After The Snow Settles

"Nonono- Agh!"

Taylor grimaced in pain and clenched her fists. She had endured so many of Akashi's ill-timed bearhugs. Even while the sumo celebrated her win, Taylor shoved her palm against her face and pried her back. Even with the pain killers, Taylor's back just wasn't putting up with Akashi's hugs.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop..."

wAkashi held on for as long as she thought Taylor could endure before she pulled away. She was smiling and scrubbing her eyes with her arm. "Gomen, Taylor-chan." She said. "But... I have to hug you, even if it kills you. I'm just so happy!"

Akashi leaned back in her bed but then decided she didn't want to lay down anymore. "Yosh!" She said and tossed off the covers and slipped onto the cold floor. She was only in a hospital gown but she didn't care. She stood up and grinned.

Taylor-chaaaaan!" She grinned. "Champion of the whole world! Ahhh, how nice!" She grinned. "It's the best feeling. but." She grinned. "The private dressing room is way better." She said giggling.

"Bwaaah!" Akashi opened her arms. "Come here and let me squeeze you again!" She said. "Orrr... come squeeze me! The only thing that hurts on me is my head!"

"Rrrr..." Taylor stretched her aching back when Akashi finally let go and stood up with her on the same side of the bed. "Well, that's good..." She said, and snapped a roundhouse kick into the sumo's belly. She turned her hips over and put more power into it than she would have felt comfortable using with a sparring partner.

"YOU better watch it, or else I'm not gonna let you into my new dressing room! And I'll keep it stocked up with food and your favorite sake, and you'll have to sit in the hallway while me and my new sister NIKOLETTE eat it all!"

Anyone passing by might have thought that the two were fighting, and that Taylor had suddenly transformed into a six year old. Anyone who knew Taylor and Akashi, though, would be used to this sort of thing.

"Guh!"

"Joke's on YOU! I can go there whenever I want, since I was already the champ! I got a lifetime pass!" Akashi stuck out her tongue. She didn't really, but Taylor didn't need to know that.

"Ha! I'm TWICE the woman Tessla-san is!" Akashi said and grinned as she patted her big belly. "Literally!"

Akashi started laughing, glad that there was finally some levity in the room. It had been pretty dour until Taylor arrived despite her winning her match. It was mostly because she had waited until she knew for sure if Taylor had won or not to allow it.

Akashi slumped against the wall and sighed. "Ugghh... I'm still beat. I'm going to have to rewatch my match, just to see what she did to me... it sure doesn't FEEL like I won." Akashi rubbed the back of her neck and smiled at Taylor. "I'll have to watch yours too. I'll tell you all about it." She said as her smile widened a bit more.

Akashi then sighed. "Ahhh... Now I have a lot to think about looking forward though..." She said almost offhandedly.

"Hah!" Taylor wound up and gave Akashi a stinging smack on the ass. Akashi's fatness was always worth a giggle.

"Yeah. We should watch 'em together. I... Well, I kinda didn't want to see mine a minute ago, but now that I'm thinking about it I really want to see it. Except for my nose..." She covered her crooked nose, once straight and sharp, with her hands. Her eyebrows knit in embarrassment. "I don't want to see that. I knew that you won, but I haven't seen any of it. Junko told me you bashed your head in."

She took a breath and plunked back down on the hospital bed, and grabbed the can of coke. She opened it cautiously, in case it was shaken up. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Eep!"

Akashi giggled along with Taylor and sat down next to her. She nodded softly. "Hai. You can hide here during the scary parts, Taylor-chan." Akashi said as she patted her chest and smiled.

"That's what I was told too." Akashi pointed at her forehead. "Must be right!" Akashi sighed. "This is the second Avalanche in a row I had to be carried off. I've been told this time it wasn't really as bad, even though it FEELS worse. At least I won..."

Akashi shrugged. "At least I won. Though, I can't keep doing this forever, I guess."

Akashi quickly looked at Taylor. "I mean!" She started quickly. "I'm still young and full of vigor! I'm really ready to keep going and... actually, I want to be the champ again."

Akashi patted Taylor's leg. "But... I want you to have your run for now. I meant, the rest of it. In the meantime. Until you lose the title or I get bored waiting for you to lose it."

Akashi smiled. "So... that's sort of it. Your immediate future is pretty well laid out while you try and fend off other prospective champs."

Taylor took a sip of Coke, and then was quiet for a moment. "I know how you feel," she said.

She was grateful for the quiet. The hallways were empty and no one was there to bother them. Like her home in Hamamatsu, far enough away from everything else to give her some wonderful peace. She didn't know how much of it she'd have, now.

"Um, about that..." She said hesitantly. "Now that I'm the champ... which still seems weird to say. Like... I dunno. I don't want to come off like a whiny bitch, but like, is my life gonna suck now?" Her deep blue eyes were sincere as she looked at her friend. "I've got a lot of people who hate me, and it doesn't seem like you did when you were champ. I just... Something else happened, after the match. Like, you might even be able to guess what it was..."

Akashi patted Taylor's leg again and smiled. "A little bit. I don't know about hating me or not, but when I was champ, they started coming out of the woodwork. People I had never even heard of were trying to take my title. It was actually kinda fun."

Akashi then stared at Taylor. Something bad? She furrowed her brow then winced. "Ow. Uhhhh what happened, Taylor-chan? Thinking's kinda hard right now." She said with a short GH.

"Heh." There was probably a joke there. Probably not a very funny one.

Initially, Taylor tried to downplay it. "No big deal or anything, just..." She paused. Akashi had been with her through everything else, almost, and seen her at her lowest. There was no point in trying to act tough with her. She wasn't going to fool her.

"Well, Conway beat Adrian without too much of a problem, which kinda sucks, because like, it seems like every time I have a really hard match with someone, someone else comes along and beats them no problem. Like with you and, uh... Haley."

She sighed. "So she got the contract for the title, my title, and after my match I couldn't even see, or move, or anything, and right when I'm starting to realize that I'm the champ, she comes out..." She paused, looking down dejectedly. "She woulda beat me. She should have, because she should have got that match. I should be an ex-champ right now without even getting to take it home. But this girl, new girl, Avery, showed up and fucked up the contract and the match didn't happen. I dunno, man, I don't want anyone else to protect me or anything, but I'm kinda glad she did because I do want the title and I don't just want to lose it like that. I just... I'm just a little afraid that like... I worked this hard to get here, and I'm worried that it was a mistake."

Akashi frowned at Taylor's story. She balled her fists. "Conway-san... the only way she can succeed is by hook or by crook." She growled. Akashi sighed and leaned against Taylor.

"Taylor-chan." Akashi said softly. "No matter what happens, whether you're champ for five seconds or five years, no one is ever going to be able to take your name off the books. Your match, your career, every ounce of blood sweat and tears will live on forever. No one can ever say you're weren't the champion and especially that you didn't deserve it. What would they say about Conway-san if she had won tonight? Nothing of the sort."

Akashi rocked her head, as if she was trying to shake it while still pressing it against Taylor. "And... you shouldn't look at is as protection, Taylor-chan." Akashi lifted her head and squeezed Taylor's leg. "The kami are watching over us and sometimes they see the hard work and effort we put in and see to it that everything we've done hasn't gone to waste."

Akashi held out her hand, extended her pinkie and wiggled it. "Serendipity or karma or anything like that. You worked hard for your title and deserved to keep it. Somehow, fate saw to it to make sure that you did keep it. You could think of it like protection if you like, but... I see it more like a reward for the sacrifices you've made up until now. Or, maybe a punishment to Conway-san for extending herself too far."

Akashi sighed. "It's as good to be independent as it is to be able to allow yourself to fall backwards, believing there is someone there to catch you. We need both things in our lives." She said and you've worked hard for one and are blessed with the other." Akashi smiled and leaned against Taylor-chan.

"I love you, Imouto-chan."