Post by "Lady Luck" Fujiko Mine on Aug 22, 2015 17:29:56 GMT -5
She’s done her best.
Let’s be real, Oni has given it her all to try and ruin my reign as champion. She goes back and forth between respecting me, and hating me. Well, likely, she’s hated me this entire time. I guess I’m supposed to see this as the stability as she slowly gives in to her ‘dark side’, or whatever it is I’m supposed to believe is happening to her.
Apparently, me handing the ‘unstoppable’ Oni her first loss was enough to expose her, just like I’ve exposed so many others. She took this one loss, in which she was incredibly confident beforehand. She told everyone how confident she was that she was going to leave Validation with her reign still intact. She gave me dues, there’s no disputing that, but she did so in such a backhanded way. “She’s good, but not better than me”, was Oni’s mantra. She was made to eat her words, and instead of proving me wrong and showing that she was worthy of honor and respect, she chose to try and beat me down and wear down my resolve.
Ever since I won this title, she’s done her best to try and make sure that I would not be one hundred percent by the time Queen of the Ring came along. Oni, I get it. You need every advantage that you can get. You realize that, from our past match, that you cannot beat me in a fair match. So this whole time, you’ve been trying to weaken me, and come out of Queen of the Ring with my championship.
It just shows me your fear. How absolutely afraid of failure you are, and your desperation in trying to make yourself a two time LAW champion.
What a model champion you think you’ll be. But that won’t matter if you win, and that’s all you care about. You have only a desire to be champion, and you’ve made it clear that you don’t care how you do it. You’ve wanted my attention, you’ve wanted me weak, and you wanted me angry.
You have all three of those things, Oni.
You’ve had my attention ever since Validation was over. I know better then to even think that anyone other than you would challenge me for this championship. I knew that you would be the one to try and take this back. You have never lost my attention. Through the nonsense with Kate Steele, and with Keira Fisher, I still had my focus on you. I knew that you were the challenge, and I have prepared for you. I was ready for anyone to challenge me for this belt, and even though no one had the guts to step up and really do so? You would be there, waiting.
You’ve made me weak. That’s not something a typical champion would tell you. They would look you in the eyes, and tell you that you haven’t shaken them, you haven’t made them weak. But I am not typical. I am a real human, and I will be real about my feelings. You have made me weak, though. You have attacked me repeatedly, and without remorse. You gave Keira Fisher something further to grasp upon. You have made it so that I will not walk into Queen of the Ring at one hundred percent, and that was your goal. So congratulations, you accomplished that.
Unfortunately, that was your mistake. In attacking me repeatedly, you’ve shown me your level of desperation, and you have shown me what you are willing to do to finally avenge that loss that I gave you. So while I am weak, I am also prepared for you. I am prepared for the extremes that you are willing to go to, and I may not be at full strength, but you have done nothing to rock my mental state, and I can still outsmart you. That’s where I have always head the edge with you, Oni. If this were a competition based on brute force, I would concede to you. I am not nearly as strong, and not nearly as brutal. Our first encounter proved that. My blood was left behind in the ring, thanks to you. You and Arkia Fisk are the only ones to make me bleed in the ring, and don’t think I’ll forget that.
Fortunately, though, I don’t have to rely merely on my physical strength. I don’t have to just hope that I can knock you out. I have my full suite of abilities at my disposal, including some new moves that you haven’t seen yet. Don’t worry though, I still have a lucky shot in the chamber, waiting just for you.
Finally, you’ve got me angry. You aren’t the smartest wrestler I have ever faced, but even you know that an angry fighter is more prone to make mistakes, and mistakes of mine are to your advantage. But I am a focused angry, and most importantly, I have not placed all my cards on the table like you have. You have shown me, above all, what you are capable of at your limits. In doing so, you’ve made it personal. I know that you think that is what you wanted.
But it is not. You’ve taken off my governor. Before, I would have just fought to beat you by pinfall or submission. Now? I’m fighting for more than just that. I won’t compromise the match, but I’ll hurt you to get what I want. I will target weak ligaments, tear at cartilage, and and rip at your skin to weaken you.
I will do to you what you could not finish, what you tried to do to me, Oni.
I want you to come at me with a full head of steam. I want the absolute best that resides inside of Oni come Sunday. I don't want you at any kind of disadvantage, Oni. Because I don't want there to be any excuses from you, or anyone about what happens. I don't want anyone to wonder what could have been. Because I know better.
I know that I am going to fight you like it’s my very last one. I’m going to hurt you like there will be no consequences to those actions. I am going to rip and tear away at you until the referee pulls me off of you.
It’s fair to say that this isn’t about the LAW championship anymore. This is about my survival. This is about me kicking the living crap out of you, to prove a point.
You can try and get in my head, to break me mentally. You can try and break me down, to attack me physically…
...but you will find out, that it will be the biggest regret of your life.
At this point, I don’t care if I leave with the LAW championship or not.
I just have to make sure that you don’t leave under your own power.
You had to make this personal, and so I’m going to give to you what you’ve asked for. But this is what you wanted, and I can’t be held accountable for giving it to you.
Kicking your teeth down your throat, breaking you apart, and then walking away from it all.
You sisters keep apologizing for your actions, but trust me when I say there will be no apologies when I break whatever I can on you.
Don’t pray that you can find the strength to defeat me, Oni.
Pray that I show mercy on you, so that you can live another day with two eyes.
another day with unbroken ribs.
another day with your ACL intact.
another day without a major concussion.
another day alive.
Fujiko’s gaze was solemn as she avoided eye contact with the other person in the room. It was her, and this other person, and she didn’t like the prospect of being there with her.
"Okay, Miss...Mine?"
Fujiko winced slightly. Professionally, she’d allowed people to pronounce it as if they were talking about an object they owned. But as she knew it, and anyone who knew her well knew it, it was pronounced ‘Mee-nay’. Tj liked to joke that it rhymed with the name of some teacher from a show called ‘Boy Meets World’. Maybe one day she’d get the time to watch it and understand the reference. She wasn’t really in the mood for things like that, now.
At the behest of Hiro and Tj, she was sitting here, in this office, with this woman. This woman whose job it was to analyze her, but knew next to nothing about her. Fujiko did not know how she felt about that, but there wasn’t a chance to back out now.
"Yes?"
"Shall we get started?"
Fujiko tried to mask a sigh. Cora caught wind of her sigh. Although she was only in her mid-thirties, she had dealt with many clients. Rarely did she meet someone who was enthusiastic about being in her presence, at least in a professional sense. She took no offense from Fujiko’s disposition.
"I guess I should begin by asking, why exactly are you here? Or, more specifically, what would you like to accomplish by having this meeting?"
With a rub of her left elbow, she tried to give thought to that question. Why was she here? Truly, she was forced to be there. She had no desire to try and heap her problems onto someone else. Still, that answer would not likely suffice. If she was going to be here, trying to stall Ms. Fortane out would likely prove more agonizing than any question she was likely to raise.
"Why am I here? Uh...it’s thought that I am having issues...coping with everything that is going on with me as of late. It’s been a huge mess. It being my whole life. My…"
She hesitated. It was always weird trying to explain the relationship between herself and Hiro. She couldn’t likely say ‘ex-yakuza member savior’, so she supposed she would go with ‘father’.
"...father thinks that seeing you is supposed to help provide some clarity to my situation. What do I want to get out to this? That clarity, I guess? I really don’t know."
With a shrug, she forced herself to make eye contact with Cora.
"Clarity? I see"
Cora crossed her right leg over her left one.
"I may be able to help you with that. However, you will need to tell me a bit about the issue. So, how about we start there."
Fujiko leaned back in the brown leather chair she was given to rest in. She suppressed the urge to mimic Cora’s crossed legs. Where would she begin? She chewed at her lip in thought. There was so much that she learned in terms of what needed to stay stored in her brain. She supposed she would start with common knowledge in terms of her profession.
"This isn’t the beginning, exactly. It’s just where I know how to start."
Fujiko went to grab at her current favorite accessory, the LAW championship. She found though, that it was not present with her. She sighed. Remembering how silly she thought she’d feel to walk into this woman’s office and be carrying an oversized leather belt with gold accents and plates. That would’ve been something that Oni would do, in her ignorance and arrogance. With the action failing, she put her hand back in her lap.
"For work, I wrestle professionally. I’ve been finding success in this company known as Ladies All-Star Wrestling. I serve as their champion for the time being, but the woman that I defeated for that title has seen pretty well and fit to try and make me suffer for...well, for doing my job. Relentless attacks on me, attempts to embarrass me in front of those who want to see me succeed, all that. Should I stop and clarify?"
"If you would, please."
The woman known as Lady Luck nodded shortly.
"Well, I won the championship from this woman, who goes by Oni Kymiku. Can’t tell you if it’s her real name or not. Honestly, I don’t know or care. She really did a number on me, making me bleed and everything."
Fujiko reached up and touched the very faint scar just left of the center of her forehead.
"But I won. Instead of taking the loss with dignity and honor, she snapped and continued to hurt me. No matter what has happened since then, she’s interfered in my matches, attacked me both backstage, and in the ring; and has done everything that she could to make me regret beating her. But I don’t. And I won’t. She doesn’t scare me, she’s just gone and cheesed me off to the point that I’m more interested in taking my rage out on her than actually winning the match. I feel like she’s put my back against the wall, and I’m just going to hurt her so that I don’t have to look over my shoulder for her anymore."
Fujiko realized that she’d divulged a bit more than anticipated. ‘Oh well,’ she thought to herself. ‘Might as well.’.
"Maybe that makes me a bad person. I don’t know. But to me, there is fighting someone with honor, and accepting the result no matter what it is, and there is being a coward. Oni is being the latter. And I want to punish her immensely, even if it’s the last thing I do in LAW. Does that clarify well enough?"
Fujiko asked, unsure if she’d actually answered the question. A bit of her anxiety melted away, not that she’d noticed on the spot.
"Yes, that helps."
Cora let out a small sigh as she tried to think about what she wanted to say.
"I cannot say that I am well versed in wrestling. However, I understand your sentiments. One should never let another person try and intimidate them."
She held up her finger in protest.
"However, the feeling of wanting to “punish” your opponent is a bit troubling. As a wrestler, I assume you need a clear mind when going to do battle, correct? Nonetheless, it is clear that your mind is not clear. Does that not bother you at all? "
Fujiko fidgeted in her seat, pairing that with a furrow of her brow. She was right, she did need to pull back on the reigns of her fury. On one hand, it would be absolutely satisfying for her to beat Oni so badly that she never even endeavored to come near Fujiko again. But, the idea of victory as the best revenge was something she was embarrassed to forget. Beating Oni again, after everything that she’d done to her...somehow, that seemed a bit more appealing.
"I...I yeah. I guess it does bother me. I guess that’s where everything else comes in. The non competitive side of my life."
With a sigh, she delved into the ‘everything else’ file that was there.
"When I mentioned my father, I neglected to mention that he’s not my father biologically. I was orphaned as a young girl after my mother abandoned, and he adopted me. He trained me to defend myself. He is friends with someone who plied their trade as a professional wrestler, and he taught me how. I have been trying to pry myself from under the shadow of that man ever since then. But to complicate things, I also need to mention that my mother recently came out of hiding, and thanks to my surrogate father and his friend, we have been, for lack of better terms, reunited."
Fujiko turned her eyes downward. She wasn’t sure how clear about this she could truly be.
"It’s been...a growing process, to say the least. Things have been..rough, to say the least. She’s gone out of her way to try and sway me from wrestling. But it’s my passion now. I see where she’s come from, but this is what I feel like I was meant to do. It’s...kind of a mess."
She wasn’t sure if she’d even provided Cora with anything she could use, but it was all she could think to say without prodding.
"Ms. Mine, I realize that wrestling is dynamic. You probably do not have much time to reflect, or much time for yourself. However, from what you are telling me, you are being bombarded from every direction. It is certainly weighing on you mentally. And, I would imagine it is likely affecting work as well, yes? "
Fujiko had to nod, although she hated the idea that things were getting this out of her own control. Thanks to all of this mess, she almost suffered the indignity of losing to far inferior opponents.
"Yeah. It’s all kind of coming to a head. What am I going to do?"
That was the million dollar question, indeed. She don’t know why she posed the question to a sports psychologist whose only knowledge of her life was just was Fujiko had divulged in the past half hour; but she’d done so regardless.
"I...mean...I think you’re right about me needing a clear head in my fight against Oni. I may have been enraged before, but I think showing that she can’t beat me, no matter everything she’s done thus far is more important. To put hurting her over winning just makes me like her, and I don’t want to be like that. As for everything else? I don’t know.."
"Hmm..."
She stroked her chin as she thought about what to say.
"Individuality is what makes us unique, Ms. Mine. I don’t know you well, not yet anyway."
Fujiko nodded. She was right. It’s more than likely why she was paid as well as she was.
"Yeah. I understand. It’s just...a tough situation. I’ll figure out what I’m doing soon enough. Hopefully, in time for this match on Sunday."
Fujiko moved her legs to the side, and began to sit up. She felt like maybe they had come to an impasse.
"So...now what?"
Part of her hoped that there was more to be done. It was a surprising twist from what she’d felt earlier.
"I suppose the biggest question is, how do you feel?"
Fujiko’s expression matched the first word that came out of her mouth.
"Uncertain. I mean, I guess I needed an outside voice to set me straight about my strategy for this match, as I’ve been listening to fellow wrestlers to the point that I am a bit numb about it. As far as the personal things, I still don't really know. I’ve gotten my mother off my back about wrestling, but I know she still worries heavily. Her watching my first encounter with Oni did that no favors whatsoever."
Fujiko shrugs.
"I guess I have a lot of thinking to do, still. Right?"
"Indeed―after your match."
"After?"
"Then, you come back and see me, okay?"
Fujiko put her finger to her lips in thought. She decided that she would indeed come back.
"Okay, Ms. Fortane. I’ll be back soon. I think I know what I gotta do."
Fujiko pushes herself up to her full height, turned towards Cora and bowed slightly.
"Thank you. See you soon."
Fujiko turned on her heel and made her way to the door. With a fluid motion, she opened the door, and then slipped out. Waiting on the couch that was opposite the door was Hiro. He had his eyes closed, likely in meditation. When she shut the door behind her, he opened his eyes.
"I trust it was productive?"
Fujiko offered up a shrug.
"In a manner of speaking, yes."
"I see.well, let us depart. We have plenty of preparations to do."
Fujiko gestured for him to lead the way. He removed himself from the couch, and did just that. Fujiko followed after him, feeling the haze that gripped at her mind clear just a little bit.
Unknown date & time
Japan
"Hiro, catch me up. Can you tell me what the hell is going on?"
"Jones-san, it is a...difficult subject to cover through telecommunications. It is best if you just meet us in person, so that we may discuss it there."
Hiro said nothing else, and a soft click told Tj that he’d hung up. Teige looked at his phone quizzically. It very unlike Hiro to do that. It bothered the shit out of him when he was hung up on, to be honest. The man on the other line was Hiro Nagashima. Tj hired him to be his bodyguard, at the behest of his mentor in Japan, Diamond Shurizaka; four years and change prior. What began as an uneasy partnership between the two of them steadily solidified their relationship to the point where Hiro now filled the role of confidant. He knew more about Tj than even the family that Tj cared about new. He certainly knew more about Tj than his terrible excuse for parents ever would.
An irritated glance at his Samsung phone told the story for him, before he set it face down on the glass table presented in front of him. He glanced around the room for no other reason than to give his thoughts traction until he came to the only conclusion he could. Unfortunately, it was the one he disliked.
"Well, shit. Fine."
Swinging himself forward, he pressed his shoes into the fine hardwood flooring. He took a quick glance at his surroundings. He was in the home that was provided for him. It was in the Azabu neighborhood of Tokyo. Ignoring the anxious feelings that crept in, he gave himself a quick stretch. Tj then approached the door, and took his keys. He followed his routine of heading out the door, checking the landing out front, and then locking the door. He then headed out to his car. All the possible outcomes of what waited for him circled through his head. Just beyond those, his potential responses to each of those situations buzzed about. As he did so, he moved to the garage, and flipped the cover on the keypad. After typing in the code, the heavy grinding of the door being pulled open filled his ears. As soon as the door was open, he slipped into the comfort of his sunburst colored Lotus Elise. The car itself was a reminder of his situation. Despite the shoddy appearance of the outside of both the home and garage, the indoor appearance of the house, and the car that the garage housed were polar opposites.
The ride to Hiro’s location was filled with silence externally, but internally held more theories and speculation as to why Hiro would mysterious on the phone. The time seemed to wisk past him, not giving him time to notice the silence.
"Why didn’t he just come to my place, instead of making me head all the way out there? Doesn’t he know I could get spotted?"
An air of impatience and wisdom not normally seen in Tj shined through. The more youthful appearance he held suggested that this was not recent. After letting frustration wrestle with logic in his brain for a few moments, he seemed to give up and just focus on the journey.
Finally arriving at the run down looking home, he surveyed the landscape in all directions. Trash lingered about on the streets. No one was really showing their face. If he was being watched, they were doing so from the shadows. The home that the beautiful car revved up to looked even worse from the outside than the one he’d emerged from a half hour previous. He turned into the driveway, clicking the button on the door opener in his car. The garage door pulled itself open, and he drove the car inside. Finding nothing to give him pause, he cut the engine and stepped outside. The lukewarm air greeted him as he shimmied out of the tight garage and towards the front door of the shack. He heard the garage door behind to close as he moved to the door.
"This better not be some training bullshit, Hiro…"
Tj skipped over a few broken concrete steps, and knocked hard on the door upon reaching it. Tj then fished into his pocket, and pulled out a dull brass key. He pushed it into the lock, and turned it the wrong way. After a second or two, he turned it the other way, and then pushed open the door. He’d done so to disable the security measures that would wait any poor soul thinking they could break in. Taking the key out, Tj moved through the door, and closed it behind him.
Stale, empty air filled his nostrils as he looked around the dimly lit room. It looked absolutely abandoned, which was how it was meant to look. There were sparse curtains on the windows, and anyone nosy enough to peer inside would be satisfied to find nothing of interest. At least, on the surface.
Tj moved through what would have been assumed to be the living space, and into the hallway. Satisfied that there was no one to see him now, he knocked heavily on the wall.
"Jones, Thomas. Tj Jones."
A moment in which Tj pondered the meaning for this meeting went by before part of the wall swung open. Tj was about to open his mouth, but the view inside stopped him cold. Hiro was on the other side, but Teige could see past him at the girl who sat idly on the couch, not paying attention. That is what puzzled him.
There was a quick glance from him to the figure residing past him, and then back again. Hiro noticed the glance, but did not send a glance back to respond in any way. They stood there, the silence between them expected and understood. Tj was the first to break the silence.
"Hiro, uh...the hell is going on?"
Silence. Hiro didn't even flinch as Tj glanced at the two of them. He knew that the girl wasn't some kind of harlot, keeping him ‘company’ in a lewd way. Hiro had vowed celibacy since the passing of his wife. That being out, was it possible that she was looking for a place to stay? Outside of her being lucky enough to either run into Hiro, and for him to allow her into this secret compound…
"Jones-san...if you would please end the internal investigation?"
An exasperated sigh passed his lips. He removed his shoes and carried them into the actual home, leaving behind the decoy shell. As he approached, he got a better look at the woman perched on the couch, nervously. Smooth, silky brown hair fell from the top of her head, and gracefully fell over her shoulders. Her skin was mostly smooth, a few angry pink pimples pushing out of her forehead. Thick, coke bottle rims guarded her creamy brown eyes. She was definitely attractive, but it still didn't explain what she was doing in such a well guarded place. Teige moved to the loveseat across from where the girl sat. She kept her head turned away, like a statue of a depressed woman. Teige wondered if she even noticed that he was in her world at all. Hiro shut the ‘door’ behind Tj; and moved to the midpoint between him and her. He allowed the silence to fill the room again, and then…
"Thank you for your prompt arrival, Jones-san."
Tj barely hid a sarcastic smile, which Hiro ignored before gesturing to the woman.
"She is why I called you over."
"Well, that only fills me in about two percent. Anything else?"
A stern look his way shut down Tj’s smart mouth. Even though Hiro worked for him, he was still his senior. Tj also recognized the seriousness in Hiro’s eyes, and pushed his annoyance to the wayside. With a short nod, he stopped and turned his attention to the woman.
"Kare ga anata o ikusei shimasu."
Tj was in the process of learning Japanese, but only could gather as a guess that the sentence referenced him. The woman barely moved. Tj imagined he might have seen a nod. Hiro turned back to him, his face its usual blank stare.
"I have taken to calling her Fujiko Mine."
She flinched at the mention of her name, but did not turn to face him. Tj, despite wanting to take the situation seriously, raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Really? Like from Lupin III? You have got to be fucking with me, Hiro. You know that's my favorite show... I mean, I get the resemblance…"
Tj refers to her face as he says this. He recognized that there really was a resemblance there.
"But what does this mean? You're not trying to set me up, are you?"
Hiro expertly dodged the second half of that question.
"She has been under my care for the last fourteen years. That estimation is rough in its production."
Teige's eyes widened in utter surprise. He couldn't believe what he was just told. Any ideas of being smug or smart with Hiro about the purpose of this meeting were completely destroyed.
"F-fourteen YEARS?! You’re serious right now?!"
Fujiko, as Hiro called her, flinched slightly again at the raising of his voice. Tj felt a pang of guilt, in that the woman in the room did not know him, and suddenly was subject to an outburst.
"The hell do you mean when you say: she's been in your care for fourteen YEARS?"
Hiro nodded, keeping with his simplistic emotional nature.
"As stated. She has been under the care of myself and a few associates. I have been doing the bulk of the work, as I trust myself only to deal with the majority of her training."
Tj was absolutely floored. Hiro had been working as Tj's bodyguard and confidant for the last five years. How he'd managed to keep this girl as some sort of ‘secret project’ for as long as he did was literally amazing.
"How could you not tell me you were doing this, Hiro? I mean...I thought we were completely level! How am I supposed to trust you if you’re off keeping secret side projects?"
"My apologies, Jones-san. I did not foresee that this knowledge would be a liability, so I withheld it. However, I now believe that this girl can be an asset, if developed properly."
Tj gave thought to arguing that, but decided instead to listen further. Hiro lowered his tone, as if he did not want Fujiko to hear him. She kept her eyes trained on the ground, as if she was hoping that if she ignored everything, it would all go away.
"Jones-san, she has been like a daughter to me. Perhaps I can persuade you to look at her training less as a business proposal, and more as a child who requires your help...as a favor to me?"
Tj looked at her, and she seemed to finally notice that his eyes were on her. With an incredible sense of timidness, Fujiko stole a quick glance at him. As their eyes connected, he could see what Hiro meant. She looked absolutely terrified, rather than angry or annoyed. He saw, in that quick moment, that this was what she knew...and nothing else.
"Damn...she’s never been out of the city, huh?"
Hiro nodded, then shook his head.
"Due to situation at hand, She was not allowed away for long. The concept of a...social life is something she’s never experienced. We have been her friends, her family, and her teachers since the time I found her. She has learned much from us, but she is not meant for the life that I led. That same life that I am still attempting to leave behind. So I want you to take her away from here, to America. When I am able to join you in the states once again, we may discuss the next step."
Teige scratched at his cheek, mulling over the idea. He wasn’t crazy about doing this. It was clear that the girl didn't understand or speak any english; A fact Tj gleaned by the way that she looked very confused with Hiro and Tj's conversation. Still, if she needed the help that Hiro claimed she did, it would be disrespectful for him to say no. Perhaps Hiro knew that her situation would appeal to him. But he wasn't going to argue at present. A subtle nod gave Hiro the answer that he was looking for. A rare smile crossed his face; the gesture was more or less Hiro's limit. Turning to the girl, Hiro stated plainly:
"Kare no namae wa Tj ga aru."
"Wakarimashita."
Tj understood that he was just introduced, and that she understood. Bowing to her, he made sure to make eye contact on the way back up. Her eyes still wary, he could only try to comfort her with a smile.
"I’ll get you on track, Fujiko."
He studied her face, trying to see if she understood. He was going to have to try again. Maybe something a bit simpler.
"I will help you."
She seemed to understand, the light behind her eyes coming up. He tracked the minor change, which caused him to smile himself.
"Thank you so much for this, Jones-san. I know you may not truly understand right now, but I thank you. You may never know how much this means to me."
Teige turned his attention away from the woman, and back to the man whose job it was to keep him safe.
"Yeah? I guess we’ll see. It’s for you though, so I just need to do it."
Let’s be real, Oni has given it her all to try and ruin my reign as champion. She goes back and forth between respecting me, and hating me. Well, likely, she’s hated me this entire time. I guess I’m supposed to see this as the stability as she slowly gives in to her ‘dark side’, or whatever it is I’m supposed to believe is happening to her.
Apparently, me handing the ‘unstoppable’ Oni her first loss was enough to expose her, just like I’ve exposed so many others. She took this one loss, in which she was incredibly confident beforehand. She told everyone how confident she was that she was going to leave Validation with her reign still intact. She gave me dues, there’s no disputing that, but she did so in such a backhanded way. “She’s good, but not better than me”, was Oni’s mantra. She was made to eat her words, and instead of proving me wrong and showing that she was worthy of honor and respect, she chose to try and beat me down and wear down my resolve.
Ever since I won this title, she’s done her best to try and make sure that I would not be one hundred percent by the time Queen of the Ring came along. Oni, I get it. You need every advantage that you can get. You realize that, from our past match, that you cannot beat me in a fair match. So this whole time, you’ve been trying to weaken me, and come out of Queen of the Ring with my championship.
It just shows me your fear. How absolutely afraid of failure you are, and your desperation in trying to make yourself a two time LAW champion.
What a model champion you think you’ll be. But that won’t matter if you win, and that’s all you care about. You have only a desire to be champion, and you’ve made it clear that you don’t care how you do it. You’ve wanted my attention, you’ve wanted me weak, and you wanted me angry.
You have all three of those things, Oni.
You’ve had my attention ever since Validation was over. I know better then to even think that anyone other than you would challenge me for this championship. I knew that you would be the one to try and take this back. You have never lost my attention. Through the nonsense with Kate Steele, and with Keira Fisher, I still had my focus on you. I knew that you were the challenge, and I have prepared for you. I was ready for anyone to challenge me for this belt, and even though no one had the guts to step up and really do so? You would be there, waiting.
You’ve made me weak. That’s not something a typical champion would tell you. They would look you in the eyes, and tell you that you haven’t shaken them, you haven’t made them weak. But I am not typical. I am a real human, and I will be real about my feelings. You have made me weak, though. You have attacked me repeatedly, and without remorse. You gave Keira Fisher something further to grasp upon. You have made it so that I will not walk into Queen of the Ring at one hundred percent, and that was your goal. So congratulations, you accomplished that.
Unfortunately, that was your mistake. In attacking me repeatedly, you’ve shown me your level of desperation, and you have shown me what you are willing to do to finally avenge that loss that I gave you. So while I am weak, I am also prepared for you. I am prepared for the extremes that you are willing to go to, and I may not be at full strength, but you have done nothing to rock my mental state, and I can still outsmart you. That’s where I have always head the edge with you, Oni. If this were a competition based on brute force, I would concede to you. I am not nearly as strong, and not nearly as brutal. Our first encounter proved that. My blood was left behind in the ring, thanks to you. You and Arkia Fisk are the only ones to make me bleed in the ring, and don’t think I’ll forget that.
Fortunately, though, I don’t have to rely merely on my physical strength. I don’t have to just hope that I can knock you out. I have my full suite of abilities at my disposal, including some new moves that you haven’t seen yet. Don’t worry though, I still have a lucky shot in the chamber, waiting just for you.
Finally, you’ve got me angry. You aren’t the smartest wrestler I have ever faced, but even you know that an angry fighter is more prone to make mistakes, and mistakes of mine are to your advantage. But I am a focused angry, and most importantly, I have not placed all my cards on the table like you have. You have shown me, above all, what you are capable of at your limits. In doing so, you’ve made it personal. I know that you think that is what you wanted.
But it is not. You’ve taken off my governor. Before, I would have just fought to beat you by pinfall or submission. Now? I’m fighting for more than just that. I won’t compromise the match, but I’ll hurt you to get what I want. I will target weak ligaments, tear at cartilage, and and rip at your skin to weaken you.
I will do to you what you could not finish, what you tried to do to me, Oni.
I want you to come at me with a full head of steam. I want the absolute best that resides inside of Oni come Sunday. I don't want you at any kind of disadvantage, Oni. Because I don't want there to be any excuses from you, or anyone about what happens. I don't want anyone to wonder what could have been. Because I know better.
I know that I am going to fight you like it’s my very last one. I’m going to hurt you like there will be no consequences to those actions. I am going to rip and tear away at you until the referee pulls me off of you.
It’s fair to say that this isn’t about the LAW championship anymore. This is about my survival. This is about me kicking the living crap out of you, to prove a point.
You can try and get in my head, to break me mentally. You can try and break me down, to attack me physically…
...but you will find out, that it will be the biggest regret of your life.
At this point, I don’t care if I leave with the LAW championship or not.
I just have to make sure that you don’t leave under your own power.
You had to make this personal, and so I’m going to give to you what you’ve asked for. But this is what you wanted, and I can’t be held accountable for giving it to you.
Kicking your teeth down your throat, breaking you apart, and then walking away from it all.
You sisters keep apologizing for your actions, but trust me when I say there will be no apologies when I break whatever I can on you.
Don’t pray that you can find the strength to defeat me, Oni.
Pray that I show mercy on you, so that you can live another day with two eyes.
another day with unbroken ribs.
another day with your ACL intact.
another day without a major concussion.
another day alive.
Fujiko’s gaze was solemn as she avoided eye contact with the other person in the room. It was her, and this other person, and she didn’t like the prospect of being there with her.
"Okay, Miss...Mine?"
Fujiko winced slightly. Professionally, she’d allowed people to pronounce it as if they were talking about an object they owned. But as she knew it, and anyone who knew her well knew it, it was pronounced ‘Mee-nay’. Tj liked to joke that it rhymed with the name of some teacher from a show called ‘Boy Meets World’. Maybe one day she’d get the time to watch it and understand the reference. She wasn’t really in the mood for things like that, now.
At the behest of Hiro and Tj, she was sitting here, in this office, with this woman. This woman whose job it was to analyze her, but knew next to nothing about her. Fujiko did not know how she felt about that, but there wasn’t a chance to back out now.
"Yes?"
"Shall we get started?"
Fujiko tried to mask a sigh. Cora caught wind of her sigh. Although she was only in her mid-thirties, she had dealt with many clients. Rarely did she meet someone who was enthusiastic about being in her presence, at least in a professional sense. She took no offense from Fujiko’s disposition.
"I guess I should begin by asking, why exactly are you here? Or, more specifically, what would you like to accomplish by having this meeting?"
With a rub of her left elbow, she tried to give thought to that question. Why was she here? Truly, she was forced to be there. She had no desire to try and heap her problems onto someone else. Still, that answer would not likely suffice. If she was going to be here, trying to stall Ms. Fortane out would likely prove more agonizing than any question she was likely to raise.
"Why am I here? Uh...it’s thought that I am having issues...coping with everything that is going on with me as of late. It’s been a huge mess. It being my whole life. My…"
She hesitated. It was always weird trying to explain the relationship between herself and Hiro. She couldn’t likely say ‘ex-yakuza member savior’, so she supposed she would go with ‘father’.
"...father thinks that seeing you is supposed to help provide some clarity to my situation. What do I want to get out to this? That clarity, I guess? I really don’t know."
With a shrug, she forced herself to make eye contact with Cora.
"Clarity? I see"
Cora crossed her right leg over her left one.
"I may be able to help you with that. However, you will need to tell me a bit about the issue. So, how about we start there."
Fujiko leaned back in the brown leather chair she was given to rest in. She suppressed the urge to mimic Cora’s crossed legs. Where would she begin? She chewed at her lip in thought. There was so much that she learned in terms of what needed to stay stored in her brain. She supposed she would start with common knowledge in terms of her profession.
"This isn’t the beginning, exactly. It’s just where I know how to start."
Fujiko went to grab at her current favorite accessory, the LAW championship. She found though, that it was not present with her. She sighed. Remembering how silly she thought she’d feel to walk into this woman’s office and be carrying an oversized leather belt with gold accents and plates. That would’ve been something that Oni would do, in her ignorance and arrogance. With the action failing, she put her hand back in her lap.
"For work, I wrestle professionally. I’ve been finding success in this company known as Ladies All-Star Wrestling. I serve as their champion for the time being, but the woman that I defeated for that title has seen pretty well and fit to try and make me suffer for...well, for doing my job. Relentless attacks on me, attempts to embarrass me in front of those who want to see me succeed, all that. Should I stop and clarify?"
"If you would, please."
The woman known as Lady Luck nodded shortly.
"Well, I won the championship from this woman, who goes by Oni Kymiku. Can’t tell you if it’s her real name or not. Honestly, I don’t know or care. She really did a number on me, making me bleed and everything."
Fujiko reached up and touched the very faint scar just left of the center of her forehead.
"But I won. Instead of taking the loss with dignity and honor, she snapped and continued to hurt me. No matter what has happened since then, she’s interfered in my matches, attacked me both backstage, and in the ring; and has done everything that she could to make me regret beating her. But I don’t. And I won’t. She doesn’t scare me, she’s just gone and cheesed me off to the point that I’m more interested in taking my rage out on her than actually winning the match. I feel like she’s put my back against the wall, and I’m just going to hurt her so that I don’t have to look over my shoulder for her anymore."
Fujiko realized that she’d divulged a bit more than anticipated. ‘Oh well,’ she thought to herself. ‘Might as well.’.
"Maybe that makes me a bad person. I don’t know. But to me, there is fighting someone with honor, and accepting the result no matter what it is, and there is being a coward. Oni is being the latter. And I want to punish her immensely, even if it’s the last thing I do in LAW. Does that clarify well enough?"
Fujiko asked, unsure if she’d actually answered the question. A bit of her anxiety melted away, not that she’d noticed on the spot.
"Yes, that helps."
Cora let out a small sigh as she tried to think about what she wanted to say.
"I cannot say that I am well versed in wrestling. However, I understand your sentiments. One should never let another person try and intimidate them."
She held up her finger in protest.
"However, the feeling of wanting to “punish” your opponent is a bit troubling. As a wrestler, I assume you need a clear mind when going to do battle, correct? Nonetheless, it is clear that your mind is not clear. Does that not bother you at all? "
Fujiko fidgeted in her seat, pairing that with a furrow of her brow. She was right, she did need to pull back on the reigns of her fury. On one hand, it would be absolutely satisfying for her to beat Oni so badly that she never even endeavored to come near Fujiko again. But, the idea of victory as the best revenge was something she was embarrassed to forget. Beating Oni again, after everything that she’d done to her...somehow, that seemed a bit more appealing.
"I...I yeah. I guess it does bother me. I guess that’s where everything else comes in. The non competitive side of my life."
With a sigh, she delved into the ‘everything else’ file that was there.
"When I mentioned my father, I neglected to mention that he’s not my father biologically. I was orphaned as a young girl after my mother abandoned, and he adopted me. He trained me to defend myself. He is friends with someone who plied their trade as a professional wrestler, and he taught me how. I have been trying to pry myself from under the shadow of that man ever since then. But to complicate things, I also need to mention that my mother recently came out of hiding, and thanks to my surrogate father and his friend, we have been, for lack of better terms, reunited."
Fujiko turned her eyes downward. She wasn’t sure how clear about this she could truly be.
"It’s been...a growing process, to say the least. Things have been..rough, to say the least. She’s gone out of her way to try and sway me from wrestling. But it’s my passion now. I see where she’s come from, but this is what I feel like I was meant to do. It’s...kind of a mess."
She wasn’t sure if she’d even provided Cora with anything she could use, but it was all she could think to say without prodding.
"Ms. Mine, I realize that wrestling is dynamic. You probably do not have much time to reflect, or much time for yourself. However, from what you are telling me, you are being bombarded from every direction. It is certainly weighing on you mentally. And, I would imagine it is likely affecting work as well, yes? "
Fujiko had to nod, although she hated the idea that things were getting this out of her own control. Thanks to all of this mess, she almost suffered the indignity of losing to far inferior opponents.
"Yeah. It’s all kind of coming to a head. What am I going to do?"
That was the million dollar question, indeed. She don’t know why she posed the question to a sports psychologist whose only knowledge of her life was just was Fujiko had divulged in the past half hour; but she’d done so regardless.
"I...mean...I think you’re right about me needing a clear head in my fight against Oni. I may have been enraged before, but I think showing that she can’t beat me, no matter everything she’s done thus far is more important. To put hurting her over winning just makes me like her, and I don’t want to be like that. As for everything else? I don’t know.."
"Hmm..."
She stroked her chin as she thought about what to say.
"Individuality is what makes us unique, Ms. Mine. I don’t know you well, not yet anyway."
Fujiko nodded. She was right. It’s more than likely why she was paid as well as she was.
"Yeah. I understand. It’s just...a tough situation. I’ll figure out what I’m doing soon enough. Hopefully, in time for this match on Sunday."
Fujiko moved her legs to the side, and began to sit up. She felt like maybe they had come to an impasse.
"So...now what?"
Part of her hoped that there was more to be done. It was a surprising twist from what she’d felt earlier.
"I suppose the biggest question is, how do you feel?"
Fujiko’s expression matched the first word that came out of her mouth.
"Uncertain. I mean, I guess I needed an outside voice to set me straight about my strategy for this match, as I’ve been listening to fellow wrestlers to the point that I am a bit numb about it. As far as the personal things, I still don't really know. I’ve gotten my mother off my back about wrestling, but I know she still worries heavily. Her watching my first encounter with Oni did that no favors whatsoever."
Fujiko shrugs.
"I guess I have a lot of thinking to do, still. Right?"
"Indeed―after your match."
"After?"
"Then, you come back and see me, okay?"
Fujiko put her finger to her lips in thought. She decided that she would indeed come back.
"Okay, Ms. Fortane. I’ll be back soon. I think I know what I gotta do."
Fujiko pushes herself up to her full height, turned towards Cora and bowed slightly.
"Thank you. See you soon."
Fujiko turned on her heel and made her way to the door. With a fluid motion, she opened the door, and then slipped out. Waiting on the couch that was opposite the door was Hiro. He had his eyes closed, likely in meditation. When she shut the door behind her, he opened his eyes.
"I trust it was productive?"
Fujiko offered up a shrug.
"In a manner of speaking, yes."
"I see.well, let us depart. We have plenty of preparations to do."
Fujiko gestured for him to lead the way. He removed himself from the couch, and did just that. Fujiko followed after him, feeling the haze that gripped at her mind clear just a little bit.
Unknown date & time
Japan
"Hiro, catch me up. Can you tell me what the hell is going on?"
"Jones-san, it is a...difficult subject to cover through telecommunications. It is best if you just meet us in person, so that we may discuss it there."
Hiro said nothing else, and a soft click told Tj that he’d hung up. Teige looked at his phone quizzically. It very unlike Hiro to do that. It bothered the shit out of him when he was hung up on, to be honest. The man on the other line was Hiro Nagashima. Tj hired him to be his bodyguard, at the behest of his mentor in Japan, Diamond Shurizaka; four years and change prior. What began as an uneasy partnership between the two of them steadily solidified their relationship to the point where Hiro now filled the role of confidant. He knew more about Tj than even the family that Tj cared about new. He certainly knew more about Tj than his terrible excuse for parents ever would.
An irritated glance at his Samsung phone told the story for him, before he set it face down on the glass table presented in front of him. He glanced around the room for no other reason than to give his thoughts traction until he came to the only conclusion he could. Unfortunately, it was the one he disliked.
"Well, shit. Fine."
Swinging himself forward, he pressed his shoes into the fine hardwood flooring. He took a quick glance at his surroundings. He was in the home that was provided for him. It was in the Azabu neighborhood of Tokyo. Ignoring the anxious feelings that crept in, he gave himself a quick stretch. Tj then approached the door, and took his keys. He followed his routine of heading out the door, checking the landing out front, and then locking the door. He then headed out to his car. All the possible outcomes of what waited for him circled through his head. Just beyond those, his potential responses to each of those situations buzzed about. As he did so, he moved to the garage, and flipped the cover on the keypad. After typing in the code, the heavy grinding of the door being pulled open filled his ears. As soon as the door was open, he slipped into the comfort of his sunburst colored Lotus Elise. The car itself was a reminder of his situation. Despite the shoddy appearance of the outside of both the home and garage, the indoor appearance of the house, and the car that the garage housed were polar opposites.
The ride to Hiro’s location was filled with silence externally, but internally held more theories and speculation as to why Hiro would mysterious on the phone. The time seemed to wisk past him, not giving him time to notice the silence.
"Why didn’t he just come to my place, instead of making me head all the way out there? Doesn’t he know I could get spotted?"
An air of impatience and wisdom not normally seen in Tj shined through. The more youthful appearance he held suggested that this was not recent. After letting frustration wrestle with logic in his brain for a few moments, he seemed to give up and just focus on the journey.
Finally arriving at the run down looking home, he surveyed the landscape in all directions. Trash lingered about on the streets. No one was really showing their face. If he was being watched, they were doing so from the shadows. The home that the beautiful car revved up to looked even worse from the outside than the one he’d emerged from a half hour previous. He turned into the driveway, clicking the button on the door opener in his car. The garage door pulled itself open, and he drove the car inside. Finding nothing to give him pause, he cut the engine and stepped outside. The lukewarm air greeted him as he shimmied out of the tight garage and towards the front door of the shack. He heard the garage door behind to close as he moved to the door.
"This better not be some training bullshit, Hiro…"
Tj skipped over a few broken concrete steps, and knocked hard on the door upon reaching it. Tj then fished into his pocket, and pulled out a dull brass key. He pushed it into the lock, and turned it the wrong way. After a second or two, he turned it the other way, and then pushed open the door. He’d done so to disable the security measures that would wait any poor soul thinking they could break in. Taking the key out, Tj moved through the door, and closed it behind him.
Stale, empty air filled his nostrils as he looked around the dimly lit room. It looked absolutely abandoned, which was how it was meant to look. There were sparse curtains on the windows, and anyone nosy enough to peer inside would be satisfied to find nothing of interest. At least, on the surface.
Tj moved through what would have been assumed to be the living space, and into the hallway. Satisfied that there was no one to see him now, he knocked heavily on the wall.
"Jones, Thomas. Tj Jones."
A moment in which Tj pondered the meaning for this meeting went by before part of the wall swung open. Tj was about to open his mouth, but the view inside stopped him cold. Hiro was on the other side, but Teige could see past him at the girl who sat idly on the couch, not paying attention. That is what puzzled him.
There was a quick glance from him to the figure residing past him, and then back again. Hiro noticed the glance, but did not send a glance back to respond in any way. They stood there, the silence between them expected and understood. Tj was the first to break the silence.
"Hiro, uh...the hell is going on?"
Silence. Hiro didn't even flinch as Tj glanced at the two of them. He knew that the girl wasn't some kind of harlot, keeping him ‘company’ in a lewd way. Hiro had vowed celibacy since the passing of his wife. That being out, was it possible that she was looking for a place to stay? Outside of her being lucky enough to either run into Hiro, and for him to allow her into this secret compound…
"Jones-san...if you would please end the internal investigation?"
An exasperated sigh passed his lips. He removed his shoes and carried them into the actual home, leaving behind the decoy shell. As he approached, he got a better look at the woman perched on the couch, nervously. Smooth, silky brown hair fell from the top of her head, and gracefully fell over her shoulders. Her skin was mostly smooth, a few angry pink pimples pushing out of her forehead. Thick, coke bottle rims guarded her creamy brown eyes. She was definitely attractive, but it still didn't explain what she was doing in such a well guarded place. Teige moved to the loveseat across from where the girl sat. She kept her head turned away, like a statue of a depressed woman. Teige wondered if she even noticed that he was in her world at all. Hiro shut the ‘door’ behind Tj; and moved to the midpoint between him and her. He allowed the silence to fill the room again, and then…
"Thank you for your prompt arrival, Jones-san."
Tj barely hid a sarcastic smile, which Hiro ignored before gesturing to the woman.
"She is why I called you over."
"Well, that only fills me in about two percent. Anything else?"
A stern look his way shut down Tj’s smart mouth. Even though Hiro worked for him, he was still his senior. Tj also recognized the seriousness in Hiro’s eyes, and pushed his annoyance to the wayside. With a short nod, he stopped and turned his attention to the woman.
"Kare ga anata o ikusei shimasu."
Tj was in the process of learning Japanese, but only could gather as a guess that the sentence referenced him. The woman barely moved. Tj imagined he might have seen a nod. Hiro turned back to him, his face its usual blank stare.
"I have taken to calling her Fujiko Mine."
She flinched at the mention of her name, but did not turn to face him. Tj, despite wanting to take the situation seriously, raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Really? Like from Lupin III? You have got to be fucking with me, Hiro. You know that's my favorite show... I mean, I get the resemblance…"
Tj refers to her face as he says this. He recognized that there really was a resemblance there.
"But what does this mean? You're not trying to set me up, are you?"
Hiro expertly dodged the second half of that question.
"She has been under my care for the last fourteen years. That estimation is rough in its production."
Teige's eyes widened in utter surprise. He couldn't believe what he was just told. Any ideas of being smug or smart with Hiro about the purpose of this meeting were completely destroyed.
"F-fourteen YEARS?! You’re serious right now?!"
Fujiko, as Hiro called her, flinched slightly again at the raising of his voice. Tj felt a pang of guilt, in that the woman in the room did not know him, and suddenly was subject to an outburst.
"The hell do you mean when you say: she's been in your care for fourteen YEARS?"
Hiro nodded, keeping with his simplistic emotional nature.
"As stated. She has been under the care of myself and a few associates. I have been doing the bulk of the work, as I trust myself only to deal with the majority of her training."
Tj was absolutely floored. Hiro had been working as Tj's bodyguard and confidant for the last five years. How he'd managed to keep this girl as some sort of ‘secret project’ for as long as he did was literally amazing.
"How could you not tell me you were doing this, Hiro? I mean...I thought we were completely level! How am I supposed to trust you if you’re off keeping secret side projects?"
"My apologies, Jones-san. I did not foresee that this knowledge would be a liability, so I withheld it. However, I now believe that this girl can be an asset, if developed properly."
Tj gave thought to arguing that, but decided instead to listen further. Hiro lowered his tone, as if he did not want Fujiko to hear him. She kept her eyes trained on the ground, as if she was hoping that if she ignored everything, it would all go away.
"Jones-san, she has been like a daughter to me. Perhaps I can persuade you to look at her training less as a business proposal, and more as a child who requires your help...as a favor to me?"
Tj looked at her, and she seemed to finally notice that his eyes were on her. With an incredible sense of timidness, Fujiko stole a quick glance at him. As their eyes connected, he could see what Hiro meant. She looked absolutely terrified, rather than angry or annoyed. He saw, in that quick moment, that this was what she knew...and nothing else.
"Damn...she’s never been out of the city, huh?"
Hiro nodded, then shook his head.
"Due to situation at hand, She was not allowed away for long. The concept of a...social life is something she’s never experienced. We have been her friends, her family, and her teachers since the time I found her. She has learned much from us, but she is not meant for the life that I led. That same life that I am still attempting to leave behind. So I want you to take her away from here, to America. When I am able to join you in the states once again, we may discuss the next step."
Teige scratched at his cheek, mulling over the idea. He wasn’t crazy about doing this. It was clear that the girl didn't understand or speak any english; A fact Tj gleaned by the way that she looked very confused with Hiro and Tj's conversation. Still, if she needed the help that Hiro claimed she did, it would be disrespectful for him to say no. Perhaps Hiro knew that her situation would appeal to him. But he wasn't going to argue at present. A subtle nod gave Hiro the answer that he was looking for. A rare smile crossed his face; the gesture was more or less Hiro's limit. Turning to the girl, Hiro stated plainly:
"Kare no namae wa Tj ga aru."
"Wakarimashita."
Tj understood that he was just introduced, and that she understood. Bowing to her, he made sure to make eye contact on the way back up. Her eyes still wary, he could only try to comfort her with a smile.
"I’ll get you on track, Fujiko."
He studied her face, trying to see if she understood. He was going to have to try again. Maybe something a bit simpler.
"I will help you."
She seemed to understand, the light behind her eyes coming up. He tracked the minor change, which caused him to smile himself.
"Thank you so much for this, Jones-san. I know you may not truly understand right now, but I thank you. You may never know how much this means to me."
Teige turned his attention away from the woman, and back to the man whose job it was to keep him safe.
"Yeah? I guess we’ll see. It’s for you though, so I just need to do it."