Can I Come Over?

"Guuuhh..." Taylor deflated under Akashi's weight, and tightened her muscles to keep from being completely squished. "Kashi, I'm such an asshole."

She nodded, though, with a faraway look despite the gravity of her current situation. Akashi was right, she knew it, that Morrigan really had come to care about... the job, or maybe even Taylor. She didn't know. Morrigan had certainly never told her so.

But that's what made it so incredibly awful! She had come all this way, and Taylor just kicked it all down like it was nothing. It made her sick to her stomach. It broke her heart. It made her want to pick a fight and lose, just to punish herself. She was sure that wouldn't be too hard to do in the near future...

Well, she couldn't quit. That was all. No matter how much things sucked, she had to keep trying. She sighed. It was exhausting following her own advice.

Her jaw set firmly in place and she rolled her eyes at Akashi. "Dude, shut up. I'm not whining. And if I wanted you off, I'd put you on your ass and get up. You're not letting me anything. So, fuckin'... let's go either beat people up, or go to harajuku or something. I need to... Well, I need to eat, first." She waved her arm to the side and began pawing at the bowl of food, but couldn't quite reach.

"Why aren't you sumoing it up right now, anyway? 'Cause of your brother?"

"Shut up, baka. You're not." Akashi said, scolding Taylor with a finger.

"Oh! Oh!" Akashi said, wiggling with excitement as Taylor mentioned going shopping. accidentally bouncing on Taylor's stomach a bit. "I think I'd rather shop than fight today." She said. "It's been a while since we just blew a wad of cash on stuff!" She beamed.

Akashi leaned over and grabbed the bowl of food. She took the chopsticks and grabbed a piece of chicken. She then dangled it over Taylor's lips like a mother feeding a chick. She caught the sumo on the television and sighed. "Natsu Basho is on. I'm... not as excited as I usually am." She said. "Onii-sama won't be in it. It will be his first one since..." She turned her head.

"I'll go to the matches in person in a couple of days. It's just starting so we can go out shopping. I've had enough sumo to keep me occupied as of late though. It's no big deal to miss a round, you know." She said, waving her hand dismissively, speaking as though she were trying to convince Taylor more than telling her.

"Get the fuck outta here." Taylor twisted away from Akashi and her feeding techniques. She was not to be fed like a baby of any sort!

"Man, fuck Tomko. What an asshole. All she does is stomp around and grumble and threaten people. She needs therapy, and she needs to knock off the testosterone before she gets a chest like a silverback gorilla." Taylor kicked her feet into the floor and bucked her hips to get Akashi up and off balance, and scooted her butt back far enough that she could sit up.

"Gimme," she said, and reached for the bowl. She hadn't seen it, but she knew what had happened between Akashi's brother and Adrian's crutch. It pissed her off, partly because it was ridiculous that Rebecca had won, but also because it was so unfair that someone didn't just come along and take care of the idiot giant.

"Like..." She thought out loud as she ate. "I know what I'd have to do against Tomko or against someone like King. But it's so much more work for someone like me and so easy for someone like them. All they really have to do is hit me in the face, and if they aren't stupid, that's it. Like, I could fight the most brilliant fight anyone has ever seen, and still lose, just because I'm not a fucking giant who picks fights with people less than have my size." She shook her head. "It pisses me the fuck off."

Akashi grinned as Taylor batted away her chopsticks. She plopped the chicken in her mouth before it flopped onto Taylor. She tried her best not to spill the bowl while Taylor shifted around and she ended up sitting on the couch as she passed off the bowl. When Akashi looked up she saw some komusubi matching up.

She scowled subconsciously at Taylor's words. "She already does." She said. "She needs to get tested though. If they even DO that." Akashi added distastefully. "At least it doesn't look like she's been messing around with you and Adrian-chan." Akashi said. Akashi shook her head and groaned.

"So, I don't think I'll be in Summer Splash again this year." She said. "But... I don't thinK I mind it so much. I had the chance to get in but I passed it up. I'm kind of... sort of training someone." She said and looked a little sheepishly at Taylor. "it's been pretty fun, actually." She paused. "Though... kind of strange..." She added.

"Yeah, I actually saw her the other day when I was in line for food," Taylor said, being sure not to talk with her mouth full. "Like, I said 'can I ask you something?' and she was all like 'can you not be an asshole?' and I asked her if I had to watch my back, ya know, because of the Adrian match. Because before, when I had a match with her, Rebecca was apparently wandering around waiting to murder me. So she said she didn't have anything to do with Adrian now or something and then started making threats about you guys, as if you were going to try to fuck Adrian over in the match. Like that's ever happened before. I wouldn't mind so much if it wasn't the cheaters warning us about cheating. Anyway."

She ate some more. It was good. She liked Akashi's food well enough when it was something she could eat. Akashi was not exactly as devout with her diet as Taylor was.

"Oh, yeah, you're training Miss Japan, or whatever. It is fun. Man, like, one of my plans for after wrestling was to start the youth program and like, do self defense stuff and anti-bullying stuff, and really try to teach kids how to handle themselves and stuff. I really love coaching people, it's weird. How's the pudgy little whipper-snapper coming along?"

"What the hell!?" Akashi said, wrinkling her nose. "She'd actually think I'D try to interfere!? Or Cassie-san!? I've never interfered in a match that wasn't already way off the rails! That is boarderline disrespectful!" Akashi shook her head. "Well, I guess dirty cheaters just expect everyone else to be dirty cheaters too!" She added.

"Yosh!" Akashi perked up. "Miyabi-chan is great. She's really eager to learn..." Akashi turned her head. "But... she sort of idolizes me so... that's kind of ... it's something." Akashi chuckled nervously. "But she doesn't speak hardly any English at all! She's so adorable! She's like a slightly smaller hyper version of me!"

Akashi laughed but then settled back in her couch. "We should open up a gym when we're finished. "My family's owned a sumo stable for generations so I know all about how it works. It would be fun to do... together..." Akashi said and smiled at Taylor.

"But, of course that's a long ways off. I'm not even close to being done yet!" She said and pumped her fist. "Yatta!" Akashi then nudged Taylor with her foot. "Hurry up, Imotuo-chaaan! I wanna shop!" Akashi looked up in time to see the next two wrestlers about to face off. "Oh!" She said. "Kazuhiro needs to do well int his tournament! If his record slips he might be considered for demotion." She said and her eyes lit up as the two wrestlers clashed and the bout was decided in a flash.

Taylor looked at Akashi out of the corner of her eyes and nodded her head. "That would be really cool." She tapped her forehead. "I've got plans, Kashi. I've got big plans for the next twenty years, lots of stuff I wanna do. That's one of them."

She got to work on her bowl of chicken and rice, wolfing it down with her chopsticks while Akashi was fixated on sumo wrestling. In short order, she had demolished the majority of the bowl, and she had a thought about Akashi and her little trainee.

"So..." She began, and swallowed her to clear her throat. "I'm like really jealous of you for that. For your girl. Like... I literally dream about having someone who looks up to me, who I could help and train and stuff, because I think I'd be able to do a lot for someone like that. I'm really good with training stuff, I'm really good at fighting, and... I've gone through a lot of stuff in my life.

"And you were my big sister before you were even my big sister, know what I mean? From that day in the bar to the match with Karina and her stupid guitar, like... I looked up to you because you were the champ and you seemed like you had it all together and stuff, and I was just trying to pick up the pieces. And you took care of me. But like, I never wanted to be you. Ya know? I just want to be me. That's all I've ever really wanted to be, the very best Taylor Parker Higurashi I can, and I want to take that me and compete and accomplish stuff and I really hope other people like that me too, because... I like who I am. Even if no one else does, I think, like... I think I'm someone people could like if they knew me a little. I think I can do good stuff."

She paused, and looked down at the last remaining grains of rice left in her bowl, and poked at them with the chopsticks. "And then I do stuff like I did with Morgan..." She sounded deflated again. "She's got to forgive me, man, like, for real. I know I really fucked up, but she fucks up all the time and she isn't even sorry for most of it. Everybody fucks up, it's just that all the stuff people do, I kinda do as hard as possible, so when I fuck up I do it all the way. She'll come back. She has to."

"Me too, Imouto-chan." Akashi said. "I'm just getting started, really." She added. She then listened to Talor begin to speak and she smiled. it warmed her heart and made her a little teary eyed. She never wanted Taylor to be her. She always wanted Taylor to be Taylor. Even if they hadn't become close, she'd still be proud. But they HAD be come close and It meant a lot to Akashi that Taylor had turned from a brash punk looking to make a name to a full fledged woman with a career and a family. It was even better that Akashi got to be in her life as well. She didn't know where she might be without Taylor. Maybe she'd be doing alright. She wasn't the kind of person to stay down for very long either.

And then Taylor went back to Morrigan. The red head was nothing but a sadistic predator. A dog who had somehow come unchained from her master's leash and found a way to keep on biting people and spreading her rabies. But, it wasn't what Taylor saw. Akashi was confused but she knew that she couldn't say to Taylor that it was good riddance. Nor could she allow Taylor to keep wallowing over it. Akashi leaned forward and scooped Taylor into her arms from behind and nuzzled her neck affectionately while she wrapped her arms around Taylor in a tight hug.

"You didn't fuck up, Taylor-chan." She said. "If that girl is as you say she is, then She'll come back. Even if it takes some time. If she doesn't, then ... maybe everyone else was right? But at least you got to get your thoughts and feelings off your chest. At least she didn't make a mess of things on her way out? At least you're safe." She said, closing her eyes. "No more speaking about this." Akashi said. "No more worrying about it."

Akashi kissed Taylor's cheek and let go of the hug, standing up. "We need to go shopping, but first, there's somewhere much more important we need to go." Akashi smiled and looked at Taylor. "Have you ever been to a shrine?" Akashi asked. She doubted Taylor had ever gone beyond curiosity over the aesthetic. She never really knew if Taylor put her faith in anything beyond her own abilities and she didn't really care one way or the other. Akashi was a particularly devout Shinto but most people wouldn't know or realize that either. However, the big sumo figured anyone could say a prayer to something.

Taylor hugged Akashi back. Sumo were very huggable, a subject that had actually come up between Taylor and Cassie. "Okay," she agreed, at least to the no more speaking about it part.

"A shrine?" She blinked. In all their years together, Akashi had never asked her that before, or anything like it. They hadn't ever even talked about what each other believed, as far as... stuff. Truthfully, Taylor wasn't sure what she believed, but she wasn't Shinto. "Well, no, but..."

She found herself oddly compelled to go. It seemed like as good a time as any, even if she just sat there and checked the place out while Akashi did her thing. If there was any help to be had, she could definitely use it, and maybe she could just clear her head so she could go back to focusing on Adrian.

"Let's go," she shrugged.

Akashi beamed and in an instant she made the rounds and put everything away, leaving Cassie a small container of food with a note on it. She shut down the television and locked up the house and soon her and Taylor were off to the shrine.

The Meiji shrine was right near Harajuku. it was perfect. The entrance had a giant torii that they could walk under, which lead to a forested path that opened up into the shrine area. It was a little slice of majestic nature int he middle of the huge hurban sprawl that as Tokyo. afterwards, they'd just be a little ways form shopping!

When they got to the shrine proper, Akashi took off her shoes and nodded to Taylor do to the same. "Ok, Taylor-chan." Akashi said. "This is probably going to look a little weird, but it's fine."

Akashi stepped over to a small fountain with ladles and scooped the water. She poured it into her hands and then took a sip of it. She washed her mouth and spit and then scooped the ladle and passed it to Taylor. "You just need to wash your hands. You don't need to spit. It's purification water." She said with a smile.

Akashi then stepped over to the offering box and tossed in a coin. She bowed deeply twice, clapped and bowed deeply again. She said a small prayer and then looked at Taylor. She smiled warmly, grabbed her hand and then pulled her into the temple where she got two wooden blocks.

She handed one to Taylor. "These are ema." She said. "Write your wish on it. Then we'll leave it at the shrine. The kami will surely find it if we leave it here." She said and began to write on her ema. "Then, you can let all those thoughts go. This is a place of serenity and tranquility. It's a place where people can be purified and let go of the things int heir life that burden them down. The kami are closest to us here and they'll look after us if we only give them a chance." She said in a quiet voice as she finished writing her wish.