“You sure you don't want me to get that for you?”

Kumiko sighed, walking slowly alongside her best friend and captain at a snail’s pace as Ranko navigated the crowded halls of Yusue Vocational High School on her aluminum crutches. The redhead had traded the black attache-style satchel she normally carried her school supplies in for a pink backpack with a black suede bottom, owing to not having a free hand to carry it given her mobility issues.

“It's alright, Kumi. The crutches are a pain in the ass, but the backpack doesn't really make all that much difference.” Ranko sighed, hopping up the first of the twenty-four steps needed to reach her second-floor class.

Kumiko nodded, brushing her silver hair from her eyes. The roots were starting to come in brown again, but she had an appointment booked for Saturday to get her hair recolored in time for the upcoming Invitational in a few short weeks. “I know, I just… I wanna help ya, ya know? It sucks to watch you struggling and just sorta, stand here.”

Ranko managed a smile as she propelled herself up to the third step, the metal brace concealed under her red school pinafore keeping her left leg bent at nearly a right angle so that her foot could not drag on the floor. “I know, Kumi. I appreciate it. I just… I'm not so good at the sit around and be taken care of thing.”

Kumiko giggled, leaning in close as Ranko bounced up another step. “Clearly, Akane needs to spend more time pampering you then.”

The redhead blushed. “When she can, she does, and it's wonderful. But lately, she just never has any time. All I do these days is go to school and go home and I still barely see her. And it’s only gonna get worse come March.”

Kumiko sighed furtively. “You still can't get her to budge, huh?”

Ranko shook her head. “Nope. She's dead set on staying here and doing school stuff and working. And, I get it. I do. I guess I shouldn't expect my career to be any more important than hers. But, like, who knows if this is ever gonna happen again? If I'm ever gonna get another chance to go on another tour?” She grunted as she hauled herself up another step. “I mean, hell, this stupid knee damn near wrecked this tour as it is! I'm gonna see the world and I just… she is my world. I don't wanna do it without her. Kumi, I don't want to breathe without her.”

“Is she gonna come to any of the shows,” Kumiko asked, warning Ranko with a gentle touch on her hip that a basketball player was coming up behind her, ascending the stairs to her right much more quickly than she could manage on her crutches.

“The local ones. She said she'd try to make one or two of the foreign shows if we can afford it and her schedule works out, but… I'm not holding my breath.” Ranko yelped as she propelled herself up the next step, pausing for a moment and hopping to the corner of the little landing where the staircase changed directions halfway up.

“Well, I'll be there at the local ones for sure! You better save me some VIP tickets.” Kumiko stood in front of Ranko’s leg on the landing, ensuring no one could bump into it in their rush to climb the stairs.

Ranko nodded. “You bet your ass, girl.”

Kumiko blushed, fidgeting with her backpack strap. “And… you might wanna save me some seats for the Sapporo show in December, too.”

Ranko gasped, her eyes wide with excitement. “You got in?!”

Her friend giggled, nodding enthusiastically. “Sapporo University College of Animation, here we come! Got my acceptance letter a few days ago, but, with you getting hurt, I figured it wasn't the right time to tell you.”

The redhead leaned her crutches on the railing, reaching for her friend and pulling her into a tight hug. “Are you kidding me right now? I'm always glad to hear good news about my friends! Oh, Kumi, I'm so freakin’ happy for you! Congratulations! I'm gonna miss the shit out of you though, so you better make sure you call me, like, all the time!”

The silver-haired girl blushed into her friend’s shoulder. “Oh, don't worry. I thoroughly intend to milk the ‘my best friend won four Japan Record Awards’ thing for every shred of popularity I can get once I’m out there.”

Ranko smiled. “You go right ahead. And once the tour is done, I'll do a special show out there for you and your friends if you want. On your school campus or something, maybe. I’ll sign stuff, whatever you want. My cool points are your cool points.”

Kumiko grinned as Ranko resumed her trek up the stairs. “I knew you would. You're awesome like that.” She blushed deeply. “Every geeky girl should get to have a cool friend like you, Ranko.”

It was Ranko’s turn to blush, and she turned to Kumiko again despite standing in the middle of the stairway.

“Hey. When I got here, and I didn't know anybody, and I didn't have a record deal and I was just a scared shitless girl that was two years too old for her grade, you looked out for me. Every misfit girl like me should get to have a cool friend like you, Kumiko Iwata.”

With another grunt of exertion, Ranko ascended another step. “What have the girls been saying? About my leg?”

Kumiko sighed. “They don't think we have a chance to win now. I don't think any of them are mad at you or anything, just kinda bummed.”

“I think we can still win, if nobody gives up,” Ranko said. “I had a really good talk with Shi’ri about it, and she's right. It was never badass Ranko and thirteen other girls. All we are doing is going from fourteen badasses to thirteen badasses, and a goofy boy in a giant cat suit.” She giggled, hopping up the last step.

“Hey,” Kumi exclaimed. “I'm the only one who gets to call him goofy!”

Ranko laughed, turning the corner to her right. “Then tell him for me, wouldja?”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Will do.” Kumiko waved, noting they had reached Ranko’s destination. “I'll see you at practice, ‘kay?”

With a nod, Ranko pulled the door open. Kumiko held it open for her as Ranko hobbled into the school's dance studio.

“Hey, Ranko,” Ms. Kanzawa said. “Good to have you back.”

Ranko shrugged, sliding her backpack off and dropping it to the floor near the east wall. “I don't know how back I am, teach. Not sure I got too many pliés in me right now.”

The dance instructor nodded. “No, I figured as much. But, you do have some work to do to get ready for Phantom.”

Ranko rolled her eyes. “You mean I can't get out of that on a whole not so much with the walking technicality? Or at least, put Tsukiko back in the lead and give me a minor part like I asked for in the first place?!”

Ms. Kanzawa laughed. “Honey, I don't think Ms. Zaito would pass up getting to work with someone with your star power if she had to wheel you around the stage on a drink cart. But we can get you ready, I think. I've got tapes from a couple previous performances, both here and from some professional troupes. I figure we can set you up on the TV in my office and you can do some video rehearsals, practice the songs, stuff like that. It's a better use of your time than being propped up in the corner being bored, anyway.”

Ranko sighed. “It's a conspiracy, I swear! Besides, I'm gonna look weird as hell in that ballet getup with a big ol’ brace on my leg.”

The teacher nodded. “You thinking you'll be in one of those nylon stretch things for a while when you get out of the immobilizer?” Getting a nod in reply, she continued. “I was thinking about that. We could add another petticoat under your skirt. It would be a little more bulk, but it would also give you some length, probably enough to hide the brace.”

Ranko sighed dejectedly. “I swear, teach. Just once in my life, I am gonna have a problem that doesn't have to get solved by punching someone in the nose, or wearing a frillier outfit.”

----------------------------------------

“Come on, girls. Don’t look at me like that!”

Ranko sighed, her shoulders slumping as she sat on the first row of aluminum bleachers lining the home sideline of the Yusue Vocational High rugby field, her crutches resting against the railing to her left. It was too nice of a day to feel so glum, but she was heartbroken to have to let her squadmates down. Stupid fucking Kuno. Ruining everything.

Her leg was throbbing something fierce; she’d taken the last of the ibuprofen in her purse at lunch and its effects had long worn off. She was getting dangerously tempted to take the one Percoset she had with her - in case of emergency, Akane had said when she’d forced her to bring it along - but Ranko was scared of heavy pain medication after her overdose. Besides, the last thing she needed at the moment was to be foggy-headed, and that stuff tended to make her quite a… silly girl, she thought with a blush.

“It just sucks,” Aoi groaned, gesturing to Ranko’s elevated leg, locked in its outstretched position by the metal brace hidden under the skirt of Ranko’s school uniform. “We were so close.” Quiet grumbles of assent from Tanda and Etsuko echoed her sentiment.

“We still are!” Kayo stepped forward, turning her back to Ranko and facing her elder cheerleaders. “We’re the best there is, even without Ranko! We can do this! Besides, it’s not her fault she got hurt!”

Kumiko nodded, brushing her silver-dyed hair from her eyes in a losing battle with the crisp January breeze. “That’s right! You can see how bad she feels about it. Don’t make it worse. It’s not productive. Just focus on how hard we’re going to have to work to get a plan ready for the Invitational!” Please. Ranko’s a half a breath away from trying to fly on one fucking leg as it is. She’s just crazy enough to risk her career on it. Don’t freakin’ push her.

Shika stepped forward, whirling to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Kumi. With both of them having silver hair, they could have passed for twins. “Damn straight! We are going to rally around our captain, and we are going to win to honor all the work she did getting us ready!” She made a fist, pumping it determinedly in front of her chest.

The trio were joined by Rin Matsubara, standing to Shika’s right and crossing her arms over her chest confidently. “Besides, I learned Ranko’s part of the dance in practice. I can’t pull off the quad, and I’m no singer, but the rest of the choreo’s fine! And Kumi and Hideo added the mascot, which wasn’t even in the original plan. We can fucking do this, Lions!”

Ranko smiled happily at her four recruits. I am so damned proud of you girls right now. I chose well.

Tamiko nodded, walking up to Ranko’s left. “Alright, captain. What’s the plan? How we gonna go get that trophy?”

Her girlfriend Yori wrapped her arms around Tami’s forearm, resting her head on her longtime girlfriend’s shoulder. “Just tell us where you need us, champ.”

“Alright,” Ranko said, and Kumiko smiled as she watched her friend’s spirit return to her body in real time. With new life in her eyes, Ranko reached for her school satchel and withdrew a white binder covered in transparent plastic over a team photo of the previous year’s Yusue High cheerleading squad posing with their trophy. She’d replaced the picture of Mieko Suto, as the former cheerleader’s achievements had since been surpassed by the binder’s new owner herself, but otherwise, it was the same one Shiori had handed down to her at graduation. Opening it, she flipped to a diagram of the beginning part of the Lions’ choreography for the 1992 All-Tokyo Cheerleading Invitational.

“Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking. Like Rin said, she knows my part of the routine. You ready to lead us out there, superstar?”

The green-haired junior nodded. “I’ll make you proud, Ranko!” Several of the other cheerleaders whooped, clapping her on the shoulders in encouragement.

“Okay. That means we’re gonna lose her in the main pattern, so Kumi, we’re gonna slide you over there to fill her spot,” Ranko continued, looking up at her best friend at the school.

Kumiko gulped. “But… that spot has to… fly.” As it was, her role as the designated flag bearer meant she was the only one who would not have to do any major aerial stunts. The thought of being thrown into the air like that terrified her.

Ranko nodded. “You’re ready, Kumi. I know you’re scared, but I promise, you can do it. I believe in you, girl. We all do.”

“Hell yeah, Kumiko!” Kayo whooped loudly. “You got this!”

“Ku-MI! Ku-MI,” several of the other cheerleaders chanted, forming a half-circle behind her in support.

Kumiko blushed deeply, hiding behind her hair as her squadmates chanted her name. “But, what about the flag?”

Ranko rolled her eyes. “That job falls to your boyfriend. Think you’re up to it, kitty?”

Hideo laughed, looking up into the eyes of his red lion costume sitting on the bleachers a few meters from Ranko. He waved his fluffy paw in her direction. “Rawr.”

Kumiko wrapped her arms around him with a quiet purr. “Mm. Careful with that, babe. I gotta focus!” She giggled brightly. “I’ll show you the flag routine. It’s easy.”

The redheaded captain chuckled, shaking her head. “For the rest of you, nothing changes. Rin’ll do my part, and just scale the quad down to a triple twist. Kumi takes her slot, Hideo takes Kumi’s. We’ll use the pre-recorded music we made. Any questions?”

Momoe raised her hand. “Where are you taking us for ice cream after we win?”

Ranko laughed. “Wherever the fuck ya want, Mo.”

Tanda clapped Kumiko on the shoulder. “C’mon, little miss magical girl. We need to go teach you how to fly.”