Into the Fire

With a wave to the cheering crowd, Ranko descended the three steps from the little stage along the back wall of the Phoenix, walking over to the table that passed as Mei's sound booth. "How'd it sound?""It was good. That high note in the second verse was a little flat, but you're working on that one." Mei grinned. "Seriously, I don't know why you ask. You know you're great."Ranko looked over at the front left table, at which Crash and her other bandmates sat. Ken was taking notes about what she sang, how she moved, every detail of her performance. She'd already been invited to join the group, but now, when they were evaluating how best to integrate her into their sets – now, it made her nervous. She dreaded doing anything to make them regret their decision.She approached the table timidly. "Hey, guys. Can I get you anything? Drinks or something?"Crash shook his head. "Ranko, we're here as your friends. You don't have to wait on us."She blushed. "I kinda do, actually. You sit at my tables, you get served. That's sort of how the whole waitress thing works."Ken laughed, putting down his pen. "Well, I would love a beer. I don't know about these clowns, but I know better than to turn down a drink."Deciding to just bring one for each of them, Ranko nodded. "How did it sound?"With a shake of his head and a chuckle, Crash waved her off. "You gotta stop being so nervous, Ranko. Like, seriously, we already said we like you. It's not an audition. How many times do I gotta tell ya?"She blushed. "Apparently, at least one more."Izumi buzzed behind her youngest sister, tapping her on the shoulder. "She's here."Her flushed face deepened in color. "Um, if you'll excuse me, guys." She looked over the shimmery silver dress she wore, a gift from Izumi to congratulate her on her acceptance to the band, in her reflection in the chrome background of a sign advertising a vodka brand they served. Striding over to the bar, she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend from behind. "Guess who!"Akane giggled, turning around and returning Ranko's hug. "Hey there, beautiful."Ranko turned a deeper shade of red than she thought possible. Akane had called her cute before, several times. But beautiful? That was something else entirely. "Oh, I've missed you this week."Akane nodded. "I miss you every week. We've gotta do something about this only-on-the-weekends nonsense. But I promise, I'm studying as hard as I can for my entrance exams, and hopefully I'll make it into one of the colleges out here. Then, we can see each other a lot more."Ranko smiled. "The sooner the better.""So, tell me about this band. I understand I'm dating a lead vocalist now." Akane giggled. "Does that make me officially a groupie?"With a blush, Ranko shook her head. "You can't be a groupie if there's no group at all. I think you're their – our – only fan so far. We don't even have a name yet. And you haven't even heard us." She pointed to the table in the far left corner. "That's them over there. They're watching me, taking notes about the songs I do. It's kinda freaking me out, to be honest."Akane grinned. "They're just worried that they're gonna have to up their game to keep up with you, superstar."Ranko giggled, and her face was still afire when Mei tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to face her blue-haired sister. "What's up?"Mei pointed to one of the tables at the near corner of the bar. "Table two is looking for you."With a smile to Akane, she shrugged. "Duty calls." Akane gave a little shoo motion with her hands, and the waitress sped off to address her customers' needs.Akane glanced over to the table where Ranko's bandmates sat, immediately recognizing Crash from a previous night at the Phoenix – the one when he'd convinced Ranko to get back on stage after the Takao incident. She wasn't sure if she wanted to avoid him, punch him, or make friends with him. He'd done so much good for Ranko, but he'd also kissed her. She took a few steps closer, trying to watch them for a bit, but gulped when Crash stood and started walking her way."It's Akane, right?" The blonde guitarist smiled, offering her a small bow. "Crash. It's good to meet you. I've heard so much about you."Akane forced a smile. "All good stuff, I hope?"Crash nodded, laughing. "It better be. Seriously, though, you and music are the only things that girl can talk about lately."Akane smiled warmly. She was glad Ranko was becoming so comfortable with their relationship. Plus, selfishly, she wanted Crash reminded as often as possible that Ranko was taken. Akane wondered if Ranko brought up their relationship more around him specifically to remind him to keep his distance. "Yeah, she's pretty special, alright."With a hard swallow, Crash motioned Akane out of the main floor of the bar and into a quieter corner, over where the arcade machine had once stood. "Listen, Akane. I wanted to apologize to you. Ranko told me what happened, that you saw us the day I… well, you know what happened with me and her. I swear, I'd have never done it if I'd known she was with someone. I should have asked, and… well, you're with her, so you don't need me telling you how great she is, and I just got ahead of myself. But I meant no disrespect to her, or to you, and I wanted you to know that. You should also know that she didn't hesitate a second to tell me to back off, because she was loyal to you." He bowed to her again, more deeply this time.Akane blinked. This was not at all how she expected this meeting to go. Crash was every bit the gentleman Ranko had claimed him to be. Ranko could be a little naive, especially when it came to the impure intentions of boys, and Akane had been worried that just because Ranko didn't see it, it didn't necessarily mean it wasn't there. Also, she trusted Ranko, but it was still a relief to have confirmation that she had been as faithful as she'd claimed. It took her a moment to respond, and until she did, Crash remained in his bowed position."Crash, I…" She sighed. She knew what she wanted to say, but she also knew what was right to say. "If Ranko forgives you, I forgive you. I'm grateful to you for giving her this opportunity with your band – we both are." She bit her lip nervously. "I just hope this isn't an offer with strings attached, like the last place she worked. She can't go through that again. It'll break her."The guitarist nodded. "That's a fair concern, after everything. I hope Ranko also told you I broke the guy's nose that did that shit to her. I can't stand people pulling crap like that, taking advantage of somebody's dreams to get in their pants. You have my word, Akane. We asked Ranko to rock with us because she's talented. We think she'll make us better, and we'll make her better too. I swear, I have no other expectations than that, and I won't tolerate it from any of the other guys either."Akane smiled, offering Crash her hand. "Then it sounds like we're in agreement. You look out for her career, and I'll look out for her heart."Crash took her hand, shaking it with a chuckle. "You've got yourself a deal."