Big Brawl 3: No Place For A Hero (For Alexandra)

Deep in the Roppongi district in Tokyo, inside a warehouse, Asami sighed. Leaning against a large crate she had her smart phone out and was watching Dixie and Reiko's first match through the AFW's online site. She felt a pang of jealousy as Dixie and Reiko embraced after the match was over, Asami's instincts telling her that the Texan more than likely harbored feelings for 'Princess Hinomoto', as Asami sarcastically referred to Reiko. She suppressed the angry feeling as she shut off the video.

*It's better this way.* the thought came to her. *You don't belong in the ring anymore, which means you don't belong in Dixie's world. She deserves better than a woman who takes to the streets every night to beat on criminals. Better than someone who has been disowned by her family.*

To say Asami had been having a rough year would be an understatement. For most of the year, she had been trying to be both a street fighting vigilante and a wrestler, although to be honest she had been letting the wrestling fall to the wayside. Which Asami found ironic, since wrestling was the reason her father disowned her. He had never approved of that choice in her life, and had always been vocal about it. Although, if he didn't like that, Asami knew what she was doing now would horrify her restaurant owning sire, so she simply bowed her head and walked out of the place.

Asami hadn't even appeared in a Friction event all year, aside from a few photo appearances and a house show early in the year. Certainly not in the ring. She knew that the streets had let loose something inside of her, something that shouldn't be between the ropes of an AFW ring. It was something that relished bringing pain to the walking scum that preyed on others, that would try to break another person's bones on instinct. It was a darker, violent side of her that simply could not be near the AFW.

Or near Dixie Clemets.

Her affection for the American was another reason to stay away. Asami felt as if she had screwed things up beyond any sort of hope. Between the lustful groping that Asami had initiated in their first match together, to Dixie finding out that she was Kunoichi, and then the angry words of their last meeting, she just knew that Dixie couldn't feel about her with the way it looked like she felt for Reiko.

Thinking about her family, Dixie and her apparent failure at being a wrestler drove Asami's frustration and anger past the point of containment. Clenching a fist, Asami would then turn and drive it into the wood of the crate she was leaning against, hard enough to crack some of the wood at the point of impact.
"[Fucking idiot!]" she railed at herself in Japanese. "[Moron! Failure!]" Each self loathing word was punctuated with another strike against the crate.

Quickly, she reached into her jacket pocket, producing the mask she wore as Kunoichi. She donned it desperately, as if she were drowning and the mask held oxygen. After she did so, Asami felt the familiar coldness of being Kunoichi slide over her. It froze the pain, numbing it, bringing comfort. The shambles of Asami's life meant nothing to Kunoichi. All that mattered was her mission, the war against the lowlifes that walked Tokyo at night. While Kunoichi was the thing that Asami couldn't risk having in the AFW, she was also hopelessly addicted to it. It was a drug of the worst sort, something that pushed away the life that she had, washing it away with adrenaline and blood. Every fight won, every life saved, erased the failure of Asami, and added to Kunoichi's growing list of accomplishments. It had also influenced Asami to make a decision: Tomorrow afternoon, she would go down to the AFW's offices, and resign from the roster. It made her feel large pang of regret and pain, even behind the mask. But she had been nothing more than a midcard talent anyway. Asami was just a name on a growing list, lost in the shuffle. But Kunoichi...the streets were hers. There were no title belts here, but her salary was much more that Asami's, at least.
Her eyes settled on a satchel, filled with yen notes meant for Lash's nightclub. Money meant for Lash that would instead be used to help support Kunoichi instead. Way more than she earned for months of AFW matches, earned in less than ten minutes. She had waylaid one of the Russian's couriers, bringing money to the nightclub the gangster owned. The bodyguards she left unconscious in an alley near the ambush site, inside a dumpster. The courier though, she took to this warehouse across from Lash's club in order to interrogate him. Asami needed information from him, something that would let her get close to Lash.....and assassinate her. It wasn't a decision she came to lightly. So far, it was a line....no the line Kunoichi wouldn't cross. But, she felt that the Russian had local law enforcement in her pocket, which ruled out trying to get her arrested. Her influence over the streets was something that needed to be disrupted, permanently but Kunoichi couldn't think of a way to do it and let Lash live.

Also, she did threaten Dixie with a lifetime of sexual slavery, broke her nose and nearly killed the both of them. Couldn't forget that.

Hearing a quiet moan behind her, Kunoichi turned to where a young, but chubby Japanese man was tied to a support beam, apparently just coming to. His face was a mess of blood and bruises, one eye swelled shut. Blood dripped from his nose. His shirt had been ripped away, exposing a flabby belly and chest that was also black and blue. His breath came in wheezing gasps. He looked up as Kunoichi cracked her knuckles.

"P..Please...I told you, I don't know anything!" he pleaded in English. "I don't know this Lash person. I just work for an accountant, and I was supposed to take that satchel to the Krysha nightclub for a client! Someone there was supposed to meet me for it! Please, I just work in the mailroom and needed the extra money I was promised!"
"Liar." Kunoichi hissed. "Nobody trusts that much money to a mailroom monkey. I'm tired of playing nice with you."
"Nice..?" the man echoed. "Please, I...I think I need a doctor. My eye...I can't see out of it...it hurts to breathe."
"That would be your broken rib." the black clad woman replied. "Felt it give when I was playing the conga on your bouncy belly. Now tell me..."

She trailed off as police sirens began to approach, growing louder rapidly. Going to a window, Kunoichi looked across the street as Japanese police cars surrounded the night club. A blonde woman, who she recognized as Lash was being led out, not by a Japanese man, but a Westerner of some sort.
"[What the hell...?]" Kunoichi wondered in Japanese. "[What's going on?]"

Then the man began to scream for help. Quickly, Kunoichi ran back, driving her fist into the mess of his face, at his jawline, knocking him back out. Although it was just for a brief second, Kunoichi quickly began to gather her things. The police had tried to arrest her the few times they caught sight of her during her activities, and she knew that she had left enough scumbags for them to have an idea of what they were dealing with. Whatever was going on with Lash would have to wait. Kunoichi didn't know if they were going to start searching the area for any more of Lash's people, but she didn't want to stick around to find out!

Unfortunately for Asami, she wasn't going to get the chance to run. She wasn't going to get the chance to escape or make a getaway, not so long as the woman watching her had anything to say about it.

Dixie watched Asami from the shadows of the warehouse, a sad, sullen look on her face. She could hardly believe how far her friend had fallen. She could hardly believe what Asami had become, and she couldn't help but feel like she was partially to blame. She should have tried to stop her sooner, she should have tried to get help for her, she should have tried something to stop the ninja before things had gotten this far.

But...she didn't, and now it had come to this. The cowgirl sighed to herself, knowing that this would be her one and only chance at making things right, and getting Asami back on the right path in her life. She just hoped that she would be able to do it, and that Asami would listen to her.

She felt kind of ridiculous though. She was dressed head to toe in black leather, the Sgt. Clemets outfit that she had wore during a less-then-great time in her career. On her head perched her police hat, and on her face was her black sunglasses. She had decided that if Asami wouldn't listen to her words, that she could try intimidating her into doing as she said, but she was already starting to regret her choice, feeling uncomfortable in her old heelish gear.

She watched as Asami started to gather her things, then sighed again. With a deep breath to steady her nerves, Dixie stepped out of the shadows and towards Asami, clearing her throat loudly to catch the ninja's attention before calling out to her in a deep, commanding voice.

"Put yer stuff down, girl. You ain't goin' anywhere..."

Kunoichi froze for a moment as someone stepped out of the deep shadows of the warehouse, a feminine voice calling to her that she wasn't going to be leaving. Asami's wry humor came to mind as she wondered about the irony of the ninja being the one that was snuck up on. But, Kunoichi wasn't in a joking mood.

"I don't know how you found me but I...I..." she began, about the threaten the woman, but trailed off in surprise as Dixie stepped fully into the circle of light thrown by the single active bulb above them. The Texan was in her Sergeant Clemets attire, and even as the near emotionless Kunoichi, Asami was still struck by the blonde's beauty. But she was also somewhat wary now, put on her guard. Even though she never encountered Dixie in this 'mode' before, Asami knew the sight of her Sergeant Clemets persona. She knew a little about the history of Dixie's time as a heel, but not a lot. Mainly, as Sergeant Clemets she gave zero fucks, beating opponents relentlessly with little to no regard for the rules of the ring.


Kunoichi did indeed drop the satchel of money, as she also slid her backpack containing a variety of melee weapons off of her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor.
"What are you doing here, Dixie?" she asked, Asami's voice speaking in Kunoichi's low and dangerous tone. "Go home, none of this concerns you anymore."

"Don't try that tough girl act with me, Asami," Dixie fired back at the ninja, planting her hands on her hips, adopting a tough, confident tone. She tilted her head slightly downwards, staring over the tops of her sunglasses towards the ninja, meeting her gaze directly. Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle under the dim light of the single bulb in the warehouse, her gaze piercing and cold as she stared towards Asami. "And don't tell me where to go. Tonight, ah'm givin' the orders in here, understand?"

She took a single step forwards, moving closer to Asami, but staying tense and on her guard all the while. "Ah'm here to bring you home, plain and simple." She shook her head, stealing a quick glance at the victim of Kunoichi that was sitting nearby, before turning her attention back to Asami. "Look at yerself, girl. Take a good, long look at yerself. This ain't the girl ah know. This ain't the girl ah've fought with in the ring!" She shook her head again, and took another step forwards.

"This ain't you, and ya know it, so ah'm gonna be nice and give ya one chance. Come with me and let's get out of here, alright?"

Kunoichi blinked as Dixie advanced on her. Not intimidated at all. Not even....hesitant. She wondered if maybe she was losing her touch if she couldn't scare one person into fearful silence with her 'I will beat you halfway to death' glare.

"Of course I'm not the same girl you knew." Kunoichi retorted after Dixie finished her plea for the two of them to leave. "I'm better. I don't fight in a ring, stuck in a league where the best I can be is some third rate mid-card talent. My battles matter. Me being out here on the streets makes them safer for everyone except the scum that would prey on others."

She shook her head.

"Truth be told, Asami was a failure. Even her parents saw that, which is way they disowned her when she wouldn't quit the AFW." Kunoichi went on. "Me, on the other hand. Well, I've declared war on the all the rapists, muggers, kidnappers and killers out on these streets, and so far....I'm winning."

The masked woman chuckled to herself. "And let me tell you, I make a lot more money doing this then Asami does in the AFW. Robbing the robbers is pretty profitable. I'm going to be moving out of that craphole Asami was living in into a bigger place downtown. So really Dixie, you should leave...."

With that, Kunoichi assumed a martial arts stance.
"....Before I make you." she finished.

The moment she noticed Asami shifting into her martial arts stance, Dixie's body naturally moved into it's own defensive stance, the blonde tensing up as she raised her fists up in front of her. She could understand where Asami was coming from, but at the same time...she couldn't let the ninja keep doing this. She couldn't keep letting her throw herself into these dangerous situations.

"Asami..." she called out softly, letting her voice drop it's demanding, controlling tone, just for the moment. "Ah don't want to do this. Don't make me do this." She crept a little closer to the ninja, starting to slowly circle around her, watching her closely for any sign of movement. "Please. Jes' give it up, and come on home with me. We can talk this over once we're somewhere safer, okay?"

She honestly didn't want to go through with this, so she was giving Asami one final chance. She only hoped that the ninja would listen to reason and do as she asked her.

The Japanese woman's heart seemed to lurch in her chest as Dixie spoke, her voice soothing. For a moment, despite the mask, she was Asami again and wanted to do nothing more than take the cowgirl up on her suggestion. Well, and maybe get a cup of hot chocolate somewhere. But that moment passed, and Asami felt the weight of her failures, the sorrow of her family turning away from her, and the frustration and sadness that came with knowing that the heart of the woman she desired and adored belonged to another.

"Don't you see!? I need this!" she exploded. "For the last year, this is the only thing I've been good at! Everything else has just....crumbled around me! The AFW, my family..." Asami's voice trailed off into a whisper as she added "...you "

"But Kunoichi, being her takes away the pain and replaces it with a...coldness. All that matters to her is rage, focused on punks, gangsters and their toadies like Bouncy Belly here." Asami said, trying to vocalize what was happening, although if it was for Dixie's benefit or for her own attempt at understanding what was happening in her mind, she didn't know. "I need that, because facing what's left of the wreck of my life is just....I can't."

Asami looked on at Dixie as the coldness reasserted itself, both soothing in the fact that it took the pain, and frightening because of the violence it brought out in her.
"And you want me to give this up? Don't you see now? It's all I have left, and I can't let you take it away from me!" Kunoichi replied.

With that, she suddenly rushed at Dixie, looking to drive a fist into the blonde's stomach to bend her over, then raising her knee up to slam it up under the cowgirl's jaw in a quick combination of strikes!

Asami's attack came too soon for Dixie. The blonde wasn't ready yet. She had hoped for more time to talk to the ninja, more time to stall until she had figured out a better plan to deal with her. The Kunoichi wanted to fight, though, so the time for words was over.

Dixie just hoped that when it was all said and done with, that she wouldn't have to hurt Asami too badly.

Her body tensed up as Asami lunged in at her, but before she could react, the ninja's knee rose up, slamming into her hard, bare belly. With a loud cough, Dixie began to double over, bending over, putting her face right into the path of Asami's knee. The Texan took the second blow straight-on, straightening back up as she was struck by the rising attack.

"Gyuh!" she shouted, as she began to stagger back from the blow, the leather-clad blonde caught off her guard and with open arms, her defense non-existent as she tried to recover from the ninja's opening strikes.

Kunoichi was given a reminder at just how much more resilient Dixie was compared to the street level punks she was often pitted against. A two strike combination that normally put lesser people down for the count had merely staggered the cowgirl. Still, she was reeling backwards, her guard totally blown apart. It seemed a perfect opportunity for a strong follow up attack.

Stepping forward, the vigilante brought herself within kicking distance of the former Rumble Rose. Then Kunoichi spun her body into a twirl, and when she came full circle, lashed out with her leg looking to land a spinning roundhouse kick on the side of Dixie's blonde head!

Dixie was given a reminder as well, a not-so-gentle reminder of just how hard Asami could strike at someone. The ninja's first two strikes had left her open and unprotected, and before the Texan could recover her guard, in came the Kunoichi's massive roundhouse, her leg smashing straight into the side of Dixie's skull.

"Nnnnff!!"

Dixie went staggering away from the ninja, the head jerking to the side from the impact of the kick. She would have dropped to the floor, but as she stumbled back, her body fell to the side, landing neatly atop of a large wooden crate. With closed eyes and an unsteady breath, the cowgirl leaned against the crate, trying to clear her head, trying to recover before her friend could continue her attack.

It was hard though. Her mind was clouded, and her thoughts were polluted by the pain surging through her skull. For the moment, she was out of it, Dixie left stunned by Asami's sharp, deadly kick.