“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.”