Breaking the Tension!™ Episode 9: Who are SEME?

Patty sat behind her desk. Her desk. God, she liked the sound of that.

Many, many things had happened since her last episode of Breaking the Tension!. Patty's petitions to the AFW had not gone unnoticed - apparently someone at the main offices knew talent when she saw it. Now that Tension was expanding and growing, there had been some talk about it getting an official show for it, and since Patty already had hers up and running with an established fanbase, the choice was a natural one - Patty O' Malley was now the host of Breaking the Tension!, the official interview show of Tension.

She was given a studio, cameras, lights, her own logo, and even a small staff to work with, and they were all coming together for the first episode of her second - and first official - season. As Patty looked around the set and everyone skittered around, she could hardly maintain her giddiness. Her dream had finally came true. No more running around, not more heading to locations all over Kyoto, and if one of her interviewees got out of line, she could actually call security for help! A vast improvement.

Ever the professional, she steeled herself as Ran - now her lead camerawoman - moved in and gave her the signal. She gave herself a quick check over on a heavy screen - her pigtails was perfectly trim and even in an immaculate cut, her trademark blue and white outfit looked shinier than ever, and the camera was perfectly capturing the gleam in her eye. She looked like a million bucks, and she was ready to show it to the world.

Ran brought up her hand and started the countdown. "And we're on in three, two..."

Patty put on the biggest smile humanly possible and turned to face the camera with wide, open arms. "Welcome, AFW Universe, to Breaking the Tension! Season 2!""

She couldn't help but beam a little at the sound of it. God, it rolled off the tongue so well.

"That's right, folks! The Powers That Be have heard You The People, and now we're in the big time. New set, new style, and new interviews are coming your way, and to celebrate, we're kicking off the season with not one, not two, but three wrestlers to interview. You saw their striking introduction on Tension, and you've already witnessed one of them in action, with a bone-breaking, brutal matchup. Now it's time for the AFW Universe to answer the question that's been on many lips in the past two weeks: who is SEME?"

Patty swung her arm out as the camera panned back, revealing the group of SEME sitting on the other side of the desk. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Hikaru Mitsuoko, Ryuunosuke Tachibana, and Mitsuru Satou!"

As the camera swung from Patty to the other side of the desk, the three members of SEME all cast a very different, yet somehow cohesive image. Hikaru sat on the left, slouched down a bit in his seat with arms hanging lazily off the sides. Similar to his ring attire, his clothes today were baggy and disheveled, though they appeared to have been specifically designed that way. His brow hair was spiky albeit partially hidden behind a hat turned sideways. Completing his look was the black-fur-lined grey coat that he also wore into the arena. ”Yo!” he greeted casually with brows raised, his lips and cheeks moving up and down as he chewed on gum. He flashed a peace sign to go along with the greeting and then settled back in to a comfortable position. Overall he seemed somewhat out of his element.

In contrast to Hikaru’s very ‘street’ look, Ryuunosuke on the far left looked almost out of place. He sat perfectly upright with his arms crossed casually but properly across his chest. He wore a crisp double black suit, accented by a dark teal tie tucked neatly into the coat. Like Hikaru, he had brought his own black fur coat that he wore for SEME in the arena, but his was draped across the back of his chair. Unlike Hikaru, the coat was not part of his wardrobe today, but brought out of necessity to present a uniform image. His lips were pursed into a thin line neither positive nor negative, and he offered a slight nod when Patty introduced them. It was hard to tell what Ryuu was thinking at the moment, he had the neutral stoic expression down to a ‘T’.

Finally, Mitsuru sat in the middle of the two boys looking like she had stepped straight out of the latest Vogue. She sat with legs crossed on top of each other and arms resting confidently on the arm handles. Her outfit today consisted of sleek knee high black boots and what looked like a form-fitting dark catsuit, emblazoned with risque see-through mesh that could only be seen if the light shone at just the right angle. Viewers would likely clue in that one thing that made SEME characteristic was the fur coat, and Mitsuru was no exception. Hers was large, exceptionally expensive-looking and stark white, likely leaving viewers wondering how in the world she kept it so clean. She projected an image of sophistication and glamour, a commanding presence to be sure.

Individually they didn’t seem like the three would ever run in the same circles, but together they struck a unified figure. Even without the coats to visually link them together, there was no tension or barrier between them. Between strangers or acquaintances, there were subtle yet noticeable differences in posture and body language when sitting together. Yet among SEME, the three seemed entirely at ease with one another. Judging solely on their looks, one could almost piece together their subroles within the team, Hikaru the attack dog, Ryuu the knight, and Mitsuru the Queen.

After both Hikaru and Ryuu had “spoken”, Mitsuru took the lead in the conversation as she was, well, the leader. She gave a warm smile and waved to the camera before setting her sights back on Patty their host. ”Thank you for having us, Patty, we’re honored to be here. It’s no secret, SEME has big plans for Tension, but we’re still very new and mysterious compared to the well-established titans of the ring. I want to thank you again for giving us the opportunity to let the people get to know us a little better” she said, giving the camera another short smile and sweeping some of her hair behind an ear. Her introduction was diplomatic, inviting, and declared clear intent; she sure wasn't the leader just because she looked pretty.

If there was one thing that Patty had to say about wrestling - especially wrestling in the AFW - it was that it brought some of the most interesting sorts of people her way. Her father, even in his illustrious career, could probably never brag about having three such unique yet united individuals together under a single name. The trio was certainly striking - maybe a little too striking, really. Patty had been a little sheepish about inviting people on the show who had all but promised to create trouble in Tension from their first moment, but she realized that such risks were inevitable. No guts, no glory. Besides, AFW security was conveniently located down the hall. Everything would be fine.

"Indeed!" Patty gave Hikaru a cautious glance for all of half a second, before she centered on Mitsuru. Clearly the mouthpiece of the group, and a fine looking one at that - all the better for the audience to look at. Eye candy certainly wouldn't hurt her rating "Let's see if we can rub off a little of that mystery, huh? But not too much." She gave Mitsuru a playful wag of the finger, then flopped back in her chair. "I guess it's best to get some basic questions out of the way: first, what does SEME stand for? Second, what SEME stand for?"

Careful play of words, intriguing and deep. Patty tented her fingers and took on a thoughtful, focused expression.

What does SEME stand for? A question Mitsuru saw coming a mile away, but one she yet struggled to find just the right words for. Better to go with the easier question first. ”That’s the thing everyone’s wondering most, right? One explanation is that SEME is the root of the Japanese verb ‘SEMERU’, [攻める], meaning to attack or assault. Using another kanji, SEMERU becomes [責める], which has several meanings; to condemn, to pester, to torment, to break in (a horse). No matter which version you choose to go with, SEME retains aggressive implications. As we declared in our original promotion, we are here to be movers-and-shakers for Tension. But you might be thinking, ‘S.E.M.E. is an acronym, isn’t it?’ Like you said Patty, we can’t completely discard our sense of mystery can we?” Mitsuru laughed, shrugging her shoulders and smiling for the camera. She unlaced her legs one way and then reversed their position, resettling her position in the chair. Still, she had only given half an explanation, which would only half-satisfy a viewing audience. This interview was paramount in further embellishing their image, showing the fans that they weren’t like the all attitude no personality teams that had come before them.

Thankfully, Mitsuru wouldn’t have to cue one of her teammates to speak up; Hikaru’s personality wouldn’t let him sit still for all that long. ”She’s being too nice about it. Look, S.E.M.E. isn’t here to hold hands and sing songs around the campfire. We’re here to kick ass, and we’ve already got a list of names. Ryan Knight, John Carnaby, to name a few you already know about. Like we said in the debut, we’re here to clean up the league.” Hikaru huffed, propping his feet up on Patty’s desk as he leaned back in his chair like he owned the place.

To be honest, Patty stopped paying attention halfway through Mitsuru's explanation. She thought the answer would be something sleek and sexy and clever, a good way to appeal to her audience over the shore - American's did love their acronyms, after all. What Mitsuru gave her was more like an English lesson. Rather dry.

She kept an interested look on her face, however - if she looked bored, her viewers would sense it and latch on. Fortunately, Hikaru - who, Patty swore, smelled faintly like a wet dog - brought some raw emotion into the moment, and she immediately sought to tap it.

"'Cleaning up the league'. That's an interesting way to put." She brought out her pen and pretended to jot a few things down on her notepad. In reality, she was doodling a picture of Hikaru and Ryuusuke making out. "Your first appearance was quite bold, calling out the current - and, depending on who you ask, first - Tension Tag Champions. Some say you're just trying to make a lot of noise, hoping to get yourself noticed, that you have no right to call such a challenge when you haven't even debuted as a tag team yet. What do you say to these detractors?"

”They’re mistaken.” Ryuu finally spoke up, switching which arm was folded on top of the other as he resettled into his chair. ”It’s true that we haven’t given the people much to believe in yet, so their skepticism is understandable. I’d be lying if I said I would be completely convinced either with my performance; I lost myself in the moment against a strong opponent. But in the end I realized my mistake, and decided to force a draw rather than a loss. So again it’s understandable their faith in our mission is wavering. Ultimately they’re still mistaken.”

”That’s right. Some might point to Ryuu’s first match as a sign that we don’t have what it takes. I’d remind those people that we are at our core a tag team, our true strength is drawn out when we are in the ring together. We may have individual weaknesses, but what wrestler doesn’t? SEME shines when we stand together.”

”Point being, you aint seen nothing yet! The big wigs at AFW are ‘fraid of us, that’s why they scheduled a singles match. Can’t have the new guys tear into the precious fan-favorite veterans right away! We’re here to tear down the unworthy pretenders, those who haven’t earned their belts and don’t deserve to own em.” Hikaru added on, firing up a toothy grin across his face.

Ran was almost caught off guard when Ryuu spoke up, taking his quietness so far to mean that he was just the dumb muscle of the group. But no - he was well spoken articulate, and - if Ran was being honest - quite handsome. She made sure to zoom on him as he spoke, let the audience capture the bass in his voice. Also, she avoided focusing on Patty as she hastily readjusted in her seat to look at all of them.

"Strong words, Hikaru." God, she hoped she got the right name for the Wolf-Man. She'd had so much troublem memorizing them an hour ago, when she was getting prepped. "I assume you're talking about the UKE, of course, but is that really a fair assessment? They fought their way through the tag tournament. They defend their belts on a regular basis. What more do they have to do, in your eyes? Why is SEME more worthy of the gold?"

"And? It's not like their regularly scheduled matches are against anyone high caliber, anyone who has a clue what they're doing. Sure, their can mesh up well and put on a good show, but they don't have that real sync that a good tag team does. Sucks to admit it, but the UKE's got it, which is prolly why they've been at the top for so long." he replied in a way that seemed like more of a complaint than an explanation.

Ryuu nodded in agreement but added nothing to the conversation. Mitsuru said nothing either, she wasn't a fool when it came to PR. She made carefully calculated statements, designed to project a specific message and intent, but Hikaru spoke from his heart, giving little mind to how inflammatory it might be. In this instance, that seemed to be what Patty was honing in on.

"I for one would like to see them face a real threat. Doesn't have ta be us, course that's what would be the most fun."

Then there's the attitude. The "holier-than-thou" elitist pomp that goes along with their moniker. They call themselves the United Kingdom Elite, but sofar as I know, they don't actually have a presence there."

"But you three do have that sync. Hm?" Patty tapped her chin, looking to be in deep thought while she gave the audience some time to digest Hikaru's bold words. Pacing was key, here.

"Let's come back to the United Kingdom Elite in a minute - after all, if you're throwing the guantlet down, we should get to know you all a little better first. Contrast and all." She sat back in the chair and waved the pen in a wide arc, pointing to all of them in turn. "The stoic sentinel, the wild man, the pristine princess - just to look at you, I think most would agree that you're three individuals who would rarely run in the same circles. So I - and my viewers - are a little curious. What brought you all together? What's the common thread? How did you achieve this sync that the UKE and none else have achieved?"

"Her" "Mitsuru" both boys explained at the same time, causing her to laugh and shrug her shoulders. It was Ryuu who took the opportunity to elaborate this time, clearing his throat with a mild noise.

"A good team needs good leadership, and we're definitely not lacking there. She's the one that scouted Hikaru and I, made the three of us a team. After leaving the SDF, I was working as a bouncer when she found me, and Hikaru was doing an indie league. Like you said, we dont look like we have anything in common; I wasn't sure her vision was going to work out either, but Mitsuru saw through all that, and now here we are. We read each other now, act as one."

"It wasnt all sunshine and rainbows 24/7 though. We bickered, we fought, I almost quit. But she had a vision of what we could become, convinced me to stay. After going through her version of hell, we turned into SEME. Now I'm loving every minute of it, we're gonna be kicking ass with a kick-ass team!"

"I think they're giving me a bit more credit than I deserve, but I will concede that it was ultimately my idea to create this team. I went to college and I have a PhD in Psychology, but both of my parents are martial artists, and it looks like I couldn't stay away from my true calling either. Like most teams, we play off each other's strengths and weaknesses. At the expense of oversimplifying, you could archetype Hikaru as the skill, Ryuu as the strength, and myself as the brains. There's more to each of us than that, but those are our specialties. As for what makes us sync so well? I think you'll be able to find out for yourselves when you see us in the ring together."