranko giggled at the back of the classroom, paying little mind to her English teacher.


    Kumiko tried to stifle her own laugh, but could not, and the pair of cheerleaders devolved into a cackling fit together. Kumiko was almost doubled over on her desk. Mr. Yosuta had gotten a telephone call at his desk, and he was still talking to, presumably, someone from the main office, so class was interrupted anyway.


    Ranko beamed at her friend in her matching red-and-silver cheerleading uniform. She was so glad she¡¯d talked Kumi into joining the squad. She was still easily the worst gymnast on the team, but she was steadily improving, and Ranko had plenty of time before the Invitational to get her ready. All of the girls had been nearly that bad last year, and the nearly meter-tall trophy in the glass case in front of the admin office was proof of how effectively Ranko had mentored them. She wouldn¡¯t let her best friend in school fail at something that meant so much to her. And besides, at least in the choreography department, Kumiko¡¯s skill was rapidly increasing, her confidence along with it.


    ¡°Miss Tendo?¡±


    It took Ranko a few moments to stop giggling with Kumi at the latest shenanigans their friends on the squad had gotten up to, looking up at the teacher. They hadn¡¯t realized he had finished his phone call. ¡°Yes?¡± She looked down a little, embarrassed as her classmates turned to look at her.


    ¡°Please report to the main office.¡± The teacher gestured to the door, his arm not quite extending all the way in his tan suit coat that was at least one size too small for him.


    Kumiko cringed as her friend stood. ¡°Sorry,¡± she mouthed quietly as Ranko collected her belongings and made for the door under the tittering stares of her classmates.


    Stuffing her things in her satchel and slinging it over her shoulder, she made her way for the door. Pushing her way through it, she muttered under her breath to herself as she made her way to the office. ¡°This sucks. Everybody else was talking while he was on the phone, not just me. Why¡¯s he gotta single me out? Maybe he wants to make an example of the popular girl? Fuck, wait. I¡¯m the popular girl? How the shit did that even happen?!¡±


    She climbed the stairs to the second floor and strode briskly through the empty corridors. Ranko stopped for a moment as she passed the glass display case along the administration office¡¯s front wall, resting her hand gently on the glass and smiling at the trophy she and Shiori had lifted together just a few months earlier. I won¡¯t let you down, Shi¡¯ri. I¡¯ll get them back there for you. I promise. I¡¯ll make you proud.


    Sighing, she pulled the left side of the glass double door open and entered the office, walking up to the reception counter with a contrite bow. ¡°Hello? I was sent up here by Mr. Yosuta. I was talking in class. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The receptionist looked up with a smile, shaking her head. ¡°Oh, no, honey, we called you up here. You aren¡¯t in trouble.¡±


    Ranko looked up, blinking in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m not? Then why am I¡­¡±


    The elderly receptionist motioned to the second closed door on her left. ¡°Mrs. Ikara needs to see you. You can go ahead in, honey. She¡¯s expecting you.¡±


    Adjusting her black school satchel on her shoulder, the cheerleader made her way to the door, knocking twice. ¡°Come in,¡± she heard, the voice muffled beyond the door, and she swallowed hard as she turned the doorknob.


    ¡°Hello, Mrs. Ikara. You¡­ called for me?¡± Ranko blushed. She made it a point to avoid the school counselors. She did not need them knowing what was going on in her head most days - that¡¯s what Fred was for. Beyond that though, they were always trying to talk to her about the future, and Ranko had no time for that. She was living her future right now, rocking with her band and being Mrs. Akane Tendo. She needed nothing more. She wanted nothing more.


    The counselor, who could not have been much older than Crash, stood from behind her desk and smoothed her crisp navy pencil skirt around her thighs. ¡°Ranko, hello! Good to see you!¡±


    Ranko nodded nervously, setting her school satchel down in one of the two brown vinyl chairs on the visitors¡¯ side of the counselor¡¯s desk. ¡°Sure. Um, why am I here, please? You¡¯re kinda freaking me out.¡±


    Mrs. Ikara waved her hands dismissively with a bright smile. ¡°Oh, no, honey. There¡¯s no need to be freaked out. This is a good thing! I called you down here because there¡¯s someone here to see you. Would you mind following me, please? You can leave your things.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes narrowed. Who the heck would pull me out of class to see me? It¡¯s not like they can¡¯t find me at the Phoenix¡­


    She followed as the tall young counselor led her out of the office, turning right and proceeding down a narrow hallway to the third door on the left. Not until Mrs. Ikara had opened the door and stepped out of the way did Ranko¡¯s eyes fall on her visitors. One, a black-haired American in her late twenties wearing a knee-length green skirt and an ivory blouse, waved with a smile, but it was the other woman in the room that made Ranko¡¯s mouth fall open in surprise and excitement.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Shiori!¡±


    Ranko¡¯s former cheerleading captain squealed excitedly, running forward and giving her friend a tight hug. ¡°Oh, gods, I¡¯ve missed you, Ran-chan! How¡¯s things? How¡¯s the squad? How¡¯s the wedding?!¡±


    Ranko blushed. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure she wanted to discuss her upcoming extralegal lesbian wedding in front of the school counselor and a complete stranger. She was saved by Mrs. Ikara clearing her throat. ¡°Girls, there will be time to catch up later, but we need to talk first.¡±


    The redhead made nervous eye contact with Shiori as her friend took her by the hand, leading her to one of the brown leather chairs at the head of the short boardroom table. ¡°What is this about?¡± she mouthed silently to Shiori, but received naught but a bright smile in return.


    After all four women had taken their seats, the American opened a manila folder in front of her. Inside was what looked like a letter with purple and blue letterhead, but from the other end of the long mahogany table, Ranko could not make out any details on it.


    ¡°Ranko, my name is Julie Akers. I¡¯m from Minato University. It¡¯s so good to meet you.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes were wide as saucers. Minato University?! That can only mean one thing! She rocketed out of her chair. ¡°Did something happen to Akane?! Where is she?! Is she okay?!¡±


    Shiori laughed, shaking her head with a disbelieving smirk. ¡°One too many energy drinks today, Ran-chan? Akane¡¯s fine. Sit down, will ya?¡±


    The cheerleader slowly lowered herself back to the leather chair with a little shiver. The chair was positioned directly under the air conditioning vent, and the cold leather felt like ice cubes dripping down her bare legs under her red-and-silver cheerleading skirt.


    ¡°So, Ranko,¡± Julie continued in perfect Japanese. ¡°Shiori here tells me you did the impossible a few months back. Landed a quadruple twist with a front layout at the All-Tokyo Invitational? That¡¯s incredible.¡±


    Ranko blushed, fidgeting with her hands. She squinted up at the young woman, who was largely silhouetted against the mid-morning sun streaming in through the large windows at the back of the conference room. ¡°Yeah, well, it was that or land on my face, so, had to try something, y¡¯know?¡±


    The American nodded. ¡°Shiori also tells me that you became an effective leader to your squad as the season went on, too.¡±


    The redhead looked over at Shiori. ¡°Do you just get off on making me blush or something? What the heck is going on here, Shi¡¯ri?¡±


    Shiori shook her head with an excited grin. ¡°Just shut up a minute, would ya?¡±


    ¡°Ranko,¡± Ms. Akers continued, ¡°what are your plans for after graduation?¡±


    Ranko sat up a little straighter in her seat, smiling proudly as she fiddled with the diamond solitaire on her left hand. I¡¯m gonna be Akane Tendo¡¯s wife, that¡¯s what. ¡°Well, I¡­ I¡¯m gonna be making music. I¡¯m in a band. We just released our first album about six weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m quite aware,¡± Ms. Akers said with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ve been listening to it a lot at practice.¡±


    Ranko blinked. ¡°Practice? I¡¯m sorry, but, what is all this about?¡±


    The American smiled. She¡¯d deliberately held this information back. This was one of her favorite parts of the job. In fact, she remembered when she¡¯d had a similar conversation with Shiori just a few months prior.


    ¡°Well, Ranko, over at Minato University, I¡¯m the cheerleading coach. And, after you graduate, we¡¯d love for you to come and join our squad. Someone with your gymnastic talent, leadership aptitude, and the extra benefit of your performance skills would be an enormous asset to our group, and Shiori can¡¯t say enough good things about you.¡±


    Shiori squeaked excitedly. ¡°She¡¯s just the best, Julie!¡±


    Ranko blushed, but it quickly gave way to a frown. What I¡¯d give. To be able to cheer for Akane? It would be like a dream. But, Shiori knows I¡¯m not going to college. She knows I can¡¯t afford it even if I wanted to, and I¡¯ve already got a career that¡¯s gonna need my focus. Why would she tease me like this?


    ¡°I¡­ I really appreciate your offer, Ms. Akers, I do, but¡­¡±


    Ranko was interrupted by an open hand shooting up from the woman at the other end of the table. ¡°Call me Julie, please.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Julie, then. But¡­ I can¡¯t go to college. My grades are terrible, and I¡¯m flat broke. I appreciate you thinking of me, but there¡¯s just no chance.¡± Her voice carried more than a tinge of shame.


    The Yusue counselor patted Ranko¡¯s hand from her seat to Ranko¡¯s left. ¡°Honey, the Minato entrance requirements are actually pretty reasonable. You already make the grades for it - if only just - so all that would be left would be an entrance exam and the paperwork.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Ranko sighed in embarrassment. ¡°Mrs. Ikara, It doesn¡¯t matter if my grades are all fives, if my bank account¡¯s at zero.¡±


    The American smiled, pulling the paper out of her manila folder. ¡°That¡¯s actually what we¡¯d like to talk to you about.¡± She slid the paper across the table to her potential new recruit. ¡°We¡¯d like to offer you a full athletic scholarship to Minato University for cheerleading, Ranko.¡±


    Shiori squealed in excitement as her friend picked up the letter and began to read it.


    ¡°This is¡­ wow.¡± Ranko sat back in her chair, having finished reading the short letter twice. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    Shiori giggled. ¡°You say yes, dingbat! Come rock out with me again!¡±


    ¡°But, there¡¯s my music, and¡­¡± There¡¯s no way, is there? Don¡¯t get your hopes up. You don¡¯t need it, no matter what Nodoka says. Ranko blushed. The room was spinning a little bit. But, if I could really cheer for Akane?


    Julie stood, smiling broadly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer now, honey. Talk it over with your family. But we hope we¡¯ll see you in April.¡±

 145. Facing the Music

    Sighing, Ranko rolled her eyes blankly as she looked up at her instructor from the floor. Sitting cross-legged alongside seventeen other girls, she cursed herself under her breath. Freaking idiot, Ranko. Two sentences. The course description was two fucking sentences, and you couldn¡¯t be bothered to take the time to read them.


    She turned her head, looking around at her classmates. All of them had bright, starry expressions on their faces, watching with rapt attention as the instructor demonstrated one form after another. The oldest one¡¯s gotta be three, four years younger than me. I¡¯m gonna look like such a fucking clown.


    Ranko had gone to the administration office after her first day, pleading for a class change, but all of the other classes that would meet the athletics requirement for graduation were already full, and cheerleading didn¡¯t count. She was on a waiting list in case there was an opening, but until that happened, she was stuck in her own personal hell. Over two fucking sentences, she growled at herself in her mind. At least Akane and her sisters didn¡¯t know of her shame. Not yet, anyway. She was sure she¡¯d have to come clean eventually, but she just couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it. It¡¯s not that they wouldn¡¯t be supportive, but Ranko knew she would endure no end of teasing from them, especially Yui.


    Fuck, Nodoka¡¯s gonna have a fucking field day with this if she finds out.


    ¡°Miss Tendo? Are you still with us?¡±


    Ranko looked up from her newly-manicured fingernails, which she found far more interesting than anything that the instructor had to say. ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡±


    The teacher, who couldn¡¯t have been more than three years Ranko¡¯s senior, sighed and dropped her head. ¡°If you didn¡¯t want to be here, why did you sign up, Ranko?¡±


    The redhead shrugged nonchalantly, answering in a flat, matter-of-fact tone. ¡°Ass-kickin¡¯ class was full.¡± A murmur rose among Ranko¡¯s classmates at the disrespect she had shown to the teacher.


    With an exasperated sigh and drooping shoulders, Ms. Kanzawa shook her head and motioned behind her. ¡°Just¡­ everybody do your stretches, okay?¡±


    Groaning as she stood alongside the other girls, Ranko strode to the wooden bar that bisected the room, lifting her slippered foot and setting her heel down atop it. Reaching forward to her toe, she began stretching her hamstring as the instructor proscribed. I can do this shit in my sleep, not that I want to. Ranko felt the instructor¡¯s disapproving eyes on her back as she swapped one leg for the other. Yes, lady, I¡¯m doing your dumb stretchy thing. Easy with the resting bitch face.


    ¡°Ranko? Can I see you for a minute?¡± Ranko¡¯s dance instructor motioned her toward the small office at the back of the little classroom-turned-studio, and Ranko noticed her gesture in the mirror that covered most of the north wall of the room.


    Great, now I¡¯m gonna get in trouble, too. She lowered her leg from the bar, grimacing as she moved. And why do they gotta make these leotards so fuckin¡¯ itchy?! I swear, it¡¯s like trying to dance with ants in your pants. No wonder they¡¯re always jumpin¡¯ around.


    With a roll of her eyes, Ranko followed Ms. Kanzawa into the back room, and closed the door in response to the teacher¡¯s gesture.


    ¡°Look, I know you¡¯re pissed at me, okay? I get it. I don¡¯t belong here. I just don¡¯t got a choice, alright?¡± Ranko rested her hands on her hips through the scratchy black leotard she¡¯d been forced into; just another indignity the ¡°dance¡± class had foisted upon her.


    Her instructor walked around her desk, sitting on the corner of it and motioning to Ranko to take the lone red vinyl chair opposite it. ¡°Ranko, look. I know where you¡¯re coming from. I¡¯m not mad at you, though I do wish you¡¯d express your frustration a little more respectfully, or at least a little more privately.¡±


    Ranko looked up in surprise at not having been sent to the main office for discipline - not yet, at least. She opted not to take the offer of the chair and instead leaned against the back of the office door. ¡°I just¡­ I don¡¯t see why this benefits anybody. I mean, who even does this stuff anymore?¡±


    Ms. Kanzawa nodded slowly. ¡°So that¡¯s it. You think ballet is a dead art. I kind of expected that would have something to do with it.¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Rolling her eyes, Ranko bobbed her head. ¡°Yeah. Like, I dance for a living. But I don¡¯t see anybody banging down the doors of the Phoenix because they can¡¯t wait for some of that hot Nutcracker Suite action, ya know? What I do involves a lot more hips and a whole lot less fluffy skirts.¡±


    You can¡¯t be a dragon in a freakin¡¯ tutu, lady.


    Ranko¡¯s teacher bit her lip, looking behind her at the small television / VCR combo unit that sat atop the stuffed-to-overflowing four-drawer steel filing cabinet in the corner behind her desk. ¡°You mind if I show you something quick?¡±


    The young songstress shrugged, crossing her arms defiantly. ¡°You¡¯ve got me as a hostage for the next half hour anyway, so whatever you want, I guess.¡±


    Reaching behind her and rummaging through a few loose papers, the instructor withdrew a small black remote control, pushing the red button on it to bring the television behind her to life. A second button press blinked the static from the monitor, and a video of a solitary ballet dancer appeared. As Ranko watched, the woman on the television leapt a full two meters to her left, kicking one leg forward and the other back, and landing on her left foot facing the opposite direction.


    ¡°Yeah, I know what ballet looks li¡­¡± Ranko¡¯s voice trailed off as the cassette abruptly jumped from the ballet to a music video she¡¯d seen on Bangers on the Beach once. It took three or four seconds before Ranko caught on to what she was being shown. The dancer in the front jumped forward, performing an identical maneuver before rolling on the ground, hopping to her feet and beginning to move her hips again.


    ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡±


    Ms. Kanzawa grinned and nodded, seeing her message begin to take hold. ¡°Yeah. A lot of the most famous modern dancers and choreographers take ballet, and draw heavily from it. Quick question - who¡¯s the most accomplished choreographer in western music? I bet you know.¡±


    Ranko scoffed. ¡°Any idiot knows that. It¡¯s Paula Abdul. Besides her own stuff, she does choreo for the Jacksons and a bunch of other people. Stuff for movies too, I think.¡±


    ¡°And where do you think she got those skills?¡± The teacher smirked. ¡°She went to a ballet academy. And that got her into cheerleading, and eventually into the music industry. Sound familiar?¡±


    After a long pause, Ranko leaned back against the door. ¡°Whoa.¡±


    The teacher nodded, pressing play on the VCR again, and the screen flashed a closeup of a ballerina¡¯s feet as she landed from a jump. Ranko watched as the screen changed to what appeared to be an American football game. A tall man in a black and yellow uniform leapt high in the air to make an acrobatic catch of a ball that had been thrown too high near the outer edge of the field. A second camera angle showed the way he carefully positioned his feet to remain in the field of play and not fall. They were identical.


    Huh. Guys do it too? It¡¯s not just for frou-frou girly-girls?


    The teacher slid off of her perch on the desk, closing the distance to her aloof student. ¡°Ranko, I don¡¯t expect that you¡¯re going to graduate and go become a professional ballerina performing Swan Lake four nights a week or anything. You¡¯d be a fool to, even though you¡¯ve unquestionably got the talent for it. You could be the best in a generation if you wanted. I¡¯ve never seen a girl move as fluidly as you do, and I did dance professionally for a while. That said, I¡¯ve seen the video for Demon in Your Radio, and I recognized some of the moves that are commonly taught in cheerleading. You integrated stuff you learned there into your choreography, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Ranko nodded, her mind clearly boggled with what she was beginning to understand.


    ¡°I¡¯d bet you thought cheerleading was a waste of your time too, when you first started. But as you learned it, you found that you could take little pieces of it to enhance what you do. And I can promise you, if you actually give this a chance, you¡¯ll do the same here. All art has value, and it¡¯s possible to blend parts of lots of different styles together to create a style that¡¯s all your own. And given what I¡¯ve seen even with you giving barely half-effort here, plus what you¡¯ve done on stage, and that quadruple twist of yours, I wager you¡¯ve got the talent to collect not only some moves from each new technique you learn, but the most impossible, once-in-a-generation ones that professionals in that one style spend their whole lives trying to master. And that¡¯s not even counting the fact that you sing, too. I firmly believe that you are capable of things no one has ever done before, if you¡¯re willing to keep an open mind and try.¡±


    Blending multiple styles together, taking the strongest techniques and minimizing the weakest ones? That¡¯s¡­ the Anything Goes style! I remember, Pop used to make me learn all these dumb katas, but after we figured them all out, we¡¯d pick a couple of things we could use and ditch the rest. Son of a bitch! For once in his life, he was onto something!


    The teacher put her left arm over Ranko¡¯s shoulder. ¡°C¡¯mon. What do you say? Are you up for the challenge, Ranko?¡±


    Gods help me. Ranko nodded deliberatively. ¡°I¡¯ll try, ma¡¯am.¡±

 146. The Critic

    ¡°Akane, she¡¯s here.¡±


    The young woman at the VIP table turned her head from the stage where her fiancee sang, looking back at her soon-to-be sister. ¡°Thanks, Mei.¡± She started to stand, turning toward the blue-haired server.


    Mei rested her hand on the taller girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey, you okay? Are we still going with the same plan?¡±


    Akane nodded resolutely. ¡°I want you and Yui to leave her to me and Ran-chan, ¡®kay? We aren¡¯t really sure what to expect out of her tonight, and we don¡¯t need you girls caught up in anything. I¡¯ll handle any food or drinks she wants, okay?¡± And we don¡¯t need her spouting off about any martial artist boys she used to know.


    Receiving an acknowledgement in the form of a bobbing chin from Mei, Akane smoothed the front of her kelly green skater dress, adjusting the matching green headband in her hair in her reflection in the mirror behind the service bar before walking to the front reception area to greet the object of her and her bride¡¯s mutual dread.


    ¡°Mrs. Saotome.¡± Akane looked up at the middle-aged woman with some measure of contempt. Really?! She couldn¡¯t find anything but a kimono to wear to a freakin¡¯ bar? ¡°We have a seat for you up front.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Akane,¡± Nodoka said as she followed her son¡¯s¡­ daughter¡¯s¡­ girl¡­ fian¡­ whatever she was, toward the VIP table and took the seat to the left of where Akane¡¯s glass of soda already sat. She felt positively naked without the reassuring weight of her family¡¯s ancestral katana slung over her back.


    ¡°Lay a whisper on my pillow. Leave the winter on the ground. I wake up lonely, this air of silence in the bedroom and all around¡­¡±


    Nodoka looked up as she took her seat, only just then seeming to recognize the redhead in the deep blue skater dress swaying slowly on the stage. She does have quite a pleasing voice, when she isn¡¯t singing her usual¡­ whatever it is she calls music.


    Akane smiled sweetly, leaning over toward Nodoka. ¡°Hey, can I tell you something real quick?¡±


    Her future wife¡¯s mother nodded, leaning close. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Akane rested her arm gently over Nodoka¡¯s back. ¡°I just wanted to let you know, Ranko¡¯s told me all about the few times you¡¯ve hung out. And¡­¡± Nodoka winced in pain and surprise as the soft hand on her left shoulder became a vice grip that could have splintered wood.


    ¡°If the words Ranma, boy, or son come out of your mouth in this building, I¡¯m going to rip your vocal cords out of your neck with my bare hands and feed them to stray cats. Do we have an understanding?¡±


    With wide eyes, Nodoka nodded emphatically, and only then did Akane release the crushing grip on her shoulder. What a brute! How entirely unladylike! The Saotome matriarch rotated her arm slightly to try and restore blood flow to her arm.


    ¡°It must¡¯ve been love, but it¡¯s over now¡­ It must¡¯ve been good, but I lost it somehow¡­¡±


    Nodoka looked up to Akane, an indignant glare still present in her eyes. ¡°I expected that she would be performing her own music.¡±


    Akane shrugged. ¡°So did I.¡± What are you doing, Ranko? ¡°She was probably just saving the good stuff until you got here.¡± She hoped so, because she watching the light fade slowly from Shinji¡¯s eyes as he sleepwalked through the third cover ballad in a row.


    As the song ended to a smattering of weak, polite applause, Ranko sighed, turning to confer with her band. Akane couldn¡¯t hear what was being said, but she watched Shinji slump in disappointment as Ranko adjusted the blue ribbon in her high ponytail and turned toward the steps. She exited the stage, walking to the VIP table. ¡°You made it.¡±


    Nodoka looked up to the redhead, her eyes pleading for rescue from the barbaric girl sitting to her right. ¡°I did. Akane and I were just¡­ talking.¡±


    Ranko smirked over at Akane. ¡°I hope you two are playing nice.¡±


    Akane opened her mouth to answer, but Ranko¡¯s mother spoke first. ¡°Honestly, dear. Do you have to wear such short dresses up there in front of everyone? It¡¯s shameful.¡±


    Fire in her eyes, Ranko whirled on her heels, turning her back to the table. Starting in on this shit already?! Calm down, Ranko. Bite your tongue. Don¡¯t start a scene. Not here. Be good. ¡°I¡­ gotta get back up there.¡± You can¡¯t hurt me up there. That stage is my suit of armor.


    She strode quickly back up the steps and waved to the crowd, fidgeting with her headset to ensure the boom microphone was where she wanted it as a gentle melody began to flow from Crash¡¯s guitar.


    ¡°When I met you, I was a mess, and it made total sense to me that you¡¯d be unimpressed. And ever since, I¡¯ve tried to grow, hoping I could find a way to be someone you¡¯d wanna know¡­¡±


    Akane stood. I gotta walk away for a minute, or I¡¯m gonna choke this lady. ¡°Let me get you a drink, Mrs. Saotome. Would you like something to eat?¡±


    Ranko¡¯s mother nodded curtly to the young woman who had just threatened her with violence. ¡°A nice curry sounds lovely. Thank you.¡±


    Her forehead falling into her palm, Akane rolled her eyes. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t that kind of place. How about some onion rings?¡± She sped off before Nodoka could grumble her reply.


    Nodoka¡¯s eyes widened as Crash stepped up to a microphone on a stand in front of him and began to sing.


    ¡°So I¡¯m gonna wander every desert. I¡¯m gonna sail every sea. All I¡¯m searching for¡¯s a reason you¡¯d be proud to be with me! I¡¯ll explore a deep, dark jungle, search the depths of every cave. Sure, I¡¯m scared, but you fill my heart up enough to make me brave! I¡¯m gonna go on an adventure. I¡¯m gonna cast away my fears. Gonna earn my place beside you, if it takes a thousand years¡­¡±


    Akane returned to the table, placing a basket of fried onion and a cup of tea in front of Nodoka. Hope she doesn¡¯t complain about that, at least. Yui about throttled me when I told her I was serving tea in her bar.


    ¡°Do you actually tolerate this?!¡± Nodoka gestured to the stage as Ranko and Crash wrapped up the final chorus of Worthy of You.


    ¡°Tolerate what, exactly?¡± Akane rested her fists on her hips, having not yet sat down. ¡°She sings. She loves it. What¡¯s the problem now?¡±


    Nodoka flopped her hand down on the tabletop. ¡°I just¡­ do you see the way she¡­ with that boy?! It¡¯s¡­ does she have no shame?¡±


    Having finished the song, Ranko walked up behind Akane, putting her hand gently on her fiancee¡¯s back. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You seem upset.¡±


    Nodoka scoffed. ¡°If you must know, I am. You claim that you¡¯re still attracted to women, and yet you¡¯re singing love songs with boys?! What are you playing at, child?!¡±


    Akane glared darkly. ¡°Keep your fucking voice down with that, would you?! And anyway, it¡¯s perfectly normal for a singer to sing a duet with someone they aren¡¯t in a relationship with. They wrote it for me, and Crash¡¯s girlfriend!¡±


    The singer¡¯s mother motioned to Akane with a groan, looking up at Ranko. ¡°Real princess this one is, with that mouth!¡±


    A resentful sneer forming on her lips, Akane stared through the woman sitting in her place at the VIP table, who Ranko had hoped desperately to impress and thus far earned nothing but scorn from. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s definitely a princess in our relationship.¡±


    Akane looked over her shoulder at the woman who was holding her from behind, her eyes softening at Ranko¡¯s face. ¡°But it ain¡¯t me.¡±


    Akane¡¯s bristling spine seemed to relax a little as Ranko whispered in her ear. ¡°Let it go, Akane. Please. For me. Don¡¯t let her rile you up. Thank you for sticking up for me. I love you.¡±


    Releasing Akane¡¯s waist, Ranko motioned back to the stage with a thumb over her shoulder. ¡°How about we do another slow one, this one with no singing boys? Will that work?¡± Not waiting for an answer, she bounded up to the stage.


    Fucking bitch! Who does she think she is? Whew. Stay cool, Ranko. Stay cool.


    She began conferring with her bandmates, and a moment later, the song selection set, she flitted to the front of the stage, putting on her best stage smile.


    You might be pissed, Ranko, but you can still show her how much you love Akane. There¡¯s a lot of things about me I¡¯ll put up with her questioning, but not that. Never that.


    With naught but Crash¡¯s guitar behind her, she began to sing.


    ¡°Did you know the way time stops when our eyes meet? The way that everything else fades out of my mind? Did you know I hear your name in each heartbeat? That you¡¯re the one my soul was always meant to find?¡±


    Nodoka smiled slightly. ¡°I heard this one on that disc she gave me. I like it.¡± And this is just about the only one.


    Akane grinned sadistically as she retook her seat to Nodoka¡¯s right. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really pretty. She wrote it about me. In fact, it was originally gonna be just for me alone, and it¡¯s only on the album because I wanted a good studio recorded version for us to dance to at our wedding.¡±


    With pursed lips, Nodoka gave the barest hint of a nod and returned her eyes to the stage, where the teenager who would be her daughter swayed, her haunting voice carrying with only the barest minimum of support from Crash¡¯s guitar.


    ¡°Did you know that everything is falling into place? That my life is finally starting to make sense?¡±


    ¡°And you say she does this every night? Even on school nights?¡±


    Akane nodded, still glaring at Nodoka over her previous comments. ¡°Every night she works, until two. Four to six nights a week, depending. It¡¯s getting to the point that we have to take reservations almost every night that she sings.¡±


    Nodoka looked around at the despondent capacity crowd as they watched the firebrand in the striking blue dress croon yet another slow love ballad. ¡°You could have fooled me.¡±


    You bitch. How dare you! Akane shook her head. Easy, Akane. Ranko doesn¡¯t want a scene. Even if I do. ¡°This isn¡¯t one of her normal performances.¡± This place is packed. It¡¯s Friday night. These people are here to party, and if she doesn¡¯t pick it up soon, there¡¯s gonna be a riot. Good thing she picked a night when Hana¡¯s not here, or there¡¯d probably be a fistfight behind the bar.


    Ranko closed her eyes as she finished the love song whose title was inscribed on the band of her engagement ring. ¡°... they hear me sing, and they¡¯re not wrong. But when they see the joy I feel up on that stage, I¡¯m just the singer. You¡¯re my song¡­¡± She looked down at the VIP table, sighing in frustration at the weak response from the crowd. I hope you¡¯re appeased.


    ¡°You¡¯re killing us, Ranko!¡± Shinji growled, having just stood on the stage with nothing to do for the whole of You¡¯re My Song. ¡°Are you gonna play some real music, or should we all just go home?¡±


    ¡°You guys, I can¡¯t. Not with her here. You don¡¯t understand. She¡¯s traditional and¡­ weird.¡± Ranko sighed. ¡°I really wanted to make a good impression on her tonight.¡±


    Crash gave her a quizzical side glance. ¡°Then why did we¡­¡±


    The singer shrugged, not letting him finish his sentence. ¡°In case of emergency, break glass. Be right back.¡±


    Willing a smile onto her face, Ranko again descended the steps and closed the distance to the VIP table. ¡°What did you think of that?¡±


    You¡¯d better keep your damn mouth shut, lady, if you know what¡¯s good for you, Akane thought with a glare. Don¡¯t make me have to strangle you with that freakin¡¯ ridiculous obi. But she instead turned her eyes up to her lover with a bright smile. ¡°It was beautiful, baby, like always.¡±


    Nodoka scoffed. ¡°I do like the song, and you do have a very nice voice. But¡­¡± She looked around at the confused and bored crowd. ¡°If this is the typical reaction you get, I¡¯m very concerned about your career choice, sweetheart.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes flared as she dug her fingernails into her palms. ¡°Oh?!¡±


    Breathe, Ranko. In through the nose, out through the mouth. ¡°I¡¯m just never gonna be good enough in your eyes, am I?¡±


    ¡°I mean, look at them. Half of them were reading their drink menus while you sang.¡± Nodoka shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you can¡¯t see the truth, honey. It¡¯s hard to admit when the dream isn¡¯t working, I know, but maybe it¡¯s time to consider a more appropriate career for a young lady.¡±


    Ranko reached behind herself, pulling the blue ribbon and the hair elastic out of her hair and throwing both on the table. She shook her head, letting her flaming locks fall about her shoulders, a sharp contrast to the deep blue ice in her eyes. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s it! You wanna see them scream? You got it, lady!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit.¡± Behind the bar, Yui started frantically laying out shot glasses on the bar, passing bottles of top-shelf tequila over them with both hands as fast as the pour spouts would allow the clear liquid to flow.


    ¡°Yui, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Mei looked up at her sister, a combination of confusion and concern on her face.


    The blonde head bartender didn¡¯t look up from her work. ¡°I¡¯ve seen that look in her eyes before, Mei. That¡¯s the Sneak face. She¡¯s gonna do it again.¡±


    Mei sighed quietly. Poor girl. She wanted so badly for it to go well tonight. ¡°Oh, boy.¡±


    Stomping her way to the stage without another word and ignoring Akane¡¯s shouts to stop, Ranko snatched her headset off of her head and threw it to the back of the stage with a guttural roar. Ken yelped slightly, ducking under it as it flew over his drum set.


    ¡°Uh, Ranko? Everything¡­ okay?¡± Crash took a step toward his friend, prepared to offer her a hug, or dodge a punch, and unsure which to expect.


    The young singer looked up into her best friend¡¯s face, her eyes somewhere between rage and despondence. ¡°Crash¡­ let¡¯s break the fucking glass.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, you sure you wanna do that, Ran-chan? Remember Sneak? You were all pissed, and you regretted it later.¡± Crash took another step forward, holding up his palms in a non-threatening gesture as he approached.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°That was different, Crash.¡± Ranko snatched up her handheld dynamic microphone, and her guitarist winced. He knew full well that she basically only eschewed her headset when she wanted a song to cut deep, and something in her blue eyes confirmed to him that the Dapper Dragons were not going to be performing a sixth consecutive love song.


    ¡°I actually wanted Akane to stay.¡±


    Turning to the crowd, she flicked the switch on her microphone, ensuring Crash knew that any further debate would be broadcast to the whole of the bar. She waved to the audience, somehow painting a thin smile over her fury.


    ¡°Hey, Firebirds! You have been challenged! Yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± She pointed down at the VIP table, her eyes still focused up at the back of the room. ¡°That lady doesn¡¯t think you can get loud!¡± The audience began to stir, having seen the first signs of life all evening from their favorite little dive bar¡¯s artist-in-residence.


    The raging singer turned her glare down to her mother¡¯s eyes, and Ranko could see her gulp from where she stood. ¡°Let¡¯s show her how we SHAKE THIS PLACE!¡±


    Even as the crowd rumbled to life, Nodoka caught the sound of wood scraping wood as Akane moved her chair a bit further away from her. Even though Akane knew her bride¡¯s fury wasn¡¯t directed at her, it was uncomfortable to see that kind of hate in her eyes pointed even in her general direction.


    ¡°Thank the gods!¡± Shinji shouldered his bass guitar and began to pluck at it, and a fast, almost dance rhythm began flowing from Jacob¡¯s fingers on the Yamaha DX7 synthesizer behind him.


    Ranko turned with her left side to the crowd and arched her back behind her, hanging her left arm behind her head elegantly. Hey, ballet paid off after all, Mrs. Kanzawa! I get to use it to stomp the life out of somebody! She raised her microphone in her right hand, and began to sing.


    ¡°I¡¯m good at cooking. Yeah, the furikake salmon that I make is the best.¡± The first four words were delivered staccato sliding into the rest of the line delivered at almost the speed of Demon in Your Radio. Her voice was soulful and deep, as would befit a song normally sung at half the speed.


    Mei looked up at Yui, puzzled. ¡°She wrote a diss track about salmon? I mean, I guess, if anybody could do it¡­¡±


    ¡°Not half-bad looking¡­¡± She paused for a half-second and gave the crowd a wink with a kick of her heel as the audience roared their agreement. ¡°... even though sometimes I need half the afternoon to get dressed.¡±


    Akane chuckled grimly. Sometimes longer, babe.


    Ranko kicked her right leg high above her head in a move taken straight from her cheerleading choreography. ¡°They say I look best in red, but I would rather rock a purple or a jewel-tone blue.¡± As she delivered the line, her hands slowly explored the torso of her bright blue dress. Holding her leg high up with her right hand, she spun in place thrice in the span of a single bar.


    ¡°Take the right side of the bed¡­¡± Ranko gave a playful wink to the VIP table. ¡°... because the left¡¯s where the alarm is set for you-know-who-WHO!¡±


    Akane blushed, not caring in the slightest about the scoff of the woman to her left. Ranko had not shared the lyrics to the song with her before she took the stage, as she¡¯d been desperately trying to hold on to the last sliver of hope she had that she wouldn¡¯t need to sing it.


    ¡°I can have lots of fun doing simple dates like dinner and an action movie.¡± Ranko smiled brightly, affecting a playful giggle in her voice. ¡°Adored by everyone¡­¡±


    The crowd exploded in a roar of approval as the singer snapped her head back to the VIP table, all trace of happiness and playfulness in her face replaced with something else entirely.


    ¡°So, where the FUCK¡¯d you get off thinking you could come improve me?!¡±


    Akane grimaced. Oh, it¡¯s on now, Saotome. You don¡¯t know what you just unleashed.


    Nodoka shrank in her seat a little. Where everyone else in the room saw hatred, the singer¡¯s mother recognized something else in her child¡¯s eyes. Something deeper.


    Pain.


    Hopping backward twice until she was surrounded by her musician friends rather than in front of them, Ranko gestured out to her sides as the rhythm sped up, changing tune for the second half of the verse structure. The majority of each line was sung as quickly as the longer portions of the previous section, but now it was the last few syllables of each line that received the slower, slithering emphasis.


    ¡°You don¡¯t care at all about the band I¡¯ve got, and don¡¯t like who I¡¯m kissing.¡±


    Akane exhaled heavily. Whoa boy. We¡¯re going there, huh?


    ¡°So focused on the myriad of shit I¡¯m not, you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re missing!¡± Ranko gestured to herself to articulate her point, and Ariel had to slide the gain on the house speakers to ensure that every note of verbal venom was audible over the audience¡¯s cacophonous cries.


    ¡°I am slowly getting even less impressed the more I learn about you. I¡¯m not remotely feeling even kinda stressed; I¡¯m doing fine without you!¡±


    Nodoka leaned back, cupping her hands over her mouth. Is that really how she feels?


    ¡°I can understand that you¡¯ve been at a loss. I know that you don¡¯t get me. But maybe realize that you are not my boss, ¡®cause, fuck! You¡¯ve barely met me!¡±


    Akane cringed. I hope you know what you¡¯re doing, Ranko, because I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any coming back from this.


    Ranko slowly writhed from her ankles up to her shoulders and back down again, her left hand spread wide on her abdomen as her right spun the microphone up to her mouth for the chorus.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know me! So, don¡¯t think that you get to judge! You can complain about me endlessly, but you¡¯re never, ever, EVER gonna get me to budge!¡±


    Her eyes aflame, Ranko extended her left arm, pointing quite rudely directly into the face of her mother. ¡°No, no! I don¡¯t know you! What makes you think that you get a say? I¡¯m gonna show you what this girl can do when I¡¯m tuning out the noise and doing it my way - hey!¡±


    Making a gesture with her hands like an explosion radiating from her sternum, Ranko continued the chorus. ¡°My life is moving forward at the speed of sound. You¡¯re never gonna slow me!¡±


    She turned her back to the crowd, before looking over her right shoulder at the table where her future wife and her former mother sat. ¡°Cause you decided that you didn¡¯t want me around, and that¡¯s. Why. You. Don¡¯t. Know me!¡±


    Akane looked over to her left, watching the woman in the kimono physically slump as every word struck her with the force of a hammer. She barely had a moment to recover enough to straighten her back again before the second volley of words came from the irate siren commanding the stage and the rapt attention of everyone in the building.


    ¡°I write curses in the words to almost every single one of my songs. The crowds love my verses¡­¡± Ranko smirked as the crowd roared again. They don¡¯t get loud, huh, Nodoka?


    ¡°So, please, stop thinking you can tell me that I¡¯m doing it wrong?¡±


    Ranko began snaking her hand gently up her leg, the sultriness to her movement somewhat belied by the disquiet in her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t approve it. I know that every time you see me up here singing, it hurts. Hate how I move it¡­¡±


    She hooked her thumb under the hem of her dress, moving it just a half-centimeter up her leg to the ravenous cheers of her followers. ¡°... and how my temper¡¯s even shorter on most days than my skirts!¡±


    Akane blushed, hiding her face from Nodoka behind her hand. Didn¡¯t have to go quite that far, lover.


    With a smirk and a shrug, Ranko continued the second verse. ¡°I¡¯m not a lady. You can¡¯t stand the way I spend my time out rockin¡¯ in bars. But, hey, just maybe¡­¡±


    She stared down off the stage, directly into the very soul of the woman who had let Genma Saotome steal her away to a lifetime of torture and neglect.


    ¡°... it¡¯s where orphan girls like me go when they wanna be stars¡­¡±


    Nodoka covered her mouth with both hands to hide her gasp. Does my child really feel that way? That she¡¯s an¡­ an orphan? My gods, what have I done?


    Ranko bounced on her toes, her arms extended as she spun as if to gesture to the whole of the room at once.


    ¡°I know that you think that I¡¯m a laughingstock, some dumb attention-seeker. I guess you haven¡¯t seen ¡®em lining up around the block to hear me blowin¡¯ out the speakers! My songs are playin¡¯ loud on every radio. They love how I design ¡®em. People waving photos at me everywhere I go, just hopin¡¯ that I¡¯ll sign ¡®em!¡±


    Ranko shrugged again, giving a smug smirk down at her mother. ¡°I don¡¯t really think I¡¯m gonna pass your test, your dumb evaluation¡­¡±


    She looked skyward and raised her arms wide above her head, as if willing the roof to come down on her head just to punctuate her words. ¡°But the thing is, I¡¯ve already been told I¡¯m the best by the charts in SEVERAL NATIONS!¡±


    Akane could not hear herself scream over the rest of the bar¡¯s patrons, caring not a whit what the dumbstruck woman to her left thought about it.


    ¡°YOU DON¡¯T KNOW ME! So don¡¯t think that you get to judge! You can bitch about it constantly, but you¡¯re never, ever, ever gonna get me to budge! No, no, I don¡¯t know you! What makes you think that you get a say? I¡¯m gonna show you what this girl can do when I¡¯m tuning out the noise and doing it my way! Hey!¡±


    Ranko rolled sideways as she dropped to one knee, continuing to carry her momentum until she sat on the stage with her legs out to the side, one knee popped up at a right angle and the other leg straight.


    ¡°My life is moving forward at the speed of sound. You¡¯re never gonna slow me! Yeah, you decided that you didn¡¯t want me around, and that¡¯s. Why. You. Don¡¯t. Know me!¡±


    With another wink to Akane, Ranko sneered into the microphone in her hand as she snapped directly into the third verse without pausing for so much as a breath. ¡°I¡¯m athletic. Yeah, I¡¯m pretty fucking good at some obscure martial arts.¡± As she finished the line, she kicked her legs upward, propelling herself back onto her seven-centimeter blue heels as if to demonstrate her point.


    ¡°It¡¯s poetic that now, instead of breaking boards, I¡¯m up here breaking boys¡¯ hearts!¡±


    Any sliver of doubt remaining in Nodoka Saotome¡¯s mind that her child could whip a crowd into a frenzy ended instantly as her child whipped her hair to the side, grinding her backside toward the crowd with her open right palm plastered across it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do much fighting, but I¡¯ve found a better way to go deliver a strike. Crowds delighting, watching me taking you apart with just a wink and a mic!¡±


    Something seemed to change in Ranko¡¯s eyes, and her anger somehow shrank in the presence of a stronger set of emotions that Nodoka instantly recognized. It was resentment, and anguish, and shame, all of them far, far too long buried and left to metastasize in the forgotten corners of the very bottom of a broken young girl¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Yeah, I mastered dozens of techniques that I hope never to use¡­¡±


    Again, Ranko threw her right arm forward, pointing in accusation directly into the eyes of her mother.


    ¡°... ¡®cause you let that BASTARD burn through everything that I had to lose!¡±


    Akane covered her mouth, her eyes wide. Oh, baby¡­


    But despite Akane¡¯s reaction, it was Nodoka that was truly rocked. She¡­ she blames me? For all of it? No wonder she¡¯s so angry. Does she truly think I didn¡¯t want her? That I didn¡¯t fight for her?


    Ranko wagged her finger side to side, daggers of soulless ice radiating from her eyes directly into her mother¡¯s heart. ¡°I know that I¡¯m not what you had hoped to find. I¡¯m not what you expected. But just ¡®cause I have been completely redefined, don¡¯t mean I need corrected! Pretty sure it¡¯s been at least eleven years since I¡¯ve even got a letter, so don¡¯t think you¡¯ll just show up and shed a couple¡¯a tears, and tell me you know better!¡±


    The singer shook gently on the stage, her choreography largely frozen in place. Akane prayed the song was nearing its end, because there was nowhere in all of existence she wanted to be more than standing beside that stage holding the love of her life.


    ¡°You swear to me you really care for me, but if you did, you¡¯d know that the time I really needed you there for me was fifteen years ago, and¡­¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes widened as if she¡¯d just remembered she were giving a performance and not just launching a lifetime of weaponized abandonment and resentment out of her chest like a missile directed at the woman she held responsible for all of it. Even through the tempest her heart was processing, she noticed the look in Nodoka¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t anger. It was¡­ sadness. Despair, even.


    She was past the point of caring.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know me! So don¡¯t think that you get to judge! You can go ahead and threaten me, but you¡¯re never, ever, ever gonna get me to budge! No, no! I don¡¯t know you! What makes you think that you get a say? I¡¯m gonna show you what this GIRL can do, when I¡¯m tuning out the noise and doing it my way! HEY! My life is moving forward at the speed of sound. You¡¯re never gonna slow me, ¡®cause you decided that you didn¡¯t want me around, and THAT¡¯S! WHY! YOU! DON¡¯T! KNOW ME!¡±


    Taking a moment during the gap between verses to steady her emotions, Ranko flashed her eyes up at Crash, who gave her a reassuring nod. He¡¯s right. Better skip that fourth verse. No matter how mad I am, some things can¡¯t be unsaid. Instead, she proceeded directly to the fifth and final verse.


    ¡°I¡¯m graduating. Even though I won¡¯t be at the top of my class, I¡¯m celebrating, ¡®cause I made it through three years of lessons kicking my ass. My friends love me. My classmates clear a path for me when I walk down the halls. Posters of me, my face a meter high, hung up on everyone¡¯s walls, and¡­¡±


    Ranko clapped her hands twice, thrusting her elbows out to her sides and then firing her right fist into the air.


    ¡°I¡¯m cheerleading. Yeah, and I¡¯m the first in seven years to land a quadruple twist!¡±


    The singer flung herself backward into a back handspring, even with the microphone still in her hand, twisting twice in the air before landing in a seated position on a large felt-covered box containing the main amplifier rack for the electronic instruments.


    ¡°I keep succeeding, rackin¡¯ up all these achievements in a life that you missed¡­¡±


    Ranko smiled to the back of the bar at Yui and Mei, who were holding hands behind the main bar and watching in horror as their little sister immolated any chance she would ever have of a relationship with her biological mother in front of just shy of four hundred strangers.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got four badass sisters and an awesome mom. You¡¯ll never meet her, but her name is Hana.¡±


    The crowd whooped loudly in acknowledgement of the bar¡¯s longtime proprietress, even absent though she was.


    ¡°She gave me a stage so I could drop this bomb, with lyrics sharper than your dumb katana!¡±


    As the middle-aged woman at the VIP table shuddered, Ranko hopped to her feet and stalked to the front of the stage. She wanted Nodoka to see into the depths of her heart for this part. The fury. The ache. The unforgivable emptiness of it all.


    ¡°You thought that you could change me in a couple¡¯a days. It never really fazed me. But if you were so determined to help set my ways¡­


    Ranko¡¯s voice ceased to be anything resembling music. It was the howl of a wounded animal too-long cornered. ¡°¡­ you probably should have RAISED ME!¡±


    Not minding in the least that her mother was openly wiping tears from her eyes, Ranko¡¯s eyes flared, the firebird within roaring to life to protect the fragile, broken little girl that remained hiding underneath.


    ¡°I was really hoping I could earn your backing, but on second thought, just don¡¯t bother!¡± She made a dismissive wave with the back of her hand before extending her right arm and pointing to the front door over the heads of the crowd.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s probably time for me to send you packing, JUST LIKE I DID MY FATHER!¡±


    Without lowering her arm from its position pointing to the front door, her final chorus was not sung, so much as it was spat. Her chest heaved with every word she flung like a shuriken.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know me, so don¡¯t think that you get to judge! Haven¡¯t found a thing you like in me, but you¡¯re never, ever, EVER gonna get me to budge! Fuck no! I don¡¯t know you! What made you think that you got a say?! You think there¡¯s a million things a girl like me can¡¯t do, but just back off, and watch me anyway! My life is moving forward riding waves of sound. I¡¯ll never let you slow me!¡±


    Ranko  willed her hand to stop shaking around the microphone, but made no effort to stop the tear streaking down her cheek.


    ¡°¡®Cause I¡¯ve decided that I really don¡¯t want you around, and that¡¯s! Why! You! WON¡¯T! KNOW ME!¡±


    Nodoka stood while the last note from Jacob¡¯s synthesizer still hung in the air, every cell of her body quaking. ¡°I¡­ should go.¡±


    Akane did not hear her over the deafening chanting of her bride¡¯s name.

 147. Storming the Castle

    ¡°YES, MISTRESS!¡±


    Ranko gave an evil laugh as she strode the Phoenix stage heel-over-toe in her black leather pants and red leather boots. As strange as it was whenever she really thought about the use of that word to describe herself, she loved how into it the crowd got. It made her feel like the lyrics were true - that she really had possessed them and entranced them into loving her, and she supposed she had, albeit with music rather than magic.


    ¡°You can¡¯t help but dance! There¡¯s no time to rest! There¡¯s a siren on the mic that¡¯s makin¡¯ you possessed! There¡¯s nowhere to hide! Nowhere to go! No escapin¡¯ from the demon in your ra-a-di-o!¡±


    The singer holding court on the Phoenix¡¯ stage grinned excitedly. They¡¯d never tried out this new system live before, and she couldn¡¯t wait to see the crowd¡¯s reaction. She bent her elbows, holding her open, claw-formed hands up at eye level as she bowed her head and closed her eyes. A cold mist, tinged red by the stage lighting and punctuated with intermittent white flashes like lightning, surrounded her and her bandmates. The effect gave a demonic appearance to the band¡¯s lead singer, but more importantly, it obscured the black wires running to the ceiling trusses on each side of her. As she raised her arms with another dark laugh - Shinji had been helping her practice - Hitomi and Emi rose into the air from the stage on guide wires pulled backstage by Ariel and Kaito. They reached almost a meter off the stage platform, writhing in their matching red minidresses as if Ranko was choking the life out of them like something out of Star Wars.


    She sang the final line of the song over the shocked roar of the crowd at the new effect.


    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve got you, I ain¡¯t ever gonna let you go! No escaping from the DEMON in your ra-a-di-o!¡±She threw her hands outward to her sides, flaring out her fingers, and Ariel and Kaito both lowered her backup dancers to the stage as quickly as possible without hurting them. When they hit the platform, both girls crumpled to the floor, selling the performance until the room plunged into pitch darkness and Shinji¡¯s laughter rained down on the ecstatic, and inebriated, crowd.


    When the lights came back up, Ranko was laying across the top of table three, on her side, her right leg crossed over her left with her foot on the table and her hand on her hip, staring into the eyes of a very shocked pair of young college boys whose pizza had yet to be delivered. ¡°BOO!¡± The crowd laughed as the patrons jumped back and the singer slid to her feet, waving in no direction in particular as she made her way to the bar, where Mei had a glass of soda waiting for her. Meanwhile, continuing to sell the performance even after it ended, Crash and Shinji carried the limp forms of Hitomi and Emi off of the stage as if they truly had died.


    ¡°If you¡¯re gonna keep doing that, we¡¯ll have to hire some stage hands. I don¡¯t think Kaito can do this five nights a week.¡±


    Ranko nodded to Izumi. ¡°I know, but the effect was so cool! Did it look as awesome from down here as it did up there? Wish Akane could¡¯a been here to see it!¡±


    Izzi grinned, sipping at her orange juice. ¡°Yeah, not gonna lie, it was pretty rad.¡±


    In fact, Ranko¡¯s fiancee was back in their little shoebox apartment studying for an anatomy exam. Ranko had no idea how Akane could have so much trouble naming all of the bones, considering how many of them she¡¯d broken on one perverted boy or another. But because her betrothed wasn¡¯t in the building, she was a little taken by surprise at the feel of a hand on her back. She looked up from her perch at the service bar, ready to either smile at Crash or flatten some drunken fan, to find not Akane, but her older sister.


    ¡°Ranko, good show tonight.¡± Nabiki winked, tipping her Dragonfire cocktail in her future sister¡¯s direction. ¡°You got a minute to talk?¡±


    The songstress nodded, taking a soda glass that Mei had quickly refilled for her and following Nabiki through the blue saloon door to the back room. She expected to be taken upstairs to her old apartment, the de facto venue for private conversations in the Phoenix, but instead, she was led into Hana¡¯s ever-cluttered office.


    ¡°Okay, Nabiki, what¡¯s this about? Kinda freakin¡¯ me out a little bit.¡±


    Nabiki waved her hand dismissively, lifting her gray slacks slightly on her hips as she made herself comfortable on Hana¡¯s cracked leather couch. ¡°Nothing to worry about. Just scored you a gig.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Ranko hopped up onto the corner of Hana¡¯s desk with a grin, sitting with her ankles crossed despite having no concern about showing herself off in her black leather pants. ¡°That radio commercial thing finally happening?¡±


    Her sister and agent shook her head. ¡°No, honey. Way better. Way better. It might be the biggest crowd you¡¯ve ever performed for at once. But it¡¯s in just a few days. I heard they were looking for somebody with your¡­ look, who could sing, and I gave them a call. Bitch and a half to negotiate, this one. These people¡¯s lawyers have lawyers.¡±


    Ranko glanced over the contract she was handed, which was easily thirty pages of tiny English print. Her eyes widened when she found the venue information. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be shitting me.¡±


    Nabiki gave her a little tsk. ¡°Gonna have to watch your language for this one. I¡¯m afraid Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch is a no-go, little sister.¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°But¡­ this is at their amusement park?!¡±


    Nabiki grinned. ¡°Yep. Outdoor amphitheater. Seats about five, six thousand people, not counting kids on laps, and they said they were gonna do temporary seating to expand it. They want you to do a photo shoot with them beforehand. Some sort of promo for a new movie they have coming out. They said you look kinda like the main character.¡±


    Ranko flipped to the next page of the contract with wide eyes. ¡°Nabiki, did you see the date on this? June twelfth?¡±


    Her agent nodded. ¡°Yep. Akane¡¯s birthday. I know. That¡¯s why I got them to throw in a bunch of extra tickets. Figured you could take your bridesmaids, and it¡¯d be the bridesmaid gift you girls have been stressing about, and it doesn¡¯t cost you anything. Make a day of it.¡±


    Ranko looked up from the paperwork with a flat expression. ¡°And you¡¯re sure you¡¯re not just suggesting that because you¡¯re one of our bridesmaids?¡±


    The girl in the gray slacks shook her head. ¡°Honey, I could buy my own ticket anytime if I wanted to. This is about you.¡±


    Ranko frowned, setting the paperwork down. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Nabiki. It sounds cool and all, but I don¡¯t know what Akane wants to do for her birthday, and it¡¯s just a couple weeks before the wedding. I honestly think Shinji might burst into flames walking through the front door of this joint. And while I¡¯m sure they don¡¯t want to do nothin¡¯ gross, the idea of a photo shoot kinda creeps me out still after the whole Tashima thing.¡±


    With a shake of her head, Nabiki stood, closing the distance and turning to page fourteen, pointing to a fairly large number. ¡°Look, kid sister. I¡¯m gonna be real with you. Akane hasn¡¯t been saying anything while you¡¯ve been in mama drama land, but you girls are flat broke. You¡¯re getting married in four weeks. You need the money, and this will expose you to a whole different crowd from the bar scene besides. Sign the fucking paper, and go have a good time, Ranko.¡± She handed Ranko up a cheap black ballpoint pen.


    ¡°But, I haven¡¯t even read the whole thing!¡± Ranko groaned. So much pressure.


    Nabiki shook her head. ¡°I have. Twice. You¡¯ll be fine. Now, write your damn name, girl, so I can go start getting stuff ready.¡±


    Sighing, Ranko snatched the pen from Nabiki¡¯s hand. ¡°I hope you know what you¡¯re doing, big sister.¡±


    Nabiki smirked, her amusement becoming more evident with each stroke of Ranko¡¯s pen. ¡°Don¡¯t I always?¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Akane. I didn¡¯t even get to read half of it. Your sister shoved it into my hand, told me we needed the money, and I signed it. How come you didn¡¯t tell me how short we were?¡± She pulled her arms out of the red leather jacket she wore, tossing it onto the bed weakly.


    Ranko yawned, sitting on the yellow duvet cover at the foot of her immaculately-made queen-sized bed while Akane read through the contract at their study desk with wide, red-tinged eyes. She hadn¡¯t slept properly in days; the classes to prepare her for chiropractic clinicals were positively grueling.


    Apparently, Akane was excited by what she was reading, because she no longer looked half as exhausted as she should have for half past two in the morning. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to stress you out. Between the wedding, school, the new songs and Nodoka, there¡¯s just no more room in your poor brain for more bullshit." Akane flipped to the next page. ¡°Ranko, this is¡­ we¡¯ll be able to finish the wedding budget with this!¡±


    Ranko smiled, watching the stress lift off of her lover¡¯s shoulders in real time like steam from a sword pulled from the fire and quenched in water. ¡°That¡¯s what Nabiki said. Hopefully now you can unclench your ass a little bit, and just enjoy marrying me.¡±


    Akane smirked. ¡°Are you saying you don¡¯t like me having a tight ass?¡±


    The singer chuckled exhaustedly. ¡°Babe, there¡¯s nothin¡¯ about you I don¡¯t like. I hope it¡¯ll help, honestly. I don¡¯t like seein¡¯ you worry and not being able to help. The show¡¯s on your birthday, though. I¡¯m sorry about that. Nabiki said she got them to throw in some extra tickets for our bridesmaids and stuff, for their present.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s fiancee nodded, rolling her eyes slightly. ¡°That¡¯s cool and all, but, are there any of our sisters that really need a nudge to see you in concert? Okay, maybe Kasumi? Show tickets don¡¯t seem like a very good gift.¡±


    Ranko snorted. ¡°Page eighteen, Akane.¡±


    Her betrothed flipped a few more pages, getting to the venue information. She looked up with wide, glistening eyes. ¡°Tokyo freakin¡¯ Disneyland?! On my birthday?!¡±


    The redhead nodded with a satisfied smile. Looks like she¡¯s cool with it after all. ¡°I know. Fuckin¡¯ crazy, right? Like, have they even heard my music?¡±


    Akane squealed with excitement, rocketing out of her wooden chair and closing the two steps to the bed, squeezing Ranko tight. ¡°Oh, Ranko, this is amazing! Great for my birthday, great for money, great for the girls, and great for your career too! Nabiki¡¯s a friggin¡¯ genius!¡±


    Smiling as she kissed the woman who was less than a month from being her wife, Ranko pulled back and took the document that hung limply in Akane¡¯s hand. Turning to page twenty-one, she pointed to a paragraph. ¡°We won¡¯t get the whole day to ourselves, though. They want me to do some kind of a picture thing before the show. Some advertising thing for their new movie. It¡¯s kinda freaking me out, though. Like, what¡¯s this word?¡± She pointed to a seven-character English word near the bottom of the photo shoot section. ¡°I don¡¯t know why they couldn¡¯t give us the contract in friggin¡¯ Japanese like normal people. Could they not afford a translator?¡±


    Akane looked, and began laughing hysterically, covering her mouth in a vain attempt to stifle it.


    Ranko¡¯s pupils widened with worry. ¡°Akane! I¡¯m serious! What does it mean?!¡±


    With an incredibly devious grin on her face, Akane leaned down and kissed Ranko on the temple, staying close to her ear. She was going to enjoy this.


    ¡°Mermaid.¡±

 148. Coronation

    ¡°Seriously, how do they expect me to move in this thing?!¡±


    Akane laughed heartily, crossing her legs and leaning back in the red velvet plush chair just outside the large dressing room where her fiancee currently struggled with the aid of an assistant. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure they do, Ran-chan.¡±


    ¡°Well, I gotta at least be ab¡­ hurk! Hey! That doesn¡¯t have to be so tight, ya know?!¡±


    Again, Akane cackled loudly, never more grateful to be wearing a pair of threadbare jeans and a Minato University Athletics tee shirt. ¡°You know what they say, honey. Beauty is pain. Besides, when you¡¯re a mermaid princess, who needs silly things like oxygen?¡±


    ¡°Keep laughin¡¯ out there, and I¡¯m gonna cram this tiara up your ass, Akane!¡±


    Tiara? Akane¡¯s cheeks bulged and her lips puckered tight, but try though she might, she could not hold it in. She surrendered to another uproarious bout of laughter, kicking her legs up over the gold trim of the red plush throne on which she awaited her fiancee.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m coming out, and I swear, Akane, if you laugh¡­¡±


    The light mauve-colored wooden door swung outward and Ranko stepped through it, trundling several layers of massive skirts around her. The dress was a soft pink, with an even lighter, almost baby pink underskirt that was visible through the nearly waist-high slit in the front. White petticoats peeked out from underneath, just barely missing the ground thanks to the six-centimeter pink heels she wore. The waistline was cinched tighter than Akane thought possible without violating the laws of physics, and silver piping formed both a soft scoop at her neckline and a sharper chevron about her waist. The tight pink sleeves ran all the way to Ranko¡¯s wrists, but along the entire length of her forearms, they were puffed out until they were almost the size of her head, with more of the lighter pink layer underneath showing through several vertical slits in them. Her hair waved behind her in cascades reaching to the small of her back. She wore a pair of large pearl earrings, a silver tiara inlaid with light pink costume gems, and the most immaculate makeup job Akane had ever seen. Rankos hands were clasped together as if protecting something precious between them.


    Akane wanted to laugh, but when she saw her beloved so perfectly adorned, not three weeks removed from her wedding day, all she could do was smile.


    ¡°Ranko¡­ my gods. You¡¯re¡­¡± Akane covered her mouth with both of her hands.


    Ranko¡¯s cheeks were definitely more rosy than her dress. Be careful, Akane. Remember, they think we¡¯re cousins. ¡°Did I clean up okay?¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ I have no words. You are so, so, so beautiful, Ranko.¡± Her eyes were distant and starry, as if she could not comprehend the radiance she was experiencing.


    Ranko wasn¡¯t sure whether she was blushing more because of what she was wearing, because Akane had called her beautiful, or because she didn¡¯t want to admit that she loved it when Akane did so. If only the dress wasn¡¯t so tight, and so, so, so damned itchy. The petticoat material wasn¡¯t intended to be seen, so it was constructed of low-quality organza that scraped at every centimeter of her skin below the waist, which had only just recovered from the torment imposed upon it by her biological mother at a beauty salon.


    ¡°I¡­ they won¡¯t let me keep these on for the pictures. Could you¡­¡± Ranko reached her hands out, revealing her silver dragon bracelet and both of her engagement rings. Fortunately, the long sleeves of the dress obscured her scar well enough.


    Akane nodded, unclasping the bracelet. She slipped it through both of the rings and latched it tight, putting the collected jewelry in the right pocket of her jeans. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll keep them safe for you.¡±


    The cast member that had helped Ranko dress slipped out of the changing room behind her, a bright green bundle of fabric in her arms. She swished through the costumed singer¡¯s wide skirts as she passed. ¡°We have a locker back here where we can put your purse and your dress while we do this, Miss Tendo.¡±


    ¡°Great. What do we do now?¡± Ranko could barely lift her arms to shrug.


    Finishing the securing of Ranko¡¯s belongings, the cast member motioned to a double door leading out to the park proper. ¡°You greet your subjects, princess.¡±


    Shaking her head, Ranko stepped toward the door. I mean, it¡¯s no Firebirds, but¡­


    The assistant reached around Ranko¡¯s shoulder, rapping twice on the closed double doors. Not a moment later, both of them opened outward in perfect synchronization, and two tall men dressed as castle guards in blue and gold livery held the doors open. They bowed at the waist in unison as Ranko passed. She entered a large brick courtyard just in front of the massive castle dominating the center of the park, which had been roped off to create some space for the photo shoot. Several cameras, both still and video, were arrayed throughout the courtyard on tripods, as well as diffuse lighting panels and other various related equipment. Ranko¡¯s eyes widened as she saw the sheer crush of people outside the red velvet rope; she and Akane had arrived at the park before opening, so she had never seen it when it was full of a day¡¯s attendees.


    Holy crap.


    Shielding her eyes from the mid-morning sun with her left hand, Ranko stepped out to the cheers of the assembled onlookers. There was no public event scheduled, but apparently the roping off of one of the park¡¯s main landmarks had garnered no small measure of curiosity among the park¡¯s guests.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s what I call marketable.¡± A distinctive snicker came from Ranko¡¯s left, and she looked up to find Nabiki smirking at her in a black-and-white striped shirt and a pair of blue jeans. She was holding a large square cardboard tub full of buttered popcorn.


    Ranko turned, her eyes narrowing. ¡°You knew they were gonna make me wear all this, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Nabiki chuckled mirthfully, holding up the red and white container in her hand. ¡°Hence the popcorn.¡±


    ¡°Why you¡­¡±


    Ranko had only been half-kidding, but Nabiki tittered softly in reply anyway. ¡°Hey. I knew you were living at a bar as a freakin¡¯ pop starlet and kept my mouth shut for over a year. You owe me at least a little fun, kid sister.¡±


    Ranko started to glower, but Nabiki waved the back of her hand at her with a shoo gesture. ¡°Go on, you. I think you have some babies to kiss or something.¡±


    What the¡­ Ranko bit her tongue, starting to walk around the rope line and wave gently to the people in front. Seeing how excited they were, especially the children, made it easy to smile even through her nerves and discomfort. As she did, Akane was ushered off to the left side of the cordoned-off area to wait. Neither girl saw Nabiki motion the young cast member who had helped Ranko get dressed over to the rope line, whisper something into her ear, and slip something into her hand.


    ¡°Your Highness, we¡¯re just about ready to start.¡±


    Ranko kept waving to the children gathered at the velvet rope¡¯s edge, having brief conversations with a few about what they were wearing or some other quick detail, trying to engage with as many as possible. Her smile was positively scintillating.


    ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    Ranko blinked. Oh, shit, I think he means me!


    Her face absolutely aflame, Ranko retreated to the center of the cordoned-off area, greeting a pair of young men who stood behind the cameras. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, guys. You¡¯re ready for me?¡±


    As she watched her bride work the crowd with a soft smile on her face, Akane felt a tap on her right shoulder and turned to find the cast assistant behind her. ¡°Yes?¡±


    The young blonde smiled brightly at Akane. ¡°So, I hear it¡¯s your birthday?¡±


    Blushing, Akane nodded. ¡°Yep! I¡¯m twenty today.¡±


    A wide smile came in response. ¡°Well, happy birthday! Could you come with me for a second?¡± She motioned Akane with an open hand back toward the double door they had exited leading into the dressing room.


    ¡°I thought I was gonna get to watch the shoot.¡± Akane motioned toward Ranko, not wanting to miss a single moment of the coronation of the princess that was once Ranma Saotome.


    ¡°Oh, you will. We¡¯ll just be a few minutes, and we¡¯ll be right back. Please?¡±


    Nodding slowly, Akane followed her back into the dressing room.


    Ranko followed along as the photographers guided her through a series of poses, most of them involving looking off wistfully into the distance or playing with the fifteen kilograms of dress she was wearing in some way. While the mechanics of the process felt very similar to what she had gone through at Takao Tashima¡¯s agency, there was a deference and respect about their treatment of her that gave her comfort.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    This¡­ actually isn¡¯t all that awful. Uncomfortable as hell, but, otherw¡­ wait. Who the fuck is that?


    Ranko stepped back, watching cautiously as a tall, Western-looking man with black hair approached. He wore knee-high black riding boots over a pair of blue trousers, and a white button-down coat with large gold buttons, gold tassels draped over the shoulders, and navy blue trim at the collar and cuffs. It had white tuxedo tails draping behind him almost down to his knees. The outfit was strikingly similar to that of a character she¡¯d seen in the preview copy of the movie that the Disney staff had sent her on VHS. She¡¯d only just gotten to watch it last night.


    ¡°Give us just a moment, please, princess?¡± The photographer motioned for her to step back, and Ranko retreated to the corner of the rope line where Nabiki had entered it. Her future sister sat cross-legged on a concrete planter, enjoying her popcorn.


    ¡°Uh, Nabiki? Who the hell is that?¡± Ranko motioned toward the strange man, who was now posing for a series of photographs of his own.


    Swallowing, Nabiki gave a devilish smirk. ¡°You can¡¯t very well be a princess without a prince, now, can you, Ranko? What kind of happily ever after is that?¡±


    ¡°Please tell me you didn¡¯t¡­¡± Ranko looked up at her sister-to-be pleadingly.


    Nabiki cackled, popping another few kernels of salty popcorn in her mouth. ¡°Hope you¡¯ve been working on your slow dancing, Ranko.¡±


    Nope, just freakin¡¯ ballet. I can¡¯t believe this. What am I gonna¡­ She turned to search for the one true source of security and safety in her life, but Akane was nowhere to be found.


    What she did find, however, was the young man dressed as Prince Eric, offering her his hand. ¡°Would you care to join me,¡± he said with a suave stage voice.


    I would rather burn in the white-hot fires of hell for all eternity.


    Turning her eyes back at Nabiki with disgust in her eyes, Ranko reached behind herself and placed her hand in his. She was gently led back to the arc of cameras, her eyes flashing around at them as if she expected them to begin firing poison-tipped barbs at her.


    ¡°Okay,¡± the lead photographer said, pulling his hands together until his fingers meshed. ¡°How about we start with something easy. Can we get a nice hug?¡±


    Ranko¡¯s spine went as stiff as a board as the tall man¡¯s arms engulfed her waist. Omigodomigodomigod¡­ get me out of this¡­


    ¡°Smile, princess!¡±


    Ranko cringed. If there was one thing that both the experience at Tashima¡¯s and her life as the youngest of five sisters had taught her, it was that when a person behind a camera told her to smile, whatever was making her frown in the first place would not end until she did. She started trying to will her lips to curl upward as she faced the camera, terror in her unblinking eyes, but she felt a gentle hand on her right temple and looked up to meet its owner.


    The young man playing the prince peered down on her with gentle eyes. ¡°Hey. Relax. It¡¯s just an act. I promise I¡¯m not gonna do anything disrespectful. Just try to pretend. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Ranko sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. He¡¯s right. It¡¯s just an act. Just like Eiji. He knows I don¡¯t mean anything by it. He doesn¡¯t mean anything by it. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m really¡­ with¡­ a boy. If his hands go too low, I can break them just fine, even in all this getup. Where the hell is Akane, anyway?!


    Her hands trembled as she rested them on his chest, but she turned to her side and managed a passable smile as the click-click-click of rapid-fire cameras surrounded her.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! Now, can we just get a little closer?¡± The photographer gave a reassuring thumbs-up.


    He¡¯s already hugging me! How the hell am I supposed to get clo¡­ huh?


    She felt the tall man¡¯s hands on the back of her head, and he gently but firmly pulled her neck forward until her cheek rested on his sternum. It felt not unlike it did when Akane held her, and that realization sent a shiver of disgust up her spine. She managed to tensely hold the pose for a few moments while the cameras got their fill, but stepped back the second she was given permission to do so.


    ¡°Fantastic! Great job, you two. Now, Eric, can we get a bow?¡±


    Ranko found it easier to smile as he released her and she stepped backward to give him more space. He bowed regally at his waist, his right arm resting on his abdomen as he bowed over it to the applause of several rapidly shuttering cameras.


    The photographer grinned brightly. They warned me this shoot might be a little challenging. Not too bad so far, though! ¡°Okay, and now Ariel, a curtsey?¡±


    A what?!


    Ranko reached for her skirt, trying to do what she¡¯d seen in any number of anime, but there was just too much dress for it to be effective. How the hell do you even¡­


    The dressing room assistant, who had been missing from the photo set for some time, approached. ¡°Here, honey. If you pinch it here and here, you¡¯ll be able to move it all enough to bow. Give it a try.¡±


    They need to give you freaking classes just on how to wear these stupid dresses. I am going to murder Nabiki for this. I don¡¯t care how fucking pretty it is.


    Ranko did as she was instructed, lifting both layers of dress and all four layers of petticoats and bending at the knees as she extended her arms. She bowed her head slightly, looking down at his feet rather than having to look up into his eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! Just perfect.¡±


    Ranko let go of her skirts, but snapped her head around as she felt someone grab and lift her left hand.


    The man dressed as the prince held her hand limply in his right hand. ¡°Absolutely enchanting to meet you, miss.¡± He lowered his head stiffly, kissing the back of her hand with a regal flourish.


    Her skin crawled as if a swarm of rabid ferrets had been unleashed in the tight confines of her dress. You said you¡¯d be respectful! What the fuck! How you gonna just kiss me like that, man? In front of all these people? And the cameras, too! Are you out of your damn mind?!


    The young man who would be prince released her hand, giving her a low bow at the waist. ¡°Have a wonderful afternoon.¡± And with that, he turned on his heel and began walking toward the double doors on the opposite side of the courtyard.


    ¡°What fresh hell do you have for me now,¡± Ranko asked the photographers, but it was the dressing room assistant who answered from behind her.


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t just take a prince to give a princess a happily ever after. She needs friends, too.¡±


    What fortune cookie did you get that out of, lady? ¡°Huh?¡±


    As Ranko turned to face her, the blonde cast member stepped to her side with a soft smile, gesturing behind her to the wooden double doors. Behind her stood¡­ another princess. She was the spitting image of Disney¡¯s Cinderella, in a sparkly pastel blue ankle-length gown, immaculate makeup and a pair of what appeared to be glass shoes with two-centimeter heels. The only difference was that the young woman wasn¡¯t blonde ¨C in fact, her hair was jet black, and cut short around her ears.


    ¡°A¡­ Akane? But¡­ what¡­¡±


    Akane giggled, covering her mouth with her pale blue opera-gloved hands. ¡°They did it for my birthday. Do you like?¡±


    Ranko grinned. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s no beige gi, but¡­¡± She nodded approvingly as she stepped closer, biting her lip in contemplation. ¡°It¡¯ll work.¡± She leaned in to her lover, giving Akane a tentative hug while trying not to step on either of the gowns. ¡°Do you have any idea how bad I want to kiss you right now,¡± she whispered, turning into Akane¡¯s shoulder to ensure her lips could not be read.


    Akane blushed. ¡°If you want to kiss me while I¡¯m all dolled up, you¡¯ll get your chance in twenty-four days, love.¡±


    The redhead dressed as Ariel groaned with an impatient exasperation in her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s about twenty-four days too long.¡± She straightened her back, releasing Akane from her grasp with a bright blush. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be able to do too many rides like this.¡±


    Akane shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not as worried about that.¡± She smiled sweetly into her fiancee¡¯s eyes. ¡°There¡¯s just something magical about all of this, just being here like this with you.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Ranko said, trying to ignore Nabiki¡¯s gesturing over Akane¡¯s shoulder to get them to pose for her Polaroid camera. ¡°It¡¯s your birthday, so we¡¯ll do whatever you want. I have to do a few more pictures, and they want me to change into a different outfit first, but after that, I¡¯m yours until the show at six.¡±


    Shaking her head, Akane leaned forward again. ¡°You¡¯re gonna be mine a lot longer than that, missy.¡±


    Ranko blushed, nodding with a soft, blissful smile. ¡°I promise.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Akane motioned off to her side at her actor companion with a mischievous smirk. ¡°You¡¯re not gonna leave me for some strapping prince, are ya?¡±


    ¡°Never.¡± Ranko blushed. ¡°Come here, you. Let¡¯s let Nabiki get some pictures before I change, or nobody will ever believe this happened.¡± She reached out, taking Akane¡¯s hand and leading her to her sister¡¯s place at the corner of the courtyard contained within the velvet rope line.


    ¡°Gotta say, you kids look cute.¡± Nabiki grinned, snapping photos as fast as her camera would spit out the little squares of film.


    Ranko motioned over her shoulder at the door with her thumb. ¡°Pretty sure I saw a Snow White dress back there, if you want in on this, Nabiki.¡±


    Nabiki scoffed. ¡°Oh, not a chance, Ran-chan. Especially not in this heat.¡± She rarely wore dresses or skirts anyway; Izumi had already played hell getting her to even try on her bridesmaid dress for the wedding for fitting and alterations.


    ¡°Ranko? We¡¯re ready for you.¡± The singer looked up as the cast member that had helped her get dressed rested a gentle hand on her forearm.


    With a nod, Ranko blushed at her bride and her sister. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll be back in a few?¡± Giving Akane a coy smile with just the right corner of her mouth, Ranko winked and turned back toward the dressing room door.


    <hr>


    Some twenty minutes later, Ranko emerged from the dressing room again, accompanied by her Disney cast member handler. She now wore a blue-and-teal dress with a black boned corset overtop. The outfit was completed with a large blue bow perfectly matching the wrist-length sleeves of the dress. It held a portion of her hair back, which wrapped around her skull to secure the rest of her otherwise loose red coif behind her head. The outfit was finished with a pair of black ankle boots with a short heel.


    ¡°Well hey there, cute stuff.¡± Akane grinned as Ranko rejoined her and Nabiki near the edge of the rope line; Nabiki remained in the cordoned-off area as befit her position as Ranko¡¯s business manager.


    ¡°Hey there yourself, your majesty.¡± Ranko giggled, giving Akane a little wave. ¡°Nabiki, you wanna get a few more shots before I gotta get back to work?¡±

 149. A Day at the Park

    What I would give to hold her hand, Ranko thought with a mournful sigh as she walked alongside Akane through the crowded courtyards. Her fiancee was positively aglow, basking in every second of her experience at Tokyo Disneyland alongside Ranko in the princess attire Nabiki had bribed the cast to offer her. As they walked, the crowd parted for them, partly to stare and try to guess what show must be occurring for two people professionally costumed as princesses to parade through the park, and partly to avoid stepping on their gowns.


    ¡°Whatcha wanna do next?¡± The redhead gave a bright smile, stooping down and waving at a young girl who recognized her Ariel costume from the Little Mermaid advertising displayed throughout the park. The child and her parents boarded the large carousel Ranko and Akane had just disembarked from in the shadow of the great castle dominating the center of the park.


    Akane reached into the long sleeve of the blue opera glove on her left hand, pulling out a trifold pamphlet that was molded to the shape of her arm and unfolding it to reveal a map. ¡°Well, if we¡¯re here¡­¡± She pointed down at a small picture of the carousel. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t wanna do the Dumbo ride, huh?¡±


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°Not especially, but I will if you want. It¡¯s your birthday after all, princess.¡±


    With a blush, Akane shook her head, and pointed to a large reddish-brown building at the far top of the map with several tiers of bright blue roofing. ¡°This looks interesting.¡±


    Akane¡¯s fiancee peered over her shoulder, nodding contemplatively. ¡°The Haunted Mansion, huh? You sure you¡¯re up for it? Could be scary.¡±


    Nodding, Akane wrapped her arms around Ranko¡¯s forearm, just long enough to give it a quick squeeze. ¡°You¡¯re here to protect me.¡±


    ¡°Always!¡± Ranko smiled brightly. Somebody, anybody, find me a dark corner in this place somewhere. I am going to die if I don¡¯t get to kiss this girl.


    Following the map, Akane led the pair around a spinning ride with four large resin elephants orbiting a central pole with a large golden orb atop it, turning right to enter the environs of what appeared to be a large, creepy Victorian mansion with an array of gravestones out front behind ominous black wrought-iron gates.


    Akane started to take a place at the end of the line snaking through the courtyard, but Ranko shook her head and motioned her forward. ¡°They said we¡¯re basically honorary employees today, so we don¡¯t gotta wait in the lines.¡±


    Akane was skeptical, but sure enough, as soon as they approached the twin turnstiles at the front of the line, the attendant gave them a deep bow. ¡°Princesses, your Doom Buggy awaits.¡± With a flourish of the green striped suit coat he wore, he motioned the girls around the turnstile after unclipping the red velvet barrier rope to allow them to pass without risking a snag on either of their borrowed dresses. The attendant clicked a walkie-talkie he produced from his pocket, warning his cohorts inside of a pair of VIPs approaching.


    ¡°Hey, I guess being a celebrity has its perks.¡± Ranko giggled, not stopping until they had entered the building proper.


    A woman dressed in what appeared to be a green Victorian maid uniform met them at the door and motioned the pair into a small, dimly-lit side room decorated with what appeared to be dated, dingy wallpaper in vertical green and maroon stripes. The room was devoid of furniture, and its walls were positively jammed with gaudy framed cartoonish portraits. ¡°If you will wait here for just a moment, Your Highnesses, we¡¯ll get you all set.¡± She gave a wave and closed the door, leaving the girls alone.


    ¡°What do you think this ride¡¯s ab¡­¡± Akane¡¯s question died in her throat as Ranko stepped forward and kissed her, sucking softly on Akane¡¯s bottom lip for just a moment before stepping back. Both girls flushed deeply. ¡°Ranko! You know we can¡¯t do that here!¡±


    The redhead in the Ariel costume shrugged. ¡°Sorry. Couldn¡¯t help myself. You¡¯re just too damn beautiful, and I¡¯ve been waiting all day.¡±


    Akane¡¯s cheeks burned as she fidgeted with her hair with the fingers of her gloved right hand. ¡°Flattery will get you everywhere, Miss Tendo.¡±


    With a happy sigh, Ranko shrugged. ¡°Why can¡¯t we get married right now? Right here? I can¡¯t wait anymore.¡±


    ¡°For starters, your mom would kill us both if she missed it.¡± Akane smiled, but the radiance on her face dimmed when she saw Ranko¡¯s eyes fall to the floor. ¡°Oh, baby, I didn¡¯t mean it like¡­ I meant Hana. To hell with¡­ her.¡± Akane had even stopped using Nodoka¡¯s name in Ranko¡¯s presence. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know perfection when she sees it, and she doesn¡¯t deserve you.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°I know. It¡¯s just¡­¡± She shook her head vigorously, as if trying to forcibly expel the ghosts in her head out through her ears. She had, for the briefest of moments a few weeks back, allowed herself the sliver of hope that she would have just one member of her own biological family at her wedding, but Nodoka¡¯s intransigence had rendered that impossible. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna talk about this. We¡¯re having a great day and I don¡¯t wanna let her spoil it.¡±


    Akane grinned. Good. She¡¯s taken as much from you as she¡¯s ever gonna get to. ¡°Deal. I¡¯m proud of you, Ranko.¡± It had been five days since Ranko¡¯s musical evisceration of Nodoka at the Phoenix, and she had done a fairly convincing job hiding her disappointment from Hana and her sisters. However, Akane knew the song¡¯s writer enough to understand that her bride-to-be was not as apathetic toward the dismissal of her mother as the lyrics to You Don¡¯t Know Me insisted she was, and there had been a sullen disappointment in Ranko¡¯s eyes for days that broke Akane¡¯s heart to see. Akane knew what Ranko was going through, but at least she had lost her mother due to illness, and not because her mother just¡­ didn¡¯t want her.


    As she spoke, the door opened and the maid-attired cast member returned. ¡°Right this way, majesties.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ranko said, some of the chipperness returning to her voice as she motioned for Akane to precede her through the narrow doorway. Ranko helped curtail the puffy skirt of Akane¡¯s Cinderella gown as she passed, ensuring it did not get caught on the doorknob, and then followed behind her as they were led to a boarding area for the ride. Each cart, a black bubble with a safety bar and a green plastic bench just big enough for two, was loaded in a constant stream as riders stepped first onto a conveyor belt that moved at the same speed as the ride itself and then stepped into the carts themselves.


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    Akane eyed the scene nervously, however, the maid pushed a glowing green button on the back of a podium near the track, and the ride ground to a halt to allow Ranko and Akane to board in their more restrictive outfits. Ranko offered Akane a hand up and then joined her, careful not to sit on her fiancee¡¯s dress as the safety bar automatically lowered over their laps and locked into place. The ride gave a slight jerk as its motion resumed, and the cart swiveled forward as it rose diagonally up an unseen track in the darkness.


    ¡°Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion,¡± came a booming male voice from a speaker embedded in the back wall of the cart. ¡°It is I, your host. Your ghost host.¡±


    Ranko felt Akane squeeze her arm tightly as the voice behind them cackled darkly. You don¡¯t scare me, buddy. I hear Shinji laugh scarier than that behind me every set, Ranko thought with a winsome smirk.


    ¡°We find it delightfully unlivable here in this ghostly retreat. Every room has wall-to-wall creeps, and hot and cold running chills. Shhh, listen!¡±


    The little black cart entered a small round room with various musical instruments strewn about a round table with a white tablecloth. The center of the dingy table was dominated by a large glass sphere, in which an older woman¡¯s head and neck were projected in green light that gave the otherwise dim room an otherworldly glow.


    ¡°Wizards and witches, wherever you dwell, give us a hint, by ringing a bell!¡±


    A small brass bell on the table moved and began to ring, all on its own, as the cart moved through the room and around a corner.


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Akane pointed forward at a scene that looked like a disused old Victorian dining room sprawling out before them. The empty room suddenly sprung to life as what looked like dozens of ethereal blue and green couples floated around in what appeared to be a waltz, glowing in the dim as they floated above the floor.


    ¡°We have nine hundred and ninety-nine happy haunts here, but there¡¯s room for a thousand. Any volunteers?¡±


    ¡°Not it!¡± Akane giggled as Ranko gave her hand a little squeeze in her lap.


    The cart turned a corner and swiveled to face forward, and as it curved around to the right, the girls found themselves in what appeared to be a cemetery full of tombstones, each with silly rhymes and poems etched into them. Several of them had large, cartoonish busts of the ¡°deceased¡± mounted atop them.


    ¡°Wow, check out the statu¡­¡± Ranko pointed, but she trailed off as the busts began to¡­ sing.


    ¡°When the crypt goes creak and the tombstones quake, spooks come out for a swinging wake! Happy haunts materialize, and begin to vocalize! Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!¡±


    Ranko bopped in her seat with the a cappella quintet, bouncing Akane¡¯s hand in her lap with her own.


    The song continued emitting from the speaker behind the girls¡¯ heads even as their cart left the cemetery, but eventually faded as the darkness broke to reveal the loading platform. Again, the speaker behind them crackled to life with the deep bass voice of the narration.


    ¡°Ah, there you are, and just in time! There¡¯s a little matter I forgot to mention. Beware of hitchhiking ghosts! They have selected you to fill our quota, and they¡¯ll haunt you until you return! Now, I will raise the safety bar, and a ghost will follow you home!¡±


    The conveyor belt stopped again to allow the two formally-clad young women to disembark. Ranko stepped off first, offering her hand up to Akane to help her down the two steps to the floor.


    ¡°That was really cool!¡± Ranko laughed, walking alongside her love as they exited back out of the darkness into the June afternoon sun.


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t close your eyes and don¡¯t try to hide, or a silly spook may sit by your side!¡± With a giggle and a blush, Ranko shrugged. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s catchy as hell.¡±


    Akane rolled her eyes, flashing her lover an amused smirk. ¡°Oh no, having to listen to you sing? Whatever will I do?¡±


    Blushing brightly, Ranko motioned to a set of wooden buildings that looked straight out of the old American West. ¡°Any of this look interesting to you? Looks like they¡¯ve got a shooting gallery and stuff.¡±


    Akane shrugged. ¡°Honestly, baby, I really don¡¯t care. I just wanna be with you.¡±


    ¡°This looks neat,¡± Ranko said, motioning to a large round building with a thatched roof. There was no wait, so upon receiving Akane¡¯s nod of assent, the redhead led her lover through the empty rows of metal railings under a straw awning and into the room through one of three double doors that opened automagically. There was a tiny round stage in the middle of the room, but there didn¡¯t seem to be enough room on it for even a single performer, as it was jam-packed with plastic foliage and other decorations. Three concentric octagons of benches surrounded the tall central pillar, and Ranko slid into a spot on the frontmost of them.


    Akane had barely lowered herself down to the bench beside her betrothed in her fluffy blue skirts and petticoats before the lights dimmed. ¡°What¡¯s gonna¡­¡± She trailed off as the ambient lights dropped and an unseen spotlight pointed to a wooden bird sitting on a perch high in the rafters.


    To Akane¡¯s amazement, the highlighted parrot opened its beak and began to speak in a thick Mexican accent. ¡°Ay, my siestas are getting shorter and shorter! Oh! Look at all the people! Hey, Michael, mi amigo! Pay attention! It¡¯s ¡®cho time!¡±


    Gasping, Akane laughed and leaned into Ranko¡¯s shoulder as another bird in the rafters spoke. ¡°So it is! And what darlin¡¯ people I have sittin¡¯ under me! Pierre, you rascal, you! Let¡¯s put on the show!¡±


    Ranko searched the rafters, pointing to a red, white and blue bird on a high perch as it began to speak. ¡°Mon ami, I am always ready, as you say, to put on ¡®ze show.¡± It emitted a high whistle before stopping and turning, gazing directly down at Akane, who looked up at Ranko with a giggle and a blush as she was singled out. ¡°Oh, pardon, madam. That whistle was for my good friend, Fritz.¡±


    Akane¡¯s eyes lifted again as a red, black, and white bird situated directly over Ranko¡¯s head answered. ¡°Ach du liebe! I almost fell out of my perch! Glad to see you all aboa¡­ uh, ashow, or¡­ ha! Wherever you are! Mien goodness, you¡¯re all sch-taring at us! We¡¯d better start the show rolling!¡±


    Ranko giggled as the second bird spoke again. ¡°Wait! Wait! We forgot to wake up the glee club!¡± It gave a loud, shrill whistle, and the lighting in the room came up to reveal dozens of wooden birds in the rafters, and as one, they began to sing in harmony.


    ¡°In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room! In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room! All the birds sing words, and the flowers croon, in the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room! Welcome to our tropical hideaway, you lucky people, you! If we weren¡¯t in the show starting right away, we¡¯d be in the audience, too!¡±

 150. Hey There, Cinderella

    ¡°Auntie Ranko, you look like a princess!¡±


    Ranko blushed as she crouched down to hug her nephew, still in the second costume the Disney cast had dressed her in for the photo shoot. ¡°I think that was supposed to be the point, so I guess that¡¯s good! Did you have fun today?¡±


    Hoshi nodded. ¡°I got to ride a pirate ship with Dad! Mama didn¡¯t come. She had to stay with Mioko.¡±


    Ranko opened her eyes wide in playful excitement with a little gasp. ¡°A pirate ship! That sounds so cool, buddy! Did you see me while you were out on the water? I got to be a mermaid all day!¡± ¡®Got to¡¯ might be a little strong ¨C more like ¡®forced into a fucking corset that would have suffocated a garter snake¡¯ ¨C but he doesn¡¯t need to know that.


    The young boy shook his head emphatically. ¡°It was really dark in there, Auntie. I couldn¡¯t see you. But how were you a mermaid? Miss Akane says you don¡¯t like water.¡±


    Ranko blushed deeply with a nervous chuckle. ¡°Well, this time, it was magic, so it was okay.¡± You know, magic water. Totally a made-up thing, right? Nothing to see here! She rose from her crouch as Izumi and Kaito approached, the latter pushing a rented black stroller. ¡°Hey, you guys. Having a good time?¡±


    Izumi nodded, a bright smile on her face. ¡°Oh, yeah. Thank you so much for this, little sister. The kids have just been having a blast.¡± She stepped closer, taking a few steps around her sister to examine her outfit. ¡°Well, they sure cuted you up! Your wedding dress might have a run for its money.¡±


    The singer tittered, leaning over on her sister¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Not sure about that, Izzi. I can almost breathe in this one.¡± She looked up at a clock on a cast-iron tower alongside the pavilion. ¡°Speaking of which, I gotta go get set up.¡± She looked back down to Hoshi. ¡°You gonna hang out and watch me sing, bud?¡±


    ¡°You bet, Auntie! Auntie Yui and Auntie Mei are saving our seats! Miss Kasumi¡¯s out there, too!¡± Hoshi beamed excitedly, but his eyes turned past Ranko to her left. ¡°Miss Akane!¡± He ran a few steps forward, hugging Ranko¡¯s fiancee as she exited the cast member building where the park¡¯s cast members had let her change out of her own princess attire. ¡°Happy birthday!¡±


    Akane picked the boy up, sitting him on her forearm and clasping her hands to carry him. ¡°Thanks, Hoshi! You ready for the show?¡± As the ten-year-old in her arms nodded, she stepped forward to rejoin Ranko and her family, looking around. Too many people. Better not risk a kiss here. They¡¯d lose their minds if they caught us. ¡°Hey. Ranko. Do good up there, okay?¡±


    Giggling, Ranko lifted her skirt and gave a little bow. ¡°As you wish.¡±


    Akane rolled her eyes, adjusting Hoshi¡¯s weight in her arms. ¡°Silly girl. Go. Shoo. Kick butt. See you after.¡±


    The redhead nodded, idly rubbing the back of her fist with her right hand.


    <hr>


    ¡°And now,¡± the public-address system boomed to the excited crowd still packing its way into metal bleachers surrounding the Adventureland Stage, casting its shadow from the setting sun over the audience. ¡°Introducing, Ranko and the Dapper Dragons!¡±


    Ranko walked out from behind a red velvet curtain that edged the stage, waving to the cheering crowd some thirteen thousand strong. She wagered maybe half of them had any idea who she was, and the other half had just been looking for a place to sit down after being worn out by their overstimulated children all day, but she¡¯d take it. The amphitheater only held about six thousand people normally, but temporary bleachers had been added at the back to expand the seating capacity twofold. Does that count as a double sellout, Ranko wondered blithely as she strode out to center stage to wave to her bandmates, beginning to don her headset.


    "Your highness,¡± Crash said with a smirk and an affected bow, motioning to the blue-and-teal costume she still wore.


    ¡°Oh, fuck off, Crash,¡± Ranko said with a smirk.


    Crash cringed. ¡°Uh, Ranko, you know your mic is hot, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, crap!¡± Ranko frantically reached for the battery pack to turn it off, before realizing it already was. ¡°You sonnova¡­¡±


    Her guitarist beamed. ¡°Gotcha! So, what¡¯s the set plan?¡±


    ¡°So, this first one is one of theirs, so it¡¯s pre-recorded. You guys can just chill for a minute.¡±


    Shinji nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t gotta ask me twice. It¡¯s hot as hell out here.¡±


    Ranko scoffed. ¡°Maybe if you didn¡¯t dress like a baked potato, you¡¯d be more comfortable, goofball. And besides, I promise, that jacket ain¡¯t half as hot as four layers of freakin¡¯ petticoats.¡±


    The bassist chortled. ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m not a girl. But seriously, why¡¯d we have to do this in summer?¡±


    Must be nice to get the choice, Shin. ¡°That¡¯s when they asked, dork!¡±


    Ranko walked the edge of the stage, waving to everyone as she turned on her microphone, blowing a kiss to the front row on her left side, where Akane and the rest of their combined families sat. The songstress motioned to the audio booth, and the rising notes of the ballad she¡¯d stayed up all night learning from the CD and VHS that the Disney events team had overnighted her began to play.


    ¡°Look at this stuff. Isn¡¯t it neat? Wouldn¡¯tcha think my collection¡¯s complete? Wouldn¡¯t ya think I¡¯m the girl¡­ the girl who has everything?¡± She motioned to the collection of audio equipment behind her with a bit of a giggle.


    ¡°Look at this trove. Treasures untold! How many wonders can one cavern hold? Lookin¡¯ around here, you¡¯d think, ¡®Sure. She¡¯s got everything!¡¯ I¡¯ve got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty. I¡¯ve got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I¡¯ve got twenty. But who cares? No big deal! I want more!¡± She raised her arms slowly and held the high note for a full three seconds, until the very last moment before she had to begin the next verse, not even allowing herself time to breathe between them. The crowd murmured, clearly impressed with her skill. Got your attention now, she thought to herself as a gust of wind made her loose hair fly back behind her.


    ¡°I wanna be where the people are. I wanna see¡­ wanna see ¡®em dancin¡¯, walkin¡¯ around on those¡­ What do you call ¡®em?¡± She lifted her foot, making a show of examining the black ankle boot with the chunky five-centimeter heel strapped to it. ¡°Oh. Feet! Flippin¡¯ your fins, you don¡¯t get too far. Legs are required for jumping, dancing, strollin¡¯ along down the¡­ What¡¯s that word again?¡± She tapped her forehead, a furtive expression on her face as if thinking on the spot. ¡°Street!¡±


    Having never heard the song before last night, she was shocked with how well it had resonated for her. Indeed, she had spent a good bit of the last seventeen months feeling like a fish out of water, grateful for her opportunity to discover a whole new world that she never could have dreamed of before the Phoenix. She had walked through hellfire, but come out of it embraced by brand-new family and friends on the other side of it.


    ¡°Up where they walk. Up where they run. Up where they stay all day in the sun! Wanderin¡¯ free. Wish I could be part of that world!¡±


    Holding her arms out to the side like she was flying, she skipped at a near run to the other side of the stairs, her face a picture of wonder as if she was trying to sell to the crowd that she had never walked before. She whirled once when she reached the end of the stage, letting her skirt flare up around her.


    ¡°What would I give if I could live out of these waters? What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand? Betcha on land, they understand, and they don¡¯t reprimand their daughters! Bright young women, sick of swimming, ready to stand!¡±


    That¡¯s right, Nodoka, Ranko thought darkly in the split-second between lines. You don¡¯t get to judge me. You don¡¯t get to tell me no. This is my life, and you can¡¯t reach high enough to catch this star. You can¡¯t even fathom how far I¡¯ll go.


    ¡°And ready to know what the people know! Ask them my questions, and get some answers! What¡¯s a fire, and why does it¡­ what¡¯s the word? Burn?! When¡¯s it my turn? Wouldn¡¯t I love¡­ love to explore that shore up above?¡±


    Ranko smiled brightly, waving to a little girl in a sky blue princess dress similar to the one Akane had worn all day, who watched her with eyes of wonder as if she was really watching Ariel sing to her.


    ¡°Out of the sea! Wish I could be¡­ part of your¡­ world!¡±


    She held the last high note for a full four seconds, not stopping until the crowd had begun to cheer.


    Ranko gave the broadest, brightest smile she could fit on her cheeks, walking back and forth and trying to make eye contact and wave to every little girl she could find.


    When the applause finally died down, Ranko walked to the back of the stage, and Crash tossed her a black leather half-jacket. She looked over the back of it, where Izumi had spelled out her signature from the band¡¯s logo across the shoulders in glued-on rhinestones. Welp, can¡¯t wear this to the grocery store anymore, she thought with a smirk. I¡¯ll definitely stand out now. She pulled it on, and gently untied the blue ribbon in her hair. As soon as the ribbon came free, her locks bounced playfully around her shoulders. She gently shook her head to let the waves fall naturally.


    There. That¡¯s the bills paid. Now, time to have some fun. She smiled softly up at Crash, who had rushed with her to put together the music for her newest song. She¡¯d just written it two days prior, in preparation for the Disney show. She had something special she wanted to say to an audience she rarely got to reach - something that had been weighing heavily on her mind of late.


    ¡°Hey, let me hear you! How many princesses we got out there today? Let me see you!¡± She waved emphatically and beamed brightly as hundreds of little girls squealed as they were lifted up by their parents.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Yeah? Me too!¡± She blushed a bit as she gestured to herself with her hands, making eye contact with Akane with a sweet smile as she spoke. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve got me calling myself that, Akane. Miracles happen, I guess. But to be yours? I¡¯ll be anything. Ranko giggled into her headset microphone. ¡°So, can I tell all my fellow princesses a little secret I¡¯ve learned over the years? Something it¡¯s super important to always remember?¡±


    Crash¡¯s guitar sprung to life, playing a bouncy, fast-paced tune over the cheers of thousands of little girls. The synthesizer joined a moment later, adding a bright background to the guitar. The bass joined, and then a very light tremble from Ken¡¯s snare drum.


    Nodoka, Pop, you put all this poison in my ear about what it meant to be a girl. Who knows how many of them have heard stuff like that too? Well, I¡¯m gonna shout it down.


    With all four instruments playing, there was only one left to add to the song, and it poured into Ranko¡¯s headset microphone through the very brightest of smiles. Akane¡¯s heart warmed at the sight of such effervescent joy radiating from the cheeks of the girl who was twenty-four days from being her wife, and already was in all but name.


    ¡°Hey there, Cinderella! Get your foot out of that shoe! Stop tryin¡¯ to fit in for some fella who would tell you what to do! Come on, break out of your shell, girl, and give it all you¡¯ve got! You don¡¯t need a magic spell to make you something that you¡¯re not!¡±


    She bopped around the stage, playing to the crowd more than actually dancing. If there were two thousand little girls in the audience, she wanted to make eye contact with every last one of them individually. Most of her favorite moves weren¡¯t exactly appropriate for her current audience anyway, though she did wish Hitomi and Emi had been able to join her. The little amphitheater stage just wasn¡¯t big enough for seven people, and constrained most potential for dancing even with just the five of them and all of their gear.


    ¡°So, throw down that broom and leave your room, and know that come what may, if you build it on your own, midnight can¡¯t take it all awa-a-a-Aaay!¡±


    Crash jumped up in the air, hitting his guitar hard in time with the start of the chorus, which Ranko belted as halfway between a pop song and a battle cry, reaching out with an open hand and gesturing to a different little girl with every undulating bar. Ken stood from his little folding stool, though it only bought him a few centimeters of height, and he rapped frantically on the snare drums with his sticks.


    ¡°When they said once upon a time, that time is now, so chase your glory! Just pick up the pen, and start again! This time, you write the story!¡± She made a gesture with her left hand as if writing in the air with an invisible pen, much as Ariel did in the cartoon she¡¯d watched last night. ¡°You have always been your heroine; no damsel in distress! You are a non-compliant, strong, defiant, self-rescuing princess!¡±


    As the crowd roared, Ranko bent down low, reaching her hand down as she strode the very outer edge of the stage. Several of the parents in the front row lifted their children up to her so she could touch their hands. She moved from the right side of the stage to the left, and the last hand she touched was Hoshi¡¯s, lifted up in the strong arms of Izumi¡¯s husband Kaito.


    ¡°Hey there, Sleeping Beauty! There¡¯s no time for counting sheep! You think somewhere a man¡¯s been makin¡¯ plans for you while you¡¯re asleep! But if you need some help in waking up, you might find this alarming: some girls wait their whole lives long, and never stumble on Prince Charming!¡±


    A different cheer rose from the crowd, this one seeming to come mostly from the adult women in the audience.


    ¡°So don¡¯t waste another minute waiting for some strapping knight. Learn to truly love yourself, and when you do, you¡¯ll be alright!¡±


    Ranko thrust her right fist into the air as she traditionally did at the end of Rise as thousands of women of all ages screamed emphatically at her affirmation of feminine power.


    ¡°When they said once upon a time, that time is now, so chase your glory! Just pick up the pen, and start again! This time, you write the story! You have always been your heroine; no damsel in distress! You are a non-compliant, strong, defiant, self-rescuing princess!¡±


    She grinned at the crowd. Not sure if I¡¯m supposed to do this. Not sure I care. As it is, they might be a little pissed that I wrote a whole song about ignoring their movies¡¯ examples.


    She hopped down from the stage to the concrete ground, landing on her toes so as not to damage the chunky heels of her borrowed black ankle boots. She walked up the stairs separating two of the aisles, greeting every girl she could see or reach as she did. She wanted them to know that she had written the song for them, so that they didn¡¯t feel the same way about being a girl that Ranko had for so long, before she knew better. I used to think being a girl made me helpless. Speechless. Hopeless. But now, I see the light. Don¡¯t make the same mistake I did, kids.


    From the stage, Shinji could only shake his head with an exasperated chuckle as he played through the refrain. Why do we even bother planning for shows? She just does whatever the hell she wants anyway!


    Signing a heather gray child¡¯s sized Ranko and the Dapper Dragons tee shirt with the black marker she was handed, Ranko continued the song as she continued ascending the concrete steps. She stopped for a visit every few rows as she was mobbed with children - and no small number of adults - rushing the metal railing separating the steps from the rows of seating.


    ¡°Sometimes, life can get you down and drop your confidence to zero. Come on, polish off your crown, girl! You¡¯re becoming your own hero! And don¡¯t ever let the fire in your soul begin to dim. There¡¯s still time to take control back from those stupid brothers Grimm! Yeah, I know you want your wishes on the stars to all come true, but you have the power that it takes to make sure that they do!¡±


    She made her way to the top of the steps, crossing in the aisle behind the bleachers as she sang directly to more and more little girls. The bright smiles in each of their eyes filled Ranko with a sense of satisfied purpose, as if they understood the assignment she was giving them. No hand that was reached out went untouched; no article held out to her went unsigned.


    ¡°When they said once upon a time, that time is now, so chase your glory! Just pick up the pen, and start again! This time, you write the story! You have always been your heroine; no damsel in distress! You are a non-compliant, strong, defiant, self-rescuing princess!¡±


    In the wide concrete concourse between the back of the amphitheater seating and the temporary bleachers that had been set up behind it, Ranko spun around quickly, dancing merrily with herself. It was less the sort of sultry hip movements that dominated her work at the Phoenix, and more playing with her skirt, skipping about in a circle and making wide, slow arcs with her arms as she danced through the bridge.


    Standing in her front-row seat and looking behind herself to watch, Akane¡¯s eyes sparkled as she watched the love of her life. She truly looked the part of the quintessential, carefree, joyous Disney princess, leather jacket and all. What I would give to show one minute of this on video to the Ranma I knew two years ago, she thought with a blush. He¡¯d have a stroke. But, my gods, look how happy she looks. You look like you can fly, baby. Gods, I love you.


    ¡°When they said once upon a time, that time is now, so chase your glory!¡± Ranko began jogging down the steps on the right side of the amphitheater, waving to the fans on that side as she did. She moved quickly now, repeating the chorus to buy herself enough time to make at least a few quick stops to sign things and wave to the audience on that side of the bleachers.


    ¡°Just pick up the pen, and start again! This time, YOU write the story! You have always been your heroine! No damsel in distress! You are a non-compliant, strong, defiant¡­¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes glimmered with joy as she heard hundreds of feminine voices join her in repeating the title of the song. ¡°... self-rescuing princess!¡±


    She descended the last four stairs at a run, jumping nearly her full body height to land in an almost superhero pose on the stage. She chuckled silently to herself. The short cheerleading skirts have somethin¡¯ goin¡¯ for them, at least. They don¡¯t get in the way of your legs when you jump.


    She whirled back toward the audience, waving upward with both of her arms, and large swaths of the audience took her suggestion to stand. ¡°Hey there, Snow White! Somewhere, there¡¯s a mirror on the wall, and I hope one day, it swears that you¡¯re the bravest of them all!¡± She motioned with an open palm out to a little girl of maybe four who sat on her father¡¯s shoulder, making the muscles gesture with her arms. The audience cheered for her as they looked where Ranko had drawn their attention. You¡¯re damn right, kiddo, Ranko thought with a grin.


    ¡°They might call you overzealous when you¡¯re making your own way, but it¡¯s only ¡®cause they¡¯re jealous of the girl you¡¯ll be someday! So let this be your ¡®I want it¡¯ song, and shout it to the rafters!¡±


    Her eyes flashed to Akane; this line applied to the both of them more than any other. ¡±You have waited far too long to start your happy ever after!¡±


    Ranko kicked her leg forward, using its momentum to step forward, bending down and pointing forward with an open hand. ¡°When they said once upon a time, that time is now, so chase your glory!¡±


    Again, she gestured as if she were writing in the air with a pen - not unlike the character she was dressed as had done in obtaining her legs from that octopus lady. ¡°Just pick up the pen, and start again! This time, you write the story!¡±


    She pointed outward with both hands, remembering at the last second to use two fingers rather than one to do so. ¡°You have always been your heroine; no damsel in distress! You are a non-compliant, strong, defiant¡­¡±


    Not having a handheld microphone to point toward them, Ranko stepped forward with her left foot, turning to the side and cupping her hand up to her ear. The crowd responded just as she hoped. ¡°Self-rescuing princess!¡±


    The synthesizer and main electric guitar fell silent, leaving only Shinji¡¯s bass to step down the scales as if dismounting from the pedestal she had raised the audience onto.


    ¡°You are a¡­¡±


    Ranko stopped singing as the audience¡¯s voices rose to meet her, letting them finish the final line without her. She had not planned for another call and response, but she happily accepted it, biting her lip and watching with a proud smile and bright eyes as just over two thousand young women affirmed that her message had been received.


    ¡°Non-compliant! Strong! Defiant! Self-rescuing princess!¡±


    Crossing both of her hands over her heart, Ranko bowed to the cheering crowd as a final hammering hit from Shinji¡¯s bass guitar echoed through the outdoor space.


    ¡°I mean it, girls,¡± Ranko said sincerely. ¡°I am proud of every single one of you. We all are. Aren¡¯t we?¡±


    The audience thundered in response.


    ¡°Of course, you can be a hero, but it doesn¡¯t mean you have to give up all the good stuff about princess life. You can still fall in love with someone who means the whole world to you.¡± She flashed as direct a smile as she dared at her fiancee in the front row to stage right. ¡°And you can still make them an important part of your happily ever after.¡±


    As she spoke the last three words, a bubblegum pop rhythm began flowing out of the huge speakers mounted around the amphitheater, responding to the command of Jacob¡¯s fingers on his Yamaha synthesizer.


    ¡°When we started out, everyone said we were delirious. No one thought we even had a chance to get this serious. Everyone who knew us thought we¡¯d call it quits pretty quick!¡±

 151. A Fitting Gift

    ¡°Izumi! When they said something borrowed, something blue, I don¡¯t think they meant my face should be turning blue! Lemme breathe a little!¡±


    Ranko¡¯s elder sister laughed. ¡°You seem to have enough air in your lungs to whine, kid sister. But I think that¡¯s as tight as it¡¯s gonna get. All kidding aside, how does it feel?¡±


    Ranko took a few steps around the room. ¡°It¡¯s heavy. Even more than what they dressed me in at Disney. Like being wrapped in a wet blanket.¡± Tittering brightly, she moved closer to her sister. ¡°I¡¯m worried I¡¯m gonna step on it.¡±


    Izumi nodded in understanding. ¡°That¡¯s just ¡®cause you don¡¯t have your shoes on. You¡¯ll have another three, four centimeters, and that should be enough that you¡¯ll be fine. And I¡¯ll be with you when you get dressed, and if we have to make any last-minute adjustments, I¡¯ll have plenty of emergency pins and supplies.¡± She reached out, hugging the scintillating young bride who paced the floor of her bedroom. ¡°Do you like it, Ranko? Really?¡±


    Even if I didn¡¯t, I¡¯d never tell you, after all the work and money you put into it, Izzi. But as Ranko turned to face her reflection in the oval oak-framed mirror mounted above Izumi and Kaito¡¯s bureau, her eyes softened. She said nothing, as her breath was caught in her throat. While she¡¯d been able to look down at the dress as it had been manipulated in each of the previous fittings, Izumi had done everything in her power to prevent her from getting a look at the entire outfit at once until it was complete, going as far as to cover the mirrors in her bedroom during fittings. Now, with just over two weeks until the youngest of the Phoenix sisters¡¯ wedding, it was finally time.


    ¡°Izumi¡­¡± No other words would come.


    All this time, Ranko had dreaded the idea of being a bride, even as she had been over the moon at the concept of being a wife. Somewhere down deep, she had still feared that the ultimate final boss of femininity would defeat her somehow; that she would be discovered to be a fraud on the most important day of her life in front of everyone she knew and loved. That it would at last be proven that she was incapable of the type of elegance that was associated with brides; the kind that Izumi had displayed at her wedding. Just like the thousand Hollywood-perfect brides Ranko had seen in countless romantic comedies Akane had dragged her to see in the cheap little movie theater around the corner from their shoebox apartment.


    That she would embarrass Akane.


    But as she looked at the woman reflected in the mirrored glass, there was no trace of falsehood. She found no seam from which to pull the illusion apart. As she searched for one in vain, an earth-shattering understanding washed over her. The image of the young bride in the mirror was not a case of Izumi having crafted a perfect counterfeit, as she had done when Akane had become Aki for Valentine¡¯s Day. No detail, no matter how small, could betray the lie, because it wasn¡¯t a lie at all.


    I am a woman. I am a bride. And even if I mess something up, well, I mess stuff up all the time. Hell, regular women mess stuff up all the time. Akane doesn¡¯t love me any less for it. Hell, she thinks it¡¯s cute most of the time. I am marrying someone who loves me, and who I love, and I am going to be beautiful for her. And there¡¯s no reason on Earth I should feel anything but excited about it. Akane was right. I have a right to this. I deserve it. I¡¯ve earned it.


    She blushed, remembering all the times Akane had responded to her misgivings about the wedding by telling her such things. You¡¯ve worked too hard to settle into your new life not to have this day as its crowning achievement, her fiancee would say. Ranko had always pushed back on it, but here, now, looking at the beautiful woman in the mirror in a formal gown for the second time in four days, it could not be denied even if she¡¯d wanted to.


    And she no longer did.


    I¡¯m not doing anything wrong, Ranko thought to herself as her eyes traversed every stitch of the masterwork white gown. I¡¯ve gotta stop thinking of myself this way, like I¡¯m not allowed to enjoy girly stuff. It used to be so weird and awkward for me, like I owed someone an apology if I wore something cute or cuddled with Starlight. But, the whole reason I ran from the dojo was so I could feel like a normal girl, and I¡¯ve dealt with everybody from my past who didn¡¯t treat me like that¡­ except myself. I came out here to learn how to feel normal in this skin, so why am I being so damn hard on myself for having done exactly what I set out to do?


    Ranko made eye contact with herself in the mirror, a soft joy and a diamond-hard resolve in her deep blue eyes. I may not have been born a girl, Akane, but I was born to be your wife. I was born to be your bride. And I promise, I¡¯m never gonna let myself deny it again.


    My name is Ranko Tendo. I am a woman. I am a singer. I am Akane¡¯s bride. I am beautiful. I am cute. I am wanted. I have worth. I have people who love me, and dammit, I¡¯m allowed to be one of them.


    Only once she had abandoned her search for any missed detail to dread could she really allow herself to take in how incredible the dress she modeled truly was. The tight bodice of the dress was almost as stiff as splint armor, entirely covered with sparkling faux pearls in a light ivory as it was, and was laced tight behind Ranko¡¯s back with a long white satin ribbon that snaked through the two dozen silver grommets adorning her spine like a giant shoelace. There was nearly no give to the rigid bodice, but it was perfectly shaped to her body. That¡¯s why she always made it so tight, Ranko thought with a snort under her breath.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The ankle-length skirts were supported by two layers of lace petticoats that waterfalled over Ranko¡¯s white satin slip, the one that Akane had bought her on Valentine¡¯s Day. The first time she¡¯d dressed up like a princess, though she almost felt as if she were starting to lose count. It had been the night that she¡¯d agreed to do all of this in the first place, but for the second time. Each layer of the dress had a walking slit up the right side, but slightly offset on each layer. The effect allowed for her to have easy movement of her legs, while ensuring that the slit would never completely expose her right leg.


    A wide white satin sash separated the pearl-encrusted corset top from the skirts at the waist, tied off in a large bow at her left hip. The tails of the bow reached almost to her knees. A line of white rosettes formed the trim of the skirt¡¯s hem, matching those outlining the top and bottom edges of the sash about her waist, and those that framed the tasteful but not entirely conservative neckline. Individual threads of metallic silvery white were sewn into the top layer of the skirt at various angles. The thread was almost imperceptibly thin, but the metallic finish captured every glint of light. It, plus the light dusting of glitter, made the entire lower half of the dress sparkle, reflecting and refracting the ambient light differently every time she moved. Rising from the corset on either side, sheer white lace completed the journey up her sides and wrapped around her forearms, forming transparent sleeves that reached to just a few centimeters above her elbows.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    Her hands almost involuntarily rose to her lips, covering her slack jaw. As they did, Ranko blushed even deeper as the final piece of the ensemble came into view in the mirror - the personalized silver band and solitaire diamond that formed her engagement ring.


    ¡°Miss Tendo, I do believe you are ready to get married.¡± Izumi hugged her sister around the waist from behind. ¡°I love you, kiddo.¡±


    Ranko looked over her shoulder in the mirror to meet Izumi¡¯s eyes in the reflection. ¡°I love you too, Izzi. Is¡­ is this really happening to me?¡±


    Izumi nodded with a soft smile, pulling a strand of Ranko¡¯s loose hair behind her right ear. ¡°It sure is, honey. I know, it¡¯s almost impossible to fathom until you really see it for the first time. That¡¯s why I wanted to make you wait to really see yourself in it, so you got the whole effect rather than bits and pieces. But you, little sister, make an absolutely breathtaking bride.¡±


    "You did this, Izzi. Just¡­ thank you. That doesn¡¯t feel close to enough to say. It¡¯s so amazing. I¡¯m so sorry I was such a pain in the ass while you worked on it. I could never have imagined¡­¡±


    Izumi waved her hand dismissively over Ranko¡¯s shoulder in the mirror. ¡°Forget it. Every girl goes bridezilla about at least something, and I¡¯ve gotten pretty damn used to dolling you up while you¡¯re kicking and screaming by now. I would have almost been disappointed if you hadn¡¯t.¡±


    Ranko nodded, but the glow permeating her face seemed to fade and her eyes darkened as a thought crossed her mind.


    ¡°Hey, you okay?¡± Izumi rested her hand on her little sister¡¯s lace-covered shoulder. ¡°You kinda zoned out on me there.¡±


    Again, Ranko nodded, turning to face her sister directly. ¡°I just feel bad. The wedding¡¯s in two weeks, and Akane still hasn¡¯t found a dress she likes. The extra money we got from the Disney thing helped, but not enough to really give her the flexibility to do what she wants. I told her to take some of it out of the budget for flowers or something, but she wouldn¡¯t bend on a single thing I picked out. And so it¡¯s like¡­ I¡¯m so grateful for everything you¡¯ve done for me, but a part of me wishes I could give it all to her instead.¡±


    A wide grin crossed Izumi¡¯s strawberry-glazed lips. ¡°Yeah, I thought it might be something like that.¡±


    Ranko rolled her eyes slightly. ¡°I just¡­ She deserves to feel as perfect as I do when we get married. More so, if ya ask me. Nabiki and I did everything we could to try to bring in enough extra money; she even passed on her commission from the Disney check. I just feel like I¡¯m letting her down, and we¡¯re not even married yet.¡±


    Izumi curled her finger in her sister¡¯s direction. ¡°C¡¯mere. I wanna show you something. But you¡¯re sworn to secrecy for a few more days, got it?¡±


    Nodding in curiosity, Ranko trundled her dress in her hands and followed Izumi out of the bedroom into the narrow T-shaped hallway connecting the kitchen, her bedroom, Hoshi¡¯s, and Mioko¡¯s nursery.


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Hoshi stared from the archway into the kitchen, a half-eaten cookie hanging limply in his left hand. ¡°Auntie Ranko, you¡­¡±


    Ranko¡¯s cheeks were aflame as she smiled up at the boy¡¯s mother. ¡°I know, right? Your mom is incredibly talented, Hoshi.¡±


    Izumi grinned. ¡°And fairly efficient.¡± She pulled open the beige double-hinged velour doors of the hall closet between Hoshi¡¯s bedroom door and Mioko¡¯s and pulled a clothes hanger from the thick wooden dowel running across its width.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Ranko¡¯s eyes bulged as Izumi withdrew a frosted clear dress bag from the closet. Ranko could make out none of the details of the garment within, save that it was shorter than the dress she currently wore, and was white. ¡°Izzi¡­ is that¡­ did you¡­¡±


    Izumi giggled. ¡°Surprise! I started on it a couple weeks ago, just in case. It won¡¯t be quite as intricate as yours, but based on the kinds of things she was trying on when we went shopping together, she didn¡¯t want anything too over the top anyway, so she should like it. It¡¯ll probably be done by Monday or Tuesday, and then I¡¯ll invite her over so I can fit it to her and stuff so I have time to make adjustments.¡±


    ¡°Izumi Sando, you are the best sister a girl ever had, do you know that?! Ranko closed the distance between them in two steps, wrapping Izumi in a tight hug. When she finally let go, the elder girl¡¯s jeans were speckled with excess glitter that had escaped Ranko¡¯s dress.


    Izumi grinned. ¡°I promised you, Ranko. I won¡¯t allow your wedding to be anything but perfect. I just refuse. Your bride will be as beautiful as hers is.¡±


    Having truly seen both the masterpiece of a dress Izumi had made, and the masterpiece of a young woman who wore it, for the first time, Ranko could finally believe it.

 152. White Lies and Red Tape

    ¡°If you were a woman, and I was a man, would it be so hard to understand that a heart¡¯s a heart, and we do what we can? If you were a woman, and I was a man¡­¡±


    Ranko danced with herself in the narrow space between the stovetop and the sink in the alley kitchen of her apartment. Her right hand held the right earpiece of her headphones tight against her eardrum and her left held the plastic spatula that currently was pulling double duty as a microphone as she sang along with Bonnie Tyler. Her Discman was turned to its maximum volume setting, so the little device clipped to the white ribbon securing her lace half-apron around her waist drowned out even her own voice as she sang.


    She glanced up at the green digital timer above the stovetop. Thirty seconds to go. She grinned as she whirled around, letting her deep blue dress swish around her knees as she glanced at the microwave. Akane¡¯s train should have arrived six minutes ago. And that means she should be getting home right¡­ about¡­


    Ranko beamed as the doorknob turned and her betrothed pushed the front door open just as the timer on the range hood beeped. Nailed it. She snatched her headphones off her head, remembering to pull them forward to avoid snagging it on the twin pigtails that protruded from her scalp above her ears. ¡°Hey there, beautiful! How¡¯s my favorite girl in the whole wide world?¡±


    Akane flashed a wide grin, dropping her school backpack on the floor in the corner and kicking off her shoes as she closed and deadbolted the front door. ¡°She¡¯s wonderful. And how is my favorite girl in the whole wide world?¡± She took a step further into the room, dropping a bundle of envelopes and advertising circulars wrapped in a rubber band on the dining table.


    Ranko reached out at lightning speed to minimize the time her arms spent near the heat of the gas burner on the stove, snapping the knob to the far left to cut off the gas and extinguish it. She lifted the griddle pan, on which two salmon filets sizzled skin side down, resting it on the cool burner to the left. The risk of burning dinner averted, Ranko closed the distance to the door, melting into Akane¡¯s arms. She nuzzled her cheek softly between Akane¡¯s breasts. She had to stoop slightly to do so, but sometimes, when she was feeling more feminine than usual, she preferred to feel a little smaller. On days like this, she loved how it felt to just disappear into Akane¡¯s arms and be entirely engulfed in her presence.


    ¡°She is madly in love with you.¡±


    Akane smiled, lifting Ranko¡¯s chin with her fingers and leaning down to kiss her softly. Her lips lingered on her lover¡¯s for the better part of thirty seconds before she finally broke contact. ¡°I love you too, Ranko.¡± She breathed deeply, both of the wafting aroma of the salmon resting on the griddle, and the intoxicating scent of the woman she loved. ¡°You¡¯re going to make someone one hell of a wife someday, Miss Tendo.¡±


    Ranko blushed softly, but her eyes sparkled with her joy. She traced a line gently down the front of Akane¡¯s yellow blouse with one finger, navigating the valley between her lover¡¯s breasts. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re interested in a wife, are you doing anything next Saturday? I might be able to help you out.¡±


    Akane giggled, squeezing her betrothed again. ¡°For you? I think I can pencil something in.¡±


    The redhead bounced excitedly in Akane¡¯s arms. ¡°It¡¯s a date!¡± She pulled Akane closer, resting her cheek on the front of Akane¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Are you sure you want to keep me forever? I¡¯m not dreaming?¡± Since the day before, when she had seen herself in her wedding dress for the first time, Ranko could think about nothing but their upcoming wedding, and the teen had not stopped radiating unmitigated, unadulterated joy. She had even stopped fretting about the lost opportunity to build a relationship with her biological mother.


    ¡°You¡¯re not dreaming, but I must be, because you are the girl of my dreams.¡± Akane lowered her hands from the small of her fiancee¡¯s back to just below her butt, lifting her off the ground and holding her as she leaned in for another kiss. She hadn¡¯t ever dreamed of any girl before that fateful December night at the Phoenix. Now, Akane almost could not fathom how she had ever had feelings for any other human being, including the arrogant boy named Ranma Saotome that she had known a lifetime ago.


    Setting her lover back on her feet ever so gently, Akane flashed her a winning smile. ¡°Well, I should go get changed before dinner. I¡¯m all sweaty and gross. It¡¯s hot as hell out there.¡±


    Ranko gave her a coy smicker, her eyes afire with desire. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need any help getting out of those clothes? I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Laughing, Akane shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m starving, and I¡¯m not gonna let my favorite dinner get cold after you worked so hard on it.¡± She poked the shorter girl gently on the tip of her nose with one finger. ¡°But I might be persuaded to let the dishes wait after, if you¡¯re good.¡±


    Ranko blushed, giving her the most lustily pouty expression she could manage and accompanying it with a quiet whine. Akane had been too exhausted to play the night before, and Ranko had gotten home from the dress fitting at Izumi¡¯s apartment in quite a state. Akane¡¯s homework load had been astronomical since the start of the new school year, possibly even worse some days than Ranko¡¯s had been while she was homeschooling, and her unavailability last night had left Ranko daydreaming about her lover¡¯s touch all day long. ¡°But¡­ what if I can¡¯t be good? What if I can¡¯t help but want to be bad around you?¡±


    Akane stepped closer again, pulling her wife-to-be into another kiss. As she did, she traced the outline of Ranko¡¯s jaw and down the side of her neck with the backs of her middle and index fingers on her right hand, carefully avoiding the headphones that still dangled like a torc over the back of her neck. She felt her entire body warm as the lead singer of the Dapper Dragons quaked in her arms at her whisper-soft touch.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s a damn good thing you¡¯re so good at it,¡± Akane whispered in her ear, letting her breath tickle the hypersensitive girl¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Ak¡­ ane¡­ you have about three ssss¡­ seconds to let me go, or I wo¡­ be able to let you go¡­¡± Ranko¡¯s breath quickened with every microsecond, every cell that came into contact with Akane¡¯s skin.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Akane stepped back, giving Ranko a sharp swat on the backside. It was playful, but Akane had also found that the sting of it, amplified by the Full-Body Cat¡¯s Tongue as it was, often helped to snap Ranko out of the nearly catatonic state her touch could put the poor girl in. It was a risk, because it had quite the opposite effect once Ranko had reached a certain point, but the aromatic meal waiting on the stove was cooling further with every moment Ranko spent trying to regain control of her nervous system. ¡°Go on. Go get dinner plated, and I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    With a giggle, Ranko lifted the silly white lace apron Akane had bought her as a prank when they¡¯d first moved in together ten months ago, bending ever so slightly at the knees in her blue crushed velvet dress. As Akane laughed and turned for the bedroom, Ranko returned to the kitchen and set about preparing twin place settings with grilled salmon, rice, miso, and pickled vegetables.


    With dinner prepared and Akane not yet having emerged from the bedroom, Ranko pulled the rubber band off of the bundle of mail on the table, beginning to sift through it. ¡°Oh, hey, Akane! The grocery store¡¯s got steak on sale this week,¡± she called out as she set the newsprint circular aside.


    ¡°We should get some,¡± Akane yelled back from the bedroom as she pulled a clean shirt over her head.


    Discarding a few other ads in a pile at the far corner of their little white table, Ranko was left with three letter-sized envelopes that had made up the core of the bundle.


    Power bill¡­ yep, you¡¯re waiting until after the wedding. Water bill¡­ yeah, you, too. Ranko tossed the unopened envelopes aside, but her eyes widened as she read the label of the final article of mail, a thick linen-finished lavender envelope addressed to her. She swallowed hard, hooking a manicured fingernail under the flap and ripping the envelope open along its top edge. Her hands shook as she extracted the single-page letter and began to read it.


    ¡°I can not wait to dig into that fish. It smells amaz¡­ Ranko?¡± Akane emerged from the bedroom, and immediately sensed that the bubbly joy in her lover¡¯s eyes had entirely vanished. ¡°Honey, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Ranko turned her eyes away from Akane, both covering her mouth and supporting her chin with her right hand, her elbow on the table on the far side of her plate. She motioned ever-so-slightly with her neck to the unfolded letter that lay on the table between her plate and Akane¡¯s. Akane stepped closer, putting her right hand gently on Ranko¡¯s back and rubbing it softly between her shoulder blades as she read the letter she¡¯d scooped up.


    Immediately, Akane recognized the logo on the purple-and-blue letterhead, and before her eyes had even found the first paragraph, she knew why Ranko was so upset.


    Dear Miss Tendo:


    Thank you for applying to Minato University for the 1991 fall semester. We regret to inform you that we are unable to admit you at this time. While your transcripts and exam scores meet our entrance criteria, our admissions department has been unable to verify your identification information. Specifically, we have been unable to find any record of anyone named Ranko Tendo matching your birthdate on any family registry. If you feel that we have reached this decision in error, please visit our admissions department and provide official copies of your family registry.


    We wish you the best in your future academic endeavors.


    Akane refolded the letter, setting it gently on the table. ¡°Ranko, I¡­¡±


    ¡°After everything, I¡¯m still a fucking ghost.¡± The sullen young woman was not crying, but Akane could hear in her voice that she wasn¡¯t far from it at all.


    ¡°Hey. Come here.¡± Akane leaned down, wrapping her arms tightly around Ranko¡¯s shoulders. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out, baby. We always do.¡±


    Ranko shook her head slowly, a heartbroken finality about her. ¡°No we won¡¯t. I don¡¯t belong to nobody, Akane. I never will.¡±


    ¡°You belong to me, Ranko. I love you, so, so much. You¡¯re everything to me, baby. Everything.¡± Akane held the despondent girl tight in her arms, leaning down and resting her chin on Ranko¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°You should sit down and eat. Your dinner¡¯s gonna get cold.¡± Ranko¡¯s voice was devoid of all emotion, as if she had pulled the plug on her heart to prevent further damage to it.


    Akane shook her head, squeezing Ranko even tighter in her powerful arms. ¡°I don¡¯t care about that. I¡¯ve got you, Ranko. I¡¯m here, sweetheart.¡±


    Ranko shook her head, sniffling loudly in an attempt to suck some courage in from the ambient air around her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not even upset. I wasn¡¯t plannin¡¯ on goin¡¯ to college anyway. I was bein¡¯ silly even thinkin¡¯ about it. Not like I¡¯m trying to be little miss office girl or anything; I¡¯m gonna be makin¡¯ a living singing at the Phoenix until they bury me under it either way.¡±


    Akane frowned, releasing Ranko¡¯s shoulders. She took her seat, but did not reach for her chopsticks. Instead, she reached over the folded harbinger of ill tidings and took Ranko¡¯s left hand, fiddling idly with her engagement ring with her thumb in the hopes of giving her fiancee something better to focus on. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re trying to lie to yourself, honey, but you can¡¯t lie to me. I know how much you wanted it. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to cheer for you. That¡¯s all. I guess I¡¯m just gonna have to keep doin¡¯ it from the bleachers.¡± Ranko shrugged her shoulders, not taking her hand back from Akane. ¡°That¡¯s not so bad, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe that is all it was,¡± Akane said with a heavy sigh, ¡°but I doubt it. I know you had your hopes up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I get for doing that,¡± Ranko muttered dejectedly. ¡°I oughta know better. It¡¯s just¡­ it was one thing when we couldn¡¯t afford it, and something else when I didn¡¯t have the grades, and another thing when I didn¡¯t want it. And then, I manage to get all of that checked off, and I get rejected anyway ¡®cause I don¡¯t fucking exist. Not ¡®cause I¡¯m too broke, or too dumb, but ¡®cause I don¡¯t even qualify as a person. Thank the gods I never told Nodoka I applied. She already don¡¯t want me ¡®cause I¡¯m a girl, and now I¡¯m getting held back ¡®cause I can¡¯t even prove I¡¯m a human being.¡±


    Akane squeezed Ranko¡¯s hand tight. ¡°You look at me, Ranko, and you listen to me. You are a person. You are special, and you are loved. There¡¯s no paperwork anywhere that says Hana¡¯s your mom, or Yui¡¯s your sister, but they are, because love says they are. Next week, there won¡¯t be any paperwork that says you¡¯re my wife, but you will be, because love says you are.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s shoulders slumped as she slowly released all the air in her lungs through gritted teeth. ¡°Great, now all we gotta do is convince the higher education system to accept love instead of legal documents, and we¡¯re all set.¡±


    She had lost all interest in dinner.

 153. A Chance of Showers

    ¡°All my broken pieces fit together perfectly! I may not be where I¡¯m going, but I¡¯m right where I wanna be!¡±


    As the song ended, a chorus of twenty-three feminine voices cheered for the singer that stood alone on the Phoenix¡¯ stage. She took a small bow, blushing slightly as she did.


    Ranko leaned over to Akane from her seat at the VIP table, an inquisitive smirk on her face. ¡°What do you think, lover?¡± She peered over at the small white dry-erase board in front of Akane, nodding with thoughtfully-pursed lips as her fiancee wrote a number. She turned to her own whiteboard, scribbling on it with a black dry-erase marker. Ranko smiled over to Akane, nodding once, twice, and then the pair simultaneously turned their whiteboards to face the stage.


    ¡°Looks like Hana scores a four from Akane and a six from Ranko, for a score of ten! Not bad, but not good enough to beat out me and Yui!¡± Sakura laughed into a handheld microphone from the floor at the corner of the stage as Hana groaned and descended the stairs to exit the stage. The Phoenix family¡¯s other two-girl couple had taken the lead on the second song with their duet performance of Worthy of You, and had retained it through six more songs. Only Kasumi¡¯s rendition of Fly and Ayako¡¯s cringeworthy attempt at Sneak had scored worse than Hana¡¯s rating from the two judges. Ranko was thankful that her backup singers had acquitted themselves well, as Hitomi and Emi¡¯s Ranko-less version of Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch occupied a close second place.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that got a six from you, and I only managed a four!¡± Kumiko groaned, throwing her hands up in exasperation at her best friend and captain¡¯s score.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothin¡¯ personal, Kumi! You fucked up the words!¡± Ranko laughed, an easy smile in her eyes.


    ¡°Did not!¡± Kumiko put her fists on the hips of her green skirt defiantly. ¡°What did I mess up?!¡±


    Ranko rolled her eyes with a gentle shake of her head. ¡°Demonically, chaotically, hypnotically psychotic?¡±


    Akane giggled. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s the wrong lyrics, but she¡¯s got you dead to rights, babe.¡±


    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re supposed to be on my team!¡± Ranko turned to her bride in mock outrage, but before she could speak further, a chorus of clinking glassware stopped her in her tracks and softened her expression.


    ¡°Always, beautiful. Now, come here and kiss me.¡± Akane gave a soft simper as Ranko leaned in to grant her request and answer the cacophony surrounding them.


    When they broke the kiss some fifteen seconds later, Ranko leaned back in her chair, sighing contentedly. While she never expected to dig the whole everyone-sings-Ranko¡¯s-songs game, it really had turned out to be a lot of fun, and it beat the hell out of kiss the boy poster and the other awkwardly raunchy games she¡¯d been forced to participate in at Izumi¡¯s bridal shower. Yui and Sakura had really outdone themselves to create an event that was fun for everyone without making any of the five lesbian couples or the dozen or so heterosexual women in attendance uncomfortable.


    Arguably, the highlight of the event had been the food; between contributions from Ukyo, Mei, Kasumi and Hana, they could have fed an army. Akane was glad of it; they¡¯d be taking home enough leftovers to eat on almost until the wedding itself just ten short days away, and she knew Ranko wouldn¡¯t have time or energy to cook for most of those days in the final run-up to the wedding.


    Sakura lifted the microphone to her lips again. ¡°Does anyone else want to come up and sing something before we declare a winner and move on to the next activity?¡±


    Ranko turned her eyes from Yui¡¯s girlfriend as Akane began to stand. ¡°Akane, shouldn¡¯t we wait to see if anyone else wants to go before we move?¡± But Akane did not answer, instead walking around the round VIP table and reaching out her hand to Sakura. Taking the dynamic microphone from her, Akane rounded the corner of the stage and hopped up the stairs, slowed in no way by the ten-centimeter red stilettos she wore.


    ¡°Well, this is hardly fair,¡± Ranko called from her seat through her tittering. ¡°Talk about a biased judge!¡±


    Akane waved her off as a soft guitar melody began flowing from the speakers, courtesy of the vocal-less CD Jacob had prepared for the event. Yokai had been slow to produce a karaoke version of Phoenix Rising, to say nothing of the several new tracks Ranko had written since, so the Dapper Dragons¡¯ DJ-in-residence had taken the liberty himself.


    Indeed, Ranko had been on something of a tear lately, having written seven songs in just the last two months. At the rate she was going, it was not out of the realm of possibility that the Dapper Dragons¡¯ second album would release in time for the Christmas shopping season. However, the one song she desperately needed to write still just would not come to her. With just eleven days until the wedding, Ranko still hadn¡¯t the foggiest idea what she would sing at their reception, and she¡¯d given Akane her word she would have something new. No matter how hard she¡¯d tried, nothing had seemed like enough to meet the moment.


    ¡°Did you know the way time stops when our eyes meet? The way that everything else fades out of my mind? Did you know I hear your name in each heartbeat? That you¡¯re the one my soul was always meant to find?¡± Akane swayed on the stage, her face aflame, her eyes never breaking contact with Ranko¡¯s as she crooned the song her lover had written for her.


    Ranko stood, walking around the edge of the table as Akane finished the first verse of the song they intended to share their first dance at the wedding to, walking right up to the edge of the stage. She folded her arms on the stage platform, resting her chin on them and looking up at Akane with a mien of sheer adoration.


    ¡°I hope you did, but if you didn¡¯t, I wanna tell you endlessly. Don¡¯t want a second to go by that you don¡¯t know you are the very best of me. Most people think my life is music. They hear me sing, and they¡¯re not wrong.¡±


    Ranko reached for Sakura¡¯s hand, snatching the bar¡¯s second microphone from her and switching it on. As Akane reached the last line of the chorus, Ranko joined her in perfect harmony. They sang the song together quite often at home, and so they were quite practiced at it.


    ¡°I¡¯m just the singer. You¡¯re my song.¡±


    Ranko bounded up the stairs at the right edge of the stage, giving Akane a tight hug. She released her lover after just a moment, raising the microphone to her lips in her left hand again.


    ¡°Did you know I¡¯m not the person that I was, and I have changed so many things inside of me? Did you know that I¡¯m so proud of that, because it made my arms a place that you could wanna be? Did you know that I feel safest when you¡¯re holding me? You are the shelter I can build my life beneath. Did you know that I can feel your love re-molding me? I need your presence like the very air I breathe.¡±


    Ranko reached forward, taking Akane¡¯s left hand in her right and staring into her eyes as she sang, willing the torrent of love in her heart to somehow escape her mouth and her eyes so that Akane could at least begin to understand its depth.


    ¡°I hope you did, but if you didn¡¯t, I wanna tell you endlessly. Don¡¯t want a second to go by that you don¡¯t know you are the very best of me. Most people think my life is music. They hear me sing, and they¡¯re not wrong. But when they see the joy I feel up on that stage¡­¡±


    It was Akane¡¯s turn to level the microphone to her mouth and join her bride in harmony. ¡°I¡¯m just the singer. You¡¯re my song.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Their hands still joined, Akane lifted hers to her lips, kissing the back of Ranko¡¯s hand. She smickered joyfully at her blushing fiancee as she started the song¡¯s final verse.


    ¡°Did you know that everything is falling into place? That my life is finally starting to make sense?¡±


    Ranko swung her arm, squeezing Akane¡¯s hand tight as she played with her betrothed. ¡°Did you know that my whole universe is just your face? I never dreamed I¡¯d find a love half this intense.¡±


    Akane laid her left hand gingerly on Ranko¡¯s cheek, framing her lover¡¯s face as she looked deep into her eyes, as if she were completely oblivious to all of the other women in the room. ¡°Did you know the way I crave the sweetness of your lips? The way I ache for you each second I¡¯m alone?¡±


    The redhead lifted her hand, cupping it over Akane¡¯s on her cheek and nuzzling her face gently into her hand. ¡°Did you know that there¡¯s a magic in your fingertips, and when you touch me, anywhere we are is home?¡±


    Eschewing their alternating pattern, the brides-to-be sang the final chorus together as one, joined in song as they would soon be in all things.


    ¡°I hope you did, but if you didn¡¯t, I wanna tell you endlessly. Don¡¯t want a second to go by that you don¡¯t know you are the very best of me. Most people think my life is music. They hear me sing, and they¡¯re not wrong. But when they see the joy I feel up on that stage, I¡¯m just the singer. You¡¯re my song.¡±


    Ignoring the applause of their friends and family, the pair pulled closer to each other, and Ranko closed her eyes as Akane¡¯s lips met hers. A quiet whimper escaped Ranko¡¯s mouth, which her microphone caught and projected to all in the room. As a chorus of giggles rained down upon them, Ranko broke the kiss, her face aflame. ¡°Look, don¡¯t blame me, alright? She¡¯s really fucking good at that!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not half-bad yourself, princess,¡± Akane said with a smirk as the pair joined hands again and descended the steps to the barroom floor.


    Ranko bit her lip teasingly. ¡°Only half-bad? I guess I¡¯m gonna need more practice.¡±


    The Phoenix¡¯ power couple had nearly made it back to the VIP table when the front door of the bar opened to admit the orange glow of the setting sun. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late, girls! We just couldn¡¯t get Mioko to settle.¡± Izumi closed the distance to the brides¡¯ table in her favorite shimmering silver dress, setting a small gift bag made of an iridescent white paper in one of the empty chairs and reaching for Ranko to hug her.


    ¡°Izumi,¡± Akane said admonishingly while waiting for her own hug. ¡°What the hell is that? We told you no gifts. You already made two wedding dresses! That¡¯s so much more than plenty.¡± Akane motioned to the booth closest to the stage, the table of which was piled high with unwrapped gifts. There was a new stand mixer from Hana and a box of red earthenware bowls to match their dinner plates, a gift from Mei. A large square plastic bag containing a black duvet cover embroidered throughout with pink hibiscus flowers, a small cardboard display box containing a pair of champagne flutes engraved with interlocking hearts, and a smattering of smaller gifts too numerous to catalog despite the relatively small shower guest list cluttered the table and one of the benches of the four-seater booth. Perhaps the gift Akane appreciated most, however, was the envelope of cash Nabiki had discreetly slipped into her purse. ¡°Besides, we can¡¯t think of anything else we could possibly need, or even have anywhere to put!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, sis,¡± Izumi said with a shrug. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it. It was sitting outside the door when I got here.¡±


    Akane picked up the bag, eyeing it curiously. Everyone we invited came, so what could this be? The attached pastel pink heart-shaped tag did not identify the sender, only the intended recipient.


    Ranko looked at the little bag in her fiancee¡¯s hands skeptically. ¡°It ain¡¯t tickin¡¯, is it?¡± Tittering softly, her eyes rose to meet Akane¡¯s. ¡°Akane, you wanna open it? I got the last one.¡±


    The raven-haired girl set the bag back on the table in front of her bride and leaned on her lover¡¯s left shoulder, nuzzling softly against her. ¡°It¡¯s only got your name on it, babe. I think you should.¡±


    ¡°Just mine? Weird.¡± Shrugging as the onlookers watched in similar curiosity, Ranko slipped her hand down into the bag, digging around under the pink tissue paper stuffing the top of it, and produced a flat, dingy white cardboard box approximately eleven centimeters wide by six long and three deep. The box was tattered with age, and two of its corners flapped loosely at its side as Ranko extracted it from the shiny white bag.


    ¡°What the hell?! It¡¯s heavy.¡± A quizzical expression in her eyes, Ranko carefully removed the disintegrating box lid. Inside, she found a decorative silver hair comb. The crest of it was shaped into four large daisies in a gentle arc, with fading white and yellow paint adorning the metal to accentuate the flowers.


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Izumi mused as Ranko lifted it from the box. ¡°It¡¯s so pretty! It looks like an antique!¡±


    Ranko handed Akane the empty box and turned the comb over in her hand. ¡°Who would even¡­ The five oldest people I know are all in this room!¡± Still, something about the bauble called to her on a level she could not explain.


    ¡°Princess,¡± Akane said, nudging her arm. ¡°There¡¯s a note.¡± She handed Ranko a crisp sheet of folded stationery that was quite clearly newer than the gift it had accompanied, and Ranko traded her the heavy silver comb and unfolded it.


    As the women surrounding her waited and watched, the laughter in Ranko¡¯s eyes faded, replaced with a dark shroud of concern that itself gave way to something softer. She said nothing as she read the lengthy missive, but by the time she had finished, a pair of her tears had begun to soak into the peach-colored parchment.


    ¡°What is it,¡± Mei asked, unable to stand the suspense any longer. She bounced with excitement as Ranko shook her head and passed the unfolded note to Akane. She could not bring herself to read it aloud. Ranko lowered herself slowly back to her seat as if she¡¯d been hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer. She reached up and took the comb back from Akane¡¯s lap as the latter began to read the note that had been handed to her, turning it around in her hands with an expression Yui struggled to read. It was somewhere between the wonder of having discovered a buried treasure, and cautious trepidation at the sight of some alien device.


    Akane¡¯s eyes widened as they took in the columns of tight, neat kanji. The note was handwritten, but the characters were so tightly packed and perfectly practiced that one could be forgiven for thinking it had been typed.


    My dearest Ranko,


    I will soon return to my family¡¯s home in Kochi, but I could not depart without telling you something. I have sat with it for days, trying to find the words, and it seems that I lack your innate talent for prose where my emotions are concerned. How I wish it were the worst of my shortcomings of late.


    When your father made the decision to travel with you, I fought as hard as I could to stop him. I wanted nothing more in all the world than to see my child grow, and that experience was stolen from us both. Not a day has gone by since that I did not ache to see you, to hold you, or to watch over you. For years, I have prayed every day that things would work out in a way that was best for you: that your father¡¯s training would enrich you in ways that I could not, that you would find your way in the world, and that one day, the gods would set our paths to cross again.


    How I have squandered their gift.


    When I left your bar after you sang that song, it was not in anger, but because I was hurt - and not because you wrote the words, but because I knew them to be true. I dread to imagine how long you have carried some of those things in your heart, and I can only hope that finally getting to say them to me has granted you some small measure of peace.


    I can challenge only one of your assertions: while it is true that you are not what I expected, child, you are everything I could ever have hoped for and so very much more. You are strong and brave. You are revered and loved by all who know you, and countless thousands who do not. You have found your true north, and you know both where you stand in the world and where you are going in it. Those are rare accomplishments even at my age, let alone yours. You are peerless in every endeavor you undertake. Most importantly of all, you are happy, and most impressively of all, you have achieved all of it with no help whatsoever from your father or, to my unending shame, from me.


    Know that I hold your father¡¯s oath fulfilled as far as you are concerned. (Far less so, as he is.) You are, in every sense of the word, a paragon, but even if you were not, I could not be prouder of you. What a fool I have been for letting the traditions of my upbringing, my own shame for having let you go in the first place, and a lifetime of unfair expectations stand in the way of unconditionally telling you that the first time I saw you, and every day since.


    I am so sorry, Ranko, for everything. You deserve so much better than the family you were born with, and I am so very thankful that you have found one worthy of you at long last.


    This comb belonged to my great-grandmother, Hikaru Shimizu. She wore it on the day she married, in August of 1873. My grandmother wore it on her wedding day, as did my mother, and as did I in turn.


    Now, as you marry, I would see it pass to you, my only daughter.


    Yours in love, pride and admiration,


    Nodoka Saotome

 154. Firelight

    ¡°You¡¯re so fine! And you¡¯re mine! I¡¯ll be yours ¡®til the end of time, ¡®cause you made me feel¡­ Yeah, you made me feel I¡¯ve nothing to hide! Like a virgin, touched for the very first time¡­¡±


    Leaning back in her plastic mesh folding chair in a red one-piece lycra bathing suit, Akane swayed in time with Crash¡¯s acoustic guitar as she watched her bride dance barefoot in the sand. She felt guilty for not interacting as much as she might have liked with the couple¡¯s friends and sisters, but her focus was entirely singular. Despite everything that had happened with Ranko¡¯s biological mother - and even Ranko herself wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about Nodoka¡¯s attempt to salvage the relationship yet - there was an easy, carefree joy evident in every breath the redhead took. It was intoxicating, watching her be free like that. Watching her dance in the light of the fire, laugh with their friends, sing with abandon, and celebrate the future rather than running from the past.


    Seven days from tonight, Ranko. Seven days until forever, my love.


    Akane looked up with a smile, squinting into the orange-red glow of the setting sun and shielding her eyes as a shadow crossed them. Yui leaned down, handing her an opened bottle of hard apple cider that still dripped ice-cold water from the red-and-white cooler on which Mei currently sat. ¡°Thanks, Yui.¡± She took a swig of the bitter liquid. She was still getting used to the idea that she was now of drinking age, and she hoped it wouldn¡¯t be too awkward if she took her new wife on a date somewhere and she didn¡¯t have to wear the underage bracelet while Ranko did.


    ¡°Feels so good inside when you hold me, and your heart beats, and you hold me, and you love me¡­ oh-oooohh, whoa-oh-oh!¡±


    Ranko giggled, wobbling a little on the sand as it shifted under her bare feet. She made her way carefully to a long piece of driftwood that lay on the beach, sitting on it next to her best friend. ¡°That was fun! Isn¡¯t it harder to play that way, though?¡±


    Crash crinkled his nose, shaking his head as his cheeks warmed a bit. ¡°Nah, you don¡¯t have to see the strings once you get good enough at it.¡± He took his hands off of his guitar, wrapping them instead around the waist of the brunette on his lap. ¡°And some things are worth the extra effort.¡±


    Blushing, Ukyo leaned back into her boyfriend¡¯s chest, holding the guitar that lay across her lap with one hand as she cupped his cheek, and joined him in a soft kiss from below. ¡°What do you think? Am I the cutest instrument stand you¡¯ve ever had, or what?¡±


    Crash chuckled, shaking his head with a wide grin. ¡°Oh, no question.¡±


    The guitarist swallowed hard as Ukyo adjusted her weight on his lap, seeming to be doing so for more reasons than to seek a more comfortable position. ¡°Good answer.¡±


    ¡°Get a room, you two!¡± Ken laughed, flicking a beer bottle cap at Crash, but Ukyo caught it out of the air before it could reach him. Ken looked up as he felt a hand on his shoulder, smiling lovingly at the tall, muscular man with the blue hair and the unbuttoned blue plaid shirt to whom it belonged.


    ¡°Let ¡®em be, babe. It¡¯s hard to hang out around this much love and not want any for yourself.¡± Ryo leaned down over Ken¡¯s shoulder, kissing him ever-so-quickly on his cheek for emphasis. The drummer¡¯s face went crimson as his boyfriend straightened again. ¡°Anybody need a drink while I¡¯m up,¡± Ryo asked as he made his way across the beach toward one of the plastic coolers.


    ¡°Beer here!¡± Hitomi waved her hand from her position laying on a huge blue beach towel in her still-damp red bikini.


    Her roommate shook her head with a little tsk. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve had enough, Hitomi?¡±


    Hitomi scoffed, waving Emi off with the back of her hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine, and it¡¯s not like I¡¯m driving or anything. Are we partying or what?¡±


    Ducking as Ryo tossed a can of beer over his head to Hitomi, Jacob reached out with one finger, poking at the bare forearm of the young man next to him as if he expected it to turn purple or something. When its owner glared through his dark round sunglasses, Jacob shrugged. ¡°Sorry, Shin. It¡¯s just new for me. I didn¡¯t know you had, you know, skin. Never seen you without your jacket on!¡±


    Laughing, Shinji grabbed the green-haired young keyboardist around the neck with his forearm and poured the last dregs of his beer bottle over Jacob¡¯s head. ¡°Oh, fuck off, you!¡±


    ¡°We got anything else to eat over there?¡± A lithe brunette with a bob cut dusted the sand from her brown cargo shorts, padding in her flip-flops over to check another of the coolers next to where Mei sat.


    ¡°Oh, dear. I knew I should have packed sandwiches.¡± Kasumi frowned in her sister¡¯s direction. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can find something somewhere¡­¡±


    Nabiki let her forehead drop into her open palm before closing the distance to her oldest sister. ¡°Kasumi, listen to me. You¡¯re standing on a beach. At a party. In a bathing suit. You¡¯re off duty. Just have some damn fun, will ya?¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± Izumi said, putting her arm around the shoulders of Kasumi¡¯s purple one-piece bathing suit. ¡°Aya said she was gonna stop for some more supplies on the way here.¡±


    ¡°Hope she brings some more wood,¡± Ariel groaned, tossing another chunk of driftwood from his dwindling pile into the large fire that roared merrily in the center of their gathering.


    Izumi shrugged. ¡°I could try to call her car phone.¡± She motioned over her shoulder at a sun-faded black payphone under a thatched shelter near the beach¡¯s parking lot. ¡°Anybody got any coins on them? I didn¡¯t bring my purse.¡±


    Akane looked up as her view of her sisters was eclipsed by a short denim skirt with a ragged lower hem. She barely had time to put her bottle of cider in the cupholder in the armrest of her folding beach chair before Ranko took her hand and pulled her to her feet.


    As she did, Crash¡¯s guitar came to life with a tropical rhythm. He tapped his foot on the sand to keep the rhythm, and every flex of his foot bounced Ukyo on his knee. Held in place as she was by his arms around her playing the guitar resting on her lap, Ukyo put on a carefree smile as she began to clap along with the music.


    Not caring at all about the breeze blasting her wavy hair in all directions at once, Ranko twisted in staccato motion at the waist within arm¡¯s reach of her fiancee, making sure Akane saw every wiggle of her bare midriff beneath the baby pink tee shirt she¡¯d tied in a knot just below her breast line. She raised both her arms in the air, crossing her wrists and swaying her head left and right between her arms as she dug the balls of her bare feet into the sand and began to sing.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Hey, where did we go, days when the rains came? Down in a hollow, playin¡¯ a new game. Laughin¡¯ and a-runnin, hey, hey, skippin¡¯ and a-jumpin¡¯, in the misty mornin¡¯ fog, ah, with our hearts a-thumpin¡¯, and you¡­¡±


    Ranko reached forward, poking Akane¡¯s sunscreen-slick nose with her outstretched finger. Her face was joy and adoration incarnate, and somehow brightened even further when Mei, Kumiko and Nabiki each began drumming on the plastic coolers they sat on in time with Crash¡¯s guitar.


    ¡°My brown-eyed girl¡­ You¡¯re my brown-eyed girl¡­¡±


    Akane blushed as her fiancee took the last step that there was room for between them, taking both of the raven-haired woman''s hands in her own. Ranko slowed the motion of her hips for a moment to grant Akane the opportunity to study and match her patterns of motion, and within eight beats, the two of them moved together as one on the pearlescent white sand.


    ¡°Now, whatever happened? Tuesday is oh, so slow. Goin¡¯ down the old mine with a transistor radio. Standin¡¯ in the sunlit light, hidin¡¯ ¡®hind a rainbow¡¯s wall. Slippin¡¯ and a-slidin¡¯, yeah, all along the waterfall, it was you, my brown-eyed girl. You¡¯re my brown-eyed girl!¡±


    Ranko released Akane¡¯s hands, instead resting her palms on Akane¡¯s hips, beginning to move her as much as she moved herself. The pair moved in tandem, Ranko employing the same telegraphing techniques Akane had used to teach her to slow-dance on Valentine¡¯s Day to lead her in their shared motion, somewhere between a salsa and a tango. Her face was positively aglow, and the flickering bonfire reflected in her blue eyes was almost as hypnotic as her infectious smile.


    ¡°Do you remember when we used to sing¡­¡±


    Ranko grinned into her lover¡¯s eyes as a dozen voices around her, every one belonging to someone she loved, joined her in the merry chorus. ¡°Sha-la-la, la, la la, la, la, la, la-la, ti dah! Sha-la-la, la, la la, la, la, la, la-la, ti dah!¡±


    Writhing her hips in place as fluidly as a snake charmed by a pungi, Ranko rested her wrists on Akane¡¯s shoulders and moved her in a semicircle around herself. Her eyes never left the black-haired, brown-eyed girl whose love she celebrated.


    ¡°So hard to find my way, now that I¡¯m on my own. I thought about it just the other day; my, where¡¯s the time all gone?¡±


    Ranko grabbed Akane¡¯s wrists, yanking her toward herself as she spun her around with the momentum generated. Still gripping her by the wrists, Ranko pulled her back until her butt collided with the front of Ranko¡¯s denim miniskirt. She held Akane tight against herself, using her bride¡¯s crossed arms to lock her in place as she danced. She rolled her hips smoothly, alternating which leg was pushed forward to bear her weight in a modified salsa step. Akane could feel every movement of her fiancee¡¯s body against her back, using it to determine when to move her legs. As part of Ms. Kanzawa¡¯s efforts to keep her prodigy engaged in dance class, she¡¯d been teaching Ranko the basics of other dances besides ballet, and Ranko had particularly taken to the sensual feel of some of the Latin styles.


    ¡°Can¡¯t remember back then, gods. Sometimes, I¡¯m overcome thinkin¡¯ ¡®bout makin¡¯ love in the green grass, mm, behind the stadium with you, my brown-eyed girl. You¡¯re my brown-eyed girl!¡±


    The joyful redhead, up on the balls of her feet in the sand as she was, rested her chin on Akane¡¯s left shoulder, not slowing the movements of her body against her betrothed. She stole a quick kiss to Akane¡¯s earlobe in the space between lines. ¡°Do you remember when we used to sing¡­¡±


    Again, the girls¡¯ assembled loved ones joined her in the nonsense chorus. Even Kasumi sung along, clapping her hands gently in time with the rhythm plucked playfully from the six-string guitar in Ukyo¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Sha-la-la, la, la la, la, la, la, la-la, ti dah! Sha-la-la, la, la la, la, la, la, la-la, ti dah!¡±


    Mei swatted at the cooler under her butt with both hands, using both the fingertips and palms of each hand to give herself four points of contact in order to strike the hollow plastic box more quickly. Playing the cooler like a bongo drum, she thumped out a percussive riff that made Ken proud.


    ¡°Sha-la-la, la, la la, la, la, la, la-la, ti dah! Sha-la-la, la, la la, la, la, la, la-la, ti dah!¡±


    Relaxing her tight grip on Akane¡¯s wrists, Ranko spun her bride around again so that the pair faced each other. While their sisters and friends sang out the final repetition of the chorus, Ranko instead rested her forearms on Akane¡¯s shoulders, closing her eyes and pulling her into an entirely unabashed kiss. Her hips continued to thrash fluidly from side to side, not caring for all the world who, even on this isolated strip of beach just after the sun had set, might be able to see it in the flickering of the firelight.


    ¡°Sha-la-la, la, la la, la, la, la, la-la, ti dah! Sha-la-la, la, la la, la, la, la, la-la, ti dah!¡±


    Their lips did not part until long after Crash¡¯s guitar had silenced.


    ¡°I am so fucking in love with you,¡± Ranko mewled, the lengthy kiss having taken her breath away more than the dance did.


    The redhead yelped in surprise as Akane swept her left arm behind her bottom and scooped her off of her feet, supporting Ranko¡¯s feet with her right and cradling her in her embrace. ¡°I am so fucking in love with you, too.¡± She spun on her feet slowly, Ranko giggling and wrapping her arms around Akane¡¯s neck as Izumi¡¯s Polaroid spit out another square of film.


    ¡°Mm, hi there, lover.¡± Sakura emoted in a quiet bliss as Yui wrapped her arms around her waist from behind.


    Ranko looked around as she was lowered to her feet, making eye contact with each and every guest in turn as the last rays of the sun faded, breathing deep of the salty scent and soft rolling of high tide. Her face was a picture of contentment as her gaze moved from one person to another, all of whom had given up their Saturday night to celebrate what so many people said Ranko and Akane would never - could never - have.


    Look at all these people who love us, Akane. Look what we did together, baby.


    ¡°You guys,¡± Ranko said sincerely, clasping her hands between her breasts. ¡°Thank you so much for coming and being here tonight, and for just¡­ everything. You¡¯ve all done so much to make this special for us¡­ hell, to even make it possible for us. Because of you, and all your help, this time next week, I¡¯m gonna get to be Mrs. Akane Tendo.¡± She smiled in adoration at her blushing bride-to-be, Akane squeezing her hand gently as Ranko lowered it. ¡°We love and appreciate you all so, so much. You just don¡¯t even know. Just¡­ thanks for being our family.¡±


    With a chuckle, Nabiki held up a half-empty beer bottle. ¡°I¡¯m not anywhere near drunk enough for all this mushy stuff yet, little sister!¡±


    Akane reached out, placing a gentle hand on Ranko¡¯s cheek. As the redhead¡¯s gaze followed Akane¡¯s arm back to her eyes, Akane gave her the softest of smiles. ¡°Well, I am, so c¡¯mere, you.¡± Ranko needed no further encouragement to lean into another kiss, prompting a wave of clapping and whooping from her friends and sisters.


    The ebullient young singer bounced excitedly on the sand, taking Akane¡¯s hand as the kiss ended. ¡°Holy shit, babe, we¡¯re getting married in a week!¡±


    There was another smattering of cheers, but the onlookers¡¯ eyes seemed distracted by something but a bit further up the grassy hill behind the beach, in the small asphalt parking lot. Ranko¡¯s eyes turned to follow theirs, and found her eldest sister waving to the assemblage from just in front of her black sedan in an orange sundress.


    ¡°Oi! You guys gonna come help me carry this grill down there, or what?¡±

 155. Dumpling Diplomacy

    ¡°You can¡¯t imagine the way I feel. You have cracked open my heart in ways I don¡¯t want to heal, and now, I wanna¡­¡±


    Ranko sighed, rolling her eyes and shaking off her disappointment as she trailed off mid-verse. Nah. That sucks too. Fuck, what am I gonna do? I¡¯ve only got six days!


    She brushed a bit of stray flour from the front of her black vinyl apron, sighing furtively as she looked over the yellowish blob of dough resting on her countertop with no small measure of intimidation. Man, I hope this comes out okay. Akane had said she wanted gyoza for dinner, and Ranko hadn¡¯t found the time to make it to the grocery store for dumpling wrappers after cheerleading practice. So, to avoid disappointing her lover with the last Sunday dinner they would ever have as unmarried women, she¡¯d decided to attempt making them from scratch.


    ¡°Flatten the dough, and then use a cookie cutter to make circles,¡± she read from the open cookbook on the counter. ¡°I think I can do that.¡± She sliced off a hunk of the log-shaped dough blob, beginning to roll it flat with a rolling pin.


    Shit, it keeps sticking to the thing! How¡¯m I gonna¡­ wait a minute. That time Mei made the giant cookie for Hoshi¡¯s birthday, she put flour on the roller thing. Let me try that. She dusted the wooden cylinder in her hand with a bit of white powder and tried the tool again, finding that it now glided with ease over the damp dough. Fuck yeah! What¡¯s up, science!


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna love you forever,¡± Ranko tentatively half-sung as she bent over the counter to flatten the dough, as if trying the words on for size. ¡°Forever and ever and let you go never and dammit to hell! I¡¯m never gonna come up with something in time!¡±


    Disgusted with her continued lyrical struggles, she looked back to the cookbook. Use a cookie cutter to make circles. Where the shit am I gonna get a cookie cutter? She studied the photo of a round aluminum ring. Can I just rip ¡®em? Nah, it¡¯ll come out all jaggedy and weird. Think, Ranko! Her eyes darted around the kitchen, settling on the rice bowl in the sink that still waited to be washed from her lunch. A-ha! She opened the cabinet above the sink, pulling out a clean red earthenware bowl, one of the gifts she and Akane had just received at their wedding shower. Looks about the right size¡­


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try this out.¡± She flipped the bowl upside-down, pushing it down on the dough until it struck the counter top. She gave it a little shake to wiggle the dough loose and lifted it to find a perfect circle of dough resting in its silhouette.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ranko pumped her fist victoriously as she started to use the bowl to shape more circles from the misshapen sheet of dough splayed across her countertop. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a bad-ass girl, makin¡¯ the stuff for Akane,¡± she sung to herself in celebration as her improvised tool continued to work as well as she¡¯d hoped. Her hips rolled gently side to side in a little culinary victory dance as she worked.


    ¡°Whoa-ah-oh-oh, oh!¡± She trilled her voice in a high run in the meat of the fifth octave as she rolled out another sheet of dough. ¡°Whoa-ah-oh-oh, oh!¡± Each time she sang the same sequence, it shifted one note higher, testing the upper edges of her vocal range. ¡°Whoa-ah-oh-oh, oh!¡± Ranko cringed as the last note escaped her throat in a flat squeak. Nope. Can¡¯t get there yet. Gotta keep practicing.


    ¡°Whoa-ah-oh-oh, ¡­wha?¡± Ranko whirled to face the front door as a loud chime supplanted her voice. I didn¡¯t even think our doorbell worked. But who the¡­


    ¡°Coming!¡± Ranko slipped off her flour-dusted apron, hanging it from the brass knob on one of the overhead cabinet doors. She put on her brightest homemaker smile, channeling Kasumi as she reached for the doorknob and pulled it open. ¡°Hello, and welc¡­¡±


    ¡°Hello, Ranko.¡± The middle-aged brunette in the teal kimono bowed at the waist as Ranko¡¯s voice trailed off mid-word.


    ¡°I thought you were leaving town,¡± Ranko said standoffishly, the smile instantly fading from her cheeks as she stepped out of the way of the door to permit her mother to enter the little apartment.


    ¡°I am,¡± Nodoka said with no small measure of sadness in her voice as she stepped across the threshold into the little nook that served as the apartment¡¯s dining room. ¡°I¡¯m on the first train in the morning. But¡­ I couldn¡¯t leave without seeing you one last time.¡±


    Ranko nodded sullenly, but said nothing, so Nodoka continued. ¡°If you knew I was heading out, I suppose that means you got my note?¡±


    Again, the redhead bobbed her head. ¡°Yeah, I did. And the comb is really pretty. Thank you.¡± That, at least, she meant sincerely, even though she didn¡¯t know how she felt about it being a family heirloom from a family that had long since turned their backs on her. She¡¯d sooner have received something handed down from Hana. She sighed quietly, leaning on the half-wall that capped the end of the counter dividing the kitchen from the living room.


    ¡°Ranko, I¡­ I meant what I wrote, truly. I¡¯m so sorry I couldn¡¯t find a way to¡­¡±


    The redhead waved her off, retreating to the kitchen to find something to distract herself with. ¡°Just don¡¯t, okay? You¡¯re never gonna understand. You don¡¯t want to understand.¡±


    Nodoka removed the blue cloth-wrapped bundle from her shoulder, propping it gently in the corner by the front door. She stepped to the edge of the counter, watching her daughter work. ¡°Try me? Hopefully I¡¯ll do better than you expect this time?¡±


    Ranko rolled her eyes and scoffed quietly as she dolloped a bit of raw ground pork and a pinch of shredded cabbage in the center of the first of her homemade dumpling wraps. ¡°I don¡¯t expect nothin¡¯ from you. It¡¯s the only way to avoid gettin¡¯ disappointed again.¡±


    With a sad nod, Nodoka leaned on the edge of the countertop. ¡°I deserved that, and everything else you¡¯ve said. I know there¡¯s no excuse for any of the things I¡¯ve said and done, Ranko. Before I go, I want you to say everything you have to say, no matter how much it hurts me. Whatever you¡¯re still carrying, I¡¯m inviting you to put it down, baby.¡±


    Wiping her cheek just below her eye with the back of her right wrist between dumplings, Ranko shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m past all that. I¡¯ve gotta be. I know you¡¯re expectin¡¯ me to be all strong and brave and unflappable and all that stuff around you, and I just can¡¯t do it anymore. I¡¯m getting married in six days. My heart is so wide open right now, and I can¡¯t wall it off enough to deal with you the way you think I should. And there¡¯s¡­¡± She gave a quiet sigh. ¡°There are some doors that are kept locked for a reason. There¡¯s some shit in there you really don¡¯t wanna see me let out. Shit I don¡¯t even want to remember.¡±


    Nodoka nodded in quiet acknowledgement, looking for anything she could say to put her child at ease. ¡°It smells wonderful in here, by the way. You¡¯re doing a great job.¡±


    Ranko cracked the smallest of tentative smiles, motioning with her neck to the pot of soup simmering on the back burner of the gas stove behind her, and gave a little shrug. ¡°Soy milk in the zosui. Who knew?¡±


    Cracking a timid smile of her own, Ranko¡¯s mother motioned to the pile of still-empty dough circles, looking up hopefully. ¡°Would you like some help? If I¡¯m just going to stand here, I might as well do something with my hands.¡±


    ¡°If you want, sure, I guess.¡± Ranko picked up the two bowls of filling ingredients with a shrug, setting them to her right side so that both women could reach them. As she did, Nodoka stepped into the bathroom behind her, returning moments later having washed her hands.


    Ranko motioned to her mother¡¯s still-damp hands. ¡°Good idea, taking your ring off. I should probably start doin¡¯ that when I¡¯m working, too. I just¡­ I hate not having it on, ya know? Especially right now.¡±


    Nodoka shook her head. ¡°Actually, I¡­¡± She shrugged, suspiring audibly. ¡°I¡¯ve stopped wearing it at all.¡± Her eyes met Ranko¡¯s, a deep sadness behind them. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can ever forgive him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess he did do you pretty rough too, huh?¡± Ranko pinched another stuffed raw dumpling closed around the edges and tossed it into the bowl to her right with the others.


    ¡°No, child.¡± Nodoka¡¯s voice sounded as if her heart had been taken out with an ice-cream scoop. ¡°I can¡¯t forgive him for what he did to you. And I say that knowing I didn¡¯t do much better.¡±


    ¡°Just let it go,¡± Ranko said, almost defensively. ¡°I have.¡±


    Pursing her lips, Nodoka took a step closer. ¡°No, you haven¡¯t, honey. I can see it in your eyes. I know you¡¯re still hurting, and you have every right to. I was wrong about you. About everything. I had a responsibility to do better, and I failed you.¡±


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    You just won¡¯t quit, will you?! Ranko threw a pinch of cabbage back into the bowl, growling angrily. ¡°I already told you! You¡¯re just not gonna get it! Stop trying! You never will!¡± Nodoka tried to reach for her shoulder, but Ranko stepped away, backing all the way off in the narrow aisle kitchen until she was trapped between her pantry and the porcelain cooktop that still radiated heat from the simmering soup.


    Nodoka just looked over her child, her eyes filled with¡­ sadness? Pity? Shame? Ranko wasn¡¯t sure she could tell. She wiped her hands clean with a paper towel, just watching the teenage girl cornered in her own kitchen like a wounded animal. She said nothing. For once, she would say nothing. For once, she would just listen.


    Ranko wiped her eyes with her right wrist. It took a full thirty seconds of pregnant silence before Ranko understood that the standoff would continue until she spoke. So, she did, and once she started, she could not stop.


    ¡°I was alone for so long. Even before I left the dojo, nobody would talk to me for months. It was like I was a corpse sitting at the dinner table that nobody wanted to mention or think about. And I was scared, and I was confused, and I had a girl¡¯s body and no idea what to do with it, and I had all these new feelings I didn¡¯t understand, and¡­¡±


    Nodoka interrupted, putting her hand up. ¡°I know, baby. I know it must have been h¡­¡±


    ¡°I FUCKING NEEDED YOU! You knew what Pop was. You were married to him; you HAD TO! You knew how fucking damaged and irresponsible he is, and you stood by and let him do this to me! As afraid of you as I¡¯ve seen him, I know you could have stopped him. And sure, I¡¯m happy now, but it doesn¡¯t change a damn thing about how broken I had to get in order to get here. It doesn¡¯t give me back one fucking night that I spent crying in the mirror. And now, after I had to crawl half-dead onto a stranger¡¯s doorstep to find somebody willing to care about me, and had to work my ass off for two damned years learning how to live all over again? I finally get to a place where I¡¯ve found my footing and can stand on my own, and NOW you somehow have the audacity to walk into my life and tell me you don¡¯t like the way I¡¯m put together? Lady, you¡¯ve got bigger balls than I ever did!


    ¡°Torturing me with fucking hot wax - in public - after I told you I couldn¡¯t tolerate heat on my skin? What the fuck was that?! A test? Or just some sadistic punishment for daring to wear a dress or put a ribbon in my hair? I could barely walk for a fucking week after that, but I sat through it because I wanted to prove myself to you. I needed to. I¡¯ve got Hana and my sisters now, and I love them to death, and I wouldn¡¯t trade them for the whole world, but damn it, I wanted my mom! I wanted somebody, anybody, that had the same blood as me and wasn¡¯t ashamed of me!


    ¡°My whole life, I dreamed about what you might be like. Then, after I first got cursed, I used to make up this fantasy world in my head where you would show up one day, and take me shopping for clothes, and hold my hand, and brush my hair, and teach me what the hell to do with all these new feelings. I didn¡¯t tell nobody, not even Akane, ¡®cause everybody and everything in my world was screaming at me that I wasn¡¯t supposed to feel that way. Looking back, it was probably the first sign of my brain realizing I was supposed to be a girl after all, I don¡¯t know. I had so many questions, and fucking nobody I could go to with them. All I know is when you finally showed up, I was scared to death, and I was so fucking angry at you, but I ran full speed ahead anyway because I wanted that dream so damn bad. Stupid me, I thought I¡¯d earned it, and I was finally proud of myself, and I was finally gonna get the chance to show you what I¡¯ve made of myself, and maybe, just maybe, make you proud of me, too!


    ¡°You¡¯ll never know what it¡¯s like, spending twelve hours cold and wet huddled in a glass phone booth to get out of the rain, and feeling like you¡¯re on fucking display while you¡¯re falling apart. It¡¯s an awful lot of fucking time with nowhere to go and nothin¡¯ to do but think about the fact that the dream was never real and nobody fucking wants you, okay?! Imagine finally falling asleep on a park bench, for the first time in three days, and waking up an hour later to some smelly drunk guy¡¯s hands on you, and knowing it¡¯s all happening to you because neither of the two people who fucking made you think you¡¯re worth anything at all! It¡¯s one thing to be in trouble and feel like nobody can help you, and another thing entirely to know that it ain¡¯t worth bothering to ask, because you know nobody wants to!


    ¡°I know you¡¯re never gonna like me the way I am, and I¡¯m coming to terms with that, but¡­ finally, finally, after all this work and all this time, I do. I tried on my damn wedding dress a few days ago, and I tried to tell myself I didn¡¯t know that pretty girl in the mirror. I really did. But the reality is, a little bit every day, I¡¯m forgetting the boy I used to see in it. And, damn it, I fucking want to! I think maybe some part of me always did, somewhere deep down, and I didn¡¯t let myself acknowledge it because I had Pop and everybody in my ear all the time talkin¡¯ about man among men and shit. It took that Amazon psycho giving me no other choice to get me to explore it, but once I did, it didn¡¯t take long for me to figure out that being a girl just¡­ fit me better, somehow. It just took a lot longer for me to be able to give myself permission to admit it.


    ¡°I am so ashamed of the person I was, all angry and full up of testosterone and Pop¡¯s bullshit, and ready to punch my way through the whole fucking world and never feel anything. The shit I did to Akane alone? Forget wanting to marry me, she should want to kill me! I used to think it was ¡®cause she had the patience of a saint that she could forgive the way I treated her, and you know what she told me? You didn¡¯t do those things, Ranma did! She don¡¯t even see me as the same person, and you know what? I¡¯m good with that, ¡®cause Ranko Tendo has a mom, and four sisters, and friends, and a wife, and legions of fans, for fuck¡¯s sake, and never got told by anybody that she wasn¡¯t good enough the way she is!¡±


    As another pair of salty tears streamed down her cheeks, Ranko reached to her left wrist, unclasping the silver dragon that all but permanently lay coiled around her arm. It sprung open, and she tossed it to the countertop with a sharp metallic ting. She turned her arm upward to show Nodoka the angry red ridge that would never leave her skin, a mountain range dividing her hand from her arm and her old identity from her new one.


    ¡°So, Mrs. Saotome, I¡¯m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but your son is dead. And I don¡¯t¡­unf!¡±


    Nodoka closed the remaining three steps between them in the space between heartbeats. Her body crashed into Ranko¡¯s with enough force to expel the air from the teenager¡¯s lungs and slam her back against the kitchen wall separating her apartment from Mr. Gao¡¯s as she wrapped the shaking, crying girl in a tight hug.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m awfully lucky that I have a daughter that I love so much. Baby, I¡¯m so sorry. I was trying far too hard, far too late, to be your mother, and I didn¡¯t know what I was doing, because I never got a chance to learn any more than you did. I messed everything up. I was hearing my own parents in my head telling me the way you¡¯d changed wasn¡¯t natural and couldn¡¯t be okay, just like you must have felt when it first happened to you. It took way too long for me to stop listening to my head and let myself start listening to my heart. And my heart was screaming for you, honey. I never meant to hurt you, baby. Not with the wax thing, not with the things I said, not with my absence, none of it. I was so, so, so wrong, Ranko.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose you again. Please. The last time, I could at least tell myself it was your father¡¯s fault we were apart, but if it happens again, I will know it¡¯s because of my own actions, and I can¡¯t live with that for another fifteen years, or another fifteen minutes. I¡¯m so sorry that you had to slam the door in my face to make me realize how desperately I needed it to be open, and how little everything else matters by comparison. I¡¯m so... I love you, and I want you, and¡­ I¡¯m just sorry.¡±


    It took nearly two full minutes, and losing all remaining control she had over the torrent of brine flowing from her eyes, before Ranko raised her arms from her sides and took hold of her mother in return. She wailed limply, letting Nodoka hold her weight.


    ¡°Say it again? Please?¡±


    Nodoka nodded, her chin still resting on her child¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, honey.¡± The elder woman did not see the younger one shake her head, but she felt it against her chest.


    ¡°Not that. The other thing.¡±


    Nodoka released the quaking songstress from her grasp, taking a step back to allow Ranko to look into her eyes and see the sincerity in them. She rested both of her hands on her child¡¯s shoulders, bracing her with locked elbows.


    ¡°Your name is Ranko Tendo. I accept you as my daughter. And I love you, no matter what.¡±

 156. Missing Pieces

    ¡°What¡¯s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.¡±


    Ranko peered over her book at the middle-aged woman approaching her with a paper coffee cup in her hand, squinting at the mid-afternoon sunlight still streaming through the double doors at the front of the Phoenix as they slowed to a close behind her. ¡°What in the freeze-dried fuck are you talking about, Mom?¡±


    Hana laughed, motioning to the book in Ranko¡¯s hand. ¡°Romeo and Juliet. An old favorite. I¡¯m proud of you for getting started on your homework before the show for once. But I guess there¡¯s not much time to wait now, given that after this week you¡¯re on school break - and you¡¯ll be awfully busy!¡±


    Ranko chuckled with a soft smile. Somehow, she never pictured the Metallica-loving matriarch of her strange little clan to be into mushy old love stories. ¡°It¡¯s not homework.¡± Ranko sighed, closing the book and tossing it to the bar counter dejectedly. ¡°It''s this damned song. It¡¯s killin¡¯ me!¡±


    Pursing her lips in furtive understanding, Hana rubbed Ranko¡¯s back through her red school uniform pinafore. ¡°It¡¯ll come to you, little star. You¡¯ve still got time. What¡¯s giving you so much trouble? You tell Akane you love her all the time.¡±


    Ranko hung her head in exasperation with a low grunt. ¡°Time? The wedding¡¯s in four fucking days, Mom, and I¡¯ve got diddly-shit! And tellin¡¯ Akane I love her¡­ that¡¯s the problem! I tell her all the time that I love her, and this has to be¡­ I don¡¯t know, more special than that. Better. And I just can¡¯t find words big enough for it all. I hoped I could get inspired off¡¯a some of this crap, but¡­¡± She motioned to the stack of seven books off to her left, each with a white Yusue High School library sticker wrapped around its spine. ¡°All it¡¯s doing is telling me I¡¯m supposed to talk like friggin¡¯ Kuno. I even asked friggin¡¯ Fred for ideas, and he¡¯s got nothin¡¯ too.¡±


    Hana sighed, hopping up on the stool next to her youngest daughter. ¡°It¡¯ll come to you when it¡¯s supposed to, baby. Try to stop worrying about it and let it happen naturally. Come on, let¡¯s get your mind off of it for a few minutes. I¡¯ve barely gotten to talk to you in days with everything being such a whirlwind around here. How you doin¡¯, kiddo?¡±


    Because I¡¯ve been avoiding you, Mom, Ranko thought guiltily. She gave a light shrug, answering in a hollow voice. ¡°Just busy as hell. Excited. Scared as fucking hell. You know, usual bride stuff, I guess.¡± And I am anything but a usual bride.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± Hana smiled lovingly at her daughter. ¡°I¡¯m getting the sense there¡¯s something else you¡¯re not telling me, though, Ranko. You may be a performer, but you¡¯re a terrible liar sometimes. You know you can talk to me about absolutely anything, right?¡±


    ¡°Not this,¡± Ranko said with a dejected suspiration. ¡°It¡¯s too personal.¡±


    The old barkeep chuckled, bracing Ranko¡¯s forearm with her left hand. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m not sure anybody except maybe Akane knows you better than I do, so I don¡¯t know what you could possibly have going on that¡¯s too personal for me to know about.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Ranko grimaced a bit. ¡°It¡¯s personal¡­ about you.¡± She lowered her head into her hands, her elbows supporting it against the polyurethane bar top. Gods, I¡¯m such a jerk.


    Hana¡¯s face became a frown of concern. ¡°Well, then you definitely need to tell me, so I can fix whatever¡¯s wrong. Come on, kiddo. You¡¯re too close to getting married to let yourself get all bummed like this. Let¡¯s get it off your shoulders?¡±


    Hanging her head lower in her hands, Ranko inhaled sharply. We¡¯re really going there, aren¡¯t we, Mom? ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothin¡¯ you did. It¡¯s just¡­ Remember when I got that comb at the shower? From my¡­ from her?¡±


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    A quiet nod came in reply from the elder woman. ¡°I suspected it might be something to do with that. You don¡¯t have to wear it if you don¡¯t want to. You¡¯re under no obligation. But somehow, I doubt it¡¯s the comb you¡¯re referring to, but the note it came with.¡±


    Ranko turned on her stool to face her mother, a guilty expression in her eyes. ¡°You promise you won¡¯t get mad?¡±


    Hana took Ranko¡¯s hand in her own. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll do my best not to, and I promise it¡¯ll be easier for both of us to deal with if you¡¯re up front about whatever this is.¡±


    ¡°So, Nodoka¡­ showed up at my place a couple nights ago. Unannounced. And, she told me she was just there to say goodbye, but¡­ we actually had a really good talk, and I got a lot of shit off my chest, and she hugged me and told me she loved me and everything.¡±


    With a beaming smile, Hana squeezed her daughter¡¯s hand tight. ¡°Honey, that¡¯s wonderful! Why would you think I¡¯d be upset about that?!¡±


    Ranko slumped to her side, leaning against Hana, wrapping herself in the comfort of her mother¡¯s arm around her. ¡°Because it felt good, and ¡®cause I actually let myself consider accepting her.¡±


    ¡°Ranko, sweetheart, that decision is entirely up to you, and I¡¯ll support you either way. I must be really dense today, though, because for the life of me, I still can¡¯t fathom why you think that would bother me.¡± Her left hand still holding Ranko¡¯s, she rubbed Ranko¡¯s shoulder firmly with her right, trying to instill a little confidence in her young ward.


    Ranko pulled out of the embrace, sitting up straighter and looking into Hana¡¯s eyes, her own a roiling chasm of shame. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I¡¯ve already got the best mom ever. She wasn¡¯t ever there for me, but you were, always. You took care of me, and you loved me when nobody else would, even her. You saved me, Mama. Forget getting married, I¡¯d be layin¡¯ dead in a ditch right now without you and my sisters. I love you, and I owe you everything, and the idea that I even thought for a second about allowing somebody I just met to take your place like that¡­¡±


    Hana laughed quietly. ¡°Oh, baby¡­ no. No. Don¡¯t be silly. Of course you¡¯re allowed to let her in if you want to. Mei still talks to her parents sometimes, even though she doesn¡¯t talk about it much with you girls because it hasn¡¯t really been an option for you, and likely never will be for Yui and Izzi. And Aya¡­¡± She sighed, leaving the secret that only the two of them shared to remain unspoken.


    ¡°Nobody¡¯s ever going to replace me, Ranko. I¡¯m gonna be your mom until the day I die, and I¡¯m too damned proud of you to let anybody try to tell me otherwise. But that doesn¡¯t mean your biological mother can¡¯t be a part of your life too, if you want her to be. If you ask me, the more people you have who love you and support you, the happier I am. The only way I¡¯d have a problem with it is if she kept on hurting you, like she did the first few times you saw her.¡±


    Ranko let out a quiet chuckle. ¡°I think I¡¯ve made my position on letting that happen pretty clear.¡±


    Hana cracked an amused smile. ¡°Oh, I heard. Yui said it was worse than Not Yours, Don¡¯t Touch.¡±


    The songstress shrugged with a smirk of her own. ¡°Must¡¯a been, because it got through to her, I guess.¡±


    With a small roll of her eyes, Hana opened her arms again. ¡°C¡¯mere, kiddo.¡± Ranko leaned over the gap between their stools, sighing happily as her mother wrapped her forearms around her back.


    ¡°You¡¯re always gonna be my little girl, Ranko. Always. I love you so much, little star, and I¡¯m so, so, so proud I get to call you my daughter.¡±


    Ranko squeezed the elder woman tight around her torso, inhaling deeply. She drank in the smell of old leather, as it always made her feel safe and loved. She¡¯d come to associate it with her true mother¡¯s hugs, thanks to her ever-present jacket, and almost nothing in the world felt better than those. It did mean some interactions with Shinji and Crash felt a little awkward sometimes, though. ¡°I love you too, mom. Always. Thank you for listening, and, ya know, everything else, too.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me, baby. You¡¯ve been an absolute blessing since the day I met you, Ranko.¡± Hana rubbed her daughter¡¯s back firmly. ¡°I do have one condition for this whole, letting her be your mom thing, though.¡±


    Ranko sat up from the hug, a quizzical expression on her face. Conditions weren¡¯t really Hana¡¯s style when it came to her daughters. ¡°Mm?¡±


    With a knowing smile, Hana ruffled her daughter¡¯s loose, wavy hair with her hand.


    ¡°I want to meet her.¡±

 157. Shot Through the Heart

    Standing atop the jagged rock outcropping, Ranko took in her surroundings from her elevated perch. She wore a black tee shirt with a khaki vest over it and a pair of tight, and very short,  khaki shorts. She wasn¡¯t sure why they¡¯d put so many pockets on them; there wasn¡¯t even enough give in the garment to get her hand in one. Her hair protruded from under the beige fedora she wore in twin braids that hung in front of her shoulders, each secured at the end with a thin black ribbon. She shrugged her shoulders, adjusting the weight of the leather bundle strapped to her back.


    ¡°You guys about ready,¡± she called down from her vantage point some five meters off the ground.


    ¡°Just about,¡± Yuji Oe called to her from his folding canvas director¡¯s chair. As he did, a slender, severe-looking British man in a green polo shirt and khaki pants walked in front of the cameras, holding up a large whiteboard above its head. The top two-thirds of the placard was dominated by the logo for Ranko¡¯s band, and the bottom third was a grid in which details of the filming had been marked. It included the date, the shot number, and the name of the video being recorded.


    ¡°And¡­ Action!¡±


    A unseen speaker began to loudly play the scene¡¯s accompanying verse, and Crash¡¯s voice rained down all seventy-four of the personnel in the cavernous soundstage in Yokai Records¡¯ back lot. The vocals were included, as the production crew was not recording audio. They would add the backing track from the studio recording in editing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explore a deep, dark jungle. Search the depths of every cave. Sure, I¡¯m scared, but you fill my heart up enough to make me brave!¡±


    Ranko looked around in all directions, leveling her right hand above her eyes. Anyone who had actually traveled on foot as much as she had would know the gesture was somewhat pointless while wearing a hat designed to shield one¡¯s face from the sun, but the scene had been scripted and she¡¯d seen no real need to fight them on it. She turned her head, gazing briefly at the painted backdrop of mountains with a dense forest in the valley between them and the peak on which she was supposed to be alighting.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go on an adventure. I¡¯m gonna cast away my fears. Gonna make myself your equal if it takes a¡­¡±


    Ranko reached over her shoulder into the black leather quiver at her back, withdrawing one of the five flighted arrows protruding from it. Nocking it against the short black compound bow in her left hand, she drew back the string, aiming high above the cameras.


    ¡°CUT! CUT!¡± It hadn¡¯t been Yuji¡¯s voice that yelled up at her, but that of the pencil-pusher looking dude holding the whiteboard.


    Ranko groaned, rolling her eyes and releasing the tension on the bowstring. ¡°Now what¡¯s your problem, man?!¡± The studio representative hadn¡¯t been introduced to her, but he¡¯d been talking down to her and getting on her nerves all evening.


    ¡°Girl, you should know better! Playing around with a weapon like that on a set? It¡¯s dangerous! If we needed to shoot the arrow, we¡¯d bring in a weapons professional. People train for years to be able to do this sort of thing properly!¡±


    The costumed redhead gave a frustrated shrug. ¡°I wasn¡¯t gonna let it go! Why the hell you gonna give me a bow in the shot if you don¡¯t want to see it?!¡±


    The balding man in the green polo slumped. Working with kids, I swear! ¡°We do want to see it! We just don¡¯t want to see it handled that way except by an expert! You got it?!¡±


    Ranko gave a little salute over her eyebrow with two extended fingers touched to her temple, the disdain in her eyes partially obscured by the gesture. ¡°You got it, boss! Experts only.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He pulled a black dry-erase marker from the pocket of his shirt, incrementing the shot number on his placard from 82 to 83.


    Yuji side-eyed the unknown producer from his canvas chair. ¡°Okay, if you¡¯re done, can I direct my shoot now, please?¡± Apparently Ranko wasn¡¯t the only one the new producer was annoying.


    The balding man answered by holding up the placard above his head again. ¡°Okay,¡± he yelled, ¡°Worthy of You music video, shot eig¡­¡±


    THWACK!


    The startled man yelped, rocking backward with a sudden impact. He lowered the placard, which seemed to have been the source of both the noise and the force. Protruding through the dead center of the three-centimeter pink heart at the end of Ranko¡¯s signature, the shaft of a black arrow flighted in red plastic still wobbled slightly.


    ¡°JESUS CHRIST! WHAT THE FUCK?!¡± The terrified man glared incredulously up at the teenage archer atop her perch.


    ¡°Experts only, right?¡± Ranko scoffed dismissively. Showed you, asshole.


    Yuji said nothing, but he couldn¡¯t help but laugh and shake his head. There¡¯s our little fireball. I was wondering how much further he could push her before she started doing Ranko things.


    ¡°Get the fuck down here right now, girl!¡± The irate producer threw the impaled placard to the ground, pointing to the concrete floor at his feet.


    Careful, douchebag. I¡¯ve still got four more arrows, after all. Ranko stepped forward, easily landing on the soundstage floor despite the five-meter drop.


    ¡°Get your ass in here!¡± The producer stalked toward a small office tucked in the corner. ¡°And somebody fucking get Amaya down here, now!¡±


    Ranko cringed. Damn, he¡¯s really pissed. Not relinquishing her weapon, she followed slowly behind him. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Shinji giving her a disgusted shake of his head.


    Before the reverberation of the slammed door stopped shaking the framed posters on the office¡¯s front wall, the producer whirled on Ranko. ¡°What in the living fuck is wrong with you?! Are you out of your sodding mind, girl? You SHOT AT ME!¡±


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    Ranko rested her fist on her hip, the daggers in her own eyes matching his. ¡°First off, easy on the girl shit, yeah? You¡¯ve been calling me that all day, and it¡¯s getting really fucking old, man. What¡¯s your problem with me, anyway?! And second, I didn¡¯t shoot at you. I shot at a sign.¡±


    ¡°How in the fucking fuck am I supposed to know that?!¡± The enraged man shook his arms above his head apoplectically.


    The songstress he berated gave him an arrogant smirk. ¡°You¡¯re still breathing, ain¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°This is unbelievable! How am I supposed to¡­¡± He stopped mid-sentence as the office door opened again, admitting Amaya Uyehara. The green-suit-clad executive stalked between the two combatants. ¡°Okay, would someone like to tell me what¡¯s going on here? Todd, what¡¯s all this about?!¡±


    The raging man pointed at Ranko, spittle flying from his mouth as he spat his reply. ¡°Your little hellion shot a goddamn arrow at me! You¡¯ve got to control her, Amaya! This is fucking ridiculous!¡±


    The studio executive turned her head to the still-armed songstress, the bow she gripped lending credibility to Todd¡¯s story. ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    Ranko shrugged, now entirely disregarding Todd. ¡°Maybe stop hiring sexist pencil-dicks to work on my stuff? After Takao, you guys should know that shit ain¡¯t gonna fly with me, and technically, my contract says I can boot anybody I don¡¯t wanna work with. And if you¡¯re gonna do it anyway, it¡¯s probably not a good idea to give me a weapon first.¡±


    Amaya sighed, shaking her head and supporting it in her palm. ¡°Ranko, this stuff has got to stop.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. I want this dude gone, but make that happen, and I¡¯ll see about keeping a lid on my projectiles.¡± Ranko¡¯s focus was entirely on Amaya even as she motioned to Todd with her right arm, having set her bow down in one of the empty office chairs.


    Amaya sighed, closing her eyes and breathing deeply, steeling herself. ¡°Sit down, Ranko.¡±


    Ranko moved her bow and sat in the chair slowly, her growing anxiety on display as her eyes reconnected with Amaya¡¯s and she saw the angst in them. There was a finality to it. Oh, shit. I might have really stepped in it here.


    ¡°Look, Ranko. It¡¯s not just today. You keep pushing, and pushing, and pushing the boundaries with us. We asked for more upbeat, radio-safe bubblegum pop songs for the second album, and you give us friggin¡¯ You Don¡¯t Know Me? And let¡¯s not even talk about you hearing our instructions to keep your engagement a secret, and then announcing it on national television two weeks later! Plus, the stunt you pulled on the Sneak video, all of it. We¡¯ve given you as much slack as we can, but we just can¡¯t tolerate this kind of defiance any longer.¡±


    ¡°Amaya, are you¡­¡± Ranko swallowed hard, squirming in her seat as anxious sweat dripped down her sides. ¡°...firing me?¡±


    Todd smirked victoriously. Not so tough now, are you, girlie?


    Amaya sighed, her posture slumping. She really hated confrontation, especially with someone who, despite her flagrant disobedience and occasional diva attitude, she had come to consider a friend. ¡°Not yet. But Ranko, this bullshit ends now. Do you understand me? We don¡¯t just make up rules to make your life miserable. We¡¯ve been doing this for a while, and we have a pretty good idea what we¡¯re doing. Everything we¡¯re doing, we¡¯re doing because we want to make you more successful. Everything we can do to maximize your image helps you, it helps your band, it helps us, it helps your fans, everybody. I know sometimes it can feel like being famous makes you the queen of the world, but it has its uncomfortable drawbacks, too, especially for someone as young as you.¡±


    ¡°O¡­ okay.¡± Ranko nodded slowly. Fuck, that was close.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this! You¡¯re not going to fire her? Come on!¡± Todd glowered, gesturing wildly to the seated redhead.


    ¡°No, Todd, I¡¯m not going to fire her. Not today.¡± Amaya turned to the incensed Brit. ¡°But I am firing you.¡±


    ¡°What?! She fucking shot at me, Amaya!¡± The balding man with the goatee stomped his foot behind the cheap aluminum office desk.


    Amaya put up her hand, dismissing any further discussion. ¡°Ranko has said she wants you off the project, and she¡¯s right, her contract gives her that power. But even if it didn¡¯t, Yuji also says he wants you gone. You¡¯ve been abusive to the whole team, and that, we will not tolerate here. I¡¯m sorry, Todd, but please get your things.¡±


    The man stomped around the desk, giving Amaya a bit of a shove to clear a path for himself. ¡°You¡¯ll be hearing from my lawyer!¡± He crashed through the door, slamming it behind himself hard enough for the framed Rise poster mounted on the wall to fall to the floor.


    ¡°Please,¡± Amaya said, smirking as she turned back to Ranko. ¡°Like he can even afford one.¡±


    Ranko stood, sighing contritely. ¡°Look, Amaya, I really am sorry. I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯ve spent my whole life being told what I can¡¯t do, and hiding who I am, and now I feel like I¡¯m finally coming into my own and I want to just be me for once. But I¡¯ll try to rein it in. Please don¡¯t let me mess this up for the guys. They¡¯ve worked so hard.¡±


    The woman in the green skirt suit nodded in understanding. ¡°I get it, Ranko. I really do, more than you think. But that¡¯s got to be up to you now. There are some games we still have to play in this industry, especially as women, even if they aren¡¯t very much fun. And that reminds me ¨C while I¡¯ve got you in the principal¡¯s office, there¡¯s something else I need to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°Do I need to sit back down?¡± Ranko took a step back toward her chair, her nerves evident in her eyes and mannerisms both. What now?


    Amaya rolled her eyes, half-sitting on the credenza against the little office¡¯s side wall. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re making me even bring this up. But apparently some alarmist dick-for-brains in our marketing department has noticed a peculiarity in your lyrics they asked me to poke you about.¡±


    Ranko scoffed, shaking her head. ¡°Yeah, I know. The foul language is a bit strong sometimes. I promise, just as soon as I run out of disrespectful jerks to stick sonic skewers through, I¡¯ll try and clean it up some.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not that.¡± Amaya blushed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I feel so ridiculous even having to talk about this, especially when I just chewed you out for announcing your engagement. Apparently, the marketing folks are concerned that some of your songs seem¡­ how do I say¡­ vague about¡­¡±


    Ranko groaned impatiently from her seat, the bow now laying across her lap. ¡°Amaya, you¡¯re killing me! Just spit it out, please? I¡¯m sweating bullets¡­ arrows over here!¡±


    The executive¡¯s forehead dropped into her palm, embarrassed by the duty that had fallen to her. ¡°Even after Ring, Ring, Ring, they¡¯ve noticed that you never explicitly call out in your love songs that they¡¯re written about a boy, and they¡¯re concerned that if that trend continues, some people might eventually get the absurd idea that you¡­ prefer girls.¡±

 158. Mothers of the Bride

    ¡°And you¡¯re sure this is a good idea, Ran-chan?¡±


    Ranko sighed, shrugging as she dangled her legs from her perch on the edge of the stage that was her private domain. Her safe space. The 140-square-meter kingdom where she ruled as queen. The platform on which, tomorrow, she would marry the woman who sat just to her right holding her hand. The love of her life. ¡°Mei, I have no fuckin¡¯ idea. I¡­¡± Her eyes rolled back in her head. ¡°I¡¯m barely sure how I want it to go.¡±


    ¡°Well, just a friendly reminder, there¡¯s a metal baseball bat under the bar if you need it,¡± Yui said with a devilish smirk. She had to admit, as much as she wanted Ranko to get everything she wanted, there was a part of her that desperately wanted to watch her youngest sister take her vengeance against the mother that abandoned her. The vengeance Yui herself had never gotten against her own parents. At least Mama got to deck Ranko¡¯s dad, the blonde bartender remembered with a dark chuckle.


    ¡°Look, girls,¡± Ranko began, sliding off the stage to her feet. ¡°Whatever happens, I just wanna say thank you for everything. Before I met you, I¡¯d have thrown away everything I like about myself to create a connection with her. I didn¡¯t think there was anything about me worth digging my heels in and fighting for. All of you have given me strength and confidence, and the security of knowing that I don¡¯t have to give more than I want to in order to have a family, because I already do have one. Nothing that happens today, or ever, is going to change the fact that whenever somebody asks me who my family is, it¡¯s always gonna be the five of you, and Akane. I just love you guys, and nobody¡¯s ever gonna replace any of you.¡±


    With a scoff, Yui planted her fist on her hip casually. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a shame. Bein¡¯ your big sister is fuckin¡¯ exhausting, and I could use a day off!¡± Her face softening into a proud grin, she pulled Ranko into a tight hug. ¡°We love you too, kiddo. No matter who else you let into your life, you ain¡¯t gettin¡¯ rid of us. We¡¯re part of you forever, baby sister.¡±


    As Ranko was released from the hug, she walked over to the bar, leaning on the counter. ¡°And what about you, Mom? You ready for this?¡±


    Hana nodded with an easy smile. ¡°Oh, you bet, honey. Now, listen to me. If any point this starts going south and you want out, ask one of us to make a Dragonfire. That¡¯ll be our code word. If that happens, we¡¯re gonna make an excuse to need you and Akane¡¯s help in the back with something, and then while you¡¯re back there, we¡¯ll get rid of her. Understood?¡± They¡¯d decided not to open the Phoenix so they had the day to set up for tomorrow¡¯s event, so the girls had nothing else to do but be on their guard until it was time to start decorating.


    ¡°Yes, mama!¡± came an almost unsettlingly enthusiastic response from Yui and Mei in tandem.


    ¡°As for you,¡± Hana said, rounding the bar and bracing Akane¡¯s shoulder with a nervous smile. ¡°You have one job today. You¡¯re here to support, and protect, my daughter, no matter what. Can you do that for me, Akane?¡±


    Akane sighed, remembering how she¡¯d committed to do exactly that when Ranko¡¯s father had threatened her, and how she¡¯d not been there when he arrived to protect Ranko when he finally showed up. She made a resolute fist with her left hand, giving Hana a committed nod. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°Akane, honey,¡± Hana said, her expression softening as she observed the stress in Akane¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re marrying my baby tomorrow. You¡¯re allowed to call me mom too, if you want, you know.¡±


    Akane¡¯s face went crimson in a matter of microseconds. That was a word she hadn¡¯t used for anyone in over ten years. And here she was, being invited to do so to refer to someone who bore no blood relation to her or her wife-to-be. Still, after several months with a front-row seat to the way the iron lady of the Phoenix fiercely loved and fought for her girls, it just felt right. Besides, if Ranko decided to let Nodoka back into her life, she¡¯d technically be Akane¡¯s mom too after tomorrow, and if Akane was going to have both of them in her life, she wanted it to be clear which one she prioritized.


    ¡°I¡¯d¡­ actually really like that, Mom.¡± Akane blushed, giggling softly and running her fingers nervously through one side of her bangs.


    Hana closed the arm¡¯s length between them, wrapping her arms tightly around Akane¡¯s back, rubbing the back of her left shoulder blade firmly through Akane¡¯s denim half-jacket. ¡°I love you, kiddo.¡±


    It took Akane a moment to answer, but as Hana released her from the hug, and Akane looked up into the face of the woman who had been most responsible for not only saving Ranko¡¯s life, but saving her heart and soul, no other response seemed remotely appropriate for how she felt. ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    ¡°You guys,¡± Mei called from the front window as she peeked through the blinds. ¡°She¡¯s coming!¡±


    Hana nodded. ¡°Okay, everybody. Think happy thoughts, and be ready for anything.¡± She made her way to the VIP table, taking a seat facing the front door, and adjusting her ever-present leather jacket on her shoulders.


    Ranko made for the front door, but before she could go three steps, Akane grabbed her hand and pulled her back. ¡°Hey. I love you. You got this. Whatever you decide to do, no matter what, you have my support. And if you decide you wanna do the other thing we talked about, that¡¯s up to you, too.¡± She leaned forward, giving Ranko a quick but gentle kiss on her cheek.


    Weaving her fingers between Akane¡¯s, Ranko closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and walked toward the front door. She opened it just as Nodoka was reaching for the handle.


    ¡°Hel¡­ hi.¡± Real smooth, Ranko.


    Nodoka bowed her head gently. ¡°Hello, sweetheart. Akane. It¡¯s good to see you.¡± Hopefully you won¡¯t threaten me with violence this time.


    Akane bit her tongue hard at the sight of the middle-aged brunette and the bundle strapped to her back over her orange kimono. Really? Again with the sword, lady? You said you didn¡¯t intend to enforce that stupid contract, so why haul that thing here?! You so much as look at that girl sideways, and I¡¯m gonna cram that whole damn thing up your ass. She motioned past herself to the side opposite Ranko. Sideways. ¡°Please, come in.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s hand shook gently in Akane¡¯s as the trio walked toward the VIP table, and Akane tightened her grip. Take whatever strength you can from me, Ranko. I love you. We¡¯re gonna do this together. Like everything, always, from now on.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Ranko swallowed nervously, fidgeting on the balls of her feet. She turned toward Nodoka, extending a hand gesture to the leather-clad woman behind her. ¡°Nodoka Saotome, this my mom, Hana Takahashi.¡±


    Hana stood, giving a deep but brief bow as her daughter turned to face her and motioned behind her to the other woman.


    ¡°Mama, this is Nodoka Saotome¡­ my¡­ mother.¡± The word sounded foreign on her tongue when thinking about anyone but Hana, but she¡¯d committed herself to at least trying to think of Nodoka that way when she¡¯d arranged the conversation.


    Nodoka bowed deeply at the waist, holding the position even after Hana had started to sit down. ¡°Ms. Takahashi, before we say anything, I wanted to thank you. Ranko has told me so much about you and your daughters, and I will never be able to adequately express my gratitude for the way that you have been there for my child when I could not be. I will forever be in your debt for all you and your family have done for her.¡±


    Wow. Not the throwdown I expected, Hana thought as she aborted her motion to sit and returned Nodoka¡¯s bow to release the woman from her deference. At least, not yet.


    ¡°Mrs. Saotome, Ranko is an absolute blessing.¡± Hana smiled pridefully up at her youngest daughter and her bride. ¡°The honor has been all mine for getting to be a part of her life. I hope you will agree with me that we should all be incredibly proud of her for everything she¡¯s accomplished despite such extraordinary challenges as she¡¯s faced.¡±


    ¡°Nodoka, please,¡± Ranko¡¯s mother said, finally straightening her posture. She removed the long blue bundle from her back, slinging it over one of the vacant chairs at the table before taking her seat. Once she had done so, she gazed up at the redheaded songstress pridefully. ¡°And yes, I agree. She¡¯s simply amazing.¡±


    Ranko blushed, receiving another tight squeeze of her hand in affirmation from Akane. ¡°Do you want us to sit, or¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you, honey,¡± Hana said with a disarming smile. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t hate a few minutes alone for us to talk, mother to mother, though.¡±


    Akane brought her hand to Ranko¡¯s cheek, a reassuring, adoring softness in her eyes. ¡°C¡¯mon, beautiful. Let¡¯s go over the stage layout for tomorrow one last time, and give them some space.¡± She pulled at Ranko¡¯s wrist with her other hand.


    ¡°Okay, but if you need me, just call for me. I¡¯ll be right up on the stage. You two play nice, okay?¡± Ranko gave a nervous wave to her mothers - plural - a concept she still struggled to wrap her mind around as someone who had spent years with no family to speak of at all. With a self-steeling deep breath, she let her bride lead her back up to the stage.


    Nodoka looked up to the woman who had supplanted her in her daughter¡¯s life. ¡°I would presume you have questions.¡±


    ¡°For now,¡± Hana said, the smallest hint of danger buried in her welcoming voice like peas hidden in the mashed potatoes, ¡°just the one. What are your intentions with my daughter? Do I need to worry?¡±


    The Saotome matriarch shook her head. ¡°A fair and reasonable question, after everything. I will admit, I have not acquitted myself well where Ranko is concerned of late. Or, ever, ashamed as I am to admit it. I overreached when I first met her, trying to make up for lost time, having not fully come to understand that, for the last two years at least, she has had someone looking out for her. But, no, I don¡¯t intend to hurt her. I have a lot of sins to atone for, and a lot of lost time to try and catch up. It¡¯s true, we have little in common, but nothing will solve that but time.¡±


    Hana nodded. So far, so good. But can you handle the reality? I know Ranko, and I know how she approaches things like this.


    ¡°Mrs. Sa¡­ Nodoka. I want to make sure you understand what you¡¯re getting into here. Being Ranko¡¯s mom is not for the faint of heart. How much has she told you about her life before she came here?¡±


    Nodoka exhaled heavily, closing her eyes and trying to push some of the worst things she¡¯d imagined out of her mind. ¡°Not everything, I¡¯m sure, but she told me it was quite bad for her, especially while she was¡­¡± She had to will herself to say the word. ¡°...homeless.¡±


    Hana bit her lip. Buckle up, lady.


    ¡°However bad you think it was, it was way worse. She tends to gloss over the gory details when she wants to project strength and minimize how badly she¡¯s been hurt. When she first came here, that kid was damn near feral. She hadn¡¯t eaten in days, and didn¡¯t remember the last time she¡¯d seen a bed or a shower. She had two, maybe three sets of clothes with her, and they were all falling off of her because she¡¯d lost so much weight. Didn¡¯t have so much as a fucking ID card or a decent pair of underwear. Damn near her whole body was black and blue. She barely had the confidence to answer if you asked her what her name was. And even still, I had to force her to stay in the apartment upstairs to get her out of the rain, because the only things she had left were determination and pride.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot more. I mean, hell, she almost died on us twice last year, and that¡¯s after we finally managed to convince her not to try and inflict it on herself. There¡¯s things she still won¡¯t even talk about with me, about what her father and his martial arts instructor did to her. I¡¯ve tried to get it out of Akane, and if she knows, she¡¯s locked down tighter than a drum about it, too. I dread to imagine what she¡¯s still hiding, if it¡¯s worse than the things she has shared. A lot of the details, I¡¯ll leave to her to tell you in her own time, but I have to ask you: do the names Mikado Sanzenin, Eiji Kanda, or Takao Tashima ring any bells for you?¡±


    Nodoka shook her head, her face an ashen gray mask of sorrow. Ranko had told her that she¡¯d not shared any of the details of Jusenkyo or her past as a boy with Hana and her haphazard clan of wayward girls, but Nodoka suspected there were layers of trauma yet that neither of Ranko¡¯s maternal figures knew. ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe Ranko has mentioned any of them.¡±


    Hana nodded sagely. ¡°Then you don¡¯t know a quarter of what that poor kid¡¯s been through, and a part of me almost envies you for it. It has absolutely shattered me watching her try so hard to suffer through everything on her own because she didn¡¯t even comprehend support or unconditional love as basic concepts, let alone feel like she deserved them. In truth, I¡¯ve probably cried about it more than she has. The first time I hugged her, she tried to push me away because she couldn¡¯t fathom the possibility of someone hugging her without trying to molest her, for heaven¡¯s sake! Forget being able to write songs in English; she was so far behind in her education that she could barely make change when somebody paid for a drink in cash. What she¡¯s accomplished at her age is bonkers anyway, and when you figure in how far behind the eight ball she was just two years ago? My gods, that girl astounds me!


    ¡°That little girl over there has worked harder than you¡¯ll ever know trying to make the most of the opportunity she got to start over here. She would literally black out in the kitchen from exhaustion and we¡¯d have to pick her up off the floor, and then she¡¯d go right back to waiting tables or doing homework, whatever she thought needed done. There have been countless nights since she and Akane moved in together that I¡¯ve had to make her stay here overnight because she was too worn out to walk the four blocks to get home safely. She had all of these insanely unrealistic expectations she put on herself, and you know what she told us when we tried to make her stop?¡±


    Hana wiped the corner of her eye with her fingertips, pointing up to the stage where Ranko and Akane giggled their way through blocking off where everyone would stand for tomorrow¡¯s wedding ceremony. ¡°That child was laying on the kitchen floor and she looked me dead in the eye and said she¡¯d never had anybody believe in her before, and she felt like she had to earn it somehow. Can you imagine what it must feel like to grow up thinking that? I can¡¯t. You and I wouldn¡¯t make it ten meters in her shoes, and so I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m going to allow anybody who wasn¡¯t here to see her through it all to judge her for a second of it. You¡¯ve gotta let a lot more tears soak into your shirt before you earn that right.¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Nodoka bit her lip, looking up at the two girls on the stage, giggling as they finalized plans for their wedding in less than thirty hours. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right. I was trying too hard to make up for lost time, I think, but I see now that I need to make up for the lost love and lost support before the lost mothering and advising. It has torn me apart in ways I can¡¯t begin to describe, missing out on so much of her life like I have.¡±


    Hana nodded sagely. ¡°I can understand that. I guess, I¡¯m not saying this so much to make you feel bad, because if you¡¯re any kind of a mother, I shouldn¡¯t have to. Ranko has told me that you didn¡¯t get as much choice in her father taking her on the road as she¡¯d originally thought, at least if that story¡¯s true, and so I¡¯m trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here about that, at least. I think we both are.¡±


    Nodoka frowned, looking down at her hands. ¡°I will never forgive her father for taking her, and for all of the hardship she¡¯s been through because of his choices.¡± Hana found it telling that she had used the phrase her father rather than my husband, and noted that just like Ranko had said, she wasn¡¯t wearing a wedding ring.


    As she finished speaking, Yui approached the table with a glass of soda and a cup of tea, placing them in front of Hana and Nodoka, respectively. She lingered at the table for a moment, looking up at Hana as if wordlessly asking for permission. Hana gave a gentle nod, hoping to convey not only her assent, but guidance as to the best approach.


    Yui gripped the back of one of the empty chairs at the VIP table, exhaling heavily. All three of their other sisters loved Ranko to death and would do anything for her, but Yui perhaps more than any of them held herself responsible for her. In some ways, she felt more like Ranko¡¯s second mother, after Hana, than her sister at times despite being less than ten years her senior.


    ¡°Mrs. Saotome, may I¡­¡±


    Yui paused to gather her thoughts, and before she could resume speaking, Nodoka interrupted her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, honey. Ranko has told me all your names, but I¡¯m still trying to match them to faces. Which one are you again?¡±


    Yui smirked. At least that, she could find the words for. ¡°Yui Fukawa, ma¡¯am. Second eldest of the five of us.¡±


    Nodoka smiled. ¡°Ah, Yui. It¡¯s so good to meet you, dear. You should hear the reverence Ranko has when she speaks about you.¡± She turned her smile back to Hana. ¡°You two are her heroes, you know, and I can¡¯t thank either of you enough for giving her people she could look up to that were actually worth looking up to.¡±


    Yui blushed a bit. Ranko said as much to her all the time, but to hear it from a third party was something else entirely. ¡°Look, ma¡¯am, maybe it isn¡¯t my place to say these things; Mama and Ranko can speak for themselves, I¡¯m sure. I just¡­ I need you to know something, from the perspective of her sisters, if I may.¡±


    Yui sighed quietly, glancing back up at Ranko on the stage. She hoped seeing her would make her feelings about her come into clearer focus. ¡°As you might imagine, we¡¯ve seen a lot of broken girls around here. I¡¯m sure Ranko¡¯s told you all our stories, so I won¡¯t rehash them, and it isn¡¯t about us, either. It¡¯s about her. But¡­ I¡¯ve never seen someone who just needed people more than Ranko did. She was starved for anybody to notice her, care about her, advise her, or give her somewhere to go with her problems. Who knows, maybe that¡¯s why she loves singing so much, because it makes everybody fawn over her like it does.


    ¡°When she heard you and her father might be coming back into her life, she was terrified of her dad - with good reason, from what Ranko and Mama tell me. And there was a part of her that was scared of you, too, but I think with you it was more about the unknown; with her father, she knew she hated him, but at least she knew what to expect. But with you, she had such a hope about her, too. When she first got here, and she barely knew which end of a toothbrush to use, she would tell us all the time how hard it was for her not having you around when she was younger. How much she missed out on in terms of, just the kinds of experiences a girl¡¯s supposed to have growing up. And then you showed up, and you two didn¡¯t connect, and sure, she presented like she was angry in the way she talked about you, and the song she wrote. That¡¯s just what she does. Anger, I think, she knows how to handle. It¡¯s the only way she¡¯s ever had to express negative emotions to other people, and so she has a tendency to convert every bad feeling she has into it. But I don¡¯t think that she was really angry, so much as she was hurt, and disappointed. She felt let down and abandoned all over again. You wouldn¡¯t believe how it hollowed her out inside.¡±


    Yui bit her lip, sighing quietly. She didn¡¯t want to be confrontational, especially since things seemed to be going fairly well between Nodoka and Hana, but it had to be said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she ever expected you¡¯d reach out again after the song. You sitting in that chair is a miracle to her right now. And I guess what I¡¯m trying to say is, try to keep that in mind. You hurt her more deeply than I think she¡¯ll ever admit, and despite that, she¡¯s still hopeful because you¡¯re here. I think that demonstrates that she doesn¡¯t need you to be perfect. None of us are, except maybe Mama.¡± She smiled lovingly up at her mother. ¡°She just needs you to be present.¡±


    Nodoka stood from her chair, facing Yui and giving her a shallow bow. ¡°That is excellent advice, Yui. I see Ranko has more than one wise woman looking out for her. Thank you.¡±


    Yui returned her bow, giving Hana an appreciative nod for giving her the opportunity to say her piece. ¡°Anyway, I should get back to work. We¡¯re hosting a wedding tomorrow, after all. Ma¡¯am.¡± She turned and headed back to the bar, where Mei gave her a tight hug. It was clear Yui had been the messenger for more than just her own thoughts on the matter.


    Nodoka turned her attention back to Hana, who was still smiling proudly in Yui¡¯s direction. In a moment, she turned her gaze back to Nodoka, and continued. ¡°I just need to be sure you understand where we¡¯re coming from here. The shit I¡¯ve seen my girls overcome would turn your damn hair white. Every last one of them is kinder, stronger, braver, and more resilient than you or I could ever pray to be on our best day. All five of them have hearts of gold, and spines of fucking titanium. Truth be told, I think a big part of the reason they¡¯ve all got so much fight in them is that they fight for each other too, as you¡¯ve seen. You name it, we¡¯ve seen it in here, and I promise you, there is nothing on earth any one of those girls and I wouldn¡¯t do for Ranko, or that she wouldn¡¯t do for them. We truly do love her, and I want you to know, whatever happens between you two, that she is safe and loved and supported here and always, always will be.


    ¡°So, if you are here to love Ranko unconditionally, and encourage her exactly the way she is, then my daughters and I welcome you, and only ask you for patience and gentleness with her. She hides it better than she used to, but she still really struggles with trusting people and dealing with her feelings. But if your intent is to turn her into something she isn¡¯t, or make her justify every centimeter of broken glass my girls and I have watched that poor baby drag herself across to build a life for herself, then I am asking you - I am begging you, as her mother - to get up and walk out that door right now.


    ¡°She tried so hard not to let herself get her hopes up when you reached out, and your actions proved her right. Then, just when she¡¯d made the impossible decision to put herself first and give up on a relationship with the mother she never got to know, you experienced this change of heart and threw her for another loop during one of the most emotionally vulnerable times of her life. If she decides she wants to give you a second chance after that, or a fiftieth chance, whatever it is, I will support her in it all the way. But if you¡¯re just going to disappoint her again and leave my girls and me to pick up the pieces, please, please do it now, before she opens herself up any further to another betrayal.


    ¡°So, this is it. This is your choice, Nodoka. If you aren¡¯t ready to get your fancy kimono dirty and ride the roller coaster through the depths of hell for that kid, this is the last stop. You get up and walk out right now, no hard feelings, and I¡¯ll get her through it somehow. You have my word, mother to mother. But if you¡¯re still sitting in that chair in sixty seconds, you¡¯re committed, and if you hurt my daughter after that, so help me gods, no sword you lug around is going to save you from me.¡±


    Nodoka nodded. ¡°You fight for her the way I always should have. Thank you for that. You honor me by being the mother I failed to be for her. I¡­¡± She sighed in quiet resignation, knowing what she had to say, but knowing how badly it hurt to have to say it. ¡°I acknowledge that you are Ranko¡¯s mother now. You¡¯ve earned that right. Based on what I¡¯ve seen of her, and what she¡¯s told me about your other girls, she could not be in better hands. I want to be a part of Ranko¡¯s life, and support her in any way I can, but when it comes to making decisions as her parent, I will defer to you. You have my word, on whatever remains of my honor.¡±


    Hana pursed her lips, nodding with the faintest hint of a smile. That had to be hard for her to say. Maybe she¡¯s trying after all. She sipped at the glass of soda in front of her. ¡°Honestly, she makes most decisions on her own now; she¡¯ll be coming of age officially in a few months regardless, and she¡¯s getting married tomorrow. But if you¡¯re going to be a part of her life, I do hope you eventually earn her trust enough that she will approach you for advice anyway. I¡¯ve been wrong before, I will be again, and the more people she has looking out for her, the better off she¡¯ll be.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Nodoka said quietly. ¡°I hope for that, too. In the meantime, how can I help her best?¡±


    Hana chuckled, giving her head a little shake. ¡°Right now, be her fan. Not just her music, but her. Tell her as often as you can that you¡¯re proud of her and that she¡¯s doing the right things. She doubts herself so much right now, about everything. Even with all the people that cheer her on and buy her CDs, deep down, she¡¯s still looking for validation. I suspect validation from you will mean quite a lot, given who you are to her. But it means rejection from you will hurt her much worse, too, as you¡¯ve already seen. Make sense?¡±


    Nodoka folded her hands on the table. ¡°I believe so, yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you have anything you want to ask me,¡± Hana offered with a smile. ¡°I know you¡¯re essentially handing me your child; you have to want to see my references or something, right?¡±


    With a gentle shake of her head and a sincere smile, Nodoka¡¯s reply came quickly, her voice more energetic and positive than it had been to date. ¡°The glow in my daughter¡¯s eyes when she talks about you is all the reference I need.¡± Nodoka motioned behind the bar counter, where Mei and Yui were doing an entirely unconvincing job of pretending to be working rather than hanging on every word of the conversation they could hear. ¡°And it¡¯s not just you. Your other girls love her and look out for her, too. I can see it.¡±


    ¡°That goes both ways,¡± Hana said proudly. ¡°Ranko has stood up for all of them at one point or another, too. She really is one hell of a kid. And hey, speaking of. One more thing I want to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nodoka asked, a little timidly.


    With a hopeful hint of a smile, Hana leaned forward to speak a bit more quietly. ¡°Take it easy on Akane, too, okay? I know she can be a little rough around the edges sometimes, but it¡¯s pretty much entirely because of how protective she is of Ranko. She really is a sweetheart once you earn her trust; it just takes a minute, especially if you¡¯re starting from behind like you did. So, just show her a little grace for her heart being in the right place, okay? I promise, standing between Ranko and Akane is not a place you want to be. Especially not right now.¡±


    Nodoka smiled warmly. ¡°Being protective of Ranko is just about the best trait she could possibly have, in my eyes. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    Hana raised her arms above her head, leaning backward in her chair and stretching her back. ¡°Should we call the girls back over and tell them we have an agreement?¡±


    ¡°I believe so, Ms. Takahashi.¡± Nodoka gave a deferential bow of her head.


    ¡°Hana. Please. You may have noticed¡­¡± She adjusted the leather jacket she wore over her black Ranko and the Dapper Dragons tee shirt for emphasis. ¡°... I don¡¯t really do formal.¡± The barkeep smiled disarmingly. ¡°Ranko? Akane? Could you please come here, girls?¡±


    A moment later, Akane and her bride approached the table, holding hands. Akane was laughing, but there was a concern in Ranko¡¯s eyes that she couldn¡¯t seem to shake.


    ¡°Um, is everything okay,¡± Ranko asked timidly, looking both of her mothers over.


    With a calming smile and a peaceful expression on her face, Hana bobbed her head once. ¡°Everything¡¯s great. Your mother and I were just talking about how incredible you are, that¡¯s all.¡±


    The young bride blushed furiously, Akane squeezing her hand in silent celebration of positive news.


    ¡°Ranko, dear, I¡¯d like to talk to you for a moment.¡± Nodoka stood, turning to face both girls. Akane watched her, a smile on her lips but a watchful caution in her eyes. Nodoka bent down beside her chair, lifting the long blue bundle she¡¯d carried into the bar against Ranko¡¯s wishes. She laid it on the table and began to untie the gold cords binding it. Hana stood too, panic in her eyes as the object within started to come into view.


    Before the katana within could be fully unveiled, Akane released Ranko¡¯s hand and dropped into a defensive taekwondo stance. ¡°Ranko, get behind me!¡±


    The elder Saotome, however, did not take any aggressive action. Rather, she beamed warmly at Akane. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt her, Akane. But thank you for looking out for her like you do. I¡¯m glad she has someone like you in her life. Truly.¡± She lifted the sword in both hands, holding it lengthwise across her body.


    ¡°Ranko¡­ I don¡¯t believe I need to tell you the history of this sword, do I?¡±


    Taking a half-step out from the position behind Akane where she¡¯d been yanked as soon as the sword hit the table, Ranko shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s your family¡¯s ancestral blade, right?¡±


    Nodoka nodded, a disarming smile on her lips as she wordlessly tried to convince Akane that she needn¡¯t worry. ¡°It is. The Shimizu clan¡¯s, not the Saotome clan¡¯s.¡± She looked the weapon that had been her constant companion for the better part of two decades over, almost wistfully, before bowing her head and extending her arms. ¡°And I think it¡¯s time for the next generation to have it. I have no need of it anymore.¡±


    Whoa. Ranko blinked, but it did little for the shocked bulging of her eyes as she inspected the sword in her mother¡¯s hands without fear for the first time. ¡°Um, I hate to state the obvious, but¡­¡± She motioned to herself, then to Akane, and back to herself again as Akane relaxed her stance. ¡°You do realize that we¡¯re fairly unlikely to have kids to pass it down to, right? There¡¯s a few¡­ logistical challenges there.¡± She cracked a wry smile.


    Nodoka laughed heartily - possibly the sincerest laugh Ranko had heard from her since meeting her. ¡°Yes, I gathered, honey.¡± Her face took on a more serious, if still happy, expression as she extended her arms again. ¡°But I¡¯m not likely to have any more either, and if its journey is to end, I would see it come to rest with the very best of us. You, my daughter, are the greatest honor of my life, and I could not be prouder of you.¡±


    Stepping gingerly out from her fiancee¡¯s shadow, Ranko slowly approached, looking over the gold-inlaid sheath of the centuries-old blade. She looked up at Hana, who gave her a reassuring smile and a quick nod. Reaching out with both hands, she wrapped her fingers around the sword, bowing deeply over it. Ranko didn¡¯t know what to say, so she said nothing, but before she straightened her back, Nodoka felt the drip of a tear that wasn¡¯t her own land on the back of her left hand. And then, the weight of the weapon came to rest entirely in Ranko¡¯s hands as Nodoka released her grip. She took a step back, closing her eyes and bowing slowly to her daughter, with all the formality Ranko had come to expect from Nodoka Saotome.


    From her mother.


    After bowing in response, her jaw still hanging slack, Ranko looked back at Akane. There was a wordless question in her eyes, and Akane answered it with a loving smile and a nod. ¡°Go ahead, baby.¡±


    ¡°Um, mo¡­ mam¡­¡± Ranko giggled brightly, her face a perfect match for her hair, but there was an uncertainty in her eyes that Akane and Hana both recognized. ¡°Okay, this is gonna get confusing, so we gotta clear this up real quick.¡± She gestured to Hana with an open right hand, still clutching the scabbard in her left. ¡°Mom.¡± The redhead turned her arm to the left, now reaching toward Nodoka. ¡°Mother. Cool?¡±


    Hana laughed. ¡°Works for me, little star.¡± She didn¡¯t know what Ranko and Akane were up to, but she had a guess, and she hoped against hope that she was right.


    Nodoka closed her eyes, breathing in deeply with a blissful smile on her lips. She called me mother. ¡°I would love that, Ranko.¡±


    ¡°Then, um, mother?¡± Ranko handed the sword in her hand to Akane, taking a step forward and bowing again. She spoke without rising. ¡°I was hoping you¡­ if you wouldn¡¯t mind, I know it¡¯s¡­¡±


    Ranko felt Akane¡¯s reassuring palm rest on her back, and she straightened to a standing position. She closed her eyes, swallowing hard. Her face was bright crimson, and she had handed off the sword in part so that it did not rattle audibly in the wooden scabbard with how much her hands were shaking.


    ¡°Would you, like¡­ if you¡¯re not doin¡¯ anything tomorrow, could you maybe, umm¡­¡± She looked over her shoulder to Akane again, drawing courage from her bride¡¯s supportive, loving gaze.


    You can do this, Ranko. Worst she can say is no.


    Gulping down her fears with another hard swallow, her nervousness gave way to a hopeful smile as Akane squeezed her hand.


    ¡°Mother, would you please walk me down the aisle at my wedding, and give me away?¡±

 159. The Tendo Hen Do

    July 6, 1991


    12:17 AM


    ¡°Omigods, Hitomi! Are you fuckin¡¯ crazy?!¡±


    Nesting another empty shot glass into the stack of eight already in front of her, Hitomi waved Akane off with a shaky hand and a disaffected sneer. ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, ¡®Kane! It¡¯s a party! She giggled loudly, but even that could not be heard over the absolutely deafening sound system hammering Londonbeat¡¯s I¡¯ve Been Thinking About You from everywhere at once.


    Leaning on Akane¡¯s shoulder, Ranko giggled softly, too. She had nowhere near the alcohol tolerance her backup dancer did, but Yui had been surreptitiously sneaking her shots all evening anyway. Ranko wasn¡¯t much of a drinker normally, but the poor kid was a nervous wreck about tomorrow, and Yui was medicating the problem as best she knew how. Of the thirteen women seated around the largest table in the back corner of Steam, only she and Kumiko were under drinking age, and due to¡­ other concerns, Ranko had been positioned in the darkest corner at the very back, sandwiched between Yui and Akane.


    ¡°Let her do what she wants,¡± Ranko said, sputtering in laughter. ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡±


    Akane rolled her eyes with an amused smirk, kissing Ranko¡¯s forehead. ¡°Ranko, honey, I don¡¯t think you should be making too many decisions right now. You¡¯re kinda plastered, babe. Yui, I think we might wanna slow down with her. I have plans for her in the morning, you know.¡± She gave Ranko¡¯s sister a bright smile.


    Swaying in her seat slightly, Ranko waved her hand wildly in the general direction of Akane¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s gonna take more than a little tequila to keep me from marryin¡¯ you, girlfriend.¡± She grinned wolfishly at the repetitive clink sounds emanating from Ukyo and Nabiki¡¯s glasses, and reached forward, hanging her arms around Akane¡¯s neck. ¡°Come kiss me.¡±


    Akane had just broken the requested kiss when she heard a familiar murmur beginning to rise around the packed dance floor as I¡¯ve Been Thinking About You came to an end. Oh, crap.


    She sat forward, hoping to block the revelers¡¯ view, but it was already too late, and in mere moments, the chaotic cacophony of voices settled into a singular pattern.


    ¡°Ran-KO! Ran-KO!¡± came the chant from the eleven hundred or so patrons of Steam, nearly all women.


    Realizing it was too late to hide and avoid detection, Ranko giggled, waving to the crowd from her seat. ¡°Hey, everybody! Thanks so much! Me and my girls are just hangin¡¯ tonight, but it¡¯s great to see you all! Go dance to somethin¡¯, will ya?!¡± There wasn¡¯t much point, though ¨C no one could hear her words over their incessant chanting.


    ¡°Ran-KO! Ran-KO!¡±


    As Ranko turned to say something to Akane, Yui leaned over to her sister with a smirk. ¡°Um, little sister, you may have noticed, they aren¡¯t stopping¡­¡±


    ¡°Ran-KO! Ran-KO!¡±


    Ranko waved again, her flushed cheeks and grateful smile barely concealing a cringe. What do I do? I¡¯m supposed to just be here to party tonight, girls¡­


    As Ranko squirmed, a heavyset brunette in her mid-forties approached their table in a white sleeveless blouse and black leather pants. She walked with authority, pushing through the crowd like she ran the place, because she did.


    ¡°Sorry about this,¡± the older woman yelled over the chanting crowd with an exasperated chuckle. ¡°Fame never takes a night off, I guess!¡±


    Sakura nodded from the seat to Akane¡¯s left. She¡¯d spoken to the bar¡¯s manager, one Riko Nagamine, on more than one occasion between her patronage of Steam and her own hospitality work. ¡°Yeah, I get it, Ri, I just¡­ all we wanna do is hang out, ya know? We¡¯re kinda having a party here. Isn¡¯t there any way you could get them to stop?¡±


    ¡°Ran-KO! Ran-KO!¡± The roar was relentless.


    ¡°I think we might need to throw a little meat to the wolves.¡± Riko chuckled, shaking her head. ¡°I hate to ask, but I can only think of one way we¡¯re gonna calm them down beyond you leaving. You think you¡¯ve got one song in you, kid? I¡¯ll comp your whole table for the night if you¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Akane bristled. ¡°Oh, come on, it¡¯s her night off!¡± It¡¯s our night, dammit! But Ranko was already on her feet, all four layers of bubblegum pink tulle that made up her party dress bouncing playfully around her hips. ¡°Ranko, love, you don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    Maybe not, Akane, Ranko thought with a half-absent grin. But is it bad that I want to?


    The singer nodded, not bothering to try and speak to her fiancee over the deafening cheers that replaced the chanting as soon as her backside had cleared the chair. She put up her hands with open palms, and the revelers quieted just a moment.


    ¡°Okay, look, ladies! Here¡¯s the deal.¡± Ranko giggled brightly as she addressed the throng of rapt revelers, leaning on the wall a bit as she spoke. ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to talk about this anymore, so let¡¯s keep it our little secret, okay? I¡¯m getting married in the morning!¡±


    Nabiki groaned, holding her head in her hand. Oh, Ranko¡­ shut up, dummy!


    The bar went berserk. Ranko let them cheer for a moment longer before tamping them down with her downward-waved hands again.


    ¡°So, listen. I¡¯m gonna sing you guys one song, and then you gotta let me party with my girls, ¡®kay?! You promise?¡± The throng of women screamed in what Ranko assumed was intended to be assent.


    She waved to the bar at large before leaning on the table with both hands to confer with her friends and family. ¡°What the hell am I gonna sing, though? All the tracks they have in their system will have the vocals on them, and it¡¯ll sound like shit if I try to sing over it.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Emi said, digging in her black clutch and producing a silver compact disc in a cracked jewel case. Its cover was blank other than the romaji letters TMO/TMO hand-written in black marker. ¡°The rough cut Jake put together of the new one.¡±


    ¡°New one?!¡± Akane turned. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had anything else done! When the hell have you even had time to write?!¡±


    Oh, hell yes. Ranko giggled deviously down at her lover. ¡°Yeah, well, surprise!¡± She reached over the table, snatching the CD her bandmate had used the Yokai studio equipment to burn for her out of Emi¡¯s hand without breaking eye contact with Akane. ¡°It¡¯s a bachelorette party. They¡¯re s¡¯posta be sexy, right?¡± She flashed a devilishly playful wink at Akane as she slowly shimmied her way around the table to reach the open dance floor.


    ¡°Um, Yui, what the fuck is my wife about to do?¡± Akane¡¯s eyes were wide, her cheeks were bright crimson, and she was already looking for a way to hide, but sandwiched between Nabiki and Yui as she was, she had nowhere to go.


    ¡°Hush, little sister.¡± Yui cackled deviously. ¡°Be a good girl and take your embarrassment.¡±


    Ranko slid out of the corner and the crowd began to part to offer her a path to the stage. She turned, the cascading layers of lace that made up her pink dress swishing merrily around her hips. ¡°Hitomi? Emi? You girls coming?¡±


    ¡°Fuck yeah,¡± Emi enthused, beaming sinisterly as she and her roommate stood on wobbling legs.


    Ranko giggled, throwing her arm over Hitomi¡¯s shoulder as they headed toward the stage, the crowd parting and cheering for the three musicians as they ascended to the round stage. Ranko stopped to hand off the CD to the sound technician at the club¡¯s cramped little mixing booth on her way. When she took the stage at last, Emi tossed her a headset microphone.


    This one¡¯s nicer than mine, Ranko mused as she started to pull it on. Her blown-out hair got tangled in the headband of the microphone, and she shook her head in frustration as it pulled at her scalp. She pulled the band back off of her head, wincing as it pulled at her scalp. She walked over to Emi, pointing at the twin black hair elastics she still had around her wrist from when she¡¯d taken her own hair down earlier in the evening. ¡°Lemme borrow those?¡±


    Taking them from her friend and backup dancer, Ranko pulled her hair back into two loose pigtails, the curls of her hair cascading onto her bare shoulders. ¡°There! That¡¯s better!¡± She laughed through the hot microphone as she lifted the band behind her hair and slid it into place, adjusting the boom on her cheek. ¡°What¡¯s up, Steam?! You ready to party with me?!¡±


    Fuck it. It¡¯s a gay bar, Ranko thought to herself with a tipsy giggle as the crowd that had summoned her to the stage roared. Yui said it¡¯s safe to be myself here. I guess we¡¯ll see!


    ¡°So like I said ¨C I¡¯m fuckin¡¯ getting married tomorrow!¡±


    Ranko bounced on her heels and squealed excitedly into the microphone as the revelers whooped in celebration, the four layers of soft pink tulle cascading around her calves fluttering and tickling her with every move. It only made her giggling worse. Back at the table, Nabiki groaned, her face drooping into her hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Better get your staring in while you can!¡±


    Ranko shook her head with a smickering trill of laughter, her pigtails tickling her shoulders. ¡°Not at me, dummies! She¡¯s back there!¡± She pointed at the back table, where Kumiko and Nanami leaned out of the way to obscure as little of the spotlight that turned onto Akane as possible. Ranko¡¯s bride-to-be hid her face in her hands, her cheeks an even brighter shade of red than her dress.


    As Ranko stood silently, her arm still extended, Yui nudged her sister-to-be in the ribs with her elbow. ¡°You know she¡¯s not gonna let you out of this until you stand up and wave, right?¡±


    With a groan, Akane stood tentatively between her sister and Ranko¡¯s empty seat, bouncing nervously on her heels and waving to the crowd, her face absolutely on fire. I¡¯m gonna get you for this, Ranko. She did manage a smile up at the stage, rubbing the back of her limp left fist with her right hand in a circular motion. But I love you.


    Ranko started to return the gesture, but stopped before her right hand made contact with her left.


    Akane blinked. What¡¯s wrong, baby?


    You know what? Fuck this. Ranko beamed in carefree, drunken joy. ¡°Can you guys keep a secret? Something I¡¯ve wanted to say on stage every single day for two years? Would you girls mind?¡±


    The crowd thundered its approval as Akane stood dumbstruck, watching her soon-to-be-wife command the stage. What the hell is she planning now?


    Ranko took a step forward, clasping her hands sincerely over her heart. ¡°Akane¡­ I love you, and I can¡¯t wait to belong to you for the rest of my life.¡± She spoke slowly and clearly, making sure there was no doubt whatsoever what she had said. She didn¡¯t know when she¡¯d ever get another chance, and she was honestly not entirely sure she wasn¡¯t slurring her speech. Hope not, or this song¡¯s gonna sound weird as hell. Hitomi and Emi hugged the songstress from behind as Akane rocked back on her heels.


    She¡­ she said it. In front of everyone. Oh my gods. You fucking dummy, Ranko! I¡­ I love you, too, though.


    Sakura clasped Akane on the shoulder firmly, giving her a little shake from behind. ¡°You got a good one, kiddo.¡±


    ¡°What do you think, girls,¡± Ranko asked the crowd. ¡°Have we embarrassed my bride enough yet?¡± The audience roared, leaving it to Ranko¡¯s interpretation whether they were answering in the affirmative or not.


    She chose playful violence, crinkling her nose and shaking her head emphatically, her pigtails thrashing from one side of her head to the other. ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t think so either!¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Oh, fuck.¡± Akane tried to retreat to her chair, but Yui braced her from behind.


    ¡°Nuh-uh, kiddo,¡± the blonde bartender said with a devious smirk. ¡°For this one? You stand.¡±


    Ranko stalked the stage, her baby pink platform heels ensuring her dress swished tauntingly around her calves with every step. ¡°There¡¯s a million reasons I love that girl. I could stand up here all night and tell you all of them¡­ but I think I¡¯d rather sing about just one. Something she does to me that I just can¡¯t get enough of. What do you think, Steam? You down?!¡±


    The crowd exploded as a bouncy, bright electric piano track rocketed from the speakers. Ranko¡¯s legs bent at the knees, keeping a constant, tiny bounce in her ankles and a constant sway in her hips to encourage her dress to swish around her legs. The constant shiver of its touch, amplified by endorphins and alcohol, kept her almost deliriously on edge. She looked, and felt, like an animated Barbie doll, and for this song, she¡¯d have had it no other way.


    ¡°This one¡¯s just for you, Akane.¡± Ranko patted her chest with a giggle, right above her heart. ¡°And so am I.¡±


    Hitomi glanced over at Emi as her roommate began swaying in her emerald sequin minidress. They hadn¡¯t yet put choreography together for the song-in-development before the impromptu performance, so she sought to mimic and mirror Emi¡¯s intuitive movements to provide the dance some cohesion and symmetry. Fortunately, she had done this a lot. Unfortunately, she was about ten shots deep already.


    ¡°Every single day, there¡¯s a thousand things to stress. Is dinner gonna burn? Do I look cute in this dress?¡±


    Ranko giggled tipsily, flouncing her petticoat-like skirt around by wiggling her entire body from the shoulders to the knees for emphasis. The crowd screamed their answer in the affirmative, led by the ten women remaining at the large table in the back of the room. One in particular. Ranko smiled brightly at Akane¡¯s every reaction, and the excited dancing in place from Yui, Sakura, Nanami and Mei. She was so focused on the activity in front of the table that she didn¡¯t even notice Kumiko leaning back in her chair, steadying her handheld video camera in the direction of the stage.


    ¡°Is my paycheck gonna be enough for all these bills? Sometimes, all a girl wants is a second she can chill. There¡¯s too much going on; life comes at you at speed. It¡¯s times like this I¡¯m glad you know exactly what I need¡­¡±


    Hitomi stalked across to the right side of the stage, bopping with the upbeat pop track in her black pleather miniskirt. She and Emi faced each other, and Hitomi hung her arms loosely in the air at her sides, slowly and deliberately rocking on her right ankle to twist the whole of her body. Emi smiled, following her lead as Ranko sang the first refrain of her spiciest song yet.


    ¡°It starts with just a glance. You undress me with your eyes. It puts me in a trance. It leaves me paralyzed. Whatever I was thinkin¡¯, baby, now it¡¯s gone, ¡®cause GIRL, you turn me off every time you turn me on!¡±


    Ranko had in fact changed one word from the official lyrics, allowing herself to acknowledge on stage that it was, in fact, a girl who had that effect on her. She knew she couldn¡¯t include it in the studio version; in fact, the Yokai reps would likely be upset that the official lyrics used babe and not boy. But here? Now? Tonight? She didn¡¯t know whether it was the party, the bar, the significance of tomorrow, or the booze that gave her the courage, but she didn¡¯t especially care.


    ¡°...What?¡± came a stunned squeak from the other half of Ranko¡¯s imminent nuptials, as Sakura giggled, whooping loudly in Akane¡¯s ear and holding her highball glass high in the air.


    Ranko twisted at the waist, giggling into the microphone as the airy puff of lace that comprised the bottom half of her dress tickled the backs of her knees. She playfully batted at her hip with her left hand in time with the music, clearly enjoying both the way the dress felt as it swished around her, and the way the crowd reacted to it.


    ¡°I was freakin¡¯ out, but suddenly, I¡¯m not. What had me so worried?¡± Ranko played vacantly with one of her pigtails, bopping her hips side to side with the slightest bounce in her ankles, the tulle skirt flouncing around her with every breath. ¡°Baby, I forgot!¡±


    Ranko leaned forward, letting the little silver outline of a lopsided heart sway freely over her plunging neckline from the white lace choker she wore. She continued to twist her hips, letting the constant swishing of her dress give the appearance of her moving a lot more than she was. ¡°I¡¯m domesticated, babe, you got me trained. You kiss me on my neck, and it disconnects my brain.¡±


    As the audience roared, Ranko let her legs buckle from the knees outward, slumping down to her knees weakly. She took on a mewling, pleading look in her eyes as she stared directly at her lover. Her fluffy skirt pillowed up around her as she fell, settling with a little bounce on the backs of her ankles.


    ¡°Knocks me off my feet, and puts me on my knees.¡±


    Ranko licked her lips, crawling a meter or so forward toward the edge of the stage on her hands and knees with a hungry simper in her eyes. ¡°And all that I can do is anything you please¡­¡±


    The crowd devolved into absolute pandemonium.


    Mei giggled, flinging her hands back and forth to shake off some of the Manhattan that her future sister had just sputtered up in her direction. ¡°Thanks, Akane!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill her. I¡¯m gonna marry her, and then, I¡¯m gonna kill her.¡± Akane shook her head, her face absolutely aflame.


    Shiori laughed, putting her arm around Akane¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Well, you¡¯d better fuckin¡¯ do something to her! That does not look like a girl that can wait for her wedding night.¡±


    Don¡¯t you worry, Shi¡¯ri, Akane thought with a simpering roll of her eyes. She might not make it to the end of this song.


    Ranko rolled to her back, and Hitomi and Emi each took one of her hands, pulling her to her feet. They launched her with enough force to lift her off her heels slightly, and her dress billowed up around her waist again as she settled back on her feet.


    ¡°The slightest little touch, and I am hypnotized¡­¡± Ranko¡¯s head snapped over to her left, where Hitomi¡¯s hand was exploring the front of Emi¡¯s emerald dress. The singer pinched her knees together despite her ankles still being almost a meter apart, putting her hands on her knees with a bright smile and a little bit of a blush as she scrunched her shoulders together, looking up as if something had rocked her backward.


    ¡°Just focused on how much I need you between my thighs¡­¡±


    Akane nearly faceplanted. ¡°You have got to be shitting me.¡±


    Ukyo tittered playfully. ¡°Aww, what¡¯s the matter, Akane? Sounds like a hell of a compliment to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Ukyo.¡± Akane blinked. Who is this girl? More importantly, when can I take her to bed?


    ¡°Whatever I was thinkin¡¯, baby, now it¡¯s gone, ¡®cause babe, you turn me off every time you turn me on!¡± Ranko giggled, walking the entire edge of the stage with only a slight wobble in her step and waving to the ebullient crowd, offering her outstretched hand down to let the women in the front row brush her fingertips.


    As the bridge began, Emi spun on her toes near the right side of the stage, and Hitomi nodded. Okay, mirror it. No problem. When the shorter girl tried to invert the spin, though, she failed to take into account one minor issue - she was quite intoxicated indeed. She teetered on her heels, toppling off the round stage platform to her left. Several of the women dancing at the very edge of the stage caught her before she could hit the ground, holding her up and carrying her back to the platform as if the whole thing had been planned.


    Emi offered a hand down to her roommate, and with the assistance of three women standing below her, she lifted Hitomi back to her feet. Hitomi was propelled forward with enough force to send her careening forward into Emi, who caught her in her arms to keep both from falling. Emi giggled brightly. ¡°Gotcha!¡±


    ¡°You promise?¡± Hitomi leaned up, closing her eyes as her lips touched Emi¡¯s. The crowd behind her thundered its approval of her bold advance. The taller girl recoiled slightly in shock, but she made no effort to stop her drunken best friend¡¯s kiss as Ranko propelled into the next verse.


    ¡°When we¡¯re out in public, ¡®cause you took me on a date, you take the opportunity to demonstrate. You see the waiter coming, stroke me on my cheek¡­¡±


    She ran the backs of her fingers down her left cheek slowly, letting herself quiver from her nose to her toes, letting her lips fall open with an audible whine for just a quarter of a second between the lines.


    ¡°By the time he brings the menus, I can¡¯t even speak¡­¡±


    Ranko turned to her side, looking over her shoulder at the poor flustered waitress who¡¯d been serving their party all night with a crinkled nose and a sultrily pouty expression.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter, I won¡¯t have much to say¡­¡±


    She pointed to her fiancee with an open, upturned palm and a deliberately vacant expression, her knees and waist never ceasing their twisting. She¡¯d not chosen the pink tulle dress with the intent to perform in it, but she loved the way it looked, and the way it felt both in her heart and on her legs when she danced. Maybe it was the liquid courage Yui had administered, the acceptance of her mother, the revelations she had about herself when she¡¯d tried on her wedding dress, or some combination of all of it, but she felt utterly, unapologetically, blissfully feminine, and even cute. Even if she¡¯d been utterly miserable doing it, though, she wouldn¡¯t have stopped for a second after seeing the bowled-over look on her future wife¡¯s face.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be the one deciding what I want anyway¡­¡±


    Ranko skipped backward between her backup dancers, and the girls sandwiched her, with Emi behind her and Hitomi in front as the three girls danced with their right sides facing the crowd. They were close enough that Ranko¡¯s fluffy skirt was touching both of them.


    ¡°Whisper in my ear. Remind me that I¡¯m yours. My thoughts will disappear. My knees will hit the floor. Whatever I was thinking, baby, now it¡¯s gone, ¡®cause if you wanna turn me off, you just gotta turn me on!¡±


    Ranko rocked her hips like a hula dancer, shaking the cascading layers of lace in her skirt left and right between the two elder girls that had given her an extra step or so of space between them. As she did, Ukyo looked down into her hands, fidgeting slightly in her seat. I¡¯m good. You¡¯re okay, Ukyo. I love Crash. Crash loves me. I haven¡¯t thought about her like this in months, and I¡¯m going to that girl¡¯s wedding in something like fifteen hours. It¡¯s gotta be the sake. She looked up at Akane, who shrieked her approval and danced between Yui and Sakura to her wife¡¯s declaration of lust. So help me gods, though¡­ you screw up one time, girl¡­


    ¡°You flash me a smile, and wrap me in a hug¡­¡± Ranko crossed her arms across her chest, hugging her shoulders with her hands as her hips thrashed her dress about her legs. ¡°I¡¯m instantly shut down, just like you pulled the plug. All of me goes limp. I¡¯m putty in your hands. I don¡¯t fear a thing when I¡¯m under your command¡­¡±


    The songstress giggled as Hitomi fluffed her skirt from behind. Meanwhile, at the audio booth, the young woman working the mixing board pegged all of the speakers to their maximum volume. She still wasn¡¯t sure it would be enough to be heard clearly over the crowd.


    ¡°Everything fades out ¡®til there¡¯s nothing left but bliss. I can¡¯t live without your sweet paralysis¡­¡±


    Ranko lifted one leg off the floor, spinning in place in a ballet twist. She started to topple backward, her equilibrium more affected by alcohol than she realized, but Emi caught her, and managed to make it look intentional by twisting the redhead around in her arms. Ranko leaned back, letting her twin curly pigtails dangle back onto Emi¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t keep me waiting, trapped here in my mind. Life is so frustrating. Help me leave it behind! Whatever I was thinking, babe, I want it gone. I need you to turn me off, so please, come turn me on!¡±


    The crowd took on a new level of volume, screaming in approval as if reacting to something new they saw. Ranko glanced behind her. Hitomi, you¡¯re not still making out with Emi back there, are you? But she saw nothing else that would have prompted the crowd¡¯s reaction.


    Whatever. Ranko bit her lip, playing with her skirt with her hands as she shimmied alone at center stage. Hitomi and Emi danced together closely, and each time one would lean forward, the other would lean back to make space for her.


    ¡°One touch, and there¡¯s a tremble starting in my voice. Then, my mind gets disassembled ¡®til I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± She looked around the stage with wide, curious eyes as if she¡¯d just gotten disoriented and was trying to remember where she was. ¡±Things get sort of hazy, like I¡¯m in a dream, and I can¡¯t stop the crazy way you make me scream!¡± She affected her voice on the last word as she often did when singing Sneak, making it sound less like she was singing, and more like she was doing¡­ something else that tended to make her quite vocal.


    I¡¯m gonna have to perform here more often, Ranko thought with a bright smile at the cacophony of screams and whistles coming from the Steam crowd. They really seem to like me here. Or maybe it¡¯s just ¡®cause I¡¯m singing dirty tonight? Eh, fuck it. Who cares why?


    ¡°I can¡¯t even walk; I¡¯m falling on the floor, but as soon as I can talk, I¡¯m gonna BEG for more!¡±


    Ranko grinned back at her table, at her family and friends. Even over the eleven-hundred-plus raucous women in the crowd, she clearly recognized Yui¡¯s revelatory scream. She looked up to find her big sister, dancing tight with Sakura in the space in front of their table, one hand on her back, and one hand dangerously close to being up the back of her dress.


    But Akane was not with them anymore.


    What the¡­ Worry about it later. One more chorus.


    She straightened herself up, letting her left hand slide from her knee up the inside of her leg, letting a little whimper mix with her singing voice. With her other hand, she played with one of her pigtails vacantly again. She wanted to appear vapid. After all, the whole point of the song was to acknowledge the fact that Akane snatched her mind away with every touch.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready and willing. Empty out my head. Take your time in filling¡­ something else instead!¡± She didn¡¯t specify what as her right hand covered her open-mouthed gasp, but given where her left hand was, the crowd needed no great leap of imagination. Their roaring somehow found a new volume level, and it didn¡¯t slow after her gesture ended. What are they on about?


    ¡°Whatever I was thinking, baby, now it¡¯s gone, ¡®cause babe, you turn me off every time you turn mmmmmmph!¡±


    She was pulled off of her feet from behind, the last two words of her song lost in Akane¡¯s lips as Ranko¡¯s bride spun her into a kiss at center stage to the delight of the roaring audience.

 160. Greeting the Dawn

    July 6, 1991


    4:42 AM


    Ranko sighed, her foot bouncing nervously on the floor as she sat at the tiny dinette table in her old one-room apartment above the Phoenix. The sun only just started to rise, and even for July, she was a bit chilly in the upstairs bedroom in the white satin nightgown she wore. Admittedly, she¡¯d packed it for looks rather than comfort. Due to the need to start on preparations as early as possible, she and Akane had decided to share her old room the night before the wedding rather than going home, so they could roll out of bed directly into their wedding venue. Ranko looked up to the curtain rod hanging over the apartment¡¯s lone window, where a long dress bag hung off of three wire hangers to help support the weight.


    She smiled at her covered dress, and then over at her sleeping fiancee in the bed a few steps away. My gods, Akane. I¡¯m going to be your wife in ten hours. My mother¡¯s going to walk me down the aisle. My mom¡¯s going to marry us, and I¡¯m going to get to be yours for the rest of my life. How could she simultaneously want the hours to go by in seconds, and at the same time wish she had twice as many hours to prepare?


    She looked down at the notebook on the table, which only had a few sheets of blank paper left in it. There were at least thirty crumpled pages in the tiny ceramic wastebasket beside her, however. What am I gonna do?


    Ranko closed the notebook, glowering at the Ranko and the Dapper Dragons logo on the cover. Some motivation you are this morning! She rubbed her temples, reminding herself not to groan and risk waking the woman who would be her wife by day¡¯s end. Between anxiety, having only slept about two hours, and the residual hangover from the shots Yui had encouraged her to take at Steam the night before, her head was pounding. She¡¯d already taken a few aspirin, but they hadn¡¯t had much chance to kick in yet.


    Think, Ranko. Clear your mind. She rubbed her eyes, staring at Akane¡¯s unconscious form. Just talk to her. She¡¯s right there. Write her a note. Forget the music. Forget the beat. Forget the pressure. Just tell her you love her.


    She opened the notebook again.


    But¡­ I tell her I love her every day. How do I make this one special? Even more special than You¡¯re My Song? How do I say something that captures the totality of the way I feel about her? How can I possibly¡­ there just are no words. None. Not in English, not in Japanese, not in that horrible poetry, not in Shakespeare, not in music, nothing. There¡¯s just no words that are enough. There never will be, no matter how long I spend staring at this damn notebook.


    There never will be words big enough. Never.


    Ranko gasped, snatching up the pencil on the table. That was it. She began furiously scratching line after line, looking around the room for inspiration wherever she could find it. This is gonna be great!


    In less than twenty minutes, three verses and three choruses stared her in the face. They needed some tweaking, but¡­


    I did it, Akane! I¡¯m gonna keep my promise after all!


    Ranko scooped up the notebook and the pencil, opening the apartment door as carefully and quietly as possible and padding down the stairs to the main bar area. As she pushed through the blue saloon door into the bar room proper, the dark room was brightened just from the contented glow in her eyes. There was a white lattice archway assembled on the center of the stage, entirely interwoven with white roses. They were fake, as it was a last-minute addition on Izumi¡¯s part, but it really gave the room a there¡¯s a wedding happening here today feeling that made Ranko¡¯s heart soar.


    A red carpet runner ran from the gap between the service and main bars to the middle of the room, where it joined another one perpendicular to the first. That one led straight to the stage, where Kaito had assembled a wooden ramp and affixed it to the front of the stage so that the girls, especially Ranko in the pearl-encrusted masterpiece his wife had crafted for her youngest sister, had a straight shot up to center stage without having to navigate the three narrow stairs on the stage¡¯s right side.


    Half the tables had been removed from the room, and the half that remained were pushed to the front half of the bar closest to the entrance. Each had a small empty vase at its center, ready to receive the flowers Ayako would be picking up from the florist on her way in. Place settings - with real dishes, not the plastic stuff the Phoenix normally used for its customers - were set six to a table. A long rectangular table dressed in a white tablecloth sat off to one side with two chairs, both facing the remainder of the tables. At each of the two place settings, a champagne flute etched with a pair of interlocking hearts awaited their occupants. The round tables, however, had no chairs at all, as they had arranged in three rows of ten at the back of the bar facing the stage, each row split down the middle by the aisle created by the red carpet runner.


    Large white hearts sat on two easels on either side of the aisle, each inscribed with gold writing and rimmed in more of the white silk flowers. Ranko sighed happily when she read them, the words echoing what she¡¯d said as she took the Polaroid photo that still sat in a heart-shaped frame on top of her dresser, the one she¡¯d snapped of herself and Akane embracing on the bed not ten minutes after they¡¯d walked into their new apartment for the first time.


    Here¡¯s to the first day of forever.


    Akane & Ranko Tendo


    July 6, 1991


    Leaving her notebook on the bar top, she walked softly to the table where the two chairs were, standing behind the chair on the right. I¡¯m gonna sit right here. She¡¯d asked Akane for the rightmost seat, and while Akane didn¡¯t understand why it mattered to her, she was happy to grant the request. It might be silly, Akane, but¡­ the left side is where the heart is. So that¡¯s where you should be. Where my heart is. Where it always will be. With you.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Ranko walked to the easel on the right side of the aisle, running her fingers over the gold print on the large cardboard heart as if she were reading them in Braille. How Mei had made them, she didn¡¯t know; they looked professionally done. The first day of forever, Akane. Just like we said. Just like I promised.


    She turned to face the stage, the edge of which overflowed with realistic-looking silk roses in red and white on either side of the ramp. She stared straight down the red-carpeted aisle down which she would take her last few steps as an unmarried woman in just a few short hours. She beamed up at the lattice arch where Hana and Akane would be standing as she walked, as Akane had decided that she and her father would walk the aisle first.


    Blushing deeply despite there being no watching eyes in the empty bar as the clock struck six in the morning, Ranko stepped onto the red carpet runner with her bare feet. She clasped her hands at her waist around an invisible bouquet. She took a step forward with her left foot, bringing her right foot forward to match it rather than pass it. She paused there for a quarter-second before again leading with her left foot and using the right to catch up. The halting step, Izumi had told her, would make it easier to avoid tripping over her dress, make it easier for her mother to stay at her side as they walked, and also slow the approach down to give people more time to take pictures. It was a little awkward, though. Her white satin nightgown tickled the backs of her knees as she moved.


    Her face aflame, she continued to practice the walk alone. Every movement of her left leg was a half-meter closer to the dream being made real. The space between right now and eternity got a couple heartbeats shorter. She was just a few more steps from walking directly into destiny itself. She ascended the ramp, stopping just in front of the right side of the vacant floral lattice arch. She bounced on her ankles, closing her eyes and breathing deep of the moment. She wanted to remember how it felt, how it smelled, every little ambient noise, all of it.


    In the early morning still, where no one could witness the joy exploding from within her, the final barrier she had placed between herself and true womanhood fell - not with a crash, not with a scream, but with two whispered syllables in the dark.


    ¡°I do.¡±


    She spun merrily in place on the stage, her nightgown swishing around her legs. This is gonna be the best day of my life.


    After taking a few more moments to soak in the moment, Ranko descended the ramp much more quickly than she had ascended it. She slipped quietly back through the swinging blue door to the kitchen, putting a kettle on the gas commercial stove to boil for tea. She normally didn¡¯t even attempt hot tea anymore, as the Cat¡¯s Tongue could make it hurt going down if she didn¡¯t let it cool enough, but there were none of her energy drinks in the fridge. Excited as she was, the butterflies in her stomach and the song in her heart were not fully drowning out the thumping in her head, and the caffeine would be a welcome kick in the ass.


    Returning to the bar room while she waited for the kettle to boil, Ranko walked to the front of the service bar. She chuckled softly to herself at the juxtaposition of the two items leaning against it side-by-side. Talk about old life, meet new life! Ranko reached past the blue-and-gold scabbard housing the Shimizu ancestral katana, which Ranko had not remembered to bring home in her frantic rush to get back to the apartment and change clothes between Nodoka¡¯s visit and the trip to Steam. Instead, she picked up a red-and-orange guitar in the shape of a phoenix in flight. She hopped up, sitting on the counter of the service bar with her legs dangling off the customer side, opening her black notebook and setting it beside herself.


    Okay. Don¡¯t have time for anything super crazy, so a basic beat will have to do. She started plucking at the guitar, listening for the melody she¡¯d sung in her head. She was almost good enough after a few months of music class to be able to identify the notes in her mind¡¯s ear, but not quite. She thought back to Crash¡¯s advice from her first few guitar lessons. There are four chords that are the backbone of pop music, and if you can play them reliably and sing over them, they¡¯ll fit just about anything your voice wants to do, he¡¯d said.


    She hummed the first line, trying to place chords around the lyrics like periodic signposts rather than a continuous path of notes.  Okay¡­ chord one, four, six, five. Repeat. It took her a few tries to get the timing right, but she giggled to herself happily as she did. Crash and I can put something better together later if we decide to record it, but this¡¯ll be good enough to get through the reception, she coached herself to keep her nerves at bay.


    Okay, chorus¡­ chorus¡­ She hummed again as she read over the words she¡¯d written. Hey, the chorus can actually follow the same rhythm as the verses! Two for one! Fuckin¡¯ nice! The gods are on my side today, confirmed!


    Thrice more, she hummed the basic rhythm of her last-second musical gift to her wife, practicing fitting the four-chord progression around it. I think this is going to work.


    She put the notebook down, closing her eyes and letting the pink plastic guitar pick in her fingers find the appropriate strings on muscle memory alone. She felt her whole body relax, as if the simplistic rhythm was a cloud on which she could rest and dream of all the good things today would begin. And then, the humming gave way to singing, a quiet intimacy in her voice.


    ¡°There¡¯s a long white dress hangin¡¯ over there. My sister¡¯s coming in five hours so she can help me do my hair¡­¡±


    Before she could continue the verse, she heard a noise from the kitchen. Looking up at the clock, she chuckled. That¡¯s gotta be Izzi or Kasumi. They¡¯re the only ones who would get up this early, even for this. Unstrapping the guitar from her shoulder and laying it gently on the service bar counter, she hopped down to her feet. The water for her tea was probably ready, anyway.


    She pushed through the blue saloon doors with a song on her lips and in her heart, and sure enough, the tea kettle whistled merrily from the commercial stovetop. ¡°Good morning! Who¡¯s ready for a freakin¡¯ wedding,¡± she called excitedly into the kitchen before entering it. But as she passed Hana¡¯s office and approached the kitchen, she saw no one in it. The hell? Mind¡¯s playin¡¯ tricks on me, I guess. Stupid tequila. Oh well. She stepped forward into the kitchen to make her tea.


    As soon as she stepped out of the hallway into the wider kitchen space, a pair of arms shot out of the dark and grabbed her tight. She was ripped backward violently off of her feet until her body slammed against a larger, unseen assailant¡¯s torso; one of the intruder¡¯s arms pinned her arms to her sides, and the other was cupped over her mouth.


    She frantically struggled to break free, but her muscles went stiff with panic at the sound of the familiar, gravelly voice in her ear from behind.


    ¡°Hello, Ranma.¡±

 161. The Boiling Point

    July 6, 1991


    6:11 AM


    Akane rolled over onto her back in bed, a quiet, contented purr escaping her lips. It¡¯s happening, my love. I¡¯m going to be your wife, and you¡¯re going to be mine. Gods, we really showed everybody that said we couldn¡¯t get here, huh? They should know better than to doubt us Tendo girls! She smiled warmly, contemplating the day to come, her mind lingering for a moment on a surprise she had prepared for her bride.


    You¡¯re my wife. I¡¯ll do anything for you. My whole life is going to be about standing behind you, supporting you. Making your problems go away, and opening doors for you. Telling you how strong and brave and talented and beautiful you are every single day so you can¡¯t ever forget it. Everything else I do for the rest of my life after today is secondary to that. You are my forever, Ranko.


    Opening her eyes, she looked around the small studio apartment above the Phoenix, not needing long at all to ascertain that she was in it alone. Silly girl. You should have slept some more, lover. You¡¯re gonna have a busy day. She giggled brightly, biting her lip with a blush at her devious thoughts as she flailed her legs under the blanket in excitement. And an even busier night.


    She swung her legs off the edge of the bed, stretching with a loud yawn. ¡°Okay, Akane,¡± she said aloud in the dark. ¡°Let¡¯s go marry your princess.¡± She slid off the last corner of the lavender duvet color, slipping her backside off the side of the mattress until her bare feet touched the floor. She wore a pair of gray sweatpants and a yellow tank top, and her hair was an absolute disaster. She¡¯d wanted to make love to Ranko when they¡¯d come home from Steam, especially after that sensual song she¡¯d sung, but by the time they¡¯d made it to the apartment, both of them were exhausted, feeling the effects of a night of drinking, and too focused on tomorrow to want to spend any more time living in today.


    Akane smiled up at the dress bag hanging from the curtain rod. She hadn¡¯t seen Ranko¡¯s dress yet and vice-versa; Izumi had said there was some superstition about seeing your partner¡¯s dress before the wedding being bad luck. Her own dress, she knew, awaited her downstairs in Hana¡¯s office, which would be the dressing room she would share with Kasumi and Nabiki in a few hours. Ranko and her four sisters, and probably Hana too, would be using the upstairs apartment.


    ¡°Most people say my life is music.¡± Akane sang quietly to herself as she ran her fingers through her hair to try to get it at least mostly pointed in the right direction. ¡°They hear me sing, and they¡¯re not wrong.¡±


    She smiled brightly at herself in the mirror mounted to the back of the open closet door. Hey there, Mrs. Ranko Tendo, Akane thought to herself.


    ¡°But when they see the joy I feel up on that stage, I¡¯m just the singer. You¡¯re¡­¡±


    Her quietly melodic voice came to an immediate stop as she heard a metallic crash from the kitchen, as if half the pots and pans in the building had all been thrown down a flight of stairs at once.


    Akane¡¯s head snapped toward the door. What the¡­ She stood, listening intently. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what she¡¯d heard, though she knew there would be a tremendous amount of hustle and bustle through the Phoenix that morning as they prepared for the event. But then she heard a second sound; one she could never have failed to recognize.


    It was the distinctive, high-pitched battle kiai of Ranko Tendo.


    ¡°Ranko!¡± Adrenaline blasting the sleep from her eyes, she closed the distance to the apartment door in two steps, throwing the door open and taking the stairs two at a time in her bare feet. Before she was halfway down the narrow staircase, she heard Ranko scream again, in what sounded like the mutant offspring of a kiai and a woman in labor. She cringed in horror at the sound of a male voice she recognized.


    That of Genma Saotome.


    ¡°Ranma, you are making a huge mistake! One you can¡¯t come back from! But there¡¯s still time to fix this, boy! Come with me, right now! We¡¯ll go to Jusenkyo, get all this nonsense sorted out, and you can be back to normal! You can have your old life back, son, and then we¡¯ll get everything squared away with your mother together. Everything will be just like it was before. You¡¯d even be able to marry Akane for real. Think, boy! Think about our future, here! I¡¯m trying to save you from yourself! Stop listening to whatever they¡¯re telling you and be smart about this, for once!¡±


    No. Not him. Not here. Not today! You just couldn¡¯t let us have our fucking wedding day?! I didn¡¯t get my chance to protect her last time, and Hana talked me out of going after him then.


    Not today. Not ever again. I swear it, Ranko.


    Akane gripped the wooden handrails mounted to the walls on either side of the stairwell, vaulting the last four steps at once and landing in a half-crouch in the narrow hallway dividing the front bar area from the kitchen. She rounded the corner to her right as quickly as her knees could absorb the impact of her landing.


    Strewn about the kitchen floor were every imaginable kitchen implement: pots, pans, silverware, plates, and more than a few gadgets and devices Akane had never learned the functions of. The prep counter had been all but cleared of dry ingredients, with containers of flour and fruit spattered across the tile. The standing commercial dough mixer was toppled over on its side in the far corner of the room opposite the pizza oven. The back door leading out to the alley was warped and cracked open slightly, admitting a few orange-red rays from the still-rising sun. The handle hung askew from the steel door, indicating how the intruder had managed to gain access to the kitchen. The state of disarray in the kitchen was not remotely close to being her primary concern, though.


    Ranko herself stood just inside the kitchen entryway, tensed in her aikido stance almost to the point of bursting out of her white satin nightgown.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna FUCKING KILL YOU!¡± Akane roared as she pushed her way into the kitchen, all but shoving Ranko aside as she ran at full speed into the room. She vaulted the prep counter with her right hand planted on it, throwing a flying kick forward that struck home on Genma¡¯s chin. She rode him to the ground, landing with her full weight on his cheek before he¡¯d had a chance to react to her presence. Akane thought on the periphery of her consciousness that she heard Ranko say something, but for the moment, that would have to wait.


    Genma pushed Akane off of himself, and she stumbled back out of the corner toward the back door. Kick-flipping to his feet, he dropped into a muay thai stance in the open space between the prep counter and the walk-in cooler. He no longer focused on Ranko at all; to his mind, the redhead in the satin nightgown was not much of a threat anymore, courtesy of the Cat¡¯s Tongue. Akane, however, had proven herself quite formidable in their previous encounters.


    ¡°I see some things never change, Ranma.¡± He scoffed in Akane¡¯s direction. ¡°Still letting girls do your fighting for you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s MRS. TENDO to you, you fucking jerk!¡± Akane hurled a steel Dutch oven at the assailant, using the momentary distraction created by his blocking it to close the distance to him again and strike at him with a high kick. He blocked with his forearm, but Akane¡¯s furious assault continued with several quick jabs that struck home on his sternum.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna bring her your FUCKING HEAD!¡±


    Akane was beyond strategy. Beyond balance. Beyond reason. Defending Ranko was her job. Her purpose. Her whole existence. No one, least of all the devil that had lurked in Ranko¡¯s shadow her entire life, would ever hurt that woman again. Not her wife. Not today. Not ever. She would not allow it. She would die first. She was fury incarnate, an avenging angel come for war in a pair of threadbare gray sweatpants.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    She would not accept apologies. She would not accept surrender. Not after this. Not today. Today, she would have blood.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Genma sidestepped Akane¡¯s wild punch, striking a punch of his own to her midsection as she overcommitted to her assault. Akane coughed, grabbing Genma¡¯s wrist as she doubled over. She fell to the floor, yanking him forward and planting her foot in his crotch to launch him behind herself. He slammed into the steel walk-in cooler door head first, leaving a small dent in it.


    By the time Genma had regained his footing, Akane was on the offensive again, launching herself at him with a flying double kick. Again, her overly aggressive move backfired, and Genma caught her in mid-air, slamming her to the tile floor. He held her pinned against the floor by the throat, and she reached up to grab at his wrists and try and free herself.


    Ranko threw herself at her father, the threat to Akane having snapped her out of her momentary panic. She struck his temple with a downward hammer fist, leaving a thin trail of blood slashing through his eyebrow from the sharp edge of her diamond engagement ring.


    Genma rose to a standing position to react to the new threat, but before he could square his stance, Ranko¡¯s hand flashed forward at an almost imperceptible speed, striking at his Adam¡¯s apple with a fist that had snapped closed mid-flight in a jeet kune do strike. He stumbled back several steps, hitting his back on the waist-high steel prep counter and gasping for air.


    Rather than pressing her advantage, Ranko scurried to her prone fiancee. ¡°Akane, are you okay?!¡± She started to lean down to check on Akane, but gulped as her nightgown was grabbed from behind. Genma gathered a fistful of the garment, bunching up the fabric until the neckline had constricted to a diameter that was nearly choking his daughter and exposing her nakedness below her waist. With a half-spin to build momentum, he released his grip on her negligee and hurled her the full length of the hallway. She slammed into the saloon door with her shoulder, and the slatted blue door crashed open against the main back bar as Ranko¡¯s limp form flew through it and crumpled to the hardwood floor between the two bar counters. Another few centimeters, and she would have landed on the red carpet runner that demarcated her bridal aisle. She rolled onto her back, momentarily stunned from the impact.


    ¡°Ow.¡±


    Everything hurt. Ranko could barely breathe. She did not care. Akane was still at risk.


    Genma closed on the black-haired girl, who clamored to her feet but had yet to fully catch her breath. He grabbed a fistful of Akane¡¯s yellow tank top, driving her backward against the frigid steel door of the walk-in cooler with a stiff arm and a locked elbow. ¡°And you. Putting all that poison in his ear. You turned my son into¡­ that! You¡¯ve shamed him, me, yourself, your fath¡­¡±


    He heard the unmistakable rattle of something moving in a hollow wooden tube, followed by the shrill ringing of metal scraping across metal. Before he could turn around, he caught a glimpse of brightly-polished steel, reflecting the industrial lighting overhead in the disheveled kitchen.


    ¡°Take. Your. Hands. Off. My. Wife.¡±


    Genma turned to find his child locked in a kendo stance she¡¯d picked up in one of her many fights with Tatewaki Kuno. Not even the shimmering white nightgown and wild bed hair could betray the deadly seriousness of the teenage bride as she leveled the unsheathed ancestral katana of clan Shimizu between herself and her father.


    Ranko noticed her father eyeing the knife block that lay on its side a meter or so away from his right foot in response to her threat. ¡°Don¡¯t even try it, man. You¡¯ll be dead before you can bend over. Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t do it, Genma.¡±


    ¡°I know that sword. I see she found you after all.¡± Genma straightened his back, chuckling nervously as he released Akane¡¯s shirt. He took a tentative step away from the winded combatant, moving between the prep counter and the stove to put the counter between himself and the sword-wielding songstress that had once been his son.


    Ranko nodded, placing the katana so that its length bisected her face from his point of view. She would not let him look at her without having to stare through the weapon¡¯s threat radius and know he was cornered. ¡°She did. And she¡¯s decided she wants a relationship with her daughter. A chance you pissed away a long fucking time ago, old man. I don¡¯t feel nothin¡¯ for you anymore except hate and resentment, and I can¡¯t tell you how good it would feel to stick this thing through the hole where your heart should be.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Ranma, you can¡¯t fool me. I know you wouldn¡¯t do that to your father. You couldn¡¯t. You¡¯ve gone too soft.¡± Genma sneered in a veneer of confidence, crossing his arms across his chest, but Ranko knew him well enough to know he was bluffing.


    Ranko glared, reaffirming her grip on her mother¡¯s blade, so long the physical manifestation of dread for both Saotome men. She positioned herself at the center of the prep counter, so she could close to either side before he could and prevent his escape from the narrow alley between the counter and the cooktops.


    He was trapped. And now, he would finally hear her. She swore it.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been my father in years! You don¡¯t know me. You won¡¯t even say my name. You¡¯re nothing to me. You had your chance. I am never going to be what you want. You are never going to control me again. You weren¡¯t there when I needed you, and now you just can¡¯t accept that I learned how to not need you. It was the only way to survive. You broke me time and time again for your own sick schemes, and it ends now. Today. You stole my life from me, a little more every day, and you¡¯ve gotten all you¡¯re getting. This is my life. I made it on my own. You have no claim to it, and I would rather die as Ranko Tendo than spend one more second as Ranma Saotome.¡±


    Genma saw an opening as Akane wobbled a bit and caught his child¡¯s eye. Ranko edged closer to her right, brandishing the sword in both hands with a serene malice that truly terrified Akane to see in the eyes of her bride. Her new position gave Genma a bit of leeway to escape to her left, but gave her a better chance of getting between him and Akane if needed. ¡°I swear to all the gods, you take one step closer to Akane, and I will take your fucking head clean off your fat neck and step over your cold corpse on my way to the altar.¡± She extended the blade partially over the counter, demonstrating that she had enough reach to strike him from her position if she had to.


    ¡°Besides, if memory serves¡­¡± Ranko began, her voice conveying even more danger than the razor-sharp steel in her hand. ¡°You owe the Shimizu clan your life.¡± She sneered hatefully, motioning with her head to the sliver of sunlight peeking into the room through the warped door frame behind the intruder. ¡°And, of far greater value, you owe the Phoenix clan a doorknob.


    ¡°So, for old time¡¯s sake, I¡¯m giving you thirty seconds to give this up get the fuck out of here and never come back, or so help me gods, Akane and I will both use your guts for garters. Under our wedding dresses.¡± She raised the katana, preparing for an overhand strike should Genma try to escape in Akane¡¯s direction, as Akane finally stabilized her breath enough to get back into the fight.


    Genma nodded pensively. ¡°Then it would seem you¡¯ve left me no choice. I¡¯m truly sorry about this, my boy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you EVER fucking say that word to m¡­¡± Ranko¡¯s eyes bulged as Genma swiveled at the waist. In one fluid motion, he snatched the one remaining object within reach on the cooking surface behind him and hurled it in his child¡¯s direction.


    Ranko¡¯s still-boiling tea kettle.


    Akane shrieked murderously, charging him, but she could not reach him before the projectile had left his hand. She tackled Genma to the ground, and as their bodies crashed to the tile floor in a tangled heap of limbs and kitchenware, her ears rang with her lover¡¯s bloodcurdling scream. It was followed by the sharp ringing sound of a steel katana clattering to the tile floor. Those sounds, in turn, were followed by the loud thump of a limp human body doing the same.


    Oh my gods, no. No! Not today! You fucking monster! What is this even going to do to her head after all this time?! She¡¯s been so careful for so long. I wish you¡¯d have just stabbed me instead. It would have hurt less than watching her go through this today. I¡¯m so sorry, Ranko. I failed you again.


    Disentangling herself from the interloper, Akane frantically clamored around the prep counter on her hands and knees. ¡°Ranko, baby, I¡¯m coming!¡±


    She rounded the corner, still on all fours, and froze in stunned horror.


    Lying motionless on the floor next to the ancient sword, in a soaking wet and all-but-transparent nightgown that clung to every curve, was a young woman with flame-red hair.

 162. The Things We Leave Behind

    July 6, 1991


    6:58 AM


    She didn¡¯t¡­ how¡­ why wouldn''t she change¡­


    Akane could think of but one reason that the curse of Jusenkyo would not activate. It terrified her beyond comprehension.


    Crawling the last meter between them, Akane threw herself over Ranko¡¯s body on her hands and knees, desperately shaking her fiancee¡¯s lifeless form. Steam still rose from the puddle she lay in. All of the pre-med training Akane had received thus far in her chiropractic education was lost to her mind, replaced entirely with a distraught panic that was itself giving way to total despair.


    ¡°Ranko, baby, please wake up! Come back to me, please! We gotta get married! PLEASE?!¡± Half-blinded by tears, she slapped Ranko''s cheeks to try and rouse her. You can¡¯t be dead! I need you!


    After twenty-eight seconds that felt like an eternity, Ranko¡¯s eyes fluttered open with a low groan.


    ¡°Ranko! Oh my gods, you¡¯re okay!¡± Akane smiled in relief through her tears, cupping her hand on her bride¡¯s cheek. There were now more questions than answers about how she had managed to avoid the triggering of her curse, but they were secondary for the time being. ¡°I love you, Ranko. I love you so much!¡± She reached down, squeezing Ranko¡¯s left hand tightly in her own and fingering her bride¡¯s diamond engagement ring.


    A shadow began to take human shape on the floor over Akane¡¯s shoulder as Genma approached from behind her. He could not believe what he was seeing. What?! How could it be? Did the boy find a cure after all? And he didn¡¯t tell me?! Now, you¡¯re definitely coming with me, Ranma. You¡¯re going to share the secret if I have to beat it out of you.


    ¡°Step aside, Akane. Let me see my son.¡± There was at least a modicum of concern in his voice, but it also carried the distinct tinge of a threat. He stepped closer to the pair, searching her form for any sort of totem, amulet, or other such witchcraft that might have spared the boy from the inevitable change hot water should have brought.


    Akane released her lover¡¯s fingers, moving her hand slightly to the left and interrogating the redhead who lay beneath her with a questioning gaze. Ranko, recognizing what she was thinking, gave her a small, surreptitious nod of assent without lifting her head from the kitchen floor.


    With a furious scream, Akane suddenly exploded upward from the floor at the gi-clad man looming over her. He raised his hand quickly in front of his face to block her punch.


    But she had not thrown one.


    Punctuated by a high-pitched scraping sound of metal on ceramic, Akane swung upward in a half-moon slash with the blue-and-gold katana that had lay on the floor at Ranko¡¯s side. There was a bright flash as the blade glinted in the fluorescent light streaming down from the ceiling fixtures, but the brilliant white gave way in an instant to a new color: a deep, sickly red.


    Genma staggered backward with a shriek, blood pouring from his left hand as he cradled it in his right. Now on her feet, Akane advanced a step to close the distance between them, brandishing the katana menacingly in both hands. The weapon seemed to course with energy and malice in her hands, as if it had tasted its first blood in generations and now insatiably hungered for more.


    She took another step forward and felt something squish under her bare foot. Moving her leg to the side and stealing the briefest of glances to the floor, Akane¡¯s eyes bulged.


    Where her foot had just been, two severed fingers lay on the white tile floor.


    A distant voice in Akane¡¯s mind told her she should feel guilty for what she had done. Recoil in horror from the sight of the pair of digits on the floor and the man who would have been her father-in-law cradling his maimed hand. Shrink at the sound of his agonized wailing. Blanch at the viscous, murky blood pooling on the tile as it dripped from the end of Genma¡¯s saturated gi sleeve.


    She did not.


    With a primal roar, she raised the weapon over her head and charged forward. Her course was set. She would finish what she had started. She would keep the promise she had made to Ranko in March as she sat battered and bruised in one of the booths in the bar room just behind her.


    Today, Genma Saotome would die.


    Caterwauling in pain and terror, Genma darted toward the back door, doubled over at his waist to protect his mangled left hand. He bashed it open with his right elbow and ran out into the alley. The door slammed closed behind him, and then another loud metallic bang came from behind it. Akane rushed to the door, losing her footing slightly as she slipped in a pool of blood. She crashed into the metal door with her shoulder like a linebacker, but it did not budge. Bellowing in her white-hot rage, she kicked at the door with all the force she could bring to bear and it yielded to her, the dumpster Genma had used to barricade it skittering backward on the gravel and nearly rolling onto its side in the alleyway.


    A waist-high red footprint dripped slightly down the steel door as Akane burst into the alley. Genma¡¯s obstacle had bought him precious seconds, but he had left a clear trail of red droplets leading out of the alley and to the left. Akane gave chase, but was slowed as her bare feet were stabbed at by every sharp bit of gravel that made up the alleyway. By the time she had made it to the street, he was gone and the blood trail had ended. An old woman walking her dog down the curb screamed, snatching up her Pomeranian and leaping backward to avoid the crazed woman in blood-splattered sweatpants, the unsheathed sword in her hand dribbling the last of the Saotome bloodline onto the sidewalk.


    Akane¡¯s eyes scanned the street analytically. He¡¯s hurt. Where could he have gone? Nowhere he¡¯d have to climb¡­


    Her eyes fell on the bus stop across the street, which unlike most of the city transit locations, lacked a bench for waiting commuters. Akane had smashed it in her fury the last time Ranko had come under attack from her father. She replayed Hana¡¯s words from that day in her mind. He¡¯s gone. He doesn¡¯t need you. Ranko does.


    Akane nodded with a heavy, sigh, resolving herself to her decision. Good advice, Mom. I don¡¯t like it, but you¡¯re right, as usual. She turned back down the alley. She padded quickly but gingerly to the back door, pulling it open and stepping into the shambles of the Phoenix kitchen. She found Ranko sitting up on the floor, her back leaned against the wall separating the kitchen from the stairwell. Ranko covered her nakedness with her hands, as her soaked, still-warm nightgown lay on the floor a meter away. She looked up to confirm that it was Akane and not Genma that had entered the room through the mangled back door, and the fear in her eyes subsided, replaced by overwhelming relief.


    ¡°Akane¡­¡±


    Letting the bloody sword clatter to the steel industrial countertop, Akane rushed forward, dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around Ranko. ¡°You¡¯re safe now, Ranko. He¡¯s gone. I¡¯ve got you, princess.¡±


    With a slight blush and a hint of a weak smile despite her soreness and her distraught and disheveled appearance, Ranko reached up and brushed Akane¡¯s bangs to the right out of her eyes, leaving her hand resting gently on Akane¡¯s cheek. Her eyes were still heavy with disorientation as her mind sought to make sense of the missing half-minute in her memory. ¡°My hero. You okay?¡±


    Akane nodded softly. ¡°I¡¯m just fine, baby. Just fine. Are you okay?¡± She¡¯s gotta be in unspeakable pain right now. I can¡¯t even imagine it.


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    ¡°Gettin¡¯ there,¡± Ranko said, rubbing her temples. ¡°What did I miss?¡±


    Her bride frowned, squeezing the redhead¡¯s hand tight after she lowered it from her head. ¡°Your dad threw the kettle at you, sweetheart. You must have fainted.¡±


    Ranko sighed defeatedly. ¡°I guess we gotta reset the counter to zero days, huh?¡± She motioned with her hand to her nude body. ¡°I really appreciate you changing me back before I woke up, though. It means a lot to me. That would have been really weird for me after all this time.¡±


    ¡°Um, Ranko¡­¡± Akane cupped her fiancee¡¯s hand comfortingly in both of her own. There was disquiet in her eyes, and Ranko doubted it was from the fight. ¡°About that¡­¡±


    Ranko nodded sadly. ¡°I know. It must have been really hard for you, seeing me like that after so long. I was really hoping you never would have to again. I tried so hard. I¡¯m so sorry, Akane.¡±


    Akane shook her head, closing her eyes. How do I even begin to tell her? ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ when he threw the kettle¡­ I tried, but I couldn¡¯t stop him in time. I¡¯m sorry. But, Ranko, nothing happened. You didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    The redhead¡¯s eyes widened in curiosity or concern; Akane wasn¡¯t sure which. ¡°Akane, please. You¡¯re starting to scare me. What are you trying to tell me?¡±


    Akane patted her lover¡¯s hand reassuringly. ¡°You¡­ didn¡¯t change, Ranko. You were still a girl.¡±


    Ranko gasped, her jaw falling slack. ¡°It¡­ did I¡­ what?! How?!¡±


    Looking over the grisly mess that covered nearly every corner of the kitchen with a resigned sigh, Akane reached behind Ranko, pulling her close in her arms and slowly standing. She carried Ranko down the hallway and into the bar room proper, gently cradling the naked form of the beautiful woman she loved. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Some kind of fluke, or something. When it happened, I was so scared. For a second, I thought you might be dead.¡± Tears began to form in her eyes again at the memory of her short-lived despair.


    Ranko shook her head as she was deposited gingerly into one of the booths. She managed a small, but sincere, smile. ¡°You won¡¯t get rid of me that easily, Akane.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s fiancee sighed despondently. ¡°We¡¯ll figure out what happened, I promise. Together. But right now, I gotta go call everybody, I guess.¡± She started to head back behind the bar to fetch the cordless telephone.


    ¡°What for?¡± Ranko groaned, rubbing her temples again. And I thought my head hurt before.


    Akane slumped in despair as she pushed the talk button on the cordless phone, the dial tone droning in her hand. She spoke so softly and sorrowfully that the phone almost drowned out her voice. ¡°The place is a wreck, and we both took a couple of pretty good shots. And we¡¯ve got to make sense out of whatever the hell happened with your curse. There¡¯s just¡­¡± She sighed sadly, her shoulders going limp as she looked around the scene that had been set for the day¡¯s celebration. There¡¯s no way we can do a wedding here today.¡±


    Ranko stood, albeit with a wince and a hand on her ribs, and walked over to Akane. She reached down, pulling the beige plastic receiver out of Akane¡¯s hand and pressing the green button again to silence the audio prompt.


    ¡°No.¡±


    She set the phone on the bar top before wrapping both of her arms gently around Akane¡¯s torso and resting her cheek on Akane¡¯s chest. Despite how badly her skin still burned from the boiling water, how fuzzy her head was, and how chaotically a thousand different thoughts, wonders and worries zipped through her mind, the sensation of her naked body pressing up against Akane still sent a little shiver up her spine. ¡°I don¡¯t care if I have to crawl up that ramp on my hands and knees through fire and broken glass. I am going up on that stage and I am marrying you. Today. I can¡¯t wait any more. I told him he doesn¡¯t get to take away things that matter to me, and I meant it. And, nothing matters more than marrying you, Akane. I refuse to wake up one more fucking day where I¡¯m not your wife.¡±


    A spark of life returned to Akane¡¯s eyes as she returned her fiancee¡¯s embrace. ¡°You really are a silly girl, Ranko Tendo. But you¡¯re amazing. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°I am your silly girl, Akane.¡± Ranko smiled, flushing with a little gasp as the magnitude of the morning¡¯s events finally struck her. She had not changed this time. What if¡­ what if she couldn¡¯t?


    ¡°Maybe forever, now.¡±


    ¡°Hello?! Good morning, lovebirds! Who wants some doughn¡­¡± The cheerful feminine voice emanating from the kitchen trailed off suddenly.


    Another familiar voice carried down the narrow hallway. ¡°Whoa! What the fuck happened in here?!¡±


    Akane winced, slipping quickly behind the service bar. She grabbed an extra-large mens¡¯ black Ranko and the Dapper Dragons tee shirt from the merch display, tossing it to Ranko. ¡°Put that on. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± As Ranko complied, Akane pushed through the blue saloon door, which hung slightly askew on its hinges, coming face to face with both of her elder sisters as she emerged from the narrow hallway. ¡°Hey, girls.¡±


    Nabiki motioned incredulously to the devastation surrounding her on all sides of the kitchen. ¡°I mean, Akane, I know Ranko was three sheets to the wind and couldn¡¯t keep her hands off you last night, but don¡¯t you think you two might have taken it just a little overboard in here?¡±


    Akane managed to crack a tiny smile. Nabiki¡¯s dry sense of humor always seemed to reach her even when no other levity would. It was among Akane¡¯s favorite things about her sister.


    ¡°It was Ranko¡¯s dad. He broke in and attacked us to try to stop the wedding. He¡¯s gone. Maybe twenty, thirty minutes ago, I don¡¯t know. Ranko and I both took a few shots, nothing serious. Saotome¡­ not so much.¡± Nabiki¡¯s eyes fell on the blooded sword lying on the steel countertop, and her jaw fell open. Akane closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she sought the words to convey the momentous non-event that had occurred during the battle. ¡°He hit Ranko with a tea kettle.¡±


    Kasumi gasped, covering her mouth. ¡°Oh my gods, the poor dear! Is she alright?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing, Kasumi.¡± Akane shook her head with a disbelieving chuckle. ¡°She didn¡¯t change. We have no idea why. It was the weirdest thing. She¡¯s in the other room, and we¡¯re both just sort of shell shocked by all of this. I don¡¯t know what the heck we¡¯re gonna do about the wedding, but Ranko insists she still wants to try to pull it off.¡±


    The eldest of Soun Tendo¡¯s daughters stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Akane tightly. ¡°Then that¡¯s exactly what we¡¯re going to do. Together.¡± Kasumi released her sister, picking up a green-handled broom from a pile of debris on the floor. ¡°Give me an hour, and it¡¯ll be like nothing ever happened in here.¡±


    Nabiki smirked, sticking her hands in the shallow pockets of her slim-fitting jeans. ¡°It¡¯s true, you know. She¡¯s been training her whole life for this.¡± She looked down at the carnage behind the prep counter. ¡°Daaaaaamn, you got him good, huh?¡±


    Before Akane could answer, Nabiki picked up Nodoka¡¯s - now Ranko¡¯s - sword from the counter, wiping the blade clean of blood with a paper towel. ¡°Our little sister, going full-on samurai. Impressive!¡±


    Akane grimaced. The gravity of having disfigured Ranko¡¯s father had not fully sunk in, but as the adrenaline coursing through her had tapered off, it was beginning to. ¡°I, uh¡­¡± Her eyes widened as Nabiki weighed the sword in her hand, slashing at the air with it in the space between the prep counter and the walk-in freezer. ¡°Careful, Nabiki. That thing¡¯s crazy sharp. Kasumi, how can I help?¡±


    Nabiki answered first. ¡°Kasumi and I will take care of this place. And I¡¯ll keep an eye on her and make sure nobody comes back.¡± She demonstrated a surprisingly good kendo stance with the katana to punctuate her offer, even as she scoffed at the dubious expression on Akane¡¯s face. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t give me that look! Courtesy of how photogenic you and Ranko are, I¡¯ve spent a lot of time around Kuno. A girl picks up a few things.¡± Grinning as Akane laughed, Nabiki gestured back down the hallway. ¡°Your job, little sister, is to go take care of Ranko, and get your heads right. You two are getting married in seven hours, ready or not.¡±

 163. To Be Free

    July 6, 1991


    9:39 AM


    Ranko peeled off the oversized black tee shirt Akane had procured for her, tossing it onto the unmade bed of the apartment above the Phoenix.


    ¡°Ranko, I¡­¡± Akane reached out for her nude bride, but she had no idea what she was going to say or do after that. How could she even begin to fathom the appropriate way to respond to the last three hours?


    ¡°I need to take a shower,¡± Ranko said contemplatively as she pushed open the bathroom door just to the left of the closet.


    Akane followed her, concern in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not gonna do what I think you¡¯re gonna do, are you?¡±


    A hollow gaze came in reply, but not a sad one. Ranko¡¯s eyes looked like an empty vessel that sought to be filled with something, but did not know what with. ¡°Akane, I¡­ I have to know.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Akane replied, her voice steeled with determination. She peeled off her blood-spattered tank top, throwing it toward a trash can that wasn¡¯t large enough to hold it, and began to pull down her sweatpants. ¡°I¡¯m getting in there with you.¡±


    Ranko shook her head as she reached for the shower knob, turning it to its coldest setting. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    Akane pulled Ranko out of arm¡¯s reach of the combination shower stall and bathtub, holding her tight against herself. The naked redhead shivered in her arms from the chill of the cold mist rising from the shower. ¡°Yes, I do. Whatever happens, I am going to be there for you.¡± Especially if it doesn¡¯t go the way you want.


    Letting her lover go, Akane stepped into the icy shower, yelping loudly. ¡°Gods! How the hell do you even tolerate this?! C¡¯mon, get in here.¡± While she waited for Ranko to join her, she rubbed a bar of lavender-scented soap vigorously over herself. While she¡¯d just had a shower the night before, when they¡¯d gotten back to the apartment after their bachelorette party, Akane couldn¡¯t get the crawling sensation of being sprayed with Genma¡¯s blood out of her mind.


    ¡°Necessity,¡± Ranko said as she pulled aside the shower curtain and stepped into the shower at the far end, as Akane occupied the middle of the tub between her and the shower head. ¡°This actually feels kind of good. My skin still burns from before.¡±


    I¡¯ll bet, love. I¡¯m so sorry I couldn¡¯t stop it. I let him hurt you again. At least this time, he paid for it. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to turn the heat up just a little. You ready?¡± Akane spun slowly in place, letting the steady stream of brisk water rinse the soap from her skin and some of the disgust from her consciousness.


    Ranko bit her lip, wrapping her arms around her breasts and bracing for discomfort. ¡°As I¡¯m gonna be.¡±


    Akane turned the knob slightly to the right. To her, the water was still cold, if no longer unbearably frigid. Blocking the focused jet of water with her back, Akane took hold of the shivering girl with whom she shared the shower. ¡°Okay. One. Two. Three.¡± Akane stepped backward once, pulling Ranko into the path of the water.


    Ranko whimpered at the sensation of heat she perceived from it courtesy of the Full-Body Cat¡¯s Tongue. After a second or two, Akane stepped forward again, blocking the water with her back as Ranko tried to regain control of her breathing.


    ¡°Do we keep going,¡± Akane asked gently. Receiving a resolute nod in reply, Akane reached behind her and turned the knob a bit more to the right. To her perception, the water was now just slightly above body temperature, like tepid bathwater. Again, Akane took hold of Ranko¡¯s slippery body, holding her tight. Whereas the last attempt had been uncomfortable for her love, Akane knew this one would be painful. ¡°Ready, beautiful?¡±


    Receiving another nod of determined approval, Akane tightened her grip on Ranko¡¯s wet form. ¡°Okay. One. Two. Three.¡± She again stepped backward to pull Ranko into the path of the pulsating water jet, and the slender girl in her arms writhed in pain.


    ¡°Owww! FuckfuckfuckFUCK! Owwww!¡±


    Akane stepped forward, eclipsing the water stream again with her back and braving a smile as she brushed a wet strand of flame-red hair out of Ranko¡¯s eyes. ¡°I know it hurts, baby. I¡¯m sorry. That felt kind of warm to me. I don¡¯t know if it would¡¯ve been warm enough to have made the change happen before, but so far, so girl. Maybe we¡¯d better stop. That last one sounded really bad.¡±


    Backed all the way against the tile wall, Ranko stared at the translucent resin knob behind Akane¡¯s back with dread. She knew what had to be done, much though she wasn¡¯t looking forward to it.


    ¡°Turn it up all the way.¡±


    Akane shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t! It¡¯ll hurt you too much! We don¡¯t need it that hot, do we?¡±


    ¡°Akane¡­ do it.¡± Ranko wrapped her arms around her breasts again, hugging herself tight as Akane shook her head, reaching behind her and pegging the knob to the far right.


    Akane enveloped Ranko in her arms again, and even the droplets of water cooling as they traveled around her body felt like hot lava as they made contact with Ranko¡¯s skin. Akane could barely stand the water temperature; she could not fathom how Ranko would. ¡°You¡¯re sure about this?¡±


    Ranko nodded sternly, not answering verbally due to her tightly clenched jaw.


    ¡°Okay. One.¡±


    ¡°Two.¡±


    ¡°Three.¡±


    Akane stepped backward, closing her eyes and hugging Ranko tight against herself. She wished she had free hands to cover her ears and muffle the agonized, wordless wail that emanated from the trembling young woman in her arms and echoed in the tiny tile alcove. Ranko buried her face against Akane¡¯s shoulder, her open lips touching her flesh as she tried in vain to mute her cries. But however much the woman in Akane¡¯s arms was screaming, a woman, it still was.


    My gods. It was real. It happened. I don¡¯t know how, but it did. What am I going to do? What am I going to say to her? My poor love. How cruel for this to happen to you, today of all days! It¡¯s not fair!


    Akane started to step forward, but a half-shrieked plea halted her. ¡°Not yet!¡±


    She held her lover tightly in the path of the torturous water jet, praying for all the strength she possessed to pass through her arms and penetrate into Ranko¡¯s heart. But much though every decibel of her bride¡¯s screams sliced through her soul like a hot knife through butter, Akane held fast. I¡¯m so sorry, Ranko. I love you.


    Ranko writhed in her arms for nearly ten seconds before Akane could bear her cries no longer. Akane stepped forward again, releasing Ranko safely out of the path of the water. Ranko¡¯s skin was bright red from being scalded twice in as many hours, but otherwise, there was no discernable change to her appearance. Akane reached behind her to turn the water off, and before she could swivel back to face her again, Ranko had slid down the wall until she was seated in the bathtub. Adrenaline and agony combining to overrun her nerves, Ranko quaked violently as she looked up to Akane and wrapped her arms protectively around her brutalized body.


    ¡°Ranko, honey, I¡¯m so sor¡­¡±


    Akane¡¯s distraught, pitiful platitude was cut off mid-word by a voice too overpowered by pain shock to register any other emotion.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m free.¡±


    Akane blinked. Did you¡­ actually want this? I know you didn¡¯t want to live as a boy again, but to lose the option? Are you sure about this?


    Akane stepped out of the shower first, dripping on the lavender bath mat as she took a large fluffy towel from the bar mounted to the wall. She approached the bathtub again, wrapping the soft cotton around Ranko¡¯s body and beginning to towel her skin dry while she still sat in the tub. She tried her best to be gentle, as she knew the poor thing¡¯s nerves were cranked up to eighty on a scale of one to ten, and she had to be absolutely miserable.


    Ranko hid her face in the fluffy towel. She ached from head to toe, but other feelings dominated every corner of her mind. I¡¯m a woman. Not a boy who turns into one. Not a freak. Not some weird chimera thing. I¡¯m a woman. For real. Forever. Thank you, gods. I don¡¯t know what I did to deserve this, but¡­ I can¡¯t explain it any other way. That¡¯s why it happened today. It¡¯s you telling me that me and Akane are meant to be, exactly the way we are. Thank you. Her heart felt like maybe she could fly, and was half-tempted to try just to see if any other miracles had been bestowed upon her in her sleep.


    Indeed, Ranko did whimper as her mind warped over the possibility and Akane gently dried her skin, but she did not do so in the way Akane expected. Flushing bright crimson, Akane looked down into her eyes. ¡°After everything, are you actually¡­¡±


    The redhead blushed under the lavender towel. ¡°I¡¯m all naked, and you¡¯re rubbin¡¯ all over me, and we haven¡¯t played all week, and I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ about the fact I¡¯m gonna marry you in a few hours and get to be yours, like this, every day for the rest of my life. I mean, I still hurt everywhere, but otherwise, what did you expect?¡±


    Akane beamed. She was shocked that Ranko seemed to be taking the momentous surprise in stride, but the more she thought about it, the sillier she felt for doubting it. It had been ages since she¡¯d seen any inkling of masculine behavior from Ranko, discounting the few weeks where she¡¯d boarded up her heart in preparation for Genma¡¯s first attack. There was a part of her that was saddened by the potential closing of that door, for one reason in particular she didn¡¯t dare bring up with her partner and interrupt her euphoria, but that was tomorrow¡¯s problem.


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    ¡°I expect you to be a good girl and wait until tonight.¡± Akane kissed her neck softly, eliciting a loud gasp from her lover. Though her skin still radiated pain everywhere from the heat, Ranko¡¯s nerves were firing as hard as they could, amplifying every sensation even further than usual.  ¡°And I promise, I¡¯ll make it worth the wait, Mrs. Tendo.¡±


    She stroked Ranko¡¯s still-damp hair, sighing with an unpleasant thought that she knew she had to share even if she didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Look, I can only imagine how crazy this feels for you right now. Just¡­ try not to get your hopes all the way up yet, okay? This could still be a fluke thing. Maybe not, but¡­ don¡¯t count on it a hundred percent just yet, alright? I don¡¯t want to see you disappointed.¡±


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°I mean, we just proved I can¡¯t do hot water whether it¡¯ll change me or not, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be running to the nearest Jacuzzi either way. But gods, it would feel so good not to have to be scared that I¡¯m going to spill a pot of dumplings and you¡¯re going to walk in the front door to find a boy in a dress in our kitchen.¡±


    Akane nodded. ¡°You know it wouldn¡¯t matter to me if I did, right? Even if that happened, you wouldn¡¯t turn back into Ranma. Not in your heart. You¡¯ve changed where it really matters, sweetheart. I¡¯m so proud of you. You just have no idea. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m ever going to tell you enough.¡±


    Ranko blushed, not that it was easy to tell given how red her skin already was from the hot water, as she remembered something she¡¯d written just before all hell had broken loose earlier that morning. ¡°Somehow, I¡¯m betting that later this afternoon, you¡¯re gonna find a way to let me know exactly what you think of me.¡±


    Akane wrapped her arms ever so gently around Ranko, and Ranko extended the towel around her shoulders to encase Akane¡¯s still-dripping form in it as well. The elder bride sighed contently in Ranko¡¯s arms. ¡°Ranko Tendo, will you marry me?¡±


    Ranko smiled softly, blushing at Akane¡¯s casual reiteration of her proposal and whimpering at the feel of Akane¡¯s hands rubbing her through the towel on her lower back. ¡°You bet your ass I will. In fact¡­ I¡¯m gonna marry you today. Let¡¯s do this!¡±


    Akane finished drying as Ranko stepped past, slipping into a soft cotton bathrobe in a shade of lavender that matched the duvet cover and most of the bathroom linens. Ranko took a white robe down from a hook on the back of the bathroom door, offering it to Akane. The taller girl donned it, and the two girls made their way out to the bedroom portion of the tiny studio apartment where they had spent their first night together as girlfriends, as well as their last.


    Ranko sat down on the bed, crossing her legs underneath her. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure what to do. Like, should I get dressed, or do you think Izzi wants me to stay like this until she gets here?¡±


    Akane did not acknowledge what Ranko said. She was entirely lost in her own thoughts, eyeing the woman she was hours from marrying with boggled thoughts and total adoration. She was startled out of her daydreaming haze by a gentle rapping at the apartment door.


    Visually checking that both her robe and Ranko¡¯s were tied tightly enough to prevent them from being indecent, Akane called out. ¡°Come in!¡±


    The door opened, and Kasumi waved from the doorway without entering. Somehow, after having spent just over an hour dealing with the macabre scene downstairs, there was still a chipper merriment about her. ¡°How¡¯s everything going in here,¡± she asked softly.


    Akane nodded, not wanting to say too much about Ranko¡¯s curse out loud with the door open in case the other Phoenix sisters had begun to arrive. ¡°We¡¯re okay, I think.¡±


    Kasumi beamed. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful to hear. I hope you¡¯re both getting excited! Anyway, with everything that happened earlier, I thought it might be a good idea to invite my date for the wedding to arrive a little early.¡±


    Ranko slid to her feet. Date? Did she really¡­ Her face lit up in a bright smile as Kasumi stepped out of the doorway to admit Dr. Tofu Ono, clad not in his usual black gi, but in a dapper gray suit with a white dress shirt and a lavender tie ostensibly chosen to match the bridesmaid dress Kasumi had yet to change into.


    ¡°Dr. Tofu! Gods, it¡¯s been ages!¡± Ranko waved, a bright smile in her eyes and on her lips. ¡°How have you been?!¡±


    The young doctor smiled warmly at his long-absent patient. ¡°Hello, Ranko! Things are¡­¡± He looked up at Kasumi with a soft smile, even as Ranko took a step back for fear of her spinal column. ¡°Things are wonderful. I¡¯d ask how things are going for you two, but given that there¡¯s a wedding dress hanging up over there, I¡¯d guess pretty good, this morning notwithstanding?¡± He laughed merrily as Akane hugged him from the side. ¡°Hey there, Akane. Good to see you! Kasumi tells me you¡¯re in school for chiropractic medicine?¡±


    Akane beamed proudly. ¡°Yes sir! Just like you!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really great, Akane. I¡¯m honored, and if you ever need any help with training or recommendations or anything, please, give me a call.¡± The doctor pulled up one of the wooden dinette chairs, setting it in front of the bed and turning it backward before straddling it.


    ¡°I gotta tell you, Ranko,¡± the young doctor said through an amused smirk. ¡°You should have seen my face when Kasumi told me that the girl that sang some of my favorite songs was a former patient of mine. I never would have guessed!¡±


    Ranko blushed, grinning widely. Doctor Tofu? A Firebird? How freaking awesome is that?!


    Dr. Tofu turned to Akane with a disarming smile and a knowing bob of his head. ¡°And I guess that means you were the sneak, huh?¡±


    ¡°Look, in fairness,¡± Akane said, blushing furiously. ¡°I¡¯m gonna marry her today in front of everybody I know. So at least I¡¯m a recovering sneak!¡±


    ¡°Fair point!¡± The doctor turned his gaze with a laugh back to his patient. ¡°So, Ranko. I understand there was an¡­ incident today with your curse? Wanna walk me through it?¡±


    The redhead grinned in appreciation and understanding. Kasumi¡¯s a friggin¡¯ genius. She knows how much research he did on Jusenkyo when he was trying to help me fix the Cat¡¯s Tongue, and we can trust him to keep it quiet.


    ¡°Well, Doc, first off let me say, I haven¡¯t been¡­ what I used to be¡­ in almost two years now. Not even once. I¡¯ve been so, so careful. And then today, when Pop threw the kettle at me¡­ nothing happened. I just got out of a hot shower, and same thing. No change. For the life of me I can¡¯t figure out why, but I think I might be¡­cured somehow?¡± She fidgeted on the foot of the bed, sitting cross-legged and looking up at the doctor with a hopeful expression.


    The chiropractor nodded sagely. ¡°And the Cat¡¯s Tongue?¡±


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°Same as it always was. Still super sensitive to temperature, texture, touch, everything.¡± She blushed as Akane caught the corner of her eye. ¡°Everything.¡±


    Kasumi flushed furiously, hiding her face behind her hand as she gazed out the window, looking out for more of the girls¡¯ wedding party. After two months of dating, her boyfriend had reached a point where he could interact with patients in her presence without hurting them, so long as she didn¡¯t involve herself too much in what he was doing. Ranko had been through enough physical trauma for one wedding, though.


    The doctor smiled knowingly, but didn¡¯t react much beyond that. ¡°Okay. And have there been any other changes since I¡¯ve seen you last, that I might need to know about?¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°Not really. Pretty much exactly the same girl I was when I first got the Cat¡¯s Tongue.¡±


    Akane cleared her throat, taking Ranko¡¯s hand as she sat on the bed next to her. ¡°Not exactly, Ranko.¡± Ranko¡¯s puzzled face turned crimson a few seconds later as she realized what Akane was referring to, and she shrank a bit into her lavender robe like a turtle retreating into its shell. Akane gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We need to tell him, baby. He¡¯s a doctor, and a friend. He can¡¯t help if he doesn¡¯t have all the facts. Would it be easier if I told him?¡±


    Ranko nodded vigorously, still fully flushed. ¡°Please?¡±


    The doctor looked up to Akane expectantly. ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡±


    The elder of the two brides put her arm supportively around Ranko. Now that it was her responsibility to say it out loud, it was a little awkward for her, too, but it needed to be done for all the reasons she¡¯d just quoted to her fiancee. She finally spoke, but kept her voice down. ¡°She, um¡­ she had her first period about a year ago, and pretty much regularly since.¡±


    Dr. Tofu nodded contemplatively as Ranko shyly buried her face in Akane¡¯s robe. ¡°Well, that certainly is interesting. Ranko, I understand this is all pretty awkward to talk about, and I¡¯m sorry to have to ask you this stuff. Thing is, I don¡¯t recall ever reading about an instance of that happening to someone who had a curse like yours. There might be something to it. But, you seem physically fine otherwise. Other than the usual Cat¡¯s Tongue stuff, do you feel alright? Is everything else okay with your¡­¡± He gestured to her lower abdomen, and Ranko got the hint.


    Ranko couldn¡¯t believe she was about to talk about¡­ girl stuff like that with any guy, but especially one she¡¯d known and respected for so long. ¡°I¡­ think so? I feel fine, and I don¡¯t know what it feels like down there for any other girls, but I think it¡¯s normal. Akane¡¯s never called me out on anything she noticed out of the ordinary or nothin¡¯. And, I mean, I¡¯ve taken my share of hard hits and stuff, going back to before all this, but nothing I can think of that jumps out at me.¡±


    Again, the doctor nodded, as if mentally taking notes of everything the girls told him. ¡°And I presume you two are¡­ you know¡­¡±


    It was Akane¡¯s turn to blush, but Ranko was the one that emphatically answered. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± She grinned playfully to her left, watching Akane crumble in real time as Ranko admitted in no uncertain terms to the man she¡¯d once had a crush on that the pair frequently had, and quite enjoyed, sex together as two women. ¡°As for whether or not that¡¯s normal¡­ let¡¯s just say with the Cat¡¯s Tongue, it¡¯s¡­ a little different for me.¡±


    The doctor¡¯s eyes widened as he put together what Ranko was telling him. Welp, that¡¯s a mental image I didn¡¯t need today. ¡°But, not bad different?¡±


    Ranko flushed, but took an almost sadistic pleasure in the fact that Akane was even more flustered by the line of questioning than she was. ¡°Only for our neighbors.¡±


    ¡°Oooo-kay!¡± Dr. Tofu chuckled awkwardly, ruffling his hair before standing and pulling the chair out from between his legs. ¡°I don¡¯t have any answers for you, Ranko. Not right now. I can try to research things for you, but my question is, do you even want me to? You don¡¯t seem especially upset by this turn of events.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I want to understand why it happened, Doc. And I want to know if this is a fluke or a new normal. But¡­¡± Ranko looked to Akane timidly for reassurance and received a soft smile and a slow nod in response. Ranko exhaled deeply. She was going to have to say it out loud. She was going to have to ask for something she only recently had fully admitted to herself. Something she never thought would be within her grasp.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to fix it. I want¡­ I wanna stay like I am. I wanna be a girl forever.¡±

 164. A Tale of Two Dressing Rooms

    July 6, 1991


    11:21 AM


    Ranko and Akane emerged from the upstairs apartment into a frenzy of activity on the ground floor. Loved ones ran this way and that with last-minute decorations and food ingredients of every description. Ayako and Kage were shuttling load after load of flowers through the glass double doors from the back seat of the black sedan parked out front. Mei was working on replenishing the liquor bottles behind the bar, and Yui had already begun pre-mixing a large batch of Dragonfire cocktails in a huge plastic vat, so they could be served without individually mixing them. The Phoenix¡¯ signature cocktail wasn¡¯t quite as good served that way, but the batch-prepared cocktails would have the effect of freeing the bartenders up to be bridesmaids instead.


    As she¡¯d promised, Kasumi had miraculously erased nearly all evidence of the fight in the kitchen; only the dent in the walk-in cooler door remained. Akane cringed internally at the thought of her innocent big sister having to deal with the gruesome aftermath of her sword-wielding, but she appreciated beyond words that she and Nabiki had done so.


    Kneeling by the back door with an electric screwdriver drill in his hand, Soun waved to the couple as they entered the kitchen. ¡°Good morning, girls. I¡¯ve added a new triple deadbolt on here for you. A herd of elephants isn¡¯t getting through this door without a key now. I fixed the hinges on the blue door up front, too.¡±


    As Akane moved forward to hug her father, Nabiki hopped down off the prep counter where she was seated, sidling up to Ranko and speaking quietly to avoid eavesdropping by those members of Ranko¡¯s family who did not know her biggest secret. ¡°What¡¯s the verdict from the doc?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Ranko beamed, and while Nabiki was pretty confident she knew from the glint in her eyes what the rest of her answer would be, she still waited for it. ¡°I think it¡¯s forever, Nabiki. The doctor didn''t say it, but I just¡­ somehow, somewhere inside me, I just¡­ I know it.¡±


    The brunette smirked, draping her arm over Ranko¡¯s shoulders. ¡°So, helluva day for you, huh? And it¡¯s not even noon!¡±


    Ranko shook her head, but her smile outshone the sun. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be the best day of my life.¡± Her eyes shifted to the right, where Akane was quietly recounting the battle with Genma to the man who had been his best friend for more than thirty years. ¡°I mean, it was gonna be anyway, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey, here,¡± Nabiki said, slipping a small metal object into Ranko¡¯s hand with a cringe delivered by way of an apology. ¡°We found this. We didn¡¯t know if you¡¯d want it, but¡­¡±


    Ranko, fairly certain she knew what the object was without looking, nodded and slipped it into the pocket of her jeans. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Everybody,¡± Ranko said loudly to draw the attention of all four of the other Tendos. ¡°I just want to say thank you to all of you. You all worked so hard to get today back on track for us after¡­ everything. You¡¯ve all been amazing through the whole process of planning, but today? My gods. You¡¯re all freakin¡¯ heroes, and thanks to you, I still get to marry my best friend today. I¡¯ll never forget it.¡±


    Soun approached slowly, slipping between Nabiki and Akane, and placed his hand on Ranko¡¯s shoulder. It was really weird to see him in a polo shirt and jeans rather than his gi. He smiled down at the girl who was hours from marrying his daughter. It was a thought he could never have condoned a few months ago, and yet, the excitement in Akane¡¯s eyes was unmistakable. He didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d seen her that happy at any point since before his wife had passed away.


    ¡°Ranko, I want to apologize for what happened to you this morning,¡± Soun began.


    The red-haired bride looked up at her soon-to-be-father-in-not-quite-law with a quizzical expression in her eyes. ¡°What for? You didn¡¯t do it.¡±


    The Tendo patriarch sighed heavily. ¡°Perhaps not, but I didn¡¯t do enough to stop it. I let my friendship for your father get in the way of my duty to you. I should have cut ties with him far sooner than I did, and I should have done more to make sure you girls were protected.¡± He bowed low. ¡°You deserved better from me, Ranko. You and Akane both did, but especially you, and I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Ranko bowed in return, and gave him a reassuring smile. ¡°I don¡¯t hold you responsible. He¡¯s the jerk, not you. But I appreciate you saying that anyway, and I appreciate you being here for us now, father.¡±


    Soun grinned contentedly at the honorific. Maybe it was the wedding setting, but his facial expression was somehow different than it usually was when Ranko used that word for him - softer, gentler than usual. Was that¡­ pride?


    Ranko opened her mouth to say something, but before a sound could escape, she felt a hand on her lower back. Turning, she found herself face-to-face with Izumi. It was beyond strange for Izumi to be seen in public without her hair and makeup perfectly done, but she had decided to do her own preparations upstairs alongside her four sisters this morning.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m afraid I need to kidnap this one now.¡± Izumi lovingly stroked her hand down the damp, loosely wavy hair on the right side of Ranko¡¯s face with a bright smile and the tiniest hint of a giggle. ¡°We have to get her all pretty for her wedding.¡±


    Akane stepped forward, cupping her hand against Ranko¡¯s flushed cheek and turning her lover¡¯s head away from Izumi. She closed her eyes, giving the young woman, as all signs now indicated Ranko would forever be, a soft kiss on the lips. Ranko whimpered slightly, and it wasn¡¯t the Cat¡¯s Tongue that triggered it.


    ¡°The next time I kiss you,¡± Akane said as she opened her soft, adoring eyes, ¡°you will be my wife.¡±


    Ranko blushed shyly. She wanted to kiss Akane again, but it would have made her lover¡¯s sweet sentiment untrue. Instead, she leaned into Akane¡¯s assertion. ¡°And every time after that.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Izumi laughed, physically steering Ranko toward the stairs with her hands. ¡°Save the mushy stuff for when you get out there!¡±


    Ranko ached so badly to tell her. To celebrate with her. The girl you made out of me is here to stay, Izzi. Of course, to do that would have been to admit her femininity had ever been in doubt, and she wasn¡¯t prepared to have that conversation, least of all today. Izumi pushed the door to the apartment at the top of the stairs open, and Ranko barely recognized the room she stepped into.


    The dress bag had been removed from Ranko¡¯s dress, exposing the sparkly pearl-encrusted masterpiece. Matching bridesmaid gowns in red, blue, green and yellow hung from the shower curtain rod in the bathroom, and Mei¡¯s makeup bag rested on the small counter next to the sink. Three small plastic folding tables had been set up in a line along the wall with the door out to the landing, and each was equipped with a lighted makeup mirror and a folding chair. Two of the three stations had makeup bags of their own already waiting; Ranko recognized Yui¡¯s and Ayako¡¯s. The kitchenette counter had become a buffet of every conceivable cosmetic product from fake eyelashes to foundation to lipstick to mascara and more, and the dinette table had been converted into a salon workstation complete with a blowdryer, a curling iron, a pair of scissors, and several brushes and combs of various types. The silver floral comb Nodoka had gifted to Ranko also waited there in its tattered cardboard box.


    ¡°Holy shit, Izzi. You ain¡¯t fuckin¡¯ around,¡± Ranko said with a blush and a giggle.


    Ranko¡¯s sister and stylist flashed her a sassy smirk. ¡°When it comes to beauty, we don¡¯t half-ass it in this family. You of all people should know that by now, sis.¡± She pulled a chair out from under the dinette table, turning its seat to face Ranko. ¡°Your chariot awaits, Mrs. Tendo.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the procedure, boss?¡± Ranko sat, looking up at Izumi.


    The apartment door swung open and Yui entered the room. ¡°¡®Sup, Ranko? Ready to do this thing?¡±


    Ranko blushed, waving to Yui. ¡°As I¡¯m gonna be. Nervous as hell. It¡¯s¡­ been a day.¡±


    A sage nod came in reply as Yui slid into the metal chair paired with the makeshift vanity closest to the front door. ¡°I heard. Crazy shit. But you girls are okay?¡±


    Ranko nodded, her eyes sparkling. So much better than okay, Yui. I woke up to a song, got into a brawl, and ended up with a miracle. And I still get to marry Akane on top of it all. ¡°Luckily for me, I¡¯m marrying my bodyguard today.¡±


    ¡°There are worse moves.¡± Yui grinned. ¡°I¡¯m really stoked for ya, Ran-chan.¡±


    Izzi walked around Ranko¡¯s chair to stand in her sister¡¯s line of sight. ¡°We all are,¡± she concurred. ¡°You deserve every happiness, Ranko. We¡¯re all so glad to be a part of it with you. We love you so much, little sister.¡±


    Ranko stood, wrapping her arms around Izumi¡¯s neck. ¡°I love you all, too.¡±


    Yui stopped teasing her hair for a moment, turning to the pair. ¡°Hey, Iz, Aya said she¡¯d be up in a couple minutes. Mei¡¯s getting the first round of food in the oven, but she needed some more flour, so Aya ran up to the store quick.¡±


    With a little cringe, Ranko nodded in acknowledgement as she retook her seat. Probably because most of it got spilled out when I dropkicked Pop over the prep counter. Sorry about that, girls.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m thinking: makeup first, then hair, and dress last. Work for you?¡± Izumi leaned over Ranko¡¯s shoulder from behind, pulling her slightly-damp hair back into a ponytail to clear the canvas of her face.


    Ranko shrugged her shoulders with a grin. ¡°Whatever you think is best, Iz. I trust y¡­¡± She was interrupted by a knock at the door.


    <hr>


    Akane stalked through the cramped little office, made all the more so by the two folding tables supplied with backlit makeup mirrors butted up to the tattered couch. Hana¡¯s desk, which had been cleared of paperwork for the first time in Akane¡¯s memory, was pushed all the way to the back wall and piled with a mishmash of cosmetics, hair products and such.


    Akane only had eight steps¡¯ worth of space, so she pivoted on her heels and walked back the way she came, her pace seeming to quicken with every step. She took a deep breath through her nose, exhaling it slowly through her mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna wear a damn hole in the floor, Akane. Would you please just relax?¡± Nabiki crossed her legs as she reclined in Hana¡¯s peeling leather office chair.


    ¡°How the hell am I supposed to relax?¡± Akane whirled on her sister, a frantic expression in her eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve only got a few hours, and we¡¯ve still gotta get makeup and hair and everything done, and there¡¯s nobody to finish the setup out there ¡®cause we¡¯re all getting dressed, and¡­¡±


    Her rant trailed off as Nabiki stood and clapped her hand on her shoulder. ¡°Hana¡¯s out in the front room directing traffic. She¡¯s got Kaito, Kage, Daddy, Ukyo, Dr. Tofu and Crash busting their asses out there. Ayako picked up the flowers and the cake already, and Kasumi and Mei are almost done getting the food in the oven now. As soon as it¡¯s all going, Kasumi will be in here helping us get ready. Izzi¡¯s already up there working on Ranko. We¡¯ve got plenty of time, and besides, it¡¯s not like the bar¡¯s gonna kick us out if we start a few minutes late, considering Ranko¡¯s family owns the joint.


    ¡°I promise, honey, everything¡¯s under control. I get it, you¡¯re nervous, you¡¯re keyed up from the fight this morning and everything, but there are a whole lot of people in this building who are ready to move heaven and earth to give you two an amazing day, and there¡¯s more on the way. I know you¡¯re used to it being you and Ranko against the world, but today of all days, you need to trust your families and your friends to take care of you girls. So, just breathe, okay?¡±


    Akane nodded, exhaling slowly and deliberately. ¡°I¡¯ll try. Oh, hey, were you and Dad able to take care of the¡­ other thing?¡±


    Nabiki flashed her sister a toothy, confident grin. ¡°Of course. You think I¡¯d letcha down? It¡¯s all in my bag, ready to go whenever you give the word.¡±


    <hr>


    Looking around to confirm everyone was decent, Ranko called out to the unknown visitor at the door. ¡°Come in!¡±


    The door swung inward, and a tall, middle-aged brunette in a snow white kimono stepped into the room. She seemed nervous. ¡°Hello, everyone.¡± Nodoka¡¯s eyes moved from Yui to Izumi. ¡°Would you girls mind giving me a few minutes alone with my daughter before you get started?¡±


    Izumi squeezed Ranko¡¯s shoulder as she put down the unopened bottle of foundation in her hand. ¡°Sure thing. C¡¯mon, Yui, let¡¯s see if Mei needs any more help so we can get her sprung.¡±


    Yui pointed in Ranko¡¯s direction as she stood. ¡°Love ya, girl!¡±


    Mirroring her gesture with flushed cheeks, Ranko responded. ¡°Love you too, Yui!¡± She stood as her sisters exited the room and closed the door behind them, giving Nodoka a shallow bow. ¡°Hello, mother.¡±


    Waving off her bow rather than returning it, Nodoka stepped closer and pulled her daughter into a hug before looking her over, inspecting her for injuries. ¡°Are you alright, Ranko? Kasumi told me what your father did this morning.¡±


    Ranko nodded softly, sitting on the edge of the bed Izumi had made while setting up the mobile salon in the little apartment that had so long been her home. ¡°Your sword came in awfully handy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your sword now, Ranko. It¡¯s your legacy.¡± Nodoka sneered, the dark expression seeming out of place on such an age-defyingly cherubic face. ¡°That said, I might need to borrow it back for a few days after the wedding and go panda hunting.¡±


    With a morbid chuckle, Ranko bobbed her head. ¡°Whatever you want. Somehow, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be back this time. I thought that last time, but¡­ something tells me he knows he¡¯s never gonna get what he wants out of me now. And if he does show up, I almost pity him. Akane, Mom and Yui will be lined up to take him apart with their bare hands. I think even Crash wants a shot at him.¡± She blushed, brushing her hair out of eyes as an excuse to hide behind her hand as she recalled her friend and bandmate coming to her defense against Takao Tashima.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Nodoka walked aimlessly over to the dinette table as she spoke. ¡°You have more right to seek vengeance against him than anyone.¡±


    Ranko looked off to her left at the shower stall, where her four sisters¡¯ bridesmaid gowns still hung, with a contented sigh. Not two hours ago, Akane had held her in it while she confirmed that, for whatever mysterious, miraculous reason, she only had one reason to fear hot water rather than two. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I have everything in the world I need, and everything in the world I want. All I need from Pop is to never see him again.¡±


    Nodoka walked back from the little pine table, sitting on the edge of the bed behind Ranko. Ranko started to swivel to face her mother, but stopped when she felt something move against her scalp. Nodoka¡¯s practiced, gentle hand slid Izumi¡¯s pink chrome brush through her hair, every little plastic bristle massaging her daughter¡¯s scalp as it moved.


    ¡°Mm¡­ That feels awesome.¡± Ranko smiled softly, both at the physical sensation and the emotional one. She listened. She remembered. I told her I used to dream about her brushing my hair, and she remembered. She felt warm all over, as if she were being massaged and hugged at the same time. Not ten days ago, Ranko could not have imagined even being in the same room with her biological mother again, and now, this?


    Knowing that Izumi had a plan for the young bride¡¯s hair already, Nodoka didn¡¯t seek to style it. Her entire goal had been to show her daughter affection, and judging from Ranko¡¯s reaction, it was working. ¡°I am so, so proud of you, Ranko. I could tell you a million times and still never make up for all the time we lost. You are the most formidable woman I¡¯ve ever met; do you know that?¡±


    Not a chance. You¡¯ve met Hana. And Akane. And Yui. She relaxed her shoulders, her head lolling back against the pink hairbrush. But the compliment feels nice anyway.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Nodoka set the brush down on the purple duvet cover, rising to her feet and walking around the bed in front of her daughter. ¡°I am so honored to be here with you today.¡± She leaned down, kissing Ranko gently on the forehead. ¡°You are ready for this, sweetheart.¡±


    She turned for the door, but before she could reach the handle, Ranko¡¯s voice interrupted her. ¡°Mother? I, um¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do with this. Do you want it?¡±


    Ranko extracted her hand from the pocket of her jeans as Nodoka turned, opening her hand to reveal a cheap, nondescript mens¡¯ gold ring.


    ¡°Your father¡¯s wedding ring.¡± Nodoka looked it over in Ranko¡¯s palm curiously, as if it was some artifact dug up from a long-lost civilization.


    Ranko did not envy whichever of Akane¡¯s sisters had collected the ring from the grisly aftermath of the fight downstairs. ¡°Yeah. He, um, dropped it this morning.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised he still wore it,¡± Nodoka said quietly, plucking it out of Ranko¡¯s hand tentatively as if she thought it might poison her to touch it.


    Ranko shrugged. ¡°He never did, when we lived with Akane¡¯s family. Or, really, even before that. I think he might¡¯ve put it on just in case he ran into you. One less thing for you to be mad at him about, I guess.¡±


    Nodoka laughed, a loving smile evicting the momentary bout of nostalgia from her eyes. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say that, you know.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But it¡¯s true.¡± Ranko slid to her feet, peeking out the window to see if she spotted anyone else she knew approaching the bar. Not that he was likely to see it, she waved to Jacob as he walked across the street from the bus stop.


    ¡°Not that, honey.¡± Nodoka walked up behind Ranko, hugging her around the torso, pinning down Ranko¡¯s forearms, and resting her chin on her child¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t call them Akane¡¯s family anymore. They¡¯re yours too, now. Or will be soon enough, anyway.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s cheeks went crimson, grinning ear-to-ear. ¡°Yeah! I guess they are! Man, I never in a million years would¡¯ve thought a day would come when I¡¯d have more family than I could keep track of.¡±


    Nodoka could only squeeze her daughter tighter. ¡°You deserve it, honey, and so much more, and everyone who loves you is going to make sure you never forget that again. Especially me.¡± She released Ranko¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I should get out of here and let the girls get you ready. I¡¯ll see you downstairs.¡±


    Ranko bobbed her head. ¡°Sounds good. And hey. Thanks. I mean it.¡±


    The kimono-clad woman nodded, wordlessly pulling open the apartment door and exiting. As she did, Ranko clearly heard the distinctive plink of a small metal object being dropped into the ceramic trash can next to the door.


    <hr>


    ¡°Akane! Hold still, please.¡± Kasumi pulled the hot curling iron in her hand away from Akane¡¯s head for fear of burning her little sister¡¯s ear.


    The fidgety bride blushed. ¡°Sorry, sis. Hey, what time is it?¡±


    Nabiki watched herself groan in one of the backlit makeup mirrors as she ran a mascara brush through her left eyelash. ¡°About two minutes later than the last time you asked. Seriously, do I need to get somebody to bring you a shot of something to calm your nerves?¡±


    Akane shook her head vigorously. ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°Akane! You¡¯re going to make me burn you if you don¡¯t sit still!¡± Kasumi¡¯s voice had a sharp tone of admonishment that never failed to get Akane¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± The bride winced. ¡°I¡¯m trying. It¡¯s just, like, I feel like my skin¡¯s crawling, I¡¯m so excited. I just wanna get out there and see her so bad!¡±


    Nabiki sat back on the leather couch, pivoting the mirror in front of her to get a better angle on her lips. ¡°Devil¡¯s advocate, Akane. You¡¯ll get out there quicker if you stop making getting you ready such a pain in the ass.¡±


    Akane laughed with her sister. ¡°I¡¯m gonna remember all of this, you know, and when you¡¯re a total basket case at your wedding, I¡¯m going to remind you about how much shit you gave me.¡±


    ¡°And this is why I don¡¯t intend to get married. There¡¯s plenty of other ways to get a boy¡¯s attention when I want it, where I can get rid of it when I don¡¯t.¡± Nabiki smirked. ¡°Besides, then I¡¯d have to write up a whole prenuptial agreement, set up a shell corporation for all my holdings¡­ It¡¯s a huge hassle.¡±


    Kasumi smiled as she worked to secure the silver tiara in her hands into her sister¡¯s hair. ¡°Well, I for one think there¡¯s nothing wrong with wanting romance, Akane. Nothing at all.¡±


    Nabiki scoffed as she capped her brownish lipstick tube. ¡°Easy for you to say, Kasumi, what with the hot doctor falling all over you.¡±


    Akane blushed. ¡°She¡¯s not wrong, big sister. Speaking of which¡­ should I be aiming for you with the bouquet? When¡¯s Doctor Tofu gonna make his move?¡±


    The face of Soun Tendo¡¯s eldest daughter turned beet red in an instant. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ Tofu and I are taking things very slowly. He¡¯s being an absolute gentleman, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just weird, hearing him referred to by just his given name.¡± Akane smiled up at her sister as another hairpin was added to her scalp.


    ¡°There¡¯s good reason to leave off his family name. It¡¯s what his patients say all the time. Ono! Kasumi¡¯s bringing him lunch! He¡¯s gonna kill us all!¡± Nabiki cackled as she hooked a ruby stud into her right earlobe.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a smartass, Nabiki!¡± Kasumi laughed as both of her sisters turned to look at her, slack-jawed.


    Akane stared incredulously at Nabiki, with a finger pointed at their other sister. ¡°Did¡­ did she just curse? I¡¯m not going crazy, right?¡±


    Kasumi giggled loudly as she motioned Akane out of the chair and toward the white dress that hung from a hook on the back of Hana¡¯s office door. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault, Akane. Your wife is a terrible influence.¡± She walked over to Hana¡¯s desk, opening her purse and removing a small white box with a hinge before returning to the chair where Akane sat. ¡°Akane, I want you to wear this today.¡± She popped open the box, revealing a strand of pearls that had slightly yellowed with age.


    Akane blinked. She recognized them. They were her mother¡¯s. ¡°Kasumi, I¡­¡±


    Her eldest sister leaned over her, clasping the necklace around the back of Akane¡¯s neck. ¡°She is with you today, Akane. And she¡¯s so, so proud of you. I know it.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Okay, honey. Tell me if it¡¯s too tight, alright?¡± Izumi stooped behind Ranko, lacing the back of her youngest sister¡¯s wedding dress.


    Ranko chuckled. ¡°Wait, since when do you care if it¡¯s too tight? You were a friggin¡¯ sadist every time we tried it on!¡±


    Izumi nodded. ¡°That was when you didn¡¯t get in a fight right before I got you dressed. Are your ribs still hurting?¡±


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ I can¡¯t handle.¡± Ranko emitted a little urk as Izumi pulled one end of the satin ribbon tighter behind her. ¡°Okay, I think that¡¯s good.¡±


    Ayako joined Izumi behind Ranko, and from the look of her in her red bridesmaid gown, she was ready to head downstairs. ¡°Here, Iz. Lemme take over. You still need to get dressed, too.¡± Taking the satin reins from her younger sister, Ayako began to tie a bow off at the small of Ranko¡¯s back. ¡°Hey there, beautiful. How we feeling?¡±


    The smallest of chuckles escaped Ranko¡¯s lips. Like I could ever begin to explain it all, Aya. ¡°Scared shitless.¡± Ranko often felt guilty that she wasn¡¯t as close with Ayako as her other sisters, owing to her not being around the Phoenix every day when Ranko had first arrived, but she really was every bit as amazing as Yui, Mei and Izzi.


    ¡°Yeah, well, ¡­¡± Ayako said as she finished the double knot, ¡°... part of the reason we make the dress so tight is so there¡¯s no room for butterflies in your stomach.¡±


    It ain¡¯t workin¡¯, Aya. Ranko looked down at her hands. She ached for her engagement ring, which was now waiting in its accompanying wrap downstairs for Akane to put back on her finger. At least she still had her promise ring on her right hand, as she knew Akane did as well, having cleared her left hand for her own wedding ring. She turned her left hand over in her hand, contemplatively.


    I am a girl. I am a woman. I have nothing to hide. Nothing to be ashamed of. Not anymore.


    With trembling fingers, she reached over with her right hand and unclasped the silver dragon bracelet from her left arm, placing it gently on the dinette table. Today, I conceal nothing. All the good in me, all the bad¡­ Akane gets it all.


    When she looked up from her arm, the activity in the room had stopped. All four of her sisters, resplendent in their matching gowns, were lined up in a semicircle, just¡­ staring at her. Ranko blushed, looking the girls over. ¡°What? Do I have something on my face?¡±


    Mei stepped forward. ¡°Ranko, you¡­ my gods, you¡¯re stunning.¡±


    Yui nodded with a smirk. ¡°I just might have to lock Sakura in a closet or somethin¡¯, so she doesn¡¯t stray.¡±


    Izumi grinned, still pushing one of her earrings through her earlobe. She started to say something, but the apartment door swung open without a knock, and there was only one person who would have the confidence to do that knowing the five women who were dressing behind it. All the girls fell silent in respect as Hana walked into the room, closing the door behind her. She wore a pair of gray slacks and a cream-colored silk blouse, with a matching gray blazer overtop. Her hair was straightened and held back in a silver headband, and a single white rose boutonniere was pinned to her left lapel. The three-centimeter heels she wore clacked on the hardwood floor in a way that demanded deference, not that she would not already have it among this group of women. Ranko thought she might actually be wearing a hint of makeup, but she discounted the possibility as ridiculous.


    But the most important thing Hana wore was a smile that could have outshone the sun.


    ¡°My gods, girls. You¡¯re all just so beautiful. I just can¡¯t even tell you how much I love you all and how proud of you all I am.¡±


    With no prompting needed, all five of Hana¡¯s daughters approached her, and the six women hugged together as a family, huddled around Ranko at the group¡¯s center.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Hana said as the group hug broke up. ¡°They¡¯re getting Akane ready to come out in just a minute. All the guests are here, and everything¡¯s all set up. The four of you can head downstairs and wait in the kitchen until Akane¡¯s out in the main bar. Ranko, honey, you¡¯ll stay up here with the door closed, just in case. We don¡¯t want to invite prying eyes. Ayako, once you see Akane make it out of the hallway, you and the girls will line up in the hallway until the music changes, and Mei, once Aya starts walking, you come back up here and hold the door open for our bride, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, mama!¡± came five cheers in unison.


    Hana beamed. ¡°Alright, girls. Get your bouquets and get down there.¡± She turned her eyes to the young woman in white. ¡°I want a minute alone with my baby.¡±


    Ayako pulled the door open, and Ranko¡¯s sisters exited the room in descending age order, each giving Ranko a little wave or blowing her a kiss as they did, until Ranko was in the room alone with her mother.


    Hana stepped close to Ranko, looking over the job Izumi had done with her hair. A narrow braid formed a crown around her skull, into which white baby¡¯s breath had been liberally braided. The two braids joined at the back of her head, and the combined braid blended into the blown-out, wavy cascade behind her head. The two braids and the remainder of Ranko¡¯s hair were held together at the back of her head by Nodoka¡¯s floral comb. She wore a pair of diamond dangle earrings and the silver and diamond star necklace Izumi had given her at her own wedding.


    ¡°I wish I¡¯d let Izumi make me one of those veil things; everybody¡¯s gonna see how much I¡¯m blushing with the way they¡¯re lookin¡¯ at me.¡± Ranko smiled up at her mom. ¡°Is it as good as everybody¡¯s saying? Be honest, Mom.¡±


    Hana nodded. ¡°Better, sweetheart. You are absolutely breathtaking.¡± She grinned, leaning down to her a little. ¡°And, I gotta say, so is Akane. It¡¯s gonna blow your mind.¡± The thought sent a warm shiver up Ranko¡¯s spine.


    Hana cupped her daughter¡¯s cheek gently in her hand. ¡°You¡¯re ready for this, Ranko. I know you don¡¯t think you are, but nobody ever does. Akane is the luckiest girl alive today, and you know what? She knows it.¡±


    Ranko shook her head. ¡°No she isn¡¯t. I am, because I have you and my sisters, and her too.¡±


    With a smile and a nod, Hana gave a single snort of laughter. ¡°So does she. Especially after today.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for taking her under your wing the way you have, Mom.¡± Ranko bit her lip a little. ¡°I mean it. Neither one of us grew up with a mom, but every time you and me did something fun and it made us closer, it broke my heart that she never got that chance. Maybe now she will.¡±


    Hana beamed at the idea. ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll be as much a mom for her as I am for you and the girls. Maybe I¡¯ll even teach her to cook.¡±


    Ranko cackled at the thought. ¡°I mean, Mom, you¡¯re a miracle worker, but even you¡¯ve got limits!¡±


    ¡°So, hey. Listen to me a minute.¡± Hana sat on the bed, where she often did when the two women had their many talks. Ranko opted not to take her usual place beside her, dressed as she was. She looked like she was fighting to keep from crying.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re about to go do a big thing. A really big thing, and like I said, I can¡¯t tell you how proud of you I am. You¡¯ve just come so far, little star. So has Akane, really, and I¡¯ll tell her the same too. You¡¯ve grown up, and grown as a person, so much since I¡¯ve known you. Like I told Nodoka, I¡¯m just in awe of the woman you¡¯ve become.


    ¡°I see no reason at all to expect it, but I want to make sure you know something. Your sisters and I will be here for you, always. Giving you away doesn¡¯t mean goodbye. If you ever need us, if you ever are unhappy, don¡¯t ever let yourself feel trapped. Okay? Like I said, I think you girls are absolutely made for each other, and I¡¯m not worried about a thing. But it¡¯s important in a relationship to know that every day you¡¯re there, you¡¯re there because you want to be, and you have somewhere you can go if you ever don¡¯t. Forever only has to be forever if you want it to be. I had the same talk with Aya and Izzi at their weddings, so it¡¯s nothing personal to you or Akane. It¡¯s just something every woman should know.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Yes, mama. I won¡¯t need it, but I appreciate that you offered. I¡¯m Akane¡¯s forever, and I don¡¯t want it any other way. I never will. But I know I always have a home here, too.¡±


    Hana smiled proudly. ¡°As it should be, baby. Do you have any questions for me before we head down?¡±


    The bride shook her head. ¡°No questions. But I do wanna say something. Mom¡­ thank you. You keep telling me how proud you are of me, and how much I¡¯ve grown, but I didn¡¯t¡­ You made me. You and the girls. Every single thing I like about me came from you guys and Akane. I¡¯m proud to make you proud. Every day, I want to show the world my best because it reflects on you. You¡¯ve just¡­ especially with my parents, and the wedding, and my music, and gods, everything, you¡¯ve just been so amazing. A girl could never, ever ask for a better mom than you. I¡¯ve put you through so much, and you¡¯ve never even blinked. I just¡­ I wish I could plug you into my heart for just a second because I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ever going to be able to express everything I feel like I need to tell you. It¡¯s just like with Akane. I love you doesn¡¯t even begin to cover it. Not even close.¡±


    Hana smiled lovingly. ¡°I know, little star. You don¡¯t have to say it. I see it in you, every day.¡± She stood as the sound of music began to waft up the stairwell outside the closed apartment door. ¡°Speaking of, did you ever come up with something to sing for Akane?¡±


    Ranko blushed. ¡°Boy, did I.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    The door to Hana¡¯s office swung open after Nabiki gave permission, and Soun Tendo entered it. He wore a white tuxedo with a black bow tie, he¡¯d shaved all but his mustache, and he looked more handsome than Akane could ever remember seeing him. He, like Hana, wore a white rose boutonniere on his left lapel.


    ¡°Hello, girls,¡± he said, smiling to each in turn but lingering on Akane. ¡°Are you all set in here?¡±


    Kasumi smiled warmly, gesturing to Akane as if presenting her for display. ¡°Father, I believe our sister is ready to be married.¡±


    Soun stepped closer to Akane, gently stroking her cheek, ever so careful not to disturb her hair or her makeup. ¡°Akane, I cannot even begin to tell you how beautiful you are today.¡±


    The bride blushed furiously. ¡°Aww, dad! Do you think Ranko will like it?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯d be a fool not to,¡± Soun said with a grin. ¡°Is everybody up on the plan for how we head out?¡± Three nods of affirmation came in reply.


    ¡°Okay. Kasumi, Nabiki, go ahead and get set in the hallway. I want just a moment with Akane, please.¡± Soun smiled at his youngest daughter.


    Kasumi motioned to Nabiki to follow her, giving Akane a little wave. ¡°Yes, Father. Akane, we love you, and we¡¯ll see you soon!¡± Nabiki stood from her seat on the couch, an orange and a purple bouquet in her hands, and passed the latter off to Kasumi as they exited the room and Nabiki closed the door behind them.


    ¡°Akane, I¡­¡± Soun ran his fingers through his hair nervously, going silent for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just¡­ I¡¯m trying.¡±


    The bride stepped forward, resting her hand on her father¡¯s forearm. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s okay. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Soun wiped a tear from his cheek. ¡°Not a thing, Akane. Not a thing at all. I¡¯m just¡­¡± He bit his lip. ¡°I¡¯m trying to find the words your mother would say to you today if she were here.¡±


    Akane¡¯s fingers were drawn to the pearl necklace around her throat. ¡°She is here, Dad. I feel her in my heart. So why don¡¯t you tell me what words my father would say to me? They¡¯re just as important to me.¡±


    Tears streaking down both of his cheeks and getting lost in the corners of his bushy mustache, Soun reached out and squeezed Akane¡¯s shoulder. Whether it was for her comfort or his own, Akane didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Your father would say that no man has ever been as proud of his daughter as I am of you right now. He would say that he loves you more than all the world. He would say that nothing has made him as happy in a long time as seeing the look in your eyes right now and knowing how happy, and how ready for your future, you are. And he would say how terribly sorry he is that it took him so long to see it.¡±


    Akane stepped forward, the tulle underskirt of her dress making a quiet crunching sound as she hugged her father tight around the waist. ¡°I love you, Daddy.¡±


    Soun leaned down and enveloped his arms around her back, squeezing her like he was afraid he would lose her. He held her wordlessly for several seconds before responding. ¡°I love you too, Akane.¡±


    Finally he straightened, wiping both of his cheeks with his fingers, and offered his youngest daughter his bent elbow. ¡°Come on, honey. Let¡¯s go get you married.¡±

 165. Anything-Goes Marital Arts

    July 6, 1991


    3:14 PM


    His eyes taking in the crowd of people staring at him, Hoshi began his slow walk down the red carpet aisle, balancing two mahogany jewelry boxes on a white satin pillow. He wore a black tuxedo, his black hair slicked back with gel. On his lapel was pinned a white rosebud and a single sprig of green hydrangea, intended to match his mother¡¯s bouquet. As he reached the foot of the ramp, he saw several of his Auntie Ranko¡¯s friends from cheerleading seated in the back row. He didn¡¯t recognize most of them, but he remembered Shiori from Ranko¡¯s birthday parties. The other side of the back row was full of women Hoshi didn¡¯t know. Maybe some of Miss Akane¡¯s friends? On the other side of the back row, the man who he¡¯d seen holding hands with Miss Kasumi was seated, as were Hitomi and Emi, both in glittery jewel-tone dresses.


    As Here Comes the Bride rained from the speakers overhead, Hoshi passed the second row of chairs. On his right, he recognized Ken sitting with a tall young man with blue hair that Hoshi didn¡¯t know. One of the empty seats was probably for Jacob, who was standing off to the side playing the wedding march on his synthesizer on a folding metal stand. On his left, Shinji and Ariel were seated, as well as two women he didn¡¯t know. One of them had bright green hair, and she was moving her hands strangely in the face of the brown-haired girl sitting next to her as if she was trying to tell her something without using any words.


    He passed the front row, smiling brightly to his stepfather on his right. Next to him was his Uncle Kage, and Miss Sakura in a bright blue dress, and the two seats closest to the aisle were empty. Hoshi knew one of them was for him; he was supposed to sit down next to his dad once Auntie Ranko and Miss... Auntie Akane, he reminded himself, had taken the rings off of his pillow. On the other side, Auntie Ranko¡¯s friend Kumiko sat in a light pink floral skater dress, next to Crash and Miss Ukyo. The last two seats were empty, reserved for Auntie Akane¡¯s dad and Auntie Ranko¡¯s other mom.


    Hoshi finally made it to the top of the ramp and disembarked onto the wooden stage, stepping close to his grandmother. Hana squeezed him tight around the shoulders, whispering down to him. ¡°Great job, little man.¡± Behind her stood a small wooden podium with a huge empty glass vase on it, and a microphone stand was set at the very front left corner of the stage, out of the way of the walking path.


    Every head in the audience turned as Kasumi walked down the aisle behind him in her lavender gown, a bouquet of fragrant freesia cradled in her arms. Crash and Dr. Tofu both snapped pictures as fast as their little disposable film cameras could click, and just as Kasumi passed the front row of seats on her ascent, her sister Nabiki emerged from the curtain Kaito had hung around the bar area in a matching dress of vibrant orange. Leaving two meters of space between them, Kasumi took a position to Hana¡¯s right, waving to the good doctor in the third row from the stage. She beamed down at Nabiki as the younger girl ascended the ramp, cradling a bundle of orange calla lilies. Nabiki took a position to her right, and Kasumi only stopped smiling at her when the chorus of gasps from the assembled guests alerted her to the arrival of her other sister.


    Every person in the bar room chairs stood and turned to face the back bar, as Soun Tendo emerged from behind the curtain in his white tuxedo. Holding his right elbow in her left hand, with a huge bundle of flowers crooked in her right, the first of the wedding¡¯s two brides simply radiated excitement. What a day it had already been for her and Ranko, and forever was but a few heartbeats away now.


    Akane¡¯s dress came to the middle of her calves, supported by a single layer of puffy lace underneath. The whole of it was done in a shimmering white satin, with large puffy round sleeves bunched around both of her forearms. The dress had a keyhole neckline exposing a bit of her upper chest, clasped at her throat with a sparkling white faux jewel that matched the ones in the silver tiara she wore. A walking slit made its way up her right leg to her knees, itself trimmed in white lace to help close the gap as she moved. The apron-style dress was cinched about her waist with a wide silvery-white sash, tied in a large bow at the small of her back. She wore a pair of diamond stud earrings and her mother¡¯s pearls, which peeked out through the keyhole on her chest.


    The bouquet she carried consisted of twelve long-stemmed white roses surrounding four purple freesia and four orange calla lilies, representing her two sisters. It was stuffed liberally with sprigs of white baby¡¯s breath, and tied together with a simple white satin ribbon.


    To the clicking of half a dozen disposable cameras and the rhythm of Here Comes the Bride, Akane stepped forward with her left leg, bringing her right forward to match with each step. Her father did the same. It took her nearly a minute for Akane to pass through the gap in the three rows of her family and friends, wishing she had a free hand to wave to them. As it was, she could only smile in response, but she made sure every single person in the audience got a smile of their very own.


    She felt like she could fly.


    Akane¡¯s father escorted her onto the stage, and she took a position to Hana¡¯s immediate right. Soun lifted her left hand in his own, kissing the back of it. He flashed her a fawning smile before descending the stairs to stage left and taking a seat in the first row as the assembled guests took their seats again as well.


    Hana leaned down to Akane with a giddy smile, whispering to her. ¡°You look amazing, honey.¡±


    Akane blushed, fidgeting with her feet a bit. ¡°Thanks, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Auntie Akane!¡± Hoshi waved to her with his free hand, still supporting the pillow.


    As Hana shushed him, Akane waved back with a loving grin. ¡°Hey there, Hoshi. You¡¯re so handsome,¡± she whispered excitedly.


    The speakers fell silent, and every head turned back to the gap between the two black curtains that had been draped around the bar counters from the ceiling.


    As the first notes of his piano re-arrangement of You¡¯re My Song began to flow from Jacob¡¯s fingertips, Ayako emerged from behind the bar in her striking red dress. It, like Kasumi and Nabiki¡¯s before it, had a square neckline and sheer sleeves running the length of her arms to the wrists. Her jet-black hair was curled in bouncy waves, draped mostly over her right shoulder. The corset-style waist tapered into a puffy organza skirt in a slightly lighter red that just reached her knees, and a cluster of three silk pink flowers rested above her left breast. She held a dozen bright red tulips in her hands. She took the walk down the aisle a bit more quickly than Akane¡¯s sisters had. Leaving two meters of space to Hana¡¯s left, Ayako stood on that side next to her mother.


    Behind her came Yui, in an extremely bright yellow dress in the same style, a bundle of twelve daisies in her arms. She wore a long silver necklace with a gold heart dangling from it, an anniversary gift from Sakura, and a pair of gold stud earrings. Under her sleeves, she wore a pair of beige arm warmers that Izumi had made for her, obscuring the scars up her forearms from view under the sheer sleeves. The wraps themselves were camouflaged against her skin under the sleeves, making it nearly impossible to notice them. She wore a pair of yellow five-centimeter heels.


    As Yui took her place to Ayako¡¯s left, Izumi appeared from behind the curtain in her mint-colored gown, green-tinged hydrangea overflowing her left arm. Radiant as ever, she blew a kiss to her husband in the first row before she reached the top of the ramp, and gave her son a slight wave and a toothy smile of pride as she passed his spot in front of Hana and joined her sisters.


    That left Mei, who bounced gleefully out of the space between the two bar counters in her deep blue dress. The cerulean organza flounced around her legs as she moved on her ten-centimeter chunky heels. She bore a bundle of long, straight shoots of delphinium in a brilliant blue. Her hair, for once not in her trademark twin pigtails, was instead in two large buns behind her ears, each pinned in place with a jade chopstick.


    Again, everyone that was seated stood and turned to face the corner of the main bar. On any other night, a raucous crowd would have been lined up four deep there to order their Dragonfires and pizzas.


    It was not any other night.


    Ranko looked up at her mother behind the black curtain Kaito had hung around the bar counter, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly through her mouth. ¡°Here we go.¡±


    She stepped forward, first the left leg, then joining it with the right. Her flowing satin dress, puffing out around her waist supported by her slip and two layers of tulle petticoats, came just a centimeter from the floor, permitting only the slightest glimpse of her short white heels when she walked. The stiff shell of faux pearls encasing her torso caught every beam of light and reflected it, as did the shimmery bits of glitter and silver thread in her skirt, so she sparkled just a little differently with every step. Both of her hands were wrapped around a bouquet of twenty flowers that she held at her waist, with Nodoka clinging onto her left elbow.


    Like Akane¡¯s, her bouquet had twelve white roses in it, but instead of four flowers representing each of her sisters, there were two each of Izumi¡¯s green hydrangea, Mei¡¯s blue delphinium, Yui¡¯s yellow daisies and Ayako¡¯s red tulips, the whole thing tied with a long white ribbon.


    Nodoka accompanied her step-for-step in an unadorned white silk formal kimono tied with a wide silvery obi printed with a pattern of little white flowers. Her long auburn hair was back in a tight bun supported by two silver chopsticks, as the comb she would have normally used for such an occasion now crowned her daughter¡¯s hair half a meter to her right.


    ¡°Who the hell is that,¡± Kumiko asked the blond man in the black suit sitting to her right in a whisper.


    ¡°It¡¯s Ranko¡¯s mom. Her rea¡­ her birth mom.¡± Crash beamed. He knew, perhaps more than anyone outside of Ranko¡¯s family, just how much the failed attempts at connection with Nodoka had hurt his friend. ¡°They must¡¯ve worked their shit out, I guess.¡±


    Kumi grinned with joy for her best friend. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± She winced, remembering the video camera in her hand. She¡¯d borrowed it from her dad for the weekend, and she¡¯d not considered that it was picking up her conversation as it recorded the bridal procession.


    ¡°Holy shit, Mom.¡± Akane¡¯s eyes were like saucers as the vision that was her bride appeared around the corner.


    Hana chuckled, remembering the conversation they¡¯d had when Akane first saw Ranko as a bridesmaid at Izumi¡¯s wedding. ¡°I know, right? And just look how happy she is. Have you ever seen her glow like that before?¡±


    Indeed, as every person waiting in the three rows of chairs got their own moment of eye contact, their own smile, and the opportunity to snap a picture, Ranko positively radiated excitement. And contentment. And hope. But once everyone standing in front of their seats had gotten their moment, the true focus of Ranko¡¯s heart became clear.


    Ranko took the last twelve steps without breaking eye contact with Akane, willing herself not to even blink. She wanted to experience every nanosecond of the moment she could get, beaming absolute devotion and infatuation through her eyes at her stunning bride. Damn, Izumi, you really brought it on her dress, too. She¡¯s amazing. Gods, Akane. We made it. We¡¯re here. It¡¯s been a hell of a day, but nobody can stop us. Nobody. You and me, we¡¯re invincible. We¡¯re destiny. We¡¯re forever, silly girl.


    Nodoka released her daughter¡¯s arm at the top of the ramp, descending it and walking around the group of chairs to take her seat beside Soun.


    Ranko couldn¡¯t help but giggle as she found herself alone at the top of the carpeted ramp, taking one final step closer to Akane to land on the stage proper. She had stood on this stage hundreds, maybe thousands, of times, but never, never had it felt like this.


    Akane blushed as she followed Ranko¡¯s eyes taking in every centimeter of her, giving her a little wave without moving her elbows. ¡°Hey there, princess.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s blush had not stopped since she exited the curtain, but it found a deeper shade still at Akane¡¯s greeting, which somehow felt even more appropriate today than it had when she¡¯d portrayed Ariel at Disneyland. Maybe it was because this time, Akane meant her, and not a character she was playing. ¡°Hey there yourself, beautiful.¡± Ranko took her place to her mother¡¯s left, within arm¡¯s reach of her bride, reaching across Hana¡¯s body to give Akane¡¯s hand a quick squeeze. To hell with the traditions, she wanted to kiss that girl so damn bad. Just a few more minutes, Ranko. A few more minutes until eternity.


    Once Ranko was in her position, Mei slid out from her spot at the back of the line her sisters made. She picked up the microphone stand, walking behind the line of her four sisters to place it just behind Hana, and switched it on. The stand projected the boom out between Ranko and Hana¡¯s shoulders, so it could pick up all three women¡¯s voices. This done, Mei resumed her place to Izumi¡¯s left.


    ¡°Friends, family¡­ welcome,¡± Hana began, already fighting back tears. ¡°We¡¯re here today because these two incredible young women did an amazing thing. Something that many of us only dream of doing, and the luckiest of us only get once in our lifetimes. Something that everyone outside this room told them was impossible. But, if there is anything I know about Akane and Ranko, it¡¯s that impossible is not in either of their vocabularies. And so, with the whole world telling them no, they followed their hearts, and they were led to this place, on this day, with all of us. We who love them have gathered here with them to celebrate Akane and Ranko having conquered the impossible together, and fallen in love.¡±


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    ¡°Wow,¡± Kaito whispered to Kage. ¡°That was¡­ strong. Ma really put herself into this, huh?¡±


    ¡°So, here¡¯s the thing about marriage, girls,¡± Hana continued, her eyes alternating between the two brides as she spoke. ¡°It¡¯s tough, but not as tough as you are. It¡¯s sweet, but not as sweet as the love you have for each other is. It¡¯s fragile, but as long as you both protect and cherish it, it will last forever. It¡¯s a long road, but every step of it is easier with the person you love by your side, cheering you on, helping you up when you fall, and keeping a song in your heart the whole way. It¡¯s a quest, but the reward is the journey, not the destination. It¡¯s putting your partner first, but knowing you¡¯ll have everything you need because they¡¯re putting you first, too. It¡¯s a partnership, an unbreakable team that meets every challenge, celebrates every victory and mourns every defeat as one. It is the greatest, hardest, most exciting and fulfilling adventure either of you will ever undertake, and it¡¯s the only one that never ends. Because this isn¡¯t a movie, and today isn¡¯t the end of your love story. It¡¯s just the beginning. So, Akane, Ranko¡­ are you ready for that adventure?¡±


    Akane beamed, her hands shaking around her bouquet. ¡°I am.¡±


    Ranko giggled as she gazed into Akane¡¯s eyes, her excitement palpable in every breath. ¡°Me, too!¡± She could barely stand still.


    Akane swiveled at the waist, handing her bouquet off to Kasumi, who held it in the hand opposite her own flowers. Ranko did the same, passing her flowers off to Ayako, and then both brides reached across Hana¡¯s body in the little white floral archway and joined hands.


    ¡°Akane,¡± Hana said, turning her head to the right and smiling warmly at the newest addition to her haphazard, unorthodox little family. ¡°Do you take Ranko to be your wife? To be your partner in the good times and the bad times? To be your confidante and your best friend, no matter what comes? Do you promise to love, cherish, and protect her, and only her, for the rest of your days?¡±


    Akane beamed up into her radiant lover¡¯s eyes, not letting go of Ranko¡¯s hands with either of hers, and thus letting the tear trickling down her right cheek flow unabated to her chin. She gave an emphatic nod. ¡°I do. Oh, gods, I do.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s mother nodded with a wide grin. ¡°Good. You¡¯d better, or you¡¯re in trouble, girl.¡± A smattering of laughter arose from the wedding guests, and from the positively electrified redhead whose gaze Hana now met. Ranko bounced on the balls of her feet, her hands jittering in Akane¡¯s palms. It had already been the best day of her young life, and it was seconds away from becoming so, so much better.


    Hana smiled lovingly down at her youngest daughter. How good it felt to see such bliss in those blue eyes that Hana had seen carry so much sorrow. ¡°Ranko, do you take Akane¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The officiant laughed. ¡°I think you should probably let me get through the whole thing, Ranko.¡±


    The ebullient bride positively glowed as her eyes returned to Akane¡¯s. ¡°Does it have the word wife in it somewhere? ¡®Cause if so, yes.¡±


    Akane giggled brightly, as did several of their guests and more than one of their bridesmaids. ¡°Let her finish, silly girl.¡±


    Ranko nodded, still bouncing in place with nervous energy and exhilaration as her mother spoke. ¡°As I was saying,¡± Hana said as the guests laughed again. ¡°Ranko, do you take Akane to be your wife? To be your partner in the good times and the bad times? To be your confidante and your best friend, no matter what comes? Do you promise to love, cherish, and protect her, and only her, for the rest of your days?¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes sparkled as she stood silent, holding Akane¡¯s hands gently. My gods, it¡¯s really happening. Please don¡¯t pinch me. I don¡¯t ever want to wake up from this dream. I want to stay right here in this moment with you until the end of time.


    ¡°Ranko?¡± Hana waved her hand in front of her daughter¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°What, now you¡¯re in a hurry?¡± Ranko giggled, and she was joined by most of the people in attendance. She released Akane¡¯s right hand with her left, raising it to her fiancee¡¯s cheek in the last moment she could use that word to describe her, feeling a tear drip onto her fingertips.


    ¡°I do. I really, really do.¡±


    Hana reached forward, squeezing her daughter¡¯s right wrist in wordless celebration. ¡°Akane, you said you had some things you wanted to say to Ranko?¡±


    Ranko blinked. Wait a damn minute, Akane! We didn¡¯t rehearse this¡­


    Akane flashed a wide smile up at her partner, pulling a slip of paper out from some unseen cranny of her dress and unfolding it, beginning to read aloud. Her voice was a little stilted for the first few words until she settled into the lines she had written the day before.


    ¡°Ranko, gods, where do I even start? The things we¡¯ve been through, you and me. For the longest time, I never thought we¡¯d actually make it here, even though it was all I could think about. But now, through whatever series of magic and miracles it took to get us here, we¡¯re here. Getting to explore everyday life with you for the last two years has been the most amazing experience I could have ever dreamed of, and now, I get to do it for a whole lifetime. Everything we do, from a new album drop to a trip to the grocery store, is an adventure that I get to take with you, a chance to know you more, get closer to you, and to feel your love fill me up inside.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you do it, but even though you¡¯re the celebrity in the family, somehow, you make me feel like I¡¯m the most special thing in the room. You are not just a star, Ranko. You¡¯re my star - the thing my whole world orbits around. The source of all the light and warmth in my life. I love you so much, Ranko Tendo.¡±


    Ranko blushed, mouthing I love you silently back to her. Hana¡¯s eyes turned to her youngest daughter. In the front row, Akane¡¯s father wiped a tear from his eye as he looked up at his three - now four - daughters beaming with love and pride. I made the right choice in blessing this. I¡¯m sorry it took me so long to see how good she was for you, Akane.


    Ranko swallowed hard. ¡°Well, crap, now I¡¯m gonna look like a huge jerk if I don¡¯t say something.¡± Yui laughed off to Ranko¡¯s left, and many of their guests joined her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know we were doing our own vows; somebody decided to surprise me with that...¡± Ranko glared in mock anger at her bride. ¡°... so I¡¯m doing this live and it isn¡¯t gonna be as pretty, I guess. Sorry if I ramble a little.¡± Her face was visibly crimson even through the untold layers of makeup her elder sister had applied.


    She reached out for Akane¡¯s hands again, and Akane could feel Ranko¡¯s fingers trembling as they took hold.


    ¡°Akane, you¡­ you¡­ you really suck for putting me on the spot like this.¡±


    The guests laughed loudly as Ranko sniffled, searching for a place to begin.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t too long ago that I was just¡­ broken. Not like, a little messed up and not working quite right, but so far shattered that I didn¡¯t even recognize myself anymore. I ran away from you, so you couldn¡¯t hurt yourself on the sharp pieces. But you wouldn¡¯t let me go. You came and you found me, and one by one you swept up all those little pieces of me and put me back together again. But not the way I was. You put parts of you in there, too, and built a better version of me. A softer one. A kinder one. One where I could be happy and have a little pride in myself, ¡®cause even on the days where I was a complete disaster and the world was crumbling all around me and I hated everything about myself, I could look in the mirror and say, I can¡¯t be all bad, ¡®cause Akane loves me.¡±


    She fidgeted slightly on her uncomfortable heels. ¡°Every single part of my life - every single part of my heart - has your fingerprints on it. No song I write and no stage I step on is ever gonna make me as proud as I am of being yours. People tell me all the time how I¡¯m getting better every day, but it¡¯s not for me. Every day, I want to be better because you deserve it. Because I want you to be as proud of me as I am of you. You make me feel safe and warm. You make me feel whole, for the first time in my life.¡±


    Ranko squeezed Akane¡¯s hands even more tightly in her own. ¡°People use the word love a lot. They say they love a song, a sports team, or their favorite sweater. But you? You taught me what the word love means, Akane. It means walking through hell and not being scared because you¡¯re holding someone¡¯s hand. It means being excited about the little things just as much as the big ones, just ¡®cause you get to share ¡®em. It means knowin¡¯ you¡¯ve got somebody who believes in you, even when you can¡¯t find a way to believe in yourself. It means trust and devotion and desire and wonder and¡­ ya know, lots of good stuff like that.¡±


    Akane blushed, giggling slightly. And you said you weren¡¯t good with words¡­


    Ranko trembled, thinking about the events of that morning. What her father had tried to do to prevent this moment, and how stunned and mystified she still was by the fact that it hadn¡¯t worked. That here, now, on her wedding day, she had been finally freed of the last, and most terrifying, element of her past that could come back to haunt her and threaten to get between them. The one guest she¡¯d not invited had given her the best wedding present of all in the end. Her skin still burned from the experience, and she had far more questions than answers about how it had come to pass, but the soaring feeling in her heart drowned it out entirely. She never had to be anything else except a woman, and Akane¡¯s wife, ever again.


    ¡°Akane, thank you for making me the girl I am. Thank you for making me the girl of your dreams, so I could get to stand here today and hold your hand. Thank you for letting me spend the rest of my life feeling like this. Thank you, Akane, for letting me love you. It¡¯s the biggest, greatest thing I will ever do in my whole life.¡±


    The last few words she spoke were punctuated by loud sobs coming from the front row, and Soun had to reach out to his left, putting his arm around Nodoka¡¯s shoulders supportively as she cried.


    Hana gave her daughter the proudest smile she could summon, before turning back to her duties at hand. ¡°Akane and Ranko have decided to exchange rings, as symbols of their love and commitment to one another. Hoshi, honey?¡±


    Hoshi stepped forward, holding the white satin pillow up with both hands, and Akane reached down to it. She picked up the wooden box on the left, opening it to make sure she¡¯d taken the correct one. Confident she had, she nodded to Ranko, and the redheaded bride extended her quaking left hand to Akane.


    Akane withdrew the silver ring from the box, handing the empty box to Hana. She slid the combined wrap and diamond solitaire just past Ranko¡¯s fingernail, gazing lovingly into her eyes.


    The wide silver ring wrap was etched all the way around the band with more parallel lines, expanding the musical staff custom-engraved on Ranko¡¯s engagement ring to give it a higher and lower range. Dotted around the band were a series of clusters of notes - the synthesizer chords that accompanied Ranko¡¯s guitar when she performed You¡¯re My Song live - effectively adding a second instrument to the melody etched around her new wife¡¯s finger. An eternal harmony.


    ¡°With this ring, Ranko, I take you as my wife, today, tomorrow, and forever.¡±


    Akane pushed the ring the rest of the length of Ranko¡¯s finger, sliding it into place.


    Ranko reached down with her right hand, taking the second box from Hoshi¡¯s pillow. As her nephew made his way down the ramp to join his father in the audience, Ranko opened the box and handed the empty container to Hana. As the box was slipped into Hana¡¯s blazer pocket along with its mate, Ranko held the silver band out toward Akane¡¯s outstretched finger. She nearly dropped it, her hands were trembling so badly.


    The band was flat all the way around, more like a men¡¯s wedding band than a traditional women¡¯s wrap. Akane had chosen it so that she would not have to take it off when doing chiropractic and massage work, as most of the engaged and married women in her class did. It was inlaid along its full circumference with a narrow channel filled with alternating diamond and sapphire chips, a close match for the promise rings both brides wore on their right hands. Scrollwork roses bordered the channel of gems above and below. Ranko had long regretted having never gotten Akane a second engagement ring like she had received, but Akane had insisted that she wanted to wait for her wedding band. Three proposals felt like a bit much, even for her, and they had needed every bit of their limited wedding budget for other things.


    ¡°With this ring, Akane, I take you as my wife, today, tomorrow, and forever.¡±


    Ranko slid the ring into position on Akane¡¯s finger, and Akane emitted a high-pitched squeal of excitement.


    Hana beamed at her two youngest daughters, simply bursting with pride. ¡°Today isn¡¯t just about joining Akane and Ranko, but joining their families, as well. Each of their bouquets represent themselves and their sisters, and by blending them together, two families become one, inseparable in love and support of Ranko and Akane both.¡±


    Hana stepped to the side, revealing the small podium with the empty vase. Akane reached behind her to Kasumi, retrieving her bouquet from her eldest sister. She untied the ribbon binding the flowers together, setting it atop the podium, and slid the loose flowers into the vase.


    Akane stepped back, motioning to the podium, and Ranko stepped forward, having already unbound the bouquet Ayako had handed her. She let the flowers go with loose, wide fingers over the vase, letting them fall in such a way that there was not a bunch of Akane¡¯s flowers and a bunch of Ranko¡¯s, but that they mixed evenly throughout the arrangement.


    Hana picked up the vase, now heavy with forty flowers and an assortment of baby¡¯s breath, and carried it forward to make it easier to see and photograph. ¡°We stand together, Ranko¡¯s family and Akane¡¯s, merged forever in love and acceptance of both of them as our sisters and our daughters.¡±


    Returning the vase to the podium, Hana reached out, taking Akane and Ranko each by the hand.


    Hana sniffled, a tear of her own trickling from her left eye. ¡°Then, by the power given to me by, well, I guess, ¡®cause it¡¯s my bar and all¡­¡± Ranko laughed hard, doubling over as far as her stiff pearl-encrusted corset would allow.


    ¡°I pronounce you to be each other¡¯s wives. You may¡­¡±


    This time, it was Akane who did not wait for her to finish, releasing Hana¡¯s hand and pulling her wife forward into her arms. Her eyes closed, and she was oblivious to the clicking of a dozen cameras and the cheering of their loved ones as her lips met Ranko¡¯s.


    ¡°Well, okay then! Everyone?¡± Hana lifted her hands to be seen over the still-kissing couple. ¡°I¡¯d like to introduce you to Akane and Ranko Tendo, united as one for all time.¡±


    There were only thirty chairs facing the stage of the Phoenix that afternoon, but none of them were occupied. The couple¡¯s assembled guests rose in unison to their feet, erupting into applause and a chorus of whistles and whoops.


    It was the best standing ovation Ranko had ever received.

 166. Traditions and Transitions

    July 6, 1991


    4:34 PM


    Ranko and Akane¡¯s wedding guests milled about in the bar, the sound system pumping a popular Japanese pop love song. The newlyweds had alighted to Hana¡¯s office for a few minutes, just to have a moment alone to talk and celebrate their union. There had been at least as much kissing as there was talking.


    ¡°So, you ready to head back out?¡± Ranko offered her hand to Akane, who took it with enthusiasm. The pair walked side-by-side down the hallway to the saloon door. Once they¡¯d reached it, Yui switched on the dynamic microphone they kept behind the bar for announcements, thumping it thrice to get the crowd¡¯s attention as Mei turned off the music.


    ¡°Everyone?¡± Yui waved to the guests from behind the bar. ¡°I¡¯d like to introduce you, one more time, to my sister, Ranko Tendo, and to her wife, my sister, Akane Tendo.¡±


    The assembled guests clapped and cheered as the couple pushed through the newly-repaired blue door, Akane going first and holding the door for Ranko as it wasn¡¯t wide enough for them to pass abreast. Ranko wanted to chivalrously hold it for Akane instead, but Akane had quite practically reminded Ranko that she wore the more unwieldy of their dresses by far.


    A loud pop on Ranko¡¯s right startled her, and she jumped toward Akane a bit as a champagne cork flew across the room from behind the service bar. Gotta take it easy with scaring me like that, Mei! I¡¯ve already been jumped once today, Ranko thought with a shake of her head. The shaken bottle of bubbly spewed its frothy contents in an arc over the girls¡¯ heads, most of it spattering on the main bar counter or the floor just beyond it. The cork itself landed in Dr. Tofu¡¯s highball glass, eliciting a round of laughter and cheers. Mei took a little bow, grinning as if she had made the impossible shot on purpose.


    The girls made their way around the room, greeting each of their friends in turn as Mei turned the music back up. Even with just a few minutes for each group of guests - long enough for a round of congratulations, a few fawning comments about one or both of their dresses, and a laugh or two at little details from the party that the brides had not witnessed - it took nearly forty-five minutes to work their way through the gathering. In that whole time, Ranko¡¯s hand never once left Akane¡¯s. I¡¯m never letting go, Akane. Never again, Ranko thought with an enchanted smile as they made their way from the clique of cheerleaders toward Kage, Kaito and their wives.


    Finally, Akane did pull her hand free of Ranko¡¯s, just for a moment, as the pair met up with Nanami and Mitsuru. Akane waved with an excited squeal to Nanami, before turning to her date, signing thank you so much for coming to her in Japanese Sign Language. Akane was taking an introductory sign language class as a college elective, having been inspired by her interactions with her friend. She was no expert, but she could manage the pleasantries, and Nanami helped translate the rest of the conversation between her girlfriend and the brides.


    A tinkle of glass striking wood started with Nabiki, building to a chorus of at least a dozen around the room. Responding to the prompt, Ranko leaned over her skirts and placed both of her hands gently around the back of Akane¡¯s head, pulling her wife close for another kiss. As much as Ranko was enjoying the conversations with their loved ones, she wished to hell Nabiki would never stop banging that damned Collins glass. Between the emotional high of the wedding, the torturous sensations her satin slip was causing on her hypersensitive skin with every step she took, and the still-unexplained miracle that had reshaped her world with a splash of boiling water, Ranko was desperate for Akane¡¯s touch. Her body somehow had become one hundred percent girl, and all Ranko wanted in the world was to give that body to Akane. Repeatedly.


    Another clinking of glass sounded, this one originating on the stage, and Ranko leaned toward Akane again, but then a voice came through the bar¡¯s sound system. ¡°Hey, everybody, can I get your attention a minute?¡±


    Dammit, Crash. Teasing me like that!


    He¡¯d gotten a haircut, so his blond hair actually framed his face better, and he¡¯d actually shaved his face clean. Ranko could not fathom, as someone who had barely started shaving before her transition, how Crash could look like he hadn¡¯t shaved in three days, every day. Did he shave it daily and just do a consistently bad job? Did his facial hair reach that length and just¡­ stop? It defied logic. Ranko had almost never seen him in a suit, either, but today he was in a pale blue long-sleeve dress shirt, a deeper, more jewel tone blue tie, and black dress pants. He¡¯d already doffed his suit coat earlier in the evening, and it lay in an unused corner of the stage along with some other partygoers¡¯ belongings. He really does clean up nice, Ranko had to admit to herself. For a boy, anyway.


    ¡°So, anyway,¡± Crash said into the microphone with a drunken grin down at his friend in the fluffy wedding dress. ¡°This wedding¡¯s pretty girl-heavy, so there wasn¡¯t a best man. But, well, everybody knows I¡¯m the best man in here tonight, so fuck it! I¡¯m inviting myself.¡± The assembled guests laughed as they turned their eyes toward the stage.


    ¡°Keep tellin¡¯ yourself that, Crash,¡± Shinji yelled through hands formed like a megaphone around his mouth.


    Laughing at his friend¡¯s comment, Crash continued. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. I think it¡¯s probably the worst-kept secret around this place that I used to have a thing for Ranko.¡±


    Oh. So that¡¯s why you wore a suit, Ranko thought with a blush and a smirk as her forehead fell into her palm. One less thing for the guy at the funeral home to do after I kill you. Akane squeezed her wife¡¯s hand, silently conveying her hope that she would not need to maim a second person before their wedding day had ended.


    Nodoka almost spit out the mouthful of screwdriver she had yet to swallow. Oh? Do I need to have a talk with that boy? Ranko, child, why did you not tell me about this?


    ¡°Well, the thing is, when I approached her about it, Ranko told me she had her eye on somebody else, and I¡¯m over here thinking, may the best man win, ¡®cause, like I said, I am, no question, the best man.¡± Another small round of laughter came from the group of wedding guests, and Crash joined them. ¡°But turns out, the best man didn¡¯t win; the best woman did!¡±


    Ranko turned to her wife with stars in her eyes. ¡°Hell yeah, she did.¡±


    ¡°And you know what? I couldn¡¯t be happier about it. Instead of me inevitably doing something dumb, screwing up a relationship in a couple of months, and going our separate ways, I got to be Ranko¡¯s friend for life. Gods, what a ride it¡¯s been! We¡¯ve gotten into some shit together, ain¡¯t we, Ran-chan?¡±


    Ranko cupped her hands, calling up to her bandmate on the stage. ¡°And we¡¯re just getting started!¡± A loud cheer came in response.


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    Crash gave a small wave in the direction of the table Ukyo was seated at, his impromptu speech having interrupted her conversation with a few of Ranko¡¯s cheerleader friends. ¡°Plus, it meant I got the chance to fall absolutely head over heels for the girl who really was right for me.¡±


    Out of the corner of her eye, Akane was fairly certain she saw Ukyo wipe a tear from her eye. Talk about shocking transformations¡­ What the hell did Crash have to do to get her in a dress today?


    ¡°Ranko, your friendship has changed my life. All of us in the band, obviously. But it¡¯s not just your talent; that part¡¯s obvious. It¡¯s the person you are. You¡¯re sweet when you wanna be, and fierce as fuck when you wanna be. When you¡¯re lucky enough to call yourself Ranko Tendo¡¯s friend, you know somebody¡¯s always got your back.¡± Crash nodded as the cheer of acknowledgement that had begun with his bandmates spread to every corner of the room.


    The guitarist continued, lowering his glass in the hand that wasn¡¯t holding the microphone for a moment. The unplanned speech was running a bit longer than he¡¯d expected. ¡°And if you¡¯ve got everybody¡¯s back, damn, Ranko, do you have somebody that¡¯s got yours. Akane, I gotta tell you, girl. The way you love Ranko? Shit, that¡¯s a hard example to follow, but a damn good one. I¡¯m truly glad you won her heart, because it couldn¡¯t be in better hands than yours. I say that as her bandmate, and as her friend. You¡¯re the reason we have any happy songs to perform, for one! As I¡¯ve gotten to know you, it¡¯s become clear to me where Ranko gets a lot of her strength from, and a lot of her softer side, too. I¡¯ve just got nothin¡¯ but respect for you.¡±


    Akane wrapped her arms around her bride¡¯s waist from behind her, a happy sigh carried on a whisper just past Ranko¡¯s left ear.


    ¡°Anyhow, I just wanted to say, I think I speak for everyone here when I say we love the both of you, and we wish you nothing but the best.¡± He raised his glass above his head. ¡°To Ranko and Akane!¡±


    ¡°To Ranko and Akane,¡± came the echo from two dozen loved ones, and the clinking of glasses started again.


    Technically, I¡¯m not sure if a toast counts as banging the glasses, but if it¡¯s cheating, I don¡¯t care. Ranko turned in Akane¡¯s arms, initiating a soft, loving kiss with her wife. When it ended, Ranko made her way to the stairs at stage left.


    Yui, who had been nominated de facto emcee for the proceedings, strode up the ramp to the center of the stage. She extended her empty palm toward the Dapper Dragons¡¯ guitarist. ¡°May I?¡±


    Crash nodded and handed her the microphone before heading down the steps, where Ranko was waiting to give him a tight hug. ¡°Where you get off tellin¡¯ everybody that?¡± Ranko gave her friend a playful punch in the shoulder while she still was hugging him with her other arm, but her smile was electrifying.


    He laughed loudly, squeezing his friend back in a tight bear hug. Ranko whispered a silent thanks to Izumi for the pearlescent armor her sister had made for her, because that much pressure on her sore ribs would have been agony without it.


    ¡°You know I love you too, right? Not like that, but, ya know, like you said. Like, bro love.¡± Ranko relaxed herself in Crash¡¯s arms. Man, it felt good to be able to get a hug and not feel like she needed to fight her way out of it. It was one of her favorite things about her new life, even though that list was getting longer by the minute.


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Crash said, motioning up to the stage. ¡°Um, Ran-chan, I think you¡¯re on.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ranko looked up just as Yui turned her eyes toward her from the stage. Akane was already standing up there with her.


    Yui thumped the microphone once on the side of her head, the hollow sound reverberating through the speakers. ¡°Hey, blockhead! You gonna come up here and dance with your wife, or what?¡±


    Ranko yelped. She¡¯d completely missed what Yui had said while talking to Crash, but in her defense, standing behind the main stage speakers as she was, the sound tended to be a little muffled. ¡°Eeep! Coming!¡± She trundled up her dress and started to make her way to the stairs, pausing and thinking better of the narrow passageway before heading around to the ramp. Her face was aflame as the girls¡¯ wedding guests laughed. ¡°Sorry, Akane!¡±


    ¡°I see how it is,¡± Akane said with a playful smirk. ¡°Married an hour, and you¡¯re already ignoring me to go hug boys.¡± Her voice was picked up on the microphone, and a smattering of laughter rose in response. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s okay, as long as you always come home to me.¡±


    Ranko blushed, reaching her hand out for Akane¡¯s. She fingered Akane¡¯s wedding band, closing her eyes and sighing happily at the tactile reminder of what they¡¯d done today. ¡°Akane, you are home to me. In fact¡­¡± She nodded to Ariel at the little sound station off to the side of the stage. ¡°I seem to recall writing a song about it once.¡± She reached forward for Akane¡¯s shoulders as the first notes of You¡¯re My Song began to play, and Yui skittered off of the stage, taking the microphone with her.


    Ranko¡¯s slow dancing skill had improved considerably; she¡¯d asked her dance instructor at school for some lessons over the last few weeks. Still, she eschewed much in the way of fancy moves, owing to Akane¡¯s lack of similar training coupled with her restrictive dress and her sore muscles. Instead, Ranko leaned forward until her forehead made gentle contact with Akane¡¯s and slowly swayed with her, letting her lead. She just wanted every single part of her to be touching Akane that could. ¡°Holy shit, Akane! We did it. We¡¯re fucking married! Can you believe it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll sink in eventually,¡± Akane whispered in response. ¡°But not yet. Right now it feels like it¡¯s some kind of fantasy. I¡¯m so glad you fought to keep today on track after this morning. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d have survived another day of not being your wife, either.¡±


    Ranko rested her cheek on Akane¡¯s chest, just above her left breast. ¡°You¡¯ll never have to find out, Mrs. Tendo. Not ever.¡±


    ¡°Promises, promises. I love you, Ranko.¡± Akane grinned, turning her neck slightly and resting her cheek on top of her wife¡¯s forehead. She sang Ranko¡¯s words softly back to the love of her life as they swayed, every eye in the building on the two of them as they shared their musical embrace. ¡°I hope you did, but if you didn¡¯t, I wanna tell you endlessly. Don¡¯t want a second to go by that you don¡¯t know you are the very best of me.¡±


    ¡°Gods, look at her.¡± Nodoka clasped her hands over her heart, watching her daughter dance and beaming with pride. ¡°You¡¯d never be able to tell that she hasn¡¯t been doing this her whole life.¡± Nabiki shot a glare of daggers her way at the first part of her statement, but relaxed visibly as the rest of the sentence came out in a way that didn¡¯t expose any information that Ranko would have preferred not to spread.


    Soun nodded sagely, the veneer of toughness on his face cracking a bit more as he watched his little girl move as one with the love of her life. ¡°They¡¯ve both changed so much. For the better, I think.¡±


    Enjoying the last few seconds of peaceful bliss, where all the world had faded out and it was just the two of them, Ranko lifted her head from Akane¡¯s chest. She almost looked sleepy; indeed, it had been quite the day and she was only running on about two hours of sleep. It wasn¡¯t exhaustion that had put that look on her face, though; it was absolute contentment.


    She wasn¡¯t sure why, but she just couldn¡¯t seem to keep her hands off of Akane¡¯s face. Ranko just felt compelled to touch her, almost as if to continuously reassure herself that what she was experiencing was real. Cradling Akane¡¯s cheek in her left hand so Ranko could see her own wedding ring sparkling in the stage lights against it, she gazed up into Akane¡¯s deep brown eyes. Her own blue eyes were a bottomless ocean of adoration. She quietly sang the last line along with the recorded version of herself, a private little serenade for the woman for whom she had written the song in the first place.


    ¡°But when they see the joy I feel up on that stage, I¡¯m just the singer. You¡¯re my song.¡±


    Yui switched on the mic again, speaking over the last few claps as Ranko and Akane descended the ramp hand in hand. ¡°You girls are just so cute together. Makes me fuckin¡¯ sick.¡± She giggled, more freely than Ranko was used to seeing from her. It could have been the atmosphere, but the constant stream of cocktails Sakura was pumping into her girlfriend at every opportunity may have contributed, too.


    Yui gestured with her hand to the gap between the two bars, where Hana, Mei and Yui had just appeared from the kitchen with trays of food. ¡°So, hey, who¡¯s hungry?¡±

 167. Like My Father Before Me

    July 6, 1991


    7:41 PM


    ¡°Yeah, no. You¡¯re out of your damn mind. You think I¡¯m gonna be able to dance to something like that in this? Kumi, I can¡¯t bend over enough to see my shoes in this dress!¡±


    Ukyo gave a playful pout. ¡°So, Demon in Your Radio is out, then?¡±


    Ranko giggled brightly. ¡°More like Demon in a Toothpaste Tube. Izzi¡¯s lucky this thing is so damn pretty, or lemme tell ya¡­¡± Her frustration was at least a little real; she¡¯d needed to visit the restroom for the better part of half an hour, and hadn¡¯t quite figured out the logistics of how she would go about doing that without asking for some help.


    As she laughed, Nanami and Mitsuru approached her, and Ranko gave them an excited wave, exaggerated mostly for Mitsuru¡¯s benefit. ¡°Hey, Ran-chan,¡± Nanami began, signing the words as she spoke them so Mitsuru could follow along in the conversation. ¡°You seem to have misplaced something.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ranko¡¯s eyes darted immediately to her hand. Thank the gods, my ring¡¯s still there. She patted at several parts of her dress, trying to figure out what she could have mislaid. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll bite. What did I lose?¡±


    Mitsuru answered Nanami¡¯s translation with a motion of her hands. While Ranko only knew the barest minimum of sign vocabulary, owing to having helped Akane practice for a test or two, that was a sign she could never forget. It was representative of her new wife¡¯s name.


    Ranko craned her neck, looking around with a shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t seen her in about twenty minutes. Nabiki or Kasumi either, come to think of it.¡± They¡¯re probably in the bathroom helping her with the same problem I¡¯m having. Nanami turned and gesticulated in translation for her girlfriend as Ranko continued. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll turn up. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done anything to run her off just yet. It¡¯s only been a few hours.¡±


    Turning as she felt a hand on her shoulder, Ranko smiled at Ken and his boyfriend Ryo. ¡°Hey, guys! What do you think of the party? Ryo, Akane and I are so glad you came. I¡¯ve been on Ken¡¯s ass to bring you around more for ages.¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes snapped to one of the booths at the front of the bar at the sound of a loud squeal. Seated at the table were Yui, Hana, Ayako and Kage. The hell?


    ¡°Yeah, well,¡± Ryo said. ¡°You know how it is. I¡¯m even shyer than he is sometimes, and¡­¡± Ranko nodded, not needing him to finish his sentence. The young men had not come out to nearly anyone in their lives outside of the band, so the need to keep their relationship behind closed doors was strong. Ranko knew better than anyone how it felt; she¡¯d written a whole hit song about how much it hurt once.


    A tap came on Ranko¡¯s other shoulder, and she whirled around to meet it, her skirts swishing around her legs. ¡°Oh, hey, Kasumi. We were just lookin¡¯ for you girls! Everything okay?¡±


    The eldest of the Tendo sisters nodded with her trademark motherly smile. ¡°Everything¡¯s wonderful. Akane needs to see you upstairs, honey, if we can pull you away for a moment.¡±


    Ranko nodded. ¡°Sure thing! I¡¯ll be right there!¡± She giggled, turning back to the boys with a laugh and a shrug as Kasumi headed behind the bar and into the kitchen. ¡°Sorry about that, guys. Marriage, right? You know how it is. When the wife says jump¡­¡±


    Both young men laughed, and Ryo answered. ¡°And that¡¯s how you know it¡¯s gonna last. She¡¯s already trained.¡± Ken gave the bride a little wave. ¡°Well, don¡¯t keep her waiting. We just wanted to say good night. I¡¯m not feeling too great, so I think we¡¯re gonna call it an early evening if that¡¯s cool. Give our love to Akane, would ya?¡±


    ¡°Sure! Sorry you¡¯re feeling rough, bud. Feel better! At least you can relax; you don¡¯t have any gigs for a few days.¡± She blushed. ¡°After all, your lead singer¡¯s gonna be on her honeymoon.¡± Ranko still couldn¡¯t believe the trip was happening at all; Ayako and Kage had surprised them with a two-night stay at a hotel on Miura Beach at their bridal shower. Without it, they¡¯d have been lucky to swing a honeymoon to the grocery store, as they¡¯d used nearly every yen they had to finish the wedding preparations. If not for the surprise of an extra few thousand on both Akane and Ranko¡¯s most recent paychecks as a ¡°bonus¡±, they¡¯d have really been stuck. Hana was determined to help if she could, and it was the only way she could think to do so that spared their pride given that they had refused to ask.


    As Ken and Ryo headed for the exit, Ranko turned and made her way between the two bars. She swung open the blue saloon door, which she had been hurled through barely twelve hours prior. She felt like she¡¯d lived a lifetime since then. Rounding the corner in the hallway to her right, Ranko ascended the stairway. She knocked twice on the door of the apartment that had once been her home, and heard her wife calling for her to enter. So, she did.


    It took Ranko a moment to adjust to the scene. Admittedly, she had been kind of hoping Akane was trying to sneak her up to the little bedroom to get a head start on their honeymoon. Ranko had no idea how she¡¯d have kept that particular activity a secret from everyone downstairs, given how¡­ not subtle it tended to be. Instead of being alone in the little studio apartment with Akane, however, she found herself in the company of Akane¡¯s father and all three of his daughters. Akane stood near the middle of the room, Kasumi and Nabiki were seated on the bed next to each other, and Soun was standing in the kitchenette behind the dinette table. The table had been cleared of Izumi¡¯s mobile salon, and all that rested on the tabletop now was a closed manila file folder and a black disposable ballpoint pen.


    ¡°Um, hey, everybody.¡± Ranko waved nervously, both in confusion as to what was happening, and in awkward adjustment as her body came to terms with the fact that what it had been screaming for all evening was not what was happening. Not yet, anyway. ¡°What¡¯s going on? This is¡­ kinda weird.¡±


    Soun motioned her closer with a smile. ¡°Ranko, come here, honey. We want to talk to you about something.¡±


    Ranko shot her bride a look that clearly read am I in trouble? Her nonverbal plea for help ignored, she reached the side of the table opposite Soun. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She started to reach for the folder.


    ¡°Well, you see, Ranko, it¡¯s, uh¡­¡±


    Her curiosity not willing to wait any longer for Soun¡¯s nervous stammering, she flipped the folder open. Inside were several pages of paper, with small print and boxes to fill things in. It looked like something halfway between the contracts she¡¯d signed at the record company, and any number of forms she¡¯d had to fill out at school. But her jaw dropped when her eyes finally made it to the top of the paper, and she read the bold header aloud incredulously.


    ¡°Certificate of adoption? What the heck is this?¡± Ranko¡¯s eyes looked to her wife¡¯s for answers, clearly befuddled by the whole situation. Beyond being confused, she was starting to feel more than a little defensive. She took two quick steps back away from the table as if she expected the white photocopied form to bite her.


    Soun smiled broadly, finding it easier to speak now that the subject had been broached. ¡°Ranko, I told you some time ago that I would like it if you called me father, and that feeling is even stronger now. But, as I¡¯ve thought about it, I realized that wasn¡¯t enough. I want you to know that you have a place in our family right alongside your sisters and Akane.¡±


    Ranko spun around to Akane again, almost frantically. ¡°Did you know about this? I am so damn confused right now, Akane.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Akane that answered, but Nabiki. ¡°So, here¡¯s the thing, Ranko. We¡¯ve always known you and Akane couldn¡¯t make this thing legal, what with you both being girls and all. But this, you can do. It¡¯s actually what a lot of girls in your situation do in lieu of a marriage license. It would make you legally part of our family.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t need that. I mean, I¡¯ve got a mom and four sisters and none of them are officially related to me, either. Akane, how does this not creep you out? I mean, you¡¯d be sleeping with your sister. Like, ew!¡± Ranko gesticulated wildly as she spoke, not for the life of her understanding why Soun and Akane had felt the need to surprise her with something like this, today of all days. Hadn¡¯t she had enough upheaval for one day?


    Kasumi smiled, reaching up and taking Ranko¡¯s hand without quitting her seat on the bed. ¡°Just like you said, Ranko. What¡¯s on the paperwork doesn¡¯t always match reality. Just as you can decide Yui is your sister regardless of what the government says, you can decide Akane isn¡¯t. So, if it doesn¡¯t impact the way you behave, there¡¯s no reason not to do what helps you the most in other ways.¡±


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Besides,¡± Nabiki added, cocking her head to the side confidently. ¡°What better cover story could you have? If the wrong people start asking why you live with Akane, or why you two are hugging and holding hands in public, they¡¯ll look pretty foolish when they go digging and the paper trail says you¡¯re sisters. That kinda stuff is perfectly normal for sisters. Maybe take it a little easy on the tongue, but¡­¡±


    Akane took Ranko¡¯s other hand, and Ranko turned her head to face her. She needed an explanation, and fast.


    ¡°Ranko, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re considering what this means beyond what¡¯s in front of you. You¡¯re right, we probably shouldn¡¯t have surprised you with this, and I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t sure we could pull it off until just a day or two ago, and I didn¡¯t want to get your hopes up until we were a hundred percent clear on all the rules and stuff. Nabiki¡¯s been working overtime to put this together for us. Yes, this technically would make you one of our sisters, but more importantly than that, it would put you on the official Tendo family registry, just like Kasumi, Nabiki and me.¡±


    Akane took her bride¡¯s other hand, which Kasumi had released. ¡°It would be just like you were born as Ranko Tendo. The records for adoptions are sealed, so nobody could ever tell otherwise unless you told them. You wouldn¡¯t be a ghost anymore, Ranko. Nobody could ever, ever challenge your identity again. You could leave all that uncertainty behind you and come out of the shadows. You could get a passport. You could buy property.¡± She tightened her grip on Ranko¡¯s hands hopefully. ¡°You could go to college, baby. No more embarrassment. No more awkward questions. No more limitations.¡±


    The room spun a little, and Ranko eyed one of the chairs at the dinette table before deciding it was too difficult to risk sitting down in her dress. She leaned on the back of it instead, looking up at Soun incredulously. ¡°You¡­ you would do that for me? Like, calling you Father and stuff, sure, but the official Tendo family line? That¡¯s like hundreds of years of your history you¡¯d be screwing with in order to lie for me. How could you possibly want to¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you, Ranko,¡± Soun said, putting his hand up to pause her mid-sentence. ¡°When future generations of Tendos read about their history after I am long gone, I would have them learn that Soun Tendo was a man who was unendingly proud of all four of his daughters. That is not a lie. Omitting it from history would be, though.¡±


    Ranko peered over at the paperwork again, her shock having subsided enough to actually process what it said. Sure enough, the second section was clearly labeled Amendment to Official Family Registry.


    ¡°So, I just sign this, and¡­¡±


    Kasumi walked up behind Ranko, leaning on her shoulder gently. ¡°And you¡¯re a Tendo. One of us, little sister. Forever.¡± She stepped back again as Ranko started to turn in place, glancing over at Nabiki. She received a grin and a slow nod in approval.


    Akane stepped closer to her wife, hugging her forearm with both of her arms. ¡°I want us to be a family, Ranko. It¡¯s a little bit of a strange way to get there, I know, but I don¡¯t care about that if you don¡¯t.¡±


    Her left hand trembled as she reached for the ballpoint pen on the table. ¡°And you¡¯re all sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Just sign the damn thing, Ranko!¡± Nabiki laughed. ¡°I¡¯m missing valuable open bar time over here.¡±


    Ranko looked down at the bottom line of the form. The label in the little box read Legal Adopted Name, and underneath it, the smaller instructional text said This is the adoptee¡¯s name as it will appear on the family registry. She smiled hopefully. Can I actually¡­


    She began to write in the box, and Akane eyed her curiously as she did. She didn¡¯t recognize what Ranko was writing, and she certainly knew her new wife¡¯s name. But her confusion gave way to a warm smile as she understood what Ranko had done. Instead of writing the pair of kanji for wild girl to spell out the name she had given herself, as she had long regretted doing in a panic on her first day at the Phoenix, she had written orchid girl. It could still be pronounced as Ranko, but it was a more feminine version of the name.


    Ranko stepped back away from the paperwork, dropping the pen on the table as if she¡¯d had the wind knocked out of her. In the stiff corset she was stuffed in, that would have been quite the feat. So much of her life had been upended for the better today, she had barely had time to process one monumental change before the next had come.


    That¡¯s it. I¡¯m¡­ a Tendo. For real. Forever. Nobody can ever take it away from me. I¡¯m not a lie anymore. I¡¯m not a fake anymore. I¡¯m not a Saotome anymore. I¡¯m not a boy anymore. And I never will be again. My name is Ranko Tendo. I am Akane Tendo¡¯s wife.


    I was reborn today.


    Soun took a step around the table. ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    Ranko took two slow, tentative steps toward him, but took the last two at almost a run, crashing into him hard enough to knock him back against the kitchenette counter as she hugged him around the ribs. ¡°Thank you¡­ Dad. I love you.¡±


    ¡°You are most welcome, Ranko Tendo. I love you, too.¡± Soun squeezed her back around the shoulders, and Ranko held him there for nearly thirty full seconds before finally letting him go.


    Soun turned back to the countertop, retrieving two boxes from it. One of them was a long wooden case, almost half a meter across, and the other was a brown plastic container with a clasp on one side of the hinged lid. ¡°Ranko, dear, there¡¯s one thing I¡¯d like you to do for me.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± If Soun had asked her to run face-first through a brick wall, she¡¯d have done it in that moment or died trying.


    Soun opened the hinged lid of the long wooden case facing himself, removing two long poles connected by paper that had turned a tea-colored brown with age. The scroll had to be four or five hundred years old at least, Ranko thought. She had never seen the artifact before, but there was only one thing it could be.


    Soun pulled the two poles apart, exposing a small part of the length of the massive ancestral scroll between them. The bottom pole still had almost a meter of blank paper wrapped around it, space for future generations to come after. The first row of the scroll staring up at Ranko listed Akane¡¯s grandparents alongside Soun¡¯s two aunts, the year each were born, the year they married, and the year each of them died.


    The next row was far more familiar to Ranko. Under the names of Akane¡¯s grandparents, it read Soun, born 1938, and there was a horizontal line a few centimeters to the right where it met another name on the same line: Rumiko, born 1941, died 1976. Centered over the line connecting their names, the word married was written, along with a date of 1966.


    The last row of the scroll, Ranko knew by heart without seeing it: Kasumi, born 1968. Nabiki, born 1970. Akane, born 1971.


    Soun popped open the brown plastic box, revealing a small vial of blank ink and a calligraphy brush. He unscrewed the cap from the ink bottle, offering the brush to Ranko. ¡°Would you mind?¡±


    Ranko waved her hands in front of herself. ¡°Oh, gods, no! That¡¯s like, ancient. I can¡¯t write on that thing! What if I mess it up?¡±


    Soun smiled. ¡°The only value of records, however old they may be, is to preserve the truth. Which means this old scroll is worthless. It seems to be missing one of my daughters.¡± He extended the little bamboo brush to her again, and she took it, looking at it with a reverence like she¡¯d just drawn King Arthur¡¯s sword from the stone.


    Akane rested her hand supportively on her wife¡¯s shoulder as she dipped the brush into the ink with a trembling left hand. In the very best calligraphy she could manage, she slowly and carefully wrote just to the right of Akane¡¯s name: Ranko, born 1971. She used the new kanji she¡¯d chosen, just as she had on the adoption form. She desperately wished she could draw that married line between her name and Akane¡¯s, but she¡¯d left enough blank space for one. Maybe one day, we can add it, Ranko hoped.


    Ranko put the brush down on the damp little sponge in the calligraphy kit, turning to Akane and exhaling heavily. ¡°Holy shit, that just happened.¡±


    Akane giggled, curling her finger in Ranko¡¯s direction. ¡°Get over here and kiss me, little sister.¡±


    Sticking out her tongue and crinkling her face, Ranko shook her head. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t ever say that again. That¡¯s just¡­ eugh.¡± She made a show of shuddering her entire upper body in exaggerated disgust. She did grant the kiss, however, and when it ended, Ranko motioned to the scroll with her neck. ¡°With both of us born in the same year, future generations are gonna think we were twins.¡±


    Akane plucked at the fabric of Ranko¡¯s wedding dress with her fingers. ¡°Well, we do kind of dress alike!¡± She reached in to hug Ranko, and Nabiki and Kasumi stood from the bed and joined. For the first time, all four of Soun Tendo¡¯s daughters embraced as one.


    ¡°Well,¡± Soun said, leaving their family scroll open on the table to allow the ink to dry. ¡°We should probably head back downstairs. You have guests waiting. And besides¡­¡± He grinned proudly at Ranko and Akane, who were holding hands looking up at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s tradition that a bride shares a dance with her father on her wedding day, and it would seem that I¡¯m owed two.¡±

 168. Nothing I Can Say

    July 6, 1991


    9:21 PM


    ¡°I said I love you. That¡¯s forever. And this I promise from the heart, mmm. I couldn¡¯t love you any better. I love you just the way you are!¡±


    Ranko swayed in a dreamlike state, looking up at Akane¡¯s father as they danced. My father, she reminded herself. How did this all happen? My brain just¡­ I can¡¯t. I was an orphan a week ago. And now I¡¯ve got my mother back, I¡¯ve got a dad, I¡¯ve got a family history. I¡¯ve got a name that¡¯s all my own. I¡¯ve still got Mom and my sisters, and my friends, and my music. Akane¡¯s my wife. And somehow, some way, the curse is broken. Maybe forever.


    Soun was, to Ranko¡¯s great surprise, an excellent dancer; she¡¯d been able to dig a little deeper into the repertoire of moves Ms. Kanzawa had taught her than she had with Akane. Her movements were still somewhat constrained by the kilograms of wedding gown she wore, however. Plus, she was exhausted and still sore from the fight and the scalding water. Tonight, none of that mattered, though.


    Of course she was dressed like a princess, she mused to herself. She felt like the queen of the world.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want clever conversation. I never want to work that hard, mmm. I just want someone that I can talk to. I want you just the way you are¡­¡±


    Ranko had danced with Akane to You¡¯re My Song before they had gone upstairs, and after the pair had returned to the party, Akane had danced with Soun to Isn¡¯t She Lovely. Now, as Billy Joel¡¯s Just the Way You Are trailed off, Ranko released her father, giving him a slight bow, which he returned with a smile and a flourish to the applause of the twenty or so remaining guests. In addition to Ken and Ryo, a few of the cheerleaders and most of Akane¡¯s college friends had headed home as the evening had progressed.


    Soun turned and stepped off the stage, dapper in his white tuxedo as he was. Ranko lifted her eyes to her family and friends, holding the stage all alone in her bouffant wedding gown. She felt like an opera singer about to break out an aria, and expected she looked a little like it, too.


    The best day of Ranko¡¯s young life was almost over. But before it could end, Ranko had a promise to fulfill. There would be one more song.


    Crash jogged up the stairs to join Ranko, bringing her a chair from one of the tables below, and held her hand while she lowered herself carefully into it. Needing help doing simple stuff on account of her clothes or some other aspect of femininity never failed to make her blush, but tonight, she couldn¡¯t deny that she needed it. Wearing the heavy dress was more physically taxing than she could have imagined, and she had earned more than a newfound respect for the women in olden times who used to dress that way every day. Adrenaline and joy were the only things keeping her awake. That, and the promise of time alone with Akane, which she desperately craved.


    Crash carried Ranko¡¯s firebird guitar to her, carefully helping her strap it over her shoulder without disrupting her hair. She wasn¡¯t sure she wouldn¡¯t prefer to take it down, in the hopes of alleviating the slight headache that was building in the back of her skull courtesy of exhaustion, her hairdo and a couple of hard knocks from her father, but Ranko wanted to be beautiful for her for just a little while longer. Her guitarist and best friend dragged a microphone stand over to her, lowering the clip until it stood at a height between her mouth and the guitar and sliding a dynamic mic into it.


    ¡°Thanks, Crash.¡± Ranko smiled warmly up at him as he exited the stage via the stairs on stage left. Meanwhile, Yui and Kasumi had set up a single chair on the barroom floor where the VIP table would normally have been, helping Akane into it. Everyone else in the bar was on their feet, standing back behind Akane¡¯s chair. The one exception was Ariel, who was manning his usual post at the audio board for just a moment longer. As he flicked a few switches, the lights in the bar dropped to total darkness, and a pair of white spotlights crackled awake. One was pointed directly at Ranko¡¯s chair, the other at Akane¡¯s. Kumiko stood off to stage right with her father¡¯s video camera, trying to capture both Ranko¡¯s singing and Akane¡¯s reactions in the same frame.


    ¡°So,¡± Ranko said nervously, leaning forward a bit into the mic. ¡°I kind of had to put this together at the last minute. I¡¯m sorry; I think it¡¯ll make sense in a sec.¡± She turned to Akane, her eyes so overflowing with adoration that they were already starting to spill liquid onto her cheeks. Izumi had performed emergency triage on her makeup twice already tonight; with how wildly her life had changed for the better that day, tears had not been in short supply for the young bride.


    ¡°So, I think I told everybody at one point or another over the last few months, but if I missed anybody: I promised my breathtakingly beautiful wife that I would write her a song for tonight. It sounded simple enough. All I had to do was look her in the eyes and just say how I feel about her. And¡­ I couldn¡¯t do it. I¡¯m sorry, Akane. I tried every day for weeks, and I just couldn¡¯t. This morning, I think I finally figured out why it was so hard.¡±


    Ranko began plucking at her guitar with the little pink plastic pick she¡¯d pulled from the leather pocket on its back side. One, four, six, five, she remembered, humming along with the guitar as she found her rhythm.


    ¡°Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh¡­ Whoa-oh-oh-oh-OH¡­¡± She began with a series of high runs, partially to warm up her voice. Each tickled the bottom end of the fifth octave.


    She turned her eyes to Akane. Most nights when she sang on stage, she couldn¡¯t allow herself to let her eyes linger too long on the object of her boundless affection. It would draw too much attention. Prompt too many questions. Too many people could notice. But tonight? Forget the Phoenix; Akane Tendo was the only other human being on the planet in Ranko¡¯s eyes as the lyrics she¡¯d finally managed to write were sung for the very first time.


    ¡°There¡¯s a long white dress hangin¡¯ over there. My sister¡¯s coming in five hours so she can help me do my hair. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever felt this afraid befo-oo-ore¡­ It¡¯s 5:17 AM, and I¡¯m still pacing ¡®round the floor¡­¡±


    Yui and Sakura swayed together in the back corner by the main bar, holding hands. Hana stood partially obscured by the curtain Kaito had hung around the service bar. She hated it when people saw her cry.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have doubts. Didn¡¯t get cold feet. I just have no clue what I¡¯m gonna say on that stage when our eyes meet. I¡¯m out of time. It¡¯s happening todaaaay¡­¡±


    Akane¡¯s eyes were transfixed as Ranko told the true story of her morning, prior to the fight with her father. In truth, Ranko could have been singing about horned frogs and Akane would have been enraptured regardless, but something about the way Ranko held herself on stage tonight was special in a way Akane couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on.


    ¡°How am I supposed to concentrate when you¡¯re sleeping three steps away?¡±


    Ranko took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly and repeating the chord progression again on the guitar to buy herself a moment of respite. She was already fighting happy tears again, and quickly losing the battle. The time had come to explain to Akane why things had been so difficult. Why she¡¯d failed at the promise she made and yet, somehow succeeded in spite of it.


    ¡°There are no words. Nothing I can say. I¡¯ve been staring at this notebook and this pencil here for days. I never thought it would be this tough. I¡¯ve thrown at least a hundred drafts away, ¡®cause nothing¡¯s quite enough. I¡¯ve never been this sure of anything, and yet somehow, it¡¯s still surreal...¡±


    Ranko bit her lip, willing her gently exultant crying, the culmination of the overload of emotions she¡¯d been building up all day, not to disrupt her singing voice. She shook her head side to side slowly as she delivered the last line of the chorus.


    ¡°There just are no words big enough for how I feel.¡±


    Ukyo leaned into Crash¡¯s chest in her black cocktail dress, swaying softly with her boyfriend to the sound of the woman they¡¯d both once loved professing her immeasurable love for another. Neither of them could have been happier.


    ¡°I tried old poems. Looked at Shakespeare, too, and I guess no one in history¡¯s ever loved like I love you. Listened to every song. Learned all the famous quotes. Even read the dictionary, but not a single thing came close.¡±


    Akane wiped her eyes with shaking hands, smiling giddily at the sight of her silver wedding band. My gods, Ranko. I love you. I will never love anyone like this ever again in my life. You are my everything. My beginning and my end. My beautiful, brave, impossible, glorious silly girl. My wife.


    ¡°How could I describe, in a couple lines, the way time itself flows different when I realize you¡¯re mine? The lights go down. My heart goes fast. I could swear that I hear music, and it hasn¡¯t stopped since you asked¡­¡±


    Ranko strummed at the guitar more forcefully, the robustness of the few chords with which she was supporting her voice building into the second refrain. She willed her emotions to come out through the force of her hands rather than disrupt her voice. I gotta get through this. Can not break. Not yet. I promised. I¡¯ll always keep my promises, Akane, somehow. You¡¯ll always be able to count on me. I will be the best wife a girl has ever been for you, I swear it.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°There are no words. Nothing I can say that could remotely start to capture how it feels when you look my way. I guess I let you down. Baby, I got it wrong, when I promised you that I could get it all out in a song. I¡¯ve never been this sure of anything, and yet somehow, it¡¯s still surreal; there just are no words big enough for how I feel.¡±


    Akane clasped her hands over her heart. Ranko¡¯s eyes sparkled with happy tears as she beamed down at her more brightly than the white spotlight overhead did. The songstress was so jealous of her wife. Akane didn¡¯t have to wait to cry.


    ¡°Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh! Whoa-oh-oh-oh-OOOOoh¡­¡± Ranko carried the pair of runs well into the fifth octave, each time starting and ending a few notes higher on the scale.


    Here we go, Akane, Ranko thought to herself with a nervous smile in the space between heartbeats. The first time I¡¯ve ever tried this on stage. The best I can do. You¡¯ll always get the best of me, my love.


    ¡°Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oooooooooooooh!¡± The final note of the run was an almost angelic sustained C6. She¡¯d practiced for months trying to expand her vocal range into the sixth octave, and only a few days ago had she finally managed it for the first time without her voice cracking. See, Akane? When it¡¯s for you, I can do anything.


    ¡°Whoa! Did you hear that?!¡± Crash spun around to stare incredulously at Shinji, his mouth agape as he grabbed his bandmate by the shoulders. ¡°Where the hell has that been?!¡±


    Ranko¡¯s excitement at hitting the highest note of her career took a few bars of guitar solo to pass before she could continue with the third verse, but she eventually did.


    ¡°I realized, a long time ago, that I will always need you more than I can ever let you know. Wish you could feel everything I do. Too much gets lost in translation when I just say I love you. No one could ever hear it. No one could ever see. You fill all five of my senses, and it¡¯s still too much for me! Sometimes it hurts, fitting it all inside. Haven¡¯t found a way to tell you yet, but I promise that I tried¡­¡±


    Ranko looked around the room, taking in the state of the bar that, despite not living in it anymore, would always be her home. The night was almost over, and tomorrow would be a new day. The decorations would be put away. The tables would be put back where they belonged, and the curtain around the bar would come down. Life would carry on. But, while there would never be another day like this, she knew things would never be the same as they were before, either. Ranko felt as if her whole life were brand-new, cherry-picked from the best parts of her distant past, the best parts of her present, and the choicest selections from every happy dream she¡¯d ever had, all mixed together into perfection in the brown eyes of the crying bride sitting three meters to her left, just especially for her.


    ¡°There are no words. Nothing I can say, knowing this was the last morning I would call you fianc¨¦. I¡¯ll barely have the time to add a couple chords, ¡®cause I¡¯ve gotta get downstairs and let the whole world know I¡¯m yours. I¡¯ve never been this sure of anything, and yet, I swear, it¡¯s still surreal. Baby, there are no words big enough for how I feel!¡±


    Ranko grinned to herself, deciding to go for broke. She¡¯d thought up a few extra lines during dinner, and figured they would make for a really cool little coda. But, a coda needed to sound different, so for just a moment, she switched to a different key. Down on the bar floor, Akane swayed in her chair, watching Ranko as if she were the most beautiful thing she¡¯d ever seen.


    Because she was.


    ¡°I probably should have known back when this all begun - it was like counting to infinity, because it simply can¡¯t be done. And even if I could somehow reach the end, by then, I¡¯d love you more than I did before, and I¡¯d have to start agaaaaaaain¡­¡±


    Her guitar returned to the previous key. Almost done, silly girl. Almost. Akane, meanwhile, would have been fine if the serenade had never ended. She was entranced with the woman that somehow, against all odds and reason, was hers forever.


    ¡°There are no words. Nothing I can say. But, I¡¯ll always do my best to try and tell you anyway. You deserve to know how much you¡¯ve changed my life¡­ how impos¡­ sible and magi¡­ cal it feels¡­ to be your wife¡­¡±


    The room was silent of all sound but Ranko¡¯s voice and her guitar, their guests stunned to a one by the raw outpouring of love and bliss and happiness beyond description or restraint that poured out of their friend. Their sister. Their daughter.


    The shattered girl who had crawled on her belly through fire and darkness for two years was gone. In her place still sat a woman named Ranko Tendo, but this one was joy incarnate.


    Ranko sniffled back her elated tears, hoping the microphone didn¡¯t pick it up too badly. Still, even after taking a bar to steady her breathing, one or two of the last few notes had come out a little flat as her voice caught on a lump in her throat. Singing the word wife, and knowing it was ever so much more true than it had been seventeen hours ago when she wrote it, had simply been too much. There would be no regaining control of the torrent from her eyes ¨C or the one from her heart.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been this sure of an¡­ y¡­ thing, and yet somehow, it¡¯s still surreal. Baby, there are no words big en¡­ enough for how I feel.¡±


    Ranko bent over her phoenix-styled acoustic guitar as much as the unyielding corset of her wedding dress would permit, openly weeping over her silent instrument. She forced herself to look up into her wife¡¯s eyes, blinking through tears to do so. She could take no more. She was entirely saturated with happiness; the excess joy had to go somewhere. The song¡¯s final line was sung a cappella in halting, almost whimpered notes made unintentionally staccato by the lump in her throat that refused to subside.


    ¡°It¡¯s like living in¡­ a dayd¡­ dream, and I¡­ can¡¯t bel¡­lieve it¡¯s real. There never w¡­ will¡­ be words¡­ big enough for how I f¡­feel¡­¡±


    There was no applause. The room was stunned into silence at the haunting beauty of it all. Akane leapt from her chair, scurrying up the ramp as fast as she could in her poofy wedding dress. The hot microphone in front of Ranko picked up a thud as Akane¡¯s body collided with hers, threatening to squeeze the very breath out of her wife.


    ¡°Ranko, I love you so much,¡± Akane whispered, not realizing that the speakers were broadcasting the couple¡¯s embrace over the still-active microphone. ¡°That was so beautiful, princess. You are so beautiful. You are my whole soul, forever.¡±


    Ranko sniffled loudly, Akane¡¯s embrace giving her another outlet for her emotion and allowing her to start trying to regain control of her tear ducts. ¡°Akane, I just¡­ I¡¯m done. I¡¯m full. There¡¯s no more room in me for any more happiness. This is the best day any girl¡¯s ever had in the history of time. No one has ever been as happy as I am right now. Never.¡±


    Akane broke the hug, instead kissing her wife without regard for anyone still watching. Ranko¡¯s whimper echoed through the speakers as her head moved in tandem with every advance of Akane¡¯s tongue. When she finally resigned to come up for air, Akane offered her hand down to her seated bride.


    ¡°What say we get out of here, you and me?¡±


    Ranko nodded and used her hand for support as she stood, and Akane helped her disentangle herself from her guitar. The two held hands and walked abreast as they began their descent from the stage, but Ranko stopped in the middle of the ramp to address the gathering one last time, wiping her eyes as she spoke.


    ¡°Everybody, my wife and I would like to thank you all for being here. For making our day, and our lives, just so, so special. We love every single one of you.¡±


    Mitsuru smiled and made a hug gesture with her arms once Nanami had translated Ranko¡¯s words.


    ¡°And now,¡± Akane said with a blush and a giggle. ¡°If you will excuse us, I think it¡¯s just about time for me to get this one out of all that dress.¡±


    A sultry ooooooo rose from the remaining guests, and Ranko buried her face in Akane¡¯s puffy sleeve to hide her flushed cheeks. ¡°Akane! I can¡¯t believe you said that!¡±


    Akane laughed, putting her arm around Ranko¡¯s back. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like they don¡¯t know it¡¯s gonna happen, babe.¡±


    When the couple reached the end of the ramp, Kage was waiting for them. ¡°Okay, girls. Whenever you¡¯re ready to head out to the hotel, just let me know. All your stuff¡¯s in the car already; Aya¡¯s gonna take the train home, and I¡¯ll run you out there.¡±


    Akane gave him a nod and a smirk, but the way she looked at Ranko did more to convey her feelings than her words did. ¡°Give us just a minute to say our goodbyes, and we¡¯ll be all set. And Kage, do me a favor? Drive fast.¡±


    Akane¡¯s eldest brother-in-not-quite-law laughed merrily. ¡°You got it, madam.¡±


    After one final round of hugs and goodbyes, Ranko and Akane had almost emerged from the hallway into the area behind the bar to depart when Akane felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned, and found Yui and Sakura lurking conspiratorially in the dim entrance to Hana¡¯s office, motioning for them to enter. The couple did as they were asked, and Sakura put her arm around Akane¡¯s shoulders. She produced a box shaped like a square pillar, about twenty-five centimeters tall and just nine wide and deep, wrapped in iridescent white wrapping paper. It was pocked with little foil triangles that gave it an almost holographic glint. ¡°Here. For you.¡±


    Ranko chuckled softly to herself. Awww. The lead bartender and her girlfriend got us a bottle of something for the hotel. Original much? That¡¯s about the only thing that could come in a box that shape, after all. I¡¯m still working off the hangover from yesterday and I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s one coming from today, but it was really sweet of them nonetheless.


    Akane gasped. ¡°You guys, we already did presents! You¡¯ve all done so much for us already; we didn¡¯t need anything else!¡± She hooked her finger into one of the seams in the wrapping paper on the top of the box, but before she could rip it, Sakura¡¯s hand landed atop hers to prevent her from continuing.


    ¡°Yeah, um, Akane? Maybe¡­ wait to open that until you two are alone, ¡®kay?¡±


    Yui put her arm around a very mystified Ranko, a positively wicked expression in her eyes but a wide smile on her lips. ¡°Have a great night, little sister.¡±

 169. The First Day of Forever

    Ranko sighed serenely, curled up sidewise in a plush blue velvet chair. Her bare feet were on the seat of the chair next to her butt, and she was hugging her knees with her chin resting on them. The Pacific Ocean lapped lazily against the beach just outside the open sliding glass door leading to their fourth story balcony, but Ranko¡¯s back was to it, instead staring at the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.


    Her sleeping wife.


    Just the thought of it gave her shivers, though part of that could have been due to what she was wearing. From a functional standpoint, the nightgown might as well not have been there at all; its sheer white material left absolutely nothing to the imagination and it provided no warmth whatsoever, but she had chosen it for form over function. It was only purchased to serve one purpose, and it had done so gloriously. The accompanying white satin panties, with the word bride stamped on the front in gold foil, that lay on the floor more than a meter from the bed served as further evidence that the evening had gone exactly to plan. Well, except for the parts that had gone even better, Ranko thought with a furious blush.


    Ranko breathed deep of the sea air through the open balcony door. It was nearly eleven in the morning, and Ranko knew that normally Akane would be furious with herself for sleeping so late, but yesterday had been a long day, capped by an even longer night, and Ranko did not begrudge her a moment of rest. She¡¯d not been separated from Akane for longer than it took to use the restroom since the start of their wedding ceremony, and while she wanted nothing more in the world than to bask in the company of the woman that would be her partner for the rest of her days, she was grateful for a little bit of quiet time to process all the ways that her life had turned upside down in the last forty-eight hours.


    She played idly with her wedding ring on her finger, listening to the seagulls squawk outside the window in their excitement over the discovery of a fish for lunch.


    Any one of the life-changing events she¡¯d experienced since Friday afternoon would have been enough to cause her present state of contemplation, but all of them at once? Gods, she was like a kid at Christmas, and she wasn¡¯t sure which shiny package of new, exciting feelings she wanted to investigate first.


    She smiled peacefully at her resting bride as she thought about what Akane¡¯s father had done for her. Her father, she reminded herself. That was a term she could use again, for the first time in years, without bile in her throat. She was a Tendo now, not just in her heart, but on paper, too. It didn¡¯t feel like when she first arrived at the Phoenix and crafted herself a whole new identity, but in a sense, it almost did. In truth, it felt more like Soun and Akane had backed a cement truck up to her life and filled in all the holes under the surface of her backstory to give her a stronger foundation to build a future on.


    She¡¯d never even considered that her absence as Ranko Tendo from any family birth registry would hold her back on getting things like a passport. While college was a dream she could have resigned herself to give up on, she would have been far more hard-pressed to surrender another fantasy she¡¯d long held in her heart. She often dreamed of a day when she could whisk Akane off to some fancy place like Paris, buy her whatever she wanted, and show her the sights. And then, at the end of the night, after some romantic, candlelit dinner in a little bistro cafe somewhere, Akane would be seated front and center in some packed arena while Ranko gave the concert of her life for her number one fan, in music and in life, and invited twenty or thirty thousand other people to watch too. That dream would have been dashed as well, had it not been for Akane and Soun¡¯s intervention, and Ranko would have never even known it until it was gone.


    But now, she knew that by the time she got home, Soun would have already filed the form with the city government, and within a week or two, she would get an official letter in the mail certifying the backdated birthright Soun had bestowed upon her. From there, it was just a matter of a photocopy machine and a stamp, and she would be enrolled in Minato University for next year. She had no idea what she¡¯d decide to study, but that was of almost no consequence to her. She was going to get to stand next to Akane, all cute, and cheer on the love of her life. If that had been her whole lot in life - if she¡¯d been born for no other purpose than to stand in Akane¡¯s shadow and encourage her to success in every endeavor she undertook - she could have died happy. She couldn¡¯t imagine thinking that way back when she knew a selfish kid named Ranma Saotome, but after all this time, watching Akane sacrifice again and again to propel Ranko to heights she could never have dared to dream, Ranko felt like it was the least she could do in return.


    She opened up the little black notebook with her band¡¯s logo on the cover that lay on the nightstand, flipping past the lyrics of There Are No Words until she reached a blank page. Pulling the disposable ballpoint pen out of the spiral binding, she drew two pairs of kanji characters. And then she did it again, this time adding tiny little flourishes and concentrating on every detail of her handwriting. She smiled almost giddily down at the repeated characters. Yep. That¡¯s me! Orchid girl. Ranko Tendo. Forget the dress, and the makeup, and the absolutely stunning custom engraving that would be wrapped around her finger for the rest of her life. Forget the fact that for reasons unknown, hot water no longer threatened to thrust her back into a form she¡¯d long left behind. Even her name itself felt prettier than it did the day before yesterday. She blushed with a dreamy smile as she wrote out her name again, remembering something Akane had said about an hour after the impromptu adoption ceremony where Ranko had chosen the new form of her name. She¡¯d called Ranko her flower girl, and it sent a little flutter through Ranko¡¯s heart even just remembering it now.


    Gods, how her stomach would have turned three years ago at the thought of being called such a thing. Or the thought of, really, anything that had happened yesterday. Her wedding dress. Slow dancing with the man she now called her father. Her face flushed crimson as she adjusted herself in her chair, the soreness in her lower body reminding her of certain details of the evening in the hotel room after the wedding that would certainly have broken the mind of Ranma Saotome. But Ranma Saotome was long gone, and now, through the benevolence of some force or happenstance she could not name or explain, his ghost could never return to haunt her again. Not in body, not in identity, and not in blood. No longer did she feel like everything that made her her had a giant asterisk on it, some fine print that would unravel the whole thing if somebody ever got curious enough to look just a little closer.


    She grinned, remembering the lyrics to one of her newest songs - an anthem she had written to encourage thousands of girls to reach for more and take command of their own destinies. Never did she expect that she could avail herself of her own advice less than a month later. She whispered the words almost breathlessly to herself, ensuring they could not wake her sleeping wife.


    ¡°So, let this be your ¡®I want it¡¯ song, and shout it to the rafters. You have waited far too long to start your happy ever after¡­¡±


    She flipped to a new blank page in her little notebook, reminding herself to grab a new one from the merch display behind the service bar of the Phoenix when she got home. This one was nearly spent, the majority of it having fallen casualty to the futile development of There Are No Words.


    I really am living in a fairy tale all my own, Ranko thought with a brighter smile than the girl she saw in the mirror two years ago would have ever thought possible. I mean, I had the magic curse, the heroic love interest, the secret identity to keep me hidden from dastardly villains, the singing about every little thing I feel, the dresses¡­ fuck, the dresses¡­ She allowed herself a single noiseless chuckle. Even a wicked stepmother, sorta, except she was only wicked for a little while. And to top it off, I had the magical wedding, where everything almost went wrong but somehow ended up just perfect in the end.


    Okay, Akane. You win. I concede. I am a princess after all, and you are my happily ever after.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    She jotted down a few characters, musing on how it felt, all of it. Dragging herself across the threshold of the Phoenix to discover a family that loved and accepted her. Going back to school. Meeting the band, and everything they¡¯d done and had yet to do together. And Akane, gods. Akane. Any one of those things was too much of a blessing to believe, but all of them, in two years? Hell, in one lifetime? And then she got to officially become a Tendo, and she got to become Akane¡¯s wife, and she got to potentially leave the specter of her masculinity behind forever - all of it just yesterday?


    If someone wrote the story, nobody would ever believe it, she thought with a grateful sigh.


    She barely noticed she was still writing, but when she had finally ran out of blank pages in the notebook, she beamed at what she had written. Oh, yeah, she thought with a grin. This is the one. I know it.


    Ranko peeked over the spine of her spiral notebook at the slight stirring on the king-sized bed. Closing it ever so carefully and quietly, she set the notebook and pen down on the nightstand and watched. There was another stir, and another, and each one sent a jolt of excitement into Ranko¡¯s heart like she was a puppy waiting for her morning walk. Without waiting for Akane to open her eyes, she crawled onto the bed, nuzzling herself under Akane¡¯s right arm and curling up in a tight ball beside her. She purred happily as she felt Akane¡¯s wrist bend around her shoulder at the edge of consciousness, and burrowed even closer to her wife.


    Home. This is home. Right here, with you, Akane. Forever. No girl could ever ask for more.


    <hr>


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Ranko shivered as her eyes fluttered open, her breath catching in her throat. She lolled her head to the side, her mouth hanging slightly open as she looked up into Akane¡¯s loving gaze. Akane leaned over her wife, holding one of the white roses from the floral arrangement made from their combined bouquets like a paintbrush and dragging it slowly across Ranko¡¯s skin. The barely-there lingerie Ranko had worn to bed provided little protection against the excruciatingly silky petals of the flower that made its way down her neck and between her breasts.


    ¡°Good morning, beautiful,¡± Akane said quietly, a contented smile painted across her lips. ¡°I love you.¡±


    Ranko did not answer in words, but she did nod her head with a quiet purr and flash Akane a soft smile of her own. She arched her back slightly in involuntary response to the flower¡¯s touch as it reached her navel and reversed direction. Held captive as she was, on the knife¡¯s edge between sensibility and surrender, she could do naught but shiver and stare pleadingly into Akane¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°After you came back to bed, you fell asleep cuddling with me. I didn¡¯t have the heart to wake you when I got up; you were just so cute all curled up like that.¡± Akane simpered fawningly over her partner. ¡°But I decided I couldn¡¯t wait to see you any more.¡±


    ¡°He¡­ hi.¡± Ranko opened and closed her hand in an attempt to wave, her nerves short-circuiting under the tantalizing torture of Akane¡¯s teasing. After all of the attention she had received last night, her nerves screamed for touch even more than they usually did.


    Akane giggled brightly. ¡°Hi to you too, princess. So, what do you want to do with the first day of forever? We could head down to the beach, or try to find something to eat¡­¡± She bit her lip coyly as the rose dipped for the briefest of moments below Ranko¡¯s waist. ¡°Or, maybe I¡¯ll just do this for a few more hours.¡±


    Ranko whined loudly at the suggestion, and Akane couldn¡¯t tell if she was begging for mercy, or for more. Ranko wasn¡¯t entirely sure, either. All that existed in her universe in that moment was a single white rose and the face of the woman she loved.


    ¡°Oh, alright,¡± Akane said with a bright giggle in mock exasperation. ¡°I suppose if I¡¯m going to ask you a question, I should probably let you speak long enough to answer it. So, what would you like to do today, Mrs. Tendo?¡± She lifted the rose from Ranko¡¯s skin, and after taking a few seconds to reboot her nervous system in an effort to regain control of it, Ranko rolled onto her side and wrapped her arms around Akane¡¯s forearm.


    ¡°I want to be your wife today.¡±


    With a blush and a nod, Akane laid the rose on Ranko¡¯s pillow next to her head. ¡°You¡¯re gonna do that every day from now on, my love.¡±


    Ranko purred happily, kissing Akane¡¯s wrist as she clung on to her forearm. ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡± She had no idea what was available to do in the little beach town Kage had delivered them to for their honeymoon. While she did have one idea of how she might like to spend the day, it didn¡¯t involve her getting out of the pillowy king-sized bed. Quite to the contrary, it involved Akane getting back into it.


    ¡°Did you know that you are the most beautiful thing in the whole world, Ranko? I could just sit here and watch you smile forever.¡± Akane stroked her cheek, and Ranko nuzzled her face into her hand.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna do that every day from now on, too,¡± Ranko echoed.


    Akane bent down until her lips were but a centimeter from her wife¡¯s. ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡± She closed the gap between her lips and Ranko¡¯s, running her hands down the side of Ranko¡¯s neck and feeling her quiver through the kiss.


    Akane sat up in the blue plush chair, having decided to do so in the last second before she lost the will. ¡°Come on, princess. Get dressed, and let¡¯s go find somewhere I can show you off.¡±


    Ranko bounced to her feet excitedly. She knew there were obviously limits, given the stigma of their relationship and her celebrity status, but the idea of making Akane proud to have her on her arm filled her heart with song. Letting her sheer negligee fall to the floor, she flitted to the open closet door, running her fingers lovingly over the pearly corset of her wedding dress that hung off to one side next to Akane¡¯s. A part of her almost wanted to put it on again, as uncomfortable and unwieldy as it had been. She wanted to feel that special again. That perfect again. But as she looked over her shoulder at Akane sipping her tea and watching her sway with the music in her heart, she knew she would anyway, regardless of what she wore.


    She instead chose her favorite lace dress, the one embroidered with thousands of tiny roses. The dress Akane had picked out for her to wear the morning after the first night she¡¯d spent with Akane. The dress she was wearing that Christmas morning when Akane proposed. It had always been her I belong to Akane Tendo dress, and no day in her life had that felt more true than today. Besides, Ranko thought with flushing cheeks, I¡¯m not quite ready to be done wearing white.


    She bent down, reaching into the red suitcase on the closet floor for a matching set of light pink undergarments. She lifted one leg to step into her panties, but stopped partway, her face turning so red that Akane thought steam might come out of her ears. Ranko covered her face with her hand as Akane looked up from her tea and giggled at her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Ranko? You okay over there?¡± Akane smirked devilishly. She already knew exactly what the problem was, but she quite enjoyed making her wife squirm at the thought of admitting it.


    ¡°I, um¡­¡± Ranko squeaked through the gaps between her fingers. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go grab a shower quick before I get dressed, if that¡¯s okay.¡±


    With a taunting little laugh, Akane nodded. ¡°Yeah, might not be a bad idea, flower girl. I love you.¡±


    The pet name did little to assuage her blushing as Ranko headed for the ensuite bathroom. ¡°I love you too, Akane.¡± She reached into the shower stall, turning the temperature knob to its coldest setting and then pulling the stopper in the wall to divert the water flow from the bathtub faucet to the shower head. There was a part of her that was tempted to brave hot water again, just to reconfirm to herself that the unexplained change in the parameters of her curse had not been a delirious fever dream, but she thought better of it.


    Her muscles still ached, and she wasn¡¯t sure how much of it was due to the fight she¡¯d been in yesterday morning, and how much could be attributed to the thorough workout Akane had given her once they¡¯d made it to the hotel. She resolved to give Akane the credit as she stepped into the icy stream of water with a quiet yelp.

 170. Happy Ever After

    ¡°Hey, Akane, you gonna bring that to table six, or what?¡± Yui prodded at her new sister with an outstretched finger.


    Akane looked down at the pepperoni pizza she still held in her hand, shifting her weight from the bar counter behind her back to her feet as she snapped out of the haze she found herself. It wasn¡¯t fair. How could anyone be expected to focus on hauling appetizers and drinks between tables while the human embodiment of joy that was her wife moved on the stage like that?


    It was an interesting and ironic juxtaposition indeed, watching Ranko name herself a hellspawn while she looked like a princess on Casual Friday in the soft pink dress she¡¯d bought for herself before her first date with Akane. Whatever she wore, Ranko¡¯s ensorcelling power over everyone in the room was absolute, and Akane was no exception. So much so, in fact, that Akane did not hesitate to answer alongside her wife¡¯s other three hundred and some-odd thralls as the lyrics commanded.


    ¡°Yes, mistress!¡±


    Having finally managed to deposit the pizza in her hands at its destination before it had gone cold, Akane sidled back up to the service bar. ¡°I will never get tired of watching her up there.¡±


    Mei giggled, one of her pigtails whipping Akane on the shoulder as she whirled behind herself for a new bottle of rum. ¡°I sure hope not! It¡¯s kinda too late to back out now!¡±


    Akane fingered the silver band around her left ring finger with her thumb, her face a portrait of infatuation. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡±


    The redheaded newlywed on the stage snapped her head in Akane¡¯s direction. Indeed, she had followed Akane with her eyes from the stage every moment of her first performance back at the Phoenix after their honeymoon, despite Shinji having admonished her not to twice already. The final line of her song slithered off her tongue in an almost sultry burlesque affectation, it having taken on entirely new meaning in the current moment from the one it had originally carried.


    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve got you, I ain¡¯t ever gonna let you go! No escaping from the demon in your radio!¡±


    Her duties be damned, Akane joined with the crowd in the chanting of her wife¡¯s name. However rabid her growing legion of Firebirds became, Ranko Tendo would never have a bigger fan than the woman who had married her.


    It took longer than usual for the chant to die down. It had been almost a week since her last performance on the little stage that was her kingdom, between the two nights the Phoenix was closed for the wedding and her subsequent honeymoon, and it was clear the regulars were grateful to once again have the opportunity to party with one of the rising stars of the Japanese pop scene. Finally, though, Ranko waved downward with both her hands to tamp down the appreciative audience.


    ¡°Thanks so much, you guys,¡± Ranko said with a bright smile and a wave. ¡°I missed you, too.¡±


    After another cheer of acknowledgement, Ranko sighed contently, an almost-purr carried through the room over her headset microphone. ¡°You know, everybody, I¡¯ve been through a lot the last couple years. Some hard times, some really hard times, and some times that were just mind-bogglingly, amazingly perfect. Every day, I wake up, and I wonder what I did to earn enough karma to deserve to be as blessed as I have been. I haven¡¯t come up with anything yet. My story should not have been possible, and I still struggle to understand how it happened.¡±


    She gave a reverent nod to the middle-aged woman in the leather jacket that was clearing the empty glasses from table fourteen. ¡°When you¡¯ve had nothing, you appreciate more than most people do what it means to have everything, and gods, do I. I have my family, my friends, my music, and of course, my Firebirds.¡±


    The crowd gave themselves another cheer at her acknowledgement of them.


    She turned slightly, nodding over her shoulder to Jake. Her eyes returned to the packed room from the stage on which she had been married not four days ago. Here, in this room, in the arms of people who loved her, she had been reborn anew.


    Twice.


    An upbeat, playful melody began to tinkle through the speakers under the command of Jacob Trimble¡¯s nimble fingers. The Yamaha DX7 sang in the voice of a bright electric piano, but none of the other instruments had yet joined in. Ranko whispered a silent thanks to him and Crash for having put the music together so quickly to pair with the lyrics she¡¯d written as she watched her new wife sleep in their marriage bed on the fourth floor of a beach hotel a few short days ago. Akane had extracted a tax from her to allow her to disrupt their vacation and make a work phone call from the hotel, but neither of them minded the hour and a half it took Ranko to pay it.


    ¡°I just wanted to say thank you to my mom, my sisters, my friends, and the love of my life, in the best way I know how. I love you all, and I¡¯ll never stop being grateful for all of you.¡±


    Hana returned the empty glasses to the table she¡¯d started clearing, sliding into the booth with one knee on the red vinyl bench to watch. Izumi, Mei and Yui¡¯s work all came to a halt behind the twin bars. Off to stage left, just beyond where the VIP table would have been had it not been removed for the night to accommodate more standing patrons, Akane leaned on the kitchen wall and rapturously watched every breath of the woman she loved.


    Crash¡¯s guitar joined the synthesizer with a ferocity that might have fit better in a metal song, and Ken¡¯s drumsticks flailed as quickly as he could move them behind his drum set. Shinji showily held his bass away from his body as it lay a foundation for the danceable tune.


    I love you all, Ranko thought as she opened her mouth to sing.


    ¡°Story opens on a cold, dark street, with a girl who was frightened, hungry, broke and beat. Goin¡¯ nowhere fast, runnin¡¯ from her past, no one to turn to.¡±


    Ranko stalked the edge of the stage, motioning with an upturned palm to the whole of the room and everyone in it. The brightness of her smile could have been seen from orbit.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know how she managed to get that far, but somehow, she stumbled into an old dive bar. Didn¡¯t know how to change and grow, but was about to learn to.¡±


    Ranko clasped her hands over her sternum for a moment before holding her left hand up and miming writing something in the air with an invisible pencil. Her heels had not yet touched the stage since the song began. She was positively electrified.


    ¡°Who could imagine what the hands of fate had decided they would scribble on her blank slate? Who could see all that her destiny was just about to bring her?¡±


    She turned to her side, embracing Crash with her eyes and a scintillating smile of gratitude as she bounced with joy on the little wooden platform that had changed her life forever.


    ¡°If you¡¯d have told her then, she¡¯d have said you¡¯re lying! She could barely crawl; couldn¡¯t imagine flying! Not naive enough to believe she could become a singer¡­¡±


    Ranko¡¯s eyes darted up to Yui and Izumi behind the bar, beaming. This is our story now. All of us. This is what you¡¯ve all done for me. This is what we¡¯ve done together. It wasn¡¯t possible, but it happened anyway.


    Crash¡¯s guitar intensified in volume and tempo both, and the voice of Jacob¡¯s synth changed from a light piano to a more modern, electric keyboard.


    Ranko leapt nearly a meter straight up into the air, pumping her fist in the sky in time with the first hard hit of the chorus from both guitars.


    ¡°Once upon a rhyme, not so far away, there lived a little girl who had lost her way. Her fairy tale had been an epic fail from the beginning!¡±


    Ranko leveled her arm across the bar, pointing directly at Mei with two fingers. Had her mischievous big sister not humiliated her on the night before her eighteenth birthday, Ranko¡¯s life could never have been the same. Ranko would never forget it so long as she lived.


    ¡°Her heroes taught her how to make her stand, went and put a microphone in her hand, turned the page, put her up on stage, and now she¡¯s winning!¡±


    Ranko moved across the stage at almost a run, riling everyone within the sound of her voice into a frenzy. Every seat in the Phoenix was empty on that Monday July night. You ready to see the new stuff, guys?


    ¡°Sure, it seems just like a fantasy¡­¡± The huge speakers at her sides struggled to produce the stunningly high note that soared from Ranko¡¯s lips, and she stepped it down in a run through the word to a more comfortable place in the upper fourth octave.


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    ¡°... that fate would reach backward for a girl like me¡­¡±


    Her eyes found Akane in the back corner of the bar. As her hips slammed left and right with the intense cadence of Shinji¡¯s bass guitar, she held her left hand out in a fist in front of her. The diamond in the center of her wedding ring scintillated in every color of the rainbow as the stage lights refracted through it, until she blocked the beams of light by rubbing the back of her fist with her right hand in a circular motion.


    ¡°But now, my happy ever after happens all the time¡­ once upon a rhyme!¡±


    Ranko spun on her toes thrice through the audience¡¯s roar, channeling Ms. Kanzawa¡¯s ballet lessons as she brought her left foot up to her right knee, bending the left at a ninety degree angle.


    If the first verse had been for her family, her second was for an audience of but one. She¡¯d written it in the last four pages of a little black notebook four days ago as she sat at the side of her marriage bed, watching as the keeper of her heart slept on the first day of forever.


    ¡°Some time later, finally doin¡¯ alright, when magic came knockin¡¯ one December night; when someone from the past she¡¯d run from came and found her. And it came as such a big surprise that she could see eternity in those brown eyes, but knew that she¡¯d always have a need for those arms around her¡­¡±


    Ranko hugged herself on the stage, closing her eyes and imagining Akane¡¯s arms enveloping her. Her smile outshone the sun.


    ¡°Started slow, but they both wanted more. They rented an apartment on the second floor. They both grew, and as they did, they knew the way things were progressing. Barely had a yen between them to their name, but every day, it felt like they had won the game!¡±


    The songstress turned her head to the right, to the booth where Hana still rested one knee on the padded vinyl bench watching her youngest daughter declare her joy for all the world to see.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t take long until that little girl¡¯s mom was asked to give her blessing¡­¡±


    Hana whooped loudly, clapping her hands in boundless pride.


    Ranko hopped twice as she moved to her right, back in the direction of Akane. Her third jump launched her high into the air again, her dress fluttering around her knees as she fell to her feet. She was still in midair when the second chorus began.


    ¡°Once upon a rhyme, not so far away, there lived a little girl who had lost her way. Her fairy tale had been an epic fail from the beginning!¡±


    Her eyes locked on Akane¡¯s, drinking in a lifetime¡¯s worth of love and pride from her wife¡¯s eyes in the space of a heartbeat.


    ¡°Her heroes taught her how to make her stand. An angel came and put a ring on her left hand! She turned the page, got back up on stage, and now, she¡¯s winning!¡±


    Ranko packed her lungs with air in the two beats before the next line. Adding such a strenuously high note in the chorus where it would have to be repeated was a risk, but the sentiment demanded no less than the best she could give.


    ¡°Sure, it seems just like a fantasy that fate would reach backward for a girl like me, but now, my happy ever after happens all the time!¡±


    Her voice took on a softer, gentler tone for the repetition of the song¡¯s title. ¡°Once upon a rhyme¡­¡±


    Perhaps it was because the new song was so upbeat. Perhaps it was pent-up excitement after days without a performance from the Dapper Dragons. Perhaps it was the infectious excitement and radiant joy that exuded from every cell of Ranko¡¯s body. Whatever had caused it, the crowd of just north of three hundred sounded like thousands as they roared.


    Ranko turned her back to the crowd, making eye contact with Jacob, and then Ken, and then Shinji in turn as the third verse began. She had one more group of people yet for whom her gratitude knew no end.


    ¡°She found a dream, and started giving chase, but kismet led our girl into a real dark place, and she found out she¡¯d begun to doubt that she could ever make it.¡±


    Flitting three steps across the stage, she wrapped her arms tight around Crash¡¯s waist, squeezing her best friend close even as his fingers never stopped dancing on the strings of the instrument strapped across his chest. She owed him so much, from decking Takao to taking a chance on her by inviting her to his fledgling little band. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever had a better friend, beyond the one she had just married.


    ¡°Then, a friend visited that dive bar, armed with just a hug and an electric guitar.¡±


    All of the other instruments stopped during the line, giving Crash a three-second solo in acknowledgement that he, in fact, was the person being described.


    ¡°Let her scream, but promised her the dream, if she could only take it.¡±


    Still bouncing in time with the beat, Ranko made her way to the back of the stage, wrapping her arm over Jacob¡¯s shoulders as he played.


    ¡°When her faith had all but reached its end¡­¡±


    Two more steps brought her within arm¡¯s reach of Ken, and she leaned her head on his shoulder, not wanting to risk a hug interrupting the furious thrashing of his drumsticks against the instruments before him.


    ¡°... that guitarist introduced her to his friends¡­¡±


    Ranko hurried to front stage right and slammed into Shinji¡¯s back, squeezing him tight from behind. He tried to give her his trademark annoyed glare, but he just couldn¡¯t. As much of a pain in the ass as that girl was sometimes, Shinji Yokota couldn¡¯t help but admit it - he loved her as much as their other bandmates did.


    ¡°... and those guys wrote a song called Rise that they performed together.¡±


    Sentimentality won, and Shinji flashed her a smile as she let him go. The crowd recognized that they had reached their place in the story, and the cheering somehow got louder still.


    ¡°Who could have expected such a charmed outcome? They spray-painted her name on the front of their drum, and they decided that this crazy ride was gonna last forever!¡±


    The audience certainly hoped so, and they let her know it as loudly as they could manage.


    Now that the band had entered the story, they joined her in song as well, with both Shinji and Crash singing backup as the third chorus began.


    ¡°Once upon a rhyme, not so far away, there lived a little girl who had lost her way. Her fairy tale had been an epic fail from the beginning.¡±


    Ranko gestured behind her with both arms open wide, trying to indicate the people behind her. Her voice took on more of a rock tinge than a pop one as she introduced the chorus¡¯ third variation, the one intended to acknowledge the young men behind her who had helped set her course.


    ¡°Her heroes taught her how to make her stand. Now, that little girl is in her own ROCK BAND! She turned the page, and they¡¯re still on stage, and now, she¡¯s winning!¡±


    Clasping her hands over her heart as her waist rocked with every note, she pulled in enough air to hit the high note again, this time unable to keep the gasp to pack her lungs from being audible over the microphone.


    ¡°Sure, it seems just like a fantasy that fate would reach backward for a girl like me, but now, my happy ever after happens all the time¡­¡±


    Again, Ranko launched herself into the air in victory. In celebration of the latest chapter of the story that she never could have dreamed up, had she not lived it.


    ¡°Once upon a rhyme!¡±


    All four instruments came to rest, and the crowd¡¯s roar raised in intensity. The bargoers silenced immediately, however, when Ranko continued to sing over the band¡¯s silence. Without a beat to follow, she¡¯d stopped dancing, and the hard rock edge to her voice was gone. What took its place was a sincere, soulful softness, more in line with how she performed You¡¯re My Song, and, she expected sooner than later, There Are No Words.


    ¡°Once upon a rhyme, not so far away, our girl lives the impossible every day. Who could have guessed she¡¯d ever be so blessed with how her life was going?¡±


    She bit her lip tight. The slower, more emotional parts of her songs were always more likely to make her tear up, especially when she was singing them for the first time and she¡¯d not yet desensitized to the feelings with which they had been written.


    ¡°She¡¯s found family, friends, and true romance ¨C doesn¡¯t know how she deserved the gifts she got by chance ¨C but her fresh start has filled up her heart until it¡¯s overflowing¡­¡±


    Ranko lowered her eyes to the stage platform, closing her eyes. I can do this. I can do this.


    ¡°Now, she¡¯s living out her fantasy¡­¡±


    Again, her voice soared into the sixth octave, but this time, it stayed there, sustaining the angelic note for a full second as the crowd howled in shock and appreciation.


    ¡°... don¡¯t know how it happened to a girl like me¡­¡± The line was sung more slowly than during the rest of the choruses, and the last three words were pronounced through another soaringly high run, though it did not escape the fifth octave this time.


    Ranko clasped her hands over her heart again, but this time, slightly higher on her chest. Akane noticed what most in the crowd did not: rather than her right hand resting flat atop her left like it normally did when she made that gesture, its fingers were bent slightly as she ever so gently wiggled her wedding ring.


    ¡°But now, my happy ever after happens all the time¡­¡±

 171. Where Do We Go from Here?

    Akane looked over the sheet of looseleaf paper on their dining room table, nodding to herself as she searched for the line corresponding to the pastel lavender envelope in her hand. Each of the fourteen or so envelopes contained an identical card, though each had a different name and address written on the front. ¡°Okay, your mom got us the stand mixer. I can do that one.¡±


    Ranko laughed, smiling over at her wife from the kitchen. She slid a long glass casserole dish into the oven, her mirth momentarily suspended by the uncomfortable wave of heat that blasted her face when she pulled down the oven door. ¡°Akane, cmon,¡± she said as she slammed the oven door back to the upright position with her foot. "Let¡¯s be real. Mom knows you¡¯re never gonna use that thing. Let me do that one.¡±


    Akane shook her head and laughed as she watched her wife work. She was just so damned cute. Over her yellow skater dress, Ranko wore a light pink apron with lace in a brighter hot pink around the bottom edge. A cloth sash in the same bright pink cinched the apron around herself, tied behind her in a large bow. The outline of a hot pink heart was printed at the center of her chest, and emblazoned across it in white thread was embroidered a single word in cursive romaji writing: princess.


    Since the revelation about Ranko¡¯s curse on the morning of their wedding, Ranko had felt brave enough to throw away her black vinyl apron. She¡¯d always hated the thing, but she had been forced to adopt it to protect herself from the risk of hot water and the sudden, devastating psychological impact it could have had on her at any moment.


    But now, with the curse seeming to be gone for good? Dr. Tofu¡¯s research into similar stories from Jusenkyo had turned up nothing so far, and Ranko had decided to carry on with the blissful assumption that the boy she used to be was gone forever until she had reason to believe otherwise. Sure, there was still the risk of immense agony from the Cat¡¯s Tongue, but Ranko felt that that risk alone was manageable in exchange for the way it felt to be pretty for Akane. She wanted to be a vision of feminine perfection in Akane¡¯s eyes, especially in the kitchen that was Ranko¡¯s domain exclusively. Nothing Ranko wore could have ever diminished her beauty in the opinion of the woman who had married her, however.


    ¡°You know, I could have put that in for you, silly girl,¡± Akane said with a smile. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do the bedspread one, then. That came from¡­¡± She double-checked the list in front of her. ¡°Nanami and Mitsuru.¡±


    Ranko pushed a few buttons on the microwave to start a timer, each touch eliciting a chipper little beep from the white appliance on the corner of the countertop that was closest to the dining table. Her task done, she strode over to their little dining table and slipped into a chair to help Akane make out the thank-you cards for their wedding gifts.


    Akane leaned over as Ranko sat in the chair beside her, stealing a kiss. ¡°You know, you don¡¯t have to keep pulling out all the stops like this for dinner. I know it¡¯s a lot of work.¡±


    Ranko waved her off with a giggle and a hundred-megawatt smile. ¡°Of course I do. It¡¯s our anniversary, after all!¡±


    Akane chuckled, lowering her forehead into her hand as her elbow propped it up on the table. ¡°Baby, the wedding was eight days ago.¡±


    Placing her fists defiantly on her hips, Ranko cocked her head admonishingly at Akane. Perhaps the attempt at scolding would have been more effective had she not looked so damned adorable, all the way down to the white ribbons in her twin pigtails. ¡°Well, I say every day I get to spend married to you is worth celebrating, and so that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m gonna do.¡±


    The raven-haired girl to Ranko¡¯s left laughed sweetly, shaking her head at the silliness of it all. ¡°You know what? You¡¯re absolutely right. Happy eight-day anniversary, Mrs. Tendo.¡±


    Ranko leaned over in her chair and snuggled into Akane¡¯s torso just under her right arm. ¡°Happy anniversary, Akane. I love you.¡±


    After Akane had released her from the hug, Ranko sat up and picked up a pen. ¡°Okay¡­¡± She flipped the envelope over in her hand. ¡°This one¡¯s Mom¡¯s.¡± She pulled the purple card out of the envelope, opening it to reveal a blank white interior. Ranko scribbled a short note of thanks, personalizing the sentiment by mentioning how much Akane was looking forward to the new mixer being used to make chocolate chip cookies. She beamed as she once again carefully drew the two kanji characters to spell out orchid girl, blowing gently on the card to dry the ink before sliding the card over to Akane to add her signature as well.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    After signing the card and stuffing it back into its corresponding envelope, Akane picked up the next envelope. Flipping it over to look at the address, she began to cackle. ¡°Here. You¡¯re writing this one.¡±


    With a puzzled expression, Ranko snatched the thank-you card from her new wife, flipping it over to reveal the address of the apartment Mei shared with Yui, and both Yui and Sakura¡¯s names were written above it just below the postage stamp. In a moment, Ranko¡¯s face somehow absorbed every drop of blood in her body, to the point that she felt a little lightheaded.


    ¡°Nuh-uh! Why do I gotta do that one? They gave it to you, after all!¡±


    Ranko shook her head pleadingly, but Akane held fast, a confident smirk on her lips. ¡°I may have been the one that used it, beautiful, but you are unquestionably the one who received it. Or do you need a reminder?¡±


    The redhead hid her face behind both of her hands, her tittering taking a coyer tone than before. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m never gonna forget those two hours, Akane.¡±


    Akane reached to her right, pulling the humiliated love of her life into another side hug and kissing her on the top of her head. ¡°Neither will anyone else who was in the hotel that night, babe.¡±


    ¡°Aww, c¡¯mon! You suck, Akane. I love you, but you suck!¡± Ranko giggled in embarrassment behind her hands, and was only saved from her torment by the ringing of the telephone on the wall next to the refrigerator.


    Ranko bounced to her feet as Akane released her from the hug, grateful for a few moments¡¯ reprieve from her wife¡¯s merciless teasing. She answered on the second ring, leaning against the wall with her butt and the bottom of her left foot. ¡°Tendo residence, hello!¡±


    Watching her speak to the unknown caller, Akane couldn¡¯t help but grin. Gods, I¡¯m in love with you, Ranko. ¡°Who is it, princess?¡±


    Ranko covered the receiver with her hand. ¡°It¡¯s Nabiki.¡±


    ¡°Right on,¡± Akane said as she picked up the pen again. ¡°Tell her I said hi.¡±


    Ranko nodded in response to something that Nabiki said. ¡°Uh-huh. Akane says hi, and she loves you.¡±


    As Akane signed a little card expressing her gratitude to Shiori for the champagne flutes the couple had used on the dais at their wedding, Ranko continued her conversation. ¡°Really? When?¡±


    A curious look in her eyes, Akane looked up to listen as she slipped the card back into the envelope to await Ranko¡¯s signature.


    ¡°But, I¡¯ve got school.¡±


    Tossing the unsealed envelope on the table in front of Ranko¡¯s chair, Akane stopped working to pay closer attention.


    ¡°Uh-huh. We¡¯ll have to talk about it, of course.¡± Ranko¡¯s eyes sparkled until she closed them, leaning her head back on the wall with a radiant grin. She was so excited, she was vibrating, as if trying to restrain herself from screaming into the telephone.


    ¡°Okay. Bye, Nabiki! Thanks!¡± Ranko returned the receiver to the cradle, walking back over to the table to confront Akane¡¯s expectant curiosity.


    ¡°What was all that about?¡±


    Ranko crinkled her nose cutely, shaking her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I have something much more important to discuss with you.¡± As she spoke, she sat sideways across Akane¡¯s lap, wrapping her arms gently around her wife¡¯s neck to stabilize herself as her bare feet dangled a few centimeters from the floor.


    ¡°O¡­ kay?¡± Akane giggled, linking her fingers together behind Ranko¡¯s left hip to hold her partner in place. ¡°What¡¯s up, love?¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve been thinking¡­¡± Ranko leaned closer, giving Akane the softest of kisses at the base of her neck and nuzzling her cheek lovingly against her wife¡¯s chest. ¡°We should go on another honeymoon.¡±


    Akane laughed, moving her arms up and wrapping them tight around her wife¡¯s shoulders. ¡°We haven¡¯t been back from the last one for a week yet, silly girl! But, alright. Since it is our eight-day anniversary and all, I suppose we should celebrate. Where do you wanna go? Osaka? Sapporo?¡±


    Ranko flashed an exuberant smile back at the beige phone receiver on the wall before meeting Akane¡¯s gaze again. Her eyes radiated a triumphant joy.


    ¡°I was thinking¡­ most of southeast Asia.¡±


    ~~~ END BOOK NINE ~~~


    ~~~ END PHOENIX ASCENDANT ~~~


    Ranko and Akane''s story will continue in Phoenix Odyssey - coming Summer 2024!

 {The Story Continues!}

    Hello! If you''re reading this, you made it to the end of Phoenix Ascendant, the second story in the Phoenix Saga.


    Thank you so much for reading and following!


    The story''s not over, though! While Phoenix and Phoenix Ascendant are completed works, the Phoenix Saga continues in Phoenix Odyssey</a>. I''ve discovered, since posting on Royal Road, that "sequels as independent series" is a little outside the normal structure of Royal Road and some folks are having trouble navigating it. I''m hoping adding this "end cover" will help folks out. If you followed Phoenix or Phoenix Ascendant, you won''t ever get an update for a new chapter, because the updates are currently happening in the third story in the series. If you want to be updated when new Phoenix chapters post (usually daily), please follow Phoenix Odyssey (or just follow me as an author.)


    I''m sorry for the confusion! I did not know your ways! *shame*


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    The third story in the Phoenix</a> Saga, Phoenix Odyssey</a>, begins 4 months after the end of Phoenix Ascendant</a>.


    Newlyweds Ranko and Akane navigate married life, balancing it with Ranko''s high school graduation and entry into college and Akane''s medical school. Ranko''s music career reaches even greater heights as her second album releases and she and the Dapper Dragons embark on an international tour. Ranko seeks answers for the unexplained miracle that befell her on her wedding day. Trouble at home and abroad threatens everything Ranko holds dear. Features even more brand new original songs!


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Phoenix Odyssey is an ongoing work. Please direct your follows to this story to receive updates when new chapters post (usually daily!) <3


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    Want some more Phoenix content?


    I''ve added the following bonus content to the Phoenix Saga...


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    <td style="width: 87.3038%">A Night at the Phoenix</a> is a series of canon-adjacent vignette performances where Ranko steps out of the bounds of the 1990s and can perform contemporary cover songs.</td>


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    The Phoenix Saga: Ranko''s Songbook</a> is a collection of the lyrics of all of Ranko''s original songs. These lyrics contain significant story spoilers; read at your own risk.


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    <td style="width: 87.3038%">The Phoenix Bartender Manual</a> contains Yui''s top-secret recipes for all of the signature cocktails served at the Phoenix, so you can make them yourself at home if you can''t get to your favorite bar in Tokyo in 1991! These recipes do contain very mild spoilers.</td>


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    Again, thank you so much for letting me tell you a story, and for bearing with my oddball posting technique. <3


    If you loved the story (or even if you didn''t) I''d greatly appreciate it if you''d take a moment to leave a rating and/or review. Advanced reviews are the most valuable for helping the story gain visibility on Royal Road and helping more people discover it! <3