Thunder Without Sound

Ranko stood in front of the mirror attached to her closet door in a modest yellow dress on loan from Izumi. She stared into her own eyes, willing herself courage. She'd been worried for Akane all day since dropping her off at the train station. What had she done? What if Akane ended up hurt because of her hair-brained scheme?She tried to put it out of her mind, not that she'd had much success with that all afternoon. However, she had more pressing issues at the moment. It was worth at least one more try, though. Inhaling as deep of a breath as she could manage, she belted a few notes into the void of her closet. "I need a hero! I'm holding out for a…" She winced, the verse cutting off as she doubled over slightly, bracing her right side. She didn't think Akane had hit her that hard, but her rib cage was too sore for her to control her breath, and she just couldn't hold a note.A knock fell on the door, and Yui peeked in. "Ranko, you decent?" A pained "yeah" came in reply, and the tall blonde entered to find Ranko sitting on her bed clutching her abdomen. "Feeling rough, huh?"Ranko bit her lip. "It hurts so bad I can barely breathe."Yui nodded. "I know the feels, hon. It happens to all of us. Try a hot compress and some ibuprofen. It works for me when I'm having a rough one."Ranko blushed furiously. Yui must have thought it was… that. Fortunately, that hadn't happened to her. Not yet, anyway. She didn't know if it ever would; her high school anatomy class didn't really get into the particulars of the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo. She certainly hoped not. That was one part of being a "normal" girl that she'd be just fine with missing out on."I'm not sure I can sing tonight. I'm sorry."Yui nodded. "It's okay. I'll let mama and the girls know. Just take it easy, and we'll check on you as we can."Ranko nodded, curling up on her bed in the fetal position. "Thanks, Yui."Some twenty minutes later, Mei strode up onto the stage, turning on the microphone. "We're sorry, everybody, but Ranko's not feeling well tonight and she won't be able to perform." A disappointed groan rose from the assembled revelers. A Saturday night wasn't really the best time for this to happen, but she knew it was out of Ranko's control. "Don't forget, we still have the karaoke station. Why don't some of you sing tonight?" A college-aged boy in a polo shirt and slacks climbed the stage nervously, and the crowd pacified enough to give him a chance.Mei dismounted the stage, beginning to visit the tables. She'd been pitching in with serving all night as Ranko wasn't able to work, and there was too much for Izumi to handle alone. There was a table of five women celebrating a bachelorette party, a very nervous-looking guy on a first date with a stunning young woman, and a six-top of rugby players from the college. The last table in her section had a single occupant, a well-groomed man in his late twenties, wearing a sport coat over a T-shirt and slacks. There was a black case with a handle on the table, which Mei recognized as a portable video camera. She thought she'd seen him before."Hey, welcome to the Phoenix. What can we get you tonight?"The man looked up at her with a bit of consternation. "You're the stage manager here, right? Are you sure there won't be a performance tonight?"Mei nodded. "Unfortunately so. Ranko's really feeling under the weather tonight. We're sorry."The customer sighed, standing and picking up the plastic case by the handle. "I understand, but I'm really hoping to see her as soon as I can." He reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a glossy black business card and handing it to Mei. "Please let me know when she'll be singing again?" Mei nodded, and the man headed for the door. Mei flipped the card over in her hand, her eyes widening as she read it.Moments later, Ranko's apartment door swung open with a sudden crash. Ranko lifted her head from her pillow to see Mei stumble into the room clumsily, as if she'd tripped on the top stair in her rush. Ranko cracked a smile. "Whoa, take it easy, Mei! Hana doesn't need two of us laid up."Mei clamored to her feet, sitting on the edge of the bed. She looked positively manic, though with excitement or nervousness, Ranko could not tell. She fidgeted with a shiny black card in her hands."Ranko, I need to talk to you about something."