To the Nines

Akane swiveled on her heels for another lap around the small apartment kitchen, glancing up at the cerulean digital clock built into Izumi's gas stove. Figure we need at least an hour to get a taxi and get over there… no idea how long it takes to get in and settled and everything. You're cutting it awfully fucking close, Izzi. 

"Auntie Akane, doesn't that feel weird, being dressed like that?" Hoshi looked up from the booklet that came with his stage magic playset as Akane's pacing track took her back into the living room. 

Akane blushed, looking down at herself. She couldn't help but nod. "A little, but it's what your Auntie Ranko needs me to do tonight. And you know there's nothing I wouldn't do for her."

Hoshi nodded, tossing the book aside on the floor next to the small wooden "wand" that came with the magic kit. "But why does she need you to dress up like a boy?" He reached up to his head, pulling the shiny black plastic top hat from the crown of his head and offering it to her. "You want my hat to go with it?"

That's the question, isn't it, kiddo? The young woman sighed, pulling one of the dining room table chairs into the living room and sitting on it carefully. Man, these things are so restrictive. I don't know how dudes do it. She tugged at the collar of the crisply-starched white dress shirt lashed tight around her throat with a black bow tie. Though, I suppose it's no worse than asking Ranko to wear a wedding dress was.

"Well, ya see, buddy… Remember how, when we got married, Ranko and I told you that it was a secret, because a lot of people don't understand how two girls can love each other the way we do?" Receiving a nod in reply, Akane continued. "Well, your auntie has to go to a super fancy party tonight, and she asked me to come with her to support her. But some people, because they're closed-minded and not very nice, think Ranko should be with a boy instead of with me. So, in order to keep them from being jerks about it to her, I'm going to pretend to be a boy tonight."

Hoshi nodded matter-of-factly. "That seems silly. Why doesn't she just tell them she loves you, and they should suck an egg if they don't like it?"

"If it were only that easy, Hoshi. But the more smart people like you realize it's silly, the closer the day comes where couples like me and your Auntie Ranko don't have to pretend anymo…" Her voice trailed off at the sound of sticking paint popping apart as Izumi's bedroom door swung inward. 

Izumi exited the room first, flashing Akane a broad smile of pride as the younger girl stood from her seat. "Mr. Tendo, I present to you: your date for the evening." She turned with a bow and a flourish, gesturing with her hand back to her open bedroom door.

Akane could only gasp as a second figure emerged from the apartment's master bedroom. Ranko had made it all the way down the narrow T-shaped hallway into the kitchen before Akane found her wits enough to speak. "Oh. My. Gods. Ranko, baby, I…"

Ranko blushed deeply, resisting the urge to fidget with her hair, which Izumi had pinned back in a tight bun behind her head with a pair of pale jade chopsticks. "Do you like?"

Akane started walking a lap around the young songstress, taking in Izumi's handwork. Ranko wore an off-shoulder dress in a light green, with short sleeves coming to the middle of her upper arms. The whole of the dress was comprised of thousands of individual flowers, as if a field of mint-colored carnations had spontaneously picked a beautiful woman and decided to grow around her body. The skirt of the dress came to just above Ranko's ankles, where a pair of silver boots with short, chunky heels disappeared up into the folds of her puffy skirt.

The colored dress was fitted tightly to her waist, the skirt flaring out from there in a wide circle around lower legs. The wide neckline of the dress, adorned with a large, crinkly bow between her breasts, revealed a shimmery silver layer under it, which provided some small additional measure of modesty to her cleavage. It peeked out slightly under the edges of her sleeves, as well. Her hair and makeup were immaculate, as they always were when Izumi got her youngest sister ready for the stage. The ensemble was completed by Ranko's ever-present silver dragon bracelet on her left arm, both her wedding and her promise rings, the silver star necklace Izumi had given her as a bridesmaid's gift, and a pair of dangly silver heart earrings.

"Like is not a strong enough word, princess. You look… incredible. Just, beyond description."

"I feel so silly," Ranko squeaked. "Like, it was one thing to be all dressed up at the wedding, but everybody there's gonna be all fancy, and I guess, I think they're gonna figure out that I'm used to being in denim skirts and tee shirts, ya know?" At least it's not black gi pants that ain't been washed in a week anymore. Progress, right?

Akane shook her head emphatically. "You, Ranko Tendo, are stunningly beautiful. There's nobody in the world who can outclass you, my love. You belong at this event tonight just as much as they do, and they'd better get used to seeing you there, because I expect this is going to be a New Year's Eve tradition for us from now on."

"Oh, stop…" Ranko tittered brightly, hiding her face in her hands. "You're gonna give me an ego if you aren't careful."

"You? An ego? No way! Not you!" Akane laughed loudly. "Well, I've got news for you. I'm not going to be careful. Not one damn bit." Akane wrapped her arms around Ranko's chest tightly from behind, as best she could in the restrictive tuxedo jacket. The dress crinkled stiffly everywhere she touched it, making a loud rustling sound. She leaned forward, resting her chin on Ranko's shoulder and speaking in a gruff, gravely tone mere centimeters from her left ear. Her hot breath made the little hairs on the back of Ranko's neck stand straight at attention.

"I am going to tell you over and over and over again what a beautiful, talented, sexy little thing you are, until you learn to accept it, and then I'm going to tell you some more. You're damn right it's gonna go to your head just how amazing you are, because I'm not going to rest until it does. Do you understand me, Mrs. Tendo?"

Ranko whimpered quietly, lolling her head to the side to invite Akane closer to her neck. "Y…. yes, sss… sir."

With a broad smile of accomplishment, Akane closed the newly-created distance and placed the gentlest of kisses on her lover's earlobe just above the silver heart dangling from it. 

"Good girl."

Ranko didn't know whether the kiss had been what made her quake weakly in her lover's arms, or the two whispered words that followed it. She wasn't sure she cared. 

"Well," Izumi scoffed. "As cool as it would be to have spent the last three hours getting you both dressed to the nines just so you can make out in my kitchen in front of my kid, don't you have some awards to go win?"

"Mo-om," Hoshi protested from the living room floor. "Don't be gross!"

"Yeah," Ranko said, giggling as she regained her composure. "Don't be gross!" 

"Listen to me," Izumi said, closing the distance to her youngest sister and taking Ranko's hands in hers. "You got this. You hear me? Everything's gonna be great. I promise." 

Ranko looked down at her right hand, her fraying nerves making themselves apparent in her eyes. "And you're fucking sure this is gonna work?"

The young designer nodded, flashing Ranko a reassuring smile. "I'm positive. Well, mostly." She lowered her voice, gesturing with her neck to Akane, who was trying on Hoshi's plastic top hat on for size in the living room. "You're sure you don't want to warn her?"

The singer crinkled her nose, shaking in her head in the negative and responding as quietly as she could manage. "Nah. No reason for her to be as scared as I am. Let's keep it a surprise. Besides, I…" Her words were cut off by the sharp, insistent chiming of Izumi's doorbell, which rang twice in rapid succession.

"Speaking of surprises…" Izumi giggled. "I think you should get the door, Ran-chan."

The hell? Ranko shrugged, closing the twelve steps to the apartment front door and pulling it open. "Hell… o?" She blinked in disbelief at the young stranger in the white tuxedo standing alone in the second-floor hallway of Izumi's apartment building. His jet-black hair was slicked back with gel.

"Miss Tendo," he asked with a flourish and a bow. "Ready to depart?"

Akane put her fists on her hips, rolling her eyes at Izumi. "Iz, you didn't do what I think you did, did you?"

Izumi shrugged, giggling. "We can't very well have our superstar showing up on the red carpet in a taxicab, can we? Me and Mei went halves on it. Now, go on, scoot."

"Ak… Aki," Ranko remembered at the last moment. "What's even happening right now?"

Akane laughed, trying not to let it devolve into a feminine giggle as she hooked her arm through the crook of Ranko's elbow. "Remember the end of Pretty Woman?"

The redhead's eyes went wide as she whipped her head back around to gape at her sister. "You didn't!" 

Izumi nodded. "We did. Now, shoo. And good luck. We all love you."

"Kick butt, Auntie Ranko!" Hoshi waved excitedly from the living room floor.

"She always does," Akane said, her eyes falling adoringly back on Ranko as the driver held the apartment door open for the songstress and her husband. 

Ranko followed the dapper young man downstairs and out the front door of the four-story building to the street beyond, where a white stretch limousine awaited. She turned her head to Akane, her mouth agape. "Holy shit."

The driver opened the car door, but Akane hustled ahead of Ranko, taking the door handle from him. "I got it. My lady?" She offered Ranko her hand gently, grinning at Ranko's full-body blush as it was accepted.

Ranko ducked into the car, sitting on one of the long leather seats and sliding over to make room for Akane to enter. "Look at this thing! This car is nicer than our apartment! It's got a freakin' bar in it!"

Akane laughed, shaking her head. "Well, I suppose it's not that different from having an apartment in a bar, then, huh?"

The young singer giggled. "I see what you did there, Aki." 

Akane nodded, sniffing at the air with a puzzled expression on her face. "Do you smell something weird in here? It's like, bathroom cleaner or something."

Ranko shrugged, blushing. "Beats me." No questions, Akane. Don't spoil the surprise. 

Her eyes continued exploring the deluxe vehicle in search of a distraction, her eyes falling on a button near the front of the seating area. "What's that do?" She reached out and pushed it gently, and a blackout panel rose from the rear-facing seats with a quiet whir, blocking the driver's view of the pair. 

"Oooh, privacy mode." Ranko smickered at her lover thirstily. "We'll have to remember that one for the way home."

"The way home, huh?" Akane slid closer, pulling Ranko's head over to whisper in her ear. "Girl, if you didn't have to sing on national television in an hour and a half, you'd already be out of that dress."

Ranko blushed brightly. Oh, Akane, if you had any idea, lover. "Get over here and kiss me, mister."

"As you wish, madam." Akane laughed brightly, pulling her wife into a soft kiss as the car began to move.