Akane sat alone at one of the Phoenix’ tables, sipping her tea. She’d spent the night with Ranko, but could not seem to get close to her. Both of them had been preoccupied with the situation at hand of late, and while Akane had been too depressed to enjoy herself, Ranko seemed worried to the point of paranoia. 

“Akane, do you need some more tea?” Ranko bit into a bagel, leaning on the bartop. 

Her girlfriend shook her head. “I’m okay.” She looked around. “I’ll never get over how weird it feels, having morning tea and breakfast in an empty bar. It’s like we’re in a zombie movie or something.” 

Ranko shrugged. “You get used to it after a while. One day, we’ll have a place of our own, and it won’t be so awkward.”

Akane sighed sadly. “You should stop promising things you know we can’t have. I haven’t heard Dad’s decision yet, but I see no reason to believe I won’t be Mrs. Kuno by the end of the school year.”

Biting her lip, Ranko nodded. “I haven’t given up hope yet, and you shouldn’t either. I promised you I’d fix it.” And I’m trying, even if it breaks me forever, Ranko thought to herself.

“I know you’re trying, Ranko, and I’m grateful. I’m just feeling out of hope right now.”

Ranko stepped around the bar counter, reaching behind her girlfriend and wrapping her arms around her shoulders. “Listen. If we sit here and mope around, neither of us are gonna be anything but miserable. Why don’t you finish your breakfast, I’ll go get a shower and get all cute for you, and then we can go find something to do?”

Akane smiled weakly, leaning back and kissing the bottom of Ranko’s chin. “Maybe I should be stuck marrying Kuno, because the gods know I don’t deserve you.”

Ranko leaned down, kissing the top of Akane’s hair. “No, you don’t. You deserve much better than me, but I won’t stop trying until I’m good enough.” 

Ranko released Akane from the hug, bounding toward the saloon doors. It would be good to have a distraction. Kuno’s gambit had been all either of them had thought of for a week. 

“Hey, Ranko?”

The redhead turned, her hand still on the swinging door. “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Ranko smiled. “It doesn’t matter how shit everything else in the world is. I hear you say that and I can’t help but smile. I love you too, Akane.”

The songstress disappeared behind the door, and Akane rose, pacing around barefoot in the bar with half a bagel in her hand. It felt like every second, the noose was closing around her, and worse yet, around her relationship with Ranko. What she would have given to tell her father that she was already with the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and that it was the same person she’d demanded not to be engaged to. That he’d given her his word that she could date who she wanted, and even considering another arranged marriage was breaking that promise. Ranko’s plan had backfired terribly, but Akane didn’t hold her responsible for it. Whether Ranko believed it or not, she was a brilliant woman, she just didn’t have the capacity to foresee the depths of the selfishness it took on the part of Kuno and her father to do something like this.

Akane’s train of thought was jarred by a knock on the door. That’s odd. It’s awfully early for anyone to show up here, and all of Ranko’s sisters have keys.

She walked to the door, turning the deadbolt and swinging it open, finding herself face to face with the subject of her dread himself. Clad in his blue-and-black kendo uniform, Kuno smiled a bit coldly. “Akane Tendo. It is kind and good of you to be here to offer support to your cousin, even though the sight of you still pains this warrior’s heart.”

Akane blinked. “Kuno?! What are you on about?”

He sighed, stepping into the bar. “It has come to my attention that your grief for that cretin Saotome is still too strong to consider our pending nuptials. Your family has requested that I rescind my proposal to you, and seek love elsewhere, and I have reluctantly granted the boon.”

She gasped, covering her mouth. “You mean it?! Oh, thank you, Kuno!”

It took her a moment for the other shoe to drop. “Wait. How did you know I would be here?”

He shook his head. “I did not. I came at the invitation of your cousin, Ranko.”

Akane’s eyes bulged. “You what?!”

Kuno reached into the folds of his gi, producing a beige envelope. “I have been summoned by her own hand, and though it aggrieves me what the goddess bids me do, I will see it done for the good of all.”

Akane snatched the envelope out of his hand, pulling out a small piece of stationery and unfolding it. It was definitely written in Ranko’s newly-effeminate handwriting, but she could barely believe the words she read.

Tatewaki,

I regret that I must write to you and ask you to reconsider your planned proposal to my cousin Akane. As you know, she had been engaged to Ranma Saotome for some time, and his death has impacted her terribly. She is not ready to find comfort in the arms of another man.

Beyond her grief is the matter of the Tendo dojo. With Ranma gone, Akane is set to inherit her father’s school. If she leaves to marry you, there will be no one to carry on the legacy of her family, nor to provide for her father when he is too old to teach. While I have no doubt that you would ensure Akane wanted for nothing, her family’s legacy and well-being is very important to her. You know my cousin well enough to understand that her pride would never allow her to ask you to help them, even though you have the means.

I know you to be a good and honorable man. I know how you feel about me, and I could not ask you to let Akane go without giving you an opportunity to end your loneliness. 

I propose the following: If you will commit to Akane’s father that you will not go through with your engagement, saving him his pride, I will give you an opportunity. The same rules will apply that you once set for Akane, back at school: to date her, a boy would have to beat her in a fight. 

If you accept my challenge and I win, honor demands that you end your pursuit of both Akane and me. But, if you win, you have my promise that I will marry you myself. 

You know where to find me when you make your decision.

~ Ranko Tendo

“I… excuse me.” Akane left the young suitor standing alone in the bar, storming up the stairs. She slammed through the door into the bathroom, not caring for a moment that Ranko was still in the frigid shower. 

“When were you going to tell me, Ranko?!”

Ranko poked her head out of the shower, shampoo still in her hair. “Tell you what?”

“Kuno is here, to fight you, for the right to marry you!”

The shower turned off after a brief moment and Ranko pulled the curtain open. She stepped out onto the terrycloth bath rug, making no effort to cover herself, shivering as she reached for a towel. When she finally spoke, she did so with a quiet resignation. “I told you I would get you out of it, and I did.”

“It doesn’t matter if you end up marrying him instead! I still won’t get to be with you!”

Ranko nodded. “But at least you won’t have to be with him. Besides, he’s still gotta beat me.”

Akane’s eyes flashed with something halfway between rage and despair. “But… the Cat’s Tongue! All it will take is one hit, and… you… YOU CAN’T WIN!” Tears erupted from her eyes, and she reached forward, pulling the wet and naked girl into her arms. “Don’t do this. Please.”

Ranko sighed determinedly, taking Akane’s shoulders and gently pushing her out of reach. Her voice was hollow and devoid of anything resembling hope. “It’s done, Akane. Whatever happens now, happens now. I got you into this mess, and I had to get you out.”

Akane sniffled, wiping her eyes with the corner of Ranko’s towel. “What am I supposed to do now?”

Ranko bit her lip. “Tell him I’ll be right down. And try to have faith in me.”

Akane sighed. “I can’t believe you! You dummy! How could you get yourself into this mess? You can’t be somebody’s wife!”

“Then I guess I’d better win. Go tell him, Akane. Please.”

Akane shook her head, storming out of the bathroom and slamming the door behind her.

Ranko finished drying off, pulling her hair up into two Chinese buns on either side of her head. She hoped that, if she were struck there, they would lessen the impact before it reached the nearly-healed crack in her skull. 

She pulled on a bra and a pair of black panties, following them with her blue silk Chinese shirt and black gi pants. Today was a day for maximum mobility; her promise to be cute for Akane would have to wait.

She picked up her purse, looking at herself in the mirror with a heavy sigh. You can do this, Ranko. For Akane. Nothing else matters.

Opening the clasp of her black purse, she pulled out a small, unlabeled brown paper bag. “Well, Kaz, here goes nothing.”