“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.”

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?”