Prior Engagements

Ranko walked toward the kitchen door, feeling like she was floating on air. She had one foot into the kitchen when Yui reached out, grabbing the saloon door on the right and preventing it from opening. "Nuh-uh. Don't you dare, missy. Sit. Spill. I want to know everything." She grinned, gesturing in a mock threat with the knife before setting it to work on a lemon.Ranko sat on a barstool, mindful of her dress - that was still taking some effort to remember. "There's not much to tell. Nothing happened. We slept, we talked, we had breakfast, she left. She's just a friend."Yui gave a disbelieving smirk. "Uh-huh. Sure she is."Ranko blushed deeply, recoiling a little. "What? She is!"The blonde nodded. "Okay, she's just a friend, and I'm the emperor's daughter."Her youngest sister sighed, a sad reality reintroducing itself after a blissful few hours' respite. Yui frowned. "Hey. We talked about this. If you like her, you've gotta tell her."Ranko shook her head. "Even if I did like her like that - and I'm not saying I do! - it wouldn't matter. She doesn't like girls. Plus, her father is super traditional about these kinds of things. He'd never tolerate it. And I'm not sure how I'd feel about it, either." Of course, the idea of being a girl dating a girl was a lot more appealing than being a girl and dating a guy. The thought of a boyfriend made her skin crawl.Yui nodded sadly, fingering her sleeves and remembering her lost Kimiko. "I get it. Believe me, I do. I know you've gotta be careful about these things, especially around old-fashioned jerks. But I also know that you lit up like a Christmas tree when you saw her, whether you want to admit it or not, and I'd hate to see you ignore that."Ranko nodded distantly. What if Mr. Tendo did allow it? Nabiki could still marry someone to take over the school, right? Kasumi was all but certain to end up with Dr. Tofu, though Ranko did not envy anyone entering his office if that happened. Her neck still hurt sometimes just thinking about it. But it would never work. Nabiki wasn't half as devoted to martial arts as Akane - Ranko had only seen her practice a handful of times the whole time she'd lived there - and besides, the whole point of the arranged marriage was to merge the Saotome and Tendo schools and families. Under the circumstances, that wasn't happening anytime soon. Plus, if she ended up with Akane, she'd be expected to go back to the dojo, and that would mean all the drama of her old life would come crashing back in. She could only imagine what Pop would say if he saw her now, wearing an adorable white dress with a bow in her hair for no reason other than wanting to look pretty. There'd be yelling, pouting, a healthy dose of shame and dishonor talk, and somebody would probably be taking a one-way flight into the koi pond. No thanks.She couldn't allow herself to think about the possibility of being with Akane. First off, it would never work. They had been friendly for a few hours, but if they got together long-term, it would only be a matter of time before it would be back to arguments and hammers, calling each other un-cute, and all of that. The other people in their lives would never let them live in peace, and Akane couldn't cut her family out of her life as easily as Ranko had. More importantly, Akane deserved better than being ridiculed for being with a girl, and the only alternative was to keep their relationship quiet. Ranko had lived a life of secrets for long enough to know she didn't wish it on anyone, especially Akane.Besides, how could she take care of someone else? She was already living off Hana's charity, and not making nearly enough to support two people. She had no marketable skills and hadn't finished high school. Her nonexistent pain tolerance – courtesy of Cologne – had ended any hope of a career in martial arts, and Akane was right, she had no plan B. On the other hand, she wouldn't necessarily be held to the responsibilities of being the guy in the relationship, because she wasn't anymore. But would Akane see it that way? Would she really want Akane to be a breadwinner while she waited tables, or worse still, became a homemaker? Becoming a proper girl was hard enough, but turning into Kasumi was several bridges too far.No, it was too late. She'd had her chance, and missed it. But it had been Ranma that screwed everything up with her, and Ranma wasn't here anymore. Maybe there..."Earth to Ranko." Yui waved her hand in front of the redhead's face. "You still with me over there, kiddo?"Ranko blushed, snapping out of her thoughts. "Yeah, sorry. Just daydreaming, I guess."Yui smirked. "Cute girls can have that effect on us sometimes." Saddened though she was, Ranko couldn't help laughing, and Yui joined her.With a crash, the front door swung open and Izumi crashed into the room excitedly. Ranko breathed a sigh of relief at no longer being the center of attention. "Izzi, you okay, hon? Little too much coffee this morning?" She made a pinching gesture with her fingers.Yui smirked as Izumi mounted a stool, shaking her head wildly. "No! You guys! You're not gonna believe it!" She waved her left hand frantically, and a glint of light caught something on one of her fingers. "Kaito asked me to marry him!""What!?" Yui dropped the knife in her hand, letting it clatter to rest on the cutting board. "Oh, Izzi! That's amazing! Let me see!" Yui took her hand, manipulating it every which way to examine the modest silver setting and solitaire diamond that adorned her left ring finger.Ranko smiled brightly, glad that at least somebody was getting their happily ever after. "Izumi, I'm so happy for you both. And Hoshi, too!"Izumi giggled. "We haven't even told Hoshi yet. We're gonna do it over dinner tonight. But… I can't believe it! I'm getting married! We decided on a Western-style wedding, just like the one that princess in England had. My gods, I'm gonna need a dress, and flowers, and a cake, and…" Her words quickly trailed into a hysterically-excited screech.Yui squeezed her hand. "Breathe, Izzi. You've got time. You don't need to do all this in one day. And it's not like you won't have help."The bride-to-be gasped. "Ohmygods, you're right! I'm gonna need everybody's help! You girls will be my bridesmaids, right?"Yui smiled warmly, patting the back of her hand. "Of course we will!"Ranko chuckled. "That's gonna be a huge wedding, with three bridesmaids."Izumi turned her head to face the redhead. "Four."Ranko cocked her head. "How do you figure? You've got Ayako, Yui, Mei, and… wait, you don't mean…"Izumi nodded emphatically. "Of course I do. I want all four of my sisters to stand with me."So much blood rushed to Ranko's face that the lightheadedness rocked her on her stool. "I… I don't know what to say." She meant it. All she knew about the act of bridesmaid-ing was that it involved a whole lot of primping and dressing up. She was still getting the hang of fastening a bra. She was nowhere near prepared for this.Izumi grinned hopefully. "You say yes."Ranko exhaled with intimidation. The pressure to look and behave as a perfect lady, especially in a Western-culture ceremony about which she knew practically nothing, would be staggering. What if she embarrassed Izumi on her wedding day? What if she used the wrong fancy fork or something and somehow dishonored Izumi in front of Kaito or his family? She had no idea what would be expected or what to do. She was terrified, but then again, leaning into the new and strange had been working for her so far. As she contemplated, she looked down at the dress Akane picked for her, and her mind slowed from a thousand simultaneous thoughts to just one. If she was impressed with me in this, she mused, fingering the embroidered roses of her skirt, then how would she react to…The sound fell out of her mouth before she could finish her thought."Yes."