NOVEL NEXT Chapter 24: Home
"Alright, kiddo, spill it."
Ranko looked up from the dishwasher into Yui's inquisitive face. "What?"
Yui gestured with her head to the table closest to the stage. "That girl. You haven't stopped looking at her since she came in."
Ranko's skin spontaneously invented a new shade of red. "She, ah, she's a friend of mine, from before I came to the city."
Yui bit her lip, pretending to go along with the explanation for now. "Uh-huh." She walked to the other side of the redhead, ringing a transaction into the cash register. "She's cute."
Ranko smiled. "Yeah, she… wait, what?"
Yui grinned. "Gotcha."
Ranko stammered until Yui mercifully spoke. "You should go talk to her."
The redhead's face still burned. "I did, before we opened."
Yui shook her head. "I think you know what I mean."
Ranko looked up with a gasp. "Naw. I couldn't. She's a girl."
The blonde bartender nodded. "So?"
Ranko threw her hands up in the air. "I'm a girl!"
Yui gave her a wistful little smile. "So?"
Ranko looked over at Akane, who was looking around the room, sipping her soda and just taking in the environment that had been Ranko's home these last few months. "I couldn't do that to her. She deserves so much better than me." She sighed, downtrodden.
Yui put her hands on Ranko's shoulders, turning her body to face forward. "Listen to me. We've talked about this. There is no better than you, Ran-chan. You're as good as they come, and if she deserves you and she makes you happy, then don't you dare miss the chance. Trust me."
Ranko sighed, looking over at Akane. Even if she did want to be with her, there was so much to consider. Their parents. The dojo. Ranko's new life here. Re-introducing all of the nonsense of everybody back home. They'd never find a way to make it work. It was too much. But something inside her really wished it weren't - that they could somehow get past all the bullshit and just be two gi… two people, being together because they cared about each other.
The little bell from the back pierced through Ranko's thoughts. Hana called out to her. "Ranko! The burgers for table eighteen are getting cold."
Ranko snapped herself back into the present. No time for daydreaming on a Friday night. She rushed back, picking up the plates with a brief apology, and delivering them to her customers, putting on a smile as best she could. She turned her head to gaze at Akane again to find that she was no longer sitting alone - Izumi had taken the chair opposite her. What the hell was that all about?
Ranko turned to another of her customers as she was summoned. "Could we also get three of the Dragonfires and a beer, when you get a minute?"
She nodded with a smile. "Sure thing!"
Akane bit into a fried cheese stick. "So, how is she, really? When she is isn't putting on a brave face for me and telling me everything is great?"
Izumi sighed. "When she got here, I'm not going to lie, she was pretty broken. All of us were at one point or another. This place is sort of equal parts nightclub and orphanage, in a weird sort of way. Me, Yui, Ayako, Mei, all of us had our reasons to end up here. But because all of us have been broken over the years, we've learned how to put each other together again. We've done our best to help Ranko out. There's a lot she still won't talk about - we suspect it's too painful - but we are here for her whenever she's ready.
"The poor kid's had it rough. This is her second night back after some jerk tried to force himself on her in the middle of the floor and she ended up getting a pretty nasty concussion."
Akane gasped. She had a hard time remembering that Ranko's condition severely hindered her ability to be the invincible martial artist that Ranma once had. She also dreaded Ranko - any girl, but especially someone who grew up as a guy - being in that position. How terrifying it must have been for her, and how alone she must have felt not being able to tell anyone the truth.
Izumi continued. "But, she's resilient. She told us she was raised as a tomboy of sorts, because her father really wanted her to run his family business. Poor thing didn't even know what bra size she wore. I've been trying to help her - she's a quick study, but being a girl is a lot when you don't have someone in your life to help."
Akane nodded knowingly - after her mother had died, she had no idea what she'd have done if it hadn't been for Kasumi. "Has she talked about me at all?"
Izumi frowned a little. "She doesn't talk much about her past in general, and when she does, it's usually kept pretty vague. She did tell us that her father tried to make her get married – to more than one person, even."
Akane sighed sadly. She wondered how different their relationship might have been if Soun and Genma had just let things take their natural course.
"She also told us that because of all that pressure, she never had an opportunity to tell the person she really cared about how she felt."
Akane blinked. Could it be? No.
"Anyway, all that is to say that she's come a long way. She works hard and she's finding her footing in the world. We're thrilled to have her in our little family, and we're damn proud of her."
Akane smiled, looking across the room at the redhead in the yellow dress laughing with her customers and handing off three orange-tinged glasses with little wisps of smoke coming off of them. "So am I."
The music blaring from the sound system faded, and Mei's voice came over the speakers. "Okay, everybody. We know what you're here for. Who's ready?" The crowd cheered. Akane looked around, taking in the scene.
Izumi stood quickly. "That's my cue. Gotta get ready; there's always a rush after she sings. Good talking to ya, Akane."
Mei sighed vocally over the microphone. "Clearly, you haven't had enough to drink yet. Loosen up! It's Friday night! I said, who's ready?" The crowd cheered much more emphatically - and this time, Akane joined in with them.
Ranko exhaled a deep breath, microphone in hand, just a few steps away from the stage. She hadn't been nervous like this since the first time she'd sung here, and she knew why. Singing couldn't be the expression of her freedom that it had once been, not with Akane in the audience. She glanced over at Akane's table, ashamed of herself for even thinking about doing this in front of her, but when she did, her eyes found Akane on her feet, watching the stage, her hands clasped in front of her. She looked – excited?
Ranko took another deep breath. This is my life now, she thought furtively. I hope you like it. I hope you accept it. But I can't change it for anybody this time. I've worked too hard for it. This is who I am, Akane. The first note of a high-energy pop song blared, the stage still empty. The crowd looked around, confused. Ranko took a deep gulp and ran full-tilt for the steps up to the stage.
"Hey! How's everybody doing tonight?!" She smiled widely, waving to the assembled revelers. A loud whoop came from every direction at once. "Alright, that's what I like to hear! We having a good time? I know I am! Who's with me?!" As the crowd roared, Ranko powered her voice into the first verse. She moved with an extra level of energy and an exuberance that infected the crowd immediately.
Mei leaned into Yui, watching the stage. "What's gotten into her tonight?"
Yui smiled, putting her arm around Mei's collarbone from behind. "I think our little sister's in love."
Ranko started the chorus, performing it call-and-answer style with the crowd. There wasn't an eye in the building not focused on her. The louder the crowd got, the more energized she seemed to become, darting across the little stage to ensure different areas of the bar were engaged. She whipped her head around, catching a glimpse of Akane standing in front of her table, clapping her hands. She looked truly happy. Ranko smiled sweetly at her, pointing to her and waving as she sang. Akane blushed, but didn't seem to mind.
Akane stood mesmerized, having just witnessed a transformation she could not explain. This was not the girl she had to beg to sing backup at last year's Christmas party. This was not the broken girl that came back from that mountaintop. This was not the martial artist she sparred against a few times a week, though some of the precise agility could be seen in her dancing if she looked hard enough. This was not the person who begrudgingly accepted her feminine form when she had to, and who always seemed distant and sad even as a guy. What she saw on that stage was, purely and simply, joy.
The song ended and the bar's patronage roared, but there was only one voice Ranko cared to hear. She turned to face Akane's table, but found it empty, and it saddened her. Did she leave? She bowed politely and stepped down from the stage, and as soon as she did, Akane was upon her, wrapping her arms around Ranko's waist in a tight hug. She giggled as Akane lifted her a little off the ground, just for a second, before setting her down and giving her enough space to make eye contact.
"You…" Akane shook her head in disbelief. "You are incredible."
Ranko blushed, looking away a little, but unable to hide her smile. "Aww, c'mon, Akane."
Akane placed her hand on Ranko's shoulder. "No, I mean it. It's so good to see you doing something that makes you so happy."
The redhead smiled coyly. "I'm just glad you got to see. I was so afraid you'd find me, but now I'm really glad you came."
Akane grinned. "Me too."
Ranko walked her back to her table, grinning. "Now, can I get you something to drink, ma'am?"
Akane giggled. "Can you stay for a minute?"
Ranko turned to survey her tables and found that Izumi was still covering them. "I think so, yeah." She pulled out a chair and sat, crossing her ankles.
Akane fidgeted with her last mozzarella stick. "So, I've been meaning to ask you…"
Ranko nodded. "Anything."
"When you changed your name. You could have picked any name you wanted. Why Tendo?"
Ranko blushed, looking down at her hands. "I think you know."
It was Akane's turn to blush. "I well, uh, yeah. I, um, look at the time. I should probably get home, it's late."
Ranko shook her head. "It's one o'clock. The trains stop at midnight."
Akane blinked. "Oh. Well, umm, I guess I'll need to use a taxi or something."
Ranko took her hand. "You could stay here tonight, if you want."
Akane blinked in surprise. "You mean, with you?" Ranko nodded, smiling, and felt Akane squeeze her hand in return.
"I'd like that, Ranko."