Master Akane Tendo.
Akane giggled briefly at the thought, but quickly stopped. She inhaled sharply through her teeth, clutching at her sore ribs through her green turtleneck sweater. Oww. Man, that bastard hits hard. She was grateful that the February air was unseasonably cold so she could get away with the heavy plush sweater and her black jeans; Akane did not want her girlfriend to see the array of bruises that Ranko's father had left on her skin if she could help it. The stretchy cloth bandage Kasumi had helped bind around her torso was uncomfortably tight, but it provided an almost corset-like level of support that she was grateful for. A part of her regretted not taking the time to try and cover the slight bruising on her left cheek with makeup, but cosmetics had never been her strong suit, and it would have taken her too long to get it right. She simply couldn't summon the patience for it. The only thing she had been able to think of was getting to the Phoenix as soon as she could, and sharing the news of her victory with Ranko.
She leaned her head back gently until it came to rest against the gray vinyl seat of the crosstown bus. I can't believe I won, Akane thought, cracking a smile despite her physical discomfort. I'm a master. A sensei. I have my own dojo. And it wasn't given to me, either. I won it fair and square, and now, the Saotome School is mine. At least, for now. After all, I won it, but it's Ranko's by right. It's her family's legacy. It's only proper that I give it to her. I mean, I'll still get Dad's half of the school when he retires, and then we can merge them. I guess we can't do it the way Dad intended, but we'll figure out another way to make it official somehow.
A warm flush flooded her cheeks, offsetting the chill air that filled the bus somewhat. She was glad for it, as the old man in the seat in front of her had his window open and the brisk air whipping through it stung her skin. I guess that'll make her Master Ranko Tendo, she mused, but the honorific her victory would bestow upon her new girlfriend was not the part that had made her blush. We can't join the schools through marriage anymore, but she does have my family name. It's almost like we're married after all.
Akane glanced out her window excitedly as the bus lurched to a stop. She recognized the area, particularly the large, two-story freestanding building approximately half a block from the bus stop. It was hard to miss, as it was fairly unique. It was painted a deep copper color, and the sign above the door was made of several large, brass-colored gears that rotated slowly in place. She couldn't quite make out what was spelled out in the blue-and-yellow neon, but she guessed it was probably a night club of some sort. The Minato district was chock-full of them. While it appeared to be a more upscale establishment than her destination, Akane could not have cared less. Her only interest in it was that it was a mere two stops away from where she planned to disembark.
She sighed happily as the brakes released with a loud hiss and the bus resumed its route. A pastel pink mochi shop whizzed by her window, followed by a gray cinder block building that looked to be a car repair garage. I'm almost there, Ranko. Excuse me. Master Tendo. Akane's smile widened, and she only just managed to catch herself before she laughed again and sent another shot of pain coursing through her battered ribcage. My girlfriend. And now, Dad can't even say anything about it, since he formally gave me the right to date whoever I want. I mean, I don't know how thrilled he'll be that I picked a girl, however special this particular girl happens to be.
Ask me if I care. I mean, it's weird, for sure. I never thought I liked girls before, but… Ranko's not exactly a regular girl. Akane cringed slightly, feeling a twinge of guilt at the thought even though she'd not voiced it aloud. I've gotta be careful not to say things like that around her. She'll think I mean she's different because she used to be a guy, and not because she's just so amazing in other ways. The last thing I wanna do is make her self-conscious, and she always gets that way when she starts thinking about her past, from before the Cat's Tongue. That's the last thing I want.
She glanced down at the knuckles of her right hand, which were slightly discolored from overuse. Her first successful use of the Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire technique had to have resulted in at least a hundred punches by itself. Still, even as Akane's fingers ached each time she splayed and flexed them, she could not stop smiling.
For the first time in her life, Ranko has a future to think about instead. We both do. Together. And I'm so proud that I was finally able to find a way to help her get it.
"Are you sure you didn't unplug it?!"
Yui rolled her eyes, shaking her head in the direction of her youngest sister. "Why would I do that?"
Ranko groaned loudly, stepping on the footrest of one of the stools on the customer side of the acacia bar counter and peering over it. "I dunno, by accident, when you were mopping or something. Just check it!"
Chuckling, Yui reached for the cordless telephone in its wall-mounted cradle behind the bar of the Phoenix. She pressed its green talk button, holding it up until she was confident Ranko could hear the dial tone it emitted. "See? Working just fine." The blonde smirked, pressing the button again to silence the receiver and returning it to its cradle. "I don't know what you're so worked up about, blockhead. Mei has the guy's card. We're gonna call him, remember?!"
I know, Yui. It's not him I'm worried about, Ranko thought, resisting the nervous impulse to bite her manicured fingernails as she stalked back toward the empty stage at the rear of the barroom. I haven't heard from Akane all morning. What if she's hurt?! What if I sent her to face Pop, and she wasn't ready? What if she couldn't figure out what I was trying to teach her? I shouldn't have been so vague about it. I should've…
"Earth to Ranko…" Yui waved her hand in front of the younger girl's face, snapping her out of her thought spiral just as the redhead's circuit around the room returned her to the main bar. "Hey. Would you relax?! Honestly, you're giving me anxiety!" The blonde laughed, motioning to the stool Ranko had boosted herself up on moments before. "Would you sit the fuck down already, before you wear a damned hole in the floor with all your pacing?"
Sighing, Ranko stepped up on the footrest again, holding down the flared knee-length skirt of her red skater dress behind her to ensure it did not bunch up behind her as she sat. She knew from experience that when the skin of her thighs made direct contact with the brown vinyl of the barstools, it tended to make her sweat. When she sweated, her skin stuck, and when that happened, it was quite painful on her ever-sensitive skin when she tried to stand. "Sorry, Yui. I just… I've got a lot on my mind this morning."
The blonde feigned a shocked expression, quickly letting it fade into a self-amused smirk. "Wha?! I never woulda guessed." She reached for her soda gun, filling a pilsner glass with fizzy brown liquid and handing it over the counter to her sister. "Anything you wanna talk about?"
Ranko took the glass and sipped at it disinterestedly. "It's not like it's anything you don't know," she lied with a quiet sigh. My girlfriend is probably getting her ass kicked right now - by my asshole of a sperm donor - because I asked her to. And, instead of helping her fight, I'm sitting here drinking a soda with fucking bows in my hair. "I just… my mind keeps going in circles about stuff, and I can't seem to slow it down."
With a sage nod, Yui tossed aside her blue bar towel. She slipped the phone receiver into the pocket of her umber jeans and made her way around the counter, mounting the stool to Ranko's left. "Yeah," she began, flashing her sister a coy smile. "Cute girls have a way of makin' that happen to people like us sometimes."
"But, I…" Ranko stammered, her face turning bright crimson. "I didn't mean I was thinking like that!"
"Maybe you weren't…" Yui stood up on the footrest of her stool, reaching over the counter for a bottle of beer from her well. She wiped the condensation from the glass with the end of her tan sweater sleeve before popping the bottle open. That done, she tilted the bottle in Ranko's direction by way of salute. "... but I bet you are now!" The blonde cackled mischievously.
"I… I…" Ranko groaned, hiding her beet-red face in her hands. "Dammit! Why ya gotta do that?!"
Smirking victoriously, Yui shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, 'cause it's fun, I guess. I don't exactly get to tease the other girls about this sorta thing, if you catch my drift. But, fine. If you don't wanna talk about Akane, we don't have to. What about this talent scout thing? How's that got you feeling?"
Ranko exhaled heavily, rolling her eyes up toward the ceiling. "Oh, gods. I don't even know how I feel about that. I guess maybe equal parts excited and scared shitless. Like, I wish it would happen right now, and at the same time, I wish I had three months to get ready for it. And part of me wants to just never call the guy back, so I'll never have to hear him say I'm not good enough, and I can keep the dream alive in my head."
"Something tells me he's not gonna say that." Yui grinned, nudging her sister in the shoulder gently with her fist. "I think he's gonna lose his mind when he hears you, and he's gonna sign you up for his whatever-it-is on the fucking spot."
Dammit, face! Stop that! Gods, I'm always blushing these days. I'm such a fucking girl. Ranko covered her face again, this time with one hand while the other waved Yui's words off. "Oh, please. You have to say stuff like that, 'cause you're my sister. It's, like, the law or something." The redhead scoffed soundlessly to herself as a realization struck her. Holy crap. I actually have a family that believes in me, even more than they probably should. Whaddya think of that, Pop? Ranko winced, the thought of her father having brought her worry for Akane back to the forefront of her mind.
Yui laughed, tilting her beer in her sister's direction again. "Yeah, maybe so. But I'd say it even if I didn't have to. You're really good. I listen to a lot of people get up there and do karaoke, and so I know the difference between a bad singer, a casual who can carry a tune okay, and somebody really special, and you're door number three all the way, kiddo. I totally think you got this. But remember, even if it doesn't work out, this is just one guy. He's not the only one in the world who gets to decide what talent is. You get a say, too. You get to keep trying. If this guy says no, we'll try another one, and another one after that, and whatever else we've gotta do, if this is something you want." She reached out, clasping Ranko firmly on the shoulder. "This is what you want, isn't it?"
Ranko squirmed on her stool, feeling lightheaded from the amount of blood rushing to her face. She answered with a sheepish nod, needing a few seconds before she could follow it up with words. "I mean, it's…" She scoffed quietly. "It's a nice dream. It's nice to have a dream again. It's been a while. But, if it doesn't happen, I'll be okay. Mama talks like it would be the worst thing in the world if I worked here for a long time, but I mean, all of you girls are still here, and none of you seem sad about it."
Shrugging, Yui cocked her head to the side a bit. "I mean, yes and no. Don't get me wrong; this place'll always be home for all of us, even Aya. But like, Aya knew what she wanted. She wanted to go be a housewife, and now she gets to do that. Mei's still figuring out what she wants. I don't think she's a lifer behind the bar; she's just flightier than a kite in a typhoon and this is kind of a known quantity for her while she gets through school and gets her shit together. As for Izzi, once she's done with school, she really wants her fashion career to take off. So, they've got dreams too, and that's okay. You don't owe us a lifetime of servitude in this little hole in the wall. One day, you're going to get that dream of yours."
She reached out, patting Ranko on the thigh. "I promise, Ran-chan. Maybe it's right around the corner, and maybe it's not. Either way, we're gonna be proud as hell of you, and rooting for you the whole way. You don't have to be a waitress for the rest of your life to be a part of this family. Even when you hang up your apron for good, you're never gonna stop being a Phoenix."
"What about your dream?" Ranko reached over the counter, grabbing the soda gun and refilling her glass with it. "What are your big plans?"
"My plan?" Yui smiled warmly, gesturing with the bottle in her hand toward the bar's logo painted on the wall. "You're sitting in it. I said it's okay to dream of something bigger than this, but I didn't say you have to. And, for me? This, right here, is what I want. Simple. Keeping this place going after Mama retires and rides off into the sunset. Maybe one day, a long-ass time from now, even doing like she did with us, and having my own little flock of broken weirdos to look after."
Ranko giggled loudly, scrunching up her nose. "MAMA Yui?! That just sounds weird!"
"You're tellin' me!" Yui retorted with a smirk. "But, all of us, and Mama too, are living proof that good things happen when somebody does i-" Her voice was interrupted by a trilling coming from the telephone.
"Well?! ANSWER it! Hurry up!" Ranko sat up on her stool, staring frantically at the antenna jutting out of her sister's chiming denim hip pocket.
Shaking her head, Yui pulled the receiver out of her pocket. "Alright, alright! Sheesh, Ranko, keep your pants on!"
I'm not even wearing pants, Ranko thought, her frustration evident in her eyes as her sister lifted the phone to her ear.
"Uh-huh. Yep... Right, okay… Sure, tomorrow's perfect."
Ranko swallowed hard, hanging on her sister's every word. She strained to hear the caller's side of the conversation, but could not. Her eyes widened with anticipation when Yui pressed the talk button to power off the receiver. "Well?! What is it?!"
Yui exhaled slowly through pursed lips, rubbing her temples with her slender fingers. "You'll be relieved to know that our produce delivery is set for tomorrow around noon. I'm assuming all of this freaking out you're doing is because we were getting low on pineapples." She rolled her eyes as Ranko physically slumped back on her stool in disappointment. "Look. Whatever's got you so stressed, I promise, you don't have to hover. I'll let you know if anybody calls for you."
The bartender gestured over her shoulder to the saloon door separating the bar area from the back rooms. "Why don't you grab a broom and see if you can work off some of that nervous energy? The walkway out front is looking a little rough."
Ranko sighed, nodding. She considered any chore left too long undone to be a personal failing. "Yeah. Sorry about that, Yui. I didn't see it." She carefully slid her backside off of the edge of the stool until her feet touched the ground.
"In fairness, you're not out there too much, considering you don't actually have to leave the building to go home at night." Yui grinned, reaching out and gently rumpling her little sister's red hair at the part between her twin pigtails. "Hey. C'mon, you. Put on a smile. I mean it. Something tells me good things are right around the corner for you, however scary it all feels right now."
The redhead blushed again, managing only the most sheepish of grins as she lowered her eyes. "I hope so." Once Yui had pulled back her hand, Ranko gestured toward the back room with a tilt of her head. "Let me go get that taken care of."
Receiving a nod of assent from her sister, Ranko hurried into the hallway, making for the little cubby that housed the majority of the bar's cleaning supplies. She couldn't help but smile at the memory of cramming her camping backpack into it the first morning she'd shown up to work, having no idea what was in store for her beyond the prospect of a day's pay. A moment later, she reappeared in the public half of the bar, broom in hand, and made her way to the glass double doors.
"Hey, Ranko? You might wanna get a…"
"EEEEEEEEEK!" Ranko jumped back from the half-open door as if its brass handle had somehow turned into a venomous cobra. She wrapped her arms around her torso, shuddering violently.
"... jacket. It's kinda cold out there," Yui deadpanned a few heartbeats too late.
Ranko swallowed hard, summoning her resolve. "It'll be okay. I'll only be out there a couple minutes." She mentally braced for the four-and-a-half degree change in air temperature between the heated bar and the chilly street on the other side of the door before pushing through it again.
Whew. Okay. Cold-cold-cold. Gotta hurry. Maybe I should've changed, but it takes me so long to get all done up like this and it seems stupid to undo it. Ranko closed her eyes, focusing her mind. Block it out, she encouraged herself. Over the course of more than a year since she'd first been inflicted with the Full-Body Cat's Tongue, she had learned how to apply a certain amount of mental numbness to the torrent of sensory input that would otherwise drive her to distraction every waking moment of her life. It wasn't perfect, but it often took the edge off just enough. When the trembling of her hands slowed enough to allow them to function, she set the broom to work on the cobwebs suspended from the awning above the doors.
"Harbor district!" called the bus driver, a kindly woman in her mid-forties. As the bus ground to a stop with a loud squeal, she glanced up at the mirror hanging from the dusty windshield, smiling softly as a girl in a green sweater leapt out of her seat with excitement.
Akane hurried to the front of the bus, offering the driver a shallow bow. "Thank you!" she said, starting to turn toward the bifold door before the driver had even pulled the large crank handle to open it.
"You're welcome, honey. You have a great day, now!" The driver drew the handle closer to herself, and the door swung open with a clatter.
"I already am!" Akane shouted back, waving over her shoulder as she bounded down the two weather-stripped steps onto the pavement below. As she was the only person to disembark from the city transit bus at the stop just in front of the Phoenix, the door closed behind her almost immediately. Just a moment later, with another loud hiss and grind of its poorly-maintained brakes, the bus began to move again, traveling westward on the narrow street. Behind Akane stood an aging strip mall featuring a discount store, a quaint little coffee shop, and a kenpo dojo, but her focus was on the other side of the two-lane road. Once the bus had passed, the little two-story brick building that was home to Akane's very heart came into view, and on its front stoop, a vision in a red dress that was far too short for the February chill swept leaves into a pile.
Hello, beautiful, Akane thought with a bright smile as she strode across the crosswalk, almost forgetting to check for oncoming traffic. Master Ranko Tendo. And she doesn't even know it yet. The redhead's back was turned to her as she worked, so Akane was able to close to within a few meters of her partner unnoticed. "Hey there, cute stuff."
Ranko gasped, whirling in excited surprise. "Akane! Ohmigods, you're here! I've been so worried!" She dropped her broom to the sidewalk with a wooden clatter, running the last few steps until she crashed into the larger girl and threw her arms around her neck.
Akane grunted in pain, dropping her purse on the ground as Ranko's body slammed into hers. A quiet hiss escaped her lips as she sucked air in through her gritted teeth, but she hoped it had gone unnoticed. She returned the hug, wrapping her arms gingerly around Ranko's waist.
"Akane?!" Ranko pulled back out of the embrace, looking her girlfriend over with concern in her eyes. "Are you okay? Did you… what happened?!" Ranko winced in shame as Akane's hand made its way to the right side of her ribcage. I'm such an asshole. I got her hurt because I wanted something. I sent her into the lion's den because I was too afraid to go. Some protector I turned out to be.
A victorious grin broke through Akane's grimace. "Actually… that's sensei Akane to you, missy."
Ranko gasped, covering her gaping mouth with both of her trembling hands. "You… you did it?! You actually beat him?!"
Akane nodded slowly, brushing her shaggy bangs out of her eyes. "Thanks to you, ya little sneak. Don't get tickled. You could've just told me what you were trying to teach me, ya know."
The redhead shrugged. "I've seen how you can get in your own head sometimes when you're trying to master something. I thought it was better to let it come naturally, so it didn't put too much pressure on you. I waited to suggest the challenge until I was confident you could do it."
"Well, it worked." Akane smirked, shaking her head in near-disbelief. "Teaching me with tickles rather than a fire was certainly an interesting trick. I can't believe you sometimes. You still manage to amaze me."
"More than that," Ranko said, a proud grin all but glowing on her pale cheeks. "I made it a competition, because I knew your determination never to lose at anything would take the place of…" She gestured to her shapely feminine form, wordlessly invoking the dread Amazon technique that had trapped Ranko in it. It had been the promise of winning a cure for the Full-Body Cat's Tongue that had motivated Ranko to suffer weeks of pain and humiliation as she worked to master the Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire technique.
Akane chuckled, resting her hands on her hips in a judgmental pose. "Oh, using that against me now, are we?" Her smile was too bright to hide behind her mock anger, however. "Seriously, Ranko, you're a better teacher than you give yourself credit for. You'd better get used to it, Master Tendo."
Blushing, Ranko waved her girlfriend's words away with the back of her hand. "I realize it's confusing with both of us having the same name now, but you're the master, Sensei." She stepped closer again, far more carefully encircling Akane with her arms and resting her cheek on Akane's chest. She nuzzled ever so gently against the soft plush of her partner's sweater, which felt heavenly on her hypersensitive skin despite its near-numbness from the cold. "I'm so proud of you, Akane."
The raven-haired girl's cheeks flushed as well, not from the compliment, but from the sensation of the shorter girl's touch on her bosom. She doesn't mean it like that, idiot. She's just being sweet. Stop freaking out. Akane tried to put the feeling out of her mind, not least because the fireworks exploding in her mind at the thought were at odds with the sense of shame she felt when she considered it had been a girl that set them off. I really need to get a grip on this, Akane admonished herself. At some point, if we're going to be together, I'm gonna have to find a way to get past feeling like I'm breaking the rules if she touches me.
Hoping to change the subject, Akane spoke up. "Seriously, Ranko… thanks. You should have seen your dad's face when I yelled final attack– I think he might have actually shit in his gi."
Ranko giggled loudly, risking a slightly tighter squeeze of Akane's midsection. "I would have gladly paid to see that! But, it's all done?"
Akane nodded, leaning her head down until her nose rested gently on Ranko's scalp. She took in a long, slow breath, basking in the scent of the girl she'd gone to war for earlier that morning. Every blow, every bruise, had been worth it. "According to my father, I am officially no longer engaged to that pervert Ranma Saotome, and I have permission to date whoever I want." And, gods help me, I choose you.
Ranko beamed, purring slightly as she rubbed her cheek on Akane's sweater again. "Thank goodness. That guy was a real jerk! You're better off without him. I think we both are."
With a soft sigh, Akane stroked Ranko's plaited hair with the backs of her bruised fingers. "I've been thinking about that. It's the Saotome School, after all. At the end of the day, it should be yours, not mine. It's what you worked for your whole life. Besides, you've always been the better fighter between us."
Ranko stepped back, looking up at Akane with the slightest tinge of hurt in her eyes, though she did her best to couch it in a smile. "Do you see anyone with that name around here?"
Damn it. This is exactly what I was worried about, Akane thought, grinding her teeth behind her lips. Stupid girl. "Of course not. That's… that's not what I meant. I'm sorry. It's just…" Her sentence died in the air as Ranko's hand raised in a slow wait gesture.
The redhead shook her head, closing her eyes in soft sincerity. "No. It's yours, Akane. You earned it. You won it. I've…" She glanced back at the trapezoid of chipping red paint on the glass door behind her, and the firebird returning her gaze along with her reflection, and her conversation with Yui moments before played in her mind anew. "I've moved on. I want different things now."
"Yeah? Like what?" Akane offered her partner an apologetic smile when Ranko's eyes turned back to her.
You, Ranko thought in the space between heartbeats. But, she decided, there would be time for that discussion later. A far more pressing development had occurred in Ranko's life since the last time she'd spoken with Akane, and in her preoccupation with the fateful duel that had taken place across town in Nerima, she'd entirely forgotten to mention it. "We-ellll…" She smiled coyly, clasping her hands behind her back at the level of the wide black belt that cinched her dress around her waist. "... there might be an actual talent scout coming to see me sing later this week."
"Wait, what?!" Akane gasped, her mouth hanging wide open in an ecstatic grin of surprise. "Are you serious?!"
Ranko looked up at Akane again, her eyes all but bursting with sincerity and hope. "I might actually get to sing for a living, Akane." She smiled softly. "Ever since, you know, all of this, I haven't really been sure what I wanted to do with myself. Martial arts was always gonna be my ticket, but now…" Ranko shrugged, allowing the pause at the end of her thought to do the work of reminding Akane of the events that had irrevocably altered her plans, and in so doing, laid the foundation of her new identity. "I feel so at home up there with a microphone in my hand. I didn't dare to dream I could make a career out of it, but this guy seems to think maybe I can. I'm so afraid to get my hopes up… but I can't help it."
"Of course you can do it!" Akane rushed forward, squeezing the smaller girl tight against her aching chest. "Some of the things I've seen you do defy all sense of reason, but when you make up your mind to do something, you always find a way. I believe in you, Ranko."
The shorter girl nuzzled into Akane's arms again. First Mei, then Yui, and now Akane, too. It felt so good to be surrounded by people who had faith in her. If it kept up, she thought she might just start believing in herself again one day, too. "Thanks. You have no idea what it means to hear you say that, sensei."
Akane laughed heartily. "So, what do we do to help you get ready for your big audition?"
Ranko shrugged. "Mei's gonna help pick out some songs. Gods help me, Izumi is out at the mall today picking out something for me to wear. Then, I guess it's just a matter of dealing with all these butterflies in my stomach, and getting it set up."
A bright giggle ensued, and Akane stroked Ranko's cheek with her fingers as it faded from the air. "Well, if there's one part of you that's gotten tougher since you've known me, it's your stomach!"
"Hey, you said it, not me!" Ranko grinned at the low rumble that came from Akane's midsection as if the mere mention of it had stirred it to action. She must have been too nervous to eat much breakfast. "Speaking of which, c'mon. Let's get inside and find you something to eat."
Akane nodded emphatically. "Sounds great. Besides, you've got to be freezing out here in that outfit. Why didn't you put on something warmer before you came out here, silly girl?!"
Ranko's cheeks took on a crimson hue that nicely complemented her short red dress. She reached for the door handle, but hesitated to pull it open. She turned her eyes up to her reflection in the glass, taking a moment to appreciate the image. Her face cracked into a wide smile as her gaze met Akane's behind her.
"I guess I hoped you'd show up today… and if you did, I wanted to show you what you were fighting for."