TEAM AWESOME UNITE!

Akashi giggled a little at Taylor's words. "Taylor-chan!" She said with a wide grin. "That is the difference. "You're definitely a good person. It's cute though." She said smiling. "The way trying to say it makes you stutter a bit. You should be proud of what a great person you are." She said cheerfully. She then turned her head a bit. "You're right. You wouldn't do the kinds of things Sarah-san has done. I don't believe you ever would either. Ahhh..." She said and plopped some food in her mouth. Just then the main course was brought in. It had a little bit of everything and filled up most of the rest of the table. "Oh wow." Akashi said and began digging in like she never ate food before. "This-good!" She said as she chewed on some food, grinning as she washed it down with some noodles and soup.

"My toughest match?" She asked. "Well, one time I fought this chick in a barbed wired ring. I was basically topless and the girl I was fighting was wearing armor so.." Akashi blushed and chuckled. "So she pretty much kicked my ass. My back was fucked up bad." She then beamed. "I submitted.. I think it was the only time I've submitted but I was proud that I was able to walk out under my own power. That was great."

"Or, there was this real tough bitch named Rose. Some gaijin like you who didn't fight very fair. She was kicking my ass hard but I managed to turn the tables on her and that bitch hit me with a pair of brass knuckles square int he jaw. It laid me out pretty badly." Akashi seemed animated as she recounted her matches, even glowing a bit. "And then with Tajiri-san. She's a karate expert. I fought her hard but I couldn't beat her. Dammit!" She said pounding her fist. "We fought to a draw, I was pissed and ended up waking up in a hospital. Or there was the time when they had the tournament to see who would be the champ. Before my first match, Sarah-san ambushed me and clubbed me with a pipe. I lost the first match, but I managed to walk out to the ring under my own power and stay standing until the bell rang. After some rest and some work I was in like three more matches that night and made it to the finals of the loser's bracket! It was awesome!"

Akashi shoveled food in her mouth once more. "Angel... that fight to defend my title. She was pretty tough too. That bitch just wouldn't quit. I really thought I was going to have to paralyze her to beat her and my ankle still feels sore sometimes from where she was wrenching on it.

"Ahhh... I love fighting so much." She said with a wide grin. "This.." She then leaned in. "Don't tell anyone, Taylor-chan." She whispered. "but this league might just be better than sumo." She then laughed and took a sip from her tea. 'Ahaha! Maybe it's because I can be me and not just some rigid sumo person! I'm.. I'm not such a good girl." She admitted with a coy look.

Suddenly Akashi stood up. "Oh!" She said and turned around. She pulled down her kimono to reveal her shoulder blade which had some kanji on it. "You see this?" She said. "I got this tattoo one night when I was drunk off my ass." She then giggled. "Um... well.. I got something else too but that's a seecret." She said making a 'shushing' noise. "But anyway, it says "Ronin" on it." She said. "A Ronin is a samurai that has no master. Because their lord was killed or they had dishonored their lord and couldn't commit suicide they must roam the land as soldiers with no other purpose than to fight. But even Ronin can still have loyalty. There's a story that's popular here in Japan about 47 Ronin that avenged their lord's death and then all committed suicide as an act of loyalty to their avenged master. Ahhh..." She lowered her head.

"I see myself like that. Sumo ... sumo is my master but... I have disgraced Sumo because I am not a boy. I guess that's pretty messed up but.. I feel like one of those wandering soldiers. I think it fits because it feels like I am free to fight as I choose to. I have no master so therefore I am free to live as I desire. Does that make any sense?" She said as she lifted some soba noodles into her mouth and slurped them. "What about you, Taylor-chan? Do you have a master or are you a Ronin?"

Akashi was pretty weird. Taylor always felt like she didn't quite have the whole picture in focus with her. It wasn't that she was mysterious or anything, she always seemed pretty straightforward. Maybe it was just that Taylor had an idea in her head about who Akashi was that didn't quite line up with the real thing. She wasn't disappointed, she found herself often surprised by things she wouldn't have guessed about her.

As for killing yourself because someone killed your boss, that was the dumbest thing Taylor had ever heard. "Me? Screw that, man, I don't need someone telling me what to do. It's hard enough to find someone you can trust to just be cool and eat and talk let alone letting someone order you around without screwing you over. I'm not here to be used by anyone, I'm here because I decided to be. I'm here for me. Because... because no one ever though I was... that I could do anything, like, big. No one believed in me, and know what I say? Fuck 'em! I'll do what I want, and if I want to be the next to collect titles after you, that's what I'm going to do, right?"

As Taylor was talking, she believed what she said, but something also didn't seem to fit. She wasn't totally sure; she got the feeling that there was some contradiction that someone else would come along and point out and poof! No more confidence. Still, it was true. No one told Taylor what to do. She filled up her plate with more unidentified food and went to work on it while she thought some more.

"So... I'm not like Sarah, and I'm not like you... but I think you're more like me than you might think." She paused both for effect and for some water. "Like the sumo thing. You can't be a real sumo because you're a chick, that's balls, and like you've got pride. Like taking an ass kicking and still being able to stand on your own. What does that matter? Like, to show the other dude that they can't break you, or to show yourself that, like, you're not, like, broken. See? Um..." Whenever Taylor got wound up into talking about something, her hands tended to shake a little bit. She put her plate and chopsticks down and put her hands on her thighs. "You get it, right?"

Taylor couldn't help but wonder who their first opponents would be, and how the match would go. All this talk... it made her want for some action.

Akashi chuckled as Taylor went on. "That's definitely the Ronin spirit, Taylor-can." She said stifling a giggle as she watched how animated Taylor got. It made Akashi happy and put a warm feeling in her stomach to see Taylor so lively. She oped the girl was really truly happy and hoped that Akashi was a reason for that happiness, if only partially. "I definitely have a lot of pride." She said puffing her chest out for effect, wrapping her knuckles gently against her breast. "It doesn't matter what other people think of me as long as I can hold my head up high at the end of the day. As long as I can say, I did the best I could and left everything on the table. I bet you feel the same way?" She asked with a soft smile.

Akashi grinned as Taylor compared themselves. "What if you are more like me than YOU think?" She said sticking her tongue out playfully." She took a bite of food. "But you're right. Because we're alike, we tend to gravitate towards one another. At least... I can believe that or would like to believe that. Hai, I do get it." She said nodding her head.

She shoveled some more food into her mouth. "Well, I think I know what suits me." She said but what about you?" She said. "In the west, do they have anything comparable to the Ronin?" She asked. "What's the American version of a masterless warrior? Someone who fights for their own sake?"

"Jeeze, I dunno. Mercenary? Uh... outlaw? I dunno, we don't really have a word for that. We didn't have samurai or anything. Just, like, the army and the marines and... cops. And cowboys! You guys missed out on that."

Taylor wasn't really sure what she was talking about anymore. She fought off any feelings of stupidity with more food and a swig of something from the table that she then discovered was the sake the waitress had brought. She flinched and shook her head and spluttered as she swallowed it. She wasn't used to strong drinks.

When she recovered she continued. "Hey, man, dude, what's Japanese for 'punk'? Someone that doesn't go along with the majority or roll over for authority and who does stuff their own way and doesn't give a shit. Yeah? You're kind of like a punk sumo. Crazy."

While she thought about it, she reached for her water, but her hand paused. She grabbed the little sake bowl and went back for round two.

Akashi listened with a grin on her face as Taylor struggled to find a western comparison. "Oh, cowboys!" Akashi exclaimed. "Those guys with the silly pants? I think I saw a movie with them once." She paused and furrowed her brow. "There was a American version of a Kurosawa film. It had some cowboys in it. It was pretty good!" She said with a grin, nodding as though she was happy to have experienced a sliver of American culture.

"Ah, Taylor-can..." Akashi said, reaching out her hand as Taylor went and grabbed the Sake. "Oh." Her eyes widened as she watched Taylor drink it and then almost die. She stifled a chuckle and then glanced at the Sake. She was sort of saving it but now that Taylor had gotten into it, she considered having a shot and licked her lips.

She then listened to Taylor's next words and when she finished, she burst out laughing. "Ahahaha! Oh! Oh Taylor-chan." She said wiping her tears away. "Gomen!" She apologized as she looked up with a bright grin. "Taylor-chan... We call those people Yankees!" She said with a bright grin.

She then grabbed her own sake dish and poured a glass and lifted it up. "So!" She declared. "From one Yankee to another!" She said as she toasted Taylor, still giggling at the pun since it also meant someone from the west as well as a punk or gang leader. "Cheers!" She said and tipped back her sake as the cool liquid burned her throat.

Taylor threw back the rest of her sake, and after another violent shudder she grinned back at Akashi. "So, am I a yankee yankee, then? That's a lot of yanking. I don't know how much yanking we'll be doing, not much I hope. I prefer pushing over pulling, ya know. Anyway...

"Remember that crazy chick who tried to murder me and you came in and took her out? I want to... finish that match. The whole DQ thing doesn't sit right with me. Maybe like her and her sister would want a piece of us, and we can go back for round two. It just feels like she won and I don't like it. I was beating her, all fair and square, until she went all cheaty. I don't want to win because the other person can't keep it in their pants for 5 seconds."

Taylor blinked and looked around at the table. She wished her food was always this good. She'd just have to eat her fill now, like Akashi. She pushed the sleeves of her stripey shirt up to her elbows and went for a bowl of noodles. "Ya know," she said, poking at the noodles with her chopsticks. "We should totally scout of the division, ya know. Like, check out the competition. I don't really know much about any of the other tag teams. I doubt any of them are any good. But like... I don't wanna just roll through a bunch of teams that are just a couple of 90 pound little girls. Like that Kawaii shit, whatever the hell that's supposed to be. We need to find real competition. That way people will know we're the best, and not just better than the worst."

Akashi lifted her glass and slammed back the sake like it was water. Her cheeks flushed a bit but it faded away soon. Because of all the food she had eaten, She was just straddling the edge right now. For once she had a nice little buzz going. "Haha!" Akashi said as Taylor brought it up once more. ""Yankeeeee Yankiiiiii" She said chuckling a little bit. The Alcohol was probably making her a little giggly but she still thought it was funny." She then settled into a nice grin. "I like slapping and hugging." She added.

Akashi listened to Taylor as she spoke about Karina. Akashi turned her head and blushed, trying her best to hide it. "Ahh uhh... Karina...right?" Akashi said and reached for the sake and poured herself another shot and quickly downed it. "Yeaaaaaaahhh I remember her, kinda." She said and looked up at Taylor, her cheeks completely flushed now. "We can totally kick that bitches ass., eheh." She said. She couldn't tell Taylor that she had her own encounter with Karina after their match and they didn't exactly settle things with their fists.

"Yes!" Akashi said hitting her fist against the edge of the table. She took another drink of Sake. "Ahhhh...." She sighed contentedly. "That's right! I don't want to take any pansies!" She said. "We're tough bitches and we should fight tough bitches!" She added. "But... I dunno... I never really even scouted any tag teams. I think... last I heard some idols were the champs or something. Actually..." She paused and put her finger to her lips. "I think the title is currently vacant." She said with a look of surprise on her face. "That general manager has been making a mess of the tag team division I guess." She then blushed. "I don't really keep track! Aha!" She said with a quick laugh.

There was a moment where Taylor realized she was spacing out and not listening to Akashi. She wasn't used to strong drinks. Since she generally didn't drink, she had very little tolerance for it, and she got out of hand pretty quickly.

"Ha! Screw 'em. We don't need to know nobody! They just need to know us though. There's a new sheriff in town, and his name is... Taylor and Akashi. Or something. Man. I can't wait... ya know, to get in there with some actual talent. Short Round shoots blanks. Nothing at all, at least not for us. Yeah." She trailed off, thinking about what it'd be like to have more matches with Akashi. What could ever go wrong?

"Hey..." She said, still thinking. "Do you think... they'd be upset if I like, started a little fire, right? I just had like this... picture of, like, fire. What do you do for fun? Other than, like, chicks and stuff. We should totally go out after this. Go cause some trouble. Ya know, as a warm up, because that's what we're going to do, right? Cause trouble? Eh? That's like, if you can still walk after this." Taylor said with a mischievous smile.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think I know a ton about you. Like... what do you do for fun? Um... do Japanese people have middle names? Mine's Erin. Do you like... stuff?"

Now that Akashi had a taste for the sake, she was like a shark who tasted blood. Without even thinking she took another shot and now her cheeks were a rosy hue and a grin settled onto her features. "That's right!" Akashi said, pounding her fist into the table. "It doesn't matter! Any pair of bitches stupid enough to take us on is going to get taken down!"

Akashi listened to Taylor's words. "Yea." She grinmned. She turned her head. "That pervy little bastard. She said and gulped downanother shot, slammingher glass onthe table. SHe thn lifted it upand pointed it at Taylor. "That was my first time wrestling a man!" She said. "And... and all he wanted to do was try and get in my pants! I may be a pervert... but I know when to hold back! That was just a disgrace! Those two probably couldn't even take some of the kawaii girls and they were supposed to be the best Tension had to offer? I don't want THOSE stinkin belts then! I've fought girls who were more of a man then those two. Hell! I've probably got a bigger dick than both of them combined!" She declared loudly and giggled as she slumped into her pillow. "Damn them..." She muttered. "Now I know why Mina-chan doesn't like boys."

Akashi lifted her head?"What? Like right here? You're going to set the food on fire? I .. don't think that's a good idea Taylor-chan." Akashi said as she looked around.
Um..." Akashi said as she turned and sweatdropped. "I'm... pretty boring actually Taylor-chan." Akashi said with a defeated sigh. "I mostly just train and do chicks." She then paused. "Or sometimes I go to bars and get drunk, eheh."

"I mean... recently I've been trying to be more sociable but I think that..." Her eyes widened and she lifted her hands up and covered her mouth. After a second she let go."What I mean is, I'll do anything you want, Taylor-chan." She said with a grin. "I do like trying new things! And I don't mind a little bit of trouble!" Akashi took another drink of Sake and looked up at Taylor with a wide grin. "But really... I'll do aaaaaanything you want.' She said with a wink.

Her face then fell. "No. I don't have a middle name. Just Tanikaze and Akashi." Akashi grinned. "I was named after the very first Yokozuna ever!" She declared proudly beating her chest. "My brothers are all jealous, hehe." She then looked up with wide eyes. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "But I have a boy's name! Is.. Is that ok?" She asked as though Taylor might say no.

"I kinda have a boys name, too, so I guess it's okay. But like... I guess all the interesting stuff about me stopped when I came here, now all I do is train and eat and sleep and fight." Taylor said with a faint smile, thinking back about her old life like it was 100 years ago and munching idly on whatever was on her plate.

"Well, I mean I was in a punk band. We were terrible. I used to want to be a rockstar. Well, we weren't terrible, we had our moments, I guess. So there's that, and uh... lemme think. I did gymnastics for a little while, but I'm too cool for that. I ran a half marathon once, but I didn't finish because... stuff happened."

There was a pause that Taylor thought was awkward enough that it made her reach for the sake again. She poured the last drops in her bowl and threw them down. A waitress entered again behind Taylor. Just before she reached the table, Taylor exploded up to her feet in the blink of an eye and moved to wrap a hand behind the waitress head and cock her other fist back. The waitress shrieked and flailed and backed away and Taylor launched into an uncontrollable fit of laughter strong enough that she doubled over.

"Did you... did you see..." She panted between sobs. The waitress did her very best to regain her composure and hurriedly piled some dishes onto her serving tray before making her escape. Taylor knelt back down, trying to contain herself. She fidgeted for a moment before fishing her legs out from under her butt and sitting cross-legged instead. "Sorry. White people don't kneel." She said to Akashi and reached for a glass of water but was interrupted by a mild return of the giggles.

"Heehee... Sake!" She said obnoxiously. "Sakeee!" More laughter. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm being loud. I'll stop." She said, picking up a pair of chopsticks and holding them like she'd never seen them before. "SAAKEEEE!"