Post by Oni Kymiku on Sept 25, 2014 20:40:02 GMT -5
Dillard's Gym
Soho, New York
25 September 2014
I’d come to the gym to get a workout in with my sister before my big match with Gabriella Salinas, a woman that I really have no real sense of animosity for. I don’t agree with her views or all of her actions, but in the ring…the girl can certainly go. There has been a lot of talk about Salinas being a bit of a hot head…being a hard to control in the ring…possibly being diagnosis with NPD. I don’t know about any of that…I don’t care if it is true or not, but to be honest…I really hope that it is.
No one in LAW relishes competition like me…no one in LAW wants the fight to be brought to them the way that I do. My sister comes close…but in the end, I would like nothing better than a knock down, drag out, fight! Salinas will give it to me…she will be ready to tear the house down and bleed…her blood, my blood…it doesn’t matter. I want to be the best, so I want to take on the best. Salinas is a HUGE step up…and I want to see what she can do.
I wish that I could concentrate on her…but my mind was elsewhere at the moment. Every since I had run into Serizawa backstage at LAW, I had any uneasy feeling that I couldn’t shake. It wasn’t that I knew her…but I had the distinct impression that she knew me. No…not like she had seen me around, but she had seen ME…my other face…the one that I had been working so hard to distance myself from. Was she Yakuza? She didn’t have the look…but that meant very little these days. Maybe paranoia was starting to take hold while I served my time in exile from the clan.
I didn’t want to spend time thinking about my old life or wondering about the ghosts that might pop up at any moment, looking to take everything that I worked so hard for away from me. I had come to LAW to make a fresh start…there would be no return to the way things were for me. I had reconnected with my sister and my life was turning around. I had found another sister in SoLo and with her help I had hope that this change would be lasting and I would never have to worry about what demons would appear to take it all away…
…funny, you worry about demons from your past when the only one that really matters is the one inside you; life would be so easy if you just let it out…all of this whining and angst is boring…
Maybe I liked boring…compared to my life before, this was a much nicer existence, I finally…
“HEY! YOU DONE IN THERE?”
Roused from my thoughts, I looked over and saw a pair of young men walking up to the makeshift ring that I stood in. I leaned against the turnbuckle, glancing up at the clock to check the time before looking back down at the two. “Got another hour and a half…sorry. My sister will be here in a few minutes.”
The man who had spoken, was well built with a deep tan and dark dreadlocks tucked underneath a hoodie. He hopped up on the ring apron and fixed me with his dazzling dark eyes. “You’re in there all by yourself…are you really going to hog the ring like this for that long?”
“Yeah!” the other man spoke up. I looked at him, he was considerably less attractive than his friend. His hair was a blonde matted mess and his pale complexion was only broken by a series of blight red ache. He hopped up onto the apron, with much less grace than his friend. “Why don’t you let us in there so we can roll around and work on some things, at least until this sister of yours shows up.”
I considered telling them ‘no’ but there was no sense in my staying there and doing nothing. I shrugged as I moved to leave the ring, but the man with the ponytail stopped me.
“Hang on…” he said, grabbing my arm and smiling at me, but it was a predator’s smile. I knew it well, I has seen it a great many times in the mirror. He looked at my exposed right shoulder and back…examining my tattoos. “That’s some nice artwork you got there. Where did you get it?”
…this one wants to play with us…
My first instinct was to pull away from him…I didn’t want his hands on me, but a part of me enjoyed it…a very dark part of me. I didn’t pull away, instead I stared right back at him. “I didn’t get it…its irezumi…it’s earned.”
His grip didn’t loosen, it only tightened as he looked at my arm, turning it back and forth as he nodded. “Hand poked?” his eyes found mine again. “You must be pretty tough…getting poked that many times, huh?”
…he’s a crass one, isn’t he, maybe there’s a lot of fun games that we could play together…
I knew that I shouldn’t have encouraged him, but the distraction was intoxicating. My eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Maybe I’ll get poked a few more times before it’s all said and done.” I cocked my head to the side, “Do you…poke?”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it…this was like opening your door to peek at the coming windstorm and then having it blown open, ripped from your grasp. However…in my case, I wasn’t scared of what would come charging in…I was worried about what would come barreling out.
The man gave a cock-sure grin as he brazenly raked a few strands of hair from my face. “Baby…no one pokes as good as me.” He looked me up and down, making his intentions very clear.
His friend hopped into the ring, “Come on Kreese…stop trying to get in that chick’s pants and let’s roll around!”
The man, whose name was apparently Kreese, gave his friend a decidedly annoyed look. “Hey…I’m talking over here…fuck off pussy!” He turned back to me, his demeanor changing once more. “Like I was saying I…”
Before he could finish, his pale friend reached over and smacked him on the back of his head. “I SAID LET’S ROLL AROUND BITCH!” The man laughed as he bounced around nimbly inside the ring.
Kreese finally released his grip on my arm, the look on his face going to extreme annoyance. “Hang on.” He stepped into the ring with his friend and threw up his hands. “Okay…you ready?”
His friend threw his hands up as well, but as he did, Kreese unleashed a vicious kick to his midsection that doubled him over. Kreese wasted no time locking the man into a kimora arm lock. The pale man struggled, but it was no use, the hold was in too deep. “Tap out bitch, or I will break your arm off and beat you with it!”
…break it…how satisfying would that be right now; you know you want to hear the sound it makes when it snaps…
I couldn’t deny it…I really did want to hear it break, but that wasn’t who I was anymore…at least…it wasn’t who I wanted to be. I stepped inside the ring and put my hand on Kreese’s back. “I think he gets it.”
For a moment Kreese stares at me and something passes between us…but I don’t readily identify it. I see him give the man’s arm one last crank, just to make him squeal one last time…then he lets him out. “Get outta here, pussy!”
The man rolls out of the ring, cursing and swearing. “FUCK DUDE! YOU ALMOST BROKE MY DAMN ARM!! SON-OF-A-BITCH!!” He glared at Kreese and then at me, then back to his ‘friend.’ “If I can’t compete this weekend…I’m telling Terry that you fucked my arm up over some Japanese cunt!”
…see, you should have let him break his arm…
Kreese stared at the man, and he finally turned and stormed off, still holding his arm. He looked down at me and smirked, “Sorry about that…Steve is an asshole.”
I shrugged, “It’s okay…I’m not a Japanese cunt…I’m Korean…” I paused, “…not sure if I am a cunt or not though.”
He laughed, “Well…maybe you’ll let me find out one of these days.” He looked towards the exit and saw Nyako coming in with SoLo and Kenzi in tow. He nodded towards them. “That your gang over there?”
I nodded, “Yeah…my sisters and a friend…I think.”
He looked back at me. “Guess I missed my chance to roll around with you today. Maybe another time?”
I shrugged, “Maybe another time.”
He started to walk away, then turned back. “You like fighting…like MMA type stuff? You should come out with me one night to The Pit…check it out.”
…oooooooooh, The Pit…I like the sound of that, I bet it’s dark and there’s lots of criminal activity there…our kind of place…
“Give me your number” he asked, “…I’ll send you an invite and you can see me kick some ass over there.”
“What if I want to kick a little ass?” I tossed back.
He laughed and nodded with a slight smirk on his face, “Leave your number at the front desk for me…errrr…name?”
“Oni…” I paused, “…or Kymiku” I added.
He narrowed his eyes and nodded, “Oni…I like that.” He looked me up and down as he stepped through the ropes and gave a wink. “I’ll send you an invite.” He hopped down off the apron and headed towards the exit. As he passed Nyako and the girls he acknowledged them, “Hi, Oni’s sisters and friend.”
Nyako stopped and turned to watch the man leave, staring at him in a decidedly overprotective way. She turned on her heel and headed into the ring, rolling in under the ropes and giving me a disapproving look. “Why are you talking to that guy? Kreese is a first class asshole!”
I should have known that she would be familiar with everyone here. I shrugged, “He wanted to talk…and I was here waiting.”
Nyako narrowed her eyes as she began stretching, her eyes never leaving mine. “He’s a macho asshole who hits on everything! He and his friends are complete thugs and I want you to stay away from him!”
…well, I don’t know about you, but my panties just instantly got wet; I think I’m in love…
I sighed, starting to stretch out as well. “What are you…my mother?” As soon as I said it, I instantly regretted it…our tragic past being what it was. I could see by the look on her face that she also thought the statement was in poor taste. Fortunately, we were interrupted by SoLo and Kenzi joining us in the ring.
SoLo was her usual overly happy self, but I could tell by the way Kenzi regarded me that she wasn’t particularly keen on my presence. I could understand how she felt, our previous meetings had been…awkward. My fascination with her had been apparent…maybe bordering on creepy, but I had those feelings in check now…
…from your lips to God’s ears…may he strike you down dead as a liar; she’s just the way we like them…
Correction, Kenzi was just the way my brother liked them. His tastes gravitated towards women like her…he would have found her irresistible. As for me…I understood his attraction. Still, I endeavored to do better now that I was committed to being a better sister…especially to her best friend, SoLo.
Attempting to break the ice, I spoke up. “Ms. Grey, first of all…congratulations again on the movie role. I know that you will be superb in it.” She gave me a curt, but polite smile and nod, but not much more than that…
…stuck up cunt; you should give her moogle-ass a good fisting to loosen her up…
‘What in the hell is a moogle?’ I thought to myself, then pushed it aside. “So…Song tells us that this role requires you to display some fighting prowess.” I nodded towards my sister, “You’d be hard pressed to find a better teacher here than Ny.”
This seemed to get her attention and loosen her tongue finally. “Yes…they have a few stunt doubles, but I’d really like to work out a few things on my own for the close up shots.”
SoLo added, “Ms. Grey is too busy to show her anything.”
Nyako chuckled, “I doubt that she could show anyone anything that didn’t reside at the bottom of a liquor bottle.” When Kenzi gave her a glance, Nyako smiled, “No offense…”
Looking to cut any further tension I stepped in. “Well…we can’t have you showing up on set without a few moves in your arsenal. Maybe we could start by showing you some simple throws.” I stepped towards her and she immediately turned to Nyako.
“Would you mind showing me?” She gave me a nervous look, “I’m just more comfortable with Nyako. I…I hope you don’t mind.”
It felt like a punch to the gut…though I knew I had earned if for the way I had looked at her and even touched her before. I had found it hard not to…but I had those urges under control now. Apparently, it was too little too late. I tried to put on a smile, though I could tell that everyone could see that it had affected me. When Ny and Song tried to chime in, I quickly waved them both off. “No! It’s fine Ms. Grey…so long as you get what you need, that’s my only concern.” I glanced up at the clock, “Besides, I have to leave early today anyway…appointments!” It wasn’t technically a lie…but I had more than a few hours before my first session with Dr. Kazama.
I excused myself from the ring. “You guys be careful in there…okay?”
I turned and bolted before anyone could call me back. I was embarrassed by Kenzi’s reaction, but I knew that I had earned it. I had hoped I could keep my more base instincts to myself today…but in truth, maybe it was best that she kept her distance. This was yet another example of how my demons would never allow me to be free. I knew for a fact that I wouldn’t be able to resist laying my hands on Kenzi…no matter what I told myself. Some temptations were too strong for me right now…
…some needs aren’t bad when you satisfy them…
Before I even realized what I was doing, I found myself in the middle of penning my phone number for Kreese. I stopped just short of handing it to the front desk attendant as I remembered all of the things that my sister had told me about him. He was bad news…and I should stay away from him. She was probably right about that. If I was going to become a better person…I would have to learn how to say no to certain addictions.
Though it gave me physical pain to do it, I tore up the note and tossed it in the trash…
…you are the world’s biggest pussy right now; a big fat dry one…
Maybe I was…but this was one more day that I had managed to keep my demons in check. I would save the rest for my meeting with Gabriella Salinas inside the ring. I could be what I was in there and no one would judge me…I only hoped that I would make it that long before my urges became too strong to resist.