Panther's Claws, Angel's Wrath (For Underdog21)

Chris sighed in pleasure as she turned off the hot water in the shower stall she occupied. The Californian colossus was at the AFW's training gym's locker room and had just finished a workout a short while ago, and more recently, a relaxing hot shower. The facility had been largely empty, perhaps due to the fact it was a Saturday evening. Most wrestlers and trainers for that matter, had their social lives to attend to. But for Chris, it was the perfect time to workout without drawing attention due to either her size and strength, or even worse, due to her supposed history with the Wrestle Angels league.

Stepping out of the stall, Chris went to her nearby towel, using it to dry off before wrapping it around her body, covering an area of her torso stretching from the middle of her well endowed chest, just above the nipple, down to her upper thighs.
"Really, the AFW needs to get towels made for taller girls." she muttered to herself as she went to her locker, preparing to get her normal clothes from it so she could start to dress. Briefly she wondered if she should give Valley, one of the few friends she had made since her return to Japan, a call and see if she would like to spar. She grinned as she shook her head. Chris could see Valley's look of disbelief at her wanting to train on the weekend, when Chris already spent much of the week training. Besides, after Valley and Ace's match, Chris figured that her fellow Californian would need some time to figure things out. Luckily for Chris, her one romantic entanglement was someone she hadn't seen during her time in the AFW. She wondered about her. Perhaps she had left to another league, or went into another line of work. Or maybe she even left Japan, and took up residence in some other country.

Wherever she was, it wasn't here, and that was a good thing, Chris reminded herself. She didn't need any distractions, especially if she was going to be ready to face Hibiki Izayoi if she ever showed up to begin her war with the Wrestle Angels. Migiri Oozora had already appeared, in a bizarre tag match in which she apparently kidnapped one of her opponents to go and 'play'. Bad things were on the horizon.
Chris frowned. Yes, indeed, the last thing she needed was for her to suddenly come walking through the door.

Risako really needed a shower. It wasn't just the fact that she had been doing a solid workout for almost three solid hours-- her slender body, clad in a simple sports bra and boyshorts that almost matched her flowing violet hair, was shining with a sheen of sweat, and her muscles and joints were all now nice and stiff. It was also the fact that the workout had done almost nothing to help relax her. She needed a nice, long hot shower to unwind, to forget about everything.

So far, she had only had one match in this new league. That one match had been against her old rival, Mimi Yoshihara, and she had lost. Admittedly, that was the first and only time Mimi had beaten her, and she was quite happy for the girl, but no other matches had been forthcoming. She had petitioned the manager of AFW for a new match, and the only reply she had gotten was "wait and see."

It was aggravating. She had come here because she had wanted to continue her career as a wrestler, because she wanted to continue her legacy as the Queen of Queens. She knew she wouldn't be able to recreate the Wrestle Angel days, but she at the very least wanted her name to still mean something. But that wasn't going to happen if no one would give her any matches. As frustrating as it had all been, hours of crunches, weight, and punching a bag hadn't done anything to help her mood. What she needed, she decided, was to settle down for a shower, or a bath, and just relax a little...

She opened the door to the women's change room, and nearly dropped the bag. It was her. Standing there, wearing only a way-too-small towel, her gorgeous body glistening with moisture.

"Chris..."

Looking into her locker, Chris missed Risako entering the shower room. It wasn't until she heard the Japanese woman's voice that she turned towards Risako.

The sight of her brought back memories Chris had thought long buried. Purple and blonde hair tangled on pillows, soft sighs filling the bedroom room of the small apartment that Chris could barely afford back then. Laughing as she fled from the faster Risako in the Wrestle Angel's locker room after snapping the Asian's bare bottom with a towel. Those and a myriad of other images rushed through her mind's eye in a moment.

Then there was the image of Risako coldly standing over a kneeling but defiant Chris in the ring, victory all but assured for the Queen of Queens. Then Risako's foot crashing into the side of her head, sending her into darkness, and ending her title reign in the Wrestle Angels.

"R...Risako?" Chris breathed softly. This couldn't be right....how could she have missed Risako's name on the roster?! Pushing down a conflicting series of emotions, the American struggled to keep her voice even.

Risako did a double take. It couldn't be her-- Risako had left her behind a long time ago, when she had left the league. She was gone, out of her life, along with the league. The league. Risako's muscles involuntarily tightened when she remembered why the league had gone under. For the briefest moment, a flash of icy anger was visible on her face.

The person before her said her name, and Risako knew at that point that it couldn't be anyone else. With that realization came a torrent of memories-- many of them good, many of them bad. Almost all of them were memories that Risako would have preferred to have left forgotten. "Chris? What are...what are you doing here?" She hadn't seen Chris' name anywhere on the rosters before. Could she actually be in AFW now?

Of all the times for her to meet Risako, it had to be while she was wearing nothing but this ridiculous towel, Chris marveled to herself.
Still the American drew herself up to her full height, looking down at the shorter Risako. Which might have been a mistake, because the Japanese woman still seemed as beautiful to her as the day they first met.

And as angry as the day she walked out of Chris's life, judging by the look that passed on her face, if only for an instant. Someone else might have missed it, but Chris was all too familiar with that look, as it was one Risako's face during their last conversation in the Wrestle Angel's league.

"Just finished a heavy weights workout. Part of my training, since I wrestle for the league that owns this training center. Only had three matches so far, but I've won them all." the blond replied, somehow managing to keep her tone even, as if discussing something as mundane as the weather. "What are you doing here?"

She hadn't meant to boast about her winning streak, but there was something about Risako that always made Chris feel like she needed to prove herself to the Panther. Perhaps it was due to the fact that, when they met, Chris was still a rookie while Risako had been wrestling long enough to be an established name. Either way, Chris reminded herself, she's not the young rookie she was back then, and she didn't need to prove anything to Risako anymore....

Risako was unable to speak or move as Chris took a step closer. Yes, she realized, it was Chris, it couldn't be anyone else. The familiar contours of her shoulders and breasts, the way those eyes of hers seemed to glitter in the light, the golden shimmer in her hair. It made a part of Risako's heart ache at the sight of her, and made her remember happier days...and happier nights.

She heard Chris give her explanation. "You're...you're wrestling here?" She wasn't sure she was hearing this correctly. Surely, the owners of AFW had heard of everything that had happened with Wrestle Angels, right? What had caused the league to go under? More importantly, who had caused it to go under?

She heard the next question. Chris still sounded as uncertain and innocent as she always had-- it was her most endearing and deceptive quality. "I wrestle here," she replied. She took a few seconds to calm herself a little. "Well, not here specifically, but...I'm in this league"

A few seconds of awkward silence settled between them. Risako was unsure of how to address the woman she'd parted on the worst of terms with. "So...you've been...well, I take it?"

There it was, loud and official. Panther Risako was an active member of the roster, and somehow, she, Chris Morgan, despite all of her attention to details, had missed that. And somehow, Risako, the unofficial den mother to the Wrestle Angels, was just as surprised to see her. Wonders never ceased.

As the silence stretched between them, Chris pondered on what to do. She could leave, although that meant she'd have to change in front of Risako. Not like it wasn't anything she had seen during happier times. But...her leaving abruptly could be taken as a sign of weakness, as if Risako could rattle her. And she shouldn't! Chris had come a long way since the early days of her Wrestle Angels career. She had survived the collapse of the Wrestle Angels league, as well as endured the pain of losing Risako. She had returned home and recovered from her disgrace to become a powerhouse in a different settling; the world of business finance. Some Wrestle Angels had suffered, some lost everything, others got by, but she had thrived.

So why, now, was she feeling so uncertain because of this one woman's presence?

Risako spoke drawing Chris's attention.
"I've been good. After the league-" she stopped short. "-after what happened, I went back to California, and got my degrees in business and finance. You know, the things I was good at back then, outside of wrestling. Got a job with a business accounting firm, and I was doing that up until I decided to come here."
Chris kept her tone light and even, somehow managing to not give away any of the nervousness, or turmoil that she felt. A feat that made her wonder if she should try her hand at acting.
"How about you?"

Business and finance. Of course, Risako thought ruefully, Chris always did have a thing for numbers. She'd always been as skilled with books and ledgers as she'd been at making friends. And she'd certain used both skills to excellent effect when she had practically taken control of the league and driven it into the ground.

"Me?" Risako folded her arms. "I've been....surviving. Bouncing from one league to the next. Must be my bad luck, though, every time I find someplace new, it folds. I'm hoping AFW ends differently." She leaned against the nearby wall. "I'm...glad...to hear you've done well for yourself, Chris," she said, lying to the best of her ability. "If I could have, I would have found something else like you have, and found some other way to live my life. But I can't do that. I can't be anyone but the Queen of Queens."

She took a step towards Chris, a silent accusation in your eyes. "So...why DID you choose to come here, if you've been doing so well outside of the ring?"

I can't be anyone but the Queen of Queens.

To Chris, that line and they way it was delivered summed up Risako perfectly. Noble, determined, confident, and in her eyes....a bit of arrogance. Enough to give the Japanese woman some swagger without going in the territory of complete vanity. But, the brief glimpse into her former love's history since the Wrestle Angels reminded Chris of one of the reasons she had returned to the ring: To give the former Angels a target for the lingering pains and grudges from the past, a chance for closure. In order to do that, she reasoned that the best thing to do would be to accept the mantle of villainy her supposed misdeeds gave her. In a way, Chris felt like it was deserved. She may not have known the president's scheme, but she had unwittingly helped him accomplish his goals, and even kept the secret of his wrongdoings hidden once she discovered them, if only to try and keep the league running a year or so longer.

But did that mean she had to alienate Risako? Out of them all, the Queen of Queen's disdain was the worst to bear, and not just because it had come with a free boot to the head. The woman had taken Chris under her wing, helped her train, start her career, and fell in love with her. All despite the fact that Chris, with her blonde hair, blue eyes and massive height, was the poster child for being a gaijin, a foreigner. For a long moment, Chris was conflicted on how to proceed. Could there possibly be a way to, well not forget everything that had happened, but maybe.....forgive them? She just had to tell the Panther the truth of things. It would take a long time and there would be some rough points to smooth out, but between the truth and a few glasses of wine they could maybe....

Then Risako spoke, her voice carrying a note of accusation, as well as taking a step forward.
*Right* Chris thought. *I broke what she loved the most, even more than me; the league. I'm always going to be the villain in that story. There is no changing that. And maybe she, like everyone else, needs someone to hate for that. I see now. I need to play the part, wanting to win Risako back is selfish.*

She painted a smirk on her face even as gave a mental sigh.
"Why do you think I've come back?" she said with a shrug. "What does the Queen of Queens think is on my agenda? Mikoto and Suzumi asked me the same thing, you know. Well, before I left them lying in the ring. I think Suzumi was having problems trying to walk after our match, in fact."

*That should get her attention. Risako was always the den mother of the locker room. She was furious whenever someone hurt one of her charges...*
A brief bit of regret tore through her, as Chris remembered what is was like to be one of those Risako protected. Then she reminded herself that she walked alone now, and needed nobody's protection now....

For a brief moment, Risako saw a pang of...guilt? regret?...on Chris' face. A part of her had never wanted to believe that the American girl could have done the things she'd done-- that she was still, fundamentally, a good person at heart. That was why Risako had given her a chance, all those years ago, and taken her under her wing when no one else would. That was why their relationship had transformed the way it did, why Risako had fallen for her once upon a time, why they had once been more than just friends.

And then, as she always did, Chris shattered the happy memory by revealing the ugly snake in her personality. She mentioned Mikoto and Suzumi...and more impotantly, what she had done to Suzumi...

Something in Risako snapped. In an instant, she had leapt forward and grabbed Chris by the shoulders, slamming her against a locker. One forearm pressed firmly against the American girl's throat as Risako pinned her to the locker, rage burning in her violet eyes.

"You think you can just come waltzing back in here, and pretend nothing has happened?" she snarled. "You think you can come here, and starting hurting the other Angels...my Angels...and get away with it? No. Not here, not any more, not in this league!"